//------------------------------// // Chapter 9: Houdini the Human. // Story: Harry Houdini: The Great and Powerful // by CrackedInkWell //------------------------------// By the time eleven-o’-clock came around, the Great and Powerful Trixie had arrived at the roof of her apartment building. Considering that both of their shows started and ended around the same time, she guessed that Houdini’s theater was probably empty by now. If there was ever a chance for the unicorn to take a peek at what was really going on behind the scenes, it was now. She jumped across several buildings at once thanks to her teleportation spell. Even from the flat rooftops, it wasn’t difficult to pinpoint the human’s theater as it stood towering above the surrounding apartments. The massive brick wonder was a spectacle, even with the front lights turned off. Its titanic shadow in the moonlight acutely portrayed the illusionist himself. When Trixie finally got onto the roof of this structure, she found what she’d hoped for -- a way in. In the area where the stage was, she managed to find a metal trap door and a flight of iron stairs slithering downward. Before she opened it, she paused, noticing that even though the trap door had a latch clearly made for a lock, it lacked one. ‘Why would a magician leave their theater this vulnerable to a break in?’ Even though her thought sent up a few red flags, she decided to cautiously continue. Using her magic, she lifted the cover and quietly crept her way down the ladder. Her hind hoof felt the floor of the catwalk and she carefully lowered herself onto it. Looking over the side, she could see that the only thing illuminating the theater was as lonely ghost light that stood in the center of the stage. She could also see that some props were set aside off-stage, glowing in the pale glow of a single lightbulb. She grinned. This was almost too perfect! All she needed to do now was to get down there and really examine these tricks up-- Click! Trixie’s heart nearly stopped when she was suddenly bathed in the light of a flashlight. “You know, I’m not all that surprised that someone has decided to break into my theater,” said a familiar voice. “To tell you the truth, I’ve been expecting it ever since we got here.” Even though the blue unicorn’s hooves were frozen in place, she turned her neck to confirm who was holding the light. The figure was tall, and his white shirt almost made him look like a ghost, but Trixie knew who it really was. “Uh… Mr. Houdini?” She could hear the steps echo as the slender figure drew near, and sure enough, it was Houdini. “Wait, I think I remember you. Aren’t you the same pony from my show the other night? What do you think you’re doing here?” “I… uh…” “Well?” he questioned. “Tell me why you tried to sneak in before I get the cops over here.” “Okay, okay!” she waved her hooves. “Just hear me out!” Harry folded his arms while keeping the light on the unicorn. “Okay, before I say anything, what are you still doing here? I thought this place closed hours ago.” “Simple, I want to make sure that my secrets are secure, which is why I always tend to be the last one to lock up before I leave. And what do you know? Just when I was finishing up, I happen to run into you. So now you tell me, why are you here? Also… what was your name again?” “T-Trixie,” she gulped. “Look, I know what you’re thinking, and no, I’m not really here to steal your tricks--” “Then why are you here?” Houdini pressed on. Trixie let out a defeated sigh. “Because… I just wanted to know how you did it all. I honestly didn’t want to steal directly from you, but I wanted to understand how someone who isn’t a pony could do the things that you do. For Celestia’s sake, you broke of prison, teleported cards into the audience, and even escaped a death trap that no sane pony would do, even if they had a horn. How do you even do it? Is it all just an elaborate trick, or do you have some kind of bizarre magic that even I’m not aware of? I don’t want to steal from you; the Great and Powerful Trixie isn’t interested in copying what somepony has already done, but wants to do it her own way! Yet, I hate seeing something that I can’t understand, and to be brutally honest, you’re driving me crazy here. “That’s why I came alone. I just wanted to know the truth and how you did it. I came in here so I can have some peace of mind.” In the dim light, she could see Houdini nodding his head. “You’re right about one thing; I do not claim to possess any supernatural powers because I don’t, yet I am the only one that’s able to do tricks that no one can explain. Yes, I am saying that everything you saw was a trick, clever ones that have taken years to perfect them to where they are now. “Since you told me that your intent wasn’t to copy me, I won’t press any charges against you. But understand that if you do something like this again, I’ll have the police arrest you for breaking and entering. I’m trying to play nice since I, my wife, and my troupe are doing our best to make a good impression in a land that we’re not sure how we got to, for we’re nothing but strangers in an even stranger land.” Trixie tilted her neck downward, nodding. “Trixie understands, and I am sorry for doing this. I just wanted to know and put this mystery to rest.” “Please follow me.” Houdini turned around as the regretful unicorn followed close behind. “You said that you were a magician?” “Hm? Oh, yes, one of the best in the city.” “I guess that explains it.” She looked up at him, confused. “What do you mean?” “You saw me as a competition that you didn’t know how to handle.” At this point, he started climbing down the ladder that leads to the stage floor. “But to be honest, I think that in this strange country, I have to work really hard to impress beings that possess real magic.” Trixie looked down at him. “Real magic? Don’t you have some sort of magic where you come from? He laughed. “Trust me, if you were to appear in New York and do something as simple as using your horn to pick up a pencil, folks from all over the world would come to see, and pay you every little penny they have just to see you do a single trick. So no, where I come from, magic may not exist, but some of us like to pretend that it does.” Both the human and unicorn magicians landed on the black stage floor as they continued their trek through the theater. “So in other words,” she said, “everything you’ve done, all this magic you’ve performed, is all really just pretend?” “Yes, but I would be an idiot to give away how I really did it. Trust me, I’ve debunked plenty of phonies pretending to be me, saying they can talk to spirits and such. In a way, even though my wife and I see you all as adorable ponies, I still can’t help but look at unicorns like yourself and feel a bit… jealous. Just seeing you do something like this…” He turned around and swiftly threw a small red ball at her. By instinct, Trixie’s horn lit up before the rubber ball could hit her face. Houdini took the opportunity to wave his hands through the aura that shimmered around the ball. “Ya see?” he remarked. “No strings, no magnets, no mirrors, just magic. Real magic. That’s why I envy ponies like you. You’re able to do all of this naturally. I, on the other hand, have to go figure out a way to fake it.” Houdini took his floating ball back, causing the unicorn to let it go. “I see,” Trixie nodded. “Before you show me out the door… Trixie would like to thank you for giving her some peace.” “Just make sure you don’t try to break in again any time soon,” Houdini added as they entered the foyer of the theater. He took a key out of his pocket and unlocked the entrance. “Did you say that you have a show?” “Yes, what about it?” she asked curiously. “Since we’re new to this place, and since you ponies have magic shows of your own, would it be too much for my wife and me to come to your show, to see how things are done here?” That took Trixie completely by surprise. “Y-you want to see my show?!” “Both as a way to extend the olive branch, as it were, and to take some notes for our big show on Saturday that I hear that one of your ‘Princesses’ is coming to see. And speaking as someone that’s had to perform for royalty, I know that impressing one of them is already a very tall order.” She blinked. “One of the Princesses is coming to see you? Who? Which one?” He put a finger underneath his chin. “Said something about raising the sun or some nonsense like that.” Her jaw dropped. “Oh, I envy you so much right now!” “Hey, at least the tickets for that show are still on sale.” His eyebrows arched as he snapped his fingers. “I’ve got an idea! What if we do a trade? I’ll give you tickets for that show if you give me two tickets for yours. Deal?” She blinked. “You, sir, are really weird at this. But Trixie will accept, just so she can see more of these tricks that you do.” Houdini tilted his head. “How come you occasionally slip into the third person?” The unicorn, however, walked out of the door. “Trixie doesn’t always have to explain herself.”