Crisis of Infinite Trixies

by Rixizu

Contradictory Selves - Chapter 6

“Equestria shall be destroyed! So say I, Luna, the Bloody Mare!” Her mentor proclaimed, a righteous judge ordering an execution.

“This can’t be happening!” This was a nightmare. No way her mentor could fall like her sister, Corona. Representative Trixie dropped to the carpeted floor, her legs refusing to function. All the fight and gusto had drained away, leaving her dejected.

“Trixie, we need to run, now!” The human Trixie said, tugging at her leg. The unconscious Antithesis hung over her shoulder. In her right claw-thing, she carried the Goddess of Mischief’s broken staff with its impossible stone that caused this mess.

“I… okay.” On shaky legs, she allowed herself to be dragged away from her destroyed bedroom into the hallway. They walked over unconscious ponies, each dead to the world.

“What happened to them?” Representative Trixie asked.

“They passed out when Antithesis went unconscious.” The human Trixie gestured to the unconscious mare slung around her back. “I think it broke the spell.”

“That’s something, I suppose.” Finally, some good news.

“Other Trixies, are you okay?” A familiar caped hero said, dashing towards them. “All the brainwashed Ponyvillians are unconscious!”

“Yeah, we noticed.” Representative Trixie replied, her tone acid.

“What’s her problem?” Captain Cosmos said, taken aback. “And I see you’ve captured the villain Antithesis. Good work!”

“There’s no time to explain.” Human Trixie said. “Gather the other Trixies and bring them to Trixie’s living room! I’ll explain everything then.”

“Okay!” Captain Cosmos said, dashing off. They left the maddened princess who, for some particular reason, hadn’t followed.

A couple minutes later, every Trixie, minus one, had gathered in the ruined remains of her living room. Behind them stood Luna’s royal guard with Antithesis in tow, arrested with an anti-magic ring hooked on her horn. They watched in concern, uncertain of their position now that their boss had gone evil.

Trixie’s living room was in total disarray. Paintings and favorite photos sat shattered everywhere. Most of her furniture had gotten overturned, a few destroyed beyond repair. And this didn’t account for the broken spaceship still crashed in her house.

“Where’s the so-called goddess?” Representative Trixie asked, annoyed.

“She is here.” The Goddess replied in their heads as her illusionary self reappeared. While still smug in her supposed superiority, she seemed chastened that she’d been force to abandon them. “But I suppose you must be talking about the horned one.”

“Right when we need her too!” The human Trixie waved the mare’s broken staff in irritation.

“Forget her.” The Goddess replied. “You don’t need her when you have a real Goddess on your side. But please explain the situation. You captured Antithesis, correct? Isn’t everything fine now?”

“We’re still in deep trouble,” Human Trixie said, peeking out a window nervously. “Vice Principle Luna got corrupted by some spell cast by Antithesis using this strange staff. But now she’s just flying there, doing nothing.”

“You’d think Antithesis’s defeat would break the spell. And didn’t Princess Luna claim she wanted to destroy everything? So, why isn’t she?” The Great and Powerful Trixie asked, tapping her chin.

“No, she is doing something.” Humility said, peering through the curtains. “Her horn is glowing.”

“The Goddess doesn’t like the sound of that!”

“Me neither.” Representative Trixie tried racking her brain for any hint of what her corrupted mentor was planning but came up blank. “Whatever it is, we need to stop it, now.”

“But how?” The Great and Powerful Trixie asked. “You saw what happened to ponies controlled by Antithesis’s “Hate it, Kill it” spell. They’re beyond reason! And Princess Luna’s an alicorn! How can we stop that?!”

“Try the staff?” Humility grabbed the broken staff to examine it, only to drop a second later. “What the heck? What is this stone?”

“The horned Trixie called it a Mind Stone.” Human Trixie replied.

“It’s impossible. Just trying to examine it with my magic almost fried my brain.” Humility said, eyes wide.

“Can you control it, Humility? Antithesis could, if barely,” Human Trixie asked.

“I doubt it.” Humility shook her head. “Besides, I know almost nothing about mind magic. I might only make the situation worse! If only that Goddess of Mischief hadn’t disappeared!”

“Oh.” Representative Trixie deflated, dejected.

“Guys, you won’t believe this!” Twilight Sparkle said, rushing into the room.

“What is it?” Representative Trixie asked, alarmed by the expression on her fellow unicorn’s face. The other Trixies straightened to attention, curious.

“Guys, you won’t believe this! It might mean the end of everything!” Twilight’s breathing intensified, her words becoming more maniac. “We’re all doomed! Fire will reign on Equestria and doom us all!”

“Yes, we get! We’re doomed! How about saying something coherent already?” Representative Trixie said, annoyed. If this meant the end of the world, she wanted the straight facts already.

“Just breathe.” Humility said, her words kind and patient. “Take deep breaths. There’s no rush.”

“Okay. Okay.” Twilight said, regaining some calm. “It’s best I just show you.” She produced a telescope and thrust it into Representative Trixie’s hooves. “Look at the moon.”

“Okay?” Representative Trixie trotted over to a broken window and peered into the night sky with the telescope. As usual, Luna’s beauty was on full display as she surveyed the stars in their intricate patterns. She recognized several constellations as she searched for the moon. After finding her target, Representative Trixie’s brow furrowed.

“It seems normal to me.” With Luna corrupted by Antithesis’s twisted magic, she’d half expected the celestial satellite to be bleeding blood or something.

“Look again.” Twilight urged.

“It’s normal.” No, wait. Representative Trixie sensed something odd, but couldn’t place what. She grunted in frustration. The answer was on the tip of her tongue, but it continued to evade her. Then it clicked. “It looks larger.”

“Really? Let Trixie see.” The Great and Powerful Trixie extended a hoof, asking for the telescope. After retrieving the device, she peered through it at the glowing blue orb. “It looks bigger. Is it getting larger?”

“No, it’s getting closer!” Twilight Sparkle replied. “It’s already hundreds of miles closer to the planet than usual!”

“No, you don’t think…” Ice stabbed into Representative Trixie’s heart as the implication struck home. It explained why Luna wasn’t doing anything, the reason for her glowing horn becoming sickeningly clear. “The princess is planning to crash the moon into Equestria?”

“That’s exactly what she’s trying to do!” Twilight Sparkle replied, her tone grim.

“No!” The Trixies in the room fretted in terror, muttering horrified curses.

“Is that what she’s planning? What a riot!” A familiar, cruel voice said. From her position tied up on the floor, Antithesis beamed.

“You realize you’ll die too!” Representative Trixie said, glaring at the mad fake pony.

“Yeah, but it solved my job for me! All these Trixies trapped with no escape!” Antithesis burst into uproarious laughter.

“I bet she has a way to escape!” Human Trixie said.

“Which I’ll never tell you!” Antithesis replied. “I suppose you could try torturing me, if you have the guts. And hey, you might even coerce me into freeing Luna’s mind. But you’d really have to hurt me to convince me to do that, likely hurt me almost to death.”

“Trixie, I know the situation is dire, but the princess would never approve of torture, no matter the bitter circumstances. You must rise to be better than her!” Night Trap, the royal guard captain, said.

“I wasn’t planning to! What do you take me for?!” Representative Trixie said, offended. No, she won’t sink to that sick monster’s level. She’d solve this problem the right way.

“Coward.” Antithesis said, snorting in derision.

“If that’s the case, what now?” The Goddess asked, her illusionary self verging on total panic. “The Goddess has no interest in becoming a flaming pancake!”

“We’ll need to stop her, maybe permanently.” Humility said, her voice hardening.

“What?!” Representative Trixie said, eyes going wide. “You can’t be serious!”

“It might be unavoidable.” Humanity said, taking no pleasure in this observation. “Either we somehow break the curse on Luna’s mind, or we take her down, whatever the cost.”

Representative Trixie paced across the room, troubled. This was Princess Luna they were talking about! Her power alone dwarfed them all a thousand times over! She cursed. If only her friends were still in town, they could use the Elements of Harmony to purify her.

“Trixie isn’t exactly optimistic about our chances in a straight-up fight,” The Great and Powerful Trixie said. “None of us are fighters.”

“How long until doomsday?” Representative Trixie asked, turning to their resident egghead.

“By my calculations, the moon is approaching the earth at roughly 55,000 miles per hour. With the distance between the moon and the planet 238,900 miles, it’ll take 4.3 hours.” Twilight replied.

“Dear Luna.” Representative Trixie had no other words. The entire room went silent. Several of the royal guards broke down into broken sobs.

“That’s only if we fail!” Captain Cosmos said, standing on Representative Trixie’s coffee table. “We, as the heroes of the multiverse, must not fail, whatever the cost!”

“Please don’t stand on my furniture.” Representative Trixie replied dryly. “And what do you suggest? We have the Mind Stone, but it’s too dangerous to use. Heck, it might make Princess Luna worse!”

“Can I see this Mind Stone? Is it what Antithesis used to corrupt the princess?” Twilight asked.

“Knock yourself out.” Human Trixie said, letting Twilight levitate the staff from her claw-thing.

“Let’s see. I can analyze it with a spell.” Twilight’s horn glowed brighter. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then a gasp escaped the mare’s lips, dropping the staff onto the carpeted floor. “Impossible. Where did Trixie Celestiamaden find this staff?!”

“Beats me.” The Great and Powerful Trixie said, shrugging. “A place called Asgard? That’s where she said she’s from.”

“Asgard? Like from the Yak legends?” Twilight said, incredulous. “Never mind about that. That gem isn’t magical. It’s beyond anything I’ve seen in this world!” Her words were frantic, unable to control her fear/excitement. “If you possessed more gems like that. You’d become unstoppable!”

“Vice Principal Luna said the same thing.” Human Trixie mused. “I’m a little worried that the Goddess of Mischief possessed such a dangerous item.”

“Princess Luna.” Representative Trixie corrected. “Focus, Twilight. You’re the only one with mind magic. Can you fix Princess Luna?”

“Like I said, it isn’t magical!” Twilight began pacing around the room. “It’s more like telepathy? Or manipulating some kind of universal subconscious? It’s beyond my understanding. But can it save the princess? I can’t tell you. I fear even trying to use it.”

“Oh.” Representative Trixie deflated, fearing this might mean they’d need to resort to a nastier solution.

“Seems it’s my time to shine.” The Goddess said her telepathic words smug. “The Goddess is a master of telepathy, capable of communicating over several thousand miles with ease!”

“Really?” Twilight said, eyes wide.

“As usual, Sparkle, you underestimate my capabilities. In my universe, I was the center of a vast hive mind connected to hundreds of alicorns. With my mental might, it should be simple enough for me to use the Mind Stone to stop Princess Luna and save the planet.”

“Perfect!” Finally, some good news. Representative Trixie paused, the full extent of the Goddess’s words sinking in. “Wait, what? What’s this about a hive mind of alicorns?”

“That isn’t important right now!” The telepathic voice replied, hastily changing the subject. “Just put the Mind Stone in my tank and leave everything to me.”

“It’s worth trying, but be careful. The Mind Stone’s power is vaster than you can possibly imagine.” Twilight rubbed her chin, deep in thought. “You’ll likely need my help. Antithesis’s original spell is based on the “Want it, Need it” spell, right? I know that spell. Together, we might break through the curse.”

“Never!” The Goddess spat, making Twilight flinch back. “Not with the likes of you, Sparkle. You vile, ugly mare! It’s your fault I’m like this!”

Twilight’s eyes widened in shock, lost for words.

“You might not be her, exactly. But you’re just as careless. You’re tampering with something you don’t understand, not caring about the consequences!” Was it Representative Trixie’s imagination, or was the Goddess sounding close to tears?

“Because of you, I suffered worse than anypony imaginable! You made me into this…” The Goddess’s words became quiet, almost inaudible. “Monster. A monster.”

“I’m sorry.” Twilight hung her head. “I don’t know what my counterpart did, but it sounds horrible. And I’m not much different. I’ve hurt ponies without realizing it, too. But I want to change, be better!”

“If you hate me, that’s fine. I understand. You have every reason to. But please, if we don’t stop the Bloody Mare, she’ll destroy everything I care about. You’re our only hope. If you want to hurt me for whatever the other Twilight did, fine. But please, let me save Equestria first!”

“Nice speech.” Antithesis rolled her eyes. “Like she’ll listen. Her hatred runs too deep for any forgiveness!”

“Okay.”

“What?” Antithesis’s eyes widened, shocked by the Goddess’s response.

“I’m not doing it for your sake, Sparkle. I’m doing this because I, Trixie Lulamoon, am tired of destruction. This place is beautiful and peaceful. It’s everything my world lost, possibly forever. I watched as my world was reduced to an irradiated wasteland, ruined beyond repair. But I, Trixie Lulamoon, the pony, refuse to allow it to happen again. I might have been powerless to save my world. But this time, Equestria will live!”

“You can’t be serious!” Antithesis gritted her teeth, furious. “You hate her! She’s everything you despise!”

“Ha! What the matter, Antithesis?” Representative Trixie said, tone mocking. “You can’t understand real ponies, can you? You only understand hatred. But ponies are different. We’re capable of love and forgiveness. Our worst nature doesn’t define us.”

“Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!” Antithesis snapped back.

“Take her away.” Representative Trixie said, waving the guard to escort the prisoner to the nearest cell. “We’ll figure out what to do with her later. We have a world to save!”

“This isn’t over!” Antithesis said, squirming against the guards restraining her. “This isn’t over, Trixie Lulamoon, Twilight Sparkle!”

“What a sad pony.” Humility said. “Maybe one day your words might seep in. She’ll realize she can be more than a pony of hatred.”

“Wouldn’t that be a thing?” But Representative Trixie doubted Antithesis would ever have a change of heart. She pitied the mare. Antithesis defined herself by her hatred of Twilight and her. Could even friendship change someone like that?

Well, whatever. They had worse problems than Antithesis. Trapped in her cell, she’d stay out of their way while they continued with the business of saving the world.

“But there’s still one problem.” Representative Trixie said. “The Goddess, your telepathy is only short-ranged, right? How will we get close enough? I doubt she’d stay still and allow us to shoot magical beams at her.” And so their planning session began. Representative Trixie only hoped it’d be enough.

---

“You will regret this! You hear me!” Antithesis said, rattling her cell’s bars. How dare they humiliate the Element of Anti-friendship like this? Heads would roll for this insult!

She screamed obscenities, but no reply came. She was all alone. The Ponyville prison was empty of prisoners, and the royal guards and police officers were out clearing up the mess the “Hate it, Kill it” spell had caused. While some officers ponied the front desk, the police department was basically vacant.

“Trixie, you’ll pay for this!” But Antithesis’s hateful heart wasn’t in it, slumping to the cold, concrete floor.

“No, it can’t end this way.” Unfamiliar feelings made Antithesis’s hooves quake. Her breathing heightened its pace. Was this what ponies called fear? She didn’t doubt they’d execute her once they settled this matter. Why not? They’d already said she wasn’t a pony. They’d be no mortal quaternary in killing a nonpony like her.

I don’t want to die! Not again! Sobs escaped Antithesis’s lips as she struggled to control her fear. Despite her best efforts, her hatred of Trixie and Twilight couldn’t overrun the pure terror of her impending fate.

“Oh dear. How cruel of them to leave you high and dry.” A familiar voice said.

“You!” Antithesis head jerked up, directed at the newcomer. But it wasn’t the smug expression of Trixie Lulamoon she’d expected. No, it was the Trixie with the horned helmet.

“What do you want?” Antithesis whipped away her tears to glare at the hateful image of her enemy.

“Believe it or not, but I’m here to help you!” The horned Trixie replied.

“What?” This response caught Antithesis’s jaw to drop. “Why? I’m your enemy!”

“But an enemy can become an ally, and I believe we would gain much from joining forces.”

“Huh?”

“You see, I fight for the winning side. And Captain Cosmos and the others? Doomed from the beginning. I’ve seen the power Proto has at his disposal. He brought a terror like you into existence. Even if Princess Luna returns to her senses, how will we escape the hordes of killer robots? Everyone seems to have forgotten about them.”

“And you’d betray them that easily?” But a smile was already growing on Antithesis’s muzzle. And why won’t she save her own skin? You’d be a fool to join Trixie’s side, with the almighty, invisible Proto standing against you.

“I don’t owe those foals anything.” The Horned Trixie replied, her smile sly.

“Good. Let me out of here, and we’ll finish them off.” And Princess Luna would be their tool to do it. She’d eradicate them with her moon while they’d escape into Limbo before it happened, laughing all the while.

“And you’ll put in a good word for me with Proto?” The Horned Trixie said, extending a hoof.

“Deal.” They shook hoofs. Antithesis hid a smile. This foal was in for a nasty surprise once they returned to Limbo. She had no intention of protecting this Trixie from her master’s wrath. Proto had declared all Trixies detestable abominations, and Antithesis was more than eager to fulfill her master’s will. But for now, she’d work with this gullible foal to ruin Trixie’s efforts.

I will make you suffer for making me cry, Trixie. Watch as I shatter your hope and friendship to pieces!

Comments

[Mpiar]

“You see, I fight for the winning side. And Captain Cosmos and the others? Doomed from the beginning. I’ve seen the power Proto has at his disposal. He brought a terror like you into existence. Even if Princess Luna returns to her senses, how will we escape the hordes of killer robots? Everyone seems to have forgotten about them.”

Either Trixie's version of the goddess of lies and mischief is really going to betray the other Trixies or she's just fooling Antithesis. I'm thinking more of the latter, this Trixie is still a version of Loki. By the way, will you have only fanfic versions of Trixie or original ones too?

[Comickook]

Excellent work, once again, on the exchanges, characterizations and future chapter set-up. REALLY neat way to raise the stakes by having the mind-altered Luna working on slamming the moon into the world and most of the Trixies having to work together to stop that. Also, none of them except Loki-Trixie knowing how to use it is a good reason for the group to not use the Mind Stone to undo the spell on Luna. And that bit with Antithesis and Loki-Trixie, yikes. Of course, we will eventually find out which one of them is going to end up playing the other in a future chapter.

Definitely looking forward to more of this.

[Rixizu]

11803340

A little of both, but I will usually try to avoid making them too much of an OC. Like, they're my own creation, but they come from either an archetypal fanfic or from a fanfic or world that already exists, but Trixie didn't exactly show up in it. For example, in the next arc, I have a Trixie that comes from the Crystal War Timeline.

[DracoDarastrix]

I'm enjoying the story so far, though I wonder if your planning in bringing out the villain I told you about which really hated Trixie more then anything else. I will not mention her name for the other to prevent spoilers, but I'm just curious if you read any of the stories I send a link to you.

[Rixizu]

11803859

You'll have to see. I definitely have some surprises waiting. Again, thanks for the recommendations, though it has given me a lot of reading to do.