//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Strip Club DJ Scratch 
// by Donraj 
//------------------------------//

	“Alright Trixie, you can do this.”
Trixie stood at the entrance to the Canterlot gentlecolt’s club. She was doing her best to talk herself into believing that what she was about to do would be easy. 
“It’s no different from performing on any other stage. You have this. You are magnificent and ponies will come from miles around for the privilege of seeing your flank in action. Why, it’s practically a public service on your part!”
With that Trixie raised her snout arrogantly and flung the doors to the club open with her telekinesis. She strode in and surveyed the place lazily, taking in the smoky parlor filled with tables, the bar and the lit stages. Her cheeks burned slightly as she saw the mares dancing on stage, but she forced that down and resumed her stage face. She sauntered up to the bar, flank swaying dangerously as she did.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to speak to the owner of this establishment!” she declared grandly, throwing her forehooves up dramatically as she did. A white unicorn with a pair of purple shades burst out laughing at the nearest barstool.  Trixie looked down her nose to give the mare a haughty glare, then dismissed her and turned her attention back to the bartender.
“Manager’s in back,” the mare behind the counter said in a bored tone of voice. “Door with the star on it. Can’t miss it.”
Trixie nodded, and suddenly there was a brilliant flash. When the bartender finished blinking the blue mare was gone. She looked at the chortling unicorn.
“Five bits she quits within a day.”
“You’re on.”


-


“Welcome to the Plothole. Name’s Pimp Slap. What can I do for you?”
Pimp Slap rubbed at his ears, waiting for the ringing to go away as he stared at the crazy blue mare who had just flung his door open and walked in accompanied by the sound of a horn blowing a victorious tune. She threw her fine silvery mane back disdainfully, then clapped her forehooves onto the front of his desk and leaned towards him.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie has chosen to grace your establishment with her incandescently lovely form! Fortunate are you, lowly flesh peddler, that a mare of Trixie’s caliber has chosen to lower herself to enter into—“
“Twenty bits a day to work the stage, and you have to work the front room when called.”
“Your employ,” Trixie continued obliviously. “Indeed, were it not for a momentary monetary fluidity issue Trixie would never—what was that?”
“You pay twenty bits a day to work the stage,” Pimp Slap repeated calmly. “Oh, and twenty percent of your tips go to me.”
“Trixie is astonished that anypony would be so bold as to offer such an arrangement. Trixie demands at least—“
“Them’s the terms; take it or leave it.”
Trixie sputtered. “Trixie has drawn awed crowds such as would not even fit into this tiny rathole!” she shouted. “Trixie cannot believe that you would speak to such an obviously marketable mare in such a cavalier—”
“Brute Force, escort her out.”
Trixie felt an extremely large hoof on her shoulder and looked back to see an enormous earth pony stallion standing behind her. She sputtered some more.
“Trixie has—stop that!” she shouted as the bouncer started to pull her out of the small office. “Trixie accepts! Just let me go!”
Pimp Slap gestured for the security colt to let her go.
“Alright then, Miss Trixie.” 
He pulled out a sheaf of papers.
“Just sign right here.”


-


Trixie strode on stage amid a cloud of smoke as twin geysers of sparks shot up from either side. As the smoke cleared she reared up on her hind legs and through her forehooves up dramatically.
“Patrons of the Plothole! Feast your eyes on beauty the likes of which you have never before beheld in all your years! Today you shall witness a performance of such erotic perfection that you will be captivated and…”
Trixie’s voice trailed off as she realized that everypony nearby was either rubbing their eyes, coughing or glaring at her. Belatedly it occurred to her that perhaps a crowded indoor space was not the best place for her usual entrance display. She tried to recover, sweeping her cape in what she intended to be an enticing gesture, but she found her hooves slipping on the unfamiliar stage and stumbled awkwardly forward. She slammed horn first into the pole in the center of the stage with an audible thud. Laughter, harsh and mocking, ran through the room. Suddenly the music came to a stop.
Trixie’s eyes burned. She hadn’t felt this embarrassed since her first botched magic show as a filly. Buck this. She didn’t need the money that badly. What were a few days without food compared to this sort of humiliation? Granted it had been more than a few days…
Just as Trixie had almost talked herself into walking off stage and forgetting the entire thing a voice rang out over the sound system. 
“Ladies and gentlecolts, let’s give a warm welcome to the Great and Powerful Triiiiixie!”
A new beat began to boom from the stereo speakers. Suddenly members of the audience started to stamp their hooves in rhythm to the music. No…it was more like stomp, stomp clap, stomp, stomp clap. Then lyrics started in time to the music.
“Jump up! Make a sound, yeah!”
“Shake your flank all around!”
“Get up, get down, cus it’s going to make a sound!”
“Start now, make a change, wave it all around!”
“Jump up, make a sound, yeah! Cus it’s going to come around!”
“If you shake that plot up and down the town!”
Trixie’s confidence level returned to its usual ego bloated heights. She reared up on her hind legs and began moving in tune with the beat, turning to give the crowd a view of her magnificent flank as she gyrated about with wild abandon. She whipped the cape off of her back to the wild approval of the onlookers, trailing it sinuously across her body, showing just enough to drive the crowd wild. Coins began to rain down onto the stage around her. Trixie threw back her head and laughed gleefully. She was never so happy as when she was the center of attention.
Across the room white unicorn DJ watched the show, counting down the minutes. When the song was finished she reached for the microphone and shouted, “Alright folks, I think she’s ready for a break. Next up is Fire Flank!”
Trixie took a bow as she draped her cape back across her sweaty body. The coins on the stage began to glow with azure light. They circled her for a moment, then bits and performer both vanished in a plume of smoke. This time, nopony complained.