MLP FIM: Season 4 Rise of the A.M. (a what if story)

Chapter 6: Finding a Place to Stay

“You will be helping us,” said Celestia warmly. “You and Arthur are needed back in Ponyville while my sister and I are needed here. Don’t worry, if you should ever need me, you know what to do.” Twilight smiled up at her mentor. “And I know your friends will be more than willing to assist you and Arthur in any way they can.”

“You can count on us Princess!” said Applejack with pride.

(Some time after Twilight and her friends left the castle…)

Once outside the palace, Twilight and her friends waited on Arthur. He came outside looking very important indeed and suggested that they head back to Ponyville and help calm down the excited ponies. This turned out to be easier said than done. From the moment they had stepped back into the small town they were swarmed by curious ponies and the mayor who followed them to the town square. No matter how many times Twilight said that everything would be fine and that the Royal Guard are on the case, the ponies were not going to let them off the hook so easily. Questions ranged from the moderately easy to answer to the ridiculous. Feeling like a rat trapped in a maze Arthur looked around desperately for a place to run to. He spotted a tree house in the distance, closed his eyes and his horn began to glow. Twilight was in the middle of answering another question when she and those around her were teleported out of sight and reappeared next to the tree house.

“Good thinking Twilight,” said Apple Jack. “I thought we would have to make up some excuse for you and Arthur.”

“I didn’t do that,” said Twilight “Arthur, you wouldn’t have anything to do with…”

Twilight stared at Arthur who was beside himself. His legs embedded with the strange red markings shun and began to slowly creep up his body. His eyes were white and when he blinked they returned to normal.

“Sorry about that,” he said rubbing his horn with his hoof. “Haven’t had to preform a spell of that size in a while. What’s the matter?”

Twilight was still looking at the markings that were beginning to subside to the legs once more.

“Sorry, it’s probably nothing,” she said turning to look at the place she had once called home. “I guess it’s only fitting that I move back here O.k. I think we need to split up for now. We still need to calm everypony down. Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash, you take Clouds Dale. Apple Jack, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, you reassure Ponyville.”

“And what about you?” asked Arthur.

“You and Spike are going to help me out here. If I’m going to be living in Ponyville again this will be the place.”

Once everyone left to fulfill their assignments, Twilight, Arthur, and Spike approached the tree house door. She knocked to make sure that no one was home. There was no answer, so the three let themselves in. From the moment Twilight had entered the library her mouth dropped. The books that were once placed neatly on the shelves were scattered on the floor and furniture. Hanging on the railing of the upstairs floor was a banner that read:

Have an appointment? Need advise on magic, wisdom perhaps, or maybe you’re one who’s in need of a potion. No matter what the cause there is nothing The Great and Powerful Trixie can’t handle.

They stared at the banner awestruck. Arthur was the only one who looked curious about what he had just read.

“No way,” said Spike.

“Pinkie told me that she was going to start up a business. I guess this what she had in mind when she mentioned something about needing more space.” said Twilight staring at the potion in bottles.

Her sense of amazement quickly vanished and her mouth dropped in utter shock. The shelves that were usually stacked with books had singed spots on them. Amongst further inspection the once neatly stacked Spell books now laid scattered wherever there was room to spare. Some even had pages missing.

“This potion looks questionable,” said Arthur holding up a purple colored jar. “I wonder…”

“Don’t touch that!” shouted a voice from up stairs.

A blue unicorn wearing a purple cape with silver stars was leaning over the railing looking down at them. Her purple eyes stared worriedly at the potion Arthur had levitated.

“It’s not ready yet, just put it down gently! I still have no idea what it’s supposed to do!” She made her way down the stairs her blue main had a puffed and messy look to it.

It was the look of someone who had been hard at work.

“My apologies, The Great Trixie was in the middle of an important mixture and couldn’t answer the door. May I… Oh no, your not ruining me again, leave the premises at once!”

“What?” said Arthur taken aback.

“No, not you. You can stay,” said Trixie correcting herself, but her eyes flashed dangerously at Twilight. “You on the other hoof have to go!”

“You know her?” Arthur asked Twilight under his breath.

“Didn’t you hear me?! I said you have to leave!” Repeated Trixie pointing a hoof at Twilight.

“Are you kidding,” Spike spoke up over Trixie’s rant. “Her name is Trixie and trust me when I say that she’s nothing but a bragger. All she ever does is go on about how great she is.”

“Hey, don’t ignore Trixie!” the blue unicorn barked as her face reddened.

“What did you do?” asked Twilight her gaze still fixed on the library books. “This is a library.”

“Not anymore,” said Trixie plainly. “Ever since you left it, nopony found any use for it so I had a talk with the mayor and... Just see for yourself.”

“You mean she just let you have it just like that?!” said Spike unconvinced.

“Not quite, but that’s none of your business.” said Trixie.

“But you can’t just decide to tear up the place!” protested Spike.

“I see why not, it belongs to me now!” Trixie shot back.

“Either way we need a place for Twilight to stay,” said Arthur.

“Why can’t she just stay with one of her friends?” asked Spike

“It doesn’t matter where she stays, but the decision is hers to make. Uh… Spike, you think you can divert her attention away from the library books?”

Spike couldn’t snap Twilight out of her trance easily. It was only after he had rotated her around so that she was looking directly at Trixie, did she finally come to her senses. Trixie glared at her, but Arthur could see that asking Trixie to take Twilight in was far out of reach before the topic had even emerged.

“Absolutely not!” said Trixie when Twilight had explained their situation. “The Great Trixie refuses to give you a place to stay! Unless…”

A smile formed on the blue Unicorn’s face. A smile that told Twilight that the gears in Trixie’s head were turning as she observed the Alicorn that made her the laughing stock on more than one occasion.

“I think I might be able to reconsider if you…”

“Oh Come on Trixie!” Spike snarled. “What does she have to do? Beg?”

“As much as I would love to see that and trust me, little Ms. Perfect asking for my help is priceless enough as it is. No, I might just let her stay here if she…”

Trixie’s eyes scanned the room around them looking for something that she was sure that Twilight wouldn’t be able to do.

“That jar you were examining,” began Trixie, pointing her hoof at the purple substance. “That potion is a request I have been asked to make for a client. They gave me a week to have it done, but I can’t get the coloration to set in properly. “

“What Color is it supposed to be?” asked Twilight as she made her way to the jar.

“That’s the problem!” said Trixie annoyed. “It isn’t supposed to have a color! If you can help me get this potion done by the deadline tomorrow, then you can stay.”

Just then, the door opened from behind them and an orange earth pony stepped inside. His tall stature and serious expression he had gave the impression of someone on a mission. He stared at the four then at the jar then back at Trixie.

“Don’t mind me,” he said taking another glance at the jar. “Just dropping by to see how the order is coming along.”

“It’s coming along swimmingly!” replied Trixie in what she hoped sounded calmer than she looked.

“Is it?” asked the stallion in a would be nice manner. “Because it looks like the jar I gave you is filled with a colored liquid.”

“Oh, that? Don’t worry,” said Trixie waving her hoof lazily. “Trixie was only using it as a filler for a separate order.”

“Be as it may, I am not paying you to use my jar as a container to fill another potion,” said the stallion coldly.

“Of course!” said Trixie genially. “I will find a separate container to hold it in the meantime.”

“I don’t think so,” retorted the stallion stopping the blue unicorn before she could conjure up a separate vase. “Since you are willing to use a clients tools to suit your own benefit I think it’s only fair to ask you to poor out that atrocity.”

“I… Yes, well… You see I…”

“Are you saying that you won’t do it?” asked the stallion his voice turning if possible more despicable. “I’m asking a fair request am I not? Have you even started on the order? Poor it out or I will take my bits to somepony who will make a deadline.”

Trixie opened her mouth ready to lash back, but the stallion had already used his magic to levitate the jar from the table. The jar tilted and the purple liquid came pouring out onto the wooden floor seeping into the cracks. Once the last drop had hit the soaked wood, he placed the jar back gently.

“You have until tomorrow afternoon to have my order ready and clean my jar before you put the potion in it.” He said and left, opening the door with his magic and slammed it shut behind him.

A silence took over the newly library potion store. Twilight looked like she was about to say something to Trixie, but the blue unicorn stared down at the wet floor and sighed.

“That took me hours just to get ingredients right.”

“Well,” said Arthur clearing his throat. “He was uh… Interesting.”

“Trixie, I will help you, but not for the room.”

“You will?” said Spike curiously.

“Of course, as a prin…”

“Don’t say it!” said Arthur warningly turning to the window as if he expected someone to be there tuning in.

“Fine, as an essential pony,” repeated Twilight. “I will help you complete the potion.”

With that said, Trixie had to wait until night for Twilight’s promise to start. She had Trixie, Spike and Arthur help her reorganize the library. When they were finally done cleaning up Arthur headed out to find a place to crash for the night. Twilight and Trixie stayed up after Spike had dozed off in order to finish the clients order. Twilight looked through the instructions. Adding pieces of this and that to the cauldron.

“Good,” nodded Trixie. “Your almost to the point where I got stuck”

“How did you manage all of this Trixie?”

Trixie stared at her. Twilight could tell that the unicorn was thinking hard before she responded in a clever tone.

“I had to prove that I was capable of setting up shop here first. It took some time, but after looking through some of the libraries collection of books I found more about potion making than I had expected. So many ways of mixing and brewing; at first I thought my plan might fail, but I persisted and here we are.”

“I know I’ve seen something like this potion before, but where?” said Twilight thinking hard about the ingredients.

The stirring was complete and the potion had taken on the color yellow. Twilight and Trixie looked into the sizzling substance before Twilight pored some out into a separate jar and added one extra pinch of flower pedals. The potion absorbed them and in seconds the color began to fade until it became crystal clear.

“How did you know?” asked Trixie amazed.

“I didn’t,” said Twilight. “Sometimes you need to test things out.”

The stallion stopped by again as promised and this time Trixie was ready for him. When he asked if his order was finished she levitated the jar of clear liquid and gave it to him. He examined it carefully making sure that nothing was a miss before he took it and left without a single word of gratitude.

“Thank you Twilight,” said Trixie appreciatively.

“Don’t mention it,” said Twilight.

“Right I suppose I owe you. Very well as promised you can stay.”

“And Spike too?” asked Twilight.

“Yes, and Spike too,” said Trixie.

That night while they were sleeping or at least two of the three were; Trixie lied awake trying to ignore Spikes heavy snoring. Her eye twitched as she placed her pillow over her head making a mental note to build the dragon a separate house to sleep in outside when she had the chance.