//------------------------------// // Big Delivery // Story: Fluttersized 2: Barro Vs. Trixie // by Barrobroadcaster //------------------------------// Trixie arrived home late that evening after going over a production schedule with director Cameron. Everything was happening so quickly, it was fantastic. She'd arrived at the studio with the story early in the morning, pitched it, producers had been called in and soon they'd been talking about casting for the roles. It couldn't have gone better. Until the actual author of the story showed up. She felt bad about stealing the story... part of her did. But the city had been in chaos, that could've been anypony's notebook with anypony's original story based on eyewitness testimony and in-depth character analysis of the events that occured only just yesterday inside. Right? Right... so, she was simply taking advantage of the situation. Besides, Trixie had been there, too and she was even in the story itself. So she felt she had a right to claim the notebook. Trixie entered her bedroom and took off her hat and cloak, the Alicorn Amulet still attatched. Before she'd left for Canterlot yesterday, she'd decided to take a little memento with her: the Alicorn Amulet. While it had caused problems for her in the past, she was confident she was now able to use it without being controlled by its power. She'd had to use it to return the notebook to normal size, she'd be hesitant to use it but eventually decided it was worth it. Now, she felt no discomfort in weilding the device freely or removing it when she didn't need it. Twilight Sparkle had been wrong; Trixie was in control, she wouldn't lose herself to the gem again. But what if she already had? Using her magic, she levitated the notebook in front of her, turned on a light and opened it to the first page. Dried cheese was still stuck to the surface, she scowled at it in disgust. Barro definitely didn't take care of this notebook, more evidence that she deserved it more than him. She scraped the pieces of dairy off with her hoof, doing her best to remove as much of the substance as she could from the pages. Satisfied with the amount she'd taken off, Trixie reread the story. She soon noticed though that some of the cheese was stuck to her hoof. Curiosity got the better of her for a split second, she sniffed the goo on her leg and even tasted it. "BLEAGH!" How could Trixie have just allowed herself to do that?! The small amount of day-old disgusting notebook cheese she just swallowed soon felt like an immense stone in her stomach. She wiped the rest of her hoof on her bedsheets in disgust, disgust at the cheese not herself. She closed the notebook and levitated it to a place on her nightstand, turned off her light and closed her eyes, trying to get to sleep as quickly as possible and forget what she'd just done. Unbeknownst to her, she was being watched. "She ate the cheese," Michael said, hanging alongside Barro on the outside window of Trixie's apartment. "I can't believe she actually did that! Did you see that? She ate the chee-" "Keep. Your. Voice. DOWN," Barro ordered, lest they alert Trixie or anypony else to what they were doing. Barro's plan was simple: sneak in to Trixie's apartment, steal back the notebook and the Alicorn Amulet, replace them with fakes from the studio and get the buck out before anypony noticed. All too easy, like something out of Double-Oates Seven. "One question," Night Glider said over earpiece. "I can fly and see very well in the dark. Hence, the name 'Night Glider'. Why am I the one delivering the pizza?" "Because she didn't get a good look at you back at the studio. Out of all of us, you're the least likely to get her attention," Barro explained. So it was actually a good thing Night hadn't made a scene at the studio like Barro and Michael had. The two of them were going to use glass-cutting kit that they got from the studio to get into Trixie's apartment without making a sound. Meanwhile, Night Glider would distract the Great and Powerful bitch at the door disguised as a delivery colt. Classic. Trixie's apartment was on the second floor of a large complex in downtown Canterlot. Barro and Michael hung from grappling cables that the studio used for rock-climbing scenes. Barro took a deep breath and gave Night Glider the signal. Night Glider got into position in the hallway outside Trixie's apartment and took a moment to adjust his disguise. He was careful to fold his wings back and press them tightly against his sides: while halflings and thestrals weren't that uncommon, they were still rare enough to warrant suspicion and lasting impression. He took a deep breath and raised a hoof to knock on the door. Trixie's eyes shot open. Three heavy rappings at her door roused her from her comfort in bed and drew her attention. Who exactly could it be at this time of night? Slowly, she got up and out of bed and trotted out of her bedroom and to the door. As she approached, the visitor knocked again. Her stomach groaned with pain as she walked through her living room. "Trixie's coming!" she yelled angrily through the door. Unlocking it quickly, she opened it to see a delivery pony standing in her doorway. "What is it that is interrupting the Great and Powerful Trixie's Great and Necessary beauty sleep?!" "Uhh, one medium Beet Lover's pizza with extra haybacon?" Night Glider said. "That'll be tree-fiddy." Trixie looked down at the rectangular box the colt presented to her. "Trixie ain't givin' you no tree-fiddy! Trixie didn't even order a pizza? Who would order pizza to be delivered this late at night?!" she demanded. Night's mind worked fast. "Umm, well, I just make the deliveries ma'am. I didn't ask why you ordered it but I wouldn't mind a tip-" "Trixie just told you," the disgruntled mare said through gritted teeth. "Trixie didn't order a pizza so clearly you have the wrong address!" she yelled, starting to close the door. Night hadn't gotten word from Barro meaning they hadn't finished yet. So he had to stall her. "This, uh, this isn't B-12?" he said, reading the number on Trixie's apartment. Trixie opened the door slightly. "This is B-12 but Trixie DID NOT ORDER ANYTHING!" This is where Night's acting skills payed off. "What apartment complex is this because the order definitely specified for a B-12 and-" The halfling began a long series of questions, asking for directions and the whereabouts of half a dozen places nearby. His professionality and the way he phrased the questions was just enough to keep Trixie going but not enough to annoy her so much as to have her slam the door in his face. Meanwhile, Barro and Michael were finally done cutting through the glass of Trixie's window. Barro crept through Trixie's apartment with all the stealth skills of Solid Steed himself or at least what he hoped was stealth. Holding a flashlight in his mouth, he searched for the notebook and the Amulet. He spotted his notebook on a nightstand and the cursed pendant on top of a dresser. Carefully, he swapped both with the copies from the studio's prop department. Confident that he'd done the job, he turned back to the window. "Wow, this place is nice. Her apartment's got so much more space than yours," Michael said, holding a camera and filming Trixie's bedroom. "What are you doing?!" Barro asked in an angry whisper. Michael shrugged. "Stock-footage?" Barro gestured for Michael to get rid of the camera through gritted teeth. Of course, the director didn't listen. Suddenly, the camera made a beeping noise. "Shit," Michael cursed. "Battery's running low." The beeping rang out through the apartment, it was just loud enough for Trixie to hear. The blue unicorn slowly turned to see Michael through the doorway to her bedroom. "Who-what are you doing in Trixie's apartment?!! Theives!!" Trixie shouted. Night quickly opened the pizza box. "TRIXIE!!" he yelled, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Why are you-" Trixie started to say before Night shoved the pizza in Trixie's face. Hot cheese, toppings and tomato sauce splattered all over her head and mane, obscuring her vision and shocking her. "It's on the house!" Night yelled before bolting down the hallway. "Run! Run!" Michael said. Barro and Michael clambered out through the hole they made in the window, grabbed the grappling cables they'd used to get into the apartment and slid down to the ground. In seconds, they were on the ground, galloping away from the apartment. "You got everything?!" Night Glider asked, flying down and joining them as they fled down the street. "My notebook and the Amulet, I got 'em both!" Barro replied, ecstatic that the plan was successful. "You know, if writing doesn't work out, you could always make a living being a burglar," Michael commented. "Like the way you were going to steal my story and make it into a movie?" Barro asked back. Michael's head dipped down as he ran. "Hey, at least you got some nice shots of some random mare's apartment," Barro said, sarcastic. "What are we going to do with your story and the Amulet?" Night Glider asked. "We're going to do what should've been done with both of them a long time ago," Barro replied. "You're going to put them in a giant warehouse full of crates like at the end of Riders of The Lost Ark?" Night asked, referencing the popular Daring Do movie. "Ha," Barro laughed. "No... no. I'm going to destroy them." Michael's gaze dropped down to the ground as the trio galloped into the night.