//------------------------------// // Chapter 9 (Boast Busters) // Story: My Little Pony: Friendships are Magic // by professor space n time //------------------------------// Spike and Twilight were in their room practicing spells. "Come on, Twilight. You can do it!" Spike said. "Okay, here goes." Twilight closed her eyes and sought concentration, her horn lit up and began to emit white light. In a second a mustache of silky black hair appeared over Spike's lips. "Ha ha! Ya did it! Growing magic, that's number twenty-five. Twenty-five different types of tricks and counting." Twilight blushed at the compliment. Spike turned around, looked in the mirror, and began massaging his new mustache "And I think this is the best trick so far. Hello, Rarity. What's that? Aw, it's nothin', just my awesome mustache. ha ha ha!" Twilight rolled her eyes "Sorry, Romeo. As attractive and enticing as you look, it's just for practice, and it's gotta go." "Wait!" Spike said in vain, because right after the mustache disappeared "Aw, rats!" Twilight chuckled "Let's go find Amara and see if she can come with us for a walk." The two of them walked towards the basement, being a few steps from the door it was thrown open and Amara came out triumphantly holding a green crystal with her magic “EUREKA! I've done it!" "Done what?" Spike asked. "I have created a catalyst crystal capable of not only conducting magic but empowering it to triple its power" Said Amara proudly "now I just have to discover a faster and cheaper technique to produce them in mass" “Well, you can work on that later. What do you think if you come with us for a walk?" Twilight said. Amara teleported the crystal back to her lab "What are we waiting for?" "Twenty-five, Twilight. Twenty-five different kinds of tricks and counting. I thought unicorns were only supposed to have a little magic that matches their special talents!" said Spike impressed. "True, the average unicorn only knows three or four spells that suit their talent, but you forget that Twilight not only has magic as a talent, but that she is the very embodiment of that force" replied Amara "Oh Amy, please stop," Twilight said being red as a tomato "I'm not even that good. You know more spells than I do and they are really complex" “But it's not the same, I have knowledge but not ability, learning these spells is a great physical and mental effort, and you don't see me using them all the time. On the other hand, you are able to learn quickly and not only that, you are able to use complex spells several times with practically little or no attrition. Also, that's not true, you know more spells than I do, I taught you every spell I know, you just don't remember the names of the spells and you don't remember me teaching them to you, after that you didn't stop devouring spell books in just nights. Now stop talking nonsense and admit once and for all that you are the best." Twilight blushed again and smiled. "Gangway! Comin' through!" at that moment two spots of aquamarine and dull yellow passed quickly by their side raising a cloud of dust. "*Cough* whe-*cough* where are those two going?" asked Twilight. "Let's find out" Amara said starting to walk in the same direction. They headed to the center of town. There was a huge crowd, all standing in front of a stage on wheels. the three of them pushed their way to the front, where the rest of their friends were. "Come one, come all!" Shouted a female voice with a strange accent "Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" With an explosion of bluish smoke and sparks, a mare with blue fur and an almost white light blue mane was revealed, wearing a cape with a crystal brooch and a pointed hat, both purple and with yellow and blue stars. "Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!" Fireworks jumped through the air like a shower of colorful stars. "My, my, my! What boasting!" said Rarity. “Easy Rarity, it's just part of the performance. The number one rule of the theater is to exaggerate everything, you have to attract attention" said Amara "Also, there's no denying that she has a talent. And there's nothing wrong with being talented, right?" "Nothin' at all, 'cep'n when someone goes around showin' it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons." said Applejack. "What the heck is wrong with you?" Amara asked confused "That mare only does her job, she lives on this. You don't even know her and treat her like she's the biggest selfish bitch that ever lived." "And why do you defend her if you don't know her either?" Rainbow Dash asked a little defensively. "For two reasons. One: I'm the element of empathy, that doesn't only apply to my friends. Two: this is all illogical! Treating her like this for doing her job and feeling proud is stupid, all of you here are proud; Applejack always boasts that her apples are the best, I won't lie they're fantastic, but there is no way of knowing that they're the best. Rarity is always showing off her dresses not just to promote herself (which she has every right to do), but simply to show off her creative genius. Not to mention Rainbow Dash, she lives by bragging about her skills and stunts. Even I feel the need to brag, many times when I make a discovery I feel the need to go out into the street yelling "I've discovered it!" At the top of my lungs while I rub my research in the face of the scientific community; I just don't do it because, first: it is not the right thing, second: that would make me look bad, Third: call it conscience, call it humility, call it lack of self-love, but there's always a voice in the back of my head that tells me not to do it. Nor am I saying that people who don't brag are good people, using that logic many criminals and dictators from the past would be considered good people. What I want to get to is that there is nothing wrong with bragging as long as it's not taken to insane extremes, and neither you, nor I, nor anyone else has the right to reproach others for these things unless they have crossed the line between what is a normal ego and what is a superiority complex." The girls bowed their heads in defeat and shame. “I guess you're right. . ." Rarity said. Amara simply gave them a hug and patted them on the back, “There, there. We all make mistakes, the important thing is to learn from them. Now why don't we enjoy the show?" The act was actually really good, there was no trick that didn't make a great impression and after each one of them Amara delighted in explaining to the others the complexity of the trick and how, when, where and who had created it. She never explained how it was done despite the pleas, because according to her "that would ruin the fun, it's also against the code of magicians." At one point Trixie asked for an assistant and Amara volunteered. It was a card trick, Amara had chosen and signed a card at random without Trixie seeing it, Now Trixie mixed the deck and having finished she set it on fire, in a second all the cards burned except for one. "Is this your card?" Trixie asked with a smile on her face. "No," Amara said blankly, "is this your wallet?" she said smiling, lifting a bag of bits. Trixie was dumbfounded and began to search around her and then snatched the bag from her "where did you get that?" she chuckled. The crowd laughed, followed by applause and cheers. Trixie and Amara stood in the center of the stage to curtsy and Amara whispered in her ear “I'm a magician too. you know what i'm thinking?” Trixie smiled and nodded. A war of tricks then began, each one bigger and more fantastic than the last. The words 'fascinated' and 'surprised' were not even close to describing how those present felt. It was an hour before dusk, the sun was beginning to set, and with it came the final act. Amara was chained and wearingt a straitjacket, on top of it hung a glass funnel with a hatch full of piranhas "Now listen well" Amara announced "I'll throw myself into this tank and I'll have two minutes to escape before it rains piranhas. Twilight, do me the favor of closing the locks" Twilight did as ordered and closed them "On the count of 3. 1, 2, 3!" Amara jumped into the tank and the clock started ticking, Amara quickly removed three of the grips releasing her hind legs and one of her hooves, but just as she was about to surface the chain got stuck to the bottom of the tank. Amara began pounding on the glass desperately as the clock approached zero. The crowd became chaotic. "Stop the clock! She can't get out!" Twilight yelled Applejack started running towards the stage "Get out of my way!" As she went up, she launched a strong kick at the glass, it didn't break, but the blow unblocked the chain, Just when Amara came out of the water the piranhas fell on her, an agonizing scream was heard that was quickly drowned out by the noises of biting and tearing , the water turned green as the crowd screamed in horror. Suddenly someone was heard laughing in the back of the crowd revealing Amara completely drenched, the crowd let out a sigh of astonishment as they began to clap “Thank you! Thank you thank you very much! Don't forget to pay the lady!" she said pointing at Trixie. It was already night and a dense cold fog flooded the streets of Ponyville. Trixie was gathering her things inside her wagon and counting the bits she had collected. Suddenly someone knocked on the door when opening it Trixie found Amara “Oh, hi, it's you. Good to see you. You can come in if you want, sorry for the mess" “Nah, okay, I just wanted to stop by to say goodbye. I never told you my name, I'm Amara” She said offering her hoof. Trixie shook her hoof with a smile on her face “A pleasure Amara. Hey, can I ask you something? " "Whatever you want just say it" Amara replied. "Can you tell me how to do the trick with the piranhas?" She asked shyly. Amara smiled slightly "Of course". The two of them sat talking until dawn, they spoke, above all, magic, theater, themselves. With regret, Trixie finished packing her things and was accompanied by Amara to the outskirts of the city, as she walked away towards the rising sun she could hear Amara in the distance yelling “Don't forget! You will always have a friend here in Ponyville!" Amara turned around and started walking back home, mentally telling herself ‘This will look great on one of Twilight's letters’