//------------------------------// // Entry 7, Part 2 (Boast Busted) // Story: The Poisoned Barb's Tale // by ManlyDerp //------------------------------// W-what the hell is going on here?! Trixster’s skills are legit? Trixster’s boasting was warranted?? Trixster… Trixster is actually… a-actually… Trixster is actually Great and Powerful for real?! There’s no way. There’s no, flipping, way! This has to be some kind of trick! Like... like a magic trick or something! ... ... I just realized how dumb accusing a magic show for using magic tricks sounds... ... B-but Trixster is actually competent in them! That's still something worth discussing! What the actual hell?! Trixie’s debut hinted at her being a fraud through and throug- Wait, no... Now that I think about it... only her failed smoke bomb escape, and her lies, hinted at such a thing... For all I know she was a real magician, just one that didn't get to prove herself in her first showing... Under that train of thought... perhaps something changed in Trixster's past that resulted in him becoming who he is today? That wouldn't be too unlike how male Rainbow Dash is more mature in comparison to female Dash, so I guess this isn't that far-fetched of an argument for why Trixster i- Ugh! Stop! Quit theory crafting up there, brain! I can't go around making junk up just cause I think it's the answer; there's waaaay too much wrong going on right now for any of my guesses to be accurate! All I'm going to end up doing is confusing myself even further than I already have... I need to focus on who this Trixster is, not who he was. Thinking he's the same Trixie isn't going to get me anywhere, because for better or worse he's his own stallion with his own hopes, dreams, and friends. I don't have nearly enough show knowledge to say otherwise... ... Okay... Okay... Breathe in and out, Barb... In and out... ... Let's start getting to the bottom of all this, shall we? A rousing game of ‘Spot the Difference’ sounds like the perfect way to kick things off. The rules will be simple, folks. First one to point an accusing finger at the biggest darn elephant in the room will be the winner. No points will be granted for aiming at either Trixster or Elusive, as neither of them are who I'm talking about anymore. Lastly, being the generous host that I am, I will be granting you one hint to help you along with this task; the main target is the strangest deviation that I've encountered thus far in my short second life, and the one I have no name for. Now then... Are you ready? 3... ... 2... ... 1, Go- Eh! Too late! Hate to break it to you, everyone, but my claw was already targeting Trixster's creepy assistant from the moment he referred to his employer as his 'best friend'! Thank's for playing though! Such a simple answer when you think about it; this performance has to be his work somehow! Every inch of it! He’s the unknown factor! He's the glitch in the system! I don’t recognize him from My Little Pony either, so that makes him a double suspect in my book! I bet he’s doing something from the shadows to give Trixster an edge! Hah! Yeah! It's so obvious!! ... ... ... That said... ... I can't, for the life of me, figure out what this 'something' of his could possibly be! Casting spells would be the most likely answer, considering that he’s a unicorn; thanks to my magic detecting scales, however, I'm no longer so sure. Whenever somepony is spellcrafting nearby I'm usually the first one to notice, as the act sends a soft buzzing sensation along the surface of my skin that's impossible for me to miss. My range isn't worth writing home about but that's beside the point; I've demonstrated this quirk of mine many times before in the past, and I utilized it earlier during Dusk's magic practice too! There's little doubt in my mind that its still working now as nature intended... but the only spellwork I’ve felt thus far has been from one Heartsong, two levitation incantations, and nothing else! This, unfortunately, rules out traditional unicorn spells hard. Quick magic lesson for the arcanly challenged; levitating objects is one of the smallest consumers of mana out of the entire spellbook, and one of the most benign magical processes still capable of tickling my scales at a distance. What this translates into is that, essentially; if it was possible for me to feel it down here in the audience, then I should have been able to feel everything else that happened onstage as well! This, admittedly, might seem like quite the bold leap in logic, but it's still the best hint I've been granted so far! I'm going to have to grant my ability more stock than I usually do if I want to figure all this out. Utilizing it now, I should at least be able to cut down a fair amount of the guesswork, and maybe even narrow my choices to something that's easier for me to grasp. Time to whip out our big girl thinking caps one more time, everycreature. If these two unicorns are not using complicated spells in their act, and Trixster's display was too good to be just raw skill, then by process of elimination they must be using magic even smaller than levitation... But what's more minor than that? Hmmm... I can only really think of two possible magical matrices less sophisticated than levitation. Number one is Horn Sparking; an incantation that's commonly used to jump start spellcrafting via a process that's basically mental flint against mental steel. It barely qualifies as a real spell, and it barely interacts with the world outside of the caster's head, so that leaves us with only matrix number two as our possible answer. Number two, for reference, is... is... Talent Spells... The magic that's tied to the event that revealed a pony's cutie mark... ... ... I want to say that we may have just zeroed in on our culprit... but I'm still not so sure. Talent Spells are notoriously weak incantations, to the point that they're often the first one's growing foals practice when their magic is at their weakest. Four out of five times they're not that noteworthy in comparison to everyday spells, which were actually crafted thanks in part to ancestral unicorns dissecting their own for research. To give some further examples of their inherit shortcoming; a list of them would include the likes of Dusk’s limited magic copying, Elusive's gem pinging, Gleaming Shield's remote barrier fueling, Moonhoofer's basic night vision, and Prince Solaris’... er... c-complete and utter control over the sun... ... With alicorns apparently being the clear exception, most Talent Spells are stupidly small and unnecessary. The unicorns I personally know don't even cast them in their daily lives, and heck... I'm willing to bet that there's some ponies out there that would be hard pressed to remember what their own Talent Spell even is! Seldom are they powerful, and seldom are they capable of altering another pony’s skills or body; especially to the degree necessary to make Trixster’s display appear completely legitimate. Ugh! So then… after much internal debate... we're now left with only two possible answers: One is that Trixster’s display was an honest showing of his rodeo skills, the other is that it was an honest showing of his and his assistant's magician skills instead... ... ... I don’t like either of those answers! Both of them suggest that these are ponies worth worrying about, and both suggest that this is a lesson that I’m going to have to start worrying about as well! It feels like the walls are closing in all around me! Ooooohhhh... What to do what to do what to do?! “What we need is another unicorn to challenge them.” Now blinking in surprise, I shake my head and return my focus to the present. A voice had suddenly spoken up, breaking through my frantic worrying and thankfully silencing my never-ending guessing. In response to these words, I turn towards the member of our group who had just uttered them, with unclear intention, over the crowd’s enthusiastic cheers and hoots. Elusive doesn’t return my gaze, as his eyes are instead locked on the returning form of the still flabbergasted Applejack. “Someone with some magic of his own,” the white stallion continues on, still pointedly not looking my way... though I'm unsure who else he could be speaking to. He's too far away from AJ and Dusk, and RD is only now turning his way... ... This suggestion of his is also nudging something loose from my memory banks... but I’m not sure as to what yet. “Yeah!” Rainbow Dash agrees eagerly, taking his concerned gaze off of AJ. “A unicorn to show these unicorns who’s boss!” !!! Dash's words finish the work Elusive’s own had started, releasing with it the nugget of knowledge that had been trying to materialize from out of my past! A quiet gasp escapes me as it does, one I quickly smother as I make to insert my two bits; taking advantage of what I now remember. “A-a real unicorn to unicorn tussle!” I add to this wave, hesitating only briefly as I do. The rest of the stallions join me soon after in leveling our gazes towards Dusk, making our intention clear... ... Feelings of guilt begin to bubble up within me as soon as the words leave my lips. I had just intentionally stepped on Applejack's original line for this scene, and robbed the male one the opportunity to contribute to it in the same way... ... ... Ultimately I felt that this was for the greater good... … because Elusive had just done the same with Spike’s line! Whether he had done so as purposefully as me I'm unsure; whether he did so with me in mind I'm equally uncertain. Perhaps my frozen state had forced his hoof into action early... perhaps he’s misremembering this part as I have a habit of doing... or perhaps I’m overthinking things, as I also have a poor habit of doing. Whatever the case may be, Elusive just proved that he does, in fact, have some show knowledge buried deep within that beautifully handsome head of his... ... This small revelation will have to do for now. I need to get back to focusing on Dusk. My charge still has to be uncomfortably pushed so that he naturally makes the decision to leave on his own, and so we can hopefully return to the canon path! Trixster’s welcoming attitude to his audience is an unaccounted wild card in this scenario, and one I’m unsure how to deal with... but we still need to reach the endgame somehow! The one where Dusk learns that it’s okay to be proud of his talents, and that it's okay to show them off when appropriate! I’m not sure if this highly unusual Trixster is capable of delivering such a message as meaningfully as Trixie did, but we still have to try. There’s also the little matter of his assistant... The one that's still shooting ominous glances Dusk’s way whenever he thinks nopony is looking… … Nope. That’s it. The solution is clear; I have to indirectly inspire two idiot fillies into leading a bear made of stars into Ponyville, so that Dusk can magic it away and gain confidence in himself as a result. I mean, duh, am I right? So obvious. As Applejack returns and joins us in our highly intentional prodding of Dusk with our eyes, and as the four of us draw in closer to encourage him into challenging Trixster himself (even though that's not my goal); the too-modest-for-his-own-good stallion shrinks under our pressure. He's beginning to mumble weakly to himself as well, “Uuuummm…” “Come on, Dusk,” RD pushes, fluttering above him. “W-well…” “Teach him that he ain't all that,” Applejack cheers under his breath, clearly still desiring for somepony, anypony, to show Trixster up. “But I don’t…” “We got your back,” I chime in honestly, though I don’t expect to receive a response. “Uhhh…” “...” “...” “...” “... Sigh...” Remaining just as unpredictable as I’ve grown to expect and hate from him... Elusive apparently experiences a change of heart.  “Enough. Enough, all of you,” the unicorn tailor orders, sternly giving the other stallions a look. He also does so while blatantly ignoring me, as per usual. “Take the hint, gentlecolts. Our Dusk Shine is clearly above nonsense such as this.” He then turns around... ... and determinedly marches his way onto the stage- wait what?! “Thankfully, though; Elusive is not,” he finishes cheekily, taking his place in the challenger circle and leaving me speechless. W-what is he doing?! Rarity only challenged Trixie in response to her mocking! She didn't flipping volunteer! Maybe my assumption about Elusive remembering this episode was a tad too hopeful for it's own good... ... Pleasedon’tscrewthisuppleasedon’tscrewthisuppleasedon’tscrewthisup!! “Oh ho,” Trixster chuckles lightly at the sight of the new challenger. “The Trixster welcomes you, Mister... Elusive, was it? Now then…” he mutters, allowing his eyes to wander over the white unicorn's body. “... You certainly seem like a stallion capable of wearing The Trixster’s treasured cape quite elegantly!”  “Damn straight I can, Tecluihd Lubbanveamt,” Elusive spits something crossly under his breath, before raising his voice and placing a hoof on his own chest. “Indeed... Though don’t expect that Elusive,” he taps himself with his hoof to emphasize. “will wear it nearly as flagrantly as The Trixster does once he wins it for himself!” “Oh? Well… The Trixster doesn’t expect he will,“ Trixster shoots back, granting us the first hint that he possesses a bite. “... because The Trixster now expects that Mister Elusive won't be granted the opportunity to wear it off this stage at all.” “Oooohh?!” Elusive grunts back indignantly, rising to the jab. “Now what does The Trixster mean by that, ‘Mister’ Elusive wonders?!” “Mister Elusive need not wonder any further,” Trixster answers, delicately swishing his cape for dramatic effect. “for The Trixster will soon demonstrate why this will undoubtedly be the case. So sorry.” "..." ... Elusive's face turns bright red with anger thanks to this simple barb, with his coat unfortunately only serving to aid in it's glow. The sight brings a small smile to my lips; looks like mother nature severely nerfed my husband's poker-face in his conversion from man to pony, heh. Maybe there is some justice left in the universe after all! “O-OH YEAH?!" Elusive now rages loudly as a result of this boast, having stupidly taken the bait. "W-WELL ELUSIVE HAS A FEW CHOICE WORDS TO SHARE ABOUT THAT, Y-YOU... YOU CHARLATAN!!” “HEY!! YOU LEAVE THE TRIXSTER’S GREAT AND POWERFUL MAMA CHARLATAN OUT OF THIS!!” “Um... guys?” the mysterious assistant finally deems it fit to step in, interrupting the shouting match before it could escalate any further. “Can we, um, hurry this along... please?”  He then turns to Trixster, and places a calming hoof on the stallion's chest.  “Come on, Trix," he speaks softly, trying to calm the surprisingly aggro pony down. "You know that the mayor only gave us an hour to rent out this space! We’re already fifteen minutes in with only one act to show for it... Think how that'll make you look...” “...” ... With a blush now upon his cheeks for his behavior, Trixster coughs into his hoof and settles down completely before our eyes. “R-right,” the azure unicorn stutters in embarrassment, scraping a foreleg against the wooden stage. “The Great and Powerful Trixster apologizes to his Great and Powerful guest, and to his Great and Powerful assistant, for the inconvenience. He shouldn't have gotten so heated over silly words as he had.” “... Er… W-well,” Elusive stutters back in turn, becoming self-conscious of his own immature actions. “Elusiv-, I-I mean I apologize as well. Name-calling is unbecoming of a gentlecolt such as myself.”  “And antagonization is unbecoming of a rising star such as The Trixster,” Trixster bows his head slightly, returning to his own gentlecoltly mannerisms. “Please, allow us to return to the show at hoof... Assistant! The cape, if you'd please.” With a nod of his own head to confirm, the assistant levitates over the spare cape and secures it to Trixster’s latest challenger, before silently exiting the limelight once again. Elusive squees briefly as he runs his eyes and hoof over the silken cape... before burying his enthusiasm behind a hoof, and an inconspicuous cough. “Very well. Allow me to demonstrate how a true rising star should conduct themselves! I may not understand the secret behind your tricks, Great and Powerful Trixster, but there’s more to magic than simple deceit... "... Observe!” he then orders, horn igniting into a light cornflower glow at the apex of his shout. Utilizing his Equestria given unicorn abilities, Elusive proceeds to reach out with telekinesis and yank a section of curtains right out of the stage’s set... ... which causes a minor inconvenience for Trixster’s assistant, who finds himself having to sidestep out of the sunlight now poking into his camouflaging shadows.  Uncaring of this detail, the Element of 'Generosity' makes excellent use of his ill gotten cloth by transfiguring it into a stunning royal blue suit coat with golden trims; one that compliments his new cape quite nicely. The audience oos and aas as every detail of the transformation is done deliberately slowly, showing off the mastery work being pumped into the spellcraft. The dying of colors, the de-stitching and re-stitching, and conversion of one state of matter to another; not even Dusk is this good when it comes to transfiguration! It looks like Elusive, this pony of questionable origin, is highly attuned with his special talent. Despite the mixed feelings I may have for him, I can’t deny that he’s very mystifying and strong looking when he’s in his element. It takes me back to my days of hovering over Jason when he worked on his commissions; the pure concentration regardless of my prying eyes, the sparkle in his gaze as inspiration strikes, the sweat glistening off his forehead as he powers through his body's limitations... Just like back then I... I-I can’t seem to look away from him! When he's working it's like he's a different man completely; a slender, gorgeous, thoughtful, powerful, hot ma- “Now don’t go sighing too dreamily there, Juliet~” Rainbow Dash snickers loudly, ejecting me from my fantasies with a playful ribbing into my side. “You’re going to pass out if you don't come up for air!” “I-I wasn’t sighing!” I snap back, with cheeks feeling warm and bothersome for no reason whatsoever I assure you. “And who told you about that ‘Juliet’ thing anyways, Dash?!” Still laughing, the pegasus chooses not to elaborate further as he instead whistles innocently in reply. Pouting at Rainbow's apparent spying behind my back, I turn to watch the show... only to discover that, outside of a quick combing of his mane, Elusive was already finished. “Magic should be just as stylish as the pony casting it,” our challenger finishes with a bow aimed towards Trixster, and then a bow aimed towards the cheering masses. Hooves are stomping mightily, shaking the very ground beneath me... … … I reluctantly add my own claps to the applause. Elusive may be a jerk who has yet to give me answers, and who always keeps me guessing... but I can't deny that he's at least a talented (and somewhat hot) jerk at the end of the day. So sue me if I grant him a little of the praise he's rightfully earned! I'm only dragon. Meanwhile, once the cheers at last settle down; Trixster's face, in complete opposition to how it appeared after Applejack's showcase, warps itself now into a not so amused expression. He's eyeing the aftermath of his challenger's latest display. “... The Trixster wishes you had asked for permission first before indiscriminately destroying his stage,” the showpony grunts briefly, using grayish magenta magic to readjust what little is left of his curtain. After taking a stealthy breath to calm himself, perhaps in a bid to avoid getting heated again, he continues on. “That having been said... The Trixster does agree with your words all the same. He feels that a caster should be just as stylish as his magic! This is why…” As he holds his 'why', The Trixster's own horn begins to shine out brightly in a light cornflower blue glo- Hey. Wait… ... Wasn’t it more of a pinkish color a moment ago? Did I only imagine that...?  ... … I guess he hasn’t been using it a whole lot during this performance, so maybe I’m mistaken. It's pretty bright out here, plus nopony else seems to be talking about this oddity, so that's just more fuel to the 'I imagined it' fire. On top of this, unicorn magic changing hues isn't completely unheard of; Dusk's own has been slowly changing from a grayish color into a raspberry-ish one ever since he discovered the magic of friendship! Well, anyways, like I was saying; as Trixster held his last word, his own magic begins to radiate brightly from underneath his trusted cap, and quickly weaves itself into a highly similar telekinesis spell to Elusive’s own. Unlike Elusive, however, the performer doesn’t use his stage’s curtains as the base of his design.  Instead his magic reaches out further, and gripes with it two complete spools of purple silk from offstage; presumably from where he keeps his fireworks and other wagon belongings during a show. With the cloth in ‘hand’, Trixster unravels the rolls together and magically disassembles them simultaneously. They fuse momentarily, colors warp, an army of needles rake and pillage it’s surface, and measuring tapes fly past the magician like trained fighter jets. They also fly past Elusive as well, taking his own measurement. The display lasts for only a minute, but once the task was done there's a single popping sound of teleportation magic that accompanies it. This particular spell fails to move anypony, but it quickly becomes clear that this was not the caster’s intention. No… instead it was utilized simply to make the two new costumes easier to apply to both his and his opponent's forms.  Standing tall in height adjusting horseshoes, Trixster now towers above Elusive in a new white dress suit that overlaps his cape. Gemstones dot key points throughout the ensemble, marking over where wings could have gone on a pegasus while etching distinct designs into the flanks. At first I’m unable to understand what design he was going for… ... but then I spot how Trixster's hat had been transfigured into a reddish wig and it all became shockingly clear to me, just as it had for about everypony else. Trixster’s quickly created suit was twice as intricate as Elusive’s own, having been designed to invoke the very image of Prince Solaris, while the blues and blacks of the other outfit transformed our potential human into what little the general populous had seen of Prince Artemis. “... The Trixster always dresses in style,” The Trixster finishes his sentence proudly, smiling brightly down at his ‘little brother’. “I-I…” Elusive stammers, looking himself and his costume over. “T-this is, how did you… GASP!” he then, well, gasps, as he points to Artemis’ faux cutie mark beneath his cape. “Is this made out of white topaz?!” “Why, yes,” Trixster answers truthfully, directing everypony’s attention to the fresh series of holes that had appeared next to his stage. “There seems to be a vein of them underneath your village's town hall... The Trixster assumes that you already knew this though, correct?” "U-um, w-w-wwell, of cour-. er, y, y-you see... Heh... Hahah, ha... haa..." With cheeks once again flushed apple red... ... Elusive guiltily shakes his head ‘no’, as he lowers it down in defeat. The crowd goes wild as Trixster, for the second time today, proves himself to be the more skilled performer. One pony, however, doesn't seem all that thrilled with this development as they were prior. “... Trix...” snarls Trixster’s assistant slowly and angrily towards his best friend, resulting in the magician jumping in surprise. As he steps forth from the shadows to reclaim the cape Elusive no longer had claim to, his eyes fix themselves entirely on 'Trix', causing the latter to wince. "Y-yes?" mumbles the suddenly frightened stallion; the one trying to shrink away from his partner's glare. "W-what is it, my faithful assi-" The assistant stomps a hoof, cutting him off. “Those holes... " he continues to fume, all while pointing exasperatedly at the marks Trixster had made during his performance. "... are going to screw us out of our down deposit! We needed those bits to replace all the fireworks, what were you thinking?!” “...” ... Trixster’s cheeks are now equally as flushed red as Elusive’s own. “Oh. H-hehe… Opps,” the guilty unicorn nervously laughs, rubbing a hoof behind his restored cap in shame. This 'assistant' is starting to remind me more of a 'manager' with each passing minute. “Um… here!” Trixster then shouts, as he magics the white suit off of himself and holds it aloft in his… pinkish magic?! Okay, I’m definitely not seeing things now! “Does anypony want to buy this suit?! The Trixster would really appreciate it if you did!” Assuming that this is all part of the show, half the audience laughs at the ‘joke’ while the other half provides Trixster with his much deserved second round of applause. “...” … As quietly as a mouse yanking unguarded cheese…  Clompclinkclink … Elusive throws a small bag of bits in front of Trixster, before taking the two costumes within his magic and scurrying himself off the stage. “Don’t judge me,” he grumbles lowly, returning to his place beside me and the rest of his friends. “I just want to study them, that’s all. They're… inspiring…” Though I role my eyes, I choose to say nothing. There's no real need to, after all; the rest of the gathered ponies are doing my job in laughing him off for me. So much for our first unicorn ringer... Upon settling on the decision to ignore what had just transpired, I turn towards Dusk and try to figure out what kind of state he’s in. He's still being quiet, and he looks uncomfortable with how blatantly magic is being showed off... but it also looks like there's a certain glint in his eye now; one that tells me that a part of him is enjoying this show to some degree... ... That's a perfectly understandable reaction, I feel. I mean... there’s been outstanding magic, there’s been unprecedented skills; a few laughs here and some brain stumping tricks there… ... … Damn it. Am... am I having fun here too?! … ... ... Y-yeah… Yeah! I guess I am! This is an honest to goodness magic show! One with volunteers, boasting, and a host not only capable of backing up his big talk, but one willing to impart some of his apparent wisdom on his challengers! I’m having a hard time staying mad at all this... ... Now, don’t get me wrong. I’m still worried beyond heck as to why this is so different, and I’m still worried about whether Dusk is going to learn today’s moral or not… but, at the same time, I can’t bring myself to be one hundred percent against what’s happening. Different isn’t always bad; Rainbow Dash proved as much to me last week! The Trixster's assistant may still be giving me some real bad vibes, and he's undeniably a weird spanner in the works... but maybe these two stallions will be able to help Dusk with this lesson after all! I just have to play my cards right. “Well, Dusk,” I speak up gently, as I place a reassuring claw on my charge’s leg. “It looks like it’s all up to you. You can do it.”  Surprised by the contact, and my confident words, Dusk looks my way first… … then at Trixster… … and then he tries to slink away once more into the background. “Come on,” I plead with him, raising my voice and causing his friends to turn towards him as well. “Show him what you’re made of!” “I’m… I-I’m not that special.” “Yes you are!” I press harder, speaking from the heart and for every pony present... though my intentions aren't as noble as they seem. Remember; I'm trying to get him to run away from confrontation, so that we can move into the next act. Said next act is the one where two colts led an Ursa into town, for reference. We don't really even need Trixie's double for that part! As long as Snips and Snail's fairer sex counterparts, Sugar and Spice, still get inspired enough by this show to pull off the same stunt; even if I have to get involved just like Spike stupidly did, I'm confident that Dusk will rise into action and save the day! He just needs to be poked hard enough first. “You’re one of the most magical ponies we know!" I continue on, speaking truths while simultaneously sowing the seeds of disorder. Being a Seer flipping sucks! With fists balled up, hiding my discomfort for doing this, I finish up my 'motivational' speech by stating, "If anypony here can give these guys a run for their bits, it’s going to be you-” “Weeeellll,” Rainbow Dash abruptly hijacks my speech, stealing Dusk’s attention away from me. H-hey! “While what Barb’s saying may be super true, I think I might actually have the best shot out of all of us here!” Before I’m able to refute this (honestly true) claim, Dash halts my words by flashing the cutie mark hidden underneath his cute skirt. “No offense, dude, but it’s all in the cutie mark,” he finishes his explanation with a large grin, letting go of the cloth in the process. The pony then flutters his way over to the challenger circle. Though thoroughly frustrated by his insistence... I ultimately decide to let this slight of his slide.  One more showcase before I push Dusk into competing again isn’t going to hurt anything, I guess. Dash's mare half faced Trixie in the original episode too, so we might as well let the inevitable showdown happen. Also, judging by how easily Trixster took out both AJ and Elusive, I'm not all that worried about RD accidentally winning and messing up the timeline in any meaningful way. Time is a River and a Stone; I may be outwardly rooting for my unofficial gal pal to take home the gold, but inwardly I'm certain that he's going to lose. Unhealthy thoughts concerning the potential illusion that is freewill aside; as I highlighted just a little bit ago, this is actually not too shabby of a magic show when you look at it unobjectively! I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't a tiny bit interested in seeing how Trixster is going to beat a flipping pegasus at their own game! I might as well kick back and enjoy the ride for now. “Ahhh!” Trixster beams happily, as Rainbow Dash lands gracefully upon his stage. “Welcome to the Great and Powerful Trixster’s humble abode, madame~” he greets his challenger in a… sultry sounding voice. ... Snort Oh... This is going to be good... ... though I'm curious as to why Trixster's assistant is now staring at RD with a raised eyebrow. “Thanks!” Rainbow beams right back just as happily; pointedly not mentioning Trixster's change in tone, nor his usage of the word ‘madame’. “I’m Rainbow Dash, the pony about to force feed you your words, Trixster!” “My my,” Trixster practically purrs in response, casually trotting closer. “Well... if the one feeding The Trixster is to be a beautiful lady such as yourself, then perhaps it will be an enjoyable experience!” Fluttering his eyelashes in turn, and hiding behind his mane in a seemingly shy manner, Dash playfully coos right back with, “Oh you~ Thank you for recognizing me as the lady I am, dear... Buuuuut I’ve got one thing to say to you.” “Hmm?” the performer flirts just as playfully, completely unaware of what's about to come. “Do tell, Miss Rainbow Dash. Do tell~” “Weeelll,” RD flirts harder, giggling. His smile is infectious. “you seeee…” I preemptively repress another snort as, between one blink and the next, my gal pal's eyes harden cockily; as he drops all pretense of foreplay and states quite clearly for all to hear that, “I’m a dude, dude~” The stage becomes dead silent. Applejack represses a snicker of his own right alongside me. Trixster blinks blankly in reply… ... … before slyly leaning in closer.  “And… What’s your point in stating that, Mister Rainbow Dash~?” Dead air is the stallion’s only answer, save for a quiet chuckling now emanating from the assistant in the background. “... Ummmm,” Rainbow retorts intelligently, with cheeks now crimson in hue. “Well… that backfired spectacularly. Guy's usually get super flustered when I... I... L-let’s…” he then titters, trying to recover. “Let’s just do this thing already, o-okay?” “Humph. Very well,” Trixster laughs victoriously. “The Trixster is already taken anyways... Now, assistant, please bring forth the cape an-” “Whoa whoa whoa... Not so fast there, dude.” Startled by the interruption, Trixster and his assistant turn their heads towards the speaker. Rainbow Dash's grinning returns in full force, as all traces of his earlier fumble disappear completely. “I’m good without the cape, thanks,” he tells the two stallions bluntly, his tone authoritative and full of a sense of finality. “I’ve tried them on before, and they only end up messing with my style.” “B-bu-” “If you want me at my best, dude,” RD cuts Trixster off, leaving no room for compromise. “And to prove to all of us that you’re really as Great and Powerful as you say you are, then I’m going cape-less. Flying in those things is dangerous anyways,” he stomps a hoof, spitting spitefully. “I lost my nana to a blimp propeller once thanks to them!” “O-oh... The Trixster is sorry to hear that, Mister Rainbow Dash...” “Eh, don’t sweat it," Dash wing shrugs. "We found her eventually.” “...” “...” “... The Trixster… does not know how to respond to that.” “I know how!” RD adds in cheerily, grinning largely as he regains his usual level of confidence. “Just say that you’re cool with me ditching the cape, dude! It’s as easy as that!” “...” "..." "..." “... Oh that birdbrain can be such a smarty mare sometimes,” Applejack suddenly whispers hushedly beside me. “Huh?” I ask him, drawing his attention. “Hmmm... Well,” the earth pony begins to explain, granting me a sidelong glance. “Ah was just startin’ to think that there was somethin’ fishy goin’ on with that there cape of Trixster’s... Ah’ll bet you two bits that it’s the reason he’s all Great and whatever!” Huh? The cape? That’s…  … actually a really good point! How did I miss that?! Along with the assistant, that cape is another wrinkle that’s making this day play out completely different to the original Boast Busters! Dusk once told me that cloth was capable of being imbued with spell matrices that last multiple years at a time, and that the incantation is simple enough for even novice spellcasters to do. While outfits may not be as good as gems or metal at the task, it’s still a very real possibility. I’m with Applejack on this. That cape must be enchanted or somethin- “That cape has nothing to do with this, you two.” Startled, Applejack and I turn our heads and cock our eyebrows towards the latest speaker. Said speaker, Elusive, simply pony shrugs back in return. “... Now how in the hay do you figure that?” Applejack asks first with a huff. “Makes the most sense to me as anythin’ else!” “And it did to me too, I assure you,” answers our defeated sounding unicorn, as a sigh leaves his lips. “Outside of it being a hundred percent fabulous and a hundred percent silk, however... it’s also a hundred percent inert. There’s not a single wisp of magic on it, not even in the lovely citrine gemstone holding the ensemble together. "Trust me... I checked the outfit thoroughly when I possessed it for that fleeting moment.” “... Well… horseapples,” AJ swears in response, uncaring for my ‘virgin’ ears despite now turning to face me. “Don’t suppose ah can convince you to take an I.O.U. for those two bits ah owe you, Barb? Ah'm a bit short at the moment...” Opting not to humor Applejack with an answer to this, I choose to instead set my focus on what's currently happening on the stage. Despite what Elusive had just explained about the cape... Trixster is still casting a nervous glance over towards his assistant all the same. He's also now visibly sweating. The equally suspicious unicorn, in turn, is stroking his chin as his eyes scan the entirety of Rainbow’s form. His peepers start first at his mane, move down towards his wings, and eventually settle themselves fully on our friend's long beautiful skirt… … before he nods his head once towards Trixster, and proceeds to step back into the shadows without another word. “The Trixster... will allow this,” Trixster concedes, hiding a relieved sigh. “J-just don’t expect him to be wearing your clothes once he defeats you!” “Hah!” Dash laughs back at this, not granting the change a second thought. “I bet you couldn’t fit in this pretty little number even if you tried, dude!” "..." ... Trixster’s ears deflate completely.  “Okay... Pointing attention to The Trixster’s generous waistline was uncalled for, Mister Rainbow Dash," the blue stallion laments. "Not cool.” “Oh… um… s-sorry?" the other blue stallion apologizes, rubbing a hoof behind his head. "Didn't think that was something somepony like you would be worrying about. You look fine to me, dude; probably could even rock a few of my old dresses if you wanted them." “... Hmph... The Trixster thanks you for understanding... and for your kind offer.” "Hey no prob, Trix." "... Only The Trixster's foalhood friend may call him 'Trix', Mister Rainbow Dash." "Oh... Sorry again then, I guess." “... Pst! Hey! Barb!” Knocked from my intense stage watching, thanks to the sudden cry of a familiar voice, I blink for a moment before coming to the conclusion that somepony was trying to get my attention. Huh? Glancing briefly at Dusk, Elusive, and Applejack fails to yield an answer for me, so I discreetly excuse myself from the group and poke my head out of the crowd. Once I do I first turn my gaze towards the back, and try to see if Butterscotch was the one who had just called my name... but, seeing as the guy is still stuck in the rear, I highly doubt he’s my target. Turning my head the other way, towards the bushes lining the backside of the stage, my eyes stumble upon the sight of the one I was looking for. In doing so, they also stumble upon the sight of a pony I was not expecting to be seeing at all today. “... Sweepy Belle?” I call out to the young colt hiding in the tall foliage. Scanning back, to make sure that nopony was following me, I approach closer. “Not that it’s not good to see you or anything, but what are you doing here?” The unicorn foal grins goofily in reply. “Um, hello?” he laughs as he whispers. “Free magic show? As if I’d ever miss something like that!” “Hehe... Good point,” I concede with a little grin of my own. Guess that's not all that surprising; I’m hard pressed to imagine any young unicorn willing to miss out on the chance to see some real magic being performed, just as it’s hard to imagine a pegasus foal not willing to see the Wonderbolts…  … That said... such a response doesn’t really answer my question now does it? “Why are you hiding in the bushes though?” I repeat, and further define, my question; leaving no further room for mistranslation. “Doesn’t seem like all that comfortable of a spot to me... Why don’t you join Elusive and the rest of us over at the front? We’ve got plenty of room up there!” Sweepy blushes at the suggestion, and stammers as he replies back with, “N-no thanks, Barb. I’m… I-I’m totally cool right here!” I stare at the colt dumbly. “... Really?” I again prod, giving him the stink eye. “R-really,” the pony shrinks under my gaze.  “... You can’t really see all that well from back here,” I point out, offering a glance towards the stage as the ponies on it move into position. “I guarantee you that it’ll be cooler looking from the front row.” “Well… y-yeah, but…” he stonewalls, not giving me a straight answer. “You see, from here I can, um, c-can…” Pop! “Ah!” I shout, and totally not shriek girlily, in response to the sight of Scooteroll bursting forth from out of the bushes. “Sweepy thinks that Trixster’s cape is cool looking, so he was gonna try to steal it when nopony was looking,” the pegasus youth tattles plainly, much to his friend’s great displeasure. “Scooter!” Sweepy squeaks crossly, cheeks burning red. He then, befitting his status as a little boy, punches his friend roughly in the arm for his double-cross. “Y-you didn’t have to tell Barb that!” “It’s the truth though, dude,” the harmed colt replies while rubbing his arm. “She was going to figure it out anyways!” While I’m flattered by his faith in my intelligence, let's be honest with ourselves here... ... There was no way in hell that I was going to figure such a thing out on my own. Giggling behind a claw, I make to comfort Sweepy Belle in his adorable aspirations at becoming a master thief. “It’s okay, Sweepy. That cape is kinda cool... but you shouldn’t try to steal it. Maybe your brother can make you one for Nightterror Night instead!” “It wouldn’t be made of silk though,” the unicorn pouts to himself, equally as adorably. “Elusive always chooses my costumes for me anyways…” “Better than going to jail though, I bet.” “That’s what I said,” Scooter adds in, with a little self satisfied nod to himself. “... Then why are you in the bushes too?” I next point out, tilting my head at the oddness. Scooteroll then, without missing a beat, replies with, “I want to ride in the police pony’s chariot when they come to take Sweepy away for his crimes.” Needless to say, I’m now laughing even harder. “You two are too much,” I choke up, as I wipe away a tear. Now about-facing from the bushes, I start making my way back towards my original group. “I’d like to hang out with you some more, guys, but Dusk needs my help with some stuff today," I explain over my shoulder. "I’ll catch you both later-” “Wait, Barb!” Sweepy interrupts me, forcing me to halt. “I didn’t call you over just to say hi or anything!” "... Huh?” I inquire loudly as I turn back, genuinely curious. “Then… why’d you do it?” "Becaus-" Sweepy tries to give me an answer, but Scooter swiftly cuts him off to say it instead.  “Because we figured out Trixster’s trick!” he practically yells into my face, resulting in me having to wipe away a sudden shower of spit.   “What...? Really?!” I gasp out, greatly surprised. “How?!” “You can’t really see how they’re doing it from the audience,” Sweepy details, now making room for me in the hiding spot. “You can only catch it from back here! Come on, check it out!” "..." ... I give Dusk, and the rest of the stallions, a quick glance to make sure that they’re all still where I left them, and that Dusk is still petrified with fear… … before accepting Sweepy’s offer to sit beside him in the bushes.  “Show me,” I ask pointedly, as I allow my scales to protect me from the foliage’s pointy bits. “I want to see.” This might be the big breakthrough that I needed. Something is clearly wrong here, but I still haven't been able to figure out what! Maybe in discovering how Trixster and his assistant are performing their act I can start getting my answers.  The timeline has deviated somewhere important and the result is a brand new Trixie. That’s not something that I would have had any influence over! As I theorized earlier; similarly to Rainbow Dash, something must have fundamentally changed in Trixster’s past in order to create the stallion that he is today. Where before his mare-half was all talk and no bite, this version of the same pony is a stallion who has an assistant, and who can actually perform quite well with very little prep-time. Perhaps in solving this mystery I can better protect Dusk from future deviations like him, and maybe I can start to better understand what makes my Equestria so incredibly different from the canon one too. It's a long shot, but it's the best shot I've got. Sweepy nods his head excitedly in confirmation to my request, happy to have me aboard. “Okay! Here's how you do it; wait until Rainbow Dash finishes his stunts, then keep your eyes on Trixster’s assistant first.” “Got it,” I reply, hardening my gaze onto the pony shrouded in the backstage’s shadows. “Then you’re going to want to switch to Trixster right after that, Barb.” “Got it,” I repeat for Sweepy, mentally preparing to change my target at a moment's notice. “Then look closely at Trixster’s flank!” “Got-” I start to parrot... only to then blink and stare over at Scooter. Scooteroll wing shrugs in the face of both mine and Sweepy’s concerned expressions. “What? It’s just what you have to do.” “You didn’t really have to put it that way though, Scooter,” Sweepy deadpans towards our orange friend. “... Did you want me to say ‘stare at Trixster’s butt’ instead, dude..?” “... Ah... Point taken.” “Guys,” I insist, with sight still trained on what little of the stage I could see from back here. “Focus. Rainbow Dash is starting.” A deathly hush falls over the bushes, as the three of us slide further into our childish hiding spots and watch as Rainbow takes flight. I’m able to catch glimpses of his performance, and I’m able to hear the audience’s reactions to his undoubtedly spectacular stunts, but my attention is too divided to properly care for either. The moment that mysterious assistant does whatever it is he’s been doing, I want to be the first to see. No awesome performance is going to distract me, and neither will the sounds Scooteroll is making as he fanboys over it beside me! My patience is eventually rewarded, as I’m soon able to barely make out the ending of Rainbow's show, and hear him state a hearty “One up that!” right before Trixster’s horn begins to glow softly. With the spell he casually adjusts his cap… … all while his assistant’s horn starts to glow as well underneath his tilted top hat!  My scales aren’t picking up any mana manipulation from him at this distance… This must be his Talent Spell! I guess he’s been casting it from his hiding spot behind the curtain, and shielding it’s glow behind Trixster’s minor telekinesis! Classic misdirection; my earlier guess that Trixie's equivalent was a talented magician seems to have been the right one. Nice.  So I now know that his assistant’s cutie mark holds the key to his performance... but what in Equestria could he be capable of doing with it that allows Trixster to be just as skilled with rope and cloth as Applejack and Elusive?! Like I said earlier, the spell unicorns gain from their cutie mark is ridiculously weak! Gem locating, magic scanning, harp tuning, sand counting, and smell enhancing are about the most ‘powerful’ spells the average caster has access to with them! They can’t affect another pony’s skills, they can’t change a pony into somepony they’re not... ~Sparklesparkle… sparkle~ Whoosh ?!?! A-and they certainly can’t do something like that!!! If it weren’t for my young friends’ advice I would have missed what had just happened completely. In the tiniest, most missable spec of a second possible; the assistant's horn had flashed out mutely in an invisible wave, had washed over both performers, and had gone on completely ignored by all... But Scooter’s tip to watch the flank had revealed for me the spell's most important detail during the flicking of The Great and Powerful's tail, and the microscopic window where his cape had lifted up slightly. Unbeknownst to us this whole time, that long silken robe of his had been hiding secrets most foul. Secrets like how The Trixster is a blank flank... ... and secrets like how Rainbow Dash’s cutie mark is slowly starting to appear where his own should have been.