Carrot Top

The first sense to wake up is the one operating from the nasal cavity. This why Carrot Top knew, before being truly awake, that fresh carrot muffins were coming out of the oven, and she smiled tiredly as her other senses raced to catch up with smell. As the paralysis of rest wore off, Carrot carefully removed herself from bed and walked to the boudoir, letting out a yawn.
She eyed the items on the piece of furniture. Not much she could do for herself, lacking the advantages of unicorns or even pegasi. Carrot didn't really mind though. She forwent the brush, and slid the bottle of green mane dye into the nearby waste bucket.

She exited her room, and, entering the living room, saw a pillow fort had been erected with a unicorn filly happily snoozing within.

Derpy, plate and cream-cheese-frosted muffin balanced on head, hushed Carrot. "Sorry about the fort," the pegasus said, carefully sliding her cargo onto a coffee table, "Dinky really wanted to sleep in it last night."

"I completely understand," Carrot said, "I used to do that myself." Carrot eyed the muffin, "That for me?"

Derpy was donning her mail bag. "Sure is! Baked it fresh after I brought in the milk and paid the milk mare. Already got all mine stowed away in my bag!" Derpy grinned, "Would you mind getting her off to school today? I need to cover for Raindrops today."

"No problem." Carrot reassured Derpy.

Derpy sharply saluted, and went off to perform her morning delivery rounds, leaving her daughter in the care of her friend and roommate.

Carrot went into the kitchen, took a plate, and used a spoon to lever a muffin onto the plate. She took it to the sleeping form of Dinky and nudged her awake. "Good morning," Carrot whispered.

Dinky yawned and stretched. "Where's mom?" she asked, rubbing the tiredness from her eyes.

"She had to take an early day," Carrot Top said, placing the muffin before Dinky, "She left you a muffin, though!"

Dinky accepted the muffin, and the two ponies ate their breakfast. Carrot helped herself to a second muffin, and checked the clock, "We need to leave in five minutes," Carrot announced to the unicorn filly.

"Okay!" Dinky answered, bouncing off to retrieve her saddle bags.

Carrot checked the fridge, where Derpy had left her daughter a bag lunch, Dinky's name lovingly scrawled on it, flanked by hearts. Carrot presented the paper bag to Dinky, who stuffed it into her bag. "You need me to walk you to school?" Carrot asked.

"Nah, I can get there myself," Dinky answered.

"You sure?"

Dinky opened the door. "I'm sure. See you later, Carrot!" The door slammed shut after the unicorn filly, leaving Carrot by her lonesome.

Carrot ate her second muffin, smiling to herself. The cushion fort remained, standing resolute against imaginary foes. Dinky had left behind dolls laying about the structure.

Carrot checked around her.

Fort Root stood proudly upon a hill, looking over the land of Carrotopia. Lady Top was in a meeting with the nobles of the land.

"My dear court," Lady Top said to them, "I have just got word that our neighbor, the Principality of Derp, intends to declare war upon our innocent realm."

A gasp erupted from Lady Top's court, desperate whispering sprouting all about.

"M'lady!" The Brigadier General said, "I suggest a preemptive strike."

Lady Top sullenly shook her head, "No, I refuse to take such drastic action. We must remain, above all, diplomatic. If we strike first, we will go down in history as..." Carrot Top searched for the word, settling on, "Trouble makers! We cannot have that!"

Mumbles of agreement were shared by the court.

"My dear subjects." Lady Top waved her hooves reassuringly, "We may soon find ourselves in difficult..." She caught sight of the time from the corner of her eye, and the spell melted away. "Oh dear, I've got errands to run." She nodded to the dolls arranged in a semi-circle, "Excuse me."

It was a slow day in the market place, so Carrot Top allowed herself to linger at the various booths and wagons littering the square. She was examining produce when she was approached by Bon Bon. "Hey there, Carrot Top!" Bon Bon greeted.

"Good morning, BonBon," Carrot greeted with a wave, "How've you been doing?"

"Been doing well," Bon Bon answered, "So… interesting weather we've been having."

Carrot eyed the cream-colored pony, "Certainly we haven't already run out of things to discuss."

BonBon pointed at the sky, "Well, considering we've got pink clouds today, and I've heard they've been raining chocolate milk…"

"Really now?" Carrot was surprised by this news, "Anypony know why?"

Bon Bon shrugged, "It's all speculation at this point. Personally, I think Pinkie Pie got her hooves on some sort of magic, wish granting device."

Carrot Top nodded, "Seems possible." Carrot paid for a basket of assorted vegetables. "Well," she said, "keep me up to date if you hear anything."

"Will do," Bon Bon said, "See you later!"

Carrot Top moved on to Apple family's wagon and purchased a dozen of the crisp fruit. Above, the clouds were being corralled by the town weather team, led by Rainbow Dash. She decided to cut her errands run short in the face of the team's struggle to maintain clear skies.

Carrot Top returned home and put away the groceries, taking the time to check through the mail left by Derpy, and found nothing needing her immediate attention. She sat for a spell, letting her mind wander. She sighed a sigh of boredom and loneliness. She gave the pillow and cushion fort a glance.

"Fillies and gentlecolts of the court, I'm afraid there may be a spy among you, my most loyal subjects." Lady Top waited for the horrified rumblings of the court to die down, "Now, I do not wish to cause a panic, nor a witch hunt. However, we must remain vigilant. If anypony sees any suspicious behaviors, please report it directly to me."

Carrot Top paused for a moment. She wasn't really sure how to follow this up, or how the spy would get flushed out. She stared at the cushiony wall of the tiny building. She decided to just pull a deus ex machnia.

"My Lady!" The Brigadier General rushed in, paper in hand, "We have just intercepted a coded message, and it reveals the spy as…" The military pony doll paused for drama, "None other than Baroness Fluffymane!"

Dramatic gasp from the court.

"Yes, I admit it! I, Baroness Fluffymane, am the spy!" the baroness declared for all to hear, "I regret nothing! Mwahahaha!"

"Baroness Fluffymane, I hereby order your execution by sock missile!" Lady Top decreed with great foreboding, "Take your position at the wall of execution!"

The diabolic baroness was placed before the overturned coffee table, and Carrot Top took time to bunch up socks and arrange the military dolls to execute the traitor. "On my command!" Lady Top said, "Ready, aim…"

"Um… Carrot Top? What're you doing?"

Carrot froze, and turned around slowly towards the confused pegasus standing behind the overturned table. She looked at the scene that lay before her, "Well…" It all seemed rather silly to the earth pony, now that she took the time to reflect, "I was kind of… punishing a traitor…" Carrot Top said reluctantly, "She was a spy reporting our secret meetings to the Principality of… Derp…"

The mailmare just stared at her roommate, who began to blush in the awkward moment. "Well then, as the ruler of the Principality of Derp…" the grey pegasus said, picking up a bundled up sock, "I cannot allow such a valuable resource be killed." Derpy tossed the sock at Carrot Top's face.

"You do realize…" Carrot said after take a second to let the assault sink in, "This means war…"

So, Carrotopia and the Principality of Derp raged war, flinging socks at each other, Carrot from Fort Root, and Derpy from the mighty Derp Wall. It was all rather silly.