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An Enthusiastic Admirer

by Eyeswirl the Weirded

Chapter 1: Chapter 1: Target Sighted!

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The usual bursts of magical pyrotechnics signaled the end of another successful performance by the Great and Powerful Trixie. There were only two challengers this time, but she supposed Horsetown was a humbler place than some others she'd visited. Really, she reflected while relaxing in her wagon, some ponies have SUCH an ego.

"Gol-ly," a mare's voice sounded from outside, "that sure was a heck of a show!" The accent rang Mustangian in Trixie's memory, a country sort of twang mixed with an odd sense of unconditional friendliness, like a talking puppy. "Why, I reckon I ain't seen nothin' that excitin' since that Prince fella the next town over!"

Trixie's eyes shot open. Prince?

"Well, I mean I never 'saw' the pony, but hot-diggity, I hear he's a sight to-"

Trixie's wagon door slammed open hard enough to startle every bird within fifty meters. She looked squarely at the source of the voice, an unimpressive specimen if ever Trixie'd seen one, with not a thought spared for whoever she might have been conversing with. Dull beige coat, ugly green mane, a chicken for a cutie mark, she hadn't even noticed this pony during the show. Still, she held precious information.

"Where," Trixie demanded in as polite a tone as she could manage, "did you say this 'Prince' was again?"

The mare blinked once before giggling. "Why, he's livin' in Ponyville, I hear! Been fancyin' a visit to those parts for a while now, but now that I'm hearin' about-"

Trixie had already stopped listening, grinning with delight. "Thank you for the tip, anonymous bystander, The Great and Powerful Trixie must be going now." She got the wagon moving with all due haste, setting off to Ponyville.

Ponyville, she thought, he's living in Ponyville... She hadn't asked whether or not it was that Prince, of course, but really, how many could there be? Several members of Equestrian government all having the same title? What kind of hierarchy was that?

---

Six friends that usually met in Sugarcube Corner were getting used to being a few short that number. Thunderlane was working at the weather office, Big Mac was busier than usual with farm work, and Soarin was tending to a client at his Love Guru business, leaving only three. Not also being busy with some kind of work didn't make them feel like slackers at all, even the tiniest bit.

"So," Doctor asked cheerfully, "You two don't seem as winded as in most mornings, things improving in the workout schedule?"

Shining Armor and Prince Blueblood gave one another a brief glance before looking at the brown stallion, answering in unison. "He's getting better."

There was a short pause before all present laughed, one voice giggling for several seconds after the three at the table had stopped. Pinkie Pie popping up unnoticed was still unsettling for Ponyville's newcomers, but at least they were pretty sure she meant them no harm so long as they provided her and the Cakes offerings of bits to exchange for pastry.

Minutes later, they were supplied with tasty confections as the conversation picked up again. "So, yes," Prince continued, "running about the town like a timberwolf on fire may or may not actually be paying off-"

Shining grinned triumphantly!

"-and he's doing slightly fewer stupid things while we're out and about."

And then he deflated, shooting Blueblood an annoyed look. "I told her I was sorry."

A deadpan reply had to wait until a mouthful of cinnamon roll was swallowed, Prince Blueblood wasn't some ill-mannered slob, after all. "Because shouting 'good morning' at a clearly sleeping pony is definitely a good idea to begin with. Rainbow Dash-" Pinkie Pie's eye twitched just slightly, "-can be temperamental at the best of times..."

The look Rainbow had given Shining Armor was a familiar one, a look directly associated with the day they'd met. And excruciating pain.

He threw his forehooves up, exasperated. "I was trying to be neighborly! And she was way up on a cloud, how else would she have heard me?!"

Rolling his eyes, Prince looked to Doctor, who had been rolling up his pancakes for some reason before taking a bite. "So, how do you keep fit?"

Doctor smiled, eating half a pancake-roll in one bite. "Well, it's funny you should ask, I-"

The door to the shop flew open, Mayor Mare grinning excitedly. "Hey everypony! There's some kind of performance going on in town!" And off she went. Presumably to inform/warn others about the activity in their peaceful-ish little village.

Sharing a quick look, the three at the table quickly finished their meals, paid for them, and headed out. Doctor called over his shoulder to an expectant baker's assistant. "Bye, Pinkie!"

"Bye, Doc!"

"Bye Pinkie!"

"Bye Shiny!"

Doctor, mimicking Blueblood's voice almost perfectly, called again. "Bye Pinkie!"

"Call me Pin-..." She blinked, then beamed her brightest smile for all of four seconds before slowly deflating as she realized the words hadn't actually come out of Prince's mouth. "Heeeey!"

---

As they approached the area ponies were gathering in by town hall, Shining Armor couldn't help a chuckle. "Y'know," he said to Doctor while failing to hide an amused grin, "that wasn't very nice."

Doctor was all smiles. "I fear that's the closest she's ever likely to get. Besides, I don't think our resident high-bred noblepony remembered his manners as we were leaving." He nodded to Blueblood, who hadn't said a word since Mayor Mare delivered the news.

They gently prodded him, eliciting a startled jump. "AAH! WHAT?!" Two quiet stares were question enough. He reddened faintly. "Err, sorry, what were we talking about?"

Shining Armor tilted his head inquisitively. "Are you ok, Blue? Seem a little... jittery."

Prince shook his head. "Nothing, just..." Shifty eyes were always a good sign that nothing at all was amiss. "Something of a premonition, perhaps?"

"Premonition?"

Doctor kept his calm smile. "A suspicion for our mission?"

Shining blinked. "We're on a mission? Why the omission of our mission from the exposition?"

Blueblood watched the two in something of a daze, it was like neither realized...

"Well I had a suspicion it was just superstition. You know the condition of Ponyville's disposition?"

"I have the supposition that you don't need intuition to see the imposition of-"

Prince shouted. "SHUT UP, BOTH OF YOU!!"

They looked at him, faces the picture of mildly perplexed innocence. "What?"

Rubbing his temples for a few seconds before remembering something, he smiled. "Sorry, I meant, shut up both of you, please."

In their defense, whatever just happened there seemed like evidence enough of Doctor's implications.

As they arrived, a voice was heard over the din of the crowd. "Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trrrrixie!" It was a light-blue mare in a purple, star-covered cloak and pointy hat standing on a stage that hadn't been there before, her forehooves extended joyously to the skies.

"Oh, hey," Shining uttered, "a street performer. There were a lot more of those in Canterlot, eh Blue?"

Silence.

"...Blue?" Turning to him, they saw Prince paralyzed, eyes wide open as he stared at Trixie like she were a Windigo.

"First up," she called, a watering can appearing in the air next to her, "some simple spells..." The watering can shook about, droplets of sparkling water hanging in the air, gathering around Trixie like a floating, glistening wreathe. The crowd lightly applauded, but by the look of the small, circular black object she pulled from under her hat, she was just getting started. The object floated out towards the crowd, spinning in place as Trixie stood back on her hind hooves, floating droplets moving with her, and waved a forehoof quickly in front of her face, which was now blind-folded. The black disk shot into the sky, vanishing from sight as Trixie removed her hat, a light motion of her head letting silvery locks fall loose as her horn lit up. She smirked. "Don't try this at home, fillies and gentlecolts..." A magical beam fired from her horn straight into the sky in the same direction as the black disk. "...because you won't do it half as well as the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

It was just as ponies were starting to raise eyebrows and murmur to one another that little black shards, still smoking with the heat of the beam, rained down in front of the stage, burying themselves in the soil on impact. A few ponies applauded her marksmanship, but she wasn't done. Settling on all four hooves and removing the blindfold with a flourish, Trixie replaced her pointy hat and nodded toward the buried fragments, the shimmering droplets all around her moving to soak the ground. She grinned, raising a hoof as though striking a chivalrous pose. "Watch, in, awe!" Stamping the hoof down on the stage floor, flowers of all sorts sprung up where the black fragments had been planted and watered; tulips, marigolds, sunflowers, violets, even roses, daisies and lilies.

In the crowd, Rose, Daisy, and Lily stood by. "Wish we could do that," Rose muttered sourly.

Daisy smiled a bit. "Might make work a little easier, eh Lily?"

Lily, however, seemed to be staring vacantly at Shining Armor in another area of the crowd. She answered in a daze, not looking away. "Yea, work..."

Daisy rolled her eyes, still grinning.

The cluster of varied and beautiful flowers glowed with magenta light as they were pulled up from the ground, coming together as the unusually long stems wrapped around each other to form a massive bouquet, which, floating towards herself, Trixie hugged happily to the sounds of applause.

Shining nudged Prince, who hadn't so much as changed his expression through the entire performance. "Hello? You seeing all this?"

With a light of her horn, ethereal spotlights formed above the stage, pointing directly at her as their light seemed to make her shimmer and glow, much to the crowd's interest. Trixie grinned, this was the part she had rehearsed the most for the day she would finally cast it on stage. Her cape seemed to become pure light as she threw her hat, glowing in the same way, into the air. When it came down again, it landed on her head as a wedding veil, the cape having wrapped around her body to form a flowing, white dress.

Many of those gathered ooh'd and aah'd and oh my'd as the magician grinned with delight, pointing the bouquet, which converted entirely to roses, at a single audience member.

"And now," her exceedingly pleased smile was visible despite the veil, "Trixie's finest act yet..." One of the floating spotlights directed at her tearfully parted, instead sending its illumination to Doctor, who beamed brightly.

"I'm not sure I can prepare a tuxedo on such short notice, but if you've got an extra cape I could borrow...?"

The crowd giggled as Trixie rolled her eyes, an extra flash of light on her horn fine-tuning the spotlight's aim to the petrified Prince, to the brown stallion's slight disappointment. She batted her eyes. "I've come back for you, My Darling~!"

Author's Notes:

I'm not sure if this is an awkward enough start for a Stallionverse story, but I'll make up for it later.

"Prince" is part of Blueblood's name, not his title. Trixie does not know that.

Next Chapter: Chapter 2: Evasive Maneuvers! Estimated time remaining: 1 Hour, 54 Minutes
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