The Mare's Guard

by LunarShadow

Rating: teen
Tags: Romance, Original Character, Trixie, Adventure, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 12378

Trixie and an OC

Trixie has a bad run in with the Trottingham ponies, but one stands up for her and offers his services as a bodyguard. She accepts and they embark on a journey to find the one true audience Trixie deserves.

Published 2012-06-23 19:44:03 UTC
Last updated 2012-06-23 19:44:03 UTC

Poor Reception and a New Companion

Poor Reception and a New Companion

The ponies of Trottingham watched curiously as a small, brand-new wagon bathed in a silver-blue aura rolled into the town square. It came to a sudden stop alongside the town fountain. From inside the wagon, the sounds of several heavy items hitting the floor was accompanied by a yelp of pain.

A crowd began forming as the townsponies tried to get a closer look at the wagon. It had been built to be a miniature, mobile house. The sides were brown, the roof was painted red, and the wheels were coloured similarly to the roof. Hanging over the door was a sign embellished with the symbol of a wand over a crescent moon.

The front unfolded with a crash to reveal an empty stage, causing the ponies to scramble back in fright. A red curtain was drawn across the very back of the stage, a motionless mare’s silhouette visible on its surface. She suddenly tossed back her head, and the audience could see the shadow of a wide-brimmed, pointed hat levitating onto her head.

They crowded around the stage, curious to see who or what was behind the curtain. They collectively jumped, startled as a puff of smoke appeared in the middle of the stage, followed by a sharp crack.

“Welcome to the greatest magic show in all of Equestria! Watch and be astounded as The Great and Powerful Trixie performs feats of magic more amazing than any of you have ever seen!” As the smoke cleared, Trixie reared up, grinning with the confidence of one who could astound anypony, and launched a volley of fireworks into the air.

The fireworks exploded into a thousand multicoloured sparks. Trixie gathered the smoke as it drifted in the wind, magically expanding it to shroud the town square from the bright afternoon sun.

With a sharp crack, two pure, soft-blue circles appeared on either side of the stage. She first put a hoof through one and the audience gasped as it appeared in the other. Then, she strutted through, appearing at the edge of the stage. WIth a snap, the portals closed. Leaning in close to the crowd, she grinned wickedly.

“That is only a taste of Trixie’s vast power. Perhaps you’d like to see more?” Trixie slowly backed up and laughed. “But no, Trixie cannot just show you her magic. Trixie is no common street performer. Trixie...” She paused and with a flourish of her horn, summoned images of famous scenes from various stories swirled around her.

One image was that of Celestia battling another alicorn, black as night. Another scene showed an ancient unicorn, a long beard almost down to his forehooves, reading a large tome. The third and final scene showed six mares freeing Luna from the grasp of Nightmare Moon.

“Trixie is a master storyteller,” Trixie continued as the images slowly faded into nothing. Her eyes roved from one end of the town square to the other. “So, which of Trixie’s amazing stories do you wish to hear?”

“The Mysterious Stallion of Trottingham!” The ponies glanced at each other and stomped their hooves, chanting the name.

Trixie’s eyes drifted to the statue that stood in the middle of the fountain. A smile spread across her face and her eyes lit up in anticipation. The ponies had picked one of the more interesting tales.“Robin Hoof? An intriguing tale indeed. He was more than just a bandit. There is more to the story than meets the eye, and Trixie knows it all.”

She made the likeness of a brown pegasus prance across the stage. Robin Hoof stopped in front of Trixie, swept his trademark green cap off and bowed to her. He then jumped into the air, and unslung his legendary bow. He nocked three arrows and skillfully pierced three apples that had appeared on the edge of the stage.

The townsponies began to whisper excitedly. The story had always been that he was The Mysterious Stallion of Trottingham, earth pony and dashing bandit, not some pegasus named Robin Hoof.

Trails of magic swirled around the stage, casting an eerie glow around the darkened stage as she began the tale. “The tale does not begin as the common folk believe. He did not just appear one day. He was not a mysterious pony from the west. In fact, he came from right here in Trottingham.”

An small image of Trottingham Castle appeared on stage. “He was a noblepony—”

Suddenly, a tomato flew from the center of the crowd and hit her hard in the chest. “Tell the story right!”

The ponies turned around and hushed the perpetrator, but did not disagree with him. They were curious to see what this mare had in store for them.

Wiping the splattered tomato off herself with her magic, Trixie merely raised an eyebrow and frowned. “Do you presume to know more than a seasoned storyteller?” When nopony answered her, she continued, “Good. Trixie has heard his tale told many ways, but by extensive research, the Great and Powerful Trixie has discovered the true one.”

The image of Trottingham Castle, which had faded, reappeared in just as fine detail as the real one. “As Trixie was saying, before she was rudely interrupted, Robin Hoof was not the mysterious pony from the west. He was a noblepony right here in Trottingham.” An image of Robin Hoof appeared in one of the upper windows of the castle. Except this pony was garbed in fine clothing.

“However, he did not live in a peaceful time. There was treachery in the air. And the pony who was most treacherous was simply called the Sheriff.” A dark black unicorn pony with red eyes slowly formed from tendrils of magic. He scowled at the audience as the last of the magic swirled around his head, forming a cropped mane.

The castle faded, to be replaced by a bedchamber that took up the entire right half of the stage. Trixie walked alongside the sheriff as he entered the room. “He was so treacherous that in order to gain power, he gathered up a group of loyal followers and tried to assassinate Robin Hoof. However, Robin Hoof was wise and listened to his counselor, who foresaw the attack.”

At this point, the image of the sheriff stopped at the edge of the grand bed. From a sheath around his hoof, he levitated out a wicked, serrated blade. With one swift motion, it rose into the air, and a moment later, embedded itself into a lump on the mattress.

A second later, he howled in fury. There was nopony in the bed, or in the room, besides the sheriff. He hacked at the mattress and feathers flew into the air, obscuring the crowd’s view of the scene. As the feathers hit the ground, they dissolved into small showers of magic sparks.

The display continued for nearly a minute. Finally, as the last of the feathers burst into a shower of sparks, Trixie continued with the story. “You see, Robin Hoof had fled that very night. He made his escape into the Marewood Forest without a single pony knowing. In a fit of rage, the sheriff killed everypony in the castle that was loyal to the Earl-turned-bandit.”

Trixie bounded across the stage, the sheriff following her. The scene rapidly changed as the two ponies went from room to room. In each one, ponies burst into multicoloured sparks as they fell to Trixie’s horn or the sheriff’s knife. A moment later, the scene changed once more to an outside view of the castle. However, this time, flames could be seen in the windows, a dense black smoke curling from the roof.

The crowd, who had been silent up to this point, started to talk amongst themselves in a hushed tone. This rendition of the tale was not the story they knew. It was very much different and they all agreed that Trixie’s tale could not be the true one. However, her voice silenced them.

Gesturing as if bored, Trixie conjured up images’ of Robin Hoof fighting the sheriff. “Over the years, Robin Hoof attempted to gain back his seat of power from the unjust ruler. He stole the tax money the Sheriff collected and returned it to the common folk. He killed the sheriff’s men and did everything he could to disrupt the plans of the sheriff. “

Trixie paused for a moment to draw another image in the air. However, before she could finish, a rotten apple sailed through the air and hit her squarely on the horn, causing her to grimace in pain.

The audience had had enough.

“Trottingham has never had an unjust ruler. Our leaders certainly wouldn’t resort to murder to gain a seat of power. Nor would one flee in the face of danger.” The townsponies’ sense of stubborn pride swelled. They felt that their story was the true story and they would listen to no more of this slander of their glorious earl.

More fruit followed the rotten apple, and not all of it was the mushy goo that it should have been. Trixie protected herself as best she could, but to no avail. The fruit splattered onto the stage, staining it. Other pieces hit her directly, leaving bruises almost immediately.

Never had she received such a poor response to a show. Tears welled up in her eyes as she backed away from the crowd-turned-mob. As she began to cry, she gulped down the lump that rose up in her throat. “Very well. If you do not want to see what Trixie has to offer, then she shall take her leave. She doesn’t need you either.”

Seemingly out of nowhere, a dark blue unicorn stallion trotted up to Trixie and stood in front of her. In one fluid motion, the axe that was sheathed on his back levitated out and slammed handle first into the stage.

“Enough!”

The fruit immediately stopped flying from the mob. The audience’s cries of protest turned into a few shouts, then a lone voice, and finally, silence. It was only broken by the stallion’s voice, which echoed around the town square. “This mare took the time to research your history; she took the time to put together a show for you, a well-done show at that, and this is how you treat her?” Looking around at the crowd, he scowled. “I have never been more disgusted to be in such an ignorant audience.”

The stallion slowly backed up, ushering Trixie back behind the curtain. “When I come back out, you had all better be gone,” he said as he disappeared into the back of the wagon with Trixie.

The stallion shook his head and sighed as he strapped his double-bladed axe. “I’m really sorry. I don’t know what got into those ponies.”

Trixie merely sniffled and nodded.

They stood there for a few awkward seconds before Trixie finally spoke.

“Thank you—”

“Iron Edge.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow and stared quizzically at Iron Edge. Her eyes were red, and her cheeks were streaked with tears. “Trixie does not intend to be rude, but what is your special talent, exactly?”

Rubbing his crew-cut blond mane, Iron Edge laughed. “I get that a lot. Ponies seem fond of asking what my special talent is after they hear my name. Before you ask, I’m a bodyguard.” He turned to show Trixie his cutie mark: a worn axe. “It’s good pay if you know where to look.

Nodding, Trixie set about packing her belongings. “That’s very... interesting, Iron Edge. But Trixie’d best leave now. She knows when she’s no longer welcome.”

Nor does she want to be around one of those ponies. She wants nothing more to do with Trottingham.

Iron Edge shuffled his hooves on the wood floor. “Please, just call me Iron. Everypony does.” As he backed out of the wagon, he suddenly stopped. His ear twitched and his eyes narrowed. Without blinking, he deftly caught a rotten apple with his telekinesis, turned, and whipped it back from where it came. As soon as he let go of the fruit, he swiftly walked behind the curtain.

A voice from outside shouted, “Oh, I bet you think you’re so smart catching fruit like that. Well you too are no longer welcome here. Get out or we’ll destroy the wagon!” The words faded as the perpetrator galloped away.

Iron shrugged. “I guess I’m not going anywhere unless I can sneak out the back. But I don’t think that’s going to happen. I’ve never been good at sneaking.”

Trixie looked up briefly before returning to her task. “This is the first time Trixie has been poorly received. Trixie will just finish packing up the wagon and move on to one of the cities where the Great and Powerful Trixie is more appreciated, as she should be.”

Shaking his head, Iron frowned. “No, it’s not your first time being run out of town.”

Trixie shot a glare in his direction. Nopony should know about Trixie’s embarrassment. Who does this unicorn think he—

“I mean, I kinda wander from town to town, too, and I’ve seen several of your other performances.” Iron smiled lightly at her and went to pat her on the back, but stopped when Trixie turned away, a tear sliding down her cheek. He quickly continued, “I mean, I personally loved all your shows.

“Eventually, my job took me round to Canterlot, where I saw you doing another show. This time, you were taking requests from the audience on what to do with the light. You didn’t fail at anything they asked you to do. And some of it was pretty far-fetched.

“Then you arrived at Ponyville. It was my last stop in the job I was doing at the time and I decided to stay for your performance before heading out. Your magic was amazing as usual, but something had changed. And there was the whole Ursa incident where you ended up being chased out of town.

“I kinda guessed where you were going and decided to follow to make sure you made it to New Yoke okay. I got there and found that word of your disaster in Ponyville had somehow sped ahead of me already and since then, you’ve not been able to keep an audience. Nor have you been well received, even though your magic really is good.

I guess I’ve been following you partially to see your amazing shows and partially to make sure you didn’t run afoul of mobs like the one outside.” He hung his head in shame. “And I failed, I guess.”

A second later, he looked up at Trixie, a new glow in his eye. “Say, since I’ve already explained things, perhaps I could join you on your show circuit? Kinda like being hired as a bodyguard since I’m already practically doing it already. I’m sure it’d make both our lives easier.”

“No. Trixie does not need protection. She can handle things herself.”

But that extra time to practice before the next show, Trixie could use that... A corner of her mind argued against her initial response.

Iron looked at her skeptically. “Yeah, sure you can. Just like you handled that audience out there.” Realizing a moment too late what he had said, he tried to repair the damage as Trixie scowled at him and resumed packing her belongings. “I mean... err... augh!” He stomped his hoof in frustration. “That came out wrong. What I meant is: we can all occasionally use the help.” When Trixie didn’t respond, he tried again. “How about this: in addition to being a bodyguard, I’ll pull your wagon for you.”

“Trixie has a spell for that.” In her mind, she sighed. And it looks like this “Iron” is just another one of “those” ponies.

Again, part of her mind argued with her. But he is offering to do some of Trixie’s work for her, leaving her to do as she pleases. She mentally rolled her eyes and made a decision.

“I noticed, but surely you can’t keep it up all the time. Wouldn’t it be better for somepony to pull the wagon?” Iron pointed out.

Trixie picked up some pans off the floor as she pondered the question. “Well, Trixie could use an assistant. Someone to do the grunt work while Trixie practices her show.” Her eyes lit up and she spun around, extending her hoof to Iron. “Fine, do the heavy labour and you can accompany Trixie.”

Iron moved to take the hoof, but stopped inches from it. “Before we shake, I have one term. You follow my orders should a dangerous situation come up. Now, all we have to do is pack your wagon and we can leave this town. Do we still have a deal?”

When Trixie nodded, he took the proffered hoof and shook it. “Then consider it done.” He immediately began planning as he started folding up the stage with his magic.

“We’ll be making our way to Manehattan. I have a friend there that may be able to help us. We’ll then go to wherever he sends us and perform. From there, we’ll take a few more days to plan again.”

Trixie had had no plan, and his sounded as good as any. She nodded in agreement, but looked curiously at him. “What about your belongings?”

Iron chuckled and turned to show her a saddlebag she had not noticed before. “I’ve been traveling lightly as of late. Living off the land and whatnot. I keep what I need in here. Just a whet stone and maybe a little bit of food.”

Trixie shook her head and smiled, bemused as Iron opened up his pack and showed her the inside. A single quill and a loaf of bread lay at the bottom, along with an oddly-shaped statuette. However, before she could ask about it, he shut the bag and looked around for something to do.

“Trixie has paper. No need to go back into town.” The last of her possessions floated into a chest and it shut itself, locking in the process. “And that’s that. We can leave now.”

Nodding, Iron made his way out the side door and around to the other side where the harness was. He slipped it on and began pulling.

She glanced out the window and sighed. She could still see ponies from the crowd lurking behind some houses in the distance. Maybe this won’t be so bad after all, and Trixie can always ditch him if need be.

Journey of a Thousand Miles

Journey of a Thousand Miles

Over the remaining hours of the day, meters turned into kilometers. The sun rose and fell, as did the moon, yet they barely stopped. The number of breaks reached three by Trixie's count, and even then it was only because she insisted that she take time to wash off the sticky juices of the fruit thrown by the crowd.

In any direction she looked, Trixie could only see a vast, flat plains. The scene didn’t change the first day, nor did it change on the second day. Even a third day of hard travel failed to bring about a new landscape.

The routine was the same: Iron would pull the wagon, not even bothering to rest while Trixie practiced her performance. The schedule didn’t change at any time.

Finally, Trixie broke from her usual demeanor and and formed a window in the wagon wall so she could talk to Iron.

“It’s been three days, and yet you’ve barely rested. Where are you taking us that requires such haste?”

Without missing a step, Iron replied. “The land between Trottingham and Manehattan is perhaps the most dangerous to travel. You see, it’s the furthest from Canterlot and the Princesses’ rule.” He gestured towards a pillar of dark smoke in the distance. “There are very few settlements, and without protection, they often fall to groups of bandits who will take advantage of anypony they find, whether it be in the villages or on the road.”

Trixie watched the cloud of smoke rise and spread across the sky to join a deep-gray cloud bank several kilometers away. “Could you tell Trixie why you chose Manehattan? She has been there already by a different path, and they are not ponies that easily forget one such as herself.”

“I have a friend there. A pegasus named Moon Dust. He may be able to give us some advice on where a receptive audience may be.

“He’s kind of like me. His special talent is detective work, but like writing, it’s not very lucrative. He does some freelance archaeology on the side and has become quite adept at it.” Opening his pack, he levitated out the strange statuette that Trixie had seen a few days earlier. “I’ve been meaning to give this to him, and if I remember correctly, he doesn’t have anything going on these days.”

Taking the statuette, Trixie brought it over to her bed and examined it closely. The next time she looked up, the sun had moved from just above the distant mountains to just below the horizon and she still couldn’t guess what the figurine was supposed to represent. Her best guess was a tribal representation of one of the alicorn sisters, but the wood was so warped that the shape was barely visible. She could see the basic form of a pony with a wing, though the other one had snapped off. There was part of a horn, but it had worn away. The paint that had once adorned it was faded and chipped, leaving the dull brown colour of the wood exposed to the air.

Suddenly, a bright flash and the deep boom of thunder rolled across the sky, nearly causing her to drop the relic. She jumped from her bed and looked out the window. The cloud bank she had seen earlier was practically on top of them now.

Thinking of her wagon, she called out to Iron, the wind drowning out her voice. “Iron! Trixie thinks we should perhaps find shelter and wait out the storm!”

Turning and shouting to make himself heard, Iron called back, “That’s why I’m making our way towards that hill! It looks like it has an overhang where we can make camp!”

Looking ahead and squinting, Trixie could see what he meant. It was nothing but a big lump covered in long, golden grass.

Nearly an hour later, they reached the hill. By then, the wind was whipping rain down onto their heads and the sound of thunder could be heard every few seconds. Luckily, Iron’s guess was right; there was a stone ledge that hung over the edge of the hill.

Iron parked the wagon beneath it and then unhooked himself. He wandered to the edge of the small shelter and sat down to watch the storm.

Trixie stepped out from her wagon and looked around. Her eyes lingered a second on Iron’s form silhouetted by the flashes of lightning. If that relic is anything to judge by, he’s at least been to interesting places. Or, at least, he has a friend who has traveled quite a bit. Perhaps his tale would make a good one to tell somewhere.

She shook her head and resumed her sweep of the area, though there wasn’t much to see. Just rocks, rocks, and more rocks. There weren’t even roots from the grass above hanging from the ceiling.

As she finished her examination, she conjured a magic flame to dance in the center of the shelter. Then, she trotted up and sat down next to Iron. “So, Trixie would like to know more about you.”

“Why?”

Trixie raised an eyebrow curiously. “You seem to know about Trixie. We’ve been traveling a few days, yet Trixie knows almost nothing about you. It’s only fair.”

Iron shrugged. “There isn’t much to tell. I grew up in Canterlot with a bank clerk for a father. My mother was a stay-at-home mom. I attended school, discovered my talent to write, and was generally a good foal.

“But surely there’s something interesting about you. Everypony has a tale to tell.”

Iron considered her request and took a moment to collect his thoughts. Then, he continued. “I was briefly in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, which pleased my parents to no end. But while I was there, I saw a unicorn who could do so many things with a blade. He was a knight of sorts and I was impressed. I dropped out of the school and instead attended an academy that taught the ways of a knight. I did better with an axe than a pen, and my grades at Celestia’s school reflected that. My parents were not happy and all but disowned me.”

Iron sighed sadly. “However, the teachers thought that because my talent was writing and I wrote so often, even going as far to skip classes on occasion, the time I took to pen the stories was starting to interfere with my knight studies. We had a disagreement and I left the academy. From there, I went to go join the royal guard, but they wouldn’t take me at that time. They said it was something to do with lack of training and focus. So, I became a mercenary and finished training myself.”

Shrugging, Iron pulled out his axe. “My favorite weapon was of course this, and when I returned to the royal guard, they were impressed with my fighting prowess, but they found me lacking in spear use, which is what they needed. Spear ponies I mean. They again turned me down, saying they had neither the time nor the resources to train me in a completely new field of weaponry. A lame excuse in my opinion, but I accepted it and went back...” Iron fell silent, staring intently out into the rain.

Trixie glanced at him. “Went back to what? Your tale has piqued Trixie’s curiosity.”

“Shh...”

Turning away from Iron, Trixie huffed at being shushed. “No one should be so rude to—”

A wave from Iron’s hoof silenced her. “Shh... I’m trying to watch and listen. Can’t you see them?”

Trixie squinted in the direction he was pointing. Sure enough, if she looked closely, she could see three black shapes in the distance making their way to the shelter. “Who are they?”

Suddenly, Iron jumped up and turned to the flame dancing by the wagon. With a slash of his horn, he put it out. “Probably bandits. Nopony else would be stupid enough to be out. Bandits have no real place to stay anyways, so a shelter like this would be prime for them.” Picking his axe back up, he nodded back at the wagon. “Get in and stay there. I’ve handled this sort of situation before and it’ll be better if I’m alone.” When Trixie didn’t move, he yelled at her. “Go! They’ll be here in a few minutes.”

Moving as fast as she could, she dashed into the wagon and slammed the door shut. Her mind raced, thinking about what was going to happen, and what could happen. She wondered if they would be violent, or if a single look at Iron’s sharp axe would send them running. As she thought, she almost missed the beginning of a conversation.

“Hail friend,” the voice was deep and rough.

“Good evening,” replied Iron.

“I do believe you’re in our cave.”

Iron’s calm voice drifted in through the wagon window. “Ah, I did not realize that. We’ll leave as soon as this storm clears up. It’d be suicidal to travel with the wagon in this weather.”

Laughter echoed around the cave, chilling Trixie to the bone. “Ha! Good one, but it’d be suicidal to stay here as well. Looks like you’re in for a rough time, mate. You see, I’m okay with you staying, but my pals here would rather not share with strangers.” There were a few seconds of silence. “Oh, and you’ll be leaving your wagon here. You won’t be needing it if you’re going to die anyways.”

Iron’s voice took on a dangerous edge. “I don’t listen to the demands of bandits. And honestly, I think I stand a better chance here than in that storm.”

The laughter stopped and the leader of the bandits growled deeply. “Well then, it looks like we have a problem.”

The sound of metal scraping on stone caused Trixie’s ears to twitch. Iron can’t be serious. He may be good enough to silence an unarmed crowd, but to take on several bandits at once?

There was a feral yell and the clash of metal on metal. It was followed by the sound of somepony flying through the air and hitting the cave wall.

“Heh, it looks like we got somepony that can actually fight. But we outnumber him three to one. Circle him.”

Iron chuckled. “Ah, it’s been... well... forever since I’ve had a good fight.”

Apparently Trixie was wrong. Perhaps Iron can take them all. Perhaps Trixie made a good decision after all.

There was the sound of more fighting and yelps of pain from the bandits. Trixie pressed her ear tightly against the door, praying that the bandits would realize they were not skilled enough to take on Iron and leave.

As the fight progressed, it was no longer just the bandit’s squeals of pain she heard, but grunts from Iron as well. Finally, Trixie couldn’t take it anymore. Trixie is no school filly anymore. She can handle herself in a fight. She gritted her teeth, prepared to strike as the sound of hooves drifted through her ears. With all her magical ability, she blew the door off its hinges. Then, she cast the only real battle magic she knew. A fireball erupted from the tip of her horn, sailing over the shoulder of one of the brigands.

Iron stood facing two of the bandits, but turned as the fireball roared overhead. “Damn it, Trixie! I told you to stay in the wagon!” He started to back off, to cover both himself and Trixie, but was stopped as a bolt flew through the air and embedded itself in his shoulder. He cried out in pain and whirled around to face the direction from which it had come. His axe flew from his telekinetic grip and hit the offending bandit hard.

Trixie blanched as the pony fell to the ground, screaming in agony, a look of pure shock on his face as he stared at the axe protruding from his chest. Blood spurted from the wound, causing Trixie’s stomach to heave.

However, Iron wasn’t finished. His eyes shone in fury. He slashed his horn down and another bandit tumbled over in silent shock, a deep gash appearing in his neck.

The final bandit had gotten a crossbow from somewhere and was taking aim when Iron turned to face him. The brigand pulled the trigger. As soon as the bolt left its cradle, he turned and fled. But he wasn’t very lucky.

A bolt grazed Iron’s jaw as he barely sidestepped it, letting it clatter to the ground as it struck the cave wall. He quickly picked it up with his magic and whipped it towards the bandit. The bolt flew true, embedding itself in the thief’s neck. With a cry of pain he fell to the ground, and lay unmoving.

Iron stood in the middle of the carnage, panting heavily. Without warning, he took the bolt in his shoulder and tugged hard. It came out with a squelch. Grunting in pain, he tossed it aside. “Oh, come on! I thought you agreed to follow my orders!”

Trixie tried her best to put on a brave face, but just couldn’t. “Trixie did what she thought best.” She grimaced as she saw a steady trickle of blood run down his foreleg.

He had such a good coat for performing too. She blinked in surprise. Where did that thought come from? Trixie should be more worried about him rather than a performance. She can hardly go around carrying him if he bleeds to death.

“And it could have gotten me killed.“ Iron limped over to the wagon. Leaning back against it, he slid down and groaned. “But what’s done is done. The wound isn’t that bad. It’s only about a day’s travel to Dust’s place. I’ll be fine until then. But first I’ll need some bandages to stem the bleeding. You got any?” He looked up at Trixie expectantly.

She shook her head. “Trixie does not get hurt. Therefore, she does not need bandages.”

Sighing, Iron beckoned her over. “Then you get a free lesson on field first aid.”

Curious, she walked over and sat in front of him, waiting for a speech of some sort. Instead, he picked up her cloak and tore off the hem with his magic. She leapt up in surprise and anger. “Ignorant fool! What are you doing? Do you not know that Trixie’s show clothing is special to her?”

“And if used properly, it could save your life.” Grunting in pain, Iron wound the cloth around his shoulder. Immediately, blood soaked through. As he tied the strip of cloth tighter, the blood stopped spreading. “Properly handled, like so, I should be able to go two or so days before I need proper care. Cauterization would lengthen the time, but in my condition, I probably couldn’t do it myself...” He trailed off, glancing up at Trixie hopefully.

Trixie scowled at him. “Trixie may have given you her cloak, but she will not also burn you.”

Not that Trixie knows how to anyways, but he doesn’t need to know that.

Iron sighed and shifted to get more comfortable. “Well, with that taken care of, we’d best get a little more rest. The storm looks like it’s almost over.”

Sure enough, the wind was dying down and the rain had become a slow trickle. In the distance, Trixie could still hear the crash and boom of thunder as the storm faded. She took a deep breath of the warm, moist air. She tried to savor it, but out of the corner of her eye, she could still see the bodies of the bandits.

Turning back into the cave, she tried her best to ignore the bodies. “Actually, Trixie thinks it would be better if we moved on.”

Iron saw her glance at the bodies for the third time. “You’re probably right, but I won’t be able to pull the wagon. You’ll have to use that spell you talked about when we first met.” He got up and opened the wagon door, gesturing for her to get in. When she passed through the door, he followed, closing it behind him.

With the bodies out of sight, she felt her normal confidence returning. Tapping the wagon wall with her horn, she loudly said, “Manehattan.”

She turned to face Iron. “The spell should move us at least as fast as you pull.” She stopped as she noticed that he had somehow already fallen asleep lying down against one of the walls.

He shifted uncomfortably and Trixie grimaced. She couldn’t help but agree with his motions. Sleeping on the hardwood floor couldn’t be comfortable. Her eyes drifted to her bed and back to the sleeping form of Iron. Finally, she gave in and gently picked him up with her magic and moved him to lie comfortably on the mattress. Another pause, and then she took off her cloak and laid it on top of him.

She then sighed and opened a window at the front of the wagon to look out at the dark gray clouds. It was going to be a long, lonely day.

“At least the breeze is warm and the rain has stopped.”

“Whe... where are we?” he groaned.

Trixie jumped in fright at the sound of Iron’s voice.

She had been monitoring him every hour or so and had found that the wound hadn’t stopped bleeding. If anything, it had gotten worse. In addition, he had started sweating profusely and hadn’t been able to get comfortable, spending most of the day tossing and turning.

He had turned deathly pale, and his voice cracked when he spoke. “Trixie?”

She finally turned. “Just about a kilometer outside Manehattan. There’s been a change of plans. Trixie is taking you to the hospital before your friend’s house. Trixie suspects the wound is beginning to fester.”

Shaking his head vigorously, Iron backed up. “No! That’s the last place I want to be. I swear, I’ll leave if you go anywhere close!”

“Moon Dust can take care of me, but I will not go near a hospital.”

Trixie shook her head. “Moon Dust probably won’t have the means to cure you.”

“Then you do it.”

She looked him squarely in the eye. “Trixie may be skilled in many things, but...” She took a deep breath. “... but she is not knowledgeable in healing beyond a cut or a scrape. She is taking you to the hospital, and that’s final.” She tapped the wagon wall and said, “Manehattan Hospital.”

Iron fell silent, brooding.

Trixie returned to the front of the wagon and turned her attention back to the gloomy sky. Neither paid attention to the busy streets as the wagon eventually rolled into Manehattan, taking turns seemingly at random as it made its way to the hospital.

Suddenly, the wagon rocked violently as it was struck by something off to the side. The spell dissipated and the wagon came to a shuddering halt. Trixie leaned out the window. She grumbled to herself as she looked around. “Even Trixie will admit that her spell needs a little refinement. The wagon just probably hit a rut.”

She was about to duck back in when a groaning came from under the one of the wheels.

“Ung... did someone get the number of that wagon that hit me?” The voice belonged to a dust-gray pegasus. He sat up and rubbed his head for a second. Then he noticed Trixie. “Oh, I’m sorry. Was that your wagon? I wasn’t really watching where I was going and—”

“You’re lucky then that Trixie has to get Iron to the hospital so quickly, or she’d give you a piece of her mind.”

The pegasus slowly stood up and backed away. “Okay, okay, geeze, you don’t have to be... wait. Did you say Iron? As in Iron Edge?” He jumped up, placing his forehooves on the windowsill so he could peer into the wagon. His eyes lit up as he saw the sleeping form of Iron on the bed. The look was immediately replaced by one of concern.

Even in the pale light coming through the clouds, the blood stain on Iron’s shoulder was easily visible.

“He never sleeps during the day. It must be worse than it looks. You said you were headed to the hospital, right?” He grabbed the harness and hooked himself up. “I can get you there, double time.” Without waiting for a reply, he took off, turning down an alley.

Frowning, Trixie shakily made her way back to tending Iron. The residents of this city are... strange, to say the least. How did he manage to bump into us in a city of several million ponies?

Five minutes and several alleys later, they arrived at a large building. The front was adorned with a giant red cross on a sign over the door. Giant pillars held up an overhanging room. A short walkway led to ornate double doors, which in turn led into a waiting lounge.

Trixie picked up Iron and walked out of the wagon towards the hospital entrance. He drifted behind, bathed in a silvery blue. The pegasus followed after, making sure that Iron did not fall.

The hospital lobby was nearly empty when they entered the room. Except for a few patients lounging about for some reason or another, there were no doctors around. The group received a few glances, but were otherwise ignored.

While he quickly examined Iron, the pegasus mumbled to Trixie, “Please, stay here while I go find the doctor. I doubt setting him down on anything other than a bed would be a good idea now.”

Trixie nodded numbly and began to pace nervously.

Trotting up to the nearest group of ponies, the pegasus mumbled something to one of the patients. The patient shook her head and gestured down the hall. He looked where she had pointed.

He shook his head and loudly said, “Ugh... the city council keeps telling the hospital they’re understaffed, but nothing’s ever done about it.” The pegasus galloped down the hall where the other ponies had pointed.

Every time there were hoofsteps, Trixie looked up expectantly. A feeling of despair crept into her mind as the seconds stretched out. What if they can’t take care of Iron? What if they say he’s already lost? What if, what if... Her thoughts were cut off as she noticed the pegasus finally returning with a nurse.

“Make this quick, sir. The doctor is dealing with an emergency that requires all hooves to help with,” the nurse said as she approached and lifted the bandage. “If it isn’t impo—” She covered her mouth in shock at the sight underneath. The wound had turned green at the edges and appeared to be rotting. “I... I’ll go get the doctor immediately. For this, we can spare some time.”

Seconds later, she returned with the doctor. Without a question, they took him and rushed him off to the ICU.

Relieved, both Trixie and the pegasus went over to one of the hard, wooden benches to sit.

“Moon Dust.”

Trixie turned in surprise. “What?”

“I said Moon Dust. That’s my name.”

She just stared in disbelief. “Trixie finds that hard to believe. How could one run into the exact pony she’s looking for?”

Moon Dust shrugged. “I don’t know. You were coming from the main gate and I was heading there. I guess that increased the odds slightly. By the way, what were you guys up to that got Iron injured?”

Trixie raised her eyebrow skeptically. “Trixie isn’t sure about trusting you. Perhaps you should start with your story.”

“Fair enough. I was about to go looking for Iron. He sent me a letter a few days ago about some relic he found. We were supposed to meet last night. I’d been lurking around those gates since this morning.”

Taking a second to decide whether to tell him the whole story or not, Trixie remained silent before making up her mind. She would tell him the partial truth. “Trixie hired him as a bodyguard. We were attacked while traversing the plains and he took an arrow to the shoulder.”

“Ah. I’ve always said he would get injured hiring himself out as a bodyguard.” Moon Dust scowled at nothing in particular.

They sat in silence for what seemed like hours, each lost in thought. The cool air of the hospital seemed to fade as they got used to it, as did the smell of antibacterials. The patients around them got up and moved down various halls as they were called. Some returned, others did not.

Finally, the doctor, a middle age unicorn, came up to the bench. Both Trixie and Moon Dust looked up expectantly when he cleared his throat.

“Your friend is a lucky stallion. If you had waited a few hours before coming in, that wound would have become too infected for us to treat.” He looked back and forth between the two ponies. “If you don’t mind my asking, why did you wait as long as you did?”

Trixie opened her mouth to speak, but Moon Dust beat her to it.

“Bandits. They ran into them about a day’s journey outside Manehattan. They came as fast as they could.”

The doctor nodded and turned to leave. “Ah... well, again, your friend is lucky. At this point, he was easy to patch up. He just had to rest, but he should be out in a few minutes.”

As Trixie watched the doctor disappear down a hallway, she attempted to pass the time by pacing nervously, but couldn’t seem to take her mind off the turn of events. Finally, she resorted to asking Moon Dust questions. “Iron told me that you’re a detective. Isn’t that a bit foalish, considering the amount of crime in Equestria? The guards do a good job of keeping the cities safe.”

Moon Dust chuckled. “Yes and no. I am a detective... well, part-time now, and it isn’t foalish. You’re right. There aren’t a lot of crimes, and for the most part, I track down missing ponies. But even that is a dying business. It’s why I became an archaeologist.”

“And how did you meet Iron?”

“I agreed to lead an archeological dig. We needed some guards because the territory we were going through was especially dangerous.” He sighed and fell silent for a few minutes, lost in old memories. Finally, he continued. “We didn’t know the ruins were still frequented by a cult. They weren’t friendly, either, and except for our five guards and myself, no one in the team had any fighting experience.” His gaze fell the the ground and he looked away. “Of course the cultists went straight for the other archeologists and, despite our best efforts, slaughtered them. They even went as far as to ignore me and the other guards. Eventually, we had to retreat, but you don’t make it out of anywhere without casualties when you’re outnumbered five to one.

“Long story short, they chased me and Iron, the last two survivors, a surprising distance. We ended up saving each other's lives once or twice. We’ve kept in touch ever since. But...” Moon Dust trailed off as he got up and wandered around the room, lost in thought.

Before Trixie could follow him and ask another question, Iron limped up. His normal shade of blue hadn’t returned yet, his mane was disheveled, and bruises covered his body, giving him a tired appearance.

“It’s amazing what medical unicorns can do these days. Perhaps I should have stayed in Celestia’s school. Being able to get others up and about so quickly would be a good skill to have.” He took a breath and opened his mouth as if he were going to comment about the hospital some more, but then he noticed Moon Dust as he joined them.

“Dust! Long time no see!”

Moon Dust jumped up and the two ponies shook hooves.

“How’ve you been? Still searching for that perfect dig site?” asked Iron.

Moon Dust beamed. “I’m doing well and yes, I’m still searching.” He stood up and walked towards the door. As he went, he called over his shoulder, “But come, we can do some catching up back at my place. It’s been a lonely three months since I’ve last talked to you.”

Iron laughed a little too loudly, drawing some annoyed glances from the others in the waiting room. “You still haven’t made any new friends? Seriously, you are too much of a recluse.”

Moon Dust snorted, grabbed the bills the secretary passed him, and disappeared out the door. Iron followed after, still laughing.

Trixie trailed after them. She tried to look interested, but no longer felt like part of the group, but rather like an extra pony who just happened to be there. Moon Dust is okay, but Trixie would prefer to just leave. She has shows she could be performing. Hopefully, Iron will just pass Moon Dust the relic and we can move on. But it doesn’t look like it.

She sighed and followed after the two stallions. Somehow, she knew that it would be a while before she and Iron would be on the road again.

Neither stallion paid attention to her as Moon Dust hooked the harness onto himself and began walking towards the residential district alongside his friend, chatting about old times.

Putting a forehoof on his desk, Moon Dust gestured at the rest of the room with his other hoof. “Welcome... to my study. I know. It’s not much, but make yourselves comfortable.”

The room was of average size. Along the walls were shelves lined with books and relics ranging from small statuettes to ancient pages carefully preserved behind thin sheets of glass. The rest of the room consisted of a large maplewood desk. Old quills, inkwells, and papers, both smooth and crumpled cluttered the surface. The floor was all hardwood.

“So, Miss Trixie here tells me that you have something for me. A statuette of sorts?” Moon Dust sat down behind the desk and shoved some papers to the side.

Reaching into his saddlebag, Iron pulled out the relic. “Yes, one of my previous clients tried to pay me with it. He said it was infused with magic.” Iron put the it on the desk and slid it forward. “The little guy thought he could get out of paying completely, but I managed to get half the money. I figured the statuette would be worth something, if not to me, then to you.”

To Trixie’s surprise, Moon Dust took it and licked the corner of it. He pondered something for a minute, a curious look in his eyes. Finally, he put the relic down and spoke.

“Yeah, there is a hint of magic. Probably a protection spell to keep it from falling and breaking.” To test his theory, he shoved it off the desk. Sure enough, it hit the ground and bounced slightly. Picking it back up, he walked over to a shelf and placed the relic next to some other statuettes.

He turned back to face Iron and Trixie. “So, Iron, we barely got to talk once we hit traffic. I still want to know about about the group of earth ponies who thought you couldn’t protect them.”

“Ah yes. They insisted on building fires way bigger than necessary only to find out they couldn’t...”

Trixie didn’t stay to hear the rest of the story. It had quickly become boring, and she was more interested in Moon Dust’s collection. She sighed and walked out to the living room. She’d let them do their catching up before she insisted that she and Iron move on.

Walking around the room, she brushed various artifacts. Some she looked at without interest. Others she examined closely. She frowned as she tried to guess each items’ function.

She was careful to avoid the ragged couch and coffee table as she made her way to the back wall. Along the edges of the room was where Moon Dust apparently kept the old weapons and pictures of himself at various dig sites.

As she reached the end of the wall, back at the door through which she had come, she noticed a small picture frame. Inside was a small photo of Iron and Moon Dust, hooves around each other’s shoulders. Both looked haggard, but pleased about something. She couldn’t help but smile and shake her head. Trixie will admit that both ponies are more interesting than she thought.

And Iron is just like Moon Dust, except with slightly more action. He would look good in one of Trixie’s tales. Perhaps something about one of his adventures with Moon Dust?

Trixie realized that she could just barely hear the two friends in the other room. She wouldn’t have normally noticed, except that she had heard her name. Setting the photo down as quietly as possible, she cast a simple eavesdropping spell. The words became clearer and she sat down to listen intently, pressing her ears against the door to amplify the spell. She frowned slightly as Moon Dust’s voice drifted through the door.

“... Trixie? Yeah, I’ve seen her before. She has amazing talent, but she isn’t very good with the audience.”

Of course Moon Dust has to be one of “those” ponies. Trixie huffed, but fell silent as Iron’s voice spoke up.

“Agreed. Her heart is in the show so much that she seems to forget the audience are actual ponies with feelings. She’s so confident in her skill that it tends to blind her a bit. Nevertheless, I still really like her.”

There was a moment of silence before Moon Dust chuckled. “Heh, I’ve never seen you so dreamy-eyed. I think you more than like her.”

Like? Iron has feelings for Trixie?She blinked in surprise. He couldn’t have meant that type of like. He merely enjoyed Trixie’s astounding show, as he should. The next thing Iron said caught her off guard.

Iron snorted. “Fine, you caught me. I finally got up the courage to approach her, but couldn’t bring myself to ask her anything other than if she needed a bodyguard. To be honest, I’m also a little jealous. She can do so much, and if she paid attention to the audience, she would wow millions. Me? I can swing an axe around.”

Not only does he like Trixie, but he’s also jealous of her? Of course he is, but he doesn’t need her talent. She scoffed. Again, any further thought was cut off by a voice, Moon Dust’s this time.

“It’s secretly everypony’s desire to have the abilities of others, I think. I myself would like a different set of talents on occasion. For example, I really do wish I could write as well as you. But for now, I’m stuck with my knack for finding old relics and solving minor cases.”

There was the scrape of chairs as both ponies got up and walked around the room.

“I guess you’re right. I’ll manage.”

There was a pause as somepony put his hoof on the doorknob and turned it. Trixie ended the spell and scrambled back, pretending to look interested in the first thing that caught her gaze, the photo. Moon Dust quickly noticed her and walked up next to her.

“Ah, that was taken several years after Iron and I met. At that moment, we had just finished exploring an old castle in northern Equestria. Lots of fun, but hard work, as we had to unblock most of the doorways. Was well worth it though.” He went over to a display case and pointed out a pair of slender, iron hoof blades attached to a leather strap shaped to go around the forehooves of a pony.

“We found these. The blades look normal, right? Well, they aren’t. They’re imbued with the core of a unicorn horn and are still in pristine condition. Usable too. You see, back during Nightmare Moon’s rebellion, they were the favored weapons of assassins.” He glanced at Trixie, who was staring at them in horror. “Gruesome, I know. But Equestrian culture was significantly different back then than it is now.”

She quickly looked away and pretended to be interested in a set of throwing knives designed for pegasi. “Trixie supposes that things could have been more acceptable a thousand years ago. But as interesting as it is, Iron and I should be going.”

Iron nodded in agreement. “Mhmm... sorry we couldn’t stay longer. We’ll have to get together sometime.”

The two friends were in the middle of shaking hooves when Trixie remembered something. “Moon Dust, Iron said you might know where we could go to perform and be well received?”

Moon Dust tapped his chin and pursed his lips. “If I were you, I’d try the salt bars of Canterlot. They’ll watch almost anything and still clap at the end. Word also travels fast there. If you’re really as good as Iron says you are, a show master is bound to hear about it and hire you.

She nodded grimly. “Back to where Trixie started. It’s settled then.” She was about to head out the door and board her wagon when she remembered Moon Dust’s comment about audiences. “And thank you for the hospitality.”

After getting on her wagon, she sat on the bed and brooded, barely noticing that Iron had hooked himself up to the harness and started pulling.

What she had heard earlier gave her a lot to think about. Though, it was mostly about Iron’s secret love for her.

“Trixie deman- Trixie means, she would like to know why we’ve stopped.” She poked her head out of the window, glaring at Iron.

He sighed in relief and unhooked himself. As he went about building a small fire, he explained. “We aren’t traveling particularly dangerous roads now, and we aren’t in a hurry. Plus my shoulder hurts. The doc said to rest if it began to hurt.”

Trixie snorted, but didn’t complain further. Instead, she shut the window and then joined Iron by the fire. Despite the fact that there was still some sun left in the day, the chill of night was already setting in.

She thought about moving closer to him for warmth, and was about to when her nerves got the better of her. Instead, she asked about an idea she had been entertaining for the last several hours. “What if Trixie were to put on a light show of sorts?”

“Hmm?” Iron glanced at her, a curious expression in his eyes. “Of sorts?”

“Yes, a light show with battle magic.”

Iron was silent for a second, in deep thought. Then, he suddenly turned and replied. “It’d be dangerous for sure, but if done right, I’m sure the audiences would be awed. However, I can’t do said magic very well. I stick mostly to swinging an axe.” He shrugged. “I mean, I know the basic spells and the concept of some of the other ones, but not enough to put on a show.”

Trixie raised an eyebrow. “But what if Trixie were the one to perform the magic and you could work in some of the minor spells? You could teach her the concept behind the harder magic.”

“You certainly have the power for them. And I could try to teach you.” Iron stood up and assumed what Trixie thought was a battle stance. “You have your basic flash spells, followed by various forms of ice, and lastly, the fire spells. There are other schools of magic, but we’ll focus on these three for now.

“Of course, all unicorns are taught to conjure coloured light.” He demonstrated by making his horn glow red, then blue, and finally green.

“Then, you have the ice spells, ranging from pure water to an ice lance.” Concentrating hard, Iron sprayed a volley of ice needles from his horn into the ground at Trixie’s hooves.

“Finally, you have your fire spells. They range from a simple candle flame to a raging inferno. I was at one point in time enamored with this school of magic, but was never able to master it.” To demonstrate, he summoned a small flame. It danced in front of him, casting shadows that moved wildly on the ground. He slowly traced an obscure pattern in the air, feeding the flames with his magic.

Trixie backed up, for once looking on in awe.

Suddenly, the flames died down and Iron fell to the ground, dizzy from all the spinning. “I try so hard on this spell, but I get light-headed before I can complete it.”

As Iron took a moment to regain his sense of direction, Trixie decided to try the inferno on her own. It looked simple enough. Start a fire, feed magic into it, spin your head. She followed these steps exactly, making sure to stay well away from her belongings.

Her flame steadily grew, and she smiled as it grew higher than Iron’s had. It was about to reach its peak when suddenly she was tackled from the side. The flame immediately went out and she lay on the ground, groaning.

“Are you crazy?” Iron shouted. “You have no experience, and with flames that big, you’ll burn yourself to a crisp!” He shook Trixie’s shoulders. “You’re also lucky that we’re in the middle of nowhere right now.” Breathing deeply to calm himself, he got off Trixie and went back to the fire.

Trixie just laid in the dirt for a few seconds, his words ringing in her ears. Finally, she got up and glared at him. She would prove him wrong. She could and would do the spell. It was then that an idea popped into her head.

Starting over, the flame slowly grew. This time, she kept it at just under ceiling height. She then stopped tracing the glyph, and instead fed just enough magic to keep the flames from going out.

“Iron?” Trixie glanced over her shoulder towards the campfire. “Could Trixie ask you a question?”

He cautiously plodded over, eyeing Trixie’s feat of magic nervously. “What? If you’re just asking my opinion, the flames are great.”

“No, it’s not that. Trixie has an idea. You can cast flash in different colours, right?” When he nodded, Trixie continued. “Trixie was thinking: What if you cast flash and held it in the flames?”

Iron thought for a second. Suddenly, his eyes lit up. “Like this?” With a flash of his horn, the fire glowed brightly. “Now watch.” Concentrating, he slowly formed a thread of silver light to connect with the flames. They traveled up the beam of magic, stopping just short of Iron’s horn. Then he threw back his head, ripping bits of flame out of the inferno. Whipping them around, he left a starry trail. When he stopped, the words The Great and Powerful Trixie hung in the air for a few seconds before blowing away in a shower of sparks.

Trixie watched, amazed the entire time. As he finished, she was determined to beat him. Concentrating with all her might, tendrils of flame broke away from the tornado of fire. Suddenly, the whole thing turned in on itself, writhing as it formed into something else.

The threads of fire began moving, reattaching to the main ball of fire. Slowly, they became wings, a neck and head, legs, and finally a tail.

The newly-formed image of a dragon soared through the air, trailing a cascade of sparks. It flew high into the sky before bursting apart, raining down a rainbow of colours.

Satisfied, she smirked at Iron. “Yours was good, but it would be even better with mine.”

He chuckled and poked her. “Indeed. So, I take it this is the type of light show you had in mind?”

Trixie nodded.

“Well, it’s good, but incredibly dangerous.” He gestured at the scorched earth around him. “But I’m sure we could find a bar with a fireproof stage.” He yawned. “For now, though, it’s time to get some sleep.”

Trixie nodded silently and made her way to the bed in her wagon. As she lay there, listening to the crickets, her mind wandered to Iron. He’s done so much for Trixie, more than she could ever hope to repay. Without asking for anything, he offered to guard her. He didn’t even complain when he took an arrow for her. And now, he’s practically agreed to be her assistant in a performance.

She lifted her head to look out the window at his sleeping form by the fire. To her, he looked so lonely. Perhaps for one night Trixie could give up the comfort of her bed to keep him company.

She got up and walked outside to lay by him.

Trixie smiled wryly. She had started at the Salt Flats as a showmare many years ago. Though it had changed much since she had last been here.

Her mind turned back to the remainder of the trip. It had passed uneventfully, with the only activities being walking and practicing their routine. She found that her first tornado of flames had been very basic. In the four days they had travelled, she had found that it could be much more than just tendrils of fire. She felt that she was now ready for a new beginning. And with Iron, the show was sure to be a success. He too had expanded his knowledge of battle magic.

“Trixie? Do you know where to go from here?” Iron grunted as he pulled the wagon beside her. “I mean, it’s not like we can just walk into a bar and perform.”

Trixie turned to her companion and rolled her eyes. “You’re right. We can’t. But we can just walk into a bar and tell the owner we’re going to perform. We worry about the performance, they worry about the time slots.” She couldn’t help but laugh at Iron’s skeptical glance. “Trust Trixie. She has done this before.”

She gestured towards the nearest bar and walked towards it. Iron followed closely behind, only taking a second to park the wagon and unhook himself.

Trixie stood in the doorway, taking a second to wave away the smoke that drifted towards the cool air that wafted by her. Then, she made her way over to the bar top and waited patiently for the bartender to notice her.

The barkeep finally noticed his new customer and walked over. “What’ll it be? A salt martini? No? Perhaps a salt sour?”

Waving her hoof dismissively, Trixie began to negotiate. “Trixie is not here to drink. she and her assistant are here to perform.” She nodded at a stage located at the back. “Provided the area is fireproof.”

“Trixie, eh? I’ve heard o’ you.” The bartender turned to serve another drink to a different customer. “What use does this bar have of a storyteller who’s been run out of every town for messing with their tales, claiming her version is the true version.”

A flicker of anger crossed Trixie’s eyes and her voice began to rise. “Do not insult the Great and Powerful Trixie. The stories she tells are well-researched to ensure their truthfulness.” The anger passed and she regained her composure. “However, that is irrelevant. We are not here to tell a story. The show we will be putting on is dangerous and will include fire... lots of fire.”

At the words, “dangerous” and “fire” the bartender’s eyes lit up. “Well, as long as you aren’t messing with Canterlot’s tales, I might be able to convince the manager to give you a spot tonight.” He disappeared into the back room. He returned moments later with another a large, rust red stallion with large eyebrows in tow.

“So, Cider Sponge here tells me you want to put on a light show.”

Trixie nodded.

“And it involves fire?”

Again, she nodded.

The manager pretended to think for a second. “Twenty bits.”

“Thirty-five bits.” Trixie countered.

“Twenty-five.” The manager cooly replied.

Trixie smiled and leaned against the counter. “Thirty, no more, no less.”

The manager scowled, but didn’t argue further. “You better have something ready, because at thirty bits, you’re getting the rowdy night crowd at midnight.”

“Four hours from now? Fine, Trixie and her assistant will be prepared.” She tossed her cape around her and walked out as calmly as possible. Iron followed close behind.

“So, now what?” Iron pushed aside ponies as he tried to keep up with Trixie’s quick pace.

She got into the wagon and lay down on the bed. “Now? We wait.”

Iron lay down beside her and closed his eyes.

“Aren’t you nervous?” Iron peeked out at the audience and quickly ducked back behind the curtain. “Rowdy was an understatement. If they don’t like our performance, even my loud voice and axe wouldn’t be enough to silence them if they decide to riot.”

Trixie closed her eyes and breathed deeply. “Trixie does not become nervous. She has long since learned to put such things behind her.” She didn’t even flinch as a salt glass came flying through the curtain, missing her by inches.

“You’re on in twenty seconds,” whispered the manager. He prodded both Trixie and Iron. “Go, before they get too restless. Err... more restless than they already are.”

Taking a final breath, Iron glanced nervously at Trixie and prepared the opening spell as he pushed his way through the curtain.

Trixie closed her eyes, taking some calming breaths as she listened for the sharp crack of Iron’s spell and said his rehearsed introductory spiel.

“Ladies and Gentlecolts, I present to you the one, the only, The Great and Powerful Trixie! Watch in awe as she bends fire to her will!”

Trixie opened her eyes and threw out the smoke bomb, teleporting into the center of black cloud it released at the same time. She lifted her head and breathed in deeply, drawing all the smoke into her mouth. As she became visible to the crowd, she could see them staring in amazement. She grinned mischievously at them and slowly exhaled. At first, only smoke came out, but a second later, it erupted into flames, floating just off to her left.

As she blew the last of the fire, the audience watched in a stunned silence. Then, they started to clap. They were only shushed when Iron started his part of the performance.

He went through the practiced motions of drawing out tendrils of flame, changing their colours to blue, and purple, and green. They danced around him, bathing the room in a dim light.

Suddenly, Trixie grabbed the fire from his grip, changing them to threads of ice. She floated them around the inferno in the center of the stage.

Iron protected them from melting in the intense heat. He also cast a small amplification spell so that beads of coloured light danced around the room.

By now, the bar patrons had turned completely silent. Even the manager, who had moved near the exit, just in case, stood with his mouth hanging open. Except for the roaring of the flames, not a sound was made by the audience or the performers.

Being careful not to lose concentration, Trixie formed flames into tendrils that whipped out over the audience. As it did, it slowly turned to ice, spreading outwards. The ice extended beyond the stage, creating a path for her to walk across.

As she walked along the path, the ice melted behind her. When she reached the end, she paused for effect before rearing up and twirling her cloak around herself as she prepared to teleport back to the stage. With a burst of magic, the disk of ice exploded, causing the audience to cry out and duck in fear. However, when they looked up, there was not a shard of ice to be seen anywhere. Instead, all of their glasses had been filled to the brim with salt.

There was silence for a second before the place exploded in applause. The roar of the crowd was deafening. Even Iron joined in, his voice heard above all the others.

Trixie beamed for the first time in what felt like years. Practice had paid off and for once, she felt validated. She bowed again and again, trying to make her “thank you” heard above the noise. But if anypony heard, they didn’t acknowledge it. Caught up in the moment, she finished her last bow and turned to throw her forehooves around Iron. She hugged him tightly, beyond pleased at his work, her work, their work.

She pulled back and looked into his eyes. He was flushed beet-red, but she didn’t care. Nothing mattered now but him and her. They had done it. Together. Nothing could have made that moment more special. She threw herself back into the hug, resting her head on his shoulder.

“Trixie?”

She looked up as she felt a tap on her shoulder. “Hmm?”

“I am Lime Light, manager of the Silver Star Theater. May I compliment you on the excellent show you put on tonight?”

Iron looked at Trixie and at her nod, spoke for her. “It was our pleasure. Now, what can we do for you?”

“It seems like you picked the right night to perform here. And, well... I would like to extend an invitation to you to perform at my theater next week,” Lime Light shouted to make himself heard. “If you accept, we’ll be paying you one hundred bits... each... for the first performance.”

Trixie felt her jaw drop. “One hundred bits? Yes, yes we’ll accept. But Trixie has one question for you. Why here, of all places? There are plenty of other, better places to search for talent.”

His eyes twinkled as he pulled out a letter and passed it to Trixie. “Let’s just say that an old friend was kind enough to direct me here.” With that, he turned and left, yelling over his shoulder as he went. “Don’t forget, next week. Though I expect you to come in tomorrow to see the theater.”

An hour later, Trixie and Iron managed to exit the bar and make their way back to her wagon. Wearily, they crawled into the bed. They lay there awake, staring at the ceiling.

“You know, Trixie heard what you told Moon Dust back at his place.” Trixie glanced at Iron, waiting for a reaction. She continued when none came. “And Trixie thinks she likes you too... well, more than likes you. You’ve done so much for her without asking for anything. It’s made Trixie see life in a new light. She—”

She was interrupted as Iron turned over and kissed her. They held the kiss for a few seconds before breaking apart.

“Trixie... I will never ask for payment. Being with you is enough.”

They nuzzled for a few seconds before Trixie remembered the letter Lime Light had given her. She pulled it out and levitated so both she and Iron could read it.

Dear Lime Light,

I think it’s time I called in the favor you owe me from all those years ago. I have directed two unicorns, Iron and Trixie, in your general direction. Both are very talented and I believe they are just what you’re looking for in your theater. I did not send them directly to you for reasons which I shall keep to myself, but rather, I sent them to the salt bars. Of course, I don’t know at which one they will be, so please, put agents at each one. Just give them a chance. I believe they will not fail to please.

Sincerely,
Moon Dust