//------------------------------//
// Chapter 1 
// Story: Real Magic 
// by cyberlord4444 
//------------------------------//

	Trixie was trudging along the road, hauling what was left of her wagon behind her. She couldn't help but wonder how it had gone wrong. Her show had gone perfectly, a little illusion work with storytelling to set things up, her customary challenges went swimmingly, and the crowd was suitably enchanted for her tricks afterwords. To be honest, she wasn't sure why she kept doing those tricks anyway. Sure, they were her mentor's bread and butter, but they were superfluous after her challenge. But then, two stupid colts just had to bring an actual Ursa into town, and somepony else managed to take care of it like it was nothing. Of course, Trixie left before the whole town formed a mob to chase her out, she had heard it happen to other travelling performers more times than she wanted to think about. Trixie couldn't wait until she could perform a regular show like her mentor, but that was a long ways off, and that was even before everything she owned was destroyed.

As she walked, she felt something crash into her wagon. Trixie cursed under her breath before looked back. In a heap were 4 creature she had never seen before, the closest she could think of were minotaurs, but they were rather different. From what she could tell, they were all adults, 3 males, 1 female. They were wearing rather nice looking clothes, and for some reason reminded her of her mentor.

She looked to see why they had crashed into her wagon, and immediately palled. Approaching were 4 ponies in pitch black armor that covered their entire bodies. At their sides were nasty looking weapons. One of them turned to look at her before speaking in an emotionless tone, "New variable, instructions?"

"Orders: No witnesses," replied the one in the lead. Trixie shivered, knowing that meant that they were here to kill these new creatures, and her just because she was there. She reflexively cast a bolt of magic, only for it to splatter harmlessly off their armor.

All of a sudden, one of the creatures started speaking, "Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention." Trixie and the armored ponies turned to look at them. They were standing atop her wagon, looking almost exactly like her mentor did at the start of a show. The one in the lead pulled a card from his jacket and held it up, a Tarot card with a heart on it, before he started speaking. "I invite you to look closer, because the closer you look," he rotated his hand, causing the card to be replaced by a set of small black sphere held between his fingers, "the less you see." He then tossed them on the ground, causing them to explode in a burst of bright light.

And then everything went black.



Trixie woke up later, exactly how much later she had no idea, to a rocking sensation. Opening her eyes, she saw that she was on her wagon, which was being pulled by the two younger looking male creatures. "Remind me again why we're the ones pulling this thing Alfred?" said the younger looking of the two.

"Because I'm older than you and it's not polite to make a lady do it," said a voice from beside her ear. Trixie jumped sightly before turning to see that the other two were beside her, "How are you feeling?"

"Hmph, it takes more than a few Royal Guard wannabees to defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie!!!" As she said that, voice activated enchantments opened several concealed compartments on her wagon as a magically generated fanfare sounded, but since she hadn't loaded new fireworks nothing else happened.

The elder looking of the two hauling the wagon chuckled, "Quite the showman aren't ya?"

"Well, I wouldn't be much of a magician if I wasn't," said Trixie.

"What a coincidence, so are we," said the female. "I'm Janet, an escape artist. That's Robert," the younger of the two pulling the wagon nodded, "he's a slight of hand specialist. There's Jack, our leader and Master Illusionist," the other man pulling the wagon waved, "and this is Alfred, Hypnotist and orchestrator of our escape."

"Hold your applause," said the older male.

"But, that's impossible, those stallions were wearing magic resistant armor, and you only threw flash bangs, from the remains of my stash if I'm not mistaken," Trixie huffed indignantly.

"Thanks for them by the way," said Jack, "couldn't have pulled it off without them."

"Well, in compensation, Trixie demands that you tell her how you did it!"

Jason chuckled, "As a magician yourself, you should know the magician's cardinal rule."

"Yes yes, 'A magician's secrets are their life', but since I saved yours, it's only fair."

Jack shrugged, "Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt, it was impromptu after all. Well, we started with a little flourish and patter to draw their attention."



"Look closer, for the closer you look"

Jack ditched the tarot card into his sleave as he pulled out the flash bangs

"The less you see"



"Once the flash bang went off," Alfred continued, "it left them disoriented enough for me to hypnotise them without much effort."



"Bang for your buck like you suck your hoof when you were little as you went to sleep.

The ponies dropped to the ground, completely asleep



"After that," finished Janet, "we tied them up and went on our merry way."

"Merry for you maybe," said Jason, "any chance I could take a break soon?"

Trixie's jaw dropped. All her life, magic, even stage magic, required extensive use of the either to change reality. These four had done just that, but with only some fancy hoofwork, a few fireworks, and some words. "My mentor needs to meet you 4."

"Sounds like a great idea," said Jack, "where to?"

Trixie lit her horn as she pulled a slightly charred map from a drawer, before pointing at a city, "Los Pegasus, should be there by tomorrow."

"Sounds like fun," said Jack.