I was nearly to the door of the Bird and Foal when it swung violently open and an aquamarine unicorn mare hurtled out, stumbling onto the boardwalk.

“And stay out!” I heard the gravelly voice of Hard Knocks say.

As soon as the mare regained her footing, her startled eyes and confused frown drew together into something tight and hard. She turned around, tossed her mane arrogantly, and angled her head back so as to be looking down her nose at the bouncer. “If you think for one moment that the Great and Powerful Trixie will ever again grace the dim-witted, unsavory patrons of your dim and unsavory establishment with her talent and—”

The bouncer’s stubby head thrust out from the doorway. It resembled a boulder in shape, consistency, and concern about what was in its path. The mare broke off in mid-sentence and galloped off the boardwalk and down the street, leaving a cloud of dust behind her.

“What was that all about, Knocks?” I asked.

He looked down the street and narrowed his eyes at the retreating mare. “Some showmare. Tonight’s entertainment. Card tricks. Guess the card, find the card, unshuffle the deck. The works.”

“I say, weren't you a bit hard on her for doing bad card tricks?”

He snorted. “Oh, they were good. Too good.”

“You don’t mean…”

“Yeah,” he said. He leaned out beyond the boardwalk and spat into the dirt of the street. “Turned out she was usin’ magic.”