//------------------------------//
// 1 The Set Up 
// Story: Trixie's Triumph 
// by Brass Polish 
//------------------------------//

	“Well, it looks like all of the Knights of Harmony have kept their promises,” said Nyx as she, Twilight, Starlight, and Spike entered the Castle Library.
“Yes,” agreed Twilight. “Sunset found the green ornament that sprouted the Chest of Harmony, Lightning Dust freed Amber Aldis from Sombra’s Glacier…”
“With a little help,” Spike interjected.
“Right. Of course,” grinned Twilight. “And Spitfire’s helped Snowdrop adjust to modern day Equestria.”
“That just leaves Trixie to find Smokescreen,” said Spike, chuckling slightly.
“Why’s that funny?” asked Starlight.
“Well…”
“You know,” Starlight went on, “Amber Aldis still isn’t free. She’s stuck in that enchanted comic book of yours.”
“It’s an enchanted manga, actually,” Spike corrected.
“Oh, whatever. Lightning’s still trying to get Amber out of it,” Starlight went on. “She’s not technically done upholding her vow yet. And another thing. Spitfire hasn’t done much to get Snowdrop used to her second life. The Map wouldn’t have called Applejack and Pinkie Pie to Cloudsdale if she had.”
“What’s your point, Starlight,” asked Twilight.
“My point is Trixie’s not as far behind as you think.”

“The thing is,” said Twilight, “when Trixie made that vow at the knighting ceremony, she was still under the effects of the Blue Giant vegetables. I think she was expecting to find Smokescreen before they wore off. But it’s been so many moons since I gave her and Sunset their knighthoods.”
“Yeah. So it looks like Trixie’s in over her head by now,” said Spike.
Nyx nodded, remembering Trixie’s pitiful attempt to stand in for Twilight as the bearer of the Element of Magic.
Starlight huffed crossly. “Well if Sunset, Spitfire, and Lightning are allowed to have help keeping their vows, then Trixie should be too.”
“No need to get defensive,” insisted Twilight. “We’re not saying Trixie’s incapable of handling tough tasks.”
“We’re not?” asked Spike and Nyx together.
Twilight gave them both a stern look. “No. We’re not. But Smokescreen can turn into a cloud of smoke. And you know Trixie’s mostly just a performer.”
“Well, you know what they say about stage magic,” said Starlight. “It’s a lot of smoke and mirrors.”
“And I’ll bet Trixie’s got plenty of mirrors,” Spike said in an undertone to Nyx, who tried not to giggle.
“I’m gonna find Trixie and help her catch that stallion,” decided Starlight.
“No need for that,” came a voice from the other side of the door.

A stream of fireworks shot into the Library, bursting into stars every colour imaginable. And strolling into the room, looking more triumphant than ever before, was Trixie Lulamoon.
“For at long last, the Great & Powerful Trrrrrixie has done what she set out to do upon earning her well-deserved knighthood,” she announced. “It is my pleasure to inform you all that thanks to me, Smokescreen had been found and caught.”
Starlight was delighted. Twilight, Spike, and Nyx were looking sceptical until green flames billowed from Spike’s mouth. Out came a letter from Princess Celestia. Spike and Twilight quickly looked it over.
“It’s true,” said a wide-eyed Twilight. “Princess Celestia says Smokescreen is now in custody at Canterlot Castle… and that Trixie caught him.”
Starlight leapt into the air excitedly. “Congratulations, Trixie! I knew you’d pull it off! Even without Blue Giants.”
“Oh, yes. A pony like me can still be Great and Powerful even without the aid of magic enhancers,” grinned Trixie. “The capture of the AWOL Smokescreen had nothing to do with power boosting vegetables. It took quick thinking and skill to bring him to justice.”
“Please tell us how you did it,” Starlight magiced some popcorn into the Library.
“You’re in for a treat, my friends,” said Trixie theatrically. “For my tale is a tale of hardship, suspense, mystery, and a battle of wits the likes of which you’ve never heard.”
And this is the story Trixie told them…

Every stop Trixie made on her tour of Equestria would be punctuated by a search for a good hiding spot; not to conceal herself, or course. But to take the opportunity to pounce on an unsuspecting Smokescreen should he be in the area. And of course, Trixie was often ask a few ponies she met on her travels if there was any word on mysterious clouds of smoke drifting around. Soon enough, the Penitence Tour had come to a successful close, and Trixie knew she now had to come up with a different approach to carrying out her mission. She sat by Delamare Breakwater East End Lighthouse in Horseshoe Bay watching the light stretch across the ocean and contemplating her next step.
“Perhaps I should consider where a pony who can turn to smoke could camouflage himself,” she pondered.
She took out her map of Equestria and poured over it by the light of the lighthouse. She came across a name she hadn’t seen on there before.
“The Smokey Mountains!” she exclaimed. “Of course! Smokescreen would blend right in in a place like that.”
She placed a banana sticker by the name printed on the map so she wouldn’t forget. Even though she was sure Smokescreen must be there, she didn’t wish to rule anything out, and carried on looking over the map. For a moment, she considered Manehattan, as the smoke pumping from the chimneys of their many factories must be ideal to hide in for her target. But Manehattan was densely populated, whereas the Smokey Mountains appeared to only contain two farms. There was only one other possibility Trixie could find.
“Maybe he went to the Dragonlands,” she considered. “After all, he used to fight dragons. He might be living in or around a volcano. No one would see him there if he turned to smoke.”
She put a banana sticker on the bottom righthoof corner of her map.
“That’ll do for now,” she said, tucking her map away. “Now, which place shall I try first? A small mountain range in my safe, comfortable homeland? Or a hostile wasteland in a land ruled by fearsome, ferocious beasts?”
She settled on the Dragonlands in the end, as she was closer to there than to the Smokey Mountains.

Trixie’s wagon required little to no modifications to make it seaworthy; all she really had to do was turn it upside down and it would float. So off she sailed, away from the land she loved and towards a land that would no doubt scorn her presence. It was a blustery night, and the sea was choppy. Trixie was doing her best not to get seasick. She began to wonder if she should have waited until the waters were calmer, but she soon remembered that she wanted to travel by night so as to avoid being spotted by any dragons. But it seemed this precaution was ineffective. From inside her wobbling wagon, Trixie could see a bright red light glowing from out in the open water. It filled her quarters and seemed to heat the place a little. Trixie knew the worst must’ve happened. She opened the trap door, which was now a hatch, and poked her head up to see the source of the light. A ring of fire was surrounding the wobbling trailer, seeming to float on the water along with it, and encircling Trixie in its hot confines. And entering the circle, beating its wings furiously making the water even more wavy, was a large black dragon.
“Who are you?!” he hissed.
Trixie gulped.
“I-I’m…”
She thought the usual way she addressed herself might sound like a challenge.
“I’m Trixie.”
“Are you looking for dragons to battle?!” demanded the dragon.
“No! I’m no fighter! I’m just an entertainer!” Trixie insisted.
“Are you?!” the dragon snarled with and air of disbelief. “Well then… entertain me!”
“W-What?”
“Or would you rather admit you’ve come to take on me and my fellows?!”
“No, no! I am an entertainer! Watch.”

Trixie’s first course of action would have been to bring out her fireworks, but she wondered if a dragon who could breathe fire would be impressed by that. Also fireworks might attract the attention of another dragon, who might not be so patient as this black one. So she pulled out a deck of cards.
“Pick a card,” she said.
The dragon glared.
“Uh…” Trixie put the deck away. “So… what happens when a minotaur runs around a tree at the speed of light?”
The dragon clenched his fists. Trixie knew there was only one thing for it. She dug her hoof into her cape, fished for every firework she had, and flung them out at the ring of fire surrounding her and the black dragon. There was a sizzling sound for a moment, and then colourful rockets shot into the air above them, bursting into thousands of stars that joined the ones in the sky, creating what looked like new and dazzling constellations, and casting beautiful reflections on the dark water.
The black dragon watched, astounded. “I’ve seen a volcano spew gallons of lava, I’ve seen an inferno bring down a forest… but never anything like this. Very well. I believe you, Trixie. I am Smolder.”
Trixie sighed with relief.

“Have you come to put on a show in the Dragonlands?” asked Smolder with a raised eyebrow.
“Uh… no,” said Trixie. “I’m looking for somepony.”
“The only pony I know of who ever set hoof in dragon territory recently is a rogue who liked to challenge dragons to battles,” said Smolder. “The story is he could turn himself to smoke, and therefore couldn’t come to harm in combat with a creature that can breathe fire.”
“That’s Smokescreen!” exclaimed Trixie. “That’s the pony I’m looking for!”
Smolder eyed Trixie suspiciously. “Why would a performer want to find a duellist?”
“I was given a knighthood, and I made a vow on it to catch Smokescreen,” Trixie explained. “You see, he endangered several ponies in a school, and now he’s on the run.”
Smolder nodded. “Well, I can say without doubt that Smokescreen could not be in our land.”
“Why not?” asked Trixie.
“Because we’ve been have earthquakes, and the volcano has been spewing smoke, hot ash, and sparks all over the landscape,” said Smolder.
“Well then Smokescreen could be in the Dragonlands,” said Trixie. “He could hide himself in the volcano’s smoke as a cloud of smoke himself.”
Smolder shook his head. “I’ve been told that while this pony was capable of turning into a cloud of smoke, he could not mingle with other sources of smoke.”
“Really?!” exclaimed Trixie.
“It seemed even in the form of smoke, he needed to breathe,” nodded Smolder. “He couldn’t remain hidden for long in the mess our volcano has created.”
Trixie beamed. “Wow! Thanks, Smolder. Well, I guess I’ll be going back home now.”
Smolder said nothing. He slapped the sea with his tail. The wave put out the ring of fire he’d made, and Trixie’s upturned wagon was now drifting towards Equestria. She turned to wave goodbye to Smolder, who waved back and flew towards his own home.

Trixie went to sleep inside her trailer, and when she next woke, she found her wagon had washed up on a beach close to Baltimare. She went to find a café for some breakfast, and tried to think of another place to hunt for Smokescreen. Now that she knew that he couldn’t blend in with a source of actual smoke, her second port of call, the Smokey Mountains, was a write-off. Unless…
“What was it Starlight said about the Smokey Mountains?”
Trixie had heard brief versions of the stories of every mission the Cutie Map had sent Twilight Sparkle and her friends on, right up to Twilight’s and Rainbow Dash’s mission at the Wonderbolts compound. Starlight had told her that she’d read one of the books Twilight had packed for her and Fluttershy’s trip to the Smokey Mountains. Although it didn’t have a lot of information on the place, it did say there were rumours of a rare gemstone with the same colour and shine as solid gold buried in one of the mountains.
“But would Smokescreen want that?” Trixie asked herself.
Trixie knew that Smokescreen’s motive for staging that illegal task for Twilight’s entrance exam during the school for gifted unicorns’ staff strike was to help Sunset, who he was friends with, and who felt threatened by Twilight’s abilities. Now that Twilight and Sunset were friends, Smokescreen simply wanted to avoid answering to Princess Celestia. So it seemed unlikely that he’d want to find a rare gemstone… yet Trixie couldn’t get her mind of the rumour.

“He had that egg before Sunset went to him to ask him to sabotage Twilight,” Trixie pondered. “He must’ve had something in mind. Would he try it again? And if he did, he’d probably use the caves beneath Canterlot to carry out whatever it was.”
So she decided to go to Canterlot. She finished her breakfast and returned to her wagon. That was when she found that it had a wheel missing. It was nowhere to be seen. It must’ve come off during the night out on the ocean.
“And ponies give me stupid looks when I tell them I hate wheels,” growled Trixie. “Well, it looks like I’ll have to take a train to Canterlot.”
She had earned plenty of money during her penitence tour, and so she could easily afford to pay to have her wagon stored somewhere in Baltimare while she was away. My mid-afternoon, her immobile wagon was in a shed, and she had boarded a stopping train heading west. It had taken her a long time, as she’d only slept half the night, and it was in a rocking wagon. She decided to take a nap on the train. She was so tired, that she fell asleep as soon as she lied down on her seat. Then at one point, someone prodded her awake. It was the train’s guard, who asked her what her stop was so he could wake her when they arrived. Trixie was still barely awake, and in her half-insensible state, she told the guard that her stop was the Smokey Mountains. The guard replied that the closest terminus to the Smokey Mountains was in Tall Tale, and that he’d wake her when they got there. Trixie went back to sleep. Soon she was having a pleasant dream about a dry salted snack smothered in a creamy product derived from a sort of nut. And then the realization of what she’d said to that guard crept into her mind, and she bolted up in her seat.
“I meant Canterlot!” she bellowed.