“Are you sure those were all the stagehooves?”
Twilight wondered, not for the first time, how Trixie could slip into her confident showmare persona so easily. When they got back to the guards and the suspects they had gathered Trixie was radiating confidence, a couple guards even accidentally saluting her. Unfortunately interviewing the stagehooves had been almost fruitless; Trixie did not recognize anypony, and while the lieutenant who coordinated the search did find a few leads, they would require a far longer investigation before yielding any usable result.
“The lieutenant is sure. I’m sorry, Trixie, but it seems like we can’t do anything more today. Let me get you to the castle, and Starry if you feel like she needs company, then -”
“And now we have a princess apologising to a commoner for something that isn’t even her fault. Wonderful.”
Twilight eyed the interloper warily. “And you are?”
“You may call me Proudhoof.” The white unicorn with gray mane levitated a scroll from his impeccable black vest. “My master has a proposal for Princess Twilight alone. He can tell you where the miscreant that sabotaged the show is hiding, if your highness agree with his terms.”
“You can tell your master that The Great and Powerful Trixie -” A purple hoof was suddenly shoved on Trixie’s mouth.
Taking the scroll in her own magic, Twilight answered: “I will meet your master, but my companion comes with me. She’s under my responsibility in this same investigation.”
The white unicorn was unfazed. “You do know that you could drop your… friend… from your care, or even from the investigation as a whole, by invoking national interests, I take it.”
Twilight’s eyebrows lowered dangerously. “And you do know that no alicorn princess has ever invoked that law for personal reasons in known history. My friend stays with me. You may go and inform your master.”
As soon as the white unicorn was out of earshot Twilight removed her hoof from Trixie’s mouth.
“Who was that?”
Twilight levitated the closed scroll in front of Trixie, prominently displaying its seal. “If I’m not mistaken he is Prince Blueblood’s majordomo.” Breaking the seal, Twilight scanned the document. “He says that he will tell us where the culprit is hidden if we don’t involve the guard. Apparently the culprit is the servant of a noble, and Blueblood wants to avoid any negative repercussion for the noble class.”
Trixie gave a disgusted look. “So if the pony responsible for the attack is this noble he simply goes free?” As she looked at twilight and saw a smile full of mischievous glee Trixie took a step back.
“Oh, I won’t involve the guard. But Celestia will know. Believe me, if a noble is responsible, he will wish that all he had to deal with was the guard.”
Twilight’s face changed into concern. “But, for the love of Celestia, don’t talk to anyone while we are at Blueblood’s manor, specially to Blueblood himself. In fact, don’t talk at all until we are out of there.”
“You fear Prince Blueblood that much?”
“No, I don’t fear him. But Celestia promised that the next time I give him reason to complain, she will delegate to me hearing his complaint in full. I’m not sure I can keep my sanity if that happens, and if you cause it, I will have you there with me; I will drag you kicking and screaming if I need to, or so Celestia help me.”
All things taken into account it was a productive meeting, even if Twilight had to keep repeating all of Celestia’s lessons about patience in her head to get through the sixth time Blueblood complained about the Grand Galloping Gala. Blueblood held his part of the bargain; Twilight now had a place the henchman was supposedly hiding at and the name of the noble that hired him.
Trixie was mercifully silent the whole time, though Twilight suspected that, after starting to hear an informal complaint, she was simply scared senseless with the idea of having to hear one of Blueblood’s formal complaints. She finally spoke after they were well out of hearing range from the manor.
“Wow, Twilight, he must hate you to talk to you like that. What did you ever do to him?”
Twilight looked sheepishly at Trixie. “Apart from the whole Grand Galloping Gala thing? I might have zipped his mouth the fifth time he complained about that to me.“
“Ha! I would have loved to see that! I still don’t understand how you were able to keep calm in his manor, though.”
“Well, after that incident Celestia did start giving me lessons on how to not lose my patience…”
That small exchange served to lift a weight from the two mare’s hearts. They were still laughing when they saw their destination, a low house with a domed ceiling. Looking around, Twilight noticed a pony in a nearby roof; the pony quickly stepped out of sight. Behind him Twilight noticed something red and yellow flying, and smiled.
Trixie had stopped and was staring fixedly at the house. “I can sense my fireworks inside.” Absently she took an old blanket from a nearby clothesline, using her magic to transform it into a black cape.
The mares walked silently to the door. Trixie’s horn glowed as she reared, nodding to Twilight; a tiny storm cloud appeared behind them, releasing a lightning bolt at the exact moment Trixie kicked the door in.
“Who are you that dared ruin a display by The Great and Powerful Trixie?”
Twilight glanced at the storm clouds already appearing inside the house, at the enchanted rope circling the hapless pony inside, at the stashed fireworks lighting by themselves and flying around their target; she took another look at Trixie, her mane and black cape billowing in a magical wind, her features illuminated by intermittent lightning; ignoring the screams from the other pony inside, she poured magic into extending the tether and closed the door as quietly as she could, thankful for the fact Trixie didn’t know how to imitate the Royal Canterlot Voice.
“Trixie, don’t you think you exaggerated a tiny bit?”
Trixie looked back at the house; even now faint whimpering could be heard coming from inside.
“No.”
Twilight looked back at the house, a twinge of pity hitting her. “Did you get the name of the noble that hired him?”
Trixie’s voice went cold as ice. “He would have told even if I hadn’t asked. It was the son of Baron Silverheart. The fool thought that he would get back at Starry by having her prank hurt somepony.”
Twilight’s eyes went wide in surprise, her earlier pity not only forgotten but buried. “Wait, he wanted to hurt somepony just because he was showered in flower petals?”
“No; he wanted to get back at Starry for making everypony see that a noble was enjoying entertainment fit for commoners. Was that the same name you got from Blueblood?”
Twilight took a few seconds to believe what she had just heard. “Yes. Last I heard the Baron was away inspecting his holdings; I’m starting to like the idea of not involving the guard.” She looked around, and finally up. “His manor is on the other side of Canterlot; would you care for a lift?”
Trixie was looking a little green around the gills as the mares landed and Twilight’s magical aura faded from her. “Remind me to never accept a lift again.”
After giving Trixie a few moments to steady herself the two mares started walking towards the manor’s entrance. As they approached the closed gates the mares noticed three figures leaving the shadows. The central one, a brown earth pony with a black hat, started to speak as they kept approaching. “So, you are the mares that keep sticking their muzzles where they don’t belong.”
Trixie lifted her head in challenge, horn glowing. “What if we are?”
She didn’t have time to follow up, though; as soon as she finished talking the left figure, a large dark gray earth pony in a brown vest, pounced on her, pinning Trixie to the ground. The right figure, a white earth pony with sunglasses, jumped at Twilight.
Twilight teleported before the white pony could land, but the brown pony was waiting. He jumped as soon as Twilight appeared, pushing her aside but failing to knock down her.
In another flash of light Twilight appeared behind the gray pony and, with a wince, promptly bucked him. Pulling Trixie up with her magic Twilight backed away from the trio of henchponies and into the manor’s wall.
“You see, girls, we do know how to fight unicorns. Why don’t you give up?”
Twilight was almost growling as she answered. “Why don’t you come get us then?”
“Because they are waiting for me.” The gates of the manor had opened and a tall white unicorn, with perfectly coiffed blue mane, came through them.
Trixie glared daggers at the newcomer. “So you are the brat that thinks he is more important than other ponies.”
“Correction, I know I’m more important than other ponies. Now, if you two surrender, I will just humiliate that vulgar showmare for having the audacity to help that worthless singer slight me. And, of course, I will have you drink a forgetfulness potion; I can’t have Celestia coming after me.”
“You think you can humiliate The Great and Powerful Trixie?”
“I can do whatever I want. Besides, if you are so powerful, why don’t you escape?”
“To tell the truth,” Twilight smiled as she lowered her gaze from the sky to the baron’s son, “after seeing how your henchponies fight I’m fairly sure I can defeat them alone. And having fought against Trixie two times, I’m certain she can either defeat you or at least keep you occupied until I finish with your henchponies, at which point you would have to face us two. But I don’t need to bother.”
The younger Silverheart started laughing. “Might you tell us why?”
Two loud impacts could be heard behind the baron’s son. Luna spoke with her singsong voice: “Because she knew a little bird would bring us.” Philomena’s cry could be heard from the sky.
The three henchponies looked at the newcomers, exchanged a glance, and started to run.
“No, you won’t.” Discord, standing besides Luna, snapped his fingers; a glow covered the three henchponies, leaving three mice in its wake. “Now you can flee like the rats you are or you can accept your punishment like ponies; your choice.”
“So, “ Luna turned to Twilight, “what is your tale? Is this the one responsible for the earlier incident?”
“Yes, he is. He felt slighted that one of the singers made his presence at a show meant for commoners known, and for this he tried to hurt the public and put the blame on the singer.”
“That was all I needed to hear.”
“Eh, I kinda made a deal with Blueblood to not involve the guard.”
A smile full of malicious glee spread across Luna’s face. “Oh, don’t worry about that. Thanks to this sorry excuse of a noble tomorrow every newspaper will be carrying my photo plastered with pastry and cakes; this is personal. What do you say, Discord, shall we put our differences aside and have some fun?”
Discord rubbed his hands. “I thought you would never ask.”
The last thing Twilight and Trixie heard as they left was a weak “Eep” as the baron’s son fainted.