Chapter 6: The Crucible Part 1
Ponies of all colors and breeds gathered together in the middle of the town square. Anxious and excited murmurs spread throughout the crowd, the subject of their gossip most likely being the exotic-looking wagon that stood out in the clearing.
Even Twilight Sparkle and Spike couldn’t resist the allure of the mysterious object and soon found themselves assimilated into the gathering. Twilight stretched her body high as possible and peered over the herd. Not seeing anything other than more ponies, she squinted her eyes and peered harder.
Twilight spotted the silhouettes of her friends gathered together at the front. Jinx, Shenanigans, Firebrand, his two siblings Kindle and Spark, and Prowler’s little brother Snicker stood near the front. Twilight shimmied through the crowds, careful not to touch anypony and offering small apologies to those she accidentally bumped into.
“What’s going on?” Twilight asked as she scooted next to Jinx.
“Some traveling showmare rolled into town.” Firebrand stated, giving the wagon a scrutinizing gaze. “Calls herself the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria.”
Twilight looked at the yellow wagon. The simple design and color scheme reminded her of an elementary school clubhouse, except on wheels. A flag hung off the top of the red roof, depicting a blue crescent with a magic wand. What struck her as odd was the small size. It seemed very tiny for a traveling performer. Did she just get a room in an inn while she was in town?
“Pff, are you kidding?” Spike scoffed with rolled eyes. “The honor of best unicorn goes to Twilight.”
“And what are we? Chopped onions?” Kindle gestured to the horns on her and Firebrand's heads.
“Well, you stink and make ponies cry, so yeah.” Spark sneered, miming his tiny wings in a “nyah nyah” fashion. A murderous spark appeared in Kindle's eyes. Her horn sparked and she counted with her hoof. Spark smirked and flared out his tiny wings in response.
“No fighting.” Firebrand growled, his large red hoof dividing the two siblings. "If you do, I'll tell mom and you won't be crying from onions." The two children pouted and looked away from each other, reaching a silent agreement to continue their bout later.
“The mom card? Really?” Shenanigans snickered.
“Hey, it works.” Firebrand huffed. "You'll understand once you get siblings."
Twilight suppressed a giggle; she understood it all too well. She recalled the many times that her own brother played the “I’ll tell on you” shtick to get her to behave. While cheesy and flimsy, she couldn't argue with it's effectiveness.
“So Twilight, how did you guys hear out about this?” Jinx asked. “I thought you were taking a day for practicing spells.”
“Oh, we were, but we finished early,” Twilight answered. “We were just walking to the store when we ran into Snips and Snails.”
“Literally...” Spike grumbled, rubbing his arm.
A collective groan spread throughout the circle of friends at the mention of those two... special unicorns. Not many ponies in town liked them, generally because they had a bad reputation for being loud and obnoxious.
And they had a tendency to not look where they were going.
“Hey, I think the show’s starting.” Firebrand hissed. The wagon began to rumble, causing the crowd to go silent. Cyan flags burst from the tops, along with the wagon’s walls unfolding to create a makeshift wooden stage.
“Come one! Come all!” An amplified voice echoed. “Come and witness the amazing power of the Great and Powerful TRRR-RIXIE!”
The entire stage erupted in lavender smoke, engulfing the entire wagon. It soon dissipated, revealing a blue unicorn with a star-spangled purple cape and pointed hat. The unicorn leaned back and posed with a white smile, appealing to the starry-eyed audience.
“Watch in awe,” the showmare drawled, dramatically billowing her lavender cape back and forth. “As the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!”
As soon as she finished her sentence, the wagon let loose a barrage of fireworks and swirls, leaving the audience in awe of the spectacle.
“Watch out! Ham incoming!” Shenanigans whispered. The three older stallions giggled and returned their attention to the stage. The three foals below them cooed, their bright eyes mesmerized by the flashing smoke and mirrors.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie assumes that all mares enjoy flowers, do they not?” Trixie drawled. She smirked as half the crowd began whooping. “Well then, the always benevolent and generous Trixie will now use her amazing abilities to provide for everypony!”
Trixie flourished her horn and unleashed a blinding flash. When the ponies opened their eyes, dozens of rose bouquets rained from the sky, gently lowering to the ground. Growling and vicious mares snatched them from the air, stallions even more so by trying to score a free batch of flowers for a marefriend.
“This is so campy.” Shenanigans ground his teeth into a wide grin and began trembling. “I love it! Freaking awesome!”
“Yeah, she does know how to put on a show.” Firebrand commented, draping a foreleg over his gaping sister and handing her a fallen bouquet. “A little over-the-top for my tastes, but she seems to know what she’s doing.”
“I like the way she’s using a combination of magic and alchemy.” Jinx said, rubbing his chin. “I wanna know where she got the chemicals to make those explosions that color...”
Twilight silently observed Trixie’s antics. She noticed Trixie's illusion spells and basic magical skills were far above the adept level, well suited to her type of work. What interested Twilight more was her more advanced tricks. To the untrained eye, one would think she was performing these feats of magic by herself, but Twilight was no untrained mare. Once the smoke dissipated, she spied the slightly ajar compartment that most likely hid the rose bouquets towards the back of the stage. Even if it were closed fully, she noted that Trixie was using levitation spells, not summoning spells. A simple trick, but effectively pulled off, if the audience's reaction was anything to go by.
“Ugh, I don’t like her,” Spike griped. “Twilight’s the real best unicorn in all of Equestr-”
Spike’s speech was cut short as a zipper formed on his mouth.
“Please Spike, don’t heckle her. Let’s just enjoy the show.” Twilight chided. Spike folded his arms and pouted, a muffled “Hmph” escaping his lips.
“It seems the audience is having a very good time! Is Trixie correct?” Trixie turned her head to the crowds. Thunderous applause and cheering resounded in the entire town square. That was all Trixie needed.
“Well, then now comes the best part of the show.” Trixie cried, summoning red smoke. “I give all you Ponyvillians a challenge: Anything you can do, I can do better.”
“Oooh, this should be good.” Firebrand thought. “I feel sorry for the poor sucker that falls for her challenge.” He flinched as a hoof nudged at his side. Curious, he looked over and noticed his two siblings and Shenanigans were looking at him expectantly.
"What?" Firebrand questioned.
“Go on.” Shen encouraged. “Show her up!”
“What?! Are you kidding me?” Firebrand said in disbelief. “I’m not going to go up there, this is how showmares work! She’s just going to embarrass me in front of the entire town!”
“Exactly!” Shen beamed.
Brand’s eyes dropped from incredulity to a half-lidded glare.
“No.”
“Come on, don’t be a spoilsport!” Shen prodded. He moved next to Kindle and Spark, picking them up and pressing their heads against his. “Think of your brother and sister! They came to see a show and you wouldn’t want them to be bored because you were selfish, would you?”
“Guilt tripping will get you nowhere.” Firebrand said, turning his attention back to the stage. “My answer is still no.”
Shen’s eyebrows narrowed. There was no way he was going to let Firebrand get out of this. Hell or high water, Firebrand was going up there. He ducked down and whispered something to Kindle, who smiled and replied back with two words. Shen stood up and puckered his lips.
“Pretty please?” Shen asked, fluttering his eyelashes. A victorious and evil grin crept onto Shen's features as he saw Firebrand’s eye twitch. Shen resisted every urge to laugh as he observed the sparks flying inside Firebrand’s head. Shen sat patiently, waiting for his inevitable victory while Firebrand suffered his mental brawl.
Firebrand broke the silence with a deep throaty growl. He turned and walked towards the stage, muttering a long string of euphemisms to himself. Brand would’ve cursed, but his siblings were present so all his friends heard were low inaudible grumbles and something along the lines of “stupid element.”
“Ah, it seems Trixie has her first volunteer!” Trixie drawled as Brand made his way to the top of the stage. “So, what’s your special talent? Music, Trixie would assume if that silly cutie mark is anything to go by.”
“Thanks, Captain Obvious.” Firebrand groaned, his mood entirely soured. “The showmare can figure out that a musical note means a musical talent. Give the mare an award. Next you’ll be pointing out that wings on a pegasus means they don’t exactly need legs to get from one place to another. Everyone, three cheers for the Lame and Pretentious Trixie.”
“Oh, SNAP!” Shenanigans shouted. A couple ponies didn't understand the sincerity of the insult and began cheering, thinking it was a part of the show. Twilight tried her best not to snort. She felt what Brand did was rude, but even she couldn’t resist letting out some degree of amusement.
“Trixie did not call you up here to put up with your bitter sardonicism.” Trixie shot back, her face unfazed by the insult. “Either display your talent or begone with you! Or is the talent of the gruff grouch so embarrassingly inferior to that of the Great and Powerful Trixie?”
Firebrand rolled his eyes. "You tell me," he sneered and activated his horn. On command from his magic, the trees and grassy hills rustled with the force of a gentle breeze, massaging the crowd’s manes. Soft whistling filled the area, permeating the air with quiet, subtle melody. The winds continued to blow harder causing the music to escalate into enchanting moans, creating a beautiful yet somber-sounding tune.
“Aha. Creative use of Number 16.” Twilight thought with a hint of pride. “Took him a bit longer than me to activate it, but the music he’s playing is really pretty.”
The wind stopped blowing, and the music slowly faded away with a final dark drone. “There we go.” Firebrand said. He closed his eyes and remained still as a statue. “I'd like to see you top that."
Trixie’s mouth curled into a devilish grin as her brow lowered. “Oh, Trixie will.” she intoned as her hat rose off her head. Trixie faced the crowd with her head held high and activated her magic. Wind started to pick up in response to her magic, just as Firebrand’s did. It blew through the underbrush, rustling the fauna, though with a bit more strength.
Firebrand cringed. It sounded like elementary school children we given recorders for the first time and told to go nuts. One by one ponies in the crowd started to grimace and groan at the music. Firebrand looked over and to his surprise, Trixie was still smiling. He braced himself, knowing something bad was about to happen.
Twilight looked on with a raised eyebrow. It seemed like Trixie wasn’t even attempting to make music. To have a showmare cause a worse performance than her competitor seemed like presentational suicide. From what she saw, Trixie was just controlling the wind which only continued to increase in ferocity.
"Oh I see." Twilight pondered. "Technically she just has to do the spell better than he does, the music doesn't really matter. I have to admit, that's a clever loophole." Several plants were ripped from the ground, their roots flailing and spraying dirt everywhere. They began to whip up and swirl around the stage, creating a tornado of plant debris. Firebrand ducked down to the ground, trying his best not to get sucked away by the wind.
For what seemed like an instant, the wind died down. Firebrand picked himself up, cautious if something else were to happen. His yellow mane was covered in twigs and tiny leaves. Dozens of tiny cuts spread across his body, but not enough to cause bleeding or substantial pain.
“Ouch.” Firebrand breathed. He bowed low to his opponent and descended the stage. The sounds of cheering from his friends and siblings greeted him as he rejoined his group.
“See why I wanted you to go up there?” Shenanigans laughed, giving a friendly punch to the bemused Firebrand’s shoulder.
“Brand, that was awesome at the beginning!” Spike flattered. “You really burned her skinny flank!”
"Hey, they don't call me Firebrand for nothing.” Firebrand said.
"Huh?" Twilight asked.
"I ‘burned her flank?’" Firebrand quoted. "My name is Firebrand?"
Firebrand was assaulted by blank looks.
"I get it!" Shenanigans cried.
"Shut up, Shen." Firebrand sulked, snapping his head to the side and grunting. Hearty laughter spread throughout the group, and even Brand couldn't help smirking at his own expense.
“Can’t she get arrested for this?” Jinx asked, looking over the dirt and cuts covering Firebrand. “I mean, technically this is assault.”
“Actually, no.” Snicker replied, raising a hoof. “Under the rules of a duel for the purposes of exhibiting a pony’s abilities, as long as blood isn’t drawn any sort of injury is permitted, including bruises.”
The ponies went dead silent and regarded Snicker with wide eyes, except for Twilight, who managed to suppress her excitement at the intelligence of a young colt such as Snicker.
“Where the heck did you learn that?” Firebrand asked. Snicker gave a confused look, as if the answer were obvious.
“Prowler.” Snicker moaned. “He thinks a good gift is a book on laws to make sure I never get in trouble." The group “ahh’d” in understanding.
"What's wrong with giving a book as a gift?" Twilight pouted. "Spike gets them all the time and he doesn't complain, right Spike?"
"Y-yeah! Books are... awesome!" Spike stammered.
"See?" Twilight smiled. The ponies in the group felt a stir of pity for Spike, especially Shenanigans who silently promised to get him a proper gift before the day was done.
“Still, that’s an oddly specific law.” Shenanigans noted. “What kind of law is that?”
“A blue one.” Snicker replied, waving his book.
“A what?”
“Blue Law.” Twilight answered. “It’s basically a type of law made a long time ago that applied at the time, but doesn’t now, which is the reason why most of them sound really silly. They were usually made to enforce standards out of necessity or because of a value. Did you know it’s technically illegal in Ponyville to take a bath in your own home? And even in Fillydelphia it’s illegal to frown! There’s also weird laws like you can’t throw stones into barrels, you can’t take-”
~snore~
Twilight stopped her speech and looked towards the source of the noise. Shenanigans was sprawled out on the floor, eyes closed and drooling a small puddle.
A swift smack from Firebrand roused Shen from his impromptu nap.
"OW! It was a joke!" Shen whined, rubbing the back of his head. "Lighten up!" Twilight turned away with a grumble. None of her friends appreciated her love of knowledge and trivia. She was just getting to the good parts too...
"Umm, Twilight?"
Twilight felt a hoof pawing at her leg and looked down. Kindle was looking up at her, eyes almost radiating curiosity.
“Does that mean Trixie could have broken Brand’s leg, and it wouldn’t have broken that law?” Kindle questioned.
“Well... yes, technically.” Twilight answered, eyes darting around. It unnerved her that the innocent little filly would ask such a question. “Most of them are very poorly worded like that. It’s the reason most of them have been repealed or are not enforced.”
“Interesting...” Kindle’s gaze drifted towards her brother Spark, the corners of her mouth rising.
“Still, you could have avoided this, Brand.” Jinx fretted. He pulled out a vial and hoofed it to Firebrand. “You’re not going to get many dates if you act like that around mares.”
“No offense Jinx, but I’d prefer taking advice from Prowler on dating.” Firebrand explained as he levitated the cork off the potion and took a sip.
“None taken and point taken.” Jinx shrugged.
“Speaking of Prowler, where is he?” Twilight pondered aloud. “Does anyone else find it odd that a pony as paranoid as Prowler would not want to know about a significant event going on in Ponyville?”
The group looked around the area and exchanged curious looks. since Prowler didn't trust anypony outside his circle of friends and family, and ran thorough background checks on a pony that even sets foot in Ponyville, it did seem out of place. Especially considering that the extravagant Trixie was in the middle of the town square trying to soak up as much attention as possible, Prowler's absence made little sense.
“Oh, he knows, but he’s busy right now.” Snicker stated. “Then again, anypony’d be busy after what happened last night.”
“After what happened?” Jinx asked.
“Wait, you guys didn’t hear?” Snicker queried, tilting his head. "It was in the paper this morning.”
“Heard what?” Twilight asked, curious as to what would be so serious as to occupy Prowler.
"Umm..." Snicker mumbled, “Aqua Jet’s been arrested."
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Yayz, a new Recasted chapter! I like the new twist on Trixie's show, and I'm quite interested to know why Aqua Jet was arrested. Overall, great work, Josh!
OH NOES!!! It's about to get heavy, and I feel the spot where my spleen use to be convulse and cramp up aga-AAAAAUUUUUGGGGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
New chapter?
Yes!!!
What happened? 
Did he beat up his "mysterious" roomate? Why do you leave us with this cruel cliffhanger??!?!
And Aqua Jet has been arrested?
Also, I just saw your last video... which was posted yesterday...
he he... Happy 'late' Birthday.
2842169 That's what I thought!
Wow. The day after I favorited this story, it gets updated. Wow, strange coincidence. But anyway, Aqua Jet has been arrested? For what? This is quite strange. Guess I'll have to wait for part 2.
2843907
I know right? I mean, what's the point on mentioning that Jet has a roomate that he doesn't like and not mention him again? Is he (she?) a BIG LIPPED ALLIGATOR CHARACTER or what?
...
Wait, you were talking about that, or the cliffhanger?
2844515 Eh, little a both, mostly the cliffhanger. I rage every time they occur.
JESUS CHRIST JOSH. FINALLY.
Yes we have been waiting a while. Let's hope this cliffhanger gets resolved soon.
I wonder if that's going to apply later. :/
Otherwise, good set up, really good actually. Though I shall read the rest of this... arch? Yeah, arch, before giving a full on wall of text.
3548623 I can see that, quite likely involved with Aqua's situation.
This is interesting....
I know that the mention of 'Blue Law' was on purpose, and will probably apply for later in the story. It'll probably either condem or save Aqua Jet.
I like the idea of Ponyville having its own court of law, and I can't wait to read about that.
I'm curios as to what Aqua Jet was arrested for, and I can't wait to find out. I just know this will be an awesome arc.
I know that you were complaining a lot about how the main six acted around Trixie in your Boast Busters review. I've always kind of agreed to that. Your characters have always been more mature than the main six (except for in the last chapter). This only further proves the maturity that they all possess. And I like that you increased the maturity level of Twilight to match those of the rest of the characters.
Other than that there isn't much to say. I'm sure that I will create much longer comments than this in the next few chapters. I'm assuming that a lot of things are going to play out. And I'm excited to read an out them.