The Equestria Chronicles: Journey Through The Crystal Mountains

by Slippin_Sweetie

A Great And Powerful Ally

The train screamed to a halt as the cars and the locomotive bounced and rattled on the tracks. The screeching of wheels and banging of gears nearly made Starlight's ears bleed. Before finally, the metallic monster crept to a stop.

She had barely a moment to collect herself before the sound of dozens of hooves stamping against the station platform alerted Starlight to act. Leaping off the back of the caboose, she quickly hid behind the train car, quietly eavesdropping on the conversation of the Crystal Ponies.

Listening closely, the conductor pried the car open and stepped inside the booth. Starlight could just barely hear his muffled voice through the thin metal walls of the car.

"We have arrived at the Crystal Empire, your highness. Princess Cadance and Shining Armor have prepared a chariot for the castle." informed the Conductor.

"Thank you, sir," replied Twilight.

Princess Cadance and Shining Armor, she had known Twilight was in-laws and buddy-buddy with yet another powerful alicorn. Not to mention related to one of the most powerful unicorns from Canterlot. Crouching low in the gravel and dirt, she listened attentively to the half dozen hooves trot off the train and clamber into the nearby chariot.

She had to veer back and reangle her approach. Sure Cadance was no warrior mage; she was bested by Chrysalis, after all. But Shining Armor, Twilight, and Cadance? Not to mention the Royal Guards… no, now was the time to collect her bearings and find herself an ally.

Once the coast had cleared, she galloped and teleported away from the train station before covering herself with her trusty cloak. When an alien noise alerted her, a foreign pain gnawed at her stomach.

"Hungry…" muttered Starlight; she was tired of plain ole oats and water. She needed something warm and maybe some cider to help temper the lingering chill that rattled her bones. Inside the magical barrier of The Crystal Empire was the perfect temperature, but outside the capital? On a speeding train with the wind cutting at her coat and mane? Anypony else not as well versed in warming spells would have been left with a cold, or worse, frostbite.

Limbering through the bustling crowds, Starlight made her way through the lavish and scenic parts of the city before stepping into the seedy and dingy part of town. A sickening smell of spoiled milk and soured apples hung throughout the air. Where vendors become swindlers, and street vendors become a health hazard.

Her expression turned at the sight and smell, "Even the great Crystal Empire has its slums," pondered Starlight, a bit perplexed at the sight. It was strange to see ponies so disheveled and untrustworthy.

Even in her arch nemesis' own town, she felt safer than in this dump. Growing up in a sheltered home and small villages didn't prepare her for city life, but at least she knew Twilight and her friends would stay far away from this part of town. Starlight smirked, finding the irony of it all amusing—safety in uncertainty.

She kept her head low and eyes in front of her as her ears cautiously listened to her surroundings. The trotting of hooves against the pavement and conversations of the passerby. Could she really find a trustworthy ally here of all places? Starlight sighed before looking up at the dingy-looking tavern to her right.

Sitting in the middle of the pavement was a small wooden sign holding a blackboard with chalk advertising the special, a pint of cider for one bit, and a show.

"Come see The Great and Powerful Trixie perform her famous magic show while you enjoy Starchee's famous cider brew."

Starlight looked to the wooden door before peering through the smudged glass window. She was unsure if it was colored yellow or stained by time and grease rather than the skill of a glassmaker.

The window and the muffled voice of a boastful mare were all that greeted her. Taking a deep breath, she slowly pressed her door with her left hoof and pushed the large door open.

The tavern was full of a wide variety of sounds and smells, most of those less than pleasant. The sweet, almost sour scent of spilt cider not yet cleaned and the rabble of stallions and mares who had little too much to drink. Starlight froze; she was stunned by the foul, sickeningly sweet aroma of hard cider and the state of the establishment. It was a regular slice of debauchery; the only difference to the bars Starlight had visited herself was the crystal décor of the building. The contrast could have been called ironic, the beautiful, nearly opalescent stone paired with the common folk drinking away their woes.

However, those Crystal Ponies could distract themselves for a brief moment, ogling the mare on stage in their state of semi-awareness, genuinely awed by the spectacle before them. At the very least, the blue mare thought she could do that for these troubled ponies. She had once been in such a wretched state; at the very least, they could spend that time watching her... Trixie.

Stepping onto a darkly lit stage, the unicorn pulled back the curtains as several pyrotechnics lit the stage perfectly on cue. A confident smirk slid across her lips; this show was going to go off without a hitch.

"Ladies and Gentlecolts, prepare to look on in shock and amazement at the one, the only, Great and Powerful...." a giant ball of fireworks exploded from behind the mare as she lifted up onto her hind legs, kicking into the air. "Trrrrrrrrrrrrrixie!"

The crowd gasped in awe at the display, the bright lights getting their attention easily despite their addled minds. Not like there was anything else they could possibly pay attention to while *she* was here.

Setting back down, Trixie's smile widened until she caught sight of the tavern owner giving her the stink eye. They had said pyrotechnics *were* allowed; what was their problem? She rolled her eyes, turning back to her adoring audience.

"Now, The Great and Powerful Trixie requires a Great and Powerful assistant-- would there be anypony in the crowd brave enough to come onto the stage?!" the mare yelled out, her confident voice booming throughout the small building.

"I know it may seem daunting, but worry not; I, Trixie, will make sure to keep you safe. This is quite a simple trick, but do not be mistaken; only a pony of high skill could possibly hope to achieve it!"

Rolling onto the stage appeared to be a long box, large enough to fit anypony inside. To anypony who wasn't wholly hammered, it would be obvious what this trick was. Thankfully for Trixie, the cider made the allure of danger more authentic for her audience.

"Come now, no need to be shy! Any takers?" Trixie scanned the audience, her smirk never leaving her lips until her gaze settled on the lilac unicorn in the crowd.

"How about you? Do you have what it takes? Or are you just as frightened as the rest of my audience?" that gave the audience a moment to grumble, not appreciating the quip at their expense. Trixie stared down at Starlight, leaving the challenge up in the air.

The bright fireworks in this dim room, combined with the reflective crystal walls, nearly blinded her as if Celestia had brought the sun down from the heavens. The fireworks' bright red and deep blues put her in a daze, the smell of gunpowder permeating the air.

Frightened? She was terrified; she came to this part of town to hide away, not to be a spectacle out of the public eye. But now Trixie pressed her between a rock and a hard place; refusing would upset the half-witted patrons surrounding her. She relented, letting out a begrudging sigh.

Using magic, she quickly placed her gear on a nearby table before climbing up on the stage next to Trixie as she patiently awaited the magician's instruction.

Trixie beamed as the unicorn came on stage. To be honest, she had half expected this mare to walk away, but she quickly pushed aside that thought. She gave the mare a gracious bow, prompting the audience to provide Starlight with a polite applause.

Starlight rolled her eyes at the boastful showpony, masking her face with a thin veil of darkness. Only her muzzle was visible to the dim light of the candle-lit tavern as her blue eyes glowed underneath her hood.

"Why, thank you, my dear! What a lovely volunteer, isn't she?" Trixie turned to the audience once again, who replied in agreement. After a slight pause, waiting for the crowd to quiet down, Trixie turned back to her assistant with a smirk. "Pleasure to meet you. Could I perhaps ask your name before we begin? Of course, you already know who I am."

She rolled her eyes at Trixie's presumption. In truth, she had no idea who this magical mare was; she had hardly been paying attention until she nearly received eye damage from the pyrotechnics. But a thought crossed her mind; perhaps the magician wasn't all talk. Maybe she was indeed great and, more importantly, powerful…

Starlight hesitated at the seemingly simple question of her name. Surely there were bounty posters by now. She had attacked Princess Twilight only a week ago. She took a deep breath before summoning the grit to speak.

In an authoritative and commanding voice, she had proudly proclaimed, "I am the Magical Mare Magicka The Marvelous I…" she paused as she scrambled to form her persona.

"I hail from the distant lands of Saddle Arabia, on the far-off coasts of Zebrica." boasted Starlight as she, in her best act of showponyship, flicked her cloak toward herself, hiding her muzzle, her glowing eyes being the only thing visible to Trixie and the audience.

Trixie's face went from a self-satisfied smirk to incredibly suspicious as soon as the mysterious cloaked mare introduced herself. Who was this mare? Was she attempting to usurp her as the most talented magician in Equestria?! Or, at the very least, this stage?

The blue unicorn quickly schooled her expression back into something more confident, a smug smile on her lips as she feigned surprise that she genuinely did feel. Was this mysterious unicorn as powerful as the Great and Powerful Trixie, or dare she even imagine, more powerful?

"Ah yes, Zebrica, what a coincidence! I was just returning from a cross-country tour; I had quite a few shows there and even more terrifying encounters! Perhaps if you are lucky, I might tell you the tale of how I fought..."

Pulling back her magician's hat, she quickly hid her face as she took a second to get her story straight. She supplemented this as an opportunity to show off her skills in pyrotechnics once more. "The dreaded one-eyed zebra CYCLOPS!"

The firework transformed, bending to Trixie's will as it took the shape of such a creature. It roared at the audience, causing them to recoil back.

"Fear not, little ponies, for that monster was vanquished. The beast threatened an entire tribe of zebras and begged me to help them. Luckily I was just passing into town at that very moment to lend them the help they so desperately needed!" Trixie held a hoof to her chest, going off into a tangent about her non-existent exploits.

Starlight sighed at Trixie's attempt to boast. Had she hit a nerve of some kind? She would've found it amusing if it weren't for the uneasiness of it all. She didn't need to have a magical duel with the showpony. Part of her wanted to upstage and uproot this entire act with some REAL magic. Not some simple illusions and fireworks.

Turning back to the cloaked mare, Trixie stepped forward. "So, Magical Mare... Er, whatever it was, do you think you can handle one of my... simpler tricks?" the smug look on her face never left her as she spun around, her tail nearly flicking Starlight on the nose.

Pulling the cart to the center of the stage, Trixie motioned with a hoof for the other mare to join her.

Starlight rolled her eyes as she obeyed the ramblings of the headstrong illusionist before climbing into the box presented to her, making sure to hide her face with her cloak. Just in case this 'well traveled' magician knew of her very real exploits.

The blue mare watched as her strange assistant slipped inside the box, carefully tucking her inside with a self-satisfied smile on her lips. Turning back to the audience, she gave them another cue to applause. "What a brave pony, give her another round!"

"Now, everypony, please, be absolutely silent! If I were even to slip concentration for even a moment-- it could spell disaster for my lovely assistant here." the crowd murmured uneasily before quieting down to a hush, taking Trixie at her word, as well as a group drinking hard cider could at the very least.

Lighting up her horn, the mare levitated out a large serrated saw, the blade twinkling in the spotlight. Several ponies gasped before being silenced by others in the crowd.

"Now, now, no need to be afraid. I am a professional." Trixie calmed the crowd before, without hesitation, slicing into the box.

Starlight could, without a doubt, feel the metal's vibration against wood, and its crack gave way to the sharp tool.

Snap! The cart became two halves, rendering Starlight two halves. At least, it appeared that way to the audience. Trixie made a show of revealing the lower box, a pair of pony hindlegs sitting limply inside.

However, the audience had no idea that Starlight was still one whole pony. In fact, the box itself was an illusion, quite a bit longer and wider on the inside than it appeared, giving any stallion or mare enough room to wiggle while still giving them that 'cut in half look.'

As the crowd cheered, Trixie gave them a bow, taking that opportunity to whisper in the strange mare's ear. "Say nothing, and you get a nice little payment; how's that sound?"

Starlight's eyes nearly rolled out of her skull, a charlatan attempting to bribe her. Still, she could use the bits, giving the magician a slight nod. The mare remained silent for the rest of the act as she quietly entertained herself with comforting thoughts of bunnies, ice cream, and becoming the leader of Equestria.

Pre-planning plans of creating a perfect society of equality without Cutie Marks. Most importantly of all, without a certain lavender alicorn in the picture. She had nearly lost herself in thought before being forcibly brought back to reality at the sound of the drunken crowd's gawking.

"I really want to get out of here…." groaned Starlight, rubbing her eyes tiredly.

Waving at the crowd of drunken ponies, the blue unicorn glanced down at her assistant's sigh, barely overhearing her over the rabble around them. For a split second, Trixie knew exactly how that felt... perhaps this strange pony was an up-and-coming performer like Trixie had once been?

Trixie wasn't surprised by the payment agreement; rather, she was relieved she didn't have to deal with a heckler like the last few shows... In truth, Trixie had not ventured outside Equestria yet; the Crystal Empire was the first, although she debated if it was too close to her home to truly count.

Turning back to her adoring fans, Trixie gave the audience a low bow. "Thank you, thank you, you're such a kind and gracious audience. The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you... for allowing you the chance to witness me!" that soured the mood just a touch enough to make the rest easier to say. "But Trixie must leave now; there are other ponies in this Empire that must see my raw power! Thank you, thank you!"

Bowing out, Trixie pulled the box and Starlight further behind the stage, using a levitation spell to close the curtains. The blue mare let out a long sigh of relief before turning to the stranger.

"Now, who exactly are you, and why did you think you could try and play magician?!" Trixie hissed, her previous sympathy completely leaving her train of thought. "You don't just go up on Trixie's stage and try and... upstage Trixie!"

The unicorn clambered out of the box before dusting herself off and giving a confused yet entertained expression at Trixie, "Excuse me? If I remember correctly, you dragged me on stage and put me on the spot!"

Starlight scoffed at the flimsy accusation of upstaging her, "Please, you aren't worth the effort. I don't have time for some charlatan and her poor excuse for 'magic.' Now, will you give me some bits, or do I have to put on a REAL show for you?"

Trixie stumbled over her words, letting out a percussion of noise in restrained denial. Yes, she had been the one to call her on stage, but Trixie had no idea she'd try to be... well, like that!

"Why couldn't you just say your name was 'Daisy' or 'Fluffy Puff' or something instead of... whatever that was?!" she spluttered, holding her hoof to her chest as if she were insulted. "It's just rude to give yourself such a stage name when you're supposed to be somepony's assistant!"

Starlight's blue orbs focused on Trixie as the mare used her magic to tug at her cloak, attempting to mask herself in shadow and cloth. The intense and overbearing stare cut at Trixie as if her eyes were a pair of scimitars, "I DON'T like my time being wasted."

Sighing, Trixie turned her back on the mare, putting the cart back together and wheeling it towards the backdoor. She seemed to hardly pay attention to the mare as she spoke, her ear flicking back towards Starlight at the threat.

"Puh-lease, if you let off even one bad spell back here, who knows what might go off." she chuckled, glancing at the cloaked mare. "You see how much those ponies drink, and besides, you have no idea what's up my sleeve." or, more importantly, what explosives she kept back here.

Yawning, Trixie opened the backdoor and levitated the cart outside before turning back to the unicorn, completely brushing off the possible consequences to her rebuttal.

"The stallion who runs the place said he would pay me, with my incredible performance and your... being there, he'll have to pay extra." she motioned for Starlight to follow her, giving her a whistle and a wave as if she were a puppy. "Come now; your payment awaits, Trixie's strange acquaintance!"

Comments

[Deergenerate]

Oh, the interaction between Trixie and Starlight was just... Mwuah. Ist gut.

Good to see the call forwards to the episode where the two actually do go to Saddle Arabia. Pretty funny.

Wonder where this pairing will go?

[Yoshifan30]

"Come see The Great and Powerful Trixie perform her famous magic show while you enjoy Starchee's famous cider brew."

Yep figured that she would show up

[Yoshifan30]

Starlight is really close to Twilight in the others but of course she may be a powerful unicorn but there's times that there is limitation she only has when you go against not just Twilight but also Shining Armor and Princess Cadence so she stay hidden for now and she was going to look for something to eat until she saw a performance and of course it was the great and powerful Trixie figures that she showed up and it looks like her performance is pretty average but other than that pretty interesting but of course Trixie wasn't fooled no into the fact that Starlight was up to something I wonder what they're going to do