The sun yawned as it peeked over the east hills upon the bustling city of San Anponio. However, the city was already awake and active this morning. Factories moved pistons and turned gears related to the machines that refined ore into iron ingots. Trains churned large stacks of light smoke into the air as they arrived with travelers and goods for the city markets.
The ponies pulled wagons full of decorations up and down the streets as they called out to the playful children to help hang the banners and streamers. San Anponio’s open markets flashed bright and colorful signs that advertised new produce from the surrounding small farms in the province.
The city was prepared for two very important events that were about to happen. The first was the arrival of Princess Luna from Canterlot, one of the two beloved sisters who reigned over the nation. Large banners of purple cloth flew from flagpoles and displayed warm greetings for the ruler. Luna’s royal crescent moon symbol was also prominently hung outside many windows along the main street of the city.
The second event near fruition was the election for the new mayor of San Anponio and the surrounding San Anponio province. It was the second most populated western area in Equestria, beaten only by the Califoalia province. The current mayor of San Anponio had officially retired two weeks ago. This made the current election cycle a race between all new candidates for the seat.
The first train from Canterlot arrived nearly twenty minutes late to the station. The Canterlot Royal Guard was the first of the passengers to step off the train. They secured the cargo to ensure the rest of the passengers departed away from the valuables stored within the rear cars. As the ponies disembarked from their train, many commented among themselves about the trip’s mysterious stop in the middle of the night.
However, no one spoke as loud as Artemis did.
“Guards!” the art dealer shouted, “I want access to my cargo immediately!”
“In good time, citizen,” the commanding lieutenant of the detachment replied. “Your items will be handed over once everything has been accounted for.”
“What?” Artemis said in a tone more angry than confused. “I was hired by your employer, Princess Luna, to ensure the authenticity and value of these objects. I should have access to them at all times!”
The lieutenant stood his ground and stretched out his wings in a show of command. The situation was ready to come to a boil between the two stallions, but Mosaic quickly intervened. The marbled pegasus gently patted Artemis on the shoulder for his attention.
“Sir, the guards only wish to do their job,” Mosaic explained coolly. “Perhaps we should check in with the museum curator to ensure the exhibit displays are ready?”
Artemis calmed down for a moment, but it was a very short moment because two guards carried out the large wooden crate labeled ‘Artemis Fresco’ and the container was missing its lid.
“Lance, sir!” shouted one of the guards that carried the crate.
“What is it Pike?” the lieutenant asked as he rushed over to the crate.
The guards all noticed that the art objects were rummaged through. Artemis noticed as well and the portly stallion pushed his way to the forefront to take account of all the objects in the crate. The art dealer went through the box meticulously for signs of possible damage to the artwork. He muttered several curses to himself as he took a mental inventory of the contents.
Mosaic looked on with worry, and it showed in her twitching wings.
“The wand is missing!” Artemis finally blurted out. “That’s the most important piece of the collection!” The burly sepia pony was in a frightful panic.
Nearby, Trixie and Cheryl stepped off the train. They easily heard Artemis cry out in anguish, but Trixie felt no remorse for the stallion. After all, she tried to steal the wand during the night and was thwarted by a winged thief disguised as a fictional character. Trixie felt that she was the real victim here.
On the other hoof, Cheryl had a little sympathy for the art dealer despite being Trixie’s accomplice.
The two mares walked closer to the dramatic scene that unfolded at the station.
“You guards are useless!” Artemis shouted. “There were six of you, plus another two hired heads, and not one of you noticed this?” The art dealer wailed out to the sky in a display of overacted melodrama. Despite his emotional fury, he saw Cheryl standing not far away besides a light blue mare in a purple cape.
“Look, right there!” Artemis pointed out. “There’s one of the hired hooves that turned out to be worthless!” Artemis kicked the crate in frustration.
Mosaic bit her tongue. That kick could have broken one of the artworks.
“Great,” Cheryl muttered to Trixie. “I reckon I won’t get paid for this job now.”
“You’d spend it all on booze anyway,” Trixie commented slyly.
“And don’t get me started on these passengers,” Artemis said as he pointed at Trixie. “How are all these worthless ponies so unperceptive?”
Trixie shook her head. “Grow up, you fat turkey,” she muttered.
“What was that?” Artemis said as he stomped the ground. “Art is a passionate business! Who are you, some kind of stage magician?”
“I am The Great and Powerful Trixie,” the unicorn stated as she entered into her show-mare mode, “Equestria’s most magical pony.”
“Oh, I’ve heard of you,” Artemis replied with contempt. “You’re that rubbish celebrity from Manehatten. Well you were lousy at noticing my art being pilfered!”
The azure unicorn frowned. “Trixie was not hired to watch over your things,” she said firmly. “Trixie is a traveling magician who performs great feats of magic. She does not babysit unimportant trinkets.”
“Trinkets?!” Artemis exploded with rage. He leaped forward at the azure unicorn, but one of the guards grappled him before he could get within Trixie’s reach. The art dealer’s mane began to bristle with his anger again. “Why, I am a prominent dealer in cultural masterpieces! Y-You’re just a snot-nosed, pinecone eating trickster!”
“Ugh,” Trixie growled angrily. “That was a stupid dare I did once. Once! I swear, you take one drunken dare at the Gala and you get branded for life.”
Cheryl leaned over to Trixie. “I reckon your third-person accent slipped,” she whispered.
“Shut up,” Trixie muttered. The azure unicorn was angry, but she wisely decided to remove herself from this conversation quickly. Trixie took a deep breath and composed herself as she turned to walk away.
“Yeah, walk away you two-bit fraud!” Artemis shouted. He saw Trixie stop in her pace for a moment, but then the unicorn pulled her hat down further and continued to distance herself from the burly art dealer.
Artemis turned his attention back to the guards. “Get out of my face, all of you!” He pushed himself away from the guard that held him back. Artemis readjusted his crooked plaid bow tie and stormed off.
“Sucks to be those guards,” Cheryl commented to her blue friend.
“Sucks more to be his assistant,” Trixie whispered back. “I bet that fool is all donuts and drama every morning.” Trixie looked back over at the assistant behind Artemis. She watched Mosaic pull out a handkerchief for her boss before writing down notes on the situation. The young pegasus then became the target of Artemis’ next rant about why vetting the hired help for a delivery was important.
Trixie decided it was time to claim her luggage and move on. As she adjusted her purple cape, a familiar mustard-yellow pegasus swooped down from the sky and landed on the roof of the train.
“Oh no,” Trixie grumbled, “Not her again.”
“Have no fear, fellow art connoisseurs!” Daring Do shouted. “I have reclaimed this wand from the would-be thieves of last night’s robbery!” Daring pulled out the small wand from within her buttoned olive shirt and tossed it gently to Lance.
Lance caught the wand carefully as the morning light gleamed off the dazzling edges of the cut sapphire stone on top.
“The wand!” Artemis cried out joyfully as he snatched the object out of the lieutenant’s grasp.
Daring Do made a heroic pose. “Such a fine piece of stick deserves to be proudly displayed at a museum!” Daring continued. “I’m off now for another adventure. As I always say in my novels, ‘another day, another dungeon!’”
Daring leaped back into the air and flew off toward the largest patch of clouds above the city. The gathered crowd cheered loudly for the mythical mare. All except Trixie, who pouted at being outshined by some showoff pony in a costume.
“Who does that upstaging pegasus think she is?” Trixie snarled.
“I reckon you, with wings,” Cheryl joked.
Trixie gave Cheryl a hard glance before she turned toward the luggage carts. “Come on, pink puff. Let’s go find Ellie and see what she’s up to.”
~ ~ ~
Cheryl and Trixie walked down the recently refinished Main Street with their suitcases. Vendors had set up shops on both sides of the road to sell food and wares for the big festivities that were soon to occur. Trixie noted the small differences between the local customs in San Anponio and what she was used to back east. Chefs here preferred to cook with grills instead of ovens.
The azure unicorn did enjoy the faster paced music here; tunes which contained more energetic banjo and trumpet sounds compared to the orchestrated slow sounds of more formal bands from the east coast.
Cheryl pointed out a side street where parade floats were being constructed within a warehouse. The parade appeared to be for Princess Luna’s welcoming. Most of the floats displayed different kinds of foods and symbols, themed on the moon and the night, but several of the floats distinctively portrayed candidates who were running for mayor. It seemed politicians never missed a chance to advertise themselves.
The two mares found Ellie inside the warehouse. She was working on what appeared to be a large latticework of wooden beams and fabric sails on one of the floats. Trixie and Cheryl walked over to meet their friend.
“Greetings, Ellie,” Trixie said loudly for the pegasus to hear.
“Trixie! Cheryl!” Ellie shouted. The pegasus jumped down from the float and flapped her wings to slow her fall. Ellie’s mechanical left wing seemed almost as articulate as her good wing now. The green-maned pegasus gave her two friends a big hug which caused them both to drop their luggage.
“I haven’t seen you gals in three months! How are you all doing?”
“Well, no one has attempted to impersonate me again,” Trixie answered. “I assume that means no other towns want me to break their problems. How has your mother been?”
Elli nodded. “Ma’s been doing fine. I have a cousin from Cloudsdale visiting her right now so she isn’t alone. Of course, ma asks about you two all the time. We both missed you so. Tell me, what have you all been up to?”
“I been visiting my brothers,” Cheryl said first. “I got two of them in Califoalia that work the railroads out there. I took up a part time job as a casino dancer for a few weeks after that, but it’s nothing spectacular.”
“I’ve kept myself quite busy,” Trixie added next. “I published my first novel, started a new stage act, and I had spent a month doing a little research in Canterlot.”
Ellie nodded. “I reckon you’ve been following Debon, huh? He’s here now in the city you know.”
“That’ll be a pleasant reunion,” Cheryl sarcastically remarked.
“I’m sure he’ll be thrilled to see me,” Trixie added, “But no, I was actually following an anonymous lead I got in the mail.” Trixie pulled out the letter she had received in Manehatten and showed it to Ellie. The pegasus read the letter quickly.
“Who’s Stone Rose?” Ellie asked.
“I don’t know,” Trixie answered. “However, this pony’s information did prove to be legit. After looking up the numbers at the Canterlot Royal Library, I found information on a supposedly magical relic called the Lunar Wand. I learned that it was being transported here to San Anponio.”
Cheryl interrupted the unicorn’s story. “Tell Ellie about your plan to steal the wand and how you were beaten to the punch by two train jumpers and a comic book hero.”
“I’d rather not,” Trixie said as she watched a couple workers pass by her.
Cheryl told Ellie the details anyway. “Two ponies had stolen the wand before we got to it. Not only that, but then a pegasus dressed as Daring Do swooped in and took the wand from the first couple.”
“Could we not discuss this in public?” Trixie asked with an annoyed expression.
Cheryl shrugged before answering. “Fine, I got a hankering for some breakfast anyway,” she stated. Cheryl turned her attention back to Ellie. “Are you too busy to chat for a spell, chicken wings?”
“I don’t reckon my boss would mind,” Ellie said. The pegasus picked up some of her tools and packed them into a large bag. Trixie and Cheryl picked up their bags and followed Ellie farther into the warehouse where Lulu Gauge was looking at a large float shaped like a giant wheel of cheese.
“Miss Lulu,” Ellie asked, “You don’t mind if I take a quick break with my friends, would you?”
The zebra turned and saw Ellie standing nearby, but her gaze quickly locked on Trixie who was right behind the pegasus. “Miss Sprocket,” the husky zebra’s voice spoke loudly, “Why is that troublesome unicorn here?”
“Who, Trixie?” Ellie said, puzzled. “I was just asking if I could join her for a quick snack.”
“In that case you can take her,” Lulu replied flatly. “Do whatever you like as long as that troublemaker is out of my sight.”
Trixie let off a big smile. “Hey, you almost made a rhyme there,” she chided the zebra.
“Get out!” Lulu impatiently snapped.
Trixie gave off a mischievous grin before she led her friends out of the warehouse. As the trio walked away, Cheryl shook her head in disbelief.
“You just love ticking folks off,” Cheryl said flatly.
“Nah, Lulu knows I was kidding,” Trixie responded. “Sure she got me arrested once, almost twice, but I don’t hold a grudge against her. I’m just being myself.”
Ellie chuckled. “Isn’t that basically what Cheryl said?”
The azure unicorn smirked proudly as she led her friends to a small café across the road. It was a busy little establishment and the booths inside were all full of patrons, but the three mares found a secluded spot at one of the tables outside. The three friends dropped their bags under their chairs as a waitress quickly slapped three menu cards on the table before she ran by to serve some other patrons their morning coffee.
“So,” Ellie started up, “What’s this about Daring Do stealing a wand?”
Trixie buried her head behind the menu, but Cheryl obliged an answer. “It’s just as I said. Some pony dressed like Daring Do stole the wand before Trixie could. When we got to the train station, Daring swooped in and gave the wand right back to the royal guard! Complete waste of time if you ask me.”
The pegasus giggled. “I almost feel sorry that I took this job instead of joining you two,” Ellie commented as she looked over the appetizing menu. “I must have missed out on a real swanky adventure.”
“No, you didn’t,” an embarrassed Trixie muttered.
The chubby blue waitress finally returned to the mares’ table to take their order. “What’re you all having?” she asked out loud.
“A cream cheese bagel and coffee,” Trixie stated. “Lots of coffee.”
“Apple juice and a couple of blueberry muffins,” Ellie added.
Cheryl handed her menu back. “I’ll have a stack of flapjacks and coffee as well.”
The waitress jotted down their orders and trotted off to the kitchen inside the café. Trixie finally put down her menu and leaned her head against a hoof on the table.
“Apparently whatever this wand is,” Trixie said with slight frustration, “Everyone wanted it and knew where it was going.”
“What does the Lunar Wand do?” the pegasus asked.
Trixie pulled out some drawings from her bag. The wand was composed of a large uncut Sapphire stone mounted on an old oak staff that was whittled straight.
“From what I gathered,” Trixie explained, “It originated with a now extinct bison tribe south of here. Allegedly the shamans used it in rituals to seal away evil spirits, but at some point it ended up with the royal crown collection in Canterlot for the past few hundred years.”
Ellie continued to feed her curiosity. “So why is it being brought out to San Anponio?”
“Princess Luna is presenting it to a descendant tribe, I think,” Trixie said hesitantly. “I guess the gesture is to keep relations smooth with the bison out here, but I’m not too sure about that part.”
“If I heard right, Princess Luna is showing up tomorrow,” Ellie said.
“I know,” Trixie sighed. “We need to case the museum and try a snatch tonight.”
“You can try,” Cheryl corrected, “But seeing as things are getting crowded around this here wand, I’m going to go find a hobby that won’t get me a crossed princess on my tail.”
Trixie gave Cheryl a disappointed look. The unicorn turned to Ellie, but the pegasus pointed across the street to the floats being assembled.
“Sorry Trixie,” Ellie apologized. “I can’t blow off my job on the float. It’s going to be a real shiny one with colorful sails, and Lulu is counting on my mechanical skills to make it happen.”
“Fine,” the defeated azure unicorn muttered. “I’ll think of something on my own.”
The waitress returned with a tray containing the trio’s order. Trixie tossed money on the tray to pay for the three meals, much to Ellie’s surprise. The waitress nodded and hurried off to other customers.
“I reckon that novel is paying off?” the pegasus asked before she took a bite out of a warm muffin.
“Yeah, I guess,” Trixie said half-heartedly. The azure unicorn nibbled on her bagel, but her mind was still preoccupied with options on a backup plan. There was a fine line between determination and stubbornness. Trixie called it determination, but everyone whose title was not ‘The Great and Powerful’ called it stubbornness.
“You got that look on your face, blue bunko,” Cheryl remarked with a mouth full of flapjacks.
Trixie glanced at the earth pony. “What look is that?”
“The kind where you locked your keys in the house and you’re trying to decide which window you like the least.” Cheryl mimicked a thrown rock to punctuate her statement.
“Well, it’s a gut feeling I have about the wand,” Trixie explained. “Whoever Stone Rose is, they seem to be savvy about the events in Saddlestone. I feel as if this pony is familiar with the Horizon Walkers and Stone wanted to warn me that this relic is their next target.”
Ellie squirmed at hearing the secret society’s name. “So you are following Debon,” she said accusingly. “Just indirectly, aren’t you?” The pegasus had a clear disappointed look on her face.
“Supposing that Stone is familiar with Debon’s group,” Ellie continued, “How do you even figure that he or she is on your side or that the Walkers are even interested in the wand? I doubt Princess Luna is just going to hand over a magically powerful relic to a wandering bison tribe without a plan for security.”
“I know, but,” Trixie faltered for words, “It’s just an intuition I have, okay?”
“Trixie, you can’t keep taking dangerous risks,” Ellie said with concern. “If Debon tries to steal the wand, he’s going to have Princess Luna and the Royal Canterlot Guard breathing down his neck. That’s plenty reason for him to behave. You don’t need to get involved.”
“I reckon Ellie has a point,” the earth pony added.
“Please, you’re almost as bad as Trixie is,” Ellie said pointedly to Cheryl. “Whenever she's on the prod, you’re the first to jump in there with her.”
Cheryl made a mute pout and continued eating her food.
Ellie patted Trixie on the shoulder. “Why don’t you just relax a while and concentrate on your stage show?” she asked the unicorn. “There are lots of tourists here for the next few days and I reckon you could make yourself an opportunity to win them over with that new act of yours.”
“I guess,” Trixie said dejectedly.
“If something new comes up, I’m here for you both,” Ellie assured, “But let Debon make the next move, if he moves at all. I don’t want to see either of you get tangled up in a tussle without merit.”
For being the youngest mare at the table, Ellie was sure acting as the most mature pony today.
Still, Trixie thought that even if she wasn’t going to steal the wand anymore, it seemed like a perfectly legitimate idea to keep an eye on the relic. Just so that no one else stole it.
After the three friends finished breakfast, they said their goodbyes for now and parted ways. Ellie told them which hotel room she was staying at so that the three could get together later.
~ ~ ~
Trixie wandered alone toward the downtown open market after she herself had checked in to a hotel room. She walked in the same direction where the museum was, and by extension the Lunar Wand, but Trixie thought that there was no harm in performing her stage act outside the museum. Besides, if she happened to notice anyone attempting to pilfer the wand and Trixie stopped them, then it was simply an act of civil duty on her part, right?
Yes, that idea sounded very reasonable in her mind.
Trixie walked down the rows of market stands in the downtown district. The midmorning sun was already hot and bright upon the city. Ponies from all walks of life traveled under the shade of the tents that sold food and clothing. Wheeled stands advertised all sorts of drinks to keep the ponies cool in the desert weather.
The azure unicorn adjusted her star-embroidered purple cape as she arrived at the base of the stairs that ascended to the San Anponio museum. The plain, whitewashed building was recognized by the large wooden statues of Princess Celestia and Princess Luna that flanked the stone stairs. It appeared to be a recent building with its clean, tinted windows and a lack of dusty sand in the stair grout.
On top of the building stood two small windmills that captured the occasional light breeze and used that harnessed energy to spin several small ceiling fans inside the building.
Trixie wondered why they didn’t just crack open the windows?
Trixie climbed the stairs and pushed the doors open with her magic. She walked inside the dimly lit marble interior of the museum. The ceilings were vaulted with beautiful Doric columns. The ceiling fans were made of brass and hung off long mechanical poles. The floor was a mosaic of small square ceramic tiles. They formed simple square patterns using reds, oranges, and yellows.
Trixie walked past the exhibits as she looked for the spot the Lunar Wand would be displayed at until the presentation ceremony. A small sign pointed the way towards the back and Trixie picked up her pace. She noticed that the lighting was provided by a series of gas globes that hung off the columns. The gas pipes were molded into the columns themselves, a nice trick that kept the look of the columns pure.
Trixie stopped before a large, but empty glass case. A sign explained that the exhibit would not be opened until tomorrow morning. She looked around to ask a curator for more information about this future exhibit, but Trixie only saw a handful of visitors that paced about. She couldn’t even see any guards here, although it was possible that security wore plain clothes.
Several ponies walked out from a backroom door in the middle of a discussion. Trixie recognized Artemis and Mosaic as the art dealers from the train, while Debon was quite self-explanatory. The blue-gray male unicorn with Debon looked familiar, but Trixie couldn't recall when she had seen him before. The remaining stallion was most likely the museum curator.
The group split up, but Debon remained to speak with Artemis.
Trixie backed up around a column and withdrew her copper wired tin cans. She quietly placed one can to the column and the other to her ear as she stretched the wire taught. Trixie’s head was quickly filled by the buzzing of over a dozen conversations around her.
The unicorn slowly turned the can against the column clockwise until its magic focused on Debon’s conversation. Trixie was very curious to know if the slick stallion was planning something in this city with the Horizon Walkers.
“If you can’t find a local translator, then why don’t you ask one of the bison tribes?” Debon inquired.
Artemis pouted in his reply. “You want me to ask those nomadic ruffians for help? They’re the primary reason the dig site is two weeks behind schedule!” The art dealer flailed his hooves as he explained the problem.
“They demand that I cease digging and have resorted to scaring off the workers,” Artemis said. “Only the most mental ones have remained, and I’m surprised Mosaic and I could get any labor out of those workers! I’m not some labor camp foreman. Where’s your archeologist? He’s supposed to be running this operation!”
“He’s been busy at another site,” Debon said with a bored expression. “Look, I’ll try to convince one of my Manehatten colleagues to come out here for the translations, but that will delay your project another two weeks at the very least.”
Trixie watched Artemis make a strange face, as if the stallion was a child that held his breath until he got his way. The azure unicorn felt a sudden tug on her cape and she quickly turned around. Mosaic and the acquaintance stood behind her with concerned looks on their faces.
Trixie’s face was more of the ‘oh crap’ variety.
“What are you doing?” the young pegasus demanded.
“Uh, admiring this column,” Trixie lied as she quickly hid the cans under her cape. “I was curious to know if it was a solid structure or not.”
“If I didn’t know any better,” the acquaintance remarked, “I’d say that you were spying on Debon and Artemis.” He took a closer look at Trixie and his face lit up with a moment of clarity.
“Say, aren’t you Miss Trixie Lulamoon?”
“Ah, so we have met before,” Trixie answered.
“Indeed, you were at Debon’s party three months ago,” the male unicorn confirmed. “I’m Victor Justice, his property lawyer.”
Mosaic cleared her throat loudly. “Excuse me,” she said calmly, “But Lulamoon was spying on my employer. I do not believe she has any legitimate business here.”
“Yeah, well maybe I do,” Trixie said. “You can’t throw me out just because I overheard a few words in a public building.”
“Try me,” Mosaic responded dryly as she closed in on Trixie. “What were you doing with those cans?”
"My butt is none of your business," Trixie sarcastically stated.
“Ladies please,” Victor interrupted. “If we cannot keep this conversation civil, then let us part ways before we start a scene.”
Trixie leaned in closer to the pegasus. “I like this lawyer. He gives good advice.” She was about to make her move when Trixie saw familiar movement over Mosaic’s shoulder and farther down the hallway. It was Daring Do, and the pegasus had just walked through a side exit. Trixie was nearly stunned, but she quickly refocused her sight on Mosaic.
“Actually,” Trixie remarked, “That advice sounds so good, I’m going to take it. Excuse me.”
The azure unicorn broke eye contact and trotted away from the two ponies. She hastened out the front entrance and ran on around to the side of the building where the side door exited. The crowds below on the streets were thick with ponies milling about. Trixie slowly scanned the streets from the elevated museum grounds for Daring.
She saw that a familiar pith helmet slowly made its way through the crowds.
Trixie leaped down from the elevated foundation and tumbled over a large stack of hay bales. The vendor froze in shock and several customers jumped back from the unicorn that appeared suddenly from above. Trixie rolled to her hooves with a flourish and used her levitation magic to restack the fallen bales into a pyramid shape.
“Very soft, I approve whole-heartedly!” Trixie stated as she ran off.
Several ponies nearby turned to the hay vendor to purchase a bale.
Trixie pushed her way through the crowd and caught up with the pith hat-wearing pony. She put her hoof on the pegasus’ shoulder and Trixie flipped her target around. Unfortunately, this was a light brown pony she had caught and not Daring Do. The confused pony gave Trixie an inquisitive look.
“Can I help you?” the pegasus mare asked.
Trixie smiled and backed away. “Sorry, mistaken identity,” she said.
Several ponies shrieked with fright, and the crowds parted away from the immediate area. Trixie turned and saw a muscular red stallion approach her with a large hammer on his back. The brute picked up the huge weapon with both fore-hooves and swung it several times in wide circular motions. He ended his display of strength with a downward swing that crushed a nearby stone into dust.
If he was trying to be intimidating, well, he had the right idea.
Trixie flicked her cape back and magically drew out the slingshot from her saddle-belt. It seemed she had fallen right into a trap. A trap set up by a slick pony whose name started with a ‘D’, ended with a ‘N’ and-
Trixie jumped back as the brutish red stallion swung his hammer upwards at her face. Her mental monologue would have to wait. Trixie widened her stance and stood at the ready with her weapon hovering by her side. She smirked, knowing that although she had the superior weapon, her opponent showed no hesitation to attack her anyway. He was overconfident.
Just the way Trixie liked it.
“Trixie’s rule number five for being great and powerful,” she whispered to herself. “An opponent's overconfidence is your best weapon.”
The hammer-wielding stallion brought his hefty weapon to bear and took a heavy, but slow, downward swing at the little azure unicorn. Trixie quickly reached into a saddle-belt pocket for a bullet, but her hoof pulled out only a piece of lint.
She had left her bullets in the hotel room.
Trixie ducked to the right with an audible ‘Eep!’ as the large hammer swung over her head. The stallion’s weapon landed hard just to her left side on the street and thundered as it smashed the cobblestone into a visible depression of powered rock.
The crowd let out a resounding gasp as they were now witnesses to an intense fight.
The azure unicorn swiftly pulled her cape over her slingshot as she stepped onto the hammer’s head. Trixie took two short steps along the handle before she jumped at the muscular stallion. Trixie threw a ‘one-two’ punch at her opponent’s face with both of her fore-hooves. She hit a thick, muscular head that only scoffed at her attack. Trixie then landed in front of her opponent and quickly threw two more punches into his rock-hard gut. Her follow-up not only failed to harm the stallion, but she shook her right fore-hoof as if she had just punched a brick wall.
Several spectators jeered at the azure unicorn for hitting like a little filly.
Trixie had no words to respond to that.
The brawny stallion let go of the hammer and with one hoof pounded Trixie square on top of her noggin. The little azure unicorn took a step back, her legs wobbled, and she fell over onto the hard ground. Half of the crowd winced at the blow, while the rest shouted for more hammer swinging.
Trixie hated to resort to cheap tricks, but her patience with the brute wore thin. She pointed her horn between the stallion’s rear legs and shot out a spray of roaring fireworks. The stallion’s crotch lit up in bright flashes of color and smoke. He immediately jumped back as he patted out the burning sensation.
“My biscuits! My biscuits!” the brute cried out painfully.
Trixie stood up victorious as the majority of the crowd laughed and cheered. It was a dirty move, but Trixie accepted the crowd’s applause anyway. She bowed to them, but a cracking whip grabbed her rear legs and pulled her onto the floor with an awkward flop.
Trixie looked behind her as laughter bellowed from the crowd.
Daring Do stood tall behind Trixie, whip in hoof.
The unicorn scrambled to her hooves and faced off with her new opponent. Daring cracked her whip at Trixie again with intent to harm the unicorn.
Trixie jumped to the left and dodged the pegasus’ weapon by mere inches. Her slingshot floated back out of her cape, and this time she magically levitated several small stones created from the hammer’s previous impacts. Now she had ammunition.
“Did I wrong you in a past performance or something?” Trixie asked her pointedly.
“Don’t take it personally,” Daring stated. “I’m being paid nothing to bring you down to just that.”
“Paid nothing to do what exactly?” Trixie asked confusedly.
Daring readied her whip. “I hit you, you break,” the pegasus explained. “And please make it look good. I don’t want to do all the work here beating you up.”
“Then I’ll give you my best performance,” Trixie said loudly so that the crowd could hear. “A showdown between Equestria’s most magical pony and the world’s second best adventurer!”
Daring paced in a circle against Trixie. “Don’t flatter yourself, mare,” Daring taunted. “You couldn't hit the ground with your hat in three throws.”
“At least Trixie doesn’t look like the hindquarters of bad luck,” Trixie countered as she kept in pace with Daring’s circular walk.
The crowd around them whistled and shouted for their favorite duelist, evenly split between Trixie and Daring as the better combatant, but they all wanted to see a tussle go down between the mares.
“Your act is so crooked,” Daring said, “That I bet you could swallow nails and spit out corkscrews.”
“And you couldn’t hit a bull’s rump with a hoof full of banjoes,” Trixie replied with a smirk.
A piercing whistle blew in the air that signaled the arrival of the city police. Daring turned and bolted away in a hard gallop. Trixie barked her displeasure and gave chase. The two shoved past the booing crowds as several law-ponies arrived at the scene to break up the gathered mob.
Daring jumped up and took flight towards the top of the city clock tower. Trixie fired a round at Daring, but intentionally missed as to only get the pegasus’ attention. Daring ignored the warning and continued to fly up the tower.
“I should ask Ellie to make me a pair of wings,” Trixie muttered as she ran to the clock tower.
The unicorn kicked the door open and stepped into the tower of giant springs and gears. She went straight to the wooden stairwell that spiraled around the mechanical column of moving parts. Trixie galloped up the stairs toward the top. Her breaths were labored as fatigue loomed over her.
“No pain, no gain!” Daring taunted from above.
Trixie looked up at the pegasus. Daring flew over to a shelf that held spare gears and kicked the largest one off the platform. The fifty-pound toothy wheel tumbled down into the stairwell and ricocheted around the walls. Chunks of the stone wall splattered about as the gear went straight for Trixie’s head.
The unicorn jumped off the stairs and landed on a giant, vertically rotating gear as the tumbling object hit the stairs with enough force that it smashed right through. From there Trixie grabbed her cape and leaped again to a safer horizontal gear.
“Graceful moves you have, Trixie,” Daring mocked. “Would you like to try the bonus round?”
“Would you like to drop dead?” Trixie scathingly responded.
From the horizontal gear, the azure unicorn stepped on a smaller and faster moving gear and then grabbed onto a rising piston. Another series of clangs echoed from above, and Trixie jumped away from the piston before the second tumbling gear collided with her head.
Daring laughed loudly after Trixie slammed into the next piston over and fell several feet onto a wooden maintenance platform.
It dawned on the unicorn that whoever this impersonator was, she was enjoying this little escapade in ‘Let’s murder Trixie’ way too much.
Daring flew higher up the tower in search of bigger gears to drop. Trixie sat up and looked at the platform she had fallen onto. It was a moveable platform, suspended by ropes that were threaded through a pulley far above her. Without a second thought, she untied the cord from its anchor and threw it at the axel of a nearby gear that spun quickly. With her magical horn Trixie lassoed the thrown rope and it began to wind around the axel like a retracting winch.
The platform jerked and then began to rise at a significant pace.
Daring looked down and was caught by surprise when Trixie ascended the tower at a rapid speed. The pegasus flew upwards out of the unicorn’s reach and continued to the top of the tower.
The platform reached the pulley and Trixie jumped back onto the wooden stairs before the tension in the rope snapped itself apart. The wooden platform tumbled back down and shattered as it was ground up by the giant clock tower gears.
Trixie limped up the last series of steps. As she reached the covered landing of the clock tower roof, she heard a loud blast of magical energy fired off into the distance followed by shrieks of panic. Trixie jumped up the last pair of steps and stumbled onto the top deck to face off with the shooter.
Herself.
“Son of a diamond dog!” Trixie cursed as she looked at her exact copy.
The duplicate saluted Trixie and then jumped back down through the tower of gears and pistons. The copy managed to gracefully weave around the gears before she disappeared near the bottom.
Trixie snorted as she was too exhausted and in pain now to race back down the stairwell. Daring Do was nowhere to be found either. Trixie’s hopes of not having any crazy fans were completely dashed by whoever that impersonator was that passed her by.
Two pegasi deputies flew up to meet Trixie at the top landing. They were both armed with slingshots strapped to their right forelegs and had the weapons trained on the unicorn.
“Drop your weapon and put your hooves in the air!” one of the deputies shouted angrily.
Trixie complied as she just realized what happened. She was set up to take a fall and be removed from someone’s equation. The pegasi dived upon the unicorn and shoved her hard onto the wood planks of the roof. The old rough wood stung against Trixie’s cheeks.
“Hey, watch the face!” she angrily commanded them.
Trixie was cuffed and hoisted up into the air by the rough law-ponies. They flew her down to the streets outside where a gathered crowd surrounded the victim of the shooting. More deputies arrived to control the crowd and push them away from the scene.
As Trixie was carted away to the jail, she strained her neck to see who had been shot by the magic blast.
It was Lulu Gauge.