//------------------------------// // Showtime // Story: Criminally Stupendous // by dudenotactive //------------------------------// "So that's it? That's where we both make our debut?" Trixie questioned the thief next to her as she eyed Roman's target. The two were currently in a dark alleyway, far enough to not cause suspicions on themselves, even though no one really bat an eye at them since they were a pair of nobodies, for now. Roman leaned against the wall, a blank look occupying his face as he watched the busy crowd walking by the mouth of the alleyway, his emerald eye bouncing from pony to pony as if he was looking for someone. As for Trixie, she proudly stood by his side, this was the time to finally see where her training led her, Trixie even had made herself look best for her debut as a criminal. As excited as she was to test her new skills, Trixie couldn't help but feel a little nervous. She was nervous for many reasons and she was sure that there was no coming back after she and Roman start their dangerous plan that may or may not land them both in prison. But Trixie did not doubt Roman's plans, he had given her every information she needed for this job. And as long as she doesn't stutter in the moment, her performance shall strike the hearts of many and they will all be amazed by her talents. Just like on the stage, where she belonged. "Do you remember the plan Trix'?" Roman asked her, not giving an answer to her first question. "Of course Trixie remembers, you've told me about it back at home and on the way here." She cast a worried glance over to him. "Trixie has full trust in your plan, but are you really sure that Trixie is ready?" "Trix', if you weren't ready then I would've pushed my plans to a later date. You have been training hard for awhile and I can tell that you've grown stronger than the day we met." His reassuring words had given Trixie a bit of confidence, she felt a little better with Roman by her side. "Just remember the plan and we'll be rolling in dough!" "Very well, Trixie will be off then?" She waited for a confirmation from Roman, and he gave her a smirk and a nod. With that, she was already on her way towards the bank. With her head held high and a prideful look on her face, Trixie strutted forward to her goal. She paid the ponies around her no mind as she moved only in one straight line. Slipping through the crowd as if she was a knife on butter. Her swagger caused a few ponies to halt in their tracks, some even tripped on their own hooves after they tried to avoid colliding with the mare. Those who have fallen only glared at the back of Trixie's head, but it was simply ignored by the mare who had only one goal in mind. And it was to begin a new chapter in her life, a life of crime that is. And just as she was standing in front of the glass doors of her destination, Trixie looked back at the busy crowd behind her one last time. Simple ponies just trotting by and living their very ordinary lives, this is what she would leave behind once she steps through those doors. No longer could she go back and she would have to rely on Roman for guidance. With pure determination brewing in her heart and mind, Trixie had finally made up her choice. And with her hooves on both doors, she pushed forward towards her future with new-found resolve and pride. "LADIES AND GENTLECOLTS!" Her voice boomed throughout the room, and all eyes shifted over to her, shocked by the sudden appearance of a strange mare. "Prepare to be amaze! For I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, have come to show you all the most spectacular show your pitiful lives will ever see!" The ponies were still confused. No one, maybe not even anyone at all, would ever expect such event suddenly being held in a lobby of a bank. The guards who were present could only watch her curiously, their full attention now focused on the mare. Even the tellers had completely stopped their business to pay attention as well, just like every other ponies in the bank. "I present to you all magic the likes of you have never seen that shall bring you all to your knees with awe and wonder!" With a flick of her cape, hundreds of colorful fireworks launched out of her cape. The ponies watched wide eyed as the colors burst in front of them. A foal amongst the crowd laughed gleefully as they watched the amazing indoor show. Many smiled as well, clearly enjoying the amazing sight already. But that was just the opening. Trixie smirked as she eyed every pony in the room. Her horn flickered alight just for a second, the blinds that hanged on every window dropped and the lights went out. Consuming everyone in darkness. Some gasped, others screamed. But they witnessed something truly awe inspiring. The mysterious mare glowed, like a star in the void. Or a beacon to those who have lost their way. Never before have they seen such beauty, it was even too much for one stallion who fainted upon seeing her. With such fantastic trick, the ponies could not resist but stomp their hooves on the marble floor as they cheered for the mare. Trixie shivered in excitement as she listened to the thunderous applause. She felt great joy in hearing their praises, it was so good hearing it once more after so long. "Everyone, please control yourselves! There are many more where that came from!" Trixie then removed her hat and presented it to all, they clearly see that it was empty and does not have anything inside. But to their surprise, the mare had started to pull out a long line of colorful handkerchiefs. This went on for a minute before she reached the end, and everyone cheered once more when a rabbit came out of the hat. A simple trick, but a crowd pleaser nonetheless. The lights returned after but the blinds were left as they are, and the crowd cheered once again. Trixie bowed before the crowd with a devilish smile on her face. "Before we continue my amazing and spectacular show, I must first introduce my good friend. Roman, if you may?" And with a puff of smoke, an orange maned stallion stood between the spectators and the showmare. He stood on two hooves and rested his cane over his shoulder. The crowd watched with anticipation for what's to come, they had only just a taste of the show and they still wanted more. "Thank you Trixie, good to be here today!" Roman grinned before planted down his cane, making a loud tap that resounded through the room. "Good morning to all, I am Roman Torchwick! And today in this fine establishment, I shall show to you all the most stupendous act you would ever see today!" With such claim, the ponies began murmuring to each other. Most were eager to find out what he had in store, but some were a bit skeptical that he could ever beat the literal living star in the room. Roman lightly tapped his cane on the floor to steal their attention from each other. "Now then, I would require a volunteer to help us with the next trick. So who here has the guts to perform on stage!?" Nearly everyone raised their hooves, wanting to be part of such enthralling show. "My, so many eager souls, it would be pretty hard to decide who choose from... unless... You all get to be part of our next trick!" The whole building shook once the crowd began their cheering, it was extremely loud that Roman had to cover his hears. Roman gave Trixie a nod, and numerous ropes shot out of her hat and proceeded to magically tie everyone up to prevent escape. Trixie was quick, she needed to be if she wanted to get everyone. Soon enough, no pony could even move at all, not even the child was spared of such fate. What were once screams of excitement now turned into screams of terror as each of them were entrapped. Roman smiled upon the dismay on their faces which he had caused. Many questions were in everyone's mind. Who are these ponies exactly? Where did they come from? And why isn't the security doing anything? Roman is the correct answer for that last question. It was all part of the plan, and it was going smoothly right from the start. Trixie would keep everyone distracted allowing Roman to work in the sidelines. When the lights went out, Roman had incapacitated every security guard on duty, even the bank tellers and staffs were taken down by Roman. He had made sure that there would be no interference for the next step of his well thought out plan. Though it was a bit cliche for him to choosing a bank of all things to get his fame started, Roman couldn't really care less if he was robbing a retirement home. Besides, a bank robbery would surely catch everyone's eye, and Roman's experience would agree with him. Especially in this world where crime is practically nonexistent. Everything was almost too perfect that there were barely any petty crimes, besides the not so rare event of some big bad coming out of the grave. Nonetheless, Roman would use it to his advantage, and bring forth a new age of crime. Roman shook himself awake after realizing that he had zoned out just for a second. Getting only a few hours of sleep just to perfect the plan was really tiring, especially when he had to do a maintenance on his weapon really early this morning because he got caught up with his work. But still, it was a small price to pay for some profits. He strolled over to the desk where he had left most of the staff members after tying them all up, he could see the fear and confusion in their eyes as they struggled. Roman glanced over his shoulder to find Trixie standing behind him, waiting for the next step of his plan. He pointed his cane at one of the staff members, an ordinary mare who was unlucky enough to catch Roman's eye. Trixie nodded and released the mare from her binds and gestured her away from the others. Just as he started walking towards the large metal vault with Trixie and the random mare he picked, he began speaking loud enough for everyone to hear. "Alright, if you all don't want to get hurt, then I suggest that no plays the hero! Got that!?" He didn't even need to look to know that his words had gotten into their tiny little minds, one thing for sure is that ordinary ponies would rarely fight back. Unless he's wrong and it would certainly be interesting to see. "Open it." Roman demanded. The mare was hesitant, but she was also scared for her life so she couldn't do anything but obey. Roman was not interested in how the vault door works, he simply opted to light a cigar to keep himself busy while the worker opened the vault, it was strangely taking too long. Trixie was watching the mare when Roman slammed his cane against the steel door, she and the mare were taken aback by his sudden action. Something had really ticked Roman off for him to do that and it worried Trixie. "You sneaky little horse." He clicked his tounge and glared into the mare's eyes. "You thought that you could just waste my time, huh? Trixie, check under the desk." Trixie immediately did so and hurried over to the place where the rest of the staff members were at, and bent her head below the desk. Her eyes swept from left to right and half way though she had finally saw it, a small red bulb that flashed with every second that passed. Her eyes widened upon realising what it meant and she shot Roman a worried glance. "Roman!" Roman took a second to exhale the smoke in his lungs, a grin formed on his lips as he stared at the mare next to him. "I am really impressed, you and your buddies really had the guts, huh? I should've expected a unicorn in your group would do something like this, but that doesn't change it, no one can stop me now." Trixie hurried over to his side. "What do we do now?" Her question was answered with a mare being thrown into her hooves. Trixie had nearly fallen over from the sudden addition of weight. "Sigh, I really didn't want to use this since I only got a few, but time really is money..." Roman retrieved two red crystals from his jacket and propped them right on the wheel. "Cover your ears!" A warning that was sent out for everyone in the room. He raised his cane and aimed carefully at the crystals, he was hesitant to use them since he still doesn't have a source, but he was also in a hurry. Not wanting to waste anymore time, he pulled the trigger and a sharp whistle cuts through the room before a loud and desturcitive explosion shook the building. Many objects that were not safely placed or screwed on a stable platform were thrown off of their place and down onto the marble floor. The hostages cried out a muffled scream as everything started to ring very loudly. Trixie and the mare were at least fine since they both had their hooves free unlike those who are in a bind. Roman waited for the smoke to clear, once it was finally gone, he couldn't help but smile upon his work. What was once a big metal door was now reduced to a giant whole in the wall revealing a pile of bits that was just waiting to be taken. The two dust crystals were thankfully enough and Roman was glad he didn't need to use more of it. When it was done, Roman started marching towards the entrance. "Trix', you go gather our pay, bring her with you and if she doesn't follow, you're allowed to knock some sense into her. I'll keep an eye out for the men in blues." Trixie nodded and ran straight inside the vault with the mare in her magic. Once inside, Trixie had pulled out two empty sacks from her hat and handed one to the her little helper. She would have let the bank staff to do all the work, but she was in a hurry and had fill these sacks before the cops arrive. Trixie sent out a glare at the mare to make sure she hurried, not that Trixie would hurt her, but she was feeling some pressure on her back right now. After getting enough bits, Trixie quickly swiped the other sack from the hostage and began filling it faster. Time was running out. And as much as she was confident with both her and Roman's skills, she doesn't really know if she could handle more than a few cops. Once Trixie was sure that they had enough, she tied the mare again just in case she ran and made her way over to Roman. Though the two sacks of bits should be absolutely heavy, Trixie felt only half the weight thanks to her training. After so much work, she could finally lift heavier objects. Trixie reached Roman just a few minutes after they had shortly separated, and now that she was close to the entrance, she could faintly hear at least a dozen of hooves trotting on the ground. It sounded like it was getting closer and closer. Trixie nervously began biting the tip of her hoof as she started sweating bullets. But a single reassuring hoof on her shoulder had calmed Trixie, her eyes darted towards Roman's smile. With a confirming nod, Roman made the first strike. The blinds on the doors were pulled up and Roman and Trixie found a very confused pony in a blue uniform. Right before they could collect themselves, Roman smashed the glass door with the handle of his cane and struck the pony right on their face. Roman let out a small chuckle as he stepped over the unconscious cop and broken shards of glass with Trixie just behind him. Trixie was right, there were indeed twelve police officers on sight, eleven if you ignore the one Roman knocked out. The rest of the small group of cops took up a stance, tasers and police batons at the ready as they glared at the grinning Roman. Roman tipped his hat slightly. "Howdy officers, pleasant day for a stroll through town. Isn't it?" "Put down both of the sacks and the cane, now!" The nearest cop demanded, a unicorn with a floating baton. "Oh, don't be so rude. How about we start this over and introduce ourselves..." Roman scanned his surroundings and saw a lot of spectators, this is what he really needed. "I am Roman Torchwick, how are you?" He had made sure that the closes civilians could hear him, and they had indeed heard. "And I am The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon!" Once she had said her name Trixie released a series of fireworks into the sky and all eyes shifted their focus. Roman took advantage of their distracted state and incapacitated the unicorn with a swift kick to the face. And with Trixie on his tail, they ran from the law while they were still weren't looking. Trixie being one for equality threw a single sack into Roman's arms. He was irritated, but all he could do right now was run. "They're getting away!" Trixie could only laugh as she felt the adrenaline flowing. There were times she got chased by monsters during her time on the road, but never had she thought that the police would chase after her one day. The oncoming wave of ponies split apart as the two thieves bolted through with a train of cops hot on their trail. "Excuse me, but why aren't we fighting!?" Trixie questioned the stallion besides her. "Part of the plan Trix', remember?" "This plan better work or else I-" Trixie couldn't finish her sentence as Roman hooked her neck with his cane and pulled her in a different direction. The sack that she carried nearly slipped out of her grasp but she instinctively held it tightly. Though Roman was holding something heavy as hundreds of gold in sack, he showed no sign of slowing down at all, and the evidence was clear as he dodge, jump, and slide with ease. Compared to Trixie, Roman was a picture of a well trained performer on stage. Just to prove a point, Roman had tossed the sack he carried over a table and slid below, causing a single cop who thought they could catch the thief only to crash into the table itself. The mare who was occupying the table was actually impressed, she wasn't even mad when her food went splat on the pavement. Roman laughed loud enough for his pursuers to hear, just to humiliate the cops even further for their poor attempt of catching the thief and his companion. And if he wanted, Roman could easily turn around and show these guys who they're messing with. But not now, Roman still needed to lay down the foundation of his crime spree. Trixie took a few notes of Roman's technique and threw any object behind herself in hopes of slowing their pursuers down, and lucky for her, the random pony she threw were caught by two cops but they both fell over with sudden addition of weight. Now they were down to seven, the police officers couldn't even catch up with them and they were slowly losing their numbers. "Through here!" After a few turns, Roman had motioned Trixie into an alleyway, right into a dead end. Before Trixie could even complain, Roman had already placed a hoof over her mouth as he eyed the mouth of the alleyway. Trixie could still hear the hooves on the pavement, they were getting closer. But ears caught a different sound, she glanced over to Roman and found him tapping his cane. There was a small gap between each taps. And with one final tap, the alleyway had became much darker. Trixie looked back at the entrance and saw a large wagon blocking the way, strangely enough, it was almost the same as Trixie's. The window on the wagon flew open and a pony with a red moustache popped his head out of it. "Hey boss, are we late?" "Not at all Plum, you're just in time!" Roman quickly threw his sack over to the pony who caught it with no problem. "It's Flam, boss..." "That's what I said. Come on Trix', it's time to head back." Roman pushed Flam inside and squeezed himself through the window. Trixie was hesitant, and also confused as to why Flam was even here. But she couldn't really question it as the sound of their pursuers were getting even closer. So she wasted no time and followed Roman through the window. Seconds later the wagon began to move and Trixie could hear the cops running pass them and into the alleyway. Only to be met with disappointment as they found no one, not even a trace of the thieves. A cop frustratingly threw his cap down. "Darn it! We lost them!" Flim and Flam stood still as a statue, none of the two dared to move under Trixie's glare. No sound was made and the howling wind was heard. Currently, Roman and his companions were just on the grassy fields just south of Manhattan. The three unicorns were standing outside of the wagon, Trixie had chosen to sit right in front of the door while keeping a close eye on the other two. As for Roman, he was inside counting their spoils after the successful heist. "So," Trixie began. "when did Roman bring you into this?" Flam cleared his throat. "Well miss, the boss was just simply impressed of our talent." "So he arranged a meeting with us with a message hidden in Flam's shirt. We were a bit hesitant at first, but we showed up anyway." "And we were skeptical as well, imagine our surprise when we found out who wrote the message. And he brought to him the greatest offer in our lives yet!" "You miss, are looking at the heads of Roman's new business, the Candlewick Corp!" Trixie blew a raspberry and the twins glared at her gesture. "Candlewick Corp? Why would Roman pick some idiots to run his business? If you ask Trixie, she would do a better job than some small fries." "Hey, we will have you know that Flim and I are great businessmen, we wouldn't expect anything from some has been magician!" "Yeah!" "How dare you!" Trixie marched up to Flam's face leered over him. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not a has been! Unlike you nobodies, Trixie is talented in many ways. And thanks to me, you and your brother are about to get paid!" Flim scoffed. "Well if it was us who were with Roman, then the cops would've never known what was happening!" "As if, unlike you two, Trixie has a talent none of you have ever seen! So how about you stallions go on and do what stallions do?" Flam rolled his eyes at the mare. "We're all unicorns here, we all know how to use magic." Trixie grinned, it was fairly obvious that he didn't really get what she meant. "I'm not talking about magic, fool." Before the two could even ask, Trixie raised a single hoof and swiftly brought it down, and the ground shook greatly and a cloud of dirt rises up. Flim and Flam were caught off guard and stared upon the ground where Trixie had struck once everything cleared, the dirt was now a small crater the size of a small dog. Now they both witnessed power that they indeed had never seen before. They shakily looked away from the example of strength and fearfully stared at Trixie. No longer do they see a fellow unicorn that they slightly dislike, all they could see now is a mare who is stronger than them by comparison. "Alright kids, break it up or else no more recess!" All eyes were on Roman, the thief had an amused look on his face as if he had been watching them since the start. "Don't mind her boys, she's just jealous that I'm entrusting something important to the both of you." Trixie faced away and held her head high. "Trixie is not jealous of such lame manes, Trixie is only worried for our sake. What if they stab us in the back, huh?" Flim frowned and glared. "We would never! Roman had given us a chance to work for him and both my brother and I know that we shouldn't just throw away our shot to make some profit!" "My brother is right, I swore on my beautiful moustache that we are loyal to our employer!" "See! They're only after money, so that just means that they would snitch on us the moment a hefty purse is on their way!" Raman bonked Trixie on the head, the mare recoiled from the surprise attack, it didn't hurt as much but it was still painful. "Trix', there is a really good chance that after today our faces will be all over Manehattan, and we will need some eyes and ears on the outside of we want some things done. And it wouldn't hurt to have some cash on the side either. What I'm saying is that Pim and Tron would be a great addition to our little organization." "I-its Flim and Flam, boss..." "Well..." As much as she didn't like the idea, Roman was right. "They do have some useful traits, they're both liars like you, cheaters like you, thieves like you-" "Hold on now missy, let's not just say these things out loud. We got a reputation to keep." Flim said as he made sure no one was around. You can't be too careful, especially when some clouds literally have ears. Roman could only chuckle before taking a seat on the grassy land. "Now, if everything is all good between all of you, then you are free to go boys. The pay is in the wagon." "Pleasure doing business with you boss!" Both twins spoke as they went over to the wagon. "Hold on, almost forgot!" Roman dug through his jacket and produced a small jar filled with yellow sand. "Deals a deal." Roman then tossed the jar over to the twins, and Flam quickly caught it with a grin that was similar to his brother. "Thanks again boss!" With that, the two stallions went on their merry way back to Manehattan. Leaving the two thieves by themselves on the empty fields. Now with some free time, Roman had chosen to take a nap right on the spot with his hat over his eyes. "Wait... Who's gonna give us a ride back?" Roman lifted his hat slightly. "I asked Greeny to pick us up, I rather not be seen with those twins since it would ruin my plan. So we got about an hour left, you can do whatever you want in the meantime." When he was done explaining, Roman returned to his well deserved nap. Trixie could only sigh, the thrill and adrenaline of the heist was still in her mind, she could barely stay in place with all the excitement that happened. Trixie then realized something, she wanted to fight, not just against the ones who chased after them, but the Flim and Flam brothers as well. She was really itching for a fight that never came. She wanted to hit something with her aura, but that isn't something she should even be thinking about. Why do I want to fight so much? She asked herself. Questions after questions ran through her mind as she tried finding an answer. With a frustrated sigh, Trixie took a seat next to Roman and began meditating. And after a few seconds, she felt herself calming down after clearing out her mind. The excitement and adrenalin finally went away, no longer does she want to pummel anyone, replaced with a simpler need. A need to relax. Once she was done, Trixie laid her back against the ground so she could see the sky better. Pretty little clouds hovered above her, simply frozen in place without the help of a pegasus. Simply floating in the air without a care. Her train of though was derailed when Roman just let out a very loud snore which ruined the moment. She glare at Roman's sleeping form, Trixie envied his peaceful state. But what can she do? He deserved his nap more than anyone else, it was his perfect plan that brought Trixie her pay. Now noticing that the ground was awfully comfortable, Trixie decided to join Roman on his nap and escape deep into her mind. "Sigh. What would I ever do without you?" She whispered before her reality went black as sleep finally took her.