> Outlaw Mares 1: A Hoof Full of Trixie
>  by Digodragon
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Prelude - Reflection
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	“Keep those hooves in the air, ponies!” the large griffon commanded as he backed slowly towards the door. The ponies within the bank lobby all complied out of fear, for they were at the mercy of the infamous griffon gangster Razor Rogers and his two griffon accomplices, Jet and Pascal. The griffons had strength and weapons on their side. They brandished heavy slingshots and steel ball bullets at the ponies.
Razor Roger was the first out the door. He glanced around quickly to ensure no cops were awaiting them. He was followed quickly by his two partners; the full sacks they carried clinked loudly of the coins within. As soon as all three griffons confirmed that the area was clear, they turned to the right and ran down the street toward their hideout. The weight of the loot they had stolen prevented them from flying, but it mattered little as they didn’t need to travel far before they would divvy up their ill-gotten cash and then split town entirely.

The griffons only crossed half a city-block worth of distance when Razor heard one of his accomplices hit the floor hard followed by the sound of a heavy sack of coins that had burst open upon impact. Razor spun around and saw Pascal was flat on the ground, unconscious. A torrential wave of coins spilled out across the sidewalk like an ocean wave. The coins stopped upon reaching Razor's lion-like feet.
A figure stood upon the knocked-out griffon. A female Unicorn with a brilliant azure fur coat and a beautiful, long mane of a stunning cornflower blue. She wore a long, flowing purple cape and a matching pointed hat patterned with gold and silver stars. The Unicorn smirked, flashing a light off her dark violet eyes. “If I were you, I’d give up now and save yourself a world of hurt.”

“Who are you?” Razor questioningly barked.

The Unicorn flicked her tail with a smile and narrowed her dark magenta eyes. “Why, I am The Great and Powerful Trixie, defender of Manehatten!”

“Boss, we’re toast!” Jet exclaimed with fear.

“Cheese it!” Razor shouted. He dropped the heavy sack of money and leaped into the air, his right talon still clutched around the heavy slingshot. Jet did the same and kept close behind.

The two griffons beat their wings hard and flew quickly to escape the magical Unicorn. Once they cleared two city blocks by air, the two griffons landed on the rooftop of the next closest building. The crooks scanned the streets below for signs of their opponent. The Razor didn’t see the Unicorn on the streets, but Jet pointed up at the sky. “Boss, up there!”

Razor looked up and saw a bright blue hang glider soar above them. Trixie was in the glider and she circled above them, ready to descend upon their position. Razor raised his slingshot and took aim at the Unicorn. “I have had about enough of this Unicorn!” he growled, shooting a steel bullet at the glider.
His shot was true and it hit the glider with a resounding bang! The glider’s left wing snapped apart, the blue Unicorn fell out of the sky, and she gained all the aerial grace of an iron ingot.

Trixie let out a gasp as she struggled to unlatch herself from the broken glider. The ground quickly rushed up to greet her as she pulled hard on the straps with all her might. Trixie summoned her magical strength and ripped the strap seams off with her horn's power. She pushed away as the ground impacted hard against her body with—

> Chapter 1 - Pony Nature Unchanged
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





A loud thud rang throughout the bar as Trixie’s hoof slammed against her table. “You idiot!” Trixie scolded herself, “You just killed yourself in your own flicking novel!”

Trixie shoved her quill away and buried her face in her hooves to stifle a sob. Her muse had been absent for a week, which left her to make several poor choices with her writing. Trixie took a deep breath and wiped the tears from her weary eyes. An empty bottle of apple cider reflected the tired face of a downtrodden mare. She waved the bartender over for another drink.
Trixie frequented this bar almost daily for the past few months. It wasn’t much of a place, a meager hole in the wall with a barely appetizing menu, but it was quiet and secluded. The latter point served well for the fact that Trixie was actively avoiding her landlord. Again.

This had become something of a monthly tradition for the Unicorn.

Trixie found it difficult to rebuild her reputation since the incident four months ago where she nearly ruined the town of Ponyville with a dangerous magical artifact. Sure, most of the townsfolk forgave her after the trouble she caused them with that amulet, but apologies don’t repair one’s reputation of being a fraudulent stage magician who willingly used taboo magic. Trixie simply could not get an audience to attend her magic shows and she was ill-skilled to take up a new career in a field outside entertainment. Trixie had hoped that writing a few fictional novels would help start her on a new path to solvency.
Thus far it didn’t end well.

Trixie’s thoughts were interrupted by the clink of a glass set on the table.

“Thank you Sundowner,” Trixie said meekly.

The tall, dusk-coated stallion brushed back his orange mane. “If it weren’t for the fact you’ve stuck to virgin drinks,” Sundowner stated matter-of-factly, “I’d have worried about you sooner.” The stallion pulled a bottle from a saddlebag of drinks that he wore and poured apple cider into the clean glass he laid down.
“You know, you can’t hide from your landlord forever.”

“Bah, tell me something I don’t know,” Trixie muttered angrily as she levitated the glass of cider with her magical power.

The stallion shook his head as he replaced the bottle back into his bag. “You know, you should just get an honest job,” Sundowner suggested. “I could always use another pretty waitress around here and that lifting magic of yours would be an advantage in carrying the serving trays. The pay isn’t great n’ powerful, but it’s a steady gig.”

Trixie took a heavy gulp of her drink and firmly slammed the glass on the table. “First of all, the scientific term for Unicorn levitation is Pony-kinesis and not 'lifting magic.' Secondly, I will not condescend myself down to becoming some common serving wench!” Trixie ended her statement with an angry hiss through her teeth. Sundowner merely shrugged and left her to attend to his other customers.  Trixie felt the room was stifling her. She felt her life was stifling her. Although her money was nearly gone, Trixie was determined to be the greatest magical pony in Equestria once again. There was no other option in her mind.
Sadly, there wasn’t another option she could even think of.

Trixie slumped a bit in her chair. She mindlessly rolled the glass of cider between her hooves as she pondered what to do with her life. As her eyes followed the waves of cider within the glass, her ears picked up a specific series of words that caught her attention.

“Isn’t that the washed up stage magician?” a voice asked from across the room.

Trixie bolted from her haze and looked around for the voice. She saw two taxi drivers at the far end of the bar talking over an article in a newspaper one of them had. Trixie swore she heard the second pony acknowledge the first’s question with her name. Trixie adjusted her cape as she got up and trotted over to the two stallions. The unicorn shoved her way in between them to see what they were looking at.

“What are you two discussing about me?” Trixie sharply demanded.

“Geez lady,” the first cabbie replied angrily, “Don’t get your tail in a knot.” He pointed at the article that he was discussing with the other stallion. The article was just a small insert under the gossip column, but it was unmistakably about Trixie—

	Saddlestone posits the rumor that The Great and Powerful Trixie has shown up in the sleepy little town, intent on cleaning up the streets of vagrants. She has given the outlaws ten days to vacate the town before Trixie unleashes her true magical power not seen since her victorious defeat of an Ursa Major.

Trixie stood there, mouth agape, staring at the article. The second cabbie retracted the paper. “I take it by the stupid look on your face that you don’t know anything about this?” he asked brazenly.

“Not at all,” Trixie snorted. “I didn’t give anyone permission to use my name for their own exploits, especially in some audacious act of vigilantism!” Trixie took a step back from the two cabbies and adjusted her cape. “This is a blatant infringement of my trademark talents,” she added, “And I’m going to see to it that it ceases immediately.”

“Look at it this way Trixie,” the first cabbie stated wryly, “This fraud couldn’t do any more damage to your reputation even if you had given her lessons!” The other cabbie roared in laughter at the remark.

Trixie frowned as she reached into her purse and pulled out several coins. She hammered them down on the table between the two stallions with a glare. “Train station. Now.”


~ ~ ~


The train ride to Saddlestone was an arduous week in patience. The small town was a long ways out west, with little around it other than long rocky hills on a coarse, sandy desert.  Trixie wondered how such a remote and desolate location was even bothered to be settled by anyone.
The passage took most of Trixie’s remaining funds to procure. She even had to pawn her typewriter passing through Appleloosa just to afford food. However, this afternoon the train finally pulled into the station and Trixie would get some answers from the imposter who was besmirching what little was left of her reputation.

“Welcome to Saddlestone,” one of the station attendants half-heartedly shouted. Trixie lifted her lone bag magically and proceeded to exit the train car. She noticed that few passengers got off at this station and that Trixie was the only one who did not appear to be either a ranch hand or a miner.
Trixie raised a hoof in reaction to the bright, late-day sunlight against her tired eyes.

“Welcome miss,” the station attendant greeted. “You sure are an exotic one to these here parts.”

“Whatever,” Trixie shrugged. “I’m looking for the editor of your local newspaper. Can you point me in the right direction?”

The attendant shook his head. “Sorry miss, we don’t have our own paper, let alone an editor,” he explained. “Though if news is what you need, you can get all the latest gossip at the Cactus Gulp saloon.” He pointed down the dusty road to the dull red building.

“Seriously?” Trixie asked with skepticism. “Your news is just gossip?”

“Well, the saloon owner orders a batch of the Dodge Junction Press twice a week,” the attendant point out. “I reckon he ought to have a few copies of last week’s edition.”

“Thanks anyway,” Trixie sighed as she walked away. She knew she hit a real backwater town here. It was small, dirty, and it didn’t have its own newspaper. Trixie glanced over at a large bulletin board where the train schedule was posted, along with an advertisement to vote for Lulu Gauge at the upcoming mayoral race in San Anponio, wherever that was. It seemed this town was so insignificant that it didn’t have its own mayor. It was governed by another town mines away.

Trixie left the board and walked toward the Cactus Gulp. As she walked down the dusty road, she felt that the residents stared at her, wary of her mere presence. Had her reputation been so bad that it reached even the most remote corners of Equestria? Trixie dared to steal a glance back at the townsfolk. She saw that many of them gave other arrivals the same stare. It appeared to Trixie that the residents here did not like any strangers.
Trixie wasn’t sure if this discovery made her situation any better.

Trixie’s thought process was interrupted by a small voice behind her. “Aren’t you The Great and Powerful Trixie?” it asked timidly.

Trixie turned and saw a white and brown Pinto colt at her heels who looked up at her in wonderment. She raised an eyebrow for a moment before answering. “I am, and who are you?”

“Name’s Iggy, Miss Great Trixie. Iggy Valentine,” the colt replied happily. “I’m a big fan of your adventures, like the time you defeated an-”

“Please, no,” Trixie interrupted, “I am no longer the Unicorn of those illusory tales.”

“I understand,” Iggy continued. “Heroes sometimes have to hide their identity, keep the bad guys guessing before you spring into action. That’s why you came out here, right?” The colt bounced in place as he spoke to her.

Trixie tried not to look visibly annoyed. “Look, kid, I’m not a hero. Not after the incident in Ponyville.”

Iggy's bouncing stopped abruptly, like a wind-up toy that met a wall. His expression slowly shifted from a joyful smile to solemn understanding as he nodded. “I know, Miss Great Trixie. I read something about an evil amulet and that it made you do evil things, but even great heroes sometimes lose a fight to the bad guys. It’s like Daring Do and the Temple of Moor, how they force-fed Do that evil syrup stuff and-”

“Kid, I have important things to do!” Trixie interjected with a snap. Her bag fell to the ground with a soft thud.

An awkward silence fell as the Unicorn bit her tongue. Trixie just yelled at a child, and for what? The little colt just wanted to shower Trixie with some attention. Is that not what she desired? The Unicorn slowly exhaled and spoke calmly. “I apologize, Iggy. I’m quite stressed and busy at the moment. Look, after I take care of my business here I’ll give you an autograph, alright?”

“Sure thing, Miss Great Trixie!” Iggy exclaimed as an excited expression immediately erased the tension. Iggy trotted off, presumably to fetch something for Trixie to sign later.

Trixie used to enjoy that attention, especially from children. Why did she not feel comfortable now with that same attention? Had Trixie forgotten the sweet taste of praise from an audience? The Unicorn could not pin the exact reason, but she felt that the words of 'Equestria's most magical pony' no longer carried any weight to her. That magician was a Unicorn who really was great and powerful… or at least, one who had everyone believing so.


~ ~ ~


The Cactus Gulp’s paint was bubbled and peeled like boiling water frozen in time. The long glass window panes had a permanent haze of dust sandblasted upon them while its lone sign hung unmoving from the front porch awning. There was no apparent sound of the patrons within its walls, which gave the saloon the appearance of a derelict building. It didn’t seem like much of an establishment, but then again Trixie was used to such places.
As Trixie approached the entrance she saw the torn remains of wanted posters hanging along the walls to either side, the paper faded and yellow from the heat of the sun. A few relatively new flyers covered some of the older remains. They were Want Ads – carpenters needed to build cattle fencing, miners to dig up iron ore, some pony was missing two goats, and so on. There was even another voting ad for San Anponio’s upcoming election.

The blue Unicorn adjusted her cape and stepped inside. She pushed the saloon doors aside with her hooves so as not to drop her magically levitated bag a second time. Trixie glanced around the saloon's interior. It was filled with miners who appeared to be on a lunch break. Although she never had seen these folks before, Trixie felt their eerie gaze upon her as if they knew who she was. She tried not to make eye contact and mentally told herself that they simply did not like strangers. A hard gaze had to be normal for a small town, right? It could be that newcomers to this town were treated with suspicion for a perfectly normal reason.
Great, but Trixie couldn't think of any reason that would satisfy her anxiety.

The Unicorn strode her way up to the chubby brown-colored bartender behind the counter. Trixie sat down at an empty stool at the bar and placed her bag gently on the ground beside her.

“What can I get for you, city slicker?” the bartender asked nonchalantly as he cleaned several drinking glasses.

“Information,” Trixie responded. “My name Is Trixie Lula-”

This was the point where several chairs all creaked against the wood flooring along with the distinct sound of a glass that shattered on the hard wood floor somewhere. The bartender nearly fumbled and dropped the glass he was shining. The sound of the stares over her shoulders rang loudly above the silence of the saloon. Trixie was unsure if she should continue speaking or bolt for the exit. The blue Unicorn swallowed and started over.
“My name is Trixie Lulamoon. I had read an article in the Manehatten Times that I was in this town threatening to throw out the local scoundrels. I’m looking for the pony who penned that article.”

The bartender set his glass down and leaned in close to Trixie. “Lady, what you’re looking for is trouble," he whispered with concern. "If I were you, I’d leave town right now before trouble comes a-knocking.”

Trixie pulled out a copy of the aforementioned newspaper article from last week and set it on the table. “Some pony from this town has submitted untrue rumors that I am portraying myself as some kind of vigilante hero,” Trixie angrily explained. “Yes, I am very much aware of the irony here, but I’ll not leave until I find and confront whoever is behind this blatant act of identity theft.”

The bartender sighed and ran a hoof through his graying brown mane. He turned to a door on the wall beside the counter and pushed it open a few inches. “Ellie, you got a visitor.”

A moment later the door fully opened and out stepped a young cream-coat Pegasus bearing leather goggles set above her bright, mint-green eyes. She was wearing a dirty gray coat and smelled distinctly of motor oil. The young pony brushed her long, light-green mane away from her face, and only then realized who the Unicorn was that she stood before.
With a squeak of joy, the Pegasus held out her fore-hooves to hug Trixie. “You’re here! You actually put on your best bib and tucker to answer my plea for help!”

Trixie slapped Ellie’s hooves away and grabbed the Pegasus by the collar with her magical pony-kinesis power. “I answer to no one!” Trixie scolded. “How dare you infringe upon the name of the Great and Powerful Trixie! I don’t know what ideas you have in that little hayseed brain of yours, but you will cease and desist immediately!”

“No frets!” squeaked the Pegasus gleefully, “You’re here now to help us!”

“Yes, I am here,” Trixie responded. “I am here to—wait, what? What do you mean help you?”

Their conversation was interrupted as the front doors swung wide open and slammed against the door frame. Three tall female creatures stepped into the saloon and looked around intently until their eyes made contact with Trixie’s. The miners all stood up and slowly backed away from the bipedal-walking creatures. The three figures had sharp claws and equally sharp teeth that contrasted with their fluffy ears and soft fur coats. Trixie knew unmistakably what they were.
Diamond Dogs.

The lead female was about the same height as the average stallion, with an eggshell coat. Her ears and tail ended in a puffy tuft of fur. The other two were about a head taller and shorter than the lead dog, with blue Great Dane and brown Pomeranian features respectively.
The lead dog elbowed the other two and pointed at Trixie. The blue Unicorn felt a lump settle in her throat as the Diamond Dogs sauntered up to her. She glanced at the bartender for help, but the stallion only shook his head and moved away like everyone else. The only one not moving away was Ellie. The Pegasus had a brave, but unsteady expression, trying to keep calm in the face of the dogs.

“Word on the street is that there’s a big shot pony in town,” the lead dog sneered. “I heard she’s come out here to bust our chickens.”

“Chops, Roxy,” the smallest dog corrected, “Its bust our chops.”

Roxy swatted the shorter dog on the nose. “You ain’t my school marm, Bella,” snapped the angry dog. Roxy adjusted her violet vest before she continued. “You aren’t from around these parts, Unicorn, so I wager you must be the Great and Powerful Trixie, aren’t you?”

“I am,” Trixie said with hesitation, “But I’m not here to fight anyone.”

“Well that ain’t what the papers said,” Roxy countered. “Plain as day it read that you were going to unleash your magic voodoo and run us out of town. So let’s see this power now, hmm?”

“Come on, Trixie, show them,” Ellie whispered to the blue Unicorn.

Trixie threw a dirty glance at Ellie. “There is a miscommunication here,” Trixie explained to the Diamond Dogs, “I came to this town with the business of rectifying the pony who wrote the article, nothing more. I shall finish my business here and then I will depart this backwater little town so that you may carry on with your occupational trade of choice.”

Roxy forcefully grabbed Trixie by the shoulders. “I don’t like strangers,” Roxy warned. “I especially don't like strangers who make snide comments about my status with fancy words.”

“Trade isn’t really a fancy word,” Trixie defended.

“Shut up!” Roxy shouted. “I reckon I outta rearrange your pretty little face! Of course, perhaps my fist could be persuaded otherwise. Say, fifty bits to keep your nose in its current shape?”

Trixie gulped hard. “I, uh, don’t have any money.”

“Then prepare to bah-leed!”

Trixie watched Roxy’s fist rear back. The blue Unicorn quickly seized her bag with pony-kinesis and threw it at Roxy’s legs. The luggage connected with the Diamond Dog and flipped Roxy over onto her face with a hard thud. With Roxy’s grip released, Trixie hooked a hoof around Ellie and yanked the Pegasus toward the door.
“Let’s go, trouble-maker!”

“Wait, there’s still two more!” Ellie stated obviously.

The two ducked under the advances of the remaining two Diamond Dogs and galloped straight for the exit. Trixie heard Roxy angrily bark orders to give chase over the shouts of the miners to keep on running. Yeah, like there was another option here?

In seconds the two ponies burst through the doors of the saloon and onto the dusty street. A wagon swerved to avoid hitting the two and the stallions who pulled that cart hurled a few choice words to move out of the way. Trixie intended to keep moving and galloped over to the far end of the street with Ellie in tow. The blue Unicorn seized the side-handle of a passing black stagecoach and pulled Ellie up onto the moving vehicle. Trixie attempted to open the coach door, but it was locked from within. 

“Keep out you rogues!” shouted a middle-aged stallion passenger.

Trixie thought quickly, an ability that she had noted was quite effective when danger was at her heels. She decided elevation would be beneficial and climbed up to the roof of the coach in just three steps. Ellie was right behind, slipping on the rough-riding cart. The two girls looked behind them and saw the three Diamond Dogs already in the street. They ran on all fours to keep up and Trixie cursed their damned efficiency at it.

“How strong are you?” Trixie asked the Pegasus.

“What?” responded a nervous Ellie.

“Fly you little hayseed!” Trixie commanded. She yanked off Ellie’s collar buttons and pulled the coat off of the Pegasus. The Unicorn threw the coat and caution to the wind, held onto Ellie with a tight grip, and together they leaped off the stage coach. Ellie screamed in horror as they bolted into the air above the passing townsfolk.
Trixie saw Ellie instinctively throw open her right wing, then her… nothing else.

The two ponies crashed into an open cart of flour sacks and toppled over the pile onto the dirty unpaved street. Ellie was curled up in pain while Trixie wobbled to stand up with a body that protested fiercely from being thrown so hard. She was quickly yanked off the ground by the tallest Diamond Dog.
Trixie was held up by her cape collar. The huge dog’s fist connected with the blue Unicorn's stomach as hammer would against a potato. Trixie let out a curdled coughing fit as all the air escaped violently from her lungs. A second blow wound up, but Roxy intervened before it could connect.

“Hold yer puppies, Ginger!” Roxy barked at the larger dog. She snatched Trixie away by the fore-leg.

Bella scrunched her face. “It goes hold your horses, Roxy. You know, like what you’re doin-”

“What did I say about correcting me?” Roxy scolded. With a growl Roxy turned her attention to the blue Unicorn. “This little pony got personal and I intend to give her a whooping!”

“Roxy,” said a firm male voice from behind the group. Onlookers parted and revealed a stallion who wore a steel badge. “I don’t know what that pretty lass did to work up your ire, but I can’t abide by you curb-stomping her on my street.” The young stallion who stood before them had a reddish-tan coat with a brown mane tucked neatly under a frayed ten-gallon hat.

Roxy released Trixie, letting the Unicorn crumple to the ground with a labored grunt. The Diamond dog turned her attention to the stallion. “Deputy Valiant!” Roxy greeted with a cheerful, but completely false air about her, “Well this is a quaint surprise to see you here. How’s the sheriff?”

“Same as the day we buried him Roxy,” Valiant said flatly. “Now go about your own business. This lass isn’t worth the trouble.”

Roxy sauntered up to the deputy. She leaned in to his face and barred all her teeth with a wicked grin. “I reckon she isn’t,” Roxy said wryly. “Perhaps you reckon there's someone here more suited to my… caliber?” She stared at the deputy for a few seconds with an unbroken eye contact.

Roxy suddenly snapped her teeth and caused Valiant to flinch and recoil back. Roxy roared in laughter as she waved to her two friends. “Come on gals, we’ll settle this little romp some other time.”

Ginger snatched Trixie’s hat from the Unicorn’s head and walked off with it. The hat appeared off-kilter on Ginger due to it being a size too small for the dog’s large head. Trixie said nothing. She only narrowed her eyes in tearful anger.

Deputy Valiant took in a deep breath as he watched the Diamond dogs leave town. A few townsfolk who witnessed the scene also went back to their routine to avoid the deputy’s gaze. Valiant helped Trixie and Ellie up off the ground.

“Thanks for the save,” said Ellie, dusting off her face.

“Ellie, you outta know better than to tangle with Diamond Dogs,” Valiant scolded. “Why don’t you go on home? I’m sure your ma is worried about you.” The stallion turned to the Unicorn. “Will you be alright, Miss?”

“I think so,” Trixie weakly answered. “Just winded is all.”

“I’m Deputy Valiant,” the stallion introduced. “If I were you, Miss, I wouldn’t cross with Roxy and them Diamond Dogs. They aren’t afraid of no pony around these parts, local or stranger.”

Trixie nodded to the now obvious fact, but then she remembered something important that escaped her earlier due to all the commotion caused by the dogs. “Pony feathers! My bag!”

The deputy raised a hoof. “Don’t bother Miss,” he began, “Urchins likely already ran off with it, so there’s no sense going back to look.”

Trixie frowned. “Seriously? I certainly hope you intend on retrieving my effects!” she exclaimed. “Otherwise I’ll put in a thorough complaint with your department!”

Valiant shrugged. “Technically ma’am, I am the department. About the only law-pony left around these parts who hasn’t been run out of town or…” Valiant glanced at a nearby shovel and did not finish his statement. He instead changed the subject. “So what did you do to work up those Diamond Dogs? Granted they don’t need much provocation, but I am mighty curious to know why Roxy seemed to have a personal vendetta out for you.”

Trixie glanced at Ellie before answering. “A certain Pegasus wrote a blatant lie that I’d be coming here to take on all comers and those three mutts took it seriously.”

Valiant blinked in surprise. “For the love of Luna’s left hoof! Ellie, did you go around spreading that wild tale of the vigilante magician coming into town?” Valiant asked. He saw the Pegasus look away sheepishly. Valiant let out a sigh. “Well then, I reckon that this makes you The Great and Powerful Trixie everyone’s been talking about?”

“Yes, the one and only,” Trixie confirmed, “But the trouble is getting folks to shut up after that.”

“Valiant, Trixie could help us fight the Diamond Dogs!” Ellie stated with new-found hope.

“No,” Valiant said sternly to the Pegasus, “No way and no how. Ellie, we’re going to have a talk later about your wild ideas.” Valiant turned to the blue Unicorn. “Well Miss Trixie, I apologize about this mess. If you’ll give me a day or two, I’ll see about acquiring you a train ticket back home. Until then, you best keep out of Roxy’s sight if you know what’s good for you.”

Trixie glanced over at the station before speaking, “Well I will certainly comply with that advice, but I don’t know where I’ll be sleeping tonight since my bag had my coin purse.”

“You could crash at my place,” Ellie interrupted, “We have an extra room and I’m sure ma won’t mind.”

“Haven’t you done enough for me?” Trixie asked angrily.

Valiant sighed. “Well it might not be a bad idea Miss, unless you’d like to panhandle for change. I’d wager Ellie’s place is a safer place than staying at the inn anyway. Those Diamond Dogs tend to frequent the inn for crash space at night when they’re not drinking and causing trouble for the locals.”

Trixie frowned at Valiant, but conceded to her fate. “Fine, but come tomorrow, I am leaving this imprudent little town.” Trixie dusted herself off and took note of several large tears in her cape. She let out a snort as she walked over to Ellie. “Lead the way, hayseed.”

> Chapter 2 - A House Divided
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





The morning sun darted between the clouds; its glare was bright that Trixie had been forced to squint at the times it was out in the open sky. The Unicorn looked around for something to shade her eyes, but instead she met the gaze of an angry cattle farmer sitting upon a fence. The Earth pony farmer glared at Trixie as he pushed a flap in his vest aside to show he was carrying a small pouch of spherical iron bullets on him.

“Friendly folks you have here,” Trixie whispered sarcastically to Ellie, having nodded in the farmer’s direction.

The Pegasus smiled at the Unicorn and didn't pick up on the cynical tone. “Sure do! Living in a small town like Saddlestone means you get to know everyone.”

“I was being sarcastic,” Trixie corrected. “That farmer back there gave me the stink eye.”

“Ah, don’t fret none about him,” Ellie assured. “Farmer Brahman isn’t a bad pony. He just doesn’t know you yet. Brahman had some cows stolen recently, so don’t blame him for being a bit suspicious of strangers. I’m sure he’ll come around once he gets to know you better.”

“I’m not sure if I want anyone to,” Trixie muttered to herself.

As the two continued to walk toward the north edge of town Trixie slowed her pace by a miniscule amount and glanced at Ellie’s backside. Indeed, where the young Pegasus should have a left wing there was instead a fleshy stump lacking any feathers at all. Trixie wondered how she missed such a detail earlier. Her own selfish thoughts seemed to block out others at times and when those Diamond Dogs gave chase it certainly had Trixie thinking solely about self-preservation above all else.
Then again, this Pegasus did cause Trixie a big heap of trouble today.

“Say, Ellie,” Trixie began to inquire, “Why did you write that fictitious article about me?”

Ellie’s smile seemed to fade slightly as the Pegasus thought for a moment before she answered. “Well, the town has been plagued with bandits and Diamond Dogs for a while now. Roxy and her posse are pretty much the source of the troubles in my opinion, but there isn’t anyone around with the gumption to stand up to them.”

“Deputy Valiant stood up to them,” Trixie stated with a puzzled look.

“Yeah, but…” Ellie faltered, “I mean, he’s a right brave pony, but he couldn’t take them dogs on in a serious fight. Roxy knows that so she just likes to toy with him for fun. I figured if I could spread a rumor that a powerful Unicorn was coming to challenge them, they would back off a bit and leave us alone.”

“Why did you choose me though?” Trixie asked emphatically. “I now admit some flattery with your choice, but why did you not say Canterlot was sending the Royal Guard? For that matter, why not write that one of the princesses would be coming?”

“Well, I didn’t want to get in trouble for writing a lie about them,” Ellie confessed.

Trixie’s expression went deadpan. “Really? That’s the best excuse you have?”

Ellie blushed a bit and looked at the ground. “Well, I mean every pony knows where the princesses are and what they’re doing all the time. I figured since there was no news about you for some time that I could get away with my idea without someone seeing a conflict about your location.”

Trixie slowly shook her head in disbelief. “Why do I feel like I have just been insulted?”

“I’m sorry,” Ellie sadly apologized as she met Trixie’s gaze. “I’m sorry I got you into a heap of trouble out here. I’ll understand if you’re all beer and skittles with me and just want to go home.”

Trixie saw sincerity in Ellie’s eyes, even if she wasn’t sure what beer and skittles had to do with anything. The Unicorn shrugged and looked up into the clouds as she responded. “I suppose being mad isn’t going to change things. Look, I’ll stay the night at your place and come tomorrow morning I’ll write Canterlot a proper letter of appeal to help your town before I leave. No more using my name in your feather-brained ideas, okay?”

Ellie started to smile again. “Okay, you have a deal.”


~ ~ ~


Ellie and Trixie reached the edge of town. They stopped in front of a lone two-story cabin separated from the nearest neighbor by a modest distance. The building’s windows were all completely boarded up while the front door appeared to have been kicked in before and hastily repaired with a couple nailed strips of iron. The front porch awning sagged so heavily that it was braced up with random planks of wood. Trixie’s definition of safe did not seem to match this building’s appearance.
Death Trap sprung to mind.

“Quaint little place you have here,” Trixie remarked, going for a polite lie.

Ellie nodded proudly as she walked up the porch and towards the door. “It isn’t so bad, though a bit dark since we haven’t gotten around to replacing the windows yet.”

Trixie shrugged. “I have a light spell,” she stated. Trixie wondered if the inside was just as run-down looking. After all, the Pegasus had a distinct aroma of grease about her and the Cutie Mark of a hammer and screwdriver would put Trixie’s guess that Ellie was some variation of a mechanic in this town.

Ellie opened the door slowly and shouted “Ma, I’m home!” before she stepped inside. Trixie followed her inside and took a look around. The interior was a fairly clean and orderly home. There were several notable piles of clutter, composed mostly of tools and mechanical parts like springs, gears, and levers. However, the piles were at least organized into out-of-the-way corners and somewhat stacked neatly. The Unicorn let out a mute sigh of relief over the acceptable condition these ponies lived in.
In fact, Trixie admitted to herself that the volume of mechanical stuff around the place was impressive.

Ellie showed Trixie over to the kitchen, where a much older Earth pony sat alone. She bore a sagging light-brown coat with a very grayed mane that hung unkempt. Trixie’s eyes moved from her lasso Cutie Mark to the dark gray blindfold she wore. The old pony reached out into the air for Ellie.
“Dear me, Ellie,” the old mare began, “I was feeling a bit peckish and came in here looking for something to eat, but I think I knocked something off the counter.” She pointed to the empty floor. Nothing indicated an object was knocked over.

Ellie held her mother’s hoof and led her to the living room. “It’s alright ma, I’ll fix you something to eat. Why don’t you sit in your favorite rocking chair?” As Ellie assisted her mother in sitting down, she glanced over to Trixie. The Unicorn stood out in the dark room much like a lit coal stood out in a shadow.
“Oh, ma, I have a guest with me.” Ellie happily gestured to Trixie. “Ma, this is The Great and Powerful Trixie. Trixie, this is my mamma, Lisa Sprocket.”

Trixie bowed out of courtesy and cleared her throat. “How do you do?”

Lisa smiled and slowly waved to the space before her. “Ah, forgive this mess of a house,” she stated. “I haven’t gotten around to sweeping the floors today.” She rocked slowly in her chair and Ellie excused herself to return to the kitchen.

Trixie sat on the adjacent padded loveseat, the only other sitting space in the room. The old wood creaked slightly under her weight. She didn’t know what to say and simply remained quiet, looking at the room’s décor. Trixie noticed there were a few family portraits that hung on one wall which illustrated younger versions of Lisa, Ellie, and a Pegasus stallion that Trixie assumed to be Ellie’s father.
Trixie wondered about the story that arose to such a union—a Pegasus and an Earth pony.

“So what is it you do for a living?” Lisa asked, breaking the silence gently.

Trixie snapped out of her trance. “Excuse me?” she responded with confusion.

“Your talent, my dear,” Lisa repeated. “Your name sounds a bit familiar to these old ears, but I cannot place it. Ellie said you are a great and powerful pony?”

“I am,” Trixie answered. “Well, was at one point. I’m no longer using that moniker.”

“Why not?” Lisa prodded. “With a title like yours, you must have quite a talent. It breaks my heart when a pony doesn’t use the gifts given to them.”

Trixie frowned a bit. She felt like she was being reviewed under a critical eye, from a blind pony no less! “I’m trying to fix my reputation,” Trixie explained. “I’ve… lied about some of my exploits and done a few things I’m not proud of. I don’t know if I’ll ever be acknowledged as anything but a fraud though.”

“But you’re not going to give up, are you?” Lisa questioned.

“I don’t know,” responded a crestfallen Trixie.

Lisa took a deep breath. “You sound a bit like my daughter,” the blind pony sadly admitted. “Ellie has quite a creative head on her shoulders, mind you. My husband Elliot always encouraged her to create. Those two used to come up with the most fantastical contraptions.”

“Ellie is an inventor?” Trixie asked in an attempt to move the conversation away from her own life.

“I’d say she is,” Lisa responded proudly, “Although Ellie may say differently now. She hasn’t succeeded in anything practical, but just the same she learned quite a few things about how things don’t work. I reckon that’s just as important as knowing how things do.” Lisa leaned back in her rocking chair and lost herself in thought.
“Sadly, she hasn’t been herself, not since her father passed away.” Lisa gestured to the portraits.

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Trixie said softly.

Lisa gave a sad smile. “It was tragic what happened. An accident a couple years back with something they were commissioned to build for the local mining company. Left them both pretty smashed up. Ellie managed to recover, but…” Lisa paused and cleared a lump in her throat. “I think she blames herself for what happened.”

Trixie turned to the piles of parts and tools strewn about the house. Ellie loved to tinker, much as Trixie loved to perform, but they both haven’t had success in recent times. Perhaps it was something they indeed had in common, if only vaguely.

Trixie wanted to ask about something else, but Ellie walked in with a tray of alfalfa sandwiches for everyone. Hunger for a meal interrupted the conversation from Trixie's standpoint. After Ellie served her mother, the Pegasus sat down next to Trixie on the loveseat. Ellie quietly chewed her meal, occasionally asking her mother if she needed anything else.

Trixie stared at floor between bites. She wanted to ask Lisa a bit more about the story, but felt it would embarrass Ellie. Trixie decided not to press the issue right now. She didn’t like it when others brought up her past so it was only fair not to bring up Ellie’s past as well, right? Silence would have to do for the evening meal's entertainment.


~ ~ ~


Lisa had fallen asleep after dinner, so Ellie took this time to show Trixie around the house. There wasn’t much to it, just a quick walkabout to familiarize Trixie to the important aspects; where the bathroom was, the guest room Trixie would be staying the night, and where the snacks were stored in the pantry in case Trixie had a hankering in the middle of the night. As Ellie finished up the tour, Trixie noticed a large shed out back, highlighted by setting sun. Sheds were nothing unusual to Trixie, except this one bore a wreath of wilted white flowers.
A memorial.

“Is that your little workshop?” Trixie asked innocently as she pointed out the shed. “Are you building any interesting contraptions in there?”

“No,” Ellie stated flatly. She waved Trixie to follow her away from the kitchen.

Trixie filed a note to herself not to touch that nerve without caution. Ellie showed the Unicorn where her own room was. Here the little Pegasus was storing the majority of her tools and various unfinished knick-knack contraptions. Trixie was somewhat impressed with the work. She even thought of how a few of the gadgets here could make for an interesting new magic act in Trixie’s repertoire.

Ellie pointed out some of her favorite tools. “I get by fixing things for some of the townsfolk. When you came into the saloon, I had just finished repairs to Barley’s stove. That pony never takes care of his kitchen.”

“I wager everything he cooks tastes like grease?” Trixie joked as she looked over several technical drawings that hung on the walls.

“Especially the beer,” Ellie warned with a smile.

The two chuckled a bit at their fun and Trixie continued to survey Ellie’s collection of things. That’s when Trixie saw it. She saw an unfinished invention in the closet that sat under a pile of springs and was covered by an old frayed blanket. It looked like a bird’s wing made of metal slats, screws, and leather straps. She wondered if Ellie had meant to fly again with this.
“Say, this looks interesting. I suppose you-”

“Don’t!” Ellie commanded as she pounced upon the device and snatched it angrily before Trixie could touch it. The Unicorn took a step back from the Pegasus and raised a hoof up in defense.

“I didn’t mean any harm,” Trixie apologized. “I think your work is admirable.”

“Sorry, it’s just… I’m feeling a bit tired,” Ellie stated plainly. “I reckon it’s a bit late so we outta go to bed. I’ll help you write that letter in the morning before you leave.”

Trixie simply nodded and left the room without a word. She heard Ellie close the door slowly, but there was nothing further than that. Trixie half-expected to hear a sob emanate from the room. The Unicorn decided to think nothing else about it and so she walked into the guest room given to her.
The room was furnished with a spare bed made mostly of hay within a wooden frame and a night stand with an empty wash bowl. Two piles of random parts sat beside an empty closet, with a small sewing kit that sat on top of the larger pile. She could use it to fix her cape, but Trixie’s mind was too far away to focus on the task.

The blue Unicorn sat down on the bed and looked out between the slats of wood on the window. Lisa’s words echoed in Trixie’s head, “She blames herself for what happened.”

Trixie couldn’t explain it, but those words had brought on the weight of her own failures. If Valiant came through with his promise, then Trixie would be going home tomorrow… but to what? The ridicule and distrust of her very name was widely known wherever she went. Trixie wondered how much longer it would be until she completely faded from every pony’s memory. Would she cease to exist if it did?

Trixie wiped a tear that welled in her eye. She saw the distant bonfires in the hills outside the window, the flames danced and faintly flickered under the clear night. Likely that was the camp the miners slept at. Trixie began to remember how, as a filly, she was always mesmerized by the dance of a fire.

“Can’t sleep?”

Lisa’s voice caused Trixie to jump off the bed. “Oh! Well, no I couldn’t,” Trixie hastily responded. “I’m just watching the mining camp bonfires outside, admiring the flames.”

“Strange,” Lisa pondered, “Maybe I’m becoming forgetful, but I swore this window faced east.”

“Well, it does,” Trixie assured. “Why?”

Lisa shook her head, “By my recollection, East of here would be the train yard and the warehouses. They store valuables out in those buildings, but no one camps outside them. No pony is allowed out to be out there at this late of an hour.”

“So then a fire out there isn’t a good thing, is it?” Trixie asked.

“Not at all child,” Lisa stated, “I reckon it would be arson. Maybe even a robbery. Well, don’t fret your pretty head about it. There isn't anything any pony can do about it, right? We’re just simple pony folk who want nothing to do with heroics. Get some sleep now because the trains come early tomorrow.” Lisa slowly left the room as silently as she entered. The blind mare followed the contour of the hallway back to her own bedroom.

Trixie looked back outside at the bonfire. The flames didn’t look right against the dark shadows out there. They almost seemed to beckon for help. However, it was not that no pony could do anything about the fire; it was that no pony would do anything about it. Valiant was the only deputy in town and Trixie wouldn't be surprised if Saddlestone did not have a fire brigade.

There came a time in every pony’s life that they did something incredibly brave. They did something that they knew better against the risks, but they did so anyway because they felt that it was not only the right thing to do, but because no one else would pony up to the challenge. This was not one of those times for Trixie.

She was going to do something much, much more foolish.

> Chapter 3 - Any Pony Who Stands Right
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Trixie arrived to the scene uncontested, a fact that concerned the blue Unicorn. The heat of the small fire curled upwards with a steady column of dull-gray smoke. The flames danced over a pile of split wood planks and empty barrels, consumed with a voracious appetite. The fire’s light illuminated only the forms of rocks and a bush in the vicinity. There were no guards to be seen.
The train depot consisted of four warehouses in box formation with a simple wooden fence that surrounded it. Trixie had just stepped through one of the many large gaps in that barrier, a condition that was notorious for defeating the purposes of a fence. Trixie looked at the old wear on the wooden fence. The aged cracks and well-faded paint signified the fault of poor maintenance and not a recent break-in.

The blue Unicorn turned her attention to the glow of the yellow-orange fire by one of the warehouses. She surveyed the area once more for the movement of intruders, but did not see anything more than the fire itself dancing alone. The quiet crackling of the fire seemed to almost call her forward, as if it wanted to show her something. The Unicorn approached, concentrating on the shapes the fire made.

When she was a filly, Trixie was taught that fire had a spirit much like a wild animal. It was fierce as a wolf, but it also danced gracefully as a bee, a dance that could tell a story if you were patient to listen. After half a minute of quiet meditation, the fire pointed out two large shadowy bodies that lay nearby against the warehouse wall, a wall that bore a gaping hole to the interior.

Well, Trixie did suppose that there were times the dance was more obvious than others.

Trixie nodded to the fire and then cautiously approached the unmoving bodies. They were two unconscious guards, one male and the other female. Their faces and chest were covered in cuts and bruises, the tell-tale signs of a violent scuffle were evident on them even beneath the flickering ominous shadows cast off from the fire’s light.
Trixie walked over and checked the two guards for signs of life. She felt a labored breath emanate from the nose of both guards upon her hoof, a good sign they were still alive. However, Trixie was unable to do anything for them at the moment. She committed their appearances to memory in case she was given the opportunity to relate her findings to some pony else here who could help them.

The blue Unicorn turned her attention to the large, jagged hole in the side of the wooden warehouse where the fire stood guard. The edges appeared burned and splintered as if a fist of incredible fire punched through the wall. Stranger still, the shattered remains of what is now a hole had blown outward, becoming the pile of wood that sustained this fire. This may not have been a robbery after all.
This may have been an escape!

Trixie tightened her torn cape and slowly walked around the debris into the hole.

The building was quite dark, only illuminated by the unsteady light of the small fire outside. She estimated the ceiling to be somewhere between two and three stories tall, the inside spaces lined with impressively large shelves of steel. The shelves were filled with stacked wooden crates, most of them nearly as large as Trixie. The labels of the closest crates were readable in the yellow-orange glow. They had words like Sample and Ore, along with serial numbers and the mutual delivery address of San Anponio. It seemed a safe assumption that this warehouse held the iron mined by this town.

Trixie could not see the far end of the warehouse; its shadows defied the fire’s attempt to reveal their secrets. The Unicorn was able, however, to make out what appeared to be a closed hatch that led to the roof. Trixie wanted more light, but thought against activating a light spell in case there were still thieves within the building. Instead she carefully crept along the shelves and felt her way along into the dark. Trixie occasionally glanced behind her in case someone attempted to catch her by surprise.
Assuming Trixie was able to see anything at all.

“Suddenly rock farming is looking to be a more rewarding profession,” thought Trixie. She disbelieved that she came out here alone to investigate. Why did she come out here? Was it because of Lisa’s sad expression when she said the town simply didn’t care anymore?
“Guilt trip? No, never heard of it,” Trixie muttered to herself angrily. Trixie continued to feel her way down one of the isles of shelves, her hooves stroked over rough, wooden crates.

Once she was firmly within the dark warehouse, Trixie heard the miniscule shuffling of paws a few rows over. Among the shuffles was the occasional sound of a crate being pushed along the hard, wooden floor planks. Trixie inched closer by a row and caught the faint glimpse of a lit lantern father down the aisle. The tiny, yellow light only outlined shadows of two very much not-crate-shaped silhouettes across the floor. Trixie remained hidden and listened in on the whispering voices that were speaking to each other.

“This-s-s box,” the first voice hissed.

“Yes-s-s,” replied a second voice. “Bait and s-s-switch.”

Trixie wondered if they were just common thieves. She couldn’t think of a reason to steal iron ore as it did not seem particularly valuable to her, but then Trixie wasn’t an expert on commodities. What did bother Trixie were their voices. They sounded very… feral for whatever they were.

Trixie squinted her eyes as she inched closer to see what the unknown thieves had acquired. Trixie saw the glint of a small dazzling object, something that gave off a rainbow hue like a cut diamond. Trixie couldn’t hear what was whispered next by the thieves, but she heard the faint sound of stretching rubber behind her.

Trixie turned around in time to see a slingshot fire a round steel bullet at her head. The Unicorn violently shoved herself away from the shelves and dodged the projectile by mere inches. The small steel ball punched a noisy hole in the crate Trixie was standing by just moments ago. Splinters ejected in all directions. The Unicorn rolled to her feet and with a quick flash she activated a light spell at the tip of her horn. The tiny orb of light illuminated her assailant—
A small, brown hare that wore a leather pouch.

“Seriously?” Trixie muttered flatly.

The hare blinked his eyes at the blinding magical light of the Unicorn’s horn. He quickly reached into the pouch and pulled out another bullet to aim Trixie. The steel ball was released at a blinding speed and just as quickly, the hare had pulled a second steel ball, then a third.

Trixie galloped away from the attacking hare. The steel balls chased the mare down the aisle and ricocheted off the wooden crates with the angry force of a ball-peen hammer. The shots rang out with great intensity against the wood, but not one connected with the retreating Unicorn. Had Trixie’s light spell dazed the hare’s sight this fortuitously?
The next shot grazed through Trixie’s hair and warned her that such luck was a fleeting moment.

Trixie made a hard turn around a corner and dove behind several tall crates for cover. She turned off her magical light as the ear-piercing crunch of wood reverberated on the other side of the crate from two steel spheres. Trixie shuddered to think what those bullets could do to her bones.
“This isn’t a hare!” Trixie exclaimed to herself, “It’s a compact Ursa Minor with a weapon!”

The warehouse went silent again. The bullets stopped coming, but Trixie knew that this meant the hare was moving in for the kill. Trixie couldn’t see well enough to make a run for the exit. If she crashed into a crate at full gallop she might break her leg or if the hare caught her by surprise he might… No, Trixie wasn’t going to go out like this. She needed a plan, a distraction, something to dazzle the hare for just a moment so she could run.
Of course.

Trixie removed her cape and held it half folded over her fore-hooves. With a flourish she flicked the cape out from behind the crate and into the air. A steel ball zipped through and tore a huge hole in her cape before it bounced off loudly against a metal shelf beam.
Trixie rapidly spun around and leaped out from the other side of the crate. She caught the hare in mid-reach of another bullet.

“Behold The Great and Powerful Trixie!”

What came next from Trixie’s horn was the complete and utter chaos of exploding magical fireworks in the hare’s face. The blues and greens that sprung forth from the Unicorn’s horn speckled the hare with hesitation while the reds and yellows burned its poor eyes with glaring blindness.

Trixie rushed the little rodent and with a quick sideways slide she kicked the hare square in the stomach with her hind hooves. The critter was listed off his little feet and thrown into the shelves. The hare’s head bounced off a metal beam, making a resounding fleshy clang.
Without hesitation Trixie snatched the slingshot with her levitation magic and made a full gallop towards the very breach she came in. She was able to taste freedom as the hole approached rapidly with a yawning welcome. Trixie felt her heart pound in her ears as she neared the exit.

The exit was mere feet away, but two tall and feral looking canines stepped out of the shadows and attempted to block Trixie’s way out. The Unicorn screeched to a halt before them, her hooves kicked forward to stop her speeding momentum. The flickering light of the fire outlined their sharp claws and long teeth. The semi-upright silhouettes gave Trixie the impression that they were Diamond Dogs.

Then spines unfurled from their backs like talons and immediately ruled out Diamond Dogs.

“A pony!” the first wheezed as it bared its snake-like fangs.

“S-s-seize her!” the second hissed with a forked tongue.

The two creatures clumsily lunged at Trixie. The little blue Unicorn leaped backwards and sailed out of their large clawed reach. The monster on the left lost its balance and unceremoniously hit the wooden floor with a hard thud. The other creature paused in its attack and tried to shuffle around its fallen partner.

Trixie raced around the two beings and the slingshot magically flew behind her. The still standing monster leaped at Trixie, cleared the fallen one, and landed right beside the Unicorn. It hit the floor awkwardly on its clawed hands first, the sound of a joint popped in the wrong direction. The creature howled and flailed out, rolling forward with its momentum. The sharp back spines slashed at Trixie’s rear-left leg in a stinging scrape. The pain caused the Unicorn to falter and fall. She continued to slide another two feet toward the hole, but it wasn’t enough.

“We eats-s-s the pony!” the first fallen creature hissed as it finally got up. The second monster crawled its way toward the Unicorn.

“Choke on it!” Trixie yelled. She magically threw the slingshot at the crawling monster before her. The weapon bounced painfully off the creature’s head and stunned it. Trixie let out a crazed shout, leaped at the standing creature, and slammed against its chest with all four hooves. She bounced back off with all her might and the momentum carried the little Unicorn up and through the air.

The Unicorn sailed out of the warehouse through the breech and toward the bonfire that still burned brightly in her path.

Trixie screamed as she flailed her legs to avoid the red-hot flames that reached out to her. With her remaining strength, Trixie used her levitation magic to shove herself away from the fire. She hit the sandy ground hard beside the flames and kicked up a colossal cloud of fine sand around herself. Trixie’s mane sizzled as the flames licked stray hairs, but she quickly rolled away from the fire and scrambled to her hooves.

Not caring what may still be behind her or the two unconscious guards, Trixie bolted down the dirt path back to Saddlestone. She didn’t look back once in her gallop away from the warehouse. Her heart pounded heavily in her ears, sweat tricked down and stung her eyes. However, nothing of that mattered right now. Trixie had escaped a frightening fight against the odds, against death itself!
It was an extraordinary and true accomplishment that she could brag about.

The trouble, of course, was to get some pony to believe her.


~ ~ ~


Trixie spent the early part of the morning behind the house in a cool tub of water. She had just washed the dirt and ash off her light blue coat and mane, but decided to soak for a few more minutes. Last night’s excursion left Trixie’s legs aching and further her head swam with the fatigue of several missed hours of sleep. Trixie couldn’t remember what she did once she reached Ellie’s house. She only knew that she awoke lying on the living room floor after Lisa accidently stepped on her and yelped as if the old mare had stepped on a stray dog.
That wasn’t a pleasant way to wake up this morning.

Trixie’s thoughts reflected on the events of last night. She tried to focus on the details so that she could recall everything that happened; the torn hole in the warehouse, the hare that attacked her, and the monstrous creatures digging through crates. Trixie was a well-traveled pony, but her travels never took her this fare west. She had never seen any such creatures back east that looked as those fanged creatures did. She entertained the possibility that they were Diamond Dogs who wore some frightful costumes.

After Trixie washed up, she dried herself off with a towel Lisa had given her. Trixie inspected the scrape on her leg where those sharp spines had grazed her. The only creature Trixie knew of with similar back spines were dragons, but these two were certainly not such.

Trixie sighed and hoped to just write that letter of appeal to Canterlot and then return home to finish writing her failing novel. It wasn’t a total loss however. Perhaps she could have this trip added into the novel to spice up the story.

Trixie glanced at the small shed nearby after she put the towel down. She wondered what secret lay inside that structure. Hopefully it wasn't the body of Ellie’s father. The Pegasus was a bit odd, but she didn't seem morbidly so.

Trixie heard Ellie’s sleepy voice inside the house call out to her mother. She then heard Ellie fret over her blind mother’s stumble around the kitchen, in an attempt to fix breakfast. They were close as family, something Trixie didn’t have much experience with, but they did share one other thing in common. Like Ellie, Trixie was forced to grow up without a father.

The unicorn grabbed her brush with magic and stroked it through her mane as she trotted back to the house. She glanced out at the morning sky to get a feel of today’s weather before Trixie entered the house. The aroma of breakfast invited Trixie inside through the kitchen door. She sat down across from Ellie at the table and took two slices of toast for herself.

“I suppose your mother has told you I was out last night?” Trixie asked Ellie nonchalantly.

“Uh?” Ellie replied with a mouth full of bread and jam. She looked up from her plate curiously.

Trixie glanced at Lisa. The blind mare gazed at the ceiling while she chewed on her own breakfast. Trixie set down her toast. “Last night, there was a fire at a warehouse by the train depot,” Trixie explained. “I went to check it out and… I saw some strange creatures there rummaging through the crates for something.”
Ellie and Lisa both turned and stared at Trixie as if the Unicorn had just grown a second horn; quite a feat for Lisa given her blindness. At least, Trixie was pretty sure Lisa's eyes tracked Trixie despite the blindfold. Trixie took a quick drink of milk to clear her throat.

“Seriously! Take two Diamond Dogs and give them spines and fangs!” Trixie exasperated. “Great big creatures ready to tear me apart. Oh it looked grim for me, but worst yet was a small and feisty hare that tried to shoot me down with a large slingshot and steel bullets the size of my eyes.”
Never let be said that Trixie couldn’t spin anything to make it sound more epic.

“Oh come on, that sounds like ballyhoo to me,” Ellie commented playfully at the Unicorn’s seemingly tall tale.

“Hush Ellie,” Lisa corrected. “Can’t you see our guest is all brisked-up about her story? I’ve seen some strange happenings in my day and I can tell a genuine story from a braggart. Go on dear.”

Trixie looked at Lisa and did something she hadn’t genuinely done in weeks. She smiled. With renewed steam, Trixie continued. “The hare had me in his sights, shooting straight for my throat with that deadly weapon of his. He had me pinned down behind a crate with nothing but my wits! So then, I used those wits by distracting him with my cape!” Trixie reached around her neck to pull off her cape and demonstrate the action.
However, she wasn’t wearing her cape.

“Err, I don’t seem to have my cape,” Trixie remarked. Trixie didn’t take long to remember where she last had it. It was left behind at the warehouse.

Where others were going to find it as evidence!

“Bull patties!!” Trixie cursed as she shot up from the table.

“I don’t get it,” Ellie questioned, “Did you get attacked by one or something?” 

“No! My cape! I left it at the warehouse!” Trixie shouted. “I have to get it back quick before-”


~ ~ ~


Trixie stood quietly in front of the gathered crowd at the warehouse. Two railroad workers flanked her to prevent any choice of escape while deputy Valiant finished interviewing the local rail depot owner, a female zebra named Lulu. Ah, Trixie recognized that name. This was the Lulu Gauge from the voting poster. Trixie found it interesting that she almost had the look of a politician.
Lulu wore a simple blue-gray buttoned vest, a blue cap over her long, wavy monochrome mane, and multiple studded earrings in both ears. Her vest was tidy without a wrinkle to be seen and the earrings were evenly spaced and meticulously aligned in neat rows. Lulu certainly carried herself with all the grace and presentation of a leader.

Trixie listened to Lulu’s deep voice rattle off all the damages found within the warehouse while she waited to be questioned next. Or rather, interrogated. The railroad workers, the miners, and the townsfolk were all full of gossip about Trixie louder than a stampede of buffalo. Trixie thought that perhaps the better course of action this morning was to run in the other direction and leave town.

Ellie was off by herself surveying the large hole in the warehouse and the pile of burned planks from the fire that was there the night before. The young Pegasus didn’t seem at all interested in the zebra’s discussion, captivated completely by the damage done to the building.

“Alright Miss Trixie,” Valiant spoke calmly. He brushed a hoof over Trixie’s tattered purple cape on the ground. “I found one of your effects here in the warehouse. Now, before this crowd gets all uppity from drawing their own conclusion, I’ll give you a chance to defend yourself.”

“I came to investigate the fire last night,” Trixie began, “And I had found the two guards here unconscious when I arrived. When I looked inside, I heard two big creatures rummaging through the crates.”

“Were you alone?” Valiant questioned.

“Yes,” Trixie answered. “I was alone when the creatures that robbed this place attacked me. They tried to tear me apart! Look, this scrape was from that very encounter!” Trixie held up her hind left leg and showed a scabbed cut visible under her fur. The crowd murmured some more to each other about the injury, though one stallion in the crowd catcalled at Trixie’s raised leg. The unicorn quickly put her hoof back down.

Lulu interrupted the crowd’s mutterings. “There was nothing pilfered from the warehouse, I checked it myself,” Lulu said in a husky, stern voice. “However, there are unquestionably a lot of holes left in crates and walls. The largest one here in the exterior wall could almost fit your notorious ego.”

“Yes, large egos could do that,” Trixie said sarcastically, “Did I mention I was attacked by two creatures? Big, brutish and, might I add, suffering from a severe case of halitosis?”

Part of the crowd chuckled. Valiant threw them all a dirty look. “Trixie, there are no witnesses other than two unconscious guards,” the deputy explained. “They’re currently in the care of the town doc so until I can get statements from them, it’s just your word against the evidence that you vandalized this place.”

“I don’t have a weapon!” Trixie defended. “This warehouse was attacked by two large, feral monsters and a small hare with a slingshot!”

The crowd burst into a roar of laughter. Several ponies mimicked motions that insinuated Trixie was either insane or drunk. Trixie looked down at her hooves. That statement certainly could have come out better. Valiant barked at the rowdy crowd to shut them up, but most ponies continued to banter among themselves.

Lulu waved her hoof mockingly at the blue Unicorn’s horn. “Trixie, few Unicorns live in Saddlestone. Fewer still know how to use their magic as destructively as your reputation paints. I have heard many tales of The Great and Powerful Trixie besting her opponents with spells unchallenged. Who is to say this destruction is not your own deed and you are merely whitewashing the truth?”

Trixie stamped her hoof down. “I have no reason to vandalize your stupid warehouse!” she yelled out over the crowd. “Yes, it sounds crazy, but I know what I saw! Maybe they weren’t really monsters! Maybe they were some pony in disguise! Yes, I bet it was Roxy and her pals behind this robbery! They’d certainly look feral with the right disguises and they certainly have the brutish strength to break into this place!”

“It weren’t me Valiant!” Roxy shouted from the rear of the crowd. Now every pony hushed as they parted from Roxy’s path. The Diamond Dog strode proudly up to the deputy. “I was over by the saloon last night, having a friendly drink with my lady pals.” She pointed to Ginger and Bella who were both a ways off in the back of the crowd. Ginger was still wearing Trixie’s hat and that only added insult to Trixie’s injury.

Valiant turned to the Cactus Gulp’s owner and bartender. “Is that true, Barley?”

The stallion nodded, “Yup, rowdy as usual, those Diamond Dogs were drinking at my establishment last night. They fell asleep and didn’t leave till earlier this morning. The dogs left me a big mess to clean up too.”

The crowds started to murmur loudly among themselves again. Trixie’s face became expressionless as the deputy scratched his head. “I’m mighty sorry Trixie,” he said sadly, “But I’m going to have to take you in.”

Trixie narrowed her eyes and frowned at Roxy angrily. “Fine,” Trixie barked defiantly, “But I’ll be taking back my cape!” Trixie snatched her cape by hoof and led the way to the deputy’s jail. The crowd followed as they slowly dispersed back to their morning routines. Their rumors, however, would not end so quickly.
Roxy smirked as Trixie walked by. The blue Unicorn gave the dog a long glance before saying anything. “I’ll be skipping out on that train ride today, by choice.”
Trixie picked up her pace, which forced Valiant to keep up.

Ellie trotted along with the crowd. She kept to the tail end because she had just found something interesting that was overlooked by the deputy and the workers.

> Chapter 4 - Reputation Like its Shadow
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Trixie sat quietly in her prison cell bench, bemused by the unexpected turn of events. She thought about what ‘trouble’ might look like as a Cutie Mark because she certainly became an expert on the subject.

The jail Trixie sat in had three small cells to it. Dusty and cracked whitewashed walls contrasted against the dark, paint flecked iron bars; Stains of aged rust showed where the two connected. Outside the cells sat a small wooden desk that seemed to lean away from the wall. It was slightly warped from being used constantly as a chair, but now the desk’s disuse was evident by a thin layer of dust that settled on it.
Warm sunlight peered in through two thin windows opposite of the prison cells, the only warmth in an otherwise gloomy interior.

This town couldn’t be that old, but it just looked like it was dying prematurely.

Speaking of time, how long was Trixie here? An hour? Two hours? She wasn’t too sure, but since Trixie skipped breakfast this morning her stomach was of no appreciable help.

In the jail cell beside hers, Trixie noticed a chocolate-coat mare asleep on the bench. The Earth pony had a short, curly pink mane and a folding-fan Cutie Mark. Her face was covered with a near-black slouch hat pinned on the left side. The faint scent of liquor that wafted from the Earth pony’s direction was the only hint Trixie needed to know on why this other mare was imprisoned.

Trixie turned her attention to the purple cape she held, now completely ruined with the significant gaping hole that complimented the deep plethora of tears along the lower edges. Trixie sighed sadly. This was her favorite cape. It had a lot of good memories attached to it. Except the one about where exactly she had acquired it. Manehattan perhaps? Hopefully it wasn’t a present from someone significant.

Trixie’s thoughts were interrupted when the other mare fell off the bench with a thud. The chocolate pony groaned and rolled on the floor until she was on her backside. Trixie saw a pair of tired, pale-blue eyes that reflected the harsh mid-morning light. Trixie waved to her with a smirk.
“Morning, or are you even sober yet?” Trixie asked the stranger.

The pink-mane mare groaned again as she focused on Trixie. “I’m not sure. Am I seeing a bright blue Unicorn sitting in front of me?”

“You are,” Trixie responded.

The chocolate mare sluggishly sat up and rubbed her neck. “Then I’m sober, but slightly confused.”

Trixie stood up and introduced herself. “I am The Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“I’m the ordinary and slightly pudgy Cheryl,” the chocolate pony stated. Cheryl looked around to see if anyone else was in the room, but it was only herself and Trixie. “So what are you in for?” she asked Trixie out of curiosity for the exotic Unicorn.

Trixie brushed off her shoulders as she pretended to be quite proud of her accomplishment. “I stuck my nose where it didn’t belong by investigating a warehouse robbery. This landed me in a fight with a small slingshot-wielding hare and two incognito Diamond Dogs dressed as ugly cacti. However, I avoided capture by using my great magical talent in screaming and throwing things,” she explained.

“And you’re here because…?”

“Because every pony else was sober when I explained that story to them,” Trixie remarked sarcastically.

Cheryl scrunched her nose at having been poked fun of. “Point taken,” she admitted.

Their conversation was cut short by Valiant, who entered the room with a ring of keys in his mouth. The deputy unlocked both cells and then tossed the keys on the small wooden desk without regard to their wellbeing. “Alright Cheryl, time to get out and about,” Valiant commanded. “And quit painting your nose so much on that bug juice. This isn’t an inn.”

“Painting your…? Ick,” Trixie muttered.

Valiant rolled his eyes at Trixie, “It means getting drunk. Honestly Trixie, there are more lingoes then just your fancy east coast jargon.”

“Oh, sure,” Trixie nonchalantly agreed as she now understood the expression. The Unicorn watched Cheryl stammer out of the jail before she leaned against the open door of her own cell. “So deputy, what will become of innocent little me?” Trixie asked curiously with a hammed up expression.

Valiant snorted with annoyance. “Well, looks like you’re free to go too for now. The guards finally awoke and while their stories don’t exactly make sense, what they described didn’t sound like it was you.” He waved for Trixie to exit the cell, but put a hoof in her way for one last remark. “You were still at the scene of the crime, mind you, which means you could still be charged with trespassing. If I were you, I’d just lay low and not poke my nose into any more trouble, you hear?”

Trixie gently pushed the deputy’s hoof aside. “Thank you for caring,” Trixie responded wryly.

“I do care, Miss,” Valiant said with a frown. He watched Trixie leave without another word. With a sigh, Valiant closed the cell doors and retrieved the keys. “Great and powerful pain in my flank…”


~ ~ ~


Trixie stepped outside the jail and her eyes were assaulted by the bright yellow daylight. She guessed the time to be about noon by the sun’s position. The townsfolk were all busy with their lunchtime grind and they paid never mind to each other, let alone Trixie. This suited Trixie just fine, but there was one pony that seemed to take specific notice of the blue Unicorn.
He was a mature dark-gray male Unicorn with a short, maroon mane slicked back to a shine that made it appear to be made of crystal. As he gracefully walked towards Trixie, his velvet vest, black coat, and matching top hat advertised that he was some pony important. However, it was those golden-yellow eyes of his that made him stick out as exotically as Trixie did.	

“So you must be The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon?” the stallion asked with a wide smile.

Trixie raised an eyebrow upon hearing his voice; she was unable to place him by his accent. “I am, but I appear to be at a disadvantage here. You are?”

“Allow me the honor of protocol,” the stallion replied as he lifted Trixie’s right hoof for a kiss. Trixie instinctively recoiled from his advance, but gradually relented when he simply held out his own hoof in waiting for hers. “My name is Debon Aire, entrepreneur and adventurer,” the stallion stated, followed by a kiss on the mare’s hoof.

“Charmed,” Trixie replied with hesitance.

“I heard about that dreadful event over at the warehouse,” Debon stated. “After hearing how a beautiful blue Unicorn was caught up in such trifles, I came to see for myself if the rumors were true that Equestria’s most magical pony had graced our humble little town with her presence.”

Trixie eyed him with suspicion. “Flattery used to get ponies somewhere with me,” Trixie explained, “But nowadays, well okay it still gets my attention. However, I reserve the right to remain skeptical.”

The dapper stallion winked, “I assure you that I only wish to invite you to a dinner ball at my abode tomorrow night. Rarely do we see a celebrity of your grace pass through these parts, let alone one who would stir up gossip among the local townsfolk.”

“Yes, well I do seem to cause a lot of trouble wherever I go,” the blue Unicorn stated with a smirk.

“I am an adventurer,” Debon assured. “Trouble is merely one of life’s little tricks to entertain me.”

“Believe me, I am very Trixie.”

Debon stared into Trixie’s deep violet eyes and saw a feisty soul within. “I have no doubt that you are,” he mused aloud. The stallion pointed down the street to a fancy, two-story mansion. “I am currently staying at my modest little summer abode over there. If you do find a moment in your busy schedule to grace us with your presence, I would be ever so honored. It begins promptly at six.”
The male Unicorn bowed and excused himself to continue his way down to the post office.

Trixie watched the Unicorn walk away and she wondered what he was after. Her stomach reminded the Unicorn of greater priorities however, namely lunch. Since Trixie was flat broke, her only course of action was to go back to Ellie’s house. After the debacle at the warehouse that got her arrested, Trixie hoped she did not have a pony-non-grata status there.

“Miss Great Trixie, help!” shouted the voice of a familiar little pinto colt from behind.

Trixie knew it; the world had conspired to let her starve.

Trixie turned around and saw Iggy in a full-on gallop toward her, the colt chased by three other foals, each a bit older than Iggy, but they all wore the same desire to beat up the little colt. Trixie just noticed why the colt was chased. Clenched tightly in Iggy’s little teeth was Trixie’s lost bag!
Before Trixie said anything, Iggy tripped over himself and tumbled. The bag fell out of his mouth and landed quietly on the dirt ground. The three foals that chased him immediately pounced on the colt, pulled him completely off the ground, and went into a tussle over who got to hit him first.

Trixie looked around, horrified that no pony moved to help Iggy despite his pleas for help. Were the townsfolk that callous, or were they too afraid to get involved?

“Miss Great Trixie!” Iggy cried out.

Trixie sprang into action and ran toward a drinking trough across the sandy street. “Out of the way!” Trixie commanded, having shoved a mare aside from her path. Trixie pointed her horn toward the trough and with deliberate action she focused her magic around the water that sat within it. The clear liquid began to slosh and bubble before it stretched and rose up from the trough at her control. Trixie labored to press the liquid together into a large spherical shape before her.
Townsfolk in the area stopped and witnessed the blue Unicorn command the water as a trainer would an obedient pet. Trixie rotated the sphere around to face the foal bullies down the street.

“Put the Pinto down, hayseeds!” Trixie angrily demanded.

The three foals dropped Iggy on the ground, amused that this foreign mare dared to stand up to them. The oldest, an orange filly with a scraggly red mane, stepped forward in defiance. “What are you going to do, old mare?” she taunted. “Give us a bath?”

“Not yet,” Trixie respond. She flourished her hooves in a circular motion which spun the huge ball of water in the air like a top. As it began to bulge from its ever quickening rotations Trixie gave it a hard shove with her magical motions and sent the watery sphere to careen down the sandy road at the bullies.
The rapid liquid ball quickly soaked up the dirt it rolled over, becoming enlarged and more viscous. It took on a dark brown color as it grew enormous with the weight of both water and sand mixed together.

With quick reflexes Trixie let go of the gargantuan mud ball and jerked Iggy away from the other foals. The colossal sphere of liquid dirt exploded as it hit the three bullies. The force knocked the children off their hooves and onto their backsides. Mud rained and splattered all around which left the young ponies soaked from head to tail in a muddy wet mess.

Trixie casually strolled up to the foals as they sat up and rubbed the stinging mud from their crying eyes. “Now The Great and Powerful Trixie will give you a bath.”

The three foals sprang to their hooves, slipped and wobbled along the muddy area, and finally galloped away from the terrible Unicorn. The youngest one, a red colt, burst into tears crying for his mother.

Trixie reached down and picked Iggy up off the floor before she snatched her bag magically. The crowd that had gathered burst into emphatic cheers over Trixie’s amazing magical feat. Trixie was completely stunned. Just this morning these folks had laughed at Trixie’s misfortunes, but now they were applauding her heroic rescue of a little colt from three town bullies like it was a show.
Trixie believed these folks to be the most fickle morons in the west.

The unicorn turned her attention to Iggy and walked him away from the entertained masses in case some angry parents showed up. “Where did you get this?” Trixie asked the colt about her bag.

“I snatched it back from those bullies who stole it!” Iggy stated proudly. “I bet those bullies didn’t expect you to cut a dash back there, Miss Great Trixie!” He began to happily mime out the movements Trixie used to magically manipulate the water.

“I wasn’t trying to cut Dash, whoever that is,” Trixie countered. “I just didn’t want you beaten up over this old piece of luggage.” Trixie opened her bag and rummaged through the contents. All the money was gone, but some of the toiletries, one spare cloak, and the draft of her novel were still intact. Obviously the things without value were ignored. Still, this little colt had risked his rump to retrieve Trixie’s bag and the Unicorn felt bad for having dismissed him earlier.
“Thank you,” Trixie said warmly with a gentle hoof on the little colt’s shoulder. “The Great and Powerful Trixie owes you an autograph.”

“It weren’t nothing really,” Iggy responded proudly, “But I’d still love an autograph!”

Trixie searched through her bag for one of her photos and something to write with. Iggy meanwhile glanced in the direction of Debon’s house. Curiosity was in his eyes.

“Miss Great Trixie, was that Debon guy talking to you earlier?” Iggy asked. “I reckon I saw him with you moments before you rescued me.”

“Him? Yeah, he introduced himself,” Trixie said absent-mindedly as a quill and photo levitated out of her bag. “He wanted to invite me to his ball tomorrow night.”

“Are you going to go?”

Trixie paused for a moment. “I don’t know,” she answered. “He seems to think I’m still an endowed magician. That or it’s the other kind of endowed pony that some rich stallions surround themselves with, like a nauseating Playhorse.” Trixie rolled her eyes and stopped searching. Her bottle of ink was missing.

“Just be careful, Miss Great Trixie,” Iggy warned. “My pa says Debon is a lying snake.”

“Why does he say that?” Trixie asked as she shouldered her bag.

Iggy shrugged. “I don’t know. Pa said something about Debon and the miners having a fuss over why Debon can’t dig holes or something. Debon doesn’t like the miners at all and the feeling is mutual.”

“Now that is interesting news,” Trixie pondered aloud.

“The Diamond Dogs don’t like pa and the miners either,” Iggy added. “They’re always bullying my pa whenever he’s working.”

Trixie’s face lit up with an epiphany. “My little hayseed, I think you just earned yourself two autographs! Come with me!” Trixie lead Iggy back to Ellie’s house. With renewed purpose, and an angry stomach, Trixie began to form a plan to clear her name and put Roxy in a kennel where the dog belonged!


~ ~ ~


Ellie and Iggy lined up small bits of a lustrous metal on a serving tray at the dining room table. Trixie sat on a stool at the nearby kitchen counter. She used her Unicorn magic to ravenously stuff a plate full of alfalfa sandwiches into her mouth. Not far away in the living room, Lisa was gingerly sewing a new garment with the remains of Trixie’s ruined cape.
Trixie found it remarkable how well Lisa could sew without sight. Well, almost did as the Unicorn was concentrating more on the sandwiches.

“I found these interesting shiny things by the warehouse breech,” the Pegasus stated happily.

“Things nothing, they’re some kind of metal,” Iggy pointed out.

Ellie frowned. “I was going to say that!” she argued, folding her fore hooves together.

Iggy stuck out his tongue defiantly. “My pa knows more about the ground than you do! He taught me all about the rocks and metals he works with. ‘Sides, these pieces look a bit off. Did you do something to them?”

Ellie smirked with a superior look. “Not many ponies see alloys such as this one,” Ellie explained. “I ran a few chemical tests and found that these samples are based on a common alloy of silver and gold called electrum. Few ponies would know about electrum outside mining because we often separate it into its component elements. I think your pa forgot to mention that tidbit of info, ha!” Ellie stood proudly in place.

Iggy rolled his eyes at the Pegasus. “So I don’t know every stupid metal’s name. What’s the big deal with these electrum bits anyway?”

“Unlike the raw metals dug up from the ground, these electrum nuggets are free of igneous deposits and have already been heated at one point into a malleable form,” Ellie explained.

Trixie swallowed the food in her mouth and chased it with a tall glass of water before she spoke. “Can we get to the part where you say something that makes me really happy to be listening to all this boring technical stuff?” she asked. Without a pause she took another big bite of her sandwich.

“This isn’t raw electrum,” Ellie explained. “These are pieces of a former large object.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow, cocking her head with confusion. “So what, you mean it’s used? Did the mining company decide to start using this stuff for something like electrum helmets?”

“Miss Great Trixie, my pa taught me about all the useful metals we work with around here, and he has never mentioned of any pony using electrum,” the little colt clarified.

“The local mining company doesn’t process any of the iron ore it digs up either,” Ellie added, “So how did they get a hold of processed electrum? I had to work these samples in several solutions just to identify them so I can only imagine that the company would need a huge plant and giant vats of chemicals to refine-”

Trixie raised her hoof to stop Ellie. The Unicorn had a hard time swallowing this conversation, let alone the remainder her current sandwich. After a few attempts, Trixie got her throat cleared. “Okay, let’s pretend I’m new to this town,” she began. “I know, mind-blowing, but for a moment let’s assume I’m an outsider and I have no idea how the mining company does business around here. I know they dig up the ore in the mine, but then what? What do they do with the warehouse at the depot?”

Iggy started in first, “Well, the company rents the warehouse to store the ore so that they can send it off in one big train shipment to San Anponio. I reckon they melt it there into iron and steel.”

“Does the company make a lot of money doing this?” Trixie asked.

“My pa would say no,” Iggy replied. “The company owns a lot of land around these parts, but the owner, Orville, isn’t rich or anything. He just lives in a regular little house like everyone else.”

“So finding electrum would be a huge boon to the owner?” Trixie pondered aloud.

“Except this electrum is already refined,” Ellie reminded Trixie.

“If electrum existed here, the company would still ship it San Anponio anyway to be melted into gold and silver,” Iggy stated, “But if Ellie is right, then they didn’t just dig this up from the ground. They got it as pieces from something bigger.”

Trixie levitated another sandwich off her plate with her pony-kinesis. “Alright hayseeds, let me brainstorm over all the facts for a moment,” Trixie stated. “First, the mining company owns the land surrounding the town, but it doesn’t make a lot of money off it. We can assume then that they refused to let Debon dig his own mine and become their competition. That seems pretty straight forward.”

“Sure does, Miss Great Trixie,” Iggy agreed with a nod.

“Second, the rail yard’s warehouse gets broken into last night, a warehouse leased to the mining company for storing iron ore. If the company isn’t wealthy, then it stands to reason that the thieves are not stealing the ore for its value, but for something else there that is. Third, we find traces of electrum, an alloy no pony uses here, at the scene of the crime. The fragments here are pieces of an already processed electrum object even though the company doesn’t have the means to process any kind of ore themselves. So, what does this add up to?”

“Um, that the miners are secretly a cabal of Unicorn alchemists turning iron into electrum for their fiendish plot to create zombies?” Ellie asked hesitantly.

“Wait, what?” Trixie inquired with disbelief.

Iggy bounced up on the spot. “Oh, I know! I reckon the company has found something made of electrum in one of their mines that no pony knows about!”

Trixie pointed at the little colt with a big smile. “Right! No pony, but the thieves from last night! I believe that the mining company stumbled upon this electrum by luck and they’re keeping it confidential because it’s something important. Had it been a legitimate electrum vein, there wouldn’t be a reason to be so secretive about its existence. They’d hire some more miners and guards to start digging up their fortunes faster than a Manehattanite can spit.”
Trixie paused to quickly swallow the last bite of her sandwich. “I’m betting Debon got wind of this secret somehow and he hired those Diamond Dogs to steal the electrum for himself!”

“Well, that isn’t too complicated,” Ellie responded, “But assuming it’s true, then the question now is what did the mining company find that they’re keeping it under wraps? Did they steal it from someone else?”

“Maybe it’s pirate treasure?” Iggy piped in. “Nah, wait. There’s no ocean around here.”

Trixie pondered her ideas, tapping the magically floating sandwich to her lips. She was unraveling a mystery here, one that shouldn’t be too complicated for her, yet seemed just perfect to get away with in a town that wasn’t too perceptive. Trixie was sure the Diamond Dogs were involved, and most likely Debon was pulling their leash. How could she get the evidence she needed to break this mystery wide open?

Trixie stood up. “Alright, here’s my plan,” Trixie said with vigor. “Ellie, we’re going to break into the warehouse again. We need to find out more about this electrum and what exactly our pieces go to. It could be a valuable artifact.”

“What?!” Ellie exasperated. “Trixie, I don’t want to go to the pokey!”

“We won’t get poked, or caught I mean,” the Unicorn corrected. “Iggy, you’re going to be our spotter.  How good are you with matches? What am I saying? Kids are great at starting fires! ”

Iggy bounced up and down excitedly. “I’m ready to help, Miss Great Trixie!”

Lisa walked in on the three ponies and interrupted Trixie’s train of thought. She carried in several garments on her back and held them out to where she heard Trixie. The blue Unicorn took them in hoof.

“I don’t know what kind of trouble you foals are going to get yourselves into,” Lisa warned, “But I think you’ll be needing these for proper mischief.”

Trixie magically levitated a purple bib scarf made from the remains of her tattered cape. She tied it around her neck, finding it to be a good fit. The second item was a tan Stetson hat, still slightly stiff which meant it hadn’t been worn much. The last item was an old leather saddle belt with several small pockets. Trixie found this to be potentially useful for collecting evidence. There was also a small wood slingshot in a side pouch, along with a dozen rusted iron balls. The Unicorn was taken aback by the weapon and looked up at Lisa again. 

“The hat was one of many I had lying around,” Lisa explained. “I can’t say if it’s your size, but I’m hoping it’ll fit you well. “The saddle belt was mine back in my heyday. It’s great for carrying tools and doodads around.”

“Thank you, but I’m not sure about accepting your slingshot,” said a concerned Trixie.

Lisa patted Trixie on the shoulder. “It’s just a tool dear. Ultimately it is you who decides how to use it.”

Trixie tried on the hat on and smiled that it was only a little loose. “Thank you, Lisa,” she said.

Lisa then turned to her daughter and held out what appeared to be a contraption of belts, wires and a left wing made of metal slats. Trixie recognized it from when she saw it yesterday in Ellie’s closet.
“Ellie, I know you’re still hurting since the day we lost your pa,” Lisa stated solemnly, “But you can’t hold on to the pain forever. He’d want you to finish this and move on with your life.”

Ellie appeared to choke on words, almost too scared to even touch the contraption. “Ma, no. I… I can’t.”

Lisa stepped in close and gently placed it in Ellie’s hooves. “You can’t? Or you won’t? Ellie, your pa was always telling you to keep reaching for the sky, even when your plans don’t always turn out right. He was a fine flier in his day and no daughter of his is going to forget her roots. He was always proud of you, Ellie, just as I still am now. Wear those wings with pride.”

Trixie jumped in with her own words of encouragement. “A great magician who does not utilize all her tricks is only shortchanging herself,” the Unicorn said with a beaming smile. “Wings are a fine gift to have and I could always use a talented Pegasus by my side on this mission.”

Ellie began to drown in the emotions that filled her heart. The Pegasus broke down, placed her hooves around her mother, and let the tears roll in a soft sob. Lisa held her daughter and stroked Ellie’s green mane. She softly whispered that it would be alright.

“I miss him ma,” Ellie cried. “I don’t feel right flying without him here.”

“I miss him too, youngin’,” Lisa whispered. “I know it isn’t the same without your pa, but you can’t ignore who you are just because the past hurts. Your pa would want you to fly again. A grounded Pegasus is like a fish without water and that’s no way to live.”

Iggy stood there awkwardly like a fifth wheel. Trixie gently ruffled his head to let him know it was alright to relax. After another minute of embrace, Trixie cleared her throat to get everyone’s attention. She spoke in a tone she had not used in quite some time. “Now then, if The Great and Powerful Trixie is to help the good citizens of Saddlestone, she will need a few ingredients and a capable tinkerer to assist in brewing her plan.”

“What are we making, Miss Great Trixie?” asked Iggy

“Trixie is going to need some fireworks for her second act!”

> Chapter 5 - A Resolution to Succeed
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





Trixie, Ellie, and Iggy sat behind a large stack of rocks a short distance from the train depot. It was just after sunset, but the heat that radiated off the warm desert sand could still make a pony sweat. Trixie surveyed the cluster of warehouses corralled behind the useless wooden fence. The buildings were bathed in the dim glow of the orange-red evening sky which was enough light for Trixie to pick out the three guards who marched about the premises.
The four warehouses, as well as the garage where spare train parts were stored was a lot of ground to cover for just three guards, a fact that gave Trixie an advantage to work with.

“Alright hayseeds, let’s review the plan before we start,” Trixie whispered to the others as she opened a shoulder bag that she was carrying. “Iggy, you hold onto these little rockets and the matches. If you think the guards are on our trail, you fire one of these into the air to let us know we have to get out fast.”

Iggy nodded and took hold of the little bundle of fireworks.

“Ellie, you and I will infiltrate the warehouse through a hatch on the roof. I’m pretty sure I saw at least one hatch up there when I was inside.” Trixie pulled out two tan blankets from the sack and handed one to Ellie. “We’ll look for a copy of the warehouse manifest and then see exactly what is in those crates.”

“Are we fixing to take some more of their electrum as evidence?” Iggy asked.

Trixie shook her head. “Not quite, my little admirer. We need to find out what this electrum is part of and how much there is of it. A cache of old pony relics fetches quite a sum on the black market and I won’t let Roxy capitalize on pony history.” Ellie and Iggy nodded approvingly of Trixie’s resolve, although Iggy was quite the more eager of the two.
“Are you going to be alright?” Trixie asked the Pegasus.

Ellie took in a deep breath. “I… I think so,” she answered. “I didn’t expect that bringing you here to help the town was going to get me wrangled into being part of your grand adventure.”

Trixie put on her show smile. “When you stand in the radiant light of Trixie, expect to get tanned.”

“I’m more worried about getting burned,” Ellie countered.

Trixie smirked in a roguish way and shrugged. She handed Ellie the shoulder bag to carry. Ellie hooked the bag’s strap around her neck, being cautious not to have it snagged on the gears of her folded metal wing.

“I do have one question,” Ellie inquired.

“Yes?” Trixie responded in kind.

Ellie pointed to the fireworks. “You can do this magically, right? How come you also knew how to mix up the powders and make colored smoke without spells?”

“It’s one of my rules of being great and powerful,” the blue Unicorn proudly answered.

The Pegasus raised an eyebrow, “And those rules are?”

“That is also one of my rules; a magician never explains the trick,” she stated, adjusting her hat. “Perhaps someday, if you’ve earned enough of my trust, I’ll let you in on my personal secrets. For now, we have a warehouse to break into, so let’s be outlaws.”

The two mares covered themselves in the tan blankets. The color blended passably against the surrounding sand, made all the more effective with the darkened sky. Iggy was left to stand watch while Trixie led the way around the rocky terrain toward their target warehouse. The Unicorn studied the guards’ movements and she gave non-verbal signals to Ellie on when to move. It only took three minutes to reach the ill-kept wooden fence and they crossed the narrow field to the warehouse wall in half that time.

“Alright, hand me the rope,” Trixie commanded. The Pegasus pulled a length of rope from the bag and handed it to Trixie. The Unicorn tied the rope to the end of a hook she procured from one of her saddle belt pockets. Then with her magic, Trixie lifted the hook up and over the roof, secured against the roof’s lip.
They climbed up the rope quickly before the guards would pass this way again. On the roof, Trixie retrieved the rope while Ellie folded the blankets. None of the guards even came close to passing them below. The two mares stuffed the items in Ellie’s bag along with the hook. Trixie quietly walked over to the nearest hatch she saw and nudged it to see if it was secured. The lock didn’t give at all.

“Will that gizmo enable you to fly?” probed Trixie, nodding at the folded metal contraption Ellie wore.

“No,” Ellie responded, “At best I can maybe glide to the ground, but um, I’ve never tested it.”

“Of course you haven’t,” Trixie muttered flatly to herself. She turned her attention to the hatch lock. Trixie took a couple of thin mane-pins from a pouch on her saddle belt and began working on the lock. “Well, I’m glad you decided to bring it along,” she told Ellie. “Maybe tonight it’ll actually get tested.”

Ellie sat uncomfortably, not responding to Trixie’s statement.

“Hey,” Trixie barked softly, getting Ellie’s attention, “I boasted exaggerations about my mundane adventures, at least the ones I didn’t outright fake for my own gain. I totally destroyed my credibility and then wielded a forbidden cursed artifact for petty revenge. My actions were practically criminal, but did I give up on myself? No, I was determined to make a comeback, and look at what I’m doing here now.”

“You mean breaking into a warehouse?” Ellie asked.

“Okay, it’s a bad example,” Trixie corrected as she rolled her eyes. “The point is, we all hit a low point every so often, but we can’t just give up because of an occasional bump in the road. You’re talented with tools. I’m sure you’ll fly again with that contraption.”

Trixie unlocked the hatch with only minor difficulty. She pocketed the mane-pins and carefully lifted the flap. The warehouse interior was perfectly silent and dark, Trixie found no signs of occupants inside.

Ellie walked over to the hatch and she helped Trixie climb inside quietly. The Pegasus then followed the Unicorn down into the warehouse. Ellie carefully closed the hatch behind them as Trixie activated a light spell at the tip of her horn. Its soft yellow-white light reflected off the vast number of aisles within the warehouse. Trixie noticed from this vantage point that the large breech in the warehouse wall was covered up by nailed curtains as a temporary measure. Other than that, crates that were damaged from last night didn’t appear to have been repaired or even cleaned up yet.

Trixie climbed down the shelves first to the floor cautiously. There were no ladders nearby so Trixie had to use the shelves themselves as steps. She helped Ellie climb down next before the Unicorn ventured toward the front of the warehouse.

Off to a corner near the main entrance was a small pseudo-office. It was separated from the rest of the warehouse by a few sheets of plywood, with a space to step through to the one plain metal desk that resided there. The two mares quietly walked over and began to rummage through the paperwork and desk drawers.

“What are we looking for again, a manifest?” Ellie whispered.

“Yes,” confirmed Trixie, “We need to know more about the electrum those robbers were keen on.”

Ellie pulled open the desk’s largest drawer. Inside were several documents and a large cloth-bound ledger. The Pegasus picked up the book and skimmed the pages. It was full of serial numbers and descriptions. “This ought to be it,” the Pegasus said, handing the ledger over to Trixie.

Trixie used her magic to hold the book open as she flipped through pages. She got an understanding of the system used to store everything herein, a simple numbering system that incorporated the date each crate was placed within the warehouse. After a moment, Trixie’s eyes narrowed with frustration. “It only lists iron ore in every entry here,” she muttered.

Ellie cocked her head slightly. “Well, if the electrum is a secret, they wouldn’t make note of it in the records, right?”

A third feminine voice chimed up from the nearby isle, “But then how did the thieves know where to look?”

Trixie and Ellie froze in place, their eyes whipped around toward the voice. The figure that stepped into the magical light was Cheryl, the chocolate-coat pony from the prison. Once Trixie recognized her, the Unicorn felt her own heart had started to beat again. Trixie turned to Ellie, who was still frozen with fear.

“It’s alright Ellie,” Trixie assured. “This is Cheryl. I met her from the jail and she’s… wait, what are you doing here?” Trixie took a defensive stance and kept Ellie behind her for safety.

“Oh, so this isn’t open house at the train yard?” Cheryl replied sarcastically.

“Obviously not!” Ellie answered earnestly. “The front door isn’t even open!”

“Will you both shut up?” Trixie barked. “I’m trying to deduce a mystery here and I don’t need you two blowing my chances! Whoever broke into this warehouse has an agenda and I want to find out what it is.”

“Yeah, um…” Cheryl faltered with a skeptical look.

“Yes, I’m quite aware of the Pot-Kettle-Black situation here,” Trixie snapped. “However, once I procure evidence of the heist and build a solid case, Roxy and her dog mates will be admiring the beauty of vertical iron bars from the inside.”

Cheryl shrugged. “Alright, but who’s going to arrest them?” the Earth pony casually asked. “No offense, but you and chicken wings there aren’t on Roxy’s level of brawn. Deputy Valiant couldn’t take her on, and while his heart may be in the right place, his face won’t be when Roxy pounds him like a bean bag. ”

Trixie narrowed her eyes, leaning closer. “Why don’t we band the town together then?” Trixie questioned. “I concede that ponies will get hurt, but ultimately we can take the three down all together.”

“You ever interacted with us common clay folk? That’s like herding cats,” Cheryl countered, “Oh, and half those cats are drunken scoundrels themselves. I doubt there’s any sober pony around these parts who is crazy enough to go into your plan whole hog.”

Trixie let out a small smirk as she was now nose-to-nose with Cheryl. “Well I’m not from around these parts,” she said confidently. Trixie pushed aside the pink-mane pony and trotted off toward the location she believed the two creatures had looted. The ledger silently floated alongside Trixie and Ellie followed close behind. The Pegasus imitated Trixie’s proud canter. Cheryl shook her head and quietly followed them.

The heavy scratches on the wood floor revealed that Trixie was on the right trail. The Unicorn followed the marks until they stopped at a shelving isle halfway into the warehouse. The damaged floor and cracked wooden covers were major clues that indicated the monsters from the night below had worked their dirty plans in this aisle.

Trixie opened the ledger again and compared the serial numbers from the book to the crates here. Everything matched up perfectly. The numbers were even kept in perfect ascending order, but then Trixie noticed that one of the entries in the ledger was written in a different handwriting style than the others.

“This might be nothing,” Trixie mentioned to Ellie, “But the handwriting is different on this entry.”

Cheryl listened in, but remained quiet. Trixie continued comparing the numbers. “If the ledger is accurate, then this oddly written entry should be up on the top shelf here.”
Trixie looked up.

Way up.

The top shelf was easily thirty feet up, with no apparent ladder in sight. “Yup, exactly where my luck would dictate it should be,” Trixie grumbled. She magically handed the ledger to Ellie and started the long climb up the precarious shelving.

“You could send the Pegasus up there,” Cheryl suggested coolly.

Trixie threw her a dead-pan glance. “Don’t get me started on the issue with that idea.”

Cheryl returned a confused look and then turned to Ellie. The Pegasus blushed as she turned the other way sheepishly. It took only a moment for Cheryl to realize what the issue was. Cheryl only gave a silent nod to Ellie before the Earth pony dropped the idea for a different plan. “Here, let me give you a hoof.”

Cheryl climbed up after Trixie, but the Unicorn remained distrustful. “You didn’t answer my earlier inquiry,” Trixie said to the Earth pony. “You know, the one about why you’re here?”

Cheryl didn’t stop her climb, but shimmied over alongside Trixie. “Same as you, I came over for a look-see,” she responded. “I confess I might have fibbed about there being no sober and crazy ponies in these parts.”

Trixie snorted, but couldn’t help to also crack a small smile at the Earth pony. “I see you have not failed to recall Valiant’s counsel this morning,” she mentioned. “How does it feel to be dry?”

Cheryl smirked back with a sardonic response. “About as much fun as trying to figure out your big fancy words.”

“The common clay needs to read more books,” Trixie griped to herself.

They continued to climb the shelves together, but had to sacrifice some care for speed in case security decided to peer into this place. Trixie began to get nervous being so high up with nothing to catch her should she fall. The Unicorn began mentally listing all the useful spells she should learn later just in case Trixie ever found urban climbing a viably hobby. Trixie also hoped it wasn’t too dark outside for Iggy to see danger coming to the warehouse.
She glanced over at Cheryl and noted that the Earth pony was a mountain of calm.

Trixie thought some banter could help alleviate her worry. “Know any good jokes?” she asked Cheryl.

The Earth pony thought for a moment, but failed to recall anything relevant. Instead she settled on an unusual story. “So, a blonde Pegasus walks into a bar with a poodle under one wing and a two foot carrot under her other wing. The bartender says, ‘I guess you won’t be needing a drink.’ The Pegasus responds-”

The crate lid Cheryl had grabbed ahold of suddenly snapped off the box. Trixie hooked her rear legs around the shelving frame and lunged at Cheryl, catching her before she lost her tenuous grip. The broken lid tumbled past them to the ground. Below, Ellie jumped out of the way to avoid the incoming board. The lid shattered into splinters upon impact with the floor and reverberated a noise that was almost certain to catch the attention of the security outside.

“Are you two alright?” Ellie shouted up to the two hanging mares.

“Cheryl could stand to lose some weight,” Trixie prodded. “Otherwise we’re just peachy.” Trixie grunted as she helped Cheryl up and get a better grip on the shelf. “Ellie, what’s the number of the crate with the distinct writing?” Trixie asked.

Ellie scanned the ledger for the odd entry. “Uh, it outta be five-one-five-seven-eight.”

Trixie and Cheryl reached the top shelf and sat themselves upon it. They read the various numbers for a match. Cheryl found it and tapped the crate to get Trixie’s attention. “Alright, so shall we crack this box open?” Cheryl asked.

“Well I didn’t come up here for a picnic,” Trixie jestingly responded.

The blue Unicorn drew out a small knife from her saddle belt pouch, but before she could use it, Cheryl swung a hind leg and cracked the crate’s lid open with a powerful kick. A second later the Earth pony yanked the lid and tossed it off the side of the shelving.

Trixie quickly leaned over the edge and grabbed the airborne lid with her levitation magic before it hit something. The Unicorn settled the lid behind her on the shelf and frowned at Cheryl. “Okay, what part of stealth are you not getting?” Trixie asked scathingly.
With a sigh, Trixie sheathed her knife and brightened her light spell. The two mares rummaged through the crate, the hay filling brushed aside until they had the contents in view.

It was a collection of moss-covered brown rocks.

“Brilliant,” Cheryl said dryly. “We can convict Roxy with this evidence and chuck it at her head.”

“Shut up,” Trixie muttered. The Unicorn sifted through the pile of rocks. She pulled out a small piece covered in moss and chiseled lines. Trixie turned it in over her hooves as she studied the line patterns.
“This is interesting,” Trixie mused aloud. “Do you know what this is?”

“Not a rock?” Cheryl uninspiringly answered.

Trixie opened her mouth to put Cheryl in her place, but the Unicorn was interrupted by the screech of something outside that flew up into the air and then ended its flight in a soft, single pop. Trixie quickly grabbed several small rocks and stuffed them into her pockets.

“What was that?” asked a confused Cheryl.

“Our exit line!” Trixie grabbed the crate lid and slammed it on top of the box. A second firework popped in the sky outside which cried urgency to the mares. Trixie shouted below to the wide-eyed Pegasus. “Ellie, gallop over to the hatch! I’ll pull you up with the rope!”

The Pegasus dropped the ledger and made a race for the hatch. Meanwhile, Trixie tugged on Cheryl to follow her across the top shelves. The two climbed over the crates in a precarious balancing act to escape capture.

The large warehouse front doors rolled open with a rusty groan and revealed two stallion guards with lanterns. The guards quickly moved in with the purpose to apprehend any intruders they found.

Trixie and Cheryl ran out of shelving to move along and had to either climb down or leap over to the next row. Cheryl didn’t hesitate for instructions and jumped the gap at her full speed. The pony sailed through the air, hat held to her head as the air whipped around her hair. She flopped hard onto the top shelves of the adjacent row and the rough crate edges scratched her coat.

“This is going to seriously suck,” Trixie mumbled angrily as she took several steps back. With a spring in her step, the Unicorn hurled her weight into the air. She didn’t have the momentum or strength that Cheryl had and quickly lost altitude. Trixie focused her pony-kinesis to help lift her body aloft and cover the gap. She pushed the spell hard to defy the gravity that pulled down on her. The Unicorn reached out, stretched her hooves to close that gap, and she reached the edge with not an inch to spare.
Trixie hit the shelves hard with her chest, sliding backwards off the side before Cheryl caught her and pulled her up.

“Yeah, going to feel that one tomorrow,” Trixie coughed out as she rubbed her painfully throbbing ribs.

Ellie had made it first to the area under the hatch, with Trixie and Cheryl only seconds behind. Cheryl pushed the hatch open and climbed out first. Ellie unpacked the coiled rope and threw it up to Trixie. The Unicorn caught the rope with her pony-kinesis, pulled up one end, and awaited the Pegasus to grab the other.
Ellie struggled to climb up the rope while Trixie pulled up on her end to help facilitate their escape. The guards were quick and had nearly closed their gap on the ground.

“Up there, I think I see something!” shouted the older stallion.

Trixie dispelled the magical light to prevent the guards from identifying them. Cheryl reached down and grabbed Trixie’s end of the rope with her teeth, which aided the Unicorn with her own strength. The two mares pulled their Pegasus friend up and out of the warehouse just as the guards reached the isle. The hatch made a loud thud as it slammed shut.
Outside, the three looked around for the whereabouts of the third guard.

“We’re going to the pokey, aren’t we?” questioned Ellie.

Trixie patted Ellie on the back comfortingly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is skilled in the art of escape,” she boasted. “My talents will ensure that we are not caught this night!”

“Talent nothing,” Cheryl disputed, “I reckon we’re going to need a big old bucket of luck.”

Trixie raised a hoof defiantly. “Luck is one of my finest talents!” Trixie countered.

Cheryl rolled her eyes and glanced over the side of the warehouse roof. “Alright then Miss Lucky and Skillful,” Cheryl teased, “I hope you got a talent for flying because I just found the remaining guard and he’s rounding out back with a ladder.”

Trixie quickly brainstormed for a plan. She sized up the two ponies with her and decided on a simple idea. Trixie unfurled Ellie’s mechanical wing, which was secured to the Pegasus’ body.

“W-What? No!” Ellie stuttered in protest. “I’m not ready for this!”

“You must!” Trixie commanded, “Sail to safety while Cheryl and I distract the guards. Here, I’m entrusting the evidence to you.” Trixie pulled out several of the rocks she took and stuffed them into Ellie’s sack. “Now fly little hayseed, and this time believe!”

Trixie rushed Ellie over the side of the roof. The Pegasus was shoved forcefully into the air and her legs flailed while she unfurled her good right wing instinctively. Ellie yelped like a little filly and stumbled erratically around the sky like a confused mosquito. It was the most botched, clumsy-looking take off of any Pegasus Trixie had seen, but Celestia as her witness it was also the most wondrous sight Trixie had seen. The one-winged Pegasus wavered back and forth, but with each moment her flails became more like controlled movement. Natural intuition took hold and Ellie’s erratic flight evolved from a clumsy dodo into a majestic eagle. The blue Unicorn beheld the sight of a Pegasus who regained what she had missed for far too long – Ellie was airborne once again.

“Uh, as tender a moment watching chicken wings there fly the coop,” Cheryl interrupted, “Can we move on to step two of this plan?”

Trixie nodded and began her spell. Magical light began surrounding Cheryl and Trixie, constricted to their bodies and gained in visible intensity until it drew forth colors to become a solid skin over them.

The young guard set the ladder in place and quickly crested over the wall and onto the roof of the warehouse. He saw the two older guards who stood by the hatch, but the trespassers were nowhere to be seen.
“Did you see them?” he asked the two weary coworkers.

One of the two stallions shook his head no.

Ellie crash-landed off in the distance, having slammed headlong into a stack of boxes that completely toppled over the Pegasus.

“Wait, over there!” the young guard pointed out. “Did you see that?”

The other guard responded with a spinning kick to the head. The hoof connected to the young guard’s temple and knocked the poor pony down against the surface with a hard bounce. He laid there unconscious.

“Horse apples! Can you stop responding to every problem by kicking it in the face?!” Trixie scolded. She dropped the magical guard disguises she had put up on them both.

“I don’t see the problem,” Cheryl commented coolly. “I appear to be two for two so far.”

Trixie checked the unconscious guard’s injury. Other than some bruising, he seemed alright. She heard the other two guards curse as they pounded at the hatch in a vain attempt to open it from within. Trixie grabbed the rope magically and shoved Cheryl along to the edge of the roof.
Without hesitation the Unicorn hooked the rope to the edge, grabbed Cheryl in a tight hold, and jumped off the roof toward the ground below. Trixie held on tightly to the rope as the two mares stretched it taught and swung downward to the ground. Their momentum and weight proved too much for the rope. The lifeline groaned and then snapped near the hook end.

Trixie and Cheryl fell the remaining way and crashed upon a pile of wood planks with same graceful finish a bag of marbles thrown down a staircase would exhibit.

“Next time,” Trixie gritted painfully through her teeth, “Remind me to bring a ladder.”

“Agreed,” grunted Cheryl.

Trixie and Cheryl hobbled away as fast as they could. The remaining two guards inside the warehouse had just broken through the roof hatch and climbed up, but they were too late. The trespassers had already crossed the fence line into the darkness.
“By gum!” one of the guards shouted as he kicked the hook off the roof.


~ ~ ~


Trixie and Cheryl stumbled into the night for several minutes before Iggy and Ellie signaled them over with a lit match. The three mares looked at each other in bewilderment with how badly they were all disheveled from the adventure.
Trixie and Cheryl were still limping from their fall. Ellie’s metal wing was bent and her face was covered in sand. They broke out in a collective giggle while Iggy stood by them in awe that they had successfully pulled off this plan.

Ellie also appeared quite elated, still out of breath from her experience. “That was incredible Trixie!” the Pegasus exclaimed. “The wind beneath me, my wings outstretched, I…” Ellie was unable to find the words to properly define the joy she had regained in that glide.

“That was just plum crazy Trixie,” Cheryl admitted to the Unicorn, “But somehow it all worked out just like you said it would.”

Trixie smirked as she lead the herd back to Ellie’s house. “Did I not tell you? The Great and Powerful Trixie is skilled in the art of escape.”

“I’ll admit it,” Cheryl apologized, “I thought you were just spouting a bunch of poppy-cock, but you certainly do have a might bit of magical talent. Thanks.” Cheryl turned to leave in a different direction, but Trixie held her back.

“Did you really mean what you said back there?” Trixie asked seriously. “That you were crazy enough to help us fight Roxy and perhaps save this little backwater town?”

Cheryl thought for a long, hard moment before she formed a response. “I’ll level with you, Trixie. The former sheriff of Saddelstone was my cousin and we were real close growing up.”

Trixie nodded, though she had never even seen the sheriff’s picture. Ellie and Iggy were more understanding, as they knew the former sheriff from personal interactions. “Seems like every pony knew him,” Trixie said with regard.

“He was pretty loud,” Iggy pointed out.

Ellie nudged Iggy to hush. “Sheriff Lonestar was a good stallion,” Ellie explained. “Every pony in town respected him. He died only a couple months ago, I think.”

Cheryl clarified Ellie’s statement. “He died mysteriously. I ain’t going to mention the details in front of the colt here, but none of the deputies ever solved his case. Once Lonestar was out of the picture, things went sour for the whole town.”

“Roxy and the Diamond Dogs showed up then?” Trixie asked.

Cheryl nodded. “Yeah, among other scoundrels. I- I just wanted to put Lonestar at peace. I want some justice from whoever took him away from me and the townsfolk who looked up to Lonestar. I know for a fact he was getting into the mining company’s business, just like you Trixie, and I reckon he had found something interesting enough that it got him put six feet under for it.”

Trixie stood there and pondered the weight of those words. She never thought that she had stepped into some kind of conspiracy that was significant enough for a pony to lose his life over. The seriousness of this case started to feel all too heavy upon Trixie’s shoulders.

“I see now,” Ellie whispered with understanding. “Once you found out Trixie was picking up the case where the sheriff left off, you decided to shadow us in case she succeeded, right?”

Cheryl looked up at the stars with a sigh. “I suppose so. It might sound a bit selfish of me not thinking to caution you all about the dangers first, but I reckon I wanted in on some revenge.”

“I’ve been down that road once,” Trixie warned sternly. “Revenge is a spear that impales both ways.” The blue Unicorn kicked a small rock thoughtfully. She watched Cheryl look her in the eye for answers.
“Tell you what though,” Trixie said with a happier tone to her voice. “Since we’re all caught up in this muddled escapade, how about we work together? With you, Ellie, and I working as a team we can watch each other’s backs and get to the bottom of what this mining company is hiding from the town.”

“Can I join too?” Iggy asked earnestly.

“Of course my little admirer,” Trixie answered. “You’re part of the team already. However, we ought to get you home now before your parents throw a conniption fit.” The Unicorn turned to the Earth pony. “So what do you say, Cheryl? Care to join Team Trixie and finish what the sheriff started?”

“Your offer sounds tempting, but do you reckon we can solve this mystery?” puzzled Cheryl.

“The sky’s the limit,” Trixie answered confidently.

Half a bleat and two-thirds of a snapped wooden board rung out in the still air. The four ponies all looked at each other with hesitant curiosity. Trixie motioned to where she thought the sounds came from- Brahman’s ranch.
The group quickly trotted over toward the source of the sound and that’s where they saw them.

Two great semi-upright dark forms rose from the shadows of the ranch and ran off into the darkness like how a puff of smoke dissipated in the wind. The unmistakable razor edges of their spines reflected the moonlight for a split-second before they disappeared utterly into the night. A silent, cold chill hung over all four ponies. Whatever they just witnessed made no noise nor… but wait! Trixie galloped over to where the creatures stood before they dove into the shadows.

The others tried to keep up, but the bright blue Unicorn was powered by determination. Their breaths labored, the ponies caught up and saw Trixie activate her light spell. She looked down at several large canine prints in the dirt. Trixie turned to others with solid redemption on her face.
“Some pony please tell me they saw that!” Trixie demanded.

“Wow Trixie, you were telling the truth!” shouted a bewildered Ellie.

Cheryl rubbed her tired eyes. “I saw it,” she admitted, “And that there was a clear sign that I’m way too sober right now.” The Earth pony shook her head in disbelief. Cheryl noticed that Iggy had run right up to Trixie with a huge look of fear on his little face.

“Miss Great Trixie, what were they?” Iggy asked in distress.

Trixie gave the little colt a warm hug. “I’m guessing those were the Diamond Dogs in disguise,” Trixie said. She tried to hide the slight twinge of doubt in her voice. “Don't you worry, little one. The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to bring them all to justice.”

Trixie looked up at the others with hope that they shared in her confidence, but the Unicorn wasn’t sure she saw any pony who agreed. Trixie was also not completely sure herself if she could resolve this case.

A stallion did lose his life getting too familiar with this mystery.

> Chapter 6 - Act As If Fighting Bees
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------





It was a cloudy mid-morning day, but despite the overcast sky it remained unusually warm. A gentle breeze casually walked through the little town of Saddlestone with a colossal thunderhead that loomed on the horizon. The storm gave off the scent of ozone as a threat to parade rain upon the town by lunch time.

Trixie, Ellie, and Cheryl were all sore from last night’s exploits and felt slow this morning due to a few hours of missed sleep. They capitalized on the morning’s breeze as they sat under the shady front porch of Ellie’s house to relax.

Cheryl napped lazily under the shade with her slouch hat over her face. Beside her were an empty tin cup and half a bottle of brandy that she purchased from the Cactus Gulp saloon.
Trixie lied sideways on a rocking chair next to Cheryl. One of the rocks stolen from last night’s raid magically rotated in front of the Unicorn’s eyes. Trixie tried to decipher the varying patterns of scratched lines on the stones, but despite her nagging suspicions, nothing came to mind from her travels.

Ellie sat beside the front door, playing lazily with the moss she had pulled off of the rocks. The Pegasus had no clues to the meaning of the plant. However, it had inspired her to build a new contraption that would allow her to shoot a hooked rope over a wall. The trouble was that she needed a way to coil the rope quickly after its use. Ellie hoped that if she played more with the moss, another inspiration would surface.

Lisa slowly stepped out of the house and secured a saddlebag around her waist. It was the first time Trixie saw Ellie’s mother without the blindfold on. The Unicorn clearly saw that the older mare had milky-gray clouds behind her dull green eyes.

“I’ll be off to the general store for more food gals,” Lisa stated. “Do you all need anything?”

“No thanks,” Trixie responded absently.

Cheryl grunted out a “No”.

Ellie stood up. “Let me walk you over to the store,” the Pegasus offered.

“I’ll be fine, Ellie,” Lisa countered. “I’ve been walking myself to the store for years now. You just relax here with your friends like a good host and I’ll be back in two shakes of a polecat’s tail.”

Ellie sat back down and tugged at the ends of the moss ball. She watched as her mother carefully stepped off the porch and walked down to the town center.

After Lisa was out of earshot, Trixie cleared her throat and asked Ellie a question. “How long has your mother been… you know, blind?”

“For quite a few years if I’m remembering right,” Ellie answered after a pause. “It was a slow loss over time. The doc said it was some kind of inherited eye disease and that there isn’t a cure in Equestria for it. Ma learned to live it, but she will claim that she can still pick out shapes in the daylight. I worry about her all the same though.”

“Perfectly understandable,” Trixie agreed.

Ellie let out a soft sigh and changed the subject. “So what did you figure out with those rocks? Did you find another clue to the puzzle?”

“Nothing yet,” Trixie grumbled as the levitated rock began to float above her nose. “However, our adventure wasn’t a complete waste of time. I am quite certain that the mining company unearthed a ruin of some sort. I just can’t fathom anything beyond that. I don’t suppose the moss means anything to you, Ellie?”

Ellie tossed the moss to the side. “No, I’m not an expert at plants,” the uninspired Pegasus answered.

“I thought you were the smart one?” Cheryl muttered from under her hat.

“If this were something mechanical I’d have it figured out,” Ellie explained, “Even basic metals would be something I could work with if I got Iggy over to help me. Moss though? I mean what’s there to know about it? It’s green, icky, and I don’t know.” The Pegasus snorted and picked up two random gears from a pile of parts beside her, turning the gear over in her hooves as her inspiration did indeed return.
“What about you, Cheryl? You got any ideas?” the Pegasus asked.

“Yup,” Cheryl responded without inflection, “I say you two come pour yourselves a couple of drinks and loosen up from being all flustered over these here useless clues.”

Trixie tossed the floating rock at Cheryl’s head. It bounced harmlessly off her hat. “Fat lot of help you are, pink puff,” the unicorn scorned.

“Point proven,” Cheryl retorted dryly.

Trixie stretched in the rocking chair and flicked her tail at a buzzing fly. “I hope Iggy will be alright,” she said lazily. “He seemed acutely agitated from seeing those creatures, and we did get him home rather late.”

“His ma seemed understanding enough,” Ellie added optimistically. “Don’t know about his pa since he wasn’t home yet.”

“Works at the mines, right?” Trixie asked. “It might be a good idea to butter him up since my next plan will be to go rummaging through that place.”

“Brilliant, our crime spree continues,” Ellie mocked playfully. “I hear the mining company recently got a fancy new drill that runs on a steam engine. I’d love to see that thing in action! I bet it cuts like a knife through butter.” Ellie giggled at the thought of interacting with such a powerful machine.

“Calm your wings,” Cheryl half-heartedly warned. “You’re going to make all the boys jealous.”

Trixie magically picked up the rock she threw a moment earlier and floated it back over to herself. She needed access to a library, one that had books on old cultures. Trixie was sure she could decipher the marks then and glean information on what the rocks were from. The blue Unicorn blinked when something on the horizon appeared out of the corner of her eye. She slowly tilted her head upright and the details became clear then that it was Deputy Valiant, Lulu, and two zebra rail workers approaching her.
Trixie quickly hid the rock in one of her saddle-belt pockets.

“Trixie Lulamoon,” Valiant called out sternly. Trixie’s heart skipped a beat and she bolted upright in the chair. When someone of authority called Trixie out by her full name, it was never for an autograph. Ellie quickly sat up as well to follow Trixie’s lead, but Cheryl remained in her relaxed position. The pink-mane pony only tilted her hat back to see the approaching posse.

“Good morning Valiant, Lulu, esteemed workers,” Trixie greeted calmly.

“Restrain your false pretenses, Ms. Lulamoon!” Lulu scolded in her husky voice. “My warehouse was assailed last night and the guards identified that this time it was by pony folk.”

“How utterly specific,” Cheryl commented sarcastically. “Did they all have four hooves and a nose?”

“Do not mock me woman!” Lulu snapped. “You are but a wino without a whinny!”

Cheryl jumped up and got nose to nose with Lulu. She began to stagger from sudden vertigo, but her eyes remained locked to the Zebra’s. “You want to square dance with a bull?” Cheryl threatened the zebra. “I’ll much oblige you in that prospect.” The two mares swished their tails angrily at each other.

Lulu’s two workers pawed the ground in Cheryl’s direction, ready to protect their boss. Valiant stepped between the two mares and pushed them apart. “Now calm down you two! I didn’t get dragged out here to referee a wrestling match.” Lulu backed off, but Valiant was looking at Cheryl.
“No more sass from you, missy,” Valiant cautioned, “Or I’ll give you another night in the pokey.”

Cheryl scowled at the zebra, but finally relented. The Earth pony stumbled backwards slightly as she sat down to reorient herself.

Trixie stood up and stretched her legs. “I would like to inquire what evidence you have that I was the pony who broke into your warehouse.”

“No pony is accusing you specifically,” Valiant clarified. “However, you have one strike against you from the prior incident so I have to entertain the possibility of you being a prime suspect in this new break-in.”

“If I had done it,” Trixie inquired, “What crimes am I to be facing here?”

Lulu stepped in with her gruff voice, “Trespassing on private property, assault, vandalism, and tampering with my warehouse ledgers. Why, if I were already mayor of this province, I’d make those hanging crimes!”

“How shrewd,” Trixie responded. The Unicorn remained quite calm in the face of what was mostly the truth about the incident last night.

Lulu pressed the Unicorn for answers. “I want to know where you were last night, between the hours of eight and nine specifically.”

Trixie glanced at Ellie and tried to think of something to say. A lie, a fib, an alibi… Trixie needed an answer that preferably did not include the phrase ‘breaking and entering’ anywhere within the statement. Trixie’s mind raced for words, but she was only able to shake her head in Ellie’s direction.

The Pegasus shrugged and uttered, “I don’t know, I’ve been looking at moss all morn-” Ellie quickly covered her mouth. She just had given up the game too quickly.

“Moss?” Lulu asked with an incredulous look.

“Alright, Valiant, you got us,” Trixie sighed with resignation. Cheryl turned to Trixie and gave what may have been the first genuine shocked expression Trixie ever saw out of her. “The gals and I were out last night and we imbibed a few too many drinks,” Trixie confessed. “We then went fishing for mudskippers by the river and made jesters of ourselves. I apologize if I stirred up the livestock with my magical fireworks. Turns out you can’t catch fish with show spells.”

“Lulu, your guards did say they heard fireworks a distance outside the warehouse grounds, correct?” Valiant asked the zebra.

“I would have used something more suitable to the customs of the common clay folks around here, like dynamite,” Trixie continued, “But I’m not sure if that’s illegal or not in these backwater Equestrian provinces. You know how it is Valiant; those zany stereotypes exist for a reason, right?”

One of the two workers nodded with a smirk, which earned a back-hoofed slap in the head from Lulu. Valiant himself had a look of absolute bewilderment on his face, made all the more solid when Ellie picked up the ball of moss beside her and stretched it out for the deputy to see.

Lulu continued to run the interrogation, although even she questioned the sanity of continuing this conversation with the Unicorn. “Mudskippers are not native to these lands,” Lulu corrected with a huff. “Why would you go casting for a creature that you would not find?”

“Did I mention I was inebriated?” Trixie retorted. “I’m sure a well-traveled pony such as you has had a few drinks here and there, tested your limits and learned a few lessons the following morning? It does funny things to your mind. Obviously I was out of mine.”

“Obviously,” Cheryl muttered under her breath.

Lulu rubbed her temple. She had grown frustrated with the way Trixie was mocking this interrogation. Trixie decided to take a chance and drew out several of the stones she stole from the crate. With her slight-of-hoof, Trixie rotated them so that the marks faced away from Lulu and Valiant.
“Here, I acquired these from the river bed,” Trixie stated. “Is this proof enough of where I was? I can fetch Ellie’s mother over from the general store and she’ll vouch that we got home by eight-thirty.”

Lulu looked at the unremarkable stones and shrugged. “Alright Unicorn, your case has been made,” Lulu stated angrily, “But do not be so smug about it, for I will remember what you have said.”

“That’s a terrible rhyme,” Trixie said with a deceitful sad expression.

Lulu scowled and stormed off, her two workers stayed close to her sides. Valiant let the others leave ahead of him so that he could talk to Trixie privately. “For the love of Luna’s left hoof, Trixie!” the deputy scolded. “I don’t know where you get the gumption for the words coming out of your mouth, but if I find out you are trying to belly through the brush, I’m going to personally lock you up and throw your cell key down the town well!”

“Aw, come on,” Trixie said innocently, pouting her lips. “Now you’re just making those phrases up. Don’t you believe me, Valiant?”

Valiant angrily pointed a hoof in her direction, “Your story gives you a where, but that’s a might tentative when. You’re not off the hook just yet. I’ll be talking to your ma later, Ellie, but until then you all stay put and don’t get any fancy ideas.” Valiant trotted off to catch up with Lulu’s entourage, which left the three girls alone on the porch.

“Did you just con Lulu and the deputy right there?” Cheryl asked the Unicorn.

“I make confidence an art,” Trixie playfully boasted with a smile.

Ellie let out a sigh of relief. “Well, my ma will confirm the time we got back home, but I reckon Lulu is going to snoop around our business a while longer.”

Trixie looked down at the hoof-full of rocks she held. “She doesn’t know.”

“Pardon?” Cheryl questioned.

“Lulu doesn’t know anything about the electrum or these rocks,” Trixie explained. “Consider what she said moments ago, that the crimes included messing with her ledgers. As in plural! I only went through one and none of us made any changes to it. That’s evidence Lulu would have to hand over to Valiant. If she were in on the theft, she would have omitted it.”

“By gum, you’re right!” Cheryl exclaimed. “Lulu didn’t recognize those rocks you presented to her either. If she did, she could have had you by the horn right then and there for stealing.”

“Exactly,” Trixie agreed. “Lulu didn’t flinch when she saw these rocks, so she genuinely did think they came from the river.”

“Wait, if Lulu isn’t forging her own ledgers,” Ellie interrupted, “Then who is?”

“Better question- How?” Trixie rebutted. “I’ve noticed Lulu has a discerning eye for detail. Look at how she dresses. When I was arrested for the first break-in, Lulu had personally checked every detail of the crime scene. I’d bet my cutie mark that Lulu could have recalled where every hole was made. If she’s that detailed oriented she would have found out about the forged ledger entries then.”

“What about the electrum we found?” the Pegasus questioned. “She should have noticed that.”

“I’m sure Lulu did,” Trixie conceded, “But she likely doesn’t know what electrum is to recognize it. Evidence needs context. Whoever did edit the ledgers knows exactly what is going on and I am positive that they have some pull out there at the mining company.”

Cheryl joined in on the debate. “Alright, let’s suppose that Lulu isn’t involved and that her ledgers weren’t messed with until after your arrest. The only folks going around that place during the day would be the miners storing the crates and the rail workers fixing the giant hole in their warehouse. That’s a lot of witnesses mucking about that our perpetrator would have to dodge.”

“Maybe they hid in one of the crates until after hours?” Ellie guessed haphazardly.

Cheryl took off her hat and slapped Ellie in the back of the head with it. “Listen chicken wings, I think you’ve been out in the sun too long.”

“I have a name you know!” Ellie snapped irately.

“Time out, little hayseeds,” Trixie interrupted with her hooves in a t-shaped motion. “I think Ellie’s question has enough merit to inspire a theory on how it’s done.”

“Hang on, let me get another drink before I hear this theory,” Cheryl stated incredulously. “I feel like I’m too sober for the logic that I’m about to hear.” Cheryl reached down to grab her cup, but Trixie magically flicked it out of the pony’s grasp. The cup bounced off the porch steps and into the dirt.

“Here it is in simple terms for the common clay,” Trixie stated rudely. “Some pony in the mining company hides a partner in a crate and ships it to the warehouse for storage. During the night the partner climbs out of the crate, edits the ledger, and then hides back inside the crate to get picked up in the morning.”

“I don’t know,” Cheryl muttered with apprehension. “I’d reckon retrieving crates often would raise a flag of some sort, unless the boss is in on it and keeps it hush.”

Ellie raised a hoof in question. “What about the two monsters and the hare you fought off? Are they working for Debon, the mining company, or themselves?”

“I still believe the creatures were Diamond Dogs,” Trixie defended. “I’m not sure about the hare, or if Debon is involved at all. He has motive to hate the company though.” Trixie glanced at the rocks again, but now she saw something new. The lines had formed a bigger pattern. With a sudden bolt, Trixie kicked away Ellie’s parts off to the side and she began spreading the rocks around.

“What the hay was that for?” the Pegasus asked in surprise.

Trixie didn’t slow down to answer. “These aren’t a language, they’re a picture!”

The Unicorn directed the mares to align the rocks together in neat rows. The stones didn’t quite fit together like a jigsaw puzzle, but the carved lines on them still lined up nicely to make connections on the order the rocks should go. Trixie quickly swapped and arranged the rocks to form a crudely carved image.
After the last rock was placed, Trixie took a step back and observed her work.

Before her was a carved image of a spiral around some kind of cup or bell shaped object. It eluded Trixie all morning because she was thinking the carved lines were elements of a language, not an image. Now that Trixie had something to work with, research could begin. The only problem was where to get historical books in a town that didn’t even publish its own news.

“So,” Cheryl began as she retrieved her tin cup, “Is this what they call the big picture?”

Trixie followed the jagged spiral pattern with her hoof. She delved deep into the farthest recesses of her memory. “If I had access to a library, I could look up this pattern, “Trixie mused aloud. “However, I imagine Saddlestone’s literary collection consists of two-bit novels and the morning paper from Dodge Junction.”

“Pretty much,” Cheryl said dryly.

“Sorry, I only have a tool catalogue and a stack of manuals on fixing things,” Ellie apologized.

“I really hate this town,” Trixie muttered. She gathered all the rocks together and slipped them into a small sack she produced from one of her saddle-belt pouches. “It appears there’s nothing further I can accomplish with this clue. We will have to move ahead with our plans to infiltrate the mining company.”

Cheryl shook the dirt out of her cup before she poured more liquor from the bottle. “Sounds like a mighty fine plan to me. When do we start?” she asked. Cheryl moved the cup to her lips, but Trixie slapped the drink away with her magic a second time.

“Right now, hayseeds!” The Unicorn sternly answered as she threw the front door open to enter. The tin cup tumbled into the dirt again and spilled its contents in a long, thin splatter. The alcohol was quickly soaked up by the parched sandy ground, along with Cheryl’s relaxed demeanor.

“That cross-grained Unicorn!” Cheryl angrily growled. She shoved Ellie aside to follow Trixie. “One side chicken wings, I’m going to find me a big canteen with a thick cap and then I’m going to tie it up to my foreleg with the thickest rope you got here! Let’s see that blue bunko try and snatch that outta my hooves!”

Ellie rolled her eyes. “I’d be afeared at the headway we’d make on this case if those two spent as much effort actually working together.”


~ ~ ~


Dark, stormy clouds rolled over Saddlestone as the noon-hour approached. The three mares reached the town mines as the scent of ozone permeated the nostrils of every pony in the area. Trixie waved at her friends and they took cover behind a large pile of rocks to watch the activity further down the dusty road. Ellie carried several handheld contraptions to help them deal with the mob of busy miners and the coming rainstorm.

Indeed, the mines were bristling with activity. The area the mining company operated appeared as a semi-circular cut in the hills. The company’s on-site office was located in a small wooden cabin in the center of the lot with the central mine entrance behind it against the back hills of the west. Here, the workers were scrambling to cover their equipment before the muddy quagmire of a storm fell upon them.
To the left were rows of tents that served as housing for the miners and to the right, stacks of filled crates surrounded a rail track waiting to be moved to the warehouses by a flatbed cart. Many workers were at their tents as well, prepared to pack away their things and ride out the storm, but the crate area appeared relatively quiet.

Standing outside the mine entrance was a tall, muscular stallion with a maroon coat and short blonde hair. Dark mine dust covered his face, body, belt pouch, and the pickaxe cutie mark on his flank. From the inaudible bark of orders he yelled out to the workers, he was certainly a no-nonsense pony.

Trixie pointed out a large rock outcropping that was closer for them to hide behind. The mares moved one at a time and hunkered down behind the large stone quickly to avoid detection. The mine itself was now a short distance away and the majority of the miners were nearly done with the cleanup. Soon they would all retreat to their tents.
However, closer to the three mares was a modest-sized cabin labeled ‘Office’ above the front door. This was Trixie’s primary target.

“Would some pony mind explaining to me why we’re doing this in broad daylight?” Cheryl inquired, specifically to the Unicorn.

Trixie pointed to the sky. “Simple, the coming storm will force all the miners to take shelter. This gives us the opportunity to sneak in and gather any evidence we can find on the company without witnesses.”

“That’s a mighty weak plan you got there,” Cheryl countered.

“Would you prefer to battle the guards here on a clear evening?” Trixie asked in defense. “We were almost identified last night and with Lulu breathing down our necks, we need to pick up our pace. Besides, it is unexpected that anyone would sneak around here during a downpour and even then they will have a difficult time identifying us in the rain.”

“No worries, Cheryl,” Ellie cheerfully piped in, “I brought along a few gadgets to help us!” The Pegasus donned a white hardhat and tugged its chin strap. The helmet rapidly bloomed like a flower and unfurled a cloth umbrella that was folded within. Ellie beamed proudly.

“So jealous,” Cheryl sarcastically muttered.

“Alright, here’s the plan,” Trixie started. “Ellie, you go and chatter with the supervisor. Keep the stallion distracted and his back facing the office.”

“What should I talk about?” Ellie asked worriedly.

“Talk about their equipment,” Trixie responded. “I’m sure you can blather a couple hours on that drill you mentioned earlier.” She patted Ellie to go ahead with her part of the plan. “Cheryl, I want you to sneak into that little office cabin. See what you can dig up in the mining company’s records. Pay attention for any new branches in the mine maps.”

“Alright, so I reckon you’re going to be the distraction for me?” Cheryl questioned.

Trixie smiled confidently. “Yes. Just leave it to The Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“Yeah, that dog won’t hunt,” Cheryl muttered, unsure how effective such a simple plan will be.

“How’s this for a hunting dog?” Trixie muttered with eyes closed. She began to concentrate on an illusion spell with the image of Roxy held solidly in her mind. The spell began flowing out from her horn and it swirled around the Unicorn with the familiar shimmer from last night. It began to tighten and solidify around Trixie like a second skin before the magical light faded.
A moment later, Trixie had the appearance of a slightly shorter Roxy with lanky arms. Trixie winked to Cheryl and then confidently stepped out from behind the rock. The Unicorn in disguise marched over to the mining office, but with an awkward gait that gave the impression of a Diamond Dog walking on all fours.

Cheryl snorted at the scene about to unfold. “Yeah, this isn’t going to end well.”

Trixie glanced at where Ellie was, over by the central mine entrance. The little Pegasus was gushing over the aforementioned steam-driven mechanical drill that had just been rolled out of the mine. The supervisor seemed a bit annoyed at Ellie, but he did not push her away yet. His back was indeed facing Trixie’s direction and luckily all the workers were heading into the mine to secure it from potential flooding.

“I’m astounded you could afford such a powerful drill, Geo,” Ellie said in wonderment. “This must have sent you back by a mint.”

“I got the backing of a prominent investor back east,” the supervisor nonchalantly responded. “It’s worth the gain we have in production. I reckon this equipment will pay for itself in another month or so.” Geo helped one of his workers get a tarp over the drilling machine to keep it dry.

“Boss!” one of the miners shouted out. “That there Roxy is sneaking off to your office!”

“It’s just her alone! Chase her off, boys!” shouted Geo. Several miners of both genders grabbed pickaxes and shoves to attack what they perceived was Roxy. They converged from several angles toward the disguised blue Unicorn.

Trixie gulped. “Bull patties!” she thought as she sprinted away from the cabin, galloping hard toward the stacks of ore-filled crates behind the cabin. Trixie estimated at least a dozen miners were closing in on her, and another three were at the crate stacks prepared to catch her when she got close enough.
“Why did I think this was going to work?” Trixie muttered to herself in a panic.

As the horde chased Trixie off, one of the miners, a curiously pink-mane chocolate mare in a hard hat, slowed down and separated from the pack. She quietly snuck into the back door of the cabin.

Trixie reached the crates barely ahead of the miners. The first two workers there had a tarp ready and flung it over who they assumed was Roxy. The disguised Unicorn quickly dove to her right, stumbling as she slid from the tarp that nearly entangled her legs. Trixie spun around to face the oncoming mob, took ahold of her illusion and threw it at the crowd behind her. The spell shimmered brightly and exploded into a cacophony of brightly colored flashes and loud popping noises. The miners stumbled into the fireworks, stunned and unable to see their quarry.
One of the miners blindly leaped forward at Trixie. On luck alone he found the Unicorn’s hind leg and grabbed on. Trixie lurched forward like an unbalanced stack of blocks. The blue Unicorn clapped her fore-hooves together just before she hit the ground with an audible thud. A burst of purple smoke filled the area and concealed Trixie’s form for a moment.

The miner thought he held on to the intruder, but the smoke proved too thick to see what it was the stallion actually grabbed. Other workers soon arrived and fanned the purple smoke away with their hardhats. This revealed not their intruder, but one of their own, a gray colored Earth mare. The captured coworker shrugged sheepishly.
“Um, not it?” she squeaked.

“Spread out!” barked one of the senior miners. “That Diamond Dog or whatever it is shouldn’t have gotten far!” He paired off his coworkers and waved them off in different directions.

The mob of workers dispersed in order to search the area systematically. All except the gray mare who quietly walked away from the horde and traveled back to the office. On her way over to the cabin she saw Ellie and Geo rush to the still smoke-filled crate stacks where the chaotic fireworks had exploded only moments ago. Ellie was still a distraction to the supervisor with questions posed about the possible dangers of a fire.
The mare smiled and snuck through the office back door.

Inside the office, Cheryl had rummaged through all the ledgers pulled from a desk drawer she had smashed open. When the back door opened and a gray mare stepped in, Cheryl threw the books to the floor and reared back in a defensive stance. She was about to charge when the intruding pony raised her own hooves in a sign that either was a truce or a request to Cheryl not to aim for the eyes.

The intruding gray mare grabbed her own face and pulled it off as one pulled back a curtain on stage. The illusion peeled as a thin, shimmering veil which revealed the true identity of the pony underneath- The Great and Powerful Trixie.
“Hold the kick, hayseed!” Trixie exclaimed. “I see you are ever the consistent one.”

“Yeah, well I can’t much kick that big metal safe in the corner,” Cheryl countered.

Trixie strode over to the safe and looked over its design. It was a simple lock box that required a key to open, but Trixie knew she didn’t need one. The Unicorn pulled out her mane-pins and got to work. The lock refused to yield at first as it stubbornly held its latch down, but the blue Unicorn was persistent. After two minutes, the lock surrendered and Trixie opened the safe.
“Alright, show me the money!” Trixie giggled with enthusiasm. She flung the safe door wide open with all the grace of a professional magician.

Trixie found two ledgers and a map inside the old metal container. She tossed the map to Cheryl. “Hey, see if this is relevant,” instructed the Unicorn. Trixie rummaged through one of the ledgers with her levitation magic. It was a book that contained all of the mining company’s finances over the past two months. She found a pattern among the scribbles of numbers and notations. The company had been receiving several anonymous investments. That by itself was only a minor suspicious detail, but what swiftly caught Trixie’s attention was the handwriting the records were written in.
It was the same as the handwriting that edited the warehouse ledger.

With heightened suspicion, Trixie opened the other ledger. It was an exact copy of Lulu’s ledger from the ore-storing warehouse.

“Cheryl,” Trixie cried out, “Our culprit is the company supervisor!”

“Yeah?” Cheryl replied with amazement. “Well, check out this map. The company is digging a tunnel heading under the town. Why do you reckon they’re doing that?”

The office’s front door swung open and slammed against the cabin frame like a hammer. Both mares leaped to attention and saw the supervisor, Geo, in the doorway with a hoof tightly wrapped around Ellie’s mane.
“Why indeed?” the stallion asked with a sinister tone.

With a forceful heave, Geo shoved Ellie into the cabin. The Pegasus stumbled across the rough floor before falling adjacent to the large desk in the center of the room. Geo then grabbed the door by its handle and shut it tightly behind him with an audible click of the lock.
“Now what the hay are your three trying to pull here?” he asked with an indication to the open safe.

Trixie pocketed the ledgers and stood tall in the face of her adversary. “I know you are the one forging Lulu’s ledgers!” Trixie accused with a firm tone. “I suggest you stand down before you get yourself hurt.”

The stallion took one step forward. “Well Trixie,” Geo began with licked lips, “I reckon you’re getting too big for your britches.” The supervisor slowly unbuckled a pocket and revealed that he was carrying a slingshot.
“If you’re on the prod, I’ll much oblige you.”

“Prod this!” Trixie motioned at the desk and with all her magical strength she shoved the heavy piece of furniture toward the stallion. Ellie quickly rolled out of the way of the abruptly mobile furniture. The supervisor leaned forward and slammed his shoulder against the oncoming desk. The two momentums came to a halt, locked in a match of strength.

Trixie strained to push the desk harder, but ultimately she gave up the fight, already fatigued by all the earlier illusions she had cast. With a grunt, Trixie’s magic evaporated from the desk and the large object made a booming thud as it fell and cracked the wooden floorboards.

The stallion grinned with the satisfaction that he was stronger physically than Trixie was magically.

However, his victory was cut short by a chocolate-colored mare that rushed him like a freight train. Cheryl leaped over the desk and kicked the stallion with both rear hooves to the face. The stallion’s body hit the door with a thunderous crack, the wood splintered wide open and outward in a shower of tiny fragments.

Geo flew backwards out of the cabin like a ragdoll. He hit the dusty floor with a single, hard bounce and rolled onto his back. The stallion clutched his nose in great pain. Several workers rushed to the boss’ aid. The cabin office was surrounded by a horde of miners who all demanded to see their boss’ assailant.

Trixie burst out of the office’s rear entrance first. She carried the two ledgers and the map that contained the incriminating evidence she needed. Trixie was followed closely behind by Cheryl and lastly by Ellie. The three ponies raced right into the armed crowed of workers.
Hooves shoved and kicked at and around the crowd, but ultimately the shovels and pickaxes formed an impenetrable blockade against the three mares. Trixie moved the girls to keep their backs together as the mob of angry miners closed in on them. No amount of talent or luck could escape the situation this time.

“Parley!” Trixie shouted.

The miners halted their advancement. A collective look of confusion fell over the workers as they all met Trixie’s gaze for clarification.

“It means we surrender,” Trixie explained with an annoyed tone.

“Trixie?” Cheryl asked the Unicorn with concern. “You sure we shouldn’t just take them on with your magic?”

Trixie shook her head at Cheryl before she addressed the crowd. “We’ll go quietly if you don’t hurt us! However, I demand to see deputy Valiant. I will explain then why I have assaulted your boss.”


~ ~ ~


The first few drops of rain began to fall as the girls were escorted back into town by the crowd of miners. There was a mix of fear, anger, and determination among the three outlaw mares, though it was plain to see which pony specialized in what emotion the most. The miners, however, were all business. Half of them still carried their tools like a company of soldiers that returned from the battlefield.
Geo was carried back in a cart, unable to walk under his own volition from his injuries.

“You reckon you have what you need to get us out of this pickle?” Ellie asked Trixie.

“Indubitably,” Trixie said with confidence. “The evidence I found will bring this mystery out in the open and put the heat on the mining company. I’m sure we can even milk out a technicality with the deputy once I explain our case to him.”

“I sure could go for a drink right about now,” Cheryl muttered. She looked longingly in the direction of the Cactus Gulp saloon.

Trixie smiled at the Earth pony as raindrops dripped playfully off her Stetson. “Once I clear our names, the first round will be on me,” she assured Cheryl.

The large horde of ponies turned the corner toward the deputy’s office by the town jail. They slowed in their pace despite the quickening fall of rain due to another large crowd gathered under the awnings to either side of the road. This second crowd was hollering over the scene that unfolded on the moistening road.

The Diamond Dogs were there and they had just taunted Valiant and Lulu to try and stop them. Roxy pushed an old, blind mare into a fresh puddle of mud. A flash of lightning reflected off her weary, milky eyes.

“Mama!!” Ellie screeched. The thunderclap quickly followed the Pegasus as she shoved past her friends and the miners to rescue her mother. Trixie and Cheryl exchanged worried glances and raced forward after their exasperated Pegasus. Trixie stopped and looked over her shoulder. The miners refused to follow.

Ellie ran past Roxy, showed no concern for her own well-being, and came to a stop by her mother’s side. Cheryl arrived right behind the Pegasus and helped Ellie pick her mother out of the mud. Bella and Ginger looked to Roxy for direction, but Roxy shook her head to let the mares go. Roxy had a bigger target in mind.

“What is wrong with you morons?!” Trixie scolded the crowd around her. “Can’t you see that together we can take them all down for good?” Trixie’s heart pounded anxiously in her chest.

“Is that so?” Roxy sneered as she pulled out a slingshot. Several gasps hissed out of the gathered crowds as adults moved their children further away. Rain dripped lazily off Roxy’s weapon.
“Well isn’t this just the cat’s purr?”

“The word you're looking for is Meow, Roxy,” stated Bella in a matter-of-fact tone.

Roxy sucker-punched Bella in the jaw and knocked the smaller dog to the ground. “Thanks for the correction,” Roxy sarcastically sneered. The lead Diamond Dog turned her full attention to the blue Unicorn, the one pony in the entire area that had dared not to bow down before her intimidating presence.
“I do believe I owe you a whooping,” Roxy said. She slowly raised her slingshot to Trixie.

The miners quickly parted to either side of the road for fear of being caught in crossfire. Trixie turned to face Roxy and with her magic she smoothly drew out her own holstered slingshot. “Ellie, get your ma home,” Trixie commanded.

“Trixie, you back down this instant!” Valiant shouted. “Do not try to be a hero!”

“Shut up!!” Roxy roared at the deputy with rage. The Diamond Dog threw a fist at Valiant and delivered an uppercut clean to the stallion’s jaw.

Valiant’s hooves left the ground completely. He sailed backwards for a full second, hitt the muddy ground with a wet thud and slid back several inches before coming to a stop on his backside. Lulu quickly ran to Valiant’s side, helping the law-pony sit up. Valiant wiped his throbbing mouth with a foreleg, seeing his own blood smeared across his hoof.

“You are a pathetic bull,” Roxy berated the deputy.

“Leave them be!” Trixie shouted to Roxy. The rolling distant thunder behind her voice echoed over the town skies. “Why were you even picking on a blind mare of all ponies?”

“For me, this is just another Tuesday,” Roxy grinned.

Trixie held her slingshot steady with her pony-kinesis magic. The rain began to pour down hard on the town as Trixie squared off with Roxy. With a thought, Trixie magically undid the button over the pocket that held the small rusty spheres of ammo.

As Bella got back up to her feet, Ellie rushed her panicked mother away from the battleground. Cheryl slowly backed away as well from the Diamond Dogs, having moved toward the crowd closest to Trixie.

“So you really want a showdown, do you?” Roxy asked with an amused expression. She reached down and undid the button to her own bullet-filled pocket. A flash of lightning and the immediately trailing clap of thunder shook the townsfolk with alarm.
“This would make a great headline, don’t you reckon?” Roxy shouted gleefully at her opponent. “Roxy, the fastest dog in the west, faces off with the has-been unicorn from the east.”

Trixie adjusted her stance in the softening mud. A thunderous boom shook the very air around her from above. “I believe you meant to say,” she corrected, “The Great and Powerful Trixie of Equestria.”

Roxy sneered. “Let’s put your money where your mouth is and settle this right now.”

Trixie felt her heart pound hard in her ears. Determination and fear fought over Trixie’s mind. She couldn’t explain why she was doing this, why she was facing off against a Diamond Dog in a deadly shoot-out. Trixie could only breathe in and follow through.

Cheryl walked to Trixie’s side and adjusted her own hat.

“What are you doing?” Trixie whispered to Cheryl, having not taken her eyes off of Roxy.

“Doing what I reckon everyone should be doing,” Cheryl answered. “Besides, if you die here, I’m going to the pokey seeing as you got all the liberating evidence on you.”

Trixie smiled at the Earth pony. “Thanks for nothing, pink puff,” the Unicorn joked.

“Any time, blue bunko,” Cheryl responded with a grin.

Roxy’s two partners stepped up to her side. Bella stood there awkwardly, but Ginger cracked her own knuckles, ready to fight. The lightning flash and thunder behind her gave the tall dog a frightening presence.

Time slowed down to a halt around Trixie. The rain froze in place, breaths became mute and unmoving, and the world ceased to exist for just that one significant moment. It was a moment where the collective consciousness of the crowd saw that the essence of bravery had taken a solid form. It was a deadly showdown of vigilante heroes against immoral thugs.

A small pinto colt leaped at Roxy and bit her hard in the leg.

Time snapped forward back into its place. The Diamond Dog angrily kicked Iggy off herself with a forceful thrust. “You no account nipper!” With her slingshot tightly in hand, Roxy’s fist came down on the little colt like a ball-peen hammer. Iggy was flattened and hit the muddy ground like a dropped ragdoll. Roxy followed up with a reared back leg and kicked the downed foal as a professional soccer player would a ball.

“ROXY!!” Trixie screamed at the top of her lungs. The Unicorn dashed forward and quickly drew an iron bullet. With a great magical might Trixie pulled the metal sphere back against her slingshot band and fired it at the Diamond Dog. It missed wildly in the rain, splattered against the muddy ground with a low, but resounding blow. However, it got Roxy’s full attention.

Cheryl sprinted after Trixie, aiming her trajectory at the big, strong Ginger to prevent a tag-team attack upon the Unicorn. The rain poured down like a waterfall.

Roxy shoved her hand into her pouch to draw a bullet with all due haste. Trixie’s horn glowed brightly as she scooped up a pack of mud with her magic and threw it at Roxy’s face. The Diamond Dog howled as her vision was robbed from her momentarily by the stinging muck.
The bright blue blur of a Unicorn slammed into Roxy at a full gallop. The two opponents rolled in the mire and traded several blows of fist and hoof until Roxy shoved Trixie away. The injured Diamond Dog hastily wiped the muck out of her eyes.

Ginger put her arms up in defense as Cheryl slammed into the titan at high speed. The brutish dog grabbed both of Cheryl’s forelegs and lifted the pony up into the air. Cheryl curled up and kicked out, her hooves slammed square against Ginger’s nose. The two fell over to the ground and stumbled away from each other.

Roxy scrambled to her feet, still with her slingshot clutched in hand, but Cheryl swung and kicked the Diamond Dog in the foot. Roxy slipped backwards down into the muck.

Bella roared as she ran up behind Trixie, eager to wrestle the Unicorn down. Trixie scrambled to get up and dodge the oncoming Pomeranian. As Bella closed within three feet of Trixie, Ellie swooped down from an awning and slammed all four hooves at Bella’s back. The little Diamond Dog’s face was planted into the mud and Ellie rode her like a surf board for the remaining distance to Trixie.

"Not ungrateful for the help, Ellie," Trixie said with concern, "But I thought-”

“I belong here alongside you just as much as Cheryl does!” Ellie exclaimed.

Roxy broke up their reunion as she leaped at Trixie and slammed a fist into the side of the Unicorn’s head.  Trixie’s world spun in a blur as she staggered down to her knees from the blow. Trixie screeched and shot a bouquet of magical fireworks at Roxy, but the heavy rain drowned out their smoke and bright colors to leave just a spark that caused Roxy only to flinch a moment.

Ginger backed away from Cheryl and nearly tripped over the mud-covered Bella. The massive Great Dane pulled Bella out of the puddle and the mud-soaked Pomeranian let out an unrecognizable cuss in between a spat of muck out of her mouth.
Ginger turned her attention to the little Pegasus and lunged toward her. Ellie kicked a wave of the mire at the huge dog and ducked away and toward the oncoming Cheryl.

“Trade you!” Cheryl shouted with a charge past Ellie and into Ginger’s chest. The Earth pony’s slam caused the titan dog falter and Cheryl followed up with a sweeping kick. Ginger spun to keep her balance and reached out for the pink-maned pony.
The Earth pony pulled off her hat and caught Ginger’s fist within, twisting her own body in the other direction with Great Dane’s arm held fast. Ginger howled as she felt her arm nearly dislocate at the shoulder. Cheryl held on to Ginger and closed in, kicking the Diamond Dog behind the knee. Ginger buckled with a grunt and fell over, trying to wrench her captured arm free from the Earth Pony.

Bella grabbed two fists full of rocks and threw them at the avoidant Ellie with a screaming rage. Ellie hunkered down with a raised mechanical wing acting as her shield. The stones reverberated with two loud clangs off the metal. The Pegasus got up and pointed a contraption she wore on her left foreleg toward Bella.
The device let out a metallic snap as springs released their tension and shot out a grappling hook toward the small Diamond Dog. Bella ducked and grabbed the unfolding rope above her. With a hard yank, she pulled in the Pegasus close. “Come here, pony!”

Ellie grabbed on to her contraption’s straps with her teeth and tore them off. Freed from the device, Ellie stumbled into a sitting position while Bella snapped backwards and brushed up against Trixie’s flank.
The Unicorn raised her rear legs and bucked Bella hard in the back. The Pomeranian shot forward and crashed into the quagmire once more.

Roxy came barreling from Trixie’s right and landed a blow to the Unicorn’s shoulder. Trixie gritted her teeth and magically commanded her levitating slingshot to intervene. It jabbed Roxy hard in the chest and halted the dog’s follow-up blow.

Meanwhile, the Pegasus backed up to keep out of Bella’s grasp. The small Diamond Dog crawled at Ellie with determinate anger, but could not close the distance. Ellie ran a wide circle toward and around Roxy. She splashed mud at Roxy to distract her, but wily Diamond Dog ignored the ruse.
Trixie dodged several blows from Roxy which gave the Unicorn an opening to pull out another bullet from her pocket. Unable to load it, Trixie simply threw the iron sphere at the Diamond Dog. Roxy dodged out of the way and pulled out a bullet of her own, readied in her own slingshot within moments. Trixie summoned forth a purple bolt of magical lightning from her horn. The electrical force prickled and tickled the Diamond Dog, which ruined her shot. The steel bullet landed far short of its target and Trixie charged into Roxy with enough force to knock them both down into the muddy ground.

Ginger wrenched her arm free and swung immediately at Cheryl twice with her good arm. She grazed the pink-maned pony on the second swing. Cheryl grabbed Ginger’s arm and heaved it toward herself. With her center-of-gravity off, Ginger was forced to stagger forward. The Great Dane’s face met with both of Cheryl’s rear hooves, the force cracking the dog into a sideways tumble toward the ground.
Ginger cried out in pain as she slammed into the wet muck. Her jaw stung with a fury between her hands as a dark red liquid oozed out between her teeth and her nose.

Ellie made her full circle and then charged at Bella with a full gallop. The pint-sized Diamond Dog was ready and side-stepped the attack. Bella retaliated with a fist to Ellie’s ribs that knocked the Pegasus down to her knees. Bella leaped at Ellie with a roar and Ellie countered with a swing of her metal wing fully extended. The prosthetic appendage crushed Bella’s stomach in and completely blew all the air out of the Pomeranian’s lungs. Ellie backed away as Bella laid down in the mud in a coughing fit for air.

Roxy managed to get up on her knees and she thrust a hand into her pocket for another bullet. Trixie threw her own slingshot at Roxy’s shooting arm. The rubber band of the weapon caught Roxy’s shooting hand. Trixie continued to push hard with all her magical might against Roxy’s hand as she rushed forward at the Diamond Dog. Roxy swung with her free arm, but Trixie ducked down under Roxy’s fist.

Trixie’s momentum carried her through. With a final thrust forward Trixie straightened out her neck and hit Roxy with the force of a tornado. The dog let go of her slingshot as she fell backwards, impaled by Trixie’s magical horn. Trixie pulled her head back as she toppled over on top of Roxy, the two bodies hitting the wet mud with a splash.
Trixie reared up angrily and then slammed her hooves down on the Diamond Dog’s fingers. The Unicorn swung a hoof at Roxy’s face, followed by a second blow, then a third. Trixie devolved to punching Roxy repeatedly in the head with her hooves. The Diamond Dog screamed in a gurgled agony, trying to cover up her face from the mad, frothing pony.

Cheryl came up from behind and hooked a foreleg around Trixie’s waist. With a hearty pull, she managed to yank the berserk Unicorn off of Roxy. Trixie physically protested and flailed out to hit Roxy again.

“Enough!” Ellie shouted. The Pegasus grabbed a hold of Trixie’s right foreleg and assisted Cheryl to restrain the Unicorn. “You beat her Trixie! You won! Please stop fighting!”

Trixie’s legs slowed down and soon went limp. Her breathing was labored and the taste of mud and copper started to register in her mouth. Trixie relented in her attacks and wobbled to a standing position. She looked around for Iggy, but thankfully several ponies were already around the little colt and had carefully lifted him out of the mud. Trixie let out a sigh of relief when she heard Iggy cry out in pain. The colt was still alive.

Trixie watched as the injured colt was rushed to the doctor. The crowd drew near and remove Roxy’s weapon. All three Diamond Dogs had their arms tied together before they too were escorted to the doctor. Roxy was placed in a sling, having suffered too serious an injury to even stand on her own.

Applause and cheers rang out in appreciation for the three mares, Trixie in particular. Trixie heard the whistles and joyous calls all around her, the uproar due unto a hero. Trixie blinked and then, just… Snapped.

“NO! No, you do not get to applause me!” Trixie berated the townsfolk at the top of her lungs. It was a scream of pure fury that took every pony by utter surprise. “You want to cheer for some pony? Cheer for that little colt over there!” Trixie pointed in the direction Iggy was carted off to.
“That foal did what none of you spineless, worthless sacks of leather could do! He stood up against the Diamond Dogs! He stepped forward to take back this town! The victory belongs to him, not me! I’m not your flicking savior!” Trixie stomped a puddle of mud to accent her point. A clap of thunder heightened her anger, causing several ponies to flinch and take a step back.

“I don’t give a flying feather about any of you or this washed out two-bit town,” Trixie stated, her tone softer now due to fatigue, “Because if the only pony in this town that had the chutzpah to stand up for what’s right was that child over there, then… then you all don’t deserve my help.”
Tears streamed down Trixie’s face as she stumbled toward the deputy. The Unicorn pulled out the two muddy ledgers and the moist map by hoof, her body too exhausted to use even the simplest of magic. With shaky legs, she handed the evidence over to Valiant.

“This is who messed with Lulu’s ledgers.” Trixie continued on with a slight limp as she walked down to the doctor’s house.

Cheryl and Ellie exchanged solemn glances, but said nothing. They merely picked themselves up and followed Trixie to the doctor’s house. Ellie paused for only a moment to retrieve her grappling hook gadget.

The crowd lingered a while longer as the mining supervisor, Geo, was the last to be carted for medical care. The demeanor of the crowd was quite mixed. Ponies were surprised, angry, scared, disgusted…
Several mares broke down into quiet sobs. A few stallions muttered curses and moved on.

Lulu sat down on a chair under a covered porch and watched the procession of the injured go by her. Then she watched Trixie walk by with a limp still present. The Unicorn’s tears still fell and she did not even give Lulu the courtesy of a glance. Lulu opened her mouth to speak, but words failed the zebra. Thoughts failed the zebra.

Lulu nodded, but said nothing. She was a coward, like every pony else in this town.

> Chapter 7 - No Vices Have Few Virtues
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Trixie sat quietly in the doctor’s living room, warmed by the lit fireplace beside the plain wooden chair beneath her. Cloudy drips of water slowly fell from her wet and disheveled cornflower blue mane. Her body felt sore from the earlier fight with the Diamond Dogs, but Trixie’s horn ached the most physically. Unicorn horns weren’t particularly delicate, but neither were they designed to impale one’s opponent in a collision.
Emotionally, Trixie’s true pain was the worry over Iggy’s wellbeing in the next room.

The doctor worked his practice from a spacious, single-story home that was decorated in warm woven rugs and bright earth tone colors. The doctor seemed to have a liking for maze-like patterns in his rugs for each one was embroidered with a colorful zigzagging design.

Across from Trixie sat Ellie and Cheryl, both kept silent and waited with Trixie for news of Iggy’s health. The only sounds  heard in the room were the soft crackles of the fireplace and the tingling noise of metal as Ellie worked to reshape her crushed prosthetic wing.
Cheryl leaned back in her chair, it was difficult to relax with the tension that loomed over the group.

As Ellie worked on her wing, she decided she could not take the silence that enclosed them. The Pegasus broke it with her soft voice. “Trixie, say something to us,” the young Pegasus pleaded. “You’re not blaming yourself for Iggy’s predicament, are you?”

Trixie closed her eyes and the sting of their dryness caused her to flinch. With her eyes still shut, the Unicorn uttered a soft, uncommitted reply. “I don’t know.”

“Well, you certainly held your own in that fight,” Cheryl said approvingly. “I reckon Roxy is going to be bedridden for days with the injury you gave her.”

Trixie grimaced as the image of the final moments of the fight floated through her mind. She had frightened herself with what she was capable of doing. The only other time in her life that she had lost control from anger was when she was a filly on the streets of Manehatten. She defended herself from a gang’s advances with a wooden plan and had broken several teeth from one of the colts that attacked her.

“Come off it Trixie,” Cheryl stated seriously. “Haven’t you ever been in a tussle?”

Trixie put her fore-hooves together and rested her chin on them. She sighed deeply as her eyes opened to look directly at Cheryl. “Sure, I’ve had my share of fights, but,” the Unicorn faltered for words, “I have never taken a life. I almost went too far back there.”

“Maybe you went just far enough,” Cheryl rebutted casually. “Pounding Roxy to within an inch of her life still leaves her with enough brain matter to learn something. I reckon you’re the lesson she needed beaten into that thick skull of hers.”

“Hey!” Ellie angrily interjected, “Trixie is a good pony. She isn’t your angel of justice or such nonsense.”

The front door opened and the bell that hung over the frame rang out for attention. Valiant stepped in, cold and wet, with a grim expression on his face that showed he was not happy with what transpired today. The deputy closed the door softly before he stomped the mud off his hooves on the mat that lay on the floor. Valiant slowly walked over to the mares and pulled up a chair alongside them by the fire. He sat right beside Trixie.

“Afternoon Valiant,” Ellie said meekly.

Valiant nodded. “Hello Ellie. I see you finally took up to finishing that wing of yours.”

“Yeah, I reckon I did,” the Pegasus replied with some satisfaction. “I do owe a debt to Trixie for it. If it weren't for her, well…” Ellie trailed off, unsure how to finish her thought.

“Yes, if it weren't for Trixie,” the deputy agreed as he looked at the miserable Unicorn that sat beside him. Trixie turned her head slightly and met Valiant’s gaze.

“Are we getting incarcerated?” Cheryl asked pointedly.

Valiant shook his head. “No. As a matter of fact, I came here to apologize to Trixie.”

The blue Unicorn slowly raised her head, a mote of confusion in her expression. “For what?” Trixie asked the law-pony.

“For doing the job I should have been doing,” Valiant explained. “I got what you were saying back there. You’re right, we failed ourselves and we let Roxy lord over us with fear. Trixie, you mayhap gotten folks around here mightily irate with your antics in the past couple of days, but I reckon deep down inside us we’re going to realize that you’re the piece of pudding we all needed to kick us in the flank. And for that, speaking just for myself, I want to say thank you.”

“So, no pokey?” Cheryl asked with hesitation.

The deputy snorted. “Not if I have anything to say about it. I went over the evidence Trixie handed to me. Lulu confirmed that the forged handwriting matches the supervisor. I have to still investigate the business about the miners digging beneath the town, but I reckon if the company made an illegal tunnel under us then this’ll have Geo answering to a whole lot of questions and get you lot off the hook.”

“See Trixie?” Ellie spoke up happily, “Things did turn out alright.”

Trixie nodded and felt a little more at ease, but still worried. The doctor entered the waiting room through a side door. Her dark, ashen coat smelled of the sweet and tarry antiseptic she used on her patients. After she gave the top of her short, maroon mane a quick scratching, she approached the guests that sat by the fireplace.

“Well, you all can breathe again,” she said happily, “Iggy is going to be alright. Other than a swollen eye and a broken leg, he seems to be in good spirits. He's very lucky you gals stopped Roxy from doing any more harm to him.”

“Thanks doc,” Valiant said.

Trixie was the first on her hooves. The doctor stepped aside to let her pass through and see Iggy, but Trixie was blocked at the doorway by the colt’s parents.

The father was a large cream-coat stallion with a scruffy face and an extremely short brown mane. He furled his eyebrows angrily at Trixie with his dark hazel eyes. Trixie was unsure if she should say anything, but the muscular stallion simply turned and walked around the blue Unicorn. Just as the father had entered the waiting room, he left the doctor’s house without a word to anyone.

Iggy’s mother appeared quite wearily, her moist white-and-brown pinto coat around her face gave away that she had cried an awful lot over her son’s wellbeing. Trixie met Iggy’s mother briefly last night when the girls brought the colt home, but at that time Trixie didn’t get a chance to properly be introduced.

With a gulp, Trixie tried to find a few consoling words to say to her. The Unicorn had almost forgotten the mother's name. “I- I’m sorry Alma if I caused your family a lot of trouble,” Trixie said softly.

The mother’s gray-blue eyes looked into Trixie’s for a moment before the mare stepped forward and gave Trixie a firm hug. “Thank you for saving my son,” Alma whispered into Trixie’s ear.

Trixie was taken a bit by the affection, but returned the hug gently. Her apprehension began to soften and it allowed her enough bravery to ask for a favor. “Would it be alright with you,” Trixie inquired, “If I could see your son for a moment and thank him for all his help?”

Alma nodded in reply to Trixie and stepped aside for the Unicorn. Trixie trotted down a short, dark hall. Her limp was still present, but the Unicorn took it in stride. She came to the end of the hall and the room Iggy was resting in. The door was left halfway open, which allowed Trixie to peak in first. She saw Iggy lying on a large bed, with his left foreleg set in a cast and a large gauze patch over his swollen right eye. Trixie mused for a bit that the colt would make a dashing little pirate.

“Hello, my little admirer,” Trixie said softly as she entered the room.

A weary Iggy turned and smiled upon seeing his hero here. “Hey Miss Great Trixie,” he weakly spoke, “Did you beat those Diamond Dogs?”

Trixie sat beside his bed and patted his good foreleg. “I sure did,” she replied, “But what you did there was awfully brave for such a little colt. You had me worried to tears.”

Iggy smiled. “Shucks, Miss Great Trixie. I was just doing my part like you wanted. I didn’t mean to make you fret over me.”

“Well, next time let’s not go charging head-first into a Diamond Dog, okay?” Trixie requested.

Iggy nodded in agreement. “Miss Great Trixie,” Iggy whispered, “I’m happy I got to see you for real. Thanks for protecting us from Roxy.” The colt yawned, too exhausted from the medication given to him to keep the conversation going for much longer.

Trixie patted the colt’s good foreleg again. “Thank you for believing in me,” she countered happily. “Now get some rest, Iggy. The Great and Powerful Trixie will handle things from here.”

The Unicorn watched the colt drift to sleep and afterwards she adjusted his blanket to ensure Iggy was warm. Trixie decided to leave, but she saw a small bottle of black ink sitting on the bed-side table. The Unicorn magically pulled a quill out of her pocket with the idea to sign Iggy’s cast. She dipped the quill into the ink and wrote him a quick message.

To Iggy, the bravest assistant in all of Equestria. Sincerely, The Great and Powerful Trixie.

Trixie quietly left the room and closed the door behind her with a gentle tug. Ellie and Cheryl were in the hallway waiting for her.

“Feeling better now?” Ellie asked.

Trixie nodded. “Yeah, I’m feeling alright knowing Iggy will be okay. Come on, let’s talk outside.”

Trixie motioned for the girls to follow her outside. As the trio passed through the living room, the Unicorn overheard the doctor explain to Valiant the number of stitches Roxy needed and that the Diamond Dog would be laid up for at least two weeks.
The Unicorn wondered if the doctor could feasibly keep Roxy tied to a bed for that long.

Neither doctor nor Valiant paid the three girls any mind when they left. Once outside, Cheryl and Trixie stretched their sore legs. Ellie flapped her good wing, but was quick to converse again as she stretched.
“Well, what do you suppose we do now?” Ellie asked inquisitively. “We caught the mining company being up to no good, but there’s still the issue of those weird creatures we saw last night.”

“The bigger issue,” Cheryl warned, “Is that the blue bunko here owes us a drink and she’s flat broke.”

Trixie let out a soft chuckle at the hopeless drunkard. Indeed, she owed a great bit of gratitude to these two mares. Trixie wasn’t used to feeling indebted to others, but she wanted to do something right by them both. The Unicorn thought for a minute and came up with an idea that might work.

“Cheryl’s right, we should celebrate,” Trixie said. “Maybe we still have unresolved questions to address, but I think we all earned a relaxing evening. Speaking of which, I have an open invite to Debon Aire’s party tonight. Since I’m the greatest magical pony in all of Equestria and now the hero of Saddlestone, I think I’m entitled to bring a couple friends to this party. Wouldn’t you two agree?”

Cheryl was impressed. “Us at Debon’s little shindig? Well wallop my withers! I wouldn’t turn it down for all the wine in Canterlot!”

“Sounds mighty fine,” Ellie agreed, “But we aren’t in any condition for a fancy gathering. Not unless they got a mud wrestling event. Hmm, I reckon a portable shower would be a great idea. I could build a carry-on pumping tank with a burner to keep the water warm. Oh, I bet it could double as a fire hose! We could fight fires and keep clean after our battles!”

“How many fiery mud fights do you expect us to get into?” Trixie asked Ellie with a confused look.

“Anyway, why don’t we all mosey down to my room at the inn?” Cheryl interrupted. “I reckon a quick bath, a good mane brushing, and three of my outfits will make us the head-turning trio at this party.”

“I wouldn’t have guessed that you’re the type to go around in fancy attire,” said Trixie.

“Well this Cutie Mark isn’t a pint of beer,” Cheryl sarcastically responded as she pointed to the folding fan symbol on her flank. “A good dancer has a dress for every occasion and right now I think we have three occasions in need of getting themselves all beautified, don’t you think?”

“I certainly do,” Trixie said with a mischievous grin.

“Oh!” Ellie exclaimed, “I thought your Cutie Mark was a funny looking compass that drew circles.”

Cheryl’s expression dropped to a frown. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that.”


~ ~ ~


Debon Aire’s abode was a spacious two-story manor with sturdy stone walls on the first level and a floor of actual polished marble. The second floor was of a wood construction, but the stucco finish was quality enough that at first sight no pony would have known. The central ballroom had a vaulted ceiling and connected to the second floor by a grand white staircase carpeted in red.
The entire house was lit with gas lamps that were interconnected to a central gas tank down in the basement.

Debon’s choices of décor were the antiquities that he had collected in his many trips around the known world. He was particularly fond of ancient sculptures and vases dating back several hundred years, displayed with careful attention upon polished marble pillars.

The stallion was indeed well off and did not care for modesty.

Debon’s evening ball invited only the prominent and successful ponies from some of the surrounding towns of the province; Carriage Springs, Dodge Junction, Foal Mountain, and the capitol of San Anponio. They arrived one by one and received an announced welcome by Debon’s butler Cervantes, a thin and lanky amber-coat stallion. The butler wore a sharp black vest and his short, brown mane was combed straight back to the point it looked like a spiky speed trail.

Debon himself wore one of his finest black suits over a wine red double-breasted waistcoat for this occasion. He always enjoyed hosting parties for his influential friends, almost as much as when a beautiful celebrity guest arrived unexpectedly with flair. Debon hoped tonight’s surprise was a certain blue Unicorn, but he had not made any mention of this in case his expectation was not met.

The night was otherwise nothing short of ideal. His classical band played uninterrupted, the food kept coming, and his guests were enjoying themselves. It was the perfect evening for the special announcement he had planned later on for his friends.

“Announcing the arrival,” Debon’s butler stated aloud, “Of Miss Cheryl Rose and Miss Ellie Sprocket.”

Eyebrows were raised as neither mare’s name appeared familiar to the guests. Ellie wore a simple black, velvet dress that matched her black slippers. Her green mane hung straight as silk and gave off a gentle scent of a summer breeze. The one peculiar thing about this Pegasus was that her left wing was mechanical and she wore a pair of brass goggles above her eyebrows.
Cheryl was also a complete unknown to the guests, but the mare did not appear to mind this. Her tightly knitted red silk dress, glittering pearl earrings, and veiled red hat over her pinned up pink mane stated that she was someone you wanted to know. As she cantered in with high-laced red slippers, Cheryl winked at the male guests playfully.

Ever the gracious host to beauty, Debon welcomed them both to his party. “Evening ladies, welcome to my abode. I do not believe we have had the pleasure of meeting before. I am Debon Aire, adventurer and entrepreneur.” He raised the right fore-hoof of each mare for a kiss.

Ellie blushed at the gesture, but Cheryl appeared to have had prior experience among high society. “Cheryl Rose, from Las Pegasus,” the Earth pony replied with a playful smile.

“Ah but you certainly are, my dear,” Debon said with a smile. “I am curious, Miss Rose. Las Pegasus is quite a distance to the west and I do not recall my invitations reaching that far. What brings you to my humble gathering here in Saddlestone?”

“Miss Sprocket and I are the entourage of your celebrity guest,” Cheryl explained. “She had asked us to enter first, so as not to interrupt her grand entrance.”

"She's here?" the stallion whispered to Cheryl. Debon became excited with curiosity. He turned to look at the main entrance expectantly. The grand doors were opened wide and Cervantes’ voice resounded clearly over the ballroom. “Announcing the arrival, of Miss Trixie Lulamoon.”

A puff of magical glitter blew in from the entrance and slowly fell in strands like a beaded curtain. The shiny drapes parted and faded away as a stunning blue Unicorn walked into the room, wearing a beautiful silk dress of a deep royal purple. Her elegant black velvet slippers matched the ornamental black bow behind her wavy and glitter-dusted cornflower blue mane.

Had Debon’s mane caught fire right now, he would have never noticed it.

Now this was a pony that the majority of the crowd had heard of. Some guests remembered that Trixie was a well-traveled magician. Others recounted that she had a dark reputation of spinning false tales. Many guests recalled the recent gossip that she had once wielded a dangerous artifact of great power. Although the crowd’s reception was mixed over her arrival, they carried a polite attitude about it.

Trixie walked up to her friends and nodded to them before she turned her attention to Debon and a group of his socialites that had gathered. “Evening, Debon. I hope you don't mind that I took the liberty of bringing along two of my closest friends along.”

Devon beamed proudly that his evening ball was now complete. “Not at all, Miss Lulamoon,” the stallion happily stated. “They are as welcome as you are.” Debon introduced several folks from his own personal circle to Trixie and her two friends. They were all business owners and investors from nearby towns.
Trixie tried her best to pay attention to the introductions, but a majority of them went through her ears as gibberish. She was too distracted by the onlookers around her to remember any pony’s name.

“Ah, Miss Trixie,” a white Pegasus spoke up, “I heard you were victorious over quite the scuffle earlier today against those ruffian Diamond Dogs. Good show there.”

“Thank you,” Trixie responded politely. “I hope that the Diamond Dogs have learned a valuable lesson not to tangle with a pony.”

“Here, here!” cheered an elderly gray stallion.

A cream-coat mare with a long red mane done up in a bun was the first to ask Trixie an interesting question. “I have never heard of the surname of Lulamoon. From whereabouts in Equestria is that from?”

“Manehatten,” Trixie answered as she pretended to be interested in conversation.

“The northern cusp of Manehatten, if I’m not mistaken,” added a middle-aged blue-gray stallion. “Lulamoon is more common just over the rim into the Broncks borough, correct?”

Trixie was impressed that anyone here could pin a surname to the right borough. “That’s right,” she said with a surprised smile. “And you are?”

The aged stallion gently shook Trixie’s hoof. He was a unicorn, and his accent gave away that he was a pure Manehattanite. “The name’s Victor Justice. I practice property law in lower Manehattan, but as of late I find myself traveling on retainer for Mister Debon Aire here.”

“That’s quite a distance to be doing business,” Cheryl stated.

“Indeed,” Debon agreed, “I’ve been in the market to buy some land out here, but the new zoning laws are so tricky that without Victor I daresay I’d be sent to the moon for my troubles.” Debon let out a soft laugh and everyone joined in politely.

“What sort of land are you looking to buy?” Trixie asked Debon. Her tone grew coy with her questions. “Looking to strike it rich in the mining business?”

“No, I find the mining company here to be a dreadful bore,” Debon answered flatly. “I’m all about the real estate around future railroad expansions. That is where the real money is to be made.”

Trixie was sure she detected a little contempt in Debon’s voice directed at the mining company. She decided to break conversation now before she got too personal. “If you’ll excuse me,” Trixie asked politely. “I would like to go powder my nose for a moment.”

Debon nodded. “Of course, my dear.”

Trixie led Cheryl and Ellie away from the crowd as Debon began on the subject of railroad projects. The blue Unicorn was not in the mood for business banter and she guessed neither were Ellie and Cheryl. The three walked over to the buffet table, where Ellie became enamored with the contraptions there.
Beneath the tables were pipes that carried heated water to keep the large serving trays of food warm. There was also a spring-driven device for mixing drinks and the waiter who manned it appeared to be an expert at creating concoctions that could have also doubled as art.
Cheryl helped herself to one of the colorful drinks.

“Wow Trixie, this is all just swanky,” Ellie squeaked happily.

“I’m doing this for you two, despite my objections about Debon,” Trixie explained. “You two should go enjoy yourselves for a few hours. I prefer to lay low in the corner for a while.”

“You should have fun with us,” Ellie said. “These folks seem friendly enough.”

Trixie glanced around at the crowds that chattered with one another. “I’m just surprised that these guests haven’t jumped into questions about my less than stellar reputation.”

“Don’t fret about it,” Cheryl said confidently. “I’ve mingled in fancy parties before and these types of ponies don’t talk about celebrities when they’re in the same room. You could say it’s professional courtesy.”

“Sort of like how sharks and lawyers don’t eat each other?” Ellie asked.

Trixie snorted with a chuckle. “I think Victor is more the whole grain oats type.”

“Well, the buffet isn’t getting any fresher,” Cheryl said with hunger in her eyes, “So I’m going to start at one end over there and see if I even make it to the other.” Cheryl cantered off to mingle with a few stallions at the far end of the banquet table.

“You should go mingle too, Ellie,” Trixie encouraged.

“Nah, I’m not really good at being social,” Ellie responded. “I think I have an easier time talking with machines than I do with ponies, especially among these rich types.”

Trixie pointed off to the other side of the ball room. “Well, I see a large telescope on display there. Why don’t you go have a chat with that?”

Ellie smiled and wandered off in the direction of the telescope display. This left Trixie alone, but it was what the Unicorn had planned. She wanted her friends to enjoy themselves, but at the same time Trixie wanted to find a quiet corner and just relax, outside the view of these talkative high rollers.
The party wasn’t as bad as Trixie assumed, however. The folks here did seem polite in her company and the Unicorn pondered the prospect of finding a few ponies here that were good at public relations. Even Debon was gracious and treated her with pleasant respect.

Trixie decided to make her way to the ladies room anyway, so she meandered over to one of the servants. “Excuse me, which way to the little fillies’ room?” Trixie asked.

The servant pointed up the stairs and to the right. Trixie thanked him and made her way up the marble staircase to the landing above. She turned right and walked down the red-carpeted hall until she was out of sight of the party entirely. The Unicorn wasn’t sure if she passed the bathroom yet so she walked a little further and reached a junction where she could go either left or right.
As she stood at the intersection, Trixie heard Debon’s voice presiding over the party below. The blue Unicorn stood still and listened to his speech.

“Esteemed colleagues and guests,” Debon began, “I would like to thank you all for attending my little party. I am honored to know such skilled and professional folks. Therefore, I would like to reveal this bit of news to you first that I, Debon Aire, will be running for the mayoral seat in San Anponio and I intend to win the election three months from now with a platform of bringing the magical resources of the east here to the western frontier so that every Unicorn, Pegasus, and Earth pony can enjoy true modernized living.”

Trixie heard a resounding applause from the audience that followed Debon’s speech. The Unicorn herself had no opinion in politics, but she pondered how Lulu would react. Debon’s late entry into the election felt like a publicity stunt to Trixie, and such endeavors always annoyed those who took elections seriously.

Speaking of annoyance, Trixie’s unfamiliarity with the layout of Debon’s home had left her completely unsure of which direction to go. The blue Unicorn couldn’t tell which of the identical doors led to the bathroom, so she decided to just check each door here until she found it. The first two doors were locked, but the third door opened up without a fight.

Trixie found herself within a beautiful study.

There was only one small desk lamp lit, so the Unicorn engaged her horn’s magical light to see the room in better detail. The tall oak bookshelves that flanked the central circle of reading chairs were filled with old tomes and journals, many of them were of Debon’s own writings from the many places he had traveled to. Other books appeared to be collections of obscure cultures and archeology, subjects that a world traveler like Debon would be interested in. Trixie presumed this study held a sizable portion of Debon’s private collection.

The four plush reading chairs in the central area faced each other with a single low coffee table between them. The fabric was a dark red to match the carpet and the wood finish was a dark brown. Behind the circle of chairs was a large writing desk made from beautiful cherry oak wood. The small gas lamp that sat on the desk was connected to the home’s gas pipeline with a line that ran adjacent the desk and down into the floor.

Out of curiosity, Trixie perused the volumes for anything that might jog her memory on spirals. If the image formed by the rocks this morning was from an ancient culture, chances were that Debon might have a book about it here. Unfortunately, the old tomes here contained little information on the cultural significance of shapes and the few books that spoke of them contained no illustrations to make a comparison.
Trixie decided instead to search for references to the cup or bell shape found in the center of the spiral image. It only took a few minutes before she found a small white tome that was willing to give Trixie the information that she wanted.

It was a small book on old cults of the west coast. Trixie used her magical horn to flip through the pages as she scanned the illustrations in each chapter. A third of the way in, she found her drawing of a spiral around a bell shaped object. Trixie read the entry’s title aloud.

Grogar’s Bells.

The book began with a short retelling of the legend. Grogar was a demonic ram said to have once enslaved the Unicorn nation of Tambelon thousands of years ago. The source of his great power was believed to be a necklace from which hung a number of magical bells. The bells imbued the wearer with the ability to manipulate the natural elements, but the quantity of bells and their precise powers varied by different accounts. Grogar was ultimately destroyed in a rebellion, but his loyal followers hid several of the bells away from those who quested to have Grogar’s dark magic destroyed forever.

A wide, beaming smile crept its way across Trixie’s face. She now had a name and a legend, information that could be researched at a proper library. The Unicorn trotted over to the large writing desk and searched the drawers for quill and ink. Trixie wanted to take notes, but the desk proved itself an antagonist as the first two drawers were completely empty and the third drawer was locked tight.

It felt foolish to break into Debon’s study and browse his collection unasked, but to pick the lock of his desk and break the confidentiality of a Unicorn that proved to be nothing if not a well-mannered host?
This was obviously beneath the concerns of The Great and Powerful Trixie, for the Unicorn had already reached for the mane-pins in her hair. Trixie unlocked the desk drawer with concentrated determination and pulled it wide open. Inside she had found what she searched desperately for, quill and ink. Trixie had also found much more than she expected.

Under the bottle of ink was a copy of the mining company’s maps, complete with Debon’s notes pointing to a buried temple of Grogar that sat beneath this very town. Beside that was a small silver lapel pin with the image of the capital letter ‘P’ super-imposed on a sextant.

“You appear to be lost,” whispered Cervantes.

The levitating white tome dropped to the floor with a thundering bump. Trixie turned to the entrance and saw standing in the doorway was the butler. The magical light from the Unicorn’s horn contrasted sharply off the stallion’s long and emotionless face. Trixie’s heart sped up with fear. She had been caught.

“My apologies,” Trixie began, “I could not help but admire your master’s impressive collection of works from around Equestria. I meant no harm in my intrusion.”

“My dear,” Cervantes said calmly, “You could not have caused harm even if you tried.” The lanky Earth pony closed the study door behind him and moved deliberately toward Trixie.

The Unicorn instinctively levitated the white tome in front of her like a shield. “Stay back!” she warned the butler. “I am The Great and Powerful Trixie. If you dare come any closer, I will turn you into six and a half notes of music!”

Cervantes reared up on his haunches with a balance few ponies could achieve. The joints in his hips and rear legs snapped and shifted into a configuration only seen in bipedal apes. The flesh at the end of his fore-hooves split open as talon-like steel claws protruded outward. The bloodless blades glinted in the illumination of Trixie’s light spell. The servant flicked his tail and stood unnaturally tall on those long rear legs.
“Which composer?” Cervantes taunted.

Trixie dropped the book in soundless horror. The blue Unicorn turned to escape, but as she spun around Trixie slammed headlong into what appeared to be a solid shadow of a perfect pitch black. Trixie tumbled to the floor, stunned as the eerie shade took form and brightened into an array of colors. In a moment’s breath, the shadow had become Debon Aire.
The male Unicorn’s golden eyes stared down at the Trixie with sad disappointment.

“My Dear Miss Lulamoon,” Debon said softly, “I can see now that you are as tricky as the desert coyote, with a curiosity twice as wild.”

“You know, just the other day I was wondering what ‘trouble’ looked like as a Cutie Mark,” Trixie stated brazenly, “A coyote does sound about right. Well, I suppose it’s better than being a snake, am I right?”

Debon used his own magical horn to lift the white tome off the floor and had it placed neatly on the desk. He reached down to Trixie and offered her a hoof to stand up.

“I’ve never been taken hostage by chivalry before,” Trixie skeptically muttered.

“You are not a prisoner,” Debon scolded. “I am troubled as to why you are sneaking around my private study, but I am nothing if not a gentle-colt. If you wish to make use of my collection of books, then simply ask. I have nothing to hide from you.”

Trixie glanced at the monstrous Cervantes that still loomed behind her. “Am I the only one concerned that your butler just turned into Frankenstein’s horse?”

“Cervantes is loyal to me. He will not harm you so long as I will it,” Debon explained. “As to his present form, it is simply the magical gift I bestowed upon him for his devoted service.”

“I’d love to see the retirement benefits,” Trixie said sarcastically.

Debon picked up the sextant lapel from the desk drawer. “Do you know what this symbol represents?” He levitated the lapel magically toward the blue Unicorn.

Trixie slowly stood up. “Well, this capital ‘P’ is wide with heavy serifs,” Trixie remarked. “If my heraldry is accurate, I believe this is the symbol for Princess Platinum. Not sure what it has to do with the sextant though. Is this a forgotten emblem of her ancient navy?”

“Not a bad guess,” Debon told Trixie. “Centuries ago, during Princess Platinum’s reign, she founded a secretive order of knights with the sole mission to secure dangerous artifacts from the neighboring realms. Princess Platinum then turned to her trusted wizards to learn the nature of how these artifacts functioned. She believed that if they could be controlled, then they could be used in defense of her country.”

“Even so, I recall her kingdom was destroyed by an unnatural blizzard,” Trixie interrupted.

“An unrelated incident,” Debon dismissed. “I am one of the few remaining descendants of the original knights. We have revived the Order of the Horizon Walkers in order to secure Equestria’s sovereignty over her enemies.” Debon offered Trixie a chair to sit, but the blue Unicorn declined.

“We?” Trixie asked. “You mean all your guests downstairs?”

“A few of them are part of the order,” Debon stated vaguely. “Perhaps more or maybe all of them are members. We keep ourselves and our numbers secretive for a good reason.” Debon sat down on the plush chair that faced Trixie. He used his magical horn to increase the gas lamp’s light.

Trixie wriggled her nose with an annoyed expression. “And what is this about Equestria having enemies? Equestria is at peace with her neighbors.”

“Equestria has many enemies you do not see,” Debon warned. “The recent attack on Canterlot by the Changeling hive is only a taste of that. It was an attack that showed not only how mortal our beloved Princess Celestia was, but that the Canterlot royal guard was pathetically too inept to fight off the invasion.”

“Yes, I was there,” Trixie said. “However, the invasion was ultimately repelled by a magic shield-”

“A shield that was only coincidentally created by the combined magic of Princess Cadance and the captain of the royal guard,” Debon finished with an interrupt. “However, what if one of them was incapacitated at that time? What if the shield didn’t repel the entire invasion? Don’t you see that Equestria’s defenses rely solely upon a handful of unreliable magical princesses and nothing else?”

“Okay, I can see your argument,” Trixie admitted, “But what’s the Horizon Walkers’ plan? Are you going to start a coup and take over the country?”

Debon furled his eyebrows. “The Horizon Walkers are not a coup. We scour Equestria in search of lost artifacts of great magical power. Our mission is to wield these relics in defense of our country. We will destroy Equestria’s enemies where Celestia has failed.”
Debon pointed at the white tome to accent his point.

Trixie’s ears shot up straight. “Oh!” she exclaimed in an epiphany. “I see what’s going on here. You’re looking for Grogar’s bells and your search led you here. You’re the one breaking into the warehouse in hopes of stealing the artifact when the mining company digs it up, aren’t you?”

“That is only half correct,” Debon replied. “I have been anonymously funding the mining company to dig under the town in order to discover the temple below. The warehouse attacks are only a distraction to get Geo to trust me with keeping the artifact safe once his miners uncover it. The forged ledgers were Geo’s own undoing. It seems that greed over the discovery of electrum pottery got the better of him there.”

Trixie frowned. “I doubt the authenticity of a benevolent order that uses guile to acquire dangerous relics.”

“The Horizon Walkers are justified,” Debon said sharply. “We are capable of controlling these dangerous artifacts and we will use whatever means necessary to defend our beloved country.”

“Even if it means losing your souls to these dark spells?” Trixie scathingly asked as she pointed to Cervantes. “I don’t believe that a small group of ponies can control any of the artifacts in that book. Those things corrupt, kill, and destroy everything they touch. Why would you be any different than the original evils that created them?”

“Those are some interesting words coming from a unicorn that once wielded the Alicorn Amulet,” Debon replied angrily. “Yes, I read about that in the papers. How you acquired a dangerous artifact that slowly corrupted your mind, nearly enslaving an entire town for the sole purpose of extracting revenge on the townsfolk that ruined your petty career in parlor tricks.”

Trixie ground her teeth together. Debon had touched upon a sensitive nerve, but the blue Unicorn held back her fury with all her willpower. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly.

“Miss Lulamoon,” Debon said, “Do not misunderstand us. Our cause is to secure the peace of all pony-kind. Yes, there will be innocent casualties along the way, but we see the bigger picture. We see an Equestria that will be respected by her enemies, an Equestria that will never fall to an outside force.”

Trixie turned away, turned off by the male Unicorn’s conversation.

“We do not take recruitment lightly,” Debon continued. “Only those with an impressive mental willpower are considered for an invitation into our ranks. Your experience with the amulet would make you a perfect candidate if you wish to join us. Think of how great and powerful you would be with the magical blessings we can bestow upon you. I could even give you the power to properly control the Alicorn Amulet if you were to recover it for the order.”

Trixie closed her eyes. Memories of the Alicorn Amulet came to the forefront, how the amulet clawed at her mind and told her to do things against her nature; torture, oppress, destroy. No, never again she had promised herself. Not for all the glory in Equestria.
“I’m sorry Debon,” Trixie finally spoke as she slowly looked over to the stallion. “I must decline your gracious offer. I am flattered that you would find me worthy, but I do not. Now if you’ll excuse me, I must part ways here.”

Trixie dispelled her magical light as she walked to the study’s exit. Cautiously, the blue Unicorn opened the door and expected Debon and Cervantes to stop her right then and there, but the two stallions only watched her leave the room. Once out of sight, Trixie quickened her pace.

Cervantes grunted at Debon as he pointed to the doorway the little blue Unicorn just exited.

Debon shook his head casually. “No my friend, let her go for now. I know she will not keep us a secret, but we are gentle-colts if nothing else.” Debon remained calm and certain with his words.

There was a flash of red light with an accompanying soft pop. A breeze momentarily moved outward from the space to Debon’s right. The cream-coated Earth Pony from the party below had magically appeared adjacent to Debon. She flicked back a loose strand of her pinned-up red hair.

“Ah, Miss Golden Jubilee,” Debon welcomed, “Are you enjoying the festivities, or did you wish to alert me that the servants have run out of ice?”

“I’m noticing a distinct lack of blue Unicorn in the room, Debon,” Golden Jubilee stated firmly. “Did you scare her off with your usual dark charms?”

Debon casually stood up from the plush chair. “No my dear Goldie,” he replied solemnly. “It would appear she is no longer The Great and Powerful Trixie we had heard of. She has given up on her destiny.”

“I hate to see such potential go up the sprout,” Goldie said. “So few turn down our offer and you are rarely wrong about their potential. Why, I’d be toiling away on my sister’s cherry farm if not for you.”

“True, true,” Debon mused aloud, “But there are always exceptions to be found. Well, except for one.” Debon turned to his butler and resumed his business-like attitude. “Cervantes, please awaken Trigger for me. If I’m not mistaken, he has a recent history with this next target.”


> Chapter 8 - Swap Ponies While Crossing
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The blue Unicorn hurried down the hall and descended the marble stairs with all deliberate speed. Her shadow raced across the red carpeted steps in a zigzagged pattern that flowed with the steps. Trixie’s limp was more noticeable now as she nearly jumped down the last steps onto the main ballroom floor. She recomposed herself once she touched the ground level.  After all, there was no way to tell how many of these folks were members of the Horizon Walkers and from what she saw thus far of the order, they possessed unnatural abilities that were above Trixie’s scope of magic.

Trixie found Ellie first; the Pegasus was looking over a painting of an airship with interest. The blue Unicorn came up from behind and hooked Ellie by the foreleg with a tug. “Time to go, hayseed.”

“Already?” Ellie asked. “Trixie, is something the matter?”

“Oh, absolutely,” replied the vague, blue Unicorn. Trixie dragged Ellie along as she searched for Cheryl. It didn’t take her long to have the Earth pony located once Trixie headed over to the buffet table. Cheryl was standing by the mixed drink bar in a debate with two stallions over upcoming events.
Trixie hurried over to interrupt the conversation.

“And that is why I believe that this year the Crystal Empire will win hosting for the next Equestria Games,” finished a pale while stallion.

“I disagree,” Cheryl said, “Those crystal ponies are so far behind the times I doubt they even know what a hammer toss is. Their princess is pretty charismatic though, I’ll give you that much.”

“Yes, a venerable pink Celestia,” Trixie interrupted as she took hold of Cheryl by the shoulder. “My apologies gentle-colts, but I need to speak urgently with this mare.” Trixie yanked Cheryl away from the conversation and pushed both her friends toward the front door.

“What in tarnation are you on about?” Cheryl angrily asked of Trixie.

“We have to leave now,” the blue Unicorn replied.

Ellie stopped resisting Trixie’s shove and went along toward the exit. “I got that much,” the Pegasus said, “But could you give us a bit more information?”

“Later,” Trixie muttered softly.

Trixie lead the girls outside of Debon’s home and walked them in the direction to Ellie’s house. Cheryl stumbled along as Trixie pushed her to walk faster out of the courtyard. The blue Unicorn waited until they were all out of earshot from the ball guests before she explained the situation.
“Alright,” Trixie began, “The good news is that I found out what the spiral picture was about on the strange rocks. It’s an old and dangerous artifact buried under this town.”

“That sounds more like bad news to me,” Ellie remarked.

“Well then here’s the worse news,” Trixie continued on. “Debon is part of a secret order called the Horizon Walkers. They collect these dangerous relics and use them to destroy outsiders that oppose Equestria. When I say dangerous, I mean this order is employing dark magic so taboo that Celestia would bring the guillotine back into style for punishment.”

“Yikes!” Ellie exclaimed. “How did you find this out?”

“Debon told me,” Trixie answered. “He even tried to recruit me into his ranks.”

“I take it you declined the offer?” Cheryl commented in a query.

The blue Unicorn scowled at the Earth pony. “Of course I declined!” Trixie shouted. “Do you know what he offered? He was willing to help bind the Alicorn Amulet to my will so that I could control it. The Alicorn Amulet! A relic so corrupt that just being in the same room will let it pick at your brain! His group is two bed sheets short of a cult and I want no part of it.”

Cheryl gave Trixie a confused look. “Alright, I get your point, but I would reckon cults prefer to take over Equestria instead of defending it.”

“True enough,” Ellie began, “But the point is that you don’t see the royal guard using dangerous weapons they can’t predict. I understand Trixie’s issue with them. The more forbidden magic Debon uses, the greater the chances are that there could be a devastating accident. What if a whole town gets cursed? How do you justify that as protecting Equestria?”

“Exactly,” Trixie said in a calm, agreeable tone. “Debon treats these relics like they can be easily controlled by his group. I reckon they’re just a sitting on a bomb ready to go off.” Trixie stopped in her tracks. An annoyed frown appeared on her face as her two friends stopped to glance back at the Unicorn with concern.

“Did I just say ‘reckon’?” Trixie muttered, “I’ve been around you gals too long.”

Trixie jumped back into pace with her friends. The dirt-laden ground behind her swiftly kicked up in a cloud of sand with a low, but clear-sounding crack. The three looked behind and saw the glint of a steel ball loaded in a slingshot. The slingshot was in the paws of a brown hare wearing a gauze cap on his head.

“Run!” Trixie shouted.

The Unicorn stomped the ground hard and a magical cloud of purple smoke burst forth from her hooves. The temporary concealment did not dissuade the hare as he fired a steel ball into the thick cloud. The three mares darted away as the spherical bullet flew over their heads and hit hard against a carriage door. The door’s glass window shattered upon the impact.

Cheryl glanced back and saw the hare leap through Trixie’s thinning smoke cloud. “Did you do something to tick Debon off or is this an unrelated friend?”

“I only declined joining Debon’s secret order!” Trixie hectically answered, “I was even polite about it!”

A bullet flew in between Cheryl and Trixie and cracked a large stone on the street in two. The Earth pony scrunched her nose. “I’d hate to see what he does to people that insult his mom.”

The Pegasus flapped her wings to get her friends’ attention. “Take the alley!” Ellie shouted.

The Pegasus made a hard right turn and galloped down a cluttered alleyway. Cheryl followed right behind, but Trixie had continued running straight and got separated.

The hare focused on Trixie. He slowed down to let loose a steel sphere at the Unicorn. The bullet whizzed right by Trixie’s head and smashed against a wooden barrel. Large cracks appeared and the barrel’s content of water spilled quickly onto the street.
The frightened Unicorn dove behind several crates of produce. Trixie levitated several rocks on the ground and blindly threw them over the stack of crates at her assailant. She had no time to even ponder if she had hit anything.

The hare responded with two shots into the crates. The wood splintered and one box spilled its contents of apples onto the still moist ground from the earlier rain.

Trixie looked around frantically for a better hiding spot. She saw that the Cactus Gulp saloon was just across the street. She just needed a way to reach the bar before the hare shot her.
Unsure that her earlier cape trick would have worked twice, Trixie concentrated her levitation magic on the largest crate in the stack. The crate groaned in protest as it began to rise from the ground. The hare fired another shot into the crate. The wooden panel shattered from the bullet’s impact.

Trixie ran for the saloon as she kept the rapidly breaking crate between herself and the hare. Two more shots smashed around the blue Unicorn as she dived into the Cactus Gulp. The crate disintegrated behind her and Trixie let go of the now useless wood.

The saloon was filled with a meager half dozen patrons, all quietly involved with their drinks. Barley was behind the counter, rag in hand. He had just finished with the dishes when Trixie crashed through his front doors like a stampeding cow.
The entire room laid eyes upon the erratic blue Unicorn.

“What’s all the commotion about, Miss?” the bartender asked the exhausted Unicorn.

“Hide me quick!” Trixie responded as she galloped towards the door that lead into the kitchen. Her breaths were short and labored. “There’s a killer rabbit after me!”

The patrons all broke out into laughter, but Barley only frowned. He had heard this story before from Trixie. “Now hold on a sec!” Barley protested. “I don’t want to get involved in your shenanigans!”

A steel bullet shot into the room and shattered a bottle of whiskey behind Barley. The stallion flinched and part-way ducked down behind the counter. The patrons and bartender saw a brown hare enter his saloon, armed with a deadly weapon. The critter fired a second shot at Trixie, but it missed the Unicorn by inches. The speedy sphere shattered a wide mirror beside the bar.
“What the blazes is going on here?” the bartender shouted in puzzlement.

The patrons all ducked behind their tables as their laughter quickly sobered into serious fear. The hare ignored them as he hopped toward its blue target in haste.

Trixie threw herself at the door beside the bar. The swaying door flew open and cracked against a steel table on the other side. The Unicorn had found herself in the saloon’s disorganized and greasy kitchen. A waft of cooking oil and fried potatoes hit her nostrils unpleasantly.
Trixie improvised as she put the chaotic layout to her advantage. She magically levitated all the pots and pans she could see as she made her way through the room. The blue Unicorn then hurled the swarm of kitchenware behind her at the approaching hare. The heavy iron cookware rattled and crashed all around with a thundering ruckus. The hare dodged and blocked the tumbling obstacles, but their vast numbers prevented him from another attack. The hare pressed on in his chase of the Unicorn.
Only moments ahead, Trixie slammed into the back door with her full weight. The door’s bolt splintered off and the door swung wide open.

“Get down!” Ellie shouted.

Trixie dived outside into the dirty alley. A shovel-wielding Cheryl side-stepped from behind the door and took the hare by surprise. The Earth pony gave a mighty swing at the charging hare. The iron tool struck true and clanged against the rodent’s face. The critter took a mid-air back flip as his feet jutted forward and then the entire body plummeted into the dirt besides Trixie. The hare’s slingshot fell out of its paws and skidded away where Ellie quickly snatched it up.

Cheryl tied the unconscious hare to a post with some rope lying on the back porch. “That’s for making Trixie soil one of my best dresses!” the Earth pony said with a spat.

Barley barreled into the kitchen angrily and kicked aside all the pots in his way. “Will one of you mares tell me what the hay is going on here?”

“Go wake the deputy!” Trixie commanded the chubby bartender as she got up.

“Listen here missy,” Barley countered, “I am not budging until I get some answers as to why that darned hare was wrecking my saloon chasing you.”

Ellie bravely stepped up in front of the stallion. “Barley!” the Pegasus shouted. “Go and wake Valiant right now! Trixie knows what the mining company was digging for and if she gets held up because of your fat flank then the bad guys are going get ahold of an evil relic that is more trouble than ten Diamond Dogs!”
Cheryl stood beside Ellie and gave the bartender the stink-eye.

The bartender pouted. “Well what about my messed up kitchen?”

“BARLEY!” the three mares all screamed in unison.

“Alright, alright!” Barley barked in a huff. “Excuse me if an armed hare shooting up my establishment concerns me! You girls better not be pulling my leg.” The bartender ran back into his saloon to dismiss his patrons. The patrons departed in puzzlement as Barley galloped off to the deputy’s house.

“Wow Ellie,” Trixie commended, “Way to take charge.”

The Pegasus smiled. “Yeah well, it’s probably because I’ve been around you too long.”

The Unicorn gave Ellie a friendly shove. “Well then, before Cheryl’s drinking habit starts rubbing off on us, we’d better get our act together with a plan.”

“Something mighty quick too if Debon has more assassins at his disposal,” Cheryl added seriously.

“Indeed,” Trixie said. “Debon might even try to grab the artifact tonight before we can implicate him on this conspiracy. We have to go find that magical object first and destroy it!”

“Well, if we’re going to go digging,” Ellie said, “Then we’ll need a drill.”

Trixie nodded in agreement. “Do you know how to operating the one at the mines?” she asked Ellie.

“I have something better in mind,” the Pegasus replied. She turned toward her house and beckoned the others to quickly follow her there.

Trixie and Cheryl exchanged a look of interest before they followed the galloping Pegasus.


~ ~ ~


The three mares had made a quick stop at Cheryl’s room and changed out of their fancy ball dresses. Cheryl and Trixie donned their hats and saddle-belts while Ellie retrieved her grappling hook gadget. Once they had their rugged adventuring attire on, the three ponies hurried over to the back yard of Ellie’s house.

The girls kept quiet so as not to awaken Ellie’s mother. Trixie’s magical horn lit the way to the back of the house where the mysterious old shed stood. Trixie had wondered what was inside and now she was going to find out, though the Unicorn still hoped for a lack of bodies buried inside.

Ellie reached out and touched the withered wreath on the door. The Pegasus appeared less agitated about the shed now then she did before when Trixie asked about it.
“Cheryl, you don’t know this,” Ellie began, “But my ma told Trixie about an accident my pa and I had almost two years ago. It was caused by an invention we had built for the mining company, but of course they never bought the darned thing due to the mishap.”

Trixie interrupted Ellie’s mental flashback. “So you kept the device locked in this shed, secretly finishing it yourself just to prove you could do it, right?”

“Well yeah, but how did you know that?” a surprised Ellie asked the Unicorn.

“I was in show business,” Trixie responded. “That’s one of the most popular story clichés there is.”

“Oh, I reckon you would know something about that,” Ellie muttered.

Cheryl snorted at the bantering mares. “Alright, less talk and more progress.” the Earth pony reared up and kicked the shed door in, splintering off the handle and the upper door hinge. The broken door hung uselessly to the side and out of the way.

“Cheryl!” Ellie whined. “You can’t solve all your problems by kicking them in the face!”

“I know, right?” Trixie added mockingly.

Cheryl’s deadpan expression only shrugged off the criticism. Trixie stepped forward and lit the inside of the opened shed. Within the shanty was a table that held scattered tools all over it. From the ceiling hung both a harness to pull the cart and an oil lamp to light the shed. Adjacent on the ground was an unmarked cardboard box and a large, four-wheel cart that carried a small iron cannon.
The cannon appeared heavily modified with a huge steam-driven pump attached to its breech section and a tapered choke connected to the muzzle at the opposite end.

Ellie walked in and lit the lamp using matched found on the table.

“Is this some kind of weapon?” Trixie asked as she looked over the peculiar device.

“No, of course not!” Ellie rebutted, “This invention uses sound vibrations to pulverize rock. Imagine the efficiency of a drill that has no breakable bit and fewer moving parts to maintain! Why, I could even see this invention used to tear down condemned buildings without dangerous explosives, or if put on a really low setting it could stun criminals with the shockwave.”

Trixie and Cheryl both had an incredulous look upon their faces.

“Okay fine, this is totally a weapon,” Ellie said crossly with a huff.

“I got just one question,” stated Cheryl as she grabbed the harness above. “If this thing was the cause of your accident, did you fix it so that it doesn’t go and blow us all up too?”

Ellie shook her head and explained. “The device works just fine. What happened was that the tunnel collapsed on my pa and I during our demonstration for the mining company. We had used too high a power setting at the time, but I know now to release the pressure slowly and avoid the same accident.”

“I’m surprised no one took interest in this invention since,” Trixie commented.

“I guess pony-folk considered us mad scientists or something,” Ellie said. “I mean really? Sure we had our share of frustrations, but we were pretty cheery about our failures. Pa was one of the happiest Pegasi I’d ever known in my life. He certainly was no mad scientist.”

Trixie scratched her head. “I don’t think that’s what they meant.”

Cheryl plucked the harness from the ceiling hook and tried it on herself. “Alright then, I’ll pull the cannon over if you two blast that magic thing into smithereens.”

The other two mares nodded. “We should expect Debon to be there when we arrive,” Trixie warned. “I also have no doubt he will have some armed guards with him.” Trixie attached Cheryl’s harness to the cart, but she bumped into the unmarked box that sat nearby.
“What’s this?” the Unicorn asked.

Ellie flipped one of the box’s flaps open. “I think that’s just the leftover fireworks we made yesterday,” she responded. “I wasn’t sure what you wanted to do with them.”

“Bring them,” Trixie said. Her levitation magic picked up the small box and carefully set it in the cart.

Ellie jumped into the cart and lit the stack of coal in the steam engine. “This will take a while to get going, but I’ll have it up and running when we get to the mines.”

With a firm tug, Cheryl had the cart moving at a swift pace toward the mining camp. Trixie followed alongside and provided light for the Earth pony to see with. The three were on their way to the mines, but they had their doubts on how successful they would be against the machinations of Debon and his order.


~ ~ ~


The dusty trail rattled both the machine and the Pegasus in the cart. A thin column of smoke puffed out of the invention’s steam engine as pistons hissed and pumped pressure into the cannon. Cheryl continued to pull strongly on the cart, her way lit brightly by Trixie’s magical horn, and the cart wheels squeaked loudly in protest of the speed they were pressed to keep up.

As the trio quickly approached the mines, Trixie questioned Ellie for clarification. “You said this thing could stun a pony?”

“I think so,” Ellie answered. “Mind you I never tested that theory.”

“Well when we get to the mines, we might have to use it,” Trixie stated. “My intuition says that there are going to be a lot of torqued off miners who will be about as cooperative as a brick wall with us.”

“Give me a moment to make the adjustments,” the Pegasus said as she fiddled with the controls.

“How long do you reckon you’ll need?” Cheryl asked earnestly.

The Pegasus shrugged back to the Earth pony. “I don’t know, maybe five minutes. Why?”

“Cause we’re already here.”

The trio reached the camp and they were greeted with the commotion of panicked miners. The ruckus was caused by the two monstrous beasts the girls had seen the night before. The uncontrolled fires around the camp illuminated their large feral forms clearly; the hard spines on their backs, the sharp rows of teeth in their mouths, and their dark matted pelts covered in dirt.
The creatures had torn apart the camp tents in their frenzy and their roars scared all the workers into a tizzy. Most of the miners fled their posts as only a few brave ponies remained in a vain attempt to put out the fires and keep the monsters at bay.

The loud, squeaky cart wheels drew the monsters’ attention as the two beasts were about to tear into several workers. The creatures snapped their teeth angrily at the cart, but they remained where they stood.

Trixie wanted to use Ellie’s invention against these creatures, but the Pegasus needed more time and the workers had none to spare. Trixie leaped upon the cart and levitated her slingshot out of its holster. Cheryl noticed her path was no longer lit magically and that the cart had become a Unicorn’s worth heavier.

“What in tarnation are you doing?” Cheryl asked Trixie.

“I’m going to distract those monsters away from the miners!” the Unicorn replied. “Just get us inside the mine as fast as you can. I need to bottleneck those creatures in the tunnels.”

Ellie’s ears perked up upon hearing the terrible idea. “Trixie, are you crazy?” she shouted.

“That’s beside the point,” Trixie replied. The Unicorn waved at the two monsters to ensure she had their attention. The two creatures watched as Trixie taunted them loudly over the cart’s squeaking.
“Hey, morons! Kiss it!” The blue Unicorn did a quick about-face and slapped her butt twice with her tail lifted high in the air to drive the insult home.

The two monsters forwent the miners and charged speedily at the cart on all fours. Obstacles in their path were knocked aside in their determined chase. Their teeth gnashed together in a fury as they quickly closed the gap to the little blue Unicorn on the cart.

“Help me turn the cannon around!” Trixie commanded the Pegasus.	

Trixie and Ellie pressed their shoulders against the heavy machine, slowly rotating it to face the back end of the cart. The two monstrous dogs got dangerously near the ponies, but Trixie quickly drew several iron bullets from her pocket. In quick succession the Unicorn fired each bullet from her slingshot at the two pursuing monsters. The creature proved quick to dodge the incoming spheres, but the attack had slowed them down long enough for Ellie to fully rotate her cannon around.

Cheryl reached the mine entrance and entered with the cart still in tow. Her hooves blazed a trail in the dusty dim tunnel. The lighting was so poor inside that the Earth pony could not see well enough to avoid the uneven rocky surfaces. The cart jostled hard as it traversed the mine with both creatures nearly within reach.

“Fire the cannon Ellie!” Trixie yelled out to the Pegasus.

“I haven’t finished calibrating the thing!” Ellie shouted back. “The pressure is still too high!”

“Those creatures are almost on top of us!” Trixie argued. She fired another iron bullet to distance the creatures from the cart.

The Pegasus waved a hoof frantically. “The cannon might kill those creatures if I fire it now!”

“Dear sweet Celestia, how are we all arguing this?” Cheryl angrily questioned.

Trixie shoved Ellie aside and grabbed the lever controls. She pulled what she assumed was the one to fire the sound cannon, but instead a hot jet of steam shot out of the machine. The spray scalded Trixie’s right shoulder. The Unicorn screamed in a painful panic as she pulled another lever in desperation to fire the device.

A low, deep boom of sound exploded out of the misaimed cannon as it released all of its built up pressure at once. The cannon lost its balance and lurched heavily to one side. For half a moment Trixie saw the air ripple from the sound’s vibration, followed by the second half of that moment when the bubble of noise struck the ceiling and walls of the tunnel.
The rocky surfaces exploded under the vibrating pressure that hit it. A rain of jagged rock shrapnel poured down with a thundering roar as the destruction of the tunnel quickly expanded.

Ellie screamed as the tipped over cannon pulled the cart over onto its side. In turn Cheryl stumbled as the cart’s harness yanked her up off her hooves and into a roll.

Then the ceiling caved in around the three mares like a crashing waterfall of stones.

The rumbling cascade of stones subsided like a withdrawing wave upon the beach. In its place rang a high-pitched whistle in Trixie’s ear, sharpened by the pain in her right shoulder from the hot steam and the heavy unknown weight that pressed down on her chest. It was completely dark as well as uncomfortably cold.
Trixie winced as she tried to sit up. The weight on her chest dug into her skin like a dull knife.

The Unicorn closed her eyes and casted a light spell from her horn. Trixie blinked several times as her eyes slowly adjusted to the light’s soft glow. The weight upon the Unicorn slowly came into focus and became familiar once Trixie’s mind finally caught up to her from the crash.
Ellie had landed on Trixie and the prosthetic metal wing was cutting into Trixie’s chest. To the Unicorn’s right was the mining tunnel, sealed under a collapsed pile of stone. On the other hoof, Trixie couldn’t see either of the two creatures that had chased them here.

“Ellie? Cheryl?” Trixie called out, followed by a heavy coughing fit from the dust that lingered in the air.

“I’m here, you stupid blue bunko,” scolded Cheryl in between coughs. The Earth pony was about two dozen feet further in the tunnel, pinned down by half of a cart and the twisted harness she wore. “I figured at some point you’d get an idea that would fail. I’m just glad it was the one where you tried to get us all killed.”
The Earth pony sounded like she wasn’t badly injured which was a bit of relief for Trixie.

The blue Unicorn carefully moved Ellie off herself as she sat up. The Pegasus moaned in pain and her eyes looked glazed and unfocused at first. Trixie gently slapped the green-maned pony on the cheek.

“Ellie, hey wake up,” Trixie said.

“Ugh, let me nap,” the Pegasus replied.

Trixie slapped her harder. “No! Don’t go to sleep. That would be bad if you have a concussion.” The Unicorn forced Ellie to stand up and twisted the Pegasus’ ear a little to snap her to attention. “Focus on my light Ellie. Can you see it?”

The Pegasus pushed herself away from Trixie in a coughing fit. Ellie wobbled a bit on all fours, but managed to remain standing. She blinked at the softly lit horn and then aimed a hoof slightly lower than the light in an angry swing. She connected with Trixie’s head, although her strength wasn’t enough to do more than stun the Unicorn.
“Did you forget how my pa died?” Ellie angrily drilled the Unicorn.

“Give her one for me too,” Cheryl said nonchalantly. The Earth pony undid the twisted harness she wore and crawled out from under the destroyed cart. She then stood up to stretch out her back.

Trixie lowered her head in shame. “I’m sorry girls,” she stated honestly to her two friends. “I - I wasn’t thinking my plan through and I keep putting myself first.” Trixie looked up and saw Ellie shake her head.

“Whatever,” the Pegasus said in a soft, grumpy tone. Ellie cleared her throat with another round of coughs before she continued. “I guess that stupid invention was just cursed from the get go.”

“We should have named it Trixie Junior,” Cheryl added. She let off a little smile that helped put her friends at ease. Trixie snorted happily at the joke and even Ellie had to smirk at the remark.

The caved in section of the tunnel began to shift. Smaller rocks near the stop of the pile bounced down to the hooves of the three mares. Something was digging its way out and the girls only needed one guess as to what it was. The trio of friends backed away from the falling rock pile in fear. 

“Seriously?” Trixie called out with disbelief.

“We best rattle our hocks out of here!” Cheryl exclaimed.

Trixie led the way with her light and the three hurried down the dusty tunnel. Along the way Ellie scooped up as many of the fireworks she could see without slowing down.

The crash left the girls in pain as they limped in their retreat further into the mine. Trixie’s shoulder was particularly causing the Unicorn difficulty in her run. The tunnel continued on and began to slope downward. The sound of shifting rocks behind them grew fainter with distance and then stopped entirely. The mares continued to trot along quickly until they felt sure they had a lead on the creatures.

After a couple hundred feet of running the ponies found a widened area of the tunnel before them. Scattered around this area were the miners’ tools and empty carts used for their work. Just beyond several boxes of supplies was a series of haphazard branching tunnels to either side of the main mine passage.
Ellie stopped and rummaged through the boxes curiously. The others halted in their run to check on their Pegasus friend. They caught their breaths in the moment.

“What are you doing, chicken wings?” Cheryl asked.

Ellie gave up on her search through the boxes. “I was just looking for anything useful,” the Pegasus answered. “You know, seeing as everything here wants to kill us.”

Cheryl and Trixie exchanged glances. “Yeah, she kind of has a point,” Cheryl said.

Trixie could only shrug at their predicament. “I agree, but we don’t have time on our side. Our best options against the dangers right now are down to your kicks, Ellie’s creativity, and my ability to fast-talk things into not eating us.” Trixie looked down the tunnel at the different branches, but she was unable to remember the layout of the mine from the map she stole earlier today.
“Anyway, we best hurry along,” the Unicorn said. “Any pony know which way leads to the dangerous forbidden artifact?”

Cheryl pointed down the first branch that went left. “I recall the map had this path leading under the town.” The Earth pony led the way with the other two mares right behind her.

The tunnel slowly twisted its way back around and toward the town as it descended deeper into the earth. Trixie glanced over her shoulder several times expecting the dog-like creatures to be there, but to her relief nothing had been following them yet.

Ellie was curious to know more about the object they were seeking. “So Trixie, what is this forbidden relic that we’re looking to break?”

Trixie blinked her eyes at the question. She had just realized she wasn’t forthcoming to her friends with much information. “Oh, well it’s something called Grogar’s bell,” Trixie explained. “There were a few of them in the legend and they gave the wearer the ability to control the classical elements.”

“How do they work?” Ellie asked.

“Good question,” Trixie answered.

Ellie paused for more information from the Unicorn, but none came. “And?”

“What? I said it was a good question,” Trixie said in defense. “I didn’t say I knew how these things function. Maybe we could ask Debon.”

Cheryl snorted with sarcasm. “Yeah, and he’s going to tell us how to break the darned thing too.”

“You’d be surprised how much that stallion talks,” Trixie warned. The Unicorn looked over her shoulder again to ensure no one was following them. The tunnel was still empty, but Trixie wasn’t sure for how long.


~ ~ ~


The three mares continued to limp slightly as they marched onward down the dark tunnel. It was quite cold in this area of the tunnel, enough that the trio began to shiver. Trixie’s magical light casted eerie shadows behind them that gave the impression those monsters were not far behind. In front, they heard the echoing sounds of pickaxes and shovels farther down the tunnel. They slowed their pace to muffle their hoof-steps, but could not remain steady in their pacing.

Up ahead the girls noticed that the air felt more warm and humid, and the rocks within the tunnel took on a darker color similar to the rocks Trixie had taken from the warehouse. Several small broken bowls made of electrum were stacked in a pile farther ahead.

“It would seem we’re getting close to the source,” Trixie whispered.

“Yeah,” Cheryl commented quietly, “But what’ll we do if Debon’s got lackeys waiting for us?”

Trixie grimaced as he burned shoulder shot off another bout of pain. “Don’t count on ‘If’. I’m certain we’re going to find a fight waiting for us.”

Trixie, Cheryl, and Ellie saw a yellow-white light emanate from up ahead. It grew brighter as they approached and upon a slight left turn the three reached a brick wall that had been smashed through. The mares met the gaze of two company miners on the other side of the wall. The two stallions were widening a hole in the stone floor to set up a large mechanical expanding ladder.
Past the wall breech was a well-lit chamber where Debon, his butler Cervantes, and the red-maned pony from the ball all awaited the three ponies after they heard them approach the temple site.

“Just as the sun is destined to rise in the east,” Debon said with a musical whimsy, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived at the heart of the conspiracy.”

Debon gestured to the large interior space. It was a circular temple room with high vaulted ceilings held up by two old crisscrossing arches. The entire room was lit up by a large sphere of yellow-white magic that floated halfway up the room, perfectly centered as it had been set eons ago by its creators.
Trixie could feel the warmth that radiated off the magical globe.

Debon beckoned the three girls to step into the temple, but the mares hesitated. “Come to me,” Debon welcomed. “You have the word of Golden Jubilee and I that no harm will come to you.”

“Cut the bull patties, Debon!” snapped Trixie insultingly, “We both know that your little cult is only interested in acquiring Grogar’s bell. Every pony else is expendable and the hare assassin you sent after me had made that point abundantly clear.”

Ellie nodded in agreement. “Uh, yeah, I’m going to have to agree with Trixie on that point,” the Pegasus said. “I mean really, a killer rabbit with a slingshot? What pet store do you shop at?”

A guttural voice growled at the girls from behind. One of the two monsters from before limped into the temple’s light. Its left eye was swollen and cuts marred its furry body. Although it was slow to move, it was no less intimidating with its sharp teeth and spines. The three mares instinctively moved away from the creature, entering the temple through the hole in the wall. The monster slowly followed, but it stopped just short of crossing the breech after them.

“That there is one determined and ugly critter,” Cheryl stated.

Golden Jubilee snorted. “I find the Chupacabra to be quite a loyal and regal creature.”

“So these things have a name?” Trixie asked. “I thought they were Diamond Dogs to be honest.”

“They were,” Golden responded with an amused expression. “A little transformative magic I picked up from the shamans of an ancient Buffalo tribe that wanders these deserts. The ritual greatly expands upon the Diamond Dogs’ strength and stamina, but it does cost them much of their mind. They also get quite hungry afterwards, particularly for the succulent taste of fresh meat; cows, goats, and the occasional nosy pony that gets too close to them.”

Cheryl sneered at Golden. “I reckon the mystery of Lonestar’s demise and the missing livestock in Saddlestone just got solved,” she said angrily.

Golden pondered Cheryl’s words a moment before she understood them. “Ah, you mean the former sheriff of Saddlestone? Yes, his passing was a tragic accident, but he had been warned many times before not to interfere with the Chupacabra.”

Ellie let off a horrified look upon her face. “These things killed Lonestar? That’s awful! Who would even want to find such a spell much less use it on an intelligent being to turn them into feral monsters like that?” The Pegasus glanced back at the Chupacabra. She now saw the resemblance it bore to a Diamond Dog through its weary eyes. A shiver ran down Ellie’s spine at the realization.

Golden continued to explain. “The Buffalos’ history is quite rich in old folklore that has more truth then even they will ever realize. I might have even used the ritual on Roxy, but it would seem that Trixie had taken her out of the equation prematurely.”

“Some favor that was,” Cheryl muttered sarcastically.

Trixie felt the moist ground under her hooves. The source came from a stream of water that had leaked into the chamber centuries ago and created a pool for thick patches of moss to grow before draining out through another seam in the far side of the temple.
“So how does this end, Debon?” Trixie inquired to the stallion. “You kill us and take the bell? Set it up so that the mining company continues to take the fall while you go on your way?”

“You just cannot fathom the greater cause here!” Debon rebuked loudly. “The Horizon Walkers are not playing a child’s game. We are patriots of Equestria, here to utilize the tools that Princess Celestia is too meek to use in defense of our country. Do you not see that we should be on the same side?”

Trixie glanced around and took note of the various carvings on the walls around her, carvings of magical bells set within spirals. The symbol of Grogar’s cult was easy to recognize, but Trixie now imagined that the real meaning was a downward spiral to one’s own demise should they use the bell’s power.
“All I see,” Trixie answered, “Is a group of ponies who are slowly being consumed by dangerous artifacts not meant to touch mortal hooves. I made that mistake once with the Alicorn Amulet. I will not make that mistake again, nor will I allow anyone else to.”

Golden shook her head with disappointment. “Stubborn to a fault,” she said to Debon.

“You have no idea,” Cheryl added.

Debon let out a notable sigh. “Trixie, while I admire your resolve to keep these dangerous artifacts hidden, destroyed, or whatever notion it is you have for them, do you think our enemies would do the same? They would not, and if you or any pony else here thinks that Celestia’s platform of friendship and tolerance is going to be a perfect defense of Equestria, then allow me to be the first to say poppycock.”

Trixie shrugged at the stallion. “You might as well say it now, Debon.”

“Poppycock!” the male Unicorn obliged.

“I truly thought at one point that you were a decent pony,” Trixie said candidly, “But you sure let my expectations down with your notions of controlling forbidden magic as if it were simple toys.”

“And you let me down!” Debon angrily interjected. “Here you are, Trixie Lulamoon, the most magical pony in all of Equestria! Oh and how you would go on and on in your boasts with how sweet it was to hold and parade the cookie jar full of wondrous power, but when you learned that I had dared to put a hoof into the jar to try a cookie you scolded me for doing so!”

Trixie frowned. “If by cookies you mean dangerous artifacts of power, then yes, I did scold you for putting your hoof into the jar.”

“Debon,” Golden interrupted, “It's obvious that this mare will not be swayed to our cause.”

“Indeed,” Debon said with a grim expression. “It is a great pity to silence such potential.”

Cheryl stepped in front of Trixie and reared up on her haunches. “Finally, let’s cut the chatter and settle this with a good old fashion rumble!” The Earth pony held up her fore-hooves ready to fight.

Cervantes stood up and the joints in his legs snapped and popped with noises that Trixie found eerily familiar. Cheryl stood with mouth agape as she saw razor sharp claws break forth from Cervantes’ fore-hooves. The butler took up a fighting stance on twisted legs and gave the chocolate-brown Earth pony a wicked grin.

“Now that’s just wrong,” Cheryl muttered.

“Scatter!” Trixie shouted loudly to her two friends. Cheryl and Ellie galloped to either side as Trixie’s magical light exploded forth into a bright array of fireworks. Cervantes covered his eyes and backed away from the blinding lights and colors, his vision blurred from the magical pyrotechnic display.
The two miners dropped their tools and made a run for the tunnels past the Chupacabra. The monstrous dog howled before it crawled into the breach and gave chase to Trixie. The blue Unicorn sprinted away from the limping Chupacabra as she looked around the room for where the Grogar’s bell was hidden.

Debon glanced up at the large orb of light. He concentrated on his own body and soon he began to transform into shadow, a form that was darkness without substance. After the transformation completed, Debon began to ascend slowly toward the bright sphere with only his eyes that remained of his former form.

Trixie saw Debon change into darkness before he flew upwards. That was when a realization came to her. “Grogar’s bell is in the light!” She acted fast, with a hard gallop against the protest of her painful shoulder. Trixie quickly caught up with Ellie to explain the situation.
“Ellie, Grogar’s bell is in the orb of light!” the blue Unicorn explained.

Golden overheard that Trixie knew of the bell’s location. She pointed a hoof at the blue Unicorn and the red-maned Earth pony shot a bolt of black lightning outward. Trixie threw herself to the floor as she rolled out of the way of the destructive spell. Golden whistled to Cervantes for his attention and pointed out Trixie as the primary target.

Cervantes began to stomp toward the blue Unicorn, but Cheryl galloped in from just beyond his peripheral vision. The pink-maned pony leaped at Cervantes with hooves out and delivered a well-placed kick into the butler’s ribs. Cervantes stumbled over, but he quickly recovered before he fell. The butler turned his attention to the pink-maned pony.

“Come on and fight me fair, you freak!” Cheryl taunted.

Cervantes reached Cheryl in two steps and then took a swipe at her. Cheryl parried the swing, but his razor-like claws still scratched the mare’s foreleg. Cheryl returned the assault with a kick to Cervantes’ chest. The deadly butler took a step back, feinted left, and then reached with his right claws. Cheryl ducked, but Cervantes cut right through her mane and part of her ear.
Pink locks of hair and red drops of liquid fell to the moss-covered ground.

“Oww!!” Cheryl yelled. “Those aren’t just your typical kitchen knives, huh?” She backed up and touched her stinging left ear. It was bleeding, but Cheryl forced herself to shrug off the pain.

“These claws are as sharp at the wind itself,” Cervantes said.

“I don’t get it,” Cheryl replied with confusion. “How is air sharp?”

Cervantes ignored the question and took another swipe at Cheryl, but the chocolate-brown pony continued to retreat and dodge from the butler’s attacks.

Meanwhile, Debon had reached the glowing orb of light. He felt the great heat of fire radiating out from the magical sphere. The shadowy stallion tried to get closer, but the orb seared even his incorporeal form. Debon recoiled, for the bell was warded even from his shadowy touch.

Down below, Trixie had caught up with Ellie again and held out her hoof to the Pegasus. “Give me your grappling hook!” Trixie commanded the Pegasus. The Unicorn looked up and saw that the Debon shadow had reached the glowing orb of light.

Ellie reached to her left foreleg where she had strapped the hook, but a second bolt of black lightning came at them. Trixie shoved Ellie aside and then dodged herself in the opposite direction. Trixie’s shoulder bit with pain at the sudden movement.
The Unicorn faltered and the lethal spell raked across her left side. Searing agony shot through Trixie’s muscles in an uncontrollable spasm. Trixie stumbled and fell, helpless on the floor as her whole body now convulsed with continuous pain.

The Chupacabra finally caught up with the mares and reached down to grab the twitching Trixie from the floor. Ellie screamed at the monster to back off, but it had little effect on the hulking beast. It took a swing at the Pegasus, but Ellie jumped back out of the creature’s reach.
"I breaksss the pony!" the Chupacabra hissed.

Ellie looked up at the light. With Trixie down, Ellie gulped down the lump in her throat and decided to try something crazy. “Hang in there Trixie!” The Pegasus watched Golden aim a magic bolt at her, but Ellie darted back and forth to deny the sorceress pony a clear shot. The Pegasus slowed down deliberately as she galloped close to Trixie.
Golden took her shot, waving a hoof forward and releasing a deadly bolt of lightning at the green-maned pony.

Ellie dove out of the way. The electrical arc zipped behind her, crackled through the air with a high-pitched buzz, and then struck the Chupacabra square in the chest. Ellie splashed into the shallow pool of water and rolled to her back. She spat out the sandy water from her mouth.
The Chupacabra whined in pain as it faltered and fell over onto its face with a loud thud. The odor of burned fur wafted in the air as the monstrous dog flailed its arms about for something to latch onto.

It grabbed a hind leg of the paralyzed Trixie. The Unicorn kicked with her other hind leg, but Trixie's thrust would not break the Chupacabra's hold.

The Pegasus aimed her grappling hook at the miniature sun above her. With absolute resolve, Ellie pulled the first pin on her device. The spring tension snapped back and shot out the hook with incredible force.
The grappling hook flew past the ball of light and struck the temple ceiling. With a sharp crack the hook grabbed tight against the chipped stone

Golden threw a bolt of lightning at the pool Ellie sat in. The Pegasus jumped out of the pool as the electrical attack surged the ground behind her. Ellie felt the sharp needle-like stabs of magical current dance on her hind legs. She winced, but held on to the grappling rope for support.
The green-maned Pegasus pulled the second pin to her device which caused a second spring to snap back in place and wind up the thin coil of rope. Ellie was whisked up into the air by the tension and toward the ceiling of the temple.

The shadowy form of Debon saw the little Pegasus zooming her way up to the ball of magical light. The shade swiped a tentacle of his dark body at the passing Pegasus, but the mare flapped her wings and swung out of his shadowy reach. Debon let out an unintelligible growl as he began to levitate up and around the orb to pursue the meddlesome pony.

The Pegasus’ speedy ascension distracted Golden as well, who was unable to track a shot with her lightning. Cheryl fully retreated from Cervantes and raced past Golden in an opportunity to save Trixie. The pink-maned Earth pony approached the Chupacabra as it weakly pulled the blue Unicorn closer to itself.

“Drop her, you chalupa!” Cheryl yelled out.

The Earth pony leaped at the monster and kicked it hard in the arm that held Trixie. The Chupacabra released the blue Unicorn onto the cold, wet ground. The monster recoiled back in pain as Cheryl kicked at it again in the left knee. The Chupacabra rolled over onto its side, roaring in frustration. It lashed out with an arm at Cheryl. The Earth pony swerved to avoid the creature, but her tail got snagged in the Chupacabra’s claws.
With whip-like motion the creature picked up and flung Cheryl away several feet. The chocolate-colored mare skidded across the wet stone floor with an audible grunt of pain.

Cheryl rolled to her back as she tried to sit up, but Cervantes reached her first. The unnatural pony butler placed his sharp claws on Cheryl’s chest to keep her pinned down.
“Checkmate, Miss Rose,” Cervantes whispered.

As Ellie sped toward the ball of light, the Pegasus felt the heat of the bright orb increase to the scorching temperature of a raging fire. The water evaporated rapidly off the mare in wispy streaks. Ellie squinted her eyes against the heavy glare of the approaching sphere.
“Think like Trixie! Think like Trixie! Think like Trixie!” Ellie chanted to herself.

The Pegasus reached the light and she flapped her wings hard to propel herself toward and through the fiery orb of light. In quick succession Ellie was engulfed in magical flames, vanished, and then burst spectacularly out of the top end of the orb.

Ellie screamed as the fire burned the little Pegasus’ mane and wing feathers. Ellie struggled to put out the smoldering patches on her body as she reached the hook at the roof of the temple. Once she snuffed out the flames Ellie looked below and saw all eyes were upon her. She extended her free right fore-hoof for both of her friends to see.
Ellie had snatched Grogar’s bell.

The curiously cool brass bell felt much heavier than it appeared to be and Ellie’s own reflection off the still polished surface seemed more vibrant in color than it should have looked.

However, Debon had nearly reached the Pegasus, Cervantes had Cheryl pinned, and the Chupacabra was crawling toward a helpless Trixie. Ellie decided to invoke the bell’s magic in order to turn the tide of this fight. She grasped the bell between her hind legs and she rang the bell as loud as she could.

The bell’s clapper slammed back and forth against the bell’s body, but no sound rang out. Ellie tried again and waved it at Debon, but still no noise sounded forth. Was this artifact broken? Had Ellie and her friends risked their lives for nothing?

Down below, Trixie was hit with an epiphany. She rolled onto her back, gathered her vocal strength, and yelled up at her Pegasus friend. “Ellie! Wear the bell! Strap it to your belt and then ring it like your life depends on it!”

“T- That’s not how it works!” Golden corrected Trixie with hesitation. “That’s not how it works, right Debon?” The sorceress began to grow concerned over the situation.

The shadowy form roared as he reached the Pegasus. Debon resumed his stallion form as his shadow became solid flesh once more. He grappled Ellie for the bell. The Pegasus cried out in fear as she tried to loop the bell into one of the straps of her metal wing’s belt. The weight of both ponies was too much for the grappling hook and the device snapped off the ceiling.
As they fell, Ellie tightened the strap around the bell’s loop and rang it with all her might.

The bell bellowed loudly at Ellie’s command and unleashed a spiraling jet of white fire against the far-side temple wall. The demonic flames scorched the stone walls to the point the exposed area shattered from the sudden increase in temperature.
As she plummeted, Ellie waved the bell upward and deliberately focused the hot jets of fire against the crisscrossing arches that supported the ceiling. The old arch keystone heated up to almost a dim glow before it exploded from the energy. A cascade of structural failure spread like a forest fire as the ceiling began to crack and collapse.

Debon was terrified at the destruction Ellie had unleashed. “Are you trying to kill us all?” he shouted in bewilderment.

The Pegasus lashed out at the distracted stallion with her mechanical wing and struck Debon’s head. The stallion released his tentative grip around her. Ellie spread her wings wide to slow her fall to a spiraled descent.

Golden used her magic to slow Debon’s impact into the ground. The dapper Unicorn hit the stone floor with a distressing thud, but otherwise survived his fall. Golden and Cervantes ran toward Debon as small stones from the disintegrating ceiling fell around them.

“Trixie, what’s going on?” Cheryl yelled out as she got up.

“This is the power of Grogar’s bell!” Trixie explained loudly. "Its dark magic is capable of controlling the classical elements! Well, about as controlled as one would expect in the hands of a skittish Pegasus.”

Cheryl galloped over to Trixie’s aid. The Chupacabra growled at the approaching Earth pony and blocked her from reaching Trixie. “Oh come on!” Cheryl yelled. “Shouldn’t you be crawling away for your life?”

The small stones began to increase in size as the cracks in the temple ceiling reached the upper walls. The walls and floor now began to shake with the imminent demise of the temple approaching. Trixie tried to sit herself up, but her body was still weak from Golden’s spell.
The Chupacabra appeared to have no understanding of the danger it was in. The creature looked around frantically as it tried to fathom the situation.

“Golden,” Debon said in pain as he stood up from the floor. “If you would be so kind, please provide us with an egress.” The male unicorn glanced at Trixie one last time, the look of disdain was clear on his face.

The sorceress clapped her fore-hooves together and the three Horizon Walkers vanished from the temple in a brilliant flash of red light.

Ellie landed under the increased pelting of larger stones. She galloped over to Cheryl and waved the bell at the Chupacabra. “Back off!”

The bell appeared to have read Ellie’s intension and a powerful gong rang out from the bell. A gout of flames sprouted from the artifact. The white hot fire landed between the still dangerous Chupacabra and the helpless Trixie. Trixie yelped from the heat as she tried to wiggle away from the fire.
The monster retreated from the ponies, its face shielded from the flames with its right arm as it tried to crawl away. The Chupacabra stumbled under the increased rain of stone. A large chunk of the ceiling fell upon the creature’s head and cracked in two. The Chupacabra slumped unconscious to the floor.

“Stop ringing that darned thing!” Cheryl commanded.

“Sorry!” Ellie exclaimed. “Come on, we got to get Trixie out of here!”

Trixie could only limp to her feet, so Cheryl picked up the Unicorn and slung Trixie over her back. The three raced back out of the temple using the breach they had previously entered. The stones that fell grew to lethal proportions.
As the mares crawled back out through the breach, Ellie yanked the bell off her belt and threw it back into the collapsing temple.

The ponies continued to move farther back into the dark tunnels as the temple ceiling finally yawned and ripped itself apart. Titanic chunks of the ceiling above crashed down behind the mares and the raining stone snuffed out the floating orb of light. The ponies were plunged into utter darkness as the earth shook and rattled the tunnels.

The titanic chunks of debris slammed against the magical bell, shattering the artifact into a shower of sparks and brass shrapnel. With the bell’s demise sealed, the temple walls halted in their quake. Lose stones and dust from the tunnel ceiling rained down over the mares like a drizzle for a moment longer.

The roars and thunders of settled stone ebbed like a passing storm and then everything went quiet.
> Chapter 9 - Vindication Against Slander
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	It began with a harsh cough. From the cough came a gasp, and from the gasp came a spat of dusty spittle. Trixie could feel the cold spit slowly flow down her left foreleg. This was a good sign, for it meant her leg was still attached to her body. Trixie mentally congratulated herself on this discovery.

A soft distant yellow light danced for Trixie’s amusement. It was a curious light, one that danced slowly back and forth like the sway of reeds in a summer breeze back home. Memories of when Trixie grew up by the Broncks’ canals surfaced in her mind. Those were fond times for the Unicorn. Her mother used to sing to her the old stories of the wind spirits and always ended the song on the same note.

“Get your stupid tail out of my face.”

Hmm, that was strange. Trixie remembered her mother’s song quite clearly and it sounded nothing like Cheryl’s gruff voice. The Unicorn decided to try an experiment. She flicked her tail a couple times.

“Ugh! Trixie, if you don’t move your tail right now, I’m going to yank it off!”

It was indeed Cheryl’s voice! This meant two important details were true. Firstly, Trixie wasn’t the sole survivor of the temple collapse and secondly, if she didn’t move off Cheryl right away, the Unicorn was about to become tailless.
Trixie shifted her body and slid off the Earth pony.

The two mares heard a faint coughing sound nearby after a beat of silence had passed. Cheryl slowly sat up and swiveled her ears in the direction the sound came from.
“Hey chicken wings, are you still alive?” the Earth pony asked loudly.

Trixie and Cheryl heard a faint murmur of confirmation that sounded like Ellie’s voice. With that weak reply, the mares knew that they had all survived the destruction of the temple. Trixie focused some of her remaining strength and projected another magical light from her horn. The light was weak and required some concentration to keep going, but it was all Trixie could muster.

Cheryl studied the cave-in that led back to the temple before she remarked. “Well, I reckon the bell didn’t see that ringer coming,” Cheryl commented.

“I didn’t see it coming,” Ellie groaned with an annoyed expression. “Why would any pony create such a powerful and dangerous item that shoots white-hot fire? Who was this Grogar anyway?”

Trixie weakly chuckled. “A demonic goat that enslaved Tambelon with an iron hoof,” she explained.

“Yeah well,” Ellie fumbled, “I wish there was an ancient evil out there that ruled over ponies with harmless plush toys.”

“Hey now,” Cheryl said pointedly. “You were the one shooting off fire every which way but loose and nearly flattened us all back there.”

“I panicked,” Ellie explained defensively. “I couldn’t stop myself from ringing the bell so I pointed it away from everyone. I didn’t mean to bring the ceiling down on top of us.”

Trixie interrupted Ellie’s rant. “It’ll be alright now, little hayseeds,” Trixie assured them. “I promise that if I find a legend of some ancient evil that ruled Equestria with a teddy bear, we’ll go after that adventure next.”

The dancing light from earlier had grown in intensity since the mares were talking. The light was coming from somewhere beyond the cave-in section. Cheryl pawed at the area before she put an ear up to the rubble. She heard the sound of shifting rocks and grunting from the other side.

“Hey, I hear ponies,” Cheryl said nonchalantly. “You reckon it’s a rescue party?”

Trixie moved her head to see Cheryl’s face better. “Any pony cursing my name?” the Unicorn asked jokingly. “I’m pretty sure it’s a rescue if you can hear Valiant swearing about me like a sailor.”

As the sound of moving rocks grew closer, Cheryl tapped on the stones to give them a beacon to follow. Several minutes passed by, stones were hefted out of the way, and the small yellow light grew ever brighter. Finally, after what felt like nearly an hour, the workers had broken through the cave-in.
Cheers were shouted when they found the three mares alive.

“For the love of Luna’s left hoof!” deputy Valiant exclaimed. “You girls aren’t going to tell me that you all caused the tremor that shook up the town, are you?”

“We weren’t planning to,” Cheryl said flatly.

The townsfolk widened the passage and lowered down a makeshift stretcher made of canvas and wood planks. Trixie was the weakest and thus the first pulled out of the tunnels. Ellie was pulled out second, but Cheryl was able to exit the tunnel under her own strength.

The three mares looked up at the remains of the temple. The ceiling had collapsed all the way to the surface and left a large hole somewhere within the town. It was a good sixty to seventy feet up to the surface which necessitated the townsfolk to use ropes in the climb down for the rescue. The temple walls were cracked badly, but several of the spiral symbols were still intact for identification.
There was no evidence of the bell’s remains nor did the mares see Debon and his associates anywhere in the crowds of townsfolk here.

Cheryl helped the workers tie a strong knot around Trixie’s stretcher. Once the Unicorn was secured, the workers on the surface were ready to hoist her up.
“So what do we tell them?” Cheryl asked Trixie.

“Tell them what?” Trixie inquired back. “The collapse smashed any evidence of a relic and there’s nothing left for us to pin Debon to this conspiracy.”

“Oh, right,” Cheryl said sheepishly.

“I reckon that’s it then?” Ellie said, crestfallen. “Debon gets away and we’re left picking up the pieces?”

Trixie smiled as she was slowly lifted up by the residents. “No, there’s another rule I have about being great and powerful and I’ll share this one with you.”

“What’s that?” Ellie asked eagerly as she watched Trixie pulled to the surface.

“Always prepare for an encore.”


~ ~ ~


A balmy morning graced Saddlestone, a welcomed sight as the residents began to make repairs after last night’s minor quake. The townsfolk busied themselves so deeply in their work that few had noticed that The Great and Powerful Trixie was at the train station ready to depart back east to Manehattan.
On the other hoof, many of these residents wouldn’t have cared to see the Unicorn again after her antics had caused the town so many headaches. Even though Saddlestone was now better off thanks in part to Trixie’s involvement, the townsfolk had mixed feelings about the the way the blue Unicorn had gone about solving the problems.

Having Trixie around was like fishing with dynamite. The methods were questionable, but you couldn’t argue with the results.

Trixie stood on the station platform wearing a white bonnet and matching scarf. The nice clothes contrasted against the gauze wrappings around her burned right shoulder and the bandaged cuts on her legs. Trixie’s lone travel bag was packed with new clothes and mementos given to her by the new friends she had made here, which included her saddle belt and a few pocket-sized gizmos Ellie that had given the Unicorn to work into her stage act.

The tiny crowd that came to see Trixie off included Cheryl, Ellie, her mother Lisa, Iggy and his mother Alma, and lastly deputy Valiant. Cheryl and Ellie were also dressed up in bandages from last night’s confrontation, but the Pegasus’ artificial left wing appeared as shiny and working as ever.
Iggy had a crutch fastened around his broken leg which gave the little colt a silly hobble whenever he walked. However, his cast had gained several more signatures since last night, which included well wishes from the three bullies that Trixie had soundly defeated with a giant ball of mud.

“We are going to see you again, right?” Ellie said with a strong tone.

Trixie smiled. “Well, I have a lot of research to do on Grogar’s Bells, and I can’t guarantee that I’ll behave myself for long, but,” Trixie paused for a beat, “Yeah, I promise to visit again.” She exchanged hugs with both Ellie and Lisa, and after that, Ellie handed Trixie a small purse full of coins.

“Here, my ma and I pitched in some money so you don’t go hungry,” Ellie explained. “I reckon it’s a long trip back to Manehatten.”

“Thank you,” Trixie said as she accepted the gift. “I’ll be sure to repay you both the next time I visit.”

“Balderdash!” Lisa dismissed. “I reckon the town owes you ten times that amount, what with you ending Roxy’s bullying and solving the mystery behind all the missing cattle.”

“Minus all the damages she’s caused,” Valiant muttered flatly. “She might be a savior to some, but the rest of the townsfolk are probably happy to see Trixie gone. There’s a huge hole now in front of the general store to deal with.”

“You’ll miss me, though,” Trixie said coyly, “Won’t you, Valiant?”

“Eh, I reckon I might. A little bit,” Valiant admitted. “Well, if and when you do happen to show back up, Trixie, be sure to leave your crazy conspiracies and freak show critters at home. I’m happy you set things right around here, but I don’t think Saddlestone could tolerate another day of your shenanigans. I’m not even sure what to do with that angry hare in my jail.”

“Ever the doubter,” Trixie commented to the law-pony.

“Hey, a little skepticism does a pony good,” defended Valiant. “You can’t be too trusting when you deal with strangers who keep digging up trouble.” Valiant gave the Unicorn a smirk.
Trixie chuckled and the two shook hooves.

Iggy then limped forward to say goodbye. Trixie gave the colt the biggest hug possible, followed by a quick hug for his mother Alma. Trixie could see Iggy was almost tearful to see her leave.

“I’m going to miss you, Miss Great Trixie,” Iggy said teary-eyed. “I hope that the next time you come, you can show us some more of your great magic tricks.”

“I certainly will,” Trixie replied, “And maybe upon my return you can show me around that temple the town uncovered. Once the archeologists from Canterlot arrive, I think it can be turned into a nice little tourist attraction, don’t you agree?” Trixie watched as Iggy beamed happily with agreement.

The Unicorn then turned to Cheryl, the last pony to give her farewell to. The two exchanged a firm hoof-shake and a quick pat on each other’s back.

“I hope you find closure with your cousin Lonestar,” Trixie said.

Cheryl shrugged dismissively. “Eh, I think squashing those Chupacabra things did enough right by him,” the Earth pony stated, “But all the same, let me know when you do go chasing after the Horizon Walkers again. I’ll definitely feel better once Golden Jubilee is soundly thumped for those magical monsters she made.”

“Me too,” Ellie added cheerfully. “Folks might think you’re crazy if you go spouting stuff about the Horizon Walkers, but you can count on us to believe in you.” Ellie heard Valiant loudly clear his throat.
“Well, most of us believe in you,” Ellie corrected.

Trixie nodded in agreement. “Thanks, and if my travels ever take me to Las Pegasus, I’ll be sure to look you up, Cheryl. If you dance half as good as you fight, I should get some lessons from you.”

“For dancing or for fighting?” Cheryl asked. “Cause let me say, while you can throw a good kick in a brawl, you suck at dodging. No finesse.”

The two shared a laugh and Ellie joined in as well. As they chuckled, every pony heard the sounds of fireworks going off over by the general store.

"Now what in tarnation is going on over there?" Valiant muttered out in question.

Ellie blushed. "Oh, that's right! I had a bundle of fireworks on me when we in the tunnels last night. I left them behind somewhere after we got rescued. I reckon the kids must have found them."

Several fireworks bounced off store windows and exploded. Residents were showered in colorful sparks, much to their annoyance. "Dang it all," Valiant gruffed. He galloped off to curtail the foals who were causing a ruckus before someone lost an eye.

Trixie was only able to shrug. "Well, kids do love fire."

After a final round of goodbyes, Trixie picked up her bag to board the train. As the Unicorn took the first limping steps up the ramp, Ellie stopped her.

“One other thing, Trixie,” Ellie asked the Unicorn. “What’s with that story you’ve got in your bag? Were you writing a novel before you came to Saddlestone?”

Trixie thought for a moment before she answered. “I was. It’s a novel I’ve been working on, a tale of a boastful hero who made a careless mistake and nearly died from the resulting fall onto the street.”

“Sounds rather dark,” Cheryl commented. “Does she get better by the end of the novel?”

“She already did,” Trixie said with a pleasant smile.

The train’s whistle blew loudly and the conductor made the last call for boarding. Trixie quickly hobbled aboard and took her seat in one of the passenger cars. She placed her bag on the seat beside her as she waved goodbye to her new friends.

The train lurched forward and then slowly pulled away from the station. Trixie was on her way home and although her life still had an uphill climb to make, the little blue Unicorn was confident that the experience she gained in this western town would be the beginning of a great adventure.


The End