December 13th, 6:27 P.M., City of Manehattan
What am I? Trixie thought as she stared at the fractured image in the glass. She wasn't entirely sure what to make of what she saw, but she could see a ragged mare, with a swollen lip and bags under her eyes. She didn't look happy. If I'm not meant for the stage, then what am I? Who am I? Trixie ran her hoof over the cracked surface of the glass, drawing away with a start when she knocked loose a corner of the mirror. She stared at the shard that had fallen, transfixed by it. Am I just a broken mirror? Some worthless curio tossed into an alley, with no hope of being whole again? With a quiet sniffle, Trixie picked up the shard with her magic, examining it as tears began to well in her eyes. With a melancholy smile, she placed the glass back into the corner it had fallen from. "There," she mused, "not so broken now....All your pieces are together, but nopony can see the whole picture...." She rested her head against the broken mirror, her smile vanishing. "....because of all the faults." She closed her eyes, sobbing defeated sobs. I know your pain, little broken mirror. I'm no good to anypony anymore, so I've no choice but to rot in this alleyway. She cried for a long minute, then, with a shaky sigh, drew away from the mirror, gazing upon the poor mare once more. Now, she could see her own tears, falling down the cheeks of whoever it was she saw in this fractured mirror. This mare, mane knotted and eyes bloodshot, was a pitiful sight to see. She obviously was down on her luck, the world's pressures too much to handle. Trixie's sobs worsened, as she was just now coming to grips with who it was she saw. That poor mare....the one who looks so sad...is me. Trixie buried her head in her hooves, trying to muffle her wailing. This is what I've become. A street rat. A worthless, good-for-nothing broken mirror. She fell to her side, her sobs weakening. What went wrong? What did I do to deserve this? She pulled her hooves away from her face, staring coldly as her head rested on the filthy concrete, then whispered to herself, "How have the cracks spread so far?"
"Huh?! What?!" Trixie stammered as she was jolted from her sleep. She was quickly on her hooves, alert as she glanced about the alleyway. She found nopony in her 'temporary home.' Putting a hoof to her cheek, where she had felt a sharp chill, she panted, then glanced to the skies, seeing that snow had begun to fall. "Oh...snow..." Trixie said between breaths. To compose herself, she gulped back her panicked breathing, then trotted out of the alley, moving to a sidewalk where large crowds of ponies were walking to wherever they needed to be. She smiled at a passerby, only for him to hold high his nose with a disgusted harrumph.
"Homeless ponies. Honestly." He murmured, doing away with Trixie's smile. Trixie dropped to her haunches, eyes gleaming as she watched the ponies of Manehatten walk by, many pretending like Trixie wasn't even there. Trixie tried to stop the few who would spare her a pitying glance with a hopeful smile, but along they went, too busy to cater to her.
Why am I doing this? They didn't care about me then, why should they now? Trixie thought. She sighed, sliding a hoof along the ground to turn back into the alleyway. Clink. Trixie paused when her hoof hit something metallic. She picked it up with her magic, finding it to be a rusty mug riddled with dents. Trixie looked it over for a moment, then glanced to the busy ponies that walked the sidewalks outside the alley. With a sharp inhale, Trixie stood, holding out the mug with her magic. "Spare some change?" She asked, having to ask strangers for money deeply painful. "Spare any change for a magician down on her luck?" Although many ignored her, as she expected, the occasional generous gentlecolt would toss a bit or two to Trixie, which would cause her to laugh with joy and shout after them, "Celestia bless you!" Although she only ever received an indifferent shrug or a dismissive nod in response, Trixie meant what she said. She wasn't going to be a diva now, of all times.
After a solid hour of begging, Trixie was thrilled to find that she had filled her rusty mug a little more than halfway. She retreated into the alleyway, seating herself and breathing hot breath onto her hooves as she rubbed them together. Trixie emptied the contents of her mug onto the concrete, a giddy grin on her lips as she excitedly counted out the bits she'd collected. Totaling out to sixteen in all, Trixie jumped for joy, returning the coins to her mug. "Enough for a hot meal!" She chimed, merrily skipping out of the alleyway with her money magically in tow.
After pushing her way through the sea of ponies both coming and going, and having successfully fended off those determined to swipe her cash, Trixie arrived at a far less crowded boulevard. She scanned fervently for her goal, then squealed with elation when she spotted it: the carrot dog stand. Trixie arrived at the short line for her first decent meal all day, anxiously trotting in place and noisily smacking her lips. Although this disconcerted the ponies ahead of her in line considerably, they didn't express their displeasure beyond a simple scoff or impatient shake of the head. The line seemed to crawl by from Trixie's perspective, but it was worth the wait when she finally stood before the stand, first in line.
With an airy grin and a lucid shine in her eyes, Trixie meekly began, "Hello, sir. I'd like one-"
"I'm so sorry to interrupt," began the gruff, bristly, voice of a stallion from out the blue, "but I need to have a word with Twinkle Hooves here." Trixie's heart sank upon hearing the voice. With a weak gulp, she turned her head to see the pony it belonged to. She was met with a meaty snout, breathing rancid breath. Trixie tried to scramble away, throwing her foreleg over her mouth, but a burly hoof caught her by the mane, dragging her out of line as she yelled and thrashed. Much to her dismay, the thug "escorted" her over to the nearest empty alley without being disturbed in any way. With a guttural grunt, the thug threw her to the ground. Trixie, curling up and quaking in fear, held close her mug filled with bits and put a ginger hoof on her scalp, where her mane had been viciously pulled at. Only able to muster shallow gasps, Trixie looked over the thug, finding him to be just who she had feared running into on the streets. He stood stocky and sneering, his violet eyes seeming to ripple, his sooty gray coat bending to accent his muscular physique.
With a flustered sigh, the stallion ran a hoof through his crop-cut blue mane, then asked without a measure of politeness, "What's the fricken hold up, Twinkle Hooves?"
Trixie blinked a few times, then nervously stammered, "Are y-you talking about the m-money?"
"Nah, I'm talkin' about ya letters. Ya never writes to me no more." He backhoofed Trixie, snorting with malcontent. "Of course I'm talkin' about the money."
Trixie quivered as she held a hoof to her cheek, weakly mumbling, "Iron Sides...you hit me...I thought...I-I thought you were above violence..."
Iron Sides rolled his shoulders, gritting his teeth in frustration. "Well...I don't crack skulls as a hobby, but when Gold Tooth is pissed, he's pissed. That means ya better fork over what ya owe him, real pronto-like."
Trixie bit her lip, a wary look on her face as she glanced to her mug, which contained only a scant sixteen bits. "How much do I how him, pray tell?"
"Oh, I'd say you're out about seven grand." Iron Sides answered bluntly, scowling at the mug Trixie held at her side. "How much ya got on ya?"
"S...S..." Trixie tensed, then jumped up and turned to dash away. Iron Sides was too fast, however, as he stomped down on her tail, foiling Trixie's escape. Iron Sides bit down on Trixie's tail, then jerked her back, the frightened mare landing with a startled yelp.
Iron Sides held Trixie by the chin, bringing her face close to his. "How much ya got?"
Trixie panted, struggling to free herself. "Seven thousand is but a dent in Gold Tooth's wealth! Why is he so insistent on collecting from me?"
Iron Sides pinned Trixie to a wall by the throat, Trixie coughing weakly and frantically scratching at Iron Sides's foreleg. "The money itself ain't important, really. Gold Tooth operates more through respect, ya see." Iron Sides ran his tongue over his teeth, puffing a hot exhale on Trixie, causing the unicorn to gasp and shudder. "Surprisingly, he's been real lenient with yas. Month outta work, and this is the first time he's sent a heavy ya way. But when he can't collect, no matter who he's fixin' to collect from, it looks bad on him. Real bad. In his world, lookin' bad is about the worst thing that can happen to a fella."
"Appearances? Big-time crime lords are concerned with vanity?" Trixie stole a single triumphant "Ha!" before Iron Sides pressed harder on her throat, cutting off her breathing.
"Look, I'm gettin' tired of this crap. Either yas got the money, or ya don't. So do ya?" Trixie tried to force away Iron Sides's hoof with her magic, but his physical strength was too great. Unsure what to do, she dumped the contents of her mug onto the ground, the coins clinking against each other as they clattered onto the pavement.
Iron Sides stared coldly at what Trixie had to offer, then released her, the mare swallowing air desperately as she fell, curling up and coughing quietly. "This is just splendid." Iron Sides said, flicking aside a lone bit with an annoyed scowl. "Fricken fantastic. How much have ya got here?"
"Sixteen." Trixie answered, looking to Iron Sides with a pleading look in her eye. "Sixteen bits. Please...have mercy..."
Iron Sides rolled his neck, staring at Trixie blankly. "Sorry, toots. Gold Tooth said to 'convince' ya to get the money if ya didn't have it already."
Trixie's lower lip quivered, her eyes glassy. "Please...don't..."
"'Tacky?!' You dare to call any possession of the Great and Powerful Trixie tacky?!" Trixie shouted, slamming the counter. Many eyes in the lobby were turned to her, the receptionist behind the desk scowling furiously at Trixie.
"Ma'am, there is no need to overreact like that." The receptionist scolded, pointing at Trixie with fire in her eyes. "Furthermore, it was your choice to apply here while dressed in a magician's getup. If you can't take criticism for such a choice, then you probably shouldn't be wearing that in the first place."
"Unthinkable! Unfathomable!" Trixie put her hoof across her forehead to enhance her drama. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is a born performer! To demand she cast off her fabulous ensemble is like demanding she cast off her very skin! The Great and-"
"Stop it!" Barked the receptionist, slamming the counter with a great deal more force than Trixie. "If you're just gonna go on a tirade like some nut job, then you can turn your sparkly ass around and walk out of here right now!"
Trixie gasped, horrified. "Unacceptable! You should feel deeply honored that the Great and Powerful Trixie has even considered employment at this shoddy hotel! Your heinous slander of Trixie is nothing short of atrocious!"
The receptionist calmly pressed a button on her desk, speaking into a microphone in a pleasant, almost singsong voice, "Security to the lobby. Please escort the cerulean mare dressed as a magician out of the lobby."
Trixie jumped up on the counter, her horn glowing and her teeth bared. "The very notion that you would even consider forcefully removing the Great and Powerful Trixie from anywhere is outrageous! Trixie demands she be hired immediately!" A pair of overbearing pegasus stallions arrived shortly after being called in, hooking their forelegs under Trixie's. "Just what do you think you're doing?! Release me at once! You'll be sorry for this! You'll pay!" With this, Trixie was thrown a remarkable distance out the front door of the hotel. The hotel she'd attempted to get hired at as a bellhop.
Picking herself up and dusting herself off, Trixie muttered profanities to herself as she trudged back to her current home, deprecated and frustrated. "Refuse my service, will they?" Trixie whispered to herself. "I'll show them! When I regain my stardom, I'll amount to the greatest of riches. I'll use that money to buy the place. Yes! Then I'll fire each of them! Each and every one!" Trixie laughed to herself, continuing to elaborate on her plan aloud as she trotted along. Many concerned and even disturbed glances were sent her way.
Trixie paraded down the hallway of the apartment complex she'd arrived at, a smug grin on her face and an air of confidence about her. She hummed happily, her eyes closed as she bobbled her head and trotted toward the apartment she was staying at. She knocked at the door, still humming. Her humming faded, and led into silence as there was still no answer at the door. Trixie opened her eyes, scowling at the unopened door, but she was taken aback by the note she found posted there. She rubbed at her eyes, then gave the note a thorough read. "...eviction?" Trixie read aloud. "She's been evicted...that means..." Trixie slammed her hoof against the door, angered as she added, "I'm evicted as well!" Trixie stormed down the hall and into the lobby as fast as equinely possible. Trixie singled out the receptionist, stomping over to her with huffing breath and wide eyes.
"Can I help you, miss...?" The receptionist asked, clearly a bit off put by Trixie's silent hostility.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie demands an explanation for the eviction of her hostess and roommate, Leafy Green!" Trixie shouted in response.
"Leafy Green, Leafy Green..." The receptionist stared off into space, her lips pursed in thought, "...room 4B, right?"
"Yes!" Trixie answered, impatient as can be. "As of now, Leafy Green is not within room 4B, or anywhere near this apartment complex. Why has she been evicted?!"
The receptionist rolled her eyes, looking as if she were drawing a blank, then mumbled, "All I know is that the police said that nopony should be concerned over it."
"Nopony should be concerned?!" Trixie stomped her front hooves, growling with annoyance. "That's my current home! Without Leafy, I have no means by which to remain in the apartment."
"Well, you could always pay the rent yourself." The receptionist suggested, grinning acutely.
Trixie pouted, a somewhat shameful gaze turned to the floor. "About that...uh...would you happen to know where Leafy is now?"
The receptionist shrugged, looking a bit on edge as she answered, "Something about the witness protection program, I think..."
"Witness protection program?" Trixie shook her head, her fury rekindled. "Trixie saw her this morning! How can the police move in on a crime and clean it all up so quickly without Trixie knowing about it?"
The receptionist scanned the lobby, then motioned for Trixie to lean over the counter. Puzzled, Trixie did just this, the receptionist whispering in her ear, "Don't tell anyone, but I think old Leafy Green was in it with some of the top dogs of Equestria's crime syndicates. They probably removed her from the building discreetly so as not to alert any of those syndicates."
"Preposterous!" Trixie shouted, the receptionist frantically throwing her hooves over the unicorn's mouth.
"Not so loud! No telling what'll happen to the likes of us if they know we know anything!"
Trixie swatted away the mare's hooves, asking dryly, "Just who is 'they?'"
The receptionist nibbled at the tip of her hoof, then whispered, "You know. Them."
Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Them?"
The receptionist sighed, dire as she whispered, "The G-O-" Out of the corner of her eye, the receptionist could see a police stallion wander through the front door. With a quiet gasp, she continued (rather boisterously), "G-E-T-T-H-E-M!" Trixie and the police stallion both gave the receptionist confused looks, as she was now standing on her chair with her front hooves outstretched. She nervously glanced from the cop to Trixie and back, sweat rolling down her cheeks, then she pointed at Trixie and shouted, "That spells 'go get them!' So go get 'em!" She laughed nervously, cleared her throat, then collapsed back into her seat.
While Trixie studied the receptionist with great perplexity, the police stallion stepped beside her, stating bluntly, "I'm here to see a unicorn by the name of Trixie."
"That would be me." Trixie said, puzzled as to why a police stallion would be seeking her out. "Is there a problem, officer?"
The officer turned a glare to Trixie, stern as he said, "You're to come with me. We need a few questions answered down at the station."
Trixie pursed her lips, eyeing the officer with fear. "What kind of questions?" The officer's glare became firmer as he pointed to the door without looking away from Trixie. Trixie gulped, proceeding out the exit as instructed, then asked again, "What sort of questions will you be asking me?"
"Oh, I'm sure you know already." The officer said, his gaze never leaving Trixie.
"Uh...right..." Trixie glanced about warily, then pointed in a random direction with a gasp, shouting, "Sweet Celestia! A hate crime!" The officer turned to look at the crime, only to discover that he'd been fooled. The officer looked back to Trixie with a snarl, finding that she had already taken off.
"Halt! In the name of the law!" He took off after her, Trixie running as fast she could to escape him.
"Tragic, isn't it?" Asked somepony from behind Trixie, startling the mare to her hooves.
"Who...are you?" She asked, rubbing frantically at the tear stains on her cheeks. "What do you want?"
"Money. Power. Mares." He shrugged, cocking his head. "Just the basics, really."
"No, no, no!" Trixie said, shaking her head. "What do you want from me? I don't have any money, and-"
"Relax," the stallion interrupted, his smile rather charming despite how unappealing the rest of his features were, "I don't want anything from you. Just needed to tell you something."
"Tell me what, exactly?" Trixie asked, sounding fearful.
"You seem really on edge." Astutely observed the stallion, his eyebrow raised. "Perhaps you haven't eaten in a while?"
Trixie frowned, hanging her head. "Well, I haven't eaten very much lately."
"Then today is your lucky day!" Trixie's interest was piqued by the stallion's declaration. "Just a couple blocks down this avenue," he nodded to the sidewalk, pointing to the left, "in a little worn-out building, a group of equinitarian workers have prepared free food for all the transients."
"Free food?!" Trixie asked in disbelief, her lips curled into a beam. "Where are they?"
"Just start down the avenue and keep going." Answered the stallion, returning Trixie's smile. "You can't miss it!"
"Oh, thank you so much!" Trixie shouted, briefly hugging the stallion and bursting out of the alley. The pegasus watched her go, then strode over to the cracked mirror that lay on the ground. He picked it up, studying his fractured reflection, then chuckled with dark satisfaction.
"All according to plan." He turned and threw the mirror at the wall, cackling with sinister glee as the glass shattered and fell to the concrete in shards. "All according to plan."
December 13th, 6:43 P.M., City of Manehattan, Nameless recreation center
"Here you go!" Chimed a gray pegasus as she draped a patchwork quilt over a solemn mare. "We'll get you some stew right away." The now cloaked mare sniffed, then nodded curtly in response. The pegasus giggled, then flew off, headed towards the portable stoves she and the other volunteers had brought inside to cook and keep warm the stew for the homeless ponies of Manehattan. Landing in front of one of the stoves, she smiled at the earth pony who was busily stirring the large stew pot. "Heya, Red Beet! The stew ready yet?"
Red was about to answer, but a more shrill voice shouted over him, calling, "Derpy!" Derpy spun to face the pony calling for her, her flank colliding with the stew pot and bumping it off its burner. Red Beet was just fast enough to throw his hooves under it and prevent a spill, but this earned him burns on both hooves. With a yelp, he practically tossed the pot back onto the burner, attending to his burns by blowing on them furiously.
"What do you need?" Derpy called back, oblivious to Red Beet's plight.
"We're running short on bowls!" The mare replied. "I need you to make a run for more!"
"Okay, but I don't have any money on me!"
"Well, I'll give you some! Just get over here!" The mare was clearly short on patience.
"Okay!" Derpy glanced to Red Beet with a smile, but lost that smile when she saw him blowing on his hooves. She turned to him, solicitous as she said, "You've got to be careful, Red. These stoves can get really hot." She turned and took off to meet with the mare who had called for her. Red froze, staring blankly at Derpy as she flew through the room. He hung his head, sighing, then returned to cooling down his hooves with his breath.
Derpy landed with a salute, stern as she said, "I'll get those bowls pronto!"
The unicorn who called her over halted in her stitching, standing with a groan. "You know where you're going then?" She turned to Derpy, her skinny legs lightly trembling.
"Uh..." Derpy stared at the ceiling with one eye and at the unicorn's hooves with the other. "The nearest market?"
"Which is where?" The unicorn raised an eyebrow, her thin lips drawn into a knowing smile.
"Um..." Derpy's hoof moved from her forehead to her chin. "I think I saw one down the street..."
The unicorn chuckled, levitating a withered brown bag off the floor and opening it with a click. From the old-fashioned coin purse she produced twenty bits, which she placed in the small fanny pack that Derpy was wearing. "You'll find bowls at a little shop on the corner of Trotway Boulevard and Fetlock Lane."
"I knew where it was!" Derpy muttered, angrily pawing the floor.
"Of course you did." Mused the unicorn, brushing a lock of mane that would make straw look lush out of her face. "Just be careful out there."
Derpy nodded, taking to the air. "Can do, mother!" She jetted for the nearby doorway, meeting the stone wall above the door with a solid thunk. She remained plastered there for a moment, then fell in a heap. Unmatched in resilience, however, Derpy was swiftly on her hooves and out the door. Her mother shook her head with a small grin, then sat and resumed her stitching.
Derpy strained to keep a hold of the grill on the "portable" stove, her wings beating frantically as she ground her teeth. On the other end of the stove, Red Beet held the stove's grill by his teeth, looking less distraught than the pegasus assisting him. The two moved the stove to the other end of the room, Derpy's mother nodding and saying, "Right there's good." With a relieved exhale, Derpy dropped her end of the stove, the frame clanging and bouncing as it struck the floor. Red Beet flinched at this, but wasn't harmed. He set his end down gently, stepping away from the stove with a scowl directed at Derpy. "Alright. Better get that hooked up, Red." Derpy's mother hobbled over to the stove, a canister with a nozzle atop it hovering beside her. She set the canister beside the stove, Red Beet moving to connect it to a hose.
"You know," Derpy began, eyeing the canister (as best she could) with perplexity, "I've always wondered what those tanks are filled with."
Red finished connecting the hose and opening the nozzle, about to speak when Derpy's mother said, "Processed vegetable oil. Works like a charm." Red Beet sighed, nodding dejectedly.
"Oh." Derpy glanced to the stove, smiling. "Cool."
"Say, where's that punk who's supposed to be showing up for community service?" Derpy's mother asked, glancing to the door.
"Actually, I had a question about him." Derpy said, looking uneasy as her "gaze" turned to the door as well. "This guy we'll be working with...isn't he here because he broke a law?"
"Yes, that's why he's here." Answered Derpy's mother, sounding a bit cross. "There's no need to worry, though; a police pony will be keeping watch on him while he works. He won't be able to pull anything with a guard on duty." Fwoosh! Derpy and her mother looked to Red Beet to find a triumphant smirk on his face. The source of the noise flickered below the grill: a ring of dim flame emanating from the burner. "Ah, good. Now we just need to get the utensils and ingredients in here, and we start on the stew." Click. Two ponies walked through the door of the rec center, one garbed in an orange jumpsuit and the other in a police officer's uniform. Derpy's mother looked to the former with a grin, standing before him with an air of dominance about her. Derpy and Red Beet watched in silence as she spoke coldly to him, saying, "So, you've gone and made a criminal of yourself, and now you're stuck working to right your wrongs?"
The scruffy pegasus ran his tongue over his teeth, his head kept down as he muttered, "You've got a lot of nerve, lady."
"Nerve?" Derpy's mother laughed at this, jerking the prisoner's head up with her magic. "Nerve is for the daring and the adventurous. What I have is called tenacity."
The convict ground his teeth, his eyes locked on her's. His tone reflected his displeasure as he said, "Just tell me what I'm supposed to do, and let's get this over with."
Derpy's mother raised an eyebrow, amused. "Eager to get started, are you? Alright." From seemingly out of nowhere, a splintery broom flew at the convict. He shouted curses as the shaft caught his nose, stumbling away from Derpy's mother with a glare. She cocked her head, a pleased smirk donning on her lips, then said, "You can start by sweeping this place up. It hasn't been in use for a while, so expect to come across a lot of clutter and cobwebs." The convict retained his glare for a long moment, then glanced to the broom. He snatched it off the ground in his teeth and got to work sweeping away the dirt and bits of garbage that littered the floor. Derpy's mother scoffed, surprised by how easily she had put the convict to work.
The officer accompanying him stepped forward, nodding to the convict as she said, "Nice to see you aren't afraid to be forceful with his type, Miss Haberdashery. I'm glad we sent him your way."
"Well, it's always nice to have an extra set of helping hooves." She said with a smile, sounding less like a taskmaster and more like a grandmother.
Hooves slathered with ointment and wrapped in bandages, Red Beet returned to his stew, glancing to the column of bowls stacked beside the stove. He gasped, however, when he found there were none left. He scanned the transients that had gathered inside, and breathed a quiet sigh of relief upon discovering they had all been provided for. He looked around for Haberdashery, then was about to call for her when the front doors burst open, a mare dressed in an extravagant blue cloak and hat riddled with stars. Her eyes were perfect indication of her hunger as she exchanged looks with the many perplexed transients that looked her way. When her gaze finally settled on the steaming pot of stew, she beamed with a joy beyond anything Red Beet had ever seen. She rushed over to the stove, drool already spilling from the tip of her tongue as it hung limp from her mouth. After realizing that she was actually panting in anticipation of her meal, Trixie's face went blank, then she withdrew her tongue and shook her head. After composing herself and taking on a nobler air, she asked, "Could I trouble you for a bowl of stew?"
"Uh-" Red glanced to the space where the bowls had been, uncomfortable with having to tell this starved mare to wait for her food, but before he could say a thing, Derpy Hooves exploded through the doors, holding a tall stack of paper bowls in her hooves as she fluttered over to the stove.
"They were all out of spoons, but they had plenty of bowls." Derpy said, setting the stack beside Red Beet. She looked to Trixie, starting upon noticing her for the first time. "Uh...hope you don't mind eating without a spoon."
Trixie, completely oblivious to Derpy's apparent confusion, nodded furiously. "No, not at all! Just give Trixie her bowl of stew, and she'll be satisfied!" Red shot a cheeky glance Derpy's way, his look emphasizing the amusement given him by Trixie. He took a bowl from the top of the stack, then ladled stew into it, graciously presenting it to Trixie. Conversely, Trixie grabbed it away with her hooves, attacking it as a dog would attack its dinner. She fell to her haunches as she slurped and gobbled, juice dripping from the bowl as she buried her face in it. Derpy and Red both looked stunned by this, but didn't dare to interrupt Trixie's feast, for fear of becoming a part of it.
"I've got all this material for making quilts and blankets," began Haberdashery, none too pleased with current situation, "and the cots that got donated aren't even here yet."
Derpy shrugged, glancing to the entrance of the rec center. "Maybe the ponies delivering them got caught up in traffic?"
"Ah, traffic." Haberdashery sputtered, a sour look on her face. "I remember back when carts could get where they needed to be when they needed to be there. Now we've got these huge cities, and all the ponies that live in them. I say it should go back to the old days, when towns were simple and friendly. None of this packing tight garbage."
Derpy grinned at her mother, saying, "Mom, you're not even fifty. Save the stories for Dinky."
Haberdashery got a chuckle out of this, ruffling her daughter's mane. "Fine, fine. She seems to like them better, anyway."
Approaching Haberdashery, the convict dropped the broom, saying, "I'm done. What now?" Haberdashery scanned the newly swept floor of the rec center, laughing with surprise.
"Well I'll be!" She mused, slapping his shoulder, the convict glaring at her hoof. "You've actually done a good job!"
"Yeah. What do I do now?" He asked, none too gracefully shoving away Haberdashery's hoof.
"You see that big silver cooking pot we've got over by the stove?" She asked, nodding to the pot she was referring to. "I'll need you to fill it up with water from a little faucet in the backroom, and then bring it back to the stove. Think you can handle that?" The convict turned with a grunt, stomping over to the pot and snatching it up with his teeth.
"I'd better go back there with him." Reasoned the policemare as she followed the convict to the room with the faucet. "Keep him out of trouble."
"Good thinking." Haberdashery said, smirking as she eyed the convict. The two disappeared into the backroom, and Derpy Hooves finally approached her mother, looking intrigued.
"I'm surprised. He didn't complain once." Derpy said, sounding more suspicious than impressed.
"Nope. Can't imagine what he got busted for." Haberdashery brushed back her mane. "With a little attitude change, he'd be a real gentlecolt."
"Well, that, and a little appearance change." Derpy added, grinning sheepishly. "I think he's kind of scary looking."
Haberdashery chuckled, saying, "Can't judge a book by its cover, dear."
Derpy "rolled" her eyes, meaning one went down while the other went up in an irritated fashion. "Yeah, yeah."
Trixie pulled her face out of the bowl, sighing a content sigh. "Delectable!" She held the bowl inches in front of Red Beet's face, asking with a small grin, "Could I have some more?"
"More?!" Red asked in response, his eyes wide.
"That'll be your fourth bowl!" Derpy pointed out, hovering just above the stew pot to get a better look inside. "Other ponies have gotta eat, you know."
"Oh, okay." Trixie withdrew her bowl with a pout, then gasped, pointing at a corner of the ceiling. "What's that?!" Derpy and Red Beet looked to the corner while Trixie magically seized the ladle, filling her bowl once more and allowing the ladle to fall to the ground as she dashed away with a giggle.
"Hey!" Derpy shouted, flying after her, keeping low to the ground. She came up on Trixie's side, then spun to stand in her path. Her momentum, however, carried her backwards along the floor. With a shriek, she tripped over a sleeping transient, falling hard on her back. Trixie snickered at Derpy's spill, then took off running once more. Derpy rolled over, standing with a groan. She glared in Trixie's direction, then flew after her once more.
The chase continued for a surprisingly long time, considering how little space there was within the rec center. Trixie was just nimble enough to avoid Derpy's advances, and the pegasus was quickly losing steam. Derpy landed, panting, Trixie looking over her shoulder and shouting, "Is the Great and Powerful Trixie too fast for you?" Trixie looked forward again, laughing merrily, but an unexpected magical tug on her magician's hat covered her eyes. Panicked and unable to stop herself, Trixie stumbled about, having no idea what direction she was headed in. Trixie's mad dash came to a halt as she collided with a stretched blanket, collapsing and becoming entangled in it. Thrashing about, she stuck her head out of the blanket, an expression of rage on her face as she looked up at an elderly unicorn who was smiling back.
The unicorn standing over Trixie glanced to a levitating bowl of stew, which she set beside Trixie as she said, "No need to cause a ruckus." Trixie glanced to the stew, then, looking back to the elderly unicorn, pushed herself up, the blanket falling away from her to reveal her cape.
"I was only having a little fun..." Trixie muttered, levitating the stew bowl up to her mouth to cool it with her breath.
"Of course you were." Haberdashery said, her eyes turned upward. Trixie scoffed, then began on her fourth bowl of stew, her manner of eating more calm and civilized than her first, second, and third bowls.
Haberdashery eyed Trixie with curiosity, asking, "Where'd you get those costume pieces? They look to be in excellent condition."
"None of your business." Trixie mumbled as she drew away from the bowl, immediately returning to her eating afterwards. Haberdashery frowned, then plucked Trixie's hat off her head and began to examine it. Trixie, still preoccupied with her eating, took a moment to notice this, then reacted by grabbing the hat in her hooves, shouting, "Don't touch that! It's custom made!"
"Custom made?" Haberdashery cocked her head, confused. "That takes money. How were you able to afford it?"
"Well!" Trixie slapped her hat back on her head, standing abruptly and beginning for the door. "I don't have to answer that!"
"Sheesh." Haberdashery frowned at Trixie. "I was just asking you a question." Derpy landed beside her mother, looking puzzled.
"I'm not the only one who heard her say 'Great and Powerful Trixie,' right?" She asked, scrutinizing Trixie for a moment before the unicorn stormed out of the rec center.
"You think she was talking about herself?" Haberdashery asked, turning a grin to Derpy.
Derpy glanced to her mother, then nodded. "I need to go have a word with her." With a surprising lack of comedic accidents, Derpy flew out the door in pursuit of Trixie. "Hey! Wait up!"
Humming as he went about his work, Red Beet added a sprinkle of salt to the now bubbling stew pot. He set aside the shaker, then picked up his ladle, stirring the stew steadily. Having been assigned nothing else to do, the convict assisting him stood quietly, a sour look on his face as he sniffed and rubbed at his nose. Noticing that he was currently inactive, Haberdashery put down the tattered quilt she had been repairing, hurrying over to the convict and saying, "You look bored. How about you-"
"Say, lady," interrupted the convict, glancing to Haberdashery with a genuinely curious look on his face, "this stew is gonna be served to bums, right?"
Haberdashery scoffed, but nodded nonetheless, answering, "This stew will be served to the homeless and unemployed denizens of Manehattan, if that's what you're asking."
Nodding, the convict looked back to the stew. "I see."
Haberdashery cocked her head, bewildered. "You might be a little rough around the edges, but otherwise you don't seem all that criminal." He shrugged, sniffing again. Haberdashery hummed a note in thought, asking, "What did you even do to get yourself here?" The convict looked at Haberdashery with a scrupulous glare, about to say something when the policemare who had been keeping watch over him stepped beside him.
"I'm terribly sorry, but I must escort this stallion back to the station." The mare said, putting a hoof on his shoulder.
"Oh?" Haberdashery frowned at the officer. "He's only been here for about two hours. Why do you have to leave so early?"
"I know he was scheduled for more hours than this," the mare said apologetically, "but it's very important that I get him back to the station immediately." She tugged at the convict's jumpsuit collar, the stallion grunting his reluctance as he was escorted to the exit. "Sorry for the inconvenience, ma'am." Haberdashery and Red Beet both looked to the door with scowls as the policemare and convict disappeared through it.
"Well, now we're down to three." Haberdashery muttered. "Great."
Whistling as she trotted along, Derpy Hooves arrived at the little sink in the backroom of the rec center. She reached for the handle and turned it, a thin stream of water falling from the less than sparkling faucet. Derpy ceased her whistling, then twisted her neck in such a way that her face was facing the ceiling. She centered her head in the sink, the water pouring directly into her open mouth. She swallowed a few gulps, then was about to withdraw when one of her eyes spotted a peculiar object on the floor: a tiny glass vial. Derpy stared at it without moving from her drinking position for a moment, then untwisted her neck and drew away from the sink in one motion, her cheeks bulging with water as she closed the faucet. Derpy looked to the vial once more, swallowing and donning an observational scowl. She picked up the vial in one hoof while she stroked her chin with the other, holding the object high and examining it as best she could. Derpy hummed in thought, puzzled as to the purpose of this vial, but her attention was shattered by a shrill, "Derpy! Come here!" Derpy flinched upon being called for, the vial falling from her hoof and crashing to the ground. Derpy looked back to it just in time to watch it crash and break. She bit her lip, hovering a hoof over the pile of glass, but she was drawn away by another shrill, "Derpy Hooves! I need you in here!"
After nearly a hundred "Hey!"s and jabs to the shoulder from Derpy Hooves, Trixie finally snapped, "What?!"
Derpy jumped away from Trixie, startled, but said all the same, "You were ignoring me, so I was just trying to get your attention."
Trixie rubbed at her forehead, then shot a glare at Derpy. "Well, you have it now; what in Celestia's name could you possibly want?"
Derpy frowned, sounding aggravated as she said, "I was just wondering if I'd seen you before."
"Maybe you have, maybe you haven't." Trixie said, examining Derpy's eyes with disdain. "I'd have trouble remembering what I had and hadn't seen with eyes like that."
Derpy gasped, putting a hoof to her chest. "That's just rude!"
Trixie snorted, pointing at Derpy with the retort, "It's also rude to spend five minutes poking somepony's shoulder and shouting 'hey' over and over again!"
"Well I just wanted to talk with you, but you wouldn't say anything!" Derpy shouted, donning a fierce glare.
"Had you stopped to think that maybe I didn't want to talk to you?" Trixie asked, forcefully jabbing Derpy's chest. "That maybe I had better things to do?"
"Better things?" Derpy swatted away Trixie's hoof, her annoyance now becoming anger. "You were sitting there on the curb!"
"Oh, like I really wanted to go about my business with a pestering pegasus as my shadow!" Trixie said with a roll of the eyes.
"I was only pestering you to ask who you are!" Derpy shouted back, hovering and throwing her hooves on Trixie's shoulders. "You said something about 'The Great and Powerful Trixie,' but I've only ever heard that name in Ponyville." Trixie paled, her intense expression now replaced by a solemn thousand-yard stare. With a pained inhale, Trixie yanked away Derpy's hooves with her magic, then turned and began walking away. Derpy looked puzzled by this reaction, breaking the magical holds on her hooves with a tug on both of them. "Hey, wait up!" She called after Trixie, her rage quashed. She caught up to Trixie, but the mare kept a stern gaze turned forward. "So, are you Trixie? Are you the same performer from Ponyville?" Trixie stopped, but didn't respond immediately. After a moment, she looked to Derpy with despair in her eyes. Derpy grimaced at this, but was shocked when Trixie moaned in pain, collapsing to the ground. "Oh my gosh!" Derpy landed and flipped the already unconscious Trixie over, putting an ear to her chest. She sighed with relief when she heard a heartbeat, but she was still worried as she drew away, grabbing Trixie's head in her hooves. "Wake up!" She shook the magician's head, but Trixie remained silent and unresponsive. Derpy scanned the area for help, but found she and Trixie were alone. She looked the unicorn, then crouched beside her. With a great deal of effort, Derpy managed to hoist Trixie onto her back. Breathing a determined exhale, Derpy began for the hospital. Or at least the direction she thought the hospital to be in.
