For the rest of the schools day, Trixie watched Jokesterrap to see what he was up to.
"I'm going to find his secret," she said to herself.
"What secret?" said a voice from behind her.
Trixie jumped and saw that Mystery Mint was right behind her, looking rather puzzled.
"Jokesterrap has been acting unusual lately," she said. "I intend to find out what his scheme is."
"Ever hear of keeping your nose out of other people's business?" suggested Mystery.
"I didn't ask for your opinion!" snapped Trixie.
"Well, too bad, because I gave it to you anyway," Mystery smirked.
But Trixie ignored her. She was determined to find out what Jokesterrap was up to.
"She's just asking for trouble," Mystery Mint told herself.
Soon, the school day was over and everyone was heading off for home or whatever they had planned. Jokesterrap was getting ready to head to Sweet Apple Acres. Trixie decided to ask around to see what he was up to. She started with Sweetie Belle.
"You there; the adorable one," she said. "What is your cousin up to?"
"I don't know," said Sweetie Belle innocently, "Jokesterrap's a busy guy and all."
"Are you in on his schemes?" Trixie asked suspiciously.
"Me?" Sweetie Belle gasped innocently. "Whatever do you mean?"
Before Trixie could reply, Rarity called out for her little sister.
"Sweetie Belle!"
"Coming sis!" And Sweetie Belle ran off to catch up with her sister.
"Bother," Trixie growled.
Later, Jokesterrap made his way to Gladstone's shed to visit his engine for a little bit.
"Hi, Gladstone," he said after opening the door. "Did you miss me?"
Gladstone said nothing, but Jokesterrap had a feeling that she did.
"I'm afraid that it'll be risky to visit you by way of Sweet Apple Acres," he said. "One of my schoolmates will probably be poking her nose around here and might hurt you if she finds you. So I'll have to limit my visiting time here for a while."
Jokesterrap could tell somehow that Gladstone seemed sad about something even though she didn't have a face to show it.
"Don't worry," he said. "My friends promised that they'll come to visit you too when I'm not able to. You'll never be lonely."
He felt that she would've been comforted, but to Gladstone, it wouldn't exactly be the same. Jokesterrap decided to stay a bit longer with Gladstone so she wouldn't feel so lonely tonight. He had to get back home though for supper.
"See you next time, Gladstone," he said. And he closed the shed door and headed off home. As Jokesterrap made it back out to Sweet Apple Acres, he could see Trixie nearby.
Oh no, he thought, it's her...
"What are you doing around Sweet Apple Acres, Jokesterrap?" Trixie asked suspiciously.
Before Jokesterrap could come up with something, Applejack came out.
"Trixie," she said, taking Trixie by the hand. "You're just in time to help me feed the pigs."
"Me? Feeding pigs?!"
Jokesterrap laughed. "Have fun, Trixie."
Trixie didn't think this was funny one bit!
While she had to help Applejack, Jokesterrap used this opportunity to escape.
"The shame of it," groaned Trixie. "Someone as great and powerful as me being forced to feed these slobby pigs. Ugh!"
This insult made the pigs cross. So in retaliation, they jump out of their pin and started chasing Trixie.
"Oink! Oink!"
"Stop chasing me! The Great and Powerful Trixie commands you to cease and desist!"
But the pigs ignored her and kept on chasing. Suddenly, Trixie tripped on a pitchfork and fell head first into a pile of manure.
"MANURE!!" screamed Trixie, "I HATE MANURE!!"
Applejack couldn't help but laugh.
"Would y'all care to take a shower?" she offered.
"No thank you," groaned Trixie. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has overstayed her welcome."
She walked away, unaware of a little piglet on her head.
Trixie went to school the next day in a foul mood. To add insult to injury, the story of her plight with the pigs had reached school before she had. As she walked down the hallway, students would snicker at her and make snappy remarks.
"Hey Trixie!" laughed an Eco-Teen called Green Cycle. "Never knew you could be so pigheaded!"
"Tired of hugging the spotlight, are ya?" Aqua Blossom joked.
"Getting piggy with it, Trixie?" snickered Drum Role.
All of those pig-related puns and jokes began to make Trixie's blood boil, but she tried not to show it.
"You know, you're supposed to shovel manure, Bellatrix," chuckled Vincent, "not wade in it!"
Trixie growled angrily at this comment.
"We'll see who laughs last," she sneered.
At lunch she was still angry.
"Those filthy little slobs," she said. "How dare they attack the Great and Powerful Trixie."
Fluttershy had overheard and didn't take kindly to Trixie's rudeness toward the animals in question.
"Don't you dare talk about those innocent piggies like that!" she snapped.
"Innocent? After they chased me and threw me into some manure, you call them innocent?"
"You shouldn't have insulted them."
"What is this; Educating Trixie Week? First Mystery Mint and now you, Fluttershy! I should not be treated like I'm some kind of idiot!"
"Then quit acting like one," muttered Rainbow Dash.
"What was that, Rainbows Dash?!"
"Oh, nothing," said Rainbow Dash innocently.
A little later, the school day was over and the students were getting ready for home. As Trixie gathered her things, she noticed Fluttershy talking to Jokesterrap. She couldn't hear what they were talking about, but believed Fluttershy was in on whatever Jokesterrap was up to.
"If I follow that Fluttershy," she said, "I'll be able to find out about Jokesterrap's scheme."
Fluttershy had just gotten out of the school when she saw a cat on the sidewalk.
"Meow."
"Oh hello there, little one," said Fluttershy as she bent down to pet the cat. "You're just a cute little kitty, aren't you?"
The cat purred happily as Fluttershy petted him. While Fluttershy was distracted, Trixie sneaked up quietly behind her and tied some thread to the bottom of her shoe.
This'll lead me to what she's up to, Trixie thought with a brief smirk.
She ducked into a bush before Fluttershy got back up.
"I'd better get going little one," she said to the cat. "It was nice to meet you."
As she walked off, the thread came lose. The cat picked it up and took off with it. Trixie, who was still hiding in the bushes, didn't notice.
"I'll wait till the spool gets halfway unwound before I follow," she said. I don't want to draw attention."
"Hey, Trixie - what are you doing in a bush?"
Trixie jumped and looked around to find Fictionary looking at her.
"Go away, kid," Trixie said with annoyance, "can you not see that I'm waiting for this spool of thread to unwind?"
"Why?" asked Fictionary.
"That's a silly thing to do, isn't it?"
"Not unless it helps you in tracking down what you're after."
"Like that cat up ahead?"
"What cat?" This thread is tied to Fluttershy and I'll use her to find her."
Suddenly, Trixie noticed what Fictionary was talking about as she saw the cat with the string in its mouth.
"Get back here!" shouted Trixie, leaping from the bush and chasing after the cat.
The frightened cat raced away from Trixie.
"Stupid cat!" Trixie shouted.
She should've learned not to insult animals after her encounter with the pigs, but being calling the cat stupid really made the feline mad. Just as Trixie caught up to it, the cat reared back, and pounced at her. It hissed and scratched at her angrily.
"Not the face! Not the face!" shrieked Trixie.
When the cat was done scratching Trixie, he started running around her, causing the thread to wrap around her legs.
"Whoa!" she cried as she fell over, hitting the ground with a thud. Fictionary couldn't help but laugh at the situation.
"Looks like you've weaved yourself into another problem, Trixie," she chuckled.
"Not another of these jokes!" Trixie growled angrily. I've got to come up with a new strategy, she thought bitterly.
Fictionary soon caught up to Fluttershy and told her what had happened.
"It served Trixie right for being mean to that innocent little kitty," said Fluttershy.
"A little ironic, coming from you to say that," said Fictionary, "but still, we have to keep her far away from Gladstone as much as possible."
"You're right," said Fluttershy. "Or else Trixie will try to hurt her to get even with Jokesterrap for that Ice Bucket Prank."
The two girls decided to tell Jokesterrap about what had happened as well.
"That Trixie sure is too stubborn to give up, isn't she?" asked Jokesterrap.
"Oh yeah," said Fictionary, "I mean, what else could she be up to?"
"She's going to eventually get herself into trouble," added Fluttershy.
"If that happens, then it'll serve her right for poking her nose into someone else's business," said Jokesterrap.
Despite the last two incidents, Trixie would not give up. She was as stubborn as a mule. Next day at lunch, Trixie was still trying to think of a plan.
"I have to find out what Jokesterrap is up to," she said to herself. "But what else is there for me to try?"
Then as she saw Pinkie Pie munching down on a cupcake, she had an idea. At the end of the school day, Pinkie Pie was getting ready to see Gladstone when she heard Trixie by a tree.
"Oh, Pinkie Pie?"
The pink haired girl looked over. "Yeah?"
"Look what I've got," said Trixie. She opened her lunch bag and showed Pinkie a large cupcake with blueberry frosting. "I'll bet this looks super tasty, doesn't it?"
Pinkie Pie's mouth started to water.
"I was going to eat it during lunch, but I was too full. Would you like a bite?" Trixie asked, holding the cupcake in front of Pinkie's face.
"Yes, please!"
"Not so fast," said Trixie as she pulled the cupcake away before Pinkie had the chance to take a large bite out of it. "Before I let you taste this extremely delicious cupcake, I want you to tell me any secrets you might be keeping."
"Any secrets?" Pinkie knew inside that if she'd spilled the beans, Trixie would find out what Jokesterrap was up to, and she mentally prepared a plan.
"This cupcake sure does look delicious," Trixie said temptingly as she waved it back and forth in front of Pinkie Pie, her eyes watching its movements. "Sure would be a shame if I were to accidently eat it before you got the chance to see how tasty it is."
"Alright!" said Pinkie Pie. "I'll tell you."
"That's a good girl," said Trixie.
But instead of telling Trixie what was going on, she began to tell her every truthful thing about herself, her family, and her real full name. Trixie was feeling rather frustrated.
"That's not what I was talking about!" she shouted.
"Hey what's that over there?" said Pinkie Pie, pointing in a random direction. If Trixie had any common sense, she wouldn't have looked, but she did anyway, and when she wasn't looking, Pinkie snatched the cupcake out of her hand and ran off.
"I don't see anything," said Trixie. When she turned back around, she found both Pinkie Pie and the cupcake gone.
"Where did-" was all Trixie could say before she remembered who she had been dealing with.
"That Pinkie Pie!" she snapped out of annoyance. "She tricked me! Nobody tricks the Great and Powerful Trixie and gets away with it!"
"Well well well," chuckled Jokesterrap as he walked by. "Let this be a lesson for you, Trixie. Never try to outsmart Pinkie Pie. You'll just end up driving yourself insane."
Trixie didn't respond; she just fumed on the spot.
"Still trying to find out what I'm doing, are you?" Jokesterrap went on. "Well you never will. What I do is none of your business. So if I were you, I'd stop poking my nose where it's not wanted." With that, he walked off.
"Oh, I'll find out what you're up to, Jokesterrap," Trixie scowled as soon as he was out of earshot, "and when I do, you'll wish you haven't messed with me!"