Bug In The City

by PointlessGizmo

Chapter 13 - Books and Blackmail

Leech peered over the back of the couch as the snarling Trixie stood before him, her body trembling with indescribable rage.

"I. Told. You. NOT TO ENGAGE IN ANY DISCUSSIONS!" she roared, causing Leech's head to vanish as he ducked down behind the couch.

"But...b-but Leech wazz trying to help Trixzzie! Leech thought..." Leech began.

"Leech thought? Leech THOUGHT? My hat does more thinking than you!" came the furious reply from Trixie, who didn't even wait for Leech to finish. "I distinctly told you not to enter any discussions - much less agree to anything on my behalf!"

Leech said nothing, but instead curled into an even tighter ball on the floor between the couch and the wall. Trixie began to pace up and down the lounge, talking out loud to herself.

"Right, so the Gala is next week... I don't even have time to learn ONE decent trick in that time, never mind enough to impress a Gala audience! OK... so... what am I doing tomorrow? Shopping in the morning, officially opening another coffee house that Canterlot doesn't really need in the afternoon... so tomorrow evening should be free. I'll just go along to Fancy's place tomorrow evening and explain that I can't attend the Gala. Then... t-then..." Trixie's voice trailed off.

Leech cautiously poked his head back above the couch. He looked across to where Trixie stood to see the bold, overconfident showmare weeping like a filly. Surprised by what he was seeing, Leech forgot to be scared and trotted over to his friend, placing a hoof on her withers.

"What'zz the matter, Trixzzie?" he asked gently.

"This whole 'fame' thing, Leech - it's really not going the way I'd planned." Trixie replied between sobs. "I used to love it when everypony's eyes were on me... but I could always get away from it. Ponies would come, see our shows, be amazed, then they'd go home. Then we'd move on and there would be a whole new set of ponies to dazzle with my amazing presence. But here - there's no getting away from it. Everypony wants a piece of me, all of the time. I can't go anywhere, do anything without being watched. The slightest mess-up will ruin my reputation beyond redemption... and I've made the biggest mess-up of all. I've climbed to fame based on a lie, a lie which is going to be discovered very soon!"

With this, Trixie burst into another round of crying, covering her eyes with a front hoof and her body shaking as she released her pent-up sorrows.

"But Fanzzy Pantzz and other poniezz here are famouzz, they don't have thizz zzsort of problem." Leech responded, doing his best to calm the hysterical unicorn. "Not uzzually anyway, only real problem for them izz zzstupid flank-hole Tattle-Tale."

Trixie perked up slightly at hearing this.

"You may well have a point, Leech." she conceded, rubbing her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe I just need to get through this first phase before I can really reap the benefits. Perhaps the ponies here will calm down once I'm a little more established... you know, omelettes and eggs and all that."

"Izz pazzt midnight, not time to be thinking of breakfazzt!" Leech said, looking confused.

"It's a figure of speech!" replied Trixie, her smile returning as she wiped the remainder of her tears away. "You can't make an omelette without breaking some eggs. It means that for something good to happen, sometimes you have to put up with some bad stuff first!"

"That makezz zzenzze... Leech guezzezz..." replied Leech, uncertainly.

Although Trixie knew this new approach still wouldn't solve her magic problem, it was a start. She decided to cancel her Gala appearance, and then see what happened from there. Both she and Leech were tired by this point, and after Trixie had calmed herself sufficiently, both bid each other goodnight. Leech trotted off to his basket and Trixie retreated to the bedroom. Before retiring for the night, Trixie apologized to Leech for yelling at him - the little changeling, fortunately, accepted. Despite this, Trixie couldn't shake the feeling that the damage she had done ran deeper than Leech was letting on. She knew deep down that his heart had been in the right place, and more than anything else she should count herself lucky she had a friend so eager to help her reach her goals.

"It'zz juzzt zzstrezz of fame... she doezzn't want rid of Leech." Leech thought as he fell asleep. "...Leech hopezz, anyway..."

----------

The next morning, Trixie was attempting to covertly make her way through town, this time dressed in a ridiculous get-up of a cloak and hood made from a flowery tablecloth. She'd attempted to leave the apartment using her black cloak, but as she'd feared Photo Finish's photos had been published so everypony recognized her wearing it. Some even sported black, hooded capes of their own! As stupid as she felt, the floral cloth she wore was anything but befitting of a superstar pony such as herself, so nopony figured it was her under there.

Nopony, that is, except for one.

As Trixie hurried along the cobbled streets, she was stopped by a beige unicorn standing in front of her. Possessing a heavily waxed or possibly gelled gray mane, and a cutie mark which appeared to be a ball of dung with bovine horns sticking out from the top, the unicorn spoke to Trixie in a distinctly out-of-town accent.

"You's can't fool me wid dat hood. You's da great an' powerful Trixie!" said Tattle-Tale with a smirk.

"Not so loud! I don't want everypony to know!" whispered Trixie fiercely to the pony obstructing her path.

"Da word is dat you're gonna be doin' a big, fancy show at da Gala next week!" continued Tattle-Tale, ignoring Trixie's protests.

"Actually no, I'm afraid I'm going to be cancelling that, I'll be speaking to Fancy Pants about it this evening. Now if you'll excuse me, I have places to be!" answered Trixie before bursting into a gallop and running past Tattle-Tale.

Trixie, despite having heard of Tattle-Tale from Leech, had never met him before and thus didn't know what the treacherous journalist looked like. As a result, Trixie had no concept of what she'd just done as she hurtled away down the busy streets towards her intended destination.

"Have a nice day, ma'am!" sniggered Tattle-Tale under his breath. "Cos yer evenin's gonna be awful!"

----------

The rest of Trixie's day went without a hitch. She was able to shop without being disturbed, thanks to her humiliating yet highly effective disguise, successfully gathering all the provisions she and Leech would need for the coming week. Then she headed over to the newest outlet of Star-Bucks coffee, shedding her disguise for a short while to cut the ribbon and declare the place officially open. She'd declined a complementary cup of their new quintuple strength espresso, citing the fact that she planned on sleeping at some point during the next three weeks. After successfully eluding the crowd of ponies at the coffee shop long enough to re-don her disguise, Trixie was finally heading back to the apartment. She planned to stop off and change her clothes before going to meet Fancy Pants. She couldn't let such a high profile stallion see her dressed in such a strange fashion, after all!

As she approached the building, however, a crowd of anxious-looking ponies milled around outside, occasionally glimpsing up at Trixie's balcony as a couple of Royal Guards struggled to hold the heaving mass of ponies back. Sneaking around the mob, Trixie stealthily made her way into the apartment complex's front door and ascended the stairs to her own apartment. Pushing open the door, she was greeted by a visibly distressed Leech.

"Trixzzie! Zzsomething awful hazz happened! Look at thizz!" he cried, thrusting the latest pull-out issue of 'Tattle-Tale's Gossip Corner' under Trixie's snout.

Trixie levitated the document in front of her, her eyes widening and jaw opening in horror as she took in the words before her.

The Great And Powerful Quitsie!

Canterlot's latest superstar bails on Grand Galloping Gala gig!

Latest rumor suggests 'magician' is doubtful she's got what it takes. More inside!

Trixie stood for several minutes in a stunned silence, oblivious to the increasingly rowdy crowd of ponies outside, all clamoring to find out if the contents of the gossip paper were the truth. Snapping out of her trance, Trixie realized that the pony she ran into that morning must have been Tattle-Tale himself.

"Of course. The cutie mark should have made it obvious!" she thought, rolling her eyes.

"What izz Trixzzie going to do? Not enough magic powerzz to do Gala show, but now everypony knowzz about it! If Trixzzie backzz out..." began Leech, worriedly.

"...then my reputation's down the proverbial drain." finished Trixie, grimly.

Staring at the floor for a few moments before briefly glimpsing towards Leech, Trixie's face took on a look of grim determination as she strode boldly out onto the balcony. She looked down at the crowd of ponies below, who immediately began showering her with questions.

"Is it true?"

"Are you really booked to play the Gala?"

"Why are you backing out? Are you ill?"

"Can I have a large apple pie with a glass of OJ please? Oh sorry, I'm in the wrong place."

"What are you hiding?"

"Settle down, settle down!" called Trixie to the crowd below, who kept shouting and questioning regardless. "CALM DOWN, all of you!" she yelled, summoning a small flash of lightning with her own magic to help make her point.

The little thunderstorm had its desired effect, and most of the crowd backed down, waiting for Trixie to give her explanation. Looking skyward for a few moments, drawing a deep breath and putting on her stage persona, Trixie spoke.

"My fellow ponies! It is indeed true that The Great and Powerful Trixie is booked to astound any of you fortunate enough to be at next week's Gala! And what is more, the publishers of this... document... seem to have made an error! Trixie will be there, and she highly recommends YOU be there too!" she bellowed, before turning impressively and teleporting off the balcony in a puff of purple smoke.

Rematerializing inside the apartment and using her horn to shut the doors, Trixie heard the crowd's cheers for a short while, gradually dwindling as the sated ponies began to disperse. Trixie stood, her head hanging, as a stunned Leech approached her.

"But Trixzzie! How do you plan to do Gala show without better magiczz than Trixzzie'zz own?" he asked. "Not that Trixzzie'zz natural magiczz are bad of courzze, but...um...er..."

"It's OK Leech, I understand what you mean." Trixie replied after a short silence. "The answer is - it's time for Plan B!"

"There'zz a Plan B?" asked Leech.

"Indeed. Leech, I'm going out for a short while. I'll be at Canterlot Castle library if you need me. Meanwhile if you see that Tattle-Tale pass by, tell him he's messed with the wrong pony!" she ordered, before donning her floral disguise and dashing from the apartment.

"Leech will do better than that..." Leech whispered darkly, waiting until Trixie was gone before pushing the balcony doors open and taking to the mauve evening skies.

----------

A short flight and a shorter sprint across Canterlot soon brought Leech to his destination - the Canterlot Chronicle offices. He knew Tattle-Tale often worked late, so was fairly certain the vile unicorn would still be in his office. Standing outside the building, rapidly inhaling and exhaling to get himself suitably hyped-up, Leech burst through the front door and flew straight up the stairwell. Landing when he reached the correct floor, he hurtled down a corridor and stopped for a few seconds outside Tattle-Tale's office. Just as he prepared to buck the door open, Leech's berseker rage was swiftly interrupted by the door being opened by unicorn magic. Tattle-Tale sat smugly at his desk, his horn's glow fading as he finished opening the door.

"Took ya longer dan I expected!" he said to Leech. "Come on in!"

"Don't act friendly with Leech!" spat the incensed changeling, storming into the office.

"Let me guess, you've come here ta clean my clock?" sneered Tattle-Tale.

"Leech doezzn't care how dirty Tattle-Tale'zz clock izz!" growled Leech, looking at the clock on the office wall. "Yezz, it could do with a duzzting, but Leech izz hear to teach Tattle zzsome rezzpect! You zzspread falzze rumor about Trixzzie!"

"Yup. An' I can do a buckload more dan dat if I feel like it! Dat little article was a warnin' shot, just ta show ya I'm not foolin' around! Take a look-see at dese!" continued Tattle-Tale, levitating a ream of photographs from a nearby drawer and holding them in front of Leech.

Leech gasped as he beheld the pictures - a sequence of shots showing him de-disguising in the alleyway the previous night. After a minute or two, Leech realized that the white flashes that accompanied his transformation must have been Tattle-Tale's camera.

"So, what'll it be?" asked Tattle-Tale. "I could print dese babies tomorra, and show da woild that Trixie shunned Fancy Pants' little party, sendin' you instead! Or maybe I could just publish dis mid transformation shot an' tell everypony Trixie's really a changelin'! Dat would get da tongues of Canterlot waggin'!" he continued, his grin becoming wider with each word.

Leech gasped, taking an involuntary step backwards in horror. Given how Trixie had been the previous night, Leech shuddered to think how mad she'd be at him if she discovered he'd been caught changing his form like that in public! Then she really would get rid of him, or maybe even worse! Plus, Tattle-Tale was right - he really did hold Trixie and Leech's destinies in the flat of his hoof.

"So, I tink you know where dis is goin'." Tattle-Tale said, breaking the silence. "You do a few small tasks fer me, an' I'll turn over da pictures and da negatives!"

"Leech... acczzeptzz your termzz." Leech replied sadly.

"Great. Meet me after woik tomorra, and we can get started!" said Tattle-Tale with his widest grin yet. "Now clear on outta here!"

----------

At the castle library, Trixie was having a decidedly better time than her unique friend. Seated amid the silent rows of dusty tomes, the only sounds being the occasional voices of ponies as they drifted past the closed library door, Trixie's snout was buried in a large, ancient-looking book. The book was called 'MacGuffin's Guide to Magical Artifacts', and was a reference guide for all kinds of legendary magic-enhancing trinkets. One page that had caught Trixie's interest was a page that detailed an exceptionally powerful magic charm known as the 'Alicorn Amulet'. It showed a picture of a gray, triangular amulet adorned with a diamond-shaped ruby in its center. A black-and-red metal alicorn head and wings extended from the top of the amulet, and a thick collar was attached to the amulet's back to allow a pony to wear it. Enthralled by the amulet's imposing appearance, Trixie read on about the amulet's abilities and history:

The powerful Alicorn Amulet was forged by the hooves of the Royal Sisters, Celestia and Luna, many centuries ago. Crafted from a magically-enhanced alloy of finest silver and steel, the amulet's real power lies within the enchanted ruby that resides in its center.

The amulet was created during a time of unrest in Equestria, when certain high-profile unicorn clans abused their powers in order to gain status and personal wealth. The corrupt unicorns used their unique magical abilities to commit crimes against Earth ponies, pegasi, and even lesser unicorn clans. Theft, destruction of property, and ponies being driven from their homes were rife during this feudal era, and it seemed that nopony could stop these rampaging unicorns from terrorizing the land.

These unicorns were eventually challenged - and defeated - by the Royal Sisters, and imprisioned within the Crystal Caves beneath Canterlot. They numbered in their hundreds - far too many to keep underground indefinitely. Though the Royal Sisters were vehemently against execution, they required a method by which to punish these unicorns for their crimes, and also make them harmless to others before their release. The Alicorn Amulet was their solution - the enchanted ruby in the center was capable of permanently depowering a unicorn, drawing in and storing their magical energy within the gem.

After depowering all of the wicked unicorn clan members, they were released back into society, unable to hurt anypony with their magic again. However their combined magical energy remained stored within the Alicorn Amulet. It is said that anypony who wears the amulet can access this stored energy and use it to augment their own. It is estimated that around five hundred unicorns were depowered with the amulet before it became filled to capacity.

"The power of five hundred unicorns!" breathed Trixie. "Just imagine how truly great and powerful I would be with that!"

Trixie continued to read:

Knowing such power could be extremely dangerous in the wrong hooves, the Royal Sisters took turns at wearing the Alicorn Amulet around their own necks, in order to keep it safe. To further protect the amulet, the collar on which it is mounted was imbued with a magical lock, that would only open when whichever Princess wearing the amulet wanted it to. Although the sisters could handle the energies contained within, a regular unicorn using the amulet would...

"Yeah yeah, blah blah. Where can I find it?" muttered Trixie, her eyes wandering off the page and onto the next. "Ah, here we are! The good part!"

After the banishment of Princess Luna, Celestia's duties and responsibilities as ruler increased exponentially. As such, she no longer had the resources to perform her duties, whilst at the same time keeping a constant guard over the Alicorn Amulet. She initially attempted to destroy the amulet, but the energies within were potent enough to make it indestructible. Instead, it was hidden in a place where Celestia believed it would never be found. Nopony knows for sure where the amulet is located, although its last known location was in the former Castle of The Royal Sisters, in what is now the Everfree Forest.

"Very well then." said Trixie with a smile, closing the book and standing up. "I guess that's where I'll start!"

Comments

[PointlessGizmo]

Ugh... an entire conversation in phonetically typed accents. Why do I keep doing this to myself? And more to the point, why do I keep doing it do the readers?

[Mr. Grimm]

Oh dear... I feel things are going to get much worse... Much, much worse...

Like, leading up to something like this kind of worse... Incidentally, I always kind of believed Leech's and Trixie's relationship to be similar to these two:

[Karna]

Tattle-Tale, you done goofed.

Getting Leech to work for you is even worse for what you're trying to accomplish than asking "What could possibly go wrong?" or saying "Things can't possibly get any worse."

You're begging for abject humiliation, over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over!

[Zephyrus Scary]

Well, Tattle-Tale sure is moving quickly! Though I wonder if forcing Leech to work for him was a wise move on his part...

[kingtiger666]

[Dusty the Royal Janitor]

So, I suppose that this is now officially an alternate universe then? Given how the context in which the Alicorn Amulet is introduced is so different from the show?

[Themaskedferret]

1753670 Not necessarily. They never really explain how Trixie learns of the amulet, and just because the book says it's in the castle doesn't mean she won't find it with the trader.

[metallusionsismagic]

Somewhere in the back of the crowd, somepony is shouting, "Stout Shako for two refined!"
1753670 Nah, Odsin End's shop shares a building with a restaurant formerly known as the Castle of The Royal Sisters Bar & Tavern, now under new management and called The Everfree Forest Brewhaus. Their specialty is the MacGuffin Burger for griffons- "If it's not made by Scottish lions, it's not a MacGuffin Burger!"
(Edited in light of griffon ancestry.)

[PointlessGizmo]

1753670

Patience, young Jedi. All I'm doing at the moment is giving the amulet an origin, since the episode didn't bother.

[Blue_Paladin42]

1754662
Hey, they are using my name to make trope-burgers!

[RK_Striker_JK_5]

Ooh, I need to go kill Tattle-Tale. Like right now. *Targets him and shoots him through the head* There, all done.

And the Amulet? Not good!

[-Serpent-]

TRIXIE, NO!!!!!