Trixie and Starlight Travel to Chukotka

As soon as Trixie and Starlight took their first steps in Anadyr, they were greeted with lots of streets that were loaded to the brim with colourful commieblock buildings, as well as a few orthodox churches, but ponies don't believe religion, so instead, they took their time to appreciate the colourful commieblock architecture of Anadyr.

"Now this is more how I like it!" said Starlight with an happy expression, "Colourful buildings, more humans and an all around much happier atmosphere."

"It does have a very different vibe compared to Ugolnye Kopi. While it isn't quite as unique and fascinating as that place, or some of the other cities that we will visit later on, it is perfect for something something," Trixie said in her usual smug tone.

"And what is that something something?" Starlight curiously asked to her.

"Come on Starlight, you know me and thus you know what it is," Trixie smugly replied.

"Oh Celestia, don't tell me you want to do a performance here Trixie?" Starlight asked with a concerned tone in her voice.

"Of course the Great and Powerful Trixie is going to do a performance here Starlight!" Trixie replied to her with an exited tone in her voice, "Humans are so easily fascinated by the magic we ponies have, I bet half of Anadyr will come to see it!"

"Well, I guess you can do a performance here if you want to, but I'm not going to assist you. I want to do other things here and I think we should head towards our hotel first," Starlight replied to her.

"Don't worry Starlight, I don't need any assistance. By now, my magic is great and powerful enough to carry this alone, especially when it comes to a human audience. And I do agree that it is best if we go to our hotel first and put our luggage there," Trixie replied with an assertive tone in her voice.

After they have walked for a couple of minutes, Trixie and Starlight have arrived at their hotel. It was a 3 star hotel, that is more affordable compared to some of the others in the city. Trixie planned 2 nights for the hotel, since she has planned to go to Pevek after that. Starlight thought this was fine and enough time to experience the city of Anadyr. But before they did that, they took the key for their room from the reception, went to their two bed hotel room and putted their luggage here. Despite being an experienced traveler, Trixie has never been in a hotel before, as she usually traveled with her trailer. Since the portals to earth were to small for her trailer, she traveled without it for the first time in her life. Due to this, she was surprised about the hotel room, as it was very different than what she was used to.

"What the fuck is that? Beds?" Trixie questioned confusingly, "I thought I booked a more affordable hotel and not some luxurious and expensive bullshit!"

Starlight was weirded out by her best friend and replied, "You do know that beds are in literately every hotel room, right? I mean you are a traveler after all."

"You know that I usually travel with my trailer which is why I don't book hotels. I will miss my little trailer friend. Good thing I took this picture of it with me, so that it will always be with me in at least some shape or form," Trixie responded to her in a more melancholic tone, while pulling out a picture of her trailer from her suitcase.

"You really are a weird pony Trixie!" Starlight has said amusingly, before taking a look at the things Trixie took along inside her suitcase and became more and more confused about it, "What even is all of this stuff you took with you? I mean I should have expected the fireworks and smoke bombs, but a picture of your trailer, teacups and a vinyl?"

"Teacups are always necessary Starlight and I thought this hotel room would have a vinyl player, I mean if you can afford beds, why not vinyl player?" Trixie responded with a defensive tone in her voice.

"I don't think I have ever seen a hotel room that has a vinyl player and if it exists, it is probably very expensive," Starlight explained to her friend.

"Aw come on, the new Molchat Doma album would have totally fitted to the vibe of this place, well fuck it!" Trixie said in disappointment.

"Anyway," Starlight said afterwards, "I think we should check out the bathroom of our hotel room, what do you think?"

"This hotel room has a motherfucking bathroom, but not a vinyl player?" Trixie asked in confusion, "Are hotels always this weird?"

"Hotels aren't weird, you are weird Trixie," Starlight replied to her with a serious tone in her voice.

"Is there anything wrong with being weird, Starlight?" Trixie asked to her in a sassy tone.

"Of course there is nothing wrong with being weird Trix," replied Starlight, with a happier tone, to her, "I actually like it that you are a bit weirder than the other ponies. I don't want a normie as my friend, I want someone who is unique and interesting and you definitely are."

Trixie started to get a sassy and smug smile on her face, nodded and replied, "The Great and Powerful Trixie is an anomaly for sure!"

Afterwards, they both took a look at the bathroom, which didn't stop Trixie from feeling alienated of the hotel room.

"A motherfucking shower?" she shouted loudly, "Who in Equestria needs a shower?"

"Well I know a certain blue unicorn, who lives in a trailer that doesn't have shower and rarely washes herself because of that," Starlight said to Trixie with a slightly annoyed look on her face.

Trixie immediately replied to her, "Oh come on Starlight, just because I am not some kind of cleanliness freak like you, doesn't mean I need to wash myself more often. Once a month is more than enough!"

Starlight simply replied, "You really don't know how lucky you are, about the fact that I am used to the smell of smoke bombs mixed with peanut butter, spicy chips, green tea and old pony sweat by now."

Trixie and Starlight left the hotel afterwards, to use the rest of the day to explore the city of Anadyr and it's culture.

"Alright Trix, what kind of things have you planned to do here? I really want to know more about the culture of this place, do you know any great activities we can do for that?" Starlight curiously asked her friend.

"I know what the perfect thing is, to experience the culture of a place, and that would be tasting it's cuisine," Trixie responded to her.

Starlight, a bit confused at first, replied, "Ok, I was expecting something different to start things off, but food is indeed a pretty big part of culture. Well, let's see if there are any good restaurants nearby."

"No no Starlight," Trixie replied to her, with increased excitement in her voice, "we are not going to a restaurant, I have planned that for our next day. For today, I thought we would go to the place were the humans that live here, get the things that they eat the most and that place is the supermarket!"

Starlight being really confused now, responded to her, "The supermarket? I mean, I can kinda get it, but is it really something to get this exited about?"

"Yes it is!" Trixie answered her question, "This is not just any supermarket, this is a human supermarket in Chukotka. Can you even imagine what kind of things they sell here?"

"Well uh... I really don't," Starlight replied to her blunt.

"Here it is!" Trixie said gleefully after they have arrived at a supermarket, "Well then, let's go in, shall we?"

They went inside the supermarket and were immediately fascinated with how huge it was, as the supermarkets in Equestria weren't as big as the ones on Earth.

"Wow Trixie, you were right! This place really is amazing!" Starlight said with a surprised and joyful expression.

"Of course I was right, when was I why ever wrong?" Trixie boastfully replied.

"Well, there were a couple of times, but let's just not talk about those," Starlight responded with an amused tone in her voice.

Trixie also gave Starlight a little warning about her taste for food, "Also Starlight, and this is very important, no mint! You know I fucking hate mint with a burning passion! That weird disgusting flavour that tries to be spicy and sweet at the same, while managing to be neither and yet both at the same time, which makes you feel like your mouth is being castrated with cleanliness and as soon as it reaches your throat, it will trigger..."

"Ok that's enough!" Starlight interrupted her, "Don't worry Trix, I know that you don't like the taste of mint and trust me, I won't buy anything with it."

They took a shopping cart and walked through the long and wide passages of the supermarket, while looking for some interesting things they could find. Some of the things they sold here, are things that the two ponies have never seen before.

"Dried cod fish," Starlight read the writing of the package of something, that she has never seen before, "that sounds gross, I don't I want to buy that."

Trixie too found some interesting specialties. "Fermented bear testicles in teriyaki sauce. Could be something my mom used to serve me back when I was filly. Can't be that bad," she said with a sarcastic tone in her voice and putted it in their shopping cart afterwards.

The things Trixie chose were very different compared to ones Starlight did. Starlight wanted something that tasted good and mostly chose things that looked familiar because of that. She putted some apples, a bar of chocolate, raspberry yogurt, some rye bread and a salad in their shopping cart. Trixie tho, putted some very strange and exotic things in the cart. From bread flavoured yogurt, to meat jelly and fermented deer, she was looking for something more unique and different, even if it might be gross. The only normal thing she chose, was tea.

After they have found enough stuff to try out, they went to the checkout. While there, Starlight started to notice all of the strange things Trixie has put inside their shopping cart.

"Uh Trixie, what is all of that weird and disgusting stuff you chose? And is that bread flavoured yogurt?" Starlight asked her in concern and confusion.

"Well Starlight, I want to experience the culture, which is something you yourself wanted too, but instead, you brought apples and chocolate. What kind of lame stuff do you want us to try out?" Trixie defensively told to her friend.

"I want something that is delicious and not something that makes me throw up!" Starlight replied to her with an slightly annoyed tone her voice, "Also you chose tea, which is also something that isn't unique and special to Chukotka too."

"Tea is always needed Starlight!" Trixie yelled towards Starlight, defending her choice of food items, "Besides, all of your stuff is just uninteresting things that we also have in Equestria! Hasn't Applejack already force feed us enough with Apples anyway?"

Starlight began to kinda understand Trixie's argument afterwards and tried to calm the situation down, "Ok ok, it seems like we had different ideas when it came to this shopping trip, let's just accept that."

Trixie calmed her self down and accepted Starlight's choose of more ordinary food items afterwards, "Well, I guess it isn't that bad to have some more normal stuff to eat too. In fact now where I am thinking about, it is actually pretty great that we have such nice mix between new and familiar food, am I right?"

Starlight agreed with her and responded, "You are right Trix, but I don't think I want to eat some of that stuff you brought. Perhaps you don't mind trying out those things just for yourself?" She asked her, with slight concern in her voice.

Trixie chuckled and replied, "Starlight, you really expect me to try out these things just for myself? Of course I won't! We are best friends after all and if best friends do weird and disgusting things, they do it together!"

Fear began to cover Starlight's face, as she quietly whispered to herself, "Oh my Celestia, please help me."

After the depressed looking cashier had scanned all of the items, he said the price of all the things the two ponies have bought, "That would be 18900 Rubles please."

Trixie took out a small note from her little pocket, that showed the value between pony coins and rubles. Her jaw dropped as soon as she took a look towards that note. "That would be uh..." Trixie said with a very awkward tone and expression, "exactly one pony coin," and gave the cashier one singular pony coin.

"Wait a minute a pony coin?" The cashier took the coin with a massive glow up in his face and tone of voice and told the two ponies, "I never ever thought I would get a pony coin! Do you ponies even know how much we humans value these? This is the greatest day of my life!"

"Wow, I didn't know pony coins are that valuable for humans," Starlight said with a surprised expression.

"They are!" The cashier told the two ponies gleefully, "It is the rarest and hardest to get currency for us humans!"

"I don't remember the captain, that brought us to Anadyr, being this exited about a pony coin," Starlight said in fascination, "perhaps he hid his excitement or didn't know about how valuable they are for humans. What do you think Trix?"

But Trixie wasn't listening to Starlight. She was just glad that the cashier was this happy and exited about one pony coin, while she hurriedly putted all of the things they bought in a bag and ran to the entrance to bring the shopping cart back. Drops of sweat covered her face while she did that. Starlight was visibly confused about her behavior.

"Ok Starlight," Trixie hastily said to her friend, still having a very awkward and nervous expression on her face, "let's go back to our hotel and try out all of the things we bought, shall we?"

Starlight quickly tried to say goodbye to the cashier, "Uh... goodbye!" but Trixie rushed out of the supermarket and pulled Starlight out along her.

After being forcefully dragged of the supermarket, Starlight questioned Trixie's behavior, "Why in the hay did you have to rush out of the supermarket like that? I have a feeling that all of that stuff we bought probably costed more than just one pony coin, didn't it?"

"Well uh..." Trixie replied to her awkwardly, "let's just say, you really don't want to know how much that stuff actually costed."

"Oh come on Trix," Starlight replied to her with a chill tone in her voice, "it can't be that expensive. I mean we didn't buy that much, did we? Just tell it to me Trix!"

Trixie started to get a nervous look on her face and began to sweat, as she quietly told Starlight the real price of their little shopping trip, "Well, let's just say, according to official calculations, all of that stuff we just bought, costs 36 pony coins."

"36 PONY COINS!?" Starlight questionably yelled to Trixie.

"Don't be so loud Starlight!" Trixie putted her hoof in front of Starlight's mouth, while she tried to calm her down, "I too am shocked with how expensive this place is, but the cashier was fine with one coin and that's all what matters."

"Ok, sorry for being so loud," Starlight apologized, with an awkward expression and voice, to her. "Well even tho we technically just did a theft, let's just... pretend like it didn't happen."

"Oh don't worry Starlight," Trixie replied to her, "as long as nohuman notices it, it doesn't matter anyway. Let's just go back to our hotel and try out all of the things we bought."

Starlight nervously replied, "Yes, lets just go back to hotel and do a nice little feast... Oh Celestia, please no..."

As soon as they were back inside their hotel room, Trixie immediately putted all the stuff they bought out of the bag and laid it on a table.

"Well let's put all of the stuff we already know, to the side first. You do wanted to experience the culture of this place, am I right?" Trixie said in a sassy tone with a smug smile on her face.

"Ugh... let's just get the torture over me," Starlight said with an exhausted and nervous tone.

"Alright then," Trixie said in excitement, "let's start out with something tame, bread flavoured yogurt!" and pulled out a teaspoon from her suitcase.

Starlight wasn't even surprised, about weird things Trixie was carrying along with her, anymore. Her face was covered with fear and agony and she very quietly whispered to herself, "Please let this be over as fast as possible."

Trixie opened the cup of yogurt and putted some of the beige coloured yogurt on her spoon, "Let's see how bread yogurt tastes like," she curiously said and ate some of the yogurt.

"Hey, this actually tastes not bad," Trixie said afterwards, to Starlight's surprise.

Starlight was more optimistic on the yogurt by now and too ate a spoon of it. "Hey, this really ain't bad, it actually tastes kinda good," she said pleasantly surprised.

"See Starlight, sometimes you just have to try out some new things," Trixie smugly said. "Well with that said, let's try out the meat jelly next!"

"Oh no..." was all what Starlight could say to this.

Trixie opened the package of the meat jelly. Immediately, the strong scent of this Russian delicacy went trough their noses. Surprisingly for Starlight, it actually didn't smelled that bad.

"Honestly, I expected it to smell worse," Starlight said in surprise.

"Of course it doesn't smell bad Starlight," Trixie replied to her, "this is a popular dish here for a reason, maybe the taste will be even better!" she said with excitement and ate a big chunk of the meat jelly. Starlight was just hoping for her friend to not throw up.

"Mmh, delicious!" Trixie delightfully said after she tried out the meat jelly.

Starlight just stared at her with a confused expression. "Aw come on, you have to be joking! I mean, it looks so gross and unappetizing," she said with slight disgust in her voice.

"Oh come on Starlight," Trixie replied to her in a snooty tone, "you're a communist, you are like the last type of pony that should judge something by it looks. Try it out and you will see that I am not joking!"

"Ugh, ok fine, I will give it a try," Starlight replied to her in a not amused tone and begrudgingly ate a small piece of the meat jelly.

"Hey, not only were you not joking, you are right, this actually tastes good!" Starlight, being happily suprised, replied.

Trixie began to laugh, "Oh Starlight, you like at little filly! At first you are like "Ooh I don't want, it looks and sounds so gross!" but then you gave it a try and realise, that you actually like it," she amusingly said, while mocking Starlight and doing a high pitched voice while at it.

"Ok ok, i guess you are right," Starlight replied back to Trixie, while she accepted her criticism towards her, "maybe I should judge the food less by it looks and actually give it a try. After all, I have never tried these things before, where should I even know how they taste like?"

Trixie, totally smug, replied, "Well then, how about you try out the fermented deer next, Starlight?"

"Well uh..." Starlight was already regretting the things she just said, "I guess I have no other choice."

She opened the small can, was immediately hit with the smell of fermented meat, took a tiny piece of it on the spoon, quickly ate it and swallowed it down afterwards.

"And Starlight?" Trixie, who was slowly moving closer her, asked, while still having a smug look on her face, "How does it taste like?"

"It tastes... ok to be honest," Starlight replied to her blunt.

"Ok then, let me try it too," Trixie has said, before she ate a piece of it for herself. "Mmh, well seasoned, a bit of crunch and slight hint of fermentation, exactly how I like it."

After another relief for Starlight, her stomach began to twist, as she saw the final exotic treat that Trixie has brought for them, fermented bear testicles in teriyaki sauce. Trixie opened the glass that they were laid in, which Starlight looked towards with a shocked and disgusted expression. The smell of it was actually not bad, as the fermented bear testicles didn't had much of a scent and only the teriyaki sauce could be smelled. Still, this hasn't stopped Starlight from feeling totally grossed out by it.

"Well, here it comes Starlight," Trixie said to her. This time, even she seemed to feel nervous about it. "Well Starlight, seeing as you said, that you are now ready to try out new things, how about you try them first?" she awkwardly asked her friend.

"No Trixie, I won't!" Starlight replied to her, in a surprisingly assertive tone, "You wanted to buy this shit, so you are going to be the first one to try!"

"Ugh... ok fine," Trixie begrudgingly said.

She took her spoon and pulled out one of the testicles from the jar with it. Starlight saw that her face was covered in fear and somewhat enjoyed seeing her friend getting punished by her own questionable food choices, distracting herself from the fact, that she too had to try it out later on. Trixie anxiously putted the spoon with the testicle on it in her mouth and began to chew afterwards.

"And Trixie," Starlight amusingly asked her with a smug on her face, "how does it taste like?"

Trixie immediately replied, "Actually, it tastes kinda good."

"Really?" Starlight, being slightly disappointed and highly surprised, asked to her. "Oh well, you are not spitting it out, so I guess it can't that bad," she comfortably added to it and tried a bear testicle for herself.

As soon as Starlight putted one of the bear testicles in her mouth and began to chew, Trixie instantly grabbed the trash bucket of their hotel room, spat out the bear testicle into it, and drank big gulps of water from her bottle. Starlight immediately began to realise that Trixie has outsmarted her and started to gag and cough due to the awful taste of fermented bear testicles in her mouth. Trixie was hysterically laughing at her, while she herself was also heavily coughing from the disgusting taste, in between her laughs. Starlight too quickly grabbed the bucket of trash and spat out the testicle and afterwards, also drank from her bottle of water. Trixie's face was covered in red from all of her laughing and coughing, while Starlight desperately tried to get the awful taste out of her mouth. After Starlight drank almost her entire bottle of water empty, she looked over to Trixie, who was still laying on the floor, laughing at her. Her coughing has stopped, but her laughing has started to sound very raspy and exhausted.

Trixie slowly calmed down afterwards and stood up, while being totally out of breath and gasping for air and said to Starlight, "Oh my Luna, you totally fell for it Starlight!" and chuckled afterwards.

Starlight just stared at her with a dead expression and said, "Well I guess you won this thing, but for the love of Celestia, don't ever make me eat stuff that is this disgusting, ever again!"

Starlight was feeling a little bit angry towards Trixie, but simultaneously knew that this was just silly fun between two friends in her eyes. Still, for Starlight, Trixie had crossed a line here, but she didn't wanted to get angry towards her, so she just silently accepted it and tried to forget about. However, this was easier said than done, thanks to Trixie making silly comments towards Starlight.

"Well Starlight, how was it to experience the culture of Chukotka with your taste buds?" Trixie smugly asked her, while still being noticeably out of breath.

"Are these bear testicle things even part of this place's culture?" Starlight, being somewhat pissed off, asked back to her.

"Well, I haven't seen them being sold in a store in any other place," Trixie answered to Starlight, who was barely even listening to her and wanted to forget, what just happened.