Ch6: getting some time alone: part two
Two things went through Arvak’s head the moment this… Trixie… stepped out of the trailer. The first was ‘ow,’ because a firework managed to blow up in his face, and the second was ‘wow,’ because he survived the blast from said firework.
“Whoops, Trixie thought that she used up the last of the faulty pyrotechnics when she was in Trottingham.” Arvak coughed and a little puff of black smoke escaped past his teeth. “Well well well, aren’t you an interesting one.” She said, as she looked him over. Her scrutinizing gaze made Arvak feel a bit naked… wait, scratch that, he already was naked… it made him feel vulnerable. “Why don’t you introduce yourself to Trixie?”
“Um… ok, where can I find her?” he asked.
“Really?” Trixie raised an annoyed eyebrow.
“Yeah, I mean you know her right? Someone who’s great and powerful wouldn’t talk in the third person… err… pony… whatever it’s called. That would be just silly.” She stared at him with the same annoyed expression. “What? Are you telling me she does speak in- oh hello there.” He said looking at a sweetroll that wound up in his hoof, which proceeded to catch Trixie’s gaze as well.
“You wouldn’t happen to be able to pull bits out of thin air do you?”
“Nope, it just happens on its own.” He said after taking a bite of the pastry from Nirn. “Usually this happens when I’m hungry or thirsty.”
Trixie recoiled in disgust as pieces of pastry fell from his mouth when he spoke. “Trixie wishes to remind you to refrain from talking with your mouth full.”
“She does, are you two talking to each other telepathically?” Trixie face-hoofed. “What?”
“Would it help if I spoke in the first person?”
“Why would you need to do that?”
“Because I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!” another firework went off, setting the pastry on fire and knocking it onto the floor. “Seriously, Trixie thought she got rid of those.”
“If you’re Trixie, then why do you talk in the third person?”
“Force of habit, why not come to my show tonight, I’m sure you’ll like it.”
He shrugged. “Sure, why not.”
“Trixie!” a familiar voice yelled. A cyan Pegasus landed heavily next to him, knocking him off balance. “What are you doing back in Ponyville? I thought I made it clear you weren’t welcome back.” She snarled.
“Trixie is going to put on an honest to goodness show, no boasting about her abilities and putting others down.” Trixie shot back calmly.
“How can we be sure?” Rainbow asked.
“Um… Rainbow, as much as I enjoy your company, it seems you are standing on my leg.” Arvak said.
“Whoops, sorry about that. Now Trixie, back to my question.”
Trixie though for a moment, and then looked at Arvak when he stood up… the metaphorical light bulb lit up above her head. “Trixie won’t demean any other ponies because she will do the show with Arvak as her assistant.”
Arvak looked at her confused, and Rainbow stared at him in shock. “Does this mean I have to wear a ridiculous outfit?” Trixie shook her head. “Okay then.”
Rainbow thought for a moment, and then she herself shrugged. “I guess we’ll just have to wait and see if that’s the case… but if I see you try and outdo one pony, I’ll throw you out of Ponyville myself.” And with that, she flew off.
“Come, we must prepare!” Trixie shouted.
“Can I drop this stuff off first… groceries was the reason I went out today.”
“Sure, but hurry up, the Great and Powerful Trixie has a show to plan for… now to only figure out how to incorporate you…” she walked back into her trailer, deep in thought.
“Nice mare!” Arvak chirped. He departed towards the library to drop off the stuff he bought, and to tell Spike what he was doing.
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Arvak trotted happily down the road back towards Trixie’s trailer. Even what Spike told him about what happened last time she was here did not really bother him. He tried to think of stuff that Trixie would possibly have him do, until he got distracted.
‘Hello… echo!... Echo!’ his thoughts went through the same loop of him yelling echo in his head and listening as the word bounced off the walls of his mind… if somepony smart were to examine this behavior, they would doubt the mental state of him… then again he was a skeleton.
His inner musings were cut short as he smacked his head on the door to Trixie’s trailer… again. Trixie answered the knock on her door, and stared at Arvak, who was currently holding his skull with a hoof.
“Did you use your head to knock on Trixie’s door?” she asked with a straight face.
He removed his hoof from his head. “Involuntarily. Well. I’m here what are we gonna do.”
“Trixie thought that you might have a few ideas.” She admitted sheepishly.
“We could pull a rabbit out of a hat.” He suggested.
“Trixie was hoping for something… bigger… besides, where are we going to get a rabbit?”
Arvak took the starred hat from her head. “Like this silly!” he then pulled a very disgruntled looking rabbit from it.
Fluttershy poked her head from around the trailer. “Oh Angel there you are. I was looking all over for you.” The rabbit tried to make a break for it, but was grabbed in Fluttershy’s hooves and flown back to her cottage.
“Trixie wishes to know how you did that without magic.”
“You mean this isn’t a magic hat?” he asked with a confused expression.
“No, Trixie’s hat is not magic, it’s cotton.” She clarified as she took it back from him. The metaphorical light bulb went off again. “Trixie has an idea!”
“Oooh! Does it involve pie!?!?”
“Yes-what? No! Trixie wishes for you to do some basic magical tricks with me as the assistant, for some of them anyway.”
“What tricks are we doing?”
“Sawing a pony in half-“
“Wont that hurt?”
“Not if it’s you being sawed in half, and Trixie could disguise you to look like a living pony too! This might be her greatest idea yet!”
“Um… I take offense to that, since I’m somewhat alive already.” He said.
“Well, more alive than you look now. Instead of listing these things off, we should practice, well, you should. The Great and Powerful Trixie has no need for practice!”
“Yay!”
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Ponyville gathered around the stage, waiting to see what tricks the showpony would do that they could make fun of as payback for what happened a while ago. The stage was quiet, and a purple haze started forming on it, the shadow of the show mare in her hat and cape could be clearly seen in the mist.
“Fillies and Gentlecolts, welcome to the show! As you know, I am your host… the Great and Powerful Trixie!!!!!!!!” a boom sounded, fireworks went off and the haze cleared. Where Trixie should have been, was nothing. The crowd looked around the stage, searching for her with confused faces. Lightning struck the middle of the stage and a ball of crackling energy expanded outward and fizzled away, revealing the Great and Powerful Trixie in the middle of it.
Some ponies were impressed by the trick, but some were not prepared for what came next.
“And now, to introduce her newest assistant… the amazing Firebolt!!!” The wind picked up next to Trixie, forming a small tornado, which grew slightly bigger. It soon caught on fire and grew even bigger, some ponies started getting concerned, but as soon as it looked like it would be an unstable disaster, a wave was sent out through the middle of it, sending the fire in a large circle, hitting everything, but setting nothing on fire. In the middle, was a blood red stallion with a flaming mane and tail, his eyes were an icy blue in color, but they didn’t give off a hard look as most stallions like him would, they seemed happy, and carefree. His cutie mark was a magic hat with various magical trinkets bouncing out.
This seemed to get the crowd excited, several even stomped hooves in applause at his appearance. The crowd settled down a bit, waiting for Trixie to announce her first trick
“For our first show of magic, we will- hey!” Trixie was cut short when her ‘assistant’ took her hat, eliciting a few giggles from the crowd.
“Sorry Miss Trixie, I think we may have a visitor.” He said in a slightly deep voice, almost as deep as big mac’s voice, as he pulled out Angel from the hat again. Out in the crowd, a Pegasus swore that the bunny was right next to her. A simple trick, but it pleased the crowd slightly. The rabbit bopped him on the head, and left the stage, again, causing a few giggles to pass through the crowd.
“Well, with that out of the way…” she put her hat back on her head, and conjured a box and a saw. “Our first Trick will be sawing a pony in half!” some ponies gasped. “Would my lovely assistant please lie down in the box?” The stallion opened the box, and laid down, head poking through one end, hind hooves out the other. “Are you ready Assistant?” he nodded.
Trixie used her magic to move the saw across the box using the serrated edge. It got halfway and it was obvious that it reached him, but he did not even seemed fazed by it. “It’s more comfortable than you think folks!” he assured. Once the box was fully cut, Trixie separated them, and opened them up. The bottom half jumped out, and walked around, the top half sat up and stared at it, the legs ran. “Hey! Get back here!” he yelled. Trixie teleported the legs back by the box and levitated them in the air. “Heh, thanks, can I have them back please?” she shoved them back on him. He jumped out of the box and tried them out… “They still work!” the crowd applauded.
“What should out next trick be Firebolt?” Trixie asked.
“Let’s check the hat again.” He suggested. When he reached inside, he was sucked into the hat. Trixie picked it up in her mouth and shook it, nothing fell out. She pointed a spotlight with her magic over the crowd, and stopped by a blue mare with an hourglass cutie mark. In the previously empty seat next to her, sat Firebolt. He winked at her, causing her to blush, before he was teleported by Trixie back on stage. They both bowed, and the crowd cheered more.
“I must say that it is great to be doing real tricks, and before Trixie leaves, she must thank one of Ponyville's newest residents.” The crowd looked around, trying to figure out whom. Some thought to look for the purple skeleton, but he was nowhere to be found. All eyes turned to the stallion on stage, he grinned. Fire covered his body, burning bright red, and then changed color slowly. It turned to a deep purple and in the place of the red earth pony stallion, was the purple skeleton. He bowed, and Trixie spoke again, “a special thanks to Arvak, who took the time to play the assistant during the show!” a roar of applause rocked the stage.
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Arvak sat in the trailer with Trixie, sipping a cup of tea she made herself. “Trixie wishes to thank you again for helping her with her show.” She said walking up to him.
“No problem, it was fun. Next time you are doing a show in Ponyville, look me up, I’d be happy to help you again.”
“Trixie may as well do that again. She might also consider doing something similar in other towns. Thank you again, when Trixie gets back on her hooves money wise, she will pay you accordingly.”
“Cool, thanks. Anyway, I think you might be getting visitors soon. I bet important ponies saw that show.”
“Trixie hopes, she could use the money-“
‘
'Knock knock knock' Trixie trotted to the door, and started talking to somepony. Arvak could not hear the conversation, but he could tell Trixie was excited.
She trotted back with a big grin plastered on her face. “So, how’d it go?’
“Trixie scheduled a show next week in Canterlot!”
“Great news!” he chirped.
“But he wants you to be there as well…” she gave him the cutest puppy eyes.
“Well, I guess I can leave room on my schedule-oompf!” he was caught in a rib-crushing hug from Trixie. He could tell because some of his ribs started to crack.
“Whoops, Trixie is sorry.”
“And Arvak is still in one piece.” He said slowly trying to regain stabilization, as he started moving from side to side. “Well, I’m going back to the library for some shut eye, I’ll see you later Trixie.”
“Trixie will see you later.”
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The walk back to the library was slightly more eventful than the walk to the trailer before the show. Ponies stopped to say hi and comment on his performance, and he even met up with the one blue pony again, who blushed as he looked at her and waved. He entered the library and laid down on the couch, the day playing in his head, he could not wait to tell Twilight about what happened… Twilight. He sighed internally. ‘I guess she was right when she said I would miss her.’ His flames dulled down and the lights that were his eyes slowly went out as he drifted off to sleep.