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Some Assembly Required4,622 words
First Contact4,484 words
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Made Whole4,234 words
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When Gods Fail You4,059 words
The Strength to Rise4,066 words
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Only Trixie Can Beat Trixie4,192 words
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What Makes Them Strong4,309 words
End of the End4,370 words
Death of Black Adam4,087 words
One Last Act5,633 words
A Better Tomorrow3,988 words
Home4,066 words
Author's Note: Thank You All866 words

Only Trixie Can Beat Trixie

Despite Trixie having given upstaged performances years ago in her own reality, seeing the dropped jaws and wide eyes from both the crowd of ponies and her other-reality counterpart told her that even after fifteen years, she still knew how to shock and awe like nopony else. Her dramatic reveal had silenced not only all who were there for the show, but also the guard ponies that had been stationed around the room. Yet, those same guards were the first to recover and they swarmed towards the stage, but the other Trixie held out a hoof that stopped them cold.

"How very interesting," Trixie said with a cold smile while her eyes began to glance up and down the other her, taking in quick assessments as the two began to circle each other on the stage. "Master Adam told me that he had sensed what he had believed to be my or Sombra's magic, but since there is only one of me, I truly believed that the unicorn on your team would have been that fool of a king, though returning from the dead would have been quite a feat. But now I see he was right, and it was another me."

Trixie kept her eyes cold, despite the inferno that raged in her chest when she heard the other Trixie's words, knowing that she needed to analyze her foe before making any rash decisions. She also knew that the other her was doing the same, and since she had not yet attacked, Trixie knew that she too was waiting to see Trixie's capabilities.

"A better you, to be more precise," Trixie retorted in a cold tone, getting an eyebrow raise and half a smirk from her counterpart. "One that gave up on the foolish goal of trying to win over everypony in Equestria with cheap tricks and petty magic, and instead found true love and affection--not this Vegas showboating that you do." Her words snapped the crowd out of its stupor at the sight of two Trixie's and they began to boo her, but they had only just started when the other Trixie held up her hoof again to silence them.

"As you can see, this is no false love they give to me," Trixie said with a chuckle while the crowd began to cheer for her, slightly bowing to them before turning her cold gaze back to her other. "And how could they not, with me being one of the defenders of Equestria, while all you seek to do is bring down their kind and loving queen and throw the whole world to Discord's hands. No wonder they don't love you."

"And I am also not so sure about your little remark about you being the better Trixie," Trixie continued with a laugh, though Trixie could see in her foe's eyes that there was no merriment, and that she seemed to be debating whether now was the time to attack. "You might think yourself morally superior simply because you foolishly decided to get out of show business, but when two magical beings such as ourselves take the stage, moral superiority means little. There is only one way to truly find out which one of us is the "better" Trixie," Trixie decided while an azure light began to glow from her horn. "Care to find out?"

'While I would love nothing more than to knock you off of your high horse, that is not the reason I am here,' Trixie thought silently while she kept her gaze forward, but her senses were on the tower above her. She had hoped that the mission would be a quick 'in-and-out' without there being time for anypony to react, but she had yet to hear the magic incantation that Billy would use to ensure the orb's destruction. Yet the sky remained quiet. 'And until I hear that word I must keep the ponies distracted, so that he is not caught.'

"Very well, lesser Trixie, I shall play your game," Trixie began as her horn matched the other her's azure glow, the two backing up until they were both an equal distance apart from each other on the stage, with one Trixie's eyes shining with excitement while the champion Trixie kept herself calm and emotionless. The crowd went dead silent as the two stared each other down for a brief moment, but only for a moment.

With a flourish, Trixie let loose three separate streams of azure magic towards her other world foe, letting out a laugh that could shatter glass as the three beams converged on their target with a massive flash. For a brief moment Trixie considered the fight over already, but when the light died down she found herself looking at an azure barrier that had refused to flinch in the face of equal magic.

"Not bad, other me, but such simple tricks will bore the crowd," Trixie laughed as she motioned to the crowd. The ponies seated there either glared at Trixie or cheered for the other Trixie. "How about we display some of the more advanced skills that I am certain the both of us have acquired over the years?" she asked as gold and red sparks began to erupt from her horn, darkening her face.

"With pleasure," Trixie replied with pitch black magic flowing from her own horn, silencing the crowd even further as the two locked eyes one more time before leaping at each other as one. Red and gold phoenixes materialized in the air and streaked towards Trixie while tearing the air apart with their speeds, yet they were met with a changeling created of darkness that cleaved through them in one single strike.

"Not bad, yet I seem to recognize that magic from someplace," Trixie laughed while she ascended with a stream of golden magic to escaped a fissure of darkness that had erupted under her hooves, creating flaming wings to shield herself from electricity crafted by the darkness that Trixie hurled at her. Surrounding herself in red and gold, Trixie hurled herself towards her other self, the magic creating a spear around her. The crowd gasped as the dark bolts that the other Trixie fired off were deflected as if they were nothing, and in the next moment the sphere had embedded itself into the stage in a flash of light.

"Ah yes, now I recognize that magic," Trixie said with a chuckle when she turned from the crater of fire she had created to see the champion rise out of a pool of darkness on the other end of the stage, both purple and black magic falling from her body as she surfaced from the dark depths. "That is the very magic that one King Sombra used to use back in the olden days, back when the queen was still young." The crowd let out a gasp at the 'reveal' of what kind of magic the other Trixie was using, but despite the looks all Trixie did was raise an eyebrow at her other.

"That is correct. I have learned the same magic that was used by the Dark King that overtook the Crystal Empire with nothing more than his own magic," Trixie clarified, casting a glance at the crowd to see that they now had frightful looks on their faces. "That is what I have achieved by giving up the lifestyle of tricking others into believing that I am great. Instead of using petty tricks and spells to convince them of that fact, I achieved true magical greatness--not that a simple con pony such as yourself would understand that."

Despite her attempts to make the other her angry by attacking her fragile ego, which Trixie knew would have wounded her deeply back in the day, the other Trixie just threw back her head and let a cackle drown out all other sounds in the room, before she looked back at the other her with thundering eyes.

"No doubt that you still think of me as the same pony that believed herself to be great and powerful, just like you used to be?" Trixie asked with another laugh, not waiting for an answer before continuing. "And yes, I will admit that I used to think like that. But that was before I met Black Adam, before I saw what true power, what absolute power, was. And on that day, I decided that I would learn the magic that he used, the spells that leveled mountains and turned even the mighty Tirek to stone!" Trixie's eyes began to flash with lighting along with her horn as she spoke, causing the face on the other Trixie to fall slightly.

"And while it was a magic I could not achieve alone, by joining him, by becoming one of the Judges, he has taught me a small portion of that same magic," Trixie thundered as the room slightly began to shake, this time the crowd looking with fear towards her, despite rooting for her a moment ago. "And while that magic may not be able to harm one such as himself, I am certain that no mortal can withstand its power, even if that mortal is me! Ragna de Shazam!"

Trixie barely had time to throw herself to the side as a thunderbolt imbued with power far beyond hers decimated the space where she had just been standing, leaving nothing but ash and the smell of burning wood in its place. Trixie slowly pushed herself back up as she looked at her lightning-clad counterpart with fear beginning to form in her eyes.

"Now what was it you said to me? That you were the better Trixie because you had given up on our old way of life and sought the pursuit of actual magic power, while I continued to entertain? But this right here shows just how much better I am than you!" Trixie yelled with a half-crazed laugh as more lightning erupted from her horn, blasting apart a table that had been unfortunate enough to be placed right behind where Trixie used to be standing. "Because you had to leave behind being a star so that you could seek out your magic, yet all you could achieve was the magic of a dead king! I continue to be loved and adored by crowds that come out in thousands to see me, and I achieved the power of a god! Who is the better Trixie now?!"

Trixie found that she barely had time to retreat into the shadows to avoid the next destructive blast of lightning, let alone answer the seemingly stronger version of herself. 'How can this be possible? I spent fifteen years of my life learning from the greatest unicorns past--and Sombra himself! How can this showboating fool be better than me?' Trixie asked herself as she snaked through the darkness to get behind her counterpart, but when she burst forth from the darkness, she found that her other was already facing the direction where she had been hiding.

"Black Adam was able to kill the Sombra of this world in a matter of seconds. What in Faust's name led you to believe that your attempts to copy his magic could result in anything better?!" Trixie screamed as the thunder of the gods flashed from her horn, striking Trixie right in mid leap and pinning her to the wall with a torrent of power. The darkness enveloped Trixie's body as it tried to protect her as best it could, but the lightning of one far superior to it was quickly overpowering it.

"You found true love and affection did you? That would be what, ten ponies at most? I am loved and adored by thousands...no, HUNDREDS of thousands, and I am one of the very defenders of Equestria! I was trained by a god himself and I lead the other four chosen defenders against all who seek to oppose the Queen, including your team! So tell me now, oh false champion, whose magic is superior?!" Trixie screamed at her counterpart as the lightning tore through Trixie's last line of defense. "How could you possibly hope to match the power of-?"

"SHAZAM!"

The entire tower and the building built beneath it shook as a true wielder of the word unleashed the spell upon the tip of the Spire. Ponies screamed as chunks of the ceiling began to collapse, with the added benefit of the lightning distracting Trixie and causing her spell to cease, allowing the other her to fall to the ground in a heap. Through eyes filled with pain, Trixie looked down to find her body burned by the magical lightning, the pain making it near impossible for her to focus enough to cast a spell.

"It seems that it gets even worse for you," Trixie taunted with a glare at the other her. "It seems that the Master himself has come down to smite you in person. You should feel honored, not many get to face Black-" The next thing Trixie knew she was being thrown across the room and across one of the few tables that was left standing, crashing onto the floor as she was drenched in water. When she pulled herself back to a standing position, she found that Trixie was being scooped into the arms of a red and gold-clad human with a white cape, causing her to smirk while slowly backing up.

"So. The other wielder of the lightning," Trixie deduced, turning Captain Marvel's attention towards the other Trixie with far more powerful lightning than Trixie could ever hope to achieve flashing off of his body.

"Yeah, I am. And if you know who I am, you know what I'm capable of," Marvel said in a near whisper that caused the very air in the room to crackle with electricity. "So, unless you want worse than what you did to my friend, I would recommend that you back. Off." Trixie did so as Captain Marvel prepared to take off, but then his eyes narrowed before he pointed a finger at the Trixie drenched in water and sent a quick blast of electricity into her chest to knock her over once again. He then shot through the roof and flew off into the night, Trixie forcing herself to look through the pain to see the top half of the Spire destroyed.

"Sorry if I took so long, got caught by some guards. Managed to convince them that I was a fan of the guard and wanted a tour of the Spire," Marvel said as the two flew. "They left though, when the two of you started duking it out and left me alone with the orb. Bad idea." Marvel then looked down at the burn marks, growling slightly as he recognized Adam's magic. "Don't worry, I think I can heal those when we get back. If not, the mare can."

"Thank you, Billy," Trixie said weakly before turning her gaze back towards the rapidly fading lights of the city, her mind going over the battle with her other half over and over again, trying to figure out what she did wrong in that fight. 'Why? I changed, became a better pony and used my magical power to aid those of my world. So how is she stronger than me? How is that selfish fool who only cares about herself so much stronger than me?' Trixie bitterly asked as tears streaked down her cheeks.

'Why can I never escape my past?'

S=H=A=Z=A=M

Willow knew that it wasn't in his job description to tour the empty halls of the Canterlot Castle late at night, but with the arrival of the six false champions and the return of the mare that had killed Radiance, he decided that an extra set of eyes in the castle wouldn't be amiss. It also allowed him to keep an eye on the other guards and occasionally, though it was not something he enjoyed doing, he would keep an eye on the Queen as well.

'Yet, ever since the fall of Ares the Queen has been...different,' he mused silently as he walked the empty halls with his eyes on alert, but his old mind lost in his own thoughts. 'She seems filled with rage and the desire to fight, despite being one of the more peaceful rulers in the land of Equis. Sigh. This war has cost both sides so much, I just hope that it doesn't...' His train of thought was interrupted as he spotted the very queen he had been speaking of at the end of a hallway to his right, with her ear pressed to a door that Willow recognized as the one that led to Black Adam's quarters.

"I am not certain that listening in on the protector of the land is a task that a queen should be doing," Willow said aloud as he walked down the hall, announcing his presence to the Queen, who quickly gave him a glance before motioning for him to be silent. "But that look on your face tells me that you have good reason for this," Willow continued in a whisper as Celestia placed her ear back to the door, Willow not bothering to try since he knew his old ears could barely hear what somepony in front of him would say. Hearing through a wooden door was too much.

"I am worried about Teth," Celestia whispered her concern to her advisor after a moment, causing the old pony's eyebrows to raise before he turned his gaze back to the door. "He returned late yesterday after visiting the ponies that help him chase the silver mare and locked himself in his room shortly after. I can occasionally hear a moment of rage, but he's mostly silent. I fear for him."

"Then why not ask him what ails him?" Willow suggested wisely, but the Queen shook her head with a look that Willow couldn't quite place.

"No, if Teth wishes to speak to me about what is upsetting him, then he will do so when he his ready," Celestia murmured as she removed her ear from the door and began to walk back to her own room, leaving Willow to cast one last glance at the door before deciding to follow the Queen. "He will confide his trust in me when he is ready and willing."

"Yes, Teth does trust you greatly," Willow agreed, knowing full well that there was nopony closer to the Queen than her champion.

"Yes. And I trust him completely as well," she continued, but this time Willow picked up hints of rage in her voice. "No matter what has happened or what forces we go up against, he has always been somepony I could trust. But now that he has told me that there are those who may have infiltrated us and are seeking to bring about our downfall, it seems that he is the only one I can truly trust!" Her rage died down a moment later and she realized what she had said, prompting her to turn towards Willow with a look of regret.

"I...I am sorry, but with everything that is going on I sometimes speak without thinking," she admitted. "Please forgive me for my tone."

"Worry not, my Queen, I take no offense. You are trying to hold a nation together against your sister on one front with a hidden foe in the shadows seeking to destroy us from within," Willow replied calmly, not at all upset by her words. "Just know, Queen, that I trust you completely, no matter what others may think of you. Goodnight, my Queen."

"Yes Willow, goodnight," Celestia said with a shake of her head as she turned towards her chambers. Willow watched until she was out of sight before turning and walking along the dark hallways alone. His thoughts on what was happening kept him company while he continued to check the halls, yet not really paying attention to where he was going. He looked up to find that he had come to a stop in front of a large portrait of the old king and queen, painted over a thousand years ago.

'My dear king and queen of yesteryear, please console your daughter in this time of suffering. She needs help in these dark times,' Willow silently prayed before another thought crossed his mind. 'And please help Luna to find her ability to care again. She too is trapped in a different darkness, but darkness all the same.'

"Master Willow!" The cry snapped Willow out of his thoughts immediately, and when he turned to see who had spoken to him he spotted his own assistant, Windy Days, racing down the hallway towards him with a look of both worry and anger on his face.

"What is the matter, my assistant? Are we under attack?" Willow asked as his eyes darted around towards every shadow, barely noticing as Windy Days skidded to a stop in front of his master.

"No Master, it's just...I was patrolling the hallways, just as you were doing, and my walk took me into the throne room chamber," Windy Days admitted, getting nothing more than a look from his master who motioned for him to continue. "But while I was in there, I found that the phantom zone projector is gone! Somepony has broken in and stolen it!" A sigh of relief was not what young Windy Days was expecting the old unicorn to do, but that was Willow's response while he held a hoof to his heart before taking in a few deep breaths.

"Do not fear, Windy, the generator has not been stolen," Willow assured him, yet all that gained the master was a head tilt and a look of confusion.

"But if it was not stolen, where has it gone?" Windy Days asked the unicorn, who shook his head with a firm look on his face.

"First, I am not able to tell you that. Second, you should know better than to go into the throne room's chamber without either Celestia or Black Adam to allow you access," Willow scolded, but he found that his words meant little to the assistant, who was now giving Willow a look of wariness.

"Why are you not able to tell me what was done with the generator?" he asked with hints of suspicion in his voice. "Did the Queen order you to move it? Or does she even know that it's gone at all?"

"Are you implying that I took it?" Willow asked, not so much offended as he was hurt with the accusation from the unicorn whom he had known since his apprentice was a colt. "Windy, you know me better than that. Don't you trust me?"

"Why should I, since it seems that you don't trust me to give me an honest answer?" Windy shot back. Willow was able to clearly read the distrust and caution in the young unicorn's eyes. After a tense moment, Willow let out a sigh before looking up at his assistant with sad eyes.

"Very well. Black Adam feared that the generator was no longer safe, so he asked me to move it to a secure location," Willow admitted, sighing in relief when he saw the suspicion begin to dissipate from his assistant's face. "That it where it has gone and if you do not believe me, you may ask him tomorrow. I have spoken the truth to you Windy, so know that I can be trusted."

"Alright," Windy said after a moment of silence, before giving his master another quizzical look. "But where did you move it to?"

"I am sorry, Windy, but Black Adam asked me not to tell anypony, not even you," Willow said before he turned and began to head towards his own quarters, the brief discussion with his assistant having drained his strength. He did stop for a brief moment and turned back to his assistant one last time, a small smile on his face. "Just know that I have taken care of it."

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