Another story, dear? Very well, let me think of one. Hmm… Ah, I know! How about the story of the Astonishing and Spectacular Beatrix?
Who’s she, mommy?
Well, long ago she was a travelling magician like me. In fact, she looked just like you. Not only that, but we named you after her.
She travelled far and wide, all across the land of Equestria. Ponies everywhere adored her, and she became one of the most famous ponies ever!
One night she arrived in a small town. That town was the very town we are in today – Manehattan! Now, in the days of Beatrix, Manehattan was a simple town of farmers. It was not what you see today, not at all!
She set up her wares and began to astonish the townsponies with her magics. Soon, she had the entire town under her spell, so to speak.
Was she a gypsy?
Oh, yes. Perhaps the first gypsy. In fact, I believe she came from Romaneigh, just like us. But hush, and let your mum continue.
After her show, a pony came up to her, and said nervously, ‘Miss Beatrix?’
‘Yes?’ she asked in her usual theatrical voice.
Fumbling around, he continued. “I was wondering if you could help us with a problem. The village elders don’t think it’s that big a deal… But…’
‘Just spit it out already,’ Beatrix said irritably.
‘T-there’s an ursa major that lives in the caves outside town. It keeps eating our milk cows. They think if we leave it alone it’ll leave, but I don’t think so.’
Beatrix frowned, for she was a simple stage magician. Her talk of being Astonishing and even Spectacular was just that – talk. Her skills were varied, oh yes, but they were simple illusion spells and a few morph spells. Nothing that could defeat an ursa major.
‘Well…’ She paused. Who was she to break the heart of a young stallion like that? ‘Beatrix will see if she can defeat this ursa major. She needs rest first.’
He brightened at that, a smile on his face for the first time. ‘Thank you, oh thank you!’ Still smiling, he turned and left.
Beatrix sighed deeply. She was a compassionate pony, and she found it hard to say no to the young stallion. The realisation of what she now had to do had finally sunk in. How was she to battle an ursa major and survive?
She spent a sleepless night tossing and turning in worry. The question gnawed at her, making her almost sick. The next day she spent all the time she could training and training. Lifting heavy branches to strengthen her telekinesis, and making the same branches explode to test her skill at what I believe is called magic arrows. At least, that’s what the books your uncle reads call them.
Finally, the next day she was ready. The young stallion told her where to go: ‘Deep in the forest past the butterfly glen and the reflection pool’.
Beatrix donned her robe and wizard cap and set off for the forest. The walk was long and tiring. Many times she stopped to rest, but not for long. In the butterfly glen she stopped to watch the butterflies flit about, some even landing on her. She stared at her reflection in the pond for a while, gathering the courage to continue on. With a gulp, she started for the cave again.
The ursa was already awake and lurking about its cave. She leapt at it, firing her magic arrows at it.
They bounced off.
Angry, the ursa turned towards her. He swiped at her, but she floated away before heis blow could land.
In a panic, she used the first spell that came to mind – a simple illusion spell that would make a loud noise.
The ursa froze when he heard the echoing roar of her spell. In his brutish folly, he thought it was an even bigger ursa. He turned tail and ran, leaving his cave behind.
Beatrix smiled at her own ability, and returned to the town where she was praised as a hero. And from that day forth she was known as the Astonishing and Spectacular Beatrix, Vanquisher of the Ursa Major!
I wanna be just like her.
Maybe one day you will, Trixie. Sweet dreams.