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// Chapter 3 
// Story: The Star That Shines Twice As Bright 
// by Shoryu 
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I must have been in the orphanage for a good number of years. All that time planning how I would show the world what Trixie was all about, showing the world my marvellous powers and excellent magic. And yet, at the same time, I had the feeling of loneliness. It’s not like I hadn’t bothered to make friends, it’s just that none of the ponies seemed to care about magic as much as did. I had tried showing it off to the fellow young ponies at the orphanage, but they looked bored within 2 minutes. I gave up then and just went to my room, where I stayed for the most of the day, hiding myself from the world. It had been about 10 years at this point, and still, no-one cared about my magic. I struggled to see the point in pursuing my career, until I looked outside my window and saw a travelling magician. I couldn’t get what his name was, but his tricks were mind-blowing. His arsenal of magic was beyond that of what I’d seen before. I ran down the stairs and outside to watch the rest of the show. It was exhilarating to watch a magic show as an audience member, instead of the magician. At the end of the show, I had decided that I should pursue my magician career further. I was sure that the travelling magician had been through something similar, so I should not let the ponies judging me get in my way. 
I had spent years working on my tricks, making sure they were at the highest possible level of greatness. Yet, at the same time, I tried to not make myself a shut-in. I did everything from helping the other ponies with their homework to helping out around the orphanage, all while keeping my magic career under wraps. At this point, everything was going brilliantly, I was happy most of the time, extremely optimistic about my magic future. Every night, I’d curl up in my bed, smiling from ear to ear about my future…
I would be going all around Equestria and beyond, leaving all the ponies watching in shear awe of my excellent magic. I would be winning all kinds of awards, being the most popular magician in the entire world. I would be entertaining to fillies, colts, mares and stallions aplenty, every dream was similar, but I wouldn’t have changed that, not at all. I had got a whole manner of gear ready for me to show the world who Trixie really was. But Trixie, that name sounded boring for someone set to make the world explode with glorious magic. I had decided to make a name my new target, after I finished making my gleaming cape and hat, matching colour and patterns, of course. I must have spent days trying to decide on a name, every time throwing a piece of paper into the trash in anger.

The Shocking and Marvellous Trixie? No.
The Excellent and Jaw-dropping Trixie? No!
The Fabulous and Awesome Trixie? NO!

I went through many sheets of paper and most of my pencil before I finally found the perfect name; The Great and Powerful Trixie!
It was brilliant! It was striking, memorable and descriptive, exactly what I wanted from a name! I then spent the final few years I had left in the orphanage working on the rest of my arsenal. The orphanage doesn’t take care of mares and stallions, but I had a whole bunch of optimism on me at this point. I couldn’t wait to leave the orphanage and explore the world, going from the east to west, north to south, showing everypony that The Great and Powerful Trixie was the next, and best magician in the world! Obviously, there would be some memories I had to leave behind, but I did have a whole bunch of pictures took of me, including my first show there. Sure, it might not be a happy memory to keep on me, but it’s still a memory regardless. 
And then, the time came. I had finally become a mare and had to leave the orphanage, but also head out into the world and leave ponies all over shocked and entertained. I would show them all that the Trixie that was picked on for most of my life no longer existed, that The Great and Powerful Trixie would be the talk of the town in every single town! 
And yet, as I said my goodbyes, to those that lifted me back on my hooves after I was kicked to the dirt, I felt a sense of fear, no longer having some kind of safety net if things do go pear shaped. (But they wouldn’t! They would all look in the newspapers and see The Great and Powerful Trixie all over it!) 
I finally said my goodbyes, wiped away my tears, breathed in the Ponyville air and began my journey into the world of being a magician. I had set up shop at the heart of Ponyville, ready for my biggest and best show yet. I could barely sleep that night; all the excitement I had, everything I had researched, practised and mastered throughout the year was about to finally go out to the public. I would finally become what I wanted to be; the talk of the town, the ultimate magician, nay, the BEST magician in the world. My name everywhere I go, in the biggest and best places around the world. 
Tomorrow would be the day, the day I had been waiting all my life for.


I just hope it won’t all flop…