The Great and Powerful Library Escapade
Sometimes Things Get, Whatever
I’m the Great and Powerful Trixie, and there is no reason why I should be having to put up with a minotaur telling me what to do…
That may sound too weird to be true, so let me back up a bit and explain things from the beginning. Ever since my exile from Ponyville a few years back, I have been a wanderer of sorts. Sure, every once in a while, I’ll find some place that’s willing to let me be there for a bit, but inevitably something happens to where I’m forced to find someplace else to lay my head.
For the moment, I’m in Manehattan, plying my trade as a… Hmmph. I don’t even know if I can bring myself to say it. I suppose now I have to, though… I’m a stage magician. That doesn’t seem like it’s all that bad, you’re probably saying; isn’t that what you were doing anyways? Well, yes, but… not like this.
See, the only way I’ve been able to continue doing what I do best… is to do it at little fillies’ birthday parties. There. I said it.
Oh, how the mighty have fallen…
It’s not too bad of a gig, I guess. The residents of Manehattan are generally more wealthy than residents of other areas, so whenever I do a party it generally tends to pay pretty well. The kids seem to like me, too.
I usually get about one or two jobs a month, and that’s more than enough to sustain me during the other 28 or so days when I’m not working. It sucks that I can only ply my craft on so few occasions, but for now… it’s something I’ll have to deal with.
Pretty soon after I moved to Manehattan, I discovered something unique that I’d never seen before. “Manehattan Public Library,” the sign outside proclaimed. I had no idea what on earth a library was, at that time. I’d heard it mentioned once in Ponyville, but that was just in passing when someone said that Twilight Sparkle- may she rue the day she was ever born- was the one who ran it.
I found out it opened up before any other shop in the city, and because I’m naturally an early-bird riser, I figured I’d go check it out. That’s when I discovered just how awesome that place is. See, they have this thing inside the library; they call it a café, and they serve all of these delicious hot beverages. Sometimes I’ll have the coffee, sometimes the hot chocolate… So many things I’ve never had before. And it’s not all that expensive, either; I can get a huge cup for one bit.
The library itself is pretty awesome, too. It has books of all kinds there, even my favorite genre, ponynormal romance. Basically, regular romance with weird stuff happening alongside it. Like vampires and wereponies and such.
At the risk of sounding like Twilight Sparkle… the library is actually pretty cool.
I’ve been in Manehattan for about two months now, and it’s gotten to the point where I go to the library every morning that it’s open, provided I’m not asleep still from a long night of doing my shows. Everypony who works at the library knows me and my habits: what books I like to read, how I like my coffee… It’s all quite nice, honestly.
This day seems like every other day. I wake up and stretch my limbs, as I try to get the blood flowing back to them. I’ve had a problem as of late, where my legs will pretty much go uselessly limp during the night, so when I wake up I’ve got to get them working back properly again. It’s rather tedious, but if I want to be able to move around without looking like some drunken sot, it’s a necessary evil.
As I head into my bathroom to take my morning shower, I grab a compact disc that I checked out from the library a few days ago. It’s really weird; I’d never heard the style of music before I started listening to this album. The title of it is pretty weird too; it’s just called “Random Album Title.” And what pony would stoop to calling themselves deadmau5, at that?
I don’t question it, really, mostly because I’ve found that I rather enjoy their music. It’s soothing, and at the same time invigorating. I like it.
While I’m waiting for the water to warm up, I put the CD in my stereo and turn it to my favorite track from the album, “Brazil (2nd Edit)”. While I’m taking my shower, I keep the stereo turned up high so I can dance along to the music. It’s gotten to the point now, to where I’ll actually incorporate the more dance-friendly songs from that album and from a few others that deadmau5 has produced, into my magic shows. One perennial favorite is a rather interesting piece called “Raise Your Weapon”; it’s from a different album- I think it’s called “4x4=12,” which is another title I don’t get, because four times four is 16, not 12…
I normally stay in the shower a bit longer than what’s absolutely necessary, just because I don’t really want to stop listening to the music. Eventually, though, I do get out and start getting dressed, all the while having the music play in the background.
My style of dress really hasn’t changed much, since I left Ponyville. This has contributed to ponies giving me more than my fair share of odd glances, but nopony has ever called me out on it. I guess in the end, they’re accepting of it. Why couldn’t the Ponyville-ians be like that?
I miss the one they call Doctor Whooves… He was so nice, unlike the majority of those other Ponyville snobs…
Well, enough of that. Everything’s ready, and I’m now off to the Manehattan library. When I get there, it’s been open for a few minutes already, but luckily my favorite comfortable chair hasn’t been taken yet. I have a sneaking suspicion that they don’t let anyone else sit in it when I’m not there, but I can’t say for sure…
I go and grab my coffee, then head back to the book section and grab the book I’d started on too late to finish it yesterday. It’s by my favorite ponynormal romance author, Kelley Hoofstrong; the book itself is called “Industrial Magic,” and it’s a rather intriguing tale. From what I’ve been able to gather, it’s about a witch who needs to use her magic powers to solve a series of grisly murders.
And of course, because it’s a ponynormal romance novel, there’s clop in it. Quite a bit.
I settle into my chair and flip to the page where I left off at. I take a sip of my coffee, and sigh in contentment. It’s rather good, like always. I’m just about to go back to reading, when I get the distinct sensation that someone is watching me. Then again, I always feel like somebody’s watching me, but this time I’m feeling it stronger than ever.
So, I look up. Standing in front of me is a grey minotaur; he’s looking down on me like I’m some bug he just stepped on. It’s rather offensive.
“Pardon me,” I say. “Can the Great and Powerful Trixie do anything for you?”
He snorts. “Great? Powerful?” His voice is raised to a level totally unbefitting a library. “It seems to Iron Will like you’re neither. YOU’RE A DISGRACE, YOU HEAR ME? A DISGRACE!”
Now, he’s yelling at the top of his lungs. I can’t help but shrink back a bit. What is this guy’s problem?
“Good minotaur,” I reply, “I neither know nor care who you are, but this is no place to-“
“YOU DON’T TALK TO IRON WILL LIKE THAT. IRON WILL IS THE TEACHER, AND YOU’RE THE STUDENT. AS FOR WHO IRON WILL IS, HE'S IRON WILL, AND HE'S HERE TO TELL YOU ABOUT HOW YOU CAN GET YOUR LIFE BACK TOGETHER SO YOU CAN GET YOUR LAZY, NO-GOOD FLANK BACK TO PONYVILLE WHERE YOU WANT TO BE!”
Regardless of how he knows about my desire to go back to Ponyville, there’s no reason for him to be talking to me like this. “I appreciate your offer, but-“
“YOU JUST NEED A DEMONSTRATION THAT WHAT IRON WILL SAYS HE CAN DO, HE ACTUALLY CAN CAN DO, AND WILL WORK FOR YOU! JUST ASK THE PINK AND YELLOW PONY; SHE’LL TELL YOU!”
He’s getting some rather ugly stares from the library clerks now…
“I know all about your attempted ‘conversion’ of the one they call Fluttershy. And I know it failed as well. So I have no use of you.” I wave a hoof in his direction. “Good day.”
His veins look like they’re about to burst. “HOW DARE YOU TALK TO IRON WILL LIKE THAT! THERE’S NOPONY AT ALL THAT CAN MOTIVATE LIKE IRON WILL CAN! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK THAT-“
Just then, the library security walks up and taps him on the shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he says, “but you’re being entirely too loud. I’m going to have to ask you to leave. And if you don’t…” He hefts a tranquilizer slingshot into his hand. Iron Will just huffs and stomps out, but not before yelling, “IRON WILL IS NOT DONE WITH YOU YET, TRIXIE! SOMEDAY YOU’LL BE BEGGING IRON WILL FOR HIS HELP!”
When he’s gone, I sigh and return to my book. “Some creatures will do anything for attention…”
