“Come One, Come All!” announces Trixie in a loud voice, the unicorn now adorned with a purple cape nearly fully covering her body and large hat, both patterned with white and yellow stars. She struts around Ponyville Center, drawing more and more attention to the stage she is quickly constructing. She drapes a blue curtain several feet in front of and across the wagon with a flourish, a few horns blaring as they pop out of the side.
“In just ten minutes, you will all be able to witness The Great and Powerful Trixie’s stupendous feats of magic! Her jaw dropping abilities! The proof that she is the Most Powerful unicorn in all of Equestria!”
Trixie stops briefly as she spots Doug, Spike, and five mares leaving Sugarcube Corner. She quickly regains her composure as she paces back and forth, minor fireworks going off around her as a few ornaments depicting stars and moons pop up above the curtain. Her eyes continue flicking back to him, sizing him up, straying especially long on his lower half. She smirks to herself before turning again to the crowd, a quick bow before she disappears behind the curtain.
The seven move up to the front of the stage, getting good spots, though Doug sits down so as to not tower above and block everypony’s view. He barely notices as a hooded Trixie dashes out from the back of her wagon, moves to a couple of the merchant’s stalls, chats with a few of the mares as she purchases some items, and quickly returns to the wagon. Lights flash from inside, many of the ponies chatting excitedly.
The crowd around continues to grow, Sugarcube Corner seeing a lot of business. About ten minutes later Pinkie Pie hangs up a sign with prices and a box for money, a large assortment of baked goods on display, coming to join the herd as Trixie takes to the stage. The blue unicorn basks in the adoration as the crowd cheers, all smiles and cocky glances around.
“Welcome, Welcome, Everypony! You are all here to bear witness to The Great and Powerful Trixie’s astonishing performance! The amazing magic! The spectacular feats that will astound and confound even the most brilliant among you! For none is as varied, as powerful, as talented as the pony standing in front of you today!” Trixie bows, a few fireworks going off above and behind her.
“My, my, my. What boasting!” Rarity says disdainfully, a bit of a glare at Trixie.
“There’s nothing wrong with being talented,” Twilight Sparkle says sheepishly, glancing down at the ground and scratching at the dirt with a hoof. “Is there?”
“Ah, come on,” Doug says, a smile plastered on his face, rubbing Rarity’s mane and drawing a glare from the unicorn. “It’s just an act. Go with it!” He claps his hands as Trixie continues playing to the crowd, many getting more excited while others seem a little turned off at the continued showboating.
“For before you is the one, the only pony to have ever defeated an Ursa Major!” Trixie’s horn lights, the outline of an enormous blue bear and a smaller blue pony about one fourth the length clad in a hat and cape appearing. The pony image waves a wand in its hoof, the bear exploding into blue sparks.
“Exactly.” Applejack snorts, “Nothing wrong with being talented, ‘cept when somepony goes around, showing it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons.”
“What?” Doug says, raising an eyebrow. “You show off your rodeo skills every year. Yesterday you got a trophy for saving the town using those skills.” He pokes her in the side, “I’ve seen your wall.” Applejack huffs, rolling her eyes.
“Yeah!” Rainbow Dash says, a hint of a smirk breaking through her frown at the boasting, “Especially when you’ve got me around being more talented than the rest of us!” Applejack chuckles along with the rest of the herd as they turn back to Trixie. The unicorn looks around, a little miffed at the lack of positive reaction, aside from a few of the colts cheering loudly. “Besides, that image? That was an Ursa Minor. Unless she got the size difference really wrong.”
Doug ruffles Rainbow Dash’s mane, his other hand going to his mouth. An ear piercing whistle rings out, more than half the crowd turning to watch the human as he claps louder. Trixie glances around, a little shocked at the noise, but her smile instantly returns when she spots the source.
“Well, it looks like we have A Single stalwart stallion among you! At least one somepony willing to put The Great and Powerful Trixie’s magic to the test!” Trixie beckons to Doug, the human looking around as if to say, ‘me?’ Trixie nods, “Come now; you aren’t afraid, are you?”
Doug backs up slightly, though he can’t keep the grin off his face.
“Aww, are you a little shy?” Trixie says, her grin beaming reassuringly, turning to the crowd. “Let’s give him a little encouragement, shall we?”
Trixie disappears behind the curtain as the crowd stomps their hooves, Doug excitedly getting to his feet and climbing onto the stage, the wooden boards creaking underneath him. Trixie reappears with a wheeled wooden box, barely large enough to hold a medium sized pony. Three holes are cut out of the right side and two on the left. A painted line runs down the middle, where the box is made to come apart.
Trixie wheels the box around the front of the stage, splitting it in half to show a large hole, just big enough for a pony’s barrel. She sticks one hoof through on both sides, showing that the box is empty, light streaming through from the two or three open holes on the other side. The audience watches closely, their anticipation growing, as Trixie climbs all the way into one side of the box, waving at them though the hoof-holes before repeating the motion on the other side.
“Now, many of you may have seen this trick before,” she says loudly as she closes the box back up, wheeling it next to Doug. “But now, before you all, The Great and Powerful Trixie will perform this trick as never before!”
Trixie motions to Doug, “My lovely new assistant,” her hoof raising and lowering.
“Doug!” he says with a smile, reaching and grasping her hoof. She quickly pumps it up and down, returning a grin and nod.
“Doug!” Trixie announces, the ponies in the crowd cheering along, the Apple herd being exceptionally boisterous.
The back wall of the box opens up, Doug moving behind it. Trixie whispers to him as he climbs in, “There wasn’t time to get a larger box, but you should fit. Watch the back, don’t push too hard against it.”
“Got it,” Doug whispers back, climbing into the right half of the box. His head squeezes through the middle hole, facing the sky, his hands able to squeeze through the holes cut out for where a normal pony’s forelegs would be. He gives a wave to the audience, many of the young fillies waving back to him.
“Now, your hind legs,” Trixie says as she walks to the front of the stage. Her horn lights, a large guillotine shaped blade appearing above the box. She continues focusing on the blade as the toes of one foot leave the box, though he gets stuck on the heel. “Almost there,” Trixie says, the blade above nearly complete. The foot pops through, the toes facing the sky, Trixie turning her attention from the shining blade above to the leg hole. “And now the other one,” she says, the second foot coming through much quicker.
Trixie motions to Doug, the audience stomping their hooves politely. She turns back to the crowd, Rainbow Dash looking especially fearful, saying, “Now, this is a very special blade crafted by the one and only Great and Powerful Trixie! This trick has only ever done with ponies, but the concept is the same.” She motions to the center of the box, where it had split in half before, “I will use this blade to cut Doug in half!” The audience gasps, Trixie looking at Doug. “Are you ready?”
“This isn’t going to hurt, is it?” Doug asks fearfully, his eyes unable to tear away from the magical blade.
“Well, I only ever get one complaint.” Trixie pauses as Doug squirms. She adds, “Per pony,” as the blade comes down.
“What?” Doug yells as the box is bisected, Trixie dragging the two compartments away from each other. He flinches, watching the box with his feet get pulled away from him, a mournful gaze at his lost appendages.
“Hey, that time had less screaming than most!” Trixie bows as the audience stomps their hooves, quickly quieting down.
“Nooo! Doug!” Rainbow Dash despondently wails, her hooves going to her mane. Applejack can’t hold back her grin as she whacks Rainbow Dash on the head with a hoof, the pegasus returning a sly smile.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie takes it back,” Trixie exclaims, rolling her eyes as the audience laughs. She pushes the boxes around the stage, the audience stomping along with the beat of her hooves as she makes a complete circle. “This is a very special blade, you see,” she says as both boxes move around, a blurred cross-section of Doug’s abdomen visible on the inside wall of each. “For, despite being cut in twain, Doug still retains full control over his lower half!”
“What?” Twilight Sparkle exclaims, shaking her head from side to side. “That’s scientifically impossible!” Many ponies nod along, incredulous murmurs spreading among the crowd.
“Now,” Trixie says as she slows down her pace around the stage, the crowd watching intently, “I believe there are still a few neigh-sayers among you. Doug, can you please wiggle your left hoof?”
“Easily!” Doug says, his left hand waving to the crowd.
“No, no, no!” Trixie says, shaking her head and spinning around to face away from Doug. She looks back at him, winking as she points to her cutie mark, though it is covered by her cape, “Your other left hoof!" She gives a sultry shake of her flank, "The hind one!”
“Um, sure?” Doug says, trying to look past the box around him. Trixie notices, wheeling the boxes so that Doug can see his feet.
The right foot wiggles back and forth.
“I said your left hoof!” Trixie calls out, the audience laughing along. “Don’t tell me I messed up the spell!” Trixie glares up at her large magical blade as she stomps over to the box. She shrugs, “Well, at least The Great and Powerful Trixie has a solution for such a problem!” The blade levitates over, raising above the left foot.
“Wait, let me try again!” Doug yells as Trixie prepares to chop the offending foot off. He strains again, his right foot wiggling back and forth, the audience laughing.
Trixie sighs, the motion of the foot ceasing. She spins the boxes so that Doug can’t see his feet any more, “One more test, then.” Trixie levitates a feather, holding it up for all the crowd to see.
Doug shakes his head, hands and feet squirming as he tries to escape the box. “No! I’ll do anything!”
“Anything, you say?” Trixie says, a hoof going to her chin. “All you have to do, then, is tell me which hoof I’m tickling.” She raises the feather to his left foot, though doesn’t start tickling yet. A few of the foals call out “Left!”, Trixie raising a hoof to her mouth, a loud, “Shhhh.”
“What was that?” Doug yells, contorting his head to hold a hand to his ear, Snips and Snails yelling, ‘Left!’ louder. “I didn’t quite get that!”
Before the colts can yell again Trixie tickles the left foot. Doug squirms back and forth, visibly holding back his laughter until he yells, “Right! Right foot!”
“Ugh!” Trixie exclaims as the feather drops to the ground. “So, if you try to move your left hoof, you move your right hoof? And if I tickle your left hoof, you think it’s your right hoof?” Trixie lets loose a loud sigh before she shakes her head, her horn and blade winking out. “On second thought, I’m afraid I can’t do anything. This might even be too much for The Great and Powerful Trixie! You’ll have to live the rest of your life with three left hooves!”
“Nooo!” Doug wails, mimicking Rainbow Dash as he tries to get his hands to his head. The pegasus in question rolls her eyes, blowing a bit of mane out of her eyes as she crosses her forelegs in front of her.
“Don’t worry,” Trixie says, walking over to Doug’s head and stroking his short hair. “It can’t be any worse than that mare. She obviously has four left hooves, and she’s… um… alive.” Trixie points to the front of the stage, at a certain purple unicorn.
All eyes turn to Twilight Sparkle, the mare madly undulating around as she consults different pages of paper swirling around her, muttering, “It’s not possible. How is it possible? What did I miss?”
Trixie’s horn lights again, the two halves of the box rejoining. Trixie draws her horn up to the middle of the box, a light shining from within. “Our only hope is that by cancelling the spell, you shall regain your normal functionality!”
“But I could have learned!” Doug cries out, his hands feebly shaking from the holes. “It would have been so cool!”
“You may be right,” Trixie says apologetically, her horn staying lit as she levitates the feather. “But, as I have already undone the spell, we must see if it worked. Doug, can you remove your left hoof from the box?”
The crowd watches as Doug strains, his left foot squirming around until it slips back into the box.
“Success!” Trixie says with a bow, the crowd stomping along. “Now, the right one!”
Trixie turns, everypony watching as the right hoof also exits the box. Her horn winks out, dropping the feather behind the stage. She turns, walking behind the box and raising the back wall with her hooves. Trixie comes back around the right side as Doug pulls his hands, then his head out of the holes. He stretches as he stands up, walking on shaky legs next to Trixie.
“Thank you, Doug!” Trixie calls; both take a bow, the crowd stomping along the loudest they have been so far. Trixie’s horn lights, a bouquet of six roses - red, orange, yellow, white, blue, purple - appears from thin air.
Doug takes the flowers, a grateful nod to Trixie, and drops down to rejoin the mares. He gives each one the flower matching their coat, tucking it behind their ear. Rainbow Dash nuzzles Doug as he sits down, “I knew you were okay!” Doug gives Rainbow Dash a scratch behind her ears as Trixie continues with her performance.
Twilight Sparkles pulls out the pieces of paper she had been scribbling on, notes on how the trick could have worked spread out in front of her. Twilight Sparkle whispers in a rushed tone to Doug, “How did she do it? That sort of spell should be impossible! The ability to reconnect all the nerves in your upper half to your lower half, in an instant with no discernible output of magic? That’s impossible!”
Doug points to the notes, “I’ll say this much. That isn’t how it worked.” Doug taps the side of his nose with a finger, “And, a magician never reveals their secrets.”