Divinity II: Return of the Damned

Canterlot, Equestria’s shining jewel, a city older than anyone besides the royal highnesses. Many had tried to take it but none had succeeded. The city where the elitist of the elite resided in, where the richest of the rich lived, where the most famous celebrities lived. A shining example of Equestria’s money, influence and power.

But like any great city there were more… undesirable parts, where the poor or homeless bums hoping for spare change lived at. And despite the dragons less than an hour’s walk away one bum in particular was going house to house asking if they could spare her a few bits.

Each time she was almost hit in the nose by the door. Each time her head hung lower, the hat she wore hanging from her horn more and more until she decided she had enough disappointments today. Turning back towards the slums she chewed the inside of her lip thinking of what to do.

Ever since her failure in Ponyville she had ran lower and lower on money, due to nopony liking her fireworks after meeting Twilight. Sure she had lowered her reputation even further by going back to Ponyville and trying to take revenge. But Twilight had forgiven her, but had also ruined her entire career.

Twilight had told her she was a friend, and friends help out friends when they were in trouble or had money troubles right? But she had a little pride left. And then again what pride, she was going door to door asking for money, plus she was a princess now she wouldn’t mind helping out a friend. Though if she did that she would be little more than a parasprite and there was the matter that she might say no.

These things went back and forth in her head like they had every night. After a while she reached her carriage the one thing she could still say she had pride in. She had used the last amount of money she had earned to get a new one, it was built better than the other one too but in hindsight maybe she should’ve held onto that money for when she really needed it like now.

Opening the door she walked in and hung up her hat on the doorknob, making sure to lock each of the five locks as she did so. Sighing she opened up the pantry to see what she had left to eat. Using her magic she levitated the last package of food she had, a package of stadium peanuts. Floating it out of the cabinet and lowered the bed out of the wall, eliciting creaks from it as it did so. Once it was fully out she walked over to it and threw herself on top of it.

She ripped open the bag of peanuts and ate them slowly as she stared at the ceiling. She stayed like that for a long time after eating the rest of her food for what seemed like hours. After a while she closed her eyes with the day’s fatigue catching up to her. Almost asleep something creaked inside the house like somepony else was in it.

Her fears where confirmed when she heard the little seat in the corner being sat in. Turning her head and cracking open one eye she saw a pony wearing a hoodie sitting in it, reading a book.  Glancing at the door she noticed that all the locks were still on and still intact.

The hooded pony stuck their hoof up to their mouth and licked it, then flipped the page. “Neva’ ‘xpected you to do that Darin’.” So the pony was a he and he was interested in his book.

She slowly lifted out the knife she had attached under her bed with her magic, praying to Luna, Celestia and any other god that she wouldn’t be noticed. Turning her attention to the edge of the bed for a second she looked back to the hooded pony only to realize that he wasn’t there anymore. This went through her mind as she felt something sharp against her neck.

Looking at the thing against her neck she saw her own knife encased in a blackish green aura. “Now now miz Trixie, if I had wanted to I coulda killed ya!” Trixie looked back at the seat to see the pony back in it. “Look I just wanted to talk to ya’s now how ‘bouts I put the knife down and ya don’ts try to kill me?” Trixie slowly nodded and the knife went towards the pantry, going inside it with the pantry closing behind it.

Pushing herself up Trixie slipped into her old arrogant persona, never does one good when you play weak with someone in your house. “So what can Trixie do for you?”

The stallion picked his book back up off the floor and went back to the page he had been reading before disappearing. “What ya can do for us miz Trixie, is show us what ya can do.” He stated matter of factly.

Hanging her legs off the edge of her bed she asked questioningly, “What do you mean by that Mr.?”

Flipping another page he chuckled. “Call me Paradox. Anyways one could say that we have had our eyes on ya cause ya have talent.” He suddenly slammed the book closed making her jump. Levitating it into his cloak he let out a hoarse laugh, before drawing out a card and a bag, laying it down on the counter under the pantry.  “Jus’ head here miz Trixie and ya won’ regret it.” A menacing red glow started underneath his hood and with a silent pop he was gone.

She blinked before levitating the card over to her and looked at it. It was black with a golden border with no more than an address written on it. She put it down on the bed before looking back at the bag. She picked that up and looked inside, she almost cried at the sight of it. Over a thousand bits in the bag alone.

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Shuffling nervously from hoof to hoof she looked at the address on the card then back at the address on the pub. She gulped before pulling her cloak around her tighter and started walking towards the door, the moon shining down upon her back.

The door she was walking to was connected to a slum’s type of pub desperately in need of repairs to the roof, the windows needed to be boarded up all signs of a place that was where lowlifes and traitors meet. Opening the door and closing it lightly behind her she was able to avoid the cliché where everypony stared at you.

She walked up to the bar and sat on the stool ordering a shot of whiskey. She sat there for Celestia knew how long until somepony else sat down next to her. Giving the pony a glance she thought she recognized the pony.

“Heya Al gimme wha’s she having.” The barpony nodded and grabbed another shot and slid it to the pony.

She raised an eyebrow at the newcomer. “Paradox?”

He laughed. “Ya know none o’ us thought ya would come ‘ere but I knew better.” The cup lifted to his face and he downed it one gulp. “Now if ya would kindly follo’ me we can get this done.”

He moved to get up when he was shoved back down into his seat. He looked over at Trixie. “’Ey what gives?”

“I’d like to know what’s going on and why you ponies are interested in me.”

He leaned towards her slightly and beckoned her closer, and she obliged. He whispered into her ear. “Jus’ come with me and everythin’ gonna be explained,” He leaned away and rubbed the back of his head. “ cause I kinda ain’t allowed to say right now.”

“I take it that if I don’t follow you that I’m going to be forced to anyways?” She said flicking her eyes to a group of ponies in the corner.

“Ya know you’re smarta than ya look. But uh yeah if ya don’t come with us they are goin’ to try and force ya and trust me ya don’t want that, hurts a lot.”

Sighing Trixie slipped off of the barstool. “Well then what are we waiting for?” Smiling Paradox walked through the door and held the door open for her. She followed him, with the group of ponies following her.

Once Trixie stepped outside however Paradox had disappeared. The last thing she noticed was a frying pan flying at her face.

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A massive pain in her head, a drum march marching to the beat of her throbbing head. That was what she felt right now.

“Ugh somepony see that train?”  Rolling over in her bed she rubbed her temples. “What did I do last night?” She lay there in agonizing pain. Her hoofs touched a certain spot on her forehead, that sent pain lancing through her head.

She hissed as her hoofs shot away from that tender spot. Suddenly last night’s memories came rushing back to her, Paradox, the pub and the cursed frying pan. As this went through her head her eyelids flew open to show her a room decorated for royalty.

She slowly pushed herself up off the bed she was in and took in the bedroom. On one side of the room was a dresser and mirror that took up the whole wall while, the opposite side had three doors, each exactly ten feet apart, leading to who knows where each decorated with royal purple and gold finishings.  And the bed she was on was easily big enough to hold her entire carriage, and it was comfortable to boot. As she continued looking around the room she saw no exits except the doors but she had something else to take care of first.

Throwing the covers off she rolled out of bed. She walked over to the mirror getting a nice hard look at herself. At first she wasn’t sure it was herself because all she saw in the mirror was a rough looking unicorn, completely hidden by their mane and one bloodshot eye popping out from behind that mane. She turned her head slightly to see a nasty bump coming out of the back of her head.

She winced as her hoof touched it again, sighing she turned away from the mirror and walked to one of the doors and put her head against it listening closely, to see if anypony was on the other side. She heard nothing so she repeated this with the other two doors, and still heard nothing so she tried to open it to find it stuck. Rolling her eyes she decided to try the middle one instead and to her surprise it did open. To show a fully stocked bathroom, and just like her bed the tub was over-sized. Closing that door she opened the one on the very left to show a miniature library.

She rolled her eyes and backed out of it, shutting the door behind her she gazed around the room she was currently being held against her will in. Her eyes roamed back over to the mirror and her ruined image.

Looking herself over once she walked back into the bathroom and turned on the shower, she stepped in just to jump back out at the shockingly cold water. Turning it the other way until a nice steam was coming out of it she slipped into the tub and let the hot water take care of her muscles and worries. She levitated the shampoo over to her and rubbed it into her scalp so hard that it started to hurt. Dunking her head underwater, she came back up flinging water everywhere.

Letting the water drain back out she stepped out of the tub and shook her head much like that of a dog. Blinking to get the rest of the water out of her eyes she smiled.

“That’s much better if I day say so myself.” She turned her head back and forth looking at it. Wrapping the towel around her neck she stepped back outside to see Paradox, still wearing his cloak, on her bed.  Her eyes almost broke from widening in surprise, her horn glowed a light blue just like her. Paradox sat still as a statue on her bed as she charged one of the few legitimate spells she knew, a bolt of magic.

As she shot a bolt of magic at him he sat there without moving an inch. She landed on her stomach from exhaustion as it hit him, which sent him flying to the other side of the room. The wall cracked where he hit it, he hung there stuck in the wall for a minute before falling limply on the ground.

“That’s *huff* what you get for *huff* tricking the Great and Powerful Trixie! Note *huff* to self don’t use that much magic.”

“Nah if ya ask me that was jus’ enough to kill a pony.” Her blood froze in her veins as she heard that voice. She raised her head and looked behind her to see Paradox without his cloak on. He had a light yellow coat with a light teal mane. But she ignored that and focused on the fact that he was behind her and not against the wall.

He noticed her looking back and forth between him and the pseudo-him, a smile reached his lips. “Ah a simple ‘lusion nothing more.” His horn glowed a faint red and the cloak flew to him and wrapped itself around him, leaving the hood down for once. He gulped and rubbed the back of his head. “Now I know what ya is thinkin’ but I had no idea they were going to frying pan ya in your face. So how ‘bout I make it up to ya and tell ya why you’re here?”

Trixie agonizingly, slowly blinked as she processed this through her muddled head. This here was a stallion who had tricked her into coming into a pub and knocking her out with a frying pan of all things. But on the other hoof he had given her money, she wasn’t in a dungeon and  he actually looked sorry. After sitting there for a few minutes she nodded. Paradox visibly relaxed.

They stood there looking at each other for a few minutes until Trixie cleared her throat. “Um you said that you would tell me why I’m here?”

He chuckled nervously. “Um yeah I’ll do that… right… now. Look this is awkward for me jus’ as much as it is for ya so I’ll get to tha point. We are like the Canterlot school for tha gifted but we’re more underground, for those who were rejected by her royal majesty. And the guys up top have taken notice of ya.”

“From what they can tell ‘bout ya is that you have potential and a lot of it, enough to rival one of the royals. But before ya start talkin’ like how or why you I have no idea.” Truth be told this is my first pick-up, that’s what we call gettin’ a new student, so this is weird for me too. Not as weird for you I’m sure o that. If ya want I can get ya some aspirin?” She watched him blankly betraying no expression. He looked around the room, looking for something to break the tension.

“Please.” He jumped when he heard this. “Why’d you jump.”

“It was un’xpected. So I’ll go get ya some aspirin be right back.” He turned around and walked to the door before opening it and shutting it behind him, while Trixie sat there confused as to whether or not she was in trouble by being kidnapped or she had a complete and total breakdown in her carriage and was in a hospital right now.

So she settled for being kidnapped by a crazy cult and her kidnapper was a stallion that had somehow been dragged into this. Yeah that sounded right.