Chapter 1: On A Long And Lonesome Highway (Soarin')
The tour carriage sped through the night on the long streatch of road between Canterlot and Los Pegasus. Noted it wasn't Soarin's favorite method of travel, but it sure beat the hell out of flying seven hours between the two points. Even the Wonderbolts needed to rest their wings every now and again.
Their first night on the road began as every other past tour had. A three day vacation from practice before to spend some time with the family, packing, a farewell party and one long carriage ride's worth of sleep before 3 weeks of non-stop preformanceses, autograph signings and cheep motels. But hey, you can't be one of the best flyer's in Equestria without having some inconveniance. It's just part of the life.
Soarin' sighed as he stared out the window into darkness of Luna's night. The stars shined brighter than usual as the moon remained hidden by the shadow of the land. Of in the distance,a few rumbles of thunder and flashes of lightning illuminated the darkened sky over what he assumed was Ponyville. This usually ment that Rainbow Dash was moping over his leaving again. They had been married now for three years, meeting formally for the first time after she had won the Best Young Flyers Competition. He never expected to get close to a fan, but in love and life these things just happen. Not that he wasn't happy that he had a loving wife and a foal on the way. He was very happy about that. He didn't really want to leave Rainbow home alone, especially because she was due in two months, but she insisted that he go ahead. After all when their child is born, he's going to have to cut down on touring. That one was his choice.
"Yo, you ok Soarin'?" A voice called out from the back of the carriage. "You down about leaving Dashie home alone?"
He turned around and looked at the mare with the mane that flowed from her like a wild fire. "Yeah, just alil bit. What about you Spits? Kids gonna miss ya for a few weeks?"
Spitfire laughed at the sound of her crappy nickname. "Oh you know they are, what kid isn't going to miss their mother when she's away."
"True, so true." He sighed again and turned his head back towards the window. The lightning still flashed in a multitude of colors, her way of blowing off steam. He loved the way she was able to control the lightning she made like that. He only wished that he didn't have to see it when he is going away.
His focus shifted from the now disipating storm to the other pegasus in the carriage. Fleetfoot sat leaning against her window, a pair of headphones covering her ears. Soarin' knew this usually ment she was asleep. Even under the flow of her mane, which was usually held up by her uniform, he could still the silvery outline of an embeded peice of metal.
About 3 years earlier during a show in Canterlot, a rogue storm cloud passed through the show's airspace. Thinking it was the cloud she had set up, Fleetfoot dived into the cloud attempting the Snow Blitz. a rare pegasus move that involved flash freezing the air around you. When she dived in she was struck by lightning, lost control and implaed her neck on a broken railing. She was lucky to walk away with her life.
Soarin' reached over and pushed on her shoulder gently, reciving a startled shutter from the drowsy pegasus. "Hey Fleetfoot, you awake?"
She sat up sliding her headphones off her head, no music echoing from the speakers. Setting them aside, she reatched into her purse and procured a small notepad and quill. She immediatly began scribling something onto the pad and held it up for him to see.
I Am Now
"Sorry about that." He said nervously.
It's Ok ,she wrote slowly, I needed to get my fat flank up anyways. She sat up and stretched, her wings out in full extent, each individual bone popping in and out of place. If the sound wasn't so disturbing, Soarin' would have found this display to be sexy to say the least. He gave himself a mental facehoof and went back to staring out the window.
Fleetfoot tapped on his shoulder, holding her notepad a few inches from his face. Thinking of RD, huh?
"You know good and well I am. I always am."
Just don't let it distract you when we perform tomorrow. I don't want you ending up hurt or dead, ok?
"I won't let it get to me, has it ever before?" He asked curiously.
Remember the Stalliongrad show 4 years ago. You got distracted and caused a cloud to rocket right towards Joseph Stallion. We got imprissioned for 3 moths because of that.
"Oh yeah, I forgot all about it. Now that you mention it, didn't one of us get raped in that place?"
Yeah, your dumb ass because that one stallion got you drunk off of toliet vodka
Soarin' turned away from her. He didn't want to admit it, but he sometimes still had nightmares about that time.
"Will you two go back to sleep, please? It's bad enough that Soarin' talks to himself normally, but when he's talking to you Fleets, it's just weird. No offence." Spitfire called out from the back row. She was spralled out and trying to sleep with one hoof hiked up over the back seat, and to Soarin's unfortunate staisfaction, exposing her marehood to the world.
Fleetfoot scribbled some words and tossed the paper back to Spitfire, who promptly caught it and unrolled it. We'll go to bed and shut up if you cover yourself. I can see right up Mane Street and it does not look pretty.
Spitfire blushed and shifted her position to where nopony could see her private areas. "Just bucking go to bed you two."
Soarin' yawned and quiclkly obliged to Spitfire's orders. It had been a long night and he needed his beauty sleep.
Chapter 2: So You Walk Into This Resturant (Trixie)
“Thank You!” Trixie screeched as she bowed her way of the stage. “The GREAT and POWERFUL Trixie appreciates you coming to see her!”
The crowd wasn't too enthusiastic, especially because it was a small town talent competition and Trixie has built up quite the reputation as a notoriously self-engrossed egomaniac. Every pony knew her humiliating story, no matter how far she tried to get away from that past. It haunted her dreams; she had to take potions just to get to sleep at night because they would keep her up for hours. The laughter, the humiliation, the torment and snide remarks. They were her nightmare.
She slipped through the curtains and snuck to the small tent they gave each contestant to use as a dressing and rehearsal room. It wasn’t much compared to what she was used to all those years ago, but it was able to satisfy her needs for now. It had a small cot, a clothes rack and a small table. It almost felt like home, back when she used to live with her mother in a box under a bridge in Stalliongrad.
She sat down on the table, her horn aglow as she conjured up a large mirror that covered most of the small table. She removed her large wizard’s hat and her sapphire-clasped cloak and sent them to hang from the clothes rack. She began brushing her mane while humming a tune she had heard a while back that she thought described her. Of course, anything she liked she thought was meant for her. It was her natural ego, her true desire to be adored instead of looked upon as a poor homeless drifter that wandered the Equestrian country side looking for a final resting place. She wanted more for herself and it seemed like she was getting nowhere.
The Velcro lining on her tent door ripped open as two stallions walked in. The first was tall and dark brown. His mane was black, neat and very utilitarian. The suit he wore and his headset made him seem professional, but gave a very intimidating first impression. His cutie mark was of a stock ticket and three bags of bits lying in front of a large gold star.
The other stallion was a lot less intimidating. He was a Pegasus with a dark silvery blue coat and the mane to match, save for the streaks of silver. His eyes were soft and shy; darting quickly around as if he didn't want to be there, which Trixie assumed he didn't. His wings, tucked in and the feathers ruffled told her that he was afraid of something, that or the first stallions intimidating demeanor and confidence was overpowering any that he had. The only thing that showed Trixie any strength that he may have was his cutie mark. It depicted two wings, one had the bright and regal white feathers of an angel, and the other was the blood-red, dragon-like wing of a demon.
Trixie got up and walked over to the pair as they came into her tent. “Hello, is there anything The Great and Powerful Trixie can help you with?”
The first stallion walked closer to her. “Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Gold Standard. I am Equestria’s best “talent agent” and I want to make you an offer that you cannot refuse.” He looked over to the other stallion, and struck him on the head. “Well boy? Are you going to introduce yourself to this nice mare?”
The other stallion nodded, his head lowered to the floor. “M-my name is Exile. I-I’m his assistant.”
Trixie looked both of them over. “Trixie appreciates your interest, but I work for no pony but myself.”
Gold Standard stood his ground. “Will you at least let me explain my offer to you?”
Trixie stood for a moment, pondering. After several minutes of internal deliberation, she had her answer. “You have 5 minutes to try and win Trixie over.”
Gold Standard grinned. “That’s all the time I will need.” He turned back to Exile who had started to poke the ground with his hoof, bored and still afraid to be where he was. “Boy, go get me and Trixie some coffee. Now!”
Exile didn’t hesitate for even a second, bolting out of the tent at lightning speed. Trixie figured it must be a willingness to get his job done right. That or something was bothering him, but it’s not like Trixie gave a damn.
“So what is this offer that Trixie ‘cannot refuse’?”
“I want to offer you a talent contract. I will pay you 300,000 bits a year to perform at a stallions club I am opening in Los Pegasus. If you accept, you will work for me 5 nights a week and upon request. You will have Sundays and Tuesdays off, with alternating Mondays and Thursdays.”
Trixie was in shock and disgusted at his request. “You want The Great and Powerful Trixie, the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria, to perform at a strip club!”
“It’s not a strip club, per say. It’s more of a...personal request performance club.” Gold rubbed his head, the same look on his face that he had since he came in. A moment later, Exile came running in with two cups of hot coffee.
“H-here you are, sir. A-anything else?”
“Not right now, Exile.” He took a cup and gave it to Trixie and took a sip from his own. His face tensed up in disgust as he turned to Exile once more. “You call this coffee! Are you trying to poison me boy!”
“I-I’m sorry sir. That was the only kind they sold in town.” Exile lowered himself in fear. Gold took the cup and flung it at the pegasus, scalding coffee landing on him and searing the flesh beneath his coat. He didn’t scream. But the pain was still there.
“Well go somewhere else and find some!” Gold snapped as Exile ran off towards town once again. Trixie was appalled by what had just happened, her mind flashing back to the times when she was treated that lowly and the horrors she endured in a similar situation. There was only one difference between her and him, she thought, as she sipped down her coffee, which actually wasn’t as bad as Gold was making it out to be…
He was too scared to get away…
Gold looked back to Trixie. “Sorry about that. My assistant is as dumber than most of the idiot hotheads that come from Cloudsdale.” He reached into his saddlebags and pulled out a contract. “Now if you will just sign here and agree to work for me, we can be on our way and you can start your new and successful life. What do you say?” He pushed over a quill that sat in an ink pot.
Trixie took the contract and ripped it up. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not appreciate you coming into her tent and asking her to perform at a strip club, having to flaunt her body for a few extra bits and whatever.” She stood up. “Nor does Trixie approve of the way you treat your assistant in her presence.”
“You have no right to tell me how to treat my assistant. Anyway, he’s a criminal, convicted of several heinous crimes and exiled from Cloudsdale. No pony cares about him anymore.” Gold stood up. “As for you, I suggest you rethink my offer. I will be staying in the hotel in town square, and I leave at 8 a.m. on the dot. If you’re not there, you missed your last opportunity. Enjoy poverty.”
Gold stormed out of the tent as fast as he came in. Trixie stood back, still shocked and disgusted by his display, a feeling of sympathy and sorrow filling her with the thought of Exile’s plight. She knew how it was to be in his position, for the most part anyways. She herself had been exiled from three towns in her life, including her hometown of Stalliongrad. Once you were deemed undesirable by a town they threw you out and told you never to come back. It’s the way life had always been.
A few moments later, Exile came running into the tent with two more cups of coffee. He looked around, Trixie noticing the blisters that had formed under his coat.
“E-excuse me Miss Trixie, where did Mr. Gold go?” Exile asked cautiously.
“Trixie kicked him out about 5 minutes ago. He is probably on his way to his hotel room.” She told him with the smallest hint of concern in her voice.
“Oh crap! I n-need to get over there b-before he fires me. I cannot afford to lose another job.” Exile turned to run out the opening in the tent when Trixie placed a hoof on his back, making him tense up in fear. It was easy to tell that any touch usually meant that he was going to get hurt, but her touch shocked him at first but felt comforting after wards.
“Trixie is wondering why you work for such an asshole. He treats you like dirt and you just sit there and take it.”
Exile sighed. “It’s not like I want to work for Mr. Gold, but he is one of few ponies who will hire me. I was exiled from Cloudsdale for some terrible things, and no pony wants to take in a criminal from off the streets. Mr. Gold is one of the only big business owners who will hire criminals and refugees, so I took the job because I was starving and wanted to stop having to eat from dumpsters ever day.”
“The way he treats you is unacceptable for any pony to have to endure!”Trixie snapped causing the stallion in front of her to flinch back in fear of a pain that would never come. Trixie’s mind became abuzz with an idea. She stepped cautiously forward. “How would you like to come and be my assistant?”
Exile starred up at her, a look of shock and hidden fear crossing his face. “O-oh no, I can’t just leave Mr. Gold. He would be so angry with me if I even considered t-to do such a-“ His voice was cut off by Trixie’s hoof closing his mouth.
“Please consider it. Trixie cannot promise you a steady pay, but at the very least she can get you out of your abusive internment under Mr. Gold’s watch. No more beatings, no more getting scalded by hot coffee. No more abuse. What do you say? Does Trixie have a new assistant?” She held out her hoof, waiting for him to take hold and accept her generous offer. It was one of the few acts of humility Trixie had ever shown in her life, but it would not be the last.
“I..........”
