A Great And Powerful Crusader! (Part One)
Sunset's plan to avoid letting Celestia know she was back in Equestria didn't even survive until breakfast the next day.
"Good morning, Twilight!" the bright, cheerful voice of Princess Celestia rang out as, in a golden burst of sunlight, she appeared in the dining room of Twilight's castle. "I made some time in my schedule to have breakfast and catch up with you and your student!"
She looked around the room, smiling as she saw Twilight seated primly, a book floating beside her; Trixie Lulamoon, her usual disaffected air of superiority firmly in place; Sunset Shimmer, staring at her with wide, terrified eyes...
Wait.
Celestia blinked, shook her head, then blinked again. Her ears fell back. "S-Sunset...Shimmer?"
"Umm..." Sunset gulped, raising a hoof and waving timidly. "H-hi?"
"Good morning, Princess Celestia!" Twilight said brightly. "Please, join us! Spike's making waffles and hay bacon!"
"I...I..." Celestia walked numbly over to the table, her eyes never leaving Sunset Shimmer.
Trixie watched the ruler of Equestria, a frown on her face.
Twilight coughed. "I invited Sunset Shimmer to return to Equestria for a few days so I could talk to her about joining my secret task force," she said. "Sunset asked me...not to tell you she was here. Yet. She wanted..."
"I wanted...time to brace myself for this moment," Sunset finished in a whisper. "Princess Celestia, I'm so sorry!" she cried.
Celestia shook herself and smiled sadly. "You are forgiven, my little pony, but we have much to talk about. In private. After breakfast." Celestia tilted her head at Twilight. "Task force?"
Trixie chose that moment to make her presence known. "The reformed fugitive Sunset Shimmer will be assisting the Great and Powerful TRRRRRIXIE! in the apprehension of the criminal Starlight Glimmer," she said importantly.
"Assisting you?" Sunset said incredulously.
Twilight whapped Trixie upside the head with her book. "Both of them will be helping me subdue Starlight Glimmer once she's located," she said.
"Hmm." Celestia nodded slowly. "I see where you're going with this, and I agree. That's an excellent strategy." She tilted her head and glanced at Sunset. "But...does that mean you'll be remaining in Equestria until Starlight Glimmer is captured?"
"Only if we catch her this week," Sunset said. "I've got plans with my friends. After that, I'll be coming back when Twilight needs me. I'm usually less than twenty minutes from the portal by motorbike."
"And I doubt finding Starlight Glimmer will be that easy in any case," Twilight said.
Spike trotted out carrying a platter stacked high with waffles and a skillet full of bacon. He blinked at their unexpected guest. "Oh, umm...good morning, Your Highness," he said. He looked at what he was carrying, then sighed. "You four get started on this. I'll...I'll go make some more..."
"I'm sorry to put you to the trouble, Spike."
"Nah, it's cool. I just wish I knew you were coming ahead of time." Spike trotted off to the kitchen.
Sunset watched him go with a thoughtful frown. "Twilight? Why do you have Spike doing everything around here? Shouldn't you have...I dunno, staff? Maids, cooks, all that?"
Twilight made a stuck sound in her throat as she floated three waffles and several strips of bacon onto her plate. "Servants? M-me? Noooononononononono. No."
Celestia laughed softly. "Twilight...you're a princess now. The sheer size of this castle alone...you can't reasonably expect Spike to take care of it all by himself."
"And Trixie is certainly tired of being ordered about by that pestilent lizard," Trixie said. Celestia shot her a warning glance.
"They're right, Twilight," Sunset said. "You're a princess. You've got a big castle. You need ponies to keep it up."
"And your own contingent of guards as well," Celestia said.
Twilight raised a hoof. "I draw the line at guards," she said. "A cleaning and cooking staff..." She sighed. "Yeah...I guess I can agree to that. I mean, I'm working Spike too hard, and I know it." She shook her head. "But I don't feel comfortable having ponies wait on me, and I really wouldn't feel right about having a royal guard."
Celestia smiled as she took a bite of waffles. "Very well," she said. "We'll start small. A staff of...say, ten ponies? With Spike in charge of the staff?" she added as Spike waddled back in from the kitchen, carrying another platter of waffles.
"That sounds good to me," Spike said as he plopped himself at the table. "I like being in charge of things."
"Oooooooh no," Twilight said. "I need Spike to keep being my number one assistant. He can't do that if he's lording it over a bunch of grown ponies." She cast Spike a glance. "Which is exactly what he'd do."
Spike rolled his eyes. "Well, it was worth a shot."
Celestia laughed musically. "Alright. I'll find a very competent unicorn to take charge of your staff."
Twilight laid her head flat on the table and groaned. "All this talk about having a staff and guards and stuff is making me really uncomfortable," she grumbled.
"Oh, get over it," Sunset snapped, but she smiled warmly at Twilight as she did so. "You're a princess. There's certain things that come with the crown." She frowned. "Speaking of which..." She glanced meaningfully up at Twilight's bare head.
Celestia raised an eyebrow. "She's right, Twilight. You do need to start dressing the part." She raised her own gold-shod hoof for emphasis. "Even Princess Cadance was not this recalcitrant about wearing her regalia."
Twilight let out a frustrated groan. "UGH! FINE!" In a flash, she teleported away.
"Is she always like this?" Sunset asked.
"You have no idea," Spike muttered as he drowned his second helping of waffles in syrup.
Almost a minute later, Twilight reappeared, her small, five-pointed crown on her head; she also wore an understated gold peytral with a six-pointed topaz star and matching shoes. "There. I'm all princessy now. Happy?"
"It's a start," Celestia said mildly.
Sunset blinked. "Twilight? What happened to your other crown? The one with the Element of Magic?"
"That's...a long story..."
* * * * *
After breakfast, Sunset Shimmer returned to her suite with Princess Celestia for a private talk. Twilight, meanwhile, decided to go for a morning flight to burn off the calories from breakfast. With Spike cleaning up the breakfast dishes, that left Trixie to her own devices.
Trixie paced in the library, tail lashing angrily. "Oh, Sunset Shimmer, welcome back, my darling little pony," she said in a sneering mockery of Celestia's tones. "Oh, Sunset Shimmer! You're SO amazingly powerful! I'm SO happy to see you!" she continued in a snide parody of Twilight Sparkle's voice. "Sunset Shimmer, Sunset Shimmer, Sunset. Fucking. SHIMMER!" Trixie hurled several books around the room in a whirlwind of magical fury. "Everypony thinks Sunset Shimmer is SO special! Well TRIXIE IS SPECIAL TOO! TRIXIE KNOWS DOZENS OF SPELLS!" Trixie ceased her angry pacing and idly cleaned up her mess, then spread an array of books out in front of her.
"Trixie will PROVE that she is just as special and just as worthy of their praise and attention as Sunset Shimmer! But where to start...?"
Her eyes landed upon one book in particular: Advanced Spells For The Savvy Sorceror.
Trixie's eyes gleamed. "Of course..." She began to laugh.
"Just you wait, Sunset Shimmer. Trixie will prove she is the highest level unicorn!"
* * * * *
Princess Celestia and Sunset Shimmer spent the better part of an hour catching up after breakfast.
"So, you said you were here until the week's end?" Celestia asked, once Sunset had finished telling her all about her life in the human world.
"That's right," Sunset replied. "I have to go back on Sunday."
Celestia beamed. "That's perfect, then!" she said. "Friday just so happens to be the Grand Galloping Gala. Is there any chance I can talk you into attending?"
Sunset tilted her head. "The Gala? It's that time of year already? Wow..."
"Indeed," Celestia said. "Didn't Twilight mention it?"
Sunset shook her head. "We've been busy talking about other things."
"I see," Celestia replied, nodding thoughtfully. Her horn glowed, and a golden ticket appeared in a flash. "You are more than welcome to attend. I would be happy if you would."
Sunset smiled and took the ticket in her own aura. "Of course I'll come!" She leaned forward and nuzzled Celestia happily. She paused. "Oh my gosh! I've got to hurry and find a dress!"
Celestia laughed softly. "I believe Twilight's friend Rarity can help with that..."
Sunset's eyes widened. "Rarity. Of course!"
* * * * *
Twilight was just finishing up her last lap around Ponyville when Rainbow Dash flew up alongside her. "Hey, Twilight!" She looked Twilight over. "Any particular reason you're all princessed up today?"
Twilight sighed. "Celestia and Sunset Shimmer ganged up on me and insisted I start wearing my regalia."
"Well, they're right," Rainbow said with a shrug. "I mean, you are a princess. You gotta dress the part. I mean, if I get into the Wonderbolts, I'll have to wear a Wonderbolts flight suit. You're a princess, so you gotta wear...that stuff." She did a roll under Twilight and came up on her other side. "It's like a uniform."
Twilight blinked. "Huh. I never really thought of it that way."
"Besides, and I know this is gonna sound like something Rarity would say: There's been a lotta times lately where we'd have had an easier time of things if you, y'know, called more attention to your being a princess." Rainbow frowned. "Like tryin' to get a cab in Manehattan. You think anybody would've made you wait in line for a cab if you had on your crown and stuff? You gotta own this princess stuff, Twi."
"Hmm." Twilight frowned. "I guess..." She shook her head. "Anyway, I should be getting back. Princess Celestia put me in charge of planning this year's Grand Galloping Gala and I've got a full week of last-minute checks and coordination to do."
"Oh yeah, the Gala! I gotta swing by Rarity's and do the whole girly dress thing." Rainbow made a face. "Honestly, I'm only goin' for Scootaloo."
Twilight laughed. "Well, hopefully it won't be as awful as the last Gala we all went to."
"Nothing can possibly be as bad as that night," Rainbow said. "Later, Twi!"
As Rainbow flew off toward Carousel Boutique, Twilight headed for the sparkling spires of her castle.
"I wonder what Trixie's up to. She was pretty sullen at breakfast..."
An unfamiliar pegasus flew up alongside her, panting heavily. "Princess Twilight! You're needed at the train station!"
Twilight blinked. "What's going on?"
"There's a bunch of unicorns from Canterlot making a commotion! They're demanding to see you and they're blocking the platform!"
Twilight groaned. "Oh, for the love of...alright, I'll be right there..."
* * * * *
Sunset Shimmer returned to the castle, smiling happily after a pleasant morning in the company of Rarity. She'd spent enough time with her own world's Rarity that she didn't mind being measured, poked, and prodded; she found the unicorn version of her friend to be just as personable and generous.
She'd also had quite a few amusing tales about Twilight Sparkle.
"Twilight? Spike?" Sunset called out.
"In here," she heard Spike call from the dining room.
She trotted lightly in that direction, but as she rounded the corner, Trixie stepped out from behind one of the many jagged crystal formations that lined the halls of the castle. Trixie's head was raised, and the familiar arrogant superiority glimmered malevolently in her eyes. "Hello, Sunset Shimmer," Trixie said in a voice that dripped disdain.
"Uhh...hey, Trixie," Sunset said.
Trixie flipped her mane and laughed. "Trixie has a little surprise for you," she said. "Trixie will prove to you, to Twilight Sparkle, and to all of Equestria that the so-called former student of Princess Celestia is nothing special at all."
Sunset groaned, facehoofing. "Oh, for..." She shook her head. "Look, Trixie—"
"SILENCE!" Trixie snarled. "Prepare yourself, Sunset Shimmer! Prepare to face the unstoppable force of nature that is the GREAT AND POWERFUL—"
Sunset teleported past her into the dining room. "Hey, Spike?" Sunset asked as she trotted over to the table. "What's up with Trixie?"
At the table, Spike looked up from laying out a tray of cookies. "She's in one of her moods today," he said with a resigned sigh. "She was actually making pretty good progress until, well..." He trailed off.
"Until what?"
Spike bowed his head. "Until you came along," he said. "I think...she feels threatened by you."
"Oh..." Sunset looked away, eyes lowered.
"Hey!" Spike said, waving his claws frantically. "Don't..." He paused. "Look. Trixie's...complicated. She gets jealous easily, she—"
The doors burst open, and Trixie strode through. "AS TRIXIE WAS SAYING," she thundered, stalking toward Sunset.
Sunset sighed and gave Trixie a pitying, resigned look. "Look, Trixie..."
"No, YOU look! And be ASTOUNDED!" Trixie's horn began to glow and strobe brilliantly; she squinted against the harsh glare of her own magic. Sweat streamed down her face.
"Okay, now you're pushing it," Sunset said, her own horn beginning to glow as she lowered her head and pawed at the floor with a hoof. "Whatever you're about to do, you'd better make it good. You're not gonna get a second shot."
"Hey!" Spike cried, waving his claws frantically. "No magic duels, you two! If Twilight finds out, she'll kill me!"
"Trixie is about to take you back to SCHOOL, Sunset Shimmer!" The spell building up in Trixie's horn exploded outward in a brilliant flash...
...and collapsed in on itself, the full force of Trixie's magic enveloping her. Spike and Sunset shielded their eyes from the intense glow as Trixie cried out in alarm.
When the light faded, a much smaller Trixie sat on her rump on the crystal floor, blinking large, confused eyes.
Sunset stared at her. Blinked twice. Then started to snicker. Her snicker became a full-blown belly laugh as she rolled over on her back and clutched her stomach. "Oh...oh my gosh...!"
Spike started snickering too. "Oh man...!"
"Stop laughing!" Trixie said in a much higher-pitched, squeakier voice than usual. "Why are you laughing? Trixie will not..." Trixie trailed off, blinking. "Trixie feels...strange..."
Spike wiped tears of laughter from his eyes. "Hey Trixie! Congratulations! You finally mastered that age spell!"
"You sure did!" Sunset said between peals of laughter. "I guess you're not as much of a hack as I thought!" She rolled over on her stomach and eyed Trixie, grinning. "Now you just need to work on your aim!"
Spike lost it and fell over, rolling around on the ground.
Trixie frowned and stood up, pointing her nose at the ceiling indignantly. "Trixie has no idea what—"
Then she caught sight of her reflection in the crystal walls.
Her eyes widened, and she gasped.
Trixie had, against all odds, succeeded in turning herself into a small unicorn filly.
She started to sniffle, then burst into tears.
* * * * *
When Twilight returned from sorting out the confusion at the train platform, she heard loud whining and complaining coming from the direction of the dining room. "Ugh, what is it now?" Rustling her wings in irritation, she teleported directly to the dining room.
"—just wait until Twilight gets home, and—oh! Hey, Twilight!" Sunset said.
Twilight stared.
Sunset, a goofy smile on her face, sat at one end of the dining room table. A highly amused Spike sat nearby, munching cookies while propping his chin up with one claw and watching...
...a pouting, sniffling, complaining blue unicorn filly who was morosely dunking cookies in a big glass of milk.
Twilight blinked, shook her head, then stared some more. "Okay, what happened here?"
"Trixie tried to cast an age spell on Sunset Shimmer to show her up," Spike said. "It backfired."
"On the bright side, at least she actually managed to cast an age spell!" Sunset said. "That's pretty impressive."
Twilight covered her mouth with a hoof. "Oh...oh my," she giggled.
Trixie suddenly shot to her hooves, scrambled over to Twilight, and grabbed her around the ankle. "FIXITFIXITFIXIT!" she cried.
Twilight tilted her head at Trixie. "You cast the spell. Can't you cast the counterspell?"
"I do-don't know how!" Trixie complained. "I forgetted the spell when I shrank! An' my magic shrank with me!"
"Okay...well...that's definitely a problem," Twilight said. She sighed. "I'm sorry, Trixie. I don't know any counterspells for this."
"B-but—!" Trixie stepped back, tears shining in her eyes. "But you hafta help me! I don't wanna be a little filly!"
"I'm sorry, Trixie," Twilight said with a sheepish smile, fighting not to giggle. "I'm way too busy organizing this year's Grand Galloping Gala to deal with this right now." She tilted her head. "I'm sure you can survive like this for the rest of the week, right? I promise after the Gala, I'll get you back to normal. Umm...somehow."
"But...but...!"
"Gotta go!" And in a flash, Twilight was gone.
Trixie skulked off to her room, pouting. "This sucks..."
After Trixie left, Sunset stage-whispered to Spike, "Twilight could fix this in two seconds, couldn't she?"
"Yep."
"She's letting Trixie stew to teach her a lesson, isn't she?"
"Yep."
"Wow. She really is Celestia's star student."
"Yep!"
* * * * *
Trixie climbed up onto the plush, luxurious bed in her room, curled up in the center, and sank into a deep, sulky pout. "They all think I'm just a joke," she said. "They laugh at me. 'Oh look, Trixie messed up another spell. Oh look, Trixie thinks she's good at magic. Oh look, Trixie turned herself into a foal, isn't that cute?' I'M NOT A JOKE! I'm not..."
She sniffled.
"I'm not a joke..."
She rolled over onto her back and threw a hoof over her eyes.
"Stupid Sunset Shimmer. Why'd she hafta come along an' mess everything up?"
She heard a knock on the door. "Go'way, lemme'lone!" she called.
The door opened, and Sunset Shimmer trotted in. "Hey," she said.
Trixie picked up a pillow in her magic and hurled it at Sunset, striking her in the face. As the pillow fell to the floor, Sunset sighed. "Look, Trixie—"
"GO AWAY!" Trixie screeched. "I HATE YOU!"
Sunset bowed her head, folding back her ears. "Look, Trixie...I'm sorry." She trotted over to the bed and climbed up on the foot. "You know I didn't come here to make you look bad, right? I came here because Twilight asked me to."
Trixie glared sullenly at her.
Sunset looked away. "The truth is, I...I owe Twilight everything. I threw everything Princess Celestia ever tried to teach me away like it was nothing, all because I was too ambitious. I wanted power and glory that I wasn't ready for...that was never meant for me. I ignored the most important lessons she tried to teach me, I got angry with her. I was a bad student." She laughed. "And then I went to the other world, and all I craved was power. I wanted to control others. I became the worst kind of bully. And then I came back here and stole Twilight's crown and...and I used it to become a real monster.
"Twilight should hate me. I should be rotting in a dungeon somewhere. But instead, she showed me how important friendship is. She broke me down, stripped away my power and ambition and showed me all the pain and suffering I'd caused, and...and gave me a chance to make up for it." Sunset rubbed a hoof across the comforter. "I've changed. I'm a better person now. I have friends who mean the world to me. I've earned real respect—I'm still making up for all the bad things I've done, and I don't think I'll ever be completely free of my sins. But I'm trying." Sunset looked at Trixie. "So yeah...I owe Twilight. I owe her everything. And that's why I'm here." She paused, then smiled and said, "No. Not because I owe her. Because she's my friend."
Trixie looked away, a thoughtful frown on her face.
"Trixie...what you need to learn from Twilight isn't magic. It's friendship. True friendship. And true friendship starts with putting your ego aside and just..." Sunset sighed. "Okay, maybe right now isn't the best time for this."
"You think?" Trixie said acidly. "Just because I'm a little kid right now, that doesn't mean you get to lecture me like one."
Sunset sighed again and shook her head. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"Good. Now leave me alone. I'm not coming out of this room until Twilight changes me back."
"Really?" Sunset asked. "Because sitting alone in your room sulking for a whole week isn't going to teach you anything about magic or friendship."
"Everypony will laugh at me! Just like they always do! There goes Trixie, the big joke of Ponyville!"
"Or maybe," Sunset said, "you can swallow your pride, take it like a mare, stop feeling sorry for yourself, and spend the week outside, in the fresh air, having fun."
"Like a foal?"
Sunset shrugged. "It's better than sitting here pouting by yourself." She smiled. "It wouldn't kill you to try to make a friend or two. Live a little. You've got the time." She paused, then added, "You could even come to the Gala as my plus-one. What do you say?"
Trixie tilted her head. "I've never been to the Gala before...I've sort of always wanted to go. But I wanted to get there on my own merits..."
"Well, I'm taking you to the Gala," Sunset said. "So you need to go over to Rarity's place and get a dress."
Trixie paled. "Oh no. Not Rarity. Anything but Rarity..."
* * * * *
Rarity, now almost completely recovered from her ordeal, raised an eyebrow at the fillified Trixie. "Well now," she drawled. "And what do we have here, hmm?"
Trixie gave her a sullen glare. "Don't start," she squeaked.
"Oh?" Rarity raised her muzzle and looked sidelong at Trixie. "But it would seem as though the universe has dispensed its own brand of justice."
Trixie rolled her eyes. "You really know how to hold a grudge, don't you?"
"I believe, given the circumstances, I can be allowed to find a certain amount of humor in this situation," Rarity said. "And how exactly did you come to find yourself in this state?"
Trixie sighed. "I tried to cast an age spell on Sunset Shimmer to show her up and it backfired."
Rarity laughed. "So how long are you stuck like this?"
"Until after the Gala," Trixie said. "Twilight's too busy to fix me right now and I can't undo this on my own."
"Hmm. Well, a week as a filly certainly won't kill you. I certainly hope after this you'll learn to refrain from using your magic against other ponies. Or, as the case may be, yourself."
Trixie sighed resignedly. "Look, I didn't come here to be mocked and laughed at. I came here to get a dress for the Gala. Sunset Shimmer is making me attend as her plus-one."
Rarity smiled. "Very well, but on two conditions."
Trixie cringed. "Yes?"
"First: say 'please'."
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Rarity, will you please make me a dress for the Grand Galloping Gala?"
"I most certainly will. The second condition is you must spend the rest of the week with the other plus-ones..."
* * * * *
Trixie stared at the "other plus-ones".
*Oh Luna just strike me dead right now.*
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YES!!!!
I have a feeling that everybody is going to regret letting Trixie be around the CMC since they are all walking disasters waiting to happen...
6491774
And none of them have yet to meet Discord's plus one...
Still very entertaining! Trixie's got a long way to go even if she's making great strides.
At least no owl did laugh at her.
...yeah... Because adding Trixie to the CMC is good idea.
Something tells me this fic isn't about Spike and Trixie anymore. And I can't help but notice that Spike's the only one with no overarching goal. Would it not make more sense for Trixie to be his plus-one?
I...was not expecting this story to be updated anytime soon. Color me pleasantly surprised.
Trixie's kind of reminding me of that one girl (Tomoko, I think?) from Watamote. I feel really bad for her, but at the same time she's the cause of most of her problems.
Trixie, calm down.
THis cannot end well.
She makes an excellent point.
Oh no...
Oh this is hilarious!
That sucks.
Yep. As big a troll as she is.
Trixie... I sense, she has some, issues...
Considering what you did to her, allow her to anjoy the scahdenfreude.
Wait, does this mean...
This is going to be glorious!
Yes, Trixie is definitely going to need to smash her pride for this. So long as the CMC don't break her first....
Keep going! ;)
6493259
I do hope that also Maud and Treehugger will be added to the plus one list that Trixie needs to spend time with. Hmmm who was Twilight plus one? The show never revealed it to us but if I have to guess I think she took Spike as her plus one.
6493037 Sunset's kinda hijacked the focus, yeah, but we're far from done with Spike and Trixie. And I don't think Spike even WENT to that Gala...
When Sunset asked about where the Element was, my first snark answer was to say "You're sitting in it." Technically true, in a very convoluted and round about way.
Another enjoyable chapter. Good job.
6494634 No, it shouldn't.
1. Actual profanity has already been used in this story.
2. "Bucking" is STUPID.
3. If it's rated Teen, there's no reason to use Unusual Euphemisms, now is there?
6494634 6494972 Not to mention the Unfortunate Implications for Apples everywhere.
6493573
He doesn't do anything of note, but he's visible in a crowd shot at some point. Of course, if your plot requires him to not go to the Gala, I don't anyone would care all that much.
Rarity will regret teaming up Trixie and the CMC. So will all of Ponyville. Heck, maybe even all of Equestria.
6493573
I'm curious about Starlight Glimmer. What has she been up to? And what would happen to her if caught? will she spend the rest of her life in a Mental Asylum, Arkham style ?
6663004 I guess we'll find out soon enough
Too hot! Hot damn!
I highly enjoyed this and look forward to the next installment. Most excellent.
6663004
Well if Arkham style than it wouldn't be for life. Arkham has the security of a soggy paper bag. Although that would be fitting, seeing as how Starlight in the show is scary powerful. She's as powerful in the princesses when it comes to messing with Cutie Marks and tanking their magics. I don't think there's any prison that could hold her forever XD (aka. the hallmark of an Arch-villain).
6496710
If Equestria survives the next week, I will be amazed.