“Hey, ‘Tia,” Trixie announced casually, sauntering past the startled guards into Princess Celestia’s chambers. It was around three in the afternoon, and the School for Gifted Unicorns had just dismissed for the day.
“Why, hello, my student. How was school today? Did you learn anything new?” Celestia asked with a warm smile as she turned from her desk to greet the small sky-blue filly with the silvery mane and magical wand cutie mark.
“Yep! Tried my hoof at some conjuring during recess. I must say, I’m pretty good at it, too.”
Celestia frowned a bit. “Yes, Trixie, but those are just stage tricks. What about your advanced studies on Starswirl the Bearded’s unfinished spells?”
“Oh, that stinky old guy. I’ll do it later, I promise.”
“Trixie! Starswirl the Bearded was one of the most powerful mages of the classical era! Don’t you think you ought to show him and his work a little more respect?” Celestia chided.
‘She’s such a doll, but she can be so ignorant at times...’ Celestia thought wistfully to herself.
“Oh, alright, I guess. Seeya at dinner!” Trixie agreed, having reconsidered, not wanting to provoke her teacher’s ire much more. She strode out of the room and shut the doors behind her on her way to the tower that functioned as her living quarters.
As the sun was setting over Canterlot a few hours later, testing for the new batch of entrants to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was just wrapping up for the day.
The last one in line was a lavender filly named Twilight Sparkle.
The examiners were not impressed. One of them yawned, half-hoping that the filly would burn out from magical exhaustion so that he could go home already. Twilight had been trying to hatch the dragon egg placed in front of her for half an hour now, and yet she was barely able to produce more than a few sparks from her stubby horn.
“Well, Miss Sparkle? We don’t have all day.”
A large explosion rocked the tower. Outside, a colorful shockwave filled the sky. That seemed to be all Twilight needed, as she was suddenly enveloped in a storm of magic, causing the egg to hatch and the dragon inside to grow so high that he smashed through the roof. Her parents and the examiners were quickly turned into cacti.
Princess Celestia, just about to make her way to dinner with Trixie, was struck down by the strong field of magic. She struggled to stand, and immediately took flight out the window, making a beeline for the school. Teleportation was out of the question with the amount of power being released into the air.
Inside the exam room, she was surprised to see Twilight Sparkle as the pony behind the tornado of magic. Her power index rating had only just been high enough to pass the requirements to be even given a chance at testing for entry to the school.
But, there Twilight was anyways. Celestia struggled to move against the force of the field surrounding the poor filly, and was again thrown to the ground. She finally was able to lift a hoof and place it on one of Twilight’s shoulders. Thankfully, that was all that was required to shut her down. Twilight fell to the floor, trembling after noticing the pony towering above her.
“Twilight Sparkle--” Celestia began.
“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean it!--” Twilight was quick to apologize.
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen a pony with your raw ability,” Celestia continued in an attempt to reassure the filly.
“Huh?”
“You just need to learn to control it through some focused study. I’d like to take you under my wing here at the school.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
‘Trixie has never been able to come close to doing something like that. Maybe Twilight can teach her a thing or two.’ Celestia smiled at the thought of the two fillies growing up together. Then she remembered she was supposed to be having dinner with Trixie right then.
“Well, I have some business to attend to, but why don’t you come by the castle tomorrow and we can begin our first lessons, hmm?”
“YES!” Twilight exclaimed, still jumping in circles. Her parents only whinnied.
With that, Celestia’s horn flashed and she teleported out of the room in a bright flash of golden light. She rematerialized seconds later in the Royal Dining Hall of the palace, where Trixie sat on one side of the long table, wolfing down a daisyburger and hayfries as if she had never eaten anything before.
“Hello, my student,” Celestia greeted, taking the seat next to her. A waiter soon ran up to her with a small milkweed and kelp salad, complemented by a glass of iced tea and a small slice of strawberry-and-chocolate buttercream cake. Her favorite.
“What was that big bang I heard earlier?”
“One of the new students. She lost control during her entrance exam, but she has quite a lot of magical power. I’m going to be working with her a bit.”
Trixie spat out a limp, half-chewed hayfry covered in ketchup and looked over at Celestia. “I’m still your student, though, right?”
“Of course you are,” Celestia cooed, rumpling Trixie’s mane playfully.
“Gud,” Trixie replied through a mouthful of ground daisy patty. “‘Cause I just did sum readung on Starshwirl, an’ I found out he created the Advanshed Theory of Conjorung. Mmm, this is gud.”
“You know better than to talk with your mouth full, Trixie, but I’m glad to hear you taking a bit more keen interest in your studies. Maybe you can help out the new filly a bit, show her the ropes.”
“Sounds cool. What’s her name? When does she start?”
“Twilight Sparkle. She’ll be over tomorrow afternoon for her first lesson,” Celestia replied, downing her tea.
With the last of her hayfries eaten, Trixie stood up from the table. “Well, I’m gonna go read about some more spells! Seeya ‘round, ‘Tia!”
For show, Trixie teleported a few feet away and put up a small smokescreen before racing out of the room at full gallop. The door to the dining hall closed with an abrupt click behind her, leaving Celestia all alone to her thoughts and the rich slice of cake.
The princess smiled a bit at Trixie’s eagerness to actually sit down with a good book and read--an activity that she had never enjoyed--before licking her lips daintily, levitating the cake up to her mouth, and devouring the whole thing in one completely non-dainty bite.
Sighing at the bliss the flavors of strawberry and chocolate left in her mouth, Celestia rose and made her way out of the dining hall.
Trixie happily clipped through the streets of Canterlot on her way to school the next morning, munching on some freshly-baked eclairs she had stolen from the palace kitchen. She never knew Celestia had her own personal pastry chef before then, but it figured, given the princess’ insatiable appetite for all things sugar.
“WHAT DO YOU MEAN MY ECLAIRS HAVE ‘GONE MISSING,’ GUSTAV?! ARGH!” the Royal Canterlot Voice had emanated from the palace only moments after she had departed.
Rounding the last corner, the marble towers that made up the School soon came into view. She crammed the remaining eclairs down her throat, licked the fudge off of her hooves, and pushed past some of the other unicorns waiting outside for the late bell in order to enter--early.
Trixie trotted down the corridors and trudged up the stairs, worn flat from the stomping of countless hooves. She finally arrived at her locker and opened it. As always, a cascade of toys, an abacus, crumpled papers, broken quills, inkwells, and a few dusty old books greeted her, spilling out onto the floor and causing a passing-by professor to glare at her.
Picking up a book on basic theory (she still needed to refer to it in secret at times during classes, despite the fact that students at her level were supposed to have already memorized its contents by heart), a few dull quills, and one of the half-empty bottles of ink, Trixie went off to her first class of the day, which also happened to be her favorite--Exercise Session.
She entered the large room and plunked her things down on a bench that ran along the wall. A few other students were play-fighting in the corner, but otherwise the cavernous space was empty. The room was where most students had to come first thing every morning to “warm up” their magic so that they wouldn’t hurt themselves during later classes.
Trixie went over to a pony who was hiding behind a magical punching bag and tapped him on the shoulder. The frightened tan colt turned around.
“Wanna duel?” Trixie asked menacingly.
“No! Leave me alone!” the colt screamed, rushing out a back entrance.
‘Oh, well,’ Trixie thought. ‘Guess I’m gonna have to practice by myself.’
She fired a beam at the punching bag. It was enchanted to automatically absorb all spells that were cast at it, no matter what the strength.
After about half an hour, Trixie’s horn was burning up, which was when she was supposed to stop. She got a drink of water from a fountain next to the entrance, and sat on the bench, waiting for the bell to ring for the next class.
At exactly three o’clock, Trixie burst from the school and made straight for the palace, not stopping off at the corner bakery for a cupcake like she usually did. She was excited to meet the new filly, Twilight.
Reaching the gilded door to Celestia’s chambers, Trixie made to enter, but the guards barred her way. “Her Highness is very busy at the moment with her new student,” one of them said. “She requested no interruptions.”
“Don’t you know who I am?” Trixie cried resentfully.
“Yes, Trixie. Her Highness specifically instructed us to turn away even you.”
From behind the door, the muffled sound of Celestia’s and the pony who Trixie presumed to be Twilight's voices wafted out into the hallway.
“You can teleport across the room already? How fast do you learn, Twilight Sparkle?”
“It’s not hard, Your Highness. I just read a lot.”
She could hear Celestia giggle.
Trixie gnashed her teeth. She could barely teleport three feet, and it had taken years of practice. Now this filly, who was four years her junior, was showing her up in front of her teacher. And said teacher was eating it all up!
‘It’s not fair!’ Trixie screamed mentally, taking a seat on the floor a few feet away from the guards.
About an hour later, the door opened, and Celestia walked out with a small lavender filly with wide violet eyes, an indigo-magenta-and-purple-streaked mane and tail, and a magenta amethyst star surrounded by five smaller white stars for a cutie mark.
“That was fun, Your Highness!” the filly exclaimed.
“Oh, Twilight, my faithful student, you don’t need to use the title. How many times do I have to tell you?” Celestia replied in a motherly tone.
“It’s a trap! I’d be violating court procedure if I did that, and then you’d throw me in the dungeon with a big guard named Bruiser who’d rip me to pieces! My brother knows him!” she stated matter-of-factly.
Celestia again giggled as the two passed by Trixie. Celestia didn’t seem to notice her until Twilight pointed her out, waving a hoof.
“Hi there!” Twilight called to Trixie. “Who are you?”
“Nopony,” Trixie grumbled, burying her face in her hooves.
‘IT’S. NOT. FAIR!’
Without a word from Celestia, she and Twilight continued on and disappeared down the stairs at the end of the hall.
‘She’s always needed a lesson in humility,’ Celestia thought, who had in fact noticed Trixie’s muted reaction to her and Twilight’s emergence. ‘Maybe this’ll be enough.’
Trixie had skipped dinner--she just wasn’t feeling too good--and made her way directly to her bedroom at only half-past seven--three hours earlier than normal. As the reached the top of the long, spiraling stairs that led to her tower, she saw a sight that made her heart stop cold.
Celestia and Twilight were ransacking her room. The princess was hard at work levitating up all of Trixie’s messy belongings and floating them into boxes, while Twilight, on the other hoof, was unpacking some other boxes and, just like Celestia, floating out all of her belongings, neatly arranging them just so.
All that she could manage was a startled squwak.
“Oh, hi there!” Twilight looked up, again waving her hoof.
“Wha--what are you two doing?” Trixie cried, racing over to one of the boxes that held some of her things. Pointing at Twilight, she continued. “Why does she get my room? Are you disowning me, ‘Tia?”
“What did you just call Princess Celestia?” Twilight exclaimed. “I’m sorry, Your Highness, I’m sure she didn’t--”
“It’s alright, my faithful student. Trixie, since the tower has a better view of the night sky, and Twilight will be studying astronomy, I thought that she could make better use of it. I know you’ve never looked out a telescope before in your life.” Celestia chuckled at the last bit.
Twilight, meanwhile, was floored at the news.
“You’ve never looked out of a telescope? It’s so much fun! Want me to give you some beginner lessons on astronomy?”
“No,” Trixie grumbled.
“Well, Twilight, I think I’m going to go show my other student to her new accommodations. See you at breakfast,” Celestia said, lifting the three boxes that held Trixie’s effects.
“Good night, Your Highness!” Twilight called after the two, placing a raggedy doll that looked kind of like a donkey on her pillow. “How do you like the new room, Smartypants?” she could be heard cooing through the now-closed door.
After a long walk, Celestia and Trixie arrived at the latter’s new room among the palace’s guest suites. Celestia opened the door and showed the disgruntled filly in. It was much smaller than the tower, and had only a small window that afforded a dismal view of the palace garbage dump.
Celestia dropped the boxes onto the floor and left. “I’ll leave you to get settled,” she said, closing the door.
Trixie flopped onto the bed and glared up at the cinder-block, cobweb-covered ceiling. She allowed the events of the day, one which had started out perfectly with some pilfered eclairs, and had ended terribly with a pilfered room, to collect and swim through her head all at once.
Tears began to well up in Trixie’s eyes at the self-perceived injustices she had suffered.
Her mind made up, Trixie rolled off of the bed, stormed out of her room, and ran as fast as she could up to Twilight’s tower.
Making sure the coast was clear, she bucked open the door and stormed over to where the lavender filly was sitting, gazing up at the stars alongside the ugly doll she called ‘Smartypants.’
“And that’s the ponyshoe nebula, there, Smartypants,” Twilight told the doll sweetly, pointing a hoof at a cloud of colored gases in the sky.
“Alright, who do you think you are?” Trixie shouted, tackling Twilight to the ground. She screamed and teleported out from underneath Trixie’s grasp.
“W-What do you want?” Twilight asked, shaking.
“Let me get this straight: I’m Trixie, and I’m number one around here, while you’re number two. Second. Less important. Subordinate. I was here first. So don’t start to think you’re better than me or anything! Got it?!”
“Oh-okay...”
“Good.”
With a hmph, Trixie abruptly turned about-face and marched out of the room.
Twilight slumped over. She hadn’t wanted to let the pony--apparently her name was Trixie--see her break down. With that problem out of the way, she didn't feel much like stargazing anymore. She lethargically climbed in bed and soon cried herself to sleep.
She decided not to tell Princess Celestia. Trixie was probably just a bit jealous at her arrival. Maybe she’d come around in the long run. Twilight was never one to judge a book by its cover.
Trixie arrived back in her room a few minutes later. She was initially ecstatic at her being able to put Twilight back in her place so easily, but soon realized that the twerp would probably rat her out to Celestia.
‘Stupid. Could things get any worse?’
On that sour note, Trixie slipped between the scratchy sheets of her new bed and also cried herself to sleep that night.
The next day was Trixie’s favorite--Saturday. She lay in bed for hours after the sun had risen, listening to the birds chirping outside, and taking in the sweet smell of the waffles grilling...
“Waffles?” Trixie exclaimed as she sat bolt upright in bed.
Hastily making herself presentable, Trixie trotted out of her new room and made her way to the palace dining hall. Inside, she found Celestia and Twilight, each with a tall tower of syrup-blanketed battery goodness before them. Celestia was browsing the comics section of Equestria Daily, while Twilight had the Hoof Street Journal open to the latest stock reports.
“Pegasi just got bought out by Sassa-Cola in a billion-bit deal...I’m surprised the Department of the Treasury isn’t going to take them to court on antitrust charges,” Twilight mused.
“What?” Celestia asked, startled. “I liked Pegasi. Somepony’s going to be getting an angry letter from me.”
“That’s business, Your Highness,” Twilight replied, taking a swig of orange juice.
Trixie sat down next to Celestia.
“Good morning, my student. Did you sleep well?”
“Yeah! Can I have some waffles?”
“Sure,” Celestia said, sliding over her plate. “I just wanted a kale smoothie anyways.”
As if on cue, a waiter dashed over with a tall sundae glass filled to the brim with a thick, minty green liquid. Trixie gagged as Celestia raised it and took a long drink.
“Ahh...”
“Your Highness?”
“Yes, my faithful student?”
“I’ve see the palace getting deliveries from a place called Sugarcube Corner in Ponyville both days I’ve been here so far.”
Trixie, without Celestia noticing, began to make the ‘kill’ signal at Twilight. Celestia was very sensitive about her sugar addiction problems. If the lavender filly noticed, she didn’t react.
“And...?” Celestia asked, indicating for Twilight to continue.
“Well, they’re just about to go public under the ticker SCCX, starting at a half-bit per share. I don’t know if you’d be at all interested in buying into them a bit. There might be some perks involved,” she continued in a sort of sing-song voice.
“I’ll consider it,” Celestia laughed.
“Anyways,” Twilight said, finishing up the last of her breakfast. “I’ll be in the library, studying, if anypony needs me.”
“Okay, my faithful student. Don’t forget about lunch, though. You wouldn’t want to starve a growing mind such as yours!” Celestia called after Twilight as she exited the room in the direction of the archives.
“Trixie, my student,” Celestia said after Twilight’s hooffalls had quieted.
“Yes, ‘Tia?”
“Why don’t you go with her? You two really should spend some time together, get to know each other better. She might be able to teach you some things, and you could do so likewise.”
“Okay...” Trixie grumbled, knowing that she really didn’t have a choice in the matter. She slinked out of her seat and followed the direction Twilight had gone off in.
Trixie found Twilight engrossed in a large book in the library: “The Starswirl Theory on Applied Pony Genetics and Reproduction.”
“Hey there, Twilight.”
“Hi, Trixie,” Twilight replied without looking up.
“Whatcha reading?”
Twilight placed her bookmark on the page she was on and shut the book so Trixie could see the cover. After a moment she reopened it and resumed her reading.
“Very interesting stuff you got there.”
“Yes.”
“So...'Tia told me to come here and teach you how to use magical shields. Why don’t you say we get started?”
“Alright, I guess,” Twilight agreed, standing up and trotting over to an open area in the middle of the small study room she was in.
“First, you have to draw in a bunch of magic to your horn, like this,” Trixie said, straining and sweating while she did so. Soon, a few sparks formed around her horn.
Twilight did the same and her horn immediately came to life with a shimmering aura.
“Next, cast a neutral beam directly upwards,” Trixie continued, sending a thin pinpoint of faint pink light a few feet in the air.
Twilight shot a large column of magenta magic upwards until it made a small burn mark on the ceiling.
Trixie was a bit peeved at the fact that the pony she was teaching was better at the subject material than her, but she continued nonetheless, if anything hoping that Twilight would be unable to actually create the actual shield.
“Finally, infuse the beam with a spherical shield enchantment,” Trixie concluded, giving her pink beam a small increase in power and causing it to form a weak dome that fit snugly around her.
Twilight’s horn flashed as a large magenta field to come down around her, with a few feet on either side to spare. It pulsated with magical shimmers. Trixie reached out and found that, while her shield was easily penetrable, Twilight’s was tough and rubbery, and she couldn’t poke her hoof through no matter how hard she tried.
“ARGH!” Trixie cried in despair, taking down her shield, with Twilight doing the same in turn.
“Is something wrong, Trixie?”
“It’s just that...I’m not as...good as you,” she lamented, sitting down and brushing a stray mane hair out of her face with a hoof. “And I feel dumb because you’re so much younger than me.”
Twilight sat next to her. “Well, Trixie, everypony has a different magical talent. Maybe yours just isn’t advanced spells like mine is. I’m sure you’ll find it if you keep practicing, though.”
“You think?”
“I know. Want me to help you?”
“No! I want to do it all by myself!”
“Okay, but if you change your mind, I’ll be right here!” Twilight said, returning to her book.
‘She thinks she can manipulate me that easily? Ha!’ Trixie thought. ‘I’ll show her! I’ll fight fire with fire! I’ll practice so hard that I’ll be just as good as--no, better than--Twilight! From hereon out, I’m a new mare! I’m unstoppable! I’m--’
“Confused,” Trixie finished out loud, her eyes glazing over at the wall of text presented to her in the random magical theory book she had picked off of a shelf. Nearby, she could hear Twilight humming a tune to herself, accompanied by the occasional sound of a flipping page or a spell being cast.
Trixie returned the book to the shelf and this time spent some time hunting for something more her speed. “Paraspriting for Dummies,” she announced to nopony in particular, reading the title of a yellow-and-black book with a clueless-looking pony on its cover that had caught her eye.
Sighing, she plopped down at a wooden study desk with the book and flipped it open to the table of contents.
‘What a great way to spend a Saturday. Way to go, Trixie. You’re officially an egghead’
On Monday morning, Trixie followed her usual getting-ready-for-school-routine. She slid out of bed late, hastily brushed her mane, and downed a bowl of Cheerioats.
She collected her saddlebags, dropped them over her flank, and was just about to walk out the palace’s front door and head out when she was approached by Twilight, who was also wearing a pair of bags.
“No, no, Twilight. I’m going to the school for big ponies. You should be going off to your little baby fifth grade class now.”
“But I am a big pony. Princess Celestia skipped me ahead to the ninth grade on an accelerated two-year curriculum.”
Trixie stifled a gasp.
“B-But I’m in the eighth grade...” was all she managed to whisper before fainting.
Twilight had conjured some water out of thin air and allowed it to drop onto Trixie in order to revive her. The two fillies were now halfway through their trip to the School. Trixie was less than thrilled about having a sopping-wet coat on such a chilly morning.
“Brr! It’s so cold!” Trixie whined.
“Want to borrow a scarf?” Twilight asked, levitating one out of her saddlebags.
“No.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes.”
“Okay then. Suit yourself,” Twilight replied as she wrapped it around her neck.
She pulled out the small piece of paper that held her new schedule. “Hmm...first I have...ooh! Free library period! Sounds fun!”
“That must be a mistake!” Trixie sputtered, taking the paper from Twilight and glaring at it intensely. A footnote stated in small type that Twilight was one of the few ponies who had an exemption from Exercise Session, due to ‘advanced skills.’
“Gah! I should have known you wouldn’t have to do Exercise Session!”
“What’s that?”
“Most everypony has to warm up their magic at the start of every day so they don’t burn out later. Some don’t have to do it because they’re that good,” Trixie begrudgingly explained. “You’re one of those ponies.”
“Oh,” Twilight replied curtly as the two entered the building. Immediately they were cornered by a group of tenth-grade students, who were widely known to be the school’s chief bullies.
“Hey, Tricks! Is that your baby sister? What’s she doing here?” the pony who was obviously their leader taunted.
“No! She’s just some little egghead I have to show around! Celestia’s orders! Hey, watch this!” Trixie hurriedly fibbed. She pulled out her water canteen and shoved it into Twilight’s mouth. “Ha! Little brat needs her bottle!”
Twilight spat the canteen out and glared at Trixie. “What was that for?”
“Ooh! Feisty little baby too!” another one of the bullies jeered.
“I’m in ninth grade.”
“Ho ho ho! Hey, Tricks, is that true? Is the baby a grade ahead of you?”
“No! She’s lying!”
“Yeah, like we believe that,” the leader laughed, picking up Twilight and swinging her by her tail.
Twilight yelped and quickly teleported out of the older colt’s hooves. She then lifted the three colts up in her telekinesis and tossed them roughly to the side. Finally, Twilight surrounded herself and Trixie with a small force field and walked off. Trixie had no choice but to follow. The bullies looked around in confusion for a few seconds, then scampered away.
“I could’ve stuck up for myself!” Trixie protested.
“But you didn’t.”
“You’re so annoying! They were right! You are a baby!
Twilight didn’t reply, but reduced the size of the force field, removing its protection from Trixie. She took off at full tilt towards the library, holding back tears.
“Baby,” Trixie remarked without moving, shuffling her hooves idly.
Twilight didn’t feel up to walking back to the palace with Trixie after the events that had transpired that morning. And this time, she was going to tell Celestia.
She went out a back exit and out to the jousting field. A few members of the school’s team were suiting up for practice while others were running laps. Making sure nopony was watching, she screwed her eyes shut in deep concentration, collecting magical energy into her horn. After a solid minute, her horn flashed and she teleported directly to her tower in the palace.
Trotting briskly through the halls, Twilight made her way to Celestia’s chambers. She paused outside their doors a few minutes later. One of the guards poked his head in.
“Your Highness? Twilight Sparkle is outside. Should we let her in?”
“Sure,” Celestia’s voice came from inside.
“The princess will see you now,” the guard informed Twilight, swinging the doors open.
“Good afternoon, my faithful student. What can I help you with?”
“Hello, Your Highness,” Twilight said meekly, bowing, sighing, and then flopping onto the ground.
“What’s wrong, Twilight?” Celestia asked concernedly, rising and striding over to where Twilight lay spread out on the floor before settling down next to the lavender filly and draping a fluffy wing over her.
“Well,” Twilight sniffed, “when I got to school today a bunch of big colts started pushing me around. They called me a ‘baby’ and Trixie...joined in and called me a baby too...”
“Oh?” Celestia picked her head up. “Is that all?”
Twilight nodded.
“Twilight, you don’t have to listen to them. You’re not a baby. Just ignore them and they’ll leave you alone. As for Trixie, I’ll have a little talk with her when she--come to think of it, how did you get here so quickly?”
“I teleported.”
“My...impressive. Just be careful,” Celestia teased, standing up. “Thanks for giving me an excuse to get away from answering all these petitions,” she continued, pointing at a tall stack of papers on her desk. “But I’ve got to get back to work. Why don’t you go and do your homework?”
“Sure! See you later, Princess!” Twilight called, her mood very much improved, as she dashed out the door to collect her books.
Celestia picked up the top paper from the pile and looked at it as if it were some foreign object threatening the harmony of Equestria. She really didn’t feel like doing any more paperwork, and crumpled the petition--something about tax cuts for the nobility--into a small ball, shooting it towards the wastebasket.
Trixie waited at the door of the school for ten minutes after the dismissal bell rang, but Twilight didn’t show.
‘Figures,’ Trixie thought dejectedly. ‘She’s probably crying her little heart out to ‘Tia right now, and I’m going to get a flogging when I get back to the palace.’
She started off towards home, but stopped after walking just a few feet.
‘But who says I have to go home?’
Trixie didn’t know where she was going, but she did know that, after turning around, her destination was most definitely not the palace.
Celestia glanced up at the wall clock. She had been engrossed in the latest Daring Do novel for the past forty-five minutes while waiting for Trixie, but had quickly lost track of time.
“Already four o’clock? My...”
The princess stuck her head outside and cleared her throat meaningfully. One of the guards snapped around. “Yes, Your Highness? What can I do for you?”
“My student, Trixie, has yet to return from school. If it’s not too much trouble, could you send out a small aerial patrol team to look for her? I want to see her about something important.”
“Of course, Your Highness,” the guard replied, swiveling around and rushing off to alert his superior.
“Foals these days...” Celestia chuckled to herself, closing the door and picking Daring Do back up. “Daring approached the doors to the throne room. She knew that the evil princess awaited her--WHAT?! WHO INVENTED FREE SPEECH, ANYWAYS?!”
Trixie was having the time of her life.
She had already stolen a piece of pie from somepony enjoying a late lunch at a sidewalk cafe and was just about to sneak up on some old ponies playing Chess in the park and ruin their silly game when two royal guards descended behind her.
“HALT! ARE YOU TRIXIE?!”
“No? Why do you ask?”
“Her Highness, Princess Celestia, has requested her presence at once!”
“Well, I think she went that way,” Trixie told them, waving off to the left.
“Thank you for your help, miss--HEY! YOU CAN’T FOOL US! GET HER!”
“Shoot!” Trixie exclaimed, teleporting a few feet away and taking off. The guards quickly followed suit.
“STOP! THIS WILL HURT LESS IF YOU COMPLY!”
After Trixie failed to respond, one swooped down and tackled Trixie into a small ditch. His partner landed nearby soon after. The two slapped a binder on Trixie’s hooves and attached a magical silencer to her horn before forcibly righting the squealing filly and pushing her off towards the palace.
The guards barged in the door.
“Your Highness. We have the prisoner.”
“Prisoner?” came Celestia’s startled reply as Trixie, under heavy lock and key, was escorted into Celestia’s chambers, still shouting obscenities.
Celestia’s mouth hung open. After a moment she facehooved, and took a deep breath.
“Release her. I’m sorry for your troubles. You are dismissed.”
“Right away, Your Highness!” one of the guards confirmed, undoing Trixie’s restraints, and trotting out of the room, followed closely by his partner.
“Well, what was that about?” Trixie exploded after the guards had exited.
“When you didn’t come here after school, I sent out a search party. I guess they misunderstood my instructions.”
“I had my reasons.”
“I know you did. But you would never be able to avoid it forever, Trixie.”
“I knew that.”
“So let’s just get this over with now so we can move on, shall we?”
“Why not? What more can you do to me? You’ve already replaced me, kicked me out of my room, and ignored and shamed me for the past four days! What’s next?--”
“Banishment to the moon?! I guess your sister, your own sister, who just wanted attention, would enjoy the--”
Celestia found herself choking back tears. “I SAID, THAT’S ENOUGH, TRIXIE!”
“Fine. Do your worst,” Trixie quickly stated in a calm, resigned tone.
‘She has a point, you know,’ Celestia thought, putting a hoof to her chin.
“Alright,” Celestia began after a few moments of silence. “First of all, I apologize for the way that I’ve been treating you over these past few days. I might have been taking things a bit too far, and was frustrated at times by your lack of dedication to your studies. I promise, I’ll find a way to make it up to you soon.”
Trixie beamed.
“But, secondly, I want to make one thing clear,” Celestia continued, leaning her head down so she was eye-to-eye with Trixie, who wilted a bit. “Nopony, and I mean nopony, gets away with bullying Twilight Sparkle. I’m disappointed in you, Trixie. I expect better of you. Now, don’t you think that you owe Twilight an apology?” “I’m sure you two can become friends if you just put aside your prejudices,” Celestia added when Trixie groaned.
‘She has a point, you know,’ Trixie thought, putting a hoof to her chin.
“Alright,” Trixie began after a few moments of silence. “I’ll go talk to her. And I promise to do better next time. I guess I let my ego get the best of me.”
“Thank you, Trixie,” Celestia said warmly. “Twilight’s in her room.”
At dinnertime, Trixie found an extra helping of dessert on her plate. A small note was tucked underneath it:
One and a half years had passed. Twilight Sparkle was close to wrapping up her tenth grade year, Trixie her ninth.
The two had formed a budding friendship. Twilight helped Trixie out with her magic, and Trixie helped Twilight with her less-than-stellar social skills.
But then came graduation day.
Twilight walked down the aisle last. Unlike everypony else, her cap had an additional tassel hanging off of it. The red ribbon represented a student graduating with the highest possible honors--only one pony each year could receive it. Trixie sat in the back rows with the other ninth-grade students--the sixth-graders always got to sit in front so they could see first-hoof the fun they would be having in a few more years.
‘Next year,’ she consoled herself. ‘Next year will be your turn to get up there and show them your stuff, Trixie.’
Twilight took her diploma from Princess Celestia and took her place at the end of the long flank of her 99 classmates standing up against the wall. Most smiled at her, and, as always, a few tried to turn her into a changeling with their glare.
Celestia made a quick speech about adulthood or something (nopony ever really listened), and, with that, Twilight and the others threw their caps into the air and hopped off stage. They got first dibs on the refreshments buffet laid out in the next room, after all, and not even Twilight was one to turn down free cake and punch.
Twilight was filling up a large glass with the fruity, rainbow-colored concoction when Trixie intercepted her.
“Hey, Twilight...congratulations.”
“Thanks, Trixie. Don’t worry, I’m not going anywhere, and I’ll be here for you next year. And I can still help you out with your magic sometimes.”
“Really? Thanks a million, Twi.”
“It’s no problem. Really,” Twilight replied reassuringly, finishing off her punch. “You’re the one that’s taught me so much about making friends, and isn’t that what friends do?”
“Yeah...I guess...”
“We are friends, right?”
“Of course!”
“Ugh,” Twilight groaned as she walked out of her psychology class, her saddlebags bulging. She was taking it for fun, but sometimes it didn’t seem that way when combined with her university courses. She was going for full Senior degrees in Applied Magic, Arcane Theory, and Equestrian History and Government, and all of that that entailed quite a bit of work on her part.
She had come to sequestering herself in her tower at almost all hours of the day, leaving only to attend classes, eat, and tutor Trixie every once in a while. Princess Celestia had been the first to criticize her new routine, which left no time for friends or parties.
Checking her agenda, Twilight noticed that she had two full free hours before she had scheduled some time with Trixie to work on her teleportation--again. Deciding it would do her good to spend at least some time outside, Twilight she made her way over to the Esplanade, the long stretch of green fields that ran along the banks of the Trough River.
Finding a suitable shady tree, Twilight plopped down and selected a book to read: “How Equestria Was Made.”
“...and harmony has been maintained in Equestria ever since,” she concluded, gazing upwards. “Elements of Harmony...I know I’ve heard of those before, but where...?”
Twilight, her interest piqued, quickly packed her things and rushed back to her tower. Along the way, she crossed paths with three of her classmates.
“There you are, Twilight,” once of them said. “Moondancer’s having a little get-together in the West Palace Courtyard. Wanna come?”
“Sorry, girls...I’ve got a lot of studying to catch up on,” Twilight told them as she sped on her way.
As she retreated towards her tower abode, she could hear another one of the mares snorting in disgust. “Does thatpony do anything but study?”
“I think she’s more interested in books, than friends.”
“I know I’ve heard of the Elements of Harmony,” Twilight repeated to herself as she ascended the long, spiraling stairs that led to the tower.
She barged in the door. “Spike! SPI-IKE!” she called to her draconic assistant. Celestia had finally let him out of her care about a year ago, and he had finally been allowed to begin living with Twilight in the tower.
Twilight soon noticed Spike, a bit disoriented, splayed across the balcony floor.
“There you are,” she said as Spike grumbled. “Quick, find me that old copy of ‘Predictions and Prophecies.’”
Noticing a small gift-wrapped box Spike was clutching in his small claws, she asked “What’s that?”
“Well,” Spike began. “It was a gift for Moondancer, but...” he soon trailed off.
“Oh, Spike. You know we don’t have time for those things.”
“But we’re on a break!” the dragon protested.
Twilight didn’t answer, but began rapidly unshelving books with her telekinesis, scanning each one’s title.
“No, no, no, nononono!” she tossed the books aside, crying “Spike!”
“It’s over here!” the dragon called from atop one of the bookshelves, waving a thick volume out. Twilight reflexively grabbed onto it, pulling Spike to the floor with it.
“Elements, Elements, E, E, E...aha! Elements of Harmony...see Mare in the Moon?” Twilight recited aloud, flipping through the book, now laid out on a reading stand.
“Mare in the Moon?” Spike questioned from atop another bookshelf, replacing the mess Twilight had made. “But that’s just an old pony’s tale.”
“Mare in the Moon...myth from olden pony times...a powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal! Spike, do you know what this means?”
“No.”
“Take a letter, Spike. To the princess!”
“Okie-dokie!”
“My dearest teacher,” Twilight dictated. “My continuing studies of pony magic have led me to discover that we are on the precipice of disaster!”
“There. It’s sent and on its way.”
A few minutes later, a swirling green-and-black smoke cloud entered through the window and materialized into a rolled scroll at Spike’s feet. He picked it up and undid the wax seal.
“See? I knew she would want to take immediate action!” Twilight proclaimed, trotting over to the balcony window.
“My dearest Twilight: you know that I value your opinion and trust you completely...”
Twilight smiled.
“...but you simply must stop reading all of those dusty old books!”
The smile disappeared and Twilight gasped.
Twilight and Spike stood on the tarmac at the Canterlot Chariotport, awaiting their private transport to Ponyville. Shining Armor had come to see the two off. Twilight had been forced to cancel her plans for the rest of the day--Celestia’s orders.
Two guards dressed in snappy flight suits approached. “Hello, Miss Sparkle. I’m Thunderbolt, and I’ll be your Leadpony today,” one said in a gruff voice. Motioning to his companion, he went on. “This is Stormbrewer, he’s my Wingpony. We’ll be flying you to Ponyville today. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Ma’am,” he finished, holding out a hoof. Twilight shook it.
“Sergeant Armor,” the two said in unison, saluting their superior.
“At east, gentlecolts. I’m just here for Twily.”
“Oh, she’s your little sister, eh?” Stormbrewer joked. It earned him a stern glare from Thunderbolt, but Shining laughed it off.
The two hooked themselves into the saddles attached to the small chariot and waited until Twilight and Spike had clambered aboard.
“Ready for takeoff, Stormbrewer.”
“Affirmative. Let’s go.”
The two pegasi began to accelerate down the short landing strip, and soon took off in the direction of Ponyville. The flight would only take about ten minutes.
From below, Trixie saw the chariot take to the air. She sighed.
“Good luck, Twi. Come back soon.”
From her window, Princess Celestia also saw Twilight’s departure.
“Just as planned.”
“What was that, Your Highness?” one of the door guards piped up.
In the wee hours of the very next morning, disaster struck--just as planned.
Princess Celestia rolled over in bed and looked at her bedside clock. The time, 3:14 AM, was faintly illuminated in an eerie blue light.
The princess let out a very un-princess-like groan, shakily getting to her hooves and flicking on her chamber’s lights. The Summer Sun Celebration would begin at exactly 7:00 AM in Ponyville, though Celestia knew she wouldn’t be there. Still, she had to make sure all was ready for her sister’s return.
The princess indulged herself in an hour-long bubble bath. She draped a towel over her soaking mane and, as always, donned her golden regalia--crown, necklace, slippers.
Then it was time to play the waiting game. In the distance, she could see Ponyville, ablaze with light, a beacon in the darkness, packed with ponies waiting for her to arrive and raise the sun.
She curled up back in bed, dimmed the room’s lights, and continued her Daring Do novel.
“The evil princess--oh, right, that part. Whatever,” she commented, flipping a few pages ahead to avoid having to see whoever actually wrote these books characterized her as.
Trixie’s alarm buzzed at 5:00. She mumbled a bit about getting her “beauty sleep” as she reset the alarm and drifted back into the land of dreams...
Three hours later, she awoke covered in sweat. “Agh! Phew! Just a dream! Just a dream. Just a dream...oh, ponyfeathers, I overslept!”
She bounced out of bed and began to hurriedly get ready. “To think that Celestia would actually kick me out of the palace...you are good, Trixie,” she told herself. In her stupor, however, she neglected to realize the fact that it was pitch-black outside when the sun should have been already making its ascent in the eastern sky.
While rushing through the palace hallways, it finally dawned on her that something was amiss.
“Wait! Why is it still dark out? This can’t be good!” Trixie cried suddenly, turning tail and making her way to Celestia’s chambers to get an answer.
Finding nopony there, she altered her course for the library, in hopes that a book stored there might hold some sort of clue. “See, Trixie? You’re handling this quite well.”
“Mare in the Moon?” Trixie recited aloud, flipping through a book she had found after about half an hour of searching. But that’s just an old pony’s tale!”
Her eyes widened in shock, however, as she continued to read the passage.
“Mare in the Moon...myth from olden pony times...a powerful pony who wanted to rule Equestria, defeated by the Elements of Harmony and imprisoned in the moon. Legend has it that on the longest day of the thousandth year, the stars will aid in her escape, and she will bring about nighttime eternal! Why, Trixie, you are a genius!”
Heading back to Celestia’s chambers to see if the princess had returned and if her newfound knowledge could be of any use in defusing the apparent crisis-at-hoof, Trixie saw the sun beginning to peek above the horizon.
“Maybe she just overslept. That’s too rich!” she laughed, knocking on the door.
“Who is it and what the buck do you want?” Celestia snapped from inside.
“It’s...Trixie...but if it’s not a good time I’ll--”
“It’s not. I just heard news that Twilight Sparkle just used the Elements of Harmony to defeat Nightmare Moon. I have to go and make sure the situation down there is under control. I’ll be back...sometime in the future. I don’t know when.”
Trixie’s jaw hung open as she heard the loud bang that indicated Celestia had just teleported away. Letting out a sad sigh, she trotted slowly back to her room, head lowered and eyes closed.
Trixie was lying in bed, on her back, staring up at the ceiling. She was still fuming over the events of that morning.
She heard the distinctive clipts Celestia made while walking approaching her door, and groaned in anticipation of what would likely happen next.
“May I come in?”
“Sure...”
Celestia came over to the bed and took a seat next to Trixie’s sprawled form.
“I’m sorry it had to come to this, Trixie.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean, about Twilight Sparkle. I was...unsure about which of you bore the Element of Magic, but now that that mystery’s been solved...well...”
“Well, what?”
“I’m just not sure how to put this delicately...” Celestia mused. “I...well, unfortunately, no longer really have use for your abilities, Trixie. With my sister’s return and Twilight staying in Ponyville to continue her studies, I’m just going to have less free time these days...and something has to go. Once again, I’m really sorry. Believe me, this was a tough decision.”
“Figures,” Trixie mumbled in a hushed tone.
“What?”
“You don’t think I didn’t notice your playing favorites, starting from the day Twilight showed up?”
“Well, I--”
“Well, nothing. What’s done is done.”
“Look,” Celestia said abruptly. “You’re still a talented mare, Trixie. It would be a shame to let your special magic go to waste.” She pulled a small bag of bits out of...somewhere. “As a parting gift, here’s a thousand bits to help you stay on your hooves. You’ll still be welcome back here from time to time, as well. Now take care of yourself.”
With that, the princess stood and left the room, leaving Trixie just a few minutes to pack her things and go.
“Goodbye, old life,” Trixie lamented as she left the palace.
Without anywhere to go, she found herself wandering aimlessly around the streets of Canterlot. She soon arrived at the train station. A freight train was berthed at the platform.
“All shipments aboard to Las Pegasus!” the conductor bellowed.
“The town where anypony can make it...” Trixie whispered to herself. “That’s where I belong.”
The rhythmic clickety-clack of the wheels as they sped along the tracks gave Trixie some amount of comfort in her otherwise bad situation. She was hunched down in the corner of a boxcar whose door had been carelessly left open.
From up front, the soothing noise of the train’s horn sounded as it sped through a railroad crossing. The scenery outside was nothing but desert--a bleak landscape of rusted stone mesas complemented by a beautifully painted sky.
Trixie leaned back and let the rocking of the train lull her to sleep...
She awakened to the harsh squeal of the train’s air brakes engaging. From the looks of it, they had arrived in Appleloosa.
Finding a tattered grease rag nearby, Trixie pulled it over herself to hide just in case somepony entered the car.
Soon enough, large wooden crates of what smelled like apples were loaded into the car, and the doors shut, though not before an aged brown mule stallion with a weathered face could enter and plop down in the corner opposite Trixie.
“Hello, fellow traveler,” he creaked, holding a magical lighter underneath a small can of stew.
“Um...hi?” Trixie offered, her eyes peeping out of two well-placed holes in the rag.
“Where are you headed?”
“Las Pegasus.”
“Oh! Same here. You foals these days...always trying to strike it rich.”
Trixie chuckled. “You bet.”
“Alright. I can’t stop you from blowing all your bits, but,” he said, leaning forward. “I’ve been there too many times to count. It’s a world of glitz and pomp on the outside, but inside--it’s a haven for vile, deceptive scum who like to prey on every last sucker to come to town...so take my advice, foal...watch your back.”
He banged the can against the wall of the car, causing the top to pop off. He then lifted the can to his mouth and began to greedily work the hearty vegetable and bean mixture out.
The succulent smell of the stew made Trixie’s stomach growl.
“That smells good...uh, what’s your name?”
“Call me Cranky. Cranky Doodle Donkey. And no, you can’t have my supper--first meal I’ve had in a week--but,” he said, raising a hoof and motioning at the crates--how do you like them apples?”
“Thanks, Cranky. Sounds like a really interesting story you got there!” Trixie said as she and the mule hopped out of the boxcar after the train had come to a stop in the Las Pegasus railyards at about midnight.
“Yep. I’ve looked everywhere for her. After this, it’ll just be off to somewhere quiet--maybe Ponyville--to settle down and enjoy my years as an old mule. After all, no use looking anymore for somepony who’s obviously just gone, eh?”
The two crunched through the gravel under-hoof in silence until they reached the broken chain-link fence at the edge of the yards. After a few minutes of searching they found a suitable hole to slip through.
“Well, this is where I’ll be going,” Cranky said, turning left and making his way towards a dimly-lit shanty town on the outskirts of Las Pegasus.
“Good luck, then!” Trixie called, turning right and heading in the direction of the bright lights of the famed Las Pegasus strip.
A few minutes of walking later, Trixie found herself surrounded by glittering, tall emporia of everypony’s rags-to-riches dreams.
“The MLP Grand...the Mareage...the Coltagio...” she whispered under her breath, building-gawking. She came to a stop in front of the Coltagio's large fountains, which were putting on quite an elaborate water show.
‘This looks good,’ Trixie decided. She made sure her bag of bits was safe, then pushed open the casino's large glass doors and entered.
Her breath was taken away as her eyes fell upon the enormous room below. There were large green tables at which ponies were playing cards, odd-looking machines with levers, upright spinning wheels...
Trixie was snapped out of her trance by the desk clerk.
“May I help you?”
‘Right,' Trixie remembered. ‘I’m underage.’
“Uh...my mother is, um...here. I’m supposed to, uh...meet...her?”
The clerk lowered her red butterfly glasses and narrowed her eyes. “Sure,” she said in a voice dripping with sarcasm.
“Father?” Trixie tried.
“I see,” the clerk said, picking up a gossip magazine and opening it.
A stallion dressed in grungy street attire entered behind her. He carried a large bunch of balloons.
“Balloon delivery,” he announced.
“Go on down,” the clerk replied absentmindedly. Trixie saw her opportunity, ducked her head, and slipped down the stairs to the casino floor hidden by the larger stallion.
At the bottom, he turned and made his way to a service entrance. Trixie went up to the nearest machine, which as labeled “SLOTS.”
She dug out her purse of bits and dropped a coin into the machine. It beeped, and the handle lit up. Trixie noticed that it was labeled “PULL.”
She pulled it.
Immediately, three wheels on the screen began turning. After a while, they stopped, each displaying a different picture--a cherry, a cowbell, and the number seven.
Nothing came out of the tray at the machine’s base.
‘I guess that means I didn’t win. Oh, well, I still have 999 left.’
Trixie gave the slot machine another bit and pulled the handle.
After just three minutes of feeding the accursed machine, Trixie had only 100 bits left.
‘Must be rigged,’ Trixie decided dejectedly as she stood and looked for some other game that might be a little more forgiving. She turned a corner and bumped into the balloon delivery stallion. He released the balloons, and they drifted up towards the ceiling.
“Watch it, bud!” she yelped.
“Who you callin’ bud, pal?” the stallion retorted.
“Who you callin’ pal, friend?”
“Who you callin’ friend, mule?”
“Don’t call me a mule!”
“I just did call you a mule!
“Alright, you two. Break it up,” came the gruff voice of a security guard.
“Fine. I have a very important client expecting these balloons. I don’t have time to deal with you...circus animals,” the stallion said, retrieving his load and trotting off.
“Balloon colt! He’s a balloon colt!” Trixie shouted after him.
“As for you, filly, I don’t know how you get down here, but you’re leaving. Right now.”
“Hmph.”
Out on the streets, a chilly wind began to set in, the height of the buildings turning the strip into an enormous wind tunnel. The ponies out and about pulled up the collars of their coats and began to shuffle at a faster clip towards their destinations.
It was then that Trixie realized that she had no place to go for the night. The hotels were all way too expensive, and the dark crevices here and there didn’t look too inviting.
A peculiar sound caught her ears.
“Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of Swirlstar the Mustachioed!” cried the voice of a street hawker.
Trixie, intrigued, entered the small crowd that had formed around the cardboard soap box that a unicorn stallion was standing on. He conjured a bouquet of flowers and gave it to a mare standing in the audience.
“Ooh!” the ponies chorused, as “Swirlstar the Mustachioed” set off a pyrotechnic display of swirling fireworks around himself.
“That’ll be ten bits each, now,” the stallion said as some of the “audience members” standing in the back moved to block the exit and collect payment from the few, now-intimidated ponies who were legitimate watchers.
‘Such a con scheme,’ Trixie mentally laughed as she teleported away just outside of the assistants’ reach and ran off down a side alleyway nearby. She soon came across an empty wagon, which, thankfully, had a small interior cabin. Desperate for shelter, Trixie climbed in and shut the creaky door behind her.
All alone, Trixie had some time for private thought.
‘But wait, Trixie! You could perform! You’re great at parlor tricks! You’ve got a wagon! All you need now is a stage name...’
“That’s it!” she cried joyously after a few moments of thought. “The Great and Powerful Trixie!”
Trixie, with some difficulty, had harnessed herself to the wagon and managed to pull it as far as the local unemployment office. There were many such buildings set up all over the country by the Department of the Treasury to help those without jobs find work. They claimed it was for the common good, but really just wanted to reduce the number of benefits checks they had to write every month.
The offices were also prime gathering spots for day laborers--everypony knew that.
“Hey!” Trixie called to the group standing on a corner near the office. Most were huskily-built earth pony and pegasus stallions. They were passing around a bottle of spiked punch, each taking swigs from it and cracking jokes.
“Who wants to fix up this wagon? I’ll pay you ten bits!” Trixie called.
Immediately, the group turned around.
“Me work?”
“Give me the job!”
“No, I want it!”
“I’m fully qualified!”
“Whoa, whoa, gentlecolts, easy,” Trixie soothed. “You asked first,” she said, pointing at the first one to have spoken up. “Fix up these wheels, give it a new coat of light blue paint, and furnish that cabin. Make sure it’s all structurally sound.”
“Me work?” the stallion asked again in a heavy Stalliongradian accent.
“Yes, you work. I don’t have all day!”
“Me work?”
“Argh! Alright, somepony else can do it!”
“BUT ME WANT WORK!”
About three hours of haggling later, the job was finally done. Trixie had to spend fifty more bits on supplies, and the stallion she had finally hired soon demanded another fifteen bits compensation, threatening to crush her like a toothpick if she didn’t pay up.
“Thank you, sir!” Trixie chirped, hoping to leave as fast as possible. She saddled up and began to pull the wagon down the main road out of Las Pegasus. She was hungry, but 15 bits wouldn’t buy much more in Las Pegasus than some greasy garbage from McFlimFlam’s or Burger Princess. Trixie didn’t know what was in their daisyburgers and hayfries, but they definitely didn’t contain the fresh daisies or crisp hay advertised on the glossy posters.
At the edge of town, a large sign marked the start of Carriageway One, the main road across the country. The distances to major settlements along the way as indicated, too.
‘Ponyville in one thousand and forty-two miles, eh? Let’s go see if I can show Twilight a few things about magic.’
Twelve hours of almost nonstop galloping down the carriageway left Trixie very tired. She had only stopped once at a rest area near Appleloosa and wolfed down a double quarter-daisyburger with cheese while there. One of the wheels on the wagon had broken off mid-journey and it had made the last three hours a real pain.
She was panting heavily as she pulled the wagon off the exit to Ponyville, which was illuminated by the setting of the sun.
‘Already missed a whole day on travel, huh? Whatever. I guess I’ll sleep in the wagon again. I did have a bench installed, and it probably won’t be too hard to find a spare blanket somewhere that I can use for a pillow.’
Trixie found a suitable hitching spot by what appeared to be the town hall, unhooked her sore flank from the harness, and climbed inside the wagon. After rummaging around for a while, she finally found a small piece of cloth the handystallion had left.
‘It’ll have to do.’
Folding the cloth lengthwise twice and laying at at one end of the bench, Trixie got in her improvised bed and quickly dozed off to the sounds of the birds chirping goodnight in the nearby trees.
Morning came with a knock on the door of the wagon’s cabin.
“Whoever is inside this wagon, please open the door. It is illegally hitched and we will tow it if you do not comply to move it immediately,” came a stern voice from outside.
Trixie shakily stood and walked two steps to the door of the wagon. She opened the small shutters that covered the window and peeked out.
“Good morning, ma’am,” the stern voice, now clearly that of a police officer. “Will you comply with our request?”
“Do you know who I am?”
“No. Do you have identification?”
“Sure do!” Trixie grumbled indignantly, reaching for her citizenship card--everypony had one--and sliding it out through the narrow slits in the shutters.
“Trixie Lulamoon, eh?” the officer said, peering over the card. “Well, Miss Lulamoon, will you now comply with our request?”
“No! I’m a traveling magician, and this wagon functions as my stage! I was going to set up my act here!”
“Outside of the police station’s carriage garage?” the officer asked incredulously.
Opening the door and peeking around its frame, Trixie saw that she was not in fact hitched in front of the town hall, but rather blocking the entrance to said garage.
“Heheh. Oops. I’ll move it, then,” Trixie said brightly, exiting the cabin and hooking herself up as the police officer went back inside. She then pulled the wagon off to find a more suitable location. After a while, she came to a large, open area accented by a fountain that was surely the town square.
Hitching the wagon once again to a small wooden stake, she realized that all magicians needed costumes, and decided to go about finding one--with only five bits left she really couldn’t hope to actually buy one anywhere, even in such a likely-economically-depressed backwater.
‘Magicians are good at sleight-of-hoof. Just lift one from a clothing store. There has to be at least one nearby,’ Trixie decided.
She approached one of the locals, a gray pegasus with an amber mane and tail, bubbles for a cutie mark, and soft golden wall-eyes.
“Excuse me?”
“Oh, uh, can I, uh, help you?” the pony replied.
“Do you know where I can steal--I mean buy some clothes from?”
“Oh, uh, try, uh, maybe Carousel Boutique? It’s the big, uh, well, circular building over the bridge, I guess.”
“Thank you!”
“Don’t, uh, mention it!”
Trixie trotted briskly to the building the pegasus had described. A sign hung in the door: “CLOSED. BACK IN FIFTEEN.”
‘These country ponies have no sense of time.’
“Hello, ma’am, may I help you?” asked a white unicorn with a stylishly curled purple mane and three diamonds emblazoned on her flank. She tilted her head at Trixie, who was sitting on a soggy tree stump near the boutique’s entrance.
“And you are...?” Trixie replied.
“Oh! Where are my manners? I’m Rarity, proprietor of this fine establishment! Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic and unique!”
“Yeah, yeah. I’m just in town and thought I’d pick up some new garb. Browse the racks, see if anything catches my eye.”
“That’s quite alright, dear,” Rarity assured, unlocking the door. She pushed it open, and Trixie followed her in, a small bell tinkling as the door shut.
Rarity went to the back of the boutique and began to unpack some boxes. Trixie quickly began to peruse the various outfits, and soon found one to her liking. It was a purple cape with yellow, white, and light blue stars that fastened around the neck with a faceted diamond. It came with a matching wizard’s hat.
Looking up to make sure Rarity wasn’t looking, Trixie stuffed the cape and hat into her saddlebags and trotted out of the boutique just as Rarity made her way over to where Trixie had been. “Wherever did she go? Oh, well. Maybe she just forgot something.”
“Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie cried out to the passing crowds. She had extended a wooden platform from the side of her wagon and donned her magician’s getup. Ponies slowly began to gather around as she, doing what Swirlstar did, created a fizzling fireworks display around herself.
She noticed out of the corner of her eye Twilight, with the dragon she kept as an assistant--maybe his name was Scales? Spock? Spike?--edging towards the stage. Rarity was closeby. She gulped audibly, hoping that the fashionista wouldn’t notice her stolen costume.
“Watch in awe, as The Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!”
She conjured up a bouquet of flowers, just as Swirlstar had, and tossed it out into the ever-growing audience. A small blue unicorn colt with a messy orange mane and scissors for a cutie mark caught it.
The audience, however, soon became a bit bored, and so Trixie decided to sweeten the pot. “Did you know that only The Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major?”
She accompanied the jest by projecting a neon depiction of her smiting a large bear into the sky. The crowd’s jaws mostly dropped. Twilight rolled her eyes dramatically.
“Well, well, well, it seems we have some neighsayers in the audience. I hereby challenge you, Ponyvillians: anything you can do, I can do better!”
Trixie sighed heavily as she lay on the hard bench in her wagon’s cabin trying in vain to fall asleep. She hadn’t gotten a chance to catch up with Twilight, but if she was going to make a living, she’d have to move on and perform in another town tomorrow. After all, she doubted anypony in Ponyville would actually want to watch her lame act again.
“Ahh! Trixie! We have a problem!” came the furious pounding of two of her admirers at the door. They had brought her a milkshake earlier, but after that had just become pains in the flank.
“What is so important that it warrants disturbing The Great and Powerful Trixie?”
“We brought an Ursa Major to town so you could vanquish it!” one of them crowed excitedly. “Yeah, vanquish it so we can watch!” the other encouraged.
“Are you out of your little pony minds?!”
“But you’re The Great and Powerful Trixie! You vanquished an Ursa Major!”
“Okay!” Trixie gulped, assuming a meek battle stance. “Stand back.”
“So, Trixie. What brings you here, and since when were you a street performer?” Twilight asked as Trixie sulkily sweeped up the remains of her wagon, which had been crushed to bits by the now-vanquished Ursa Minor--thanks to Twilight.
“Long time, no see, Twi. Anyways, It’s a long story.”
Twilight plopped down. “I’ve got time.”
“Well, for starters, ‘Tia kicked me out.”
“Wow. Really? That doesn’t sound like her.”
“Said you and her sister were too much of a hooffull and that I wasn’t good enough. Then silly me hitched a train to Las Pegasus and gambled all the money away. Down to pennies, I decided to take up street magic to earn my living, and now I’m here.”
“Well, I’m really sorry if that’s the case. Is there anything I can do to help? Maybe stay at my place for a while? I have a spare bedroom.”
“No, it’s alright,” Trixie sighed as she piled the broken wood up into a heap and lit it on fire with a spark from her horn to destroy it. “After all, there are other towns.”
Twilight chuckled. “You sure? Your reputation as a bit of a braggart might follow you around.”
“Yep. This was just a minor setback,” Trixie said optimistically. “Ponies do love a good show, after all.”
She finished burning the last of the wood. “I ought to be going now, I guess. Nice seeying ya, Twi. Catch up later, I suppose,” Trixie called as she trotted off.
Twilight stood without a word and headed back into town as Trixie broke into a full gallop and sped out of Ponyville.
“So this is what it feels like to be part of the twenty percent, huh?” Trixie screamed to the cornfields. The buzz of a pegasi-pulled crop-dusting chariot swooping low overhead and dousing her in magical fertilizer was the only answer she got.
“Ack!” Trixie wheezed.
She stood on the side of a minor farm road outside of Ponyville, and held a sign in her hooves, a broken piece of wood with her message written out in messy black paint: “ANYWHERE BUT HERE OR BUST.”
Unfortunately, the road was rarely used, and the one pony that would pass every hour would ignore her plight and trot right on by.
“Well, poo poo to you too.”
After what had seemed like an eternity to Trixie, an old farmer pulling a cart of freshly-harvested vegetables stopped.
“I’m headed to the big produce auction in Dodge Junction. Does that appeal to you, foal?”
“Sure,” Trixie said as she hopped in the back of the cart among the colorful peppers, squash, and leafy greens. Roots and soil still clung to some of the spoils, creating a musky atmosphere that was brought out by the rotting wooden crates and dust blowing in the wind.
The cart bumped along the road--it was made of dirt and poorly maintained, with large potholes and rocks here and there--through the vast, fertile sun belt of Equestria. Sharp red farmhouses, pastures, and fields stretched out as far as the eye could see.
After a time the lush farm country began to give way to dry, brown prairie accented by stubble and sparse ranchland. Brimmed caps on ponies’ heads gave way to stetsons. A large billboard proclaimed: “WELCOME TO THE REAL WILD WEST!” In finer print, it was noted: “Paid for by the Equestria Tourism Initiative.”
A cluster of wooden buildings appeared in the distance. A rusted, tilted sign stated: “NOW ENTERING DODGE JUNCTION. POPULATION 42.”
The farmer pulled the wagon to a stop in front of a long, wide barn that was identified as the civil hall. A handmade notice out front advertised a bulk fruit and vegetable sale. Farmers from all around were hauling their goods inside and displaying them to purchasers from various food stores--Maremart, Bullseye, and Pony Foods.
Trixie, sans wagon, went about collecting scraps of metal and wood from around town in garbage cans, gutters, and scrap piles, then retrieved a hammer and nails from the civic hall--everypony there was too busy staring in awe at a Celestia-sized pumpkin being weighed.
She constructed a rudimentary stage (though not without accidentally hammering her hoof on multiple occasions) and mounted it. As the town was almost entirely packed in the hall, Trixie needed a way to get them to come out and see her perform.
‘Hmm...‘Tia’s approval rating has been good lately.’
She barged in the hall’s main doors in dramatic fashion in order to draw the attention of everypony in the room.
“HEY! PRINCESS CELESTIA IS HERE!” she announced.
At once, most of the ponies in the room stood and began to stampede towards the exit in order to possibly get a glimpse of the princess--really just a weak magical construct Trixie had set up--waving and smiling at them.
“Did somepony say my name?”
“No, Your Highness. Not that I could hear. More tea and cake?”
“I really need to get my ears checked...oh, and could you give me a piece with one of the little roses made of red frosting? I just love those.”
“...and that is just one of the feats that The Great and Powerful Trixie can perform!” Trixie happily told the now-disappointed crowd after she had fizzled “Princess Celestia” away with her horn.
“Wait, The Great and Powerful Trixie? As in the one that almost destroyed Ponyville yesterday?”
“How’d you hear about that?!” Trixie asked in accusatory tone.
“I live there. Besides, it was in all the papers this morning.”
“Boo!” somepony else called.
“Let’s get back to that pumpkin!” another offered.
“Yeah...let us never speak of this again,” a third proposed as the group began to shuffle back inside the hall, the last locking the door behind them.
“Party poopers. I think I did a pretty good job.”
“Can I help you there, little filly?” a rough voice asked from behind her. Trixie turned around to meet another old farmer. He was a frail, muddy yellow earth pony stallion. He wore a fedora and tie, but the blade of grass that hung out of his mouth gave away his true nature.
“Who are you?”
“The name’s Toru Pie,” he said, extending a hoof. But you can just call me Mister Pie. I own the Pie Family Rock Farm outside of Ponyville and was in town buying some new rock seeds. So, once again, do you need anything? You look kind of lost.”
“Well, to be honest, I’m currently homeless and jobless.”
“Oh! Matter of fact, I have an opening on my farm. Do you want to come work for me? I can cover your room and board, and if I do say so myself my wages are pretty good--one bit per broken rock, and more if there’s gems inside.”
“Sure. I could use all the bits I can get.”
“Then let’s get going, then. The sooner we can get the rocks planted the sooner we can harvest them and the sooner we can sell them, after all.”
“Right.”
‘Rock farming...I’m going into rock farming...oh, how the mighty have fallen. Hey, at least I can try and steal gems from the crop when this guy isn’t looking and resell them at more than he’d pay me.’
“Here’s my cart,” Toru said, climbing in the back with bags of rock seed. “Why don’t you pull? It’d help you build some muscle, and rock farming takes a whole lot of that. A whole lot of that and a can of hoof grease,” he laughed.
“Yes, haha,” Trixie replied flatly, saddling up to the cart and starting out of Dodge Junction.
“Make sure all the rocks from this year are all harvested by sundown. Clean them off first, then crack them open and sort the gems by type. Be careful, though--we’ve had some issues with diamond dogs recently. At least, I think it’s them. I can also hear the cries of some mare or other from down their burrows, but maybe it’s just me and my old ears.”
The two continued in silence for several seconds. Toru pushed open a gate seemingly by feel and led Trixie through it. He stopped shortly after.
“Well, I serve breakfast at seven, lunch at one, and dinner at six. I’ll make you extra portions, but don’t come in and snack when I’m not looking. You’ll have to find a way to pay for that yourself.”
“Thanks, Mister Pie,” Trixie mumbled as the old farmer went back to the farmhouse. She immediately tripped over a sizeable rock.
“Oof!”
She ignited her horn and cast a simple light spell. The ground around her illuminated, and Trixie could see that she was in the midst of a large dirt plain, with boulders of all shapes and sizes arranged in neat rows, all perfectly spaced. Many were caked with earthy moss.
“Let’s get to work, then, I suppose,” Trixie announced to the boulders. In a nearby toolshed, Trixie found a large washing tub, a coiled hose, and various other implements, among them a scrubbing brush, shovel, and pickax. A small metal water spigot poked out of the ground nearby.
Trixie hauled the tub into the middle of the field, then ran back to secure the hose. She fastened it tightly to the spigot, turned on the tap, and scampered back over to the tub, hose in hoof. Just as the water began to spurt out its nozzle, Trixie dropped it into the tub and it began to fill with a bath of icy water.
Next, using the shovel to help, Trixie extracted the closest boulder from the ground, carefully dropped it into the tub to avoid splashing water all over the place, and began to furiously swab at the boulder’s surface, removing the layer of foliage that had formed on it.
After she had decided the boulder would polish no more, Trixie deftly took the pickax up and slammed it onto the large rock as hard as she could. When only a small crack appeared on its surface, she tried again. Still no more than a few chips of rock broke off and settled on the ground.
“Oh, ponyfeathers!” Trixie exclaimed as she swung the pickax again, faster and faster.
At last the stubborn stone broke open to reveal a cluster of shining gems.
“Ooh! Shiny!” came a squeal from behind her.
Trixie had broken open about six boulders by the time the bell for breakfast rang at seven. In that time, she had to ward off three diamond dogs, but in the end only lost a few gems. The others she had placed securely in the farm’s silo.
“Trixie! Grub’s up!” Toru called from the farmhouse’s broad porch.
“Coming!”
Trixie galloped inside, famished, to find a mouth-watering spread before her. Piping hot buttery waffles doused in maple syrup, spicy hay hash, and crunchy toast with jam all lay on the simple wooden breakfast table, inviting ponies to sit down and indulge their stomach. Trixie took a seat in one of the equally simple wooden chairs, and Toru slid down across from her.
“I didn’t realize you were this good a cook,” Trixie commented through a mouthful of the spicy hash.
“I wanted to be a chef when I was a little younger than you. But my father, he didn’t want one bit of fancypantsness in his life. Threatened to kick me out of the family if I didn’t stay on this here rock farm and hold down the family business.”
“Wow. Tough story.”
“Tell me about it. Life’s always tough out here in the fields. ‘Specially when you’re the only one out in them.”
“I’m the only other pony here?”
Yep. My wife of thirty seven left me just this past year. Our foals are all grown up and moved out, too. I hear my youngest found herself some work in a bakery in Ponyville or somewhere...I told her a long time ago about my culinary ambitions. I guess she didn’t want to disappoint me.”
Toru stood, having finished his breakfast.
“Now don’t you think you ought to be getting back out there?” he chuckled, beginning to clear the plates from the table.
And so the cycle continued. Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months. Months soon dragged out into years. Every day was the same. Wake up, work, eat, work, eat, work, eat,work, go to bed. Toru would sometimes go off into Dodge Junction to get supplies or sell the harvest, but Trixie always stayed behind. He was nice enough, and the life was comfortable enough, but Trixie was restless. She had never been one to stay in once place for too long.
“I can’t take it anymore!” Trixie screamed at the top of her lungs one day. She had been on the farm for a little over two years, and it felt like she was living the same day over and over and overandoverandoverandover again.
In the predawn light, Trixie fished under her bed and fished out the satchel of bits Celestia had given her so many years ago. Over the years, she had added about five thousand bits to it--the burlap sack was practically bursting at the seams.
Packing her bits and donning a black cloak, she quietly exited the farmhouse and trotted down the road towards Dodge Junction. It was an overcast day, and the gutter she walked in was muddy and filled with wet leaves.
Arriving in the modest settlement, Trixie made her way to the train station. Being relatively out of the way, Dodge Junction was served by only one train from Canterlot per day in each direction, so she had about six hours to wait.
Entering a small saloon called “The Prancing Pony,” Trixie sat at the bar and ordered a mug of salted sassafras. One mug became two very quickly, and Trixie found herself in a bit of a drunken stupor. She left a few bits on the counter--she could afford to, being rich now--and asked the barkeep if she could rent a room upstairs for a few hours.
“Sure. For a price, of course,” he replied while polishing mugs with an oilcloth.
“How much do you want?” she managed to slur.
“Hundred bits.”
Trixie snorted, but gave the bits over and slowly ascended the stairs, entered one of the empty boarding rooms, and flopped on the rough mattress.
The whistle of the train arriving in the station nearby woke Trixie from her short nap. She plopped down the stairs, still only partly sober, and trotted over to the platform. She left a few more bits in the conductor’s hooves before boarding the train and taking a seat.
A few minutes later they were off. The train was only about a quarter full as it rolled northwards and skirted the boundary of the Everfree Forest. Trixie again decided to sleep for the rest of the journey to try and kick the short-acting hangover she had.
‘That salted sassafras sure was strong.’
The rain was rolling down in sheets as the train slid into Canterlot.
‘Back at the scene of the crime, aren’t we? I could go pay ‘Tia a visit, hay.’
Trixie pulled up the hood on her cloak and dashed through the back alleys of the city as thunder rolled in the background. She had read about something called the “alicorn amulet,” a magical necklace that would grant untold powers to its wearer. Something Trixie desperately needed if she was to prove her worth to Twilight. Its location was unknown--it had been stolen from the palace vaults ages ago. Trixie had a hunch that somepony might have pawned it.
Picking a pawn shop at random, Trixie walked in and began to scan the piles of junk on the floor and shelves.
‘Whoa!’ Trixie exclaimed mentally as she came across an amulet in a case that looked very much like the one in the book. ‘The alicorn amulet...who would have thought it would be the first place I looked?’
A light clicked on, and somepony who Trixie assumed to be the shop’s proprietor stepped out from the shadows behind the counter.
“May I help you, traveler?”
He began to pace. “Hmm...something drew you to my shop...something powerful.”
Trixie pointed a hoof at the amulet, but the shopkeeper shook his head.
“Ah, you have a keen eye. The alicorn amulet is one of the most mysterious and powerful of all the known magical charms. Uh, ah- I'm afraid this is...far too dangerous to be put in the wrong hooves.”
Trixie rolled her eyes and dropped her still large bag of bits on the counter. There was the distinct sound of the coins inside clinking as some spilled out on the surface.
The shopkeeper looked up brightly and smiled.
“Would you like that gift-wrapped?”
“What’s going on here?” Twilight cried, rushing into Ponyville’s town square, Spike in tow.
“Well, well, well...if it isn’t Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie smirked, lowering her hood. She had been casting spells on the rest of the townsfolk for a few minutes now, waiting for Twilight to show up.
The other mare gasped. “Trixie!”
“What’s she doing here?” Spike asked conceitedly.
Trixie responded by enlarging a blue pegasus mare’s wing so she began to fly lopsidedly. She looked oddly familiar, though--was it Raindash Bow? Rainbow Dash? Yes, that was it.
She also noticed the two dolts who had brought the Ursa to town the last time she had been there. She fused their horns together in response to their genuflection.
“Stop picking on my friends, Trixie!”
“You and I have some unfinished business. My magic’s gotten better. And I’m going to prove it! Me and you. A magic duel. Winner stays, loser leaves Ponyville forever!” Trixie announced dramatically.
“Forget it! I’d never make a deal like that!”
“Hmph. Your choice,” Trixie idly replied, lifting Spike into a ball shape and bouncing him up and down repeatedly.
“Trixie, put him down. Why are you doing this?”
“Why?” Trixie was appalled.
‘Is she really that ignorant?’
“You humiliated me! After you showed me up with that Ursa Minor, I became a laughingstock. Everywhere I went I was laughed at and ostracized. I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to earn a living. A rock farm!”
“Hey! You’re lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you!” a pink earth pony pouted.
‘Is that the daughter Toru mentioned? Eh, whatever.’
Trixie removed the vivacious mare’s mouth.
“Now I want revenge!” Trixie continued. “And I’ll just keep casting spells ‘til you agree. Well? What do you say?”
To sweeten the pot, Trixie lifted the tree library upside down and began to shake it so that the books began to fall out of the windows, which were flying open and shut erratically.
Twilight sighed. “Fine.”
“You can forgive me, can’t you?” Trixie asked as her lip quivered.
Twilight gave an edgy smile. “Fine.”
“Thanks for everything, Twi. I mean it. That lesson on friendship and all--I kinda needed that.”
“You’re welcome, Trixie,” Twilight replied. “We really should see each other more. Under a different pretext.”
“Don’t you think The Great and Apologetic Trixie is the most magnificent humble pony you’ve ever seen?” Trixie laughed and boasted as she turned and made her exit.
Over her shoulder, she could see Twilight roll her eyes and slowly shake her head. Turning back to the front as she rounded the last curve out of town, Trixie smiled a genuine smile for the first time in a long three years.
Trixie was finally content with life. She had found a small apartment in New Yoke City’s Manehatten borough--it was even rent-controlled--and was working as a professional magician-for-hire--birthday parties, corporate functions, even the New Year’s Eve ceremonies in Lunar Square.
Then the invitation came.
After a day of performances in magic kindergarten classes, Trixie was tired. She pushed open the front door to her apartment building, and used her key to open the small mailbox each tenant was issued in the lobby.
Trixie took out the stack of papers that greeted her and walked up the five flights to her apartment. She let herself in, tossed the mail on the kitchen table, and made herself a large mug of instant coffee.
Retrieving her letter opener, Trixie began to work through the stack.
“Hmm...bill, bill, sock catalog, junk...a letter from the palace?”
Trixie paused when she saw the signature thick, creamy white envelope that bore the palace’s return address in embossed gold. It was addressed specifically to her, so it couldn’t be something boring like a voter registration reminder or another round of tax increases.
“Better see what they want,” Trixie decided, slitting the envelope and pulling out the equally heavy, creamy white enclosure laced in gold leaf. She unfolded the paper and was surprised to see a ticket to something fall out onto the table.
“Dear Miss Lulamoon,” Trixie began to read, taking a large gulp of coffee.
“You are hereby cordially invited to attend the coronation ceremonies of Her Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle of Equestria...”
She spat out the coffee all over the letter.
“WHAT?!”
An ancient memory came to the front of Trixie’s mind...
‘You’re destined for great things, Trixie,’ Celestia had said on the day she had taken Trixie as a student.
‘Really? How great?’ Trixie had replied.
‘“Great,” as in you might even become the next princess of Equestria,’ Celestia had encouraged.
‘Really?!’
‘Yes, Trixie. Really.’
Trixie found herself tearing the paper up, clenching her teeth and shaking uncontrollably from rage, while crying at the same time.
‘This was supposed to be my destiny...’
The ticket lay untouched on the table, glaring up at Trixie, as if teasing her more.
“February sixteenth, ten-thirty sharp, eh? I’ll be there.”
‘But how are you going to best an alicorn? She was already better than you without the wings.’
That’s when a flyer she had tacked up on her reminder board caught her eye.
“Magic Dueling Lessons at the community center? Let’s get some of those first.”
“Good afternoon, Trixie-san,” the instructor said, bowing. Trixie awkwardly did so in return. “We will now begin our first lesson.”
“So when do I learn how to defeat an alicorn in battle?” Trixie asked eagerly. “I want to get to the good stuff right away!”
“Patience, young applebucker. You must learn how to draw the magic energies out from within yourself,” the instructor, “The Amazing Yin-Yang,” replied, taking a seat on a floor mat.
“But I don’t have time for all that nonsense!”
Yin-Yang lost his patience. He lost his air of calm and snapped in a gruff Hooflyn accent: “Do you want to get better at magical dueling or not, you oaf?”
“Geez, no need to call your mafia friends on me,” Trixie grumbled back.
“Are you implying that I work for an organized crime syndicate?” Yin-Yang retorted.
“Yes.”
“Get out. Unless you want me to call The Fixer on you, that is.”
Trixie trotted up the stairs to the New Yoke Public Library, past the two statues of lions standing guard by the door, and went directly to the stacks. Large, red-and-blue posters adorned the ends of shelves, bearing a likeness of now-Princess Twilight and the caption: “READ.”
“Section XX...rare, special and banned books...” Trixie muttered as she came to a locked door. Making sure nopony was around, she cast a weak invisibility spell and waited.
After a while, a preservationist came along and undid the door’s magical seal. Trixie slipped in behind him and waited some more. When he finally left, having returned an old book he was apparently re-binding, Trixie negated the cloak, barred the door with a chair, and began to hunt the shelves.
“Slumber 101: Everything You Wanted To Know About Slumber Parties But Were Afraid To Ask?” Trixie puzzled as she glanced over the cover of what seemed to be a misshelved book.
‘Maybe it’s a trick. Why don’t you open it?’
So open the book Trixie did. The inside had been hollowed out, and a tattered brown journal fell out. It practically disintegrated on the floor.
“CELESTIA’S PERSONAL DIARY?!” Trixie screamed.
‘You idiot,’ Trixie thought in hindsight as she shoved a hoof in her mouth.
A few minutes accentuated by Trixie’s heavy breathing passed.
‘I guess nopony heard.’
Satisfied that her clandestine mission was still secret, Trixie placed the diary on a reading table and sat down.
“Hmm...the missing 18 minutes of the Derpygate tapes...Starswirl the Bearded’s unfinished masterpiece--why is it crossed out and corrected in Twilight’s hornwriting?--aha! The secret to the power of alicorns!”
Trixie read into more of the fine print. “A high amount of terrestrial magical energy and a physical connection to a major celestial body...bah! You can’t get those at the corner store!”
She shut the diary and tucked it into her saddlebags, then quickly slipped out of the library, in search of another way around her problem.
“Huh. Temporary alicorn transformation potion. Causes the user to develop alicorn features for a period of approximately three hours,” Trixie read aloud from a magical compendium.
“All I need is a bunch of rare elemental compounds that are under heavy lock and key and some fancy scientific laboratory equipment. Sounds doable enough. I think I did a gig for The Manehatten Science Expo once. I wonder if any of the white-coat guys I met there will remember me...”
“I’d like to place a request for thirteen blocks of Harmonium,” Trixie informed the records keeper seated at the front desk of a chemical supply warehouse she had found on Stallion Island.
The mare raised an eyebrow. “Why would you ever want that?”
“It’s for...my daughter’s school project.”
“Why would she need a highly classified raw earth element to make a model volcano or whatever it is they do at those science fairs?”
“Uh...she’s doing a presentation on the Elements of Harmony and needs it for a visual aid?”
“Uh-huh. May I see your license, please?”
“License?”
“You know, the license you need to obtain Harmonium and other dangerous materials in this fine nation?”
“Ah. Lemme get back to you on that.”
“So...thirteen blocks of Harmonium is off...now I need two blocks of Celestium and seven of Telekinetium...this is going to take a while,” Trixie grumbled while going down her checklist, having left the warehouse.
“Wait! Harmonium is found in trace amounts in that antipsychotic Celestia had ordered right before Luna returned! What was it called...ah, right! Screwtight! Now to commit myself and get my hooves on a bottle--or three--of it...”
Trixie dumped a full three bottles of Screwtight into the pot of boiling water, allowing the tablets to fizzle away into the steam. After a few minutes of applying concentrated heat to the pot, all of the water also soon evaporated, leaving a soggy powder stuck to the bottom of the receptacle. Pure Harmonium.
“Excellent. Now for the other two...hmm...Celestium can be derived from sunlight, and Telekinetium is one of the materials that make up unicorn’s horns...” Trixie mused, sealing the Harmonium into a beaker and placing it into her refrigerator.
Retrieving a small laboratory knife, Trixie began to scrape her horn for its filings, which would be her source of Telekinetium. It was a painful process, and the sound it produced was that of sharp hooves on a chalkboard, but it was all worth it to her.
Scooping up the shavings from the ground, she collected them into another beaker, and added a solvent she had made from common magical separation powder and water. It would help break the filings down into their base components, one of which would be Telekinetium.
Leaving the mixture to bubble alongside the Harmonium, Trixie produced a hoof-held mirror and spellhorn. The spellhorn would allow a spell or other magical beam to be cast in it, then released at a later time. She walked downstairs and sat on her apartment building’s stoop, watching the ponies go by and aiming the mirror up at the sun so some of its rays were reflected into the spellhorn.
‘This is gonna take a while.’
Shortly after the sun had set, Trixie stood and went back up to her apartment. She carefully released the collected sunlight from her spellhorn into a third, vacuum-sealed beaker, and quickly infused the glowing magic with a drop of an extraction fluid. When she was sure it wasn’t going to blow up spectacularly, Trixie placed it with the other two beakers, forming a straight line of scientific achievement.
‘Nighty night, my children,’ Trixie giggled to herself before shutting the refrigerator.
Her work done for the day, Trixie fixed herself a quick daisy sandwich for a snack before promptly going off to bed for a well-deserved good night’s sleep.
Trixie awoke at the first sign of light outside and happily sauntered into her small kitchen. She rummaged into the refrigerator and pulled out the three beakers. The Harmonium was still in powder form, the Telekinetium had risen to the top of the vessel formerly containing Trixie’s horn shavings, and Celestium appeared in place of the sunlight in the final beaker.
She took a medical drip bag, the kind used in hospitals to inject ponies with needed nutritional supplements and medications who were unable to take food or drugs orally. The book Trixie had found the transformation spell in had also recommended intravenous administration.
The Harmonium came first, followed by cautious spoonfuls of the separated Telekinetium. Lastly was the Celestium. After pouring the required amounts of the three elements into the bag, Trixie sealed it and began to shake it violently.
The three elements inside quickly combined and formed a swirling, deep red liquid, almost blood-like in color. It was, however, differentiated by the life-giving fluid by its bright orange streaks and speckles.
Trixie stored the bag in the back of the refrigerator.
‘I’ll see you in three weeks.’
The three weeks from the time Trixie completed her potion to the day of the coronation seemed to drag on forever. The Crystal Empire winning the Equestria Games was the only thing even remotely newsworthy that had happened.
Trixie’s wall calendar counted down the days in red ‘X’s. The train and admission tickets were in the basket by the door. The potion was still as prime for use as ever--she made sure to check it daily, and sometimes more often--and everything seemed to be going to plan.
Until the Thursday before the coronation, when Trixie realized she needed a dress to wear or else look like a peasant before all the nobles of Canterlot after defeating Twilight and ascending to the throne.
Digging through her small closet, Trixie finally found something that would look at least presentable--a plain yellow robe with simple white trim and a bright pink ribbon around the neck. It had become a major fashion trend after Twilight herself had actually worn one at an important social function in Canterlot, and she had received the dress as a gift from Toru Pie a few years back.
With the departure time for her train fast approaching, Trixie hastily tossed the dress into a small travel case, packed a pair of warm socks for the trip (she was taking an overnight train) along with it, snatched up her tickets, and left her apartment.
Reaching the bottom of the stairs, she turned and made to go to the train station. Then something hit her.
‘Shoot, forgot something.’
Trixie raced back up the stairs double-time, unlocked her door, stuck one hoof in, and clicked out the lights.
‘Don’t want to run up my Colt Edison bill too high now, do I?’
Trixie had concealed the saddlebag she wore containing the alicorn transformation potion and a number of other implements using an invisibility spell modified to be of higher strength. After all, there would surely be a security check.
Standing in a long, snaking line that ran down the wide boulevard outside the palace, Trixie smiled as the rank of ponies inched forward every few moments as another pony passed the security checkpoint.
‘Ah, the smell of fresh victory...’
“Ma’am? May I see your ticket?” the guard asked.
“Oh! Of course!” Trixie told the imposing pegasus, retrieving the slip and showing it to him.
“Will you agree to a physical inspection?”
“Yes.”
“You may feel a slight tickling sensation. That is normal. Make sure to stand still, too; otherwise I will have to cast the spell again, and overexposure to it is admittedly not healthy.”
“You can trust me.”
“Alright, ma’am. I will begin the screening now.”
He closed his eyes and lit his horn in a silvery glitter. A watery light enveloped Trixie and her body shimmered for a few moments. Finding nothing--as Trixie’s spell was not one the standard security spells could detect--the guard ended his scan and motioned for Trixie to continue on in.
‘Almost there...now to get a good seat.’
Trixie pushed towards the front of the crowd of upper-class nobles who were making small talk, dining on amuse bouche, and sipping on juice cocktails.
She managed to secure a place right near the front of the fray, just one row back from the red-carpeted aisle. Slowly, the other ponies began to fill in around her. At ten-thirty on the nose, fanfare erupted from the guards standing by the door, and Celestia, accompanied by Luna, entered.
Trixie shoved both of her hooves in her mouth to keep from laughing. Even still, a few muffled chuckled escaped from behind the blockade.
‘Is ‘Tia actually wearing that? Oh, she’s never going to live this down!’
The two sisters ascended to the raised dais at the other end of the long room, the same one which had been used for the royal wedding of Cadence and Shining Armor the previous year. The flowered trellis adorned with figures of the couple was, after all, still there, as the room was rarely used and nopony had gotten around to removing it.
Celestia launched into what was clearly a pre-prepared speech. “We are gathered here today in celebration of a momentous occasion. My most faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, has done many extraordinary things...”
Trixie droned out the rest of Celestia’s ramblings about Twilight’s various accomplishments.
‘Who gives a buck?’
“...crowned Equestria's newest princess. Fillies and gentlecolts, may I present for the very first time, Princess Twilight Sparkle!” Celestia finished proudly.
At that moment, the doors opened again, the fanfare sounded shriller than ever, and a parade of white pegasi with buttery yellow manes entered, who bore a large banner of Twilight’s likeness. That was followed by Twilight herself, complete with an equally-ugly dress.
Then the pegasi broke out in song. Trixie had to cover her ears.
‘Could they be even more off-key?’
After a time, the miniature serenade concluded and Twilight took her place on the dais alongside Celestia and Luna. Spike appeared from the wings with a golden crown held on a small pillow. He held it out to Celestia, who took it in her telekinesis and began to lower it onto Twilight’s head. Twilight herself was looking downwards, her cheeks flushed bright red.
Trixie decided it was time to make her move.
‘Showtime.’
Crouching low to the ground, Trixie let the invisibility spell on her saddlebags dissipate. She retrieved a needle, short length of plastic medical tubing, and hoof pump from her saddlebag. The magician then took a moment to make sure that she had not drawn any attention by laying out the macabre array of surgical tools on the marbled floor.
Satisfied that all eyes were still on Twilight, Trixie hastily assembled the application apparatus, sliding the tube into the fluid bag containing the potion, attaching it to the needle, and lastly hooking up the small pump.
The crowd began to cheer, and Trixie braced herself for what would come next. She plunged the needle into a large patch of exposed flesh and began to furiously work the hoof pump--really a small ball of plastic which when squeezed forced more of the potion through the tube and into her bloodstream.
A burning sensation soon took hold in her back area, and there was the faint sound of tearing skin and cracking bone as two bright blue, fluffy wings emerged from Trixie’s hindquarters.
‘Success. Now to wait for the right time to confront Twilight...’
Up on the dais, oblivious to Trixie’s transformation into an alicorn not ten hooves away, Celestia and Luna were in the middle of a fairly heated discussion.
“So let me get this straight: you kept two students to see which one would be the Element of Magic?” Luna asked.
“Correct,” Celestia replied.
“And when you found out which one held the Element, you were going to kick the other one out?”
“...yes.”
“Then you were planning to have that pony become an alicorn princess and our eventual successor?”
“Luna, what are you getting at?”
“Well, maybe I’m wrong, dear sister, but didn’t you think that the other pony would go out for revenge after their untimely expulsion?”
“Am I not the wiser elder sister who must make weighty decisions hundreds of times a day while ensuring that her younger sister eats her alfalfa? Trust me on this one, dear sister. My plan is flawless.”
“If you say so, sister, but I don’t have a good feeling about this. Say, when was the last time you ate your alfalfa, anyways?”
Celestia ignored the barb and instead turned to Twilight.
“Say something, princess.”
“Oh. Um...” Twilight began, turning to face the crowd and clearing her throat. “A little while ago, my teacher and mentor Princess Celestia--”
Trixie pounced on the opportunity to make a grand entrance and vaulted herself over the ponies standing in front of her. She skidded to a halt in the center of the red carpet and turned to face Twilight.
“She was my teacher first,” Trixie growled, snorting and scraping one hoof menacingly. The entire room fell silent. Twilight had an unreadable expression plastered on her face.
Luna made a scene of glaring at Celestia knowingly.
“...shut up,” Celestia hissed back, though it was loud enough for most everypony to hear.
The door guards immediately dropped their instruments and raced towards Trixie, barking orders left and right. “Take her down! Secure the princesses!”
About five guards piled on top of Trixie, squashing her to the floor. The wind was knocked out of her lungs--no potion could grant the immortality true alicorns possessed. She desperately teleported outside of their range before they could fit her horn with a suppressor ring.
“I’ve had enough of being second-best!” Trixie cried, starting to monologue and slipping into her old third-person persona. “It’s all Twilight-this and Twilight-that. Well, what about The Great and Powerful Trixie? Does she not matter anymore?”
“I...uh...what is this all about, Trixie?” was all Twilight was able to manage through a mouth whose lower half was still practically on the floor. “Why are you an alicorn?”
“Wait, she is?” Celestia gasped, looking more closely at Trixie. Sure enough, a pair of fluffy wings clung to her back.
“Yes, The Great and Powerful Trixie found a potion that could transform her! She seeks revenge for an old deed. Twilight Sparkle, would you care to duel with The Great and Powerful Trixie once more and see how pathetic you actually are?”
“Not particularly,” Twilight grumbled, eyeing her two seniors for support. Unfortunately, Celestia had been frozen in shock, and Luna was practically grinning from ear to ear.
‘This could be interesting, though. I kinda want to see what this potion can do, and maybe I can even get her to learn something from the whole experience, too,’ Twilight pondered in her head.
She took a deep breath after a time and gave Trixie the response she had hoped for.
“Alright, Trixie. Let’s see what you’ve got.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie let you win,” Trixie sobbed, curled up on the floor. She was panting and wheezing heavily. Twilight, in the meantime, stood concernedly over her, having barely broken a sweat in the process.
“Are you sure you’re alright?” Twilight asked.
“Yes, The Great...and Powerful Trixie...is just...fine...though she would...care for a glass...of water...” she replied between heavy breaths. The duel had lasted almost an hour, and in the end Trixie had collapsed to the ground, exhausted. Her magical ability had in fact barely improved.
“Please excuse us,” Twilight announced to the others present--Celestia, Luna, Spike, the other Elements of Harmony, and a few interested guests who had placed bets--as she draped Trixie, who was too tired to complain, over her back and slowly trotted out of the room.
“So...I’m genuinely curious...how did you manage to get these wings?” Twilight asked Trixie once she had arrived at her chambers, tucked Trixie in between the cool sheets of her bed, and helped her nurse along a glass of ice water.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie used a special blend of Harmonium, Telekinetium, and Celestium.”
“I’ve never heard of that. Is it permanent?”
“No. Alas, The Great and Powerful Trixie should return to the form of a regular unicorn within just a couple hours.”
“You can drop the stage name, you know.”
“Oh, alright. I guess it does make me sound a little foolish.”
Twilight laughed. “Oh, really now? You don’t say?”
“Yeah...”
“What was this all about? I thought after you last came to Ponyville we were on good terms.”
“I-It was with your becoming a princess and all...it reminded me of when ‘Tia told me once that I might become one, when I was a real little filly. I just got--really, really mad.”
“In your position, I probably would have, too, come to think of it,” Twilight laughed again. “Anyways, in all seriousness, this does bring up an interesting point, one which I don’t think I ever discussed with you the previous times we’ve met. That is of destiny.”
“Huh?”
“Just listen.”
“Alright, I’ll hear you out,” Trixie agreed, taking a slow sip of water.
Twilight began her short lecture. “As you and I both know, a pony’s cutie mark appears when they find their special talent and path in life. Mine represents the Element of Magic--the six-pointed amethyst star. Yours is a bit more complicated, though--the wand seems to suggest to me, however, that it means your destiny is that of a magician.”
“I’ll be the first to say that you hardly give yourself enough credit for your talent--you’re better than you think, and there aren’t many good mages out there these days--but you have to realize that your destiny and my destiny are different. I’m naturally good with magic because that’s how I was born, Trixie. There’s nothing more to it.”
“I suppose the point I’m trying to make here is that you just have to play the hand you were dealt, and stop trying to be somepony else by attempting to fit your round body into a square hole. You follow your destiny, and I’ll follow mine. We don’t have to be mortal enemies, Trixie. Does that sound like a deal?” Twilight finished, holding out a hoof.
Trixie thought it over for a moment.
“Deal,” she replied, shaking Twilight’s hoof and smiling.
Dear Princess Celestia,
Twilight encouraged me to write one of these friendship-lesson things, so I’m trying my hoof at it to see if they’re really as fun as she says.
Today, I learned a very important lesson not only about friendship, but about myself, too. After the duel we had, Twilight and I made up--again, but this time for real--and I realized one of the best parts about having a friend--they bring out the best in you.
She helped me discover what my true calling was by showing me that, while I might never be as good as her, I can make the best out of what I have and still feel fulfilled. Because, after all, you can’t force a destiny upon yourself, or somepony else, that truly isn’t theirs.
And the big thing is, is that I never would have realized that on my own--I let my bragging and self-delusions cloud my vision. But, thanks to Twilight, I can now truly say that I have a real friend--and that’s something I haven’t had in a long, long, time.
Your Former Student,
Trixie
PS. I’m still kinda mad at you. Maybe a simple apology on your part would suffice? It’s what a good friend would do, after all. Oh, and that dress was ugly.
