//------------------------------// // My Name is Nabiki... Something... // Story: My Little Sphinx - A Wild Pony in Equestria side story // by Tangent //------------------------------// Trixie patiently watched as the emaciated feline shakily lapped up the thin broth she had made from some bird(1). The sphinx was oddly wingless, but there was no sign of scarring to indicate that they had been lost due to injuries. That, and the obviously healthy mammae that seemed so out of place hanging from a barrel so shriveled that Trixie could easily count the ribs just by sight alone, were both pretty good indications that she was looking at the possible victim of a transformation spell of some sort. Sure, the poor thing may have simply been a pampered socialite that never bothered learning how to hunt, but it was just as possible that she had once been a member of a less predatory species. “So, Boobs,” the blue unicorn began once the bowl was empty, “care to tell Trixie the Sympathetic and Intrigued what brought you to such a sorry state?” “Boobs?” the sphinx wasn’t sure how to take her new nickname. She vaguely remembered the unicorn calling her that during the previous times she had been awake under her care. “Trixie named you ‘Boobs’ for lack of anything else to call you.” “…Fine. Whatever.” “You don’t remember your name, do you,” the unicorn stated bluntly. “Of course I do! It’s… it’s…” the sphinx growled in frustration. “Nabiki. I'm pretty sure that my name is Nabiki... something. I think there may have been more to it, but that's all I can remember right now." “Beaks then,” Trixie nodded. “Don’t call me that,” the irritated sphinx requested dourly. “You tried to eat Trixie. Repeatedly. You should be happy Trixie the Justly Affronted is calling you something as nice as Beaks. Trixie could go back to referring to you by your obviously enchanted mammae!” "My what?" Nabiki asked. "Your udders. Trixie believes they they are called breasts or boobs when they are shaped like yours are." “I'd really rather that you called me by Nabiki." “Trixie thinks… not. Trixie tried to help an obviously down on her luck fellow traveler, only to get attacked when you decided to try to eat Trixie. Which you tried again when Trixie tried to feed you after you woke up the first time. And again every time afterwards for the past three days until just now. There is a reason Trixie the Cautious and Wary wrapped your paws, muzzled you, and tethered you to the floor, and it wasn’t because Trixie was feeling kinky! So Trixie will most likely continue referring to you by whatever Trixie feels like calling you at the moment.” “Okay! Okay! I get it! I screwed up and now I have to put up with dumb nicknames because of it,” Nabiki sullenly gave in. “Can you at least untie me? I promise not to try to eat you anymore.” “Trixie would like to, but no. We’re not far from the Village of Brand, so Trixie is taking you there so a vet can look you over.” “That seems reasonab- Hey! I’m not some animal! Why are you taking me to a vet!?” “For one thing, a small town doctor isn’t very likely to know what to do with somepony who isn’t a pony. Veterinarians at least know how to care for other species besides ponies.” “And the other reason?” Nabiki asked grudgingly. “You. Went. Feral.” Trixie leaned forward and emphasized each word by poking one of the sphinx’s breasts with a hoof. Quite frankly, they were the only part of Nabiki's body that looked healthy enough to be prodded like that without potentially causing her further harm. “Which is bad enough, really, but on top of that you tried to eat Trixie. Several times! It would be irresponsible of Trixie to just let you go without making sure that it was safe to do so! You might try to eat some other pony unlucky enough to come across you!” “Alright! Alright! I’ll see the vet!” Nabiki gave in completely, knowing that she wasn’t going to win this argument. After a few moments, Trixie got up and headed for the door of the tiny room. “Trixie is going to get back to hauling your sorry hide to the vet now.” And as the blue unicorn opened the door of what Nabiki now presumed to be some sort of wagon or cart, she let out one more remark before hopping outside and shutting the door. “Besides, vets are much cheaper than doctors. Trixie isn’t made of bits, you know…” Nabiki groaned and put a paw to her face as she rolled over onto her side to rest… *O o O o O* Annotations from the Journal of Nabiki the Sphinx: (1): Being a unicorn apparently means not having to actually learn how to hunt or fish if you feel like having a little meat. Which is wasted on a species that hardly ever eats meat. *O o O o O* Nabiki was lying curled up in a holding cage in the veterinarian’s kennel in Brand. While she wasn't exactly uncomfortable in this position, she was glad that her current body came fully equipped with stereotypical feline flexibility, because this was apparently the largest cage they had available. While she wouldn't say that she could barely fit inside of it, as it was actually larger than the first cage she had been assigned to (in which she had no wriggle room at all), she still couldn't stand or stretch out. Fortunately, Gingersnaps, Doctor Rosemary's assistant, always made sure to take her outside to a fenced in run attached to the clinic three times a day so she could exercise, eat, and be bathed. Always under guard, frequently tethered by a heavy chain, and all too often subjected to the heckles and jeers of the local children (or whatever young ponies were called), but at least she could stretch out, which was more than she could say for the cage. Dr. Rosemary also gave Nabiki regular examinations and frequent tests to see how much she had recovered from when she had been feral. This pretty much described the daily life of Nabiki the Sphinx for the past two months since she was brought to the Village of Brand. She could sort of remember bits and pieces of her old life from before the incident with the manticore. She was positive that she used to be some sort of furless female biped with hands and brown hair that she liked to keep short. She was also fairly certain she had left behind two sisters and a father, and had a somewhat hazy idea of what they looked like. And there were several other others who may have been either friends or acquaintances, but her memories of what they may have looked like were vague. “Trixie sees that the locals haven’t made you into a fireplace rug yet(2),” the blue unicorn said as she entered the kennel and approached the cage Nabiki was in. All the other cages were currently empty, as they had remained during most of the time the sphinx had been at the clinic. “Trixie hopes that the circuit judge gets here soon, or the matter may be out of Trixie’s hooves.” “Well, if somepony hadn’t mentioned that I had tried to eat them while telling the vet about my situation, maybe I wouldn’t have to worry about whether or not the locals are going to lynch me the moment I'm kicked out of here!” “Trixie the Contrite and Repentant is sorry, okay? Trixie didn’t mean to be so dramatic in the retelling of how Trixie found you and nursed you back to sanity while bringing you to a vet who could take care of you better than Trixie could!” “I’m sorry,” Nabiki sighed. “It’s just that I’m kind of on a time limit now. Even with you paying my fees to help defray the costs of keeping me here, it’s not going to be enough. I’m tying up space and none of their regular clients are willing to either make or keep appointments while I’m here unless it's an emergency. Even then, Gingersnaps has to shove me into a small metal box that I can barely be squeezed into, and then secured with the heaviest padlock they have. On top of this, their client insisted that the damn box be bolted to a heavy stone base so that I couldn't jostle it around by throwing my weight against the sides. Which, with no space to even shift about, I couldn't possibly do anyway. Apparently the locals are convinced that I'll eat their puppies and parakeets if given even the slightest chance.” The Box "Trixie would like to have been able to visit more often than Trixie had." "Yeah, well, I don't blame you for that. You have to be able to make a living. I'm just glad you come to visit when you can. It really makes my day, even if I tend to be a bit of a grouch at first." “Um… About that…" the mare's voice cracked as tears welled up in her eyes. "Trixie makes Trixie’s living as a traveling performer. Trixie has been changing up Trixie’s act to try to keep things fresh, but fewer and fewer ponies have been coming to see Trixie’s show each day. Trixie hasn't had an audience for two days now, and Trixie’s funds are running really low. When Trixie came in today, Trixie didn't have enough bits to pay for your upkeep for even one more day. The staff is going to have you released as far out into the wild as the local pegasi can carry your cage tomorrow, even though you still don't know how to fend for yourself. And Trixie has already overheard talk of putting you down for your own good, even if it was just a couple of ponies discussing that option.” “So… that’s it then," Nabiki stated, her voice bleak with despair. While she didn't particularly like being kept in a cage most of the time, at least they had given her food and something to drink. Without knowing how to hunt, being released into the wild wasn't a kindness - it was a sentence to a slow and painful death by starvation far away from where it would bother anypony. “Trixie the Sorrowful is sorry. Trixie should have tried to take you to either Dodge City or Ponyville. Trixie hears both places are more tolerant of non-ponies. You would have at least been permitted to work off your fees.” “I don’t suppose you could do me one last favor the next time you see me?” “If Trixie can.” “If I'm still alive, could you take me somewhere where I can at least try to make a living?” “If Trixie can find, then Trixie shall. Trixie could even take you on as Trixie's Lovely and Exotic assistant.” "Yeah... I'd like that. I never was stage shy," Nabiki replied. "Hey! I just remembered that I've been on stage! At least a few times, anyway..." "That's wonderful! Trixie can see it now: The Great and Powerful Trixie and her Lovely and Exotic assistant, Boobs the Sphinx!" "We're not calling me that!" "Why not? Trixie thinks that it is a wonderful stage name. It suits you!" “I find it both poignant and disturbing that the recovering feral speaks Equish more eloquently than you do, Miss Lulamoon,” A voice said from the door. The sphinx and the unicorn turned to see a hard-eyed tan earth pony with a grey mane and tail wearing a lapel collar and tie. “Judge High Tree, at your service," he introduced himself. "I just got off the train this morning and was reviewing the local cases. I almost didn’t get yours, Miss Nabiki. Apparently somepony had you filed under wild animal recovery.” "Why am I not surprised," Nabiki commented drily. "I'm sure I don't know, Miss Nabiki," Judge High Tree replied. "Might have something to do with the fact that you went feral. Or it could be that none of the locals have ever seen a sphinx before. Not too many of your kind in Equestria." "So... What's going to happen to me?" Nabiki asked. "Well now, that depends. According to the records I've read so far, you have yet to properly remember who your kinfolk are, so there is nopony... Excuse me... nokitty to contact to come take care of you or pay for your care. Or to prove that you are, in fact, a citizen of Equestria for that matter. Which, according to your own statements, you are not." "Whatever happened to doctor/patient privileges?" Nabiki grumbled. "You went feral. That kind of eliminates those right there until you are confirmed recovered." "I'm talking to you right now, aren't I?" "It's only been two months, Miss Nabiki. You need at least one year of regular therapy, which you cannot afford and the locals are not willing to pay for, or somepony willing to be your minder and act as a character witness for the next five years." "Trixie can do that," the showmare offered. "Trixie and Nabiki were just discussing that possibility before you came in the door." "I was aware of that, yes, and it's a right kind thing for you to do and I'm sure it speaks well of you as a pony." "I'm sensing a 'but' here," Nabiki observed dourly. "You're darn right you're sensing a 'but!' You. Went. Feral! On top of that, all hyperbole from Miss Lulamoon's first few stage performances in this town aside, they were still based on the basic fact that you had attacked a pony with the intent of eating her! You admitted it yourself when you confirmed what Miss Lulamoon told the vet when she brought you in here! A simple parole and mind your minder ain't going to cut it by half! I've half a mind to go out and tell those ponies to find a rope and a high branch, but as much as they don't like you, none of them want to see you dead for something you didn't actually do!" "That's... Good to know, actually," Nabiki admitted. "That doesn't mean that they want you anywhere near their town once you're put out though, and I can't blame them for that, even though that dang fool plan of theirs is almost guaranteed to send you right back into a feral pony-eating state." "So, what happens to me then? They won't let me stay here, I can't survive on my own, and you won't let Trixie be my minder..." "I never said that," Judge High Tree interrupted the caged sphinx. "You kind of just did," Nabiki couldn't help but point out. "What I said was it wasn't going to be that easy. I want some assurances that you aren't going to attack Miss Lulamoon or go your separate ways once you're out of sight." "And how am I supposed to do that?" Nabiki asked. "I want your word." "What? That's it?" "Miss Nabiki, just because neither Miss Lulamoon nor the locals seem to know what it means to be a wingless sphinx with no sign of amputation injuries, does not mean that I'm a blind fool! Somekitty somewhere has already judged you to have a sufficiently low moral character that they deemed fit to punish you by taking away your wings! Amputations are cheaper and easier, so if anykitty is going to bother doing it by magic, they're most likely to have gone all out, and Ægyptian magi have certain traditions they like to uphold in these situations." "I'm not Egyptian." "Don't you try to pull a fast one on me, Missy! By your eyes and those udders between your forelegs, you sure as Tartarus ain't no Purrsian sphinx. Purrsian udders are hardly noticeable under their fur, and only Ægyptian sphinxes have eyes lined in black like your are." "Trixie believes that those are called either boobs or breasts," the unicorn pointed out. "Duly noted," Judge High Tree nodded towards the showmare before turning his attention back to the sphinx. "Anyways, I want your word, as an Aegyptian sphinx, that you will do your best to protect Trixie Lulamoon and serve her interests, as long as it breaks no laws, until such time as you have earned your wings back!" "Alright, alright! I promise to guard Trixie and work for her, yadda yadda..." "Say. It. Proper. Sphinx!" Judge High Tree all but screamed in Nabiki's face. "Say it proper, or so help me, I'll hang you myself!" "I, Nabiki," she began shakily, only for her voice to gain a strange echoing tone as she continued, "s̶ẃe̶a͢r̷ on ̵my ̀hon͝or̀ as a͏n̷ Ę̀҉g͜͝y̛͢͝ṕ̢t͏̴i͏̢͝a̡̧̕n͞͡ sph̛i͟nx ͠to͜ p̴͕̦̄͗̂ͪ̏ͧr̨̜͕̖̦̍͊̄͘oͪ̏ͣ̇̾̑͏͔̖͖̦̖ͅt͖̬͋̾ͤ̋̀͡e̍̅́͏̛͚̬̫̞́c̸̵̦̰̱̻̲̊̾̊̊̉ͭt͙͆̆ͫ͂̓̓ an͠d҉ s̱̪͚͔͚͚ͨ̔̽̓ͭ̀e͔̻̣ͮ̐͗̂̐ͅr̐̈́ͮ̄̀v̡͉e̞̖̟̎͑͊̃ͧ̾ B̶e͘at͢ri͢x͡ ̛L̢u͡la͏moon, ҉wḩo ̕s̵t̷and͞s b̕e͏for̛e͡ ̴m͏e,̸ ̸i̷n̷ ͏al͜ĺ ͢w͟ays as ̧loņg̀ às it͝ b̛r̨eąk͢s͢ no҉ ͏la͜w͘s̡,͜ ̶un̶t̴i̶l ͡s͞uch ti͏m҉e͟ ͞a͢s I hav҉e p͘rovèn ͞m̷y͞s͢e̴l̛f wort͞h͞y͘ of gái̸nin̕g ̛my̴ win̢gs! S̨҉̷o̵͝ ͟I̸̵ ̧́s̶w̛͠e̷a̷r̷̡͠,̸ ̵̧̕a̢҉͡nd͜҉̛ s̡̡o̷̢ m͘͟ǫ̕t̨́e̷͢ ̡͟i̢̛ţ ̢b̷̧̧e̸!" "Damn..." Judge High Tree whistled. "I heard tales about it, but it's another thing altogether to see it directly. Glowing eyes and everything, just like the stories say." "What just happened?" "Trixie wants to know too." "Congratulations, Miss Lulamoon. You just got yourself a free bondservant." "What." "Trixie does not understand. What is the difference between a bondservant and a regular servant?" "Well," Judge High Tree chuckled, "For one thing, you don't have to pay a bondservant." "You made me a slave," Nabiki stated calmly. "Bondservant. There's a difference. A small one, granted, but it's there." "You. Made. Me. A. Slave," Nabiki's presence seemed to fill the room more and more with each word, even though she had not actually increased in size in any way. "Mind your tone, Missy! I was just seeing to the safety of Miss Lulamoon here!" "You. Made. Me. A. SLAVE!" And this time, with each word, Nabiki grew larger and larger until the metal bars of her cage groaned and squealed under the strained of containing her fury. "Miss Lulamoon! Tell your bondservant to calm down!" "Trixie thinks not. Trixie thinks that Judge High Tree has unlawfully exploited a vulnerability, that Nabiki did not know she had, to impose a punishment that has less to do with justice and more to do with prejudice! The locals may not have wanted to let Nabiki go anywhere near their village, but they were going to let her go! They did not want to take away her ability to choose!" "That beast is a dangerous animal, and..." the judge started to yell at Trixie, only for the showmare to interrupt him. "That sphinx is a sapient being!" "Mind your tone, Missy, or so help me..." In his anger, Judge High Tree moved to strike Trixie, only for his hoof to be stopped cold when a paw caught it. A rather large paw, belonging to an even larger sphinx that was no longer trapped in what remained of her former cage. "TH̡̀͠O͘͡U҉ ̶̕SH͏Ą̢͘L̢T ̶͢N̷̢͡O̵̶T̛͢ ͏̢͘H̢̢͠A͟͡͝R̕͠M͟ ̵M҉̴̕I̡̕NE̶͘͢ ̴͏̛S͞͏A̴C̛R̕͡E̢D ͏͡C̢HAR̨͘G̛͜Ȩ͝!̡!̷͘͠!͘҉ Nabiki roared into his face. That was the last thing Judge High Tree remembered for several hours... *O o O o O* "Trixie thinks that was harsh, but fair," the showmare stated as the sphinx reverted to her normal size. "I didn't even know I could do that," Nabiki commented as she finished stuffing the unconscious judge into the all too familiar smallish metal box and closed the door. "Trixie doubts that Judge High Tree knew you could do that either. Trixie is glad that you stopped that poor excuse for a judge from striking Trixie though. Trixie has never been a 'Sacred Chage' before. Do you think it would be good for our act?" "What act?" Nabiki asked as she found the padlock that the staff usually used whenever she had been the one in the box. "Come now, until you earn your wings, you are the Great and Powerful Trixie's Lovely and Exotic assistant, Boobs the Sphinx!" "Stop calling me that!" "Trixie says that your name shall hence forth be Birdy the Busty!" "I'm not going by that name either!" "Trixie commands that you will refer to yourself forevermore as Robin Big Bosom!" "What part of 'NO!' do you not understand! My name is Nabiki!" "There, see! You're still capable of defying Trixie," the showmare stated calmly, all teasing gone from her voice. "Huh," Nabiki blinked. "I guess you're right." "Of course Trixie is right. Trixie is clever and wise." "Trixie is full of herself," the sphinx commented as she remembered the padlock she was holding. Thinking better of actually using it to lock the box Judge High Tree was in, Nabiki instead selected a random case of veterinary supplies from one of the shelves to hide it in, then returned it to its place on the shelf. "Trixie must ask, why did you hide the padlock?" "I'm pretty sure that it was the only one they had that was the right size for that box." "Trixie had thought that you wanted to use it for that purpose, so why hide it instead?" "I had thought about it, but actually locking him in there wouldn't be worth the extra trouble it would cause. As it is, he'll be able to get out of there on his own once he wakes up. It'll just take him a while since he's not as flexible as I am." "Trixie's wagon is in the village square," the showmare informed the sphinx as she looked at the clinic door cautiously. "That's a bit of a walk from here," Nabiki noted. "About two thirds of the way across the village if I remember correctly. What's the plan?" "Trixie has a most clever idea," the unicorn stated as she trotted behind the counter and rifled through the small selection of pet supplies that the clinic sold as a side business. "Ah, This one... Here, hold this..." Trixie prompted absently passing a green pet collar over to Nabiki with her aura as she kept looking. "You have got to be kidding," Nabiki stated in distaste. "Trixie couldn't be more serious," the unicorn replied as she continued her search. "Presentation is everything." "I'm not putting this on!" "You will wear it, and you'll wear it proudly! Especially with this!" Trixie held up a large, shiny, brass cat bell. "What am I supposed to be? Your pet?" "Exactly!" "How shall I put this..." Nabiki tapped a paw to the side of her head as she pretended to think. "No." "Oh, we don't have time for this!" Trixie stated in annoyance. "The staff of the clinic will be back any moment now, no doubt with at least half of the villagers gathered into a mob behind them. Put those on right now and wear them with pride!" With that, the showmare went to the counter and started writing a couple of receipts. One she kept for herself and the other she placed on the counter with some coins to weight it down. "What are you doing?" Nabiki asked as she finished putting on the collar and bauble. "Trixie is many things, but one thing Trixie is not is a thief." "And what do you call what we're doing right now?" "Aggressive shopping. You look nice. Now let's go." Feeling pleased at the compliment, the sphinx followed the showmare out of the front door, proudly wearing her new collar... *O o O o O* Trixie and Nabiki left the veterinary clinic only to find a gathering crowd of locals moving to block their progress. Their expressions and demeanor were varied, with anger, fear, caution, worry, and concern being scattered throughout the crowd. As the two stopped, some of the other clusters moved to surround them in a loose circle, albeit from what most of them seemed to consider a safe distance away from the 'dangerous beast.' "Now see here, what seems to be the problem here?" the mayor of Brand demanded as he forced his way through the gathering crowd, stopping abruptly when he finally spotted the sphinx. Who was rather obviously not wearing any sort of restraints or otherwise visibly secured in any way shape or form. "What is that doing out of its cage? It's dangerous! Where's Sheriff Silver?" "Right here," a light grey earth pony wearing a white Stetson and a black vest with a tin star pinned to it stated. He was approaching from the other side, accompanied by the veterinarian and her assistant. "Good, you're here. Now escort that thing back to the clinic and put it back in its cage." "No." "Good, now that that's settled... What do you mean, 'no?' That beast is a danger to everypony around it!" "That Lady is standing right there, right peaceful-like, not even attacking Miss Trixie." "Just look at it! It's tensed up, just biding its time before pouncing on somepony!" "You'd be tense too if'n you were surrounded by a crowd of hostile ponies!" "Now see here!" the mayor shouted in outrage. "No, you see here!" the sheriff countered. "I put up with this nonsense because it was obvious that Miss Nabiki here needed help, and the best way to let her have that help peacefully was to let her be kept at the vet's. I'd have been happy enough to let her stay at the jailhouse real cozy like I wanted, but she went and walked right out of the holding cell because somepony won't let me get the damn locks fixed! Those locks haven't ever worked right ever since the cells were put up in the first place!" "We've never needed them fixed!" the mayor yelled. "Brand is a quiet, peaceful community where the most exciting thing to ever happen besides holidays is when there's a bakeoff! All we ever needed the jailhouse for before was as a place for ponies to sleep it off instead of accidentally wandering into other ponies' homes!" "You still should have let me get the locks fixed! What if a bandit wanders through?" "What are the odds of that ever happening?" "I don't rightly know - what are the odds that some traveler would encounter a half-starved feral along the road and bring her to the nearest town to receive help?" "Um, Mayor? Sheriff?" the vet interrupted, gesturing towards where the sphinx and the showmare were waiting. Trixie had gotten a bag of popcorn from somewhere and was casually eating it one kernel at a time while Nabiki just sat next to her with an amused expression on her face. "Oh. Right. Thanks, Rosemary," Shariff Silver nodded. "Anyway, before I escort Miss Nabiki anywhere, I need to ask what happened with Judge High Tree. Rosemary and Gingersnaps said that things got a might heated in there and the judge coerced Miss Nabiki into making some sort of magical oath that made her a slave?" The crown gasped in shock as both Trixie and Nabiki nodded. "And where is Judge High Tree right now?" Sheriff Silver asked politely. "I put him in the box Rosemary and Gingersnaps had to cram me into whenever somepony actually brought their pets here," Nabiki stated bluntly. "Rosemary, if you would kindly check on the judge for me?" the sheriff asked. The vet went into her clinic, and came back out a short while later. "Judge High Tree is fine. He may be a little stiff once he wakes up though." "Alright then," Sheriff Silver nodded. "Then how about the two of you tell us what happened in there between you three. I already know some of it from what Rosemary and Gingersnaps told me after galloping all the way to the jailhouse to get me, but I think it's best if everypony heard your side of things." And so Trixie and Nabiki began their tale. And when they stopped, a many of the ponies gathered around them were either hanging their heads in shame or glaring at the clinic in outrage. "Yeah, that seems to match up with what Rosemary and Gingersnaps already told me," Sheriff Silver acknowledged them with a nod. "I'll get a report flown over to Bridleton. They have a Pegasus Express courier office that can relay it all the way to Canterlot, and they'll send someone to come pick up High Tree." "Judge High Tree," the mayor corrected. "Mayor, after the damn fool stunt he just pulled, I doubt 'Judge' High Tree will be keeping that title much longer." "Even so, until he's actually removed from his position, he is still a respected member of the judiciary and should be addressed as such." "He's a low down dirty snake is what he is, and I'll give him all the respect he deserves," Sheriff Silver stated with a snort as he glared at the mayor. "Very well then. Just so we're clear on that. Anyway, Miss... Nabiki, I feel that I must apologize on the behalf of the Village of Brand. A great injustice has been performed against you in our little community, Ma'am, and we... Well, we just want to say we're sorry for treating you unfairly. If we had just listened to Rosemary and Gingersnaps instead of our fears and overactive imaginations, none of this would have happened. We should have known that Miss Trixie was embellishing the story of your encounter with her for dramatic purposes. You were in no condition to have done even half the things she had claimed in that tale." "Are you going somewhere with this?" "Well, we... The ponies of Brand that is... We'd like to hold a quick collection. It's short notice and all, but I'm sure we can gather enough to cover expenses. You know, for supplies and such." "Trixie does not accept charity." "Trixie damn well should accept charity!" Nabiki insisted. "Or does Trixie think she's going to hunt for me everyday? Because I still don't know anything about surviving on my own!" "Trixie caught rabbits and birds for you while bringing you to Brand, and Trixie can do it again. You will be fine." "Not to interrupt or anything," the mayor interrupted, "But perhaps instead of charity, how about if we paid for a show? A sort of farewell performance as it were?" "Trixie can do that. This evening then? To give us time to set up an act?" "That'd be fine, Ma'am," the mayor nodded. "Then tonight, for one night only, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall put on a farewell performance for the villagers of Brand with her Lovely and Exotic assistant, Birdy the Mighty!" "That is not my name!" "We'll uh... We'll just leave you two alone to sort that out." With that, the mayor turned to address the crowd. "Come along, everypony, let's give them some space and let them be about their business so we can get back to ours. Move along! Move along!" In short order, the two were left alone by the clinic's entrance. "Trixie just wants to know one thing," the showmare stated as a thought occurred to her. "And what is that?" Nabiki asked as the two began walking in the general direction of the village square. "Trixie wants to know how you knew Trixie's full name." "The judge used it.' "The judge referred to Trixie as Trixie Lulamoon! Nopony but Trixie's parents ever called Trixie by Beatrix since Trixie was a filly! So how did you know Trixie's full name was Beatrix Lulamoon when you swore that oath of yours?" "I... Don't know. It just came to me right then. How could that happen?" "That's what Trixie asked!" "I don't know!" "Neither does Trixie! That's why Trixie asked!" "How can I answer a question that I don't know the answer to?" "Why is the sky blue?" "Because of the way light refracts through the atmosphere under most conditions," Nabiki replied promptly. Then blinked. "Trixie did not know this." "I did... But that's kind of an obscure fact. It should have taken me a moment to remember it." "Then perhaps you can tell Trixie the rest of your name?" "I... I don't remem... Wait. It's Tendo. My name is Nabiki Tendo." Tears of gratitude welled up in Nabiki's eyes. "Thank you, Trixie. I remember my full name now." "You are welcome. Now come help Trixie set up Trixie's wagon for tonight's show. And Trixie still has to come up with a suitable part for Trixie's Lovely and Exotic assistant, Buxom Beaky!" "Oh come on! You just helped me remember my whole name!" *O o O o O* Annotations from the Journal of Nabiki the Sphinx: (2): This (the possibility of being made into a fireside rug) was not actually a serious concern. While 'ferals' and those who had recently regressed into a feral state are considered to be highly dangerous, they are rarely outright killed except in self-defense, and even then subduing or driving off the feral tends to be the preferred course of action. However, the ponies in Brand really don't like ferals that are known to have attacked ponies. Which Trixie not only told them about in great detail, she had also embellished the retelling for dramatic purposes. The main reasons I was being kept at a veterinary clinic were that they barely considered me to be anything better than a highly dangerous animal, and it was actually more secure than the town jail. Seriously, I've seen the inside of their jail. The holding cells were built without locks and are more of a polite suggestion for inebriated locals to stay put until they are sober enough to realize that they can walk themselves home. I was able to walk right out the front door while I could still barely walk. They sent me back to the vet after that stunt. (3): I think I can be excused for occasionally giving them trouble whenever it came time to shoving me in the damn thing... "Somepony forgot a step in this process, didn't they?"