//------------------------------// // Chapter Seven: Diabolus ex Machina // Story: Hero Antagonist // by dungeonguy88 //------------------------------// “Alright everypony, I’m afraid the time for any last minute studying has passed.” The shuffling of a dozen or so foals closing their books and re-furling their scrolls quickly filled the small classroom, at the word of the middle-aged stallion at the front of the room. Materials were quickly put to the side and every little colt and filly quickly moved to face forward in the surprisingly plush cushions of the academy. Save for little Trixie. Little Trixie. Little hooves, little horn, little everything. Glancing around to-and-fro, and sending her mane swaying, Trixie couldn’t help but feel self-conscious, as she saw her fellow students finishing up with their preparations. The little blue filly already stood out from the rest of the students in the program, so she was sure this didn’t help. And the disapproving gaze of Mr. Mighty Quill, the stodgy, gray-coated stallion at the front of the classroom, did nothing to reassure her. It was little relief when the older unicorn teacher turned his critical gaze away from her to one of the others, a certain orange colt that seemed to have ignored the teacher’s words. The nervous young colt was still frantically pouring over his notes and trying to cross-reference something between one book or another. “Mr. Sunburst. The time for studying is over.” “I- Just one moment. It’s this one line here and-” “Mr. Sunburst.” Mighty Quill called over again, in an even sterner tone. Young Trixie felt a tinge of sympathy for the colt, as he flinched at the words of the stallion, but that feeling was drowned out by envy. For all that the colt couldn’t pull his nose out of those books and scrolls, he never seemed to have any trouble following the materials. A fact that Mr. Mighty Quill seemed exceedingly aware of and liked to remind Trixie of at times. It’s not like it was her fault no one wanted to study with her. Really, Mr. Quill seemed to like reminding her a lot about that kind of thing. How all of the other students seemed to be much more able to meet his expectations... “Sorry, Mr. Mighty Quill.” The little orange colt called out, as he somewhat anxiously put his study materials away. “There is such a thing as too much diligence, Mr. Sunburst...Just as there is such a thing as too little.” The stallion told little Sunburst, even as he directed a pointed glance towards Trixie with the last part. Having apparently been satisfied by the negative attention he had directed her way, yet again, he turned back to the colt “There always comes a time when one must put away the notes and be ready to act.” “Yes, Mr. Quill...” Sunburst replied without much enthusiasm. There was one thing she had in common with the studious colt though; for all his studying, he never seemed to meet Mr. Quill’s expectations on the practical exams either. “Now that we have that settled, we can begin moving on to the main focus of today’s class. I do hope everyone has made all the necessary preparations for the exam.” Mr. Quill told the class, in his usual no-nonsense manner. Trixie didn’t even bother with chiming in with the rest of the small class; everyone already knew what the score was, when it came to Trixie and the magical exams. “As per usual, I will call each of you into the other room, one at a time. There, we will perform the exam and afterwards you will be let out onto your own time.” The stallion explained the protocol, once again, for the group of foals. They surely were all familiar with it by now, so it really only served to drive up tensions by delaying things further. A few heads turned, Trixie’s among them, as a slightly older filly’s hoof rose into the air to beckon the professor’s attention “Mr. Mighty Quill?” “Yes, Fairy Dust?” “Is...is Ms. Arcana going to be overseeing the practical exam again?” The filly, Fairy Dust, asked with some trepidation. Mighty Quill’s own thoughts on that issue were apparent as he visibly pursed his lips, before giving a nod “That will be the case, yes. As with all of the magical aptitude tests, Ms. Arcana will have the final say on grading.” This elicited a small chorus of groans from the foals of the classroom, save for Trixie. It had become a well-known part of this special course, that Ms. Arcana wasn’t the sort to grade by pure technical skill or knowledge. Young Sunburst in particular seemed keenly aware of that as he ducked his head. “That will be enough of that...Now, when I call your name, you’ll join me as we head into the next room...Candlelight?” Mr. Quill said with some finality, before raising a scroll up and calling out the first name upon it. Soon enough, one of the older colts was trotting his way down with a modest amount of confidence, the stallion’s gaze impassive as he took the moment to adjust his thick glasses. Young Trixie just rolled her eyes. Candlelight was a snob and a jerk anyway. The azure filly found herself thinking that sentiment to herself quite a few times, as Mr. Quill went down the fairly short list of foals. Most of her classmates were snobs and jerks, as far as she was concerned. A seemingly all-too-short time later, Mr. Quill was once more stepping back into the classroom to call upon the last of the remaining foals “Pentacle Pint? If you’d come this way.” As the the latest foal on the list left the room with the professor, Trixie couldn’t help but overhear the heavy sigh coming from the only other occupant in the room, Sunburst. “Oh...I can’t stand the waiting...” Little Trixie considered speaking up at that moment, as the orange colt had probably been among the least mean-spirited of her classmates. Unlike the others, he didn’t seem to be very inclined towards snubbing her or voicing any sort of distaste for her... Then again, he never spoke-up either, whenever the others thought to tease her. And perhaps it wasn’t the colt’s fault, but she couldn’t help but resent Mr. Quill’s favoring Sunburst over herself. Granted, the older stallion seemed to favor pretty much all of the other students over her. It was a thought. A chance to reach out to someone else that might have needed it... But the shadow of that thought soon passed, as she watched the orange colt make his way to the front of the classroom, following Starlight Glimmer into the other room. Leaving her all alone again. Which was fine by Trixie, most of the time. She didn’t mind just sitting in the classroom quietly for a little while longer. The Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t need to worry about something as minor as an exam... Was that the way it happened? “And, Ms. Trixie. Sorry to keep you waiting...” She shouldn’t have been as nervous as she was, as she trotted on past the purple mare that had called her name. She wasn’t the one that got to judge Trixie, so why should it matter what they thought of her. Trixie couldn’t help but stop at the threshold leading into the antechamber, boggled by how much bigger the normally cozy chamber now seemed. “Come now, Ms. Trixie. We don’t have all day.” Came the suddenly booming voice from her side, as the seemingly humongous Mr. Mighty Quill trotted by, his size a match for the over-sized chamber. A moment later, the room seemed to contort and she suddenly found herself at the center of the room staring up at the critical gaze of the professor. “Is there something wrong, Ms. Trixie? There’s nothing wrong with it, if you don’t think you can handle this test. Some are happier when they accept their limitations.” The stallion said with a feminine voice that wasn’t his own. “Wh-what? I didn’t-” Trixie blurted out, confused by the seemingly twisty nature of the room around her. “You’re not here to put even more pressure on the students, Quill.” Came a stern, female voice from the side. Turning to seek out the voice, the young Trixie couldn’t explain her relief at seeing the older, green-coated mare to the side. Idly using a pencil to push her white and yellow mane to the side, the middle-aged mare, nodded towards Trixie “There is no time limit, so Ms. Trixie can act when she is ready.” And suddenly the room was its usual modest size, the same size it was for all of the other exams that she had taken in there before. “I- Well, of course, Professor Arcana. I was merely concerned that Ms. Trixie didn’t understand the content of the exam.” Mighty Quill responded in a defensive tone, that the young Trixie now remembered hearing many times before. Trixie had to blink as she looked up to the two adults in room once more, mesmerized by the exchange and somehow familiar with it all... The tweeting of birds and shaking of leaves on the wind caught her attention as her mind wandered, leading her gaze to the open window to one side of the chamber. Through it, was a small bustling town filled with cheerful ponies going about their business. And at the far end of the street she was gazing down an oak tree that seemed... “If you don’t mind, Arcana, I’ve done this long enough to know how to oversee a magical exam.” Trixie’s attention was quickly snapped back to the matter at hoof, by Starlight Glimmer’s huffy declaration. “Of course. Please, just pretend I’m not even hear then.” Arcana evenly replied. “Now, Ms. Trixie? The test...” Mr. Quill prompted the young Trixie, drawing her attention to the small stone orb sitting on the table in front of her. And sure enough, it came rushing back to her. “All you need to do, is use your magic to hide the stone ball from sight. You may use any spell that you have at your disposal, but you can only use your magic. You will be graded on the completeness of the concealment...A simple enough test.” Twilight reiterated the conditions for the exam, with an uncharacteristic amount of condescension that seemed out of place in the young Trixie’s estimation. Blinking again in confusion, Trixie shook those thoughts away, before focusing on the task at hoof “With...just my magic?” Starlight Glimmer visibly rolled her eyes at this “If you can, Ms. Trixie.” “Uhm, alright...” Was it alright? Looking up between Starlight and Twilight again, she could feel herself shrinking back. Or maybe she was just shrinking. It was the moment of truth, the moment she could prove herself and- There wasn’t any spell that could help her. She didn’t know anything. There was nothing special about her, so why shouldn’t she just give up now? She could just go back to the regular classes, she could be...adequate. Staring up at the task before her now, the small stone ball seemed the size of a boulder now. She couldn’t do it. She could never do something like this. She needed help. Trixie needed- “...is a lie. Free yourself from your cutie mark. Choose equality...” Peeking one eye open, only to take in the sight of the nondescript stone floors she’d apparently passed out on, Trixie Lulamoon had to let out a long groan. She was really getting tired of waking up in this nutjob town. It had kind of already begun wearing out its welcome before they had stolen her Cutie Mark and imprisoned her. At this point, she might have even welcomed the unforeseen appearance of a magical apex predator. Like an Ursa Minor, for example. She let out another groan and brought a hoof to her temple, as her seemingly ever-present migraine made itself known again. Though, now that she thought about it, she probably deserved to suffer a bit for thinking such a thing about the little community. They were a bit odd, but they seemed like a friendly sort, who certainly didn’t deserve to be frightened by some giant star-beast waltzing into- No. That’s exactly what they deserved! Who goes around abducting ponies anyway? Nutjobs. And she would know, because of that one time she basically abducted an entire town. She’d been a real nutjob then herself, with that whole Alicorn Amulet incident...So, who was she to judge these- “No, no, no! You’re not going to make me feel bad about that right now!” Trixie shouted into the confines of the small room. Letting out a mighty huff of annoyance for the unwelcome turns her train-of-thought kept taking, she took a moment to turn and glare at the likely culprit. The frustratingly bland equal sign that had replaced her Cutie Mark. “I- The Great and Powerful Trixie knows what you’re up to! She’s dealt with your kind before...even if it was kind of- No! Stupid!” The confused mare quickly brought a hoof up to tap at her head in admonishment, realizing the influence of the mark on her thoughts. Now was not the time for regrets and self-doubt...even if the whole Alicorn Amulet fiasco was her f- “Graagh!” Trixie shoved her head down to the floor and covered her face with her forehooves. This weird, magical thing just wouldn’t stop. “...you free. Accept your limitations, and happiness will-” “Quiet you!” Trixie snapped up at the wall-mounted speaker in annoyance, utterly fed up with the monotonous, droning nonsense it was spewing. “You’re no better than your friend...” “I am aware of that!” The azure unicorn shouted without thought, as the speaker continued its diatribe. Picking her head up and frowning at her slip, Trixie sent a glare up at the device “...Shut-up.” The unicorn again picked herself up, her brow furrowed as she forced herself to tune out the words echoing from the speaker. Or she tried to anyway, as she ruminated over the stinging admission that she had unthinkingly made. Was that from Trixie or did it come from the mark on her flanks? Sure, Trixie had always known on some level that she had issues about being the best or not being good enough. Deeply buried issues, issues so deeply buried that they barely even merited a second thought. Not even really issues, just foalhood worries that she had outgrown a long time ago... She merely gritted her teeth this time, as her head once more throbbed with waves of discomfort. Bringing her hoof up to massage her head, she had to let out a puff of air, as she tried to let some of her tension go “Must be the stupid mark that’s making me remember that stuff...” Though saying Trixie was really remembering what happened all those years ago was a bit of a stretch. Dreams weren’t memories. That wasn’t exactly how things had happened and she knew it. The very idea that she even bothered remembering all of the names of the other students from back then was kind of laughable. They didn’t like Trixie, and Trixie didn’t like them. It was just like how things were with every other- “No, no, no, no! Stop that!” Trixie growled at to herself, as she felt her thoughts slipping once again. Every single time she let herself relax, even for a few seconds, whatever stupid magic was affecting her would start steering her thoughts around. She had never cared what anypony had thought of her before, so she wasn’t going to believe that she suddenly did now. Trixie passed those tests, and there was nothing any of them could do about it. Trixie always found a way to do it, no matter how many times Professor Quill tried to trip her up... “Wait...wait, wait, wait. Maybe-...maybe I’m trying to tell myself something?” Trixie suddenly mused to herself, glancing back towards the mark that had taken up residence on her flanks. Tearing her gaze away from it, she furrowed her brow at that thought “Right, maybe the real Trixie’s still in there. Err, am I the real Trixie?...A version of Trixie wants me to remember something, I bet! Something that can get me out of here” It made a sort of sense, as she was definitely not herself right now. Maybe that was true in more ways than one? Maybe that stupid mark was just forcing down part of herself, something in her subconscious. And where did dreams come from, after all? Trixie looked up at that for a moment, before bring a hoof to her chin “Wait. Do dreams come from the subconscious?...Maybe it was...I guess it would make sense if my dreams came from my ego, right? I mean, they’re dreams. Aren’t they-...Trixie’s dreams would probably be coming from her ego.” This was getting confusing. “Alright. I’m overthinking this. Trixie never overthinks things. She just does them. And lives with the life shattering consequences and-” Trixie had to grimace again, as she fought down that part of herself again. Holding a hoof to her head, she closed her eyes for a moment “Stop overthinking things. You need to get out of here, Trixie. What was so special about that day?” It was doubtful any of the ponies from back then were around now, so she doubted there was anything important about any of that nonsense. Not like any of them would want to help her anyway, apart from maybe Ms. Arcana. That gave her some pause, as she recalled the older mare. Ms. Arcana had been the one that had really been in charge of the program in the end. She had never been interested in rote memorization or how many facts Trixie could regurgitate for her. Even so, she’d always kept an open-door policy, one that Trixie could remember availing herself of on a regular basis. Trixie had to frown at that, as she rather doubted that could help with anything now. Ms. Arcana might have been willing to help Trixie, even now. But there was no way that she could be that lucky. It wasn’t anyone from back then that could help her so it had to be... “The test!” Trixie had to slap her hoof to her forehead as she recalled now. The whole test had been about concealment, so there had to be something that could help her there “Right, right...I know I passed that one. If I can just remember what it was...” Trixie had to wrack her brain for several moments, tuning out the grating sound coming from the wall-mounted speaker. If she could just remember, Trixie was sure that she could find a way to use that to- “Oh!...Oh, wait...Horseapples...” Trixie had to slump down to the floor as she felt the memories come rushing back, and then had to resign herself to just how pointless that exercise had been. She had cheated her way through that test. Trixie remembered Mighty Quill making a terrible stink over that particular practical exam. Not that she could really blame the stallion now; maybe if Trixie had studied a bit harder and applied herself properly during that test, she wouldn’t be where she was now. Perhaps if she had listened to him more often, instead of just looking for ways to annoy him, maybe... Trixie had to slump forward, banging her forehead against a wall, before bringing a hoof to knock on the side of her head in time with her words “We. Are not. Taking. His side...” Professor Quill had been a relentless ass to her back then. She didn’t care what magic was affecting her brain, she was never going to give him credit for anything. And it hadn’t even really been cheating. Just a creative interpretation of how the test was supposed to be completed. Maybe that’s what she needed. Maybe Trixie just needed to think more creatively? But how was she ever supposed to do that when whatever magical brainwashing that Starlight had done to her kept trying to take over her thoughts. Every time the azure unicorn took her focus off of that, her mind would start siding against her, knocking her sense of self down, over and over. It would be so much easier if she didn’t have to fight it all the time, if she could just pretend to play nice for her pink captor. If she changed her behavior just a smidge for the better, Starlight would probably be more than happy to let her out. She might even get a chance to talk things over with- “I am not going to become friends with her! So stop trying!” Trixie again had to remind herself aloud, furrowing her brow in annoyance. Closing her eyes before bringing a hoof to her brow, she couldn’t stop the grumbling “That is bad! Very, very bad. She’s crazy. You’re not...That’s a very bad Trixie...” It didn’t matter how she solved that test back then, it just didn’t. Without her special talent, there wasn’t any spell she could even use, much less one that could help her break out. Trixie couldn’t solve this problem by being Trixie, with Starlight’s mark making sure of that. The more she thought about who she was and what she could do, the more the strange magic that was at work tried to twist who she was. She couldn’t find the real Trixie. “Right...well if I can’t think like Trixie, I’ll just have to think like somepony else!” The azure unicorn declared to the empty room, without dwelling too much on just how crazy it was she was talking to herself like she was a different person. But if the mark was keeping her from being Trixie, she might be able to slip its effects just a bit if she tried to emulate someone else. “The question is...who do I even know?” She mused to herself, thinking back to all the countless ponies she’d met over the years...before lamenting how she’d barely ever gotten to know any of them. Letting out a huff of a sigh, she had to admit that could be a problem “Why couldn’t Trixie have tried even a little bit harder...” There was Ms. Arcana from her academy days, but she was already having trouble remembering things from that far back. Mr. Quill had always been a jerk anyway; if she was going to go that route she could just act like Trixie. Then there was Twilight and her friends... Really, it was just Twilight. Trixie could scarcely remember the foggiest of details about the purple unicorn’s friends. Probably a result of all the time she had spent intentionally trying to forget about them. Really, she was just left with Twilight. “That’s certainly not the worst pony in the world to try to be more like...” Trixie mused to herself, rubbing her chin with a hoof, before beginning to pace around the small room. She had already been putting a lot of effort into trying to be nicer and friendlier with others, on account of Twilight. And Twilight seemed like the sort that could take care of herself. After all, she had thwarted Trixie when she’d been possessed by that soul-sucking evil amulet. She had to flinch at that, as the former showmare once more reminded herself of her past failings. Ducking her head at that, she had to consider her hooves for a few moments, as she wondered if she even deserved to get out of a place like this. Whether she even deserved a chance at being a better pony, even after Twilight had given her another chance. She’d probably be roundly disappointed with Trixie’s efforts as things stood now. She’d probably say something like... “...She’d probably say that she was glad to see that Trixie was, at least, trying. And that...even if it was a long road, she’d be happy to help me embrace the power of being friends or whatever...” Trixie had to blink in surprise at what she’d just muttered aloud. Standing there for a few moments stunned by it, some part of her reflexively questioned the validity of that reasoning. She hadn’t met Twilight face-to-face for months now, so how could Trixie possibly know what her magical rival thought of her. But a louder, somewhat obnoxious part of her, shouted that of course Twilight would see things that way. Of course, Twilight would want to help her and encourage her to keep at it. Trixie had a whole box of letters from Twilight echoing that very sentiment sitting under the bunk of her wagon. Standing up straighter now, Trixie took in a deep breath, before letting it out again slowly. With that, she could almost feel the strange influence in her mind lose a bit of its grasp over her. Or perhaps, she had just gotten a firmer grip on her own mind. Either way, this hypothetical Twilight was probably right; even if Trixie was having trouble seeing the good in Trixie, she already knew that Twilight saw something in Trixie. “Huh...Thinking like Twilight kinda works...” Trixie noted to herself. Glancing up towards the obnoxious speaker and then the rest of her surroundings, the former showmare grinned to herself “Maybe if I think like her a little more, I might be able to get out of here...” Sometime later... “I give up! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie no more! I’m just doomed to live out the rest of my days in here until I starve!” Thinking like Twilight had not yielded much in the way of results. As Trixie found herself unhappily lamenting to the impassive ceiling of the little house she was still trapped in. Letting her head fall back to rest on the floor with a thud, she let out a defeated sigh, before blindly reaching a hoof to the nearby trough of hay. Stuffing a bit of the hay in her mouth and dejectedly munching on it, part of her had to concede that she probably wasn’t going to starve anytime soon. Swallowing down the dry, bland staple of pony cuisine, Trixie folded her forehooves on her stomach as she considered her predicament once more. Trying to think like Twilight hadn’t really gotten her anywhere. Perhaps that was simply a matter of Trixie not really knowing the purple unicorn well-enough to know what she would do in this situation. Or that she knew Twilight well-enough to know that her two solutions for this problem would probably be to use magic or rely on her friends. Neither of those options were terribly viable for her. “If only I knew a version of Twilight that was great at picking locks...” Trixie lamented quietly, before turning her gaze about the room again. A few seconds later, she had to furrow her brow as a thought occurred “Then again...I already know a version of Trixie that was great at picking locks and that hasn’t been any help either...” “...is a lie. Free yourself from your cutie mark. Choose ...” “Nnrrgh...” Trixie lifted her head up just to back down onto the floor again, as that ever present diatribe continued to spill into the room. Letting her head thud against the stone a few more times, she tried to again tune-out the oppressive nonsense that was floating into her ears. It was almost as bad as the stupid equal sign on her flanks. “...Alright.” The azure unicorn said to herself, before sitting back up on to her rump. Taking a moment to recompose herself, she patted her cheeks with her forehooves to help clear her mind “Okay. So, maybe Twilight doesn’t necessarily have the skills to get out of a mess like this...Maybe I just don’t know Twilight that well. I should work on that.” Blinking at that line-of-thinking, she again pat her cheeks with her hooves, a bit harder this time “After you get out of here. Getting to know her now, isn’t going to help things. I mean...how would that even work?” All Trixie really had to go by were her own limited interactions with the purple unicorn; the first time she’d been to Ponyville, she’d barely even spoken to Twilight. And even with them sending letters back and forth, the only two big facets of Twilight’s life that she knew about were magic and friendship. “Given how much time I spend thinking about her, that’s kinda pathetic...Wait, do I really think about her that much?” Trixie had to muse to herself, as she rubbed at her chin with a hoof. “Hmmm...darn it.” Trixie muttered, before just outright smacking herself in the face with a hoof. And then instantly regretting it, as she brought that same hoof to try to sooth where she’d just hit herself “Ow, ow, ow, bad idea. Obviously, that was a bad idea...” But, then again, she already had enough distractions keeping her from getting out of this place without a certain purple unicorn frolicking through her thoughts. “Okay!” Trixie exclaimed, before standing fully upright and letting out a puff of air. Taking a moment to inhale more deeply now, she let it out slowly before pointing a hoof towards the waiting door that would lead her out of this place “Alright, time to really focus. No more getting caught up in your thoughts, Trixie. Just-...just do something. Don’t even think about it.” It made a certain amount of sense, right? If her thoughts were just going to keep getting twisted and thrown off-track by that stupid mark, and maybe some poorly understood feelings for a certain purple unicorn, then Trixie just wouldn’t think. That would show them. She’d just make it up as she went along, following any random impulse that popped into her head. The less time she spent thinking about things, the less she’d be giving that stupid mark to work with. “It’s time...to improvise!” Morning... “Gather around now, everypony! It’s time we all checked in on our newest friend!” Starlight Glimmer could honestly say that she was feeling much better after a good night’s rest. Though it surely had more to do with her finally being able to get things all back into their proper order once more. Even with the unfortunate incident last night with the window, it finally seemed like she could take the reins once more and enlighten Trixie to their ways. And her tooth was feeling a bit better too. “Big smiles, everypony, big smiles! We all need to make a good impression for Trixie!” The pink unicorn called out to her followers, as she stepped to one side of the building they’d all gathered around. Turning one of her ears to the side of the building, she paused to look back towards her townsfolk “And let’s all just try to remember, we need to be patient with out newest friend! She’s going through a big change and might still need some time to adjust, alright?” The resounding chorus of excited agreement that reached her ears brought another smile to her face, one that was mirrored in the many faces of her friends. Giving a small chuckle to herself, before clearing her throat, her horn lit-up with the simple spell that would let her voice carry through the building’s speaker system “Good morning, Trixie! I hope you had a nice rest? There’s some ponies out here that would like to see you.” Glancing back to her hopeful followers, she had to admit she was almost as excited as they were; she knew that someone like Trixie would need some extra efforts on her part. But still, any chance for progress was something to look forward to. Turning an ear to the small building, she listened for the telltale signs of a stirring pony getting ready to greet the day... ...It was actually rather quiet. Frowning a bit, she had to wonder if perhaps Trixie hadn’t been woken by her announcement. Shaking it off, she reminded herself that her newest friend had to be exhausted after last night. Rolling her eyes good-naturedly, she let her magic fade back into nothingness, before trotting back to the front of the building. Giving a light knock against the door, Starlight gave a nod towards the two ponies that she had posted to keep watch over Trixie. Gesturing towards the door, she took a few steps back towards the crowd “If you please?” “Of course, Starlight!” “Right away!” A moment later the two of them were pushing the door open, before snapping back to their positions on either side of the door to wait for their guest to emerge. “Alright, big smiles, everypony!” Starlight reminded her followers, briefly demonstrating the toothy grins she expected from them. Satisfied with the results, as they re-doubled their efforts, she turned back and raised a hoof as she called out once more “Whenever you’re ready, there are some new friends that would like to see you, Trixie!” There reigned several seconds of silence over her gathered villagers, as they all peered towards the dark doorway and waited for the newest addition to emerge. And then there reigned several more seconds, where everypony held their breath in anticipation for the big moment. And then it started to become awkward, as several more seconds passed by with not the slightest of signs that Trixie was coming out. By the one minute mark, the two ponies stationed by the door were uncomfortably exchanging furtive looks with one another and glancing towards the the open doorway. “...Do you think she might still be sleeping?” “We were up late last night.” “Do you think she might be feeling shy?” “Did everyone else already eat breakfast?” The pink townsleader had to frown slightly, at her impatient followers, before raising a hoof to her mouth to call out once more “Oh, Trixie! Won’t you please come out and join us?” “No!” Starlight had to make a face at that. How could she not? The pink unicorn had to give a shake of her head and purse her lips as she considered this, before raising her pink hoof again and calling back towards the building “I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly! You’re saying that you’re refusing to-” “Trixie isn’t coming out!” Glancing back towards her own confused followers for a moment, she couldn’t help but furrow her brow at this turn “And...why might that be?” “I- Because of-...spite, I guess?” Trixie called back out with some hesitation, before leaning around the corner of the doorway and peeking out at them. The trapped showmare audibly cleared her throat before calling out again “The Great and P-powerful Trixie might not have-...She’s not going to do anything she doesn’t want to do!” “Oh. So, you don’t want to get out of that stuffy little house then and-” “Trixie doesn’t want to do anything that you want her to do!” Starlight gave a chuckle at that, before using a hoof to brush her mane to the side and giving a shake of her head “Come now, Trixie, I think we both know that you’re feeling shy about greeting all your new friends. I can’t imagine anypony being so petty as to-” “Hah! The Trixie I know is extremely petty!” Trixie called back, while pointing an accusing hoof out the doorway at Starlight. The hoof went slack a moment later and retracted “And-...That’s not something you really brag about. I mean, Trixie might brag about it...But it’s really unhealthy!” “If you know it’s unhealthy, why are you doing it?” Starlight called back, her patience wearing down by increments. “What? Oh, I-...The Great and Powerful Trixie has already spoken on the matter!” “You’re doing this just to spite me? Me? When all I want is to be your friend?” Starlight called back, letting her eyes tear up just enough for her followers to see how hurt by all this she was. “That does sound kinda bad, when you put it like that. I mean-...No! Bad Trixie! Now’s not the time to-” Starlight had to quirk an ear at this, listening to the apparent sounds of Trixie arguing with herself. She had to admit, this was certainly an atypical response for someone that had been equalized; some ponies certainly showed a certain amount of duality before, as the mark did its work. It surely took time for all of the wrinkles to be ironed out of a pony’s personality, before they could fully join her little community. But the latest addition to her town was acting like a loon, and it was starting to upset the rest of her followers. And she couldn’t just stand idly by, while Trixie was struggling like this. So, it wasn’t too unexpected that the surprised yelp from Trixie, was a result of the former showmare being scooped up in Starlight’s aura and forcibly carried outside. Smiling up towards Trixie as she approached, or more accurately was carried over to Starlight, the pink mare gave a tilt of her head “There we are. Now, what’s all this talk about-” “This is incredibly rude!” Trixie exclaimed, jabbing a hoof awkwardly towards Starlight as she floated through the air. Managing to elicit a few moments of hesitation from the pink mare, Trixie tried to turn around a bit more to continue her tirade “Using your magic on somepony like this, without their permission, is an incredible breach of personal space!” “I’m sorry?” “I should be! Wait-...Darn it!” “Is something wrong, Trixie?” Starlight asked, resisting the urge to chuckle; it wouldn’t do to seem like she was making fun of the former showmare. “No! I mean, kinda! I’m just...dealing with a lot more self-awareness than usual right now.” Trixie eventually admitted, crossing her forehooves sheepishly, as she hovered in the air. Furrowing her brow, before raising a hoof to rub at her head “How can I even be aware of my being more self-aware? Isn’t that...redundant? This is confusing...” “Then you’ll be happy to know we...” Starlight gave a suitably dramatic pause, before gesturing to the many ponies gathered around “...are here to help you, Trixie.” “...Are we really doing this again? Cause I-” Trixie didn’t get to finish that thought, before flopping to the ground, as the light blue aura holding her in the air abruptly disappeared. Coughing and waving away at the small amount of dust kicked up by her fall, Trixie quickly shuffled back to her hooves. Giving a shake of her head, to clear away the last of the dirt, she raised a hoof to tell the pink mare off for that little stunt. Only for her to snap her lips tightly closed, as she took in the sight of all the ponies staring at her expectantly. Swallowing down the sudden onset of anxiety as best as she could, she spared a glance to her flank. But even knowing the source of her sudden stage-fright, she couldn’t help but shrink back from all of the attention once more “I- that is-...uhmmmm...” “Oh, I’m terribly sorry about that, Trixie. Here, let me get that for you.” Starlight exclaimed, as she cantered over. A few moments later, she was lightly dusting away at Trixie, to the mare’s obvious discomfort. “C-could you- T-Trixie demands you stop!” The blue unicorn shrilly shouted, before taking a couple of steps back. She was greeted by a decidedly hurt and apologetic look coming from Starlight, who soon held a hoof to her chest before extending it towards Trixie “Oh, I’m so sorry, Trixie. I’m sure this is all going terribly fast for you. I should have been more considerate.” “No, no it’s- I mean, yes! I mean, Trixie means yes!...That sounded dumb.” Trixie haltingly shouted back, before rising a hoof to her chin as she considered her words. Giving a shake of her head, before pointing an accusing hoof back towards Starlight “It is going too fast, because it isn’t happening!” Starlight merely arched an eyebrow at this exclamation. “That-that also didn’t come out the way I- Look!” Trixie snapped, before waving her hoof to the side “The point is, Trixie wants her Cutie Mark back and she wants to leave!” “Oh, I understand how difficult this must be for you, Trixie.” Starlight crooned, as she trotted around the mare. Stopping at the other mare’s side, Starlight turned and placed a hoof over Trixie’s withers before gesturing back to the waiting crowd “And I want you to know, that you can take all the time you need. We’re not here to pressure you.” “If you’re not here to pressure m- Trixie, then why is everypony here?” Trixie asked, squinting with apparent suspicion. “We’re just checking up on you, of course. Making sure you had a nice rest. We do that for all of our friends.” The pink mare elaborated, before letting her hoof drop and cantering back in front of Trixie. Smiling towards Trixie, she gave a nod of her head and gestured a hoof towards her “And, naturally, if there’s anything you need, you can let us-” “Trixie needs her Cutie Mark back!” “Oh, Trixie...” Starlight shook her head at that, as if she was admonishing a particularly stubborn foal. Walking back over to the gathered, smiling ponies, she gestured to them before continuing “I know it’s going to take time before you realize just how good things are here. But don’t worry. Once you see how much your Cutie Mark was keeping you from true friendship, you-” “If it was keeping me from having friends, how come you all want to be my friends?” Trixie abruptly demanded. “Everyone should have friends!” One mare eagerly called from the back of the crowd, before Starlight could respond, much to the pink pony’s pleasure. “Yeah, Trixie, we just want to be there for each other!” “And we can be there for you too!” “I definitely missed breakfast, didn’t I?” “You just gotta give it a chance, Trixie!” Trixie shrank back again at being the center of attention, glancing off to the side and furrowing her brow. She knew it was that stupid mark, but it didn’t make speaking up any easier “So...what? All of you wanted to be my friend from the moment I got here?” “Of course, Trixie!” “That’s all we want!” “Then why did you need to take my Cutie Mark away then?” The showmare demanded, turning back to glare at the the gathered ponies. “So-...so we could all be equal.” One stallion eventually responded for everyone, after sharing a glance with all of the other villagers, as if he was stating something that was kind of obvious by this point. “Yeah. That way no one has to feel bad about somepony else being able to do something that they can’t! We’re all the same!” Another pegasus mare shouted eagerly, quickly eliciting a round of cheers from everypony. “So, none of you liked my show?” Trixie asked, casting her gaze across the crowd like it was more an accusation than a question. “Oh, we loved your show, Trixie!” “It was so colorful and exciting!” “It was the best thing I’ve ever seen!” “You did really great! Trixie furrowed her brow at the, not unexpected, answers she got. Standing up straighter, she steeled herself a bit for the next part “So you all still wanted to be my friend, even though I could do something that none of you could have done?” That seemed to throw a wrench into the collective gearworks of everypony present, as all of the villagers gathered realized the weight of that last question. More than at any point before, they all seemed briefly stunned by this line of reasoning. They had all adored the show Trixie had put on, with many wanting her to put on an encore. They had flocked to her, wanting to know everything about her. Back when Trixie still had her Cutie Mark. “I- well we- that is we all wanted you to feel welcome and-” One stallion started to stammer out. “So, you all were just lying to make me feel better?” The showmare asked. “No, not at all! It was a really great show and-” “It’s my fault, Trixie...” This steady upswelling of cognitive dissonance tapered off for a moment, as everyone gathered on the street turned their attention towards Starlight Glimmer, Trixie included. “I actually knew that already...”Trixie remarked, even as she tilted her head at this turn of events. “I am so very sorry, everypony. I really should have spoken up sooner, shared my true feelings with Trixie sooner. I just couldn’t bear the thought of burdening our newest friend so soon...” Starlight dramatically lamented, as she slowly stepped out in front of everypony, holding a hoof to her chest. There were few that weren’t held rapt by this, apart from Trixie who found herself rubbing the back of her head in bemusement. “Maybe she is madly in love with me after-” “I didn’t want to say it out loud, but...Trixie reminded me of just how much better than me a pony could be...” Starlight eventually admitted to her crowd of onlookers, dropping her head in apparent shame at those words. Looking up to her concerned followers with tears in her eyes, she held her hooves out to them “You all were so excited when she was putting on her show. I know it’s silly...but I’ve been so afraid that you all would forget about me...” Sure enough, the many villagers quickly gathered around her, some holding their heads in shame and others extending comforting hooves out towards the pink mare. “We’re so sorry that we made you feel like that, Starlight!” “We had no idea!” “I only wish you’d spoken up sooner!” “Friends, now and forever!” “I’m not even worried about breakfast anymore!” “We could never forget such a good friend like you, Starlight!” Trixie couldn’t help but sag in place, as she watched the many ponies gathered in front of her flocking towards Starlight and giving the pink mare their support. The showmare had thought she’d been doing so well, so seeing how quickly Starlight yanked them back into her web was disheartening to say the least. Letting out a huff of temporary defeat, Trixie glared off to the side before grousing “That’s the last time Trixie ever does improv...” Glancing back to the mass of ponies fawning over Starlight Glimmer, Trixie still couldn’t quite place how the pink pony had managed to turn that around so quickly. And it certainly seemed like Starlight was exceedingly aware that she had just won this round, basking in their attention and promises that they wouldn’t leave her. “Although...” Trixie had to muse to herself, before glancing to one side and then the other. Very nearly everyone’s attention was focused away from Trixie, as they showered Starlight with assurances and were praised by her in turn. Most importantly, it seemed even Starlight’s had been distracted by this little scene they were making. It wasn’t exactly her most subtle or grandiose of schemes, but she was heartened by the lack of attention when she started sidling off to the side. “That’s right...all of you just keep doing what you’re doing...don’t mind Trixie...” This felt like far less of an accomplishment than it should have, but it’s not like she could complain. If she could just sneak away, she could worry about getting her Cutie Mark back later. All she had to do was slip off to the side, near one of the buildings, and she could dive out of sight before anyone even spotted her. And then somepony spotted her. At the edge of the milling group of townsponies there was Sugar Belle, looking on doubtfully as her neighbors all extolled the values of their town. Ducking her head, she had turned her gaze off to the side, as she ruminated over her own contrary feelings. Just in time for her eyes to settle on the sight of a certain showmare awkwardly trying to scuttle away. There was a heavy moment between the two of them, as they both wondered the implications of the other spotting them. For Sugar Belle’s part, she quickly found herself plagued with concern for the other mare, knowing that Trixie had only been dragged into things due to the baker’s own selfishness. And a quiet, deeply suppressed part of Trixie normally would have agreed with Sugar Belle’s estimation of things. Some part of her really wanted to reaffirm that none of this would be happening to her right now, if Sugar Belle and her friends hadn’t come to her with their problems. A part of the Great and Powerful Trixie really wanted to put Trixie’s problems way ahead of anypony else’s. Another part of Trixie felt like a real heel, for thinking like that. She was pretty sure that sentiment was part of the ‘real’ Trixie too. It was just a part of her that she’d only just started bothering to listen to and was still learning to cultivate. And that the bizarre equalizing mark seemed to want her to listen to loud and clearly. Staring back at Sugar Belle, realizing how helpless the baker looked, Trixie had to grit her teeth at the decision that she felt had been made for her. Glancing towards the rest of the ponies, Trixie shared another look with the other mare, before jerking her head to the side pointedly. Seeing the uncomprehending look being sent her way, the showmare again nodded towards Sugar Belle before turning her gaze to the corner of the building she had been sneaking towards. Trixie wasn’t sure how much clearer she could make it. But, thankfully, Sugar Belle seemed to cotton on to what she was trying to communicate, to Trixie’s great relief. Which is why it was so frustrating for Trixie, when the other mare seemed to hesitate, glancing back towards the other townsponies with uncertainty. Wondering if perhaps her message hadn’t gotten through to her, Trixie tried once more to tell Sugar Belle to follow her. Between the very evident tension she was already feeling and the exaggerated effort she was putting into pointedly nodding towards her planned hiding space, Trixie was surprised she hadn’t pulled a muscle. Sparing one last, anxious glance towards the other ponies, Sugar Belle finally seemed ready to commit. Keeping an eye on the rest of the villagers, she placed one hoof down after other and slowly but surely- “Thank you so much, everypony! Together, I know we can show our new friend the power of equality! Isn’t that right?” -freezing in place, as everypony turned their attention back towards Trixie. Torn between annoyance and worry that somepony might have realized her cunning plan, the showmare likewise found herself frozen in place for a few moments. Swallowing down her own anxiety, as Starlight once more trotted over to invade her personal space, Trixie made a point of glancing anywhere but towards Sugar Belle. “You see, Trixie? You don’t need to be special, you can just be-...what are you looking at?” Starlight blurted, as she finally took note of the other unicorn’s eye darting from side-to-side. “N-nothing. I wasn’t- Trixie wasn’t looking at anything.” Trixie quickly denied, even as she craned her head to keep her eyes as far away from Sugar Belle as possible. Sparing a moment to glance back, she had to swallow again, when she noted the obviously suspicious look on the pink pony’s face “That is- I have something in my eye...Tears! Tears are in my eyes! I was crying, because you...foiled me...” “I see...” Starlight eventually noted, scrutinizing Trixie for a few more moments. There was a tense few moments, when Starlight cast her gaze over the rest of the townsponies, apparently looking for any clue as to what Trixie was really going on about. But with a surprising ease, the pink unicorn seemed to shrug it off, before beaming a smile towards Trixie “Well then, I suppose if you’re so upset, you might want a bit of time to yourself? Perhaps a little privacy while you’re composing yourself?” Trixie frowned mightily at that, her eyes wandering back towards the doorway of the drab prison she’d been locked in before, understanding Starlight’s meaning. Resisting the urge to let her gaze dwell on Sugar Belle, she turned back towards the mare at her side “...Eh, Trixie was thinking it might be better if she just stayed out here, while-” “Nonsense! We all need a bit of time to ourselves now and then, Trixie. And besides...I feel like you need just a little more time to consider what life could be like for you here...with us.” Starlight firmly countered, using a hoof to start ushering Trixie towards the waiting building. “Trixie’s pretty sure she’s already considered everything she needs to...” “Oh! So you’re finally ready to accept our friendship?” Starlight retorted with a smile that was entirely too self-satisfied to be welcoming. “...On the other hoof, Trixie’s starting to like the shed.” Starlight tensed up ever so slightly, at the implied rejection of her newest friend, before giving what she thought was an affectionate chuckle. Giving Trixie a light shove from behind with her own magic, townsleader ignored the annoyed look being sent her way, as she escorted Trixie back to her temporary home. There wasn’t much point in Trixie trying to resist the prompting from her anyway, with the many ponies still filling the street and watching her with bated breath. “I am so glad to hear that, Trixie. I was starting to worry that you might have been uncomfortable, in this...temporary housing situation.” “Uh-huh.” “But if there’s anything that we can do to make you more comfortable, while-” “Trixie’s already taken care of that.” “...Pardon?” “Trixie’s already a lot more comfortable now. She did some Great and Powerful redecorating while she was inside.” Retorted Trixie, turning her own moderately smug look back towards Starlight Glimmer. Not caring for this response one bit, Starlight gave a huff, before trotting past the two ponies stationed outside the door. Stopping at the threshold and glancing back towards Trixie, as if wondering if this was some manner of trick, she furrowed her brow before peeking inside. “...What did you do?!?!” Starlight nearly screeched, causing the two ponies waiting outside with Trixie to nearly jump out of their skins. As sparsely appointed as the small room was, Trixie had somehow still managed to turn the whole building upside-down. Posters were torn from the wall, pictures frames broken, straw had been strung about all over the floor, torn and crumpled up pages from the books were piled up in the corner. It was like a small tornado has passed through the building. Most infuriatingly, the simple curtains that had been hung over the windows had all been torn down with varying degrees of success. Only to have, apparently, been tied together into a crude lasso, which even now was dangling from one of the speakers hanging from the ceiling. The speaker itself seemed to only be hanging on by a single nail, with wires pulled from their moorings and draped around the device. Dumbfounded, Starlight could still see how jerking on those wires had damaged the other speakers in the room. Which explained why the light static she could hear coming from the three remaining speakers had replaced her inspirational recordings. Taking advantage of this momentary distraction, Trixie glanced back to the crowd of ponies, before letting out a sigh of resignation and disappointment. As briefly satisfying as Starlight’s reaction had been, she didn’t think it would be enough to slip away. And more depressingly, it seemed Sugar Belle had merged back into the milling crowd of ponies. It was starting to feel like she might not be able to rely on getting anypony to help her out of this situation after all. Trixie managed to shift her attention back just in time, as Starlight came stomping back out of the small building, very apparently glowering at the former showmare. Everypony present seemed to pick-up on the shift of mood in the pink mare; even Trixie felt somewhat cowed by her anger, something she attributed to the mark at her sides. “Why?! Why would you do that? Do you know how much work that took?!” Starlight snapped, gesturing a pink hoof wildly back towards the upended room. Trixie couldn’t help but blink at the question. Resisting the urge to duck her head in forced shame at the reaction coming from the mare, she briefly had to remind herself that Starlight was the enemy. It didn’t matter how frustrated her abductor seemed to be or how much Trixie’s actions seemed to be hurting her feelings. What would the ‘real’ Trixie do in this situation? What would she say to the crazy pony that had stolen her Cutie Mark, imprisoned her, and was trying to emotionally coerce Trixie into doing something Trixie didn’t want to do? Something infuriating. “Oh, Trix-...The Great and Powerful Trixie was just trying to make herself more comfortable. Like you said.” Trixie replied in as cool and composed a manner as she could manage. After a moment of thought, Trixie held up a hoof to carefully inspect, instead of giving any attention towards Starlight “...Don’t you like it?” “Do I like- Do I like it?!” Starlight snapped again, a small vein starting to pop out of the side of her temple. “Starlight, it’s alright. We can get this all cleaned up in a few hours.” One of the ponies at their side quickly assured. “That’s right. We don’t mind, Starlight. A little mess is nothing to worry about.” The other pony agreed, giving an eager bob of his head That seemed to shake the pink unicorn out of her temporary fit, as she visibly tensed up, before taking in a deep breath. And then another. And then one more for good measure, before finally starting to let her muscles unclench. Closing her eyes briefly, she took in one more controlled breath and slowly let it out. “I am-...so sorry, everyone had to see that. Especially you...Trixie.” Some suppressed part of Trixie’s true self took no small amount of pleasure in how Starlight bit out her name. Even so, Trixie took a step back, as Starlight trotted forward a couple of steps “And I just want you to know...I’m not angry with you, Trixie. I’m just disappointed.” “Yes, well-” “But, even though I’m saddened by all of this...I will get through to you, Trixie.” Starlight cut-in, leaning in closer, till she was almost nose-to-nose with the blue unicorn. Narrowing her eyes a bit, as she closed the distance between them “Because that’s what friends do...understand?” There were several long moments of silence, as two pairs of purple eyes stared into one another. Once more, there was a very large part of Trixie that didn’t want to speak up, that wanted to admit that Starlight would eventually win. She could feel whatever magic was involved in the equalization process forcing her rebellious thoughts down and making it harder and harder to be herself. But even so, there was one thought that rang clearly for Trixie. “...Please don’t try to kiss me.” Starlight went bug-eyed at that remark, before pulling back like she’d just been burned by the words themselves. Her snout bunching up in disgust, she started gesturing with a hoof towards Trixie, ready to deny that ridiculous possibility “For the last time! I am not in- OWWW!” Those denials came to an abrupt halt, as Starlight winced and let loose a yelp of pain that couldn’t be held back. Reflexively slapping a hoof to the side of her cheek only seemed to aggravate the situation, as she let out another groan of pain at the sensation shooting from her tooth. “Starlight, are you alright?!” One of the ponies at her side called out, quickly leading to most of the other townsponies to start crowding over in concern. “I-I’m fine. It’s just a little-...” Starlight let out another hiss, realizing that trying to talk right now might not be the best course. Of course, that didn’t mean she needed to put up with the smug grin she was getting from Trixie. Her horn lighting up with it’s own telltale glow, she quickly gave Trixie a firm magical push into the waiting shed. It didn’t bring much in the way of comfort to Starlight, the sight of Trixie stumbling into the building as she was caught off-guard. She hadn’t made nearly as much progress as she had been hoping... “We’ll-...we’ll pick this up another time...” Inside the shed... Giving a shake of her head, just in time to hear the door close behind her, Trixie spared only a moment to glare at the door. Frowning at being so roughly handled again, she soon got her hooves back under her, before standing back up with only a touch of shakiness. Still, falling on her face wasn’t the worst outcome she could have imagined happening. “I think I can safely say that was a win for the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The showmare declared to herself, turning her nose up and smiling to herself. It was only after she recalled where she once again was, that her spirits deflated again “...Oh, right.” For all that she might have infuriated Starlight, Trixie hadn’t really accomplished much beyond making a mess of the place she was currently staying. If anything, angering the pink mare was just going to make things harder on her, and make it harder for her to persuade any of her brainwashed followers into siding with Trixie. Her expression becoming increasingly downcast as she took in her surroundings, the azure unicorn let out a defeated sigh, before slumping back down to the floor. Any spot was as good as any other, as it wasn’t exactly like she’d been provided a bed. “Ehhh...this is so stupid. The real Trixie would have had them eating out of her hooves...” Trixie lamented, even as she rested her head against the cool stone floor. Glancing back at the hard work she’d done and the resulting mess of that hard work, she couldn’t help but roll her eyes “...Well, at least, Trixie’s still Great and Powerful when it comes to annoying ponies and driving them away...” Crossing her forehooves this time to provide something other than the hard floor to rest her head on, she tried to get comfortable, in the hopes that it might help the brainstorming process “Uggh...why couldn’t that be something these stupid equal marks dealt with. I’d have a way easier time making friends if I was exactly as annoying as everypony else...” "At least now, I'm being rude and annoying on purpose." Frowning at that, she let out a groan, at revealing that unpleasant truth to herself. Dropping her head back to the floor, she rose her forehooves up to cover her head, to figuratively try to block out some of these depressing thoughts. “Maybe I can try to use that to my advantage...maybe I can act like such a jerk they’ll just run me out of this crazy town...” Letting out a frustrated grown, she started running her hooves through her mane, both admonishing herself for that distracting thought and trying to massage away the growing headache she felt creeping in again. Tick-tick-tic-tic... “Huh?” Trixie’s ears were quickly set to twitching by a light clicking sound, the sound of a small, hard object bouncing on the stone floor before coming to a stop. Lifting her hooves for a moment, she peeked open an eye to stare out past her now disheveled mane. Sitting up a bit, she cast her gaze on the floor before she finally rested her eyes on the culprit. It was indeed a small, hard object, no bigger than a small marble and with a small bit of broken twine still dangling off of its round form. It was only when she finally recognized it for what it was, that she let out an excited gasp. Diving forward without thinking, she quickly scooped up the small ball, even as she ended up flopping her belly onto the unforgiving stone floor. Not that the soreness hitting her undercarriage registered with Trixie, not now that she finally had something to work with. It was one of her smokebombs. One of her easily concealable smokebombs. It took her only a minute to recall where she’d been keeping it, before reaching back into her messy mane with a hoof. Sure enough, with a bit of feeling around, she managed to find the other one that she’d managed to tuck into her mane. “Yes, yes, yes, yes! Hah! Suck on that Starlight Glimmer! The Great and Powerful Trixie still managed to pull one over on you!” She excitedly crowed to herself. An old trick she’d learned when she was just starting out with her show, was to always keep some of her accouterments on hoof, for a bit of spontaneous showing-off. Most ponies expected a showmare to be able to entertain when she was prepared and on-stage, but it was far more impressive when one could improvise on the spot. So, she’d eventually figured out all kinds of extra little hiding spots for these tools of the trade. In this case, she had long since always kept a couple of smokebombs concealed in her mane. It was a bit challenging getting them secured, necessitating the use of her magic to get the twine tied to the little balls. But after no small amount of trial-and-error she’d figured out a way to secure them in her mane in such a way that they wouldn’t fall out or be easily spotted. Granted, she couldn’t even halfway remember her process behind hiding them, with the equalizing mark working its own magic. But that didn’t matter now, as now Trixie had her own trick up her figurative sleeves, something they wouldn’t be expecting. All she needed to do was find a way to use them to distract or trick the ponies outside and she could escape. An easy trick for the Great and Powerful Trixie to pull off. The equal sign on her flanks gave out another pulse, serving as a pointed reminder that despite her efforts...she wasn’t really the Great and Powerful Trixie right now. Frowning in thought, she stared down at the small object resting in her hooves, willing it with all of her might to serve as her ticket out of this place. Trixie knew that there had to be some way to use it to get her out. Something so simple, that it should have been painfully obvious for her... “...This might be harder than Trixie thought.”