//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: The Show Must Go On // Story: Deuces Wild // by Iron Hooves //------------------------------// Note from Iron Hooves: All the images that I will use in this story will be ones that I have personally drawn and I will add music links from YouTube (middle click the link or open into a new tab) to help create a more in depth mood and atmosphere for the piece as a whole. I hope you all enjoy it. **DISCLAIMER: Don't make the fireworks. Just don't. It's dangerous and I'm not responsible for someone getting hurt if they decide that they want to follow directions from a fictional story. Chapter 3: The Show Must Go On As dawn broke, the morning's light delicately kissed Trixie's cheek. The warmth of Celestia's rising sun upon her face delicately awoke her from her slumber, refreshed and renewed. She stretched her legs and accidentally touched something that was soft and warm, which caused her to instinctively pull her hooves to her chest and open her eyes. Next to her, Gilda was laying comfortably on her back, snoring loudly. In the moments that it took Trixie to fully comprehend where she was, the memories of the last 24 hours came flooding back to her. ….Ponyville.... ...The Ursa Minor..... ….Twilight Sparkle..... Just thinking about that lavender mare made Trixie's stomach turn. Her throat burned and her empty stomach growled, making her realize that she hadn't eaten since after her show in Ponyville. Trixie inspected her body for any of the injuries that she inflicted upon herself during her attack. “No open wounds....that's a good sign.” Trixie slowly put her weight onto her forehoof, and shut her eyes, anticipating the pain. When she realized that she was able to stand up straight, she opened one of her eyes and looked down, flexing her hoof a bit. The pain had disappeared and she was able to walk normally. A slight smile returned to her as she peered outside and the sounds and warmth of nature's alluring disposition draw her to it. Trixie exited from their temporary shelter and took in the view that she had missed during the storm. The transcendent beauty reflected from the puddles that had formed on the ground and she carefully avoided dirtying her hooves again. It had taken her a good hour or two to remove the mud and dirt from her escape the night before. The mountains that surrounded the Everfree Forest continued into the horizon and well past Canterlot. She stared at the royal city with longing in her eyes and with a reassuring nod, she knew their next destination. Trixie meandered through the dew on the edge of the blades of grass and its cool caress felt like heaven against her legs and belly. She began to cut various wildflowers and several lilies about the size of tea cups and bundled them together. As she made her way back to the cavern, Trixie started to drag an aura of magic behind her and began to collect the dew from the areas around her until she encapsulated a large bubble of the water. The rays of light began to shine through, emitting a dark purple glow across its shadow. She levitated the freshly picked herbs and merged them carefully with the sphere of water, infusing the two together. The magical sphere started to rotate quickly while its contents remained stationary. The friction between the motion of one against the other made the light reflecting through it change into an array of vivid colors that seemed to gently danced upon the morning dew. Gradually, the water began to steam and eventually boil. Using her magic, Trixie poured the mixture into two separate tea cup lilies and the steam warmed the cavern. Gilda stretched herself out and slowly began to open her eyes. The fragrant scent of wildflowers wafted through her nostrils and she smacked her lips together, inadvertently smiling. As her vision cleared, she saw Trixie placing a bundle of freshly picked flora on the rock between them. Gilda yawned as Trixie began to sip her tea and prepare some of the wildflowers to eat. “Good morning, Gilda. Trixie has gathered some breakfast.” Trixie smiled slightly at the griffin. “Is that all there is? Where's the muffins or the bacon??” Gilda protested. Trixie was appalled that all of her best efforts to be nice had been in vain. “How ungrateful! The Great and Powerful Trixie would never stoop to such a barbaric practice.... that's almost cannibalism!” “Dude, believe me. You have not lived until you've eaten fresh bacon in the morning. It's enough to make any vegetarian drool. Trust me.” Gilda smugly retorted to Trixie's snippy comment. “If you do not appreciate the bountiful meal that Trixie has so graciously offered and provided, then you can fetch your own breakfast.” Trixie huffed and sat down, expelling a small dust cloud from the ground below her. She bit into a bundle of buttercup daisies and began to chew so loudly and with enough force in an attempt to try and drown Gilda out. Gilda watch intently behind Trixie as she finished her over-dramatic performance that, in her opinion, could have merited a nomination for an award. The griffin pounced, prompting Trixie to dive for cover. When the dust settled, Gilda had captured a small field mouse and dangled it by its tail. "Now, this is what I'm talking about." Gilda exclaimed. The sound of Gilda crunching into the mouse's bones made Trixie physically ill to the point where she had to stop herself from expelling her breakfast. “That is truly one of the most vile displays that Trixie has ever seen!” Trixie was careful as she spoke, she was trying under the best of her ability not to dry heave. Gilda sucked her fingers one by one in an attempt to savor the flavor of her breakfast as Trixie walked quickly out of the cavern without looking back. “Are you coming or not?” The agitation in Trixie's voice was quite evident. “Yeah yeah.....I'm coming.” Gilda shook off the latent dirt from her wings and followed Trixie. The griffin began to flap her wings and took off in front of Trixie to meet her eye to eye. “So....where are we headed?” Gilda looked inquisitively at Trixie. “Well, if we start walking now, we can make it to Canterlot by midday.” The unicorn looked at Gilda, who was now directly hovering a few feet above her. “Sweet! I'll see you there!” Gilda began to push off into the air with tremendous force, but suddenly felt herself bring held in place by a tingling pressure around her entire body. She looked and saw that she was glowing with a light purple aura surrounding her. Trixie looked at her sternly. “If you don't stay with Trixie, you do not receive payment.” Trixie cocked a sly grin as she released Gilda from her magical hold, and the griffin sighed loudly. She landed next to Trixie and rolled her eyes in submissive defeat. “Fine. Just hurry up then, I don't want to be walking all day.” Gilda replied in an extremely frustrated manner, fluffing her wings until they were securely tucked at her sides. Trixie watched as she did and was intrigued by their graceful form. She wondered how could someone so brash possess something so elegant and the jealously slowly ate at her. “You know, we would be able to get there much faster if you would allow Trixie to ride on your back and fly... ” Trixie started her argument but was immediately shot down by Gilda's condescending laughter. “Ah-ha.... Ah-ha.... No. That is not happening.” Gilda flexed and readjusted her wings as she brushed off the idea. Without saying anything further for what seemed like an eternity, the pair began to walk toward the royal city in awkward silence. The two really didn't know what to say to one another and small talk was neither of their strong points. “So...how long have you been doing this gig?” Gilda asked to try and break the tension. “This 'gig' is Trixie's life. She has been performing since she was a filly.” Trixie became irritated. “So, what? Do you do like birthday parties for foals too? Gilda chuckled to herself but was instantly interrupted. “How dare you cheapen The Great and Powerful Trixie's magical abilities to such a philistinistic profession! Her show is one that expands the mind and puts the thrill of magic into a young filly's heart!” Trixie began to poke Gilda's chest with her hoof defensively, prompting Gilda to swat it down. “Okay, okay! I'm sorry! Just don't touch me like that again, if you know what's good for you...” Gilda retorted, her pupils shrink as she focused on Trixie's eyes. It was the first time that Gilda ever truly looked at them. They had a deep purple radiance to them that reminded her of Dash's magenta, if she could even compare the two together. To Gilda's surprise, Trixie didn't back down her stare either. This was a complete contrast to the mare that she had seen both last night and this morning as well. Gilda enjoyed pushing buttons, but she knew when to back down from a fight. By the looks of this, Trixie's magic act must have been her everything, so she just left it at that. They both broke the gaze and looked around for anything else to focus on. The two continued to walk and reached the edge of Canterlot mountain, however the silence became an awkward moroseness instead as they began to climb the steep base. “What brought you to Ponyville anyways?” Trixie finally spoke after a few minutes of tension. Gilda outwardly appearance was resemblance of stone, but inside she tried not to break down right there and then. She didn't reply for a a couple of moments as she gathered her thoughts. “I was visiting a friend.” Her attention remained straight on the road ahead of them, and her answer was brief. 'Was Dash still even my friend? I mean back when we were in Junior Speedster Flight Camp together, nothing could separate us...at least that's what I thought. She changed.' Gilda's expression and pace became lethargic. “Oh, that's nice. How were they doing? Trixie hopes that your friend is nothing like the pathetic lot that Trixie had to deal with yesterday.” Trixie smiled softly and asked. Gilda stopped dead in her tracks and close her eyes. She took a deep breath and turned around to look at Trixie. “She was doing fine until those lame ass losers 'new friends' got a hold of her...and then you went and made a fool of her yesterday!” Gilda thought to herself. She was about to tell Trixie off for humiliating Rainbow Dash, but just decided that it'd be easier to just continue walking. She hadn't had nearly enough to eat from the mouse she'd had for breakfast and the past few days events barely had given her enough energy to deal with arguing with Trixie. “She's fine.” Gilda said bluntly without looking back at Trixie. Trixie looked at Gilda, then looked to the ground as if she had done or said something wrong. “Oh, Trixie sees. How long have you two been friends?” Trixie had never been good with small talk, but the idea of having actual friends was something that she had dreamt of for some time. As a traveling show-mare, she never stay in one place for very long. Even if she did, the relationships that she had maintained were quite superficial. Trixie told herself that it was easier to keep everypony at a distance because it was easier to live a nomadic life of a magician then saying goodbye to somepony you truly care about. “Listen, this isn't twenty questions, okay? If it was, I'd be asking about why you were alone and crying in the woods when I found you, or for that matter, why do you speak about yourself in third person? Nobody is that self absorbed about themselves. In fact, 'Gilda' thinks that 'Trixie' should just learn to keep her mouth shut.” Gilda retorted, a bit more viciously than she had originally intended it to be. Gilda glanced at Trixie and could feel the raw anger from the unicorn. Gilda had read that unicorns generally have tendencies to wear their emotions openly due to their magic, but this was the first time she had experienced it for herself. Trixie's horn was glowing a slight maroon sheen and Gilda could feel as if a magnetic force was pushing her away from the mare. “Hey, look...I'm sorry...I didn't mean to...” Before Gilda could finish, she felt the magnetic force pulsate against her with stronger pressure and she struggled to retain her footing. Trixie neither replied nor looked back at Gilda. Gilda slowed down her pacing and began to walk behind Trixie. She focused on the ground as they walked, occasionally sneaking a peek to the unicorn to make sure that she was still in front of her. All Gilda could see was Trixie's tail swishing back and forth across her flank. The rhythm of Trixie's tail coinciding with the movement from her hips were almost hypnotizing. Gilda blushed slightly and averted her eyes when she realized that she had been staring and the two continued to walk in complete silence. “We're here.” Trixie snapped Gilda out of her daze. Gilda looked up and saw that they were standing in front of the gated archway that protected the city borders of Canterlot. Trixie continued to walk into town, avoiding all eye contact with the griffin. The royal city of Canterlot maintained an atmosphere of majestic prominence to it. The architecture of the castle stemmed from a more antediluvian time of Equestrian history, but the infrastructure of the buildings in the city itself showed how distinctive each proceeding generation influence became within it. As they walked, Gilda instantly noticed how pretentious the demeanor of the ponies that they passed made themselves out to be. A majority that she observed had seen the pair together and immediately either tilted their heads towards the sky or had began to whisper to one another. Gilda began to feel quite out of place when she saw a pegasi couple with a small filly and the father shielded his daughter by covering her with his wing away from the griffin. This distracted her from seeing that Trixie had stopped walking and she bumped into the unicorn. “Hey, watch where you are going!” The unicorn huffed. Gilda flashed back to her behavior concerning a timid and meek pegasi in Ponyville. She was about to say something to Trixie, but Dash's voice haunted her memory. 'You sure didn't need any help making a fool of yourself. You know, this is not how I thought my old friends would treat my new friends. If being cool is all you care about, maybe you should go find some new cool friends someplace else.' The words still pierced Gilda immensely. She took a deep breath and decided to approach it differently this time around. “Sorry...” Gilda grumbled quietly. “We have arrived.” Trixie waved her hoof at a shop called 'Rich's Barnyard Bargains'. “Trixie must pick up some fliers for her show tonight, as well as buy new supplies now that she has nothing...at least she still has some of the earnings from yesterday...” Trixie trailed off on her sentence as she swapped her hoof over her head in an attempt to grab her hat and felt nothing but air. Until this point, she had been so preoccupied that she had completely forgot that she had left her hat in her now destroyed trailer during last night's attack and to this point, completely forgot that every bit to her name was in a small pouch stowed within her hat. Her eyes became wide at the realization that she really had nothing left. "How much do you need?" Gilda said while rolling her eyes and removing a small coin purse that she kept tucked securely between her secondary covert feathers of her wing. Trixie blinked as Gilda's question had reactivated her cognitive portion of her brain. "Well...Trixie has already put down the deposit for the auditorium, however all of her supplies were stored in her trailer before and you should just really think of it as a no-risk long term investment...” Trixie spoke slowly as she thought out what she actually needed to repurchase. “How much?” Gilda didn't feel like playing games at this point, she was never really one for beating around the bush. “75 bits?” Trixie maintained an innocent smile as she said it to Gilda, whom merely scowled at her. “Well, there's a corner over there that you can work on.” Gilda pointed to the street corner in front of them and smirked. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is a show-mare, not some cheap streetwalker that begs for bits as ponies pass her!” The disdain dripped from Trixie's voice. “Trixie promises you that your bits will be reimbursed by the end of the night, along with your cut from the show's admission. She just needs to procure her grand finale to ensure it is the best show that she can have!” Trixie's eyes gleamed as they filled with a sense of pride in the unicorn as she continued to speak. “Fine. I want it back by tonight. You promised.” Gilda sighed and rolled her eyes as emptied all the currency to her namesake, save for four bits, to which she saved. Trixie grabbed the bits with her magic and noticed Gilda holding her talon straight out horizontally. “Well?” Gilda said impatiently. “Well what? Is there something wrong with your arm?” Trixie examined Gilda's arm inquisitively as if the griffin had injured it. "You promised. Bump it so its official." Gilda replied. Trixie looked upon Gilda in jest, but Gilda's expression of stern sincerity made her realize that she was not kidding. "Very well. Trixie promises." She extended her hoof and was met with a hardy push from the griffin. The momentum was stronger than Trixie had expected and she had to retain her balance. Trixie forced herself to smile, but to her it seemed to feel faker than usual. The duo entered the shop and the welcoming jingle from a small bell followed. The store had several aisles which ranged variety of food and supplies. Despite its size, it had a humble quaintness about it. To the right of the register stood a light brown stallion whom was busy taking inventory and behind the counter was a light burgundy colored mare with an off white mane. She flashed a smile and waved in the pair. "Hello and welcome in! My name is Charity and this is my husband, Bit. Is there anything that we can help you both with?" Charity spoke with a profoundly upbeat tone that Gilda wasn't accustom to without some type of underlining sarcasm behind it. “Greetings Charity, The Great and Powerful Trixie has placed an order prior to her arrival for fifty fliers regarding her show tonight. She was told that they would be ready for pick up this morning.” Trixie continued walking towards the counter as Gilda found herself distracted by the various types of trinkets on the shelves. “Yes, I have them right here!” Charity lifted a sack of fliers from behind the counter and placed a small box of nails on top. Trixie picked up the first copy from the pile and she began to inspect it thoroughly for any inconsistencies. She stared at the image of herself that adorned the paper and it took her a second to associate herself with it. Trixie felt nothing like the photo of the proud unicorn that was in front of her. "You are great. You are powerful.....You are the one and only Trixie.” She closed her eyes and smiled softly for allowing herself to be that stupid. Trixie looked up at Charity and nodded. “These are perfect. Thank you.” Trixie levitated the sack of fliers and turned towards Gilda. “Gilda, Trixie would appreciate it if you would help her by posting these fliers around Canterlot. It would help her out a bit while she prepares her other supplies. When you are finished, meet Trixie at the auditorium.” Before Gilda could answer, Trixie shoved the magical floating pile of fliers into the griffin's chest, which made Gilda have to balance on her hind legs as she caught it. Gilda shot Trixie a look of defiance and began to open her mouth, but quickly decided against it. “Right away, boss.”Gilda emphasized her last word and it resonated throughout the store. Without saying another word, Gilda walked out the door and the chime followed once more. Charity waved at Gilda as she departed, but the griffin never looked back to see her do so. “Now, is there anything else that we can help you with?” Charity brought her attention back to Trixie. “Trixie also needs 5 pounds of ground charcoal, 3 pounds of granular potassium perchlorate, about half a pound each of strontium, copper, barium, sodium, calcium and gold particles, as well as a bucket of wheat paste, 5 meters of string, a bottle of rubbing alcohol and cardboard tubes please.” The store fell quiet as both Bit and Charity stopped and just stared at Trixie in shock. Bit approached Trixie with a curt expression. “That all sounds mighty dangerous and complicated for a young mare like yourself.” Bit said in a condescending matter. Charity darted her eyes at her husband and after their fifteen years together, he recognized the look of scorn that he was being given. “Bit, why don't you go and pack up the new shipment that just came in and mark up the inventory while I help Ms. Trixie out? Those big boxes are much too heavy for a young mare to lift herself.” Charity's tone remained outwardly pleasant, however, Bit was reduced to a quiet and reserved state and merely nodded. He walked to the back of the counter and avoided eye contact with his wife as he disappeared into the back storage room. Once Bit was out of ear shot, the two continued their conversation. “Trixie, we have the ingredients you need in stock, but it sounds like you're making a bomb, sweetie... I can't...” “Pyrotechnics are a trade that Trixie as developed to coincide with her 'special talent'. She has been making fireworks for years. Normally, she would have enough supplies saved up, unfortunately, due to recent.....events... Trixie lost everything to her name, including her home.” Trixie paused for a second as she heard herself speak the words, but she hadn't truly let the words sink in until now. She was homeless. Her entire life was in her trailer and now it was gone. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath to try and stopped herself from breaking down. She continued to speak with her eyes closed. “Trixie can make them quickly from scratch before the show tonight, but she would require the ingredients now.” “Oh sweetie, I am so sorry for your loss. If you need anything at all, even a place to stay for the night. Don't hesitate to ask, because we're inviting you both as guests.” Charity said full of empathy. Bit peered up at his wife from his work and began to open his mouth, but she immediately shot him back a look that could have burned a hole straight through him and the wall behind him. He quickly averted his and went back to work. “Thank you for your hospitality, but Trixie is resilient. The show must go on and Trixie must continue her schedule of ….” Trixie stopped and realized that she no longer had a mode of transportation. Before, she would just be able to convince fans that she had gained along the way to volunteer to pull her from town to town. Even in times of desperation, she'd been able to use a 'come to life' spell on her trailer to cover ground between shows, but now? It was either walk with Gilda across Equestria or take the train. “Trixie has the red-eye train tonight to make it to her next show on time.” Trixie replied quickly, thinking about Gilda. The last thing that she needed was extended periods of down time with the griffin and more of their riveting small talk. “Okay, but our offer still stands for both you and your friend.” Charity smiled softly as Trixie nodded. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gilda walked along the streets of Canterlot, murmuring to herself while her hands were full of fliers. “Who the hell does she think she is? 'Trixie would appreciate it if you would help her by posting these fliers around Canterlot...' How stuck up can one pony be?” Gilda found a large tree near the edge of the block and decided that she had gone far enough out of sight from the shop and proceeded to take the entire stack and nail them all to the tree with a loose rock that she had grabbed from the road. “There! Done!” Gilda dropped the rock and dusted off her hands. She smirked at the pathetic attempt at her job, out of spite for Trixie and chuckled quietly to herself. Just then, a loud growl came out of nowhere and Gilda felt a sharp hunger pain in her stomach. “I guess I should have eaten some of that breakfast this morning....” Gilda held her abdomen and allowed her sense of smell to prevail over her others. She sniffed at the air and her tail perked up in the direction that she caught a whiff of somepony making a fresh, homemade meal. She promptly began to follow the scent. ~~~~~~~~~~ "Trixie also requires a blanket." "No problem, check aisle 8. I'll get your other items from the stock room." Charity said with a smile. As Charity began to look through the back inventory for the corresponding items, Trixie wandered down the aisles until she found a sign that said 'Aisle 8: Bedding & Linens'. Trixie browsed through a bin full of fleece blankets until she found a lavender blanket. She levitated the blanket and examined them for a moment before tying two of the corners around her neck and looked at herself in a near-by mirror. 'Don't kid yourself, Trixie. You'll never be great and powerful. Just give up this lost dream...' Trixie stared at her reflection straight in the eyes and forced herself not to shed a tear of pity for the pathetic display in front of her. "The blanket is on the house. We want you to take these as well." Charity approached Trixie slowly and pulled out two saddlebags: one with purple felt and a pale cream ribbon border and a clasp shaped like a star, and the other a light brown with yellow, which sported a sun clasp. Trixie looked at Charity inquisitively and wondered exactly how much she saw. "Honey, you've been through hell and back from the looks of it, and so has your friend. Sometimes, when things seem their bleakest, a bit of kindness is what we need the most. It reminds us that there is still good left in the world." Charity put a reassuring hoof on Trixie's shoulder and smiled. Trixie looked into Charity's eyes and felt a warm assurance that everything would turn out for the best. Before she could even thank her for the generosity, she felt Charity embrace her tightly. At first, she tried to withdraw from it, never truly being accustom to such forward displays of affection, but allowed herself to remove her guards and accepted the hug. Once Charity let go, Trixie was still unsure about what just happened. “What was that for?” Trixie asked. “You just looked like you needed it.” Charity smiled and for the first time in the longest that she could remember, Trixie smiled back. Not one of those 'faux put it on for the crowd smiles', but a genuine smile. Her gaze returned to her reflection and she straightened her posture, regaining some of her confidence. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gilda was able to track the smell's location: a small chic bistro towards the center of town. She approached an open window where she had pinpointed the fragrance of onions intermingling with roasted garlic and fresh bell peppers. She inhaled their intoxicating scent and for a moment thought that she was dreaming. The aromatic essence of the kitchen made Gilda's stomach protest at the meager contents it had hastily consumed earlier, which snapped her out of her day dream. Gilda walked up to the host, whom was dressed in a tailored lapel jacket and bore the cutie mark of a sterling serving plate. “Name?” “Who's asking?” Gilda said defensively. The host looked up from his podium and looked at Gilda while raising his eyebrow. “Who is your reservation under? Your name?” “Oh, I just wanted to sit at that empty table over there.” Gilda pointed at a single unoccupied table near the corner of the patio. “This is an extremely affluent establishment. Reservations are taken months in advance...” He looked at Gilda and smirked before continuing. “...And by the looks of it, you will most likely need to wait another three months before you would be able to afford one of our appetizers.” Gilda's jaw dropped as her mind tried to comprehend the unwarranted insult she was just given. As she stood there, a unicorn couple approached the host's podium. Silver Platter's expression immediately changed from one of disdain to a genuine exhilaration as a rather dapper white stallion with a cerulean wavy mane and matching mustache, followed by a slender, dazzling young unicorn mare with a light rose colored mane greeted him. "Ah, Monsieur Fancypants! Madam Fleur de Lis, vous sont magnifiques comme toujours!" Silver Platter extended the mare's hoof and tenderly kissed it. Gilda became disgusted with the display in front of her and just walked away from the situation. “Excuse me, miss! My gazpacho is too cold, tell the chef to warm it for me.” A stout older unicorn socialite waved to Gilda as she stormed away from the bistro. Gilda ignored her and continued to walk past the outdoor patio and the unicorn began to become offended by the blatant brush off. “Excuse me!” The unicorn used her magic to grab the tip of Gilda's tail, prompting her to yelp in surprise. Gilda turned around and slammed her fists on the table, causing the soup to spill onto the table. “I'm not the damn busboy!” Gilda's pupils dilated and she stared directly into the unicorn's eyes. The mare began to stammer as Silver Platter came rushing over to see what the commotion was about and Fancypants followed suit. “What is the meaning of this?” Fancypants exclaimed as he readjusted his monocle. “This 'griff' has been giving me problems, but it is nothing that I can not handle.” Silver Platter looked at Gilda cockeyed as the unicorn nonchalantly uttered the derogatory slur. Both Gilda and Fancypant's jaws dropped in shock and disgust at the comment. “Fuck you! You don't even know me! I've had it with all you snobby, self-entitled morons! ” Gilda quickly said in her defense while puffing her chest and extending her wings in an attempt to make herself appear larger. “I know your kind though, and you're all alike. A brute and savage lot, uncouth and simple minded. Just by the way that you articulate, you have already proven yourself to be an inferior species to the more regal and refined Equidae.” Silver Platter spat his words through his mouth with such vindictiveness that it seemed to have pierced Fancypants himself. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "How do you work an ignition system for setting them off?" Charity asked as she watched Trixie bind the tubing together with the wheat paste, leaving the alcohol soaked string hanging out and rolled a mixture of the granules to the width of a pencil carefully. "With magic, of course!" Trixie levitated the small firecracker outside of the window and with a magical spark, almost as if a flint had set it, the fuse lit and began to burn brightly. Within a second, a loud pop and an explosion of emerald light filled the air. The sound was large enough to surprise Bit, making him drop the stack of boxes that he was carrying. The two mares tried to mask their giggling, but failed miserably. “Sorry, Bit-O-Honey!” Charity yelled from behind the corner to her husband, grinning like a Cheshire Cat. Bit muttered under his breath as he cleaned up the spilled contents and inspected them to make sure nothing was broken. His anger quickly subsided though, just as it always did whenever Charity addressed him by his pet name. Trixie worked her magic and set rows of each element followed by the charcoal and quickly rolled them at the same time. She lathered them with the wheat paste and rolled them once again, this time however, she mimicked the spell that she had cast earlier in the morning that helped her heat the tea. The friction from the heat allowed the glue to dry at a much faster rate. She checked the binding on the fireworks to make sure the glue had dried. Once she had confirmed it, she carefully laid them out of the counter to admire her work. “Finished! Trixie has done it again!” Trixie wiped the sweat that had formed on her forehead and sighed contently. Charity began to load the fireworks into the brown saddlebag as Trixie began to count out currency for payment. Bit emerged from the back room holding a plate of four sandwiches, two had been wrapped tightly in cloth and tied together with twine. He placed the plate on the counter and put the two packaged meals inside of the purple bag. “I made some lunch, Charity! I also made lunch for you and your friend, just in case you get hungry later.” Bit said in an amicable manner as he smiled. Charity embraced Bit and kissed him on the cheek, making the stallion blush like a young school colt. “Our offer still stands for a place to stay to night for the both of you.” Charity spoke with a warmth that radiated across the room to Trixie. She simply smiled and nodded as she placed the remaining payment on the counter. Charity helped Trixie secure both saddlebags to her back over her substitute cape and Trixie looked at the mare with a new perspective. She felt a odd sense of nostalgia as her memory drifted for a moment of her mother preparing her for the first day of school. Trixie snapped out of it when she felt Charity give her a hug. “Thank you both for everything.” The unicorn waved goodbye and exited the store. “Trixie is ready to show them how great and powerful she can truly be.” She quietly told herself. Just by saying it aloud to herself, Trixie felt more of her confidence that she's lost coming back to her. With both saddle bags in tow, Trixie set out for the auditorium. As she walked, she made her way from the more modernized part of the city to its ancient epicenter. Though the buildings almost seamlessly aged before her, the structural integrity looked as if they had survived over millennia of assaults to its façade and seemed as it could within another thousand years. Canterlot had not seen the face of war since the original Nightmare Moon incident and the royal city had been perceived as the keystone of tranquilly and prosperity under the Sun Goddess’ rule. When Trixie finally reached the auditorium, she was met by a royal unicorn guard posted at the entrance. His iron-clad armor glistened in the midday sun and he stood at full attention. He watched the mare approach, but said nothing. "Good afternoon, sir. The Great and Powerful Trixie has reserved this hall for her show tonight. She has arrived." Trixie bowed her head slightly towards the guard. He pulled out a scroll from his saddlebag with his magic and searched for her name. Once he located it, he nodded at allowed her to pass. "If you need any assistance, please do not hesitate to ask." The guard replied sternly. "Actually, she could use your help...Trixie needs assistance with collecting admission for tonight. What is your name?" "Shining Armor, First Lieutenant." He saluted Trixie over zealously, which made her slightly uncomfortable. Trixie smiled awkwardly and nodding while she extended her hoof. Trixie handed Shining Armor the purple saddlebag instead of shaking his hoof as a makeshift cash box for the night's admission and she walked towards the stage to set up her pyrotechnic display. "Trixie is sure the pleasure is all hers...now she must prepare for tonight. Just mind the sandwiches when you put the bits in the bag, please. Also, if you happen to see a griffin, let her through.” She said casually. The stallion just stood there, with the newly acquired saddlebag in hoof and trying to comprehend what just happened. "Uhh....okay. Well, if you need any other help...I'll be here." By the time Shining Armor finished, Trixie had already stopped paying attention and was hard at work. He returned to his post, with his now temporarily acquired pack and waited patiently. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Now see here! How dare you judge this individual with such an unbridled bigotry. You are disgraceful to call yourself a stallion of class. Furthermore, how did you expect her to respond after an assault on the integrity of her character?” Fancypants' face began to turn red with the heat of anger and he furrowed his brow. He continued to walk towards Silver Platter and the host began to recoil. “Today, Miss....I beg your pardon, but I was not able to catch your name before.” Fancypants' look of animosity became one of apologetic sincerity. The moment had finally caught up to them that he realized that they had never given proper introductions. Gilda was at a momentary loss of words at the abrupt change in tone of dialogue. “Please, Miss....” “Hensworth.” Gilda said reluctantly. She didn't like the feeling of being put on the spot so quickly after being publicly humiliated. “Ms. Hensworth, please forgive his brash attitude. I would like to offer you my most humble apologies and invite you as a guest at some other establishment. I will see that any accommodations you require for lunch will be covered.” Even though Fancypants earnest attempts of reconciliation to Gilda were genuine, she just walked away. “Thanks, but I don't need handouts. Besides, I've lost my appetite...” As Gilda crouched down to prepare herself for take off, she looked over her shoulder and back at Fancypants. “Seriously though.....thanks.” With a strong flap of her wings, she took off into the air like a bullet. “Well, good riddance to bad blood.” Silver Platter scorned as he returned his glaze to an absolutely livid Fancypants. “How dare you! I will make sure that you never work here again!” Fancypant gritted furiously through his teeth. “And how, pray tell, would you do that?” Silver Platter called out Fancypant's statement as an empty threat. Fancypants levitated a check book out of his jacket pocket, and began to scribble down a payment. When he finished, he torn the stub from the booklet and shoved it in the host's face. “I'm about to buy this bistro. You're fired.” Fancypants expression stayed subtle, but there was an overpowering gleam in his eyes. Silver Platter began to stutter in disbelief, but Fancypants merely pointed his hoof towards the street. The defeated unicorn hung his head in shame as he slinked away past the patrons that had been watching the entirety of the events unfold. Fancypants did not allow his sight to deviate from Silver Platter until he was out of sight. Once he was gone, Fancypants returned his attention to the unicorn at the table. He lifted a napkin and began to wipe the spilt gazpacho. “I'm quite sorry about the mess, madam. I will get you another soup right away!” Fancypants rushed off to the kitchen to prepare his new staff, while Fleur de Lis had already situated herself into the hostess' position and had begun to seat new customers. Gilda began to fly back towards the auditorium and as she got closer, she was able to hear a crowd cheering and the beginning of explosions detonating. She saw a line of various sorts of ponies waiting to get in and from the looks of it, Trixie had a full house to tend to. Gilda landed at the main entrance. She was greeted by Shining Armor, whom was busy counting bits. When he saw Gilda, he waved her through and continued to collect admission. Gilda entered the auditorium and across the crowd, she could barely see the stage. “Move out of the way, I'm trying to see here!” She began to push her way through the the sea of ponies, nudging and pushing them aside. Several of the offended audience members shot the griffin denigrating stares. “Welcome, one and all to see the greatest performance in Equestria! The Great and Powerful Trixie!” In a puff of smoke and a flash of light, Trixie appeared on the stage. The crowd gasped and clopped their hooves against the floor. The sound echoed throughout the auditorium as Trixie's horn began to glow. She enshroud a row of fireworks in magic, lighting each in systematic order and set them off into the air. The fireworks flew up and Trixie manipulated their trajectories, creating trails of light that streaked around the entire room. At first each scattered out, their courses independent of one another and their individual colors illuminating the stage and across the room. Just as the projectiles reached the furthest ends of the auditorium, Trixie lassoed them back with a familiar purple aura. She began twisting and contorting them and the colors began to bleed together in a waterfall of saturated spectral light. The allure of the display entranced the captive audience and Gilda sat in awe of the monumental power that Trixie had. Trixie began to dance onstage as the luminosity revolve around her. The fire, as if it had a life of its own appeared to form to its own accord, becoming a breathing and cognitive being, autarchic in its existence. To Gilda, time began to blur together and the room disappeared as she stared at Trixie and the chromatism of the rainbow merged with the unicorn creating an illusion that only reinforced her hypnotic state. As far as she was concerned, the only things in the room were Trixie, herself, and the empty space between them. The embers around her began to subside and fade with a subtle hint of magic still ample in the glow of the atmosphere and the fireworks disappeared. The dazzling spectacle concluded with a pop and a thunderous applause, Gilda was fixated on Trixie's eyes. There was something about them that kept her heart racing at the mere thought of them. In her daze, she cracked a smile of admiration. “And now for her next incredible feat....” Trixie began, but was quickly interrupted. “Trixie is a phony pony!” A voice hollered from the crowd. Trixie stopped talking and her eyes widened as everypony focused on the accusation being made. “Yeah! I heard that she couldn't even stop on Ursa Minor!” A second voice called out. Trixie's head was swimming in thought and she froze on stage. She began to stammer, but her voice became drown out by the crowds' murmurs. Gilda looked up to Trixie and saw the unicorn, whom once stood proudly on stage break and lose her confidence once more. She thought to herself and decided that trying to 'persuade' the hecklers was out of the question because she was outnumbered by both the audience and the royal guards that surrounded the perimeter of the auditorium. Gilda looked at Trixie, who was now on the verge of tears, and decided to go for broke. “You can do it, Trixie!” Gilda screamed from the top of her lungs. The crowd fell silent and redirected their attention to the more than out of place griffin. Gilda seemed as if she had shrunk a foot in her stature and her cheeks began to burn from embarrassment. Trixie peered out and her heart skipped. Without hesitation, her smile returned along with her confidence. In her mind, she quickly formulated an impromptu act and pointed her hoof directly at Gilda. “You there! Griffin!” The sheer force of Trixie's voice penetrated the awkwardness that seeped through the crowd, causing Gilda to blush harder at the immediate attention that was brought to her. Trixie waved her hoof to invite the griffin onstage, but Gilda dismissed her. Suddenly, Gilda felt herself being levitated a few inches off the ground and let out a startled squeak. “Jeez! Okay! I'm coming!” Gilda's body twitched in an attempt to free herself from her magical constraints and began to slowly fly towards the stage. She watched as the judgmental eyes of the crowd glared at her and she landed next to Trixie onstage. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has never met you before, is this correct...”. Trixie waved her hoof at Gilda, indicating for her to play along. “Um....no....?” Gilda stuttered into the microphone, which gave slight feedback that made her and the audience flinch in pain at the piercing sound. Trixie just continued to smile. “Well, since you seem to be the only one here who appreciates talent when they see it, maybe you would like to help Trixie with her next act?” Trixie asserted her voice, reclaiming her stage presence. “Uhhh....sure?” Gilda wasn't prepared to answer Trixie, let alone aid her in her performance. 'In for a bit, in for a pound, I guess.' Gilda contemplated to herself before Trixie began speaking again. “Please step back and The Great and Powerful Trixie will show you all what true power really is!” Using her magic, she clasped and levitated the blanket from her back. She leaned in inches from Gilda's ear and whispered softly to her. “Whatever you do, just don't freak out....okay?” Gilda could feel Trixie's warm breath on her neck and she felt an electric shiver run down her spine. It took Gilda a moment to snap back to reality and comprehend Trixie's words. By the time she could object, Trixie's cape was already draped over her. Gilda held her breath and closed her eyes out of curious anticipation, wondering just exactly she had gotten herself into. “Now watch and be amazed at The Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie's horn began to glow and a flash of light filled the air as Trixie pulled the cape off of Gilda with her teeth, revealing that there was nothing underneath. The crowd gasped and became completely awe-struck. Gilda continued to stand as still as she could. She peeked with one eye to see the crowd staring directly at her with their jaws ajar. A thunderous roar of cheering and the distinct sound of hooves clopping filled the auditorium. “Thank you! Thank you!” Trixie proclaim victoriously. Gilda looked at Trixie, who's smug smile had returned to its rightful owner. Confused as hell, Gilda raised her talon up to scratch her cheek. She noticed that something was missing...despite the fact that she was moving her arm, she couldn't see it. She frantically inspected her body and realized that she couldn't see herself. Her arm, her wings, her tail... everything about her had disappeared visually, but she was still there. Gilda's breathing became restricted and she began to panic. Gilda began to back up away from the front of the stage and tripped over the pyrotechnic display that Trixie had set up for her ground finale. The impact of the collision set off the fireworks throughout the auditorium. Streams of smoke, lights and fire flew past Gilda and the sheer volume of the explosion made her flee off the stage. Looking for a way out, the first thing that she saw was the the light coming from the setting sun outside of the auditorium's main entrance. She propelled herself above the crowd and straight for the door. Trixie redirected the fireworks to conform to the shape of a phoenix. In all its blazing glory, the embers seemed as it had sprung to life and began to glide around the room briefly before bursting into flames. The crowd roared and Trixie grinned. She looked across the auditorium and noticed that a very subtle trail left by her distinctive magical aura streaked for the door. This trail was completely independent of the ones that she had left from the manipulation of the fireworks' trajectory and she immediately felt her heart skip a beat in sheer panic. She began to frantically look around the stage and began to emit a low level wave of magic into short bursts to see if it reflected off any solid object invisible to the naked eye. Trixie's fears were confirmed when the aura did not indicate that anything other than air was on stage with her. “Uhhh.....Thank you, one and all! That concludes The Great and Powerful Trixie's show for tonight!” Trixie looked nervously at the audience as they began to mutter and talk between themselves. “There will be no refunds!” With a flash of light and a puff of smoke, Trixie darted off stage, using her magic to quickly grab the saddlebags and bolted through the back exit behind the stage. Before the audience could fully comprehend what was happening, the auditorium's lights were turned back on and there was no remaining trace of the unicorn. The exit door slammed open and the setting sun hung low in the sky. "Trixie, that show was amazing!" Shining Armor said ecstatically as he approached her. His eyes gleamed a childish sparkle that he hadn't felt in a long time. "Thank you, but Trixie really must be going. Are these the bits from the show?" Trixie said anxiously. "Every single one! You made off like a bandit tonight!" Shining Armor smiled when he suddenly felt the saddlebag being magically lifted off his back and secured it to her own. "Well, once again, you have Trixie's thanks, but she really must be going...long road ahead and such...okay bye!" Trixie shot off like a bullet away from the auditorium while continuing to emit small pulses of magic as a radar to find Gilda. Shining Armor was left in the dust, perplexed by the mare's quick escape. It was quite short lived however, because all of the audience began to exit the auditorium, grumbling and feeling short changed by the brief performance. The crowd closed in on Shining Armor, berating him for being short changed and demanding refunds. "Well, would you look at the time, it looks like I'm off duty. Goodbye!" Amid all the yelling, Shining Armor teleported from the auditorium back to his house and sighed in exhaustion. "I really don't get paid enough for this..." Shining Armor muttered and began removed his gear when he heard a noise in the hallway. “Shining, is that you?” A young alicorn emerged from the other room to see that her fiancé had returned from work. She embraced the stallion and planted a deep kiss on his muzzle. “How was your day, honey?” “Let's just say that it's good to be home, Cadance.” Shining Armor sighed once more as the two collapsed on the couch. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ “Gilda! Are you okay?” Trixie began to hyperventilate when she failed to receive a reply. “Okay, Trixie just needs to concentrate.” Trixie took several deep breaths to refrain from becoming more distraught and closed her eyes gently. She concentrated her magic to the tip of her horn and began to emit a series of pulses outwards. Trixie felt as if she had become connected with all that was around her. She scanned the area for any creatures that had traces of lingering magical auras and was promptly able to locate a presence near the palace labyrinth. Without saying a word, she opened her eyes and started to gallop towards it. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Gilda didn't really know where she was flying to, but her instincts told her that she should just keep on doing it. She felt safe in the air, despite her current predicament, the wind caressing her wings. It was the familiarity of the patterns of subtle complexities and changes within the wind currents that normally brought piece of mind in times of distress. This time, however, merely gave Gilda a sense of dejection. The feeling overwhelmed her to her bones, and her wings became weak. She surveyed the area for a place nearby to land and noticed a fountain outside the royal gardens. In the center of the fountain was a statue crafted from solid marble in the shape of a pegasus, complete with iron-clad armor and standing at arms. She descend on top the the edge of the fountain and sighed. Gilda felt as if her oxygen had been completely removed from her lungs while she landed and she forced herself to calm down. She took her talon to scoop some water from the fountain and splashed it in her face. It felt temporarily refreshing, but as she opened her eyes to look at herself in the pond of water, she recoiled at what she saw, or the lack there of. The only thing that she could see were the water droplets cascading from the invisible curvature of her body, dripping back into the fountain and leaving ripples on the surface. At this point, she was not even able to distinguish her own tears from the water itself. Gilda began to pace back and forth on the ledge of the fountain impatiently, occasionally trying to capture a glimpse of her own reflection as if it were to reappear as mystically as it was taken from her. The essential core of her identity was stolen from her and spirit began to sink at the weight of the past few days events. Gilda no longer had anything left to reminder her who she truly was; Dash, whom was her only true friend, was gone and probably never wanted to see her again, she had broken her lease to sold her loft when she left to be with her, and now this. She was trapped alone in a city full of ponies with self-entitlement issues and now no one could even see her. Gilda had never felt more isolated in her entire life than she did at this moment. She slouched at the edge of the fountain and just stared blankly at the statue. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Trixie ran past the east wing of the royal hall and straight to the gardens. The entrance was lined with ancient statues, to which she ignored. The old kingdom and its secrets had always had a profound interest to her, but now was not the time to indulge it. The proximity of Gilda was getting stronger as she made her way past the garden entrance and she stopped dead in her tracks when she came across the fountain and her muffled sobbing. She walked towards the fountain and felt a pulsating presence, it was the distinctive energy of her own magic. Trixie illuminated Gilda with an aura, allowing her to at least see an outline of the griffin. Gilda jumped at the sudden warmth that surrounded her and her wings flared slightly at the sensation. Her eyes darted at Trixie, who was quietly sitting besides her. “What the hell is your problem? What did you do to me??” Gilda shouted at Trixie. Trixie was taken aback by the hostility in Gilda's tone. “What is Trixie's problem?? What is your problem?? Trixie told you not to freak out, and what do you do? You go running straight for the door and leave Trixie without being able to finish the trick!” Trixie defended herself in an affront manner. “You could have told me what you had planned instead of springing it on me at the last minute!” Gilda gave Trixie a little shove, but she held her ground. “Trixie panicked! She had to abandon her show to make sure that you were okay!” Trixie hollered at the top of her lungs and the sound reverberated around them. The two sat in silence, avoiding eye contact with one another. “You were worried about me?” Gilda finally broke the lull looking up at the unicorn. Trixie continued to stare at the ground and nodded. “Not many have stood up for Trixie like you have...it means a lot to her. She apologizes for forcing you into this situation. ” Trixie finally looked up to the aura that surrounded Gilda and the griffin stared into the unicorn's eyes. Gilda adjusted her stance and ruffled her wings slightly. “Trixie....I shouldn't have freaked out earlier...” Gilda began to speak, but Trixie interrupted her before she could finish. “Let's just fix this....it's been too long of a day. Trixie just wants to eat some dinner and get her beauty rest.” “You know, that's probably the smartest idea that I've heard all day!” Gilda's tone became relaxed now that she knew the everything would soon be back to normal. Trixie closed her eyes and her magic engulfed Gilda. As the aura began to swirl around her, Gilda noticed that the light being expelled from Trixie's horn became less systematic and more erratic with each passing second. The light began to flicker and fade, Trixie opened her eyes and began to pant. The spell had used more energy than Trixie had initially excepted. She caught her breath and looked to where Gilda was standing and saw nothing but the lingering aura that she had encompassed Gilda to begin with. Gilda looked into Trixie's eyes and saw unbridled fear in her eyes. Trixie promptly shut her eyes again and her horn began to glow bright and more sporadic. Sweat began to drip down Trixie's face and her face showed of look of intense concentration. Again, Trixie lost control of the spell, causing it to fizzle once more. “Oh no....no no no.....” Trixie muttered to herself in sheer terror. Gilda went from feeling confused to utter trepidation when she looked for her reflection in the fountain, and much like her previous attempts, the results were fruitless efforts. “Trixie....what's going on...?” The fear in Gilda's voice was quite evident. Trixie stood aghast and her eyes fixated on Gilda. “The spell isn't working.”