//------------------------------// // Entry 7, End (Boast Busted) // Story: The Poisoned Barb's Tale // by ManlyDerp //------------------------------// ~In Another Time, In Another Place~ Ponyville is beautiful at night.  Such a simple statement, but nonetheless a true one The homely country hamlet becomes serene and picturesque the moment the sun sets in earnest. It has no nightlife to speak of, thus not a soul feels the need to linger once the shops close up for the eve. Outside of the occasional insomniac or studious scholar, most choose to willing heed the sandpony's beckoning cries; resulting in a village that is both peaceful and still beneath Princess Luna's lovely moon. No ponies, no lights, no prying eyes... ... It was the perfect stage for Trixie Lulamoon's less-than-grand return. Under the concealing cover of darkness, the shamed showmare snuck stealthily into the settlement where she had been so thoroughly 'wronged' mere hours ago. As she darted across empty streets, hugging at the shadows, she focused her attention on becoming a ghost pony; a being who leaves no trace of themselves behind, and who might as well never had existed at all. Envisioning herself as such, even if only for a fleeting moment, sickened The Great and Powerful Trixie to her very core. Her cowardly hiding stood in direct defiance of everything her cutie mark told her to be, and who she fundamentally was as a pony... But Trixie was no fool either. She knew that if she wished to achieve her goal discreetly, and avoid further humiliation, the temporary swallowing of her pride was a necessary evil. If anypony witnessed her pathetic return, let alone the same pony who had somehow bested her so easily... The thought sent shivers down Trixie's Great and Powerful spine. “Twilight,” the azure mare snarled lowly to herself, committing the name to memory; cursing it with every fiber of her being. “Even if it takes Trixie a lifetime, she will have her revenge on you yet.” Smothering a growl behind a hoof, and shoving her bloodlust to the side for later; the pony shook her head, and resumed the search for her trusty- “Aha!” she suddenly cried loudly, only to immediately clamp her mouth and scan for onlookers... ... Satisfied that her cover hadn’t been blown, Trixie proceeded to step forward into the clearing and cautiously approach her target. The sight of the mangled wagon was a sobering one for the young mare, and one that only served to strengthen her inner anger. Plywood, wood chips, and torn cloth laid abandoned in a massive heap exactly where the Ursa Minor had thoroughly stomped it. Perhaps the crushed fireworks, and the scattered remnants of their explosive contents, had discouraged the locals from disturbing the wreckage Trixie pondered. 'Either that, or because of the weight,' Trixie then realized, as her magic failed to so much as lift a single plank from the pile. Even the wheels proved to be unwieldy, refusing to budge from where they had fallen on their sides. 'Trixie never trusted those things anyways...' ... Slowly, the lone unicorn came to accept that there was no efficient way for her to salvage all of her smashed stage in a single night. Defeated, a begrudging compromise was then made within her mind; one where she recovered only the valuables for now, and vowed to return to reclaim the rest once it was carted away for the trash heap. The idea of dumpster diving was appalling to Trixie... but, with a sigh, she reluctantly admitted that it wouldn’t be the first time she had resorted to such a filthy act. "... Grrrrr..." Dwelling on this fact, this often ignored history, only served to make the ‘Great and Powerful’ Trixie even more flustered than she was before. As a distraction from her growing rage, she went to work throwing herself heavily into the mortifying task. Nudging the remains of what had been her home thankfully yielded most of what she was seeking; her tarnished cape, hat, bit purse, and remaining smoke bombs. Holes dotted the star adorned cloak completely, frustrating Trixie further than she thought ponily possible. Unable to spot anything else recoverable, and unable to tolerate being in Ponyville for even a second longer; the magician then roughly donned her tattered clothes and made to beat a hasty retreat... Slip~ Slip~ The appearance of a falling piece of paper, however; one that had been unintentionally disturbed from its resting spot, caught Trixie’s attention completely. Its entrance alone had forced her into halting... but the unknown oddity failed to truly brighten the mood in any satisfying capacity. ~Twinkletwinkle~ With the aid of magenta magic the strange object found itself yanked abruptly out of the very air, and presented fully for the furious caster’s eyes to glare at. The piece of paper revealed itself to be a faded photograph. Within the photograph lied the image of a young blue filly, with tired mother standing proudly by her side. “...” … Delicately placing her old treasure underneath her cap, Trixie never looked back as she galloped silently into the all consuming night. ~Back to the Then, and Now~ The assistant… can steal cutie marks. The assistant can steal… CUTIE MARKS… … … Well… that’s not completely accurate, I guess. Both Applejack and Elusive had their marks returned to them sometime before they had their challenger capes yanked away... … … BUT THAT DOESN’T CHANGE THE FACT THAT THIS PONY CAN MANIPULATE CUTIE MARKS!! H-how the hell is something like that possible?! How does a pony even develop a Talent Spell that does that?! Is he some kind of researcher of them? An ex-counselor? A serial murderer?! Calm down, Barbara. Caaaallllm yourself down… Don’t go jumping the gun yet. Outside of a few tidbits I learned from Dusk, I don’t really understand cutie marks all that well yet. I know that stealing and exchanging them is a crazy talent to have, and probably on par with Dusk’s spell copying one... but that’s about it. I can start making the assumption that gaining Applejack’s and Elusive’s marks is what allowed Trixster to pull off those earlier lasso and tailoring tricks, at least, and it’s probably how he's now self-hovering himself in a bid to one-up Rainbow Dash. Another thing I can start assuming; judging by his reaction towards Rainbow's insistence on not wearing the cutie mark concealing cloak, The Trixster is in on his assistant's spellcasting. If it weren’t for RD’s skirt doing the job for them, I bet their whole operation would have been blown wide open right there and then! Yeah! Their whole operation of… … … What are they trying to accomplish again? Trixie wanted unconditional admiration I think, regardless of who she stepped on... but so far Trixster's only been putting on a show and nothing else. Him and his partner hyped themselves up a bit, sure, and they have the audience wrapped around their hooves… but that seems to be the extent of their aspirations. For all intents and purposes, they're just traveling magicians looking for attention as traveling magicians do. It's how they make their money. You’d think that a talent that allows you to steal cutie marks would be more of a money maker than street magic, but maybe they're not really doing this for the bits? They could just be expressing their love of the art for all I know... ... Actually… what do I know anymore...? ... ... I know that this Trixster isn’t the same Trixie from the show... I know that his assistant isn’t somepony I recognize from the same show... And... I know that said assistant has had his eyes locked on my Dusk Shine this entire time. I may not know much, but what I do know is that Boast Busters, and it’s associated friendship lesson, are now at risk of being canceled thanks to a wobbly timeline. I also know what I have to do next. “Thank you so much for showing me this, you guys,” I tell the two children next to me, as I rise out of the hiding bush and back to my feet. Half watching the crowd as they cheered over Trixster’s aerial displays; I then turn to the colt who had shared his cover with me first, Sweepy Belle, and quickly grant him a grateful squeeze. “This helped me out a lot!” "Snort," I overhear Scooter snickering, under his breath, at the sight of his friend being too stunned to return my hug. “Anytime, Barb.” “Y-yeah,” Sweepy sputters a moment later in reply. "A-a-anytime." With determination fueling my movements, I let the unicorn go and speed my way back to Dusk’s side. I’ve got to tell him about this! “See you later!” I give the young foals a hasty goodbye as I leave, mind focused only on my task.  “... Hehe... Dude.” “Ugh… Yeah I know, Scooter.” “... Snort. Duuuuude~” “S-shut up, Scooter…” By the time I make it back over to the rest of the stallions, Rainbow Dash was already making a huffing return to the stands. “It took me months to perfect those moves, and a flipping unicorn does them in ten seconds flat?!” The usually chill pegasus rants and raves, revealing that his chill levels are currently at zero percent. “Ugh! And he has the balls to tell me to,” Dash attaches a hoof on his snout for this next part, making his voice sound nasally. “Place faith in your wings to catch you, not the ground, and you can do anything.” He releases his held snout. “Dude doesn’t even have wings! What the hay does he know?!” The furious pretty boy then aims his eyes on Dusk’s own and gives him a single, nonnegotiable command. “Kick his flank into next week, Dusk.” “I-I don’t want to kick his flank into this week!” my charge protests heavily, backing away from his eager friends. “How many times do I have to tell you guys that I’m, not, special?!” “Yes you are!” I insist loudly, pushing myself forward to the front of the group. “You're just as special as Trixster is... but he's only using tricks! You’ve got skill, Dusk; real skill! You have to show off how hard you've worked, please!” Okay... hear me out, everybody. Up to this point I’ve been prodding Dusk into action because I knew that’s what Spike did for Twilight. His was a very childish rationale; all he wanted was for his charge to put a stop to Trixie's unbearable boasting. The drake’s efforts ultimately didn’t amount to much... but it did, at least, manage to push Twilight out of her comfort zone enough to scare her into leaving. My own efforts thus far were being done in the hope of achieving a similar feat, so that we could preserve the episode... ... But now I'm trying to get Dusk up on that stage, and challenge Trixster, for real. Forget the bear, forget the assistant, and forget Spike; this magic show isn't the same as Trixie's was! Not anymore! I've got no guarantee that things are going to end the same way, outside of Time's Stone, so I might as well preemptively utilize the tools I've been given. Though AJ, Elusive, and RD may be salty over having been one-uped in their respective fields, that doesn't change the fact that Trixster has been giving them tips on how to improve themselves after each and every display! He's not belittling them as Trixie did, and he's not trying to humiliate them either; he's showcasing their abilities along with his own! That's awesomely noble, almost to the point of me overlooking his assistant's secret cutie mark theft... Almost. Anyways, like I was saying; I want to get Dusk to go up onstage all by himself so that Trixster can help him see that he's just as Great and Powerful as he is! And even if Dusk somehow wins, which I have equal faith in him accomplishing, Ponyville will go wild... ... just like they did when Twilight saved them from the Ursa! It's a win win! The sort of realization Dusk can gain from either outcome can help him discover today's moral! I know it can! I’ll have to work with his friends later to correct any aftermath that results from this slight deviation... One I can easily see happening is where Dusk still thinks himself as some kind of show-off for doing this, and another is where Trixster gets upset over losing. The latter should be easy enough to fix with a round of applause for his performance, as I don't see this stallion being as sore of a loser as Trixie was. The former, meanwhile, if it does happen I'll directly encourage Dusk to focus on the fact that it’s okay to be proud of his talents, and that it’s okay to show them off sometimes; especially when he’s standing up for his friends like he'll be doing! Twilight's friends helped her realize this lesson originally too, so it's simply Time's Stone resting in the River! ... Oh god, is this what it's like to be Solaris?? Yuck if it is. I said it once and I'll say it again; being a Seer sucks. 3D chess has got nothing on this nonsense... Though admittedly I don't know how to play that game... ... o-or regular chess either, come to think of it, hehe... “Barb, stop it!” my charge yells at me, clearly not appreciating what I had said. Looks like I'm going to need to push just the teeniest bit harder. “No means no! I’m not more special than Trixste-” “His assistant is taking cutie marks,” I disclose in a hushed whisper, yanking one of his ears and forcing it closer to my lips. Dusk has to hear this so that he stops being all scared, and instead becomes inquisitive; hence my need to spoil it. I also don't want to rudely ruin the secret for anypony genuinely enjoying the show; hence my need to whisper. “I saw Rainbow Dash’s own on Trixster's flank right before he copied him! The capes cover up the swap, and then the assistant takes them away after he puts them back!” This revelation results in Dusk halting. “...” … He then grants the stage a searching look, glances over at Trixster, meets the assistant's eyes with his own for the first time all day long… … and finally he looks down at me and… sighs disappointingly. What? “Barb... Don’t make stuff up like that,” Dusk scolds me, shaking his head. “What?!” I repeat my mental thought verbally. “Dusk, I’m being serious!” “And so am I,” he retorts, no longer listening to his friends or their insistence of him going onstage. “Cutie mark alteration spells are forbidden for a reason. Nopony knows what the long term consequences of their use is.” “Bu-” “Suggesting that Trixster is using such a thing for a magic show is very immature.” “Immature?! But, Dusk, they really ar-” “It’s irresponsible too.” “DUSK!”  “And also not likely,” the 'teacher' finishes, not allowing me to get a word in edgewise. “Cutie mark manipulation is an incredibly advanced spell, and one that requires a lot of talent to perform. It’s not something just anypony can learn from a book. It’s not something anypony is allowed to learn either!” “Bu-” “Besides,” Dusk cuts me off one final time. “If they really are swapping cutie marks… “... then why has Trixster been able to copy everypony's talents better?” “That's becaus-” I start, making to argue this point… only to realize... ... I don’t really have a ground to stand on in this fight. Dusk… is right. Trixster has been better at these feats than the original pony. He out-fancied Elusive’s design, learned Dash’s tricks faster that he did, and he actually taught Applejack a thing or two about lassoing! There must be more to his routine than I initially thought... I saw that Trixster is normally a blank flank before the cutie mark swap; maybe the answer lies there...? ... ... Ugh! You know what? That's probably going to be it! That's probably going to be it... ... because nopony would believe me if I told them that Trixster is a blank flank! It's the hardest truth to believe; such a thing is scientifically impossible! For the less informed; pony puberty is tied to cutie marks. They're what influence their height, weight, features, and overall growth. It's why children are obsessed with them, because regardless of when they get theirs they know that they're not that many years off from becoming young adults like Dusk and his friends are. If Trixster was really cutie markless, then he'd be looking a whole lot more like a Great and Powerful Colt than a Stallion. I suppose such a thing can happen; if I remember correctly the oldest recorded case was with a thirty year old who looked like he was ten... But it's a super rare condition, and clearly one Trixster didn't have to suffer through. He has to have a cutie mark somewhere... It's just not on him now... and its absence didn't leave any indication of it's existence behind; indicating unbelievably complicated spell crafting which, as I've established earlier, shouldn't be possible without my scales having detected it... ... Ugh! Just my rotten luck! My lack of magic knowledge, the unlikelihood of a Talent Spell being this powerful, and the assistant's unassuming nature has resulted in a cocktail of BS where I look like a big fat liar. Telling Dusk that Trixster is better at the talents because he's a blank flank can be refuted by my charge simply pointing out that he looks the same as him in age. Claiming that the assistant can not only swap marks but steal them temporarily would lead to an inquiry about what my scales have been picking up today, which has been a whole lot of nothing. Arguing that this last point was due to it all falling under his Talent Spell would result in me getting laughed off, and the rest of my guesses labeled as the ramblings of a child! If I was better versed in what's possible and impossible with unicorn magic, maybe I could made a stronger case... But at this point I think it's safer to just drop the whole subject, cut my losses, and stop talking before I lose anymore credibility. Two steps forward, and twenty back. My life in a nutshell. “Barbara,” Dusk goes on, making sure to lecture me for my oversight. "You have to think your words more carefully." A truer sentence has sadly never been spoken. Chessmaster I am not. I should probably stick to playing O&O... or maybe checkers. “When you look at the facts unbiasedly, Barb, the answer is clear. There’s no way tha-” “That a pair of ponies from Sire’s Hollow could ever dare to be as gifted as a unicorn from Canterlot, hmm?” Blinking at being interrupted; Dusk and I, along with everypony present, turn towards the speaker. With eyes locked on my charge's, Trixster's assistant leers back; his grin wolfish. “... What?” Dusk answers, unsure how to process what the stallion had just implied. “Be as gifted,” the assistant repeats himself, as he removes his top hat and focuses on casually dusting it off. “Sorry, but I overheard you mentioning something about there being ‘no way’ we could ever be as ‘talented’ as whatever and I, just…” He halts his hat cleaning. “... took offense to that,” the threatening pony finishes strongly, now using his turquoise hued magic to set the cap aside. … ~Twinkletwinkletwinkle~ POP!! Within the span of the second necessary to release his hat and set it on the ground, the assistant's magic rapidly twists itself into a new matrix completely; a teleportation spell.  One aimed at Dusk. Collectively gasping along with the rest of his friends, I turn and watch as my charge is forcefully relocated to the stage’s challenger circle. He's still reeling from the experience even as we speak. “W-what the,” he mumbles fearfully, becoming acutely aware of the massive amount of ponies now on watching him.  “If you think you can best a couple of country ‘bumpkins’ like us in magic,” the assistant heckles, getting in Dusk’s face. “If you think you have more talent then both of us combined, then… come on. Show us what you’ve got. “Show us all.” “I-I,” Dusk stammers, shaking at the knees under the other unicorn’s unwavering glare. Moving without meaning to, I start to make my way closer to the stage. “Dusk!” I cry out, taken aback by the malice; wanting to get my friend out of this situation. He was supposed to face Trixster, not this psycho! I-I don't know what's going on anymore!! But... Thankfully... ... It would seem that I’m not the only one instinctively crying out for their companion right now… “Stardust!” … as Trixster is doing much of the same with his own. At the calling of his name, the assistant takes his eyes off of Dusk and levels them evenly with his friend’s own. Trixster does not look amused. “... Is this a new challenger you have hoofpicked for The Trixster?” the azure stallion comments piercingly, his face very clearly shooting an unspoken message of ‘Control yourself’ towards his partner. The assistant, Stardust, stares back neutrally at the meaningful expression… … before taking a step aside, and performing a modest bow. “You got it, Trix,” Stardust replies with head held low, and foreleg pointing at Dusk. “I think this one will put on a decent enough showing.” “Hmmm… The Great and Powerful Trixster accepts then.” Stardust’s sneer grows in his bow. “As you wish,” he chuckles, stepping aside. “H-hey wait a minute!” Dusk protests, trying to get a handle on what's happening. “I didn’t agree to-!” “Come on, Dusk!” Applejack, without warning, cheers from the crowd, causing Dusk to freeze in place. “You got this!” “N-no I don’t, AJ,” Dusk denies, trying to remove himself from the stage discreetly. “Put those smarts to good use, egghead!” Rainbow Dash next prods. “Can’t I do that without making a foal out of myself?” “Shine out like a diamond!” Elusive adds in, raising his voice over the others. “Diamond’s don’t possess a natural light source of their own to do tha- Ugh! Guys! Stop it!” “... We believe in you,” I speak softly, claws clasped as I put all my faith in fate, my charge’s hard earned skills, and Trixster's desire to put on a show, not a roast. This Stardust character may have blood out for Dusk, for reasons I can't possibly imagine... but his partner has earned my trust with his actions. The Great and Powerful Trixster has earned the right to teach my charge his lesson; the one written in Stone. “Barb…” Dusk mutters weakly, halting his retreat. His ears droop as he looks out over the eager crowd… … only for said ears to rise in shock as he spots the challenger cape now being slowly levitated over to him. Perhaps he’s recalling what I tried to warn him about the secret to their trick; perhaps he's seeing the cloth as a symbolic representation of there being no escape from this challenge, perhaps it’s as simple as him not liking the colors, or perhaps he thinks it'll chafe. Whatever the case may be, it looks as though my charge is terrified of wearing that stupid cloak now. Visibly panicking on stage, prancing in place, Dusk’s fight or flight reflex instinctively kicks in; fully charging his horn with a spell. Leaning his head down, aiming the magic directly at the closest pony, the incantation goes off in a brilliant burst of raspberry hued colors. The result… ~ZAP~ ... is the underwhelming appearance of an incomplete, patchy looking handlebar mustache upon Trixster’s upper lip. Stardust, still holding the yet to be applied cape with his magic, stares mutely at his partner’s new facial hair. Trixster wiggles his lip experimentally, but otherwise says nothing. The entire audience is equally as silent and unsure how to respond. … … ... Snrk… That had done it. One tiny snicker, one little confirmation that what we had witnessed was humorous in some way, was all that was needed to open the floodgate; transforming the stillness into a tidal wave of jeers. Dusk’s cheeks turn crimson with embarrassment, as the audience starts their booing; unimpressed by the meager showing of skill. Even the stallions next to me can’t help themselves from laughing under their breaths... Though, to their credit, at least they were trying to spare their friend's feelings the best they could. I think the only one here not laughing at all is... ... me. ... I... ... ... What have I done? “Hehe… an… interesting tactic, The Trixster admits,” Trixster chortles himself, taking his own humiliation in stride; playfully batting his new doo. “Truly! It's just, well…” “Not one we expected to see coming from a unicorn above the age of five,” Stardust bluntly finishes, pointing out what had most likely started the mocking laughs. When you hype something up and not deliver on it, even if you weren’t the one doing the hyping, such a reaction is to be expected. Trixster hesitates, before confirming his assistant's words with a nod. “Well... there is that too, The Trixster supposes... But The Trixster was more not expecting his opponent to be using a spell…” ~ZAP~ “... that he himself dabbled with when he was a foal,” the showpony ends his sentence with a little satisfied shake of his head, having slung a perfect replica of Dusk’s spell right back at him. Even without borrowing his opponent's cutie mark this time; as was the case with every other display today Trixster did so better. My charge's face is now adorned with a long and flowing white beard, one that starts at his chin and ends on the floor. It’s simple and uninteresting, but that wasn’t the point. The point was to show Dusk Shine just how outclassed he was, cutie mark or not. “The Trixster can show you how to perfect the spell, if you so desire, Mister…” the winner of the duel begins to offer, though he quickly realizes something important. “Oh! I never ask-, I-I mean The Trixster never asked for your name! Apologies, but the invitation still stands.” Trixster offers Dusk a hoof. “Would you like to learn ho-” Dusk takes a skittish step away from the hoof. Snipsnipsnip Dusk hastily summons a pair of scissors to forcefully remove his new beard with. Clip… clop… clipclopclipclopclipclopclipclop Dusk... ... runs away. “D-dusk! I yell out, trying to give chase after the fleeing pony. I make it about as far as the outside rim of the audience before I trip and fall on my face; everypony is too busy stomping their hooves in cheer over Trixster’s success to grant me even grounding. The three stallions I leave behind in my haste remain rooted in place, unsure how to react to what had happened. “Wait!” I shout again, scrambling back to my feet, trying to run. From my position so close to the outskirts, unlike with the rest of the group and perhaps even with the rest of the distracted crowd, I'm the only one able to tell that Dusk is crying. Either uncaring or unaware of this, Trixster pony shrugs at his opponent's rejection for help, and instead turns to address the rest of the lively audience. “Thank you! Thank you all so very much! The Trixster is honored to have had such a wonderful greeting to your fair hamlet! “But… please do not grant The Trixster all of the glory, for he would be nothing if it weren’t for the assistance of his best and oldest friend.” Not giving a flying feather over what Trixster is yammering on about, I push my way between pony after pony as I try to cut a straight line to my hurting stallion. “Dusk, wait!” “So then,” Trixster continues on. “Please honor The Trixster with an equally loud cheer…” “Dusk!” I scream over the murmurs as I burst forth from the back of the pack. Where is he where is he… Ahh! He’s already galloped himself into town! “... for his Great and Powerful Assistant…” What to do what to do what to- !!! Wait! I know one of the ponies back here! If I’m remembering things right, he should be somewhere over… “Butters!” I shout out, trying to get the massive pegasus’ attention. The burly stallion, having actually taken his eyes off of the show long enough to witness Dusk running past him, turns to me and asks a simple question of, “Huh?” “Go after him!” I plead, as the horde threatens to suck me back into it. “Hurry! He…” I stop to catch my breath, and to reorganize my thoughts. Boast Busters is officially screwed royally, a-and I don’t know what to do! A bear isn't going to fix this! If I hadn't been trying to pretend I was Spike for so long m-maybe I could have... But I-I trusted Trixste- No, Dusk did this to himsel- No! It wasn't his faul- AAAAAAAHHHHHH!! There’s only one thing left I can think to do anymore to salvage this day and that's... ... believe. Believe in the power that's greater than the River and the Stone. Believe in the force more reliable than my show knowledge. And believe in the might vaster than even death itself. I... have to believe. I have to believe in the Magic of Friendship. “He... needs a friend, Butters,” I beg to Butterscotch, praying he gets the message. Please... he must have noticed him crying, please! "He... needs his friend..." "..." ... My heart feels lighter a moment later as, with a single shake of his head to confirm that he heard me; Butters stretches his wings out and launches himself into the air. The shockwave alone knocks me and a few nearby ponies back to the ground, but it’s a minor inconvenience all things considered. Returning to my feet once again, I pant for a moment as I turn back towards the stage, trying to make it out one final time. On it I find Trixster, hoof aimed squarely at his assistant, as he happily presents him to me, and everypony else, by his full name of; “Stardust Glimmer!” The soft pink-purple unicorn stallion, with the overlapping white and purple falling star cutie mark, roles his arm dramatically once more and grants us all a low bow. His flat mane style, made up of a mixture of aquamarine and purple hairs, stays perfectly in place as he removes his top hat and sets it to the side. Bits are being thrown in from the audience, but this detail seems to matter not to the pony as he continues to cheekily spy on Dusk's retreat. It doesn’t matter to me either, nor does his stupid self-satisfied smirk. What matters is solving the mess his... and my... interference created. As I turn away to chase after the distant form of Butterscotch, hoping that he’s following my instructions... my foot remains frozen in place as a thought crosses my mind. “... Wait…” I give the stage, and Stardust Glimmer, a last glance as my memories replay everything that had just transpired. “... When…” ... “... When did we ever mention that Dusk was from Canterlot?” … … … I quickly resume my chase. _______________________________ … BOOM!! The very ground beneath me finds itself rocking for the third time today, as Butterscotch makes a rough landing a little ways away from where I'm at. Having thankfully been following his aerial pursuit on foot, I’m instantly able to tell which alleyway he had just dive bombed thanks to the billowing dust cloud he kicked up in his wake. Turning the corner, sure enough, there’s Butters... and there's Dusk. My charge had galloped face first into Butter’s hairy beard and chest, but it looks like the latter's sheer girth had softened the impact for both parties. Rather then let his friend slide off him comically and onto the dirt; the Element of Kindness instead willingly lowers himself to the ground, and allows the unicorn to continue to treat him as a pillow. The two of them remain still and unmoving as I stand by and quietly watch. “... Dusk?” Butters eventually works up the courage to speak to the pony he had been chasing. “Are you… okay?” “... N-no,” Dusk whimpers into Butter’s chest, keeping his face exactly where their collision had left it. “...” “...” “... Do you want to talk about it?” “... I…” SLAM! Startled by the sudden sound, Butters and I turn our heads together and discover that a door had just banged open. It seems that we have somehow found ourselves in front of Sugarcube Corner’s back entrance.  It would also seem that we have just incurred Bubble Berry’s ‘wrath’ with our loud entrance. “Okay, who's the wise pony who just ruined my soufflé?!” BB growls angrily, head darting every which way. “Why I oughta- Huh? Butters? Barb?” He then discovers Dusk’s prone form. “... Dusk?” the party pony relents, his voice instantly switching from an upset tone to one full of concern. “W-what’s going on?” Poor Butters looks a little overwhelmed, having his attention split between his two friends, so I decide to be the one to properly explain things to our latest arrival. “We just got back from the magic show that's going on in front of town hall, BB.” “There... T-there was a magic show?!” BB shrieks lightly, returning to being upset. “Why didn't anypony get me?! I want to see a magic show too!” ... Oh... I... guess I hadn't thought about bringing Berry along. Pinkie Pie wasn't apart of the original Boast Busters, so I must have mentally written BB off as a non-entity for today. I had done the same with Sweepy Belle and Scooteroll as well... ... ... Never again. “I'm sorry, BB," I apologize honestly, vowing to rethink how I view my role in this series going forward. "It was nothing personal, I swear! I-I guess we just assumed you had heard about it already.” “... Girl... do you have any idea how hard making a soufflé is??” the pink pony scoffs at this, acting like I had just slapped him across the face. “I haven’t seen sunlight in over seventy two hours! How the flapjack was I supposed to know what was going on out here?!” “Um… what?" I blink, now more confused than concerned. "Berry... I don’t think those things usually take that long. Maybe the batter, but-” “Hey,” BB cuts me off. “I never said I was good at them! Yeesh! Get off my back!" "... What? But... You were just on mine fo-" "Anyways," he cuts me off again, though this time seeming more like his usual cheerful self. "How did the show go?” Deciding that I wasn’t in the mood to decipher the many wonders of Bubble Berry today, I wave a claw over Dusk’s form and answer the question with a simple statement of, “See for yourself.” “Dusk was humiliated,” Butters answers as well. The large pony then places a single wing gently over his hurt friend, covering him completely. “He’s crying.” “... You didn’t have to tell BB that part, Butters...” “Everypony here can tell, Dusk,” Butters coos kindly. “It’s okay. I do it all the time.” “...” Reluctantly, and with a bit of willpower, Dusk shifts himself in his yellow embrace and faces BB and I directly. His face is an absolute, puffy eyed, snot-filled, mess. Poor guy... ... both him and Butters. Hope he's got plenty of soap back at his cottage. That's not going to be easy to scrub out of pink hair. “It’s so... stupid," Dusk complains, sniffing back mucus. “T-there were sooo many better spells I could have cast, but I ended up using the one he was better at! Gah!” ... ... ... Um... what? Okay… that wasn’t quite the response I was expecting to hear from him. “Wait,” I make to point this out, gaining his attention. “Soooo, you’re saying that you wanted to show them up?” “N-no,” is the unicorn’s weak reply, as he turns away from my staring. “I didn't... I-I’m just mad that I didn’t show something better. The thing you told me about the cape threw off my concentration…” ... … Yeeeeaaaahhh I’m gonna have to call horseapples on this call, coach. “Dusk, you didn’t want to go up on that stage at all!” I shoot back, stomping a foot. “But now you’re saying you’re upset because you got showed up by them...? “... You know what that makes you now, Dusk, right?” “... Don’t you dare say it, Barb.” “It makes you…” “D-don’t you say it!” “... A hypocrite.” "..." Dusk groans. “Why oh why did I teach you that stupid word again?” he mutters angrily to himself, shaking his head. “You lost the coin flip,” I reply with a shrug, though I’m sure he wasn’t actually seeking an answer. “Come on now, spill it. What are you really upset over?” “Yeah, Dusk,” BB chimes in, stepping closer. “I don’t want to see you all mopey! Turn that frowny upside downy!” “We’re here for you,” Butters hums warmly, granting me a meaningful glance before directing his eyes back to the stallion in his hold. “...” "..." "..." "..." Our combined efforts seem to work after a time as, with a single sigh to himself, Dusk Shine finally relents. “... I think showing off your talents is wrong,” he begins to explain for us. We remain quiet as he does, and encourage him to continue on. “I didn’t want anypony to think that I’m better than them just because I know a lot of magic… “... but I also didn’t want those two making me look like a foal like they did.” “I think you did that to yourself, Dusk.” “Barb!” “I’m just saying it like it is.” “...” Dusk now sighs for a second time. “No… n-no you’re right," he admits for me. "I’m the only one to blame for how I reacted, but I don’t know what I could have done better…” “Why didn’t you show everypony some of your crazy cool magic spells?” BB interjects, looking at Dusk thoughtfully. “Because I didn’t think it was right!” Dusk snaps back. “Weren’t you listening?” “Yuppers,” Berry bounces gaily in place. “Every word... Buuuuutt it totally sounds like you didn’t even try to show everypony the kinds of stuff you’ve shown us!” “That’s because I’m not okay with what I've shown, okay?!” Dusk discloses in a defeated huff. “I’ve never been fine with you guys seeing it! My magic is only for a last resort! "If... i-if you two knew the kinds of things I'm capable of doing… that I have the magical talent to pull off... you... y-you’d hate me foreve-” “Horsefeathers.” The three of us, in shock, turn towards our apparently sailor-mouthed fourth. To his credit, Butterscotch at least looks embarrassed by his choice of words. “Sorry,” he mutters lowly, shying away from our gazes. “B-but I don’t think you have anything to be afraid of when it comes to using your magic around us, Dusk. Trust me; I know more than most about being afraid.” “... Butters,” Dusk makes to counter his impromptu pony pillow, looking up around a pink beard. “You don’t understand. The stuff I can do is really scary. Solaris taught me how to defend myself, which means I... I-I know how to h-hurt ponies...” "..." Butters... takes a breath... ... and then counters this claim harder. “Can you accidentally crush a creature to death underhoof without even noticing, Dusk?” Butters asks plainly without hesitation, widening both mine and my charge's eyes. “Can the beating of your wings alone tear the feathers off of smaller animals...?  “Is your sight capable of making others do your bidding against their will?” “I… I-I…” “Whoa whoa whoa, Butters!” BB jumps in, taking the now frightened Dusk Shine away from his once comfy hug. “Easy there! I-I thought Rainbow Dash was teaching you not to think those spooky little thoughts of yours anymore!” “He is,” Butters confirms, before rising to tower over us all. With eyes still trained on Dusk, the pegasus continues. “But I have to think them, so that I remember not to carelessly injure somepony.” “I-I don’t understand.” With a small, sad smile for his unicorn friend's confusion; Butterscotch uses a wing tip to lift up his pink mane, flashing cyan hued peepers. “I... was born with something I call ‘The Stare’, Dusk,” he explains, leaning over slightly to allow Dusk to get a better look. “When I focus real hard, creatures listen to me no matter what.” “That sounds like a innate Talent Spell,” my scholar muses, his mind temporarily going from troubled to curious before swiftly returning to the former. “Is that why your bangs are so long?” “It is,” Butters confirms, not denying it. "Sometimes the Stare turns on without me meaning to use it." Dusk shutters at the thought. “O-oh…” he pauses, trying to sort out his feelings on this. “T-that’s…” He takes a deep breath. “I’m... I'm not afraid of you, Butters,” Dusk finally stammers in reply, drumming up some resolve for his sensitive companion's sake. “I know you. You’re my friend, and not the type of pony to use something so frightening-” “I’ve used the Stare twice in the last three hours, Dusk, and ten times in total throughout this week alone.” This shuts Dusk right the heck up. This also disturbs me quite a bit if I do say so myself. You think you know a guy... “I’m too big to help smaller animals,” Butters laments, turning his head away from us. “But... helping animals is what makes me the happiest! I don’t want to hurt anycreature, so sometimes I have to gently poke mice and squirrels in different directions so I don’t step on them. “I’ve never purposely used it on ponies before... b-but I know that there might be a day where I’ll have to.” “Where you’ll… have to?” Dusk parrots. The tone of his voice suggests that something is starting to click. “Oh yes,” the grayish gold pony answers in a relaxed manner, as if we weren’t talking about flipping mind control. “I have to use The Stare on animals when I have no other choice, and ponies too scared of my size to listen wouldn’t be much different. If I don’t, then I might hurt others simply by bumping into them. I-I couldn’t live with myself if I ever did that!” “It’s all about using your talents smartly, Dusk!” BB giggles to himself, stealing the ending to Butter’s speech. Butterscotch thankfully doesn’t seem to mind all that much, as I think he was about to hit the limit of his comfort zone. “A super smartypants like you should have already known that, hehe!” “... Using it… smartly...” Dusk… blushes. “I-I guess I did already know that, somewhat,” he admits, shrinking away. “T-that must have been why the magic show was bothering me so much. Ponies shouldn’t be throwing powerful magic around like that just to show off-” “Eh eh!” Berry halts Dusk's words, all while making an X shape with his two front legs. “Wrong oh mundo, my amigo!” “Huh?” Dusk asks BB, deeply bewildered. “W-what do you mean?” “Hehe, silly Dusk," BB snorts back, ruffling Dusk's mane. "There’s nothing wrong with showing off a bit!” “... What?" my charge objects, passively fixing his mane. "Yes there is! I don’t want ponies to think I’m some kind of blowhard!” Suppressing another giggle, BB proceeds to make an overly dramatic display of acting all offended. “Oh goodness gracious!” he taunts between breaths, pretending to be serious. “Solaris forbid we think you some kind of show-off, Dusk! Why, if you were, we might mistake you with, say... Rainbow Dash! You know… “... the pony whose special talent is literally showing off?” he finishes by deadpanning. His expression looks amused and unamused all at the same time; thus was Berry's power. "..." ... Dusk is now blushing even harder than he was before. “I… ahem… I-I guess I forgot about that part too…” he admits, all while burying his head further into the ground. “There's never been anything wrong with him showing off what he worked hard on, so why did I think...? "... What have I been doing this whole time?” "... Dusk! Hey, Dusk, where are you?! Ugh! Where did that dude gallop off to- !! Hey! He’s over here, everypony!” Surprised by the distant shouting, I turn away from the boys and discover that Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Elusive are now making their way over to our little comforting huddle. “Dusk!” the three of them call as one, as they draw in closer. “Please, please don’t hate me, you guys,” Dusk answers back sheepishly, as he stands back up and takes a step away from them all. “... Why... whatever do you mean, good sir?” Elusive asks first for the group, his eyebrow thoroughly raised at his fellow unicorn’s odd request. Dusk steels himself for his next words. “I... I-I was such a stick in the mud about using my magic at Trixster’s show,” he starts, mentally working through his feelings. “I know how much you all hated his constant one-uping, and how much you wanted me to stick up for you, b-but I thought in doing so that I was going to have to sink down to his ‘level’... “... Butters and BB helped me realize, however, that there wasn’t really a ‘level’ for me to sink to! There was nothing wrong with what him and his assistant were doing... but I could have at least stuck up for you guys. You were all relying on my magic, and I was so far up my own flank that I let you down, a-and… I’m sorry.” “Whoa! Hey easy there now, haystack,” Applejack steps forward, neighborly ribbing Dusk in the side. “Magic’s got nothin’ to do with any of this! Sure that no good Trixster may have given us a run for our bits, and it would have been real swell of you to knock him down a peg, but it’s your magic and yours alone. We shouldn’t have been pushin’ you to use it like we were... Ah apologize.” “I concur,” Elusive adds in. “Um… same,” I tack on as well, taken aback by this apology train Applejack, of all ponies, had started.  I’ll continue to hold my tongue on my true feelings until I see how this plays out. “Your magic is a part of who you are, dude,” Rainbow keeps the apologies coming. “You use it how you want to. It’s awesome to have a powerful and talented unicorn as a friend and all, but having a smart one is even better!” “You know it, sister!” BB chimes in, hoofbumping RD while Butters hums a silent little “Mm-hmm,” in the background. “... You guys,” Dusk gasps quietly, his voice filled with gratitude. “Thank you all, really… "... So, just to confirm; you really don’t mind my crazy magic skills?” We all answer back with a hearty nod of ‘no’. “Okay... Okay... Well then, that’s good to hear… because...” Standing up straight and full of purpose, with a fire now burning behind his determined look, Dusk casts a hoof back towards town square as he declares that; “The Great and Powerful Dusk Shine thinks that it’s time to kick The Trixster’s flank into next week!” BB, despite not knowing the pony Dusk is referring to, cheers a loud and bloodthirsty warcry of “Yeaaaa-” “The show's already over though, dude,” Rainbow divulges quickly. “-aaahhh… Poo,” BB winds down, pouting over the news. “Oh… really?” Dusk asks, disappointed; upset that he had missed his opportunity to properly redeem himself. “Heh. ‘Fraid so, sparky,” Applejack guffaws, before heading his way back towards his farm. “There’s always next time.” “I’m certain that when your paths cross again, the follow-up battle will be splendid~” Elusive chimes in, choosing now to depart as well. “Sure hope I’m there to see it when it happens,” Rainbow titters in good cheer, spreading his wings and preparing to take off. "Two cool dudes magic dueling sounds like a wickedly awesome time!" Flapflapflap With his departure, all that remains in the alleyway now is myself, Dusk... ... and the two wonderful stallions that had comforted him in his time of need. “... Welp!” BB shouts, drawing our attention. “I better get back to making that soufflé! I refuse to let it beat me… Come by later to try some, you guys! Maybe grab a cup of my big bro's rock-solid brew too while you're at it; got a fresh shipment this morning for us to share! Bye Butters, Dusk, Barb!” SLAM! Exiting in the same manner he had entered, Bubble Berry leaves the scene via a slamming door. And then there were three. “... Say… Butters?” Dusk asks the last pony present. “You know a lot about animals, right? Do you know anything about Ursa Minors? Something Trixster’s assistant said made me curious to learn more about them.” “Yes!” the giant, sometimes stoic, stallion squees adorably at the question. “I know a ton about them! They’re actually very gentle creatures most of the time, oh but how they do love to wrestle~” “Fascinating...” Dusk replies back, scratching his chin. “... Do you want to hang out? I’d love to talk.” “Sure!”  “All right!” Dusk replies, before turning to me. “Want to tag along, Barb?” a much happier, and calmer, pony asks me directly; granting me a bit of personal relief that he was well and truly over what had happened. A bit of personal relief… but not complete relief, I'm sad to report. “No thanks,” I answer back, waving his offer off. “You guys can go and have fun without me. I’ve got some… errands left to run.” “Oh… Okay,” is Dusk’s only response, not sparing my words a second thought. "Guess I'll see you later then." He then focuses back to his other friend, as the two of them start to depart. “So, to begin; what do Ursa Minors actually wrestle with out there in the woods?” “Well me, mostly," Butters wing shrugs. "but sometimes they play with downed trees when I'm not around.” “Hahaha… Wow Butters! I didn’t take you for a kidder! That was hilarious!” “...” “...” “...” “... Oh sweet Solaris you were being serious.” Tuning the rest of the conversation out, focusing on the task at claw, I ponder on my next course of action. The episode must be halfway done by now… but I’m not sure whether this changed conversation helped Dusk to learn the lesson properly or not… Not only that, the whole timeline is completely out of whack now on top of it all… ... … but… ... maybe there’s one area where it’s still on track. _______________________________ Okay… it took me about an hour to find them… but there they are. Sugar and Spice; this world’s Snips and Snails. Those two colts were the ones originally responsible for bringing an Ursa Minor into Ponyville for Trixie to ‘vanquish’. Their female counterparts look like they have enough brain cells between them to pull off a similar feat, so that's good... ... They don’t seem to be doing much of anything right now though... They’re just standing around and talking, as young girls do... ... Well I’m a young girl too, so let’s turn this into a gossip party, shall we? “What are you two doing?” I make myself known, approaching the pair with arms crossed. Jumping a bit at my surprise entrance, the pair of fillies turn away from whatever it was they were fawning over and make to address me. “Oh! Hi… um… Barbie?” “It’s Barb,” I correct for Sugar without further comment. “Right! Barb! Hi Barb!” “Hi,” I wave back dryly, noticing that their attention seems to be on me and me alone now. They’re not mentioning Trixster at all... “... What are you girls up to?” I switch gears, trying to appear friendly. I was coming in aggro because I vaguely remember that being what Spike did. He was responsible in part for Snips and Snails' poor actions, and I had thought that I was going to have to begrudgingly play a similar role in today's events… But if they're not talking about Trixster, then I don't think that's going to be the case anymore. Good, I guess. Strange but good; Trixster's wagon gets to remain whole, and I don't have to preemptively feel guilty about indirectly smashing it. The destruction of Trixie's own was a facet of the original episode that I hadn't been actively thinking about, due to the mare's non-reaction towards its loss. Why that was the case I'm unsure; if she was a main character I'm certain her feelings about the event would have been explored, but since she wasn't... “We’re seeing whose autograph is better,” Spice details for me, knocking me out of my thoughts; using her weak unicorn magic to lift up a single piece of paper. I discover it to be a signed poster of The Great and Powerful Trixster. “Yeah!” Sugar copies, lifting up her own poster… though her's was of Stardust Glimmer instead. “I think Stardust is cooler, but Trixster has better hornwriting.” “Hehe, yeah,” Spice snickers with her friend. “I guess that’s why he’s just an assistant!” “He seemed pretty powerful too though!” “Nu-hu! “Yeah-huh!” “Ladies,” I try delicately to interject myself between them. “They gave you two their autographs?” “They gave everypony autographs before they left Ponyville!” “What?!” I gasp out, not having been made aware of this part of the story until now. “They’re gone already?!” I knew their show was over, but the two of them skipped town on top of that?! Before the actual show was over?! What the hell?! “Yeah... Heh, guess you missed your chance to get one yourself, huh?” Sugar pries, laughing at my perceived misfortune. “Which one did you want, Barb?” Spice asks me innocently. “... Stardust,” I murmur crossly, though not in reply. Stardust Glimmer has easily become the greatest abnormality I’ve experienced thus far in this world, and he's made himself scarce. I should have been seeking him out first instead of these girls, but I held onto the fear that the Ursa still needed to happen... ... Who the heck is this guy, and where did he come from?! Why did he target Dusk?! How can he manipulate cutie marks with a flipping Talent Spell?! When did he become Trixster's friend... and... What does he want? My fist tightens at my side as questions upon questions pile up inside my head, weighing heavily against my thoughts. “Oh! Good choice!” Sugar praises me, unaware of my inner conflict. “Stardust is soooo dreamy~” “And smart too!” Spice adds in, sighing alongside her friend. “It was super tough for me to choose between the two of them!” “Haha, yeah... I choose Stardust because of that thing told us about Ursas!” ... Huh? My ears perk up at this last comment. “Ursas?” I ask Sugar, probing her further. “What did Stardust say about them?” “He said that little fillies like us shouldn’t be messing around with them.” ? "And that they're dangerous...“ ?! "... And that we shouldn't even be thinking about them at all!” ?!?! “Ooooohhh yeah,” Spice drags on, giggling at the very thought. “I forgot about that! We were all like ‘I want to see Trixster vanquish an Ursa!’, and he was all, ‘Don’t even think about it, little ladies,’ before we even said anything! It was totally like… like… “... like he could read our minds!" Sugar finishes, squealing, "EEEeee! So cool!!” “...” … I start... to walk away. “See you around, Barb!” Sugar cries out, waving happily as I depart. I find myself unable to wave back, as my mind slowly becomes enveloped in a million different flavors of a single, overpowering emotion: Worry. ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ Later that night, Dusk returned home to the library and drafted up his latest friendship report for the Prince. The contents wasn't what I was hoping to see. ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ Dear Prince Solaris, I have learned a very valuable lesson about friendship: I learned how power influences the way others perceive you. Some are born with it, some grow into it, and others learn how to harness it. No matter the method, however, those with power are in charge of how it's used. They can show it off, bury it, even use it for their good or evil causes; but the wielder must understand that their power will define them in the eyes of others. I was frightened of using my own power beyond what was necessary, under fear of being seen as a show-off, but I've come to realize that the only pony's opinion I should care about are my friends'. They're not afraid of what I'm capable of, so I'll no longer be either as I continue to become stronger. I will now train my magic twice as hard so I can harness it wisely, and so I can use it to defend the ones I love. Your Faithful Student, -Dusk Shine ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ The wordage was vastly different from what little I could still recall from Twilight’s letter, with a moral only similar on a surface level. It was certainly better than the alternative of Dusk learning nothing from today, but there's a feeling of unease now gripping at my chest. If I hadn’t called out to Butterscotch when I did, where would the path we narrowly dodged had led us? What would have been the result if Dusk hadn't learned a lesson? Would a cowardly stallion, afraid of using his magic, survive a Changeling invasion? Could he still stand firm in the face of whatever villain will be rising along with the Crystal Empire in the north? I’ve made it so my charge will never have to face Eris, the Lord of Chaos, but I know that I can’t protect him forever. I’m not a real Seer; I don’t know what the future truly holds... ... However... ... I think I met somepony today who is one. Stardust Glimmer must be a Seer. If it weren’t for Sugar and Spice’s tiny interaction with him I would have still been just as in the dark as I was before, but thanks to the Ursa warning I now know that he has future information to some degree. It’s the only explanation that makes sense; my own Sight has allowed me to slightly change events, so other Seers must have that kind of ability too. His power seems to be stronger than mine though, as it has apparently allowed him to transform Trixster into a completely different pony from the one he was destined to become. For what ends I’m unsure; for what benefit I’m equally as stumped. I don’t even know if his visions are like the Prince’s where he can see the changes, or if they’re like mine where it’s set in stone. Perhaps... he’s even more like me than even that... Perhaps he’s seen My Little Pony the same as I have. The lack of information is tearing me up inside. I made so many sacrifices to maintain history the best I could, yet Stardust gets to waltz right on in and smash the River's Stone?! Why?! Him skipping town is the icing on the cake; I feel compelled to do something about all this, but there's little I can do! Do I wait for him to return? Do I make the attempt to track him down myself? Will he be affecting other key points in Dusk’s life if I leave him alone? Was he even focusing on Dusk in the first place, or was my charge just an unlucky bystander?! As per usual I have more questions than answers. I hate how easily he was able to rip my sense of peace away from me, but there’s literally nothing I can do to stop- ◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠◠ My quill halts mid-word, as I still my written rant. “... No,” I admit to myself, in the nightly calm of the library. The light of my candle flickers as I stare down at my diary. “No, that's... That’s not completely true…" There's one thing else I can do right now, to try to return everything back to the way it was… but… should I? Do I want to take that kind of risk again? I lost so many of my secrets last time... Will the further death of my peace of mind be worth it..? … ... Setting The Poisoned Barb back into my purse, I now lift from the satchel two very important items: A single piece of blank parchment... ... and a letter sending seal. Combining the tools together with my re-inked quill; I steady my claw, and summon all of my drive, in order to write the all important words. ... ... ... ... "... For Dusk," I whisper, mind set. Quill and parchment meet. Dear Prince Solaris, My Sight has swerved, and I believe another Seer is to blame. We need to talk. Your Faithful Squire, -Barbara The Dragoness ~At the Same Time, Underneath the Same Sky~ “Ahhhh,” contently sighed the Great and Powerful Trixster, as he rested his weary hooves upon his wagon's soft hammock. “Another day, another successful show,” he hummed to himself, beyond pleased with how Ponyville had turned out. It had only been a hooffull of years since the young adult and his foalhood friend had left their hometown in search of fame and glory, and in that time their shows together had garnered quite the hefty following. Using a combination of skill, talent studying, and good old fashioned stage magic; The Trixster's dream of performing for the very Princes of Equestria was quickly becoming more than a pipe dream. The showstallion could feel it in his very bones; him and Stardust were on their way to the big[ times. As the tired pony nestled into his simple bed, fantasizing of his future successes, his eyes wandered for a time before settling upon a strange sight; that of a lone picture frame nestled neatly in a crutch between the wall and nightstand.  "Oh... It must have gotten misplaced during the show," The Trixster mused, as he used his magic to lift the treasured photograph back to where it belonged. The unicorn lingered on the picture for a moment before setting it down, and allowing himself the minute necessary to fully appreciate its contents. Within the photograph lied the image of a young blue colt, with both mother and father happily by his side. “Getting nostalgic there, Trix?” called out a voice from the wagon’s entrance. Snorting at the accusation, The Trixster set the frame aside.  “Perhaps,” the laying stallion admitted, allowing himself to become more casual in the presence of his first friend. “One must look back every now and then in order to appreciate how far they’ve come, Stardust.” Now it was Stardust’s turn to snort. “If you say so,” the standing unicorn waved the other off, disregarding his words... ~Twinkletwinkletwi- thwink~! ... before chucking a glass container at his head. "Catch," Stardust ordered, not granting his partner the time to react. ~Twinkle~ But, with practiced ease, Trixster caught the orb easily with his magic. "Ahhhh... Hello again, beautiful," he spoke sweetly to the object now cradled in his hooves, acting as though he would receive an answer from it. "Long time no see." The cutie mark in the bottle did not reply. This was to be expected. "Always hate to see you go" he continued to singsong as he removed the bottle's cork, allowing the blue wand and crescent moon symbol to more easily return to him. "But always glad to have you home. Come to papa!“ An equal sign flashed briefly upon Trixster's flank then, it's draining affects momentarily reawakening... but this event quickly became an afterthought as the original cutie mark soon took its place. While this was going on a serene smile began to grace Stardust's lips, as the sight of his one and only friend's silly behavior brought a pleasant sense of amusement to his heart. No matter how many times he had removed the cutie mark, in order to allow the temporary ones to 'speak' more readily to their new host, and no matter how difficult it was to magically suppress the negative aspects of the Talent Spell; Stardust never tired of Trixster's joyful reactions to having his true talent restored. "... Speaking of coming and going," Stardust then raised his voice, regaining the other unicorn's attention from his magical revitalization. "I’ve got our next route planned out!” Taken aback by this claim, Trixster sat up in his hammock. “Really?!” he asked his assistant excitedly, not unlike a foal ready to receive a new toy. “Amazing as always, Stardust! Where will we be heading next, hmm? Manehatten? Los Pegasus...? Oh oh!! Is it time for us to go to Canterlot yet?! The Grand Galloping Gala's coming up you know!” “Heh," the pink unicorn snickered behind a hoof, thoroughly loving Trixster's enthusiasm. "Easy there, Trix. Easy.” With his magic, he next brought forth a giant map from the ether; one with many pins dotted along it's massive surface. The scroll left hardly any walking room on the floor, but this was of little concern to one such as Stardust who could easily self-levitate. Trixster, without another's cutie mark upon his flank to respecialize his magic, was not as fortunate; but he made due by remaining in the hammock that hung above it. “We’ll get to Canterlot..." Stardust resumed explaining. "... eventually. I promise it'll be our next destination someday… "... buuuttt we’re going to have to go on a little bit of a... detour first before then.” Confused by his friend's words, Trixster leaned over his bedding's edge and gazed at the unfurled chart that lay below. “... Stardust,” he then spoke up, concern highly present in his tone. “... This path of yours…” “Yeeesss?” the other young adult pried cheekily, hovering casually into his foalhood friend's side. “What is it?” Trixster offered Stardust a sidelong glance from within their pseudo hug. The Great and Powerful Trixster, for the third time today... ... was not amused. “This path of yours will take us out of Equestria completely!” he sulked, frantically shaking a hoof at the graph. “This can’t possibly be the best route for us... can it?” “Hehe, oh Trix,” Stardust teased his friend softly, Smoooch~ easing his concerns with a loving peck upon his cheek.  “You’re going to have to trust your lovely assistant on this one,” the sultry unicorn continued to tease, floating away; allowing his tail to brush up against Trixster's chin as he did. Enjoying the touch, but still confused, Trixster pressed again. “But-” “Trust, me,” the Great and Powerful Assistant insisted, placing a second kiss right next to the first to seal the deal. Now whispering suggestively into his ‘friend’s’ ear, Stardust finished his pitch with a simple statement of, “We’re not going to want to stay in central Equestria for a bit.” "..." When it became apparent that no further information was forthcoming, The Trixster remained unsure… … but, with a reluctant sigh, he allowed the argument to go. Just as he had countless times before. “Hmph... Fine... but let me guess,” Trixster huffed, right as Stardust began to warp away his map. “This is the result of another one of your little predictions, isn’t it?” The flat maned stallion halted in place for a moment... before resuming his cleaning as if he hadn't. “Maybe,” he relented briefly, offering another disarming chuckle. “... Maybe not~! A magician never reveals his tricks, Trix... You're the pony who taught me that, remember?” “... Are you saying that The Trixster only has himself to blame for your secrets, Stardust...?” “Hmmmm… Yup!” “... Hehe… Fair enough,” Trixster relaxed, easing off his probing. “Guess I shouldn't complain; you were spot on with your talent guesses today as usual... "...More so than usual, now that I think about it!" he admitted, the shock evident in his voice. "To be honest, I thought you signed me up for those beginner rodeo, design, and aerodynamics classes as a joke!” “Nope!” the assistant nodded his head happily, chortling at Trixster's amazement. “I've said it once and I'll say it as many times as it'll take for you to start believing; I’ve got everything figured out for us, Trix! Just trust in me and I’ll lead you to all the fame and glory you could ever want… “... Well, goodnight!” Stardust then declared, stepping towards the exit. “I’m going to go hit the hay. You can find me at that cute little inn we spotted on the way into town.” “Duly noted,” Trixster confirmed, snuggling into his hammock; preparing to retire for the night. “But, you know Stardust... you don’t have to rent a room every time we roll into a new town! You’re always free to stay here with me in the wagon and…” Trixster wiggled his brow. “... Cuddle~” “...” Stardust sighed dreamily. “As much as I like that idea, Trix,” he conceded, stealthily snuffing out the wagon's lamps to hide his blush. “I’m sure you remember how disastrous our first roadtrip went when we tried that...” “... Hmmm… good point,” Trixster cringed, shivering in the dark at the referenced memory. "May we never fight over haycakes again." “Agreed... "... So then," Stardust made to leave again. "If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got a bed calling my name!” “Hehe. Alrighty, Stardust," Trixster giggled quietly, suppressing a yawn. "Have a good night.” “You too,” his partner replied back, before turning to depart in earnest. The open fields of the Unicorn Range awaited the sleepy stallion as he set his front hoof down upon the grassy knoll, and prepared to gall- “Before you go,” Trixster interrupted suddenly, forcing Stardust to halt in place at the entrance... ... an unseen bead of sweat, hidden by the dusk, dripped nervously down his face; as he waited for the question he knew his friend was about to ask. He had hoped to avoid this confrontation, and for Trixster to ignore what had transpired earlier... “Care to explain to me why you called out that one unicorn like you did, Stardust?” ... but, sure enough; the laying stallion went on to inquire about the very thing Stardust had so wished to had gone on forgotten. "..." "... Stardust... Please answer me." "..." "..." “... Not particularly, no,” Stardust eventually squeaked back in reply, pointedly not facing the other as he did. “Stardust," Trixster left the hammock, concern filling his voice. "Please... It’s been on my mind.” “... O-oh don’t get your cape in a knot over it!” Stardust snapped defensively, still deflecting as he turned to address his darkness shrouded partner. “I just wanted to have a little fun of my own, that’s all!” “We don’t call audience members out like that though,” Trixster pushed harder, not allowing this point to be brushed aside as easily as others had in the past. “That's not how my mama ran her shows, and it's not how I'm going to run mine either... Was he somepony important?” “Hah!” the assistant huffed, holding back an indignant howl. "Don't make me laug-" CLOP A hoof slammed down on the floor, silencing Stardust completely. "Was, he, important?" Trixster repeated, his hardened eyes flashing with reflected moonlight. Stardust gulped. “N... N-not even close, Trix!" the nervous pony proceeded to backpedal, now realizing how close he was to crossing an unspoken line. "Not even close... He wasn’t anypony special at all...” “... If he wasn't special," Trixster eased off his anger, delicately taking a step closer. "Then... why did you call him out like you did?” "..." "..." A haunting silence fell upon the room shortly thereafter, the question lingering in the air like a thick miasma. The moon became hidden during this time, having done so thanks to drifting pegasus clouds. Darkness consumed the scene, obscuring features, leaving only silhouettes to populate the wagon's interior. In the resulting calm such a thing wrought, as crickets chirped, embers died, and a lonely wind blew faintly against the windows; Trixster's foalhood companion remained mute… "... Heh..." … before his wolfish grin shined out in the dark. “He reminded me of a mare I used to know,” Stardust Glimmer shared with mocking bark; spitting hatred far hotter than his friend thought him capable of, and far older than his youthful form would suggest