12 - Showdown!
“Extra, extra! Read all about it! The Great and Powerful Trixie challenged to magic duel tonight in the Ponyville Park!”
Ponies swarmed around Featherweight’s stand as he and his partner, Shady Daze, sold papers left and right to the curious ponies of the town excited to read up on this supposed duel for themselves. After Trixie’s previous had been suddenly cancelled, ponies had initially thought that the showmare had turned tail and fled the town in a cowardly manner, but after seeing her still walking about, with Rainbow Dash no less, questions began to fill the townsponies’ minds and they were hungry for answers.
“What’s this?” Twilight asked as she grabbed a newspaper and paid a bit to the colts running the stand. “A duel? I haven’t heard anything about a duel. Have you Spike?”
Spike, who was standing beside Twilight holding a stack of papers, shook his head. “I haven’t heard anything about it either.”
Twilight scanned across the article, her eyes narrowing as she came across the name of Trixie’s competition. “‘Chime Philharmonica’?”
“Wait, ‘Philharmonica’?” Spike asked. “As in like Octavia Philharmonica?”
“I don’t think I recall ever hearing about Octavia having any relatives by that name,” Twilight said, “And I’m a big fan of hers. There’s something about this name that bothers me, though. I’m sure I’ve heard it somewhere.”
“Twilight, I think maybe we should move on,” Spike said, noting the crowd of ponies still gathering around the newspaper stand, some waiting less-than-patiently for the two to make room for others to get through. “We’ll see this pony for ourselves later, right?”
Twilight continued staring at the name for a few seconds before conceding and folding the newspaper into her bag. “I guess so. But that name… Maybe there’s something back in the library that can help me.”
Preshow jitters were all the rage for Trixie Lulamoon back in her days at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. During her first ever performance, Trixie felt as though she were going to pass out from nervousness. Naturally, though, this was something that Trixie overcame with many years of practice.
Just as naturally, they returned when a certain incident brought forth a dark age of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s performances, but even then she had to put on her best face to pretend that nothing was wrong. Her nerves were still running high, though, because every performance felt like it could very well have been her last.
This day was no different for Trixie, or at least it wasn’t, but something miraculous happened whilst she was going over her final plans for the upcoming duel. A certain blue pegasus that Trixie had come to know well recently had stopped by to offer her some comfort, and against Trixie’s expectations, this same pegasus managed to destroy those nerves plaguing Trixie’s mind in a matter of seconds, smashing Trixie’s best record of taking a full minute in order to calm down. And all that it required was a single kiss.
Or two.
Or three.
Trixie lost count after tongues entered the mix, and her hoof was running through Rainbow Dash’s mane – which Trixie made a mental note to brush properly when this whole thing was over.
“Trixie really should…” Trixie stopped when Rainbow Dash kissed her one more time. “… Should be getting ready right n-now.” Trixie flinched as she felt Rainbow’s forehead brush against the base of her horn, an act that the pegasus seemed to be doing on purpose.
“You got some time, right?” Rainbow asked as she pulled back and stared into Trixie’s eyes with a sultry look on her face. “I’m just helpin’ ya unwind a bit.”
“Trixie needs to spend all of today before the show preparing herself,” Trixie countered. “A decent lunch, a trip to the spa and receive the full treatment, warming up my magic-”
“Is that even a thing?” Rainbow asked. “I thought magic was always warmed up.”
“But when you’re casting multiple spells together and in quick succession, you have to prepare your timing. And the timing is different on a day-to-day basis, based on many factors, such as the unicorn’s mental state, their health, their-” Trixie was cut off by a pair of lips suddenly assaulting her own.
“I didn’t ask for a lesson on magic,” Rainbow said as she pulled back. “Okay, so you got a lot to do. You’ll still make it, even if you spend just a little time with me.”
Trixie chuckled and scooted closer to Rainbow Dash, pressing their noses together. “Did somepony feel lonely last night?”
“What can I say? There’s somethin’ you unicorns do that just make hooves not enough.”
“We are the best race,” Trixie said.
“Just under pegasi,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Unicorns, under pegasi?” Trixie scoffed, but then gasped as she felt herself being pushed down onto her back, her forehooves being pinned to her bed by Rainbow’s as the pegasus grinned down at the trapped unicorn.
“Yeah, that’s about right,” Rainbow said as she leaned down to kiss Trixie’s neck.
Trixie gasped and resisted the urge to moan in pleasure. ‘D-Darn it. I really do have to prepare for this upcoming match, but…’ As Trixie felt a tongue licking her ear, she relaxed and gave in. ‘Oh well. The Great and Powerful Trixie will still win, either way. She can spare an hour or two just fooling around.’
And so the time of the fateful duel arrived. Ponies took the park by storm as they gathered from all corners of Ponyville to bear witness to a duel between two ponies that had supposedly graduated from the most advanced magic academy in the country.
Whether it was out of respect for Rainbow Dash’s new friend – or marefriend for those in the know – or because they were genuinely interested in what was about to transpire, Trixie noticed that nopony seemed to have come prepared to cause any trouble or incite a mob. She was thankful for that.
“Nervous?” Melody asked from her spot beside Trixie on the stage. “I guess you’re used to being booed off before you can even begin, huh? But relax. If anypony starts any trouble, two masters of the magical arts like us can take care of them. I certainly wouldn’t mind teaming up with you to dispel any hecklers.”
“Trixie can take care of such things herself,” Trixie said. “You’re going to leave the town alone now, right?”
“Providing you’re indeed the real Trixie,” Melody said with a grin. “Just a joke. The town doesn’t concern me outside of being a suitable hostage, and I’ll certainly gain nothing from destroying it now, so you can relax.”
“So how is this going to go down?” Trixie asked.
Melody paused for a second to look Trixie up and down. “You seem calm,” she noted. ‘Still, she is out of practice. I want this to be a good match, so…’ “Let’s start with a performance. You go first, and then I will. You see the pillars to either side of the stage?”
Trixie turned to her right and took note of the huge pillar at the side of the stage. She then looked to her left, past Melody, and saw a similar pillar on the other end. “What about them?”
“They will light up when the audience cheers. We have one pillar each. We can judge whose performance is better from those.”
“And what kind of performance are we putting on?” Trixie asked.
“Whatever kind you want,” Melody said. “Naturally, I’ll be armed with my beautiful music.”
Trixie put a hoof to her chin. ‘That’s it? That’s all this is? This will be easy. Let’s see… If it’s just one act, then a story is the obvious choice. I can immerse the crowd with my magic. But what kind of story should I perform?’ Trixie’s ears shot up as she heard a whistle and her eyes scanned the crowd. She found Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie waving towards her from the crowd, standing beside Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy.
“GOOD LUCK!” Pinkie Pie shouted.
“Kick her butt!” followed Rainbow Dash, prompting a grin to spread across Trixie’s face.
“Your mare is there cheering for you,” Melody noted. “How sweet.”
“… The Great and Powerful Trixie is ready now,” Trixie said, still grinning as she stared out into the crowd. ‘If Trixie is going to tell a story of wonder, there’s really no better choice than that.’
“Well then, I’ll clear the stage for you,” Melody said with a bow. She turned around and slowly departed from the stage. “You may begin whenever you’re ready.”
“Looks like it’s about to start,” a stallion from the crowd said.
“It’s that mare that imprisoned us,” a mare called out. “Is this going to be safe?”
“I wonder what she’s going to do?” another mare asked.
Trixie raised her hoof, hushing the crowd instantly. “Fillies and gentlecolts,” she called out, using a microphone pinned to her cape to amplify her voice. “… Welcome! This is the story of a young filly who was tossed aside by the world, but later found hope, in the form of a single pony that resembled a multi-coloured angel! A tale of near-tragedy, averted by a single act of kindness.
“This is: ‘Out in the Cold’.”
A small snowflake fluttered down from the sky and landed on Rainbow Dash’s nose. The pegasus raised a hoof up to grab the little flake and examined it as it melted in her hoof. “Snow? It’s not the right time of year for snow…”
“It was during a harsh, cold wintery night that our story begins,” Trixie announced from the snow-covered stage, though she wasn’t alone. By her side was a pony about the size of a foal no older than ten, her appearance masked by a black cloak and a shadow cast over her face. “Like the previous winter, Lula was all alone. She had no family to turn to, and only a broken down shack to protect herself from the cold.”
“I’m so hungry,” Lula muttered as she walked towards the left side of the stage. “I’m also cold, and I’m tired. But I can’t rest yet. If I don’t find some food for the winter, I’ll starve.”
“Lula, you see, had lost her family to the cold hoof of fate,” Trixie continued. “With no other family to turn to, Lula was left to fend for herself. But no matter where the young pony went, some would simply turn their heads and dismiss her without a second thought, whilst others would laugh and chase the filly away. She was truly alone.”
“Why won’t anypony accept me?” Lula asked, falling to the knees in the snow piled up on the stage. “Why am I cast aside wherever I go? Mama told me that my friends would be my strength, but does that mean that without any, I’m just a weak critter destined to be taken by nature’s merciless sword?”
“A year of loneliness. A year of isolation, and rejection. Lula slowly came to one shocking realisation.”
“Nopony will ever accept me,” Lula said, her voice low and monotone as she turned towards the crowd. A harsh wind blew her hood away, revealing a pale-green face and a long, messy grey mane. The horn on Lula’s head glowed a faint aqua colour and her eyes narrowed as flames seemed to spark up in her pupils. “Nopony will ever accept me, not of their own free will. I must make them accept me.”
A chill descended Rainbow Dash’s spine, but not just from the cold wind blowing around her. “Hey,” Pinkie Pie whispered to her, “Isn’t that filly supposed to be Trixie?”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “W-What? Why would you think that?”
“They just seem so similar,” Pinkie Pie said. “Their eyes look alike, and they feel the same.”
Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. “That’s just stupid,” she said, though as she looked closer at Lula and thought back to her first meeting with Trixie in Detrot, her certainty began to waver.
“If there is no place in this world for me, then I will simply have to make a place!” Lula reached out towards a glowing object that had materialised before her. “What’s this?”
“Take my power, child,” a mysterious, echoed voice called out. “Use my power, and create a place in this world where you belong.”
“This light… it’s so warm,” Lula said as she continued to reach out towards the light. With a gasp, she quickly pulled away. “No, wait! I know what you want! You want to turn me into a simply pawn for your own dark desires, don’t you?!”
“What you say is correct,” the voice answered, “But consider this: even should you survive the current winter and live to see spring, what exactly do you have to look forward to?” Lula had no answer for that. “Is another year of solitude and despair really worth keeping your soul?”
Lula averted her eyes and the wind blowing against her stopped, along with the snow falling from the sky. “… You’re right,” she said. “No matter where I go or what I do, I am always destined to be alone. If that is the case, then I might as well take whatever happiness I can by force!” Lula turned towards the light. “Give me your power! With it, I can finally defeat this despair!”
“It’s not quite that simple,” a new voice said, startling Lula. Rainbow Dash gasped as she saw the source of the voice: a young pegasus mare, no older than herself, with a white coat and golden hair, her body entwined by rainbow-coloured trails of light. She approached the filly from the right and hovered in the air before her. “You can’t take the world on by yourself, no matter what kind of power you have. In the end, you’ll just cause yourself more pain, before losing yourself entirely.”
“And who are you, huh?!” Lula asked, stepping towards the pegasus.
“I’m a friend,” the pegasus responded, stopping Lula in her tracks. “I saw that you were in pain, so I came to help you.”
“Yeah right! Nopony ever stops to help me, so why should you be any different?!”
“Because I am different,” the pegasus told the filly. “I don’t turn my back on a pony who is suffering, and I don’t just stand by and watch as they make their lives even worse.”
“And I’m just supposed to believe that?” Lula asked.
“You can believe what you want,” the pegasus answered, “But I’m not going to leave your side until your life is back on track, nor am I going to let you give in to false promises from a dark artefact.”
“… But what can you do?” Lula asked. “I’ve tried everything, but no matter how hard I try…”
“That’s because you’ve always tried everything alone,” the pegasus answered. “But life isn’t like that. There are things you can only do with another by your side.” The rainbow lights around the pegasus began to glow brighter, and the snow around the filly started to melt.
“But how can I trust you?” Lula asked.
“What have you got to lose?” the pegasus responded. “Tell you what: give me a week, and if things don’t start looking up by then, you can ditch me. How’s that sound?”
“The young pony’s mind was in turmoil, but she ultimately accepted the pegasus’ offer,” Trixie said as the two ponies walked side-by-side across the stage, the lighting changing from light to dark and back to light several times. “A week passed, and the two grew to know each other even better. At first the filly was determined to keep a wall of ice shielding her heart from the pegasus at all times, but as she talked more with her, and the two began to laugh and learn more things about each other together, the pegasus’ smile was slowly able to melt that wall.
“By the time the week had ended, it was time for Lula to make her decision.” Lula removed her cloak and threw it aside. “Would she stay and accept help from the strange mare who had appeared out of nowhere, or would she seek the warm comfort of the darkness that promises power?”
“I don’t feel any stronger,” Lula told the pegasus, “But I feel… more secure around you.”
“And why’s that?” the pegasus asked.
“… Because I know that even if I’m too weak to fend for myself, I can always turn to you.” Lula nodded, smiling up at the pegasus mare. “You’ll never betray me, that much is clear. And if I have you backing me up, I don’t need to turn to darkness or to view everypony as an enemy. And maybe… maybe there are others like you out there. Other ponies I can rely on, who I just need to find.”
The pegasus nodded and stepped forward to lay a hoof on the filly’s head. “That’s right. Even if some ponies cast you aside, you shouldn’t do the same. Because somewhere out there is a pony that wants to be your friend, and if you turn them away of your own accord, you’re just furthering your own loneliness.”
“Gee, she makes Rainbow Dash sound like a wise old sage,” Applejack said in a flat tone.
“Wait, what?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“The pegasus is clearly a representation of you, darling,” Rarity explained.
Rainbow’s eyes widened as she turned to the pegasus on the stage. “Wait, what?!”
“And so,” Trixie began, stepping forward as her illusions began to fade away, “Young Lula was able to live a happy, fulfilling life, no longer shackled by the feelings of bitterness and torment that nearly pushed her into the dark abyss of revenge. And all that it took for this miracle to occur, was a single angel, in the form of a pony, to reach out and offer the filly one small thing: her support and acceptance.”
The crowd cheered and clapped their hooves as Trixie took a bow. Melody also applauded as she watched Trixie approaching her. “That was a sweet little tale,” she said as Trixie passed her by. “Also very corny. I wonder what your inspiration for it was?”
Trixie simply shrugged. “Maybe Trixie found some little orphaned filly on her travels. It really is so hard to keep up with everypony Trixie has met.”
“Well, the audience seemed to like it,” Melody said as she walked onto the stage. “Let’s see if I can’t top that with my heart-melting music, hm?”
Twilight was galloping towards the crowd in the park when she heard the sound of a beautiful melody entering her ears. “This song… It must be Melody’s! I have to hurry!” Twilight approached the crowd and tried to push past the ponies there to find her friends. “Excuse me, can I come through please?” she asked, not receiving an answer from any of the ponies around her.
Upon closer examination, the ponies appeared to be in a trance of sorts. Every last pony gathered was focused on the stage, where Melody was playing a song through her flute. The song was indeed nice, and Twilight herself found it hard to ignore the melody as she continued ot push through the crowds.
A rainbow tail caught her eyes and she continued to struggle through the crowds, making her way over to Rainbow Dash with some effort. “Rainbow!”
Rainbow Dash heard the voice calling her and turned around. “There you are!” she said, her other friends turning to face Twilight, too. “What took ya? You missed Trixie’s performance.”
“It was a rather nice tale,” Rarity said. “And quite obvious who it was based on,” she added in a sly tone, directing a sideways glance towards Rainbow Dash.
“But this mare’s not so bad, either,” Applejack commented, turning back to the stage. “Chime Philharmonica’s pretty good at the flute.”
“That’s not her name,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes as she stared at the mare on the stage. “I thought I had heard the name before, so I did some reading at the library on famous musicians.”
“And what did you find?” Rarity asked.
“I found that ‘Chime Philharmonica’ is a fictional character in a play that was held by a class of students in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. She never really existed,” Twilight told the girls. “More than that, I found that there was a mare in that same class named ‘Melody’, who was both the actress and the inspiration behind this character. Moreso than that, though, she’s also a wanted criminal.”
The girls all gasped, especially Rarity. “A-A wanted criminal?!” she shouted, prompting Applejack to place a hoof over her mouth quickly as ponies around them turned to look.
As soon as the curious onlookers turned away, Applejack removed her hoof and whispered to Twilight, “Y’all are pullin’ our legs, right?”
“I wish I were,” Twilight said. “Melody’s face was familiar to me, and for some reason it made me think of my brother. That’s when I remembered seeing a wanted ponies list in his office, and sure enough when I requested a copy from the princess, her face was on it!”
“Melody’s or the princess’?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“… Melody’s,” Twilight answered flatly.
“A wanted criminal?” Rainbow Dash asked, turning to the stage where Melody was still performing her music. “… No way I’m lettin’ this go on!” Rainbow Dash took off into the air, only to be stopped by Applejack’s teeth clamped onto her tail.
“Hold on there!” Applejack shouted as she pulled Rainbow Dash back down. “Ah don’t think that’d be a good idea! Not with all these ponies around!”
“Applejack’s right,” Rarity said. “If what Trixie said was true, this mare has the entire town hostage!”
“What?!” Twilight shouted. “You knew about this?! And you didn’t say anything?!”
“Well, we weren’t aware that she was a wanted criminal,” Rarity defended. “Trixie asked us not to interfere, so we complied with her wishes, but… this changes things.”
“… Well, what’s done is done. I suppose stopping the show now would be dangerous,” Twilight conceded. “For now, I think it would be for the best to simply watch. If Trixie, or anypony else, appears to be in dangerous, we’ll intervene. Okay, Rainbow Dash.”
Rainbow Dash, who was gritting her teeth as she glared at the musical mare finishing her performance on the stage, huffed. “Yeah, okay.”
“It seems to be a close match,” Trixie declared as she watched the two pillars on either side of the stage illuminating at equal intensities. “But the difference between songs and stories is that stories can have epilogues and sequels,” Trixie added. “Trixie can keep her act going all day.”
“Who said that this would be the heart of the competition?” Melody asked as she lowered her flute and closed her eyes. “That was merely the warm-up act, both for us and for the audience.”
“Warm-up? So there’s more?” Trixie asked, receiving a nod from Melody. “Very well. Enlighten Trixie as to what the next challenge shall be.”
“Well, seeing as we’re both mares who major in the same type of magic, I feel that a little one-on-one would be a fitting way to determine who is the stronger unicorn.”
“‘The same type of magic’? But Trixie thought that you specialised in sound-based magic.” Trixie noticed the aura around Melody’s horn grow bigger and took a cautious step back. “Like Vinyl Scratch, you can use your magic to enhance you music or to give it special properties.”
“That’s what you thought?” Melody asked. She shook her head and gave a soft laugh. “Sorry, but you were mistaken. That’s only how it appears to be because I like to channel my magic through my music. In actuality, though, my magic is of the same type of yours… sensory manipulation.”
“In other words, illusions,” Trixie muttered, followed by a quick gasp. “I see. That’s how your hypnosis is so powerful at such a young age. You break your target’s grasp on reality, and from there you simply slip suggestions into their minds that they blindly follow. Their own minds are in turmoil, she they don’t have the strength to fight against it.”
“Well-deduced,” Melody said. The light from her horn exploded outwards. Trixie turned as she heard the audience gasp and yelp, her eyes widening as she witnessed the streams of golden energy that sparked and crackled furiously. “This cage will keep any interplopers out. I do so hate the audience ruining a perfectly good performance, don’t you?”
“That much energy could power an entire city,” Trixie commented as she scrutinized the cage now surrounding herself.
“Don’t worry,” Melody said, “It’s only one-way. If you touch it from inside, you’ll simply pass right through. So do go ahead and flee, if you feel you have no chance.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie, fleeing from a battle?” Trixie scoffed. “Trixie wasn’t aware there was a comedy challenge in this little competition of yours.”
“Then I’ll just make this quick.” Melody raised her flute to her mouth once more. “No rules. No restrictions. First to either admit defeat, be rendered unable to fight, or to flee the arena is the loser. Are you ready to begin?”
“Does Princess Celestia find amusement in pranking her guards?” Trixie asked.
Princess Celestia giggled as she approached the two guards standing like statues at the end of the hall, creeping quietly so as to not alert them to her presence.
‘This is going to be so fun,’ Celestia thought as she stopped behind the two guards. Her nose began to tingle and she could stop the inevitable release of the sneeze that had been building up.
The two guards turned around and pointed their spears, freezing up and immediately retracting their weapons as they saw who it was behind them. “P-Princess Celestia! Please forgive us!” one of the guards said as they both bowed in unison. “… If you don’t mind my asking, why do you have a megaphone, Princess?”
“O-Oh, this?” Celestia asked, smiling sheepishly as she held her megaphone in the air with her magic. “Just, uh… a little test to see if you were on your guard! You passed. Well done.” Celestia turned around and walked away from the two confused guards, her smile falling into a pout as she stared at the unused megaphone still in her magical hold. ‘Darn you, dust bunnies. You win this time.’
“Let’s go already!” Trixie continued.
“In that case,” Melody said, “Let the battle begin!” Melody brought her flute to her mouth and blew into it, producing a sharp noise that forced Trixie to pin her ears to the sides of her head.
“You’ll have to do better than that!” Trixie shouted as a glow from her horn produced a small bubble that spread out around her, blocking the sound that was assaulting her ears. She gasped as she witnessed the panels of the wooden stage beneath her crumbling away, but acted quickly by jumping backwards before the floor she was standing on disappeared and landed on a small stone platform that had formed behind her.
“I have more where that came from,” Melody boasted as she blew into her flute once more. This time, Trixie could see blurs in the air coming towards her.
“Attacking me with vibrations? Won’t work!” Trixie quickly used her magic to direct all of her barrier’s focus on the front, fending off the incoming attack with only some of it breaking through, causing her to wince and take a few steps back.
“What’s going on?!”
“Are they really fighting? Like, for real?”
“Shouldn’t somepony stop this?”
Rainbow Dash had had enough. There was only so far her patience could take her, and seeing another pony assaulting her marefriend before her eyes was definitely beyond those bounds. “I’m not gonna watch this anymore!”
Twilight nodded in understanding. “She’s taken this too far. If we don’t stop this, somepony could wind up hurt!”
Rainbow Dash lifted into the air and took off as quickly as she could towards the stage, a determined look in her eyes as she watched Trixie retaliate to Melody’s attacks by launching a large ball of fire towards her.
“No interfering, please!” Melody shouted as she deflected the fireball into the air with a sudden strong gust of wind. Rainbow Dash ignored her and continued to fly, that is until she came to a sudden stop when she collided with something invisible surrounding the stage.
Trixie gasped as she watched Rainbow Dash falling from the air and towards the ground. “Dash!” she shouted, panic in her voice. A couple of pegasi moved quickly to catch their fallen comrade, and Trixie released a sigh of relief when she saw that Rainbow Dash was still moving. “Thank goodness she’s hard-headed.”
“You should be focussing on me,” Melody said in a threatening tone as her horn sparked to life yet again.
“You’re really starting to get on Trixie’s nerves,” Trixie said as she turned back to Melody, horn flaring as small snowflakes descended down onto the stage. “Trixie thought that you merely wanted to prove which of us was the best, but she never imagined you would take things to this extent.”
“Isn’t it the Great and Powerful Trixie that once said: ‘If you’re going to come at me, hold nothing back. If two opponents do not give it their all, a true winner cannot be declared.’?”
“But to the point that our lives are on the line?” Trixie asked.
“That just makes it more interesting!” Melody declared. “When a hunter catches its game, does he not mount its head on his wall for all to see?”
“Trixie’s head will be decorating no walls!” Trixie raised her left forehoof and stamped it down, creating a shockwave that forced a series of stalagmites to shoot forth from the stage’s floor towards Melody.
“Ever since we first competed, I knew that you were something special!” Melody shouted as she moved quickly to avoid the stalagmites, stopping for a moment to shiver as the cold air started to get to her. “You were strong, and full of dreams and aspirations! Even though you never received the training to truly bring out your skills, you never let that stop you! You pushed on and never gave up!
“And when you beat me that first time, I knew then who my target was!” Melody used her magic to light a fire on the floor, hoping to heat herself up and protect herself from the harsh cold that Trixie was producing. Instead, the fire died out only moments after it had been ignited. “My boring life became more interesting, and I was determined to show you how strong I became every time we fought!
“But you never remembered me, did you?! To you, I was just another face in the crowd. Just another wannabe magician for you to triumph over in your shows. But now, things will end differently.”
“So basically, you’re upset that Trixie beat you so many times and now just want payback?!” Trixie asked.
Melody simply laughed. “Revenge? Payback? Hardly! I never said that I was upset at my losses, but what bothers me is that you never remembered me! But this time, I’ll make sure you remember me, by defeating you here and now! And if I have to take your life to do that, then so be it!”
“And just how do you intend to defeat Trixie when you can barely even move your body?” Trixie asked, her horn glowing even brighter as the cold wind blew harder across the stage. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no weaknesses! Any strategy you may have, I can assure you, it will not work!”
“Even Hercoltes had his weaknesses,” Melody said with a grin. “While my power comes from a desire to win your attention, your power comes from a similar yet somewhat redirected desire.”
“What do you-” Trixie stopped as something flew past her face. A red blur that caught her by surprise. She had almost dropped her spell, but managed to keep it going even as more objects flew past her, some of them even hitting on the side. “What the?” Trixie turned her head to find the source of the many objects being thrown her way.
Her eyes widened as she saw the same thing she has grown used to seeing for the past year. Tomatoes, apples, popcorn, screwed up fliers or pieces of paper, and all manner of things were being thrown at Trixie by practically every single pony in the crowd.
No. Not ‘practically’. Every single pony out there was throwing something at Trixie, and not out of joy or amusement. The looks in their eyes… were ones of pure, undeniable hatred. Scorn, loathing, resentment. The stallions and the mares in the crowd all shouted horrible things and demanded that Trixie leave as they threw things at her, as did the fillies and colts at the front.
Even young Snips and Snails, her two supposedly biggest fans in the entire town. Even Pinkie Pie, who had thrown Trixie such a welcoming welcome party, and Rarity, who had become something of a gossip-buddy with Trixie as of late. Twilight Sparkle, who was perhaps the most eager to talk to Trixie again. She, too, was joining in with the crowd.
“GET OUT OF HERE!” That last cry came from none other than Rainbow Dash, who had thrown a rotten pie at just the right time as Trixie raised her head to look at her, hitting the showmare in the face. “I CAN’T BELIEVE I EVER FELL FOR YOU! YOU’RE THE WORST!”
Sweat and tears ran down Trixie’s face and her legs began to shake. “No,” she whispered, taking a step back. “I-It can’t be. I thought that Dash said that-” Trixie gasped. It hit her as suddenly as the hard apple did her thigh. ‘An illusion!’
“Bingo,” Trixie heard Melody say. Trixie turned around, but found nothing. Suddenly, all was silent, and water filled Trixie’s vision as she found her movements becoming harder to perform. “You are driven by the love you receive from your audience. This past year has been difficult for you because of the rejection you’ve received, and that’s why it is so easy to strike your weak point for great damage.”
“Damn it!” is what Trixie wanted to shout at that point, but as she opened her mouth, as that came out were some bubbles and the light gargling sounds. Trixie immediately closed her mouth as she realised where she was. Suspended in the air, just a few feet above the stage, Trixie Lulamoon was trapped within a sphere of water.
Or so it seemed.
‘This is just another illusion!’ Trixie thought to herself as she closed her eyes and focussed. Illusion or not, it felt real, and even if she knew it was not real, with her mind in such disarray after that last assault, dispelling the illusion would prove difficult.
‘Focus, focus!’ Trixie thought as she tried to muster up the strength to break the illusion. But it was no good. Images of the angry mob scorning her and telling her to leave re-entered her mind. Ponies who she had recently accepted as friends turning on her poked fear into her heart. And the one pony she had placed her trust into after such a long time, suddenly betraying her, send her mind into a storm of chaos that made focussing on breaking any illusions impossible.
“Oh how the Great and Powerful hath fallen,” Melody said as she released the magic in her horn. Trixie soon found herself kneeling on the floor, no longer submerged in water, but the damage was already done. After almost drowning, Trixie found it hard to stand up or muster any magic. She instead could only look up at Melody standing over her, the stage now clear of any of their previous illusions and the crowd calm and silent as they watched for what would happen next.
A gasp passed over the crowd as they witnessed Melody raise her right foreleg into the air and materialise a sword with her magic. Trixie couldn’t tell if this was real or another illusion, but either way, if she were to be stabbed by that thing, the shock alone could kill her. She knew that she had to move, but there was no way that she could fight back in her state! What was she to do?
“RUN!” Trixie’s ears twitched. Run? She shook her head. Running wasn’t an option. “RUN, TRIXIE! SHE’S GONNA KILL YA!”
Trixie slowly turned her head towards the crowd. There were many ponies shouting and calling out to Melody, pleading for her to stop. But the one pony that stood out was the blue one flying in the air, with a rainbow mane and wide, rose-coloured eyes. Eyes that were trembling in terror.
“DAMNIT, GET OUT OF THERE!” Rainbow Dash shouted. “FORGET THE STUPID CONTEST! JUST RUN AWAY ALREADY!”
Trixie turned back towards Melody, who simply looked amused at the pegasus’ outburst. “You can’t do that, though, can you?” Melody asked. “Running away would be admitting defeat. And the Great and Powerful Trixie never admits defeat.”
“Fighting is the only way I can win,” Trixie muttered as her attention turned to the floor beneath her hooves. “If I run away, the world will consume me. If I want to be the Great and Powerful Trixie, I must never give in… I must always fight…”
“DARN IT, WHAT’S WRONG WITH YOU?!” Trixie did not move. “YOU THINK YOU’RE BEING COOL OR SOMETHING?! HOW ARE YOU SUPPOSED TO BE GREAT AND POWERFUL IF YOU’RE DEAD?!” Trixie’s ear twitched, but she still remained still. “… TRIXIE, GET OUT OF THERE! I DON’T WANT YOU TO DIE!”
Trixie gasped. She moved her head quickly to the side. It may have just been her eyes playing tricks on her, but when Trixie’s gaze met Rainbow Dash’s, she saw tears. Tears and desperation in her eyes. “Dash…”
“WHO CARES IF YOU LOSE?! JUST… JUST GET OUT OF THERE! ALL THAT MATTERS IS YOU’RE ALIVE, SO WE CAN… SO WE CAN SPEND MORE TIME TOGETHER, Y’KNOW?!”
“Too late,” Melody said as she swung her sword down. AS her sword collided with the floor, a puff of smoke erupted around where Trixie’s body was just moments ago, startling Melody and forcing her to jump back. “A smoke bomb…” Melody looked up and used her magic to blow the smoke aside, grinning as she watched the retreating form of Trixie Lulamoon in the distance. “So she fled… making me the victor.”
“Trixie!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she took off after the fleeing unicorn.
“I’ve got it!” a voice called out from the crowd. Melody turned her attention towards the purple alicorn standing at the front of the crowd, her horn glowing brightly as the invisible barrier around the stage began to waver.
Melody stood up tall and proud and gave a bow to her audience. “Well then, that brings this little contest to a close!” Melody declared as she pulled her flute up to her lips once more.
“Wait!” Twilight shouted as the barrier broke, granting her access now to the stage.
“Ciao!” Melody blew into her flute and her horn sparked to life. The ground shook as powerful vibration were produced from Melody’s flute and Twilight could only fall to her flanks as she watched a gust of wind envelope the musician on the stage. When the wind dispersed, Melody was gone.
Rainbow Dash pushed the door to Trixie’s trailer open. She peered her head inside and found that the blinds inside had been drawn closed, making the inside of the trailer exceptionally dark. Looking over to the bed, Rainbow found a lump under the covers that was vaguely equine in shape. “Uh, hey.”
“Go away,” the lump said in a muffled voice. “The Great and Powerful Trixie isn’t in the mood to sign autographs right now.”
“It’s me,” Rainbow Dash said, entering the trailer and closing the door behind her with her tail.
“Oh,” Trixie responded as she pulled her covers down and turned to look at Rainbow Dash. Even in the dark, Rainbow could see the puffiness around Trixie’s eyes. “… I lost.”
Rainbow Dash nodded slowly. “Well, yeah. But you survived…”
“At what cost though?” Trixie asked as she turned her back to the pegasus. “Trixie’s alive, but she’s also a failure. Now all that she’s succeeded in doing is adding more fuel to the fire for hecklers everywhere.”
“But you can redeem yourself,” Rainbow Dash suggested. “You can make up for this loss with a good performance, right?”
Trixie scoffed. “You don’t understand. Having your lie exposed and stories spreading about your ‘temporary insanity’ is one thing. But this was just a regular old pony, and Trixie lost to her. The Great and Powerful Trixie never loses… Never…”
Rainbow Dash let out a frustrated groan and grabbed Trixie’s shoulders, spinning the mare around quickly so that their eyes met. “Look, Trixie! I get that you’re frustrated that you lost. Even I get like that! Heck, I’d be the first pony to get where you’re coming from. But the important thing is: you’re alive and well. If you hadn’t run away back then, you would never have the chance to redeem yourself, and I…”
“… You what?” Trixie asked, remaining silent afterwards as she waited for Rainbow’s answer.
“… I don’t know,” Rainbow said silently. “I don’t know what I would have done. Most likely, I would charged right up to that mare and beat her until she died.”
“We can’t have that,” Trixie said with an uneasy grin. “But even so, I ran away like a frightened little filly.”
“Running away doesn’t mean you’re a coward,” Rainbow Dash said. “It means you’re brave enough to live and fight another day. If you had just sat there and let your life end like that, without even fighting back, that would have been the coward’s way out. Not to mention totally uncool, and stupid.”
“… Did Trixie really frighten you up there?” Trixie asked. She noticed the blush on Rainbow Dash’s face as she nodded and couldn’t help but let out a momentary giggle. “Sorry about that… Maybe… Maybe you’re right. Maybe this is a chance to make up for the loss I’ve endured.”
“That’s what a Great and Powerful pony would do,” Rainbow Dash said.
“You know, Trixie ran away because of what you said… Trixie wants to spend more time with you, too.” Rainbow Dash smiled, thought Trixie didn’t seem to notice as more thoughts were still plaguing her mind. “But what about the crowd of hecklers sure to pounce on Trixie now?” Trixie asked, a look of worry spread across her face. “If performing before them was hard previously, it will be impossible by now.”
“Are ya forgetting?” Rainbow Dash asked. “You have the most awesome pony in Ponyville backin’ you up. They won’t lay a hoof on you, and they’ll all bite their tongues as soon as I enter the scene.” A smile formed on Trixie’s face. “And not to mention the others will be there, too. They can smooth things over, no prob. You’ll see.”
“… These have been problems that have plagued Trixie for the past year… No. Hecklers and unruly crowds have always been a threat to Trixie, ever since her performing began. But now, you’re saying it can be resolved, just like that?”
“I’m not makin’ any promises,” Rainbow Dash said as she pulled Trixie into a hug, “But at the very least, we’ll be by your side, helping you to win the crowd over and supporting you if things don’t go as planned. And I’ll do whatever it takes to make you forget about those bad memories.”
“Whatever it takes?” Trixie asked. Rainbow Dash nodded and wrapped her wings around the trembling showmare. “… In that case, don’t leave Trixie’s trailer tonight.”
“You got it.”
“And could you…” Trixie felt her face heating up as she realised what she was about to ask. “Could you just lay here with Trixie in your forelegs for a bit?”
“You want cuddles?” Rainbow asked in a teasing tone. She received no verbal response but could see the obvious colour change on the showmare’s face, which forced her to laugh. “Sure, you got it.”
“And maybe a quick hoof massage to-”
“Don’t push it,” Rainbow Dash said with a laugh. Trixie laughed too, and that made Rainbow feel much more at ease. ‘It looks like she’ll be okay.’
‘This mare is impossible,’ Trixie thought to herself. ‘My entire life, failure has practically meant death for me. But now, when I have suffered a most disgraceful defeat, this pegasus comes in and makes it all okay, as if there was never anything wrong with losing a battle. With her… I don’t even care about winning or losing.’
“Thank you,” Trixie mouthed silently as she closed her eyes and rested her head against Rainbow Dash’s chest. ‘Thanks for being somepony I can rely on.’
A new morning meant a new day. Trixie Lulamoon woke up feeling better than she would have thought after her defeat the previous night. She couldn’t was the bitter taste of defeat out of her mouth, and she couldn’t shake the awful memory of having to run away with her tail between her legs from her opponent. But at the same time, she didn’t care.
All she could think about was how warm her body was in the gentle hold of her marefriend beside her, how thankful she was that Rainbow Dash stayed by her side despite her loss, and happy she was that at least Rainbow Dash still believed in her. At this point the opinions of other ponies didn’t matter to her.
‘… Well, not as much as they usually do, at least,’ Trixie thought to herself as she ran the brush through her mane one final time before donning her hat and her cape. “It’s time for Trixie to head out now.”
“You can’t stay a little longer?” Rainbow asked as she followed Trixie outside of her trailer, where two colts – Snips and Snails – were waiting.
“Good mornin’, Great and Powerful Trixie!” Snails shouted as he waved to Trixie.
“We heard you were leaving,” Snips told her, “So we came to see you off!”
“How did you hear that Trixie was leaving?” Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow. “You haven’t been snooping around Trixie’s trailer, have you?”
“No no no no!” the two colts said as they shook their heads quickly.
“There’s this kid at school,” Snips explained. “He’s real good at getting information from every corner of Ponyville, and he put details of your show last night in the school’s newspaper!”
“Is that so?” Trixie asked. “Well, Trixie supposes that you made it in time. She was just about to leave.”
“But you’ll come back, right?!” Snips asked.
“We still wanna learn lottsa awesome magic from you!” Snails added.
“Now listen here, you two,” Trixie started, “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no intention to-”
“What Trixie means!” Rainbow Dash interrupted. “Is that she’d be more than happy to teach you guys a thing or two when she comes back. And don’t worry, it’ll be soon!”
“Awesome!”
“Alright!”
Trixie shot Rainbow Dash a glare. “What was that for?”
“You need more friends,” Rainbow Dash said with a grin. Trixie clearly wasn’t amused. “Also, you keep complaining about ponies not liking your show. Why make enemies of two who can’t get enough of your shows.
Trixie sighed. “Trixie has a feeling that she is going to regret this, but she has no time to debate it if she wishes to make it to Manehatten in good time.”
“I still say you should take the train.”
“But then Trixie would miss small villages on her way. And besides, Trixie prefers the scenic route.”
As Trixie climbed up onto the front of her trailer and sat down, she and Rainbow Dash shared a quick farewell kiss. They heard a gag and a gasp from the direction of the two colts and turned to glare at them.
“Oh, uh… C’mon Snails, let’s go!” Snips said, nudging his friend before taking off. Snails followed after him, leaving the two alone to share another, uninterrupted farewell kiss.
“Trixie will be back soon,” Trixie assured Rainbow Dash. “She’ll take the train back, so expect her return four days from now.”
“Guess I’ll hang out with the others ‘til then,” Rainbow Dash said as she flapped her wings to gain some lift. “Gotta admit, I’ve kinda been neglecting them lately. Hay, I’ll be surprised if they even remember what one of my rainbow-flips looks like at this point!”
With a giggle, Trixie’s horn lit up under her hat and a purple aura surrounded her trailer’s wheels, causing them to rotate and sending the showmare on her way. “Tell the others goodbye for Trixie!”
“Will do!” Rainbow Dash said as she waved goodbye from the air, turning around and taking off for her home after Trixie was out of sight.
“It’s still quite early,” Trixie said to herself as she used her magic to pull out a map of Equestria, “But there will be time for rest later. For now, Trixie must-” Trixie stopped, both her speaking and her magic, as she noticed somepony standing in the road before her.
“Good morning,” Melody said as Trixie’s trailer stopped in front of her. Trixie jumped off and glared at the mare. “I won last night’s duel.”
“… So you did,” Trixie responded. She didn’t have much else to say. She was upset that she had lost. She was angry that Melody had almost killed her. She was fuming that Melody had come to rub her defeat in the showmare’s face. But Melody had honoured her end of the bargain and not harmed the town. Trixie had lost the duel, but it was a duel that she had accepted…
“Even after all that, you still don’t see me as a rival, huh?” Melody asked.
Trixie simply shrugged. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Guess it can’t be helped…” Melody’s next action caught Trixie completely off guard. Melody stepped forward and locked her lips with Trixie’s, taking just a few seconds to savour the feeling before pulling back just in time to avoid the showmare’s furious roundhouse kick.
“WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU ARE DOING?!”
“Juuuuust had to have at least that much before I left,” Melody said with a wink. “I’m a wanted criminal, y’know? Got the whole Royal Guard on my tail.”
“Is that so? It still doesn’t explain what you’re doing stealing a kiss from the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“Well, I’ve got to leave the country for a bit,” Melody said. “I’m thinking of heading out west and visiting the zebra tribes. I hear they have some interesting musical styles.”
“What does that have to do with-”
“But before leaving, I had to pay a visit to Ponyville,” Melody continued. “I had to come and pay my ‘respects’ to Twilight Sparkle. After all, it was effectively her that had destroyed your career. But moreso than that, ever since the Great and Powerful Trixie’s show became a laughing stock, it became harder and harder to track you down. It even came to the point where I had suspected you dropped dead suddenly, and it was impossible to find you by then.
“Thinking that my chance at challenging you one final time had been destroyed, I came to Ponyville to destroy Twilight Sparkle for what she had done. What luck that I would just happen to run into you on that day… I was able to challenge you, show you how much stronger I have become in the years that have passed, and I was able to express my feelings for you.”
Trixie took a step back, her eyes wide. “Y-Your feelings? Hold on, you don’t mean-”
“That pegasus beat me to the punch though, huh?” Melody asked with a sigh. “Well, the important thing is that now, I can leave without any regrets.”
“… Hold on. Trixie is confused. If you loved Trixie, why did you go out of your way to try to kill her?”
Melody put a hoof to her chin and hummed in thought. “I guess that’s just my way of expressing it,” she answered with a style. “Some prefer roses or cheesy music outside a window. I wanted to show you I was stronger than you are and defeat you. Of course, when I heard that you already had a marefriend, I guess I took that a little badly.”
“You think?!”
“But I’m over it now!” Melody assured Trixie. “Well, not really. But I never kill outside of a show or a duel, and I don’t really have time to challenge you again, so I guess I have to leave it at that.”
“… You are insane!” Trixie shouted. “How the hay did you graduate from Celestia’s School, exactly?”
“You’d be surprised! Just about everypony who graduates that school is a nutter in some way. Anyway, here.” Melody used her magic to levitate her flute towards Trixie. “I want you to have this.”
“A flute? Trixie doesn’t want it.” Trixie said, using her own magic to try to push it back.
“I want you to have it to remember me by,” Melody said. “Even if not as your rival or your lover, at least remember me in some way.”
“But I-” Trixie stared at the flute in thought for a moment. ‘She wants to be remembered? Yeah, I know that feeling. But…’ With a sigh, Trixie pulled the flute towards herself and examined it. It seemed to be made out of crystals, and had three different jewels along its length – a sapphire on the far left, followed by a golden beryl in the middle, and finally, a ruby on the far right.
‘The crystals must be to enhance her magic as she channels it through her music,’ Trixie thought to herself. ‘The jewels… are probably for show. Or perhaps… Maybe she knows some colour-magic, too?’
“Trixie will take this,” Trixie said. “Because Trixie is letting you go now, as you won our duel last night, Trixie will need something to remind her to kick your flank if you ever show your face to her again.”
“Thank you!” Melody said as she turned around. “You’re a kinder pony than you were back in the day. What happened?”
“What do you mean?” Trixie asked. “Trixie is still as cold and calculated as always. That’s the way you survive when you’re alone.”
“But you’re not alone now,” Melody pointed out. “Is that why you’re softer than you were back then?” Before Trixie could answer, Melody pulled out a long silver flute from her beg and played a song through it. In just a few seconds, a pack of five timberwolves were at her side. She climbed on top of one of them and ordered them to move. “Ciao!”
Trixie watched as the wolves carried Melody away, Melody’s song continuing to play in the distance as she moved further and further away.
“I’m softer?” Trixie asked herself as soon as Melody was out of sight. “I’m kinder than I was before?” Trixie thought back on the last few years of her life. “Well, yeah. Trixie has obviously matured since her teen years. But…” Trixie narrowed her thoughts to simply the last few days, and she smiled. “Trixie is also happier than she once was… She doesn’t even care that she lost to some crazy mare from her past.”
Trixie sighed and climbed back onto her trailer, starting her magic up again and moving on down the road. “That Rainbow Dash must be some master magician,” Trixie said to herself, “To have cast a spell this powerful on me.”
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Can't wait for Scoots's arc. You're stealing my Rainbow Dash!
Well, at least a love triangle was avoided. I would have flipped the nearest table if one was introduced. You can tell I hate love triangles.
...Now I'm kind of rooting for a polygamous relationship between Trixie, Dash, and Melody. I doubt it's illegal in Equestria.
Tavi is secretly an evil enchantress who does evil dances!
Let me answer your question with a question: Do you like bananas?
i.imgur.com/e01Nd.jpg
3470103 I think the whole 'wanted criminal who is also a psychotic yandere' thing kinda takes the wind out of that ship's sails. But then I remember this is fanfiction.
Huzzah! Scootarc!
Wonder if we're gonna see Melody again.
Nice duel, there. As usual, a great chapter from you.
Great chapter, I loved it, except for the part that Trixie was almost killed
3471004
You're.... Absolutely right. Distant Epilogue, maybe? If Discord can be a good guy, I don't think Melody's out of the question.
Ew, Scootaloo. That's gonna be annoying.
Hm. Interesting, very interesting indeed. I don't believe I have ever hear a Trix x Dash fic before. its good so far however.
Umm, Melody needs a good shrink.
...why're there so many references ta major Twixie fics in a Trixdash story?
awesome duel, Romantic Seen, Crazy Bitch Awesome Story As Always!!!
i definitly don´t like the Character of the melodie pony, but i like her ability........ah yes good chapter of course.
An I the only one that pictured Melody's flute to look like the sacred flute in Ninjago?