//------------------------------// // 34. Tricks in the Desert! (by Eyeswirl the Weirded) // Story: Sunny, Moonie, Twily // by Jetto //------------------------------// Few ponies could claim to have seen as much of the world as Trixie, she was certain. Yes, the Great and Powerful Trixie could not be contained to any one location in the prime of her life, she knew she must wander, she knew she must explore! Also, bounty hunters had a way of keeping her moving. Outsmarting and outmaneuvering them was one thing, but sticking around when they were present probably wouldn't end well for her. As such, today she found herself in Saddle Arabia! The ponies here looked a little different than in most parts of Equestria, but that only made Trixie herself appear all the more exotic, her magic all the more astounding! She might not have been crazy about the hot climate of the region, but payday was always good here. Following another successful show, Trixie reclined in the shade behind her wagon. She reflected on a relatively recent change in her career as she counted up the bits earned today; that fewer ponies seemed to step up to challenge her now than when she began years ago. Today, there hadn't been a single member of the audience that so much as heckled her, which was pretty rare! Granted, Saddle Arabia had always felt like kind of a humble place compared to some others, but there were no challengers, no neigh-sayers, nothing. It might have had something to do with ponies remembering her through repeat visits, more pointedly remembering those that failed to upstage Trixie the last time she was in town. Just as she finished counting up the total of bits she’d gathered, somepony approached Trixie with a bottle of chilled grape juice. She looked to be just on the edge between adolescence and adulthood, a brown, black-maned Saddle Arabian offering the bottle with a smile. "My family enjoyed your performance today, Great and Powerful Trixie. Would you accept this gift from me?" Always tickled when her title was heard from other mouths than her own, Trixie grinned beneficently. "Why of course, humble citizen, and thank you!" She levitated the bottle to her lips and took a long drink, but the offerer remained where she stood, which told Trixie she wanted something. Her smile stayed. "No need to be shy, speak your request and the Great and Powerful Trixie will see what she can do." The mare blushed, her eyes widening with a hint of contrition for just a moment. "Oh, my apologies, I-... Well..." It felt rude to ask, but as she was just given permission...? "I, and a few others who've witnessed it in your previous visits, have wondered; when stallions in foreign garments arrive while you are present, why do you always depart in haste? If they mean you harm, can your magic not dissuade them?" Ahh, this old chestnut. Surprisingly few ponies voiced the question, but it was one Trixie had long ago prepared an answer for. She gave the asker an amicable smile. "There are better ways to solve problems than through violence, and Trixie is far and away better than a common barbarian." She winked, lowering her voice to a loud whisper. "Between you and Trixie, Trixie may have more than enough power to demolish any who would come for her, but what message does that send to the foals? You wouldn't want Trixie to go around being a bad role-model, would you?" The mare giggled behind a hoof, nodding once. "No, I would hope not." She turned to leave. "As-salaamu 'alaykum, Great and Powerful Trixie." Waving, Trixie nodded. "Wa 'alaykum as-salaam!" That there were no giggles told her she'd finally pronounced that right. Part of her felt guilty, as her answer hadn't been entirely honest. Sure, she probably could deal with most of her pursuers much more directly, and maybe even get away with it almost every time, but doing so would most likely just lead to more and more, possibly better-armed hunters as time went on, and sooner or later, she may have been completely overwhelmed, if only through fatigue. That, and there was the near-certainty that Her Prince would one day catch wind of what she'd been doing. What would he think of me then? Knowing I had spent years going around hurting ponies when I didn't strictly have to? Prince Blueblood was a scholar and a gentlecolt (she knew that first part from what Celestia had told her over tea about his reason for living in Ponyville), not some brute that encouraged punching pon- Oh, wait... Did it count if they mainly punched him? She probably could have stuck around long enough to get all the details on that during her visit to Ponyville, but as there was nothing friendly between Trixie and her hunters (barring maybe Beaten Bush, who still went after her just as fervently as the rest), Trixie figured Blueblood still wouldn't approve if he heard about her getting violent when comparatively-peaceful avoidance was an option. She could do it, certainly, but he might get the wrong picture of her in his head. He might even see her as somepony to be feared! Imagine! Quietly enjoying the last of her drink, part of Trixie couldn't help thinking that she was getting tired of running away so often after all these years, that it felt like her hunters were getting more aggressive in recent months, if only by a little bit. Maybe the bounty had increased again? I wouldn't mind settling down somewhere with My Beloved, they couldn't claim they were 'taking me home' if I lived with him, but it just isn't time yet. Before she could dwell on whether or not just popping into Ponyville for a visit might be a bad idea, her thoughts were arrested by the tell-tale sound of a net falling, a blanket of ropes meeting little wind resistance. It was a sound she had much time to savor in her foalhood. She telekinetically seized the net, balled it up, and chucked it back at the pegasus sitting on top of her wagon, sending her and her traffic-cone hat toppling backwards and onto the sand. "Trixie will thank you not to litter." "The plan did not work," announced Re-Cap, wearing a fez and standing nearby. "Indeed," concurred Easy Answer, who had donned a Keffieyeh in place of his usual top hat, "I too had thought that using the fact that she was already sitting in the shade would hide the shadow of the falling net, but it seems this was not enough." Not caring for another line of babble, Trixie got up, chuckled, and shook her head at her hunters as they regrouped. "You might as well go home, guys and gals." "Gal," retorted the pegasus as she straightened her cone-hat, "singular!" Trixie shrugged. "It matters not, for none of you will ever catch the Great and Powerful Trixie." The cone-wearer’s eyes narrowed. "Oh, yea? Why's that?" Trixie grinned. [youtube=fcTC7RkmHac] Because she's... One step, ahead of her hunters! She side-stepped Re-Cap as he haphazardly tried to grab her, Two steps, ahead of the goons! a swish of her cape slapped Easy Answer in the face as he tried the same thing, Trixie dancing away. You can, go back to the Lulamoons! (With empty hooves!) The trio scrambled to chase after her. One step, ahead of pursuers, I'm free, and free I'll stay! These clowns will watch Trixie get away~! Trixie accentuated her leap onto a fence with a quick, taunting flank-shake, the hunters immediately climbing after. We won't, let you! We will, get you! Batting her eyes, Trixie smirked and pityingly shook her head at them. You're out of your league, guys. They immediately roared back. Wear her down through sheer fatigue, guys! Well if you insist, Trixie will oblige... Just don't say that you weren't warned! Trixie cast a short series of simple spells in that instant to make leaping at and kick-flipping off of the nearest hunter easier, swinging around a clothesline and into the window of a nearby building, which landed her between three harem dancers. This was not the first time that had happened. Hey! Lookie here, young Trixie's back to see us! We could be such good friends for a price! One closed in, making eyes and gently tracing a hoof under Trixie's chin. She shouldn't keep coming here just to tease us... Bright red, Trixie smiled sheepishly and darted back toward the window Like she said before, Trixie's spoken for, but she's sure that all of you are really nice! She barrel-rolled out of the building and bounced off a hanging awning as the hat ponies gave chase. One leap, ahead of the crazies, one step, ahead of the loons! Yet more workers for the Lulamoons... She made her way up to the roof of a one-story house, climbing higher as the hunters climbed after. One skip, ahead of the greedy, one slide, ahead of the mob! You'd think by now they'd find another job... Trixie dove across gaps and swung on clotheslines (careful not to disturb the drying fabrics if she could help it), but they kept up surprisingly well. Most of all the pegasus, who flew alongside them while pretending to run and jump, to her partners' slight annoyance. Check it! Parkour! Really?! Spoilsport. Starting to get a solid lead, Trixie sing-songed over her shoulder, You dolts can't catch Trixie~! Then she smacked into a yak. What a yak was doing on that roof, nopony knew, but he swept Trixie up and coddled her in his forelegs like a teddy bear. I CAN CATCH YOU, LITTLE PIXIE! She quickly wriggled out of his grip, nodding to the hunters. Yes, very well done, now I got to run, but feel free to play with them! YAY! The yak seized two of the hunters in a bear-hug the moment they caught up, giving Trixie a few seconds to glide down to the street to try to ditch them in the alleys, but as those alleys were narrow, it only took one of them closing in to cut her off and make her flee down a different path. Within a minute, she could see that she was heading for a dead end. Trixie grinned. One jump, ahead of the hoofbeats! She's here! One skip, ahead of the rest! Okay! One spell, ahead of the casters, Get her! They're good, but I'm the master! That way! She stopped at a wall, turning to face them and grinning madly. That's right! You all better believe, I got tricks up my sleeve, and now this is where I leave! Activating her spell, the alley was flooded with purple smoke. The hat-hunters scrambled and grabbed at the empty air where Trixie had stood, but only succeeded in seizing each other by the time it cleared. Trixie was gone without a trace. "Quick," announced Easy Answer, "she must have gone back to her wagon!" They ran out to where they'd first seen Trixie only to find the wagon gone as well, not so much as wheel tracks in the sand to indicate which way she'd fled. "She is gone," droned Re-Cap. "Yes," sighed the pegasus, irritably flapping one wing. Then she managed a smile. "But hey, we're bound to get her eventually, right? She's bound to make a mistake sooner or later." "Right you are, Safe Bet," concurred Easy Answer, "right you are." --- That night, Trixie rode her wagon through the peaceful sands, naught but the moon and stars to light her way. Proud of herself though she was for another good show and another clean escape, she couldn't help sighing. One more escape, one more payday, yes, Trixie is amazing. Just like she was before, years ago... Where to now? Where else is there to go...?