Aria admired himself in the mirror. His hair was tied back and hidden under a beanie, and his chest was perfectly flat. He looked amazing, or at least that's what he thought to himself. His interaction with Adagio earlier had caught him off guard, but it wasn't anything he couldn't handle. Adagio got to go off and have a little girlfriend, and he got to screw around with gender.
Win-win.
He slipped out of the house and began casually strolling down the street. He smirked confidently as he walked.
Things are coming along nicely. He thought to himself, Adagio is preoccupied with Sunset, Sonata is working and out of our hair, and things are finally going my way. His smirk grew a little. It had been so easy to get Adagio out of the way. All he had to do was convince her she had an important part. And it wasn't technically a lie; she was responsible for keeping Sunset and the others busy. She just didn't know that was her job.
Sonata was clueless as ever, which worked just fine. She brought home money and was gone most of the day. Aria thought it was amazing.
He slowed as he reached his destination and sauntered inside. Getting their magic back was going to be easier than the other two thought... But he didn't have to tell them that. In fact, he wasn't entirely sure he was going to give them magic. It was obvious he was a better leader, so shouldn't he get all the magic? He could be powerful, and finally get revenge on the Rainbooms all by himself.
The shop was dimly lit and smelled oddly like... Pine and cinnamon? Man, these people try too hard. Aria grimaced at the overwhelming smells coming from the back of the shop. Lunar Moons, however, was the best-stocked magic shop in the area, and he found that most of their stuff actually worked. It was odd that a human store had working magic, and it was certainly something he would look into at a later time, but for the moment he just needed a few things.
His hands brushed the backs of dusty books and junk and he headed slowly further and further into the shop. Name after name passed in front of his eyes, but he couldn't find the one he needed. He huffed irritably. There was no system in this store, no way for him to look in a logical way.
"Need any help?" A bored voice behind him nearly made him jump. A pale blue girl with even paler hair and a bored expression stared at him. "Well? What are you looking for?"
"...Discordian Era texts." The shock of seeing someone from school made Aria stare back, but the other girl didn't seem to notice.
"They'd be in the back, with the Star Swirl things." She eyed Aria closer and said, "Wait, doesn't Trixie know you from somewhere?"
"No." Aria said simply as he turned and headed towards the back of the store. He wondered if he was allergic to incense, or if the smell was just that strong. Maybe if he was lucky the smell would suffocate him before Trixie realized who he was.
"Trixie is sure she's seen you around." The magician insisted as she followed him, "Do you go to Canterlot?"
"I did for a bit." He shrugged. The pile of books in the back of the room, simply labeled "Discordian" made him face-palm. Did these people even care?
"...What are you looking for? Perhaps Trixie could help you look." The look on her face told Aria that she still hadn't given up trying to think of who he was, but it would take him forever to search alone. With a reluctant sigh he told her the name of the book.
"That's... some serious magic." Trixie commented as she began to pick through the texts.
Aria didn't respond, but instead searched the other side of the pile. He needed one certain spell within the book, one of Star Swirl's own. Why it was supposed to be in Discordian things he didn't know, but he hoped that would make it easier to find.
"So... Trixie didn't catch your name." He grimaced as his mind raced. If he said Aria it would give away too much, and she might recognize him. But what else could he say?
"Blaze." Yeah, sure, that would work.
"Blaze..." Trixie said slowly. She still wondered where she had heard his name from, but Aria hoped she wouldn't connect the dots. At least not until he bought the--
"Found it!" He cheered. His voice broke a bit but he held the book in his hands and grinned. "Perfect! How much is it?"
Trixie shrugged, "Dunno, Mom never thought that one would sell. Twenty good, maybe?"
They made their way back to the front and Aria paid for the book. His heart raced in his chest as he stared at the book in his hands. His knuckles had gone white due to his grip on said book, and Trixie noticed.
"What exactly do you need that book for? It's some serious stuff, assuming you can pull it off."
Aria scoffed. "Of course I can do it. And it's none of your business."
"Ooh, mysterious huh? You must be a true magician."
"Pfft, sure, if you want to call it that. I prefer real magic, though."
"You'd be surprised." Something about Trixie's smile made him feel uneasy, but he shrugged it off.
"Yeah, yeah, you have a trick up your sleeve. Whatever." He sneered, and she returned the look.
"You're just a ray of sunshine. Trixie may have a few tricks up her sleeve, but it's better than having a stick up her--"
They both gagged and looked to the back of the room, where the stench of incense had become sour and thick. Trixie paused for a second before she rushed away, cursing, and Aria scoffed. He gagged a bit at the odor and quickly made his way to the door. At least he didn't have to excuse himself, and hopefully he wouldn't have to see the blue girl again.
Still, as he walked out, he had the oddest feeling that he had missed something. Like he had been tricked. But he couldn't imagine what had happened. Trixie had seemed honest, and he got his book...
He shrugged and walked away from the shop. It was just a human shop; he knew the human world had no real magic, and only the book he had had any connection to Equestria. Perhaps it was just the pull of the magic shop, real or not. He longed to have his magic back, perhaps that longing had projected onto the feel of the shop?
Yeah, that had to be it, he figured. And that Lulamoon girl creeped him out. Nothing out of the ordinary.
He glanced back once more at the shop as he turned the corner, and the feeling had gone. He smirked to himself again, and held the book closer to his chest. Adagio was right, there was nothing special about Trixie Lulamoon.