Trixie lay on her back, staring up at the ceiling of the abandoned Ursa cave where she had taken shelter from the rain. She had been trying to sleep, but she was being kept up by the storm outside, as well as her anxiety about the offer from Nightmare Moon.
Trixie sighed. Can I really side with Nightmare Moon?, Trixie thought to herself. True, the offer of power was very tempting, but something in the edge of Trixie's mind kept telling her that the whole thing was a bad idea.
I don't need her , thought Trixie. The Great and Powerful Trixie can gain revenge on her own. Still, her apparent decision did little to help her sleep, and the moon was high in the sky before she began to slumber. Trixie then began too dream of the past.
A much younger Trixie stood on the steps of Canterlot palace, her eyes wide as she took in the glory of the castle. Along with a few dozen other ponies, she had been chosen as one of the aspirant apprentices to Princess Celestia. This is where I am meant to be, the young unicorn thought. Further thoughts of future grandeur were interrupted when another unicorn, this one violet, walked up to her smiling.
"Hello," the newcomer said. "I am Twilight Sparkle." Trixie instantly saw a rival in the other pony, but decided it was best to play nice, at least for the moment.
" My name is Trixie Lulamoon," the young Trixie said, extending her hoof.
"It's a pleasure to meet you," Twilight stated, the smile never leaving her face as she shook hooves with Trixie.
Trixie's dreams now shifted to a few weeks later, when Celestia's hopeful apprentices were demonstrating their skills in the practice yard.
"Hey Twilight," Trixie called in a teasing tone. "I bet you can't do this."
With great effort, Trixie was able to use her magic to lift one of the practice dummies high off the ground. Princess Celestia, who was watching this all from a shaded balcony, gave Trixie a look of approval. Trixie beamed with pride. However, Celestia's gaze shifted to a spot behind Trixie.
Confused, Trixie turned around to see the other ponies on the practice field all staring in shock at Twilight Sparkle. Trixie's jaw dropped.
Twilight had managed to lift not one, but two practice dummies in the air, with clearly far less effort than it had taken Trixie to lift one.
Trixie just scowled at Twilight and turned from the spectacle. From that day forward, Twilight seemed to be always one step ahead of Trixie. If Trixie got an A on her magic exam, Twilight would get an A+, or if Trixie managed to move 5 feet with a teleportation spell, Twilight would manage to achieve 10 feet. No matter how much she trained, she could never be as good as Twilight, and Trixie hated this.
Eventually, only Trixie and Twilight remained from the original candidates. Celestia decided that Trixie and Twilight would face off in a magic duel, supervised by herself to make sure things did not get out of hand. The winner would become Celestia's apprentice. Trixie was thrilled at the announcement, believing that this was her chance to demonstrate the superiority of her magic over Twilight's. Twilight was far less enthusiastic. She thought of Trixie as a friend, and had no desire to hurt her in the duel. When Twilight confided in Trixie, the blue unicorn flew into a rage.
"YOU HURT ME !?!," Trixie yelled. "You had better be worried about YOU not getting hurt!" Trixie stormed out of the room, leaving Twilight in tears.
The night before the duel, Trixie decided to get an 'advantage'. She snuck into the restricted section of the palace library, and looked through the books on battle magic. Finally, Trixie decided on a spell that would fire a ball of electric energy. Twilight will never see this coming she thought with glee.
During the duel the next day, both ponies magicked each other into a stalemate, with both giving it their all. However, it eventually became apparent that Twilight was slowly but surely gaining an advantage. Try as she might, Trixie simply could not get through Twilight's defenses. Growing frustrated, Trixie decided to use her secret weapon.
"Take this Twilight!," she yelled, funneling her remaining energy into the spell.
BOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!!!
When the smoke cleared, Trixie found herself on the ground, barely able to keep a straight head. She saw that Twilight, although quite bruised, remained standing.
Trixie began to cry.
"How could I have lost?," she asked to nopony in particular. "I trained, I studied, I---"
"CHEATED," Celestia boomed. "You cheated, and your lack of compassion and fairness could have killed you both."
Trixie simply hung her head low.
"Twilight Sparkle, you win," Celestia stated. But there was no pride on Twilight's face, only worry. She ran to Trixie, who was now attempting to regain her footing.
" Are you alright Trixie?,' Twilight asked in a voice full of concern. "If you need a healing spell, I could----
"STAY AWAY FROM ME!," Trixie screamed, shocking even Celestia. Trixie rose to her hooves and pushed Twilight away before staring her right in the eyes. " I promise you Twilight Sparkle, that I will be the better spellcaster, and all of Equestria will know the name of the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
Trixie then turned and marched out of the throne room, contempt radiating from every step. Unbeknownst to Trixie, Twilight Sparkle was practically crying her heart out for the mare she had thought was her friend.
Trixie awoke from her dream with a gasp. She brought her hooves to her eyes and had a long cry. When she was done, Trixie simply stared at the cold cave floor with pure anger in her eyes. In that moment, she made her decision.
"I will never be second place again," she promised herself, her words echoing off the cave walls.