//------------------------------//
// Intermission Two: Trixie the Great. 
// Story: No One For the Gallows But Me 
// by Coyote de La Mancha 
//------------------------------//

Vignette Valencia sat in the outdoor food court and seethed, the picnic table's umbrella sheltering her from the late afternoon sun.  
The day had not gone well. Neither had the last month, come to that. Equestria Land's attendance had increased just after the parade, granted. But it had been steadily declining ever since. And with her phone destroyed, well, that was practically her life. Yes, she had technically gotten it replaced. And yes, she had kept backups of everything since the first time her phone...
But no, best not to think on that.
With a moan, she held her face in her hands. People remembered the parade, and the park. But most of all, they remembered the Rainbooms. And they remembered her being shut down by them.
Granted, pretty much everyone had thought that was just part of the show. The amusement park's manager had even congratulated her on such an ingenious use of self-deprecation. But afterwards, people had talked. They always did. And while she would never begrudge Rarity her continuing up-and-coming success...
(Well, the old her might have. But she was better than that now. BYBB, after all.)
...it remained that everything she'd been building for her own life was teetering dangerously towards oblivion. Her reputation was worse than bad... it was forgettable! 
Granted, Rarity had agreed to hold a fashion show there next year, but that was next year. And while she'd also said she would talk to her fellow Rainbooms about doing some last-minute concerts at the park to bring the crowds back, Vignette wasn't holding her breath. 
Vignette moaned, then sat straight, slamming her palms on the table.
“Someone bring me a stress yogurt!” she cried.
The bowl materialized almost instantly, a freckled lad slowing just long enough to place it before her and then run out of sight. She considered the frozen confection, with its fruit, whipped topping, and nuts. The cherry on top was a nice touch. Technically, she really should have been eating something more slimming. But it had been a wretched summer. And it wasn't just the park; the likes on her Snapgab were descending, her follower count was slowing down...
And, well, frankly she wasn't in a hurry to snap another salad pic, even now.
She brought out her replacement phone to immortalize her bowl of chilled delights (nothing like a thousand likes or so to brighten one's day), and then stopped, letting her camera soak in the vision approaching her.
The blue girl walked across the food court not just like she owned the place, but like the whole park had been built especially for her. With her smiling lips and commanding eyes, long coat and wide hat even in the heat, she was certainly no stranger to the sacrifices one must make for appearances.
And she was coming straight for Vignette Valencia, had eyes only for her.
Vignette returned the smile, even as she captured the young woman's approach on her phone.
“Perfect,” she said, “Just... perfect. Such a daring ensemble! It just screams, 'You haven't met the best because you haven't met me!'”
The other woman smiled as she sat across from her. “Thank you.”
“Are you here to audition for next year?” Vignette asked. “Because if you want the stage or the démarche, it's yours.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not here for employment,” the blue woman smiled. “Only information.”
“Well, suit yourself, but I wouldn't toss an opening like this away. T.O.W.Y.F.T., after all. Take Opportunities Where You Find Them.”
Trixie, still smiling, simply took a piece of paper out of her pocket.
“Trixie could not agree more,” she said, and slid it over to Vignette. 
Frowning, Vignette unfolded it, and then stared.
“Trixie knows that you were using magic during the parade,” she said. “Your cell phone--”
“I don't want it back!” Vignette cried, flinging the photocopy away as if bitten.  
Trixie plucked it neatly out of the air, pocketing it again.
“Trixie already knows something happened," she insisted. "Something with your cell phone, earlier this summer. Something involving the name on the plaque in that picture. She wants to know what it was. That's all.”
Vignette had gone pale. “My cell phone,” she said. “I'd... I'd lost it.”
Trixie's phone chimed briefly. She took it out, muted it, put it back into her pocket.
“Tell Trixie what happened,” she said.
Vignette looked around the almost empty food court, uncertain.
“You can trust Trixie,” Trixie assured her. “Where did you lose it?”
“I... here," Vignette said uncomfortably. "Somewhere in the park. I don't know exactly where.”
“How did you get it back?”
“He had it. He returned it to me.”
Trixie nodded. “Did he seek you out?”
Vignette shook her head. “No. I... it was so stupid, but you must understand, this was my cell phone. It had everything on it. I had to get it back. My career depended on it! But I couldn't find it anywhere, and after a while, I got desperate.”
“Go on.”
“There are rumors, on the web. I put together where he'd have to be. I… it was...” she shook her head. “I don't know. I don't want to know.”
Then she looked away, arms crossed in resentment, adding, “I'd almost forgotten until you got here.”
From within her coat pocket, Trixie's phone began buzzing repeatedly. This time she didn't bother pulling it out, just reached in and held the power button until it fell silent, her eyes continually fixed on Vignette.
"And he gave it back?” she asked.
Still looking away, Vignette shook her head. “No. No, he sold it back to me.”
“For how much?”
Vignette sighed.  
“That was the stupid part,” she said. “He didn't want money. All he wanted was a promise. And at the time I figured, sure, whatever. But later on...”
Trixie leaned forward. “What promise?”
Vignette closed her eyes.  
“He made me promise to change the route of the parade to his specifications, and to have it start on a particular date and time,” she said. “It was over a week sooner than I'd planned, which of course just screwed up everything, so I had been going to just ignore him, but...”
Vignette shuddered and fell silent, and for a moment neither of them spoke.
“Do you remember where he was?” Trixie asked at last.
Vignette turned back to Trixie at last.
“No! I don't!” she snapped. “And in fact, I don't want to.”
Then, suddenly, Vignette's demeanor changed, unwanted memories again shoved back into their proper cages.  
“But listen, if you ever get tired of chasing after rumors and fairy tales, do look me up,” she smiled. “You've got natural poise, and the camera loves you. But in the meantime I've got work to do, so, B.Y.B.B. - Be Yourself But Better – and T.T.F.N.”
And, with forced energy and cheer, she flounced out of her chair and towards her offices, only briefly zipping back to retrieve her yogurt sundae and give Trixie a last jaunty wave before vanishing into the shelter of the staff building.
Trixie considered the closed door for a moment.
“Be Yourself But Better?” she smiled. “Oh, Vignette Valencia, you have no idea.”
Trixie rose with a satisfied leisure and departed into the main thoroughfare of the park, blending despite her bizarre attire into the thin crowds, vanishing completely from view.





Once in her car, Trixie turned her phone on again, and dialed the familiar number.
“What is it?” she asked.
“You weren't answering my texts,” said Wallflower Blush's voice. “I got worried.”
“Trixie was busy.”
“All day?”
“Yes. All day,” Trixie said, exasperated. “Trixie has been busy all day. All day, Trixie has been busy. The Busy and Industrious Trixie has been all day Busy.”
“Okay.”
“And Industrious.”
Wallflower Blush sighed. “Yeah, I get it.”
“And also Trixie.”
Trixie hadn't been able to keep the grin out of her voice for that last, and she could hear her friend's own smile in her response.
“Okay, now you're just taking the piss.”
There was a moment of easy laughter between the two of them.
“So, Wally, what was it you needed?”
“Oh! Right. Yeah. Um, something came up with Futtershy, and she's really not up to circle tonight. I wanted to get hold of you early so we could either figure on it being just the two of us, or you'd have time to, you know, um... make other plans."
Trixie could well imagine her friend standing against a wall in her home, arms crossed, bracing herself for what she no doubt thought would be the inevitable response. After all, Wallflower had spent most of her life alone. On the outside, looking in. Ignored. Forgotten. 
It was simply what she expected.
Trixie looked at the list she'd pulled out of another pocket. Several names had been crossed off, several remained. But she had well over a week left before her self-imposed deadline.
And anyway, now that she had friends, surely the Compassionate and Friendly Trixie could be a good friend herself, could she not? It wasn't as though Wallflower Blush wasn't great to spend time with, after all. And Wally certainly deserved better than to think...
...well, almost anything that Wallflower was probably already thinking.
“Oh, Trixie thinks we could figure something out,” Trixie said, putting the list away. “We could hold it in Trixie's basement. It isn't as good as Fluttershy's back yard, but it's private and there should be enough room.”
“Oh! Great! Really? I mean, you're sure?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is positive,” Trixie assured her. “Though that does remind her, Trixie will not be available this new moon. So, it'll be just you and Fluttershy then.”
“We could just start late,” Wallflower suggested.
“Alas, Trixie will be otherwise engaged the entire night.”
“Oh, yeah?” Wallflower teased. “And does this rascal have a name?”
Trixie smiled.
“Not that kind of engagement, but yes, the rascal has a name. That being said, Trixie was thinking that after new moon circle you might take advantage of the opportunity.”
There was a pause.
“Um... what opportunity?”
“The highly empathetic and insightful Trixie could not help but notice that there are sometimes sparks between her other coven-sisters...”
She could almost hear Wallflower's eyes pop.
“What? When? I mean, I... um...”
“Oh, dear, was Trixie wrong?” Trixie grinned. “So then, if Trixie were to ask Fluttershy out...”
“No! Wait! I mean--!”  
Trixie's laughter was friendly.
“Trixie was only teasing,” she said. “You're her friend, she would never do that to you. But there are others who might also have noticed that Fluttershy is... well, is Fluttershy. And a new moon is a fine time for new beginnings, is it not?”
The phone was silent, and Trixie was certain that her friend's glowing cheeks could probably have illuminated a dark room.
“Just ask," she said. "Trust Trixie. See a late movie. Get some coffee. Go out for waffles.”
Wallflower's voice was almost inaudible. “That's literally not possible.”
“Well, Trixie is not all-knowing,” Trixie admitted. “And she has been wrong before. But she has reason to believe that if you were to ask, Fluttershy might say yes.”
Silence.
Trixie sighed.  
“Wally... she's worth the risk, isn't she?”
Finally, still barely audible, Wallflower's voice: “Yeah.”
“Then follow Trixie's wise and sage oracle-like advice. Ask her out before someone else does. Okay?”
Something even quieter came over the connection, but it sounded vaguely affirmative.
“Good. Trixie has to go now. But she will see you tonight.”
There was another almost silent affirmative, and the connection ended. Trixie put her phone away and started her car, a rueful smile playing across her features as she began to drive.  
There was no way of knowing how her own endeavor would ultimately play out, of course. It was a risky venture at best. She might win everything she craved, or she might lose even more. She had to rely on her own strength and brilliance to deal with whatever lay ahead.
But at the end of the day, if Wally and Flutters could just stop taking turns looking at each other, blushing, and then looking away, Trixie would count that as a victory well-won.
She signaled and sped onto the highway towards home, to prepare her basement for the evening's rites.