//------------------------------//
// Prelude - Reflection 
// Story: Outlaw Mares 1: A Hoof Full of Trixie 
// by Digodragon 
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	“Keep those hooves in the air, ponies!” the large griffon commanded as he backed slowly towards the door. The ponies within the bank lobby all complied out of fear, for they were at the mercy of the infamous griffon gangster Razor Rogers and his two griffon accomplices, Jet and Pascal. The griffons had strength and weapons on their side. They brandished heavy slingshots and steel ball bullets at the ponies.
Razor Roger was the first out the door. He glanced around quickly to ensure no cops were awaiting them. He was followed quickly by his two partners; the full sacks they carried clinked loudly of the coins within. As soon as all three griffons confirmed that the area was clear, they turned to the right and ran down the street toward their hideout. The weight of the loot they had stolen prevented them from flying, but it mattered little as they didn’t need to travel far before they would divvy up their ill-gotten cash and then split town entirely.

The griffons only crossed half a city-block worth of distance when Razor heard one of his accomplices hit the floor hard followed by the sound of a heavy sack of coins that had burst open upon impact. Razor spun around and saw Pascal was flat on the ground, unconscious. A torrential wave of coins spilled out across the sidewalk like an ocean wave. The coins stopped upon reaching Razor's lion-like feet.
A figure stood upon the knocked-out griffon. A female Unicorn with a brilliant azure fur coat and a beautiful, long mane of a stunning cornflower blue. She wore a long, flowing purple cape and a matching pointed hat patterned with gold and silver stars. The Unicorn smirked, flashing a light off her dark violet eyes. “If I were you, I’d give up now and save yourself a world of hurt.”

“Who are you?” Razor questioningly barked.

The Unicorn flicked her tail with a smile and narrowed her dark magenta eyes. “Why, I am The Great and Powerful Trixie, defender of Manehatten!”

“Boss, we’re toast!” Jet exclaimed with fear.

“Cheese it!” Razor shouted. He dropped the heavy sack of money and leaped into the air, his right talon still clutched around the heavy slingshot. Jet did the same and kept close behind.

The two griffons beat their wings hard and flew quickly to escape the magical Unicorn. Once they cleared two city blocks by air, the two griffons landed on the rooftop of the next closest building. The crooks scanned the streets below for signs of their opponent. The Razor didn’t see the Unicorn on the streets, but Jet pointed up at the sky. “Boss, up there!”

Razor looked up and saw a bright blue hang glider soar above them. Trixie was in the glider and she circled above them, ready to descend upon their position. Razor raised his slingshot and took aim at the Unicorn. “I have had about enough of this Unicorn!” he growled, shooting a steel bullet at the glider.
His shot was true and it hit the glider with a resounding bang! The glider’s left wing snapped apart, the blue Unicorn fell out of the sky, and she gained all the aerial grace of an iron ingot.

Trixie let out a gasp as she struggled to unlatch herself from the broken glider. The ground quickly rushed up to greet her as she pulled hard on the straps with all her might. Trixie summoned her magical strength and ripped the strap seams off with her horn's power. She pushed away as the ground impacted hard against her body with—