//------------------------------// // A Deal with the Trixie // Story: Trixie's Revenge // by Outlaw Quadrant //------------------------------// If Twilight had her way, she and her friends would have been in Hoofington the day after the body switch. Then again, not much had gone the smart unicorn’s way and that trend continued. Rarity packed heavy, giving Pinkie Pie far too much to bake. Spike gladly gobbled up the excess but that meant frequent stops, giving Fluttershy time to go off-road, frolic with the forest animals and getting lost, forcing Applejack and Rainbow Dash to find her. Even with the delays, as the group approached Hoofington in the mid-afternoon, Trixie was easy to find. They all spotted her plastered on a large poster put up on a board labeled Hoofington Arena. Beyond the board was an open area between the pine trees with logs neatly arranged in rows and at the front stood a solitary crimson wagon. For the traveling group, it was good fortune although Twilight’s immediate concern was Trixie’s alterations to her usual conservative image. She made her opinion known with a hoof stomp. “What did she do to my mane?” Rarity critiqued the image and thought differently. “Why so upset? It’s certainly not something that’s suitable in day-to-day situations but for social events, it’s certainly an improvement but of course, with more appropriate attire than that silly hat and cape combination.” The cow-pony had other thoughts in mind. “Well, I don’t care what she’s wearin’ cause we at least know that troublemaker’s ‘round these parts. Rainbow, check that wagon out for us, wontcha?” With a salute, the fast Pegasus blasted all the way to the bottom of one of the wagon’s windows. She took a peek inside and made a beeline back to her waiting friends. “No pony home. Want us to look around the town, Twilight?” The azure unicorn shook her head. “The poster says she’ll be here right after sundown today. If my hunch is right, then the best time to act is right after the show. In the meantime, let’s find ourselves an inn to stay at.” They all continued down the dirt road towards Hoofington, except for Pinkie Pie. She took a moment to draw a curly mustache on the poster and giggle at her work before re-joining her friends. A throng of ponies had already gathered at Hoofington Arena when Twilight and her friends made their arrival, taking them by surprise. “How did she get so many to come?” remarked Spike. Fluttershy thought back to the tour she took with Rainbow and Pinkie around the town. “Well, she did have all those nice posters everywhere.” Rainbow added “But we took care of that, right Pinkie Pie?” The pink mare nodded, marker in mouth. The two pranksters snickered and slapped hooves although Twilight was not amused. “You realize that’s my face you two drew on?” Suddenly, a tooting horn from the front made the group take seats in the back as the crimson wagon folded open, revealing a wooden stage with painted red sparkles. Then, a familiar, yet, strange voice boomed across the clearing. “Hoofingtonians! Prepare to stand up and marvel at the brilliant magic of the Amazing and Wonderful Sparkle!” The wagon’s props twirled, shot fireworks, and made loud noises before a cloud of red mist covered the entire stage. From within, a small glow of magic pushed it all away, giving the crowd a clear view of a purple unicorn magician. “Trixie” grumbled Twilight. It took all her willpower to stay put and allow her rival to go on with the show. “Tonight, you will all have the privilege of being in the presence of the one magician who defeated an Ursa Minor!” “Not again” bemoaned Twilight. Rainbow openly gave her opinion. “Well, she’s kinda right. You defeated an Ursa Minor but since she looks like you right now…” A glare from Applejack quieted the loudmouth Pegasus. Trixie continued with her show. “Observe. The pine trees around this clearing would take ages to take down but it is a simple task for the Amazing and Wonderful Sparkle. Tree, disappear!” The unicorn powered up her horn and aimed at the direction of one of the tall, wooden poles of pine before releasing a stream of magenta energy. Soon, the tree was encased with a magical aura before Trixie sent out a burst of light towards it. The crowds rose in anticipation as the spurt of energy went upstream to the tree, only for it to bounce right back down to the magic caster, punishing her with a healthy zap. Trixie collapsed in a smoking heap but quickly bounced up, alarmed by the warm sensation of a flame on her cape. She trampled it, putting it out but not before her crowds chuckled at her incompetence. “Yes, well. Just watch as the Amazing and Wonderful Sparkle juggle five, count them, five food carts!” Another spell gave the unicorn the power to levitate the wooden stands on the side up into the air. Trixie gently moved them above her head and got them moving in a circle. Their speed was that of a Ferris wheel until a sputter from the horn pushed it up to a frenzied spin. It proved too much for the wood which cracked into pieces, spilling tomatoes, grapes, and bananas all over the stage and onto the crimson-caped magician. The crows guffawed as Trixie chucked the remains of the carts away. “How dare you mock the Amazing and Wonderful Sparkle! You lowly Hoofingtonians should be punished for not recognizing such greatness but, Sparkle feels pity for your blindness. Therefore, you shall all be witness to the most amazing and wonderful feat in all of Equestria!” Trixie closed her eyes and concentrated all her energy on the tip of her horn, forming a growing ball of magenta light, illuminating the surroundings. However, the shape began to warp and the purple unicorn drenched in sweat, fighting a battle of control. Watching from the back, Twilight knew the end results and yelled over the pitched whine of the ball of energy to the panicking crowd. “EVERY PONY TAKE COVER!” The audience knelt down as the ball split itself apart, casting the area with unbearable light and sending off a sound of cracking and tearing. Once everypony’s eyes were given relief, they all stood up and checked their conditions. By fortune, the only consequence was getting their hooves dirty and they began to murmur amongst each other before one shouted to look towards the stage. A cloud of dust surrounding it had drifted off, revealing Trixie cowering on a solitary piece with splintered wood all around her. She slowly got up and looked at the sad remains of her wagon and then at the crowd who, for a few seconds, had no idea on how to react. Yet, the boastful magician had an idea on what was going to happen and she shook her head, not wanting to believe the outcome. Suddenly, the audience howled in laughter, some falling on their sides and others pointing their hooves directly at Trixie, shredding the last few strands of her resolve. She jumped off and ran into the woods, leaving sobs and tears in her wake. No pony amongst the crowd bothered to chase her down and instead, went towards the exits with a tale to tell the town, Meanwhile, Rainbow, Pinkie and Spike were flat on the ground, pounding it with their limbs in mirth. Applejack and Rarity made lame attempts to withhold their glee. “Well, that was…um…entertainin’” chuckled the cow pony. Rarity held her hoof on her mouth. “Why yes. I will certainly remember that…performance for a long time. Don’t you agree, Fluttershy?” The yellow Pegasus tried to be humble. “It was…nice?” Twilight stood silent, her eyes set towards the last known location of Trixie. “I don’t know. Don’t you girls feel kinda bad for her?” Applejack quickly answered “Nope. It was comin’ to her, sugarcube. She didn’t learn her lesson and she’s payin’ the price for it.” Rarity gave a similar reply. “My apologies, Twilight, but considering she is a pompous braggart and a thief, I cannot feel much sympathy for her.” Twilight could only nod in agreement and even she had to admit to giggling throughout the show. She had all intentions to carry out her task, yet, couldn’t scrape all the sympathy from her plate. “Girls, wait here. I’ll go take care of this myself.” “Are you sure ‘bout that?” said Applejack. “Yeah. I don’t think she wants to see a crowd right now. If I don’t come back in ten minutes…” “We’ll charge right in. Good luck, Twilight.” “Thanks, Applejack.” After a nod, the azure unicorn trotted past the deserted green field and into the pine forest, using the purple glow of her horn to follow the hoof tracks below. It didn’t take long before Twilight used her ears to pick up Trixie’s muffled whimpering at the edge of a small lake. As the bookworm worked around the last of the trees, she stepped on a branch, alarming the purple unicorn. Once Trixie saw who it was, she flipped the switch to defiance and stood her ground. “You!” Twilight spoke seriously. “Trixie, you know what I came here for.” “It is Sparkle you insignificant pony! And you will not get what you want!” “And you won’t either. I’m sorry I have to tell you this but…I have a letter ready to send to Princess Celestia telling her to forbid any town from allowing you to perform your magic show.” The heavy words cracked Trixie’s armor and she slumped down on the ground, unable to speak. The dam in her eyes leaked water and Twilight softened her tone. “There’s no point in keeping my magic anymore, Trixie. You can’t possibly control it, not without endless years of studying. Just reverse the spell and I promise I’ll let you go.” Between her tears, the boasting magician muttered her bitterness. “So, you’ll tattle to the Princess? It doesn’t matter. You took everything from me so I’m going to keep this magic away from you.” Twilight took offense and took a step forward. “Excuse me?” Trixie stood up and postured at her rival. “I had it all, my show, my magic, my fans and then…and then YOU showed up! You and that little trick that you did with the Ursa Minor!” “That was your own fault for bragging so much! You should have learned your lesson and cleaned up your act!” “Like I had a chance! Everywhere I turned, ponies only came to my shows to mock me. There’s the loudmouth Trixie with her feeble magic, they would say!” Trixie’s voice began to crack. “Do you know how much that hurt, Twilight? They used to call me Great and Powerful but now, I can’t even be Amazing and Wonderful.” She turned towards the lake but instead of gazing at the reflection of the moon, kept her sights on the dirt. “Maybe I should just call myself…Lousy and Weak. They might cheer for me then.” For a moment, Twilight kept silent as her mind couldn’t decide on whether the pony in front of her was weaving a tale of lies or truth. However, even at the protest of her mind, her compassionate side took over. “Trixie, you’re not as bad as you think. You’re just need to work on your magic a little bit. I’ve only been in your body for a short time but I can already sense that you have a lot of potential. Granted, your powers still wouldn’t be at the same level as mine but that doesn’t matter. You have more than enough to become a great magician and ponies will certainly want to come and see you then. Isn’t that what you want?” It took time for Trixie to mull it over. Times of joy were few and far between for her but when she was on the stage in front of the crowds, those were the best of times. Even with her despised rival present, she let out the truth. “Yes but…I can’t go out there after what just happened and…I’m all out of bits. My time as a magician is over.” Twilight’s mind pondered over ideas before one came up but it tasted bitter. “Ughhhhh! I can’t believe I’m doing this.” She threw away the frustration and spoke in earnest. “How about we make a deal? If you reverse the spell, I can help you get your show up and running again, not as Sparkle but as Trixie. That way, it make us even, right?” The magician mare sensed a trap and turned around, putting up defenses. “Like I’ll fall for that, Twilight! Trixie paused for a moment and made a pompous sales pitch. “But…if you go as Trixie and gain back my audience first, only then I will return to you this drab body and its useless powers back.” Twilight’s mind raised an alarm. “I don’t like the sound of that.” Trixie moved her head away and slammed her eyes shut. “Then there is nothing more to discuss!” Within the body of the smart mare, flames erupted as she felt her opportunity to get her form back slipping away. “Ok, fine!” Twilight marched right up to the mare. “But…you’re going to help me AND I’m not going to boast like you have in the past AND you promise not to do that anymore. Got it?” For Trixie, the modified plan made her cringe. She couldn’t imagine working with a rival and quieting the claims of greatness but then again, it was either this or no magic show forever. The frightening possibility forced her to act. “Very well. Spark--, no, Trixie agrees to the terms.” Twilight hesitated on her next course of action and finally, she put out her hoof but it was too late. Trixie began a march away from her. “We shall meet in the clearing at noon tomorrow. Trixie will not tolerate tardiness.” She tossed a smoke bomb, poorly concealing her exit into the trees. It gave a flying Pegasus up above a chance to swoop down at the fleeing pony. “Trixie! Come back here!” “Rainbow, stop!” shouted Twilight. The cyan mare slammed the brakes and turned towards Twilight. Rainbow gestured that she wanted to continue the chase but the bookworm denied it with a head shake. With reluctance, the fast Pegasus joined her other friends emerging from the forest and joined up with the smart unicorn. “What in the hay just happened?” said Applejack. Twilight turned to all her friends when it dawned on her. Given how poorly tonight went, getting the citizens to attend another magic show so soon would be difficult. She was going to need the help of her friends and Twilight could only begin to imagine their reactions. With a gulp, she began her story. “Girls, you’re not going to believe what I just did.”