“Permanent Vacation”
Boast Busters or Egotistical Much?
Morning routine aside, I threw on a white tee and black cargo shorts before heading outside. I’m still worried that the town will react differently towards me. Surprisingly, they don’t seem fazed one bit. Some even come up to me and shake my hand, thanking me for stopping Gilda. Huh, turns out the girls were right. I smile and head for Sugercube Corner. After the events of yesterday, I believe that I deserve a treat.
I enter Sugercube Corner, a little bell above the door announcing my arrival. Now that I’m not smashing in a griffin’s face, I look around the interior. The entire place looks exactly like it always does in the show, albeit a bit larger, with the addition of a jukebox beside the door and a TV mounted on the wall beside the counter. I idly glance at the TV to see a white pegasi in a black suit standing in front of a map of Equestria, listing off the upcoming weather patterns. Overall, the entire building is about average in size, looking like it is able to hold maybe twenty-five to thirty people comfortably.
“Welcome to Sugercube Corner!” A tall, lanky yellow stallion, wearing a white tee shirt and tan cargo pants, says from behind the counter, his back to me. “I’ll be with you in a second!”
“Alright.” I walk over to the counter and browse the selection of sweets. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Mister Cake turn around.
“What can I get you today? It’s on the house!”
“Oh, there’s no need for that. I don’t feel right taking stuff for free. Speaking of which, why am I getting this for free?”
“It’s the least we could do for you taking care of that Gilda character before she hurt anypony!”
Pinkie pops up from behind the counter, causing Mister Cake and I to jump. “Jesus, Pinkie!” I yell.
“Blake!” She giggles before turning to Mister Cake. “Don’t worry Mister Cake, I’ll take it from here.” She winks at him.
“Whatever you say, Pinkie.” He smiles and shakes his head, walking upstairs.
“So,” Pinkie turns back around to look at me, “What can I get you? We got chocolate covered donuts, chocolate chip muffins, chocolate cupcakes—”
“I’m guessing you like chocolate?” I continue looking through the displays in front of me.
“Uh, duh! Chocolate is the best thing ever! And there are so many uses for it! Chocolate syrup, chocolate chips, Cocoa Puffs—”
“Wait, what?” I turn my head to look at her but do a double take back at one of the displays. It can’t be. I push my face up against the glass to get a closer look. “Hey, Pinkie, what are these?” I point to the crescent roll looking pastry with little dollops of white filling inside it.
She stops mid rant and reaches behind the counter, pulling out the tray. “These are only the best tasting, mouthwatering, sweetest pastries in Sugercube Corner!”
I’m practically drooling at this point if they are in fact what I believe them to be. “And they might be…?”
“Cannoli’s!” She yells before stuffing her face with one. Her mane deflates slightly after swallowing. “But you probably don’t want that. I’m the only pony that ever really eats them.”
“I’ll take one for now and six, no, twelve in a box!”
Her mane returns to its poufy state. “Really?! I thought I was the only pony to eat them!”
“Are you kidding?! I haven’t had one for so long but I’ll never forget the taste of that hard crust and the sweet mascarpone cream!”
She starts bouncing in place. “OhmygoshthisissoamazingthatI’vefoundanotherponywhoeatscannoli’sasmuchasIdo!”
“Well then,” I grab one from the display and hold it up, Pinkie doing the same, “Cheers for finding somebody else with similar tastes!” I take a bite and my taste buds are assaulted with a swarm of flavor that I never knew could exist until now. These are way better than the ones back home! I finish mine seconds before Pinkie.
“The Cakes don’t keep that many of these in stock so I’m gonna need a little bit to make another batch.”
I wave my hand at her. “Take all the time you need. As long as they taste like these, then I’ll be a happy man,” I head for the door, waving behind me. “See you later, Pinkie, and thanks again for the free food!”
“You’re welcome!”
I walk through town a little longer, trying to get a lay of the land for future reference, when I hear what sounds like carnival music coming from the town square. Apparently, others heard this as well since a large crowd is heading towards the source. I follow them and sigh when I see the source, a wagon that had been converted into a stage. Trixie had arrived in town. I look off to the left to see Twilight and Spike heading for a spot at the very front of the stage. Not wanting to stick out in this crowd when Trixie came out to perform, I snuck around to the backside of the wagon. There was a little door about halfway in the center that I push open. Just before I step inside, I hear the show start.
The inside, to my surprise, is bigger than the outside and it had everything a traveling showmare would need. A simple bed pushed up against the back wall, a vanity littered with makeup and perfumes, a closet filled to the brim with extra hats, cloaks, and clothes (Which are dark blue shirts with shades of gold on the sleeves and skintight pants that are a light shade of purple) , and a little shelf with books about illusion magic. I rummage about, looking for any source of info on Trixie’s life that I could use against her. I spot a corner of a book underneath her pillow. Pulling it out, it reads diary across the center in gold. My moral compass is going haywire. On one hand, this would allow me to access Trixie’s deepest and darkest thoughts. On the other hand, going through a diary about someone’s personal life is just plain wrong.
“Eliminate the threat now.”
I must admit that I agree with the voice. Dealing with Trixie now will prevent the Alicorn Amulet incident down the road. I open the diary and read through the first couple of pages, which begins right after she became a showmare. I am shocked but understanding as to why Trixie acts the way she does. After reading through a few more pages, I had all the info I need. I replace the diary in the exact way Trixie left it.
Right beside the bed is a door. Carefully pushing it open, I find myself behind a blue curtain. Off to the sides sit excess props and boxes with fireworks sticking out the top.
On the other side of the curtain, I can hear Rarity yelling, “What did she do to my hair?!” Oh right, Trixie ruined Rarity’s hair by turning it into that green beehive monstrosity. I hear Rarity cry as she runs off stage.
“Who here believes that they can best The Great and Powerful Trixie?!”
It’s showtime. I step out from behind the curtain. I place a finger to my lips and motion for the crowd to be quiet as I sneak up behind Trixie. I stop once I’m within range of her ear. “Well then, it seems that Trixie has no challengers. I truly am the best—”
I smirk. “Right behind you.” Trixie jumps and spins around while the crowd laughs at her.
She regains her composure and smirks as well. “Well, it seems Trixie does have a challenger! To show how humble Trixie is, Trixie will allow the creature to decide the challenge.”
“I’m not here to challenge you. I’m here to make you listen.” She cocks her head while I circle around her, hands behind my back. Everything I learned from that diary had better pay off here. “Your name is Trixie Lulamoon, correct?”
“Ah, so you’ve heard of The Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“Actually, I’ve never heard of you before today.” Her confident smirk turns into a scowl. “Back to the point at hand, you were raised in an orphanage in Trottingham, correct?”
As I pass in front of her, I glance at her eyes which are as wide as can be. She shakes her head and returns to smiling. “Trixie wasn’t raised in an orphanage. Trixie is the proud daughter of two loving unicorn parents.”
“Oh, really? Then please tell us what their names are.”
“Trixie sees no point in this line of questioning.”
“But there is a point I’m getting to. You were left alone at an orphanage with nothing but a name. It was there that you discovered your talent for illusion magic. You thought that it would provide you a ticket out of there. That if you could show off you talents to potential parents, then you just might be able to find a new home. Sadly, that was not the case. Not once did you ever get adopted. You believed that your magic was the reason, that it wasn’t good enough for potential parents. Stop me if I’m wrong.”
“How do you know all this?” She asks through teary eyes.
I pause in front of her before continuing. “Let’s just call it a… Intuition. Anyway, once you turned eighteen, the orphanage couldn’t keep you anymore so they forced you out. You eventually came across this wagon, broken down and in no state to live in. You repaired it and make it your mission to travel the lands, searching for your parents and proving that your magic is good enough for the world.” I stop in front of her. “You started referring to yourself in the third person in hopes that your parents would one day recognize the name and come back for you. You act like a complete jerk because you’re afraid to let anybody get close to you for fear of rejection. You fell so far into your lie about being great and powerful that you actually believe it to be your life.”
Trixie breaks down at this point and falls into my chest, sobbing uncontrollably. I wrap my arms around her. “It’s all true! Trixie just wants Trixie’s parents back! Trixie wants to be able to have a mother and father!”
“But do they want you back?” Trixie looks up at me. “Do they really want a daughter that acts this way to others?”
“But… It’s all Trixie’s ever known.”
“No it isn’t. This is all your fake life has ever known. Think back to the times in the orphanage. Remember how happy you were when performed your little magic shows for the other orphans? The smiles on their faces as you brought joy and light to their otherwise bleak life?” Thank God for that diary.
“Trixie remembers how they looked up to Trixie every day.” She smiles but returns to frowning. “But Trixie insulted so many ponies. Trixie is not sure Trixie can change.”
“While it may be hard to atone for your past insults, it’s not too late to change here and now. You have a fresh new audience right here. Dazzle them, oh Great and Powerful.”
She smiles and wipes her eyes as I walk off the stage. I stand beside Twilight, Applejack, and Rainbow as Trixie gets back to her show. “Trixie must apologize for Trixie’s recent behavior. Trixie was not acting accordingly for a showmare of Trixie’s stature.” At least she apologized, which is a start. “Trixie will now dazzle you with Trixie’s magic!”
“How did you know all that?” Rainbow whispers to me as fireworks go off behind Trixie.
“Thank a little thing called the diary of Trixie Lulamoon.”
“You read her diary?! That’s just wrong!” Twilight yells. Thankfully, her yell went unheard by Trixie.
I roll my eyes. “Yeah, I know that, Twilight, but this was a far better option than what would have happened later.”
“And just what would have happened?”
“Neat!” I watch as Trixie conjures up two spectral forms, one a manticore and the other an earth pony, and re-enacted a battle between the two, complete with sound effects. “Anyway, you ever hear of an Ursa Minor?”
“No, should I?”
I fake gasp. “Twilight Sparkle not knowing something?! What has the world come to?!” Rainbow and Applejack snicker while Twilight rolls her eyes. “Go study up on them."
After a few more spectacular feats of magic, at least to me, Trixie ends the show with a massive fireworks display. She disappears in a flash of smoke to the cheering of the crowd. As the crowd starts to disperse, I motion to the girls to follow me. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.” They all nod in agreement and I start towards Sugercube Corner.
“Trixie would like to speak to the creature.” I spin around to see Trixie standing behind us, lazily drawing a circle in the ground with her hoof.
“One second, girls,” Spike huffs, “And Spike.” I walk over to Trixie. “What’s up?”
“What is your name?”
“My name is Blake.”
“Trixie… I would like to thank you, Blake.” Before I can react, she wraps her hands around me in a hug. I return it after getting over my initial shock. She backs out of the hug after a few moments and heads back to her wagon, waving to me which I gladly return. I walk back over to the girls and Spike.
“Shall we?” I resume my walk back towards Sugercube Corner.
Again, the little bell above the door announces our arrival. Standing at the counter with Pinkie are Fluttershy and Rarity.
“Hey girls!” Spike huffs and cross his arms, “Whoopsie, and Spike and Blake!” Pinkie waves from behind the counter as Rarity and Fluttershy turn to face us.
I nod to Rarity. “Glad to see that your hair isn’t that thing anymore.”
She blushes and looks away. “I may have… overreacted a bit when I saw it. After I got home, I found out it was a simple illusion spell.” We all share a little laugh at her expense.
“Sorry, Blake, but your order isn’t ready yet. The Cakes don’t have all the ingredients to make them.”
I wave my hand at Pinkie. “Don’t worry about it. Just swing by tomorrow and drop them off. Which reminds me, you all up for seeing a movie tomorrow?”
“A movie sounds lovely. If it’s okay with everypony else.”
“Eh, I got nothing going on tomorrow.”
“Oh my gosh! I love movies! What are we seeing?!”
“A movie sounds simply fabulous.”
“I finished all the chores that needed doing on the farm so why not.”
“I believe that I can make room in my studies for a movie. I think that Fifty Shades—”
“No. Just… No. We are not seeing that. I have tons of movies at my place we can watch. I’ll even make dinner,” They all glance between each other. “I’ll take that as a yes. I shall see you all at five.” Without waiting for them, I turn and walk out of Sugercube Corner.
Heading home, I make myself some tacos for dinner and spend the rest of the day cruising around the streets of Los Santos in Grand Theft Auto V.