Eyes On You

by UnlicensedBrony

24 REDUX - Harmony, part one (Trixie)

Excited murmuring spread through the stands along with resounding shouts of approval. The announcement of the duel had certainly sparked the crowd's fervour.

The competitors themselves, however, were not nearly so excited...

Desert Rose and Twilight Sparkle made equally unsubtle gestures, in attempts to mask their surprise. Trixie caught Twilight throwing her an open-mouthed look, but Trixie herself didn't look back.

Her eyes had locked immediately with Flaire's, daring him to show some sign of weakness or anxiety – which, of course, he didn't – and redoubling her own efforts to look both cool and intimidating.

A magic duel was a big deal. It was a direct confrontation between unicorns – one's power, training and focus against another's. The winner took home all the glory, while the loser would be humiliated in front of her audience. It was the kind of thought that could make lesser ponies sick to their stomachs.

Trixie, of course, wasn't nervous.

Sure, she hadn't had a proper duel in years, so she was a little out of practise. And certainly, every time she'd locked horns with Flaire in the past, he had come out on top. And undoubtedly, if she were to make even a single slip-up, he'd best her once again.

But Trixie wasn't nervous. She didn't get nervous – that was for other ponies. Getting nervous could well cost somepony their hard-fought victory, and so she absolutely, positively was not nervous.

“Trixie?”

“What?!” snapped Trixie. She cringed immediately as she realised who had spoken, and turned to face her partner, to find that the lavender unicorn wore a concerned frown.

“Are you alright?” Twilight asked.

Trixie opened her mouth, hesitated, then averted her eyes. “Of course I'm alright. Why wouldn't I be?”

“Well, you almost look like you've got a stomach-ache,” said Twilight. “I mean, not that I don't understand. You've been waiting for a chance to go up against Flaire since we got here – it makes sense that you'd feel kind of nervous.”

Trixie shot her an indignant look and grunted. She made to voice an argument. “I am not--”

But the words seemed to catch in her throat. Whether it was the sincere look on Twilight's face or simply some strange flash of pride, Trixie didn't know, but she couldn't bring herself to lie. In fact, it was very much the opposite, and as she let out a quiet, resigned huff, she looked up across the arena with pensive eyes.

Flaire and Rose were huddled close together, and the two of them seemed to be deep in hushed conversation – no doubt forming tactics for the fast-approaching duel. Trixie's eyes remained fixed on the green-coated stallion.

“I have been waiting the longest time to get a chance to beat him,” she admitted. “It's my opportunity to prove that I've finally outgrown him. But--” Her frown deepened.

'What if I fail?'

She closed her eyes – tried to focus on the muffled mumblings of the crowd and not her own, treacherous thoughts. 'I hate you, Flaire,' she growled mentally. 'Why do you always do this to me?'

“Hey.”

A gentle bump on her fetlock made her open her eyes and turn them to meet Twilight's. The lavender unicorn was smiling that particular smile – the one that said that all was right with the world, as long as Twilight had her eyes on Trixie. Twilight opened her mouth, and the words rolled out like a rope to drag her back to reality...

“Don't go getting all modest on me now, 'Miss Great and Powerful'.”

At first, Trixie just stared. Then she blinked. And then she smiled.

She almost felt as if she should give a little giggle in response to Twilight's 'prod', but when it came down to it, she could only feel happy.

“You're an amazing unicorn,” Twilight said, leaning in close to speak slowly and quietly. “And you're not alone, either. I'm right here with you. We'll win, together.”

Trixie's smile quirked up to one side. “Is that a promise?” she asked quietly.

Twilight shrugged. “I'd call it an... educated guess.”

That – along with the confident look in Twilight's eye as she drew back – was enough to drag a chuckle from Trixie. “Cocky showmare,” Trixie teased.

“Flashy spellcaster,” Twilight threw back.

“True,” Trixie granted. And it was.

With a shake of her head and a flick of her mane, Trixie adopted her trademark smirk and turned it on the audience in the stands. She cast off the silly self-doubt – short-lived and powerless over her – and accepted, in its place, the support of Twilight Sparkle. The mare whose strength and beauty were the stuff of fairy-tales. The mare whose idealistic virtue had driven her to help Trixie when she needed it the most. The mare who could have anything she wanted, and chose to live in a tree in some backwater town just so that she could be nearer to her friends.

The mare who Trixie could make smile.

She truly was Great and Powerful.

“Alright, folks, I think that's long enough for everypony to get settled!” came Broadcast's voice, echoing out across the stadium to snap Trixie back to the present. “Let's get this show on the road! Air Mail, Shear Feather, if you please!”

The crowd's excited murmuring piped up again as a pair of red-uniformed pegasus stallions took off from a box atop the stands. Between them, they carried a pair of small, wooden chests. Trixie exchanged a glance with Twilight before turning to watch the pegasi glide down into the arena.

'Air Mail' and 'Shear Feather' touched down with practised grace – one before Trixie and Twilight, and the other before Flaire and Rose – and then set down their loads, stepped back and bowed their heads.

“Inside these chests,” Broadcast began, “are four pendants – one for each duellist.”

“Pendants?” Twilight repeated, casting a questioning look at Trixie.

“These amulets have been enchanted by Princess Celestia herself, in such a way that they cannot be removed by magic. The goal of this duel will be to steal both pendants from the opposing team. If your own pendant comes unclasped, you will be eliminated from the duel, so make sure to fasten them tightly! Please, do so now!”

Trixie glanced once more at Twilight, then across at Flaire and Rose. The other pair seemed to have taken the announcement in stride, and Flaire had already magicked open his chest and lifted out the two pendants – each of which were made of a woven, silver material, with a large, golden medallion hanging from the centre.

Remembering herself, Trixie stepped forwards and nosed open the chest at her own hooves. Inside, resting atop a red silken lining, there lay two pendants, identical to those given to Flaire and Rose. Up close, Trixie could see the golden clasps that would fasten the pendants around their necks – and from these clasps she felt a gentle aura.

“Um...”

The voice drew Trixie's eyes to Twilight, who was holding her own mane back with a hoof, smiling expectantly. Trixie glanced between her and the pendant, then smiled in understanding.

Twilight turned her head, showing the back of her neck to Trixie, who stepped closer and gently swung the pendant around Twilight's neck. As she bit down on the clasp to seal it, her nose brushed up against Twilight's coat, illiciting a tiny squeak from the purple unicorn, and a smirk for Trixie herself as she pulled back.

Sure enough, when Trixie tested the clasp by tugging at it with telekinesis, it didn't even budge. It felt like trying to pull apart thin air – as if there was nothing there at all. It was an intriguing enchantment for sure, but beyond her understanding and skillset both.

Casually as she dared, Trixie lifted a hoof to push back her own mane, and turned her body to deliberately face Flaire. He met Trixie's eyes, just as she felt Twilight brush up against her with the second pendant in tow. Trixie held Flaire in an unblinking, confidently smug stare as Twilight fastened the pendant around her neck.

And then she yelped, as she felt a sudden, wet kind of electric shock on the back of her neck. Flaire raised his eyebrows, and heat rose to Trixie's cheeks as she mouthed wordlessly and turned to face her attacker.

Twilight Sparkle walked coolly away, casting a sultry smirk back over her shoulder at Trixie. Trixie's own eyebrows rose in surprise, and the smirk infected her too. 'Oh, so that's how it is? Don't think I'll let you get away with that, Twilight.'

By this time, Flaire and Rose had donned their own pendants too, and they were already standing ready. Following suit, Twilight and Trixie turned to meet them.

Trixie scuffed her hoof against the stone floor and focused her eyes on Flaire. Twilight fell in alongside her and fixed her own, suddenly serious expression on Rose. The two pairs stood ten strides apart, facing each other down in the centre of the great arena, and the sound throughout the stadium quietened as the announcer spoke up once more.

“Competitors ready?” his voice boomed.

Nopony moved to object. With Twilight by her side, Trixie was ready for anything.

“Then,” Broadcast said, “let the duel begin!”

A horn sounded from atop the stands, and immediately the four ponies launched into action. Trixie made to cast a quick force spell to knock Flaire off balance, but it was Twilight's horn that lit up first.

Twilight thrust forwards to fire a beam of purple light straight towards Rose – who had already started to channel her own spell – but Flaire stepped in before it could connect. He conjured up a tall, flat mirror from thin air between Twilight and Rose, catching the beam mid-flight.

The mirror shattered into sparkling dust, but it reflected the spell right back towards Twilight, and she barely managed to jump to the side in time to avoid it.

Sensing an opening, Trixie loosed her own spell at Flaire. A beam of light identical to Twilight's shot from her horn and hurtled towards him. It looked like it would connect, right up until Rose pushed past Flaire and cast a spread of magical, red orbs into the path of Trixie's spell.

Only one of the orbs actually connected with the beam – whilst the others flew past Trixie's head and fizzled out against the ground – but the collision caused a bright flash and a crack like lightning as both spells exploded into a harmless fountain of sparks. They'd cancelled each other out.

Flaire was the next to attack, whilst Trixie guarded and Twilight attempted to throw Rose off balance... In seconds, the arena was awash with light, colour and the crackle of magic as spells flew every which way between the four duellists. Trixie fought hard to try and knock Flaire back, though she stayed close to Twilight in order to protect her if necessary.

But every time she came close to bypassing Flaire's defenses and landing an attack, Rose would step in and deflect it. Just the same, Flaire would jump into action whenever Rose was targeted, and get her out of harm's way.

It was just after a flashy, magical – and ultimately unsuccessful – string of fireworks aimed at disorienting both of her rivals that Trixie staggered back, panting heavily and knowing that she'd overdone it. Sure enough, Flaire and Rose both saw the opening, but the supermodel was the first to step forwards and attack.

Trixie couldn't react fast enough, and she cringed as she watched another orb of red light soar straight towards her.

There was a flash of white. Twilight appeared right in front of Trixie, with her own horn alight a brilliant purple, and with a swift flick of the head, she knocked the orb off course – sending it off harmlessly into the far wall.

Before Trixie could so much as say 'Thank you', Twilight stepped forwards, twisted her body and thrust her horn towards Rose, launching a counter-attack in the form of a powerful jet of water summoned from her horn.

Flaire was there in an instant, standing between Twilight and Rose once again with his eyes narrowed and serious. As the water jet reached the space just before him, it split off in two directions, harmlessly spraying water droplets across the arena, everywhere but on he and Rose. A water-parting spell...

Panting a little herself, Twilight stepped back alongside Trixie and shook her head.

“It's no good,” said Twilight. “We won't hit them like this – they're defending each other too well.”

Trixie scowled, not taking her eyes off of Flaire as he and Rose began to circle them slowly. She hated to admit it, but Twilight was right – those two made a very good team. They covered each other's backs, and when one didn't anticipate an attack, the other did.

“We can't fight both of them together,” Trixie agreed, albeit begrudgingly. “We have to split them up.”

Twilight bit her lip. “I know, but... I don't like the idea of us splitting up to do that.”

Trixie shook her head. “Me neither. But unless we can take one of them out of the duel, we'll have to take our chances.” She narrowed her eyes at Flaire, who was muttering under his breath to his partner – no doubt forming tactics of his own. He was already looking at Trixie, but he shifted his expression ever so slightly to give her that look.

'If we have to go through with this, it's going to come down to me and him...'

“Wait,” said Twilight suddenly, perking up at Trixie's side. “Take one of them out of the duel...”

Trixie cast her a glance. “What?”

“I'm not sure, but I... No, yes! It'll work!” Twilight steadied her stance, and Trixie saw the tiniest of smirks spread onto her partner's face. “Trixie, I have a spell,” she said. “It'll only take a moment, but I have to concentrate.”

Across the way, Flaire stopped muttering to Rose – apparently having finished his discussion – and Trixie felt ominous vibes in the air.

“What kind of spell?” she asked.

“It's an imprisonment spell that Princess Celestia tried to teach me a while ago,” Twilight explained. “It's just what we need.”

“'Tried' to teach you?” said Trixie.

“Just trust me,” said Twilight. “I can do it, I promise.”

Trixie felt compelled to look across at Twilight, so much so that she actually pried her eyes away from Flaire. Twilight was looking right back at her, smiling in that very same way as before...

And Trixie did trust her, there was really no question about it.

“...Fine,” said Trixie, refocusing on Flaire, who was still slowly circling. “I'll distract them – leave it to me.”

Trixie felt one last flash of a smile from Twilight before the purple unicorn turned her head and lowered it. A soft light began to emanate from Twilight's horn.

Trixie stepped forwards and drew herself up, meaning to draw the attention away from Twilight. She flicked back her hair and took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and focused her magic into the most awe-grabbing spell that she could imagine.

When her eyes flashed open, their glow cast a white light across the stone floor in front of her. Magic flared from her horn, whilst Flaire and Rose looked on, preparing to defend themselves from whatever Trixie had to throw at them. She smirked. She had a feeling that they wouldn't be prepared for this.

And they weren't.

Flaire and Rose both recoiled as Trixie stepped forwards and sent forth a burst of light, so bright that it even drew a startled cry from the audience. Six orbs of pulsing white light – each the size of a large stallion – flashed into existence around Twilight and Trixie, and began to swirl around at Trixie's will, forming a great circle.

The poorly-masked look of surprise on Flaire's face was only enough to distract Trixie for a scarce few seconds before she felt the strain that the spell put on her. It suddenly felt as if a buffalo had jumped onto her back, and her knees almost buckled under the weight. But she held firm and shifted her hooves to keep herself upright.

An arcane wind tugged at the ends of her mane, and she could almost feel an electric prickle across her face from all the magic in the air. In other circumstances, she would've stopped to appreciate how amazing the spell must have looked from afar. But that thought was stricken from her mind in a second. There was too much at stake to let herself lose concentration.

Flaire's expression shifted as he watched the spell unfold. A few seconds passed before his eyes resettled on Trixie. A few more, before he seemed to find what he was apparently looking for.

Rose was glancing at him as if to ask what she was supposed to do – clearly taken off guard by the spell. In response, Flaire calmly raised a placating hoof towards her and stood, watching Trixie, as if he knew that all he had to do was wait. He'd clearly seen the strain that was apparent on Trixie's face – with her brows knit and her jaw clenched as she struggled to maintain the spell. He knew she couldn't keep it up for long... but strangely enough, he wasn't smirking.

He was right, in one thing at least. Trixie could already feel her concentration slipping. The glowing orbs slowed down, and the light they cast began to flicker and weaken. In seconds, the spell would fail completely and leave her open to attack...

“Trixie, now!” cried Twilight.

All too happy to let her partner take over, Trixie released her spell and let out the strained breath she'd been holding. The orbs vanished and the light dimmed, but the magical prickle stayed in the air.

Twilight Sparkle jumped forwards – horn ablaze – and planted her hooves at Trixie's side. She lowered her head and, with a sound somewhere between a grunt and a yell, focused all the magic coursing through her body into a blast of colour – aimed straight at Desert Rose.

With less than a second to react, Rose herself was caught off guard, and though she adjusted her stance to try and deflect the attack, it wouldn't be enough. Flaire's reflexes were quicker though, and he managed to steady his stance in time. He held his horn forwards, as if willing his magic into an invisible shield between Rose, himself and Twilight's attack.

The blast struck a moment later. Flaire was thrown backwards through the air as his spell was overpowered, and the clash of magic seemed to explode in a flash of white. Arcs of purplish lightning shot every which way from the impact, one of which struck Rose in the chest.

Time seemed to slow before Trixie's eyes as she watched the spell take effect. Glacial blue magic shone up from the ground beneath Rose, encompassing her. There was an infinitesimally short pause before the light intensified. And then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the light vanished, leaving in its place a pyramid of ice – at the centre of which, Rose was suspended, like a still-life of a pegasus in flight.

Trixie's reflexes kicked in, and she hopped to one side to avoid the magical arc shooting straight towards her. Luckily, she was fast enough to dodge it, and it dissipated harmlessly into the ground at her hooves.

From this new angle though, she had a perfect view of her partner. Barely a second had passed since Twilight had let off her spell, so she hadn't had a chance to recover – and thus was in no position to dodge the rebounding arc of her own magic, which struck her square in the chest.

Twilight let out a yelp as she was knocked back off of her hooves and the blue light surrounded her as well...

“Twilight!” Trixie cried, though by the time the name had left her lips, the spell had already done its work. The light crystallised around Twilight, leaving her suspended in the air, just a tail's distance above the ground... in a pyramid prison of ice.

No sooner had Trixie regained her bearings than she dashed forwards to help. She reared up onto her hindlegs and pressed her hooves up against the chill ice, staring into Twilight's frozen visage. Her eyes were shut tight in a cringe, and her forehooves were retracted against her chest, in a pose that would've been utterly adorable in another time and place.

“H-hold on!” said Trixie. “I'll get you out!”

Thinking fast, she summoned up a basic heat spell and tapped her horn against the pyramid. Almost immediately, she felt the spell taking effect – its warmth spreading out over the surface and reaching inwards to Twilight--

Trixie's ear perked up as she heard a subtle but dreadful whistle from across the arena. She ducked and pulled back as a blast of magic shot right over her head, kicking up the loose strands of her mane. Already knowing the culprit, she turned to throw a savage glower back at Him.

Flaire, like Trixie, had apparently dodged the chaotic effects of Twilight's spell. He stood a good fifteen paces away, a fair distance apart from his frozen partner, with his own eyes fixed firmly on Trixie. Now he was smirking.

The showmare knew what had to be done. She looked back at Twilight's frozen form for a brief but infinitely thoughtful moment, fantasising about a way to free Twilight without Flaire's interference, that they might take him on together. But even if there was such a way, part of her knew that this had been coming. A confrontation between she and Flaire – one on one – that's what this had all been leading up to.

In one, resolved movement, Trixie leant forwards and ran a hoof down Twilight's prison – a silent promise that she was still there, and still looking out for her. It was reassurance for Trixie herself as much as it was for Twilight. And then she turned to face Flaire, narrowing her eyes and stepping forwards, ready to duel.