“So… What are we doing here?” Starlight asked. Near her, a rope levitated in the telekinesis field. On the other side of the rope was Maud Pie with her miner’s hat.
“Getting samples,” she said, emotionless as always. She took a little pick levitating close to her inside of the same light turquoise telekinesis field as the rope.
Starlight heard a few ringing thumps and a spit. It was her signal to take stones and a pick Maud used.
With a few efforts, she pulled Maud out of the dried-up river bed. In her mouth were a few crumbling rocks. “Tastes like the sample I got before.” She put them in a bucket standing nearby.
“What was the point of collecting the same samples from the same river bed?” Starlight asked in slight confusion. She already levitated up all their equipment and began to leave. Even if you’re a great magician, it’s dangerous to stay in Everfree forest for too long.
Maud bluntly answered, “Confirmation.”
“Confirmation of what?” Starlight asked Maud to elaborate. It wasn’t easy to talk to her, but inside there was a beautiful world, but all that was leaking out of this world were rocks and words without much emotion.
“The same samples confirm that somewhere at the beginning of the river there is a rare kind of mineral. Now I just need to get there,” she answered, monotonous as usual.
Starlight put down the things she levitated and said, “I think I can help with that if you are up to a little adventure with friends.”
A smoke bomb exploded a few feet away from Starlight when she stepped over a bush. Behind her was Maud still in her hat, but now the light on it was extinguished.
In front of them was an old wagon. Trixie’s home, adventure vehicle, and a storage unit, three in one. And to the side of the wagon was the owner herself trying a new trick of hers. But every time she winged a “magic” wand, her horn denied the spell she tried to cast.
When she swung her wand again, another smoke bomb flew from under her hat and landed by Starlight’s hooves, immersing her and Maud in familiar toxic gas. The ensuing coughs made Trixie jump out of her robe and hit her head on the wagon wall.
“Don’t sneak up on me!” she complained while rubbing the back of her head. It was lucky that other bombs under her hat didn’t go off. The magic stick she was “using” before, was eternally lost in the bushes of Everfree.
Starlight barely managed to walk out of the smoke cloud and cough all of the yucky stuff out. “Watch it yourself! Maybe be more careful next time?” The cloud disappeared and revealed Maud who coughed only once or twice.
“Don’t steal my trick!” Trixie said to Maud.
Maud took off her head and laid it on the ground. “I would never even dream about it.” The hat was dirty and was covered in dust that was left by gas.
“Trixie, remember how we traveled to Saddle Arabia together?” Starlight asked her kindly. Something fishy was hiding in her voice.
Trixie nodded.
She approached Trixie and put her hoof over her. “Do you want to repeat it, but with Maud?” She asked with the most hopeful voice she could allow herself. The smoke was still hurting her throat a bit.
“Absolutely not. It may have been a great and life-changing adventure, but one time is enough,” she surprised her partner in crime. “Besides, we barely fit in there together! Three is overkill.”
Starlight’s face changed its expression to sad. Sad puppy eyes were a little too much, but she still did them. “Please?” she said, sobbing.
Trixie shook her head.
Starlight’s eyes began sparkling. “Pretty please?”
It took some time and a few attempts, but in the end, Trixie couldn’t refuse Starlight anymore. For the whole time, Maud was just standing there.
“Now we need to make some room inside!” Starlight said gladly. Her grin suggested that she wanted to do it for a long time.
Trixie immediately stood in front of the entrance to her wagon. “Don’t you dare, Glimmer! The last time you made a ‘tidying up’ I lost a few dozen of my bombs and a box of candy!”
A wide, sly smile took place on Starlight’s face. “Mint candies or bananas?” she said with a very pleased voice.
Trixie gasped. “IT WAS YOU?!” She stepped towards Starlight. “I’m going to show you!” she began approaching her with a genuine smile.
When Trixie was about to push Starlight’s hoof in a cartoonish manner, something warm touched her left cheek.
*smooch*
Trixie blushed. Her eyes widened as she watched Starlight hug her. Trixie accepted that warm embrace and hugged her back.
“Does this mean yes?” Maud suddenly scared them both.
Trixie left the wagon holding something under her robe. “So. I have a few new tricks I… ‘borrowed’ from a slithery friend. If you see him or if he asks you, tell him that you don’t know anything.”
Starlight chuckled.
Trixie quickly put a weird sphere under her hat. Her horn lit up with the usual magenta aura. The door of a wagon closed. Then, another aura of orange color embraced Trixie’s horn. A few seconds later it flashed, blinding each one of them.
“Ta-da!” Trixie uttered solemnly. She was standing on her two back hooves, her front hooves were showing the same old wagon.
Starlight’s hoof quickly reached its owner's face. “Trixie... Nothing changed!”
“Are you sure about that?” Trixie objected. Now that sly smile was on her face.
Trixie opened the door of the wagon with her magic and lively invited Starlight and Maud in. What Starlight saw shocked her. The space inside the wagon was twice or even thrice bigger than before.
Maud already entered a wagon and put her equipment as well as samples in a corner.
“You sure it’s safe and that the spirit won’t make you pay for such stuff?” Starlight asked. At the same time, she looked around the wagon and took a map from the pile of junk Trixie called her treasures.
The owner of the wagon just shrugged. “So where do we need to go?” she asked.
“Give me a sec,” she levitated the map in front of her following the river bed. “Saddle Arabia! What a weird coincidence!”
Trixie wanted to complain but stopped halfway through opening her mouth. Their last adventure wasn’t very good, but now their wagon is bigger and they won’t irritate each other, right?
The trio met next to Twilight’s castle the next morning. Well, Starlight and Maud came there while Trixie was still snoring inside.
Starlight entered and put a kettle on a stove, wondering, how did this place still didn’t burn down because of Trixie.
Maud found a new hammock hanging close to two old ones and put her things near it.
A pleasant whistling woke Trixie up. It wasn’t very surprising for her to see Starlight when she wakes up, but this time Maud also was there.
“As usual?” Starlight asked Trixie, who had barely woken up yet. In her half-sleep state she just weakly nodded and began snoring again. “Maud, do you want some tea?”
Maud nodded and said, “Do you have some rock tea?” With an emotionless voice.
“I don't think Trixie has any. Maybe some leaf tea?”
After a bit of tea drinking and a few attempts of pushing Trixie out of her hammock, their wagon set off. The adventure ahead looked very promising, and if Pinkie Pie was there, she would say she never saw Maud happier in her life.
One step for Trixie pulling the wagon, a giant leap in relations for the trio.
“I’m sorry, but this isn’t happening,” said the sarcastic voice of all-mighty draconequus.
Trixie almost struck into his suddenly appeared leg. “What?”
“What-what? Budget cuts.” He snapped his fingers and Starlight appeared above Trixie. Gravity quickly took control and now they laid on each other.
He snapped again; Maud appeared next to them. “That’s what you get for stealing something from the spirit of chaos…” He turned to Maud. “Will our cave-exploring wednesday happen as usual?”
Maud nodded.
“See you later then!” he snapped and disappeared. With Discord, the wagon disappeared leaving all the stuff that was inside falling on the ground.
Maud came close to them, “I guess this adventure isn’t happening then.” Her voice was filled with sadness that could be heard not just by Pinkie Pie.
Starlight angrily looked at Trixie, but she was too busy looking around for her wagon to even notice. “TRIXIE!!!” Starlight screamed at her.
“GET BACK HERE, YOU, ABOMINATION!” Trixie screamed somewhere in the air. She slammed her hoof in the ground and it left a deep dent. It looked stupid, but it worked.
The air whirled around Trixie. It raised her in the air and dropped by Starlight. Seconds later, eyes appeared on this whirlwind. “Be careful! You just ruined a perfectly good sapling!” it said which surprised not only our heroes, but also himself.
The whirlwind quickly dissipated to reveal a familiar draconequus who had his hand on his goat beard. “I think it was Applejack’s influence… Anyway, what do you want?” His pony hoof was thumping as he waited impatiently for an answer.
Trixie was about to scream some profanity at him, but Starlight shut her mouth with a hoof. “Can we just please have the wagon? We’ll finish our trip and Trixie and I will do any punishment.” She knew what risks she was taking, but allowing Trixie to say anything to him was much worse.
An evil grin appeared on draconequus’ face. “‘Any’ you say?” He already was considering how he could have some fun and don’t get in any trouble with them as his servants. “I accept your conditions.” He folded his fingers in a tent form and laughed evilly.
*snap*
The wagon re-appeared in the same place. All things still were laying on the ground and they had to be manually put into the wagon. It wasn’t hard to do with two unicorns, but Starlight forced Trixie to do it as a little punishment.
While Trixie was rearranging stuff, Maud and Starlight had another cup of tea. It turned out Maud brought Boulder with herself, and he brought some rock tea.
Starlight was surprised by the taste. The tea itself was filled with different minerals. Together they mixed into a delicious taste. And it was pretty healthy with all the micro elements.
“I finished,” said gasping Trixie. Sweat was dripping from the tips of her hair. Her legs were shaking and her horn was blinking as she levitated a water cup.
Starlight stood up and stretched. “Good work. Now go take a break.” Starlight went towards the harness. Maud followed her.
Starlight put on the harness and they began to move. “So… What is so special about that mineral?” she asked, groaning as the wagon refused to move at first. And then, she almost fell down when the wagon began pushing her down the hill.
Maud stopped Starlight from falling. “It formed as a result of magical decay of other rare mineral.” She was as laconic and emotionless as usual. Although, her sight was directed into the distance and full of hope.
“What’s so special about that other rare mineral?” she was inquisitive more than usual.
Maud pointed at Starlight. “It is almost similar to the rock you used to trap cutie marks,” she accidentally pressed at Starlight’s pain point. It shook Starlight a little as the only one who hadn't forgiven her was she herself.
“Ah, jungle! Feels like a few months ago we sailed along the river,” reminded Trixie. She leaned out of the window looking at the road ahead. Cup full of tea levitated close to her as her horn still was blinking.
“Trixie! Lift up your lazy butt!” Starlight said. She was pulling the wagon for the last two or three horses while Trixie was ‘resting’.
Trixie took Starlight’s place. She tried to say that she still was too tired, but Starlight didn’t buy it. She knew Trixie and her body language well enough to tell when she was lying.
With some force and magic, Trixie was harnessed and began pulling the wagon instead of Starlight. All three of them were walking together talking about little things, mostly rocks and tricks.
Everything was perfect until Maud and Starlight didn’t leave Trixie.
Their wagon was moving on a steep road, the fall from which would lead straight into a familiar river.
Trixie was focused on the pretty river and there was no one around her.
The wagon ran over a stone and Trixie and her house rushed down the hill. The water took almost all free space inside of the wagon and it forced Maud and Starlight to leave it. They climbed to the top of the wagon and used it as a raft.
Starlight was silent, but her expression said everything: downward looking eyebrows, frown and her eyes fixed on Trixie.
“I don’t think we’re going the right way,” remarked Maud, which knocked out Starlight from her blind rage and sent her and Trixie both into laughter. Somehow, Maud's dress looked dry and droplets of water rolled down without soaking into it.
Trixie’s horn lightened up again, still blinking, but not as often as before. Her mind concentrated on one thing as she tried to perform a spell. And it was hard to do it without seeing the target. Blinking became more frequent and the water on her fur mixed up with appearing sweat. Her body shivered when a weak whiff passed along.
Now Starlight’s horn began glowing as Trixie was enveloped in a telekinesis field. All the water from her body quickly evaporated and Trixie herself shook at sudden warmness spreading throughout her body. She also warmed up Maud seconds after. .
Seconds after, a paddle raised from the water encumbered in a magenta telekinesis field. It flew towards Maud and fell right by her hooves. It was then, when Trixie noticed Starlight shaking. Unicorn’s magic was limited in many ways, and sometimes it meant that one only could give to others and not to themselves.
But Trixie had another opinion. She walked close to Maud and whispered something to her ear, and when Starlight turned the other way to look at a weird splash in water, they both, Maud and Trixie, hugged her, sharing the warmth.
“Thanks,” she said bluntly. Trixie chuckled. And after, Maud chuckled too. It surprised them, but they didn’t show a sign.
Trixie approached the edge of the wagon-boat. “Now, would you two be so kind to assist me with,” she stopped and waited until two more oars raised from the water, “With speeding up our cruise?”
They all grabbed a paddle and began rowing down the river.
Unfortunately, this river remembered them and was out for revenge. A few alligators saw the top of the wagon as a great place to stay. Our trio had to use paddles to fight them off and it continued for some time.
One alligator almost bit into Trixie’s leg when Maud suddenly jumped into him and they both flew into water. Other alligators stopped attacking and went to help their fallen friend.
“MAUD!” Starlight screamed trying to pick her up with telekinesis, but it was impossible to do so. She was running around looking how she could help, but there was nothing left. All the oars were turned into splinters.
But to Starlight’s shock, Trixie jumped into the water where the water was most uneasy. “NO!” Starlight screamed trying to grab Trixie with her levitation, but it was too late.
A few uneasy seconds later, when Starlight began losing all the hope, a giant cloud of familiar gas appeared under the water. It swallowed up the wagon and for some time there was nothing to see except grayness. The toxic components of the gas immediately reminded themselves and Starlight began coughing.
She coughed and coughed waiting for her friends, but they didn’t come. She wanted to jump into the water to find them herself, but something stopped her. The gas began disappearing, letting sunrays through and showering some light onto the situation.
Trixie and Maud were lying unconscious on the edge of the raft. Trixie’s hooves were embraced around Maud and her head was swimming far away from the raft. They both had some bruises, and Maud even had an alligator tooth stuck in her perfectly dry dress.
“Wha?” said Trixie when she woke up. She laid near the campfire with maud. On the other side she saw Starlight setting the wagon in order (drying it and getting rid of the seagrass that somehow found its way inside).
Above them was a black blanket filled with little fireflies, and right above Trixie was a giant diamond. It felt like someone was keeping an eye on them.
Trixie didn’t move much so Maud could have some more sleeping time, instead, Trixie was looking around. They were rather close to the same river. Around them were a lot of exotic trees with weird fruits growing on them. On the closest to Trixie fruit was a sign ‘Trixie, it’s not edible so don’t even think about it!’
With a few easy spells, the sign was gone and the fruit was closing to Trixie’s mouth.
“NO!” The fruit immediately fell into the fire and exploded. “I even wrote a note knowing you will do this,” screamed Starlight.
“Come on, Glimmer, what the worst that can happen?” asked Trixie. Her voice was rather impudent and her horn already started pulling another fruit. Starlight immediately ripped off all the fruits that were around and threw them far away.
Maud moved slightly and yawned. “Those fruits are full of silicon, hydroxyapatite, erionite, gem dust, and celestial stone; so I would say: dehydration, liver stones, internal bleeding, magical exhaustion, paralysis, cancer,” she explained. Some emotions began appearing in her voice and her friends noticed that.
Trixie and Maud got up and walked around a bit. The smoke from a campfire followed Trixie around and she was forced to hide.
“Are you ready to go, sleepy heads?” asked Starlight. Her mane was disheveled and her aquamarine hair was buried under purple ones. She was slowly panting.
The wagon on the other hand was practically shining. Some paint came off when Starlight was cleaning it, but all in all it looked better than before.
Trixie forced Starlight to get back into the wagon when she dropped on the ground exhausted and soaked through. Trixie harnessed herself and began pulling the wagon against the raging forces of nature.
“Let me do this!” Starlight screamed to Trixie. The rain and the thunderous strikes from far away were muffling her voice. It didn’t stop Trixie from hearing it, but even the rage of nature and her own selfishness wouldn’t allow her to let tired Starlight back out of the wagon.
Maud stepped in and stopped both screams. “We need to find a shelter,” she said. Somehow, her voice ignored all the noise and was perfectly heard by both mares. Was it because she was speaking something they were thinking about themselves, or something else was helping her?
They rode for a few more minutes until the wagon suddenly swayed to it’s right side and was refusing to move. Further inspection showed that one of the wheels broke off the wagon.
“We need to find a shelter!” Starlight screamed when a loud crush sounded a few meters from her. Her mane and her tail rose slightly and her horn shot a thunderbolt without her will. A metallic taste filled her mouth.
Maud immediately picked her up as Starlight was too shocked to move.
“There!” Trixie shot a magic bolt, and it hit a building and showered their way towards it with sparks. “There is something!” Her wet tail was stuck to her body and her mane covered half of her face.
Trixie was first to get close to that building. She opened the door for Maud and Starlight to enter and shut it tight when they were inside. The familiar feeling of warmth filled them and they again as they were stuck in a hug.
Maud put Starlight down on the floor. “Are you alright?” she asked her. Her mane still looked like a dandelion. Sparks and arcs were jumping from her horn to her mane. Tips of her hair were slightly burnt up.
Starlight shook her head. “What is this place?” she asked, looking around. They were in a giant room with two staircases on opposite sides leading to the exactly same place. A fireplace between staircases was burning and a fired up chandelier was above the center of the room.
Everything hinted towards someone living here, smell of food, lights, warmth. Everything, except the absence of life itself.
“It looks like a living room,” said Trixie. “Hello? Anybody home?” No one answered, but humming wind and loud rhythmic knocks appeared from a room on the second floor. Candles extinguished and coldness again surrounded our trio.
Trixie immediately hid behind Maud. “There are ghosts!” she said with a trembling voice. Her shaking hoof pointed to the source of noise. Her fur stood on end and her eyes closed as she embraced Maud.
“It’s probably just an open window. I’ll check it,” said Starlight and went up the stairs. Maud and Trixie were left alone, and unfortunately to immobilized Trixie, Maud walked to another room.
“What are you doing?!” loudly whispered Trixie.
Maud found a little cabinet and opened it. Inside was a bag of oats with a hole. ”Looking around,” Maud answered bluntly. Rumbling in her belly was a good hint towards why she opened a random cabinet.
In a few seconds, a half-empty bag was on the table, and a road of oats led from its original place. “You want some?” Maud asked with a mouthful. One rumble in tummy was all Trixie needed.
“Alright. Give me some,” she said and held out her hoof. But instead of giving her some oat, Maud dragged it away and blocked Trixie’s pass. “Hey, you!” Trixie playfully screamed at her, she leapt towards the oat, but it took Maud only one move to make Trixie hit the ground (carefully).
The great and powerful stood up and looked around. Maud disappeared with the bag of oats. But there was a little clue left by the kidnapped bag, a trail of oats leading all the way back to the cabinet.
“Aha, got you!” Trixie screamed as she opened the cabinet and jumped in, but she stumbled and fell on Maud. The bag of oats fell to the side.
Cabinet closed and both Maud and Trixie were left there in total darkness.
Starlight, however, was dealing with some other stuff. The place was haunted and it was up to the mighty unicorn to find her way out. Out of the room as the ghosts were nice enough not to attack her and ask to leave them peacefully.
“Again, sorry for attacking you,” Starlight apologized. Her voice was sincere and filled with horror. The ghosts weren’t the most attractive creatures, especially if they’re imbued with chaos. All the slime and melted flesh.
Luckily for Starlight, ghosts weren’t upset. It was nice to have a guest once in a while.
When Starlight returned to the entrance, she didn’t find her friends, although it wasn’t hard to follow Trixie’s giggling.
It led Starlight to the kitchen. The floor was strewn with oats and some dishes were laying around.
“I think it’s better for us to leave,” Starlight said when she opened the cabinet from where Trixie’s chuckles were coming from. The scene she saw scarred her mind. It wasn’t a secret that she was with Trixie for a long time or that they both had some feelings towards each other, but finding Trixie laying on Maud lips connected?
Trixie immediately tried to stand up and hit her head. “Wait, Starlight!” she screamed towards the fading silhouette of her best friend.
The storm ended and the trio silently returned to their wagon. The air and emotions between them were tense. Starlight tried to keep her distance from both of them, so she took the harness leaving Maud and Starlight inside thinking about the reality and the existential dread that fills everything and everyone.
“Why were you doing what you were doing?!” Trixie asked Maud in the search of salvation. Trixie was desperate, it felt like she was losing her first friend, the one who saw in her something others couldn’t see. The one she had so many adventures with. The one who always was there.
Maud’s voice was filled with sadness, “Ever since I moved close to Ponyville, I spent so much time with Pinkie and you two. I believe that is the reason. You are three creatures closest to me, almost as close as Boulder.”
“I can’t just sit here and look as she breaks down alone!” Trixie said angrily and stormed out of the wagon.
Starlight saw her friend moving towards her filled with determination. “Trixie, no!” she screamed to stop her from doing anything, but immediately was cut off by a hug. “No, please don~” she tried to resist, but Trixie didn’t let her finish and kissed her.
“Starlight, I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I didn’t know what that was or why... I... just~” Trixie tried to say sorry.
Starlight looked at her with a smile. “You don’t have to justify yourself. I wasn’t angry at you just because of Maud, she was just a final touch. I was angry because you weren’t doing any movements.”
“Movements?” Trixie asked her.
Starlight chuckled. “Movements… Like a kiss. Or a date?”
Blush decorated Trixie’s face. She was rather shocked as she never thought that far ahead. “You mean? You want to be with me?” Her eyes become wet. “But I brought nothing but trouble!”
“That’s not true. You also brought some pain to my croup.” Starlight laughed out loud. “But in all honesty, you’re great…”
“...And powerful.” Maud said from behind which scared Trixie.
Trixie went to Starlight and whispered a few things.
“Oh, Maud… Maybe you want to have dinner with us later?” Starlight asked Maud which, to everyone's surprise, brought some blush to her face.
“What are we doing here?” asked irritated Trixie. The hot sun was drilling into her head and sweat was cooling her body.
Starlight stepped towards the river. “I think it’s our goal… But I don’t see the mineral or anything extraordinary.” The water, however, looked great and it was attracting her more. “ Just look at those cute crabs!”
“Crabs?” Maud asked. Her attention immediately turned from soil to little creatures crawling close to the water. “Oh. Let me check something.” She pulled a little hammer from her dress and chipped out a piece of crab’s shell.”
“What are you doing?!” Starlight screamed at her as Maud put that shell in her mouth.
While those two were arguing, Trixie jumped into the water and began chilling with the crabs.
Maud looked at those crabs closely. “I believe those crabs are the reason we’re here… Their shell is exactly the same compound as the byproduct of the mineral we were searching for…”
One of the crabs brought some sunglasses to Trixie. With no questions, she just put them on and began swimming with crabs.
“You mean… All that journey was for nothing?” Starlight was on the verge of crying.
“Nothing you say?” Maud drew her attention to Trixie.
Starlight sighed. “I guess you’re right.”
Author's Note
The story went a little downhill towards the end. I blame only myself for it. The story has many flaws and it was rather rushed.