//------------------------------// // Prelude // Story: Pinkie Pie, the Stage Magician // by MemeSurvivor //------------------------------// Pinkie realized something while Trixie was teaching her. Trixie loved stage magic. Maybe that should have been obvious, but Pinkie never really grasped how much Trixie loved it until she saw Trixie smile during their lesson. It was a wonderful smile that never quite left her face… “Pinkie!” Trixie repeated. “Huh?” Pinkie snapped out of her daydream. She was supposed to be learning how to perform a card trick. Apparently, it would teach her some of the ‘magician essentials.’ Trixie shook her head. “Just remember to memorize the bottom card.” Once again, Pinkie had attempted to do the trick; the entire time, finding herself quite distracted by Trixie’s ever-present smile. Luckily, this time she had not zoned out. Trixie exercised amazing patience as Pinkie continually produced an incorrect card, simply shaking her head and maintaining her happy disposition. Suddenly, Trixie had lost her smile and leaned over. “So, this Twilight Sparkle is your friend, yes? Purple unicorn? Celestia’s student and all that?” Pinkie stopped her meddling with cards for the time being. “Yep! She’s great! It’s too bad that Nega-Twilight is making a bad name for her. I’m sure she can handle it.” Pinkie shrugged, fully confident in her friend’s ability. Trixie returned to her previous position whilst adopting look that Pinkie did not understand. “Right,” Trixie said plainly. Pinkie continued her practice, but she realized something that she found rather sad. Her friend’s wonderful smile never quite returned. Twilight gathered 4 of her best friends together to plan for the recent emergency. Now, all of them had finally gathered in her little library with concerned looks on their faces. Twilight galloped in and began quickly setting up the presentation she prepared. Applejack made to say something, but she was cut off when Rainbow Dash was the first was the first to ask, “What the hay is going on here!?” Instead of being annoyed at the interruption, Applejack only agreed with the sentiment and nodded. “Ya’ made it sound like the world was ending, sugarcube. Where’s the fire?” Fluttershy adopted a notably more timid stance. “Um, the world isn’t ending, right?” Rarity sighed dramatically. “I certainly hope not. I’ve been busier than you would believe. My beauty sleep has taken a real hit. I need a spa day not a traipse through swamplands or some other such ‘adventure.’” Twilight managed to finish setting up and she turned to address her friends. “We all know that Pinkie has decided to undergo some sort of journey to learn…something, but I just received a letter from her that has me really concerned. I know exactly what Pinkie has decided to learn and who is teaching her.” Everypony present lost most of the concern and anxiety that colored their features. They weren’t particularly happy about being dragged into a paranoid lecture. Applejack in particular was rather unamused; giving Twilight a raised brow, having already talked her down recently. “Twilight, I’m sure it ain’t as big a deal as you think. Let’s all just read the letter together. You’ll see,” she assured gently. Twilight sighed lightly. She had expected doubt to form and she couldn’t exactly blame her friends for it either. She levitated the letter in front of herself and began relaying Pinkie’s message word-for-word. As she got further into the letter her friend’s expressions all darkened as their earlier concern came back. Twilight finished the letter as her friends looked at each other unsurely. Uncharacteristically, Fluttershy was the one to break the silence. “So…I guess we really should save Pinkie?” Rainbow Dash launched into the air angrily, turning to Fluttershy causing her to squeak and backpedal. “Of course, we should! Obviously, she’s being manipulated!” She stopped looking directly at Fluttershy, instead glaring at empty air. “I knew I should of went after her!” Twilight looked to the side rather guiltily. She too had felt she could have done things differently the day Trixie came to town. She was the one who stopped Rainbow from chasing after Trixie when she was leaving Ponyville. Maybe they could have all talked and none of this would be happening. Applejack was about to say her piece when she noticed something strange. “Where did Rarity run off to?” Rarity had apparently left at some point during everypony’s concern. Suddenly, the door swung open as Rarity rushed in with several bags levitated by her magic. “All right, girls! Let’s save our friend!” Rainbow rubbed her head in confusion. “What about beauty sleep, or the spa, or whatever?” “Ugh. I can’t even believe you would be thinking about such things at a time like this, darling. Pinkie Pie needs us right now,” she reprimanded lightly. Rainbow simply rolled her eyes in response. Twilight looked down at her hooves. “Actually, we can’t just run off and find her. She could be anywhere by now.” This seemed to subdue Rarity’s emotions somewhat. “Then, what do we do?” “There’s only one thing to do,” Twilight boldly proclaimed. “We have to go to the library in Canterlot and find Starswirl’s tracking spell. I’m not exactly sure what it requires, but we should probably take some of her hair or something.” All her friends looked much more confident now that they had a plan to follow. But then, Twilight remembered something vital that she had somehow let slip her mind. She gasped and bit her lip anxiously. “I forgot about the presentation!” Looking to the unused podium she set up next to her well thought-out presentation made her stomach twist into knots. Her plan was already off to a terrible start. Trixie was lying in her hammock thinking on recent events when she heard light snores coming from the opposite end of her wagon. A pink pony was curled into a ball like a dog, sleeping soundly as though she’d slept in hammocks her entire life. Trixie sighed exasperated. It wasn’t as though she was sick of her pink friend; quite to the contrary, a part of her wished these days on the road would never end. Instead, her frustration lied in Pinkie’s incredible aptitude for stage magic. Yes, despite Pinkie’s misgivings, Pinkie was a natural. It was to be expected since she was scouted by Trixie herself. She rolled over with a sad sigh and almost yet out a cry at the purple eyes blinking owlishly at her. “Gummy!” She sleepily carried Pinkie’s strange alligator pet to Pinkie’s hammock. Upon putting the creature on the makeshift bed, Pinkie began to cuddle with the carnivorous reptile like a stuffed animal. This might typically make Trixie roll her eyes or make her smile, but instead she felt an odd bout of jealousy towards the still-staring-at-her alligator. Trixie felt her cheeks grow hot and she shook the thoughts from her head, forcing herself not to think about the possible implications of wanting to snuggle with her pink friend. Ponies like hugs from their friends, yes? Surely, this is no different. Satisfied with her quick justification, Trixie returned to her own hammock and began stewing all over again. Due to Pinkie’s progress with stage magic, she would soon be ready for a real performance as an assistant. What better way to learn than to be a part of such a brilliant act? The real problem here was that either Trixie would need to come clean about being not entirely honest, or she could roll the metaphorical dice as to whether she would be laughed off stage or not. She let out a quick breath and promised herself that she would come clean. Telling the truth was nothing for a pony of her ability. Or so she reassured herself as she stared anxiously at the ceiling of her wagon.