Trixie's Rod of Wonder

by Emerald Harp

Chapter One

Trixie wiped the sweat off her brow as she sat down on a smooth boulder. Wielding a pick axe with her magic was tough going on a normal day. When it was ninety degrees in the shade, she was lucky not to die of heat stroke, much less smash her quota of rocks. The blue unicorn looked over at her earth pony partner. Maud was smashing small rocks into gravel between her hooves with no effort. Trixie never failed to marvel at Maud’s strength as she crushed rock after rock. Not only was she strong, she was fast. In the time it would take Trixie to smash a five foot tall boulder, Maud would have pummeled it and the next six just like it in half the time.

“Maud, don’t you need a break? I’m sweating like I’m about to go into an Ursa Major’s Den.”

Maud looked up at Trixie with the same expressionless face as always. “No,” she replied as she went back to work with the efficiency of a machine.

Trixie nearly choked in-between mouthfuls of water. “Are you sure? Because you look pretty hot.”

“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself,” came the monotone reply.

Trixie’s cheeks turned bright pink. “You know that’s not what I meant, Maud.”

One side of Maud’s mouth turned upward ever so slightly as she grabbed another rock. “I’m fine, Trixie. Thank you for asking. You go ahead and take it easy for a while. We’re ahead of schedule.”

Trixie sighed in exasperation. Maud was a hard worker and a good friend, but the work always came first, especially when it came to the Pie family gravel business. After Trixie failed to conqueror Ponyville with the Alicorn Amulet, she was out of luck and out of bits. To make ends meet, she went to work for the Pie’s since she had experience with rock farms.

After a few minutes, Trixie levitated her axe and went back to work. Ting, ting, ting went her pick as she wielded it with all the concentration she could muster. “Only one more hour,” Trixie muttered to herself. “One more hour.”

After what seemed like an eternity of concentration and swinging, the hour passed, and when it did, Trixie let out a cheer. “Yes! The Great and Powerful Trixie triumphs once again over the grey and unyielding rocks.” With that, the unicorn brought her pick down as hard as she could, utterly smashing the last of the boulder.

The magician heard the slow measured clapping of her earth pony friend behind her. “You’re getting better every day, Trixie. Who knows, eventually you’ll be as good as me.”

“Really?”

“Sure, when I’m dead.”

Trixie dropped her pick axe and attacked Maud with a pathetic, slow-moving magic missile.

Maud didn’t even blink when she said, “Ouch.” She was about to head back to the house when she saw something in the ground where Trixie’s boulder used to be.

“What’s that?”

The magician turned around to see what Maud was pointing at. To Trixie, it looked like a metal cylinder. Using her magic, the unicorn tried to levitate it out, but it was stuck. Trixie tried again and again but to no avail. She sat on her rump in the dirt pouting in frustration.

Shaking her head in amusement, the earth pony walked over to the object and gave a quick tug. The cylinder came out of the ground like it was stuck in water and not a few layers of hot, dry ground.

Trixie glared at Maud in mock loathing. “I hate it when you show me up like that. Why do you have to be so much better than the Great and Powerful Trixie at everything?”

Maud shrugged her shoulders and wiped away the dust and debris, revealing a crease right in the center of the metallic item.

Trixie eyed the cylinder like they had just unearthed a treasure chest. “Go ahead, open it.”

The earth pony hesitated. “I’m not sure. It could belong to somepony.”

Trixie rolled her eyes. “Come on, aren’t you the least bit curious? When was the last time you found something like this?”

“I’ve found some gold and a few gems but never. . . anything like this,” Maud replied.

“But, since it’s on your family’s land, doesn’t that make it your property?”

Maud shrugged her shoulders again.

“Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!” Trixie pleaded.

Maud continued to look at the cylinder blankly, unsure of what to do. Trixie mentally prepared herself to play her trump card. She really didn’t want to do it, but she had to find out what was in that container.

“The sooner you open it, the sooner we can get back to the house and play hide and seek with Boulder.”

Maud’s eyes widened ever so slightly. For her, that was the equivalent of screaming in delight. Maud tried to twist the two halves of the cylinder away from each other.

Maud blinked and hoofed the metal object to Trixie. “I can’t do it.”

“What do you mean you can’t do it? You’re the strongest pony I know.” Trixie thought for a moment and then continued, “Why don’t you try again? Put everything you got into it.”

“I did.”

Trixie’s jaw dropped as she heard this. How could a pony that could reduce mountains of rocks to bits not open such a small thing?

“Why don’t you try?” Maud suggested.

Trixie shook her head and looked at her friend doubtfully. “If the Strong and Mighty Maud can’t open it, how can the Weak and Pathetic Trixie?”

“Use your magic.”

Trixie rolled her eyes and muttered, “Yeah right.” But seeing as they had nothing better on hoof to try, the unicorn levitated the container out of Maud’s grasp. Her magic gripped the two halves and the cylinder opened effortlessly.

The sky blue pony was overcome with joy and surprise. “I did it! I did it! I did it!” She was so giddy, she began to jump up and down.

“Yippee,” Maud said deadpanned.

Settling down, Trixie cleared her throat. “Alright, let’s see what’s in this.”

She withdrew a two foot long metal rod and a small piece of parchment. While the magician examined the rod, the rock farmer looked at the paper. The rod felt very cold in Trixie’s hooves, so much so that it sent a shiver up her spine. There were no markings, imperfections, or any discernible characteristics of any kind on the rod. It felt sturdy enough to use as a club.

What does the paper say, Maud?”

“I don’t know. I can’t read it.”

“Is the mouth script bad?”

“No, it’s . . . kind of pretty actually. I think it’s in a different language. It’s signed Starswirl the Bearded down at the bottom,” Maud replied in monotone.

“Oh, really?” Trixie said as she raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You’d be surprised at how many ponies claim to have Starswirl memorabilia.” Trixie’s imitated one of the Flim Flam brothers. “Come see the real Starswirl’s genuine hat, cape, and beard for the small price of ten bits per customer!”

Maud stared at Trixie blankly. “So, what do you think that stick was doing in a magically sealed jar?”

The magician levitated the rod in front of the two of them and replied, “I don’t know. It doesn’t really feel . . . ”As the unicorn said this, she drew back the rod and pointed it at a huge pile of dirt she and Maud had dug up the day before. Trixie was instantly teleported to the top. “. . . Magical.”

The now very surprised unicorn looked back at her friend and yelled, “Never mind!”

As the unicorn climbed down the mountain of dirt, Maud asked, “Are you alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s see if it does that twice.” Flushed with excitement, Trixie flicked the wand in the direction of the dirt pile. The entire mountain of dirt turned purple. As this happened, Trixie saw her own magic leave her horn and encompass the mound. It was surreal to watch her power be taken and converted into something else by the rod.

The unicorn and the earth pony looked at each other and then back at the dirt pile. Without a word, Maud walked up to the pile of dirt and pawed at it with her hoof. “I think it’s purple all the way through.” She sniffed the dirt, and then chomped down on a mouthful of it.

Trixie yelled in shock, “Wait! Don’t!” But it was too late.

After Maud swallowed, she declared, “Still tastes like dirt. All you did was change the color.”

The magician sighed in relief. “Next time don’t taste a magically changed thing. It might be bad for you.”

Maud shrugged and said, “It tasted okay to me.”

“That’s not the point Maud, just . . . oh never mind.” Trixie offered the metal rod to the earth pony. “Do you want to try it?”

Maud shook her head, “No thanks, magic is more your area.” Looking up at the sun, the rock farmer declared, “We best be heading back, Trixie. It’s starting to get dark.”

“One more time,” Trixie said as she pointed the magical device at the dirt pile.

The next thing Trixie knew it was completely dark. “Wow, Maud, you were right. It is getting dark out. I can’t see a thing.”

“Neither can I,” came the dry monotone reply of her friend.

Trixie followed the voice of her fellow worker until she bumped into her.

“What should we do now?” Trixie asked nervously.

“Follow me.”

After Trixie had grabbed onto Maud’s tail, the two ponies began to walk. Eventually they emerged out of the darkness and into the light of the setting sun. They turned around and saw a fog of absolute pitch black.

After a moment of staring into the black cloud, Trixie said, “So far that’s three different spells.” A wicked grin spread across the unicorn’s face. “Who knows what the Great and Powerful Trixie could accomplish with this?” she declared as she held up the rod.

“Color me impressed,” Maud said dryly as she turned to leave and go back to her home.

Trixie sighed. Maud was the ultimate buzz kill. The rod had performed some impressive magic, but nothing that special. Nothing that would make Trixie think that it was the Star Swirl the Bearded’s wand, or rod, walking stick or . . .whatever this thing was. Still, she thought, it was pretty fun to use.

Comments

[Mad Maudlin]

Oh Trixie. You think thats impressive? You should see Starswirl's Deck of Many Things.

[Mooncalf]

5772069 Oh Sweet Smooze, yes. Nothing annihilates a game quicker than the Deck. Compared to that, the rod is just delightful. And yes, I can see Trixie messing around with a Deck.

This is off to a fun start. The interaction between Trixie and Maud is pretty cute without wandering into blatant and forced Mauxie shipping. (I don't mind Mauxie at all, but I prefer for it to develop properly.) I wanna see where this goes.

[Emerald Harp]

5773867
Thanks bud. I didn't aim for this to be a ship fic but I figured I'd walk close to the shipping line without crossing it. We got some pretty interesting stuff in store of Trixie and Maud, we hope you guys like it.

[nioniosbbbb]

5772069 Bro you don't touch a deck of many things... these shit are played by creatures like Cambions that have tielfings with them. Those are dangerous.
5773867 Doesn't look so cute to me... it good tho.
5774330 I am laughing maniacly so bad right now...

[Alaborn]

Back in my day, we didn't have no newfangled rods of wonder. We had wands of wonder, and we liked it that way! And THAC0, and negative armor class, and... HEY YOU FOALS! GET OFF MY LAWN!