//------------------------------// // Chapter VI~The Duel~ // Story: The Machine // by ADRNEL //------------------------------// Chapter VI The Duel Day 26 In the dark streets of Canterlot, the cool winds are blowing across the empty streets as most of ponies are asleep, except for one mysterious figure who picks up a newspaper from the streets with her magic and reads the headline. NEW CREATURE IN PONYVILLE "Ponyville huh? Then I guess this creature will serve as witness to Twilight's ultimate humiliation at the hooves of THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!" laughed the figure into the night sky, a mysterious amulet around her neck glowing red. The next day... A week since the events with Gilda the griffin, Adam is at the library learning the pony writing system, wanting to learn it so he could stop being dependant on others. At the same time, Spike is busy organizing some books while Twilight is cleaning the kitchen. Suddenly, Adam hears a knock on the door, he gets up, walks to the door and opens it to reveal a cross-eyed pegasus with a letter. “Are you Adam Gray?” said the pegasus. “Yes, that’s me.” said Adam. The pegasus gives him the letter and then flies off, Adam decides to distract himself from those eyes by examining the letter, it has a royal seal. “Twilight, I got a letter, can you read it for me!” yelled Adam to the kitchen. Twilight emerges from the kitchen and uses her magic to take the letter. “Why, it’s a letter from Princess Celestia.” said Twilight opening the letter. “Dear Mr. Gray, As you know, I have heard of your arrival and I request that you come to Canterlot to visit me to see if you are a threat to my subjects in Equestria, you have until one week to respond or I’ll be forced to bring my guards to take you. Nothing is more important to me than the safety of my subjects and faithful student. Sincerley, Princess Celestia.” “It’s an invitation to see Princess Celestia, we should start packing, we have no time to waste!” said Twilight. “Yes I know, but we can’t leave tonight, it's getting late, we should wait until the morning so we can have more time to prepaire.” said Adam. “But it’s Princess Celestia we’re talking about here!” exclaimed the unicorn. “I know, but I bet she wouldn’t mind waiting a little longer.” said Adam, putting his hands on her shoulders to calm her down. Twilight reluctantly accepts, she then hears another knock on the door. Twilight opens the door with her magic to reveal a shocking site; Trixie in a black cloak, with a strange amulet around her neck and with a sinister smile on her face. "Well, well, well, we meet again Twilight Sparkle." grinned Trixie. Twilight is shocked to her again. "What do you want? Why are you here?" asked the purple unicorn. Adam and Spike just stand in the sidelines, confused. "Revenge for humiliating me last time! You ruined my reputation and Trixie will not stand for this!" gloated the blue unicorn. She then turns to look at Adam. "So this is the new creature the newspapers were talking about? Trixie doesn't what the fuss is about, he's just a glorified monkey." Trixie states, circleing the human and checking him out. "I'm sorry, but who are you?" asked a confused Adam to this strange unicorn. "You haven't heard of me? The great and powerful Trixie!?" Trixie exclaims shocked. Adam just silently shakes his head. "No matter," Trixie then turns to Twilight. "because pretty soon you'll be praising my name, you'll see! Trixie challenges you, Twilight Sparkle, to a magic duel at the town square in an hour, if Trixie wins or you don't show up, Trixie wants you out of Ponyville forever, got that?" demanded the blue unicorn. "Now hold on just a minute-" before Adam could finish his sentance, he feels himself being shoved by an invisable force and crashes into a bookshelf. "Be quiet monkey!" snarled Trixie. Adam gets up from the floor, shaken, but unharmed. "So magic does affect me...instresting." he mumbles. "You have an hour, be there or leave." Trixie then walks out of the library, laughing maniacley into the air. Twilight and Spike just on look at what happend in shock. "Twilight, please think about this before you do this." pleaded Adam to Twilight. Twilight is walking towards the town square, being surrounded by her five friends, Spike and Adam. "I need to do this Adam! Trixie has gone to far this time and I can't let her win." explained a determined Twilight. "I know that, but I doubt this is the same Trixie from last time you faced each other." stated Adam. "Don't worry, I've stopped her before and I can do it again." was all Twilight said before they finally reach the town square, a crowd of ponies around the edges, with Trixie waiting for them. "Look at that, so you decided to face me anyways, you'll soon come to regret that mistake!" gloated Trixie. "Let's just do this!" announced Twilight. "Okay, but before we begin, Trixie should give a demonstration at how much my magical abilities have improved." smirked Trixie. Her horn and amulet begin to glow, and suddenly a beam of magic shoots out and hits Pinkie Pie square in the face. Twilight, Adam, Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Rainbow Dash look on in shock as they tend to their fallen pink friend, what they see next shocks them even more, Pinkie's snout is missing. "So, do you need another demonstration or shall we begin?" "Why you-" exclaims an angry Rainbow Dash as she flies at full speed towards Trixie, the unicorn is unphased and instead uses her magic to stop the pegasus in her tracks, wrapping Dash in a magic bubble, trapping her. "You like flying so much? Than why don't you fly away!" suddenly, the bubble floats off into the sky, getting higher and higher until she becomes a small dot in the sky. "Anypony else?" smirked Trixie. "Leave my friends alone Trixie! This is between you and me!" snarled Twilight as her six remaining friends look on. "Fine, then let the duel begin." announced Trixie, taking off her black cloak, but leaving the mysterious amulet around her neck. Soon, both unicorn's horns start glowing and beams of magic shoot out at each other. "Guys, I suggest we find a safe place, before we get caught in the crossfire." announced Adam to Spike, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rarity and Pinkie Pie. "Right." agreed Applejack for the group and they immediatly scatter. Spike and Rarity hiding behind a cart, Applejack and Pinkie behind a bench, and Adam and Fluttershy inside a hollowed out tree. From his vantage point Adam could see the duel happing, the two unicorns see evenly matched in their skills and abilities. After a few minutes of dueling, both Twilight and Trixie start feeling the affects of fatigue on their bodies. "It seems we are evenly matched." stated a tired and sweaty Twilight. "Not quiet, Trixie still has one more trick stored up, an age-reversal spell." gloated an equally tried and sweaty Trixie. "A what?" Before Twilight can process what Trixie just said, Trixie firies another beam, but not at Twilight, but at Spike and Rarity. "NO!" yelled Twilight, but it was too late, the beam hits both Spike and Rarity, causing Spike to grew twice as tall with wings, and causing Rarity to shrink back into a baby filly. "WHAA!" winned baby Rarity. "All right! I'm not a baby anymore!" announced Spike, with a deeper voice, while exhamining his new body and wings. Twilight, Applejack, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy are in complete shock. "But...I...I...I-" Twilight is too shocked and confused to say anything coherent. "Three 'I"'s in one breath makes you sound like an egotistical filly, Twilight." mused Trixie, savoring her victory. "But that is a very advanced spell that not even I learned to master." explained Twilight. "Then Trixie guesses that you loose," smirked Trixie who then uses her magic to levitate Twilight. "Now get out of my town!" Twilight is then immediatly flunged away and lands on the ground hard just outside town limits. Adam, who is watching everything unfold, quickly comes up with an idea and whisperes into Fluttershy's ear. "Fluttershy, listen, I need you, Applejack and Pinkie Pie to go to the library and find as much information as you can on that mysterious amulet around Trixie's neck, then I need you to find away to defeat her, got it?" instructed the human. "But what are you going to do?" asked a concerned Fluttershy, not wanting to see Adam in danger. "Keep her busy." was all Adam said. Fluttershy just nervously nods in agreement as they both leave their hiding place and meet up with Applejack, a snoutless Pinkie, and a tall, winged, Spike who is holding a sleeping baby Rarity in his arms. "So, what is Trixie going to do with the six of you? Trixie already has messed with the dragon, the freak and the whore, maybe Trixie should mess with the bumpkin next." she muses while pointing at Applejack. "TRIXIE! THAT'S ENOUGH! LEAVE MY FRIENDS ALONE!" yelled Adam, suddenly standing between his remaining friends and Trixie. "Do whatever you want to me, just leave them alone Trixie." pleaded a serious Adam. Trixie thinks about the human's offer until a micheveous smiles formes. "Okay then, Trixie will leave your friends alone, but under one condition." "Name it." dared Adam. "You'll become my personal servent, where you'll take care of all my personal needs and whims, fitting job for a monkey like yourself, yes?" gloated Trixie. Suddenly, a metal collar materializes around his neck, followed by a chain running from the collar to Trixie's right foreleg. Trixie pulls on the chain, causing Adam to fall to the ground and be dragged across the dirt towards the unicorn. "Welcome to Trixie's world." smirked Trixie putting her face close to Adam's. The human just looks at her nervously, starting to regret his decision. "WHAA!" cried baby Rarity while being rocked in Spike's arms. "She's even more whiny as a baby, can't yo' keep her quiet Spike?" complaned Applejack, trying to look through all the book of the library, with Fluttershy and Pinkie's help. "I'm trying Applejack! But knowing Rarity, I think she's crying because she's a baby, and there's nothing she can't do about it." explained Spike. "Don't worry Rarity, things will be back to normal." cooed Spike to the baby. The group then hears a loud muffled scream, they turn to see Pinkie jumping up and down with a tome in her hooves. "I think Pinkie found something!" announced Fluttershy to the group. "Ah hope it's somethin' good." mumbled a skeptical Applejack. "MONKEY! Feed me more pinecones." ordered Trixie from her new bedroom in town hall while pulling on the chain to get Adam's attention. Adam, then grabs serveral pinecones from a pile on the floor and hand feeds it to the unicorn. "Good work, here's a reward." Trixie then uses her magic to give the human a pinecone. "I can't eat this!" explained Adam, throwing the pinecone on the floor. "Then Trixie guesses that you'll be sleeping hungry tonight." mused Trixie, she then examines her hooves to find them chipped and dirty from the duel earlier in the day. "Monkey! I want you to clean my hooves..." ordered the unicorn, then a micheveous look forms on her face. "...with your mouth." "WHAT!?" exclaimed Adam. "Did Trixie stutter, clean my hooves with your mouth or else your friend Fluttershy will have to change her name to 'Futashy'." threatend Trixie. "Oh, I hope my friends are making headway with the plan." hoped Adam in his head, before taking a deep breath and doing as ordered. "The Alicorn Amulet," read Spike from the tome to Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack and baby Rarity. "is an ancient artificat that can enhance the users magic, but has been known to corrupt it's user the longer it is worn." Spike lifts his eyes from the book, his face turning pale. "We need to get Twilight and defeat Trixie before something bad happens to Adam!" "How DARE you slobber all over my legs!" angrily yells Trixie to Adam, punching the human in the stomach, Adam doubles over in pain. "But you said to clean your hooves with my mouth!" explained Adam through clenched teeth from the pain. "Trixie said to clean, not to slobber, now Trixie wants you to spongebathe me!" a sponge and metal tub meteralizes in from of both Trixie and Adam. "And do it right, or else Trixie will force you to pay extra attention to what's south of the Equator, if you know what Trixie means." stated the unicorn in a flirty tone. Adam does as told, trying to bide his time until Twilight shows up to challenge her again. An hour later, Adam finally finishes the spongebath, and to Trixie's approval. He then sees Trixie lay down on her chest on the Mayor's former bed. "Today was a great day!" mused Trixie. "Now monkey, give me a back massage, those 'fingers' of yours will be perfect for one." pointed the unicorn to Adam's hands. "I don't know-" "Do it or else I'll make Applejack and Big Mac switch genders!" threated Trixie her eyes glowing red. Adam gets up on the bed and straddles over her, he then begins to work his hands over her upper back. "Oh, that's it! Right there!" exclaimed a strangely relaxed Trixie, strangely enjoying the massage. "Keep going" The human then spots the mysterious amulet around her neck, he then notices Trixie nodding off to sleep, he continues the massage for a few more minutes until he starts to hear soft snores coming from the unicorn. Adam then stops his massage and slowly goes for the chain, he slowly pulls on the chain, only to suddenly be blown back by bright red flash and causing him to hit his back on the opposite wall, then landing hard on the wooden floor. "Ow." muttered Adam in pain. "So you tried to be smart huh? Well too bad, this amulet has a built-in magical lock that prevents anypony except the user from taking it off, defiant until the end aren't we?" gloated Trixie who is now standing over him. "You are not getting away with this!" muttered an angry Adam, he tries to get up only for Trixie to put a hoof on his head, pinning him. "Trixie can and Trixie will." stated the unicorn. "LEAVE HIM ALONE TRIXIE!" yelled a new voice. Adam and Trixie see Twilight, who has just transported herself into the bedroom standing in front of them and wearing a strange looking amulet around her neck. "So you've come back for a rematch huh, Twilight?" mused Trixie. "A little foolish aren't we?" "Your reigh of terror is over Trixie, I challenge you to a magic duel!" announced an angry Twilight. "What are the stakes?" smirked Trixie. "If I win, you give me the amulet and leave town, and if you win, you can have this amulet I'm wearing, a very powerfull amulet from beyond Everfree forest and I'll be willing to be your loyal slave for all eternity." stated Twilight. "What are you doing Twilight? That's too risky!" pleaded Adam. "Don't do this!" "Aw, look at that, even your monkey friend here has no faith in you." cooed Trixie. "He really does seem to care a lot about you." "Meet me at town square in an hour! I'll prove to you that I can defeat you this time!" announced Twilight, before teleporting herself out of the room. Just as agreed upon, both Trixie, with Adam in tow, and Twilight with Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, Spike and baby Rarity meet face to face at the Ponyville town square. "You ready Trixie?" asked an unusually confidant Twilight. "Always." responded an equally confidant Trixie, as both unicorn's horns begin to glow. Adam, Fluttershy, Pinkie, Applejack, Spike and baby Rarity quickly find places to take cover in as the duel begins. The duel starts out as expected but Adam is surprised that Twilight was able to do the age spell despite claiming that she couldn't, Adam begins to think that maybe Twilight does indeed have a more powerful amulet. As the duel goes on, Twilight is seemingly able to outdo Trixie in every trick, until he sees Trixie become desperate. Soon, both only Trixie becomes fatigued, breathing heavily and sweating. "Do you surrender?" yelled Twilight to the tired Trixie. "Never!" she yells back, an evil grin forming on her face. "I still have one more trick left!" Trixie's horn then begins to glow, Adam can tell by Trixie's expression and red glowing eyes that she's going to physcially hurt Twilight. Without thinking he runs up towards Trixie and grabs her horn just before she was about to fire, causing Trixie to fall on the ground along with Adam. "YOU IDIOT! LET GO OF MY HORN!" yells Trixie to the human, hand wrapped around her horn. "I can't let you hurt my friends!" snarled Adam, as Trixie's horn begins to glow in light magenta light. "Don't you have any idea what happens...when...you...touch a horn...with magic...flowing in it!" exclaims Trixie between deep breaths her breathing becoming labored, her face getting flushed and her body begining to relax. "I'll let go if you take off that amulet and leave my friends alone!" responded a stubborn Adam, as he begins to notice Trixie begin to sweat heavily and beginning to moan in what sounds like ecstacy. "FINE!" was all Trixie was able to say in between her moans. Trixie then rips off the amulet around her neck with trembling hooves and throws it away from her as her moans become louder. Adam, now sure that Trixie did as told lets go of the horn. Trixie then lays on her back, with her face basking in the afterglow of what just happened, greatly confusing Adam who gets up and grabs the amulet. "What just happend?" asked a confused Adam to Twilight. "I'll explain later." stated Twilight, embrassed at what she saw. Soon Adam, Twilight, Pinkie, Fluttershy, Applejack, Spike, who is carrying a napping baby Rarity in his arms, gather around Trixie who is lying on the ground on her back, giggling. "I'm sorry for what I did to all of you." apologized Trixie with great humility to Twilight, her friends, who have all been turned back to normal, except for Rainbow Dash who is still missing, Adam and normal aged Spike. "That's okay, you were corrupted by the amulet, I'm sure you didn't mean most of what you did." stated Twilight, trying to cheer Trixie up. "Thanks, but there's one thing I want to know, Twilight, how did you do those tricks?" asked a curious Trixie. "That's what they are Trixie, simple non-magic parlor tricks." confirmed the purple unicorn. "And the amulet from beyond Everfree forest is just a glorified doorstop I got from Zecora's." Both Adam and Trixie give a dumbfounded look in silence, until the silence was broken by Trixie's crazed laughter. The blue unicorn continues to laugh uncontrollably as a crazed look appears on her face. "I was conned and defeated by simple parlor tricks and deceptions? The Great and Powerful Trixie brought down by simple PARLOR TRICKS!?" Trixie then backs away from the group and throws a smoke bomb on the ground to dissapear in a puff of smoke. Unfortunatly, the smoke clears away too quickly revealing Trixie galloping away in the distance. "What a sad, strange little mare." commented Adam to nopony in particular as the group just stands together in awkward silence. "Hey!" exclaimed Pinkie. "Where's Rainbow Dash?" "HELP! CAN SOMEPONY GET ME OUT OF THIS BUBBLE!" yelled Rainbow Dash from inside her bubble prision, pounding on the sides, she's floating over the land being carried by the winds to unknown locations. "ANYPONY!" NEXT WEEK: The Princess (First Part)