Trixie blinked sleepily as she stirred from a particularly strange dream. Though it was already starting to fade, she was pretty sure it had something to do with Edison Spark and Tesla Coil arguing over whose inventions were Greater and more Powerful. As she rubbed her eyes, she started to wonder if maybe she had spent a little too much time studying last night.
Dreaming of a test is weird. Trixie thought to herself as she saw that Sunset wasn't in bed, but Twilight was, still sleeping soundly. Quietly getting out, she got her cape and hat, and returned to the main room. Not seeing Sunset there either, Trixie decided to head out on the balcony to look out over the recently repaired front garden. It was morning, the sun having been raised less than an hour ago, and the late-spring fog was already being moved out of Canterlot by the weather pegasi.
As Trixie's eyes fell to the castle's front gate, she let out a small sigh. No carriage would be coming by this morning. Not for her, or Twilight, which made the youngest of Luna's students begin to wonder if her parents would be fine without her for the weekend. In an attempt to distract herself from those thoughts, her eyes wandered to an adjacent balcony a small teleport away, the balcony that belonged to Cadance and Spike's room.
Did Sunny go see Spikey? Trixie briefly wondered before dragging herself back inside, towards their notes. Her ears then fell as she started to take in a troubling amount of unfamiliar passages and topics for the test. Ohh~! She mentally bemoaned as her brow furrowed, Trixie knows she's read this!
Truly, Trixie was having a rough time keeping what she studied down, but she didn't let that discourage her, at least, not when her friends were around. Still, she went over the notes again, her eyes glazing over from time to time as the words flew past her.
“Oh.” Trixie heard from behind her, snapping her from her daze and almost making her jump in surprise. She had been so focused on, as Twilight put it, 'hitting the books', that she failed to realize how quiet, and alone the morning was. Turning around, she saw Twilight wearing a surprised look on her face, before giving Trixie a smile. “You really want to learn that spell.” Twilight stated, getting a smile from Trixie in turn.
“Yep!” Trixie affirmed. “Trixie can add it to her show!” That, and she saw learning it as a step towards becoming Greater and more Powerful. With those things on her mind, Trixie simply couldn't wait for Monday. Though it was hard to take in the notes, there were some things that stuck, such as the two figures she had dreamed about, and that fact reassured Trixie that she would be well prepared towards earning that spell from Luna.
~~~~~~~~~~
Saturday and Sunday.
Those two days felt like the longest two days in Trixie's young life.
Sunset had been true to her word, and stayed with Trixie, keeping her on task. And it wasn't fun. It was boring! And worst of all, Trixie wasn't confident she'd learned that much more for their efforts. However, something unexpected did come of it. During the Sunday afternoon, Sunset and Trixie were left alone, as Twilight had left to talk to Chrysalis about changelings.
“Say hi to Tally for Trixie~!” Trixie let out as the doors closed. She then turned back to Sunset, who had a conflicted look on her face. As Trixie got back to the tedious notes, Sunset cleared her throat, getting Trixie's attention.
“Trixie, look, I know all of this is hard for you,” Sunset stated as she avoided Trixie's gaze, “And that you're probably bored out of your head right now. So, I was talking to Twilight about it, and she talked me into making a choice.” Trixie cocked her head, unsure where she was going with this, but terribly intrigued. “Since I kept you to this, even though it wasn't fun, I,” Sunset's face flushed as she seemed to have difficulty getting the words out, “I'll make it up to you.” She stated, her face turning a deeper shade of red as Trixie's eyes widened.
“Really?” Trixie asked, suddenly skeptical, and all she got in return was a very subtle nod. “'Kay~” Trixie replied with a hearty smile, giving Sunset a hug, which only made the filly even more flustered as she tried to free herself from Trixie. It didn't take Sunset too much effort, as she was physically stronger than Trixie. Freeing herself, she let out a small sigh as she avoided Trixie's stare. Sunny is trying her bestest too, huh? Oh! Trixie knows what to do! Trixie thought as she gave Sunset her best smile, “Sunny, Trixie'd like to explore this place she found in the castle, but, she don't wanna go alone.” She stated, and Sunset frowned at her for a moment.
“Doesn't. Trixie doesn't want to go alone.” Sunset corrected, raising an eyebrow to her friend.
“R-Right, gotcha!” Trixie replied as she gave Sunset a determined nod, “Trixie doesn't want to go alone.”
“Alright,” Sunset began as she let out another sigh, “in that case, once we're past this test, I guess I'll go with you.”
“Great! Oh, but it'll be just you and Trixie!” she stated with a confident nod, “Trixie's already gotten caught while sneaking with Twily, so it's your turn!” She affirmed, getting a conflicted look from Sunset as she rolled her eyes.
“Oh, so that's how it is.” Sunset replied, looking like she wanted to say something mean, but whatever it was, she kept it to herself as they went over the notes, again.
~~~~~~~~~~
Trixie was in a good mood as they reached the library the following morning. She had done pretty well on the practice test Twilight gave her last night, and though she didn't score spectacularly, it was still a lot better than the practice results from Friday. And it wasn't just that. She had no doubts that she tried her best when it came to studying over the weekend, and she was certain she would give her best for the test.
“Ooh~ Trixie can't wait to learn that spell when we're done!” she let out confidently as they gathered at a table in the library. It's as good as Trixie's!
“Trixie,” Twilight began, adopting an apologetic look, “Luna left with Chrysalis yesterday. She won't be back till tonight.” She pointed out, then added, “I mean, like, really late.” She emphasized, putting Trixie under the impression that Twilight wasn't going to let them stay up late just to wait for Luna.
“Oh.” Trixie let out, a little disappointed. Wait, that means Mr. Tale-
“Good morning girls,” Sir Tell Tale greeted as he entered the library, a collection of books and papers levitating to his side, “I'm certain you'd like to get right to business, so let's not dillydally.” He added as he approached the table, the fillies sitting tall as they looked to him. “Due to the length and difficulty of this test, it will be the only activity for class today. So, take your time with it, because it isn't going to be easy.” He explained, and the fillies shared a look, not liking the confidence Tell Tale carried in stating that.
“Tell Tale,” Sunset began, “how is it going to be hard?” Trixie wasn't sure if Sunset was asking for her benefit, or Sunset's, as Tell Tale considered her question a moment.
“I didn't say it was going to be hard, just that it wasn't going to be easy.” Tell Tale stated, getting a confused look from the fillies. “There will be ten questions concerning the topics covered last month. Your score will rely on how well you demonstrate what you've learned from those topics. Presentation matters, as each question will require a short essay.” Sir Tell Tale then nodded to himself as he appraised the fillies, “This test was designed to be a challenge, so don't be surprised if nopony gets a complete score.”
“So our answers will be graded on accuracy?” Twilight asked.
“And elaboration. The exam's purpose is to show that you've learned the material, and how well you've learned it.”
“Won't that make it too hard for Trixie?” Sunset asked outright, looking a little annoyed at nopony in particular.
“A test is a test. Being hard or easy always varies from pony to pony.” He replied, and Sunset looked like she was about to interject, but Tell Tale raised his hoof, “That's more than enough, Ms. Shimmer. Your concern for Trixie is noted, but the test isn't changing, and that's that.” Sunsets brow furrowed as she glared at the stallion, who turned to Trixie as he passed out the test packets. “Trixie, you'll be fine. So just do your best, okay?”
“'K-'Kay!” Trixie quickly replied, grabbing onto the solace he offered. The Great and Powerful Trixie has this! She thought resolutely as she started on the test she had spent three days preparing for.
~~~~~~~~~~
Trixie didn't want to write another short essay for the rest of her life. The test was over, and she had no idea if she'd passed or not. The only thing she knew for certain was that, of the ten questions, she was only confident of half of them. Because of that, she failed to notice that Twilight turned her test in almost immediately after she did, having quietly waited on her. Tell Tale briefly looked over Trixie's test before nodding to himself.
“Thank you girls,” Sir Tell Tale began as he took their answers and made to leave, “you're mostly free for the rest of the day. You'll have your results tomorrow morning.”
Tomorrow!? Trixie thought to herself in disbelief.
“Show a little patience, Trixie.” Sir Tell Tale added, only adding weight to the small belief Trixie held that he could read minds.
“Tell Tale,” Sunset began, giving the stallion a cross look. “Can we talk?” She then eyed Twilight and Trixie, “Alone?”
“Well, if that's what Ms. Shimmer wants, I don't see why not.” He replied, then looked to Twilight and Trixie, “Trixie, I'd like to talk to you later, somepony will call you when I'm ready. Besides that, you two should enjoy what's left of the day. Tomorrow we'll be moving on to weather physics and the pegasi's role in it, so keep that in mind.” He said, getting a nod from Twilight and Trixie, who then left the library behind them. As the doors closed, Trixie stopped, looking to the library.
“Trixie?” Twilight inquired. Trixie gave the door a long, contemplative look, before turning to Twilight.
“Just wanna know what Mr. Tale wants to talk to Trixie about.” She explained, then gave Twilight a smile, “Wanna wait for Sunny?” She asked, and Twilight nodded. After waiting several minutes, Sunset left the library, looking a little surprised that they had been waiting for her.
“You didn't have to wait, you know.” Sunset stated.
“We know~!” Trixie replied enthusiastically, “Whatcha talk about?” She asked, and Sunset hesitated before letting out an annoyed sigh.
“That test wasn't fair. I wanted him to know that, but,” She hesitated again before looking to Trixie and Twilight, “he didn't make the test. Luna did.”
“So?” Trixie asked, a little confused as to why that bothered Sunset.
“I just, I thought Tell Tale made that test to...” She then shook her head, “It's nothing. Forget about it.” She stated, and Trixie wanted to press her, but knew better than to push Sunset when she was in a poor mood. With that, the three of them returned to their room, and during the walk, Twilight and Sunset started discussing the answers given for the exam. As they talked, Trixie started to feel a little confused, as she couldn't recall if her answers lined up with theirs.
“So,” Sunset began, giving Trixie a side glance, “any guess on how you did?” She asked, and Trixie nodded confidently, certain of her success.
“Trixie passed!”
“That's good,” Sunset stated, letting out a small sigh, “To be honest, helping you study started to feel like a waste of-” Sunset was cut off by Twilight poking her, hard. “W-What was that for!?” Sunset asked in annoyance, frowning to Twilight. Her eyes then widened at the subtle glare Twilight was giving her. “I-I mean,” she paused a second, looking for words, her line of thought completely derailed, “Great! It's great that you passed!” Sunset affirmed with a nod, seeing Trixie smile in response.
That means Trixie gets to learn the look-like-other-ponies spell! She thought enthusiastically as they reached their room.
~~~~~~~~~~
There was a knock at the door, and Trixie was the first to respond, having waited eagerly to see what Tell Tale wanted to talk about. Opening the door revealed the mare that always guarded the hall during the day. She gave Trixie a small smile as she bowed slightly to her.
“Trixie,” the guard began, “Tale is ready for you, and is waiting in the library.”
“'Kay~!” Trixie replied as she left her room, giving her friends a brief smile as the door closed. Trixie then hesitated when she recalled that it was almost sunset, and that evening wasn't too far off.
“Would you like me to go with you?” The guard asked, and Trixie shook her head.
“Trixie will be fine, but thank you, Mrs. Care.” With that, Trixie headed off to the library, at a brisk pace so to be there before it became dark. Not that she was afraid of the dark; after all, only scaredy-ponies were afraid of the dark. And the Great and Powerful Trixie was not a scaredy-pony.
Arriving in time with the coming of night, to Trixie's relief, she let herself into the library, seeing Tell Tale reading a book with a picture of flowers on the cover while surrounded by notes and a small number of other books. When he saw Trixie enter, he levitated the books and notes to the side, leaving a single stack of paper before him.
“Come take a seat, Trixie. There's a lesson Princess Luna wanted me to impart on you.” Sir Tell Tale stated, causing Trixie to blink in surprise.
“Impart?”
“To inform or give you information.” Sir Tell Tale explained.
“Is it the spell!?” Trixie asked excitedly. However, her enthusiasm lost its spring when the stallion shook his head. He then motioned towards the opposite side of the table, and Trixie took a seat as she looked to him, a little confused.
“Trixie, how do you think you did on the test?”
“Trixie passed it!” She answered without hesitation.
“What makes you so certain?”
“Trixie tried her bestest. Mama and Papa and Twily said that if you try your best, you're sure to win!” She resolutely proclaimed, and was immediately confused as Tell Tale seemed to adopt a somber expression.
“That isn't always true. Still, as I said, you have nothing to worry about. Your lesson in question concerns your results.” He explained, then he slipped the small stack of paper in front of him over for Trixie to see. It was her copy of the test, and emblazoned at the top in bright red ink were the numbers: 46/100
“Huh?” Trixie let out, completely confused by what was in front of her.
“Looks like you have just as much trouble with history as I do.”
“Huh?” Trixie repeated, looking to Tell Tale. “What is this?” She asked, and Tell Tale appraised her for a moment before letting out a sigh.
“Trixie, you failed the test.” He stated, then used his magic to flip through the answers, revealing that Trixie had mixed up names or dates or accomplishments with almost every question.
As Trixie looked through the test, her eyes brushed past the one anomaly in it, her eyes not really taking in the results as it slowly dawned on her. The Great and Powerful Trixie failed, after giving her all.
“But, Trixie tried her bestest.” She stated, feeling surprising little, besides disbelief.
“I can tell, that's why you don't have to worry.”
“W-Why?” Trixie asked as her eyes started to sting, emotions besides confusion starting to bubble up as she looked to him.
“Because Princess Luna asked you to try your hardest, and that's what you did.” The surge of rising emotions paused as she looked to Tell Tale wide-eyed. “So, she'll be teaching you the basics of illusion magic not long after she returns.”
And just like that, the growing bubble of sadness and disappointment was popped by a surge of excitement and happiness, leaving nothing but a small void of confusion in the young filly. She sat there for several moments, processing her swirling emotions before gathering the presence of mind to speak.
“S-so, Trixie tried h-her hardest, and failed. But, she still gets to learn the spell?”
“That's right little one,” Tell Tale replied in an unusually warm tone, “so there's no need to cry. Understand?”
“O-Okay.” She replied as she sniffled lightly. “Mr. Tale, um, is Trixie still Great and Powerful if, well...” She didn't want to finish the question, hoping her mind-reading teacher will fill in the rest.
“That's for you to decide, Trixie.” He stated as she looked over her test.
“Is Trixie … a dunderhead?”
“No, Trixie, you're not." He firmly stated, "You may not be as book-smart as Twilight or Sunset, but you make up for it by being clever. Besides, you can learn just as well as they can when you're genuinely interested.” He pointed out as he flipped over to one of the questions on the exam Trixie had overlooked, and she noticed that the score for it was 10/10. It was the question pertaining to Edison Spark and Tesla Coil. And as Trixie took it in, surprise on her face, Tell Tale spoke up. “Trixie, for ponies like you and myself, history can be very boring.” He stated as she looked to him.
“History is boring...” She stated, agreeing with him whole-heartedly, But, “Mr. Tale, you're Luna's bookkeeper. Don't you, well, need to know history?” She asked, and he chuckled lightly at that.
“I'm her bookkeeper, not her historian.” He then shook his head in wonder, “I'm quite certain Twilight knows more about Equestrian history then I do.” He then looked back to Trixie, “Besides, a bookkeeper is better fit to aid the Princess over a historian.” He then motioned to the entire library, “I don't need to know all of Equestria's history, that's what this place is for.” He explained with a small smile, and Trixie took in the library as he said it, finally understanding a little of why Twilight loved books. “As her bookkeeper, I must know where all the answers she needs for the matter at hoof are, which is far more manageable than memorizing every word in this library.” He stated, and Trixie's brow furrowed as she considered his words.
“Mr. Tale, if history is boring, why does Trixie have to learn it?”
“Because, history is important. Well, most of it," he said with a wink. "Some bits are more important than others for each pony. Take this question you aced for example.” He began as he brought Trixie's attention back to her test. “These two inventors caught your attention, and you remembered them more so then the other subjects. Why?” He asked, and Trixie didn't even need to consider it to know why.
“They both made cool things. And they played with lightning!” She stated with certainty.
“That's more than can be said about the others on the test.” He stated, and Trixie nodded, before her brow furrowed again.
“So, Trixie needs to learn the boring things? But, it's hard...” She stated as her ears fell, and Tell Tale nodded in agreement.
“It looks like this subject simply isn't for you, Trixie. As I've said, you don't need to worry, I have something in mind for you." He said with a nod as he considered something. "Still, while this test isn't important to you, it's very important to Sunset and Twilight.” He stated, and hearing her friends names made Trixie realize that she failed after getting their help, causing her to look away from Tell Tale. “Something wrong?” Tell Tale asked as he noticed her mood fall.
“They helped Trixie study for the test, and she failed.”
“Then make it up to them.” He quickly replied, getting a skeptical look from Trixie. “They're your friends, so they'll understand. Especially if you make it up to them.”
“'Kay.” She replied as she let out a sigh. How is Trixie gonna do that? She wondered as she looked to the stallion, “So, history is a big deal?”
“That's right. Equestria is built on history. Take this castle. It's ancient, and has housed many different ponies, a number of them being written in a few of the very books in this library.” He stated, Trixie following his gaze to the books, an air of wonder falling over her as she found herself picturing the castle in a new light. “One of those ponies is one I'm sure you'd be quite interesting in learning about.” He stated confidently.
“Who?” Trixie asked, her glum mood completely dispelled by intrigue. Tell Tale walked over to a nearby shelf, spotting a book, and levitated if over. Trixie saw the cover, 'Hat Trick the Magnificent', and she immediately felt an urge to ask about it.
“Hat Trick,” Tell Tale began, giving the filly what she wanted before she could ask, “was a pony of great renown a couple centuries ago. He was able to dazzle and befuddle his audience with his amazing magic tricks. His creativity and cleverness earned him a place in this castle, titled as Princess Luna's court jester.” He then brought the book close as he gave Trixie a sly smile, “You know what made him so magnificent?” He asked, and Trixie shook her head, eager for the answer. He opened the book, revealing a small embedded painting on the inside of the cover, showing Hat Trick bowing before Princess Luna, flowers springing out of his hat as Luna smiled. And it took a moment, but Trixie spotted what gave him his title, making her eyes widen in amazement.
“He's an earth pony! But, how?”
“I do believe that was something outside of his control.” Tell Tale replied, causing Trixie to blink at him for a moment, before giving him a silly smile.
“Trixie means how'd he do magic, without magic, Mr. Tale.”
“Right,” Tell Tale replied as he shook his head, smiling. “That, Trixie, is what you'll be spending your future history lessons trying to figure out. Sound good?”
“Y-Yes!” She let out heartily.
“Glad to hear.” Tell Tale replied as he gave her the book, which she eagerly accepted. Tell Tale then adopted a considering look before nodding to himself. “However, I'll help get you started.” He then had Trixie wait as he fumbled through his notes and other affects, trying to find something. After searching for a minute, he let out a small, annoyed huff as he looked to Trixie. “Trixie, do you happen to have a bit on you?” He asked, and Trixie gave a small nod as she pulled one out from a small pocket in her cape.
“Thank you, I'll give it back to you in a moment,” He stated, taking the bit in his hooves as he sat down. He then brought them together very quickly, before separating them again, holding his hooves up while looking to Trixie, “Now, which hoof has the bit?” He asked, and Trixie wasn't certain which, and went with her gut, choosing his left, which he revealed to be empty.
“So, it's in your other hoof?” Trixie asked, not sure what he was trying to show her. He then revealed that the bit wasn't on the right either, which made her eyes widen. “But, where'd it go?” She was certain he didn't use any magic when he moved the bit. Yet, he seemed to somehow make it disappear!
“The bit? Didn't I give it back to you?” He asked as he lightly scratched his mane, appraising the filly. “Ah, there it is!” He stated with a smile as he reached past her ear, bringing his hoof back in front of Trixie to reveal the bit, making her eyes glow with wonder as she looked to him
“How'd you do that?” She asked, then adopted a look of realization, “Was that Hat Trick's magic?”
“That's right. It's one of his most basic tricks at that.”
“How does Trixie do it?” She asked, and for a moment, it looked like Tell Tale was going to tell her on the spot, then realized something important.
“That'll have to wait till your next history lesson, as it's getting late.” He explained, and Trixie's ears fell a little at that, but gave him a nod, now having a better picture of what was in store for her. “Consider showing you that trick my apology for what I said back on Friday. It's a part of my job to make sure Canterlot's secrets stay a secret, and I'm not quite used to sharing secrets with fillies.” Trixie looked at him for a moment, before recalling what he said to her about knowing if she let a secret out.
“Trixie won't tell anypony the secrets. She promises!”
“Of course.” Tell Tale said with a smile as he returned the bit, “You can return to the others now. I'll see you in the morning.”
“Okay! Good night-” Trixie began, then realized she'd be walking back to her room, alone. After dark. She briefly wondered if her room was close enough to teleport to, then shook her head as she looked to Tell Tale. “It's dark now, can you show Trixie the way back?” She asked, hoping he wouldn't make a fuss, or call her a scaredy-pony.
“Well, can't have a student get lost on their way to their room now, can we?” He said as he concealed an amused smile. In short order, he put a number of things away, and led Trixie out of the library, guiding her to her room. As they walked back, Trixie's mind started to wander back to the fact that she, the Great and Powerful Trixie, had failed the test.
Sunny and Twily... She thought to herself, her ears falling again as she pictured the two of them learning of her score. Maybe Trixie can wait till later to tell them. She decided as she nodded to herself, hoping Tell Tale was right about her friends being understanding. Trixie did try her bestest... She affirmed to herself as she returned to her room.
~~~~~~~~~~
“-And that is what it means to be Great and Powerful.” Edison Spark explained as he tapped a chalkboard with nothing but inane scribbles on it. Trixie nodded to herself, sitting at a desk, as she began copying the scribbles with practiced ease. Certain of progress, she looked over her notes, which were written on a piece of paper with 46/100 emblazoned on the top.
“No no no!” Tesla Coil interjected, “You've got it all wrong! Being Great and Powerful is all about telling everypony that you've done Great and Powerful things!”
“Pah! That's the easy way!” Edison said dismissively, “Being Great and Powerful requires effort! You think I made the magic lantern on the first try!?” He exclaimed as Trixie looked up from her scribbled notes.
“So, which one?” She asked, hoping to get a solid answer.
“It's about being brilliant!” Relative Stein interjected, causing Tesla and Edison to roll their eyes in tandem.
“Easy for you to say, Professor Extraordinary,” Tesla responded, “While you were busy unraveling the secrets of the universe, we were busy making practical things! We don't need any of your relativity nonsense right now!”
“Hmph!” Stein replied as he raised his nose towards Tesla, “I've seen that lightning rod of yours, and there's nothing practical about it! It's just a glorified parasprite zapper!”
Trixie's head was starting to hurt as she added 'being brilliant' to the list of ways one could be Great and Powerful. Oh... Which is it? Trixie wondered as she felt somepony looking over her shoulder.
“Well, I haven't seen the three of you in a long time.” Princess Luna stated with an amused smile as the three smart ponies looked, then bowed to her.
“Your Highness,” Stein began, “I'm glad you've arrived, this dream was starting to get out of hoof!”
“Dream!?” Tesla and Edison responded in unison, before fading away, along with Stein, who was giving the princess a small smile.
“A dream...” Trixie let out as she looked to Luna, then looked back to the scribbled notes she'd written.
“Have something on your mind, Trixie?” Luna asked as she sat next to her. Trixie considered it for a moment before simply giving Luna the piece of paper.
“Trixie made a promise to mama and papa. She'd be Great and Powerful. But, now Trixie is…”
"Lost?" Luna finished, getting a small nod from the filly. “You don't know what it means to be Great and Powerful?”
“Right.”
“Well, as our historical figures showed, it looks like you have some ideas already in mind.” Luna stated, getting a considering look from Trixie.
“Then, which is it?”
“That's for you to decide on your own. You're still young, so you have plenty of time to find the answer. I recommend taking your time with it, find an answer that fits what you think being Great and Powerful means.” Luna said, and Trixie took it in before letting out a small nod.
“'Kay.”
“Now, speaking of keeping a promise, I do believe you've earned a particular spell from a certain princess.” Luna said as she adopted a warm smile, and Trixie looked at her blankly for a moment before gaining a big grin.
“Trixie can learn it in a dream?”
“Well, waking you up in the middle of the night would be irresponsible of me, and I'm certain you wanted to learn the spell as soon as you could...” She said, and Trixie wasn't going to complain about learning in her dreams. A thought then came to mind as she gave Luna a considering look.
“Did Mr. Tale tell you that Trixie tried her bestest?”
“He didn't need to, I had faith that you would.” Luna assured, getting a big grin from Trixie, “Now, before you can even try to make yourself look like another pony, we should start with the basics."
“Basics?”
“That's right, the basics for casting illusions.”
Illusions... Will this make Trixie Great and Powerful? Trixie wondered as Luna took her through the process of wielding such magic. Hat Trick, he had magic, and he was an earth pony, so he must be Great and Powerful! Oh! And he was, what was it ... Magnificent? Maybe Trixie can be like him! With that on her mind, she adopted a determined look, hoping to find her answers, by looking to the past.