Trixie awoke the next morning to what felt like a low ringing in her ears... yet the sound seemed to be coming from an outside source. Blinking her eyes hard against the luminous onslaught of the sun's rays beaming through her bedroom window, she sat up in her bed and let out a long, drawn-out yawn. Slowly coming to her senses after the night's slumber, she began to focus on the hushed but persistent hum that continued to invade her eardrums. It almost sounded like... voices? Lots of voices, all of them jostling over one another to be heard, occasionally punctuated with rapid bursts of clicking. Her early morning grogginess was soon shattered by an overwhelming wave of excitement as her memories of last night's victory came flooding back to her all at once, causing her to leap out of her bed with gusto.
"Today, I shall celebrate my long-overdue return to the spotlight, where I rightfully belong!" she thought, "But first... I really must find out what that noise is!"
Cantering from the bedroom to the lounge area, the click-clack of her hooves on the polished marble floor echoing off the high ceiling as she did so, she was surprised to see a panicked-looking Leech braced against the front door. Upon seeing his friend, Leech immediately began buzzing agitatedly to her.
"Trixzzie! Help Leech! Hordezz of marauding poniezz try to zzstorm apartment!" he wailed, pleading to Trixie with his eyes. "Leech cannot hold them off for long! Uzze magic to make them go away!"
"Marauding ponies? In Canterlot? Surely that can't be right!" replied Trixie, a look of confusion appearing on her face.
Sure enough, the door that Leech was braced against occasionally flexed and bowed slightly, as though somepony - or indeed someponies - were attempting to barge their way through. The sound that Trixie had awoken to was far louder in this room, and to Trixie it seemed to be coming directly from behind the door! Whoever was trying to get in was also making something of a terrible racket whilst they were doing so. Trixie listened more intently as she deciphered the garbled mass of vocalization that continued to permeate her apartment...
"Can we get a picture?" one voice said.
"Can I have your autograph?" another piped up, over the madding crowd.
"I'm from the Equestria Inquirer, could I have an interview?" came yet another voice among the many.
Trixie's mouth couldn't help but bend upwards into a delighted grin.
"Leech, these aren't marauders!" she laughed, grabbing the surprised Leech by his forehooves and twirling him about the room in a delirium-induced semi-tango. "They're the Great and Powerful Trixie's army of new fans! Sounds like there's some press outside there too!" she continued, her voice becoming higher and cheerier with each syllable.
Leech, after he'd recovered his bearings from the unexpected and impromptu dance, looked to Trixie with a semi-disappointed look on his face.
"But... Leech thought he wazz Trixzzie'zz prezz coverage pony. Well, changeling." he muttered dejectedly.
"Don't worry, Leech, you are!" Trixie replied brightly, "Which is why I'm going to give you a head start over all the other journalists out there!"
With this, she levitated Leech's camera and all-important press hat over to him, deftly placing the camera around Leech's neck and nestling the hat snugly onto his head. Immediately after this, Trixie quickly dressed herself in her trademark stage outfit, before adopting a dramatic pose before Leech. She stood with her legs straight and her head held almost vertically, with her eyes closed in faux-concentration, and her horn aglow as though she were about to cast some sort of epic spell. Her left side was facing Leech, who stood in confusion at what was happening before him.
"Well, go on then!" encouraged Trixie. "Get an exclusive photo of Trixie in a suitably grandiose pose, then get off to work! Your photo will be on the presses whilst the competition is still interviewing me!"
----------
Leech, now that he understood the plan, wasted no time in snapping several photographs of Trixie in her imposing stance before rocketing towards the balcony doors so he could take flight. Trixie meanwhile was flicking through some old pieces of paper, small clouds of dust being flicked from the pages as she shuffled through them. Her concentration was broken by the all-too-frequently-heard sound of Leech meeting closed glass door. Presently, she found the page she'd been looking for, and took it over to Leech who was, as ever, sitting on the floor and rubbing at his head.
"I think I need to speak to Celestia about getting some balcony doors which aren't transparent." she mused, helping Leech to his hooves and ensuring he wasn't hurt.
After establishing that her friend was alright, she rolled the page up and popped into one of Leech's foreleg holes.
"What izz thizz?" Leech asked, glancing towards the sheet that Trixie had given to him.
"Well, the Chronicle is almost certainly going to want some words to go with their exclusive snaps!" Trixie explained. "Luckily I pre wrote a few press interviews for my inevitable stardom a few ye... I mean, weeks ago. This one should do nicely, just tell Snap Happy to ignore the date on it." she continued, somewhat sheepishly.
Giving a salute, once again knocking his hat off-kilter, Leech opened the balcony doors and look flight into the morning skies of Canterlot. As he did so, he looked downwards, and noticed a heaving throng of ponies from the entire cross-section of Canterlot society at the apartment complex's main entryway, all of them vying to catch a glimpse of Canterlot's hottest new cabaret sensation.
"You there, young changeling!" called a voice from the crowd.
Leech halted his advance and settled into a hover, as he looked down towards the pony who had called him. None other than Fancy Pants looked back up at him.
"Hello!" Leech responded, giving Fancy Pants a cheery wave.
"Ahem, yes, greetings." Fancy Pants responded, a little flustered at having to deal with Leech again. "Tell me, is your friend Trixie at home?"
"Indeed she izz." answered Leech. "Trixzzie zzsayzz she will be addrezzing fanzz shortly."
"Exactly what I wanted to know. Thank you." said Fancy Pants.
"Doezz Fanzzy Pony want Leech to get him more film from work? Leech izz zzsure Zzsnap Happy won't mind!"
"No, no, it's quite alright." Fancy Pants quickly responded. "By the way, I'd appreciate it if you told nopony of what went on that day..."
Leech gave a nonchalant shrug - he knew he'd never fully understand ponies, so didn't bother to question Fancy's motives. Instead, he bid Fancy Pants farewell before resuming his flight towards the Canterlot Chronicle offices.
----------
The late morning and early afternoon would prove to be an exhausting one for Trixie. The moment she'd opened the door, a seemingly never ending torrent of ponies had flooded into her apartment, many of them holding out autograph books or pushing hoofheld tape recorders into her face and asking questions. She tried to address everypony in due time, but the sheer numbers quickly overwhelmed her. Fortunately, a pair of royal pegasus guards had been dispatched to investigate the commotion, and with their help Trixie had managed to marshal the gathered mass of fans, admirers and press into a large group outside the apartment building. Deciding it would be far easier to try and address them all at once rather than make herself dizzy attempting to deal with them individually, Trixie strode onto the balcony to be greeted by a cheer that rattled the very air around her. It took every fiber of Trixie's being not to burst into euphoric laughter, but she nevertheless retained her dignified demanor long enough to give a speech to the assembled ponies that stood below her.
"Ponies of Canterlot, the Great and Powerful Trixie is here to answer any questions you may have for her!" she announced grandly to the crowd, causing an incomprehensible torrent of noise to burst forth from the crowd as everypony tried to speak at once.
"One at a time, one at a time!" she snapped, still feeling a little irritable from the day's shenanigans. "I mean... would you be so kind as to raise your hooves if you want to ask me something?" she said sweetly, deciding that getting snappy with her fans could damage her chances of retaining her new-found fame!
Trixie scanned the sea of raised hooves that lay before her, sticking up from the crowd like a bed of reeds from a riverbank. Her eyes moved to the interviewer from the Equestria Inquirer whom she'd attempted to speak with earlier.
"You, at the front." she said briskly, pointing to the reporter.
"Thank you, Ms Lulamoon." began the reporter. "Now that you've hit the big time, what are your plans for the immediate future?"
"Oh that's easy. I'm in a contract with Le Cheval Merde for the moment, so I'll remain performing there for now." she replied, a little disappointed at such a mediocre question. "OK, you next." she added, looking toward a turqoise mare with a strangely-styled white mane and even stranger pink-tinted glasses towards the back of the crowd.
"Trixie! Photo Finish is here to make you even greater than you are now. With my help, you could be making... ze magicks. Magicks of an altogether different kind to the kind you already do. Tell me you'll come to my studio tomorrow and let me work my genius upon you." she blurted, with plenty of dramatic pauses and a strange accent.
Trixie didn't mind either of these things though, she was just pleased that this particular query was about her. Although it seemed to be more of a demand than a question, Trixie's answer was nevertheless the same.
"I'D LOVE TO!" she squealed in excitement, before quickly remembering where she was. "That is, Trixie will come to your studio, just to see if you're as good as you say." she sniffed, re-erecting her veneer of haughtiness.
"Excellent. I shall be seeing you tomorrow. Now, I go!" replied Photo Finish, as both she and her entourage broke away from the crowd and trotted away down the street.
Trixie turned her head around and looked back into the apartment - it was late afternoon according to the clock on the wall, and high time Trixie began to make preparations for her evening. Leech would be back soon, and she didn't want him to come back to all this commotion and disturbance.
"Alright, there's time for one more." Trixie called to her audience. "Erm... you, over there." she called, pointing to a teenage filly in the outskirts of the crowd.
"Can you do a prismatic orb shower for us? I loved seeing you do that trick!" she called to Trixie, whose face immediately dropped upon hearing the question.
"I can't do that, I haven't re-absorbed it from anypony!" she thought, her blood suddenly running cold and her ears dropping.
Worse still, the filly's request seemed to be popular with the rest of the crowd, who began to chatter excitedly to each other, all of their eyes looking up at the showmare on the balcony.
"Well, you see, Trixie... um... Trixie cannot do that just now, because... b-because..." Trixie faltered, attempting to find a valid reason not to fulfill the request. "Because... it's the daytime! The trick only really works in a darkened room or at night, when everypony can see it better. You can hardly see it at all in daylight!" Trixie hurriedly responded, her eyes nervously scanning the crowd for any adverse reactions, her mind fervently hoping that nopony would question her deception.
"Oh, OK then. That makes sense I guess. I hope you do it at your next cabaret show!" replied the filly brightly, again drawing chatters of agreement from the other ponies present.
"Yes, yes of course Trixie will." Trixie replied, her legs feeling weak as her body relaxed itself after her brief scare. "That is all the questions Trixie has time for today - now, I must go and practice, ready for my next amazing display of magic!" she finished, making a grand exit by teleporting off the balcony in a spectacular puff of smoke.
----------
Re-materializing inside the apartment, she could hear the gathered ponies slowly dispersing back into Canterlot, their voices growing ever distant as they made their way back home. Trixie slumped onto the couch, her muscles burning from being on her hooves all day and a pounding headache beginning to make itself known. Yet through the fatigue in her body and the dull thuds of discomfort from her head, Trixie couldn't have been happier. One decent show, and she was already even more famous than she'd been after saving Canterlot! If she'd had fingers, she would have pinched herself to ensure she wasn't dreaming. As she lay, contemplating the day's events and wondering what the coming days would hold, she could hear a conversation outside the building through the open balcony doors.
"You heard Miss Trixie, she said no more questions." came a gruff voice.
"Indeed I did, good sir," came a calm, smooth, classy tone. "I merely wish to invite her-"
"Look, I know you're used to getting your own way, but she said she's had enough for today. Please, just come back another time." came the first voice again, sounding a little more annoyed this time.
Wondering what the problem could be, Trixie wearily hauled herself back to her hooves and gently strolled back onto the balcony, pausing to rub at her tired eyes. Looking down at the street below, she could see that the crowd of ponies was completely gone, except for three - Fancy Pants, and the two royal guards who had helped manage the crowds during the day. The former seemed to be attempting to reason with the latter in order to get a private audience with Trixie, and negotiations weren't going his way.
"Now look here, gentlecolts." said Fancy Pants, his classy tone becoming slightly darker, "All I ask is that I may-"
He stopped as he noticed Trixie had reappeared upon the balcony.
"It's OK, boys," Trixie called down to the guards, "let him say what he wants to say."
"Ah, thank you." Fancy Pants remarked, as the guards parted and allowed him to come closer to the building. "I merely wanted to inform you that I would be attending a banquet at the royal castle tomorrow night, and I would be most honored if you were my guest for the evening." he finished, looking up at Trixie with warm eyes and a kind smile.
Trixie could barely believe what she was hearing - fame, a photoshoot with Photo Finish and now she was to be Fancy Pants' new favorite party guest? It was although all her Hearth's Warming Eves had arrived at once!
"I graciously accept your invitation, Fancy Pants!" Trixie called down to him, her headache and tiredness now a distant memory, replaced instead by excitement and just a small amount of trepidation.
"Ah, splendid!" replied Fancy Pants, "I shall sent a carriage to pick you up at eight o'clock sharp tomorrow evening! Everypony who is anypony will be there, so I definitely think you'll be in good company!" he added, before turning to leave.
Trixie could only stand there, dumbstruck, as she watched Canterlot's greatest celebrity canter away, having just invited her to accompany him for an evening at the royal palace. Thanking the royal guards for their assistance, she very slowly turned and headed back inside, gently closing the balcony doors as she fully comprehended what had just happened. After standing still in the center of the lounge for what seemed to be hours, she finally burst into a series of whoops and cheers, even doing a cartwheel in her intense jubilation!
"Trixie, tomorrow is going to be the greatest day of your entire life!" she told herself out loud, before scurrying into her bedroom to find her very best outfit for the next evening.
----------
At the Canterlot Chronicle offices, Leech was also having a pretty good day. His photographs and Trixie's press release had been very well received by both Snap Happy and the Chronicle's readers, with sales of the afternoon edition being the highest they'd been for weeks.
"You're definitely getting there, Leech my boy!" Snap Happy said enthusiastically, with a hint of surprise to his voice.
"Wazz there ever any doubt?" Leech replied in a rare moment of egoism, his chest puffing out a little.
Snap Happy decided not to give an honest answer to Leech's query, and instead continued to trot down one of the office's many corridors with Leech by his side. They were heading for the dark room to develop a couple more of the pictures Leech had taken that morning, when the two passed by a room that Leech hadn't seen before. He'd passed by it many times during his work here, but he'd never seen it with the door open until now.
"What'zz in there?" Leech asked, stopping by the open door and peering inside.
"Ugh. You don't want to know." Snap Happy replied, rolling his eyes.
Apparently, Leech did want to know, as he'd already wandered into the room before Snap Happy could stop him. With a resigning sigh, Snap Happy quickly followed Leech as he began to explore the unseen office.
"Leech not know thizz offizze wazz here! What izz thizz plazze?" Leech asked Snap Happy.
"This is the office where the weekly gossip supplement is produced." Snap Happy explained, disgust very much present in his tone. "I don't care much for it myself, but the owners of the paper claim it's too profitable not to have.
Leech looked in wonderment at the office around him. Most of it seemed to be the same as the other offices in the building - there was a wooden desk, on top of which sat a typewriter, a ream of paper and a filing tray. The smell of coffee was very much present in the air, but there was something in the room that Leech had never seen in any of the other offices. At first glance it appeared to be a slot machine, similar to the type Leech had seen on travel brochures for Las Pegasus.
"That doezzn't make zzsenzze." Leech buzzed out loud. "Why would a zzslot mach-"
"Dat ain't no slot machine, kid!" came a deep, obnoxious voice from the office doorway.
Leech whirled around to see a large, pudgy beige unicorn standing in the doorway. His deep gray mane was heavily waxed and slicked back, although it appeared to be thinning in places, his teeth were yellowed and his eyes had heavy, gray bags beneath them. Leech involuntarily recoiled a little, as the unicorn spoke once again.
"Whatchoo are lookin at dere, is da greatest ting ta' hit newsmakin' since da printin' press!" the newcomer continued in a semi Istallion accent.
"Leech, this is Tattle-Tale, our gossip editor." Snap Happy explained, with another disgusted eye roll. "Tattle-Tale, this is Leech, my new reporter."
"Hey, kiddo. Take it from me, you don't wanna be workin' for dis schmuck. Regular news is dull, ponies of Canterlot want - no, need - dirt an' scandal. I'm what keeps dis here publication afloat!" Tattle-Tale said with venom, shooting a cocky glance towards Snap Happy.
"You also keep the local law firms afloat, Tattle. How many times have you been sued this year?" asked Snap Happy bitterly.
"Two hundred an' fourteen!" laughed Tattle-Tale, sounding proud of this achievement. "But da money my articles make more dan pays for da court settlements!"
Leech backed away again. He was beginning to regret asking what this office had been for now! Plucking up what remaining courage he had, he asked Tattle-Tale what the device on his desk was for.
"Dis," began Tattle, "Is what I use for inspirin' my articles."
"What he means is, he's so bucking lazy he just uses a machine to make up scandals for him, regardless of their truth." Snap Happy interjected flatly.
"Dat dere is slander!" responded Tattle-Tale, pretending to be hurt. "I should take you to da courts!"
"Well, I guess you probably know the courts inside out by now..." retorted Snap Happy, generating an enraged grunt from Tattle-Tale.
"Anyway, ignore dis mook right here and listen up smart. When I pull dis lever, dese three drums right here start to spin, just like a slot machine. Da difference is, dis first drum has da names of all Canterlot's hottest celebs on it, da middle one has da sort of dubious activities dese celebrities get up to, and da third drum has locations and more names on it. Allow me to demonstrate." Tattle-Tale explained, his horn glowing and using his magic to pull a lever at the side of the machine.
Leech observed as the three drums whirled around, each rotation threatening a public relations disaster for anypony unfortunate enough to have their names written upon them. After a few seconds, each drum came to a stop, and between the three of them they created a potential story idea for Tattle-Tale.
Fleur de Lis
seen shopping with
Hayseed Turniptruck
"See?" exalted Tattle-Tale. "Comin' up wid a juicy gossip story is as easy as fallin' off a log! You should definitely ditch the mainstream news before it's too late, kid. Dis is where da real profit is! Anytime you fancy a change from da dull world of news, come see me. I'll fit you up wid some real assignments!"
"I don't think Leech will be doing that, Tattle. Come on Leech, we've got some pictures to develop." Snap Happy replied, guiding Leech out of the room.
"An' I've got an article to write, plus a new sucker to add to my list!" sneered Tattle-Tale, closing the office door as Snap Happy and Leech left.
"Zzso, Tattle-Tale hazz thingy that only exizztzz to churn out horrible zzstories? Zzseemzz a bit of a pointlezz gizzmo to me." Leech said to Snap Happy as they made their way down the corridor.
"It's a part of the Chronicle I'd rather be without." admitted Snap Happy, somewhat sadly. "But the owners of the paper want it to stay, and so that's how it'll be. Sadly, many of the ponies around here seem to lap this sort of stuff up."
----------
Before sitting down to type his newly-invented gossip article for the coming week, Tattle-Tale levitated a screwdriver from behind his desk, and unscrewed a side panel on his gossip-generating slot machine. Sliding the first drum out, he produced a black marker pen from a nearby desk drawer. Bringing both the drum and the pen up to his face, he added "The Great and Powerful Trixie" to a blank space on the drum before re-installing it into the machine and re-tightening all of the screws.
"Enjoy ya newfound fame, Trixie, cos before I'm done it's gonna turn into infamy!" he said grimly, before turning to his typewriter to fabricate his story of Fleur's outrageous shopping trip.