Shadows of a Silent Pony

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Sunday March 8th, 1002 RC(Reign of Celestia)

Weather: Sunny

Afternoon

Mac adjusted in his seat at Sugarcube Corner, having only been there the day before to keep an eye on Pinkie Pie. He looked around the table at each of the mares. He nervously tapped a hoof against the wooden floor as he tried to ignore the draft coming from the doorway behind him.

"- And that is the situation thus far." Trixie finally stopped talking after what seemed to be an hour of explanations.

Pinkie Pie appeared to be her normal self again, though perhaps her mane was a tiny bit deflated. Could it have been from fatigue? Talk of murder? Mac couldn't quite pinpoint how exactly her mane worked.

"So," Rarity began as she adjusted her fashionable sunglasses, "this entire, horrible event is due to somepony sabotaging the enchanted comics to..." Rarity took a few moments to swallow the lump in her throat, almost whispering the words as she finished, "-to commit murder?"

"The Sly and Deductive Trixie would have to say so. The only leads me and my lovely assistant," the magician nudged Mac with a hoof, wiggling her eyebrows playfully, "have managed to attain have been through Circe's scrying." The blue unicorn swirled the spoon in her tea a few times as she held her cheek up with a hoof, her former expression growing rather dour. "Though, she's unable to detect anything outside of a limited timespan, it seems."

Rarity rubbed a hoof against her chin, taking in everything the two had told her. "I'd normally say we should tell Twilight or one of the Princesses, but with Princess Celestia missing, Princess Luna pulling a double shift just to keep the courts running and day/night cycle intact, and Twilight bogged down in royal paperwork, it would be difficult to convince the Royal Guard of the situation. At best, they'd only investigate the company that makes the comics in Canterlot, not anypony here who would be capable of such a thing." She paused for a few more moments before she spoke again, tugging her shades down to barely glance over her bloodshot eyes, "And it would be more than a bit troublesome to involve Princess Cadance in another country's internal affairs."

Trixie seemed to be taken aback by the other mare's reasoning, the spoon slipping from her grasp with a loud clink against the bottom of the teacup.

"Ooh! Ooh!" Pinkie Pie raised a hoof quickly, as if she were in some sort of class. Trixie regained enough of her composure to point to the eccentric party pony, giving her the floor. "Does this mean we're going to become a super awesome detective team and solve this nasty crime?" She seemed a tad too excited for someone investigating murder, from what Mac supposed, but he couldn't say he knew his sister's friends beyond a select few meetings.

"Essentially, yes." Trixie let out a heavy sigh, her eyes set on her cup as she held it between her hooves. Her somber expression looked almost out of place, from what Pinkie and Rarity remembered of her. "No one will believe that these comic books are anything other than what they're sold as, unless we bring solid evidence of tampering." She nudged Mac again.

Upon her request, he placed all three comic books on the table, though Trixie's in particular was covered up with a plastic jacket. "I've tried every method of magical analysis possible for a normal unicorn. All results come up negative." She scrunched her snout as she took a sip of her drink, barely able to enjoy the overly sweetened tea anymore. "But when I use Circe, I can see not only the magic itself, but the very imprints each of our Shadows have made on them."

Mac pulled the three books away, placing them back in his hammer space. He held out a hoof between the three, his eyes slowly meeting with each of theirs. "Ah made a promise to git Spike back to Princess Twilight safe 'n sound. And if he's got mixed up in this business, Ah ain't got a choice but to move forward."

"And the Great and Powerful Trixie simply can't let you make a fool of yourself investigating alone!" The magician placed her hoof on top of his, her smile both soft and mild despite the determination in her eyes.

Rarity daintily placed her hoof atop the other two's, nodding softly to them as she adjusted her sunglasses. "I most certainly do not wish to remain in either of your debt by taking the coward's way out of this situation. I cannot stand idly by while some ruffian tries to harm innocent ponies!"

The three glanced to Pinkie Pie, who, after a brief shrug, placed her hoof on top. "How could I possibly say no to being part of a totally cool detective team!"

Thou art I. And I am thou.

This bond brings thee ever closer to the truth.

Thou shalt have our blessing when crafting Personae of the Fool Arcana.

Trixie pulled away first, clearing her throat before speaking, "Then the Enchanted Comic Book Investigation Team will need a designated meeting place."

"Not here," Pinkie quickly defended as she looked back to her bosses/landlords for a moment. "The Cakes told me that having company over is a lot like sweets, and it should just be a sometimes thing."

Rarity cleared her throat delicately before speaking as well, "The Carousel Boutique is out as well. You'd honestly be surprised how many customers I manage on a good day."

"Trixie's cart is too small, and Applejack doesn't seem to care for my presence." The Great and Powerful stage magician hummed to herself for a few moments. She looked at the other three, before her eyes grew wide. The same expression of realization Mac had noticed days ago when they formed the investigation team was present again. "We'll meet at the comic shop!"

"What ever do you mean, darling?" Rarity inquired as she glanced around, trying not to arouse suspicion from any of the other customers.

Trixie raised an eyebrow at the odd response, before catching on, "Then come incognito." She pulled a pair of gems from her hammer space, levitating them both to the other ponies. "And you two should hold on to these. Voice Crystals are hard to come by and very tricky to tune to one another."

"Neat." Pinkie Pie managed between bites of her lunch, which consisted of a monstrosity of baked goods and icing. The voracious party pony placed the crystal into her hammer space, taking a moment to swallow before speaking again. "So, how do we practice with our Personas?" She muttered to herself as she tried to figure out the plural of the word.

Mac held his hoof out to the table, summoning his card. Within it, several different Personae flashed, from Perseus to Apsaras, to Pixie and Ukobach, and even to several others that his friends hadn't yet seen in combat. "Ya' call 'em."

"Privately! You call out to them privately!" Trixie pulled Mac's hoof away from the table, nervously grinning as she tried to play it off as some sort of a joke to the other curious ponies around them. "And you talk to them, if they'll listen." The magician pursed her lips in a pout, looking out of the window of the shop to glance over the street.

"We'll meet again in a week at the comic shop, unless Circe picks up somethin' with her scryin'." Mac suggested, receiving nods from each of the other members of the team.

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Monday March 9th, 1002 RC(Reign of Celestia)

Weather: Cloudy

Afternoon

Sweat. Dirt. Muscle.

Mac strained at the ropes tied to his yoke, pulling tightly against them. The taut cables were wrapped around a stump of an old tree Applejack had cleared out during the previous few weeks, just after Winter Wrap Up. The stallion pulled his hooves forward. One, then the next. A third step, and he felt a very noticeable slackening in the line. He continued to pull himself forward, slowly ripping the stump and its roots from the ground entirely.

+1 Diligence

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Monday March 9th, 1002 RC(Reign of Celestia)

Weather: Cloudy

Evening

Mac leaned back against one of the hay bales next to the farmhouse's porch, watching the sun set out in the distance. He held a mug of cider in one hoof as he sipped away at it idly. Wherever Princess Celestia was, he was sure she was alright. Canterlot was sure in a tizzy about her going missing, but he wasn't the type to doubt the decisions that royalty made. She left a note according to Princess Twilight, so it wasn't anything nefarious like a kidnapping.

He hummed to himself softly before he took another, long sip. He didn't care much for politics, usually. A small, filly sized shadow appeared by his side while he was distracted by his thoughts.

"Hey? Big Mac? Why were ya' over at Sugarcube Corner yesterday?" Apple Bloom cut to the chase quickly, causing the stallion to almost drop his cider. Almost. He raised an eyebrow to his sister, saying nothing for the moment. "Ah mean, you were with that mean ol' Trixie, but also Rarity and Pinkie Pie." The filly paused in deep thought. Mac gave her a few moments, knowing the girl could easily outsmart him and Applejack on a regular day.

"Are ya' tryin' that whole 'speed datin'' thing?"

Once more, Mac had nearly spilled his cider. A blush found its way across his face before he answered with a resounding, "Nnnnnnope."

"Then why were ya' spending so much time with three mares like that?" She laid down the pressure harder, despite maintaining the most innocent expression and voice possible.

He let out a sigh as he finished off his drink and set the mug down. The workhorse gave a quick glance around him, then inside. AJ and Granny were baking. He smirked to himself before leaning down to Apple Bloom's level. "We're investigatin' why Spike's missin'." He looked back up to the window, before leaning back in to his little sister, "S'why Ah'm keepin' it from AJ."

"Yer doin' detective work on the side?" The filly's eyes seemed to widen immensely at the realization, her smile reaching from ear to ear.

"Eeyup." He affirmed, completely readied for her new-found interest in his personal life.

Surprisingly, she remained quite calm, looking up to her brother with a sly grin. "Ah'll do what Ah can to keep Applejack off yer tail fer it!" The Cutie Mark Crusader left her brother with a rather amusing expression of shock and confusion, the stallion unable to comprehend the girl's sudden change in behavior.

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Tuesday March 10th, 1002 RC(Reign of Celestia)

Weather: Sunny

Afternoon

Mac stood before the door to Trixie's cart, hesitantly knocking on it. "Come in!" The mare called out as the audible warble of magic rang out inside. After opening the door, the workhorse found himself in awe. A large number of schematics and highly detailed plans littered the floor and wall of the small wagon.  Mac looked over a number of the papers, trying his best to decipher them.

Trixie finally stopped what she was doing, looking up from her drafting table, "Hey Mac." She casually commented before whirling the many different plans in her magical grasp. The mare had quite a few floating around her, almost forming a parchment sphere. "I need to find a dazzling act. Something to make Ponyville forgive me. Non-profit too. Something amazing." She idly spoke her intentions to the stallion, brushing off his presence as she beamed at one particular plan.

The pieces of paper around her fell, leaving only a crayon drawing of a pair of stick ponies surrounded by a menagerie of childish explosions. One was a tall stallion with a grand mustache, hat, and cape, and the other was a little filly with a matching hat and cape. "Ever since I was a filly, I always loved magic shows. My father was a traveling performer too." The mare set the page down on the table before resuming her search. "It's hard, growing up when your parent's aren't around."

Mac let his face settle into a neutral expression, before sitting down at her dining table. He clenched his teeth, almost hissing out a simple, "Eeyup."

He watched her search for the following hours, assisting her with stacks of blueprints and plans when she passed them over. It didn't take long for him to start grinning over her child-like fascination with the documents.

"Aha!" Trixie finally called out, holding a set of three plans. "The trifecta of a magic show. Pledge, Turn, and Prestige, all right there for the audience." She grew silent for a few moments, before looking up at the fellow Persona User. "I need an assistant." She quietly called his attention. After gaining it, she repeated, "I need a female assistant."

She hung her head back, trying her best to think over her options. "There's nopony around here that could possibly fit the bill." She leaned forward on to her drafting table and pressed her cheek against it.

Mac remained quiet for a moment, before speaking up, "What about me?"

The mare bit her lip, considering the proposal.

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Wednesday March 11th, 1002 RC(Reign of Celestia)

Weather: Cloudy

Afternoon

"Wrong, wrong, wrong!" Trixie huffed as she watched Mac perform onstage. "You need to be light on your hooves, and disappear before the phantasm is out of sight!"

Mac found it degrading he was in a sequined leotard, but the illusion spell cast on top of it to make him appear female? That was taking it a bit far. Still, he soldiered on, trying his best to follow the 'Fantastic and Amazing' Trixie's plans for the show he was wrangled into helping with.

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Friday March 13th, 1002 RC(Reign of Celestia)

Weather: Sunny

Evening

A star covered wagon moseyed into town. Everypony in Ponyville had seen it before. Some had the displeasure of seeing it twice. The magical vehicle slowly unfolded into a stage. The citizens were familiar with the owner by this point. The 'Great and Powerful' Trixie. The showmare who had terrorized their town twice before. A small crowd formed, some ready with ripe tomatoes to throw at the unicorn.

A magical mist poured out from the floorboards, remaining over the platform. A mare wandered out. A red earth pony mare in her prime, with a delicately styled orange mane that bore a headband that held a small top hat in place. She greeted the crowd with a heavy bow, quietly adjusting her tie. In her hoof a wand appeared. Simple, but noticeable. It held a star and crescent at its end, and shimmered with a touch of unicorn magic.

She waved it after getting onto her hind hooves, blasting a tongue of fire from its end. The crowd quietly watched at first, entranced by the new magician. She twirled the wand a bit, ceasing the gout of flames. She cast several different spells over herself and the audience: blasts of ice that fell down like gentle snow, illusions of grand monsters that cowered in fear and melted when touched, and even a few images of stars and galaxies were conjured behind her. The townsfolk quietly applauded, nearly forgetting their animosity.

After a brief pause, the magic ceased and she tapped on the curtain, revealing it to be a cleverly disguised box. The mare placed a hoof on its corner, and pushed on it, circling the metal and wooden trunk. The box moved in place, showing its other sides were painted in the same manner as the wagon. In the place of the new mare, Trixie appeared from behind it, walking on her hindlegs and pushing  on the box. The magician wore a tuxedo and top hat of her own, though her cape stayed. She halted next to the box, tapping its edge with a hoof. Several vertical slats fell off of it, revealing the other mare inside of it was tied up and otherwise restrained.

Trixie took the wand from her other hoof, and pointed it toward the mare. She blasted a bolt of lightning at the box, causing it to creak and moan from the stress of the magic. The wood and metal snapped and bent, forming the gaping maw of some foul beast. Each board and bar moved on its own, slamming down onto the stage with a heavy thud as it took several steps toward Trixie.

Instead of showing fear, she instead held up her wand and blasted the box-creature with another bolt. Once the dust had settled and the mist on stage had vanished, a smaller box was held within Trixie's hoof, matching the pattern of the original. She motioned to the audience, pointing to the collection of chains and restraints where her 'assistant' had been. She quietly looked around, trying to find the other mare, pointing to the center of the crowd.

Standing tall, as if nothing had happened, the red and orange earth pony grinned once the audience began cheering. She made her way back onto the stage, taking a bow with the other magician. After a few moments, they both stood on their hindlegs and a bright flash went off in front of them. Once everypony's eyes had adjusted again, the wagon was packed back up, and fliers had fallen across the street. Each one bore a picture of Trixie upon it, advertising her newest show.

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"Other than your presentation on the first few spells, I'd say our first show was a resounding success!" Trixie beamed as she opened a bottle of wine she had stored in her wagon.

Holding his own glass up, Mac clinked it against hers while his other hoof tried to brush out the girly curls she'd added to his mane. A loud knock sounded out at the door, with an all too familiar voice calling out, "Trixie! We know you're in there!" It was female, certainly, but it cracked easily and was far too grating to be anyone else.

"Rainbow Dash, was it?" Trixie opened the top half of her door, leaning on the bottom. "What brings you to my door at such an hour?"

The pegasus let herself in, only to notice Mac trying his best to remove the curls. That and the matter that he was still in a one piece mare's leotard. Before she could open her mouth to continue on the tirade, the realization hit her. "Whoa whoa whoa." She held out her hooves, trying to hold back a laugh without much success. "Mac? You're the 'lovely assitant'?" Her voice cracked as Rainbow struggled to hold back, biting her lip before guffawing at the scene.

Mac simply held a slightly irritated expression as she tried to rein in her laughter. Not moments after, the scene repeated as Applejack found herself in the wagon as well, unable to speak before she caught sight of Mac's attire. "Ah was jus' about to ask what you were doin' today, Mac, but I can see you were 'preoccupied'."

"AJ!" Rainbow called between her giggles, trying to get her friend's attention. "This is the most hilarious thing I've seen all week."

Before the two could continue, Mac pulled a rather large bag from his hammerspace. The bag jingled with the sound of gold against gold, quickly piquing the interest of his sister. "What'cha got there, Mac? Is she payin' ya' fer some kinda scam?"

"Nnnope." He replied briefly, opening the bag to scoop out a number of bits.

Trixie sat back down at her drafting table, using an adding machine to quickly count up a stack of her own bits, "I'm almost offended. But the bits you see there are half of the donations received for our act today. The other half is going to me and to funding the next show, which will actually be at a respectable location." The unicorn pulled a green visor down below her horn, working the calculator like nopony's business.

Though Rainbow remained on the floor laughing, Applejack slowly moved to look into the bag in her brother's hoof. Her eyes grew wide as the telltale sparkle of bits glimmered and reflected against them. "And yer sure all of this is legitimate, Mac?"

"Eeyup."

"Well tie mah hooves and call me a sow! We could pay twice over fer a new plow fer the fields with bits like that!" Applejack grinned with a giddiness Mac had rarely seen, though he slowly tied the bag and put it away. "So, Trixie, how'd ya' like to talk business? Iffin' yer around fer it and don't pull any of those old shenanigans, Ah'm pretty sure cider season could bring in quite the audience if ya' place yer stage jus' right."

"Oh? Where exactly could that be? I'd need a relative distance to keep anything from hitting the audience."

The workhorse stripped himself of the leotard behind the changing screen in the wagon. He made his way outside briefly afterward, though he waited by the door. He could clearly see Applejack and Trixie discussing business with the utmost vigor. The unicorn blushed a bit as she noticed his smug smirk, adjusting her hooves before she continued speaking with Applejack. Her horn lit up as a small object floated out of the other window, slowly setting itself down in Mac's hoof as the magical grasp ceased. Mac held onto the practice wand tightly, placing it into a special spot within his hammerspace.

The world paused for a moment as Mac felt a well of power unlock within him. He listened to the voice chorus brightly within his mind.

Thou art I. And I am thou.

This bond brings thee ever closer to the truth.

Thou shalt have our blessing when crafting Personae of the Magician Arcana.

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Monday March 15th, 1002 RC(Reign of Celestia)

Weather: Sunny

Evening

Mac stood awkwardly between the aisles of the comic book shop, finding himself gathered with three other mares over in one of the corners. Horror comic books. The stallion adjusted his hooves nervously as he shivered. His gaze traced over the grotesque and unnerving forms of the monsters and villains on the covers. He looked over to the other ponies as they discussed the matter at hand.

"... So, I've managed to thoroughly discuss a number of things with my Persona. Arachne is just an absolute peach in conversation!" Rarity waved a hoof delicately, tittering as she recounted her talks with her Persona. "Though," she calmed her voice to become somewhat serious once more, "she hasn't the slightest amount of power for combat. All of her abilities are 'oracle structured', as she put it. The best I can do is hold the comic and relay messages between her and you three. I'm no better than a Voice Crystal when it comes to fighting Shadows."

"The Great and Powerfu-" the blue mare started, catching herself a little too late, "S-Sorry." She tried to collect herself before continuing, "That kind of a function is necessary if we're always diving into comics without knowing what's ahead. At the very least, we need recon if we want to be at our best."

Rarity mused over the idea for a few moments, "But Circe already fills that role, doesn't she?"

"Not as well as you'd think. I can only notice obvious weaknesses or general routes of travel with her. The scrying is invaluable for hints, but she is hardly built for anything but casting spells." Trixie leafed through a comic that seemed a little too familiar for Mac, who instead opted to continue looking around at the nearby shelves. "Pinkie, how has it gone with your Persona?"

"Tanuki is a riot! He's got so many jokes about drinking and partying and even this really cool story about a sun goddess who got so upset over her brother getting all grumpy that she hid in a cave. It took a party girl who threw the best party ever to get her to come out!" The mare laughed a bit to herself as she retold the story poorly, ending it with a quiet, slightly calmed, "But yeah, he's the super duper best at lightning stuff and 'status ailments'. He can get Shadows drunk off his breath!"

Mac tried not to think too hard about Pinkie's statement, looking between her and the others. Trixie had set her comic aside once Pinkie Pie was done. "Rarity, you and I should meet this evening and see if Circe and Arachne can work together at all. I have a theory that needs testing." The magician scratched her chin with her hoof as she pulled a scroll of parchment from her hammerspace. "And Pinkie? Mac? You two should focus on combat and supplies."

"You got it, Trix!" Pinkie Pie cheered as she and Mac both gave a nod, the meeting coming to a close as the group went their separate ways for the moment.

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Save Data?

>Yes

-No

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Player: Big Macintosh Apple

Current stats:

3/10 Understanding

2/10 Knowledge

4/10 Courage

2/10 Expression

3/10 Diligence

Key Items:

Velvet Key

Trixie's Wand

Rarity's Romantic Comic

Trixie's Questionable Comic

Power Ponies Vol. 4

Equipment:

Weapon: n/a

Armor: n/a

Accessory: Work Yoke

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