//------------------------------// // And Trixie Makes Four // Story: I Am Twilight Sparkle // by Mike the Red //------------------------------// It was over the course of the next week that a guy named Nick Johnson, who had been transformed into Rarity, was brought to join Jacob and me, so now we had three of the Elements. There were searches going on to find the other three, but the three of us, until then were to do joint performances. The odd thing about Nick was that Rarity herself was sharing her body with Nick, which made for a very odd arrangement. Rarity and Nick would often argue with each other, which to the uninitiated would appear highly amusing. When I told her that Twilight was not available, she was rather crestfallen, though she still enjoyed talking to me. Nick, on the other hoof, was not so happy to be listening to the conversation Rarity and I would have. It was also during the course of that week that Discord showed up to greet us, taunting us to try to stop him, then disappearing. My first reaction to seeing the dragonequus was fear, but he told us his motive was not to harm us physically, but to try to emotionally drain us. He also stated that he was not going to remain in one place waiting for us to gather the rest of the Elements just so we could stop him from doing what he wanted -- after all, that would make him look rather foolish. When I told him we would defeat him one way or another, he simply laughed at us again and dared us to just try and stop him before he teleported away. We had a lengthy discussion on how to do just that. A couple of days after Discord had appeared, we had done a few more appearances at various locations around the country. We had discussed with certain people within the company about Discord's appearance and taunts, but were told to keep that quiet, to prevent widespread panic among the population. Jacob and Nick/Rarity looked to me for advice, since I happened to be Twilight, and she's supposed to have all the answers. I tried to assuage their fears, letting them know that we should be joining up with the other Element Bearers soon. Nick seemed to be the most hesitant about a further confrontation with Discord, but Rarity and I were able to calm him down about it. I called up Brenda and asked her if the "large white horse" had come by again, and to send her to us if she did. The following day, according to the "revised" calendar, was named after John Quincy Adams. We were introduced to yet another pony -- this time, it was Trixie. I asked the person who brought her in about the living arrangements, as things were already fairly cramped with Jacob and Nick/Rarity. I didn't feel all that comfortable sharing a bed, even if it was a king size with another pony, since the current two additions were formerly male humans, though Nick was a special case. I was told the human who had been transformed into Trixie was a female, named Gwendolyn Beckman. I welcomed her to the group, but informed her that we were to maintain at least some breathing space between us. Gwen seemed to have even more of Trixie in her than Nick had Rarity, so it stood to reason that since I was Twilight, Trixie didn't exactly warm up to me, especially since I seemed to be the one everypony else turned to for answers. Trixie wanted to be the leader and I asked about Gwen, who seemed to be very meekly allowing Trixie to take charge. We were sent to do another appearance and the audience wanted Trixie and me to do a magic duel. Trixie was more than happy to do this, but I was quite a bit more reticent. After quite a bit of goading from the show-mare, I relented and engaged her in performing magic tricks, the rivalry on display in full effect, which made the audience cheer and shout, demanding that I win, though there were some who wanted Trixie to win. Once I started getting into it, I watched as Trixie resorted to using pyrotechnics, illusions, telekinesis, and several other spells. I matched her spells, finding her abilities to be quite competent. I wasn't sure how long the audience wanted us to perform, but as Trixie started using more powerful magic, it was starting to get a little dangerous. The audience noticed the increased power of Trixie's spells and were backing away slowly. I was trying to calm her down, letting her know we were still indoors and the use of such powerful magics was endagering the safety of the audience. It was at that moment that Princess Celestia arrived. "Your Majesty? Was it our magic use that finally alerted you to our presence?" I asked. Trixie stopped her spellcasting immediately and bowed before the Alicorn. "Twilight, my faithful student. I have heard word that Discord walks free in this realm," she stated calmly. The audience was stunned to see the arrival of the Sun Goddess and simply watched the spectacle unfold. "Princess Celestia, this is true. There are some who seek the other Element Bearers, though their locations are unknown to me," I responded. "We have Pinkie Pie and Rarity, but they're doing an appearance elsewhere." "Trixie? What brings you here?" "Your Majesty, Trixie has a human mind inside her body -- but Trixie was told she would be richly rewarded for making public appearances, something she truly lives for. Trixie did not realize she would have to be performing with Sparkle," she said, contempt dripping from her voice as she spat my name out. "Trixie, please respect my student," Celestia stated flatly. The Alicorn and I watched as Gwen had a rather heated argument with Trixie. This was the first time I had seen a human battle with a pony in the same body with such fervor. Celestia had to step in and calm the two of them down. "Twilight, why didn't you do anything to stop them?" "Because when there are two minds in the same body, one has to take the dominant role, the other becoming subservient. I was waiting to see which of the two would take the role of alpha," I reponded. "This is going to keep happening until one is willing to allow the other to take control, with the possibility of role reversal occuring from time to time." "Very well then, Twilight. I suppose your assessment is correct, though I cannot bear to witness such a deep conflict tear a pony apart," the Alicorn mused. "Trixie does not need your compassion," the show-mare stated flatly. "Trixie has things under control." "Gwen? Are you still in there?" I asked. "Yeah, Mike, but Trixie's making it hard for me," she responded.