Back in APPPLEOOSA(open)

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"Well, I suppose this should work as a place to start." Strongheart said as she walked through the town of Appleoosa. She hadn't been this far into town since the last stampede, it was a bit odd to be among buildings again. The buffalo all lived in tent like cones. These cones never were as tall as most of these buildings and teh also never had a second story to them. It was a bit daunting to be surrounded by such large objects.

More daunting was the looks she was getting from all the citizens. The majority of them seemed to be looking at her. She supposed they recognized her as the chief's daughter. Strongheart was pretty sure that pleanty of buffalo came through town, now, that she wouldn't get these stares just because she wasn't a pony. It could be because she was such a small buffalo, they probably weren't used to that.

"U-um, excuse me, do you know where I could go to find...um..." Little Strongheart realized how little idea of what she was doing she actually had. "A map would be excellent!"

The pony she was talking to looked her over for a moment and then simply walked away. "Oh...well, thank you." she said with a bit of attitude. He could have at least said that he didn't know, even if she was pretty sure he must know something. She looked around and trotted around in the town square. "Oh, Wohpe help me find my way here."

This was supposed to be the easy part of her journey into Equestria! what would the rest of it be like if she couldn't even get directions!? She sat down on the street corner and looked about with a slightly worried look on her face before abruptly standing back up. One more try couldn't hurt! "Excuse me? Do you know where I could talk to someone who knows Equestria well or...that at least knows where to find Braeburn?"

[Trixie Lulamoon]

It had been some time since Trixie had found her way down to Appleloosa. She was still getting used to the town, with its dust and heat, but it was starting to grow on her. The ponies were friendly enough, and they didn’t seem to know anything about her past so that wasn’t being thrown in her face. And even the heat was starting to get a little more bearable. The wide brim of her wizard hat was quite handy for shade, and her cape helped to keep her coat free from too much dust. Now if only she could figure out one of those cooling enchantment spells she would be set.

For now, however, it was water that was her main source of keeping her cool, and it was in search of that she had made her way into town. Her thirst was making her a rather familiar figure in the local saloon even without taking into consideration her nightly gigs. Of course, the fact that water was relatively cheap meant the bartender wasn’t her biggest fan, but she needed to save her bits anyway. Still, at some point she planned on trying some of the other drinks available, but not today. Just lunch and a river’s worth of water was all she had on the agenda.

As she trotted through the square, however, Trixie found herself being accosted by…a buffalo? Huh, that was odd. Braeburn had mentioned that the town had a deal with the local buffalos, but still, it was a new experience for Trixie to actually meet one. Speaking of Braeburn, it seemed that this one was looking for him…or someone who knew Equestria. Well, Trixie was a travelling showmare, and any chance to show off her knowledge was something she wasn’t willing to give up.

”Indeed I can help you with both of your questions. For you see, I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Trixie stood on her hind legs and let off a few small fireworks, cape waving behind her. Once that was done, she continued.

”And lucky for you, the Great and Powerful Trixie not only knows Braeburn, for Trixie is currently staging shows at the Salt Lick, but Trixie herself is a travelling showmare and has been all around Equestria, from the majestic castles of Canterlot,”

Enjoying the moment to show off, Trixie unleashed an illusion of lights that formed into the shape of Canterlot.

”To the dark and mysterious Everfree Forest,”

The vision of Canterlot swirled and shifted into the shape of trees before eventually disappearing in a ricochet of fireworks as the illusion ended.

”So then, what can the Great and Powerful Trixie help you with?”

[Deleted]

It seemed like she had asked the perfect pony. The mare had stood out from the crowd. She had even seemed a bit odd when compared to the appleoosans, her hair was silver and her clothing...well, Strongheart had never seen anything like it before. That wasn't saying much though. Strongheart had barely ever been in pony country so she doubted she had much an idea of how all ponies dressed.

Then came the fireworks. Little Strongheart had never seen fireworks before so this came as a pretty big surprise. She hopped back a little and drew in a breath as they went off in magnificent colors that the young buffalo thought only flowers could be. "Oh wow, that is amazing!" she exclaimed. The mare wasn't done yet though! Before Strongheart's own eyes shapes formed!

The buffalo was almost too busy being amazed by the images to catch the mare's name, not to mention the rest of what she was saying, but she managed to get the gist. This mare seemed to be the answer to all of Little Strongheart's problems! She also seemed to be amazing at magic.

"That was...spectactular," she said with a huge smile on her face, "I have never seen anything like that. You must be extremely skilled." Strongheart then took her head back to business. "I...well," she faltered before standing up straighter than ever and puffing her chest out a bit, "My name is Little Strongheart and I have been sent by Chief Thunderhooves to learn more about Equestria, its ponies and its," she added this on even though she hadn't exactly been told to learn about it specifically by the chief, "magics...you said you were a...traveling show mare?"

"I could use help finding a place to go. This is one of the very few pony towns I've been to so...I don't exactly know where to go from here." Strongheart was a little embarrassed by her lack of...competence in this matter, but she didn't let it show! "That was why I was looking for Braeburn, I've met him before and thought he could help...but if you can help it would be most appreciated and I would do anything to return the favor!

[Trixie Lulamoon]

”Why of course I am; they don’t call me the Great and Powerful Trixie for nothing after all,” Trixie replied to the buffalo’s compliments. She just ignored the fact that they called her that because she would basically proclaim it with fireworks every time she got the chance. And that many recent usages of that name were in mockery. Still, she didn’t need to know that.

As the buffalo introduced herself, Trixie wasn’t sure how to react. The daughter of the chief of the buffalo. Was that equivalent to royalty? Did she need to treat her with a bit more respect and less ego, or could Trixie just keep going on as she did. Hmm…Trixie decided to go with the latter idea for now. Trixie preferred being Trixie over following pomp and circumstance. And Strongheart could always just speak up if she had a problem with it.

”While Trixie is a travelling showmare, Trixie is currently contracted to perform in Appleloosa for the time being.” Trixie replied, informing the…what did you call a female buffalo? Beh, Trixie would just call her a mare for now. Anyway, Trixie simply informed the mare that she was currently not travelling at the moment.

”But even then, Trixie is your best guide to Equestria. Trixie will be glad to tell you anything you want to know while she’s in town. And Trixie guesses that once Trixie is done here you could tag along with Trixie…” finished.

The offer of doing anything to return the favor was hard to resist. If she pulled her cards right, she could probably get Strongheart to deal with all the maintenance of the cart, cooking, or anything like that so Trixie could have more time to practice magic and some other…stuff.

[Deleted]

Little Strongheart had an inner sigh of relief. She didn't have to leave Appleoosa just yet. She would treasure the next few days that she spent in this,..sorta familiar environment, besides she would be able to talk to Braeburn a bit. They had talked a few times before, it has slowed down a but after Strongheart gained a better understanding of how his apple farm worked and that she shouldn't just grab a snack whenever she wanted one.

She had thought the orchard was just going to work as a sort of food...forest thing for everyone. It looked like a forest! No buffalo would be able to take care of an entire forest and then still do other things for her tribe, of course most buffalo weren't quite as specialized as Braeburn seemed to be and he didn't, in the same sense, have a tribe to take care of. He had a town that he helped take care of by taking care of his forest.

Oh dear, she had spaced out a bit. What had Trixie said again? Strongheart stated at her hooves for a moment. She probably looked shy instead of confused and embarrassed. "That would be I am in your debt Miss...er ...I mean oh Great and Powerful Trixie." Strongheart felt a bit funny saying that but it seemed to be what the unicorn was called so she would just have to ignore it. "If you ever need or want assistance I hope you don't hesitate to ask me." she added with a smile to really drive the point home. She simply had to make sure she repaid Trixie before the split ways.

,And...if you don't mind of course, I would enjoy hearing about what it is like to use magic...and be a performer are there many traveling shows in Equestria?" she stopped towel sure Trixie had time to answer. Strongheart had so many questions . Her biggest problem was choosing which to ask! She had so much to learn before going back to her tribe. "and, if you can spare any advice you could give me on approaching strangers, that would be most excellent." Little Strongheart barely ever had to deal with strangers normally, she had lived with her tribe since birth. Most encounters with strangers had been quick and she had always had friendly faces nearby, now she was alone and would be for a long time, it was intimidating to say the least, but, hopefully this traveling showmare and her would stick together for a while so she wouldn't have to approach too many others without a face she new nearby.

"and if, though a I doubt a well travels mare would be very interested In our sinple life, you have any questions about me, my tribe, or buffalo I will do my best to answer." She wasn't expecting much of those questions honestly, bust she would love to talk about her tribe. She was quite proud of how prosperous they were. It was even better now that they had a deal with the appleoosans. "You know, you may be more comfortable without the cloak and hat, especially the hat." Strongheart took notice of Troxie's clothes as the day was getting hotter. She would hate to see her new friend roasting in this heat even of it meant criticizing her fashion sense

[Trixie Lulamoon]

”You may simply call me Trixie if you want,” Trixie said, gently patting the buffalo on the head, trying to comfort the apparently now rather humbled and shy mare,”And Trixie appreciates the offer of help.”

Trixie would probably use some of that generosity to get the basic maintenance and chores done around her new wagon whenever that was fixed up. Other than that, however, Trixie didn’t plan on taking advantage of the buffalo’s offer. Such thoughts, however, came less from a sense of kindness and more towards her own stubborn need to do stuff on her own. Those few chores she was willing to part with simply because they were often too trivial, boring, or had a tendency to be set aflame when she tried to do it (cooking was not her forte).

All of a sudden, Trixie found herself being given a barrage of questions, with only the briefest of time to try and answer some of them. It was quite lucky for the little buffalo then that she had picked up several topics that Trixie enjoyed. Primarily, of course, being Trixie herself.

”Trixie has run into a few other showponies before. None of them as great as Trixie obviously,” she started her reply to the first question,”But then there are some of the big things like circuses with animals and lots of entertainers. Trixie has occasionally worked for one.”

Or at least that was what I claimed when I set up shop next to a few she thought, remembering those times where she was chased by circus ponies when she tried to take advantage of their crowds for her own shows.

The next question regarded how to approach strangers. Considering Trixie’s current history, she may not have been the best choice of ponies to ask that. Still, Trixie would give it her best shot.

”The most important thing you need when approaching a stranger is confidence. Don’t be afraid to be loud and assertive; otherwise they’ll ignore you. Take me, for example; no one has ever ignored Trixie because Trixie always does what she can to ensure that ponies know Trixie is around.”

Satisfied with the point, Trixie prepared herself for the next set of questions. Luckily, they were simply letting Trixie know she was free to ask Strongheart anything about the Buffalo Tribes. That was good; Trixie didn’t know anything about them.

”Hmmm…why don’t we discuss that over lunch? Trixie was going to get some anyway and the company would be fine.”

And probably more enjoyable than losing by spending bits in another poker game

As she began to walk towards the saloon again, making sure that Strongheart was following her, Trixie heard her new companion mention her outfit.

”Trixie tried that, didn’t help. Therefore, Trixie prefers to wear Trixie’s signature outfit. Besides, it helps keep dust and dirt off of me.”

Glancing back, Trixie figured now would be a good time as any to ask a question.

”Speaking of signature outfits, any meaning to that headband you’re wearing?”

[Deleted]

Trixie. Strongheart would have to be sure to remember that name. It was much shorter than most the names she knew though, so that couldn't be too hard. She was planning on seeing a lot more of the mare. Lttle Strongheart wasn't exactly sure on how long she planned on traveling with Miss Trixie, she didn't even know how far it was to the next town. She did, however, know that this seemed like a great deal to her. She got a free travel companion with her only payment being in the form of chores! Little Strongheart was plenty used to chores anyways.

"I'm not surprised to hear that, what you just did is unlike anything I've seen before." She wasn't surprised to hear that Trixie had never met anyone as talented as herself. In the small buffalo's eyes the magic that Trixie did was amazing and completely unlike anything that she had ever seen before! Of course that may be because she had never seen unicorn magic before. Still, it was very fun to watch, all she had seen before was shaped smoke and trained tumble wolves. That got boring fast, but this was very new and very exciting!

She listened to Trixie's advice. It was a bit different than what she was used to. In the buffalo village she was still young enough to, for the most part, only speak when she was spoken to and was usually quite silent unless she was out on a run with some of the other younger buffalo. Of course she had been prepared for there to be big differences in culture between the ponies and the buffalo, she would just have to get used to it as fast as possible "Loud and assertive...got it!"

Lunch? Strongheart supposed she could use something to eat. She usually didn't buy her food but she doubted that Trixie was talking about grazing in the nearby sun-beaten fields. When she refered to grabbing lunch. Strongheart also didn't have any bits but she did, luckily, have some turquoise with her. She bet that a small gem would be enough to pay for a meal. "That would be excellent."

Strongheart followed after the mare. When Trixie looked back at the buffalo she would see her looking around, quite curious about...well, everything. "Oh, I didn't think of that," she looked at herself, "I suppose I'm the same color as the dust. The buffalo often roll around in dust to keep clean and cool off." she said.

"M-my headband? Oh, it is very important to me," Strongheart reached up and lightly brushed the feathers on it, "This is a sort of...coming of age decoration, most buffalo can just tie knots around the feathers but my coat is a too short, so I use this band instead."

Little Strongheart sat down at one of the empty tables and simply nodded as one of the waiters came around and handed them a, relatively short, menu. Of course that wasn't of any use to Strongheart. She didn't know how to read any Equestrian letterings. "What about you Miss Trixie," she asked, "Do your hat and cape have any special meaning to you then? Other than looking rather lovely I mean" she said with a smile.

[Trixie Lulamoon]

So far, Trixie was enjoying the company of Little Strongheart. Her apparent eagerness to learn about ponies meant she was rather receptive to anything Trixie told her. Not that Trixie would abuse that to lie to her of course; slight exaggerations of the truth were good enough. Of course in Trixie’s mind her statements weren’t even that. She really couldn’t think of any better showmare than herself. Yeah, that Twilight Sparkle was the better mage, but she lacked the art of showmareship so she didn’t count in Trixie’s calculations.

Also helping to improve Trixie’s willingness to like her was the apparent ease at which Strongheart accepted Trixie’s advice.

”Yep, just make sure that there is no way that they can’t notice you and Trixie is sure you’ll not be ignored.”

Even if the buffalo was rather small, at least based on what Trixie had heard of buffalos, there was probably something she could do that would get a pony’s attention. And if all else failed, Trixie figured she could let the buffalo borrow a cape or hat or something. With all those bright, shining stars, Trixie’s outfit definitely made her stand out in a crowd. There would be no harm in helping someone else do the same. Although from the looks of it, looking like an awestruck tourist would probably be the buffalo’s schtick. If she was like this in a middle-of-nowhere town like Appleloosa, Trixie couldn’t help but wonder what she would be like in a place like Canterlot or Manehattan.

”Rolling around in the dust?...Meh, if it works it works.” Trixie responded, finding the idea of rolling around in dirt and dust to keep cool a little odd. But hey, if it that’s what helped then who was she to argue?

Trixie listened politely to Strongheart’s story as the two of them made their way into the saloon. It seemed a rather nice story, but she was taken slight aback by Strongheart responding with a similar question. But fair was fair…

”Well, looking lovely is in it of itself is a good reason; as a showmare it is quite useful to have something that can catch the eyes of the audience and keep them there.” she started, pointing out yet another practical application of her outfit with a sense of smug satisfaction. But as she continued, she did loosen up a bit, eyes slightly looking downward as if in a nostalgic gaze.

”But as for this particular design, it was originally my grandfather’s idea. He used to be a magician when he was younger, and I sort of took after him in that regard. So when I decided to take my chances as a showmare, he helped me make it, calling it my official uniform as a magician.”

Trixie paused for a moment, slightly glaring at the table as she remembered what happened to that original outfit.

”Unfortunately this is just a copy of that one; I sort of lost the original in an accident…”
Hmph, accident her hoof. That Ursa Minor was not her fault at all. But regardless, right now her original hat and cape were probably sitting in some dump in Ponyville, alongside all the now firewood remains of her wagon. Remembering she had a guest, however, Trixie quickly went back to a smile.

”But there’s no need to get caught up on the bad, right? The Great and Powerful Trixie always gets back on her hooves after all.” she finished, not sure if she was trying to comfort Strongheart or herself.

[Deleted]

She was so happy that she had met Trixie. Little Strongheart wasn't used to being on her own, the longest she had ever been alone was over night trips to the edge of Appleoosa for trading buffalo materials. It was a pretty big jump, from that, too a cross country tour. Having a companion would be very comforting for the young buffalo.

Of course, outside of Appleoosa she still had a few essentials...and a dream catcher. They hadn't been catching many nightmares since Luna returned but usually the buffalo would try to use them to gather magical energy for potions. It had made potion making and general magic use easier. Of course they couldn't make anything to match unicorn magic, but they could make small enchantments and make strong cures. That probably wouldn't be very useful here though...she could probably just buy everything that she needed from now on.

Strongheart couldn't remember the science of how rolling in the dust helped. She knew an earth pony that visited the buffalo tribe explained what he thought it was once. He called it a hypothermic or something. She supposed that looking good would be quite useful for a show mare. Occasionally her tribe was visited by lone buffalo who often were covered in extravagant paints and wore many feathers. They usually put on impressive performances and bore many strange items and amazing stories of buildings as tall as trees and cities on clouds. She had even seen a small cloud village once...not quite as impressive as the one she had heard of though, it had been a disappointing experience even while seeing her first griffon(she was pretty sure it had been part pigeon and part house cat). She supposed, whatever Trixie did, it must be somewhat similar.

She liked the story Trixie told, it was much more interesting than her own story about the feather band. It also had just as much sentiment which made it pretty sad to hear about the original set, "I am sorry to hear about that Trixie," she said solemnly, "Of course, you seem like a very strong minded pony Trixie." Strongheart stole another look at the menu, as if it was helping. She would have to learn to read at some point, it seemed like a standard skill for ponies. It would be hard to get around without it.

"The tribes have a saying, in Equestrian it would be 'Without regret, Move forward and', um" she paused, frowning, "I can't figure out the last part but I hope that bit helped." the bison smiled sheepishly but then her face became thoughtful.

"I think, its something like, my tribe is always moving forward, but we travel in a large circle, just not along the exact same path. So while everything is new, we can still visit and remember the past because it is never far. she smiled at Trixie, "Does that make sense?"

[Trixie Lulamoon]

”Thanks,” Trixie responded to Strongheart’s apology regarding the clothes.

Trixie appreciated Strongheart’s efforts to cheer her up, even if they weren’t needed. Even if she was still a little bitter about it all, Trixie was resigned to move forward and keep going. She was afraid that if she lingered on the past too long then she would get too caught up in anger and revenge and stuff. Now she seemed to have too much riding on her to fall into that; her ‘friends’ expectations, her promise to Braeburn in exchange for the wagon, and now a roommate..er, wagonmate. Whatever the term was. Still, she had to say something back to her companion.

”I guess it makes sense. Trixie just has some things she would prefer not reminiscing on is all, especially since things have started turning around for me.”

As the two of them sat, Trixie noticed the way Strongheart was looking at the menu.

”Having trouble picking something?...What do you normally eat anyway?” Trixie added, recognizing that buffalo and ponies may not have the same diet. If Strongheart was going to be with her, knowing what food to bring might a good idea…

[Deleted]

Trixie saying that she didn't want to reminisce on the past was surprising to Strongheart. She said things had 'turned around'. Strongheart wasn't very literate in pony metaphors and idioms. She could guess though! She was pretty sure she had this one down. Trixie was saying things were different than they had been. Strongheart could scarcely imagine things not going well for the Magician. She was so nice! Of course she had to mean something bad had happened, she had sounded relieved....that and if things had gone from good to bad the little buffalo would have had to have a hoof in making Trixie's life worse...and that just didn't sound good!

Trixie then commented on the menu and buffalo eating habits. That...was a hard question to answer. Strongheart decided to start with her own eating habits, "On the plains we tend to eat a lot of grass. It's part of why we travel so much. It's not always the tastiest, especially when the other girls aren't around" Little Strongheart laughed...then sighed. She was really going to miss her tribe a lot. "We always make it work though. Having a steady supply of apples has helped a lot."

Now came the...slightly embarrassing part. Strongheart wasn't embarrassed because she couldn't read, not exactly anyways. She was embarrassed because she didn't know this, clearly important, part of pony culture. "And I am having some trouble deciding what to order," she said this sheepishly "You see...I can't read what is on this thing." She smiled nervously, "Not only that, none of the pictures are anything I've seen before...except apple pie, do you have any idea what is good here?"

[Trixie Lulamoon]

Grass and apples? Well, that’s not a varied diet. Then again, it wasn’t like Trixie usually had a wide variety of meals on the road anyway. Wagons usually didn’t allow for a whole lot of storage of foods, what with space and spoiling issues. Of course now Trixie felt like she was obliged to spoil Strongheart just a little bit whenever they got into town. She couldn’t help but smile to herself a little at the thought of this skittish and shy little buffalo having a sugar rush after pigging out on sweets.

…

I’m an absolutely terrible guardian, aren’t I?

Before she could take that thought any further, Strongheart revealed that she was also unable to read. Well, that would probably be a little more problematic to deal with on the road. And being a diplomat of course; being able to read street signs and maps would be important at least. And Trixie wasn’t sure if she would be able to tutor that topic effectively. Maybe she could try talking with Sweetheart about it.

”Oh, uhm….well, I guess we can try something other than grass and apples. How about…”

Trixie started looking over the menu to see what else there was. Eventually she figured something rather simple would probably be a good place to start.

”What about a classic daffodil and daisy sandwich with hay fries? Will that work? It’s basically flowers on bread with, well, hay.”

[Deleted]

Little Strongheart smiled at Trixie's suggestion. She barely ever had flowers when she was with her tribe. It wasn't something that was common on the plains. There were, however, certain outcroppings of flowers in the plains, usually there wasn't much though. Strongheart rarely was the one to find these groups of flowers and she usually presented them to her father as a gift when she did find them.

Then there were the times that they found a Prairie. On those days and nights and days again, they had feasts. Strongheart loved those kind of days. Though, when they were at prairies they did have to worry, more, about tumblewolves and cactiyoties since they liked to show up there to find prey.

"That sounds lovely Miss Trixie," Strongheart replied, "Thank you for your suggestion." She was exceedingly glad to have Trixie with her, even now. Strongheart would have to teach herself to read at some point but, at least until the next city, she had someone to help her out with things like reading and...ordering food. Strongheart suddenly realized how absolutely out of her own depth she was and it showed on her face. She had no idea what she was going to do after Trixie left, but she would have to leave the mare eventually. She didn't want to be a burden after all.

"So, Miss Trixie. How can I help you on your way to the next town once yo-...we leave Appleoosa?"

[Trixie Lulamoon]

”Don’t worry about it; it’s pretty basic pony fare. For the really fancy stuff you’d have to be eating up in Canterlot, but this usually works just as well for me. Easier to store on the road too,” Trixie replied.

She hoped that Strongheart did not want to eat in Canterlot; those restaurants were the closest thing to legalized theft in Equestria. A whole show’s worth of bits could be spent for portions so small that they barely filled up a plate. Between that or Pony Joe’s doughnuts, she’d take the sugary dough any day. Actually, now that she thought about it…

”Buuuuut, I do know a couple of good but still cheap places there, and a few places in towns on the way. So if we got the time and bits, I’ll make sure to treat you. What a town eats is a pretty good quick way to learn what that town’s about.”

As Trixie’s thoughts turned towards her own meal, which would most likely just be the sandwich thing as well, Strongheart asked if there was anything she could do for Trixie. Even for taking a on the buffalo as a wagonmate, Trixie honestly hadn’t thought about splitting up the chores or anything like that. But shoot, if she was going to be bringing her along, might as well get a bit of use out of her.

”Well, only thing really is just wagon pulling. If you’re able to pull it, we can just do rotations or something on pulling.”

[Deleted]

Little Strongheart could scarcely imagine city like what she had heard Canterlot was like. She had heard it had a huge castle in the middle of it...but she had never actually seen a castle, or anything like one. She had once seen a large sized cloud house of a similar style...but no actual castles. She had also never seen all that many unicorns. There were barely any unicorns in Appleoosa. On top of all of that, the only time she had been to large gatherings was when The Buffalo Tribes were meeting. It would suffice to say that even if she didn't eat there, Strongheart really[/u] wanted to visit Canterlot.

Besides, she had heard the place was filled with culture. That was what she came here to learn, right?! "Thank you Trixie, I will keep that in mind." she said with a smile. She would keep that advice about food in mind when she was traveling.

"I am sure I will be able to pull it!" The little buffalo said confidently. Even if she wasn't as big as most of her relatives and friends, she was confident in how strong she was. "I'm sure I could pull it the whole way if you would rather rest. I am in your debt for being my guide." she said, then took a bite of her sandwich and smiled, "Ish Good!"