Chapter 42 (Magic Duel)
Twilight and I were on our way to Fluttershy’s cottage. We received a letter from Princess Celestia earlier today. She was meeting with two delegates from Saddle Arabia, and she put Twilight in charge of entertainment for when they returned.
“Morning, Fluttershy,” Twilight greeted.
“Oh, good morning Twilight and Spike,” Fluttershy addressed back as she fed some of her animals. “What brings you here?”
“The princess wants me to perform a magic act for some of the Saddle Arabian delegates,” Twilight said. “I had an idea about what I should do. Is it okay if...” Twilight paused for a second. “...if I could use some of your animals?”
Fluttershy’s eyes widened. “What?! What are you going to do to them?!”
“Nothing! Nothing!” Twilight frantically replied. “I’m not going to hurt them, Fluttershy. It’ll just be a simple levitation spell.”
“But Twilight, they’re live critters! They might get hurt or scared!”
“You don’t need to worry, Fluttershy,” Twilight said calmly. “I will move them around the air very slowly. They won’t even be a foot off the ground.”
“Let me...let me get some of my animals first.”
After a few minutes, Fluttershy rounded up a small group of critters. She told them what Twilight was going to do, and reassured them that everything would be alright.
“Don't be scared, little friends. Twilight is wonderful with magic.” Fluttershy zoomed up to Twilight. “Anything happens to them, Twilight, so help me...”
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy,” I said as I pulled the two ponies apart. “Twilight’s magic has come a long way. She’s practically an alicorn without wings.”
Twilight blushed at my comment.
“Of course she's good with magic. Twilight's great with magic!” Fluttershy distraughtly said. “I guess I just don't want my little friends to be scared. Oh, oh, look how scared they are!”
None of Fluttershy’s animal friends were acting scared. If anything, they seemed almost excited.
“I promise, Fluttershy. Nothing bad will happen to them,” Twilight said.
“I know!” Fluttershy squeaked.
“Here, I’ll hold your hoof so you won’t be worried,” I said.
Fluttershy grabbed both of my hands with her hooves as she watched Twilight lit up her horn. Within seconds, the animals ascended into the air in a magenta aura. The furry group circled around in a figure eight. I tried my best to see it, but Fluttershy kept squeezing me like a teddy bear.
“That looks...amazing...” I grunted, struggling to breathe within the grasps of my favorite pony’s bear hug.
Soon, the animals slowly descended from the air. The magic around them disappeared as they touched dirt. They all chittered and chirped in excitement. Fluttershy instantly released me from her grasp. I never thought I could miss breathing.
“That's all for now, little ones,” Twilight said. “Maybe we can practice again later, if Fluttershy says it's alright.”
Fluttershy shivered like she was trapped in a freezer.
“That was really good, Twilight,” I said. “You’ve really improved your magic ever since we came to Ponyville.”
“Thanks, Spike. I have to be at my best when Princess Celestia arrives with the delegates from Saddle Arabia. I can't believe she's trusting me with the entertainment.”
“Yeah. Maybe you could be a traveling show biz pony when all of this is done.”
“Very funny.”
I noticed this was when the events of “Magic Duel” were supposed to happen, but since I prevented Trixie from humiliating herself, she probably didn’t buy that amulet or banish Twilight. I didn’t see Rainbow Dash show up to warn Twilight, so that meant that part of the episode didn’t happen.
What got me worried, though, was the possibility that Trixie would appear in Ponyville less often. Trixie did play a major role when Starlight got reformed.
My thoughts were soon interrupted by the growling of my belly.
I chuckled. “I guess we should have lunch now.”
“Good idea, Spike,” Twilight said as I hopped on her back.
We then walked into town. I decided to ask Twilight a question.
“Twilight, do you remember Trixie?”
“Trixie? Oh, you mean that performer a while back?” Twilight asked. “Yeah, I remember her.”
“Do you ever wonder what she’s been up to?”
“Well...not really. I actually haven’t seen her since that Ursa Minor came into town.”
“Has anypony?” I sighed. “I’m asking because...I’d like to see her again.”
“Why?”
“Well, aside from her boasting, I’m sure she means well. It would be nice to talk to her again. Maybe we could even learn a few tricks that could help your show.”
“What do you want me to do? Ask the animals what card they have?”
Rainbow Dash then flew in.
“Hey, Twilight. Hey, Spike,” she greeted. “Whatcha two up to?”
“Hey, Rainbow,” I said. “We were just talking about Trixie.”
“Ugh. Not her. That mare is such a brat. Always boasting around like some entitled high horse...”
“That’s pretty big talk coming from you, Little Miss Boastful.”
“Hey, I’ve got facts to back up my claims. Remember that Ursa Minor that came to Ponyville? Twilight did all the work while Trixie stood like a bump on a log.”
“If a giant dangerous creature of unknown quality came and attacked Ponyville, would you take it on yourself?”
“Have you even met me? I would’ve kicked that creature all the way to Tartarus!”
I sighed. “Okay, bad example.”
“Oh, look.” Rainbow pointed behind us. “It’s that mare you were trying to defend.”
Twilight and I turned to see Trixie pulling her wagon across town. She looked rather grumpy, even more than usual. The cold stares from the other residents didn’t help.
“Wow, what are the odds she would be here?” I asked.
“Is she alright? She doesn’t look so good,” Twilight said.
I hopped off Twilight’s back. “I’ll go see what’s up.”
“What about lunch?”
“I’ll buy my own.”
I hurried to see Trixie parking her wagon. She took out her coin pouch and looked inside.
I heard her mumble, “I guess I can buy bread and water. Assuming the ponies here don’t charge like they do in...”
“Hey, there,” I greeted.
“YAH!”
Trixie dropped her coin pouch, spilling bits everywhere.
“Oh! I’m so sorry!” I said. “I didn’t mean to scare you! Here, let me help you pick those up.”
“Trixie’s got it.” Trixie levitated all her dropped coins back into the bag. I counted them while she did so, and she didn’t have much.
“It’s quite a surprise to see you back here, Trixie,” I said. “It’s nice to see you again.”
“You’re the only one who said that to Trixie so far. Trixie needs to have lunch now, so leave her be!”
“How about I buy you lunch?” I quickly asked. “I noticed you didn’t have a lot of bits.”
Trixie sighed. “Alright, but you better not leave Trixie with the bill, or else she’ll make you disappear in a different way.”
“Don’t worry. I’m not that big of an eater.”
Trixie and I later sat at a cafe and ordered our food. Trixie was munching on her salad while I ate a plate of hay fries.
“So what brings you to Ponyville?” I asked. “I know it can’t be just to show off your skills.”
Trixie swallowed. “During Trixie’s travels, there have been rumors that she was responsible for luring the Ursa Minor to Ponyville.”
“But that wasn’t true. A cockatrice scared the Ursa, and it ran to Ponyvillle. You had no involvement. You were just in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“Tell everypony who’s mad at Trixie. They believed the rumors to be true and now think Trixie had tried to destroy Ponyville. It didn’t help that Trixie had that story about Hoofington’s Ursa Major, nor the fact that somepony else stopped the Minor while Trixie did nothing. Trixie thought she could come back to Ponyville to atone for her mistakes and clear everything up, but some of these ponies keep giving Trixie the cold shoulder!"
“Maybe I can help you.”
“You want to help Trixie?”
“It’s clear that these ponies have the wrong idea about you. Maybe if you toned down your boasting a bit, they won’t be so upset.”
“What’s wrong with Trixie’s boasting?! She’s a performer! It’s what she does best!”
“Easy! Easy! There’s nothing wrong. It’s just...you exaggerated some of your stories, that the ponies believed it was true. They were severely disappointed due to their high hopes. I know a thing or two about boasting, trust me. I have a pegasus to prove it.”
“Well, what do you want Trixie to do? Give away her tricks? Tell the crowd that she’s just some average pony with no special skills?”
“No, I’m not saying that at all. Let’s finish up and we’ll head back to your wagon.”
After we ate the last of our meals, I paid the bill and followed Trixie back to her wagon.
“It’s the job of a performer to set the crowd up so that they can be amazed when I pull such amazing tricks,” Trixie said as she set up a small table.
“Yeah, but you don’t have to do it after the show,” I said. “You don’t need to keep your boastful attitude and come up with insane stories when your fans show up.”
“And what about during the show?” Trixie placed a silk hat on the table.
“Well, you don't have to change anything about your boasting there. After all, ponies would be less interested if you spoke so humbly on stage. Maybe after the show, you can give a speech about this misunderstanding. How about I be your assistant again and help you on stage?”
“Are you comfortable in front of a crowd? Cause Trixie won’t take those who have stage fright.”
“Don’t worry, I’ve performed on stages before.”
As we prepared for the show, Trixie handed me a bowtie and a small top hat. They were the only things she had that could fit me, since she wasn’t expecting an assistant on such short notice. A small crowd was forming in front of the stage. I hoped they all weren’t there just to heckle or boo Trixie.
“Alright, Trixie’s ready,” Trixie said as she put some smoke balls in her pocket. “But do you believe Ponyville will forgive Trixie?”
“Don’t worry. You’ve done nothing wrong. Just do your show, give me any instructions, and you should be fine. Don’t worry about the neigh-sayers.”
Trixie adjusted the megaphone and whispered, “Okay, once Trixie throws the smoke ball, follow her and strike a pose once the smoke settles.”
“Got it.”
Trixie cleared her throat and shouted into the megaphone. “Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie and her assistant!”
Trixie threw the smoke ball, and we quickly hurried to the stage. After the smoke settled, we struck a pose and the audience applauded.
“Is that Spike?”
“What’s he doing with Trixie?”
“I thought he was just going to talk to her.”
I heard some of the girl’s voices. I didn’t think some of them would be watching the show. I just hoped they weren’t going to call Trixie out for her boasting.
“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie and her assistant perform the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!”
The show went on without a hitch. I was able to keep up with Trixie and help her perform some of her tricks. They were really easy to perform. All it took was a bit of flair and a way to draw the audience’s attention to certain points.
“Now, for Trixie’s final trick,” Trixie announced. “A member from the audience is needed!”
A lavender hoof was raised. I realized whose hoof it was. I never expected her to volunteer.
“You there! You may come on up!”
The mare walked up the stage. I could tell she was confused as to how I ended up on stage with Trixie.
“What are you doing working for Trixie?” Twilight quietly asked.
“I’ll explain later, just go along with the trick,” I replied.
Twilight shrugged and got into place.
“Alright, now take a seat inside the chamber!” Trixie barked.
Twilight got into a small booth and sat on the stool.
“Now, watch as Trixie shall turn this pony invisible!” Trixie shouted. “Assistant Spike! Pull down the curtain!”
I hurried to the chamber to do just that. I then whispered to Twilight. “Don’t use your horn. It’s part of the act. We’ll let you know when it’s safe to come out.”
Twilight nodded as I pulled the booth’s curtain down. I then stepped back as Trixie waved her hooves at the booth.
“Aaaaand...KAZAM!!”
Smoke poofed around the booth as fireworks shot from behind. Trixie signaled me to pull the curtain back up, and I complied. What we saw was an empty stool. The audience gasped.
“Amazing!” I exclaimed. “I can’t see her!”
Secretly, I knew how the trick worked. The booth had a revolving door in the back, and there was a stool on both sides. All Trixie needed to do was press a button on the back, and the door would flip.
“Now, let’s make her visible again, shall we? Drop the curtain!”
I released the drapes again. Trixie waved her hooves and spat out more magic words. Once the fireworks went off, I pulled the rope, and Twilight reappeared on the stool. The crowd applauded once again.
“You are free to go,” Trixie said to Twilight.
Twilight hopped off her seat and headed down the stage. The crowd clapped once more as Trixie and I took a bow. The stage curtains lowered in front of us.
“Alright, I think now’s a good time to tell them,” I said as I removed my hat.
“What if they don’t accept my apology?”
“Some of them will have to. Just tell the truth, and swallow your pride. A lot of apologies can be accepted when the pony admits their mistakes.”
Trixie took a deep breath and stepped through the curtains.
“Thank you, everypony for watching my show. But now I have an important announcement to make.”
The crowd fell silent as Trixie removed her hat.
“A while back, there have been some rumors spreading that I was held responsible for the Ursa Minor incident. That’s not true, and I’m not saying that to keep hold of my pride. I didn’t have any correlation with the Ursa Minor. I was told the Ursa was frightened by a cockatrice in the Everfree Forest. I’m sorry if I did something that made you believe I had an involvement in all of this. It was bad luck that I arrived in town that day. I’m sorry that I gave everypony the wrong idea. I did not mean for any of this to happen.” Trixie sighed and put her hat back on. “Thank you for listening.”
The crowd clapped as Trixie went back into the curtains. Trixie and I headed backstage. That’s when I heard hoofbeats approaching us. It was Twilight.
“Spike,” Twilight said, “since when did you start working for Trixie?”
“I just wanted to help her out with the show for a bit,” I replied. “That, and I wanted to give her some advice like not being so boastful and publicly apologizing.”
“Well, thank you for helping her, I guess. I just hope you’re not going to be traveling with her from now on.”
“Don’t worry. It’s just a one-time thing for now.”
As Twilight left, Trixie came up to me.
“Thanks for all the help back there,” Trixie said. “I’m glad I could clear things up with Ponyville.”
“Don’t mention it,” I said.
“If there’s anything you want me to do to repay the favor, then I’ll do it.”
“Well, there is one thing you could do...”
The night couldn’t come soon enough. Celestia and the two delegates from Saddle Arabia have already arrived.
Just like in the show, Twilight performed that flying animal trick while I comforted Fluttershy. At least she wasn’t squeezing me like last time. Twilight’s presentation looked so spectacular, I almost envied Fluttershy’s animals. As Twilight finished up her act, fireworks shot off in the background. The crowd was impressed by the display. After Twilight lowered the animals, she noticed who shot off the fireworks.
“Trixie?” Twilight asked.
“Spike told me about you wanting to impress Princess Celestia and the Saddle Arabians,” Trixie said. “I used to attend her school, so I knew how you needed to impress her. Spike came up with the idea of using fireworks for your finale.”
“Thank you for that. It’s nice to know you’re not always boastful.”
“I’ve been working on saving the boasting for the stage. I hope we can meet again soon.”
“I...hope so too.”
As Trixie went on her way, I was relieved that I was able to fix this episode. Not only did Trixie avoid buying the amulet and taking over Ponyville, she was able to clear up the misconceptions some of the ponies had about her. Also, Pinkie was allowed to keep her lips.
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The amulets still out there. I hope someone does something with that.
Wow i think the episode was avoided but you manage tu give this episode charge with feel
(Sorry about the grammar, i speak spanish)
10621318
On an antique shop no less
A suggest for the episode Sleepless in Ponyville, I like the episodes when the crusaders are in a situation with their older sisters (Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow), but I always wanted to see a chapter that also included Spike and Twiligh, and Twi IS Spike big sister more than a mom. (Because in Sparkle Seven, in the flashbacks, its seen Baby Spike staying with Velvet and NightLight)
Maybe in that episode you run into one of the crusaders and you can ask what they are doing and you can tell something like " Wow I've always wanted to go camping " and they can invite you and Twi because is your big sister
The amulet is a good sign that nopony had gotten it. It obviously had Sombra written all over it.
Forgot about pinkie's part in the episode until the end XD.
Keep it up! I love it!!!
Great way to handle this episode with how you fixed the first one. But now the stone has been cast, and the ripples will spread far and wide. Were it not for trixie, someone else could happen upon the amulet. Who is it going to be? We'll have to wait and see.
10621318
Yep that is some Chekov's Gun there -- someone ELSE maybe more malign than Trixie will get their talons/hooves/whatever on it. I wonder what it would do for Chrysalis for example.
That was easy...
10621543
That would be troubling... for every creature in the world.
Well you’ve certainly changed there course of No Second Prances maybe even to the point that they may not become friends since Trixie doesn’t really have the baggage that she had in canon. Also, Twilight doesn’t have as much bad blood with Trixie to want to keep Trixie away from her.
10621436
But now some other pony can pick up the amulet! Wonder who that will be.
Coming up very soon is Keep Calm And Flutter On...
Having Discord around will be very interesting.
10621948
Hope that one pony won't be Starlight Glimmer in Season 5.
10621948
I don't know what the Alicorn Amulet would do for Rainbow Dash...
10621318
Comrade Starlight would make good use of it.
And I bet Pinkie is hugging him offscreen and thanking him for it! Cause she loves her lips!
(Admit it, you saw this coming a mile away!) 😜
10621968
Why would Starlight seek out that kind of power? She's busy planning out her little village, seeking equality for everypony, and she already has all the magic and unique talent she needs to achieve it.
This is going to be a troublesome in future...Because Amulet still out there. Not in the hooves of Zecora who originally will help keep it safe....
10622790
IDK cause we didn't get an episode about the amulet itself but considering that it can happen off-screen or something I'm gambling my chance that the amulet wont appear in this book
Nice! Wonder what will Spike do about the next villian? Who's that again?
Great chapter. For the record, when the Ursa attacked Trixie did try to defeat it, and though she failed she bought enough time for Snips and Snails to escape, though Trixie lost her home in the process.
10584380
Go for it, then.
10626048
I actually did something similiar for the beginning of Chapter 40.
10624160
I believe it was Tirek. If we are going with antagonists in general, Suri Polomare is the next villain in the series.
10630661
Who? sorry i dont know much about MLP Lore i did watch the whole series
Woo! That was a pleasant ending to this story.
And that's a good thing?
10630661
Technically, the next threat is the Plunderseeds.
Like you did to the dragon that was taking its hundred year nap back then?
This was by far my favorite one so far. So unique even if it followed some of the story beats from the episode.
Awesome work. Very well done. Still i hoped Pinkie Pie give her a party...
So noone steal Pinkie Pie lips? She is quite the mare and i think it's almost a crime she is still singel...
Maybe next time
And someone else now can buy. Oops?
Now that I wonder what happens with the alicorn stone and who would take it. If Trixie no longer does it, she would have to be a wretch who could cause the protagonist.
Dave-Spike is a gentledragon
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