It was a sunny afternoon as usual in Ponyville, a few clouds still dotted the sky. The air was a bit nippy, perhaps in expectation of autumn which was only a few weeks away. Regardless Ponies everywhere were out and about, Derpy and her little sister were no exception. With the seemingly boundless energy one has when your young Dinky raced in circles around Derpy as they made there way to the ever present town square.
The two were pretty similar in appearance, same bright blonde manes, same golden amber eyes. Though Derpy did have her sister beat when it came to the eyes, nothing quite stands out as much as her wonderful peepers. Often times they would get mistaken for mother and daughter, not too surprising considering how similar they look. Most siblings tended to have wildly different coloration, just look at the Apple Family for an example.
Not that Derpy minded, she kind of like the idea of being called 'Mom.' Derpy was lost in thought about what kind of foal she would have if she and her colt friend ever decided to have one. It showed on her face as she trotted along, not paying attention to where she was going. "Come on sister! The magic show is this way!" Dinky practically shouted, tugging Derpy along in the right direction.
By the time they arrived there was already quite a few ponies gathered. It seems the fliers sent through the mail attracted more than just the little fillies and colts, there were allot of adults in the audience as well. The advertisement promised 'A show like no other' and to come see the greatest magical feats in all of Equestria. This enthralled the little unicorn so much she could barely pay attention at class, instead she spent the day doodling in her notebook pictures of what she supposed this 'Great and Powerful Trixie' might look like.
Dinky quickly spied out some of her classmates in the crowd, "Can i go watch the show with Snips and Snails? Can i Can i? Can i?" she said while getting up on her tippy-hooves.
Derpy had to try and remember who Snips and Snails were, it seemed like every time she came to pick her sister up from school there was a different roster of students. "Could you point them out to me? I don't think i see them."
Using her head like some kind of divining rod Dinky pointed to the two young colts. Snips was the rather big boned child with the uncombed red mane. Beside him was Snails, tall and lanky and his face covered in freckles. Derpy defiantly recognized them, "Oh, those two. Are you sure you want to sit by them?" Derpy asked with hesitation. Those boys had a reputation already for being trouble makers.
"Yeah i want to! Snips and Snails are so goofy and funny all the time," Dinky replied with an innocent smile.
Derpy sighed, "I suppose it's okay, just stay where i can see you. And no breaking any of mom and dad's rules, comprende?" She didn't get an answer, just gleeful cheering from her little sister as she ran off. Derpy could watch them fairly well from the spot she chose at the back of the audience as well as look if any of her friends were here.
Sneaking up behind her came Twilight, "Good morning Derpy," she had the look of somepony who didn't get much sleep the night before.
"Hello Twilight, i didn't think i'd see you here. I would think your magic would be a hundred times better than any side show performer." Derpy said while recalling the events of the Summer Sun Celebration, and the unrivaled power the wielded that night.
"I've just been in a magic mood, Spike and i have been working on perfecting the use of twenty five distinct spells. If the flier is to be believed i might just see some magic that even i'm not familiar with, plus it's good to get out of the library every once in a while." Twilight said while squinting, her mentor's sunlight was a little to bright for the shut-in. "So your interested in magic shows to?"
"Me? Naw i'm just here foal sitting my sister Dinky, she's been begging to go ever since posters started showing up around Ponyville." said Derpy.
"She's the one you were talking about before right? It must be nice having a sister, i wouldn't know though." said Twilight.
Derpy thought about saying 'Technically i have two sisters' but decided against it. Instead she decided to ask about Twilight's Family.
"My family? Well there's my mom Twilight Velvet, my dad Night Light and my BBBFF Shining Armor. There all back in Canterlot though," said Twilight, her face lighting up as she talked about her own family.
"Uh, bodacious bouncing beautiful fabled fiance?" Derpy said, putting together the first words that popped into her head, trying to sus out the acronym.
Twilight was flabbergasted, "No, just no. It's Big brother best friend forever, i don't see how you didn't get that it's pretty obvious."
'Maybe it's obvious to you miss science and magic major.' Derpy said in her mind. Thankfully the object of the event came by to interrupt, Trixie's stage show was now beginning. The simply painted wagon folded out into a stage just large enough for two to perform on, there was a dark blue curtain, and several launchers for fireworks.
With musical fanfare and a cloud of smoke the performer took the stage. She was clad in a purple cape covered in stars, she had a matching wizards hat not unlike the kind made famous by Starswirl the bearded. Pinning the cape together was a gaudy piece of costume jewelry, overall she had the look of a great magician down pat.
Addressing her audience she began her act, "Come one come all and witness the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!" A magenta hue signaled the first of the fireworks, a wheel mounted to the wagon began firing it's rockets of red, green, purple and blue. The foals cheered, the older ponies cheered inwardly, giving into their inner child.
"To begin! Trixie shall pull a bouquet of roses from thin air!" Twilight leaned in, magical fabrication was a high level skill. To her disappointment though this wasn't actual fabrication, simply smoke and mirrors. From her vantage point she could even see the ripple of the curtain where the bouquet came from. Still this sent the kids over the roof, to their untrained eyes it truly looked like the flowers had materialized from thin air.
"Thank you, Trixie knows you love her. But hold your applause we have only just begun. For Trixie's next act of prestidigitation i shall bring life to the lifeless!" Trixie said with flair, the audience oohed and awwed.
"This aught to be good, huh Twilight?" Derpy nudged her companion.
Twilight was going through her mental catalog of spells that animate inanimate objects. She was looking forward to what kind of spell it was, seeing how much autonomy the subject would have.
Removing her hat Trixie focused her magic on a nearby urn, from within a coiled rope emerged like a cobra to the snake charmer. The serpent analogy wasn't too far off, as the rope began to slither around the stage and posture menacingly like it was going to strike. "Oh no dear audience! I fear in my haste to amaze you i have imbued this common rope with the spirit of a deadly snake! Oh what should i do?" Trixie said with dramatic flair, putting a hoof to her forehead in distress.
Front and center was Dinky hiding under her chair, "Slay it with your magic Great and Powerful Trixie!"
Her two companions chimed in as well. "Yeah save us from the rope snake Trixie!" said Snails in his lovable dopey voice.
"I don't wanna get eaten!" said Snips with his equally lovable shrill vocals.
Trixie was acting her heart out, "Very well, because you believe in Trixie's greatness, Trixie shall do her best to vanquish the monster!" As she finished her rally cry the snake pounced on her. The two tussled and wrestled, the rope constricted her like a python and she responded by shocking it with lightning. The rope convulsed on the stage, "Now foul beast, apologize to Trixie's adoring public for attacking them," Trixie said as she pinned the rope to the ground.
The rope, being a rope had no mouth with which to speak, so Trixie provided the retort as well. "Yes yes, i'm very sorry!"
"Well what have you to say for your self?" Trixie asked the rope.
"Um- Happy new year!" said the Rope Snake.
"Away with you silly beast, back from whence you came!" Trixie now done with the coil of rope sent it packing back into the urn on stage. Everyone in the audience cheered, kids and grown-ups alike. Even Derpy who admitted to not being interested was having a good time.
"Yah, Trixie! Wahoo!" shouted Derpy as she fell over backwards.
Twilight on the other hoof was not impressed, "I can't believe your falling for that of all things. It was just simple levitation nothing more,"
Derpy felt a little sorry for her oh so serious friend, "Well duh, but it was fun, ever heard of it?"
"Fun would be seeing actual impressive magic, this is the kind of stuff you learn about in magic kindergarten!" Twilight said in a non-justified rage about a show intended for a youth audience. She had been loud enough for everypony to hear, all eyes were on her. "Oh, um sorry."
Trixie not wanting to lose any face decided now was the time to begin the next part of the show, "So it looks like we have a neigh sayer in the audience! Perhaps she is jealous of Trixie's many accomplishments, like defeating the dreaded Ursa Major." all eyes were back on Trixie once more.
"Yes it's true, when the poor people of Hoofington were without hope, Trixie came to their aid and mashed the mighty monster sending it packing back to it's cave in the Everfree Forest!" Trixie even had a visual aid ready, a magical light show depicting with stick figures her triumph.
At this point Twilight was fed up, "That's a load of bull! Nopony has ever fought an Ursa Major and lived, i seriously doubt some fraud stage magician would be the first."
Derpy was getting seriously embarrassed, wishing that she could disappear or at the very least wasn't sitting right next to Twilight at the moment.
Trixie was smug, "So i'm a fraud? Then you should have no problem taking me on in a magic duel," Trixie challenged. Thinking she had something to prove Twilight hastily accepted. "Seeing as Trixie has the home field advantage being my stage and all, Trixie shall allow you to set the rules."
"This will be a test of endurance, the stage will be the ring. Whoever leaves the stage first is the loser," Twilight smiled, she knew so many ways she could end this duel in ten seconds or less. "Are these terms acceptable?"
"Trixie should be thanking you- i don't know your name."
"It's Twilight Sparkle, remember it."
Trixie tossed her hair back, "Whatever Sparkle, with those rules Trixie shall wipe the floor with your sorry excuse for a mane."
"Talk is cheap, but i guess that's all you can afford Trixie!" said Twilight. With their posturing done the duel commenced, both parties watched the other intently, looking for the opportune moment to launch their first attack. While she still had the chance Derpy moved up to the front row by her sister, to try and be moral support for her friend.
It was Twilight who struck first, hastily shooting off a beam of magic, nothing that could cause any damage just something to test the field. It looked as if it had found it's mark, but a glint of light inside of Trixie's cape said otherwise. The beam sailed right back over Twilight's head. "Your pitiful magic cannot penetrate Trixie's magic barrier!"
"It's not magic! It's a mir-" Twilight was cut short by Trixie's attack, a virtual tornado of playing cards encircled Twilight. The swirling pattern almost made Twilight dizzy enough to tumble off stage on her own.
Derpy was there to cheer her on, "Come on Twilight! Pull yourself together!" Beside her the foals were cheering Trixie on to finish her off.
Regaining her sense of balance Twilight launched her response, the same trick she pulled against the manticore. Unable to move Trixie was stuck midair, "Looks like it's curtains for you Trixie. Cause, you know, were on a stage and there's curtains." Twilight said as she prepared to drop Trixie off and win the match.
Trixie was intently watching Twilight's hoof steps, waiting for just the right moment. "Twilight, will you promise me something?"
"What's this? A last request, give it to me!" Twilight said, getting into her role.
"Please send Trixie a post card from wherever you land!" Trixie would have been smiling if she had any muscle control. What she did have control over was her own magic, and with it she used the loose board Twilight was standing on to catapult her off into the distance. The crowd erupted in cheers and applause. Derpy took off in flight immediately to try and catch Twilight.
"Thank you everypony, now you've all seen that Trixie truly is the greatest unicorn in Ponyville- no in all of Equestria!" It seemed the foals in the audience agreed with that statement as they started chanting Trixie's name.
Derpy found Twilight buried in a conveniently placed pile of hay, sulking. "You okay Twilight? Anything i can do to help?"
"I'm fine, just my pride that's wounded. How could i lose to her? She's just a show pony, i'm the personal student of Princess Celestia!" Twilight flipped her hoofs in the air in a sign of despair.
Derpy took her hoofs and pulled her friend out, "Well you certainly put on a good show for us in the audience Twilight. Cheer up, at least the princess wasn't here to see that."
Realization set in on Twilight, "Aw man, what if she had been here? How would she have reacted? She wouldn't be proud of how i was acting in the slightest." she let her head sink low, as she did one of the playing cards from the duel fell out from her mane and onto the ground.
"That was a pretty impressive trick, don't-ya think Twilight?" said Derpy.
"Yeah i guess it was good," Twilight picked up the card and looked at it closely, it was a custom made deck by the looks of it. A queen of hearts bearing Trixie's image wearing a crown and scepter. "Huh what's this?"
On the back of the card was scrawled, 'Thanks for all your help. Please come by the wagon after the show, Trixie'
"What's it say?" asked Derpy.
"It's an invitation, but what would Trixie want with me?" Twilight mused.
"Maybe to gloat, you did go flying before she could." Suggested Derpy. "Either way it would be rude to ignore it."
"I think your right, i think i'll go apologize as well, i got so worked up i made an ass of myself. No offence," Twilight said to the donkey who wasn't there just a moment before.
"None taken," said the Donkey.