“She looks nervous.” Ruby said while resting her head on Scroot’s shoulder and watching Trixie wiggle her hips at the audience. Envoy and Rarity both looked at Scroot and waited for him to return eye contact, but he appeared to be strategizing.

The stage was about a meter from the floor, and there was a doorway leading to the back room where the dancers prepare for their performance. Two sets of steps led up to the rear of the stage where dancers were making their way up on the left and down on the right. Onlookers were surrounding the stage as Trixie would focus her moves on a particular stallion and then make her way around to each of them. They would hold out coins in their teeth, then Trixie would turn her rump toward them, and then she would sit on their face for a moment after which the stallion would emerge from her behind without the bit in his mouth. Scroot couldn't help but be impressed by the little party trick.

“Scroot!” Envoy loudly whispered and caught everypony in the booth's attention.

“Are you getting a little jealous?” Ace laughed while giving Envoy a little shove, “She's not even that good.” He commented while his physical reaction was much less neutral.

“How do you want to play this out?” Envoy called to Scroot over the music.

“Don't fight please. We're having such a good time.” Sparkle lightheartedly told Envoy.

Scroot finally looked at Rarity and pointed his hoof at her, “Can you get our friends and tell them north and south stairs, please?” He then pointed at Envoy and hooked his hoof toward the bar.

Envoy simply nodded and immediately left the booth. Rarity lowered her brow, cocked her head at Scroot, and then she looked over the stage. She saw the steps on the back wall, quickly nodded to Scroot and then made her way out of the booth toward the royal guards that were still posted at the north and south ends of the bar.

“She's pissed at you, dude.” Ace chuckled as he watched Scroot's companions trot away.

“They'll be okay.” Scroot absent mindedly responded while watching each of the royal guards discreetly walk down to the stage.

Sparkle perked at the sight of the guards trot into position, "Huh, I've never seen them before." and she gave a confused look to Ruby, “Who are they?”

Ruby just shrugged and went back to pandering for further tips from Scroot.

Rarity cantered back to their seat and whispered in Scroot’s ear, “Should I get out of here?”

“Yeah,” He said casually. “Go let the party know that she’s here, please.”

“Okay,” She started and then stopped herself while she tried to come up with something casual to say around the dancers, “Don’t have too much fun… or… um, don’t do anything I wouldn’t do...” She smiled nervously while Scroot just turned his head slowly and made eye contact with her. They stared at each other for a long time, but it wasn’t a warm gaze; He gave a cold stare that clearly told her to leave immediately.

“I’ll leave you to it then.” Rarity said and then set off for the front exit.

Envoy returned, gave Scroot a nod, and he nodded back.

“What-” Sparkle sat up straight and she studied Envoy, and then Scroot, and then Envoy again. She had a slight smile that was torn between remaining playful and being suspicious, “What was that?”

Scroot tried to look calm at Sparkle, “Nothing. I’ve got some friends here that want to see Frisky as well.”

Sparkle shook her head lightly at Scroot just as he looked at the guards. She turned to see the guards more clearly, and saw them nod toward Scroot. She snapped back to Scroot, “I saw that. Are you fucking cops or something?”

Ruby sat up and scooted away from him, “What the fuck? You'd better not be.” She exclaimed.

“Honey,” Scroot gave an uncomfortable chortle, “I'm not a cop.”

Ruby didn't look convinced, “Fuck this, guys. I'm out of here.” She jumped to her hooves and began to hastily leave the booth.

“We're not worried about what you.” Envoy attempted to reconcile, but Scroot's glare told her that it was a bad move, and Ruby broke into a gallop from them which caught the attention from The Plot security. Three of them watched the dancer running, noticed Sparkle's displeased expression, and then started toward their booth to investigate.

Sparkle gave Envoy a hard look, “Then, who are you worried about?”

Scroot watched the security guards closing in on them, “Envoy, we have to move now.” He glanced up to the stage and locked eyes with Trixie who had stopped dancing and was just watching their booth. Scroot pushed Sparkle away from him, "Envoy, go now!"

Both Envoy and Scroot simultaneously made a break for the stage. Ace tried to stop Envoy, but just as fast, he collapsed after Envoy struck him twice in the face with each of her fore-hooves. Sparkle moved from Scroot's path as he climbed onto the stage, and Envoy followed close behind him.

Trixie backed away from the approaching investigators for a moment, and then tore away for the back room but was headed off by the royal guards. She anxiously looked left and then right, but the sides of the stage were blocking her escape due to the crowd of ponies gathering to watch the events unfold on the stage. She nervously turned back toward Scroot and Envoy.

The music suddenly cut off and the DJs voice came over the loudspeakers, “Hey, assholes. We got a show going on here. Get off the stage!” and then the only sound left was the murmuring of onlookers.

Scroot gave a dark smile and showed his badge, “Hey, Trixie. I've been looking everywhere for you.” His voice echoed as the room fell silent except for the club security pushing toward the stage from the north and south sides of the room.

“I am no longer the Great and Powerful Trixie.” Trixie said in what sounded like a fake accent with rolled consonants and strangely placed stresses on odd syllables as if she were announcing her own entrance, “I am now Benign and Negligible.”

“Whatever,” Scroot said while putting away his badge and moving toward her, “You're coming with us either way.”

A voice from the crowd protested to the club security shoving them, “Hey, they're cops, bro. Leave them alone.” And another voice from the other side, “Hold up, let them do what they need to do.”

"No." Trixie said as backed into the royal guards. They immediately wrapped their wings and fore-hooves around her and Envoy's magic held Trixie's hooves to the floor, “You cannot take the Great and P-” She paused and anger swelled in her chest, "Frisky refuses to let it end this way."

The sound of blows landing as the crowd around them began fighting the club security echoed through the building and while Trixie's horn began to glow a powerful pink. Scroot frantically looked around the room for what object would be lit up the same color. He swiveled his head quickly, and then his blood ran cold upon observing the stage light rig above them glowing pink and being pulled from the ceiling.

“Move!” Scroot screamed at the guards just as Trixie threw her head back, and was barely missed by the falling steel which caught the guards on top of their heads. The collapsing rig crushed them, and Envoy's magic vanished from Trixie's hooves as the investigators shielded their faces from the shower of blood.

When Scroot looked up again, he saw Trixie leap over the crowd toward the front exit. She landed atop a few ponies and they tumbled to the floor. They remained on the floor in a daze while Trixie scrambled to her hooves. He shouted at Envoy to follow him, but his voice was tossed into the mix of screams from horrified patrons.

Scroot leaped over the front of the stage, landed poorly, and flopped onto his side. He rolled to his hooves and attempted to gallop after Trixie, but a sharp stabbing shot through his left fore-hoof and he collapsed onto the floor again. He looked at his ankle which rested at a very unnatural angle, "Envoy, go after her!"

"Scroot!" Envoy called over the chaos that escalated into a riot of patrons versus security.

"Go, Envoy!" Scroot called as he watched Trixie burst through the front door.

* * *

Rainbow Dash hovered above the entrance of the club, turned to see how Fluttershy was holding up. Not well it seemed as the yellow pegasus stared at the back door with such intensity that she was bound to burn a hole in it eventually. She also had a clear inability to hover smoothly in the trepidation that she would have to give chase.

“Rainbow!” Applejack shouted from below.

Dash looked down to see a light blue pony with black mane galloping from under the awning and leaving what looked like a trail of bits behind her. Applejack moved to intercept and head-butted the fleeing pony in the belly which took Trixie completely off the ground. She recovered quickly and began punching and kicking Applejack in a desperate attempt to get away.

Dash fired down toward them just as Applejack grabbed Trixie around her head with her fore-hooves and tried to pull her from her hooves. Rainbow Dash landed hard on her rump with all four hooves, and a deep fleshy crack sounded as flesh and bone exploded from Trixie's right rear leg.

Trixie screamed over and over and couldn't get a full breath of air from her uncontrollable cries of pain as she collapsed on the ground. Trixie began pitifully and desperately crawling from them and dragged her broken rear behind her. Applejack shot a hard buck into the side of Trixie's head, caught her in the jaw, and then there was silence except for the gelatin like percussion of her head bouncing off the concrete as she fell into unconsciousness.

“You okay?” Rainbow Dash panted.

Applejack felt her cheek and saw blood on her hoof from where Trixie must have gotten a good shot. “I'm good, Rainbow. Had worse cuts on my eyeballs.”

“Good job, Dash!” Scroot called as he limped to them despite Envoy's assistance.

“For what?” Rainbow Dash said.

“That take-down. A little extreme, but it was good.” Scroot explained.

“Nah, it wasn't.” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “I was aiming for her skull.”

* * *

The life threatening injuries Trixie sustained during her apprehension put her in the hospital instead of the jail. Despite the compound fracture of her leg that had severed an artery where she had lost a lot of blood, it was Applejack's head-butt which was attempting to take her life with internal hemorrhaging and a ruptured pancreas. The first major system to fail was her kidneys, the second was her lungs, and then Trixie fell into a coma under mechanical ventilation as her liver began to lose function.

Several weeks went by, and a petition was started, and backed, by a large following to unplug the murderer from life support. It had gathered such an approval from the public and so many signatures that Celestia was forced to issue a response in a long winded, emotional address to Equestria that Trixie was to stand trial should she recover from her injuries and that nopony was to act in such a way that may prevent that from happening.

Following the denial that Trixie be allowed to die, crowds of ponies stood silently outside the hospital both in vigil for Twilight and in protest that Trixie was receiving medical care. The demonstrators, despite being peaceful, would not allow anypony to leave or enter the facility without their say. It took an entire day for them to be separated enough to allow an endocrinologist into the hospital.

After 6 weeks of being comatose, Trixie awoke and it was reported that she was going to make a full recovery. When that news went public, there were several attempts on her life such as armed assassins trying to storm past the guards and stab her to death, poisoning her food which she wasn't eating anyway due to the pancreatic injury, and trying to lace her IV fluids with a lethal dose of painkillers, but their efforts were thwarted by tight security measures every time. After 7 attacks, and 5 weeks of Trixie out of a coma, she was moved to the hospital basement so that the location could be more easily secured and that royal guards could be posted at a set of linear security checkpoints.

Rarity, Scroot, and Envoy were escorted by royal guards from the Canterlot train station to Canterlot General Hospital. The chief liaison with the Sheriff's Office led the detectives to the hospital elevator, took them to the basement level where they were patted down, and they were allowed access to Trixie's room.

“What if she doesn't tell you anything?” Rarity asked while she presented her identification and was given a visitor pass by the deputy at the door. She clipped the little red rectangular badge to her clutch.

“It won't matter.” Scroot said and allowed Envoy to put his red badge on his shirt. “If we can get a confession, it's good for us, but it won't matter if she doesn't.”

“Interviewing her at this point is a formality. I think we have enough evidence to remove all doubt with a jury, but we really need a confession to seal the deal.” Envoy explained while putting her own badge on.

“I must say that I'm morbidly curious myself. I want to hear it from her.” Rarity admitted.

Scroot gave her a nod, “I understand, but that may not give you the emotional result that you're looking for.”

“Maybe not right now, but in the long run, I'm sure that it will remove all doubt.” Rarity explained. “You must understand that while Trixie wasn't a friend per se, she was on good terms with us. The betrayal involved with this whole ordeal is nearly surreal, and I can't help but doubt that she actually did it.”

“Hopefully, she will oblige you.” Scroot shrugged. He raised his brows and spoke clearly, “It's extremely important that you say nothing. Convincing her to seal her own fate may be difficult, and I want to remain in control the entire time.”

“I promise.” Rarity said while touching Scroot's shoulder.

Scroot led the way into the bare white room where Trixie lie in a bed perpendicular to the north wall. She stared out into space away from the door and didn't look to see who was coming into the room. A small stack of books sat on an end table next to a Canterlot Deputy who was watching the heart monitor intently.

The earth pony deputy looked up, “Detective! Long time; no see.”

“Deputy Coal.” Scroot smiled, “How are things?”

“A bit of the same old thing here.” He said and then stood to shake hooves with Scroot.

“I hope that's a good thing. Anyway, we're here to relieve you for a moment to do an interview.” Scroot said while shaking Coal's hoof.

Coal smiled big, “By Celestia's mercy! I was bored out of my mind in here.” He started out of the room, “I'm going to the cafe to grab me a bite. Send for me whenever you need me back.”

“Alright, Coal. We'll see you around.” Scroot said as the deputy left the room.

Rarity remained by the door and silence filled the room while Scroot approached the hospital bed with Envoy at his side. She prepared to record a transcript on a levitated notepad and gave Scroot a nod to notify him that she was ready. Trixie slowly turned her head and looked them over while knowing who Scroot was but trying to place where she had seen Envoy before. She didn't appear to notice Rarity by the door.

“Trixie.” Scroot started, “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say or do will be held against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford a council, you will be appointed one. Do you understand these rights?”

Trixie exercised the first right and simply looked away from the investigators again.

“You have dozens of witnesses that saw you kill two Royal Guards, Trixie. We're here to ask you a few questions and see if we can get you some help.” Scroot explained and was met with further silence.

Rarity mutely shook her head and restrained her emotional response to scoff.

“We're going to try and get you a plea deal.” Scroot continued, “A guilty plea and a sincere apology, recognizing that what you did was wrong, showing the world that you're not a psychopath, can get you a bargain, and you may just keep out of Tartarus.”

“Tartarus?” Trixie whispered fearfully while still looking away.

“Yeah, Tartarus. A literal hell on Earth. The place where the demons of the world are imprisoned. I mean, there aren't many ponies that can survive there for long.” Scroot shared a dark chuckle with himself, “I don't know why Equestria has no death penalty. Sending ponies to Tartarus, even unicorns, just means that they'll be tortured for weeks until they die."

Scroot sighed and saw that scaring her into talking wasn't going anywhere, so he began on a different approach, "I got to say though... you did good on Twilight.” Scroot said.

Rarity let out a sharp breath, but refused her urges to ask him what he meant by that.

He continued, "Yeah, you did really well. You had me thrown for a loop, and I'm not even the one who hoofed you for it."

Trixie looked back to Scroot, but then between the investigators and made eye contact with Rarity. They simply looked at each other for a moment, and then they both looked down. Trixie adjusted in the bed and sat up carefully being mindful of the tubes and monitors attached to her body.

Wetness swelled in Trixie's eyes, but refused to let go as it clung to her eye lashes, “Trixie is sorry, Rarity.” She closed her eyes which squeezed the moisture down her cheeks, and she dropped her head into her hooves crying. “She is so sorry that she did those things.”

Scroot had an urge to pat her shoulder and feign compassion over the weeping, but stopped himself and instead spoke with a consoling tone, “Why did you do it?”

Trixie began through her hooves, “The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't know why she did it for certain. She was mad at Twilight for making her look stupid in front of all those ponies. She hated her after Twilight made her look stupid again when the Greater and More Powerfuller Trixie returned to Ponyville with the Alicorn Amulet.”

Trixie looked up at the ceiling and dropped her hooves into her lap. She shook her head and tried to stay quiet. She opened her mouth as if she wanted to continue, but she silenced herself. She looked between the investigators at Rarity again, “Trixie was so angry that she felt like she had lost control. She knew it was wrong, even while she was doing it, but she couldn't stop herself."

“What happened?” Scroot asked softly and genuinely.

Trixie sniffled, she looked at Scroot, and the words flowed from her almost involuntarily, “She went into the house when Twilight was asleep and strangled the owl with her magic. He didn't last very long, and it felt so good to watch his life fade from his large eyes. He was taken to the Everfree Forest where nopony found him for a few days, and this made Trixie think she could do it. Made her think she could get away with it.”

She looked down into the bedsheets and fiddled with her hooves, “Trixie went back to the house with everything that reminded her of Twilight like the fake amulet that Trixie was fooled with. Trixie was going to erase Twilight from the world by ridding it of her and everything associated with her. But, she didn't know how to kill a dragon quickly because she feared that choking him wouldn't work. They're so strong. So, Trixie made a poison and used magic to inject him with it. She watched him die. It looked painful... and for some reason, that made Trixie feel very good.”

Trixie continued, “She thought about using her magic to stab Twilight, but Trixie wanted to feel her die. She wanted to feel the blood on her face. Trixie hated her so much. And so, she stabbed her in the neck with the knife in her teeth. It was a bit surprising hot the blood was when it got on Trixie's face. The taste was a little unnerving, but she didn't care right then because Twilight woke up and fought her faster and harder than she thought she would. She bit Trixie on her leg very hard, and it hurt so bad that Trixie panicked and just kept stabbing her until she stopped moving.”

“Twilight...” Trixie stopped herself from sobbing again, “...she made very strange sounds... like she was trying to scream.” She ran a hoof over her disorganized mane and then dropped it in her lap again, “That sound has haunted her. She couldn't stop hearing it for a long time.” Trixie gave pause and buried her face in her hooves.

Scroot sat on his haunches, “What happened next, Trixie?”

Trixie had begun sobbing so hard that it was almost difficult to understand her, “She pulled her from the bed with her magic, and put Twilight and Spike onto the sled. She pulled them to the Everfree Forest, but they were so heavy and ponies kept trying to see what Trixie was doing. The dragon... Trixie was surprised because he was so much heavier than Twilight.” She stopped herself again, wiped her nose, and shook her head. She couldn't believe that she was telling them so much, but she had kept it a secret for so long that she was almost relieved to be telling anypony.

She continued, “Trixie dumped Spike, and the sled was easier to pull with just Twilight on it. She went to Ghastly Gorge and put Twilight on the edge of the cliff. At that moment, Trixie realized what she had done. She became scared of what would happen if she got caught, but was also sad that she was capable what she had done. She felt... scared of herself.”

“But then, she looked at the fake amulet again and thought of her humiliation. It made her angry, and she lost control again. She took it and shoved the amulet in Twilight's mouth, and she tried to get it as deep in her throat as she could. She was so angry that she beat Twilight for a long time until she was too tired to continue. That was when The Great and Powerful Trixie covered Twilight with the rug again, pushed her off the cliff, and watched Twilight fall. Trixie thought about going down to the creek and putting her in the water, but she was scared that somepony would find all of the blood in the library."

Rarity wiped tears from her face and considered leaving the room, but didn't want to disturb them with the sound of the door. Envoy's quill finished the last note and they waited for Trixie to continue, but she simply stared at her hooves and reflected on the events that she recounted.

Scroot nodded and added, “And then you cleaned the crime scene.”

Trixie cleared her cheeks of tears, “Trixie cleaned a lot, but there was so much blood, and it wouldn't come out completely. Trixie only had to leave because Rainbow Dash had knocked on the door, and Trixie went out of the window by Twilight's bed.”

“You almost got caught by Rainbow Dash?” Scroot asked in surprise.

“Yes." She answered and became calm. She continued in a shameful, lethargic drone while continuing to stare down into the bedsheets. “Trixie felt relieved when Rainbow Dash was arrested, and she felt like she had gotten away with it. She was still scared though, so Trixie went to Manehattan to start a new life under a new name. Nopony would hire her, and the pervert manager of the Carneighie Hall suggested The Plot. He said that mares like Trixie make lots of money dancing there. She assumes you found out Trixie was there from him.”

“I can neither confirm nor deny.” Scroot said.

“Trixie is sorry she killed those ponies.” She sobbed, “Trixie is sorrier that she was caught, but nonetheless she is sorry that she killed anypony.” She said, and then swallowed more crying before it came out, and barely retained her composure.

Rarity put a hoof over her mouth because she felt like she was going to be sick, but then she suddenly slammed her hoof on the floor, “You felt like Twilight humiliated you, so you stabbed her to death?” Rarity said in a restrained voice. She clearly was resisting the urge to scream.

Trixie looked at Rarity with a look of genuine shame, “Yes. The Great and Powerful Trixie tried to let it go. She apologized to Twilight to try to make herself feel better about it, and it was well received, but Trixie still was met with scrutiny over the events.” Trixie lowered her gaze and fiddled with her hooves again. “She stewed in hatred for everypony that enjoyed her company. Trixie wanted to take her away from you just like Twilight took her performances away. She felt like Twilight had to die... I...”

Trixie paused in a brief reflection of the words she was about to speak, “I had to kill her.”

Author's Note

I wanted to make the chase scene longer, but I couldn't help but feel it would be pointless. I felt like they had all the bases covered and whatnot. So, I figured a quick capture should be easy enough.

Illustrations will be complete soon enough.