//------------------------------// // And Then Trixie Ruins Everything // Story: The Case of Christian's Cutie Mark // by Chris-Cross13 //------------------------------// “Christian, don’t you think you were a little hard on them?” Twilight asks as she flips through some books to find a spell to heal burns and scorch marks. “Of course Twitty, but you know what happens when I get worked up.” He says, lying down on a table to avoid any more irritation. Twilight trots over, levitating the book over Christian. “I hate getting angry, and ever since I’ve come here, it’s happened three times.” “Well Christian, two of those times it was relevant.” Twilight says. “But this time, a quiet little talk to them would have worked fine! Insults and yelling get you nowhere.” “I know, I know.” “Now, you going to may feel a little bit of tingling, that’s normal.” Twilight says as she places the book onto Christian’s table. A faint lavender glow starts to envelop her horn as she starts to quietly focus on her conjuring. Christian braces himself, as his last encounter with magic wasn’t pleasant. He waits in agonizing torment to feel a jolt of pain. “And…Done!” Christian’s eyes fly open as he glances at his restored tan fur. He presses a hoof against his stomach; it no longer hurt to the touch. “Huh? I didn’t even feel a thing!” He exclaims. Twilight giggles under her hoof. “It’s no problem Christian, although I did sense a bit more static electricity in your body.” “That bad?” “No, just weird.” “Alright, then why bother…” Christian gets cut off by the whoosh of the door flying open followed by a blue blur zipping in at breakneck speed. It picks up Christian and slams him against the roof. Christian’s view is suddenly filled with the Rainbow Dash’s face as he is fastened to the roof by her forehooves. “WHAT is wrong with you?!” She yells into his face. Christian feels her spit onto his temple; but considering why she was mad, he didn’t really care. “I know, I know, I screwed up!” He replies. Dash is surprised that he actually understood what he did after his outburst. The very thought gave her a blank look right across her face. “You do?” She replies quizzically. Dash assumed she would have to shout some sense into him, but she should have learned from past experiences that Christian always regrets a stupid decision. “Of course, Dash. But of course, my anger gets the best of me and I end up regretting whatever I spout in my rage filled tantrum.” He replies as he nods a bit. Dash gently descends back down and drops the stallion back onto the floor. “Well, your anger is always a problem.” Twilight adds. “You really need to get that under control.” “Trust me; I’ve been working on it.” Christian says confidently. “I know, I’ve seen you conceal it occasionally;” Twilight starts to explain. “But you need to be a bit more patient sometimes in harder situa-“ “There you go with patience again!” Christian interrupts the unicorn and starts yelling at her, annoyed about her babbling with patience. “What is with you and that word?! You’ve been saying it to Dash all day, and now you’re telling me! Give it rest! It’s not like patience is going to become important for the rest of the day!” Suddenly, the distressed mood of the room is broken in seconds by the door flying open faster than Dash can turn her head. It slams into the wall causing bookshelves to rattle and shake at the vibrations. The noise camouflages the patter of small hooves slamming onto the floor. Sweetie and Applebloom were the culprits, now jumping and yelling around Rainbow Dash clearly about something urgent; but it is hard to tell with the yelling. “DASH! DASH!” “HELP! NOW! “SCOOTALOO! EVERFREE! PLAN!” “Wait a minute, WAIT A MINUTE!” Dash screams over the fillies to silence them, making everything quiet in a matter of seconds. Everypony turns their attention to Applebloom and Sweetie, besides Dash, who is trying to comprehend what the yelling was all about. “What’s going on? Where is Scootaloo?” She asks calmly but on the edge of concern. Sweetie and Applebloom look at each other worryingly, silently deciding which one of them should tell her. Finally the two of them turn towards the others. “Well you see,” Applebloom says suddenly. “After you left to go chase after Christian; these three pegesi came outta nowhere! They started insultin’ us and then they snatched up Scootaloo!” “WHAT?!” Dash’s words explode out of her mouth. “Then they started babblin’ about some plan in the southwestern part of Everfree Forest and told us to tell you before flyin’ off.” “Must be the same three that were bulling me earlier,” Christian adds; “Looks like they’re back for more.” “We have to go get Scootaloo! Who knows what they’ll do to her!” Dash goes for the door at breakneck speed. Christian quickly intervenes by jumping in front of her. “Dash, this is obviously a trap! Why else would they tell Applebloom and Sweetie to come and tell us?” “I don’t care! I can handle those three idiots! Now get outta my way!” Dash pushes the stallion aside and bolts outside. Christian scrambles up to his hooves. “Figures.” He says, glaring angrily at the open door. “Looks like I need to get after her.” He turns back to the others. “Twitty, I’m going to need to get a bit ahead. You can magically teleport me to Everfree right?” Twilight rolls her eyes at the stupid question. “Yes, Christian.” She says, holding back every insult about missing the obvious. “But if this is a trap, you’ll need some help.” “And considering that Scoots is our friend,” Sweetie adds sternly as Applebloom walks up next to her. “We’re coming too.” Christian nods. It is only three idiot pegesi, Christian thought. Can’t be that hard with Twilight and Dash, right? “Fine. Now let’s go, Dash is probably there by now.” Twilight answers him with not a second to spare as everypony in the house is enveloped in a purple light. After a brief flash that fills the entirety of the library, they vanish. Meanwhile, Dash has already zipped her way to Everfree’s southwest side. She flies around the outside screaming: “Scootaloo?! Scoots?! Where are you?!” but no answer is given. She soars back down to the ground and rushes right into the forest, still yelling for her little friend. She jumps over branches and fallen trees trying to find something, anything that looks relatively like Scootaloo. Dash stops for a second for a quick look around, nothing but endless forest. But sight is not what tips her off. “Help!…Dash!…Sweetie!…Anypony!…” Dash raises an ear up at the faint cries. Quickly she pinpoints the source and starts moving again. At least twenty feet behind her, Christian is dashing toward her as fast as his hooves can carry him. She is pretty far, but Christian can still just barely see her rainbow tail in the distance. Then he starts yelling. “Dash! DASH! Stop!” Dash could not hear him, for she just leapt behind a few think trees and into an open clearing smack dab in the middle of the forest. She quickly looks side to side, but saw nothing. “Dash!” She quickly looks up to see her orange friend dangling from a tree branch above in some sort of dark colored rope. Happy, she floats up to retrieve her. “Scootaloo! Thanks Celestia you’re alright!” As she reaches the pegasus, Christian emerges from the think forest just in time to see Dash trying to untangle Scootaloo. Knowing full well what is about to happen he shouts: “Dash! Stop it’s a…” Just has he is about to finish his warning, Christian feels a powerful blow to the back of his head. He falls to ground like a sack of potatoes, his eyes barely open as he starts to feel himself losing consciousness. Through the little bit of vision that he has, he sees a dark force grabbing and pulling Rainbow Dash away from Scootaloo. But before he is knocked out, something makes his adrenaline kick in and perk him up instantly. Tucked away in the dark, Christian can faintly make out a bit of blue…Periwinkle blue. “T-Trixie?!” His eyes dart open as the accused unicorn steps out more from the dark. She has an evil grin and narrowed eyes on her face. Christian growls through a tight frown at her appearance. “So, you’re the dark pony that has the town worried?” “Duh Christian, who else would radiate black magic?” She says annoyed. Christian’s eyes grow wide, but not at her statement: “What?! How did you know it was me?” He asks shocked. He knew Trixie had never seen him as a pony, how did she figure it out already? Trixie flashes a smart alike glance. “What other pony has a crossbow on his hoof?” She asks. Christian looks over to the object in question in hate; silently cursing the fact that he still had it on. “I wouldn’t worry about it; he can’t hit the broad side of a barn!” A voice yells behind him. Christian goes to turn; but is quickly plucked from the dirt by two pegesi, his forehooves are quickly pulled behind him as he is forced to his hind legs. Out of the corner of his eye, Christian sees the figures of Hoops and Score looming over him in the air with mocking looks of success on their faces. Christian looks back to the unicorn, who breaks into a barrage of cackles before once again speaking to Christian. “Oh, I am going to enjoy THIS!”