Trixie had retreated, tactfully and confidently. When she emerged from the elevator back onto the casino floor of her boss, he was on her in an instant.

"There's the new star," he had cried, throwing a leg over her. "You have it all figured out?"

Trixie tensed a little. He smelled of heavy cologne now that she thought to check and he was quite pushy, though that was part and parcel for his career. "I have a perfect plan," she replied with a cocky smile. "I need to practice a little before it is implemented. Where is Trixie's room?"

He whistled and the effect was astounding. The only sound was that of dice that had been thrown before the whistle. All eyes in the room were on Don. "Hey, bring Tricks here to a spot of her own."

One of the stallions slid off his chair and got trotting, and that was apparently a cue for the others to resume what they were doing. He grabbed a key off a display with many others, clenched in his teeth, and he came over to Don and Trixie. "Let's go."

Trixie slipped out from under Don. "Let's. Thank you." She followed him into the elevator, thankful to be away from her helpful, if uncomfortable, boss. She decided he still rated higher than the one she had suffered under as a human. As soon as the doors slid shut, she looked aside at the stallion she shared the car with. "So, what sort of place is Trixie being given?"

The stallion gave a toss of his head, hurling the key in Trixie's direction, though she caught it easily. "This building's the Don's. You get an apartment like everypony else."

Trixie blinked softly. An entire apartment to herself? Wait... She had one of those as a human. Still, at least she wasn't downgrading while gaining pony magic. She decided to take that as a positive. "Very generous of him." She turned the key in her magic. There was a 404 written on it. She cracked a smile. "Error 404, room not found."

"Huh?"

"Nothing." Trixie clapped a hoof over her snout. Humor like that wouldn't have a home among the ponies.

The elevator chimed as they reached the fourth floor. The stallion stepped out and turned to the right. "It's just there." He swept along the right side of the hall. "Evens. Just follow it, and good luck."

Trixie looked along. Each door had a little plate above it with its number. "Trixie can figure this out. Take it easy."

"Yea sure." He reached out a hoof, pressing the elevator call. "If you need help with the heist, you let me know."

Trixie perked an ear at him. Was he being nice? Or... "Do we get a cut of what we get?"

He grinned. "'Course. Bigger the take, bigger the cut. It sounds like the big man has you on a fat target." The elevator chimed as it arrived and the doors slid open. The stallion stepped forward into it. "Let me know. I'm ready." The doors slid shut and carried the pony away.

Trixie tapped her chin. The way she saw it, the more ponies she had, the more she'd probably have to divide it with. If she could manage it on her own, that would be ideal. Besides, she was Great and also Powerful, and she could manage her first real performance. She just needed...

Her thoughts trailed off as she reached her door. She thrust the key in her mental grip and it slid easily into the lock. A quick twist and she felt the internal mechanism slide into place. She released the key and grabbed the knob in her magic, giving it a twist and a push.

The door slid easily, revealing her apartment. And what an apartment it was, finely appointed with hanging lights, paintings, and mostly new-looking appliances she could see even from the doorway. "Wow." She had an apartment as a human, she was certain of it, but it didn't look so... nice. She took a step forward and her hooves sank into soft carpeting. She didn't have soft carpeting! She had carpeting, she remembered, but it was short and functional.

She shook her head and turned, reclaiming her key before closing her door. "Does he keep all the rooms this nice?" she muttered to herself as she twisted the lock, securing herself in her new space. She pressed into her new space. Everything seemed... soft. She reached a hoof to tap at the rim of her toilet. Even that was soft, cushioned. "This is a bit much."

She imagined the stallion she had come with and the others like him. Did they also live in soft places? It didn't seem their style.

That's when it hit her. She was given a soft room. The goon had selected the room, and probably knew what it was. "Well, someone just made sure they're not picked." She stuck out her tongue as she came out into the dining room where she could see most of the rest of the apartment. Part of her wanted to try out that couch. It was curved and likely as soft as everything else.

As insulted as she felt, she planned to enjoy her new, comfy, home. But first! First....

She was hungry. She trotted into the kitchen and willed the fridge open. It was empty. It was cool and operational, but empty. She would have to fix that, later... She grabbed a phone she saw hanging out on the counter. Holding the receiver, she looked it over for buttons, but there were none. They were back on the base of the phone, which it was attached to with a coiled cord. "Oh, right, old school." She felt a pang of sorrow for not having a cellphone.

She didn't know the number to call... Ah ha! She willed the 0 be pressed.

"Manehatten Bell, how can we direct your call?" came a friendly male voice.

"Oh, hello there." Trixie smiled into the phone as she spoke, "I'm trying to order some food and I don't know any of the numbers."

"I'd be happy to help. Is there a particular kind of food you were trying to get?" asked the unknown stallion.

Trixie tapped her chin. She wanted to try all kinds of pony foods, but she was hungry, and she had work to do. "Let's keep it simple. How about some pizza?"

"I'll connect your call. You have a good day."

"You too," replied Trixie with a smile. Why had they ever gotten rid of operators? That was so much nicer than googling up an answer. She heard a faint buzzing, then a click.

"Cheesy Slice," said a female voice with a thick Manehattan accent. "What can I get for yas?"

Trixie felt a breath escape. Food was getting closer. "Yes, hello. Trixie is hungry and would like whatever the special of the day is, please."

"One everythin' but the sink, coming up! Are you picking up or are we comin' to you?" Trixie could hear her writing something down and the noises of the kitchen filtered through the phone.

"Please deliver it..." Oh. She didn't know her address. She clenched her teeth. "One moment!" She set the phone receiver down and suddenly there was stinging pain. It was less than the last two times. She appeared in front of the house with a pop, startling a mare and her foal. She looked left and right, checking the road signs. "Got it."

With another pop, she appeared back in her room, mildly sizzling. "I'm getting better..." She grabbed the receiver in her magic and pulled it up. "Please tell me you're still there."

"Address?"

Trixie recited her address proudly. "Room 404."

"That'll be four bits plus tip." With an abrupt click, the call was ended.

Trixie set the receiver back on the base. "Huh, ponies have tips. Right!" She remembered Rarity giving a tip, in Manehatten too of all places! She dug out her bag of bits and spilled them out across the dining room table. "Time to learn money." She reached with her hooves and began pushing them around. Most of them had a little 1, but some reported themselves as 5 and she even spied a 10 in there.

With her magic, she sorted them into piles, then set a five aside. "I'll let the delivery pony just keep this, tip included." The rest she put away. "Trixie, you are learning how this works. You should be proud." And, she was. It was little things that a pony would have already known, but she was picking it up, and felt accomplished.

Money secured, payment arranged, and food on the way, Trixie's thoughts rose beyond survival back to her mission. "I need to get this right." She took a slow breath. "Teleporting shouldn't be painful. It hurt Twilight the first time she tried it, but she got better. I have to be better."

She pointed to the couch that looked so comfortable. "And... go!" She ceased to exist, then popped into place a few inches above the couch. She crashed down onto it and discovered it was just as soft as it looked. She sank into its welcoming embrace. Perhaps it had been the stress of learning magic, or just relief that she had gotten it so close to right, but she lost track of the world until a loud clopping stirred her from her sleep, spittle trailing from her snout into the soft folds of the couch.

She half-fell from the couch to the soft carpeting and scrambled towards the door. "Coming!"

She wrenched the door open to reveal a thin and lanky colt. She guessed he was the pony equivalent of a teenager. He blushed at seeing her. "O-oh, hello ma'am!" He bent back and grabbed a pizza box in his teeth and brought it around towards her. "One pizza!"

Trixie wrapped it in her magic and lifted it away from him even as she grabbed the coin off the table and brought it over. Multi-tasking her grabbings wasn't nearly as hard as she imagined it might have been. "Here you are. Trixie is looking forward to this."

He accepted the bit on an upturned hoof, then tucked it away in one of those pockets a pony shouldn't have, but did. "Thank you. Please order me again." He tensed and paled. "I mean! Cheesy Slice hopes you order again soon!" He scrambled away, blushing fiercely.

Trixie shook her head at the retreating youth. Hormones, right? She laughed to herself even as she closed the door. She was too happy about having food to really be angry at the awkward not-even-meant come on of some teenaged colt. She set the box down on the dining room table and popped it open. Cheese and tomato sauce assaulted her senses, mixed with hints of garlic and roasted vegetables. There was no meat. How could she have ordered a 'everything but the sink' and gotten no meat?

Right. Pony. Still, it was a colorful explosion of more veggies than she would have ever considered gracing a pizza. She could smell them blended together in curious patterns she had never experienced before. She was looking forward to trying it. She was a pony. Ponies loved veggies, and oats. Were there oats? She leaned in, squinting. Yes, there were grains of some kind sprinkled in among the rest of the flavor riot.

She grabbed a slice, specifically trying to take it from all sides at once, to make a perfect lift that, as a human, would have been difficult to do. Like magic, since it was magic, it lifted into the air, cut perfectly.

It was also hot! She was reminded that her magic did have senses. Strange, uniform, senses, but senses all the same. She dropped the pizza with a surprised yelp, the slice flopping on top of a few other slices.

Smiling awkwardly, she grabbed some plates from the kitchen, and a fork too. "Just because you can use magic, maybe it doesn't mean you should, all the time."

Author's Note

Lodging, food, practice bending reality to one's whims. Isn't this what every mare wants?

I want to try a slice of that pizza... Would that be a typo for me?

Want this story updated faster? Want to get your own story written? Want to just support the author in his writing? Join the atreon!

Join my discord to chat!