The Great and Powerful Trixie's Secrets Revealed

by pjabrony

The Part You Know

Spike stood in the library, shoulders hunched, claws clenched, cheering, “Come on, Twilight. You can do it!”

“OK,” said Twilight. “Here goes.” She looked up at her horn and concentrated. Magic flowed out.

Spike leaned forward, and his nose began to glow white with magic. A long, black mustache appeared on his face.

“Ha ha! You did it!” he said. He turned around to an easel where the end of a checklist was written. He found a marker and put a check next to the last item. “Growing magic. That’s number twenty-five! Twenty-five different types of tricks, and counting.”

Twilight looked embarrassed at his praise.

“And I think this is the best trick so far,” said Spike. Staring at himself in a mirror. Twirling his mustache around a claw, he indulged in fantasy. “Hello, Rarity! What’s that? Aw, it’s nothing. Just my awesome mustache.”

“Sorry, Romeo,” said Twilight. “As attractive and enticing as you look, it’s just for practice and it’s gotta go,” said Twilight. Her horn glowed.

“Wait!” Spike said, grabbing at the mustache as if he could hold it in existence with its claws. It disappeared in a puff of light, and he was bare-faced once more. “Aw, rats.”

Twilight chuckled at her assistant’s vanity.

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As they left the library to go for a stroll, Spike was still effusive in his praise. “Twenty-five, Twilight. Twenty-five different types of tricks, and counting,” he repeated. “I thought unicorns were only supposed to have a little magic that matches their special talents.”

“True,” said Twilight, “for ponies whose talents are things like cooking or singing or math. But what if a unicorn’s special talent is magic?”

“Like you, Twilight! And you know a ton of magic.”

“Oh, Spike, stop. I’m sure there are lots of ponies right here in Ponyville who know just as much magic as me,” said Twilight, looking at the passersby.

“Are you kidding? I don’t think there’s another unicorn in all of Equestria with your kind of ability, Twilight.”

Just then, two young unicorn colts came charging down the road. One was a stout, squinty-eyed pony with a pair of scissors for a cutie mark. His constant companion, a taller unicorn with a snail on his flank, spoke with a northern drawl. “Gang way! Coming through!”

Twilight and Spike were caught frozen and couldn’t get out of the way. The colts, at full gallop, ran Spike right over, but managed to avoid Twilight.

“Snips! Snails! What’s going on?” asked Spike as he was being carried forward. Snails stopped short, and Spike went flying off, landing in a crash a few yards away.

“Well, haven’t you heard? There is a new unicorn in town!” said Snails.

“Yeah,” said Snips. “They say that she’s got more magical powers than any other unicorn ever!” He was hopping up and down in his excitement.

“Really?” said Twilight.

Spike walked back toward the others rubbing his head. “Aw, no way. That honor goes to Twilight here.”

Twilght flattened her ears in embarrassment. “Where is this unicorn?”

“She’s in the town square. Come on!” said Snails, leapfrogging over Spike.

“Yeah. Come on!” said Snips.

Twilight and Spike took off after the two energetic youths.

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In the town square, a crowd had already gathered. Ponies had formed a circle, all staring at the red-roofed wagon that had parked itself in full view. Pegasi, taking advantage of their wings, had an even better angle to see the action.

From inside the wagon, a high and melodic voice reverberated. “Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” it said, rolling the r’s with anticipation.

Spike and Twilight made their way to the front of the crowd where Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash were waiting. The front of the wagon unfolded itself downward, forming a stage. It was quite fancifully decorated and had lollipops, rockets, and planets on its banner. A puff of smoke exploded on the stage, and the speaker emerged.

She was light blue with a mane and tail of ice-blue. Her cutie mark was a moon and star, and that motif was repeated on her wagon and her apparel. She wore a cape of blue with pastel stars, tied around her neck with a large diamond brooch. Atop her head was a matching hat. She exuded confidence in her face and in her voice.

“Watch in awe!” she said, accenting each word, “as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by ponykind!” She punctuated her proclamation with a display of fireworks from the back of the wagon.

Rarity wore a skeptical look. “My, my, my. What boasting,” she said.

Spike said, “Come on, nopony’s as magical as Twi. . . Twi. . . Twi—“ he cut himself short as he realized whom he was talking to. He quickly turned on his charm. “Hey, Rarity, I, uh. . . “ His self-confidence gave out. He knew what he needed. “Mustache!” he screamed, and ran off.

“There’s nothing wrong with being talented, is there?” asked Twilight, filling the space Spike had vacated.

“Nothin’ at all!” said Applejack. “’cept ‘n when someone goes around showin’ it off like a school-filly with fancy new ribbons.” Trixie was entertaining the crowd by conjuring a bouquet of flowers.

“Just because one has the ability to perform lots of magic does not make one better than the rest of us,” said Rarity. Twilight took the hint.

“Especially when you got me around being better than the rest of us,” said Rainbow Dash. Applejack silenced her with a look. “Uh. . . I mean, yeah! Uh, magic, schmagic! Boo!” She checked with AJ to make sure the change of subject had mollified her.

“Well, well, well. It seems we have some nay-sayers in the audience.” Trixie’s anger brought out the primitive horse nature in her words. “Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical abilities of the Great and Powerful Trixie? Do they not know that they are in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?”

Rarity snorted. “Just who does she think she is?”

“Yeah!” said Spike. “Since we all know that Twilight here is—“

Twilight cut him off. “Spike! Shh,” she whispered as she pushed him away from the action.

“What? What’s wrong?”

“Did you see the way they reacted to Trixie? I don’t want anyone thinking I’m a showoff.”

Trixie, sensing the lull in the crowd, stood on her hind legs and set off another display of pyrotechnics and fanfare.

Rainbow Dash had had enough. She flew up on stage and got right in Trixie’s face. “So, Great and Powerful Trixie,” she said sarcastically, “what makes you think you’re so awesome anyway?”

“Why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!”

“What?!” said Snips.

“No way!” said Snails.

The display of the wagon exploded once more, and the lights formed an image of the great bear in the sky as Trixie narrated her story. “When all hope was lost, the ponies of Hoofington had no one to turn to, but The Great and Powerful Trixie stepped in, and with her awesome magic, vanquished the Ursa Major and sent it back to its cave, deep within the Everfree Forest!” A small firework cartoon of Trixie was shown with a wand, shooting rays at a larger cartoon of the great bear.

“Sweet!” Snips and Snails said together.

“That settles it,” said Snips.

“Trixie truly is the most talented, most magical, most awesome unicorn in Ponyville,” said Snails.

“No,” said Snips. “In all of Equestria!”

“How do you know?” said Spike. “You didn’t see it! And besides—“

Twilight used her magic to make a zipper appear on Spike’s mouth, then drew it shut.

Trixie gave a chuckle. “It’s true, my enthusiastic little admirers. Trixie is most certainly the best in Ponyville.”

Everypony just stared at her skeptically.

“Don’t believe the Great and Powerful Trixie?” she continued, referring to herself. “Well, then. I hereby challenge you, Ponyvillians: anything you can do, I can do better.

“Any takers? Anyone? Or is Trixie destined to be the greatest equine who has ever lived?!” One more time, she triggered the firework display from her wagon.

Spike had had enough. He ripped open the zipper on his mouth, causing it to disappear. Then he threw himself at Twilight’s hooves. “Please! She’s unbearable! You gotta show her. You just gotta!” He was openly weeping.

Twilight kept her voice to a low whisper. “There’s no way I’m going to use my magic now, Spike. Especially since—“

Trixie was surveying the audience for a target to challenge. “Hmm. . .How about. . . you?” she said, pointing her hoof in Twilight’s direction. Twilight’s heart rose in her throat. She was on the spot.