Subject of Revenge

by AuroraDawn

Act 2 Chapter 4

The Subject of Revenge

By Aurora Dawn

Act 2 Chapter 4

The earth pony was leaning unnaturally against the counter on the side of the caravan, staring out the window. A carrot stuck out from his mouth, moving in slow circles as he absentmindedly chewed. After a minute, he twisted uncomfortably, flipping onto all his hooves, and walked up to the window, looking down outside.

“Are they still there?” Trixie lifted her head off the bed as she asked Strater her question. Her eyes were slitted in annoyance, her voice irritable. Strater looked at her without turning his head, and sighed. “Yup.”

“Urgh. Trixie helps a couple ponies, and suddenly they camp around her home. This is why she never considered being compassionate before.”

“Yeah, I know right? You magically heal an entire town, and ponies think you’re amazing for it. Life sucks, doesn’t it?”

“Absolutely.” Trixie rolled off of her bed and walked around the table to where Strater was standing. “What do they even want, anyways? Can’t they understand The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t care for them?”

“No, see, you’re doing it again. Celestia, no wonder you were touring places like Flankstown despite the magic you have. You give no consideration to bettering yourself.”

“That’s not true. Trixie is always looking for ways she can improve. It’s just very difficult when you’re already as magnificent as Trixie is.”

“... Right. Okay, fine, whatever, just... listen to me. That’s what you hired me for.”

“Hired?”

“Moving on. You’ve got honest-to-goodness real live fans out there, and not just the ones you think you have in your inflated head. Physical ponies who adore you. While most of the town enjoyed the show and moved on, there are five tents set up beside your caravan. There are currently two,” He paused his rant for a moment to glance out the window. “Sorry, there are currently three ponies actually sitting in front of your door. These are ponies that are waiting to see you again. You ever had a childhood hero?”

The question struck Trixie and she lowered her head to a regular height. “Yeah. My parents.”

“Touching. These ponies see you as you saw your parents. You’re a real life miracle to them. Now get the hay out there and reinforce that image. Become what they think you are.”

“Are you a strategist, or a publicist?”

“In this case, they’re practically the same. You have no idea how good it feels to do what you’re best at after a long dry spell.”

“Actually,” Trixie spoke haughtily as she reached for the door, “Trixie knows all about that.” She cracked the door open and was immediately greeted with a loud cheer. The ponies outside practically yanked her into their legs. She stood on the doorstep, struggling to smile professionally as she greeted her fans. There were several in front of her now, and a unicorn stallion walked up from them and bowed.

“Oh Great and Powerful Trixie! The powers you demonstrated last night were greater than any of us have ever seen before!” The group whooped in agreement. “Not even the advanced healers of Canterlot have been able to help us as much as you did yesterday.”

“Oh, you are most welcome, my dearest ponies! The wonders of Trixie are indeed endless.” Trixie looked back to Strater through the window, gagging at the false air of politeness she spoke with. He spun a hoof as if to say ‘Go on’. She frowned at him, and turned back to the group. They all looked up to her, eager for more. “But enough about what Trixie can do. Why don’t we move on to what Trixie can do for you?” She forced a grin and shuddered visibly. Strater slapped his face with a hoof, but none of the other ponies noticed.

“You’ve done enough for now, O Great Trixie. We could never ask too much of you, no.” The group nodded in agreement. “We’re here because we want to follow you!”

“Buh?” Trixie stared blankly.

“The powers you have... they rival those of the Alicorns. All of us here, we’ve been considering... And we wish to follow you. We wish to witness firsthoof the wonders you’ll perform in the future. Perhaps even the unicorns among us could learn from you.”

“I, er, uhm. Ah... Trixie. Wait. What?”

“Will you allow us to travel with your wagon, to see the world and watch you at every show, to perhaps even learn the art of magic as you have so amazingly mastered?”

“... A great and powerful magician never reveals her secrets! Trixie thinks... Hmm.” She paused. “Trixie needs a moment.” She turned around and scrambled back into the caravan, slamming the door behind her. She grabbed Strater by the shoulders and shook him slightly.

“What the HAY does Trixie do now? What should Trixie think? You’re the expert!”

“I don’t know, I have no idea! I wasn’t expecting this! This one’s up to you! And stop shaking me!”

Trixie snarled and tossed Strater to the side, before pacing in front of the door.

“Oh, whatever. Trixie’s made her decision. And if it doesn’t work out, she’s blaming you.”

Strater picked himself off of the floor, and replaced the few books he had knocked off the shelf he bumped into. “Do I get the credit if it works out?”

“Of course not.”

Strater chuckled. “Well, it was worth a shot. Good luck.”

Trixie took a moment to compose herself, sticking her nose high in the air and adjusting her cape, before walking outside again. None of the other ponies had moved while she was inside.

“Trixie has made her decision. You may all follow her. Trixie will not provide lessons. She will not provide money, or food, or accommodations. There will be a charge for any miracles done that aren’t part of the show. Understand?” There. No sane pony would accept those terms. Trixie looks... ugh, nice, and she gets to stay undisturbed. Perfect.

There was some discussion among the would-be followers. After several minutes, the stallion from before walked up to Trixie.

“We accept the terms! We’ll be ready to leave as soon as you are.”

Trixie turned back into the caravan, magically packing up the stage and preparing the caravan for the road. She sighed as she walked into her house. “Oh, buck everything. We leave in an hour.”

---

“C’mon, Showtime, you’ve gotta trust me on this one.”

Strater stood in a small office, coughing slightly in the haze of cigar smoke. The smog wafted from a unicorn relaxing behind a cluttered desk. Strater stared at the faded newspaper clippings that filled the gaps between various awards and plaques on the yellowing wallpaper, and shuffled awkwardly on his hooves.

The unicorn’s body was a silver-blue that almost glittered in the cheap lighting, accented by a fire-orange mane. His flank boasted a cutie mark of sunglasses over a five pointed star. He leaned forward towards Strater, staring over the top of his shades at the earth pony.

“I dunno, Strates. I haven’t seen you in over a year, and suddenly you just burst into my office demanding a stage for a week for some unicorn who I haven’t even heard of. Do you have any idea how busy The Mareiam Theatre is? We’re the number-one theater in Fillydelphia.”

“I know, I know, Showtime. But you’ve really gotta listen to me on this one. She’s absolutely astounding! She’s got enough magic to match an Alicorn, for Celestia’s sake! I mean, take this for example.” Strater walked closer to Showtime, speaking a little quieter. “Ever since we did this show in Stableton, she’s been getting followers. Not just fans, Showtime. Followers. Honest-to-Luna ‘we’ll go wherever you go’ devotees. And we get more every show. We just did a gig over in Trottawa, and we gained easily another twenty ponies. There’s practically a tent city built around our caravan on the edge of town.”

“So you’ve been hounded by a bunch of vagrants, big whoop. Strater, Strater, baby, I’d love to help you out, but I just can’t swing it! Who cares about some egotistical unicorn? We’ve got this one pegasus lined up for the main stage. You would not BE-LIEVE what that filly can do!” Showtime slammed his hoof on his desk for emphasis, and leaned back into his chair. He drew long on his cigar before exhaling a thick cloud of pungent smoke to the side. “You’ve got to give me more than some group of admirers.”

“She healed an entire village with one spell.”

“Fancy. Did she shoot lasers and do backflips at the same time?”

“... No.”

“Then you’ve still got nothing.”

“Did I mention the couple hundred fans?”

“Yup. Still nothing. C’mon, Strates, I love yah baby, but you’re wasting my time.”

“Did I mention the couple hundred paying fans?”

“Okay, now we’re talking. I’ll tell you what... Probie! Get in here!”

A young earth stallion stuck his head in the room, worry easily visible across his face. “Y-yes, Mr. Showtime? More coffee?”

“No, you twit. Did you get all those copies of the schedules done?”

“Yes sir, Mr. Showtime. Three hundred copies, each highlighted and properly filed.”

“Tear them up, there may be a time slot change. I need you to clear my appointments for this afternoon, and set me up Studio B instead, for a private show.”

“T-tear them up? It took me four hours to-”

“I didn’t ask for a sob story. I need Studio B for the afternoon. Work around it. And more coffee!” Showtime grabbed his cigar with his magic and moved it across the room, throwing the smoke into the intern’s muzzle. The intern coughed violently as he closed the door.

Strater watched the whole scene with fascination. “That seems a little harsh, doesn’t it?”

“It’s our process of weeding out the weak. This is a small, competitive industry, Strates.”

“I suppose. So, what happens now?”

“Have your ‘Great and Powerful Trickster’ meet me in Studio B. You know where you first came in?”

“Yeah?”

“Down the hall on your right, third stage. Bring any props you need for a show. Have her there after lunch, and I’ll see if she’s worth delaying that pegasus. Oh boy, you have GOT to see that little filly! She’s just nuts. But nevermind that yet. If this Trixie does a good job, you got yourselves a gig.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Strater extended a hoof, and Showtime stood up from his desk to shake.

---

Showtime stretched in the empty auditorium, yawning and checking a clock on the far wall. He was in the middle of the seating, five rows back from the tiny stage, with his rear legs resting on the chair in front of him. Sighing impatiently, he checked his sunglasses for any errant specks of dust or dirt. Although the dim light of the theatre room hardly necessitated them, he tossed the shades into the air and ducked his head down, letting the glasses fall perfectly onto his face.

“Boo-yah.”

He looked to the door, and it opened almost as if on cue. Trixie walked in with her nose held high in the air, cracking her trademark sly grin. Behind her, Strater shuffled in, dragging a third pony with him.

“Hey, hey, Strates. What’s going on, buddy? I said private show. Why is my intern here?”

“You said we could bring a prop.”

The intern tried to walk by himself, limping badly as he entered the room. “This flankhole tripped me! I think I sprained my ankle!”

“Oh, stop spreading lies,” Strater winked at Showtime, and ushered Trixie onto the stage.

“Fine. Probie, stop whining, I’m trying to concentrate. Alright, Ms. ‘Great and Powerful Trixie.’ You have twenty minutes to win my respect. Go.”

Trixie glared at Strater. “When you said you could get Trixie an actual stage, you didn’t mention anything about her having to deal with ponies that clearly don’t understand who’s boss.”

“Give your ego a rest for a moment. He’ll understand soon enough.”

“I don’t appreciate these words, Strates.”

“Okay, sorry,” Strater apologised, then turned to Trixie. “Just... humor him, okay? This could be your big chance.” Strater walked over and sat down next to Showtime.

Trixie growled lightly, and then cleared her throat. “Fillies and Gentlecolts! Experience the grandeur of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

She jumped in the air, flipping head over hooves backwards, as her horn started to glow brightly. Long lines of red light rapidly beamed outwards from the azure unicorn, until a pure white flash pulsed from Trixie to the clearly upset intern. She settled down into her proud pose as the other ponies regained their vision.

“H-hey,” the intern awkwardly spoke. “She fixed my ankle! It’s... It’s fine now!”

“You’ll also notice, Showtime,” Strater elbowed his old friend, “She did it while shooting lasers and doing backflips.”

Showtime was silent for a moment, thinking to himself. He lowered his legs from the chair, straightening his body as he turned serious. After a brief pause, he lowered his sunglasses and looked directly at Trixie. “You have my attention. You’re powerful, that’s for sure. But are you entertaining?”

“Aha! Trixie was hoping you’d be looking for something from a good show. For her next act,” she trailed as an evil smile crossed her face, “I’ll need my helpful assistant, Strater.”

“I don’t trust you.”

“Then Trixie is doing her job!” She giggled, and then looked at Showtime. “Trixie’s next show of amazement shall be to cut Strater in half...”

“Pffft,” Showtime interrupted, waving a hoof in dismissal. “That trick’s been done a million times by every ‘up-and-coming’ unicorn magician-”

“Lengthwise.”

Showtime’s sunglasses fell from his face as Strater made an odd suffocating noise. He started pleading.

“Now, now, Trixie, I know you’re still upset over the cost of the bed, but this is taking it a little far, right? Right?”

“It’s just an illusion.” Trixie’s eyes almost sparkled in glee as she focused on the empty space in front of her. With a light ‘pop’, a large wooden box about the size of Strater appeared and opened up on the floor. Trixie turned to her grey friend. “After you.”

Strater stared at her for a long moment. Trixie’s expression didn’t change, brightly grinning at the flustered earth pony. They stared at each other for several seconds before Strater finally dropped his head in resignation, and settled into the box. Trixie closed it with her magic, and then ducked her head, squeezing her eyes shut in concentration. Showtime moved onto the edge of his seat, entranced by curiosity. Even the intern had stopped mid-crouch to watch, limply holding Showtime’s glasses in his hoof as he stared, dumbfounded.

A solid beam of energy extended several feet from Trixie’s horn, resonating deep tones as more and more magic built into it. Trixie shouted and reared, planting her front hooves on the top edge of the box, and then brought her head around with a grunt. The energy beam sliced through the middle of the box, cutting it cleanly in half. Trixie’s magic subsided, and she took a deep breath before sliding the two halves slightly apart.

“Well come now, Strater, give Showtime a wave.”

A single hoof came from one half of the crate, and shook slightly in the air.

“Both arms, please.”

“This is so weird,” a voice spoke from both sides of the box. A second grey hoof came from the other half, and it too waved weakly in the air.

Trixie reached over the halves and gently pushed Strater’s arms back into the chest. She slid the crate back together, and closed her eyes in concentration again. Her hooves began to glow, causing her blue coat to shine like neon. She reared once again, slamming her legs down onto the division. The whole chest shone with blinding intensity and solidified back together.

For a moment, nothing happened. Trixie simply stepped to the side and resumed her proud stance. Showtime’s mouth was wide open, almost in fear. The intern quivered. The seconds dragged on. After a minute, Trixie glanced at the chest with annoyance, and thumped it with her leg.

“Whoops, sorry.”

The crate opened up wide and Strater stood up, examining himself. He was perfectly fine. He looked up at Trixie and laughed.

“If... if you EVER do that again,” Strater started to threaten, “You’ll- “

“You’ll have the hottest show in the country, baby! That was utterly brilliant!” Showtime was out of his chair, stamping his feet on the ground in applause. “Forget Fillydelphia. We don’t have a stage large enough to accommodate you and the customers you’ll have. I’ve got a contact in Mounte Colto. You have enough tricks to keep a whole casino entertained for hours?”

“Trixie has enough ‘tricks’,” she snubbed, slightly insulted, “to keep everypony on the planet entertained for a century.”

“Excellent. Strater, I don’t know where you found this one, but by Celestia, you’ve done a fantastic job. You two are going to go places.” Showtime finished his adulation, before turning to the intern next to him. “Get me a quill and parchment, Probie! I need them five minutes ago!”

“Eep! Yes, Mr. Showtime. Here are your glasses, Mr. Showtime.”

“Careful with those,” Showtime snapped, wide-eyed. “Those aren’t just shades, those are Oatleys! Celestia’s sakes. And where’s that quill and parchment?”

The intern squeaked again and galloped out of the room, tripping on the edge of a musty chair. Trixie watched with intent until the pony was gone, and then turned to Showtime.

“Trixie likes your style.”

“Baby, I like my style.” Showtime winked before flipping his sunglasses onto his face again.

“So what now, Showtime?” Strater questioned his old friend as he examined himself incredulously. “You just send a letter, we hang out for a bit, and then get flown to some big stage?”

“Hah! You’re a riot, Strates. No, you’ve still got work to do.”

“More people who don’t understand who’s boss?” Trixie snickered.

“See, she gets it. No, how it’s gonna work is like this; those hot-shots in Mounte Colto will travel down here- on my dime I might add, so you’ll owe me- and enjoy a viewing like we just did here. The show will be public, mind you, so no breaking my interns this time round. If you do really well, you’ll pay off the travel fees and impress the agents. Then they’ll probably toss you on the first balloon to the city, and set you up a schedule. That is, of course, providing you have a good show.” Showtime sat back down, grabbing a cigar out of a bag resting on an old chair and catching it in his mouth. He looked at Trixie, cocking an eyebrow.

“... And just what are you expecting the Great and Powerful Trixie to do now, Mr. Showtime?”

“A light. Yah mind?”

Trixie rolled her eyes and winked at Showtime, and his cigar burst into flames. “You shouldn’t smoke, you know. It’s not good for you.” Trixie turned to Strater and started pushing him out the door. “C’mon now, it’s time for you to earn your pay. Trixie wants to make sure she doesn’t leave this next show to chance.”

“Pay? Nice, about time.”

“Did Trixie say that? Her bad.”

---

“On the subject of you never paying me,” Strater spoke as he and Trixie passed the first tent on the way to their caravan, “It was a fun joke, but I’m started to get annoyed.”

“Who said it was a joke? Trixie never offered you payment. She offered you adventure, remember?” Trixie skirted past various fans that noticed the duo walk by, skipping and hopping skillfully over tent pegs and bags.

The vast collection of tents stretched long into the distance outside of Fillydelphia. Several of the locals, concerned and curious about the sudden encampment, had ventured inside the hamlet to investigate. The result was essentially an impromptu festival, and it was this that Strater and Trixie were now fighting through to get to the wagon. The sky was hazy with dust as they travelled over the crispy badlands that led out of the city.

“Girls! It’s her! It’s the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie, do some tricks for us, please!”

Trixie hardly glanced at the group of ponies rushing towards her before grasping them with magic and levitating them out of her way. “No miracles without money, you all agreed to the rules.”

Strater was quiet in thought for a minute, helping Trixie push smaller groups of followers out of the way, before continuing where he left off. “And, trust me, it’s a lot of adventure. But I think you should consider payment. I did, after all, get you the gig with Showtime. And honestly, without me, you wouldn’t have a bucking town built around you every time you stop moving.” Strater was visibly nervous and irritated, and he spoke with less of his charismatic sarcasm and with a more demanding tone. Trixie paused, and Strater followed suit.

“Is that-”

“TRIXIE!”

“Would somepony just give Trixie a MOMENT?” The blue unicorn shouted, and a solid sphere of energy burst from her, blowing a dozen fans back to the ground. The followers merely flipped back up and watched in joy, but to Trixie’s relief, they held their ground. She turned back to Strater.

“Is that what you think, then? You’re the main cause for Trixie’s publicity?”

“No. Your magic is. But I’ve made you famous instead of infamous. In fact, I’ve actually prepared an honest-to-Luna lesson to teach you today, before your big show in a couple days.”

“A lesson about what?”

“You’ll find out when I get my salary.”

Trixie glared at Strater, before turning around and kicking a rock into the closest canvas wall she could find. “You’re damn lucky Trixie likes you... for now, at least. How much do you want, then?”

“Traditionally negotiations start with you offering me, and then we barter.”

“Twenty bits a day.”

Strater cocked an eyebrow. “Uh-huh. Right. Thirty five a day.”

“That’s outrageous! Twenty a day.”

“Thirty bits a day?”

“You’re mad. I told you. Twenty a day.”

“Thirty, Trixie.”

“Twenty you said? Twenty it is.”

“Trixie. I will walk away immediately. You’re fun to hang around but this is insulting. You asked me to teach you how to become a better pony. If you’re going to treat me like this, I obviously have been wasting my time.”

Trixie considered Strater’s argument for a moment, before grimacing.

“Fine. Twenty eight a day.”

“Deal. The lesson is in improvisation and humility.”

“Trixie should have stuck with twenty,” she sighed.

Strater playfully kicked some dust towards Trixie, and she shot him an evil grin before clenching her eyes shut. In an instant, Strater and Trixie’s positions were swapped, and the dust cloud caught Strater right in the muzzle. He started coughing and laughing.

“Okay,” he hacked, “That was pretty fast, I’ll admit.” They chuckled lightly and returned to brushing off as many fans as they could in quiet. Finally, after several more pleas for autographs and constant flattery, the two reached the sky blue trailer.

“I’m only slightly concerned that mare wanted you to sign her foal.”

“You Fillydelphians are all messed up, just so you know.”

“I’ve known that for years, thank you. So, okay. The lessons. Let’s get ready and head out. I could teach you in your caravan, but it’s a little cramped. We’ll need to go to some place open and, hopefully, deserted. I’m not so much concerned about anypony being hurt accidentally, but rather, you not paying attention to... anything I... say. Trixie. Focus.” Strater reached out and tapped Trixie, who had by now sat down on her haunches and reached her muzzle to the heavens, clicking her tongue dismissively at anypony that walked past her. She shook herself, and looked back at Strater.

“Right. We have to leave, some place secluded. Trixie is ready whenever you are.”

“I know a place on the east side of Fillydelphia that we should be able to use to our advantage. It’s about an hour’s walk from here.”

“An hour? Trixie does not walk anywhere for an hour. And besides, any place in Fillydelphia won’t work. All these nutjobs would follow us.”

In the distance, a pegasus shouted praise at the two.

“Trixie loves you too, anonymous nutjob! Where were we? No, Trixie has a better idea.”

“You make a good point, but where in Equestria can we get away from all of these ponies, teach you a lesson, and then travel back in time to make the big show? We’ll just have to deal with-”

Strater was interrupted by the ground falling away from his feet, and an intense feeling of disorientation. For a second that seemed like an eternity, he couldn’t breathe or see. He was surrounded by a crushing blackness.

“-it. What the HELL just happened?” He looked down, and briefly noticed he was standing on cool grass. Looking up, he saw Trixie collapsed on the ground, shivering violently. “Trixie! Trixie, what happened? What’s going on?”

Trixie rolled onto her hooves, and slowly stood up. She breathed in and out deeply, and slowly shook her head to dislodge whatever confusion she was stuck with. Finally, she turned to Strater.

“We needed some place secluded. Trixie knew a place. So, she teleported us here. Ugh...” she faltered slightly, and stumbled over to a nearby tree to lie down. “Let Trixie tell you, Strater, teleportation is one hell of a difficult trick. Moving a few feet away, or swapping places with a nearby pony is easy. But moving two ponies hundreds of miles away is extremely draining. She’ll probably only be able to do that one more time today.”

“Wow, Celestia, Trixie. This is astounding. Absolutely astounding. Where are we?” Strater glanced around him, examining the scenery for clues. His head stopped when he looked straight up. “Is that... is that Cloudsdale? Son of a shed. I can’t get over this.” Strater turned around, taking in his surroundings. They were right at the bottom of a large hill that happened to be covered in massive roses.

Trixie stood up and walked up to the flowers, breathing deeply as she nestled her muzzle into them. She stretched slowly and cracked her back, and then sat in front of Strater.

“Alright,” she spoke, determined and partly recovered from the transportation, “What do you have for me?”

Strater straightened up and stood tall on his hooves, raising his usually slumped shoulders to a position that commanded power. The change was very subtle, but it struck Trixie. With just the slightest change in posture, he had transformed from punching bag to royal guard.

“Lesson one,” he began. “Did you catch that?”

“... Yes. Wow.”

“Explain it to me.”

“Posture is everything.”

“You’re damn right it is. I’ve watched you sit and snub your nose at everypony. I’ve seen you shudder in disgust at compassion, and sit bored when admirers talk to you. Don’t ever forget your outward appearance. Those common ponies may forgive your attitude for a good show, but if you keep that up, you’ll piss off everypony who matters. It doesn’t mean a thing if you’re as powerful as Celestia if you can’t be as humble as her. So, lesson one. Posture. Sit down.”

Trixie did as told, her back arching in as her head tilted high.

“Head down. Look at me at eye level, not over your nose. Straighten your back. Don’t slouch, but don’t bend backwards either. Now, how do you feel?”

Trixie remained frozen in her new position, looking at Strater as an equal, and keeping her back solid. “Less... powerful.”

“But are you?”

“Of course not.”

“Then does it matter?”

Trixie blinked. “Ohhh...”

“Exactly. Lesson two. I was going to touch on how you speak, but I gave it some consideration and I decided I still like talking without the gag.” He chuckled, and Trixie laughed too. “Your tone of voice and word choice still needs to be watched just as much as your posture,” he continued. “Again, common ponies won’t mind, because it’s part of a show. But professionals and high class ponies will find you offensive. It’s all well and good to lord over yourself when you’re actually acting, but outside of a show you need to practice some humility. Now, repeat after me; ‘Trixie couldn’t have done it without you.’”

The azure unicorn started convulsing slightly.

“Say it, Trixie.”

“Trixie... couldn’t have done it... without... you.”

“Fantastic. Now, again, but this time without a pretend stick up your rump.”

“Trixie couldn’t have done it without you.”

“One more time, now. Add some compassion into it. You’ve got nothing if your words are just a recording.”

“Oh, thank you, Strater, but really. Trixie couldn’t have done any of it without you.”

“Excellent. Again.”

Trixie sighed, and repeated the line.

“Again.”

Trixie and Strater went back and forth, each time Trixie adding more emotion and sincerity to the phrases she was forced to repeat. After half an hour, Strater finally stopped.

“Fantastic work, Trixie. Just wonderful. See, being nice doesn’t hurt as much after you do it for a while.”

“Trixie supposes... What next, Strater? How to kiss foals and sign autographs for a million ponies? Perhaps a lesson in doing volunteer and charity work.”

“Hush, you. Those are great ideas. If we strike it big I’ll sign you up for a charity concert.”

“Wait, Trixie was being sarc-”

“Lesson three. Improvisation. You’re fairly okay at this, but you can use some improvement. Irrationality is excellent, and you’re great with thinking irrationally on the fly. The problem is, your randomness is predictable. Ever played word disassociation?”

“Of course. Pinecone.”

“Branch.”

“Tree.”

“Meadows.”

“Roses. What’s the point?”

“What your mind is doing there is improvising, but in a rather predictable way. Each of those words were easily connected to the others. Let’s try again, but don’t let logic choose your words. Let the feelings the words convey sway your thoughts. Orange.”

“Sunrise.”

“Better. Hoof.”

“Wind.”

“Good. Breakfast.”

“Fulfillment. ”

“There you go. See, when you go with instinct and not logic, you unearth unpredictability. In your act, examine your surroundings. Consider every use for anything that catches your eye. Don’t discount the most surreal thoughts, either, because if you have enough of them you may find they all fit together like some sort of four-dimensional jigsaw puzzle.”

“Okay, Strater, you’ve lost Trixie.”

“Sorry. What I’m saying is, sometimes weird ideas sound bad by themselves, but when paired with other weird ideas they become brilliant. So don’t forget the odd thoughts. In every show, instead of doing canned tricks, use something from where you’re acting in a new way, every time. Your act will never go stale, and people who’ve seen you do “that one trick she did that one time” a hundred times will never get tired of it because there’s always some new flair added to it. Phew. Understand all that?”

“Yes. Basically, Trixie needs to act on fast ideas instead of planning everything.”

“Exactly. You’re smart enough not to do the dumb ideas, so if something sounds good after a second thought, do it without a third.”

“Right. So, now what?”

“Well, I think we could probably head back. It’s getting late, and you should be rested up if you’re going to practice your act tomorrow.”

“Didn’t you just say that I had to be more impulsive?”

“That doesn’t mean don’t be prepared.”

“True. Alright, you ready?”

“I guess. That teleportation spell is just as weird as being cut in half.”

There was a bright flash, and suddenly Strater found himself standing in the fields beneath Cloudsdale with Trixie nowhere to be seen.

“... Oh well for buck’s sakes. You have GOT to be kidding me,” Strater swore incredulously.

“I was,” Trixie started howling in laughter as she walked out from behind a tree. Before Strater could make a complaint however, she slammed her eyes shut and popped the two ponies both out of existence. The roses swayed gently in the wind as emptiness filled the meadows once again.

---

I’d like to thank the crew in #EquestrianStudy, especially Taggerung, Foolonthehillz, and Autumn Wind, for help with editing and pre-reading this fiction. Thanks for putting up with me randomly stopping conversation to find the right words for this fiction, guys. =D

If you loved or hated the fiction, or have anything to say to me, feel free to drop me a line at AuroraDawn.mlp at gmail.com. I appreciate any comments I get!

---

Disclaimer: This is a work of fan made fiction, based on the animated show “My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.” I do not own, nor lay any claim to My Little Pony or any related intellectual property.

This work was made entirely for entertainment value and as a tribute to the amazing work of the Friendship is Magic production team. It is not, and will never be, distributed for profit.