Trixie nodded. “That’s quite generous of you, Mister Serith. It’s almost like you’re trying to make up for loosing a terrifying death robot on Trixie.” Her expression wasn’t angry, merely annoyed. She probably would have resented the stunt more if it hadn’t helped her hook her audience so easily.  
“Don’t be silly,” Serith said between chuckles, “if I was trying to atone for that, I would have merely apologized. I have not done so because I’m not sorry.”  
Trixie rolled her eyes. “You found it that amusing, did you?”  
“I find YOU amusing, Lady Trixie. Investigating and studying alien psykers… or ‘magicians’ in your case, is something of a hobby of mine. And you have proven to be a MOST intriguing specimen.”  
Almost anypony would have been creeped out at the revelation that an alien wizard thought of them as a promising science project.  
Trixie was not just anypony.  
“Of course Trixie is! You couldn’t have chosen a greater or more powerful subject!” the unicorn preened, understanding only that she was of unique interest for her talents. “But still, doing that thing where Trixie draws magic power from outside her horn gives Trixie a burning hornache, so try to keep the magic challenges more low-key, okay?”  
“Oh, you’re no fun,” Serith said.  
Iron Hearts