If Chaos prevails...

by The Marshmallow

7 - The choice - Great, powerful and beautiful

Pinned to the ground by two guards ready, at a single word of their ruler, to imprison or execute her. Dragged across the room, through a crowd looking at her with suspect and pity in equal parts, until she was in front of the throne. And finally, the terrible figure of the lord of Chaos right in front of her, standing tall, looking at her with an unreadable expression. If there is a word to describe the whole situation, certainly "lucky" is not it. Yet Trixie, the great and powerful Trixie, still felt exactly that. Apparently relaxed, looking at the king with unexpected confidence. After all, she found Discord. She would have a chance to explain herself!

"I usually don't take it kindly to be interrupted..." Discord was using his best menacing tone, and a cold and deep stare pointed straight at her eyes. Enough to have even the guards feel somehow uncomfortable, as they knew well what it could mean to be involved in the collateral damage of their king's rage "But I'll admit I'm curious..." A little grin appeared on his face, although both the tone and the stare were still the same, creating an odd contrast "Who are you, and what are you doing here?"

The little grin was taken by her as a full endorsement, and she seemed somehow even more confident than before. She could have explained in detail the story of her life, if only she had the Chance "As I already said..." She projected her voice powerfully, as she would have done on stage. "I am..."

"Trixie Lulamoon" It was Pinkie's voice, which had every head of the small group turning towards her. Everybody was quite surprised by her intervention. Pinkie looked surprised herself. In her case, though, it was about actually seeing her there.

"Do you know her?" Discord raised one of his long white brows, turning his head toward his advisor. Many questions now raced in his mind.

"It's a pity I have to tell you already" She puffed her cheeks, showing a bit of dissatisfaction. "She is one of the performers I have hired for the celebrations!" The Royal advisor had the full authority on all preparations. And always made sure to leave Discord in the dark until the last second, so that it might be at least a bit surprising "A magician!" Pinkie's eyes were now shining a bit. Sure, she was every day in contact with magic much more powerful and impressive than any magician could possibly pull off... But during the show, all the elements united to create something beautiful. Something that, for even just a moment, managed to appear impossible and extraordinary. "Still, I have no idea what she is doing here!"

"I see..." Discord went back to the "magician", abruptly and clearly giving her a single order "Go on!"

"Hi... Pink Pie, right?" The name of her employer? Not relevant enough to remember correctly, apparently "I don't really like to be interrupted, either, but I guess I'll forgive you" So magnanimous. The guards and the ponies close enough to hear the conversation wondered if she understood the situation she was in. The answer seemed easy: no. "As I was saying, I am the great and powerful Trixie, the greatest Magician in Equestria! And I didn't like not being the main event of the evening!" Being on what was the most important stage in Equestria during the most important festival of the year? Not enough. And this year the main event wouldn't even be a normal show or performance... It would be a marriage! "Then I realized..." A somehow seductive smile on her face, and a wink "There is a way for the Great and Powerful Trixie to be part of the main event!"

Moments of silence. This explained a lot, and yet it explained nothing. Many of the "candidates" (as it was impossible not to hear Trixie talking) started whispering among each other, while the guards just exchanged a significant look. Discord's reaction was instead a bit different "uah ah ah ah!" he seemed to be having fun. A lot of fun.

Pinkie, on the contrary, looked pensive for a moment, before giving revealing her thoughts to the King "She has a point, though..."

"I know, right?" once Discord had stopped his laughs, he just showed to agree with his assistant. "It's not wrong, but it's just so..." He was still giggling a bit, which was to be expected given the interesting development. "Funny!" It was not easy to appear serious or cold when he was actually having fun. But his natural figure and attitude certainly helped him still being menacing "That said, why did you sneak in instead of being in a delegation?"

"The great and powerful Trixie is not... er... In great terms with her old town. As a travelling pony and everything." A topic she mostly wanted to avoid "Also, I tried to ask the guards at the castle's entrance nicely... But they wouldn't let me in!" She gave an annoyed stare to one of the guards holding her and even stuck her tongue out. Although, obviously, it was not the same pony that blocked her at the entrance "Which was a terrible mistake, almost treason against you!"

"How so?" Discord was somehow captivated by her words and was really enjoying the dramatic turn of the whole situation.

"Well, they almost prevented you from meeting The Great and Powerful and Beautiful Trixie! You ran the risk of being stuck with one of these boring ponies!" She looked almost concerned, just thinking of such a terrible fate

"Ah ah ah ah!" Discord burst into laughter one more time "Let her go. She can stay!" Almost everyone was surprised by the sudden turn of event, except Pinkie Pie. She had figured this is how it would play off. She knew Discord too well not to realize a mare like that would entertain him a lot. For a while at least. "Anything else to say?"

The blue mare was now getting up again, looking at the two guards with a way-too-smug grin "Uhm..." Then she thought for a moment about something else to say, and just a thing came to her mind "As soon as I am your queen..." That wasn't hypothetical. She was completely sure she would marry him, at this point. "We'll have to think about the security of this place. As great and powerful as I am, I barely met any guard until I was here!"

re security?" A smirk appeared on Discord's face. If he hadn't already laughed enough, he would have a reason to do so once more. "You were the first to sneak in the palace in 100 years, you know why is that?"

"Maybe because..." she was ready to make a hypothesis, but Discord wouldn't let her. there was no need to guess. there is only one answer.

"Because I'm here." His smile grew larger, revealing his sharp teeth. "Nopony and nocreature in this world would want to face me" A bit of hubris, maybe. But after a thousand years of reign, maybe it was somehow deserved? "Uhm..." He faked a chough. He got a bit too caught up. He had to go back to what he was doing. the selection and all "I have one last question" His tone was now quite neutral, as if he didn't want to give her any hint of what the right answer would be. And his yellow and red eyes were now really focused on the magician's expression "Was that the only reason you thought of marrying me?"

"Well..." For a moment she looked away. Years of experience in the show business and her big ego made usually easy to hide her feelings, but now on her cheeks was possible to see somehow a pinkish shade. "The great and powerful Trixie wouldn't marry anyone, obviously!" Her gaze rose again, trying to show to everyone around her (and to herself) an extraordinary amount of confidence "And I thought that if I had to marry someone, it would have to be..." She swallowed a bit. Talking was harder than usual. It was the king's gaze? The public of ponies aiming for the same position she obviously was so close to acquiring? Or maybe was just the fact that now she really had to be honest, with herself first and foremost? "Someone as great and powerful as Trixie!" Her mouth then closed. The moments before Discord's answer just seemed so incredibly long.

"That's more like it!" With a snap of his claws, the mare suddenly vanished. She appeared a fraction of a second later in the middle of the "Maybe" group. The voice of Discord reached her almost immediately, though, to clarify her situation "You are not my wife yet, but you passed the first selection!"

Trixie's answer was at the same time completely out of place and almost obvious. Nobody questioned her anymore, at this point "Wasn't that obvious?"

But in all of this Discord had already wasted lots of time. He had to go back to the selection quickly. "Who is the next one?" His gaze went back to the crowd, moving here and there in the room. With his supernatural eyesight, he could basically see everypony's face as if it was right in front of him "I have a soft spot for cute pegasuses, after all..." And he wasn't just talking about Starry Eyes. He had somepony in mind.

Many ponies started looking at each other, hoping to identify the pony deserving to be called "cute" before he or she was teleported in front of Discord. But nopony really had an idea of who it could be... Except for Rainbow. The blue pony had no doubt about the mysterious pegasus identity and started sweating bullets. The boredom that her previous expression showed was soon replaced by deep concern. "Oh no..."

Author's Note:

I had fun writing Trixie, here. She behaved terribly and somehow got away with zero consequences (and even getting what she wanted)... That would be a great recurring gag for her character if I manage to pull it off well a few more times x)

Also, don't worry! The "selection" part won't last much more, and we'll soon get to the exciting (I hope) part

With Love,
The Marshmallow

Comments

[Crowborn]

Yes.

To everything.