"Didn't give a shit until I started getting pretty… waste all my time…"
Trixie's eyes remained on her reflection as she put on a fresh coat of lipstick, tilting her head to gauge the effectiveness.
"Would you fight me to the death? I'd fight me to the death." She muttered delicately.
She hadn't killed Twilight. She knew this for a fact. Trixie could slay monsters, but a pony... was another story. And that decision had cost her. The more she thought it over, the more it made sense. Twilight would be returning, she was just too damned determined to keel over in Tartarus and die. And the thought exhilarated Trixie.
Twilight couldn't beat her, not in ten million years, not now. Trixie hadn't been able to kill her. She supposed Chrysalis had put her into perspective: It wasn't enough to kill someone at their weakest. She needed to do it at their strongest. And for that, she would get over her qualms, put her worries aside, just for one day. For one show. Just long enough to do what she had failed to do in the castle, and in the eyes of everyone.
By now, the crowd must be waiting on her. All eyes would be on her.
It would be wonderful.
The ground beat under Twilight as she kicked up dust behind her, racing the land. Already she knew it wasn't enough; She needed to return now.
Twilight's horn reached out in a field of energy around her, invisible strings aligning to form a direct line from just between her eyes to a tall rock several feet off. Space folded like paper, the two points meeting exactly, and Twilight was on the rock, magic flowing through her as she chalked up another, just as fast. 7 feet now. 20. As long as it was within her sight- but she didn't need to restrict it to that, did she? Mentally she scanned through memories of maps, vacations, train rides- her memory was perfect, and the strings laced all Equestria.
Bam. Bam. Bam. Her hooves didn't even touch the ground, and before long, she was falling, falling for miles over the country, erratic mass teleports keeping her in the air even in freefall. She could do this with her eyes closed.
The protege of Celestia, the greatest mage in Equestria set sights for home.
Trixie's cape was her veil, cast over her and snapped back to present herself to the crowd. She closed her eyes and imagined them cheering.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PATRONS OF THE CROWD, I PRESENT TO YOU: THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE'S GREATEST SHOW YET!"
There was confusion, mass concern, and more than a bit of fear, but she paid it no mind. As long as she was worth looking at, she had a captive audience- And she intended to never be boring again.
"Eyes on Trixie, Watch the birdy! What you see tonight is what I leave behind, so come one, come all, and behold, the story of the two greatest lives to ever live!"
The opening act began. In a flourish of veil, the curtains behind her dropped, and from the forest behind it came Trixie's favorite beast. The beauty, the cosmic significance of the bear whose coat showed the universe, on whom stars grew and died, on whom the history of the galaxy could be effectively mapped, if not for the raw danger of the claws and teeth it wore...
Trixie's cape was blown behind her by the force of the first footstep towards her, and as the maw swooped down for a careless chomp she turned her nose up, proudly looking away from the threat as it closed around her. The teeth parted once again as Trixie seized both jaws in magic, wrenching them open and daintily raising herself to a standing position to watch the audience. Carelessly she held her cape to keep it dry while standing on the tongue of the struggling Ursa, inches from the razors that circled her where she stood.
"Trixie has been brash, stupid, amateur. She knows what you think of her; Stuck-up, pathetic, evil. You've had reason; Trixie hasn't been truly Great for some time."
In a crunch and a shattering of her grip into purple shards that melted on the air, the Ursa clamped its jaws down, only to be immediately repelled by a crack of white hot magic that drove it back into the parted curtains, and Trixie onto her hooves in a roll that brought her up to a stand unfazed.
"So I'd like to invite a very special guest to the stage. Someone who's always been there for Trixie- at the top of the mountain, always ready to push her back down.
"You know her."
The crowd began to part with gasps as something passed by them, eventually giving up on shoving them as they began to automatically make room for her.
"You love her."
The path she carved finally closed as she hit the stage and pulled herself up.
"The Great... And Powerful..."
Trixie lowered her voice to a whisper, lovingly meeting Twilight's impassioned glare with a tilted head.
"Twilight Sparkle."
"Trixie Lulamoon."
Trixie squinted. "Did I ever tell you my last name? I've always omitted it from the posters."
"I know you, Trixie. I've known you since school."
Trixie's mouth hung as she tried to recall, then finally cracked a smile. "Oh, that. Is. Perfect. My own mother didn't know me as long as you have. Every stage of my life, and you watched me through it all, isn't that right? Well, what did you think of the show? Speak up, make sure the audience can hear you."
On the circular stage, the two mages circled each other. Trixie punctuated her speech with sudden and sharp leans towards her rival, as if trying to startle her, but Twilight remained steady and slow.
"I think you're scared, Trixie."
Trixie scoffed. "Scared? I've been telegraphing worse than I thought. Magic school was when I was scared. Living in a shack was when I was scared. Now, my blood might be on fire. I feel high."
"Then you're angry."
"Wrong again, but that I can forgive, you've been out of it for a few days. Of course I'm not going to be angry; I'm going to be immortal!"
"Then what are you going to do? You planned for something, you brought us all out here, you waited on me. What do you plan to do?" Twilight finally spat.
"Are you deaf, Sparkle?" Trixie lit her horn. "I’m the mare who killed the greatest monster hunter in history. I'm going to be immortal."
Twilight barely dodged the first blow, smacking into the stage and sizzling a hole into it. The crowd began to stampede, panicking and running from the flying spells, but still wanted to be close enough to watch the action.
"You don't want to kill me, Trixie! You couldn't do it before!" Twilight shouted, strafing for a position to duck to if needed.
"When, for the love of Celestia, will you understand?" Trixie took a step back, and smoke blew in jets from the cannons at either end of the stage. "All I've ever wanted is to be known! To be seen, by the world! And I'll do whatever it takes to get that!"
She drew a whip of magic and cracked it three times in succession near Twilight, just missing each time. "Can you see me, world? Do not adjust your sets!"
Twilight scrambled for the curtain in desperation. "Trixie, we're not going to kill each other!"
"Then make me one of your problems to be solved, Sparkle! I'm the only one left for you; Discord, Sombra, Nightmare Moon, all your greatest foes have been vanquished. And thanks to me, I've finished Chrysalis. Your job on this earth is done. Take your bow!" Trixie tore the curtain off and left it to flutter over the ground the audience had stood on.
Twilight hid behind the pillar supporting the lights, panting. "Chrysalis? What did you do? She's in jail, what did you do?"
"I paid her a visit. From her tone, I'm guessing you enjoy the same from time to time. She's a nice talk, but just does not let go."
Twilight's heart raced, and the stage under her felt much more real. Was she still an adult woman in a fight to the death?
"If I were you, I'd follow her lead. With a little more manners, perhaps." Trixie sniffed, whipping her head briefly to face the crowd with faux carelessness.
"You said... I treated my enemies like problems. I treated you like a puzzle to be solved. Look what you've done; you've just tied her to me, like she doesn't even matter. Trixie, you killed her." Twilight shut her eyes, waiting for the footsteps and hum of charged magic to finally turn around the pillar and come face to face with her.
"Omelette, breaking eggs, the like. You started this; and when I end you, I'll make sure the problem ends forever. You should be happy. I fixed your life in what, two days?" Twilight was met with confident lavender eyes. "Now go out proudly. Fight me, Sparkle, and lose. You've cemented yourself in history. It's my turn."
Twilight exhaled shakily.
"Alright, Trixie." Close eyes. Don't look at how happy she is. "Let's duel."
"I thought you'd never ask."
Twilight was torn from the ground, and in a sharp arc, carried over the entire stage and slammed into the other side. Just before impact, Twilight drew a shield that hissed violently as her shoulder still caught the brunt.
Pouring all her energy into her magic, Twilight rocketed off the stage on her damaged shoulder from the force of the short beam attack in Trixie's general direction, easily dodged and countered as Twilight found herself wrenched back and driven through the wood floor.
The world was ending, and Trixie would outlive it.
Eyes on... You get it.
How's that for a story? Trixie's won. She killed Twilight in a matter of seconds, and went on to live a happy and fulfilling life. She had millions of adoring fans, and died... I don't know, around 70? In bed? Who cares, the show always ends long before that. Who's ever heard of a magician who died on stage? Yech. What if you accidentally pulled a face, stuck your tongue out or something, and then just had to sit there with your tongue out until someone ran to throw a sheet over you?
What, you don't believe Trixie? After spending this long together.
Yeah. Neither does she, sadly.
Sometimes, dear audience, we get everything we've ever wanted. The show is over. The curtains are called. In fiction, this is the end. In real life, it's just another passed second. Isn't that unfair?
And sometimes, just sometimes, no matter what happens, whether you get everything you wanted or keel over on stage, you lose anyway.
What a lousy show. You should demand a refund.
When it's done, of course.
Nothing riled up the crowds like a spectator sport. Even as they fled, they couldn't take their eyes off Trixie, and only kept the bare minimum of what could be considered a safe distance from the flying sparks to keep watching the event unfold.
“Trixie, I don’t want to fight you!” Appeal to mercy.
“Then put your money where your mouth is and Die.”
Twilight leaned forward into the thaumic blow to catch it and spread it through her body, then returned with a flurry of quick weak spells, like a barrage of punches in the hopes to slow down the opponent. Not a wisp touched Trixie; shreds of half formed shields shot down before they could form were used like mitts to catch the balls with the bare minimum of energy expenditure. A magic duel was risk versus reward.
And Twilight had a lot more to risk for round 2. Trixie had the crowd to fuel her, gasps and cries of shock pushing her will, but even with the mass strength just getting here in the first place had taken Twilight, she felt like she could take down an Ursa Major- and with Trixie, she'd need to be about that skilled.
"I understand. Celestia, it all makes sense now, like all the pieces fitting together. After school- After you dropped out, meeting me must have been like you were a kid again." Twilight calculated a necessary step back for the two more forward that would come as soon as Trixie stopped swinging her whip, as soon as Trixie deemed the risk higher than the reward.
"You're preaching to the choir, Twilight. You can't get out without a fight. Will it be a blaze of glory or a matchstick under my hoof?" Trixie shot back, abandoning the whip to dissipate back into the atmosphere and going instead for something simpler. A small, cup-shaped shield formed around her horn to protect her head from the needle of energy that Twilight fired next.
Forward. Back. Lure. Heed. Learn. Attack.
Talk.
"Fine. You don't want me to beg?" Twilight growled, sacrificing a blow to her cheek and a gasp from the crowd to take a step back and readjust. "I'll tell you exactly what you need to hear. Nothing separates us; nothing important, anyway."
Now a full formed shield, a dome over Twilight to let her think as Trixie threw herself against it. "You got a bad roll of the dice, and I didn't. Do you think I've been riding the high of grade school my entire life? I was a friendless loser, Trixie." At Trixie's next mindless charge, Twilight caught her ear in telekinesis to wrench her around facefirst, shoving her muzzle to the stage.
"Can you imagine that? I was a social shut in, and I broke out of it because I acted. I forced my life to change, and look where I am now." Trixie broke out of the weak grasp and launched an offensive spell past Twilight's ear. A miss- Twilight's gambit was paying off. But the second the monster killer started thinking like that... Take a breath, ignore the noise, focus on your words.
"Trixie, you're strong, you're the strongest unicorn I know, but you haven't changed since- You know well when the last time you changed was." At the mere mention of it Trixie seemed to gain strength, and toppled Twilight over in a bearhug around the neck, no magic required. "A-And now you're trying to do it again after years to what, take me down? Prove you can do what I can't? You can't. You won't, more like." Twilight choked, cursing her physical strength and pouring mana instead into magic, dragging Trixie backwards by the hindleg off her. The crowd cheered, and Trixie stiffened, crumpled, finally realizing how against her her fans were.
"Trixie, you've lived through stuff I couldn't dream of. You've survived, and that's it. You needed to do more. You didn't, and now look where you are." Twilight stood, and her conical shield spell reformed, the size of a baseball bat and far taller than it was wide. Like a spear, she brought it down on Trixie's back, only managing one blow before Trixie rolled to her hooves. "What happens when the fight ends?"
Now to something much more familiar- a Beam of War. Both of them poured a small fraction of their mana into thin shields around them, and then forced the rest into thick, dense beams of energy that collided and wrestled for superiority, blotting out the rest of the world and the roaring crowd. In a magic duel, it was the ultimate show of strength- the thaumic equivalent of an arm wrestle, forgoing flashiness and cunning for sheer calculable brute strength. Push forward. Never blink.
"After the curtain closes?" Twilight yelled to be heard as she took quick and long strides towards where Trixie rooted herself. "What happens if you win, Trixie? You're exactly where you left off, but you snuffed out your only hope of getting better." She was close enough now to see Trixie's eyes through the blinding light of their crossed beams. "You snuffed out who might be the only person left who cares about the Great and Powerful Trixie, the only one who gets her." Trixie's eyes wavered, and there was barely an inch of beam between them, flaring into Auroras battling for dominance. "There's no ending, Trixie, no credit roll after your final moments. We keep living, Trixie."
"That's... it."
Trixie broke first, and the instant Twilight felt give, she nyxed every active spell and prayed she wouldn't be obliterated in a counterattack.
Nothing came, and for a second Twilight only soaked in the sun and air, relishing her aching joints newfound peace. Then, when she was finally ready, she met her opponent's gaze with fiery vigour, ready for whatever was next.
Trixie looked at Twilight with an agape jaw, stumbling back.
"Oh." The magician spoke.
With a soft exhale, Trixie fell onto her haunches, staring despondently into the air, not even noticing what was left of the crowd and their eyes.
"There." Twilight muttered, the glow from her horn dying. "I treated you like a person. It's what you wanted. It's what you deserve. All of us deserve it."
"I do, don't I? I think that's all I needed." Trixie mouthed, the air barely leaving her mouth as she sat in shock.
"We're not characters, Trixie. We don't have a checklist of goals to meet before we're allowed to die."
"I know, I know. But it's just... Celestia, it's so much easier to think that way, isn't it? Like you've got something waiting for you at the end if you just hold out. Like life's all a big show."
Trixie seemed to regain some composure at her last words, rubbing dirt off her cheek and tidying her frazzled hair as well as she could. Twilight took this as initiative, and nursing a damaged leg, wobbled forwards towards the recovering catatonic performer.
"Trixie, if we... appeal to the Princess, explain everything..." Twilight searched for solutions, struggling to stay afloat.
"Twilight, there's no coming back for me. You're right, we keep on living, and I'm not gonna be pardoned for this. Nobody cares if I learned my lesson, at the end of the day there's no magic fix-all. I've got no more tricks up my sleeve."
"Trixie..." Twilight finally fell to her belly, lying draped across the stage a few feet away from Trixie. She was vacantly aware of her friends climbing the steps to them trepidatiously. "You look great."
"Is that what you've got for me? At the end of all this?" Another pitiful laugh. Trixie was good at that lately. It didn't seem like she had much else to offer anymore. "I-I did my hair. I don't know why. For you, maybe. It's cute, isn't it?" She toyed with the loose strands hanging off her mane nervously. "Twilight, I think there's an ending to this. A happy one."
Twilight's face fell flat, solidified into stone. "Yeah? What's that?"
"I want you to write a letter to the princess."
"For you? I don't thi-"
"For you. I want you to tell her all your baggage about, I don’t know, fighting monsters. Saving ponies. Whatever's on your mind." She waved her hoof in Twilight's direction amusedly. "You've got me all figured out, but I'm not too sure what's up with you. I guess that's the real reason you've got more life to live. Me?"
Trixie thought it over. She thought about her father. Her dear departed mother. Her school life. Her childhood homes. Her transition. Her career. Her learning and training and fighting to be more.
"Did you mean what you said?" Trixie softly mused, looking into the shiny stage panels. "I look great, Twilight." She repeated like it was the best compliment she had ever received. "I look beautiful."
Trixie's magic felt gingerly at her own neck, her head, her hair, sculpting a mold of thaumic energy along it, feeling every crevice and contour, taking her entire head in a comforting grasp like she was cradling the feminine body she rested in.
"Take my picture, Twilight."
Here's how it went. Dash rushed for her, hoping to be fast enough. Rarity fainted on the spot. The crowd that had been recollecting gasped as one. Twilight screamed. She was a bit embarrassed about this, but it was all she could think to do. She wasn't exactly used to this from her villains.
Well, whatever Trixie was.
Trixie thought of flowers, then she pulled. She pulled for all of about a second before she gave out. Then, Rarity's fainted body hit the ground, Dash skidded across the stage, Twilight's scream died in her throat, and Trixie was gone. Not bloodstain nor hair remained where she had been.
The only clue she had ever existed was a lavender cape and hat that neatly fluttered into a pile over her final resting spot, on the stage with all eyes on her.