Playcolt: The Great and Powerful

by Majin Syeekoh

Welcome to the Show

Syko shuffled into his seat at the Canterlot Amphitheater, waiting for the show to start. He had heard a lot of good things about this Trixie, or ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’, as she liked to call herself. The lights dimmed as the audience hushed.
“Mares and stallions, fillies and colts of all ages!” A female voice boomed, “Feast your eyes on the sights of the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixie!” as a beautiful unicorn mare with blue skin and a silver mane wearing a wizard’s hat and cape took the stage, elicting applause from the crowd. She bowed modestly, “Tonight, Trixie will tell you a tale of hubris and despair, of trying times and sheer desperation! But most of all, it is a tale of redemption! Watch as a young mare named Hannah enters Ponyville…” Trixie said as she drew up a passable replica of Ponyville, from at least what Syko could see, but there appeared to be a stage where a green mare with golden hair was performing tricks.

“Hannah was a boastful one, always taking credit for things that were not her own,” Trixie elaborated, as the green mare seemed to create an illusion of her own, drawing wows from the audience, “She claimed to defeat an Ursa Major in Hoofington to wow the audience!” As the illusion within the illusion reflected that statement, depicting a green mare downing an Ursa Major, “Hannah even showed up all challengers to her craft,” showing an orange mare tangled in her ropes, a white unicorn’s hair turning green, and a cyan pegasus diverting from their flight path, “Although the victories were hollow, as you shall soon see why,”

The illusion shifted to show a rampaging Ursa barreling through the forest to Ponyville, crushing Hannah’s cart. Hannah jumped in shock, “For you see, an Ursa was released on Ponyville by sources unknown, as a challenge to her lie,” as Hannah was shown summoning a lightning bolt that barely singed the Ursa. The Ursa bared down upon Hannah, who was visibly quaking in her horseshoes, “But then Twilight Sparkle dispatched the beast,” showing a lavender unicorn whose horn glowed brightly as the Ursa disappeared in a puff of smoke, “Twilight then informed the townspeople that that was an Ursa Minor, leaving no choice but for poor Hannah to skip town, forever embarrassed,” showing Hannah bolting through hill and dale, until she came upon a dusty plain with stones strewn around.

“Hannah was forced to work on a rock farm, due to losing her livelihood and her good name,” as Hannah was displayed pushing rocks with her head, an elder stallion looking over her, “But Hannah thought she was above such frivolities. So when she saved up enough bits, she bought a powerful magical artifact that increased her power one-hundred-fold!” Trixie narrated as a necklace clasped over Hannah’s neck, encasing her in a dark power, “With that, she headed over to Ponyville,” she said. Syko was rapt in the story. He knew about illusions in storytelling, due to being a theater major, but these illusions seemed almost life-like, as if they had their own solidity, Trixie apparently being a master of her craft as well as beautiful to boot.

“Hannah returned to Ponyville and challenged Twilight Sparkle, who gladly took her up on the challenge,” Trixie told the crowd, displaying a glorious battle of magic between them, when Twilight fell, “but Twilight was no match for the Alicorn Amulet, so Hannah kicked her out of town, free to enact her reign of terror,” as Hannah grabbed Twilight Sparkle and literally kicked her out, the view zooming out as Twilight sailed through the air and landed just outside of Ponyville, “Twilight Sparkle, now defeated, left a power vacuum that Hannah took great advantage of,” displaying red banners across Ponyville, and Hannah being dragged around on a cart, which if Syko wasn’t mistaken, didn’t have wheels, “Hannah, unbeknown to her, was being slowly corrupted by the dark magics of the Alicorn Amulet, causing her to become a sick and twisted version of her formerly boastful self,” as the illusion zoomed in on the cart, showing that it indeed did not have wheels, creating a speech bubble that said inside of it, ‘Hannah doesn’t trust wheels!’, which drew out laughs from the crowd.

“Eventually, though, Twilight Sparkle came to town, ready for a rematch,” Trixie narrated, showing Twilight Sparkle showing up in town, head held high, “and beat Hannah through sleight of hand and deception, using Hannah’s old repertoire against her!” Trixie then created two rainbow-maned pegasi, one flickering into a yellow pegasus, a young orange filly that flickered into a yellow filly, and an orange stallion that flickered into a red stallion, “defeated, Hannah gave up the Alicorn Amulet, and was about to run out of town again, when Twilight Sparkle offered her hoof in friendship!” She showed Twilight offering a hoof to Hannah, who took it.

“Since then, Hannah has performed far and wide, displaying her magic for all,” Trixie displayed Hannah at the size of Trixie, performing wondrous feats, “and Trixie holds Hannah very close to her heart to this day,” she said as Hannah stood still, Trixie walking into the illusion, fitting it perfectly, “for Hannah is none other than the Great and Powerful Trixie herself!” as she threw a hoof up, her image slightly trailing, throwing a smoke bomb down, blinding the audience, who all gasped when Trixie was gone. Syko got up and headed towards the dressing room. He was going to have to act fast in order to get an interview with Trixie.