The Great and Deathless Trixie
“And for my next trick, the Great and Powerful Trixie will perform her greatest feat yet!”
Trixie disappeared, the smoke clearing too early to reveal her running offstage to the right.
Starlight Glimmer watched from the crowd, sipping from her favorite cup. Trixie had been working on a new routine for a while, but was mum on the actual details.
Grunts of strain came from the stage as Trixie re-appeared from the right, pushing against a giant crate of fireworks. Much larger than her usual stash, Glimmer couldn’t help but worry about a few of the rockets being black with pony skulls and crossbones stamped on the side.
“For this trick,” Trixie declared, “the Great and Powerful Trixie will need a volunteer! The strongest pony in the crowd!”
She scanned her audience, and pointed out to a large shadow in the front. “You there! Come on stage!”
Bulk Biceps lifted above the crowd, already hyped. He threw himself onto the wooden platform, making sure to show off his muscles to the audience.
Trixie faced the audience as she talked. “You seem like a pretty strong pony.”
“Yeah!”
“Strong enough to, say, move this big box of fireworks?”
“Yeah!”
“Then go ahead! Push it as hard as you can!”
Bulk screamed with joy, throwing his entire mass at the box. It didn’t budge. He beat his wings, throwing what wingpower he had into his push. The box remained stubborn. He finally ran back, getting a running start and then throwing his entire shoulder at the box. He continued to struggle, finally pitifully beating at it with his hooves.
“Pretty hard, huh?” she asked. “Would you like some help?”
He nodded, fat tears in his eyes.
Many more ponies were called up to the stage, trying to help Bulk Biceps move the crate even an inch. They knew it was possible; they’d seen Trixie push it on stage. Even when Applejack came up to assist, the box remained obstinate.
“You see,” Trixie explained as the ponies continued to push the box, “this box is invincible to normal ponies. However, the Great and Powerful Trixie knows its secret, and will defeat it in front of your very eyes!”
She shooed her volunteers off the stage, walking behind the crate. It slowly rose, Trixie coming up from below it, balancing the giant crate on her hooves.
“S-see? Nothing is beyond the Great-”
The box crashed down on her. The stage groaned, and a second later the wooden floor of the stage gave way, the crate going halfway in before hitting the ground underneath. The impact set off one of the fireworks inside, and soon a fireball engulfed the entire makeshift theater as ponies ran for cover from the wayward rockets.
Starlight did her best to protect the ponies threatened, but as the arsenal of fireworks emptied itself, her thoughts turned to the magician.
“Trixie!” she called out, running to the burnt husk of the stage. She lifted the blackened crate from the hole.
She saw her worst fear. There was barely anything left. Nothing but a smoking crater. And in its center...
The color drained from her face and she stumbled backwards, unable to believe what had just happened. The Great and Powerful Trixie, her friend, was dead.
Glimmer had been wandering Ponyville in a depressed haze for the last few days, still in shock. The first pony to truly understand her had her life snuffed out, just like that.
Twilight had told her they would do everything they could to make sure she got a proper burial, even have Celestia give her eulogy. But that wouldn’t bring her back. Nothing would.
She sat at one of the trees in Ponyville’s park, blankly staring ahead. This was the greatest pain she’d ever known; a deep, dull wrenching abyss in her soul that would never heal. She couldn’t even work up the effort to cry most times; a part of her had died with the showpony.
Trixie walked by the tree, a half-finished sandwhich floating in front of her.
“Hi Starlight,” she said.
“Hi Trixie,” Starlight Glimmer flatly replied.
Between the shock, grief, the first seeds of an evil plan being hatched to abuse time magic and reverse Trixie’s death, and more grief, it took Glimmer a good ten minutes to process who she'd just talked to.
When it hit her, she sprung up with a wild gleam in her eye. “Trixie?!”
By then the magician was well out of sight. Maybe it was all a hallucination, but she had to make sure. She ran from the park, headed towards the site of Trixie’s wagon.
When she arrived, she brought her back hooves down and screeched across the ground upon seeing the sight of Trixie in the window of her wagon, reading the newspaper while finishing the remains of the sandwhich.
The grief in her heart melted, replaced by pure joy. Her vision became blurry, and her heart nearly jumped into her throat as she ran over. Trixie only noticed her at the last second, and the surprise from Glimmer’s sudden bear hug made her drop her sandwhich.
“Trixie!” Glimmer sobbed, “I couldn’t—how did you—I was so—”
Trixie tried to hide her disgust and/or surprise. “Uh, hi?”
She'd had completely broken down, her words incomprehensible as she just cried her way through the suffocating hug. Minutes passed until she was finally finished, looking up to her friend with red eyes and a runny nose.
The showpony still kept her reserved demeanor. “Um, Starlight? Are you okay?”
Glimmer sniffed. “What do you mean, ‘are you okay’? I thought you died!”
Trixie stared at her with a raised eyebrow. “Yeah. Obviously. You don’t really survive a box crushing you and then exploding.”
Glimmer shook her head. “Wait, what?”
“I can’t tell you how the trick works, trade secret and all that, but yeah, I kinda messed up at the end. Totally ruined the routine.”
“Th—the routine? You were crushed! I saw your corpse!”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Duh. No need to rub it in. Besides, I know what I did wrong and I’ll get it right next time.”
Glimmer’s elation faded to confusion. “Trixie. Did you…did you come back to life?”
“Okay,” Trixie muttered in an annoyed tone, “is this some weird Ponyville holiday called State the Obvious Day? Did Pinkie invent it?”
“Trixie!” Glimmer shouted, “Ponies don’t just come back to life!”
Trixie sighed. “Oh, so now it’s Opposite Day? What’s gotten into you?”
Glimmer needed a new approach. “So after you died, when did you come back?”
The unicorn tapped her chin in thought. “Hm. Actually, now that I think of it, I don’t think I’ve ever actually died in Ponyville before. Maybe you weren’t used to my return time. Sorry about that. I guess it was a day after I got crushed?”
“A day?!“
“I know, a whole day, right? Really inconvenient. I dunno, how long does it usually take you?”
“Trixie! Ponies don’t just, come back after they die!”
“What are you talking about? You’ve had to have died plenty of times.”
“What? I’ve never died!”
“Lucky you. Sadly some ponies have to work for a living, and sometimes you have to spend life to make life. I think I read that in a book.”
They were going in circles. Glimmer’s patience ran dry, and she yanked Trixie from the wagon with her magic.
“Hey!” Trixie protested, “What are you doing?!”
“We’re going to Twilight’s and figuring this out.”
Trixie stood still as Twilight studied the readouts from the machine she was hooked to. When they’d first showed up at the castle doors, the Princess of Friendship was almost as overjoyed at Trixie’s survival as Glimmer was, but her glee very quickly turned into scientific curiosity.
“I don’t get it,” Trixie complained, “Is this a prank?”
Twilight looked up from the readout. “Trixie, I need you to tell me about the first time you died.”
She laughed. “Oh, everypony remembers their first time. I was just starting my magic act for the first time, and my wagon fell on top of me when I stopped to camp.”
“Anything else?”
“I came back a day later? My wagon was wrecked too, which was probably the worst part. Too bad those don’t come back, right?”
The doors to the throne room burst open to Starlight Glimmer, a stack of old news clippings suspended next to her. “I’m back!” she announced, “and I think you’re going to want to read this!”
She plopped the stack onto the map, pulling one of the clippings and holding it in front of Twilight. She grabbed it and read it aloud.
“Mare perishes in failed water stunt?”
Her eyes drifted to the picture, showing Trixie floating in a chained-shut glass tank of water, legs wrapped in rope and tied to a cinderblock at the bottom. Her tongue floated outside her mouth, two X marks in place of her eyes.
Trixie nervously shifted on the seat. “Escapology’s a lot harder than it looks. Learned that the hard way.”
Twilight grabbed another clipping. “Magician bites it by swallowing swords?”
The picture depicted Trixie’s corpse on its back in the middle of the stage, ten swords lodged in its mouth.
“Should have stopped at nine.”
“Showpony’s iron maiden becomes a coffin?!”
She looked at the picture, and instantly regretted it.
“Not my best work.”
Twilight put down the clippings. “Trixie. How many times have you died?”
Trixie looked up, pondering. “Why would I keep count of that? I guess a few dozen since I started touring? Few times I got burned at the stake as a witch. One town did it twice. Jerks.”
"So when you tried that trick with the Manticore, what was that?"
"If I didn't do it right, I'd lose a whole day. Motivation to do the stunt correctly. Good thing Glimmer was there to help, huh?"
Twilight smiled through the grit of her teeth. "Sure, Trixie! Anything else you want to add?"
Trixie was completely oblivious to the aura of anger building up around Twilight. "Hm. Not much. Fred-"
"Who's Fred?"
"The manticore. Fred probably ate me...three times in practice?"
It was Glimmer’s turn for questions. “Trixie, do you not understand the power you have?”
“I don’t follow.”
“Other ponies can’t do this, Trixie. When creatures die, that’s it, they’re gone. Forever.”
Trixie took her time to process this. “…Seriously?”
“Yes! How do you not know this?”
“I just assumed everypony comes back. It’s not like I ever stayed around long enough in one place to keep track of ponies reviving. So you’re saying I’m the only one who comes back to life?”
“As far as we know. Are you absolutely sure you don’t know why you can cheat death?”
“…I’m actually Great and Powerful?”
Twilight threw the news clippings into the air and jumped off her seat. “I give up.”
She walked out of the room, slamming the double doors behind her.
“Still,” Trixie continued, “finding this out about myself opens some very interesting paths in the world of stage magic…”
Starlight Glimmer stood in the crowd, one hoof held to her face. Why did she show up?
“Come one, come all, and be amazed at the literal death-defying act of the Great and Deathless Trixie!“
Trixie appeared onstage in a puff of glittering smoke. On both sides of the stage was nearly every weapon known to ponykind; crossbows, rockets, spears, bombs, a manticore on a catapult, a live tesla coil, a cannon, and a wide assortment of other deadly devices pointed directly at her. She stood in the center, next to a large lever.
“With a push of this switch, Trixie shall exit this mortal coil and return to you all in a day’s time!”
One of the ponies in the back heckled. “I thought you were gonna drink lava!”
“That’s Friday’s show. Now behold!“
Trixie kicked the lever, and all the weapons around her fired at once.
She was killed instantly.
The crowd went wild.
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This was a funny little story; great work.
9102711
Thanks! This was just a funny little idea I decided to crank out while taking a break from a bigger story.
This reminds my of an episode of 'Highlander'.
i think i need to see when trixie dies and come back from her point of veiw
Heh, nice. It's good to see the finished product lol
Trixie's response to that question was the only response.
9102817
Heh. Trixie's both really fun and really easy to write, as the dialogue kind of just comes naturally.
Love this story. It's a perfect ludicrous story that got me smiling and laughing. Definitely going in my "Stories that Made Me Smile" shelf.
So... What happens when she gets old and repeatedly dies of old age?
9102941
She probably can't age.
9102941
You don't die of old age, you die of all the health issues that keep stacking up as you get old and frail. So the question is if these health issues are fixed the same way as the crushed by a cart health issues. (As in undone) in which case she might die more often than in her youth, but not constantly.
The description alone should earn you a thumb up!
Although, I'm not too surprised, it was neither Just nor Heroic, of coruse she would come back!
LOL and LOL again.
Great and powerful.
This is one of the most interesting Concepts for a short fanfiction I've seen in a long time and you definitely did it Justice with the story
my god I can see it now
Just, Goddammit Trixie.
DISCORD!!!!!
Honestly, I was expecting something about "Wait, you weren't planning to get yourself permanently eaten by a manticore?"
So Trixie finds out she's resurrects after death and the only thing she can think to do with it is include it in her act? Not quite Robert Angier level of deranged but it's up there.
Though on a lighter note I'm also reminded of this particular act.
Only difference is Trixie can do it more than once.
9103206
Are you kidding? That is EXACTLY what Trixie would do! Plus it would allow her to TOTALLY one up Twilight. I mean seriously, what other POSSIBLE use could she find for it? O.o;
9102843
Gotta say I wasn't entirely sure what to expect, but I was certainly not disappointed! You definitely know how to write a Canon Trixie!
My only question is....what next?? O.O
9103277
I'm working on a pretty big story called Starcrash, if you're interested in that. I've posted a few previews on my blog.
This is ridiculous, absurd, nonsensical, and exactly what Trixie would do.
9103150
Oh My God! They kill Trixie! You bastard!
9102843
Oh My God! They kill Trixie! You bastard!
You should make that into a fic dude
9103160
Trixie:"Hey! Being eaten by a manticore ****ing hurts! I should know."
Does this mean that Trixie could have killed somepony because she just thought that they would come back to life? Disturbing.
9102843
Trixie dialogue comes naturally to you? So you’re telling us you’re actually a boastful showmare who always talks in third person?
Dang now that's a turnaround time from idea to project lol
Congrats on the feature, man
By the way, I kinda expected Starlight to be immortal as well (since she never died, she wouldn't know). Also, I wonder if Trixie can run out of lives...
Btw:
Should be "next".
Looks like Trixie's parents went to some Cult of Chtulu meetings.
...
If you understand the reference, I love you.
That does explain alot about Trixie.
Welp, Trixie is the new Squee, it seems.
9103490
They had free beer.
9103482
Or maybe the trick involves a text message. :)
Top of the Featured box and over 200 likes and it hasn't even been 12 hours. nice.
9103490
Now someone just needs to photoshop Trixie's face onto Mysterio and I'll be happy.
Short, sweet, original gag, and runs smoothly through the potential of the anomaly.
Epic level crack fic here, the only thing it's missing is a small dose of Pinkie Pie.
9103631
She got killed by a text message? I wonder if any horror writer ever came up with that.
This is a wonderful one-shot, and hits all the right notes in the characters and working out the idea. You capture Starlight's reaction to her friend's death well. Trixie might want a little more Trixi-fying, though as written it's a good "backstage" persona for her.
Some specific comments:
- That's an excellent deadpan reveal, even though you know it's coming.
- After all, Twilight's the expert on not giving up -- until she explodes in flames.
- Should capitalize it as Great and Powerful, just in keeping with her character.
- ... until a day later, when it became clear that Trixie's act had finally bit the dust.
(Sorry, couldn't resist!)
9103577
Yes.
9102941
the next day she revives young again
9103748
what if she gets younger each time she revives?
9103794
That would be awesome! Literally dying yourself into eternal youth.
I think this is a great premise. I really like this idea of returning from the dead and think that Trixie is a good character to channel it given that she has a dangerous job and moves about enough that she could concievably have just assumed that that's how things go. And for your short story of almost 2,000 words, I think you did it quite well.
I do kind of wish more was done with this though. Not to say you should make more chapters or a sequel or anything like that - I understand that this is just a quick fun idea you had as a distraction - I just really like this premise and want to see more. It doesn't help that even for a 2,000 word one-shot, it's really short.
That reference to Tarot made me geek man. I was already enjoying it, then you drop that and I start going crazy with the sheer awesome.
~Crystalline Electrostatic~
Well, this is a thing. A fun thing, but still, wat.
Some corrections:
"who'd she" -> "who she'd"
"threat" -> "throat"
I wonder what Celestia and Luna would make of Trixie. I really wanna see more to this!
Well, you can't deny she's devoted to her act at least
After three years of inactivity, I apparently can still write decent horse.
9104102
Maybe they died a few times as well?
And they are surprised to find another pony to be able to return?