Chapter 1: First Impressions
"The Great and Powerful Trixie, an amazing mare of magic and mystery. At least, that's what the flyers to her shows used to say. Nowadays, the name that once fell upon such praise for being one of the greatest entertainers in Equestria is met with one common thought.
Fake.
"She's a fake!" They all cry out, throwing rotten food at her shadow and spitting on the ground that she walks upon. Fallen from the good graces of society, the once Great and Powerful Trixie would be better off dead or gone. And, be it the former or the latter, she hasn't been heard from in over 10 years. Ever since the two incidents at Ponyville 10 years ago, in which our beloved Princess Twilight Sparkle saved the entire town of Ponyville twice from Trixie and her misdeeds, Trixie has never been heard from. And let's hope it stays that way. This is Note Pad of Trox News, signing off."
The streets of Manehatten. One of the most lively and charismatic parts of the Equestrian night. Ponies are talking and laughing as they gamble, flirt and stumble drunkenly out of whatever solid structure sells alcohol. But if you take a wrong turn... Well, let's just say that you won't be enjoying the Manehatten nightlife then.
Walking down an alleyway with a slump in his tired step was a burgundy colored unicorn with shaggy, berry colored hair draping over his face to hide the tired bags under his eyes. He yawned as he wandered down the dimly lit alleyway, and stopped for a moment to cover his face with his hoof and groan. Being an office paper pusher had not been the job that he had hoped it to be, but he knew that if he wanted to open the bar that he'd always want to own since he first got his cutie mark, he knew he'd have to keep working his boring job to save up the bits.
He glanced backwards at his cutie mark. Two scotch glasses clashing together, as if two unseen ponies were celebrating with a drink. A mark befitting of his name, Hopscotch.
He smiled silently to himself as he looked forward and up into the night sky, perfect in that not a single cloud covered the sky, and the moon was shining brightly and beautifully. It was nights like these that he felt a little bit closer to his goal, and that was always a welcome tho-
*SNAP*
'What was that?' He thought to himself, turning himself around to try and look for whatever made the noise. He saw nothing, aside from the towering walls of brick building on either side of him, and the two dark green dumpsters with what looked like a makeshift shelter that he had walked past not moments ago. He groaned internally. Homelessness was uncommon in Manehatten and Equestria in general, but there were some unlucky souls who had to call the streets their home. Hopscotch didn't like it, and normally he'd give whatever he could spare to the homeless. But now was the middle of the night in a dark Manehatten alleyway. Now was not the time for charity.
He kept walking toward the exit of the alleyway, keeping his eyes back on the shelter for a little too long as he bumped into something solid, and fell back onto his hindquarters. A pained groan escaped his muzzle as he rubbed his sore rump while rising from the ground, and he opened his eyes to get a look at what he had clashed heads with. He immediately regret doing so, and started to backpedal away from the monstrous earth pony that towered over him. Grinning, the large, scarred grey stallion walked menacingly towards Hopscotch, forcing his back to the wall before scruffing the smaller unicorn by the collar, bringing them face to face.
"Money. Now." He boomed deeply, and Hopscotch was quick to comply. He summoned his wallet from it's place at his home, and pulled out two 100 Bit notes, making sure not to show that he had more in his wallet before he sent it away.
"Please, this is all I have. Just take it and leave me be." Hopscotch said with a shake in his voice, hoping that it would be enough. The larger stallion just laughed, and threw Hopscotch to the ground like a rag doll. Hopscotch pulled himself from the ground and cursed under his breath. He'd never been a good fighter, and judging from the power in the stallions rippling muscles, he could never outrun him. He kept thinking and weighing his options, and he didn't even notice the hoof swinging towards his ribs. The blow connected, followed by the sound of snapping ribs as Hopscotch's entire side exploded with pain. He collapsed to the ground, holding his side as he groaned in agony, while the larger stallion laughed from above him.
"It's not about the money. I just love the sound that my hoof makes when it hits ponies." He laughed darkly, as he raised his hoof for the final blow. Hopscotch closed his eyes and braced himself for the end. Was this really how it would end? On a beautiful night with the world as his oyster, just because some psycho in an alleyway wanted to use him as his own personal punching bag?
He winced as he waited for the stallion to put him out of his misery, but it never came. He cracked one eye open, and was shocked to see his foe being telekinetically lifted by his neck, purple magic tightening its grip around his windpipe as he struggled to breathe. Hopscotch looked over to see the cause of the magic, a feminine figure who pulsed with power, her eyes glowing white and her robes flapping wildly to a breeze created by her aura. She saw that her mouth was moving, but he could hear no words. Pain coursed through his body as he was reminded of his own injury, and the world started spinning. The last thing he saw before he passed out from the pain was the shadow of the mysterious mare closing in on him.
Hopscotch woke up in a cold, dark room, completely unknown to him. He wondered briefly for a moment as to why he was there, and started to panic, but the dull throbbing in his side soon reminded him to keep still, and panic in silence. He checked himself to make sure he still had all of his body. Horn? Check. Limbs? Check. Any scars leading to potential missing organs? No, but his side was bandaged and cushioned. He took a moment to close his eyes and collect himself, and sigh in relief. It looked like whoever took him did so to help him.
He looked around to take in his surroundings. He was lying on a dirty red sofa, holes and tears adorning its ruined visage. To his right was a small table with a glass of water on it, presumably left here for him by whoever took him in. There was also a dusty fireplace with a mantelpiece, with various items adorning the top. He couldn't see a lot from where he laid, but he could make out a photograph of what looked like a University graduation, which would make sense considering there was a scroll sitting right next to it, presumably a diploma of some sort. There was also a necklace. A golden chain with a green stone adorned as the focus piece, nothing particularly fancy.
Hopscotch moved his hooves backwards, and tried to slide himself backwards so he could sit up against the arm of the sofa. Pushing against the sofa, he shifted his weight to lift his back off of the couch, and with a deep groan of pain, he slid himself backwards and sat upright. A sharp pain pinged up his bandaged right side, and he winced at it but otherwise said nothing. He knew that it was going to hurt anyway, there was no use in complaining about it. He used his magic to grasp the tall glass of water, and he took a small sip of the soothing liquid.
He heard the sound of hooves walking on wood, and he looked over to his right to see a hooded pony enter the room. The figures face was shrouded in darkness, but Hopscotch could see the tenseness from their face fall as soon as they laid eyes on him.
"Oh good, you're awake." Said a distinctly female voice, and Hopscotch came to the conclusion that this was the mare who had saved him in the alleyway. She walked over to him, and reached out a blue hoof to touch his forehead. Hopscotch squirmed a little bit under her hoof, but didn't complain. He owed a lot to this mare, so he figured he could at least be trusting of her. She gave a satisfied hum and backed off a little bit.
"I did all I could for your injuries, but I wasn't sure you'd wake up any time soon. I'm not exactly a medical expert. But what I could tell is that you've got a few broken ribs, and you did have some internal bleeding but I fixed that up with a spell I know." Hopscotch took in her words and nodded. He understood. She was basically saying that she saved his life.
"I... Thank you. You saved my life tonight. Or, last night, whatever time it is now. I owe you my life, I really do. I don't know who you are, but you've done me a kindness that I will try my hardest to repay." He said to her, sincerely. A smile broke out on her face. Then a giggle. Then a full on laugh echoed throughout the room while Hopscotch sat there in confusion. The mysterious mare wiped a tear from her eye, and turned around to take off her cloak.
"That sounded as rehearsed as my old stage shows. I know you really mean it, but oh dear Celestia..." She threw the dark cloak to the ground. Hopscotch could see now that she had a mane of white and light blue, and a cutie mark that resembled a crescent moon with a magic wand cutting through it. That cutie mark... It was so familiar...
"Just do me one favor. Don't go screaming and running off when you learn who saved you, alright? Please..." Her voice ended with a pleading tone, and she turned around to face him. It was undeniable, her face was unmistakable.
This mare was the arch nemesis of the Princess of Friendship, Twilight Sparkle. A wanted pony to face charges for endangering the public and enslaving an entire town.
This mare was Trixie Lulamoon.
