Twice the Trixie at Half the Cost
It was relatively quiet night for Ponyville.
There were no monsters from the Everfree rampaging about. There were no minions of Corona plotting and scheming. There wasn’t even any of the normal crazy activities that filled the little town going on today.
The past few days had been blissfully quiet in Ponyville, and it was this that led to the first sign of the apocalypse.
A certain azure unicorn, in her boredom, had turned to reading her books on magic.
Most might not think anything of it. Trixie was the princess’ student after all, but there were a select few in town who knew just how desperate she was to relieve her boredom if she was researching from textbooks. Her friends were understanding though, even despite the fact that she had screwed up a number of spells when casting from textbooks before. They had, in fact, been planning something for tomorrow to cheer her up.
But Trixie was bored now, and she had just found the perfect spell to alleviate that.
A faint blue glow escaped her residence, and the air hummed quietly, almost imperceptibly breaking the night’s peaceful silence, as Trixie began drawing in magic to cast a spell.
“I can’t believe I found it!” Trixie giggled. “All those years of asking Luna to teach me her duplication spell, and I find it in one of Sparkle’s old books!”
The book in question was lying open on the magician’s desk with a smaller book next to it filled with Twilight Sparkle’s personal notes on the content. It had taken Trixie an entire day to actually figure out what the spell was for, and then it had been another six hours of looking over Twilight’s notes to see if there was some sort of shortcut to cut down on the amount of magical energy needed to cast the spell.
The scholar’s notes were ridiculously over complex though, and so, while Trixie had found a shortcut, she wasn’t exactly sure what she was changing in the spell. The magician could just ask Twilight of course, but she was still rather hesitant to ask Twilight anything that might just lead to another round of the scholar claiming she shouldn’t be the Element of Magic. There was no need to go poking that Ursa Minor in the back now that she had the scholar’s approval, tenuous though it may be.
She also didn’t really want to let Twilight know she’d been hanging on to her books for a while, and that she had conveniently “forgot” to return them.
Straining herself a tiny bit to gain the last little bit of power she needed, Trixie ignored the little wriggling doubts in the back of her head and cast the spell.
As the magic left her body, her doubts flowed away. She giggled at the sheer joy of casting magic. There was nothing to worry about after all. She was Trixie Lulamoon and she could do anything.
Five minutes of pure bliss later Trixie opened her eyes.
“Bonjour, mon amie!” Trixie laughed before she noticed something.
There was no other pony there.
“Don’t be shy, mon amie! I know you’re there!” Trixie puffed out her chest and tossed back her mane. “We were the one to cast the spell after all.”
Silence answered Trixie.
“Mon amie?” Trixie asked, tilting her head to the side. Her forehead wrinkled almost imperceptibly. “Did the spell not work?” She shook her head vigorously. “Well if it didn’t work it certainly wasn’t moi that messed it up. Non. Non. Non! Maybe the book was wrong, or maybe Sparkle isn’t as good a spell caster as she thinks. Maybe I should-”
A loud rumbling noise filled the room as Trixie realized she hadn’t eaten dinner in her attempts to sort through Twilight’s aggravating notes.
“Maybe I should get some dinner.” Trixie chuckled before frowning. “But where should I go? Berry’s is open late, but I’m in the mood for something more exciting. And, if I know anything right now, Ponyville is currently the last place to find excitement.”
She shook her head and headed towards the door. “Ah well, I guess me and Monseir Bourbon will have to change that. It’s high time I cut loose for a bit and we get some excitement back in this town.”
The door was closed and locked, and Trixie went on her merry way. At least, half of her did. The other half of her was currently curled in an invisible ball in the corner wondering what the hay went wrong.
…..
My little pony, My little pony
Ahh ahh ahh ahhh...
My little pony
Friendship never meant that much to me
My little pony
But you're all here and now I can see
Stormy weather; Lots to share
A musical bond; With love and care
Teaching laughter; It's an easy feat,
And magic makes it all complete!
You have my little ponies
How'd I ever make so many true friends?
…..
All the little wriggling doubts Trixie had felt before casting the spell were now screaming that she’d made a huge mistake. She’d tried to talk to her duplicate, but she just couldn’t figure out what to say. She’d had doubts saying something had gone wrong. She’d had doubts saying she shouldn’t talk to the Trixie across from her. She’d even had doubts telling her to doubt her doubts. It was incredibly overwhelming. So, instead of telling her counterpart she was there, she’d simply kept weaving her veil around herself tighter and tighter like a blanket.
Trixie thought about getting up and going to get her friends. She wanted to tell them that something had gone wrong, but it was late.
It was late, and they might be asleep, and they were probably really busy with whatever they were planning for tomorrow. Besides, there was no guarantee that anything was wrong. Her other duplicate wouldn’t do anything that bad, right? Nope, it was far better to wait until morning when she hopefully wouldn’t be imposing on her friends. Trixie couldn’t possibly interrupt them now. Nope. She would simply wait for morning.
She started to head for bed until she realized that it would be presumptuous of her to take the bed without offering it to her counterpart.
And so she waited, invisibly, in the corner for her counterpart to return.
It was only when the sun’s rays peeked through the window that the unicorn realized her counterpart was not coming back.
…..
Carrot Top woke to the sun’s rays deciding to poke her in the eyes. She really wanted to go back to bed after staying up late to help fix up Trixie’s surprise, but she had work to do like always.
Five more minutes wouldn’t hurt anypony though, and so she buried her head underneath her pillow for just a couple minutes more of relaxing.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Carrot’s ears flicked as they barely caught a faint tapping noise coming from her front door. She buried her head farther in her pillow.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
There was only one pegasus who knocked that quietly, and, while Carrot Top was normally more than happy to help, she was just the tiniest bit tired right now. Besides, Fluttershy would leave after a while. She was too timid not to.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Carrot Top groaned before relenting and swinging herself out of bed. Her room was a bit of a mess, but she’d find the time to clean it up eventually. It would just come after the Farmer’s Union got the fresh shed supplies. And it would come after her meeting with the mayor. And it would come after Trixie’s surprise. And it would definitely come after whatever else somepony might ask Carrot Top to do that day. But it would happen eventually. She hoped.
The tapping continued as Carrot Top went down the hall towards the door. Some ponies would find her house a bit on the small and simple side, but Carrot Top liked it that way. She didn’t need much for herself, and so what her house did actually hold was rather important to her. There were some family pictures lining the wall of the entry hall, and the kitchen had various secondhand pots and pans that came right from her parents old house when they found out she’d learned to cook. Her favorite item though was the couch in the living room. It was a little old, and it was getting well beyond the age most ponies would buy a new couch.
But it was her couch, patches and all.
She’d had this couch since she was a filly. It had seen everything from her homework, to her friends, to her first crush, and it had even seen The Talk. That couch had been through a good portion of her life, and it would be almost criminal to throw it away.
It was almost as good as a shoulder to cry on.
That was why, when Carrot Top opened the door and saw a ragged looking Trixie on the other side, her first thought was, “I knew I should have gotten to cleaning the couch sooner.”
…..
Trixie drew back slightly as Carrot Top opened the door. On the way over, she’d been thinking over some of the various ways to explain to her friends that she may or may not have messed up Luna’s duplication spell. Unfortunately, she had doubts that her friends would take the news well that there were currently two Trixie’s running around and that they may or may not be a danger to the town. Of course, she couldn’t say for sure there was a danger. Nope. That would be presumptuous, and Trixie wouldn’t want to mess up an assumption as big as that. It was definitely better to simply wait for her friends to tell her what they thought.
It took a second for Trixie to notice Carrot Top had started talking.
“Trixie? Earth to Trixie? Are you alright?” Carrot Top tilted her head and her brow furrowed. “Did something happen last night?”
Trixie opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to find the ability to speak. As she did, her body took the tiniest of steps towards curling into a ball again.
Carrot Top’s brow furrowed more as she noticed this, and she moved out to put a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “Come on, Trixie. You know if you have something to say you can tell me.”
Trixie took a couple of deep breaths before finally speaking. “I may or may not have messed up a new spell...” She flinched for a second, expecting backlash for what was obviously a horrible mistake, but Carrot Top just shook her head and motioned Trixie inside.
“Come on inside and have a seat on the couch. I have a feeling we’re going to need it.”
…..
Carrot Top set Trixie on the couch and headed into the kitchen. Setting an old tea kettle on the stove, she began heating the water to a boil before grabbing a couple herbs from the cupboard.
She wasn’t sure what happened yet, but Carrot Top could see that Trixie was a mess.
The magician’s mane was a tangled mess, and her eyes were rimmed with black semicircles from stress and fatigue. Worst though was her posture. She was flinching at everyday sounds, and she was so tense that it looked like she was about to snap like a coiled spring.
Even when Carrot Top had been trying to comfort her, the mare had felt Trixie withdrawing from her touch only to come back to it instantaneously like she desperately needed it.
It was strange, to say the least, and it was definitely not a very Trixie thing to do, but Carrot Top was willing to wait to get the story from Trixie herself.
First things first, however, Trixie needed to calm down or she would never give a straight answer.
Hence the possibly prescription strength tea Carrot Top was making.
She didn’t really want to drug her friend, but, if the loud crinkly paper bag sounds and hyperventilating coming from the living room were any indication, Trixie really needed some help calming down..
Taking the tea into the living room, she set down a tray holding two cups and a tea pot before handing one of the cups to Trixie.
“Drink,” she commanded in a tone that didn’t allow for disobedience.
Trixie grabbed the cup and drank from it like her life depended on it. After finishing it, she poured a second cup herself and downed it for good measure, just in case Carrot Top wanted her to have more. She moved to pour a third, but Carrot Top held out a hoof to stop her.
“Feel any better?” Carrot Top asked.
“What do you mean?” Trixie asked slowly setting the cup down. Her body finally relaxing for the first time she arrived. Almost imperceptibly, the tautness in her muscles began to release.
Carrot Top furrowed her brow. “Well you were kind of a complete mess when you showed up. If I hadn’t known any better I might have said you were just Fluttershy painted blue.”
“I suppose I was a bit of a mess...” said Trixie quietly. “I found Luna’s duplication spell in one of my books, and was trying to cast it.”
“Did it work?” Carrot Top asked.
“Kind of... Sort of... Maybe...” Trixie mumbled, almost imperceptibly. “When I was done casting it though, I was the quivering mess you found on your doorstep. I was so scared of what might happen that I turned invisible before my counterpart even saw me...”
Carrot Top nodded in all the right places as Trixie went on, and she smiled whenever she thought it appropriate. It was odd to be using all the little tricks she’d learned to keep Fluttershy calm on Trixie. Even though the magician was calmer than before, she kept hesitating before she spoke.
It wasn’t exactly shyness though.
Trixie was drawing out every syllable slowly and carefully, like she was afraid of making a mistake in her speech. Rather than looking downward submissively like Fluttershy, she was looking upwards, like she was lost in thought.
“I take it that’s not normal, but do you have any idea what’s wrong?” Carrot Top coaxed Trixie to continue.
“I don’t think so...” Trixie sighed, “I’ve been running over possibilities all night, but every time I think I might be onto something I realize that there still might be something I’m missing. Ever since I cast that spell, my head’s been so full of miscellaneous thoughts and doubts that I can’t really think straight.”
“Maybe that’s the problem,” Carrot Top said.
“Huh?” Trixie replied.
“I mean maybe that spell magnified your doubts and fears, or maybe you accidentally got the duplicate’s fears, or-” Carrot Top motioned through the air, trying to express the annoyingly abstract ideas magic was so often associated with.
“Or maybe that spell split me in more ways than just the physical?” Trixie finished.
“Exactly!” Carrot Top nodded.
“But, if I was left with all of Trixie’s doubts and reservations, what part of Trixie did the other half get?” Trixie tilted her head.
A loud banging on the front door interrupted their conversation. Carrot Top rose to answer it, but a somewhat slurred and rather hoarse voice rang decided it couldn’t wait for the door to open.
“Carrot Top! Can you get me some of your hangover cure before last night’s shenanigahns completely wear off? I need to work today, and I can’t do that if I’m stuck recovering from last night.”
It was barely recognizable, but Berry Punch’s voice was coming through the door.
“Can you hold on for just a second?” Carrot Top asked Trixie.
“I suppose...” Trixie sighed.
A couple minutes, and one hangover cure later, Berry Punch was standing at least somewhat straight again at Carrot Top’s door thanking her.
“I don’t know what I’d do without that little cure of yours,” said Berry, smiling weakly as she tried to finish the last little specks of the cure for maximum effect.
Carrot Top just smiled. “It’s no problem at all! If you don’t mind though, there’s a little bit of an issue I need to take care of inside now.”
Carrot Top closed the door as Berry began walking away, but she did manage to hear Berry’s last farewell through the door.
“Thanks again for the cure, Carrot! You might want to stock up on some more though! You’ll probably be seeing a lot more customers today. Lulamoon was right about Neigh Orleans! They really know how to throw a party!”
Trixie poked her head out of the living room, an odd expression on her face.
“Lulamoon?” the magician asked.
“Neigh Orleans?” came Carrot Top's clever reply.
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Great. Another reminder that of all of the Mane Six, L!Trixie most resembles Rainbow Dash. The laziness, the belief that she has to achieve things to be appreciated, the need to belong to an organization that might not be what she thinks it is, the cocksure stupidity, the boastfulness, the oh-so-poorly-hidden self-hatred.......
I could go on but I think I've made my point.
JUDGEMENT!
...
I like it.
The writing is good, and it's an interesting concept to explore, although it has been done before in a lot of media. I like that she's still being careful around Twilight - something tells me the new librarian will spend the first few weeks barricaded against the constant crazy of the town. I can't really analyze further on how things are going, as not much has happened yet, but it looks just fine so far.
Carrot Top is pretty clever to pick up on that quickly, shouldn't they have at least went to see Twilight first?
3052531
And that's bad because?
3052690
I'm not saying it's bad. I'm saying that she's easier to write for if you assume that she's RD with a horn and a drinking problem.
Yes! I was so looking forward to this! This seems pretty technically sound I mean, I don't see anything that really sticks out as a large error. Now to wait for the next one eagerly.
3052690
I assume you mean
And I do have a problem of sometimes handing epiphanies out like candy, but in this case it wasn't so much CT knowing what exactly was wrong as it was her throwing out suggestions. The one thing she did know was that Trixie was acting far more nervous than is natural for a nervous Trixie. Trixie really isn't the kind to show nervousness. She's even better than Rainbow Dash at hiding her nervousness. Her only conclusion was that the spell was behind that, and Trixie hadn't thought of that in her nervousness. So she started throwing out random suggestions that sounded like magical explanations to her until Trixie caught on to the idea and reached an actual reason as to how things might have gone wrong that she hadn't considered herself.
CT could have asked if her nervousness was a side effect, but I'm trying to have her approach this side of Trixie like I imagine CT treating Fluttershy's shyness. That is, instead of being direct and possibly flustering this half of Trixie, she was much more gentle and suggestive by throwing out the fact that Trixie's nervousness wasn't natural in a bunch of differen't ways so Trixie was the one to pick which way she liked it most, and thus actually advance without a nervous breakdown of maybes, sort offs, and kindas.
I hope that makes sense...
3052889 Well I do like that CT handles doubtful Trixie like she does Fluttershy, so I guess it makes sense. They should still get some confirmation from someone else, maybe Lyra who is more academic about her magic, even if it's not her specialty.
3052531
She's also got a sizable amount of Rarity in her.
I truly enjoyed this chapter I re-read it twice before commenting sir please keep this up.
3053928
This is true: the shame about her origins, the need to misrepresent who she is, the cheap theatrics, the phony, put-on accent, the insane social climbing.....
Good enough writing ruined by one simple fact.
Trixie + Lunaverse.
It's off to a rollicking start so I'd suggest you try and drink some of Carrot's tea and relax a little
3055086
This.
Lulamoon's on the loose "run away"
3071254
Not exactly due to technical mumbo jumbo that some people may or may not consider spoilers so I'm doing my best not to say it right now. It should be explained next chapter anyways.
Awww, Trixieshy is so cute in her neurotic way.
Can't wait to see what Lulamoon is up to, we haven't seen her since the pilot.
Oddly, I don't think I got a notification of this story I only found it by wandering around.
OK, sorry it took me so long to get to this, it was very well written and I feel the split is being handled quite well, far less worryingly than I initially assumed, though we shall see what happens in the future, regardless this was overall very well written and enjoyable. I do feel Trixie recovered a bit fast and CT/Trixie maybe reached the answer a bit fast and I felt Trixie's comments regarding Twilight to be a bit off-putting considering their parent friendship from Crisis. I felt that Trixie's invisibility and hiding in her house were excellent, CT brewing a special tea to help her calm down and using all the techniques she uses on Fluttershy were excellent! Overall good story!
Oh, this is kinda like the old Star Trek" TOS episode 'The Enemy Within'! I loved that episode, and I like this too. Great start!
So....
+
vs 
+
Your tabs are inconsistent in length
3315372
And that means?
3316151
It literally means that some paragraphs have long tabs while other tabs have short tabs.
3316606
oh sorry, I was thinking about the genre tags somehow when you said tabs... Yeah... it's annoying when that happens, but it's the cost of me bringing it in through google docs. I use google docs and word to help with my grammar and spelling and the result is that, somehow, something is always off with the spacing and I never catch where all those little mistakes are...
So "Lulamoon" would be Trixie's natural confidence in herself and arrogance, magnified a bit I'd imagine without her fears and doubts, while the Trixie Carrot Top is with, would be her insecurities, fears and doubts, most liely the ones in the back of her head when she was casting the spell.