//------------------------------// // Episode 8 - Out of T // Story: My Little Rider: Friendship is Joker // by lilAngel //------------------------------// The Great and Powerful Trixie gulped, taking a deep breath in the hope a moment’s break would soothe the fire in her aching muscles. She hated working like this, but right now she didn’t have any choice. Only recently she’d been a superstar, performing on stage as she travelled from town to town, being treated to the best in food and wine because of her reputation as the most talented unicorn in the whole of Equestria. Unfortunately the week before she had been shown up by a malicious heckler, Twilight Sparkle, who thought nopony else deserved any measure of respect. Just because they had defeated an Ursa Major, a wild animal native to the Everfree Forest, Sparkle and her cronies thought they deserved all the glory. In the past, when her reputation suffered some setback and she couldn’t earn enough to live on, The Great and Powerful Trixie had relied on her engineer, chauffeur, and general dogsbody Castle Tail. As well as supporting her show, he was quite capable of doing manual labour to make ends meet. But during the events in Ponyville, she had lost his support as well. She didn’t know where he was now. In her darker moments, she wondered if he might not have died that night, and then her thoughts turned to revenge. But now, her thoughts were on earning a couple of bits so she could afford to eat. She’d passed through this town a month or so before, and already knew that the puritanical farming folk didn’t hold with paying for entertainment no matter what wonders she could show them. But this one rock farm had promise, they were always looking for strong ponies to help them work at the rock face. Last time, Castle Tail had earned enough to keep both of them fed for a week afterwards, but then he was pretty tough compared to most stallions his age. Trixie wasn’t. “Damn you, Twilight Sparkle!” she gasped as she hefted the pickaxe again, needing both her body’s strength and the full force of her telekinesis to lift it. She wasn’t born for heavy lifting, and all of the exercises she’d done in the past were geared towards manipulating dozens of small objects at once. “Curse you, Twilight Sparkle!” The pick struck the rock again, lifting out a little chip of stone. She didn’t know what they were digging for here, the mare in charge of this team hadn’t bothered to tell the workers, but she knew they weren’t expecting to uncover it any time soon. “Something bothering you, Grumpy and Powerless Trixie?” She didn’t recognise the voice right away, but then she turned to face the pony walking along the tunnel, and she recognised the face. “I never thought I’d see you down here. Don’t you have a slave to do the hard work for you?” “Don’t you?” Trixie retorted. She could yell and curse about the scientist getting her name wrong, but she could tell there was no point fighting now. It was better to roll with a little verbal humiliation than risk raising the ante with this one. “Oh, I don’t need to work in a place like this,” she seemed to not even notice the barb, “I’m here to talk to you. I heard you got a reputation for being one of the greatest unicorns around, but I hear you mumbling all day long about Twilight Sparkle, and I think maybe you found out the hard way what a stubborn, obnoxious pony that one can be. She’s got some natural talent, and she’s Celestia’s pet, given opportunities that nopony else could dream of. Am I right in thinking I’m not the only one who’d like to see the lavender brat taken down a peg or two?” Trixie just nodded. “Now, you’re pretty powerful already, I can tell. So you’re probably better suited to beating her than I would be. You see, I found an ancient amulet that I think might help to tip the scales in your favour. Some ancient texts I discovered call it the Alicorn Amulet, because it might be able to give even the humblest unicorn a power to rival the Princesses’.” She raised a hoof, holding something that gleamed in the flickering torchlight. “You would… lend… this piece of history to Trixie?” she couldn’t help thinking that this situation sounded too good to be true. “You aren’t the only one who thinks Twilight Sparkle needs to keep her ego in check.” “So, how should Trixie make use of this amulet? It doesn’t look like it should be worn…” She didn’t actually agree, she could always say later that she needed to know the details before she made up her mind. But the more she thought about this amulet, the more ideas she had for new and better ways to change the world in her favour. They both knew by now that she was going to take this amulet, and to do whatever it took to grind Twilight Sparkle’s face in the dust. “You just hold it out, and squeeze the middle like this…” “TRICKS!” Back in Ponyville, life was as hectic as ever. Today it was Fluttershy who was giving her friends cause for concern, acting unusually cranky and nopony had the slightest idea what was upsetting her. There was no chaos out of the ordinary, there was no sign of a dopant rampaging through the city. Just the everyday minutiae of life in a town where everypony had their own eccentricities. “Fluttershy!” Applejack yelled, losing her patience for once, “Pay attention when somepony’s talking to you. You look like you’re half asleep.” “Oh, uhh…” Fluttershy blinked, looked around at the busy market square. She was standing in front of a stall where the Cutie Mark Crusaders were selling something wrapped in little parcels of glittery paper, and seemed to be trying out a new talent without any spectacular failures for once. “What did you say?” “It’s okay, sis,” Apple Bloom shrugged, “I was just curious, I thought you might know. What’s the difference between birds and animals? Because Miss Cheerilee said that birds fly, but then is a bat a bird or an animal? Or flying squirrels?” “Or flying fish, even!” Scootaloo added. “It’s not important if you’re that tired. You better not be staying up working all night though, we’ve all seen the problems with that.” “No, no,” Fluttershy blushed, “It’s just, I’ve had a few bad dreams this week, and I’m a bit tired. Thank you for understanding. So… what’s in the red ones?” “It’s a surprise! That’s why it says surprise boxes, you get a nice surprise, like a birthday present, but you can have one whenever you need a little cheering up!” “Oh, I don’t like surprises. Have you got any that are less surprising? And birds lay eggs and fly. Bats don’t lay eggs, so they’re animals, and flying squirrels don’t either. And they don’t really fly, they just –” “What the hay?” Applejack was staring across the square, eyes wide, to where a couple of uniformed unicorns were sticking a poster on the side of the fountain. “Is something wrong?” Fluttershy had flinched at the sudden yell, as Applejack went from frustration to actual anger in a second. Then she watched as a unicorn with a heavily curled blue mane smoothed down the edges, and read what the poster said. “Magic Lessons! The Great and Powerful Trixie will be giving lessons in magic to all unicorns, to show her kindness and benevolence as your new ruler. The first semester of tutoring will end with a magic… duel…?” “…to decide if anypony other than the Great and Powerful Trixie is fit to be Princess of Ponyville.” Applejack finished, “Well, I see as how those guys have got all ruffled collars like they live in an old fashioned castle, but that ain’t the Royal Guard uniform, and I don’t see Trixie knowing anyone who can pick out the mayor.” And so, when the Great and Powerful Trixie appeared the following week, on a cart pulled by four young stallions in matching uniform this time, she was met at the edge of town by a small group of important figures. Mayor Mare was at the front of the group, flanked by Twilight Sparkle on her left and one of her secretaries, Pencil Pusher, to the right. There were also two Royal Guards, dispatched all the way from Canterlot to ensure that anyone challenging the Mayor’s authority did so only through the due process of the electoral system. “Trixie,” Pencil Pusher was the first to speak, fluttering her wings gently to look over the heads of the rest of the group, “As a duly appointed government official, I must advise that you are warned against hosting or promoting any contest of magical skill, against identifying yourself with any agency of the Equestrian government, andagainst claiming the authority to teach classes in magic or any related discipline.” Trixie fixed the pegasus with an angry glare. A few seconds later, Pencil Pusher dropped to the ground, struggling for breath. “Know your place,” Trixie sneered, “No pegasus should dare to look upon the Great and Powerful Trixie. If you wish to issue a challenge, you must wait until the end of the semester like everypony else.” “This is crazy!” Twilight said, “You have no right to even call a tournament like this. A duel means nothing.” “Let it be recorded,” Trixie nodded to one of her supporters, “Twilight Sparkle is afraid to face the Great and Powerful Trixie in a fair duel, relying only on deception to maintain her reputation in the magical arts.” “You can record whatever you want,” Pencil Pusher found her voice again, “But that will not go on any official record, and writing that down doesn’t make it true. But right here, I’m writing down that you don’t put up those posters again, you don’t set up your stage or camp within the city limits, and you are forbidden from advertising your services as a teacher without proof that you have both talent and compassion enough to justify the title.” “Would a magic duel be sufficient proof? Send a couple of ponies who aren’t afraid to take on the benevolent might,” she shot a disparaging glance at Twilight, trying to goad her into fighting, “…of the one and only, Empress of Hoofington, First Class Unicorn Adept, Great and Powerful Trixie.” And she turned sharply and stalked away from the town; a maneuver that must have taken some rehearsing when she was sitting on a throne, on a cart, pulled by an entire team. Twilight hoped they wouldn’t hear from Trixie again, but she knew it was unlikely. If she had come so far to try and prove herself, she wouldn’t just walk away. But she wasn’t expecting Fluttershy to rush into the library later that evening, almost in tears. “She’s camping at the bottom of my garden!” she eventually gasped, after Spike had furnished her with a soothing cup of daisy tea, “Right on the edge of the forest, just off the road. She just moved in, and she’s got a dozen other ponies with her, cooking for her and felling trees to build a huge stage. The animals are all scared, I can’t get them to calm down. I didn’t sleep a wink last night!” Twilight raised an eyebrow, wondering how much her friend would have slept without Trixie’s interruptions, but decided not to say anything. Today, at least, there was a problem that they could deal with. Half an hour later, Twilight was accompanied by Rainbow Dash, Rarity, and Applejack as they walked purposefully towards Fluttershy’s house on the edge of the Everfree Forest. Pencil Pusher had joined them as well, providing a token government presence. If nothing else, she could bear witness that they hadn’t broken any laws in dealing with Trixie. The caravans were quite far from the house itself, but still on the wrong side of the bracken that divided Fluttershy’s home from the unclaimed land of the forest. Close enough that their sawing and hammering could be heard from the house, as they put together a stage as large and ornate as anything used to present public spectacles in Canterlot. “How did she get so many followers?” Twilight said, “There must be a dozen stallions working on that thing.” “I heard she did a big show in Baltimare, earned enough to hire extra labour. She’s famous now, not just claiming she’s been heard of in some other town. She’s been challenging other ponies to a competition, too, wagering a fortune on whose magic is better.” “Maybe you should actually challenge her this time,” Rarity suggested, “I don’t think I could show her up in public, but I’ve seen your decision making from the inside. She juggles twenty balls, every unicorn in the crowd is impressed, but you’re thinking in hundreds of objects before you start to wonder whether you can manage some task.” “It’s different with the Driver,” Twilight slowed just a fraction, maybe trying to make herself smaller on some subconscious level. She knew her skill with levitation and with spellcraft exceeded most other unicorns, but she didn’t like to boast about it. She had even been reluctant to use her talents after the last time Trixie came to town, because she was scared of anypony thinking she was the same kind of braggart. None of her friends would judge her, she knew that now, but it didn’t stop her shrinking a bit every time someone complimented her abilities. “I think with the Driver, it doubles what I’m capable of, or even more. Between two unicorns, the complexity of our magic is incredible even to me.” “Like the speed with me and Fluttershy,” Rainbow Dash chipped in, “With two pegasi, we have four wings, and we can use them without even thinking about it. I mean a Sonic Rainboom, that’s the stuff of legend in Cloudsdale, something that is only possible for the best flier in a thousand years. I did one when I was young, just once, and it was amazing. I can do it with the driver as the ‘Maximum Drive’ thing, but with Fluttershy we don’t even break a sweat.” “Yeah,” Twilight nodded, “Maybe the most effective pairs are two unicorns, two pegasi… would Applejack and Pinkie have even more incredible strength?” “We’ll have to try it,” Applejack nodded, “Some time we ain’t got a crazy mare trying to show off how she’s the best in the world.” “Right,” Twilight nodded, and strode forward. Her friends followed at a respectful distance, recognising that given the nature of Trixie’s posters, she was more likely to pay attention to a unicorn coming to speak to her. “Who wishes to speak with the Great and Powerful Trixie?” a stallion with a dark mane and chalk white coat stepped forward to block her path. “I don’t need to talk to Trixie,” Twilight blustered, “I just need to speak to whoever is in charge here. You’re on private land, and you can’t camp here without permission of the owner.” She knew that she would seem to have a lot more authority if Fluttershy was actually here to demand the trespassers leave. But she also knew that this was exactly the type of direct confrontation that Fluttershy couldn’t stand. “We take orders from the Great and Powerful Trixie,” the stallion glared stubbornly, “We will continue to follow her edicts until Trixie herself gives a new order.” “So where is she?” “I don’t know. The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t need to inform us of her every movement.” “Then who is your site manager?” Pencil Pusher came forward, “There must be a manager on duty whenever any construction work is being carried out, the most senior pony on site at any given time. And a duly deputised government official can demand to see the site manager, who must be authorised to order the cessation of work if necessary to comply with regulations.” She paused for breath, the sign from any government official that she was close to losing her temper, “Who is in charge of all these ponies right now?” “I guess that’s be me,” another stallion approached, speaking in quite a pronounced accent. “Gov’ment? We’re doing nothing wrong.” “That’s not down to you to decide,” Pencil Pusher had a clipboard in her hoof now, and was already making notes on some kind of form. “Now, the Council has been notified that you are undertaking construction work without due permission of the landowner or authorised landlord.” “It’s public land. Nobody can own the Everfree Forest.” “No,” Twilight felt the need to reinforce the point that she was the one bringing this complaint on behalf of her friend, “This is Fluttershy’s garden. The Forest is over there, where the trees are.” “That we’re cutting down,” The stallion seemed a little confused himself, but was content to just keep repeating what he’d been told to say until it somehow, miraculously made sense. “We claimed the land, and we’re working it to build a stage. That’s what the Great and Powerful Trixie commanded.” “The stage isn’t in the forest.” “No, how would we fit it between the trees? We’re claiming a plot of land in the Everfree Forest, and we’re only passing over the neighbouring grassland to get to it.” “You’re trespassing.” “How else are we supposed to get to our land? That dirt road? It’s not wide enough.” “That’s your problem,” Applejack said firmly. “Then we are being deprived of the opportunity to work our own land because the city has not kept the public roads in good repair? Is that how you would describe the situation?” “Yes,” “No!” Applejack and Pencil Pusher spoke at once. “Listen,” Pencil Pusher whispered, “If we kick them off this land and say they’ve got to use the road to get to the forest, then that road has to be fit to allow them to get onto their land. There isn’t room on the road side to get their big carts and saws in, not without cutting even more trees. So then they claim that Mayor Mare isn’t organising the council in the best interests of the public. They’re just looking for an excuse to raise a vote of no confidence. I think they were planning for this, it’s all just tricks and lies. If we say they can’t come across Fluttershy’s garden, then they can try to force an election for a new mayor, and no doubt she’s got more tricks to try and get Trixie elected.” “They can do that?” Applejack seemed amazed, “Isn’t it the best pony for the job gets elected?” “I don’t know,” Twilight looked between the two of them uncertainly, “She’d need to know more than one silly trick, but maybe it could happen. If enough ponies fall for her scam, she could end up being mayor, and then declare herself officially the greatest unicorn in Ponyville, just because I showed her up when she did a magic show. Either Fluttershy can’t sleep in peace, or Mayor Mare might lose her job, and it’s all my fault!” “No!” Rainbow Dash didn’t know much about complex property laws, but she knew that she shouldn’t let her friends dwell too much on their worries, “No, Twilight. You did what you had to do to save the town, and everypony loves you for it. There’s no way you could have expected this. This is Trixie’s dirty tricks campaign, and we’ll find a way to stop her. Together, because we’re all friends and we can’t let each other down.” “Dirty tricks?” it was Trixie’s voice this time, coming from the road behind the deputation, “What slander is this?” “You can’t prove yourself in any useful way, so you try to set traps to trick the unwary. That seems pretty dirty to me.” Rarity knew immediately she should have kept a tighter rein on her temper, but once she’d started the words wouldn’t stop coming. Then there was silence as Trixie looked her up and down. “It is not,” she said eventually, “The Great and Powerful Trixie who is afraid to demonstrate her powers. If you, or anypony, wish to prove that your abilities exceed Trixie’s then you are free to do so.” “And then you’d leave?” Rainbow Dash suggested hopefully, “I mean, it’s not a fair test of your skills unless you’ve got some motivation.” Twilight ground her teeth together in worry. It was obvious her friend thought she was being sneaky, but also clear that Trixie was more than competent when it came to dirty tricks. “Very well. If you can defeat the Great and Powerful Trixie, she will leave this town.” “And never return.” “…and never return. But in order for it to be a fair challenge, you must wager something of equal value. If you lose, and there is no doubt that you have lost, then you will join the throng of Trixie’s devoted followers, serving her to the best of your abilities for as long as you live.” “Is that…” Twilight interrupted, then hesitated as the enormity of the thought sank in, “Is that how all these stallions ended up cooking for you and hauling your cart?” Two of the closest of Trixie’s retainers just nodded. “Be careful, Rainbow Dash. There’s an enchantment on these ponies. It’s something that can only be done if they agree to it, but I think they actually can’t disobey her orders. Using magic like that to enforce the terms of a bet, I’ve heard it’s possible but I think that’s awfully underhand.” “Not at all,” Trixie replied, glaring at Twilight, “The great and Powerful Trixie would not enter into a contest without everypony understanding the terms. If your friend wishes to concede now, she is welcome to admit her inferiori–” “Like hay! You’re on, Trixie. You and me, one race, one lap, three miles. Or are you chicken?” Twilight smiled despite herself. Trixie had been tricksy enough to use a geas spell to enslave ponies who lost to her, and it would have seemed reasonable to back out on discovering that. But there was no way Trixie could step out after finding out that the chosen challenge took the form of a race, because anyone who knew Rainbow Dash would know that she was happy to use a race to settle any dispute. If the self-important unicorn backed out now, she would look like a fool. Of course, it was hard to imagine that she wouldn’t have planned for this contingency, but Twilight wasn’t sure what kind of scheming could lie behind entering a competition she was sure to lose. “Very… well…” Trixie even hesitated as she replied. Maybe she hadn’t been in the area long enough to realise Dash’s reputation for speed. Twilight was still uneasy about the contest, even if she couldn’t see what Trixie could to to turn it to her advantage. As it turned out, there was exactly one thing Trixie could have done to benefit from a flying race against Rainbow Dash, and she did it: she won. She started out levitating herself somewhat hesitantly over the start line, an impartial group of judges from the Ponyville Merchants’ Association having decided that casting a spell to let her grow wings would be unfair. She would have to complete this contest using only her natural abilities in order to be fair. Trixie had objected, but she hadn’t been able to make too many demands without seeming like she was trying to cheat. When Rainbow Dash soared away from the start, Trixie bobbed gently along. All the unicorns in the audience winced in sympathy, knowing how gruelling it would be to keep the weight of an adult pony off the ground for more than a few minutes. But as she floated along, Trixie’s nervousness seemed to evaporate. Her horn glowed brighter, and she soared through the air like a comic book hero, legs outstretched in front of her. By the end of the first mile, she was floating along a speed that most pegasi couldn’t maintain. And her horn kept glowing brighter as she moved faster and faster. As she drew towards the end of the second mile, she was a couple of strides behind Rainbow Dash and overtaking without moving a muscle. the only sign of life was the corruscating glow of levitation magic all around her. By the time the race ended, she was going so fast that she soared right over the heads of the waiting spectators and was over the horizon before she slowed enough to land. She trotted back to the podium at about the same time Rainbow Dash passed the finish line, out of breath and staring in disbelief. The next day, it was Twilight Sparkle’s turn to challenge Trixie. She went to the camp at the bottom of Fluttershy’s garden alone this time, teleporting right to the edge of the area Trixie’s slaves were occupying. To her surprise, she couldn’t get any closer by magic. She could walk in, but she was sure by now that Trixie must have known she was there. The barrier wasn’t a particularly powerful piece of magic, but it was an unexpected new talent for the entertainer, so she resolved to tread carefully in case there were more surprises in store. “Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie was there before she had time to think. Not being carried around on a grand throne this time, but still wearing the elaborate and impractical star-spangled robe she always seemed to wear lately. “Are you afraid to face the Great and Powerful Trixie when others might see?” “I didn’t come to fight you, Trixie. And I’ve never been afraid. The kind of grandstanding you insist on is demeaning. But I will demand that you admit you cheated in your race against Rainbow Dash.” “Trixie is the greatest unicorn in Equestria, maybe the greatest who ever lived! Why would she need to cheat? Are you jealous, little unicorn? Teacher’s pet forever, they told me you wouldn’t accept being beaten so easily.” “I haven’t been beaten, and I know that you cheated. Cherry Kepler’s Theory of Autonomous Action specifies the rules of any levitation of a body which includes as part of its mass the focus fulcrum of the levitation, that is to say, your horn. For levitations involving yourself, there is an absolute limit on both the distance for which it can be maintained, and the maximum possible speed. You exceeded both of these limits, which are known to be fundamental universal constants.” “Trixie does not need to understand such dry and boring statements, which mean no –” “Which means,” Twilight was almost yelling, “That the speed you finished that race in isn’t just impressive, it’s impossible. Cannot be done. You weren’t even at that race, you were levitating a doll around the course, only to trade places with it at the finish. A cheap trick, and an easy one, if the doll was as light as I think it might have been. A dirty trick.” “An interesting theory, but you can’t prove it. And regardless, the Graceful and Powerful Trixie crossed the finish line first, so your friend Rainbow Dash is committed to a life of slavery from which she cannot escape. You have lost, Twilight Sparkle, you have failed your friends. She said that you would find this particularly hard.” “Who said?” Twilight furrowed her brow in confusion, “Never mind. Because whatever you do to trick the audience, you know that you will never really surpass me and my friends. You called on an ursa minor, let it rampage in Ponyville, and you were terrified. But we stopped it without breaking a sweat. You couldn’t ever face us, which is why you resort to cowardly tricks.” “You do not know of what you speak. And yet, you seek to goad the Great and Powerful Trixie into a challenge?” “Well…” “Trixie accepts! The freedom of your friend Rainbow Dash, gambled against that of Twilight Sparkle. And as the challenged party, Trixie has the choice of the means of the contest. Your challenge will be a contest of spellcraft, both of power and of artifice, to be conducted on this stage,” she gestured with one hoof to the wooden monstrosity that now filled a space larger than Fluttershy’s house, “When it is completed on Friday. You have that long to practise, little wannabe.” Twilight could have argued that she didn’t want a duel, but then Trixie would have been free to do what she wanted with Rainbow Dash. Twilight was sure she could break the geas spell, but maybe not with only a week to practise, and she had no idea how long it would be before Trixie left if her proposal was spurned. Beating her at her own game was the only option. So for a whole day, and then two, Twilight Sparkle buried herself among the books in the Golden Oak Library, trying to memorise everything that could be known about the theory of magic. This was her specialist subject, Spike told her several times, this was one thing she must know better than anypony else. But that didn’t make her feel any less pressure. Because speed was Rainbow Dash’s forte, fast flying at any rate, and that hadn’t stopped Trixie from beating her in a race. That was where her enemy seemed to excel, winning when somepony else thought she had her on the ropes. So Twilight intended to study like she’d never studied before, until there was no possible chink in her knowledge. She would know more about the history of magic than anypony who had ever lived, maybe putting herself on the same tier with ancients such as Cherry Kepler and Clover the Clever, maybe even Star Swirl himself. The first day of study was the theory and rules. A clear understanding of what was possible would stand her in good stead, especially if Trixie appeared to do the impossible. Any breach of these rules would give her a place to start looking for a cheat. Day two she spent memorising spells from ancient books until her brain squeaked. There were so many of them, with so many different uses, that nopony could learn them all. But that was merely a limitation of determination and of memory, not a physical restriction like she had been reading about the day before. If you needed to badly enough, it was possible to do things that nopony had done before, that nopony had even considered possible. The third day, she planned to spend lifting weights. That was something she’d never even thought about; she’d used her magic to make books fly around the room ever since she was a child, and any practice that had led up to her ability to manipulate dozens of varied items had been just a consequence of frequent indecision over what to read. She’d practised channeling more focused magic into spells when she was faced with a challenge, but she had never seen raw power as something to be gained. But Trixie had said this was a contest of strength as well as skill, so she wouldn’t be surprised if the showmare had trained herself until she could lift an incredible weight. “What are you doing?” Applejack burst into the gym while the rest of their friends waited outside. Twilight Sparkle’s horn was lit up like a pink bonfire in the middle of the room, raising an impressive stack of iron to the ceiling and back again while two musclebound stallions nodded approvingly. “You didn’t really challenge Trixie to a magic duel? Tell me you ain’t that dumb?” “We can’t be the Champions of Harmony without Rainbow Dash,” Twilight paused after every couple of words, grunting with effort, “We need a pegasus to chase flying dopants, and Fluttershy’s too nervous to fly sharing a body.” “You’re putting too much of a burden on yourself. Wasn’t it you who told me not to try and do everything alone? And think about what happens if you lose!” “I’m not going to lose. I’ve memorised half the library, visualising the books like the techniques Pinkie uses, and I’ve got Reps Maniac and his brother Sets,” the two stallions waved as Twilight pointed them out, “teaching me how to increase my strength. I hope that techniques that work well for building up muscles are effective training for magic too.” “But if she cheats…” “All the spells we’ve seen her use so far come from the same couple of primers, the fireworks are particularly distinctive. If she’s cheating using something from the same series, I’ve already figured out what she’s going to use, and put some safeguards in place to make sure the most obvious tricks will blow up in her face. And if she’s got something I wasn’t expecting, I’m sure I can live with it until I can figure out how to break the geas. We can just keep hoping.” “What about everypony else?” “You’d just have to cope without me. We can’t effectively fight flying dopants without Rainbow Dash, but Rarijack would still be effective against any that are earthbound. But that is not. Going. To. Happen.” Twilight gasped the last few words angrily as she heaved almost every weight the gym had to the ceiling in four powerful strokes. The Maniac brothers gaped in awe, but Applejack had more to say. “You haven’t seen the posters?” Pinkie produced a poster advertising a big duel between the Great and Powerful Trixie, and ‘representing the citizens of Ponyville’, Twilight Sparkle. “You see that? It says that if you lose, she can take her pick of whoever lives here as her slaves. Tickets free as long as you can prove you’re a citizen, so I’m guessing that’s good enough for the curse to say everypony watching has agreed.” “Oh… I’ve been so stupid! I thought she was going to try and cheat in the duel, while she’s been pulling the wool over our eyes while I was distracted. But that doesn’t change anything: We just have to win. And I’ve already got a trick of my own in mind.” Two more days of a rigorous training regime, and Twilight took the opportunity to bring Pinkie Pie and Rarity in on her plan. It was devious, something she couldn’t share with the Element of Honesty for fear she would disapprove, but it would almost guarantee victory one way or another. The day of the duel arrived, and the stage had turned into a stadium. The stands were packed with hundreds of cheering and booing spectators, almost half the population of Ponyville. The Great and Powerful Trixie was hamming it up on stage, attracting a mix of anger and support. Twilight had hoped that she would be supported by the whole population but a good part of Trixie’s talent seemed to be convincing strangers to respect her in spite of her actions. “And so,” Trixie reached the end of her speech, “The show you’ve all been waiting for, a duel to determine the true ruler of Ponyville. In the blue corner, the undisputed champion of contests, the Great and Powerful Trixie. And the challenger, if she has the courage to show, Twilight Sparkle!” She smiled out of the corner of her mouth, knowing that her ushers hadn’t reported Twilight’s presence anywhere within the stadium. A forfeit would earn her even more fame than a victory. There was a dramatic shower of pink and purple magic arcs spilling out from the far side of the stage, and after just a few seconds the imposing silhouette of a unicorn appeared, teleporting into place in a dramatic gesture that immediately earned the awe of the crowd. Trixie’s barrier against transportation magic was strong, but it didn’t have anywhere near the power necessary to faze GenerousJoker. “You can’t do that!” Trixie squealed, attracting yells of confusion from the audience. For just a moment, the performer lost her composure when faced with a surprise. She hadn’t actually been in a position to see Fluttertwi subdue the ursa minor weeks before, so she hadn’t known that her opponent could be anyone but Twilight Sparkle alone. “You object to the armour?” Twilight murmured, trying her hardest to sound amused rather than condescending. It would do her no good to win here if everypony hated her for her pride afterwards. “It protects me from any serious harm during the course of the duel, so there’s no reason to rule against it unless injuring me is intended to be part of the contest.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie was challenged by Twilight Sparkle, a lavender unicorn. Not by…” and then Trixie stopped. The audience was mostly gathered to her right, which was Generous Joker’s left. The compound pony was slightly larger than Twilight, but still had her cutie mark and colouring on the left side of their body, shading gradually towards white across her face and back. The audience might see that Twilight was slightly larger than usual, or that her horn was longer, but that would be a hard thing to judge from that distance, and Rarity’s side of the body wouldn’t be visible at all. Sparkle’s treachery was only visible from on the stage. “I am Twilight Sparkle,” Twilight declared, while Rarity held her tongue. As long as they spoke in one voice, Trixie would look very foolish if she protested that anypony else was there. “I am one of this town’s Champions of Harmony, but I have here an official declaration that having a bond with the Elements of Harmony does not in any way allow the law to consider me as not being myself. It would be foolish of me not to use my full strength when challenging such a cunning foe, would you not agree?” She flourished the document she was holding. It was indeed a letter from Princess Celestia, stating that as far as the law of the land was concerned, Generous Joker, Fluttertwi, and Twinkie were all considered to be Twilight Sparkle because they were additional souls occupying her body, and that their actions were her responsibility. “You cannot claim that the pony facing you is not the one who challenged you,” Twilight allowed Rarity to turn their body as she continued, revealing their nature to the audience now. Rarity was the one with the greatest skill in looking graceful,after all. “You cannot forbid the safe and sane use of protective clothing, and I suspect the spectators here will be unimpressed if you seek to delay the start of this duel any further with technicalities.” “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not object to reasonable safety precautions. But the device on your breast is clearly magical in nature, and your harness is covered with glowing gems. Devices of this nature are evidently forbidden in any contest of magical power, as it would give you an unfair advantage. Twilight Sparkle and her attire may remain, but this collar and devices of a similar nature are unacceptable. As the challenged party, Trixie is entitled to declare fair rules for the contest.” Twilight shrugged, and folded the Driver closed. She was sure that when it came to skill and power of magic, she could beat Trixie in any contest she cared to name. The show with the driver had been a safety net, nothing more, in case Trixie had more tricks in store. Rarity’s right half of their body became ethereal and drifted away, then broke up into a shower of silver sparks that left Twilight Sparkle standing all alone. “Very well. Let the contest begin. The first challenge will be one of transformation. You probably know all kinds of spells to transform one thing into another. So each contestant will choose a living subject, and make a change. The one deemed most impressive by the cheers of the audience shall be declared the winner of the first test.” Twilight looked around nervously. She was sure she knew every spell Trixie could possibly think of, but she hadn’t expected this. In order to pull off a transformation, she would have to first find something to transform. She understood that the barriers would be strengthened, and that the contestants were not permitted to leave the arena during the competition. That meant that she could lose simply by not having a creature to transform. Some of Fluttershy’s animal friends were sheltering under the stands, she could feel their presence when she reached out with her magic, but to subject them to magical change just for the amusement of the crowd would be a depraved, abhorrent act. Trixie had already selected her subject, of course. She had one of her retinue step forward, into a circle right in the middle of the stage. Twilight’s mind raced. It was barbaric to force somepony to agree to that, and though the blue-coated pegasus colt looked calm enough she was sure that he wouldn’t have done this of his free will. Even if he was Trixie’s biggest fan he wouldn’t ask to have his body altered by magic. Nopony would, especially not for a charlatan like her. And then Twilight realised that was the difference between herself and Trixie. She had friends, rather than followers, and her friends had asked for some kind of transformation. Fairly recently, as it happened; she’d been practising a new spell only a couple of months before. As much as she wanted to check it was okay beforehand, she knew that the impact of her performance would be diminished if she called out asking for permission. So she stretched out a thin loop of telekinetic energy and lifted Spike out of his seat near the front of the audience. “An interesting challenge,” Trixie grinned, playing the role of the sporting rival to perfection. But the little sneer that seemed permanently screwed onto her voice was there, suggesting that she was still somehow gloating even without anything to feel smug about. With magic amplifying her voice, it was even more obvious that she was doing something sly, but it wasn’t clear what it could be. “Everyone knows that working magic on dragons is difficult, so the crowd must give Twilight Sparkle some credit for that in their judgement. But the effects that can be achieved are never more than slightly interesting. I know she won’t be able to do anything spectacular.” Twilight shrugged dismissively, and waved Spike through the air in front of her. Everypony knew they were friends, of course, but that wouldn’t make any difference. Because Trixie had kept the details of the challenges to herself, it would still be obvious that Twilight was having to think on her hooves. She didn’t need to make the dramatic sweeping motions either, but it made sure the whole audience got a good look at Spike. Now he was a young dragon, looking perfectly normal. And now, a moment later as pink ribbons of light flowed out from Twilight’s horn, he landed on his feet and strode back and forth to show off his first sign of maturity. A luxuriant black moustache was hanging from his upper lip now, growing longer and thicker as everypony watched. He might have seemed to grow larger as well, more muscular. It was as if he was growing into adolescence as they watched, though only the unicorns in the audience would know how impressive that was. Many of them had probably tried using magic to skip over their turbulent teenage years, and so would know it was way beyond their capabilities. Any who’d made a formal study of magic would know that changing a pony’s age was one of the most difficult feats possible by magic, and had once been considered among the ‘impossible spells’ like changing magical attunement or race. Of course, Twilight couldn’t make Spike older. Maybe GenerousJoker could manage it with practice, with power and skill both much greater than merely the sum of their individual abilities. But with just one unicorn working the spell, the best she could do was a size-and-strength boost, and of course a growth spell for the moustache. Spike loved that one, ever since he’d first imagined it might be possible, and had been begging Twilight to do it for him at every opportunity. “Maybe it’s not impossible for dragons,” she heard one unicorn in the audience whisper to her neighbour, “It’s slightly interesting, I’ll give you that, but weren’t we supposed to be awestruck here?” Twilight narrowed her eyes, determined to show them something that would get their attention. “Sorry Spike,” she whispered, unsure whether he’d be impressed with the exotic manestyle she had in mind. At the top of the baby dragon’s arc, she reached inside his body with her magic, searching for the magical seeds she needed within his scales. She had something quite complex in mind, but when she felt his spiritual energy, she realised it would be a lot harder than she’d thought. In all her studies, she’d learned that every living thing was the same in some very basic ways, but there was an energy deep inside Spike unlike anything she’d ever encountered. Were dragons really that different from ponies? In panic, she just let the main part of the spell burst out without any attempt at channeling. Spike blinked in surprise as his body sprouted follicles that could produce hair in places he’d never had hair before. Everywhere. It would only last a few minutes, Twilight had enough self control to make sure of that. But for those minutes the crowd couldn’t help laughing. Spike sprouted long straight hair over his entire body, until only the tip of his nose was visible. He was a ball of fuzz by the time he bounced on the ground, like a much more strokable hedgehog. And with the surprisingly springy bristles, he did indeed bounce. Spike yelped in surprise, and then laughed giddily, and the audience laughed with him as he careened around the stage, bouncing and rolling like a rubber ball. Only the Great and Powerful Trixie sneered disappointedly. “Sideshow tricks,” she dismissively turned away from the stunt, “But Trixie is here to show you a real, useful feat of sorcery. Who has ever imagined that even the fundamental facts of a pony’s nature can be changed? But today, the Great and Powerful Trixie will show that even gender can be changed! Because before your eyes, you see an awkward filly chosen from among Trixie’s legion of servants, and in the next moment you will see her become a stallion!” Twilight turned to watch the young pony chosen from Trixie’s followers. She seemed calm enough, so maybe she had actually volunteered for this. But she should know that she was volunteering for the impossible. More than three hundred years before, it had been proven beyond any doubt that no magic could accomplish such a dramatic change. But wisps of red magic gathered around the filly, contrasting sharply with her sky-blue coat. There was a burst of brilliant light, and then the change was obvious. There could be no doubt that a colt was standing there, maybe a young stallion. The audience cheered. Twilight felt around the area with her own magic. The only energies she’d felt flowing across the stage at the moment of transformation were simple pyrotechnics, but she couldn’t deny that there was a male standing there now. The feeling of his magical aura left no doubt, even though many in the audience weren’t sure until he walked forward to let them take a closer look. Twilight wouldn’t take anything at face value with Trixie. She did her best to scan for illusion magic, and for possession by spirits or demons (as it was to a great degree the soul, rather than the body, which was immutable). She even felt the colt’s aura for the sickening magical signature of a Gaia Memory, but she could find nothing. “But that’s impossible!” she stammered when every test she could think of showed no result. There was no lingering magic, nothing that suggested the energies that would be required to keep up any kind of enchantment for this long. Nothing, meaning that however the change had been accomplished, it was permanent. “You can’t change a filly into a colt, that’s impossible! You might as well try to turn an earth pony into a unicorn!” “Because everypony aspires to be a unicorn?” Trixie twisted Twilight’s words, “Twilight Sparkle thinks she is so much better than the earth ponies, that they could never aspire to her level. But, if that is what it will take for you to admit defeat…” The red threads of sorcery wrapped themselves around the same pony again, and then burst like a firework, red light glinting for a moment off his wingtips. “Behold, an earth pony has become a pegasus! The magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie truly knows no bounds.” The crowd went wild. The rest of the contest went swiftly. With those few tricks still fresh in her mind, Twilight found that she couldn’t concentrate on her own magic. Trixie had done not one but two of the five impossible labours, and Twilight hadn’t been able to sense any magic beyond the light at the moment the spell was cast. Could it be possible that a charlatan like Trixie had somehow discovered an entirely new form of magic? If she had, then Twilight already knew her task was hopeless; this was how Rainbow Dash must have felt as she saw the unicorn levitating herself into the distance. It wasn’t an outright defeat. Trixie suggested ending the contest with two rounds remaining; a demonstration of mercy, or of pity. But as Twilight withdrew her challenge, she managed to make it seem like Twilight Sparkle wasn’t even worthy to become Trixie’s slave. Instead, she would be banished from Ponyville, and forbidden to return until she could live up to her boasts. Everypony jeered, even many Twilight had thought to be her friends. In a way, this was even worse than losing. Especially knowing that she’d agreed to let Trixie rule the town if she couldn’t beat her, and that was one reward that the trickster still wished to claim. Twilight Sparkle left Ponyville. It felt like she was walking away from her home, the only place she’d ever known. In reality it had only been six months since she first came here, but it felt like home in a way no other place could compare to. It must have been the influence of having so many friends, she had really felt a part of the town. And now it was all gone. She was banished, never to return unless she could match Trixie’s feats of magic, and that was absolutely, certainly impossible. Trixie could do things that magic simply could not do, and somehow that bothered Twilight almost as much as being driven out of the town she cared about. She didn’t give a second thought to the terrors of the Everfree Forest. On her very first month in Ponyville, they’d had to find the Castle of the Two Sisters, and everypony had been terrified to approach. But now, not even a year later, she had no fear of following the same path. Maybe it was because she knew now that most of the superstitions about the place were corrupted versions of old legends, or tales about fantastic beasts that most citizens of Ponyville simply didn’t understand. Or maybe it was that since Begins Night she and her friends had gathered a formidable power. Of all the terrors the dark forest held, surely none would prey upon a pony whom even Nightmare Moon had been unwilling to challenge. “You will halt if you’re wise, go no further there,” a voice from the shadows pulled Twilight out of her thoughts with a jump and a tiny scream, though she sincerely hoped nopony had noticed the latter, “Those flowers can make you regret if you dare.” Twilight peered between the trees, but she couldn’t make out who had spoken. The voice was strong and resonant, filled with confidence. But the rhyming at the end of the line, which seemed rather contrived, made her pretty confident that this couldn’t be a monster. A demon that wanted to raze her mind, or a wild beast hungering for pony flesh, wouldn’t take such efforts to make their words sound pleasant. Then she looked in the direction she’d been walking, peering closely at the bushes beside the path. Tiny red flowers that wavered in the wind. She wouldn’t normally have noticed, but only a few days before she’d been researching ways that someone like Trixie could cheat in a contest of magic. There were a number of flowers in this region whose toxic effects could seem like magic to the laypony, and Twilight had spent an hour looking at pictures of them. “Those leaves are sumac, if I’m not mistaken,” she commented, “My humblest thanks, as if I’d… I don’t have to speak in rhyme, do I?” The response was a deep, bubbly laughter. “Thank you again,” Twilight continued, “Because I couldn’t even keep it up for one line. I think my attention must be low, when I couldn’t even recognise one of the most toxic species in the woodlands. Though I don’t recognise this particular variant. In any case, kind stranger, can I ask your name? I’m Twilight Sparkle, and you’re the first pony I’ve met willing to exchange words with me since leaving Ponyville. If you are a pony, that is! I didn’t mean to assume –” the words caught in her throat as a shadowy figure became visible. She’d heard stories that all kinds of monsters lived in the woods, and one that particularly filled the Ponyville crowds with dread was… “They call me Zecora, and I’d be glad to share,” the strange looking creature, “The path to my home, and some tea once we’re there.” Twilight had heard of Zecora, of course. Everypony had. But this didn’t seem like the evil sorceress they’d described. She didn’t look like a monster, either. Could it be that ponies who had never met a zebra before would jump to entirely the wrong conclusions? It wasn’t far to a small hut under the forest canopy, decorated with all kinds of exotic items. To start with, Twilight was too nervous to talk about any of them, but after her host poured the tea she found herself starting to relax. It seemed like both of them had nobody to talk to at present, and both were suffering for the lack of companionship this night. So Twilight talked a little about why she’d had to leave Ponyville, and why she’d left her friends behind. And then Zecora mentioned how hard it was to do even basic shopping when ponies ran and hid every time she entered the town. She explained that she’d settled on a self sufficient lifestyle rather than bother others, and that it suited her quite well. Two strangers, both outcasts from Ponyville for reasons they didn’t fully understand. Right at that moment, Twilight Sparkle felt that Zecora might just be able to understand her worries better than any of her friends or neighbours. She kept asking about the duel with Trixie, even after Twilight had lost her temper at the recollection and yelled in tears about how that trick had been impossible. Zecora agreed. They had learned their magic in very different ways, but both knew about the limits of possibility. “For such a drastic change to stick, could substitution be the trick?” Zecora speculated, trying to find any rational solution that didn’t recall a trickster suddenly having miraculous powers. “No, I talked to Azure Thunder after the contest, while Trixie deliberated on my punishment. And when she was still a filly, she was out racing Rainbow Dash the day before. Dash might be enslaved to Trixie, but even then I’d think the Element of Loyalty wouldn’t allow her to help the mare cheat. She said it was certainly Azure Thunder, the same pony both before and after.” “If your friend is truly –” Zecora started, but going over the events out loud one more time had turned  out to be just the trigger Twilight needed. “Rainbow Dash racing against an earth pony, flying laps over the Everfree Forest? That makes no sense!” “So could it be your enemy’s deception, can change the –” “Changes what we remember seeing before. Maybe she’s got some magic that makes everypony believe her or something, something that can be hidden in her voice or her eyes, maybe. I might not even have noticed because I was watching out for her casting illusion spells when she was supposedly transforming the pony. If she was simply removing an existing illusion, it could have slipped past me. But even so, it’s pretty powerful magic. Rainbow Dash seemed sure that Trixie hadn’t cheated, which means she must have believed that she transformed an earth pony into a pegasus. Is there an illusion so powerful that it can even change what everypony already knows?” “Of course there can,” Twilight answered her own question. She knew she was babbling, thinking out loud, but once Zecora had led her to see the key fact in the whole situation, more thoughts came flooding out, each epiphany hot on the heels of the last. “It’s powerful magic though, so there’s still the question of where she could have learned something like that. Is deception really Trixie’s special talent?” “A pony’s talent could be so unique, but now it is proof of deception you seek.” “Proof, that’s the hard part. I agreed never to return to Ponyville if I lost, so the geas curse won’t even let me go back to tell everypony what happened.” Zecora was deep in thought now. She couldn’t be sure, but from the time they’d spent getting to know each other, Twilight Sparkle didn’t seem the kind of pony to make such a rash bet. Twilight Sparkle stayed with Zecora in her little hut in the forest. She couldn’t face the shame of returning to Canterlot in the current situation, and she really had nowhere else to go. She accepted that she wouldn’t have made a bet like that, she distinctly remembered entering a duel only to free Rainbow Dash. But that didn’t seem to matter to the geas, she couldn’t even approach Fluttershy’s house; it was as if the giant wooden stadium marked an impassable boundary. She stayed in the forest, and quickly fell into a routine. Twilight learned a little more about the properties of herbs from the zebra, who seemed to be something of an expert. In exchange, she helped out using her magic to complete daily chores more easily. And all the time she watched Trixie, any time she was on the stage and on the edge of the forest. Now that she knew what to look for, she was watching out every time Trixie felt the need to show off her powers, but she still couldn’t spot it. She couldn’t see the illusion on whatever pony or item Trixie was going to ‘change’ beforehand, either. But as she described what she’d seen each time to Zecora, it became even more clear that she had initially seen the truth, and later come to remember incorrectly what had been there before the transformation. It wasn’t an illusion spell, it was a memory spell, and that made Twilight even more determined to find out how it had been done. Trixie had managed to work magic on her without her noticing, and as soon as Twilight saw that, pride wouldn’t let her tolerate it. But she still couldn’t sense the spell, with every trick she tried. “In each of the stories I’ve heard from you,” Zecora offered a little suggestion as Twilight related what she’d seen of another of Trixie’s performances on the edge of the forest, “The things she says always seem to come true.” “You’re right!” Twilight dropped her pestle, but was just about quick enough to catch it before it hit the ground. “It’s the words. When she was supposedly changed Azure Thunder, she said something about seeing an earth pony transformed to a pegasus. Why would she need to tell us something we would have been able to see right away? She’s not throwing mind-altering magic out into the audience, that would just be too reckless and there’s no way she’d have the power. But changing her voice, enchanting her own words, might just be within the performer’s ability.” The next time Twilight wandered to the edge of the forest to watch a show, she had a secret weapon with which to test out her theory. Made from shavings of willow bark that gave shape to a flexible ball of resin, she was quite proud of her attempt to fashion usable earplugs. With just a dash of magic, she wouldn’t hear a thing Trixie said. So she watched the show, while Trixie juggled six balls using a simple levitation cantrip, and told the audience that they should be incredibly impressed because they’ve never seen a feat like that before. The crowd went wild, and nopony even seemed to realise that any magic had been done. But while Twilight watched, Trixie’s horn didn’t light up with any power other than that needed to keep her balls in the air. She watched very closely for the rest of the show, and eventually managed to sense a little surge of magic flowing out when Trixie let the power into her voice. It was a trick, that was obvious, but it wasn’t clear just how she was controlling the spell. It didn’t seem to interact with Trixie’s own magic at all, which explained why Twilight had such a hard time even spotting it. It wasn’t any of the types of cheating curses Twilight had studied in her multi-day cram session, and it wasn’t remotely like any spell she’d seen. It wasn’t entirely unfamiliar, though. It just wasn’t what Twilight had expected to find here. “You’re using a Gaia Memory!” she confronted Trixie the next day, “You have to stop, those things poison your mind.” “How did you get in here? You may not–” “I can’t pass your stage, but I can get into the backstage. And as I realise how you’ve tricked everypony, that geas is getting weaker.” “The contest rules clearly stated that the one who most impresses the audience wins. The Great and Powerful Trixie was victorious without transgressing in any way. You may make another challenge, if you wish. If you are able to reach the stage to make it, of course.” Twilight grinned and walked away before Trixie could call her guards. She didn’t want to make trouble now, she would have to leave it for a time everypony could see. Trixie had made one mistake, and this time Twilight didn’t believe it was a trap. She would just have to hope that nothing else went wrong before she had a chance to put her plan into action. “It’s a monster!” Apple Bloom ran screaming into the Golden Oak Library. Even with Twilight Sparkle banished, this place had remained a base of operations for the Elements of Harmony. Spike did his best to tidy up a little, but over the course of a week there were quite a number of books out of place. To most of the ponies who met here, it seemed a little more homely now that the books weren’t the room’s single focus. Rainbow Dash knew she would be moving on when Trixie needed her, so had resolved to stay here as often as she could, maximising the time spent in the company of her friends. “What?” Fluttershy gasped and dived behind a pile of books. After a couple of seconds, when there were no sounds of carnage, she poked her head up enough to see over the top and whispered: “Where?” “In the forest,” Apple Bloom was out of breath, as if she’d run all the way into Ponyville, “It’s that weird pony, the striped one. I saw her in the forest picking flowers, and Twi…” she hesitated, but managed to cover the delay with her heavy breathing, “And the outcast. They were picking flowers together, talking about some kind of curse or poison or something.” “Don’t exaggerate,” Applejack looked down sternly at her sister, “That Zecora’s strange, and maybe she’s got forbidden magic. Maybe she’s crazy, painting her coat like that to give good ponies the evil eye. But she ain’t a monster.” “She’s huge and she looks weird, how do you know she’s not got one of those Memory things?” “She’s got a point,” Rainbow Dash nodded from the cloud hammock she’d somehow suspended between a couple of bookshelves, “We’ve all seen the jewelry she wears, some of those wood carved things just scream ‘ancient evil magic’, don’t they?” “I don’t know,” Pinkie Pie answered, somehow managing to project a little sarcasm without any trace of it in her actual words. “I don’t think the Gaia Memories are that old. Maybe Celestia had some of them to fight against hundreds of years ago, but those were G3 Memories. The G3.5 are a bit of an upgrade, and we’ve seen the G4s are almost a completely different thing. Most unexplained magics might be ancient artifacts, but you could say just as easily the Gaia Memories are a new thing now. And I’m not even sure they’re evil, when you look at –” “That’s only words, anyway. The Elements are the only ones that’s different, and that’s only because of the Princess and the harmony tree. If somepony’s using a Memory, I say that makes them a monster. We can figure out if it’s their fault or not after we beat them.” Raridash soared over the town, heading straight for the Everfree Forest. If Apple Bloom was right, Zecora could be planning anything. For years, the inhabitants of Ponyville had gone into hiding when the stranger showed up, put off by her unusual manner and exotic fashions. But if she was a monster, only the Champions of Harmony could bring her to justice. It was their duty, and nothing more. They certainly weren’t going to visit the outcast, now that the Great and Powerful Trixie had forbidden everypony from seeking out or speaking to her. She followed the main paths, swooping beneath the trees and hurtling along a few inches from the ground, but there was nothing for her to find. Zecora lived in the Everfree, everypony knew, but nobody could say precisely where. Evening came. On the main street, the Cutie Mark Crusaders were setting up a stall made from a converted applecart. Today, they were conducting an experiment to discover if any of them had a special talent in science, though they hadn’t expected research to involve quite so much time giving things to everypony who passed. “Are you sure this is going to work?” Scootaloo asked, as there was a momentary break in the stream of ponies walking past, “We’re going to miss the start of Trixie’s show, and it’s supposed to be something special tonight. Maybe tonight’s the night she’ll fall on her face.” “We just got to hope,” Apple Bloom shrugged, “This is the only time there’s enough folks walking past at the same time, we need to give these to as many ponies as possible.” At the stage, things were less calm. Raridash had just touched down after one last circuit of the Everfree Forest, finally admitting that they weren’t going to find Zecora rampaging like a dopant. But as soon as they were on the ground, Trixie and her stage manager were yelling complaints and demands. Rainbow Dash hadn’t forgotten that she was expected to be personal attendant to the Great and Powerful Trixie tonight, or that she was going to be transformed as part of the show. The spell from her race three weeks ago wouldn’t let her forget or disobey an instruction; but she could still leave it to the last possible moment. Even as she was compelled to serve her new mistress, she felt a little rush of joy whenever Trixie lost her cool. “You are required in the dressing rooms now!” one of the interchangeable uniformed slaves snapped, and Rainbow Dash couldn’t resist the command any longer. The murmur of the audience was loud enough that it was clear the show had better start soon. She ejected the Element of Loyalty from the driver, and gave a shrug. “You’d best get AJ to help hunt for a while, I’ll see you after the show.” “I’m not sure if it’s worth the effort,” Rarity shrugged, feeling the transformation beginning to fade. A second later, and she’d be back in her own body at the boutique. Applejack would have already felt the Driver appear on her breast, but Rarity didn’t care enough whether she inserted her element quickly enough to continue the search or not. “Break a leg!” she said before she vanished. The Driver had other ideas: “GENEROSITYᏔJOKER!” “Aww, hay!” Rainbow Dash cursed as she looked around and found herself in the Everfree Forest, “What happened?” “You can thank your loyal friend,” she didn’t recognise the voice behind her, but focused first on the reassuring words, “Tonight, the trickster’s reign may end.” “What are you doing here?” Trixie snapped. If she had fangs she would have been baring them now, that much was evident from the tone. She had been hoping to revive her fans’ excitement with this show, as they seemed to be less obsessed with her show than she had hoped. She’d tried to plan how she would deal with any unforeseen calamity, but Twilight Sparkle coming back to the stage was the last thing she’d expected. “We’re here to show the world you’re a fraud,” GenerousJoker spoke in chorus, two voices coming from one mouth in quite a disconcerting way. “You cheated in that last duel. You used a Gaia Memory.” “Do you have a point?” Trixie grinned, “Trixie will determine later how you were able to bypass the barrier or banishment, but whatever trick you have will not avail you. The Great and Powerful Trixie wins every duel within the bounds of the rules, and there is no condition prohibiting the use of an amulet in these tournaments, as it only draws on the natural power of my own emotion. You can’t complain about it, and you are going to lose.” “You said I could have a rematch, but then you banned me from the town,” Twilight shrugged, “That hardly seems fair. But you forgot to account for the magic of friendship, and you can’t turn us down now without showing yourself as a hypocrite.” Trixie shook her head and snorted, seeing no way she could lose now. Rarity was nervous, not seeing how anything had changed since the previous time they tried this. But some of Twilight’s confidence rubbed off on her, and she found herself looking forward to the challenge. It wasn’t every day she could face off against a unicorn as powerful as Trixie in a straight magical duel and stand any chance of winning. The audience cheered louder than ever as three competitors, two of them sharing a body, appeared on the stage. “Behold!” Trixie’s voice boomed out with magical amplification, “The disgraced Twilight Sparkle has returned to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie again. Nopony will be impressed by her magic, and you are all looking forward to seeing Twilight Sparkle humiliated, but she still had the courage to come up here.” There was a little murmur of appreciation from the crowd, but they didn’t seem to be entirely supportive of Trixie’s grandstanding now. “However,” Trixie continued, “You already know that your collar and devices of a similar type are forbidden in this contest.” “These are forbidden?” Twilight asked, a thin trace of magic lifting her Element out of the Driver and holding it up. “JOKER!” the crystal sang, and Trixie realised that she couldn’t fairly ban the use of the driver without banning her own amulet as well. Of course, Trixie had never really considered playing fair. “Yes, and you must remove that amulet now. Everypony knows that the Great and Powerful Trixie is able to work her magic without the use of such trifles.” But as she was speaking, Rarity’s magic grabbed the ornate, star-spangled dress that she wore for her performances, and in seconds tweaked it into a more appealing style. A style that exposed her haunches, and allowed everypony watching to see the glowing red mark where a Gaia Memory sat just beneath her skin. “No,” Twilight declared loudly, “You can’t make us do anything now. I’ve sensed the magic in your voice, and you can’t trick us any more. If you want a duel, you’ve got to do it without amulets, fair and square.” A little way away, Applejack paused uncertainly. She wasn’t at the show, because she’d been too worried by the thought of her little sister running into monsters in the Everfree Forest. She knew she’d have to make some kind of rule to forbid the young ones from going out there again, at least as long as Zecora and Twilight were lurking out there, but she didn’t want to seem like the bad guy. Now she was looking at the driver on her neck, and wondering if she was supposed to be swapping in for Rainbow Dash. There had been no pulse from her collar first, so she’d thought about it for a few seconds before doing anything. The Driver appeared whenever the other left-half pony removed her Element from the slot, after all. It didn’t necessarily mean she needed help. But after a few seconds, Applejack decided that she’d had enough of being distant from the action. “GENEROSITYᏔHONESTY!” She looked around for a second, and the saw Trixie and the jeering crowd. She didn’t want to be humiliated in front of everypony, but she seemed to have dropped herself right in the middle of a difficult situation. But then she saw the glowing mark on Trixie’s flank, and the situation was clear and simple again. “Everypony can see,” Trixie was yelling, “you are attempting some demonic sorcery in order to defy the rightful rule of the Great and Powerful Trixie, and the whole town must come together to show you that you are unwelcome here.” “No demons,” Rarity answered, “Just earplugs. If your voice is muffled, the magic doesn’t come through.” Trixie didn’t seem to care though, and just stood there smirking as she waited for the crowd to rise up and lynch the Champions who had dared to challenge her. “It’s an awful cold evening,” an answering shout came from the back of the stands, “Everypony’s been glad of a scarf to keep their ears warm.” Trixie turned to look, and saw three fillies standing on the very back row. As they had said, almost the whole crowd had their heads – and ears – covered with thick wool. “You brainwashed the whole town to hate Twilight,” Rarity continued, repeating what Twilight had told her a few minutes before, “But you missed out the kids. And Apple Bloom was the one smart enough to talk to Zecora instead of running away. Now everypony knows the truth, they know you cheated in the duel by using a Gaia Memory after you said they were banned, so  your geas won’t work any more. You’re all out of tricks now. Give up the Memory if you want a fair challenge.” Trixie wasn’t beaten yet. There was a pulse of magic between the Memory and her horn, and its grating voice called out as she began to change into her perfect, ultimate form: “TRICKS!” A pattern of stars began to spread across her coat from the site of her ravaged cutie mark, a confusing tessellation of lines that for a moment made it difficult to tell if she was actually growing larger, or it was just some kind of optical illusion. But at the same time, her stage costume twisted and writhed around her as if it was alive, restricting the movement of her growing body. Trixie was clearly larger now, as the robe that had been so imperious even moments before was now a few skimpy lines of fabric, accentuating her figure. Seeing herself like that, Trixie was distracted for a moment. It reminded her of her early days in show business, when she’d expected that the only way would be up. She’d started out as a conjurer’s beautiful assistant, knowing even then that some day soon she would be both the beauty and the brains of her show. She’d never even considered having to enslave ponies to make them watch her; she’d wanted to bring joy to audiences around the world. She would never have thought about doing something like this before Castle Tail died, and it was all Twilight Sparkle’s fault. ‘No,’ her inner voice reminded her. Even after her ignominious defeat, she’d thought about finding a new gimmick, working her way back up and rebuilding her reputation. She hadn’t thought about revenge, certainly not like this. But once she’d got the amulet, it was so easy, and why would she let such an easy chance to get what she’d wanted go past. Trixie realised with horror that she hadn’t given a moment’s thought to whether revenge, or adoration, or an army of slaves, was what she really wanted. She’d just seen it within reach and taken it. The amulet gave her whatever she wanted, but ever since she’d first used it, looking back, it seemed she’d been straying further from the path she really wanted to be on. Maybe she could try again, using that power to make a better show rather than trying to control a town. But the power was rising now, it was too late to stop it and it felt like she was drunk on the energy now flooding into her body. She reared up and screamed defiance at the sky, ready to use her words to change reality and tear down the ego of any who dared oppose her. Two hooves caught her squarely in the chest, lifting her off the ground. She blinked as she flew up into the air, and then fell back down to see the ridiculous half-and-half pony staring a her with a calm practicality that was quite chilling. She closed her eyes, and just waited the drawn-out seconds until the second blow caught her flank. “How d’you like that Maximum Drive?” Applejack smirked as Trixie’s trajectory carried her straight off the stage into one of the trees on the edge of the forest. There was a snapping sound that the Champion could only hope was wood and not bone, and the Gaia Memory leapt out to land on the ground. Everypony hesitated before coming any closer; they’d seen Trixie start to turn into a monster, and that overrode any desire they’d had to help the fallen idol. But Rarijack rushed closer, hoping to see that the memory had broken properly even though she hadn’t been able to hear the distinctive crack of shattering crystal. “Well, that’s different,” Rarity lifted the Tricks Memory with her magic. There were no visible cracks in it, but the outer surface was melted like a glass dropped into fire, covered with bubbles and blackened. “There were some in Princess Celestia’s museum like that,” Twilight Sparkle commented as she trotted up to take a look, “Maybe some Memories are different from others? I’d like to investigate, but the important thing is that it’s broken. Now, is she okay?” “You’d forgive her so quick?” Applejack could barely believe it. She’d disliked Trixie from the first moment she arrived in town, and Twilight had certainly suffered more under the showmare’s short lived rulership. “No. But there’s a difference between not liking somepony and actually hurting them,” Twilight turned and shouted back towards the crowds around the stage, “We need a doctor over here!” “I wish all our battles could go that quick,” Rainbow Dash was the first to say it, of course. They were back in the basement of the Golden Oak Library now, chatting idly about the latest dopant and about whatever crossed their minds while Twilight typed out her report to Princess Celestia. Fluttershy was catching up on some much needed (if fitful) sleep in Twilight’s room upstairs, while Trixie’s former slaves worked on dismantling the monstrous theatre at the bottom of her garden. “Maybe that’s why the Gaia Memory melted instead of breaking?” Twilight peered at it through her magnifying glass again. She’d spent most of her time in the past week examining the thing, trying to understand how its insidious magic had worked. As always when she was engrossed in a project, she’d fallen asleep at her desk a few times lately. “But I don’t think it was the battle that was the hard part this time.” There came a soft tap on the door, almost like somepony didn’t really want to be heard. If Twilight had been typing at that moment, the sound would probably have been lost under the rattle of the keys. When she opened the door, Trixie was standing at the top of the stairs. Half the ponies in the room gritted their teeth, and Applejack was instinctively preparing for another fight. But Trixie didn’t have her star-spangled robe and hat, and kept her gaze on the ground in front of her hooves. “I didn’t realise you were out of the hospital,” Twilight tried to stay as diplomatic as possible. “The Great an–” she started to speak, then saw the expressions everyone was giving her and mumbled, backtracking. “The Greatly Overhyped Trixie wishes to make an apology. To Twilight Sparkle, to the Champions of Harmony, and to all of Ponyville. To seize power and demand worship, this is not Trixie’s way.” “The Gaia Memories corrupt your desires, strip away everything else until only the darkest parts of your personality remain,” Twilight was almost shocked with how easily that explanation came to her lips now, as if she’d said it too many times to need any further thought. “You weren’t in control as long as you used that thing. I don’t think you would have treated everypony like that on your own.” “No,” she murmured softly, “And now Trixie must leave Ponyville. Without banishment, which is a surprise. But now Trixie wishes to learn more real magic, and to have a talent that will help people as much as Twilight’s does. Magic that saves anypony from that darkness, it seems that is something to strive after more than a simple show.” And seeing the expressions still blank, she elaborated: “Trixie wishes to find a way to help others with her talents, and to make a difference in the world.” “Good luck,” it was all Twilight could think of to say. In her mind, she was again revisiting the unlikely coincidence that would have Trixie acquire a Gaia Memory in the same year her only friend had come across one. That trauma would be terrible, and proved that the fates really did have a twisted sense of humour. But now, she could only hope that Trixie would be spared any further nightmares as she walked away. “Good luck.”