The Magician's Bubblegum

by Starlitomega

Hit the Ground Running

On this morning, muffled humming served to awaken Trixie from her slumber. Looking beside her through bleary eyes, she saw ruffled sheets and a pillow turned askew, abandoned by their owner. Her eyes focused as she peered into the bathroom at a fuzzy pink blur, busy preparing for her day.

Pinkie stood on her hind legs, one hoof on the cabinet, the other vigorously scrubbing her teeth clean with a pink toothbrush.

No surprises in color choice there.

One moment later, Pinkie spit into the sink. Trixie sat up in bed, trying to wake up just as the pink pony hopped back into the bedroom.

"Good morning, Sleepy McSleeperson! Did ya sleep well?"

Trixie smiled. "Good morning, Pinkie Pie. It certainly felt better than the tiny bed down there."

Pinkie’s grin brightened. "See? I told you the bed was plenty big enough! Anyway, I'm going down to help the Cakes. You should too, when you're ready!"

Trixie just smiled as Pinkie left the room.

I must admit, it does feel good not to wake with a crick in my neck.

The unicorn tossed aside the blanket and hopped out of bed, eager for a warm shower.

---

Feeling revitalized after her shower, Trixie marched downstairs, ready to get a start on the brand new day. Walking through the kitchen doors, she saw the Cakes and Pinkie standing over one of their ovens, each bearing concerned looks upon their faces.

"C'mon, you pain in the flank," Mr. Cake said, giving the oven a sharp buck. Pinkie and Mrs. Cake stepped back as he was rewarded with a belch of smoke for his efforts. Mr. Cake finally hung his head. "I think that's it, Honeybun. She’s kaput."

Mrs. Cake held a hoof to her heart. "Oh, but dear, the wedding season is about to go into full swing. How will we handle it with only one oven?"

Mr. Cake tossed off his apron and started for the kitchen doors. "There's nothing else we can do. I'm gonna go see Filthy and ask him for a loan."

"But dear, you remember what happened last time? When we hit a slump, he tried to take the bakery! We had to work double time and deliver all the way to Canterlot to get the money to repay that lecherous fiend."

During the exchange, Pinkie Pie remained quiet. Unnaturally quiet for her. Her ears folded flat against her head as the painful truth became clear.

"We have no other choice, Cinnamon Bun. At least we'll be able to keep up with the orders."

Trixie stood there silently during the whole exchange. Her eyes flitted between the downtrodden ponies as something well up inside her. A knowing grin crossed her face as Mr. Cake approached.

"Let me by, Trixie."

"No."

“No?” Mr. Cake stumbled backwards in surprise. "What do you mean, ‘no’?"

Faced with that question, a sly smile crossed Trixie’s face as she extended her hooves to block the doorway completely.

"There will be no need for me to move because I, Trixie Lulamoon, have the perfect solution to your money troubles!" she declared.

Mr. Cake could only roll his eyes. "Like what? A pyramid scheme? I have a hard time believing that a homeless pony has the magical solution to our problems."

Trixie's smile only grew wider. "Your words wound me, but the answer is, indeed, magic!"

Mrs. Cake tossed her apron off in a huff. "What is it, this time? Some sort of ancient anklet to duplicate bits? Or maybe you’ve found some way to turn lead into gold?"

Trixie turned her nose in the air. "Of course, more insults, but I assure you that my intentions are pure. It's quite simple. I, along with the help of my new assistant Pinkie Pie, shall put on a magic show for all of Ponyville to see!"

Far from being amazed, the Cakes simply stared at her as if she had just put a lampshade on her head and declared herself The Princess of Panties.

"And just who in their right mind is going to pay to go to your show?" Mrs. Cake asked.

Trixie laughed, once again in complete confidence. "Why, that's easy. Nopony."

The Cakes, and now even Pinkie Pie seemed stunned, their jaws hanging open.

Pinkie scratched her head in confusion. "But... if nopony is going to pay to watch us perform, how will we make any money to buy a new oven?"

Trixie's smile brightened at that moment, triumphant and brimming with confidence. "That's simple. We charge for concessions. Admittance is free to the public, but popcorn, cupcakes, punch, and candy will be sold throughout the entire show, at a generous markup, of course."

Mr. and Mrs. Cake and Pinkie stood in silence in the revelation of Trixie's plan.

"I don’t believe it. That... that just might work," Mr. Cake muttered in disbelief.

"But are you sure you can raise enough?" Mrs. Cake asked.

"Any money is better than no money. I also know a certain pegasus who might be able to get a few flyers into the outlying towns." Trixie's eyes fell on Pinkie Pie, who had been abnormally silent. "Is something wrong?"

"Partner."

"Huh?"

"You said ‘assistant’. I don't want to be an assistant. I want to be a partner, remember?"

Trixie cursed herself silently. The moment she felt her confidence return, she had immediately put herself in the spotlight, forgetting who had gotten her this far.

She held out her hoof and gave a small smile. "Of course, Partners."

Brushing aside Trixie's hoof, Pinkie pulled the unicorn into a bonecrushing hug.

"Yay! I can't wait! Let's go get the others!"

---

Trixie cleared her throat loudly, the sound echoing throughout the royal library in Twilight’s crystal castle. "I'm sure you are all wondering why I've gathered you here," she began.

"Uhhh actually, Pinkie Pie came and got us," Applejack said, motioning to herself and Rainbow Dash.

"I live here." Twilight pointed out.

Rolling her eyes, Trixie sighed. "Right. Trixie shall just get to the point, then. We are here because the Cakes need our help."

Low murmuring spread between the five ponies.

"The Cakes? What happened? Are they okay?" Fluttershy asked, her eyes filled with concern.

"Rest assured, they are just fine. Their business, however, is not. This morning, one of their ovens finally broke for good."

"Oh no! The caterin' business is just fixin' ta pick up! They need both of them to keep up with all of the orders headed their way!" Applejack exclaimed.

Trixie gave a solemn nod. "Now you see the problem."

"Hmmm. I bet we could figure out a solution if we just put our heads together," Twilight stated resolutely.

"Actually, I already have a great idea if you'll hear me out," Trixie offered.

"Oh, I'm sure this will go well," Rarity said her voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Let her speak, Rarity," Applejack interjected.

Trixie cleared her throat and pulled Pinkie to her side. "I present to you, my newest partner in magic!"

"Partner?" asked Rainbow Dash.

"Magic? But she's an earth pony," Twilight protested.

"Not this kind of magic," Trixie explained, tapping her horn. "Illusionary magic. Pinkie and I shall perform a show right here in Ponyville, and the proceeds from that event shall be what funds the Cake’s new oven," the unicorn stated proudly.

Rarity rolled her eyes. "Yes, because ponies will be lined up for days to come watch you perform again! I doubt they would even give a single bit to see you show off."

"That's the best part. They won't have to. The entire show will be free. We'll charge for concessions. If we get a sizable crowd, the money will roll in all on its own as ponies buy popcorn, candy, and baked goods."

Twilight's horn ignited in a purple aura as she pulled a quill and scroll together. "That just might work! You'll need quite a crowd, though, since not everypony will actually want to buy something."

"That's where you come in," Trixie said, pointing at Rainbow Dash.

Rainbow jolted upright. "Huh? Me?"

"Yes, you. We shall print flyers and give them to you. You hit the nearby towns and make sure that they're easily visible. If we're lucky, we’ll have ponies all the way from Canterlot in the stands!"

“The Cakes are pretty cool, and there’s no way I’d let them or Pinks down. I'm sure I can fit in a quick flight."

"What can the rest of us do to help?" Twilight asked.

"How about a stage?" Pinkie suggested.

"Hmmm, yes. A sturdy stage with a few trapdoors," Trixie added. "In addition, The Cakes will likely need the use of your oven, Applejack, to prepare all the food for the show."

"No problems there. Big Mac can even help haul it to the show."

Rarity jumped forward. "Wait a minute! Now we're taking orders from her? This is lunacy!"

"Rarity..." Twilight put a hoof to her head in annoyance.

"Don't you 'Rarity' me! How do we know this isn't some sort of trick?"

Trixie pointed out the library's window toward Sugarcube Corner. "Fine. Go check the oven yourself! Ask the Cakes if you wish. This isn't some sort of scheme!"

Rarity took a shaky step back. "Oh... right. I suppose they would have to be in on this too if it were some sort of plot."

"That's what we tried to tell you!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Rarity closed her eyes for a moment. "Alright, fine. I'll help however I can, but, I'm only doing this for the Cakes!"

Pinkie Pie appeared behind Rarity, tackling her with a vicious hug. "Yes! Thank you so so so so much!"

"Thank you... Rarity," Trixie finally said.

"Now then. What is it you need from me?"

Pinkie put a hoof to her chin thoughtfully. "Hmmm. We could use some curtains for the stage. Nothing too fancy."

"Pinkie will need a suit and several changes of outfits. Exotic ones if you have them," Trixie added.

"Suit, curtains, outfits, got it. I think I can, ‘whip something up’, as they say."

Trixie finally allowed herself a sigh of relief. She actually convinced Pinkie's friends to help her in the crazy idea. With all the preparations underway, a new problem surfaced.

"Pinkie Pie?"

"Hmmm? What's up?" Pinkie asked.

"I just realized... we need a routine. We have no tricks or equipment."

Pinkie nodded gravely. "Yes, that is a problem, but I think I have a solution!"

As quick as a flash, the pink pony zipped over to Trixie and put her mouth close to the unicorn's ear. "Pstpspspsspsst."

"Uhhh, yes?" Trixie asked.

"Pspsssspspsppppspaspspsps."

"Uhhhhh riiight..."

"Pssstpsspspspspspast."

"Ummm, Pinkie Pie?"

"Yea, Trixie?"

"All you are doing is making whispering noises without actually saying anything."

"Well, yeah! If I said anything being so close to the others, they would hear me and it wouldn't be a secret!" Pinkie exclaimed.

Trixie rolled her eyes.

"A magic show, huh," Twilight said, moving to one of the numerous bookshelves in the room. "I'm betting you don't even have a routine yet."

Trixie's eyes fell upon the cold, crystal floor. "Ummm, not really, no."

One by one, Twilight pulled several books out of the shelf and flung them toward Trixie who started catching them in her hooves. "Then you may wanna do some research. I have books on some of the greatest magicians in Equestria here!"

Trixie stared up at the tall pile of books in her hooves, watching them teeter one way, and then the other.

"See, Trixie? We'll have a super awesome amazing magic act going in no time!" Pinkie cheered, patting the unicorn on the back.

Everyone winced as the stack of books collapsed, burying Trixie. The books floated upwards in a magical aura, uncovering the unicorn. Twilight blushed and stacked them on a nearby table. “Maybe I'll just put these in your saddlebags."

---

Trixie and Pinkie walked through Ponyville towards a large building shaped like a jester’s hat.

“I thought this was the joke shop.”

"Joke shop, party supply store, magic trick outlet, it's all three in one!" Pinkie exclaimed, bounding off towards the building. She propped the door open just long enough for Trixie to squeeze through before galloping away.

The front of the shop had all of the trappings Trixie expected from such an establishment. Bright blue flooring marked what appeared to be the first section of the store. The first four aisles or so we're devoted entirely to practical jokes. On wooden shelves rested all of the timeless classics. Sneezing powder, itching powder, disappearing ink, among other favorites. She toyed with the notion of grabbing something to have some fun with, but thought twice about it. Given the current attitude the Ponyvillians had towards her, even a stink vial might be seen as a chemical weapon attack.

Abruptly, the flooring turned to pink. It didn't take a trained eye to tell that this was the party supply section. Down the first aisle were streamers and banners. Every occasion from graduations to cute cenara's was represented.

The next aisle hit her hard with the smell of latex. From the front to the back, every inch of shelf space was devoted to plastic buckets filled with balloons of every type and size.

"Trixie! The magic stuff is down here!"

The unicorn looked ahead at Pinkie who was waving at her. She decided to cut her sightseeing visit short and just go to her partner. The flooring changed color again, this time to a darker color just a few shades lighter than black. Passing all of the aisles, she finally saw a large counter across the back of the store being tended by a blue coated mare with an orange, spiky mane.

"So, you're the Trixie, are you?" the pony behind the counter asked. Her voice seemed serene and confident.

Trixie struggled to place the mare’s face with a name, but failed. Perhaps in her conquest of Ponyville, she forgot about this one. "Ummm yes, I am. I don’t recall seeing you before though."

The pony laughed. "Of course you don't. Anytime I get a whiff of trouble here in the humble town of Ponyville, I go to my panic room. It’s been a very worthwhile investment."

Muffled gasping drew Trixie’s attention away from the shopkeeper. She turned to see Pinkie with her neck caught in a set of metal rings, her face turning blue from lack of oxygen.

"Excuse me a moment," Trixie said. The pony behind the counter smiled and gave a nod. With a sure hoof and deft movements, Trixie pulled the rings apart, removing them from each other and her partner’s neck.

Pinkie shook her head and smiled. "Thanks! All of the colors were starting to blur there for a second there!" Trixie put the rings back together with a fluid motion and placed them back on the shelf.

"Sorry about that. She tends to get a bit excited, though I'm sure you know that as well as anypony, Miss...?"

The pony extended her hoof for a gentle shake. "You can call me Iris. I've been running this shop for going on seven years now."

"Ahhh, Iris. So I suppose you know why I'm here then?" Trixie asked.

Iris’ lips curled into a smirk. "I would guess that you have a performance coming up soon and you need some supplies for a routine."

"That... is a-ahem-accurate if not simplified description of my situation."

Iris smiled. "Well, you need look no further than my shop. I have enough magic supplies to run entire years worth of shows... in the right hooves of course. I'll even give you a discount, being such close friends with Pinkie and all."

"You... you altered my hat and cape, didn't you?"

The pegasus smiled. "Gold star, Miss Trixie. I did indeed. See, I owe Pinkie Pie a great debt. One day my husband was working on a construction site when the crane malfunctioned. Pinkie Pie, dressed as a costumed hero, saved him and several other ponies."

Trixie narrowed her eyes. "Are we talking about the same Pinkie Pie?"

"Oh yes. She ducked and weaved through the entire site while debris and equipment rained around her. I owe her a debt I can never repay. I'd do anything to help her out."

Looking at the pink mare wrestling with a hoof trap, Trixie could scarcely believe that it was the same pony who braved a death zone to save countless lives. “She’ll have to stop surprising me at some point.”

"She is certainly quite special. Anyway, what can I get you?"

Trixie rubbed her chin, looking at the selection of good behind the counter. "Hmmm, I suppose I’ll need the essentials. We'll need at least twenty sealed decks of playing cards, let’s say five small rubber balls, three of the trick boxes and two illusion sheets.”

Iris reached under the counter and gathered the items Trixie requested, piling them ontop in an orderly fashion. “Anything else?”

“Yes! We need these!” Pinkie interrupted, dropping several more items on the counter. Trixie reached in, digging through Pinkie’s selection. Pulling a deflated balloon nearly as large as Trixie herself out of the stack, she eyed the mare warily.

“Any reason we need balloons this big, a helium tank, and… the rest of this stuff?”

Pinkie bobbed her head frantically. “Yup! I’ve got a great idea for a trick! If we do it right, it’ll be a surefire hit!”

Trixie nodded to Iris.

“All right. Your total is three hundred and twenty bits.”

Trixie raised her brow. "For all of this?"

Iris nodded. "Like I said, any close friend of Pinkie gets a discount. I couldn't help but notice though..."

"Notice what?"

Iris scrunched her nose seemingly lost in thought. "You don't have a wand do you?"

"I did at one time..." the unicorn muttered beneath her breath, the mental image of her smashed wagon dancing in her head.

"Excuse me." Iris turned and walked through a doorway closed off with a velvet curtain. Trixie sat at the counter tapping her hoof patiently waiting for the mare to return.

I hope we have enough time to learn an entire routine.

She had barely started rehearsing planned tricks in her head before Iris returned. The pegasus placed a large silver wand on the counter. At the very top was a crystal star that shimmered in the light.

"This little gem used to belong to a wandering illusionist years ago. He disappeared one day except his costume and wand which were found in his hotel room. I'd be willing to let you have it for thirty bits."

Trixie picked up the wand, eyeing it closely. The light hit the star perfectly refracting inside the crystal creating a rainbow of colors.

"Thirty bits is a a little expensive for a regular old wand, isn’t it?”

Iris nodded. “You would be right, if this were any ‘regular old wand.’ This wand is quite special. It’s said to reflect the desires of the heart of anypony who holds it.”

Trixie looked into the wand and saw nothing but a spectacle of lights and colors. “I’ve spent more bits on less important things. Toss it in.”

Iris smiled and started bagging Trixie's purchase.

"I get the feeling you know quite a bit about illusionary magic. Maybe we could have lunch one day and sort of... pick each other’s minds?"

Iris placed the last of the purchase in a bag and pushed them across the counter. "Now surely Miss Trixie, you of all ponies should know that a magician never reveals her secrets."

The sound of a machine grinding to life filled the shop as the smell of oil and steel wafted toward the pair of ponies.

"Hey, Trixie! Watch me juggle!" Pinkie called out from the corner of the store.

The color drained from the unicorn's face. "Uhhh, excuse me a moment. I've got to stop my partner from maiming herself!” Trixie dashed away from the counter at full speed. "Pinkie! Put the chainsaws down!"

---

"Just a little more..."

Applejack pulled on the rope ever so slightly.

"Right there!"

Twilight's horn lit up in a red aura. Using her magic, she grabbed a hammer and nail and started securing the board in place.

"Woah. You two work fast," Rainbow said as she hovered overhead. Applejack growled in response.

Twilight glared at Rainbow Dash. "We might’ve been further along if you had helped us rather than taking a nap," Twilight noted "Okay, Applejack. You can let go now."

The cowpony spit out the rope letting it go slack. "Yeah, what she said."

Rainbow crossed her front legs. "In case you two forgot, I'm going to be flying all over the place in a little bit dropping off flyers."

"Ah well. Ah s'pose it can't be helped. We're almost through with the supports anyway," Applejack said.

On the edge of Ponyville closest towards Sweet Apple Acres, they had the beginings of a stage started. While it didn't yet have a floor, it now had the support going up each side.

A sing song voice cut through the air. "Rainbow Dash."

"Oh hey, Fluttershy, what's up?"

The yellow pegasus slowly trotted over with her saddlebags bulging. "Ummm, here are the flyers

you needed."

"It sounds like everything is coming together."

Twilight and the others turned to a now familiar voice.

"Hey, Pinkie, hey Trixie. Applejack and I are working on the stage. We'll probably have it all together tomorrow afternoon."

Pinkie bounced in place. “It already looks supependerrific! I can’t wait to do some amazing tricks on it for everypony to see!”

"I’m taking these flyers to the surrounding towns. Heck, I should be fast enough to drop a bunch in Canterlot even!"

Trixie laughed apprehensively. "Yeah... Canterlot is great, but who is going to handle Ponyville?"

"We'll leave that to Fluttershy. You've got Ponyville covered, right pal?" Rainbow asked, extending her hoof. Fluttershy bumped it lightly.

"R-right! You can count on me." One of the flyers fell out of her bags and came to a rest in front of Trixie. She grabbed the paper with her magic and skimmed through it until she found the date.

"The twenty-second... what's today's date."

"The nineteenth," Twilight answered, pounding down a few stray nails in the stage.

"What?! Three days? Are you serious? Pinkie and I have only three days to come up with and practice a full show? Why in Equestria would you all handicap us in such a way?" Trixie cried out.

Applejack huffed. "We tried to get it set up for later, but the mayor said all next week there's going to be a group of ponies from Canterlot to set up a wine and cheese tasting something or other."

"Exhibition," Twilight corrected. Rainbow Dash flew into the middle of the discussion.

"Whatever. You're the great and powerful Trixie, aren't you? If you're half as cool as you make yourself out to be, then you shouldn't have trouble making it happen."

Twilight smiled. This was the moment. The moment Trixie should have tipped her hat back, looked Rainbow in the eyes, and declare that she, the great and powerful Trixie would put on a show the likes of which these pitiful towns had never seen.

Unfortunately, the desperate eyes looking back at them was anything but confident.

"But I... I don't know if that's enough time! We haven't practiced a single trick yet!" The unicorn protested.

Applejack hopped up on the stage to hammer a few more nails in. "Then ya best stop wasting yer time around here! You and Pinkie's got a lot of work to do, so get to practicing."

"Y-yes, of course. we'll be off then."

Twilight watched with a twinge of sadness behind her eyes as Trixie walked away. Pinkie shot one last worried look toward Twilight before following her partner.

"Girls?"

"Is it important, Rainbow? We're kind of busy here," Applejack grunted in frustration.

"I don't know if she's up for this."

Twilight nodded. "I'm worried too. I hope she can keep it together. It might be hard for her to perform again..."

---

"This is it, Pinkie Pie." Trixie stood over their haul from the magic shop, sorting the items out. "We have to take this junk, and turn it into a full length magic show worthy of the best magicians of Las Pegasus in less than three days... somehow."

Pinkie erupted without warning from the pile of stuff causing Trixie to jump in surprise.

"I've been thinking about something, and this time it is 't frosting. Maybe we should make it a magic and comedy act!"

"Comedy? How so?"

"It's simple, silly. We play jokes on each other on stage. The ponies who think they know you as a meanie pants lemon grump won't be expecting us to make fun of ourselves."

Visions of Pinkie dropping banana peels and throwing pies in her face danced in Trixie's head. "I, I don't know if that's such a good idea."

"Oh, c'mon, it'll be great! Why don't I show you what I mean and if you don't like it, we can forget I ever mentioned it."

"Hmmmm...."

"Puhleeeassse?" Pinkie begged, batting her eyes like a sad puppy.

"Alright," Trixie relented. I suppose it couldn't hurt. Besides, maybe it'll fill in some of the gaps between routines we're sure to have."

Pinkie hopped in the air excitedly and bounced around like a rubber ball.

"Don't wear yourself out early. We only have three days to prepare for this show. "

---

"And that should do it," Trixie said, laying her quill down.

"Mmmhmmm."

The night had gone on long for the aspiring magicians. The moon had since risen in the night sky leaving both ponies tired. Pinkie and Trixie both had their heads close to the foot of the bed.

"I just hope they actually give us a chance before they boo me off-stage," Trixie said, letting out a gentle sigh.

"Mmhmm."

Trixie looked at the pony lying next to her, taking in the sight. For the last thirty minutes or so, Pinkie had been trying to sneakily close her eyes here and there for a few winks. It now seemed like the pink mare had finally lost the battle, her breaths becoming more and more shallow. Trixie couldn't help but smile at the sleeping mare.

Without thinking, she reached over and gently tousled the frizzy mane. So many times she had wondered what it felt like, and to little surprise, it did feel like candyfloss. Pinkie's bushy tail twitched sporadically as well. It was just then that Trixie remembered something.

"Pinkie, are you awake?"

A few moments went by without an answer. Nervously, she reached over and gently grabbed the bushy tail. Remembering the instructions, she turned Pinkie’s tail clockwise, her eyes scanning for any sort of change.

Suddenly, Pinkie's mouth opened with a "bleeagh." Trixie watched in morbid fascination as Pinkie's tongue, still coiled in her mouth, unrolled, going across the bed and falling onto the floor.

"Eeep!" Trixie hurriedly slapped her hooves on her mouth to stop any further sounds from escaping. Guesstimating from the height of the bed and the length on the bed and floor, she would have to put Pinkie's tongue at around four foot long. There was a small problem Trixie faced now.

How am I supposed to get it back in!

She briefly considered leaving it out so as not to worry about it, but she felt responsible for it happening. Out of curiosity and desperation, she gently cranked Pinkie's tail counter clockwise. Fortunately, inch by inch, Pinkie's tongue began pulling back into her mouth.

Thank goodness! I don't know how I would have explained that to her! Though, she probably would not have given it much thought.

With a final twist of Pinkie's tail, the tongue finally coiled back into the pink mare's mouth. Now there was no sign or semblance of the bizarre event remaining. Just a smile and quiet snoring.

Trixie rested her head, trying to forget it happened in the first place, trying to think of anything she could except Pinkie's tongue, at least long enough to fall asleep.

Comments

[prism heart]

i think she MIGHT end up thinking dirty thoughts about that tongue

[Starlitomega]

8000039
Nice. You're the first one to notice, as far as I know.

[p61blkwidow]

three hearty cheers for you i never in my wildest dreams that i could really like trixie, but you did it! i want her to succeed so bad! and to me you write pinkie the best!so thank you for such a fine story! and i am sure pinkie will use her tongue to make trixie even more amazed at her talents!

[AyanamiRei]

8000297 A good Author can take a character that you don't care for much, and make them an enjoyable read. I don't really care for Applejack that much, but I read a story that made me believe in a AJ x Twilight Ship.

[Grtgfbll]

Italics I hope we have enough time to learn an entire routine.

Either that's the single most unusual swear I've ever seen, or you forgot some formatting.

*edit* Yeah, looks like some kinda formatting error, nothing a quick read through in edit mode can't fix. Otherwise, an excellent chapter, keep up the good work.

*edit to the edit* And now I'm gonna start using formatting as swears in future stories. It's just too funy an idea to pass up!

[Mr Swanky Hat]

Italics I hope we have enough time to learn an entire routine.

Bold hmmmm, nope, doesn't work like that!

[AyanamiRei]

8001209 Redder, but not Red, because that's the color it was when she was under the effects of the Alicorn Amulet. From what I remember, the Alicorn Amulet did NOT change her Magical Aura color permanently

[Starlitomega]

8001320
Sorry about that! That was due to google not saving changes from my tablet docs to pc docs when I uploaded the darn story! Fixed it now!

[Starlitomega]

8001595
Sorry! That was a google sync issue. I write on a tablet and then upload from my pc. Unfortunately it didn't carry over some corrections, that one included. I'll have to be more diligent in the future! Thanks for letting me know!

[Crimson Dawn]

""Partner?" asked Rainbow Dash."

Hmm almost sounded jealous Dash worried somebody might take Pinkie away?

Just kidding but it is funny when Dash gets all worried about Pinkie.

[Grtgfbll]

8002074 Yeah, that seems to be a common thing with GDocs...

[Starlitomega]

8002374
Maybe you're reading too much into it.

Then again, maybe you're not...

[Crimson Dawn]

8004511

You sly devil!

[AyanamiRei]

8002082 One quick comment: MOAR!!! <3

[Madox]

The sound of a machine grinding to life filled the shop as the smell of oil and steel wafted toward the pair of ponies.

"Hey, Trixie! Watch me juggle!" Pinkie called out from the corner of the store.

The color drained from the unicorn's face. "Uhhh, excuse me a moment. I've got to stop my partner from maiming herself!” Trixie dashed away from the counter at full speed. "Pinkie! Put the chainsaws down!"

You would think that after the sixth or seventh time I did a spit take against my screen I would learn not to drink something while reading a story that focuses on Pinkie Pie, but nooo

Trixie got a good idea with the show, maybe this way she can earn the trust of Ms.Cake

[Emperor]

Well, there's a couple of things mentioned in previous chapters coming back to play here: Iris, the Cakes' borked oven, and what Pinkie does when her tail is turned clockwise. That last bit...may yet be incorporated into the comedy section of their upcoming show.

I wonder if the ponies have realised yet that what spurred Trixie on to decide to perform yet again was an act of generosity. She isn't performing to make money for herself but to fundraise for the Cakes. Perhaps that's what will finally help Rarity get past her dislike of Trixie.