The chill winds moving through the busy streets of Canterlot signaled the coming winter to the area. A season loved for its holidays, but also hated due to the cold temperature and bothersome snow. These later problems could be easily solved with a simple cup of hot cocoa, a warm fire, or a hot shower. But those without access to these luxuries had to be creative to survive.
Which brings us to the filly currently trotting up to the hayburger stand packed in the center of the small faire that had settled in the middle of one of Canterlot's busiest parks.
"Excuse me, sir!" she called out to the stallion operating the grill. "Mom asked me to buy a few hayburgers for her."
The cook looked at the filly, noticing small patches of dirt on her sky blue coat and some wild hair in her silver mane, which raised a few red flags, but after the filly pulled out a pouch full of bits to pay for the food, his suspicions faded. "What kind of hayburger did she want?"
"It was a…" The filly pulled out a long piece of paper. "Hayburger with pickles onions and three leaves of lettuce. The pickles need to be sliced lengthwise, the onions chopped so that the bits are no longer than they're wide, and the lettuce must be cut so it forms a perfect circle over the hayburger. For the second hayburger, you need…"
The stallion let out an annoyed sigh as the filly kept dictating the order, knowing for sure that her mother would eventually come to his stand to complain about something not being done right. Still, money would be earned, so he proceeded to make the hayburgers as best he could, not noticing the other filly sneaking up behind him. Just a couple of seconds later, the stallion's grill suddenly turned off, and when he poked his head under it to check what the problem was, he discovered that somepony had uninstalled the gas canister.
The cook lifted his head quickly to try and spot the robber, and saw the blue filly running away with all of the cooked hayburgers held in her magic. "Thieves!" he screamed before galloping after her.
The chase seemed to be at his advantage at first, being bigger and faster than the filly, but the blue thief seemed to know what she was doing as she dove under ponies to pass crowds and between the stands to force him to go around them. However, this luck seemed to run out when the thief dove into an alleyway, quickly running into a tall brick wall.
"I got you now!" He thought, but a sudden spike of pain on his knee sent him sprawling to the floor. He looked up and noticed another filly, this one with orange fur and mane of gold and red, carrying his gas canister with her magical aura.
The orange filly's horn shined a bit brighter, and summoned a small platform that her partner in crime used to jump over to a rusty fire stair nearby. The blue thief did the same for her partner, and then both ponies used another set of magical platforms to finally reach the top of the wall.
The stallion limped over to it, watching impotently. "You damn brats! I need to eat too!"
"Then go complain to Hard Rule for replacing all the grass with synthetic crap so we starve to death," the orange filly shouted before she and her partner disappeared behind the wall.
Sunset and Trixie walked through a barren alleyway in the shady part of Canterlot, carrying their stolen goods in a pair of heavily patched up satchels. The stink of piss and acrid smoke assaulted their noses, but they had grown accustomed to it by now, just like with the shouts and occasional screams. Their destination was a long abandoned building where a stallion almost completely covered in dirty rags, smelling somehow worse than the area around him, was sleeping against one of the walls. He had lost most of his mane with the unfair years, and even his brown coat was missing some patches.
"Holiday! Wake up!" Sunset shouted, and the stallion immediately lunged forward, pulling a rusty but still sharp looking knife out of his rags.
"I'm gonna eat your eyeballs!" Holiday screamed, one eye filled with fury while the other was currently forced shut due to a heavy inflammation that looked severely infected. "Oh, it's you."
"Any break ins? Trixie asked, seemingly unbothered by the sudden attack.
"Nope. Today has been quiet. Got anything good?"
Trixie smiled and pulled out one of the cooked hayburgers, handling it over to Holiday who dug into it with desperation.
"Hey, leave us some space," Sunset protested.
"Right, sorry." Holiday moved aside, revealing a small window on the wall that only a filly could go through.
Trixie and Sunset quickly used it to enter the basement of the abandoned building.
Their home.
It was small, consisting of just one room with a blocked door, so the fillies had been creative with their space. There were clearly two sides. On the left one, among what some would call an organized mess, was a small workbench filled with all manner of complete and incomplete gadgets, party tricks, and some smoke bombs. Some functional, others questionable. There was also a coat rack on the wall, which held different colored and styled capes, all sharing a star pattern that seemed to evolve with each new cape.
On the right side there were a bunch of old, dirty posters of bands that had been collected from different trash cans, nailed haphazardly to the wall. There was also a small stand where a disheveled but functional guitar rested, along with some cans of almost empty paint that had been recently used to color the right side of the small room with scenes of colorful landscapes and ponies, an orange and a blue filly being a recurring theme in them.
Sunset and Trixie sat down in the middle, where an old, rusty portable stove functioned as kitchen, light source, and heat source for the fillies.
Sunset started working on connecting the fresh gas canister to the stove while Trixie went over their haul for today, seeing what could be rationed for later and what should be consumed now. Luckily for them, it seemed they would have two days worth of food, enough for a little rest tomorrow.
Sunset finally managed to spark the oven to life, and soon the room was filled with the scent of cooking hayburgers.
"That was more exhausting than I thought," Trixie said as she munched on one of the hayburgers, not wanting to spend a minute longer without something in her stomach.
Sunset managed to wait a bit longer, mostly because she really enjoyed well cooked food. "We deserve a rest, but we also now have one more park to avoid. We need to leave some place where we won't be kicked out on sight."
"We can just leave Canterlot. We'll need to if we really want a fresh start."
"Canterlot is where the bits flow, Trixie. And we'll need full pockets to try and do this little adventure of yours."
"It's called a traveling show. And stop calling me Trixie."
"Why? It's better than your name."
"It's a stage name."
"So? Say it like you own it! Life as a showmare is much better than just a random nobody." Sunset pulled her hayburger out of the fire and started eating.
Trixie rolled her eyes with a small chuckle. “Is it better than just busking?”
“Busking is just step one in my music career.”
“I thought step one was knowing how to play an instrument.”
“Hey! I know how to play!” Sunset protested.
“Let’s hear it then,” Trixie challenged, and Sunset brought the guitar over to her, adjusting the cords before starting.
The room quickly filled with a very simple string melody. Sunset was no expert, yet, and Trixie knew it from the start, but she enjoyed her music anyway, especially her voice.
"laaa daa, laay dai dadidaa daa, laay dai dadidaa daa,"
No matter how many times Trixie heard the same song, she never got tired of it. She kept looking at her partner in crime as Sunset delved into her passion with a smile till the song finally ended. She wanted to hear it again, but she knew it was best to give her partner pause. They had stuff to do till night arrived.
Trixie went to her workshop and prepared some more smoke bombs, since you could never have too many, while Sunset kept looking over the food, wrapping it in what clean rags they had so it wouldn’t be exposed to the dirty enviroment they lived in.
After a few hours, Sunset looked out the window and saw the sun begin to dive behind the buildings. "We should go before it gets too late. It's no use if we can’t see either."
"Alright, I'll have everything ready." Trixie went over to her workshop and took a few smoke bombs and other tools, fitting them into her satchels.
Sunset got busy with her paints, giving herself a simple cutie mark of a flaming feather. She then went over to Trixie and painted over her coat to hide her wand cutie mark. It was one of the only things Sunset truly envied of her partner, but she was sure she would get her own once she performed for a crowd just like Trixie had done.
Once they had all their tools, they left their home and trotted through the streets of Canterlot, careful to not be noticed by guards or anyone that would care enough to go through the hassle of being a witness. They eventually reached their destination; the storehouses near the train station.
After jumping a fence, they walked between the huge buildings, looking at the numbers painted over their heavy doors.
"This one," Trixie pointed, and Sunset quickly pulled out a pair of lockpicks and set them in her mouth before going for the lock on the door.
"Do you really have to use your mouth?" Trixie questioned as her partner moved the instruments with her tongue.
"I need to feel the pins move," was Sunset's muffled answer before the lock opened and fell to the ground. "There."
They pushed open the door just enough to be able to get in, and started going over the contents of the storehouse.
"He said they would be in a wooden box," Trixie mentioned as she searched the piles of shipments that had arrived this morning. "Number… uh…"
"Found it!" Sunset shouted, and Trixie quickly threw her a small makeshift crowbar.
After prying the box open with some effort, they pulled out the contents; a bunch of plastic cases filled with different hardware tools.
"Should we take the big ones, or a bunch of small ones?" Sunset asked.
"The small ones that are for complex jobs, that's where the value's at."
After filling their bags, they placed the rest of the things back inside the box and resealed it as best they could before leaving the storehouse back to how they found it. They then jumped the fence once more, and wandered away for some minutes before going to meet their temporary employer.
Trixie knocked at the back door of a small shop, and a young mare with brown coat and azure mane stepped out, quickly looking around to see if they were alone.
“Here it is,” Sunset said, pushing the saddlebag with the loot towards the mare. After a quick check of the contents, a similar looking bag was returned, this one filled with bits and a few old and worn tools, and the mare returned to her shop without another word.
Trixie and Sunset left and started their march back home. “Why didn’t we just take the tools for ourselves? They’re more fancy than this scrap.”
“Because, dear Sunny, those shiny new ones will most likely get tracked after they realize they’re missing. But these rusty old things won’t be missed by anyone,” Trixie answered with a smirk.
Sunset rolled her eyes. “Fine, just don’t scream too much when they snap on you like last time.” Her partner gave her a playful hoof in the shoulder as she frowned with a smile.
The night had already fallen on Canterlot, which meant fancy dinners, elegant balls, and shady ponies walking around the streets with less than pure intentions.
Two, in particular, were now eyeing the two fillies walking home.
"Hey, what do you think of those two?" a tall, lanky stallion asked his companion.
The mare took a long look at them and licked the front of her broken teeth. "The blue one doesn't have a mark, but the other one is pretty enough."
"Hey, Sunset," Trixie said, slowing their walk through the empty streets. "About what you said before…"
"Hey, I was just messing with you, you know I'm worse when it comes to keeping calm when things go wrong."
"What? No. I mean, what you say is true, but I was referring to staying here in Canterlot."
Sunset sighed. "We've been over this."
"Yes yes, I know. But-"
"Trixie, you're the one that wants to leave. I'm just asking you for more time here."
"But we're running out of time. You said it yourself, there are very few places for us to go already, and once we get a real reputation we'll have the guard coming for us."
"I doubt the guard would bother to come for us. There's plenty of worse things in the city."
"My point is that we can't do something here in Canterlot. We need to move to another place."
"Trixie, if we leave right now we will have nothing! Not even the scraps we get now."
"We'll have grass growing next to the road, we can buy a tent to share, and-"
"Freeze at night in winter? Lose what little we have?"
"We can take our stuff with us."
"It'll weigh us down, and may I remind you that while grass will feed us, it won't give us the strength to move like actual food does."
"We'll work something out! We always do!" Trixie shouted, losing patience.
"Why are you so insistent on this?!" Sunset shouted back.
Trixie was about to respond when a lanky stallion suddenly fell on top of her. "How about we make that decision for you?"
Sunset lit her horn to help Trixie, but a mare tackled her to the ground, pushing down against the back of her head so she couldn't aim. "Really? That's the best you could come up with?"
"Fuck off, Brawny. It was good," the stallion quickly pulled out a piece of rope and tied Trixie's muzzle so she couldn't scream before continuing with the rest of her body.
"The fuck do you two want?!" Sunset screamed, fighting desperately against the weight of the mare on top of her, but she couldn't move an inch.
"Oh, a feisty one." Brawny leaned over till her breath tickled Sunset's ear. "Yeah, you're gonna be a favorite for sure," she purred as her free hoof slowly caressed Sunset's body, making her wrestle even harder to escape. When her hoof reached the filly’s flank, she felt something wet on her hoof. "What's this?" She asked as she looked at her paint-stained limb.
Sunset took advantage of the distraction and managed to move her head enough so her horn pointed to the stallion tying Trixie. The cyan color of her magical aura emerged and quickly changed to a bright red before creating a small ball of fire that shot directly towards the stallion's face.
Trixie felt the heat and smell of burnt hair as the spell landed, and as soon as her attacker started to panic and scream in pain, she used her show practice to quickly get out of the rope's binds.
"What the fuck was that?!" Brawny shouted, pinning Sunset with more force, but she was suddenly yanked back when Trixie tied the rope to her neck and gave it a strong pull.
Now free, the two fillies quickly got to their hooves and started running, but not even three steps later, Sunset was suddenly bucked by the stallion, her small frame flying through the air and landing hard on the street.
"Don't ruin the product!" Brawny shouted.
"Fuck you! She burned my face," the stallion carefully pressed a hoof against the wound. "Does it look too bad?"
"You were pretty fucking ugly to begin with, so I say it's an improvement."
While the two adults argued, Trixie placed Sunset on her back and continued running away, quickly diving into an alley.
"Wait, where did they go?"
"Don't stand there, go find them!"
Trixie knew she wouldn't be able to outrun them, so when she saw a trash container, she immediately dove inside and closed the hatch. She then tried to lie Sunset down in the most comfortable section of the pile of garbage. "Are you okay?"
"My… my leg hurts a lot." Sunset winced when she tried to move her left foreleg. "Please tell me it isn't broken."
"It isn't," Trixie answered immediately with no way of actually knowing. "You'll be okay. You just need some rest."
They both heard the two adults looking for them, so they immediately went quiet, praying that they would just move on.
The sounds of hooves hitting the hard floor grew closer. Sunset lifted her head and prepared another ball of fire just in case, while Trixie was ready to jump and run.
They waited, and waited, until finally, the steps started to grow quiet, and then disappeared.
It still took them a few seconds before deciding to release the breath they were holding.
"Let's get out of here, this place stinks," Sunset said, trying to get up, but a sharp pain from her foreleg stopped her from doing so.
"I got you." Trixie placed her partner on her back again and got out of the trash, double checking that the adults had left, and then started trotting back home with haste.
"What happened to her?" Holiday asked when he saw the two fillies arrive.
"We got ambushed, Sunset's injured." Trixie looked at Holiday with pleading eyes, hoping that the old stallion miraculously knew what to do with Sunset.
Almost imperceptibly, Holiday shook his head. "I'll keep watch, you two need some rest."
Trixie nodded and quickly dove inside their home, leaving Holiday with his knife at the ready and his good eye at attention.
The blue unicorn grabbed all the cloaks she had made and used them to improvise a more comfortable bed than the cold floor, placing Sunset on top of it. The orange mare tried to move her foreleg once again, and got another shot of pain in response.
"Stop doing that, let it heal," Trixie chided her as she turned on the fire so they would be warm.
"I just want to be sure I can move it. I need it for…" Sunset's breathing was starting to quicken its pace, her mind flooding with panic. "I can't be crippled. I- I need to stand up and-"
"No!" Trixie's shout was firm, her expression showing a determination Sunset had never seen before. "You're gonna stay there, and tomorrow you'll walk on your own, but for now, you need to rest and recover."
Sunset looked at her partner for a few seconds, her mind scrambling for order, and found the determined look on Trixie very calming. If she was sure it would be okay, she could believe it. "Okay, I'll try and get some sleep then." Sunset got as comfortable as she could on the nest of cloaks and did her best to smile for Trixie. "Goodnight. And thank you."
The magician gave a nod and looked over her till she was sure Sunset had fallen asleep. Only then she let out a desperate sigh, and thanked that she was good at acting like she wasn't scared out of her mind.
“You’re not going out!” Trixie screamed for the third time that morning.
Sunset rubbed her ears, pretty sure that she had gone a bit deaf from it. “Come on, Trixie. It’s been enough time, I need to get out for a while before I go insane.”
“Your leg isn’t fully healed yet," the magician quickly countered
Sunset stomped her good hoof down. “It's healed enough. Besides, we're running out of food, we need to go out and get something before winter fully starts."
"I can get it myself."
"Absolutely not! We're a team, remember?"
That seemed to crack Trixie's stubbornness for a moment, making her question her decision. "I'll just go buy food. I won't get in trouble."
Sunset raised an eyebrow. "From where?"
"Somewhere around Canterlot Road. Less likely to run into trouble there."
Sunset let a small grin take her lips. "That's fancy territory, you'll need to get a bath first."
Trixie glanced at her dirt stained coat. "Evidently."
"So, we'll go wash at the river, and then we'll go buy something to eat together."
"But-"
"There'll be no danger to me, I'll be able to stretch my legs, and you can keep being all overprotective with me while we're at it," Sunset concluded with a smug smile.
"I'm not- you- ugh, fine. You win," Trixie grumbled as she walked to the wall under the exit window. "Curse your wits." She crouched under it so Sunset had an easier time getting out of their home.
"Hold still, little one," Holiday said before poking his head inside and grabbing Sunset once she had climbed up Trixie, helping her get out of their home. "Do you two want me to come with you? Just in case."
Sunset smiled at the offer. "Thank you, Holiday, but that would only make us more noticeable. It's better you keep this place safe."
"We'll bring something for you, promise," Trixie added as she also climbed out of the window.
"Okay, take care, you two."
"Will do."
The trip to the nearest river had been tense. The normal confidence the two fillies shared when navigating the maze of old and abandoned structures now gone due to the anxious thought of meeting the kidnappers again. But now that they were here, they allowed their nerves to calm as they took in the view.
The small river that crossed Canterlot came from the top of the tallest mountain, which the founders of the city engineered so it wouldn't be so wide it would take precious space for infrastructure. The result was an almost direct stream only two carts wide that went from one edge of Canterlot to the other, surrounded by marble stairs that served as floodwalls in case of heavy rain.
It was, as expected, a loved spot for foals and teens who regularly sought the cool waters to combat the heat of summer. However, the coming winter left the river without visitors, which was perfect for the two fillies desiring just a bath.
After submerging themselves up to their fluffy chests in the cold water, they started to scrub themselves of dirt and grime, letting it flow downstream where it would join the wastes of the city's industrial sector.
Trixie took some extra time to clean her cloak, though the work was being quickly abandoned as she looked at Sunset. A million thoughts were running in her mind, all of them accompanied with flashes of her terrified face after the events of the night that almost left her crippled.
Sunset seemed perfectly fine now, but Trixie knew that it would always look that way. She knew Sunset was the kind of pony that would cry one minute and be smiling the next, like nothing bad ever happened. But something very bad had happened, and Trixie was worried of the very real possibility that it could happen again. So she couldn't just have faith that Sunset was just fine.
She slowly trudged through the water up to her and placed her hoof on her back. "Su-" The words died in her throat when Sunset almost instantly delivered a strong buck to her chest, knocking the wind out of her.
"Get awa- Trixie!" Sunset quickly went to her gasping friend, keeping her head above the water while she caught her breath. "I'm so sorry, I thought… don't sneak up on me, please."
Trixie saw Sunset on the verge of tears, and knew that it wasn't just for hitting her. "It's… okay… I'm sorry." Trixie took deep breaths, getting back on her hooves. "Let's move to the shore."
Sunset nodded, and after diving her head in the water to clean her tears, she followed Trixie to the marble stairs.
"Listen, Sunset." Trixie started, her eyes set on her injured leg. "I remember your reasons for staying in Canterlot, and I don't want you to think I'm just using what happened to convince you. If you want to stay in Canterlot, we can stay, I won't pester you about leaving. But… I don't want that night to happen again. We're not safe here. From hunger, cold, or them." Trixie lifted her gaze so she could see Sunset in the eyes. "I know I can't guarantee something bad won't happen to us on the road, but I think it's much safer than here. I don't want you to get hurt like that again. I-"
"I know, Trixie. And you're right." Sunset sat down, slumping under the weight of the emotions she was wrestling with. "It’s just… The reason I want to stay in Canterlot is that… I want to be something. Somepony important. Somepony with… worth. And I think that’s worth the risk."
"But you are important. To me and Holiday."
"It's not the same thing, Trixie." Sunset looked up at the sky, looking for the right words. "Remember when we tried to get into Celestia's school?" Trixie nodded. "It was there when it started. Just the idea of becoming a powerful mage gave me an energy that I never felt before. I was determined, and felt… more alive, somehow. Like every effort made sense if it was for that. That's what I seek here in Canterlot. Because I know it's only here these things can happen."
Trixie slowly shook her head. "Sunset, they rigged the tests against us. We both had passing grades, you were the top entree, and yet they still kicked us out. They don't want us mingling at their top."
"That's why I'm going with music. You don't need to answer a question sheet to express yourself and be recognized. And I love making music and songs. You do too."
"I do, but… I don't know if it works like you think."
"I want to at least try," Sunset looked down and grabbed Trixie's hoof. "I know your calling is showmanship, and a traveling show is perfect for you, but I don't think it's mine."
"You… you don't know that. You haven't gotten your mark yet." Trixie tried and failed to stifle a sob.
Sunset pulled her friend in for a hug, doing her best to try to calm her. "I'm not saying you should be on your own. You can have success here too."
Trixie let out a strangled chuckle. "In the most magically gifted city in Equestria? I don't fancy my chances."
"We'll figure something out. We've faced everything together since the orphanage."
Trixie took a deep breath, wiping the tears from her eyes. "I don't mind staying, but we keep safe, okay?"
Sunset smiled for her. "As safe as the city allows."
Trixie sighed and suddenly hugged her partner very tightly, almost desperately so.
Sunset reciprocated, keeping quiet about the slight pain the hug was causing to her injured leg. Trixie had been one of the reasons she had been able to pull through most of her life, and a dear friend. She was worth a bit of pain.
Sunset and Trixie walked along the city’s tightly paved roads alongside dozens of other ponies that were just going along their day, the uniform rows of opulent homes and the shops that lined them a far cry from their usual outings. A small sense of not belonging nipped at the back of their heads, but that was a given. They weren’t welcomed. At least if they didn’t keep appearances.
“So, what are you hungry for?” Trixie asked.
“Honestly? Kind of whatever. Maybe some dandelion sandwiches?” Sunset answered with a shrug.
“Did you really make me take you out to the rich part of Canterlot just to eat a sandwich?”
“I just wanted to stretch my legs.”
“Oh, you’ll stretch them after I chase you with a stick,” Trixie joked, her eyes searching for the aforementioned stick till they noticed something that took the smile out of her face.
Two royal guards, following them.
“We need to scatter,” Trixie quickly whispered, her step quickening.
“Is it those two again?” Sunset asked as a shiver ran down her spine.
“They’re guards. We need to lose them somehow.”
“Are you sure they’re following us?”
“You two! Stop right there!”
“Run!” Trixie quickly pulled one of her smoke bombs from her cape and threw it behind them, creating cover to hide their escape. The two fillies immediately started sprinting away, their eyes scanning the road ahead in search of any bottleneck or possible obstacle to lose their chasers.
As soon as the smoke appeared, one of the guards pulled out a horn and blew on it, calling for reinforcements while the other guard gave chase through the smoke. The sound of the horn also alerted the civilians walking through the streets, and when they saw the fillies running from the guard, they either moved aside or tried to push something in their way to stop them. One 'brave' stallion tried to capture them himself, and got a smoke bomb in the face as reward.
Trixie and Sunset had gotten a head start in the chase, but they were at a disadvantage. They didn't know the area, so they didn't have a clear way of escape. Not only that, but Sunset's injury and the civilians trying to stop them were slowing them down considerably, so the trained guard was quickly gaining on them.
"We need an out, now!" Trixie shouted as she jumped over a box a mare kicked in her way.
Sunset looked around, trying to find something that could give them an edge, but the streets were wide and free of obstacles outside of ponies and whatever they were throwing in their way, and it didn't seem to have dark alleys where they could get out of sight.
She reasoned they would need to enter a property to make them lose the trail.
"There!" Sunset pointed with her horn at a fairly tall brick wall that formed a box at the back of a building.
Trixie smiled and changed course, throwing two bombs, one behind them to distract the guard and one in front of them to make the ponies move out of the way. They dove into the smoke and sprinted towards the wall with all their strength. Sunset started to fall behind, but a sudden push from Trixie's magic sent her flying forwards.
The orange unicorn lit her horn and created a soft magical platform for her to land on and then jump to the top of the brick wall. She turned around and offered her hoof to help Trixie up, but right as her partner was climbing on, Sunset looked at the guard and saw him aiming a crossbow at them. She quickly pushed Trixie away, making her fall on her back against the stony floor.
"What are you-" the magician’s scream died in her throat as time slowed down for a moment, letting her see the crossbow bolt flying towards Sunset.
Her eyes filled with horror, seeing her friend fall behind the wall with a scream.
"Sunset!" Trixie was about to go after her when another bolt nearly pierced her ear.
She turned to look at the guard loading the crossbow again, and she had no option but to start running away so they would follow her and hopefully forget about Sunset.
"She'll be fine." She told herself. "She's strong. A simple bolt won't take her down. I'll lose them and come back for her. Then we'll leave this city for good."
Sunset breathed heavily, deep inside a bush that had somewhat softened her rough landing. She placed a hoof on her neck, feeling the blood coming from the wound the bolt had made. It was by pure luck that she only got a shallow graze, but being so close to dying was keeping her paralyzed on the spot.
"What the fuck were you doing?!" She heard a voice coming from the other side of the wall.
"Our job! Now there's one less to worry about."
"They're just fillies!"
"Yet they're already stealing and burning ponies on the street. Are you gonna tell me there's somehow innocence under that?"
"Do you really believe what Brawny said?"
"It doesn't matter. Let's go look for the other one."
"First, you're giving me that crossbow."
"Fine, here. You better have it ready when they attack you."
Sunset heard them moving away from her location, and only when she was sure they were gone she allowed herself to breathe again.
"I have to go find Trixie," she told herself, but her body still refused to move. Her injured leg in particular was screaming painfully in retaliation for the sudden exertion she put it through. Sunset had no option but to stay there until she could move, or for Trixie to come back for her. She knew she wouldn’t leave her.
Her thoughts were interrupted when a gentle rain started falling on her face. She pushed the leaves aside wondering if a storm had been brought to chase them and instead found a freckled green face with brown eyes looking at her.
“Uh… hi!” she squeaked with a nervous smile.
“What are you doing in our garden?” The green filly asked as she put down her watering can.
"I'm… uh… a bush fairy!" Sunset spread her forelegs while doing a 'woo' sound.
The green filly laughed. "You came to bless our garden with your visit?" She played along, happy to have somepony to talk to.
"Yes, it's a very beautiful garden." Sunset stood up, making sure her mane would cover her wound so the filly didn't get suspicious. "Why don't you give me a tour of it?"
The green filly's eyes nearly popped out of her skull, shining like beacons. "Yes, yes! Follow me, we can start with the Lavender," she exclaimed as she practically jumped in place. Sunset smiled and followed, hoping to keep appearances till Trixie came back.
Luckily, the garden was considerably big and absolutely packed with different flowers, making the little tour take some good minutes. Maybe an hour, but Sunset didn't have a way to track time.
She had at first tried to focus on her surroundings, but after a while, she became engrossed with the green filly's rant on the different types of flowers and how to care for each of them. She couldn't understand half of what she was saying, but the clear passion pouring out of the green filly made Sunset want to listen more.
"You've been doing this for a while it seems."
"Yes, ever since my parents let me help with the garden. It was much smaller then, but I helped keep it growing to what it is today."
"You must be very proud."
"Well, yeah. But I know it isn't anything special. Most ponies prefer magic," the filly said as she glanced at Sunset's horn.
"Hey, if it's special to you, then it's special! Many would say the same thing about music, but I don't care what they say, I like it, and I'll become the best at it, and everypony will have to realize how wrong they were. You should do the same."
The green filly hid herself under her hair a bit. "There isn't really a 'best at gardening' though. And I don't want to change ponies' minds. They're right."
Sunset placed a hoof on the filly's shoulder. "If they are looking down at you because of what you're passionate about, then they're objectively wrong. If you really want something and you work hard for it, there's no reason for them to deny it to you."
"I… I guess." The filly said, shrinking a bit more into herself.
Sunset noticed her words were having the opposite effect, so she decided to change the subject so she would open up again. "Hey, what's this one? I've never seen it before."
The green filly looked up at the mentioned plant which seemed to calm her a bit. "That's a sunflower. They are always looking at the sun. There's actually a story about- is that blood?" the green filly screamed, pointing at Sunset.
The bandit looked down and noticed that her wound had bled till there was a streak of red running down her chest. "Uh, I cut myself with the bush. It's nothing."
"I have some bandaids inside." The green filly took Sunset towards the house, showing that despite being smaller than the unicorn, earth pony strength was nothing to scoff off.
It was the first time in a while that Sunset had stepped into a proper house. The stony floor felt weirdly soft under her hooves. The light coming from the windows and hanging lanterns gave it a warm feel, and the smell of scented candles and the many flowers set on the display of what Sunset now realized was a flower shop made her never want to leave this place.
So entranced she was on this that she didn't realize the green pony had left and returned with a little box of bandages in her mouth.
"Let me see your wound," the filly requested, and Sunset had no choice but to obey, pulling back her hair to reveal the wound that was still bleeding a bit, but not as much as before.
The green filly scrunched up her nose. She had cut herself with branches and thorns many times, but none of them was like this. "You're gonna need stitches, but I don't know how to sew. We should wait till mom comes back."
"Uh, I don't think that's the best idea," Sunset said as she looked around. Trixie should arrive at any moment. "Just bring me something to do it. I have a friend that's a pretty good tailor."
The green filly looked at her for a moment before turning around and leaving for what Sunset guessed was the bathroom. She then returned, this time carrying a small first aid box. She opened it and started to look for some disinfectant when suddenly there was a loud knock at the front door of the shop.
"This is the guard! We need to check your backyard. A thief may be hiding there!"
The green filly looked at her new friend, who had just grabbed the entire kit with her magic.
"I'm really sorry," Sunset said, looking at the bright brown eyes of the filly that had trusted her blindly, and quickly ran back to the garden.
"She's here!" the green filly shouted, and it hurt Sunset to hear, but she couldn't lament now, she needed to get out.
Sunset galloped to the brick wall and threw the first aid kit over it so it would be easier to climb.
"Ouch, son of a- Sunset!" Trixie shouted, quickly offering a hoof for her friend to climb. "Where were you? I was-"
"No time! We need to go before-" Sunset looked back, but there weren't any guards following. "Where are they?"
"The attic is clear, Captain," Shining announced as he walked down the stairs.
"Are you sure she was up there?" the captain asked Wallflower.
"I- I thought I heard someone enter through the window," the filly answered, hiding behind another of the guards.
"The lock on the window was broken. Maybe she realized we were coming and exited the same way?" Shining guessed, which didn't make his captain happy.
"Then go out and start looking. None of you will rest till we have those bandits in the station's cell."
"Yes Captain!" The guards quickly dispersed to search, leaving Wallflower with the captain.
"Don't worry, we'll make sure you feel safe at home again," the captain assured her.
Wallflower just nodded, glancing at the broken front door the guards had charged through.
"Stay still!" Trixie exclaimed as she finished pulling the thread, snapping it with her teeth before tying it. "That should do it."
Sunset looked at the rough stitches and wondered if at least the scar would look cool. "Let's go home."
"Yeah, I'm not hungry anymore." Trixie lied. "But at least we got something out of it," she said, lifting the first aid kit, trying to be optimistic.
Sunset simply continued walking, completely ignoring her partner.
Trixie got the message and just walked along with her. Things had gotten much worse. They both knew it. Freely moving around the streets was going to be much more difficult, and if the guard started posting their faces as wanted criminals, their usual routine of distraction and sneak wouldn't work anymore.
They needed to leave Canterlot.
Trixie looked at her partner and almost winced. They had left their home to try to cheer themselves up, but Sunset looked even more angry and sad than before. She felt like she had failed her, and knowing that everything she had said at the river had now become impossible only made that feeling grow.
"Sunset, I-"
"The last thing I need is an 'I told you so', Trixie!" Sunset snapped, making her friend take a step back.
"I- I didn't-" Trixie tried to apologize, but Sunset simply kept walking. "Look, I'm sorry!"
"For what, exactly?" Sunset turned around to face her. "You were right, we're done. We'll take whatever we can and set off to who knows where! Just like you wanted. Congratufuckinglations!"
"I'm not happy about it either!" Trixie protested. "This isn't how I wanted things to happen! And I told you at the river that we could stay-"
"Well, we can't. And there's no point arguing about it anymore." Sunset turned around and continued walking, until a sudden hug stopped her in her tracks, at first due to a flash of shock, but then she heard Trixie’s voice.
"I'm really sorry, Sunset. I really wanted you to achieve your dreams." She was crying, hugging her tighter. "We- we could go to Manehattan. That's also a big city where you could start your music show. We'll earn enough bits for you to get a stage, maybe buy a new guitar. We can-"
Sunset pressed her hoof against Trixie's snout to stop her. She had heard enough. "You never give up, do you?"
Trixie pulled her head back to speak clearly. "On you? Never."
Sunset slowly hugged her back, letting some tears of her own fall to the floor. "Thank you. I… I don't know what I would do without you."
A hint of a smile appeared on Trixie's face. "Luckily for you, you won't need to find out. I don't care what happens, we face it together."
Sunset smiled and buried her face in Trixie's shoulder. "Thank you."
They stayed like this for a few minutes, till they both managed to calm down enough to not be at the verge of tears. Then they resumed their march towards their home.
They went in silence, both making a mental checklist of what they would be able to take for their trip. Trixie's cloak collection would be useful along with most of her tools if they could carry them, and Sunset wasn't going to leave without her guitar. The portable stove would be great to bring along but it would be too heavy to realistically carry it for possible days on the road.
They rounded the corner to their house and immediately all those plans evaporated from their minds.
There was a group of five teens in front of the entrance to their house, forming a circle around an unconscious pony.
"Not so scary now, uh?!" Shouts one of them as he brings down a metal pipe onto the unconscious body in the ground. "You should've kept your nasty face hidden." He raised the pipe again, but before he could deliver another blow, a ball of fire impacted the back of his head, setting his mane on fire.
His screams plus another fireball nearly searing off a mare's face and a smoke bomb convinced the group to make a hastely retreat, letting Sunset and Trixie go over to the unconscious pony.
It was, as they feared, Holiday.
And 'unconscious' had been way too optimistic a descriptor.
He had tried to cover his face as much as he could, so the fillies were spared of the sight, but the blood on the rags and pooling on the floor told them what they didn't want to accept.
Trixie opened the first aid kit and was about to pull the rags away but Sunset's hoof stopped her. "Ch… check the breathing first."
Trixie placed her head next to his covered mouth, but other than a slight hint of copper, there wasn't any of his usual rotten breath. "N-nothing." She pulled back, looking at the body as her body started to tremble.
Sunset tried to stand firm, to be the strong one again, but her legs were about to buckle under her. It was too much.
"We need to leave."
Trixie turned to look at her, tears already gathering in her eyes. "We can't just leave him like this!"
"We can't do anything," Sunset said as she held back a sob. "We can't legally bury him. I could burn him, but… if we leave him to be found, maybe somepony else will start caring."
They never asked Holiday about his family. They had assumed he didn't have one, just like them. Family was supposed to keep you out of the streets, or join you in them.
Was that what they had unconsciously become?
Trixie's magic snapped Sunset out of her thoughts. She wasn't pulling the rags off of him, but instead bundling them so it would look a bit more like he was prepared for a burial. Sunset helped too, propping him up against the wall like he always was.
Trixie briefly went inside their house and retrieved one of her cloaks, one of the first ones she had made, wrapping it around him as if it was hugging him.
"We should place him where a patrol will see him," Sunset said, her magic carefully grabbing the body and lifting him up, Trixie quickly helping too.
They carried him to a main road nearby, where it was sure someone would see it and give it some sort of proper burial. Though to be honest, neither of them really knew what it would be.
Trixie turned to look at Sunset, and could almost hear her spirit slowly crumbling. She was sure her friend was about to reach her limit. It was simply too much for one pony to handle. She herself was barely keeping it together, but seeing it coming from Sunset was… scary.
This city, its people, had taken almost everything that made them happy. Everything that they had fought with teeth and hooves to get.
"I refuse," Trixie stated, getting Sunset's attention. "I refuse to just turn tail and run."
"What do you mean?" Her friend asked with confusion. "You want to stay?"
"No. Screw this horrid place. It’s only taken what we’ve earned with our own efforts, what it denied us since the beginning, and I hope to never set a hoof on it ever again! But I won't just let it win by kicking us out without a fight. We'll have the last laugh before leaving it behind!"
Sunset slowly smiled again. Trixie seemed to have set her mind to some sort of revenge. And to be honest, despite how exhausted in multiple ways she felt, she wanted some revenge too. She would never lose a chance to inflict all the hurt in her heart back at something. "What are we burning?"
Trixie thought for a few seconds. They couldn't attack the guards without getting arrested or killed, and finding the two assaulters or the group that killed Holiday would be next to impossible without a lot of time to prepare. They needed a vulnerable, known objective to make their last hurrah before escaping. "We're going to the place that started it all."
"The orphanage?"
"No," Trixie said with a grin. "You and I are going to burn down Celestia's school."
“Uhm, Principal Cinch?” a young mare timidly asked as she approached her tall, sour looking superior. "Can I have a moment?"
"Is there a problem with the preparations?" Cinch asked as she turned to look at the insignificant mare, scrutinizing the teacher as if she were a test she had the displeasure of grading. "I had assumed you would be capable of following simple instructions."
"N-no. We did everything as you asked. It's just… the students you chose-"
"If they're misbehaving, you must discipline them yourself. Don't come to me to do your work." Cinch turned away and continued walking. "And if they don't respect this institute's reputation, I'll then deal with them myself."
"No, it's not that!" The teacher quickly cleared as she moved to stand in the way of the principal. "They're sweet kids, it's just… I don't think kicking all but the top students out for the day is the best-"
"You're aware that the Princess herself is visiting the institution she founded?" Cinch loomed over the teacher, making her appear even tinier and insignificant. "I intend to show her only the best her efforts and faith in us has been able to produce."
"B-but that leaves just a hoofful of students," the teacher squeaked under the intense glare of her superior.
"That only shows your lack of skill in your job," Cinch said before the sounds of fillies screaming called her attention. "What are they up to now?"
Suddenly, a blue hoof threw a small canister down the hallway they were in, which ticked ominously.
Cinch lit her horn and dragged the teacher in front of her as a shield just as the small cylinder exploded, splashing black ink all over the hallway. The teacher coughed and spat out some of it that got into her mouth just before she was carelessly tossed aside by Cinch.
"I'll get to the bottom of this," the principal declared as she walked over to the source of the screams.
“School's over, everyone's dismissed!” Trixie shouted as the fillies ran away in panic. She threw another ink-bomb at the wall, turning the beautiful paintings that decorated it into worthless smears of black.
Sunset, meanwhile, was occupying herself with burning every piece of furniture she could find. Making sure everypony was out of the room before setting it ablaze.
Cinch watched the destruction from outside the room, her eyes filling with rage as she recognized the two fillies ruining her school. "Such a waste of talent. Celestia knows why they have it and not somepony with actual worth." She then focused her magic and disappeared in a flash of fuschia, appearing back in her office and quickly shouting through the intercom. "Emergency evacuation in effect. Security to the showroom, now!"
Also hearing the message, the bandits looked at each other. "We need to leave."
"Yeah…" Sunset sighed, a bit disappointed.
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Fine. You can set one more thing on fire. I'll cover you."
Sunset clapped her hooves. "You're the best!" She then immediately started searching for the more expensive-looking thing in the room, and set her eyes on a little display where a large red and yellow egg was sat. "How about a victory meal of fried eggs?" Sunset asked with a wide grin before focusing her magic, sending a stream of fire against the egg.
The entire display burst into flames, but the egg seemed completely intact, which made Sunset frown. "Oh, it's on."
While Sunset tried to vaporize the egg in flames, three bulky stallions entered the room. "There they are!"
Trixie immediately threw a smoke bomb at them, making them cough up a storm while trying to find them. "You've got ten seconds!" She shouted as she pulled out a few more tricks from her cape.
Sunset focused more and more, pumping greater quantities of magic into burning the damned egg that was silently taunting her. Her brow started to sweat, she was clenching her teeth with the effort, and unbeknownst to her, she was starting to float in the air.
Suddenly, the doors to the showroom opened, and the entrance of a large figure made Trixie and the guards freeze in place, looking at her with shock.
Sunset, however, still had her full attention on the egg, which had finally shown its first evidence of damage as the shell slowly cracked. Then crack again. And again. And just as it burst open, Sunset's eyes turned completely white, and a red and yellow sun appeared on her flanks.
“Sunset!” Trixie shouted as she saw her friend fall to the ground, but one of the bulky stallions managed to tackle her down to the ground. Cinch, who had sneaked in to put out the fire, signaled them to take her away while she watched things unfold.
Sunset slowly opened her eyes, her vision a bit blurry due to the amount of effort she had made. She slowly looked up, and what she saw made her jaw drop.
A small phoenix, sitting in the remains of the destroyed egg, happily chirping at her.
Sunset looked at it with wonder, timidly getting closer, until a large white wing draped over her.
“Go on, she wants to meet her mother,” the alicorn whispered softly, encouraging her to move closer, till the small fiery bird was able to nuzzle against the pony’s snout, making her giggle. “Being able to hatch a phoenix egg with nothing but magic is quite a feat.”
“One that would surely earn her a place in your school,” Cinch said as she moved closer to them, capitalizing on the moment.
“I believe she needs more than that,” Celestia said as she looked down at the disheveled filly. “What’s your name?”
“Sunset…” the filly answered, her attention still focused on the small bird in front of her.
“Well, Sunset, would you like to come with me to the castle and become my student?”
Cinch managed to restrain the frown from showing on her face. Maybe for the best. Her attitude would certainly be problematic. Her attention was then suddenly called by the other bandit filly still trying to fight her way out of the guards' hold. Should’ve gotten some unicorn guards. Since the princess and the filly were having a moment, Cinch quickly grabbed Trixie with her magic and teleported outside the school before throwing her away. “You’d better go back to whatever hole you scurried out of.”
The magician landed on her face, scraping against the stone floor before falling, but she quickly got herself back on her hooves. “I’m not going anywhere without Sunset!” She screamed defiantly.
“Your friend is about to have the best life she could. A dream come true for ponies of your quality.”
Dream, Trixie thought. This is what Sunset wanted. She shook her head and faced the principal with ire. “And why can’t Trixie have that too?! We’re frie-”
“Because you’re untalented!” Cinch cut her off. “She has a gift, you have tricks and illusions. Cheats to make yourself look better than you are. Even when you two faced our tests, it was obvious that your answers mirrored Sunset’s.” Cinch started to walk over to Trixie with firm steps. “You leech from her genius to make yourself look and feel better. You’re not her friend, you’re her parasite. Holding her back from what she deserves to become.”
“I-I… that’s not true!” Trixie shouted, starting to back down from the older mare’s sheer intense presence. “Trixie has-”
“What could somepony like you possibly offer her that she couldn’t get on her own if you just disappeared?” Cinch asked, looking down at the filly as if she were less than a disgusting bug. “You think just anypony gets adopted into the princess’ wing? You think you can get your crimes wiped off by just being friends with someone with true talent? Do you really think you can compare to Sunset?”
Trixie was crying.
Sunset was getting everything she wanted. There was no reason for her to leave the city anymore. There was no more escaping and facing the world together. Trixie’s greatest fear was finally manifesting, and Cinch’s words only deepened the wound, her questions reverberating in her mind.
The sounds of guards approaching, attracted by the commotion caused by the fire, forced Trixie to run away from the school.
Away from Sunset.
"Would you excuse me for a moment, Sunset? I've a quick matter to attend to. I'll be back in a few minutes," the princess said to the filly currently watching in awe at the interior or the castle. She had never been in a place so big and it was a little intimidating to be honest. Like she didn't fit.
"Sunset?"
The filly finally snapped out of it and looked back at the princess. "Y-yes. I can wait here." She couldn't believe she was actually talking to the princess. Something that should only happen in a dream. But it was real, and not only that, she was going to be her teacher! This was her chance at finally being recognized.
"I'll be just a few minutes," Celestia said before disappearing in a flash of gold.
Cinch chose this moment to strike, walking up to the still amazed filly. "I hope you'll adapt well to this new environment soon."
Sunset turned around, her eyes filling with anger at the sight of the mare. "I will." Then they widened as her mind finally remembered something very important. "Where is Trixie?!"
"Where she belongs," Cinch answered in a neutral tone. "Away from you."
"That's ridiculous! We've always been together. We belong together." Sunset objected. "I need her." She then pointed a very angry hoof at the principal. "You're gonna bring her here with me."
Cinch raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure you want to do that?"
"Why would I not?!" Sunset answered angrily. Was the mare not listening?
"I thought you wouldn't want her to suffer unnecessarily," Cinch stated simply.
"W-what do you mean?"
"You're experienced with the horrors of the worst this city can offer. It's maladies, it's rules, it's demons. But none of those compare to what you'll find here." Cinch suddenly showed a small smile, which terrified Sunset. "Hard Rule, for example, will surely pop a vein after he hears you even set a hoof on the palace."
"I'm not scared of him!" Sunset stomped her hoof on the floor. "And Celestia won't let anypony hurt me or Trixie."
Cinch's scorn returned to her face. "Alicorn or not, she can't have eyes and ears in every corner. She's a busy mare. And every moment you're left alone, you'll be subjected to the ire of those who work between these walls. And your friend will suffer the most." She took a step towards Sunset, and the filly seemed ready to fight her. "You're gifted. You've the princess’ tutelage to your advantage. But your friend would be just the vagrant that bought a cheap ticket into the castle. She would, at best, be treated as a servant. If Hard Rule doesn't orchestrate a little accident for her."
"If he tries anything-"
"When he tries anything," Cinch corrected. "You'll be powerless to stop him, and powerless to do any retribution without losing even more than a vagrant companion."
Sunset's horn was lit with fury. "Call her that again and they won't be able to recognize your body."
Cinch let out an annoyed sigh. "Direct threats will only get you so far here." She then took a few steps back, just in case. "I've given you my warning. Bring that friend of yours here and see her suffer, or let her be what she was meant to be."
Sunset watched her walk away, resisting the urge to throw the biggest fireball she could muster at her. Only when she was gone did she finally relax, almost falling to the floor.
I need Trixie. She has to be here. We can study under Celestia together, Sunset told herself, but that idea started to quickly crack apart.
If Hard Rule or somepony else did try something against Trixie, would she really be able to protect her?
Like she had faced the kidnappers?
Like they had lost Holiday?
But even if she did, there was still one glaring problem that Sunset knew had always been the one thing separating the two.
Becoming Celestia's pupil, studying under her wing, maybe even becoming a princess herself one day.
That was her dream.
Not Trixie's.
Trixie wanted to leave the city, to become a traveling magician, to not be attached to this city and its horrors anymore.
But Sunset knew she would leave her dream behind to be with her.
Even if it killed her.
Would it be worth it?
Celestia reappeared in a flash of golden light and saw the filly looking down at the floor, crying. "Sunset, is something wrong?"
Trixie was sitting inside their home, the stove keeping her warm as the winter night started to fall over the city.
She was looking at the small window like a hawk, waiting for a head of gold and red to poke inside and tell her that she was back. That everything would be fine.
That she wasn't alone.
Trixie waited.
And waited.
The night became so dark it was impossible to see out the window, but she kept watching.
And waiting.
And waiting.
Trixie looked at the right side of the room. At the old posters. The paintings. And her eyes settled on the guitar.
Sunset's guitar.
She took it with her magic and brought it to her hooves, adjusting the strings before playing the first note of her favorite song.
And started singing.
"laaa daa, laay dai dadidaa daa, laay dai dadidaa daa,"
The flame from the stove died, its gas finally running out.
In the darkness and cold, Trixie kept playing.
And singing.
And waiting.
And waiting.
