//------------------------------//
// Debts 
// Story: Pinkie Pie and the Cursed Belly Jewel 
// by mayorlight 
//------------------------------//

Rarity and Pinkie shrank back as the security guard, a young woman with her platinum hair tied in a ponytail, planted her fists on her hips. The guard's face could have been carved from stone the way she was glaring at them. While they had dealt with the magical problem of that accursed jewel, they now had to deal with the mundane problem of explaining themselves to the authorities - who very likely did not believe in the existence of magic.

Rarity gave a nervous laugh. "Uh, we were just cleaning up from a food spill."

The guard laughed in turn, only hers was utterly devoid of mirth.

"Oh, it was more than just a food spill out there."

Another woman, a few years older with her black hair tied in a bun entered the restroom.  Her red uniform marked her as the Mrs. Meadows manager. She cast an accusing finger at the girls.

"That's them! They're the ones who set off that firework."

"W-we don't have any fireworks on us!" Pinkie stammered.

"Yeah, none still intact," the guard sneered.

"I swear, I was just about to take a free sample and then all of a sudden, boom!"

Rarity tried to shush Pinkie but it was too late. The guard and the manager were already adavncing on them.

"You girls are coming with us," said the guard.

None of Rarity or Pinkie's statements was a lie, but the security guard and the cookie boss were clearly not convinced. The girls were already fearing the worst: getting banned from the mall, being turned over to the police, being charged with who knows how many misdemeanors, and becoming a laughingstock among their peers. This day cannot possibly get any worse!

"There you are!" called a voice from the door.

Everybody glanced back at the entrance to find a fuming Trixie. The magician pointed a finger at Rarity and Pinkie. "Your timing was way off! We seriously need more rehearsals if you two are going to screw up this badly!"

The guard and the manager exchanged confused glances. Pinkie did not know what to make of Trixie's interjection. Rarity, however, immediately caught onto the cue and put on the most contrite face she could.

"We're really sorry, Trixie."

The guard looked at Rarity before turning to Trixie. "Are these two part of your magic act?"

"I'm afraid so," Trixie scoffed. "I swear, it's hard to find good help these days!"





Rarity and Pinkie spent the next hour with Trixie in the security office getting grilled by the guard and the Mrs. Meadows manager. Thankfully, Trixie did most of the talking, presenting a bald-faced lie that she had asked her classmates to assist her act as audience plants and that they had each been carrying one of her smoke pellets. For their part, Rarity and Pinkie simply had to back up Trixie's story, which the latter ended up repeating three times at the guard's request - ostensibly in a search for inconsistencies. Toward the end of the third telling, the manager stepped outside to take a phone call. When she returned, she reported that her employee had just been released from a nearby emergency room with nothing more than minor bruising.

With this news, the manager and the guard seemed satisfied that the incident was nothing more than a silly accident. The manager, however, demanded that Rarity and Pinkie pay the cost of the destroyed batch of cookies. The guard also advised Trixie that she was henceforth prohibited from using her smoke effects inside the mall. Trixie did not seem all that vexed by the restriction and readily agreed. With this, she was free to go.

Rarity and Pinkie were escorted back to the Mrs. Meadows counter. Rarity provided her prepaid credit card for the payment, which depleted the amount she had set aside for a week's worth of lattes. With the manager satisfied, Rarity and Pinkie were now released, although the guard continued to eye them until they were out of sight. Without a word, the girls headed for the nearest exit. Only once they were out in the parking lot did Pinkie break the silence.

"Well," she said weakly. "At least we didn't get banned from the mall."

Rarity gave Pinkie a grim look. "Still, we should probably stay away for a while. A month at the very least."

Tears welled up in Pinkie's eyes as she threw her arms around her friend. "I promise, I'll pay you back, Rarity! That cookie kaboom was my fault!"

"Ahem."

A throat cleared behind them. They turned to find an extra smug Trixie strolling up to them.

"There is also the matter of what you both owe me," Trixie said. "Not only for ruining my show but for saving your bacon just now."

Pinkie now turned her pleading eyes on Trixie. "We're reaaally sorry about earlier, but things were waaay beyond our control!"

Trixie held up a hand, mostly to keep Pinkie from invading her space. "I won't pry. If I had to guess, it was probably just more of that magic gone wild. Again." Trixie was one of the few people outside of the Rainbooms aware of the existence of Equestrian magic.

"I'll reimburse you for the cost of the smoke pellet." Rarity said as she searched her bag for her checkbook. She had a feeling Trixie had some ulterior motive for coming to their aid. She wondered how much more of her latte budget she would have to sacrifice to square the debts she and Pinkie incurred today.

Trixie's smile deepened. "Actually, Rarity, I have something else in mind."





Later that evening, Rarity and Pinkie told their friends in the Rainbooms about what happened at the mall. Rainbow Dash got a good laugh out of it. Sunset Shimmer was perplexed as to why magic from a world populated primarily by sentient quadrupeds would induce distinctly bipedal behavior. Applejack was worried about "damage control," as the incident had drawn nearly as much attention as Juniper Montage's rampage not too long ago. Thankfully, the one video of the food court explosion uploaded to NikNak failed to go viral. Most of the comments on the video derided the spectacle as being "obviously staged" - ironically, mirroring the cover story Trixie gave.

To Pinkie's surprise, Twilight Sparkle did not gloat at her misfortune - not too much, anyway. Despite her ordeal, Pinkie refused to stop wearing her beloved belly jewels, although she did decide to hold off on buying any new ones for a while.

The following Friday at Canterlot High School found the girls eating lunch at their usual table when the cafeteria's double doors suddenly burst open. Everybody in the room glanced over to find a cloud of pale blue smoke billowing at the entrance. From the cloud emerged Trixie wrapped her trademark purple cloak. She thrust out an arm, bare save for a shiny prop gold bracelet.

"It is I, the Great and Powerful Trrrixie! I have returned from the mysterious east, having learned the ways of the djinn! Behold!”

With a grand flourish, Trixie cast off her cloak. Instead of her signature magician outfit, she wore a navy blue bolero vest and bandeau top, with matching pantaloons and slippers. Completing the kitschy ensemble was a prop gold genie lamp hanging from her hip and a large faux sapphire ensconced in her navel.

Everybody in the cafeteria stared in awe. Many pulled out their smartphones to record. A few giggled at how outrageous Trixie's entrance and costume were.

Rarity and Pinkie slapped their hands to their faces. Instead of demanding financial compensation for the mall incident, Trixie asked Rarity to make her a new costume for her magic act - an Arabian Nights-style outfit similar to the bedlahs she had made for her friends. Always eager to make a new outfit, Rarity gladly accepted. Pinkie in turn repaid her debt to Rarity by footing the bill for the materials. They had even offered to teach Trixie some basic belly dancing moves - she declined, saying that she did not want to ape their gig. Neither of them, however, expected Trixie to debut the outfit here at CHS during lunch period!

Trixie sauntered to the center of the cafeteria where she conjured coins, flowers, and brightly-colored streamers to the delight of her audience - the most engaged one she had in quite some time. The excitement lasted only a few minutes before a sudden hush swept across the room. Bewildered, Trixie glanced about to find her classmates all staring at the entrance. She turned around to find Vice Principal Luna standing at the door. Trixie blanched under Luna's steely gaze.

"Dress code, Miss Lulumoon." Luna's austere voice resonated throughout the room. Everybody watched silently enrapt as their vice principal strode up to Trixie, who was now struggling to plead her case.

"But what about your recital? Or their benefit?” Trixie gestured to the Rainbooms' table, much to their annoyance.

The vice principal remained unmoved as she loomed over Trixie. “Both were non-school events scheduled outside of school hours." Despite practicing belly dance herself, Luna knew there was an appropriate time and place for wearing the costumes (or facsimiles thereof). "My office, now.”

Trixie wilted as a collective "Oooh" rippled through the cafeteria. Without another word, she gathered up her cloak before being marched out the door.