//------------------------------// // Chapter 2 // Story: Blueblood's Blush. // by Sophocoles //------------------------------// The green patch of land that was Canterlot Gardens seemed unaffected by this new weather change. Other than the very rare and mild wind, the area was relatively calm and encompassed with this “perfect weather.” The weather brought about a particular mindset of calmness and quiet. These breezes lightly touched on any soul that just so happened to be in the gardens looking for a sense of peace. Guards stood by on either side of the door leading to Canterlot Castle. Their gaze was fixed straight ahead, at the entrance to the maze. The maze had not been touched since the return of Discord. It was starting to get a bit overgrown, but the gardener ponies kept it tame as well as they could without getting too close. Off to the left of the maze stood many statues of famous ponies and creatures. The statue of Starswirl the Bearded stood higher than most of the other pony statues, his hoof raised dramatically as if conjuring up a mighty spell. To the right, a stage and a flower garden rested. On the stage stood a mare with a light blue coat and a sky blue mane. She looked out at the empty area of stone in front of her where her audience would be standing in an hour or so. She imagined them there, cheering and calling, begging for The Great and Powerful Trixie to come back onstage. Encore! Encore!      The blue mare froze for a moment. She allowed the warm breeze to dance on her face before she got back to setting up for her show. She placed the fireworks in their holders and opened the trapdoor for her spectacular entrance. She placed a few odds and ends to the side of the stage. Barrels, ropes, bowling pins, a unicycle, bananas, and a wooden plank. She smiled out at the stone square and sighed. If only she had Snips and Snails with her. They were always such fun to have around. Not many ponies talked to her nowadays, they only came to watch the show. They smile, have a laugh, then leave. Most times they don’t even leave a tip. How do they expect The Great and Powerful Trixie to get by on such a low cash intake? Yet, she always survived one way or the other. So far, the only town that had caught on to her little magic show was Ponyville. That bunch of stuck-up ponies did not know how to take a laugh or a joke. They were all too serious.  Trixie had to remind herself that the ponies loved her. They loved seeing Trixie’s spectacular shows and mind-bending magic tricks.  Right? Right. As the time to the show ticked down, a small trickle of ponies entered the gardens. A few took their place on the stone, wanting to get a good view for the show. A small filly poked her head out from behind his her mother’s leg. Trixie smiled gently and reared up on her back hooves. She felt the familiar weight of her purple hat and cape press against her body as she used magic to summon them from backstage. “Come one, come all come and witness the amazing magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She shouted to the growing crowd. Excited youngsters ran up and took a seat in the very front, eager to see the unicorn’s magic. Parents rolled their eyes and sat behind them, urging them to calm down. A few individuals walked in and sat near the back. “Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” the tagline for most of her shows was clockwork in her mind. A few more ponies entered and took their places behind the rest of the growing crowd. A final stallion with a blond mane and white coat walked in. He looked down at the ground and seemed to be muttering to himself. The colt caught Trixie’s eye for but a moment before she reared up once more and set the fireworks off. The young ones wowed and clapped. “Welcome, Canterlot citizens. Welcome to the most wonderful display of magic any of you have ever seen.” She twirled her coat and began her show.