Trix of the Trade - Chapter 21

>CLUNK
>What was that?
>What would dare wake you up from a great and powerful slumber?
>You pull the several blankets away from your face and glace at the clock on your bedside table.
>It’s hardly past 5 A.M.!
>The only plausible conclusion would be robbery. That’s YOUR stuff some hoodlum is taking! They might even take a few of Anonymous’ paltry possessions.
>But what if he hurts Anonymous?!
>Gasp!
>That cannot happen!
>You suddenly find the motivation to leap out of bed. You begin to gallop for the door, but a mirror on the way tells you just how horrible your hair looks right now. Why does sleep ruin things!?
>You let out an annoyed scoff as you use a spell to make it look better. It works to an extent. Sure it’s straight, but it’s all… poofed out. It makes your thick, full-bodied mane look thin and wirey. Yuck.
>What were you doing?
>Right, robber.
>Without wasting any more time, you turn around and buck your door open. How incredibly heroic and boisterous of you! That ruffian will never know what hit…
>It’s just Anonymous.
>… That was your second guess.
>Anonymous stand in front of his door with his hands on the button near his collar. His attire is more business-like than normal. He wears the salmon colored shirt once more with black slacks and a pair of jet black shoes.
>And he’s giving you the most confused stare.
>”… Are you done?”
“Trixie can kick your door open if you’d like.”
>”I’m good.”

>Obviously intimidated by how expertly you shrugged off that awkward situation, Anonymous goes back to buttoning up his shirt. Wait, why is he up so early?
>”So what are you doing up so early?”
>Grr, you were going to ask that!
“I heard a loud noise and had to investigate! It may have been a robber who could have… killed you in your sleep.”
>”… Right.” Anonymous straightens his collar, finishing off his ensemble. Needless to say, he looks quite handsome right now. Objectively.
“What what are YOU doing up so early? And why would you be dressed up like this?”
>”I’ve been asleep for like, sixteen hours. And I’m not going to look unprofessional when I’m on the job.”
“You’re going to look for an opening… at this time?”
>”Browsing possible venues. To be honest, I’m not expecting results until the week after The New Cycle celebration.”
“What? Why?”
>”Well, I was thinking…” He pauses for a moment. “… Oh I thought you were going to make a comment about that.”
“Trixie is below petty insults. Especially when it comes to work.”
>”Good one. So, I was thinking, Manehatten is really popular around this time of the year, right?”
“Of course, which is why we chose the perfect-“
>”Trixie, we chose a TERRIBLE time to get here.”
“What? How so?!”
>”We should have gotten here weeks, if not months ago. Don’t you think every other performer in Equestria would flock here in hopes of getting work?”
>Oh Celestia, that does make sense.
“T-then we have to try twice as hard!”
>Anonymous gives you a sideways look and crosses his arms.
>”… Seriously?”
“Of course. Trixie is mare of impossibilities and amazement. Simply because you believe it to be undoable, Trixie is sure it can be done with her assistance.”
>”Heh, I like the attitude. Fine, take some time to get ready. I’ll have breakfast up in a bit.”

>After spending some time to properly do your hair, pick out the right cape and hat, and eat a delicious strawberry pancake breakfast, you and Anonymous walk around the dimly sunlit streets as the two of you did yesterday except Anonymous had a noticeable spring in his step. Once no ponies were around, you inquire him about it.
“Why are you in such a good mood?”
>”It’s kinda… I dunno… I guess it because I feel pretty good right now.”
“Hm, that’s the effect ponies tend to get when trotting around with Trixie!”
>“That’s not it,”
>Oh…
>”I feel well rested, it’s nice and early, we’re BOTH trying to make this happen, and I’m in a city that I’ve never been in. It’s just a lot of good stuff to take in, you know?”
“So Trixie does have some part in your uplifted attitude?”
>He rolls his eyes before he pats you on the withers.
>”Yes Trixie, you’re totally the beeest.” He slurs out in a very dull tone.
“I’m going to make you say that one day and mean it.”
>”Fat chan-Hey!” He points to a building across the street. “A comedy club. You think,”
“No.”
>”We can’t be picky,”
“No.”
>”Trix-“
“No.”
>”Why not?”
“Comedy is the lowest form of theatrical art. Even lower than improv theater. Trixie will not step hoof in there. Ever.”
>Anonymous sighs and brings his hands to his sides. He thinks for a moment before speaking up again.
>”We need a map.”

>Task: complete. A map of Manehatten could easily be found in almost every convenience store. Just like every other city in the universe. Perhaps his own universe has some sort of no map policy for convenience stores.
>Although you think the thing may be useless. It only shows roads and popular attractions. Yet Anonymous is still studying it carefully and it’s already waning on your patience.
“Why are you looking at that thing? It won’t do us any good!”
>”I’m getting a sense of direction. Like,” He places a finger on the map and starts tracing it along the roads. “I say we loop around here… hit all these small streets inbetween and then go-“
>He’s being dumb. You can make a better plan within seconds. You yank the map out of his hands and give it a quick glance before you find something better.
“Why don’t we go over here?” You point to a cluster of buildings on the map. “Surely that’s far better than your idea.”
>”Because that’s on the other side of the city.”
“No it's not.”
>”Yes we are. Look, we just passed this,”
>He attempts to place a finger on your location on the map but you quickly pull it away and roll it up. You know he’s right, but you don’t want to spend the entire day working! You saw something on the map that you think Anonymous would have fun with. He’s become a hard and reliable worker over the past few months, but he’s a dunce when it comes to fun. You’re oozing with fun and he constantly avoids you. That’s indisputable proof!

>About a twenty minute long walk later, you and Anonymous find something small and not very fun at all. You know, a large fair. It’s definitely nothing special, but you can still feel yourself getting excited as you stare at the small rides and attractions. Nothing is fenced off but they remedy this by charging far too much for tickets. Still, Anonymous NEEDS a place like this.
>But Mr. Grumpy Anon is impatiently tapping his foot.
>”So have you finally realized you’re lost and you read the map incorrectly?”
“Absolutely not! Trixie is exactly where she needs to be.”
>”And you need to be at a fair?”
“Indeed! Don’t you think all these park-goes would enjoy a little bit of Trixie’s magic?”
>”Wait, can you even do that? Don’t you need to get permission?”
“Trixie will get it! Now, follow me!”
>You quickly turn around and take off into the mess of white and gold booths to find some sort of ticket stand. Anonymous attempts to say something but you make it clear you’re not listening. The soft plodding of his shoes behind out stand out in the mess of clopping from hooves, so you know he’s following like a good little colt.
>You soon come across a small line of ponies in front of a tall, narrow booth. It’s white with a gold trim, just like everything else here, and says ‘TICKETS’ in big red text above the window where they’re being sold.
>After getting in line behind other ponies, you remove you hat, magically lift a decent sized bag of bits out, and replace the hat.
>Anonymous soon catches up and stands beside you.

>”This doesn’t look like work.”
“One must spend money to make money.”
>”Trixie,”
“Come ON, Anonymous!” You snap at him. His attitude is starting to get on your nerves. “You’ve lived with two self-indulgent mares in the last several months. Trixie is curious as to how you suddenly lost your desire to have fun.”
>”It’s not that,”
“Then quit belly aching and buy some tickets.”
>He lets out a very unnecessary sigh and pulls out his small coin purse. “I don’t have much.”
>If he think you’re loaning him any money, then he is sorely mistaken.
“You’re smart. Spend your tickets wisely."
>He mumbles some anti-fun propaganda under his breath but you’re immune to his lies and deceit.
>The line goes quickly enough and you purchase a good sum of tickets while Anonymous gets only a few. Such a bit-pincher.
>You begin to wander around for something that really piques your interest, but it’s still early in the morning and the place is just opening up. To be honest, you’re surprised a fair would be open so early. It is the busiest time of the year for Manehatten so you suppose it makes some sense.
>And the few ponies trotting around prove that there’s some business to be had right now, so why not?
>But the question is, WHAT looks appealing.
>”So did you have something in mind?”
“Shush, Trixie is only biding her time.”
>”For the perfect time to strike?”
“Precis—Wait, what?”
>”Nothing.”
“Would you stop being such a grump for a single minute?”

>He lets out a quiet sigh and crosses his arms.
>”I just expected… like, I dunno. What you said earlier put me in the mood to get shit done. I know we just finished a show,”
“And it is tradition that we take a day to enjoy ourselves afterwards, is it not?”
>”No?”
>You pick up a twig and throw it at his head.
>He dodges to the side, but it grazes his ear.
“The answer you’re looking for is; Yes. Maybe Trixie has never said it but shortly after a show, a day of relaxation and self-indulgence is in order.” Anonymous simply shrugs off your comment. “And you seem to be working harder, yourself. Don’t you believe you deserve a day off?”
>”Yesterday was my day-“
“Shh, shhhhshhhshhshh! It is decided! No more complaining.”
>He begins to let out a groan but you swing your body around and push him along with your rump.
“Go. Go find us something fun to do.”
>He actually lets out a small giggle as you push him along.
>”Alright, alright. It shouldn’t be too hard, right?”

>Apparently it was. It took some time, but Anonymous find some interest in a petting zoo.
>It was disgusting, smelly, and very improper for a mare of your stature to be there.
>Until you saw the little piglets! Sweet Celestia almighty they’re the most adorable things you’ve ever seen! Anonymous entertained himself with little cerberus pups. The things were almost taller than you and you feared they may eat you. You would never say that out loud.
>Anonymous spent more time listening to their handler talking about them than actually playing with the little big things. Even now he decides to be boring.
>You’re made of fun though. Look at you blow a raspberry into this piglet’s belly.
>”OINK” Something snorts loudly into your ear!
“Gyaah!”
>You yelp in surprise and slip face first into the dirt.
>Anonymous is laughing at you.
>You should just dig a grave. Right here.
>But you don’t. You push yourself up, give this sow the nastiest glare you’ve ever given a living being, and use your hat to cover your blush.
>Stupid pigs. Stupid Anon.
>The blunder becomes forgotten within minutes before you and Anonymous go look at other animals. Hydra hatchings, chupacabras, pirate spiders, and all sorts of common Equestrian creatures that Anonymous seems to be virtually in love with. No petting allowed, but he was happy with eye petting.
>Expect the pirate spider. That one scared him half to death.
>The day continued slowly, but eventually ponies began pouring into the fair as attractions opened up.
>And your favorite, games.
>As interesting as the jackalope was to Anonymous, you had to pull him away from it for his own sake.

>Carnival games! The most rigged games to ever be created! Only a master rusemare would be able to accomplish victory against such stacked odds.
>One such as yourself! If you had the time, you could easily win every carnival game ever created! Still, this should be a simple task. All you need to do is take this ring and toss it on one of the bottles. Five rings for a ticket. You take one of the gold rings into your mouth and attempt to toss them onto the transparent white bottles.
>It skips over.
>N-no problem!
>You try another.
>It bounces off the rim.
>This one for sure!
>It falls a little short.
>Oh come on! You aim this one perfectly.
>It bounces off several different rims before fall inbetween bottles.
>…
>You pick the last ring up with your magic and,
>”Whoa whoa, no magic.” The gruff looking stallion.
“Well… this is…”
>”Just throw the darn thing.”
>You chomp down on the ring and don’t even attempt to aim it.
>It goes way off course.
>…
>You levitate another ticket up, but Anonymous snatches it out of midair. Oh, you almost forgot he was standing behind you.
>”Let’s cool off for a second before you start wasting all of your tickets.”
>”’Ey weirdo, let the gal spend her tickets how she wants.”
>”Fuck you,” Anonymous went from calm and rational to pissed off in a matter of seconds.
“Hit him, Anonymous!”

>You can HEAR his knuckles crack in response to your demand, but his mind finds its way to catch up with his actions.
>”I’m… W-what, Trixie?”
“Got… ahead of myself.” You mumble.
>You have to admit, Anonymous getting mad and hitting a pony for his own weird personal moral code is… it’s hot. You demand more angry Anon.
>”Eeehh… both of ya get outta here.” The stallion waves you off. You have half a mind to hit him yourself. Maybe that’ll give Anonymous the incentive to start hitting stuff angrily too.
>You feel a tug on your cape.
>”Yeah, let’s get out of here.” He turns around and speaks a little louder. “Let’s find something that isn’t rigged!”
>He then walks off with his chest puffed out.
>What a stallion.
>It takes a moment to realize you’re oogling him and you blush for the second time today.
>This cannot become a common thing.
>Blush or not, you follow Anonymous to wherever he’s going, which only happens to be another game booth.
>Still, you wish Anon would have hit that guy. That would have been… there are no words. None. That is also something you should take note of. Anonymous getting mad, not frustrated or annoyed, but mad is hot. Almost as hot as you…
>HA! You should be a comedian!
>Except you would never do that. Truly, the art of comedy is rock bottom.
>Where were you? Right, following Anonymous.
>Celestia he smells good when he gets worked up like this…

>He finds a small clearing to take a second to cool off. But you don’t want him to calm down! Things were about to get exciting.
>You trot around him and swing around to face him.
“Why didn’t you hit him? He clearly disrespected you and he deserves punishment!”
>”They were…” He exhales deeply. “They were just words. Only words. He didn’t even call me… anything bad.”
“Tch, Anonymous, you need to learn how to take more control. Make ponies fear calling you vicious names! Trixie wouldn’t allow such insult to her name. She would even fly out of control if she were called a common Unicorn! However, Trixie is a master of self-control so she would handle the situation perfectly and not lose her grip!”
>”… So you’re saying I should be more like you and ignore comments like that?”
“Wuh… N-no! Trixie is saying,”
>”No, it’s true. Normally something as small as that wouldn’t even get to me… Fuck,” He lowers his heads and rubs his eyes with his thumb and index finger. “I need to stop stressing out.”
“Over what? We’re at a fair, there’s nothing stressful here.”
>”You’re right. Nothing. Let’s keep doing… whatever.”
“More carnival games!”
>”Yes!” He quickly changes his demeanor, happy to be off the subject. “Let’s find something where the odds aren’t stacks so high against us.”
“What about that ‘Guess Your Weight’ booth!?”
>An abrupt yelp of laughter escapes Anonymous.
“What? What?!”
>”N-nothing. Just… not that.”
“You think Trixie is fat?”
>He laughs harder, keeling over and resting his hands on his knees.
“Stop laughing!”

>After a spell that makes his belt way too tight, Anonymous learns how to shut his trap.
>Then you spent a ticket on the weight guesser.
>He was fifty pounds too high…
>Anonymous laughed again.
>You wanted to cry and murder at the same time.
>As compensation, the carnie gave you a grape scented eraser. The thing was probably worth a twentieth of your ticket.
>You KNEW Anonymous was going to make some sort of comment, so you zipped his lips up. Literally.
>Ponies looked at the two of you, mostly him, in concern.
>It is none of their business if Anonymous doesn’t know how to shut up when he wasn't talking!
>The worst thing about that spell was that you can’t cast it without the ability to make it unzipped by the victim. Useless spell. Learning it from Twilight Sparkle from the first time you visited Ponyville. Figures her magic would be useless.
>From that point Anonymous follows you from stall to stall, game to game. He never participates, only criticizes you on your choice of game. He always says the odds aren’t in your favor when they clearly are.
>Only for you to lose the games again and again.
>There’s only one explanation for this. Anonymous is a bad luck charm.
>But even when you tell him to stand far, far away, you still lose.
>Simple minutes turn to hours, and many tickets turn to one.
“Last game…” You whisper under your breath.
>You reach inside your hat for the ticket, only to find it’s not there.
>O-oh right… You gave Anonymous one to try his hoof at a game.
>He won a very small stuffed elephant.
>Fuck Anonymous. Fuck him so hard. Stealing your tickets and prizes!
>You leave the milk bottle range and approach Anonymous.

“Give Trixie a ticket!”
>”No.”
“She gave you one!”
>”I think you have a problem.”
“No!”
>”Yeah. Come on, I have a better idea.”
“Trixie is not doing anything until she wins a prize!”
>”You’ll get one, just follow me.”
>Grumble… grumble… stupid.
>Anonymous leads you deeper into the fairgrounds, but it’s all area you’ve been through already.
>He quickly finds what he’s looking for however.
>“Here it is!” He gestures to the multiple lengthy booths set up for some sort of game where ponies squirt water at a target. But the price… oh sweet Celestia the price.
“Three tickets?!”
>”Per pony.”
“Wh-… Ah… N-… Are you insane?!”
>”Guaranteed prize. And you want to know who the competition is?”
“Hmph… are the, no wait, Trixie has this thing. Are the,” You adopt a monotone voice. “Odds stacked against me?”
>”You flatter me,” He states as he pulls out a handful of tickets from his back pocket. “But really, I’m not so great at this.”
“Wait. You? PFHA! This will be TOO easy.”
>”I miss the flattery…”
>Anonymous hands his tickets to the stall runner and takes a seat in front of one of the weird squirt guns, and you take your seat next to him.
>Two large buttons on both sizes of the reflective metal looking gun release the water, as you can see from other ponies doing the same.
>Little fillies and colts, from the looks of most of them.
>… And a few couples.
>And now things feel a little awkward between you and Anonymous. Judging by the look on his face, he doesn’t feel the same.
>As the instructor explains the rules and goal of this little game, Anonymous readies himself. He hunches his back and licks his lips a little.
>You can feel a bead of sweat trickle down your snout. He’s not going to pull punches for a lady, is he?

>The instructor insists on listing off the rules at least three times before thinking you’re confident enough to press two buttons and aim.
>The white target in front of you with the red dot sits across from you, mocking you. Unsoaked.
>Not for long.
>You jump in surprise from a loud buzzer sounding. Anonymous is unphased and hits his target with stunning accuracy. The tube above his target fills rapidly with red water while your remains at the bottom.
>Your attempts to catch up and defeat him are useless. How he won so fast is… astonishing.
>And completely unfair!
“No fair! Trixie wants a rematch!”
>”It’s best out of three.”
“Hmph! Trixie should be best all three times!”
>Anonymous rolls his eyes and mutters, “Whatever.”
>After a few seconds of silence, the buzzer sounds off again.
>You were ready this time. The first fraction of a second is a miss, but you manage to find the right angle and stick with it. You refuse to focus on Anonymous’ progress, but once you hear him swear under his breath, a smirk spreads across your face. Within a few seconds, the lights start going off in celebration of your tremendous victory.
“Hah. Trixie said so. Didn’t she?”
>”Mmmmrph…”
“Hm? Did you say something? Trixie is all ears!”
>”… Not over yet.”

“Confidence is an admirable trait, but only when you have a chance at victory. Otherwise, it is merely foolishness.”
>You place your hooves over the buttons.
“Ready to lose?”
>He doesn’t say anything, but you can see the fire in his eyes. Victory is a necessity for him. Unfortunately, it is for you as well.
>The buzzer sounds again.
>Both you and Anonymous hit your targets with flawless accuracy. Having found the correct angle, neither of you make the slightest movement to avoid losing.
>But it’s clear who the victor will be. Anonymous will find a way to screw up. Hah.
>FUCK
>That chuckle changed the course of your stream by a fraction of an inch. Just enough for you to be off target.
>Reactively you horn flares up under your hat to press the button while you correct your stream.
>And a moment later, your target lights up once again.
>Victory.
>”Aww, good ga-“
“HA! Trixie knew she would come out on top! Was there ever any doubt? Only from you, Anonymous! You battled Trixie admirably but she always wins!”
>”Here’s your prize, ma’am.” The stall employee hands you a large pink stuffed panda bear.
“Excellent! Anonymous,” You shove it in Anonymous’ face.
>”I’m not going,”
“The loser does not get to talk back.”
>He attempts to do so even after your statement, but you shove the snout of the bear into his mouth shut him up.
“Shush. Any more protests and Trixie will give you a pet name for the week.”

>With your victory sealed, you demand Anonymous to buy you lunch.
>Chili cheese fries were hardly fitting a mare of your stature, but… okay, they tasted really good.
>After the meal, you treated Anonymous to a few other shows by performing ponies, but none nearly as good as you.
>Celestia, you’re the greatest.
>There was even a clown.
>The most vile thing a pony can become.
>With the day starting to wind down at that point, Anonymous suggested going on some of the rides. There was little light left in the day… where did the day go… there was little light left in the day and your hooves were killing you at this point. You and Anonymous agreed to two.
>Anonymous being the stupid martyr he is, wanted to go through the haunted house. You would never allow such a stupid thing. He said you were scared! He looked ridiculous saying that with that huge pink bear under his arm…
>He was willing to settle with bumper cars though.
>You were ready to ruin Anonymous for the second time today, but you were surprised to see him actually warding other cars off of you. Meanwhile you would ram into him at full speeds. You couldn’t stop laughing during the thing and for a full five minutes after.
>Such a reckless and brutish form of entertainment, but one you’d love to try again in the future.

>Now it was your turn to pick a ride. You honestly didn’t give it thought until this point, but something easily caught your eye.
“I want to go on that.” You point to the large Ferris wheel on the other side of the fair.
>”Oooh, that looks like fun. Let’s go.”
>A short walk later, you and Anonymous are in the short line in front of the wheel.
>Perfect timing too. The sun is just beginning to set.
>… Wait, perfect timing for what? You don’t remember exactly what you were thinking about…
>”Tickets, please.”
>The line has already moved forward for you and Anonymous. He gives the operator enough tickets for the two of you and goes to take a seat in the cramped cart.
>Whoosh… it’s going to be snug in there…
>You attempt to follow Anonymous, but something inside you stops you when you attempt to pass the operator.
“Could you stop the wheel once we reach the top?”
>WHAT?! Trixie, try that again.
>”Er… gonna need… ahem.”
>No. Absolutely not.
>You quickly lift your hat up and a small bag of bits falls out of the infinite storage.
“Here. Just do it.”
>”Yeah, sometimes the wheel breaks down when cart six reaches the top. Hopefully you won’t be stuck up there, miss.” He says awfully loudly.
>Trixie, you are very disappointed in you.
>Shut up, Trixie.
>Sweet Celestia this is no time to argue with yourself!

>Pushing the squabble out of your head, you slap on a smile and press yourself in next to Anonymous just to make enough room. The operator comes by and makes sure everything is set before closing the little gate and giving you a non-subtle wink.
>Jerk. Idiot. Stupid. He’s going to ruin everything.
>”What was that about?”
“Hmph! More stallions pining for Trixie’s attention.”
>”Never a lonely minute.”
“Only when Trixie demands some time to herself!”
>The sounds of the machinery become apparent as your cart is lifted a little for the next one to be loaded.
>Suddenly it all hits you.
>Ferris wheel. With Anonymous. Sunset. Trixie. Cramped. Romantic. Trixie. Trixie.
>And sweat. You can feel the sweat about to hit hard. It’s hot in here. So hot.
“Heh… it’s a little cramped…”
>”It would be a little better if I didn’t have to make room for… this thing.” He points to the panda bear squeezed inbetween himself and the wall.
“Trixie… has a confession.”
>”Hm?”
“… I cheated to get that. I cheated to win.”
>”Oh, I know.” He says so calmly.
“Y-you did!?”
>”Yep, but if I called you out on it, you would have spent the next several hours denying it instead of bragging about your victory. And the guy might have taken away your prize.”
“O-oh…”
>”Plus, it made you happy. So I thought, why not let her have some fun?”
>Before you know it, the ferris wheel makes a sudden stop as you and Anonymous lurch forward.
>”The hell… did the thing just break down?”
“Mhm, mhm. It must have .”
>Could you be any less subtle?

>”Eeeh, great.” He leans back and sighs before looking out towards the sunset. The grasslands and ocean compliment it so well… And the… human…
>”Nice view though,” He turns to you. “Right?”
>The way the sunlight hits his face…
>You’re breathless…
>Everything he’s done for you, everything you’ve done together. He’s the closest person to you right now. Figuratively and literally.
>And now feelings you’ve been ignoring and bottling up seem to be coming in full force. You’re almost trembling in fear of what you’re about to do.
“Anonymous,” You voice is hardly above a breath. You clear you throat and try again. “Anonymous… I… You…”
>”What’s up?”
“Over… over the past few months… you and I-“
>You and Anonymous lurch once again as the ferris wheel starts up again.
>Fuck! FUCK! YOU WERE SO CLOSE! THERE’S STILL TIME,
>”Ugh, last time I go on a ferris wheel again. I feel all queasy now. What were you saying?”
>You open your mouth but no words came out. The picture was perfect. It was as if Celestia herself painted the scene for you. Now the sunlight is fading and all that remains are shadows. And if you told him, what would happen now? It was so perfect, but now… Oh goddesses you’re going to cry.
>But as your mother taught you, clear your throat once or twice and the tears won’t come.
>”I… forget.” You almost give yourself away before clearing your throat once, twice, three times.
>The ride down quickly dispels that crushing sadness, but a general mopiness remains. The kind you get when you miss a great opportunity.
>And by the time you reach the bottom, you feel queasy as well.
“I-I want to get off the ride.”
>As your cart wheels along the bottom, you notice a completely different operator than before.
>You’ve been tricked!
>Head exploding magic suddenly sound like an appealing thing to invest some time in.

>The rest of the ride is rather quiet between Anonymous and yourself. Any conversation is awkward and forced. All from you.
>And this stupid human next to you is so unaware of the mare next to him drowning in emotions she doesn’t understand or disagrees with. A mare who still can’t stop sweating. What is wrong with you!?
>Every time you reached the peak of the ride, you would want to try again, but your body would continue to not respond. Because you didn’t know WHAT to say. The words were coming out perfectly before things spiraled downwards. You can’t even get a hint of what you were going to say now.
>Once the ride was over, you practically leaped out of the cart.
>That was a nightmare situation! Being forced to wait a little longer for that bottle to erupt would have been fine, but you were so close and then it was all taken away!
>…
>Guh.
>As Anonymous tries to exit the cart, you approach the mare now operating the ride.
>You tap her on the shoulder to get her attention.
“Where did the previous operator go? Trixie,”
>”Had a deal? Psh, he got fired on the spot for it. Boss says we can’t do anything like that. He saw an’ fixed it right away.”
>Great. That’s what he deserves for not fulfilling his end of the deal
>You turn to Anonymous who finally managed to squeeze himself out of the cart. His expression dampens as his eyes meet yours.
>”You alright?”
>No. Not at all.
”Trixie… is just tired. She would like to go back to the wagon.”
>”Yeah, it’s been a long day. Besides, I’ve been carrying this stupid bear around for too long.”

>The trot back to the wagon is quiet. Anonymous looks just as tired as you, but there’s a small smile on his face saying he had fun today.
>And despite that stupid ferris wheel ride, so did you.
>Yes, today was quite exciting from start to finish.
>But as you enter the wagon, excitement is the last thing you want. Your eyes lock with the door to your bedroom, but a force, better known as Anonymous’ presence, stops you from galloping there.
>As he shuts the door you turn around and strike up a conversation.
“Trixie… that is, I had a lot of fun today.”
>”My arm’s tired and I can’t shake the queasiness from the ferris wheel, but otherwise today was great! Ah,” He holds the panda out in front of him. “Do you even want this?”
“Hehe, not at all. It would clash horribly with everything else in Trixie’s room.”
>”Good.” He tosses it into the corner of the room. “So do we have dinner plans for tonight?”
>As much as you’d like the salvage this night, you’re wiped.
“No, not tonight.”
>”Thought so. You look as done as dinner. Why don’t you go rest up? I’ll cook dinner tonight.”
“Psh, do you ever not cook dinner?”
>”I’ll stop when your meal of choice is no longer ramen noodles and an energy drink.”
“Ooh~, you’re lucky Trixie is far too tired to retaliate. Or else she would get’cha!” You playfully remark as you bat a hoof at him.
>Wait, did you just make a pass at him? Would that be considered flirting?
>You’re supposed to be good at this!

>Anonymous was indeed kind enough to give you time to rest. You can’t imagine him being so energetic after such a long day, but he did mention something about having superior endurance.
>A little over a half an hour later, Anonymous pulls you out of your halfway-sleep with only a soft knock at your door.
>After quickly making sure your mane and tail are styled, you join Anonymous in the main room at the table.
>A strong stench permeates the air as your senses start kicking in once again. Looking t your dish, it can’t be it. It’s only a mixed vegetable soup. But Anonymous’ dish…
>Yep, that’s meat.
>”… Does it really smell that bad?”
>You look form his dish to his eyes.
“N-no! Trixie is just not used to the smell…”
>”Hrm, I hope it isn’t too bad. I don’t get to have meat very often, so I heated up some corned beef and cabbage leftovers.”
“Corned? Is it made out of corn?”
>”No, it’s just cured with salt.”
“Judging by the dead cow in your bowl, it wasn’t cured of its death.”
>This elicits a chuckle out of Anonymous before he takes a stab at his murder.
>You then take a spoonful of soup into your mouth. It’s not the best tasting thing in the world, but soup feels GREAT right now.
>”So are you… okay?”
>He caught you with food in your mouth. You only lightly nod in respsonse.
>”Good, ‘cus you looked pretty upset about something on the ferris wheel. I was worried…”
“I don’t like heights, Anonymous. Never tell anyone I said that. Trixie will deny it and any affiliation with you if you do.”
>Anonymous chuckles once again.

“So what is your problem? Ever since we left Fillydelphia, you’ve been upset at Trixie for no reason.”
>”I,”
“Was it the room? Trixie knows it’s too small and she plans to get in enlarged!”
>”You are?”
“Yes! … If it is possible.”
>”Hell, the thought alone is appreciated. Thanks.”
“But there was something else, wasn’t there?”
>Anonymous sighs and puts his fork down before rapidly tapping his fingers on the table.
>”I was… told… shown a different way of…. Errh. How can I explain this?”
“Was it something I did?”
>”No! Well… no. It’s more like… aah, sorry. Can we talk about it later?”
“But,”
>”I’m sorry I’ve been kind of a bitch recently, but spending today with you was a lot of fun, and I don’t know why I was acting so rude to you. I won’t do it again without any good reason, so could we please…?”
>You want to pry further, but you’re trying to win points, no, you’re trying to win him over completely.
“That’s… fine. As long as Trixie can say something too.”
>”I’m all ears.” He’s eager to get off the topic.
“I know… we don’t always get along so well. But today,”
>You stop yourself when you hear a creak from the roof of the carriage by the roof hatch. Then your eyes catch a glimpse of banana yellow that should NOT be there!
>Someone… is EAVESDROPPING ON YOU!
>UNFORGIVEABLE!
>You stand up on your seat and magically grab whatever appendage that is and yank down hard.
>A high pitched squeal is heard before a yellow pony with a pink mane tumbles down the wooden stepladder.
>”What in the—FUCK!”

>Anonymous leaps out of his chair and places it between him and the pony.
>Wait.
>You remember this one.
>You leap off your chair and quickly approach the Pegasus. She only covers her face with her hooves and begins to cry,
>”I’m sorry, I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to! I just,” She cuts herself curls up into a ball while keeping her face covered.
>And although she is here, crying in the fetal position,
>Fluttershy being here is not only a danger to Anonymous, but also a clear sign that Anonymous is going to be a much harder fish to catch.