Chapter 23: The Falling Mailbag Escape.
Houdini and Trixie Team Up for Final Escape
Manehattan, Equestria.
It has been confirmed by Princess Celestia herself that the human illusionist Harry Houdini, along with his wife and theater troupe, will be returning to their world very soon. However, Harry has agreed to do one last public escape before he leaves for good. This escape will be the most ambitious one to date, involving a burning rope, a government mailbox, and the viewing floor from the top of the Mustang Building.
Joining in the escape will be none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie, who just yesterday saved the human’s life when his jump off the Manehattan Bridge was sabotaged. She will also be shackled and placed in the same bag as Houdini, suspended over the guard railing.
Today at three o’clock - with assistance from the local police - the two magicians will not only be locked up in cuffs and chains, but Trixie has also insisted that she wear an anti-magic ring on her horn. This, of course, will make it physically impossible for her to use any form of spells to aid in their escape.
The police have also issued some pegasi volunteers in case something goes wrong. Since this illusion is done without any mirrors, wires, or doubles if the two of them don’t escape the bag by the time the burning rope snaps, rest assured that they will be safely caught by a net before being lowered to safety.
“This will be my first attempt for such an escape,” says Houdini, who agreed to a short interview alongside Trixie. “Not only am I going to be suspended over the city, but having a pony in the same bag is surely going to make things twice as difficult.”
“Is it dangerous? Of course, it is, but the Great and Powerful Trixie is confident it can be done,” Trixie Lulamoon added. “That’s not to say that she’s quite honored to perform with one of the great magicians ever seen - second to Trixie, of course.”
_*_
On the very top floor exposed to the open air, a makeshift contraption was put into place. Constructed of steel, pulleys, and some very strong screws, it held a metal arm that dangled over the edge of the building. While the pegasi were busy weaving in the rope that would be used in the escape, Trixie looked over the guard railing at the drop below. She spotted Discord floating halfway down, sitting in a theater chair and eating popcorn by the bucketful. He was looking up at her with a comically oversized magnifying glass.
Before the unicorn could have any second thoughts, a cop placed a lock on the chain that connected her to Harry. Like him, she was placed in genuine chains and hoofcuffs that kept her front and back legs together. A chain linked both pairs of cuffs to a collar around her neck, limiting her movement. True to his word, Houdini wore nothing but a loincloth, and Trixie went without her signature starry cloak and hat.
Harry was already sitting down in the opening of the government mailbag. The bag was padlocked and held closed with a rod, as it was meant to only be used for sending important mail across the country. Now, it was going to be used to trap the human and unicorn.
“And one last thing for you, Ms. Lulamoon,” the officer said as he placed the ring over her horn. She tried to light up her horn to test it, yet no matter how hard she concentrated, the ring stayed in place.
Trixie hoped that the illusion would be pulled off successfully. Both of them had already conspired as to how the trick was going to go down. By now, their assistants should be done with their tasks and already be in place. Trixie took one last look at the horizon where she could practically see the curvature of the planet, causing her legs to get a bit shaky.
“Mares and gentlecolts,” Harry announced to the crowd that had gathered around them. “I thank you all for coming to what has to be the single greatest duet performance, the likes of which the world has never seen before.”
This was Trixie’s cue to speak. “As you can clearly see, we are both bounded and about to be placed inside of this bag. Once it is locked, we shall be hoisted up and suspended over a one hundred and twenty-floor drop. Part of the rope will be placed over a burning candle, giving us about a minute to escape.”
“If something were to go wrong,” Harry spoke, “a flying team is our only means of safety, for they shall be responsible for catching us in a large safety net held below us.” The police began to grab at the bag’s rim to ensure that they could move it. “That is if they’re able to catch us in our deadly plunge to the streets below. Let’s face it, there’s always that chance.”
“Now,” the blue mare said as the bag’s rim hid everything but her head, “are you all ready to see some real magic?”
The crowd atop the skyscraper cheered before the mailbag was pulled over the magicians’ heads. Just before they closed it, Bess came running over and gave Harry a good luck kiss.
“Open your mouth,” said a suspicious police pony.
Harry did so, wagging his tongue around to show that he had nothing to hide.
Satisfied, the cops pulled the bag’s rim over their heads, plunging them into total darkness. They felt the rod sliding through the rim above them, securing it.
Trixie quickly bent her head down towards Houdini, who latched his teeth onto the ring around her horn. She could feel it slowly slipping off.
Harry spat the ring out and whispered to her. “You think you can teleport us out once we’re in the air?”
“In theory,” she confessed. “I’m not exactly confident that this will even work.”
“I thought you said this was foolproof.” Before Trixie could respond, they felt the bag being lifted off of the solid ground beneath them. “Oh well. Looks like it’s a little too late to turn back now.”
“Agreed.” The unicorn tried shaking her cuffs. Lighting up her horn, she tried to unlock the pairs of cuffs with her magic to no avail. “Oh, fantastic! Even the cuffs are magic-resistant! Now how are we going to--”
Hick!
The mare turned to face Harry. In the light of her aura, she could make out his scrunched-up face, looking like he was trying to get something out of his throat. A few moments later, he spat a thin, silver pick into his hands.
“Wha… how?” Trixie asked as Harry started to work on unlocking the pair of cuffs around his wrist.
“Hindu Needle Trick,” he explained as one cuff released its hold. “I’ve learned how to swallow and regurgitate some things for escapes.” Once the other cuff fell off, Harry moved onto Trixie’s. “Now hold still for just a second.”
Trixie saw the human pick at the locks inside her cuffs before they gave way. “Of course,” she commented. “It really was that simple.”
“I told you.” Harry moved on to picking the cuff on her other hoof. “I’m the only one here that’s pretending to have magic. Anyway, let’s hurry before the rope burns through.”
Her locks opened quicker than she had ever seen, his hand expertly picking them open in the tiny enclosed space of the thick canvas bag. Her cuffs fell away, freeing her from the restraints, but they were still stuck in the bag.
“Alright Trix, ready to get us outta here?”
Before the mare could respond, there was a snap and a sudden sense of weightlessness along with the horrified screams of the audience outside. Panic and the fear of death filled the two magicians.
Harry grabbed the pony in his arms. “Do it now, do it now!”
Trixie, amongst her fear and dread, focused as her mind went into overdrive. All of her concentration was put into her flashless teleportation spell. In the split second before her teleport, she hoped that their assistants had properly carried out their tasks.
With a pop, both human and pony landed on several layered mattresses that had been stacked beside a dumpster. The springs did their best to absorb their fall before bouncing the duo off into a pile of garbage.
“That’s it,” Harry said, crawling out of the now-ripped bag of rubbish. “I am definitely never going to be doing that again.”
“Boss,” a voice cried out. Both Trixie and Harry turned to find Houdini’s assistant Anthony come rushing. “You alright, boss?”
“That was terrifying,” he said, helping Trixie out of the garbage. “Is everyone still distracted?”
“They’ve just caught the bag now.” He pointed out of the alleyway. “Come on, it’s time for you two to reappear.”
“Yes,” the mare said, still shaken from nearly falling to her death. “Let’s.”
By the time they stepped out, a crowd had gathered across the street with everyone staring upward at the pegasi. One of them was in the net, unlocking the bag and pulling out a link of chains.
Ready to get their attention, Trixie fired off her signature firework spell, sending lights and loud explosions into the air.
“Look!” A pony pointed the two illusionists out. The crowd let out a collective gasp of surprise.
Suddenly, Discord popped up in front of them as he clapped. “I’m impressed. It isn’t every day that someone survives a fall like that. Usually, there’s supposed to be a splat at the end, but that was still good. Although, if it were me, I would have had the bag explode into ham sandwiches and hay, for what we got, it wasn’t bad.”
Harry sighed. “So does this mean we get to go home?”
“Eh, sure.” Discord’s chair crashed into the ground next to him. Discord took the now-destroyed chair into his claw and started to snack on it. “Quick question, though. What year is it?”
“What?” Trixie replied, confused.
“I asked Houdini,” the spirit repeated, taking a bite out of the armrest, “what year is it?”
“Nineteen twenty-four,” Harry answered. “Why?”
“Oh… oh nothing,” Discord lied. “Just curious, I suppose.”
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October, 31, 1926
The day that Houdini died.
He only has two years of his life left.
I guess your placing the year to prevent a pony caused Houdini death.
Btw, recent research has shown Houdini died from infection and not from the blow to his stomach.
6396981
True, but the blow did help the infection by quickening it.
Error:
Don't think the *is* should be there.
6397546
Actually with modern science it's proven that the blow in the gut never effects the infection. Really the guy whom gave Harry a blow in the gut was innocent. In the end it was Harry own fault he died because he ignored his body symptoms saying something was wrong. If Harry had visited the doctor a month before he could have treated without his life in jeopardy. But Harry was on a tourney around the U.S.A. and if he was found sick he had to cancelled the tourney. By then Harry had become a living legend and he thought that if he would even show a moment weakness his legend would end.
He told his wife he would do a full check up after he finished his Tourney because then the media wouldn't be so focussed on him. In the end it's Harry own fault he died. Sadly but true his own pride became his downfall.
6397663
So apparently I was right but for the wrong reason. Huh, go figure.
6397688
Yeah go figure, though in your defence it has only been found out by experts a few years ago. So many Houdini fans/experts are still not aware that the punch never had anything to do with it. It's just a coincidence that blow happened shortly after the symptoms Harry had become worse. But at that stadium Harry was already a dead man walking.
Really Ironic is the fact had Houdini visited the doctor before he would have only needed to take medicine to get cured. But instead because of his pride he ended up at surgeon table. Back in those times if you went under the knife you really had low expectation to survive it.
I kind of suspected that since Trixie and Harry were going to be in the same bag that there was nothing stopping Harry from taking her horn ring off. Good to see that what I thought was going to happen did indeed happen. They certainly cut it pretty close there!
Let's see what Discord has up for his sleeve that he asked for the exact year (either that or he wants to make sure he gets the exact day right so it doesn't seem like Houdini disappeared for two weeks from the face of the Earth).