Spike approached Pinkie Pie's room with a nervous look on his face. This was it. He was going to confront her about the role of Javert. He knew he didn't need to be so nervous, but he couldn't help it. Pinkie Pie might have been one of the sweetest ponies in town, but she could also be fairly unreasonable. She just didn't have the same logic or reasoning that other ponies had.

Still, this was important to Spike. He had already humiliated himself in front of Rarity, and he wasn't about to do it again! With a wince, he knocked on the door.

Pinkie Pie threw the door open and grinned. "There's my little villain!" she cried happily.

Spike winced again.

"Come on in," Pinkie Pie welcomed him. "I was just thinking about you, ya know! I'm soooo uber excited for our new show! You did a great job of being mean!"

"Yeah," began Spike, "about that…"

"That song will be the highlight of your performance!" cried Pinkie Pie. "It was my favorite too!"

Spike sighed. Pinkie Pie clearly wanted something that he didn't want to deliver. On the other hoof, he couldn't hurt her feelings, and if she said he was good, then maybe he was better than he had thought. He just couldn't stand the idea of going onstage and singing that dopey song.

With a sigh, Spike thanked Pinkie Pie and spent about half an hour hanging out with her and getting the lyrics for some new songs she had written, all of them just as silly as the first one.

Gummy still had no complaints.

…

The Great and Powerful Trixie had plans up her nonexistent sleeve as well. She would go along with the little filly's show and at the last minute, she would swoop in, kidnap Sweetie Belle and hide her until the show was over. Then she would play Fantine and be loved. The problem was she had to change her appearance. Sweetie Belle could not know that it was the Great and Powerful Trixie who carried out the deed.

A simple cloak and some paint would do the trick. Sweetie Belle was only a filly, after all. She wasn't smart enough to match wits with Trixie's disguises.

Thus, the plan was set. Now all Trixie had to do was bide her time and play the role of a Thenardier for a little while longer.

Biding one's time, however, is difficult when one has little patience for such things. Trixie waited for a few days, and then a few more. But by the next week, she was tired of hearing Sweetie Belle belt out lovely ballads (silly lyrics aside). The time to act was at hoof, and she had a new plan: Kidnap her now.

After all, Trixie really just had to get her out of the way for one rehearsal. Then when everyone saw how wonderful the Great and Powerful Trixie really was when it came to Fantine's role, everyone would forget about Sweetie Belle entirely. Oh, someone would probably find her eventually, but by then Trixie would have stolen the role herself!

It was an excellent plan, but she was unsure on how to execute it…it called for cunningness. And a medium-sized burlap sack.

Grabbing some paint cans, Trixie painted herself an ugly shade of green. Then she threw on an old cloak. Snatching up a sack from Applejack's farm, she took off to find Sweetie Belle.

Soon the target was sighted: Sweetie Belle was playing in a meadow alone. Trixie grinned, thinking about how easy this would be. And astoundingly, it was. All she needed to do was slip the sack over the confused filly's head and drag her into the bushes. Nopony was around, so nopony heard her muffled cries for help. Laughing to herself, Trixie trotted off to rehearsal.

…

"Where's Sweetie Belle?" wondered Apple Bloom as the rehearsal began. "We can't do Act I without her."

"Ah, well," Trixie sighed with mock sadness, "I suppose someone else must take her place. And I suppose that someone could be the Great and Powerful—"

"We gotta find her!" cried Scootaloo. "What if something happened?"

"Oh dear!" gasped Rarity, galloping off to look for her sister.

"I'm sure nothing happened," Trixie said calmly. "Now I believe I know her ballad pretty well, so I…"

But by now no one could hear her. Everypony was out and looking for the little lost filly, leaving Trixie alone on stage.

Trixie sighed deeply. This was NOT how things were supposed to go! She was supposed to completely upstage Sweetie Belle and THEN help everyone find her! Someponies clearly did not know how to play along with things.

She could not let things go downhill so easily! No, the only solution was to grab the sack that held Sweetie Belle, move it somewhere and then improvise. Perhaps into the forest or something. Yes, there were some dangerous beasts lurking in there, but…no, Sweetie Belle would probably be fine. Probably.

With that, the Great and Powerful Trixie dashed back to the bushes where she had left the little filly and scooped the bag up in her mouth, ready to find a new hiding place. But she wasn't alone.

"You find her!" cried Spike, who had come to look in the same place. Trixie cringed.

"Spike? Is that you?" called Sweetie Belle from inside the bag. "Trixie put me in here! And I think she's really sick or something, cause she looked green!"

Trixie cringed harder, knowing her disguise hadn't worked.

"What are you planning?" Spike asked suspiciously.

"Nothing you'll ever know about," Trixie replied. Using her magic, she lifted a branch and swung it at Spike.

The baby dragon dodged the attack and grabbed the first thing he could to defend himself with…a tiny stick.

"Rather fitting," said Trixie. "Now hold still while the Great and Powerful Trixie bludgeons you! It will only take a second."

Spike might not have been strong, but he was fast. Trixie swung at him, but every blow missed, thanks to Spike's quick feet. Still, he was getting tired. He couldn't keep this up forever. Finally, he tripped and fell into a patch of dandelions.

"It's about time," muttered Trixie. "Since you both know my plan, I suppose I'll have to knock you out and make tracks."

Spike, however, had gotten his nose full of pollen while lying in the dandelions. Pollen made him sneeze. Sneezes meant fire when it came to dragons. With a loud "ACHOO," he sent a blast of fire straight at Trixie's branch, burning it to a crisp.

For once, the Great and Powerful Trixie was at a loss for words.

Spike grinned and jabbed her with his stick. "Surrender for Javert!" he cried triumphantly.

Trixie could have easily levitated another tree branch. However, the other ponies had heard the fight and were coming to investigate. With a final glare at Spike, Trixie ran off through the woods as fast as she could.

"I should have guessed Trixie was behind this," said Twilight, who had arrived with the other ponies.

Spike quickly let Sweetie Belle out of the sack. "My hero!" she cried.

"And mine as well," said Rarity, giving Spike a kiss on the cheek.

The baby dragon immediately fainted with a content smile on his scaly lips.

When Spike woke up a few seconds later, Pinkie Pie was staring over him, frantically pushing her hooves into his chest.

"Breathe!" she screamed. "Don't die on me, Spike! You have to live!"

"I'm fine," laughed Spike, pushing her off. He stopped for a moment. If he had been brave enough to fend off the Great and Powerful Trixie, wasn't he brave enough to confront Pinkie Pie? Of course he was!

"Pinkie Pie," he said confidently, "I'd like to make a few changes to Javert…"

Yes, Trixie hiding Sweetie Belle was inspired by Cartman hiding Butters in "Casa Bonita." Whacha gonna do, right?