The Life of Trixie

Silver Star’s eyes swept over the little town with disgust. She had brought everything she owned to move here and she was dissatisfied. That was the last time she listened to her agent. City life was so much better than this. Her carriage, the latest in new carriage models, was brimming with things. Mostly suitcases(which were full of expensive outfits and horseshoes), but some knick-knacks were there as well.

The city pony hoofed the dirt road angrily. She was angry at everything. First at her parents for insisting she find a way in the world. Second that she had to walk all the way up here with a full carriage, and Third, that she had to live in this dingy little town!

“UGH!” she shouted, and stuck both her forelegs out and brought them on the dirt with a hard smack.

“Need some help?” called a nearby mare.

“No thank you!” snapped Silver Star, trying to compose herself.

“Okay!” said the mare, who obviously didn’t recognize the anger or sadness in Silver Star’s voice.

As Silver Star trotted along and began to take in the homey feel to the little town, she began to feel just a tiny bit welcome. There were nice looking ponies everywhere. Homey? Ha! Like she needed that. Her CLOSET was more homey than this dump. How could she not be happy? No, she was furious. She wanted a more upscale place, instead of this filthy excuse for a town. Several stallions nearby spotted her and gave a friendly wave, though their eyebrows were up like they were confused to see her or something. She had chosen the least spiffy outfit in her closet. It was a floor length purple satin gown with a ribbon like pattern through it. There were several beads on it, but that was it. Several buildings lined the small town and the dirt road. Lots of ponies of every shape, size, color, and type were walking around going about their business. Business. This word sounded like coffee to Silver Star. Fine smelling but bitter tasting. Surprisingly, though, everywhere she looked there was a beautiful bright colored flower of some sort. There were flowering trees and exquisitely done flowerbeds. Silver Star was mildly impressed. Maybe the pony who did them could come do her garden.

She stopped momentarily to pull a piece of parchment from her bag. She was an earth pony, but was always told she’d be prettier as  a unicorn. Every one of her friends in Canterlot said so. Then again, they were all unicorns.

The parchment was embossed with pretty purple curlicue script. She wrote it herself(with great difficulty and cried multiple times) and she held it in front of her face.

Realtor:

-Sapling

Once enter town, go straight ahead about twenty hoof steps. Building is fifth building on the right.

Mane-tail-stylist:

-Lemon Drop

Shop has many signs along the way. Follow signs.

Blueberry and Strawberry Farm

-Blueberry Family

-Strawberry Family

Separate orchards= Blueberry is on the left, Strawberry on the right.

The list continued down with lots of names and businesses. Not one magical artifacts shop. Good, thought Silver Star to herself, and put the piece of parchment away. For a city pony, Silver Star had strange dreams. At least, that’s what her friends in Canterlot said. Their dreams included marrying rich stallions. Silver Star wanted to open a magical artifacts shop, simply because she was very interested in artifacts, strangely.

As a filly she learned all she could, but her mother mostly prevented her further studies and insisted she become a debutante. Secretly she studied artifacts as much as she could.

A voice nearby her brought her out of her thoughts.

“Howdy.”

Silver Star looked up to see a stallion, maybe a year or two older than herself. He had a cornflower blue coat and short mane hair colored dusty blond yellow. All that he had was stuffed inside a worn brown leather hat. Some mane stuck out, though. As for his tail, there was a short spurt of it. Stallion tails were never long. His eyes were a stirring sapphire blue. On his flank three large blueberries were adorned.  He eyed her with curiosity and amusement.

“Hello,” said Silver Star, and she turned up her nose and began to walk away. He only followed.

“What’s your name?” he asked, with no trace of an accent. “Nothing.” she said, coolly, and focused her sapphire eyes straight ahead on the dingy dirt road. Her silver mane was gracefully in front of her face, and it was sweaty under her bangs. Her steel gray coat sparkled in the mid-morning sun and her cutie mark(three glittering silver stars) was gleaming. The farm stallion continued to trot beside her for a bit, until finally Silver Star lost her patience.

“What do you want?” she snarled, forgetting to be ladylike.

The farm stallion looked taken aback.

“Come now, I only want to know your name.” he said, his sapphire eyes boring straight into hers.“Why do you care?” she snapped.

“And anyway, I’m busy,” she continued, arrogantly, “I have to find Sapling. He’s the realtor around this dump.”

“I’d be happy to show you the way, if you like.” said the stallion, giving her puppy-dog eyes.

She hesitated. On one hoof he was kinda cute. On the other he was a dumpy farmer. Her kind didn’t even look in the direction of his kind. But, she was lost. And this was a new town. And again, he was kinda cute….

“Fine,” she said, finally. The farm stallion’s spirits lifted.

“My name is Haystack Blueberry. Or, if you want, Haystack for short. I’ve lived here ever since I was born. It’s a great place to live.” said the farm stallion.

Silver Star could barely hide her disdain. She threw her silvery white mane and steel gray head in the air and gave a haughty laugh. It was so loud and arrogant, some ponies around the two were beginning to stare more intently than before.

“Haystack Blueberry? What do you think I am, STUPID?” she said, laughing. The farm stallion seemed unfazed by her arrogant laughing though, which surprised her. Most ponies she laughed at with her friends ran away crying in agony. She always felt bad for them…No she didn’t. They deserved it.

“Yep, that’s my name.” he said, a tiny grin on his lips. “And you are?”

“Like I said, no pony.” she replied coolly. They walked in silence until Haystack stopped abruptly. Silver Star stopped too.

“Well, here we are,” he said, and pointed a hoof toward a nice well painted little wooden business. “This is a business? This isn’t even big enough to house my clothes!” said Silver Star, wrinkling her nose.

“Do you want to leave your things outside? I can watch them for you,” he said, ignoring Silver Star’s snide remark.

“Fine, but everything better be there when I get back!” she snapped and marched inside.

Good thing she didn’t hear what Haystack said next.

“City ponies,” he mumbled to himself.

“Always the divas.”

Silver Star entered the brightly lit homey building with a flourish and sighed in happiness. It was so wonderfully cool in here! There were plush worn chairs and several houseplants that were crammed in the corners. There was a big mahogany desk towards the middle of the room, and a charcoal gray pony sat there, wearing glasses. She was busy on the phone with somepony else.

Cool! She’s working, thought Silver Star, who’d always wanted to do things for herself.

The pony didn’t seem to notice Silver Star, so Silver Star had to make herself comfortable on a worn red leather seat. It was dirty, and Silver Star cringed because her dress was getting all soiled. But it was better than standing there. She was already sweating as it was. She caught snippets of what the other pony was saying.

“Yes, I know. I heard that, too, Lemon!” there was a pause, and the pony looked over at Silver Star and smiled brightly.

“She’s here, Lemon! I’ll send her over to your place A.S.A.P!….Okay, then, bye.” The mare set the phone back on its cradle with her mouth. She was an earth pony, just like Silver Star. They sat awkwardly looking at each other for a moment.

“Well, come here!” said the charcoal gray mare, excitedly. Silver Star stood up awkwardly and made her way over to the desk, where the mare eyed her and gave her a great big smile.

“Well, isn’t that a pretty dress? On behalf of Great Forest Realtors, I would like to say: Welcome to Little Haystack!” said the mare, very loudly and very happily. Silver Star smiled, awkwardly.

“Thank you,” she said, as if she surprised herself. The mare stood and came around the desk so she was muzzle to muzzle with Silver Star. Weirded out, Silver Star took an awkward step back.

“My name’s Charcoal Dust! I just love, love, LOVE living here. The scenery, the peace and quiet, and most of all, the cute stallions!” said the mare, happily. Silver Star then realized that this mare was probably the same age she was. Maybe a little older.

Charcoal Dust stuck out a hoof. Her midnight black hair(which was braided down her side) swung and the light caught it and it glittered. Her sky blue eyes were smiling at Silver Star, and Silver Star secretly loved Charcoal Dust’s tail. It was long and elegant, and was braided prettily like her mane. Charcoal’s bangs fell into her face a bit, like Silver’s, but she seemed to have braided a bit of it back. On Charcoal’s flank, surprisingly, three gorgeous tulips were pictured: one sunshine yellow, one candy apple red, and another that was bright carrot orange.

“Nice cutie mark. Is that your talent? Tulips?” asked Silver Star, sarcastically. Like Haystack, though, Charcoal didn’t pick up on Silver Star’s sarcasm, and giggled as if Silver Star and her were the best of friends.

“Nope! My special talent is caring for all the flowers in Little Haystack. I’m a gardener one hundred percent.” replied replied Charcoal, happily, removing her glasses and setting them on her desk.

“But your name is Charcoal Dust,” Silver Star pointed out.

“I know, right? You’d think my talent has something to do with mining or charcoal, right? That’s what my parents always thought. They always tried to stick me in a mine someplace, but it turned out I was the complete opposite of what they expected! And since then, I’ve always strived to dare to be different.” said Charcoal Dust, smiling.

Silver Star thought about that for a minute. Here was a mare who was beautiful and talented, yet, she didn’t have to show it off or be like all the rest. She dared to be different, and she had proven it.

“I never did catch your name!” said Charcoal, still smiling cheerily.

“Silver Star,” replied Silver.

“Nice to meet you!” said Charcoal Dust. “What’s your cutie mark?”

“Three silver stars.” replied Silver Star.

“That’s interesting. Do you study stars? Or chart them? Or observe them? Or research them? Or do intensive background work on them? Are they interesting? Do you want to go to the moon? Are you an astronomer?” rattled Charcoal.

In a daze, Silver Star replied:

“No. I suppose I have a dud for a cutie mark,” she said flatly, though secretly she knew what her cutie mark meant.

When she was a filly before she got her cutie mark, her parents were away for the day and her foal sitter took her to an artifacts shop. As the foal sitter chatted with the owner, Silver Star went exploring through the shop. She was fascinated by all the history. Everywhere she looked a new artifact had a new story. She was looking at a mask to her right when she bumped into something. A huge marble pedestal. She looked up, and there, under a huge glass case, were three silver stars. They were beautiful and silvery and glassy and Silver Star’s eyes enlarged on contact. She knew then and there she wanted her very own artifacts shop, and in a flash of white light and sparkles, Silver Star’s flank tingled a bit. She looked down, and three silver stars, just like the ones in the case, flashed on her flank, and after that, the image was sealed.

“I’m here to see Sapling about a house?” said Silver Star, changing the subject and knocking herself out of her memories.

“Of course you do! A stylish pony like you needs a place to call home.” agreed Charcoal Dust.

“I already have one picked out, I just want to sign the papers. Then I desperately need to get a hooficure. My hooves can’t take all this dirt.” blurted Silver Star.

“Well, I would take you straight to Mr. Twig’s office, but he’s out at the moment.” said Charcoal Dust, a trace of sadness in her voice.

“But I do know a fabulous place to get a hooficure and get your mane done.”  she replied, happiness coming back in an instant.

“Yes, a Lemon Drop?” asked Silver, remembering the name on her list.

“Yes! She’s my best friend.” replied Charcoal Dust, examining a charcoal gray hoof.

“But of course I can tell right away we’re going to be the best of friends. You and I are so alike!” she said, happily.

“Yes, yes, of course,” said Silver Star, dismissively. Charcoal Dust peered out a nearby window, spotted Haystack, and giggled.

“I see you’ve met Haystack.”

“Yes. That stupid farmer won’t leave me alone.” said Silver Star, not hiding the fact she was miffed. Charcoal Dust giggled again, which annoyed Silver Star.

“He doesn’t usually take an interest in mares. In fact, he’s quite shy. He sticks to his work.” said Charcoal Dust, examining her hooves again. Silver Star lifted her eyebrow.

“All the mares down here have a crush on him, but he won’t turn his head. You must be pretty special to get his head finally turned.”

“He’s a blueberry farmer?” asked Silver Star.

“Oh yes. Blueberry farmers and strawberry farmers down here have been in a friendly competition ever since their ancestors settled here. Though I have a liking toward blueberries. The ones grown here are plump and juicy, and you can make excellent blueberry cobbler.” said Charcoal Dust, excitedly.

“Really? ALL the mares have a crush on Haystack? You do have other stallions here, don’t you?” asked Silver.

“Of course we do. But I’d be careful when you say ‘all’ the mares.” said Charcoal Dust, her sky blue eyes suddenly boring into Silver Star’s. What was with everypony and doing that today? Thought Silver.

“What do you mean?” asked Silver Star, always the nose for gossip.

“Well, Strawberry Blossom’s had her eye on Haystack FOREVER. She won’t let anypony go near him. Of course, Haystack doesn’t give Strawberry the time of day, which makes her mad. But she still believes they’re destined for each other or something.” said Charcoal Dust, brightening again, as if she was amused at the fact that this Strawberry Blossom character was upset.

Suddenly the door burst open and a cloud of dust from outside weaved its way in the air conditioned building, blowing dust on Silver’s dress. A medium-aged stallion with a coat of caramel and a mane of mud brown stood in the doorway. On his flank a sign with the big red words SOLD on it was pictured. He wore glasses and looked at everypony with chocolate eyes. He wore a hat that looked new, and he was a unicorn.

“Charcoal? Who is this mare?” he demanded in a husky voice.

“Mr. Twig, this is Silver Star. Your new client?” said Charcoal Dust, smiling awkwardly.

“Silver Star, eh? Hello. My name is Sapling Twig. Your realtor.”