Chapter Eight : Great, Powerful, and Vengeful
Twilight didn't know the time when she returned to the palace, nor did she bother to check. Though she left Sombra's lair with an energetic amount of glee (for a great weight was lifted off her shoulders with the confirmation that he wasn't a threat to the empire and her loved ones), the trek back proved exhausting. She didn't even bother taking the ribbons out of her hair before she curled up underneath the soft, warm bed sheets. She didn't expect to sleep easy that night, given that her head was swimming with a myriad of questions that she wanted to ask Sombra. She wanted to know more about the Crystal Empire—a settlement of which even Princess Celestia had limited knowledge.
Her tail wagged as an idea popped into her head. She could write a research paper! She loved research papers, and, due to its millennial-long absence, the empire's history did need to be recorded. She had plenty of time to work on it. And, since the crystal ponies' memories were returning, she could run a few questions by them as well!
She giggled as she hugged one of the down pillows against her cheek. Despite her expectations, she comforted herself enough that she gradually slipped into a peaceful slumber. In that state was how stayed throughout the remainder of the night. However, a few hours after sunrise she was brought out of her slumber by the sound of voices. They were faint—distant—but there were so many of them that Twilight groggily wondered what was going on outside to warrant such noise. Despite her curiosity, the comfort of her bed tempted her to remain there.
Then, somepony screamed. Rarity...!
With a startled gasp, Twilight scrambled to get up onto her hooves and she ran to the nearest window. There was an enormous crowd of crystal ponies gathered at the base of the palace. They were also gathered around her friends, family, and a cloaked figure. Her blood ran cold at the sight, for she feared that she was wrong about Sombra. “Oh, no!” she cried. In a flash, the closest she could teleport to them was the outer border of the gathering. She then turned, and saw that the Crystal Heart was still there. Its presence put her mind at ease.
After all, if Sombra had lied to her, then he still wouldn't have been able to get into the Crystal Empire. Well, that was one mystery solved. Now, all she had to do was get to her friends, find out why Rarity screamed, and discover the identity of the individual in the cloak.
“Excuse me,” she said, tapping on a stallion's shoulder. “Could you please tell me what's going on out here?”
Though the stallion's back was to her, he didn't turn his head. “The Queen is taking care of some troublemakers,” he said. The monotone of his voice sent chills down Twilight's spine.
Queen? Does he mean Cadance? She took a look at his face. Like the lack of emotion in his voice, his face lacked any expression; it was blank and his eyes were glazed over. She looked around and came to the disturbing realization that the other crystal ponies were in the same condition. Something, or someone, had them entranced.
She had to reach the others.
Quickly, but carefully, she pushed her way through the crystal ponies. While none of the Crystal Empire's citizens attempted to stop her, though they were the least of her worries. Soon enough, as soon as she reached the heart of the crowd, she was met with a baffling scene. Pinkie Pie, Applejack, and Spike were in the midst of comforting a wailing Rarity, while Fluttershy had her forelegs wrapped tightly around a struggling, enraged Rainbow Dash. Cadance and Shining Armor were with them, though they didn't fare much better, for Shining appeared to be consoling his downtrodden wife.
The first thing Twilight noticed was that Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were no longer crystalline. The second was that the Canterlot Royal Guards were not with them, but with the pony who donned the cloak.
Temporarily ignoring the mysterious pony, she galloped over to her friends and family. “Guys, what happened?” she asked.
“Twily, I'm sorry,” her brother replied softly. “I-I failed to protect everypony.” He lifted his head to look at her, and only then did his sibling notice that his horn was gone.
Twilight's attention turned to Cadance, who had suffered the same fate, though her wings were also taken. The Princess of Love glanced at her and said nothing, shaking her head. Horrified, the unicorn mare turned to her friends. Now she understood why Rarity screamed, and Rainbow Dash's unbridled ire. The former was robbed of her horn as well. The latter, her wings. “Who did this?!” Twilight demanded, though she already pretty much knew who was responsible. It never hurt to be thorough. “Who did this to you?!”
“It was her!” snarled Rainbow, still thrashing around in Fluttershy's surprisingly-strong limbs as she pointed a trembling hoof at the unnamed thief. “She stole my wings!”
“She took my horn and my magnificent crystal visage!” cried Rarity.
Confused and angry, Twilight turned to the cloaked individual, who had begun to cackle. “This is not funny!” she snapped. “Who are you? What right do you have to do this to my family and friends?” And why the hay aren't the guards doing anything?!
“What's wrong, Twilight Sparkle?” sneered the pony in an all-too-familiar voice. “Are you having trouble wrapping your head around such superior magic?”
Twilight was taken aback. She knew that voice!
And its owner snickered at her stupor. “Well, well, well... Looks like a cat got your tongue. At least, I hope so. I hate to think that you've forgotten about little ol' me already.”
The lavender mare's ears folded back against her head. “I haven't forgotten about you... Trixie.”
Grinning, the magician discarded her cloak in one fluid motion. As it was thrown into the air, the fabric evaporated in a flurry of blue, smokey swirls. Trixie then sighed contently, running a hoof over the braid in her mane. “It's good to hear that you still know my name, Twilight,” she said as she looked over her crystallized form, which Twilight speculated was stolen from her three dull-coated friends. “So, how have you been since our last encounter?”
Twilight frowned. “I was fine, up until you came around. Return what you stole, Trixie.”
The azure unicorn grinned again. “No, I don't think so,” she replied with a snicker. “I have unfinished business with your friends, you see.” She reached out to Rarity with her magic and, in a poof of red smoke, the fashionista was fitted into the ugliest brown dress that anypony had ever seen.
“You beast!” shrieked Rarity, rearing onto her hind legs in horror. “This shade of brown should only be used for accents!” She then fainted—dramatically—onto Applejack's back.
“Leave them alone!” shouted Twilight. “They haven't done anything to you!”
Trixie bared her teeth. “Lies!” she spat, her eyes flashing crimson.
Right away, Twilight noticed the bizarre necklace around the mare's neck did the same, which caused her mental warning bells to ring like crazy. Trixie's eyes never did that before, nor was her magical aura red like that. If she remembered correctly, the azure mare's aura was lilac—the same color as her eyes. The necklace must be enchanted, she thought. She obviously didn't make it. It looks too familiar. Where have I seen it before?
The magician's horn illuminated as she conjured a rectangular screen next to her. “Does this ring any bells?” she asked. A familiar series of scenes appeared in the magical rectangle.
“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!”
“My, my, my! What boasting!” scoffed Rarity.
Then, Twilight herself appeared on the screen. “There's nothing wrong with being talented, is there?”
“Nothin' at all, 'cept when someone goes around showin' it off like a school filly with fancy new ribbons,” replied Applejack.
Rarity continued, “Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us.”
“Especially when ya got me around being better than the rest of us. Eh, I mean, yeah, uh, magic shmagic. Boo!” shouted Rainbow Dash.
Twilight bit down on her lip as the screen vanished. Yes, she remembered those events well. Her friends' reaction to Trixie was what sparked her fear of their rejection to her own magical talents—a fear that was later put to rest once she returned the Ursa Minor to its den in the Everfree Forest. “What does that have to do with anything?” she asked. “You were strutting around and boasting about your talents like no tomorrow!”
Anger caused the magician's eyes to again flare with a red aura, and so did her necklace. “Of course I was!” she growled, stomping her hoof on the ground. “I'm a magician, a stage performer, an entertainer! I'm an actress! That's my talent, you fools!” She took a few steps towards them. “Once upon a time, my shows brought smiles and wonder to ponies all over Equestria, and I never had to charge a single bit. I was able to live off tips and donations, and it was a wonderful living. Then, I stumbled across Ponyville and it all went straight to Tartarus.” Grinding her teeth together, she pointed a trembling hoof at Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. “You didn't have to watch my show if you didn't like it! Nopony forced you to stay, but you did, and you humiliated and demonized me in front of everypony!”
She returned her attention to Twilight. “Tell me, do you know what happened after you showed me up with that Ursa Minor?”
Swallowing down the bile that had gathered in her throat, Twilight shook her head.
“I became a laughing stock! As it turns out, the word of the Elements of Harmony is as good as gold, because everywhere I went I was laughed at and ostracized. I could no longer do my shows—do what I loved—because my so-called 'fraudulent' acts were viewed as worthless in the eyes of the public! I even had to take a job on a rock farm just to earn a living. A rock farm!”
“Hey!” yelled Pinkie Pie. “You're lucky a rock farm would take the likes of you!”
Without warning, Trixie hit her with a blast of magic. The arcane crimson cloud faded in time for everypony to watch as the party pony's mane and tail deflated like punctured balloons. Twilight even saw the cheerful light fade from her eyes as she fell onto her haunches. “Trixie, what did you do to her?” she demanded.
“Oh, don't worry,” replied the magician. “I just toned her down a bit. Now, where were we? Ah, yes, my ruined life. Unfortunately, the rock farm gig didn't last long. My employers threw me out onto the streets as soon as they heard of my 'scams.' After that, I had to sell everything I owned—including my caravan, as I was bit-less to the point where I could no longer take care of it. Do you know what it's like to be homeless? Of course you don't. It was nightmarish, to say the least, and it pushed me to... look into other means to hone my magic so I could get back at you savage bullies.” Chuckling, she absentmindedly stroked the red gem of her necklace. “My magic's gotten better since you saw me last, and I want to put it to the test. So, Twilight Sparkle, me and you, a magic duel. Winner stays, loser leaves the Crystal Empire forever! The same applies to Ponyville!”
“Don't do it, Twilight!” shouted Shining Armor. “You've got nothing to prove!”
Twilight shot a glance at him, then returned her focus to Trixie. “What if I refuse?”
“If you refuse, I'll just keep casting spells until you agree. Open your eyes, Sparkle. I influenced both the guards and the crystal ponies to see through your lies. You're outnumbered. Do you really want to see how much more chaos The Great and Powerful Trixie can cause for you?”
Mass brainwashing? That explained a few things, and that was the kind of power that made Twilight nervous. Trixie's tricks were new and vastly improved, but she had to at least try to best her. For her friends' sakes. “Alright, Trixie, let's duel,” she replied with conviction.
“Good, then draw!”
In a poof of crimson magic, the blue-coated mare made her first move with a weather spell that dropped snow onto her opponent. The Princess' protege was prepared, however, and she melted the cold substance with ease. Twilight then cast the first spell that came to mind: an alteration spell that caused a mustache to grow on Trixie's muzzle. The look on the magician's face was priceless. The humor was short-lived, however, for Trixie immediately conjured shears to cut the unwanted hair away. “Hilarious, Sparkle,” she muttered. Looking over her shoulder, she commanded Flash Sentry and another guard to step forward. “Feast your eyes on this!” she then exclaimed as she cast her next spell on them.
When the smoke cleared, Flash was a foal and the other stallion was elderly. Trixie had cast an age spell, and it made Twilight's heart sink. “An age spell?” she breathed. “But... how could you do an age spell? Only the Royal Sisters know that kind of advanced magic!”
Chuckling, Trixie grinned at her. “Well, Twilight? Give up?”
Twilight's brow furrowed as she eyed the victims of the magician's spell. No. It wasn't over yet! If she could figure out dark magic, then an age spell was nothing! Concentration. That was all she needed. So, she took a deep breath and she closed her eyes. Her magic wrapped the altered guards in a gentle embrace, and then the work began.
Sweat beaded on her face as she tried to put the right pieces of the spell together in her mind's eye. Changing a pony's age obviously fell into the category of Alteration—a school with which she was familiar—but she knew little of its more advanced spells. Altering a pony's age was almost the same as altering somepony's species or even somepony's gender. The closest she came to that level was when she transformed Fluttershy's mice into horses so that they would pull their carriage to the Grand Galloping Gala. Though that plan crashed and burned, it was an accomplishment nonetheless.
But, mice were not ponies, and the strain became unbearable all too soon. Her magic fizzled out like flat soda, and the guards remained unchanged.
She couldn't do it. She lost.
She gasped as Trixie's aura engulfed her form and lifted her off the ground. The other mare walked towards her, laughing maniacally. “A valiant effort, Sparkle,” she cackled, “but it wasn't valiant enough! Who would've guess that Princess Celestia's prized pupil was so inferior? Well, Trixie did, but that's not the point. You'll never return to the Crystal Empire or Ponyville to face the shame!”
“Stop it!” cried Cadance. She pulled free from Shining Armor's embrace and she put herself between Trixie and Twilight. “Leave her alone, Trixie!”
Shining and the others followed. “I won't let you exile my sister!” he growled.
“Yes, you've proved your point!” added Rarity.
Applejack took off her hat and held it against her chest. “Uh-huh, I'm awfully sorry for how we treated ya, Trixie, but this ain't the right way to settle things,” she said. “I'm sure we can come to some sort of agreement that—”
Again, Trixie struck the ground with her hoof, which startled everypony. “Silence!” she commanded, marching up to them. “She agreed to the terms of the duel and she lost! It's her own fault!”
Rainbow Dash lashed out at her with a foreleg. “You can't make her leave!” she spat.
As the others began to argue further with the magician, Twilight angled herself so that she could get a better look at Trixie's necklace. It was made up of silver links and a pendant crafted from a red gem. Above the jewel, there was the likeness of a pony with wings and a horn. Her eyes widened. “An alicorn,” she whispered. There was only one object she recalled from her studies that resembled the trinket: the Alicorn Amulet—a powerful artifact that, while shrouded in mystery when it came to its history, was known to grant untold power to whoever wore it.
Twilight glared at Trixie. “You cheated!” she yelled in anger.
Her outburst caused the argument to cease, and Trixie returned her glare with a feigned countenance of surprise and disbelief. “Cheated?” she gasped. “Moi?”
“You're wearing the Alicorn Amulet!”
Trixie flinched as her ears folded against her head, though she continued to put on her act of innocence. “The what now? I have no idea what you're talking about.”
Twilight looked towards her friends and family. “Her power's not her own! It's the amulet! Whoever wears it—!” Her voice was muffled by the corrupted magic that clamped her mouth shut. She struggled and flailed helplessly against the crimson aura. It didn't bother Trixie, until Twilight attempted to use her magic to escape her grasp. Then, she was more difficult to control, and that was simply unacceptable.
“That's enough out of you!” hissed the blue mare. Her eyes flashed with the power of the amulet as she cast one final spell on her rival.
Spike and the others recoiled at the flash of light that came as a result of the unknown spell. When they could see once more, they all took one look at Twilight and, in unison, they gasped in horror. Twilight, free to speak again, glanced at each of them. “What?” she asked, her concern growing. “What did she do to me?”
Before they could answer, Trixie began to levitate her with haste towards the empire's barrier. “Goodbye, Twilight Sparkle!” she shouted, waving. “It was nice knowing you!”
Twilight struggled once more as she passed through the field of magic. It didn't do her much good, since she was dropped on the snow-coated ground as soon as she was on the other side. “Oh, no you don't!” she growled. She ran towards the barrier. To her surprise, it changed colors before her very eyes, and she dug her front hooves into the snow to stop herself as it settled on a pink, yet very menacing shade of pink. Cautiously, she placed her hooves on the surface of the shield. It didn't let her through, even when she pushed on it with all her might.
Suggested Listening : Vision
“Oh, no!” she grunted. Trixie altered the Crystal Heart. There was no other explanation. Panic began to settle in as she looked at her surroundings. It was snowing heavily, so she couldn't see far. Darn it! Now what?
She bit down on the edge of her hoof. C'mon, Twilight, what's the simplest solution? She eyed the corrupted barrier. Perhaps she could teleport back inside. It was the only thing she could think of on such short notice.
Unfortunately, nothing happened when she attempted to perform the teleportation spell. She didn't feel the magic as she tried to channel it through her horn, which lead to the realization that she couldn't feel her horn in the first place. Trembling, she reached up to touch the appendage. It wasn't there. Her horn wasn't there.
Trixie had whisked it away with that final spell.
Her panic worsened, the drumming of her heart pounded in her ears. “No, no, no!” she cried. Without her magic, there was nothing she could do. She was, quite literally, powerless, and Spike wasn't there to send a letter to the Princess. Wait, the Princess!
If she could find the train station, then she could get to Canterlot. If she got to Canterlot, then she could enlist Celestia's aid! She had to brave the blizzard in order to do so, but it was her (newfound) only option. Fueled by adrenaline, she turned and she dashed into the raging snowfall. The station wasn't far. It wasn't far and it was north of the empire. Wait, that was wrong. It was east. Northeast? Perhaps both were wrong and it was south.
In her panic, Twilight began to wander in countless different directions. It's here somewhere! I'm not lost! I know where it is! She was running blind, and she didn't even realize it until her legs began to ache and the adrenaline wore off due to the cold that pierced the layer of her fur and settled into her flesh. Her confidence wavered. No! I'm almost there! I know it! I... I...
I have no idea where I am.
The anguish hit her like an arrow and her legs gave out from underneath her. She collapsed on the ground with a heart-wrenching sob. “I can't... I can't... I'm lost.” Tears streamed down her cheeks as she buried her face in her forelegs. There was nothing she could do. Trixie possessed one of the most powerful relics in existence, she was exiled from the Crystal Empire, and now she was lost in the cold. Trixie won. The magician was going to hurt her loved ones and she was powerless to stop it—all because she acted upon her panic and ran blind into a blizzard. She was a disgrace.
“Twilight.”
Sniffling, the horn-less mare lifted her head and peered into the snowfall. She thought she heard something.
“Twilight Sparkle.”
She did hear something! “Hello?” she called, getting back up onto her hooves. “Who's there?”
“Come here.”
She squinted as an orange glow appeared in the distance. She wasn't sure if that was there before, but it renewed her sense of confidence. The uncanny voice continued to call out to her—beckon her—as she approached the illumination. Soon, she saw that the glow came from the ground. The spot on the ground was completely barren of snow and there was a brightly-colored flower growing from it. Twilight stood over it with curiosity. “What is this?” she whispered. The flower was a beautiful shade of red, with yellow and orange bands highlighting the rim of each petal. She could sense that it was magical, and it smelled of a fire-like warmth.
“Eat.”
Entranced, Twilight beheaded the flower in one bite. It had a strange taste, but it was sweeter than a daisy and she already felt the strength returning to her. Yet, not too long after the small snack settled into her belly, her head began to swim. Afterwards, her forehead ached. Groaning, she fell onto her rump, then onto her side as a strange sensation—almost like static—washed over her. It wasn't an unpleasant feeling, and her tired eyes slowly closed.
“Everything will be all right.”
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Like the story so far, I like how you merged the Trixie episiode into your story! Well written!
I like this portrayal of Amulet Trixie. She seems more sympathetic with her motives and, at least at the moment, more competent with her powers. I can't wait to see how Twilight and Sombra will deal with her.
P.S: Does Trixie still distrusts wheels?
Hmm, so the role of Twilight's spiritual mentor will fall into the hooves of Sombra instead of Zecora in this
I'm liking this new development
Nice chapter. I was wondering if there would be another villain. Great idea with the mind control. I thought Trixie should have done that in the show, but no. So now Twi and Sombra must free the empire again. I can't wait for read the next chapters. Good luck.
if there is one thing i can ask for, it would be that the stupid bitch actually get's punished, and not just blindly forgiven. or is given a light sentence. make her lose her horn!
5035608
Yeah, how dare she be brainwashed by an evil amulet! After that, we can punish the Elements of Harmony for the things they did while mind-warped by Discord, Luna for everything she did as Nightmare Moon...
Heck, let's forget about people being brainwashed and look at people in full control of themselves: There was that time Twilight brainwashed an entire town because she was going to be tardy, she's not really in a position to be playing "poor me, other people are abusing their magic."
5039084 you do realize that she still must have planned to do something like what she did to them. the fact she went crazy from the artifact she planned to use to enact said plan doesn't absolve her of her sins.
5039130
Well... No, I don't realize that because there's no evidence she planned to do anything like what she ended up doing. Challenge Twilight to a magic duel? Yes. All the other crazy stuff she does, including punishing Twilight afterwards? No evidence at all. Remember when she completely defeated Rainbow Dash, Applejack and Rarity in her first appearance? Did she banish them from their homes or declare herself ruler of the town? Or inflict any real harm? No.
And yes, mind control is pretty much the definition of something that absolves you of your sins.
5039234 and what if she kills someone? destroys their home? ruins there livelihood? forces every single pony in the empire to turn on one another? do these sound like things that someone should be absolved from? if-and that is a very big if-i was to say that i can see where your coming from, that doesn't mean she get's of scott free. even in the real world, people who commit crimes while under the throws of insanity, or other such mental illnesses, still get locked up! if we go with the idea that she never would have done this if she was sane, then she needs to be locked up, fixed, and then she can serve the community until whoever is in charge decided that she has paid off all those she wronged.
5039242
... Given that fixing her is pretty much as simple as taking the amulet away because it's a fantasy story, your analogy to mental illness falls a little flat, since that's not curable in a couple minutes.
Frankly, Trixie is liable to feel bad and be blamed by people to some extent after this, anyway, but how culpable she really is depends on one thing: Did she know the amulet would likely send her around the bend before she put it on? If not, it's not her fault, could have happened to anyone. If so, then you're looking at criminal negligence.
What a chapter! You know, I kinda wished that flower could've been able to bring back Twilight's horn or Sombra somehow brings it back and not wait till Trixie is defeated and all that for that to happen, but this is your story. So, I'm going to have to wait and see.
Its nice to see you point out the flaws with Boast Busters when they were antagonizing Trixie. That and the fact that Snips and Snails 'punishments' were that they got mustaches (Not a punishment) and had to help clean up the mess they made (Barely a punishment fit for causing something that could have easily killed a lot of people and destroyed Trixie's home) were what annoyed me the most with that episode; yes Trixie exaggerated a bit much (I wouldn't really know since I've never seen a stage performer, as far as I know their supposed to exaggerate things not outright lie about it) but it's part of her job.
DUN DUN DUN!!!!
Also, love how you pointed out the flaws from Boast Busters and The Magic Duel.
And i suddenly have the urgh to intrudce trixe to my favorite tool
Its a katana
*Deranged Laughter*
Trixie, you're fucked.
Don't do drugs kids! Or drug flowers!
I've already read this story once, and I have no idea how Trixie knew that Twilight and friends were in the Crystal Empire. Also, if she was broke as a joke: how did she even get to the Crystal Empire? It's not like she had the money to buy a train ticket.
While Trixie is, in fact, the only good thing to come out of Boast Busters, why is she the villain?
9280375
The Alicorn Amulet slowly turns people evil and, in Trixie's case, gives them an irrational fear of wheels.
9217246
I would imagine the Alicorn Amulet let her either brainwash somepony to get her there or just let her teleport, the real question is where she got the money to get the Alicorn Amulet in the first place
9836264
Who said she didn’t steal it in this timeline?
I was with Trixie until she said she sold her caravan because she couldn't take care of it. Excuse me? Does she pays government taxes for owning a house on wheels. Does she pays some kind of license fee?
10279092
taxes? no. maintenance costs? yeah, those can really add up.