• Published 20th Feb 2013
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The View Over Atlantis - Zobeid



Trixie takes her show across the Barrier to the human world, but is soon recruited by a mysterious organization.

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The Show Goes On

It was the following evening when Lord Peter cornered Trixie in the drawing room. He was all smiles as he announced, “I have some exciting news: the Nisut is coming. She heard about your arrival and has decided to pay us a visit.”

Trixie blinked and peered up at him. “Nisut?”

“She’s the supreme leader of our order. She was planning to visit in a few weeks but decided to accelerate her schedule. She’ll be here in two days, and she’s keen on meeting you and seeing a demonstration of your magic.”

Trixie felt a stone sinking in her belly. She hopped off the divan where she’d been resting. “Two days? Demonstration? You can’t be serious. I can’t be ready to perform in two days.”

Lord Peter’s smile dissolved, and he reproved, “Trixie! One does not simply say no to the Nisut. It’s critical that you make a favorable impression. You’ll just have to improvise as best you can with an abbreviated performance.”

“But… but… I don’t have any fireworks! I don’t have my props! I’ve been making arrangements, it’s been going well. Maybe in a week I could have something, but not in two days.”

Lord Peter pursed his lips for a moment, as if sucking on a lemon drop, then, without warning, reached forward and touched his fingertip to the end of Trixie’s horn. She jerked her head away, startled by the breach of etiquette. One does not touch a unicorn’s horn that way. Lord Peter said, “I see you brought the most important item. Our dear leader wishes to see unicorn magic. You can cast spells, can you not?”

“Well… Yes, but…”

“Then it’s settled. Think of it as a new challenge for the Great and Powerful Trixie! I have every confidence that you’ll rise to the occasion.”

Trixie muttered, “Every confidence.” She felt stunned.

“That’s the spirit. I’ll let you get on with your preparations, then.” He departed with haste, not giving her a chance to formulate any further objections.

After he was gone, Trixie stood still for a while, though her mind was whirling. After some time she began pacing the floor as she muttered to herself, “Two days. What can I do in two days? No fireworks. No Cabinet of Doom. No Magic Mirror. And so many of my routines depend on audience abuse that this high class crowd would never tolerate. I thought I’d have time to work out new routines.”

She sat down on her haunches and announced to the empty room, “Card tricks!” Then she buried her face in her hooves. “Heaven help me, what am I saying? I can’t do card tricks for the high mucky-muck! This is a disaster.”

She wondered what would happen if she flubbed this. She’d already been paid — but what if Lord Peter demanded his money back? All the stories she’d heard about human callousness and cruelty rushed through her mind. What would happen if they tossed her out on the street? How would she get back home? What if they didn’t even let her leave? If the Nisut was offended, would they lock Trixie in a dungeon?

Sometime later, after her initial wave of panic had subsided, she took some time to pen a letter to Autumn Flare and told about all that had transpired thus far. Trixie didn’t mention her misgivings. She would give Autumn the impression that everything was going splendidly. If Trixie’s worst imaginings came to pass, however, at least somepony back in Equestria would have a clue where to start looking for her. She hoped she could trust Florence to drop the letter in the post.

That done, Trixie threw herself into practice and preparation. She might fail in front of the Nisut, but it wouldn’t be for lack of trying.


Two days later, Trixie was tired and frazzled, but at least she had a program planned out and the basic items she needed to carry it through. As it happened, the estate’s gardens sported a small amphitheater, which Trixie had gotten decked out with a basic stage and curtain. Engaged as she was in making sure all her hastily-assembled properties were in order, Trixie missed the morning arrival of the Nisut. Trixie made a deliberate strategy of avoiding the Nisut before the show and begged off opportunities to join the guests at lunch. She didn’t need any distractions now; she wanted her performance on stage to be her first impression.

Trixie had recruited a few of the mansion’s staff to assist, and one of them poked his head behind the curtain to let her know the guests had all arrived and were beginning to take their seats. She thanked him, levitated her wizard hat onto her head, and walked to the center of the stage where she listened to the muffled conversations filtering through the curtain. After a few moments she cast a spell; like a one-way mirror, the closed curtain in front of her became transparent to her eyes, though not to her audience of more than a score of humans on the other side. Ivan McGregor was visible, and Trixie also could see Lord Peter up front with Florence sitting close by his right hand and another lady on his left. Could that be the Nisut? Trixie peered more closely, blinked, and gawped. That wasn’t a human!

The figure Trixie gazed upon was not, in fact, any species she recognized from Equestria or from Earth. Its body was a puzzling mixture of human and feline features. Its shape overall was like that of a human female, and its clothing and flowing black hair were of human style, but its head and face resembled a spotted jungle cat. The prominent muzzle and nose, whiskers, and the ears poking out through its hair all were feline. Its eyes were large and bright golden color with vertically slit pupils. Trixie also noticed a long tail curled around by the strange being’s side, spotted with black-and-white rings near the tip, which swished lazily. The feline chatted with Lord Peter. Both of them seemed at ease as they shared a laugh over some presumably witty comment — and Trixie got a glimpse of the feline’s predatory fangs.

Trixie bit her lip and pondered. She had heard that humans were the only intelligent race in their world. She hadn’t heard anything about cat people. She snorted and shook off the mystery. The show had to go on, and the audience was getting restless. She dispelled the transparency effect from the curtain and cast a new spell. Clouds began to gather overhead, darkening the stage. The air cooled, and wisps of fog drifted about the stage.

Trixie moved to the side and called out loudly, “Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrixiiie!” Her magical aura engulfed the curtains and opened them, revealing the stage. Another spell activated the magic powder she had left in the middle of the stage, causing it to explode into a cloud of sparkling, purple smoke. With perfect timing, she leapt into the middle of the stage, the motion concealed by the smoke. As the cloud cleared, it appeared to the audience as though she’d teleported onto the stage.

“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most amazing feats of magic ever witnessed!” She reared upright on her hind legs and threw her front hooves wide. A subtle flick of magic switched on the lasers at either side of the stage. Trixie hadn’t been able to get fireworks on short notice, but Florence had suggested the human invention as an expedient alternative. Their colorful beams traced frantic patterns through the fog and clouds that Trixie had summoned.

Trixie reflexively paused a moment, waiting for the rush of applause that usually came at this point in her act. As if on cue, a cricket chirped. Holding the pose, she turned an eye toward the audience — only to be caught in the other eye by an errant laser beam. “Gaah!” She stumbled and fell onto her rump, as she clamped the side of her foreleg against her eye.

Murmurs rose from the audience as Trixie blinked, seeing little more than a swath of red after-image in the offended eye. She closed both eyes for a moment, wondering if this was some sort of nightmare. Then she opened her eyes and stood up on all fours. A spark of magic switched off the lasers, and she levitated her wizard hat and set it aside, revealing her glowing horn. Bringing a hoof to her chest she said, loudly, “Trixie may stumble, but she never falls! Prepare to be amazed!”

From the audience came the sound of someone clapping. Trixie turned her good eye to see that it was Lord Peter. Following his lead, several others in the audience joined him in brief, polite applause. It wasn’t much, but to Trixie it seemed as though a weight had been lifted from her back.

“Conjuration!”

Trixie waved her hooves in the air as a purple glow appeared in front of her, then a bouquet of flowers popped into existence. Smiling, she levitated the bouquet closer, clutching it with her hooves and making a dramatic gesture of sniffing at the flowers.

“Transformation!”

Trixie tossed the bouquet, scattering the flowers in the air above her head. With purple flashes and puffs of smoke they turned into colorful croquet balls.

“Manipulation!”

The balls formed into a neatly spaced ring and began spinning, chasing one another as the whole ring tilted gracefully, all wrapped in the purple aura of Trixie’s magic. This trick was the magical equivalent of juggling, requiring skill, concentration, and — unfortunately for Trixie — depth perception. Her injured eye betrayed her, and within seconds she’d lost control of the croquet balls, which rained down upon the stage.

Concerned murmurs rose from the audience again. Face burning, Trixie almost wished they would laugh at her instead. She squeezed her eyes shut and told herself she was a professional. She wasn’t a foal, she wouldn’t break down and cry. The show must go on. There was a quaver in her voice when she opened her eyes and called out…

“Projection!”

A bright orange-yellow star flew from Trixie’s horn. It zipped above the stage following a circular path and left a comet-like trail of light, painting a fiery yellow ring.

“And control over the elements themselves!”

The clouds that had earlier gathered above the stage began to disperse, leaving a rainbow hanging in the sky where sunlight filtered through the mist. Suddenly the rainbow came to life and arced down onto the stage, then wrapped itself into another ring, joining the ring of fire above the stage. Trixie reared up again, repeating her dramatic pose. At this point in her act she would, under normal circumstances, have triggered a burst of fireworks — but she’d be damned if she was going to turn those lasers on again.

From the audience came polite applause. The Nisut leaned over to say something to Lord Peter, who shook his head in response. It was a tough crowd. Trixie gritted her teeth. She would get through this.


She got through it. The curtain closed, the applause faded, and Trixie deflated. Her tail drooped. Her ears drooped. Her mane drooped. She was no longer worried about being thrown in a dungeon; a dark hole to crawl into would seem pretty good now. Not having an oubliette handy, she decided to settle for slinking back to her room in the mansion and locking the door. She made her way slowly, carefully avoiding the other guests who likewise made their way back to the manor house.

In her room she put away her hat and cape, and she curled up on the bed, buried her face between her front legs, and wallowed in misery, trying to forget about her jet-lagged, exhausted, half-blinded performance without any of her best props and routines.

After a short while somebody knocked on the door. Trixie ignored the sound. The knock sounded again. She yelled, “Go away! Leave Trixie alone!”

“Trixie? It’s me, Florence. Please let me in!”

Trixie sighed and rolled upright on the bed, and reached out with her magic to unlock the door and swing it open.

Florence peeked in warily, then slipped through the door and closed it behind her. She went to the bed and sat beside Trixie, and gently stroked her mane. “Are you all right?” she asked.

“That was a disaster.”

“Your show? Oh, no, no, no — no, not at all! It wasn’t a disaster. It had character. It was authentic.”

Trixie sighed again. “I can’t see out of my right eye.”

Florence’s eyes went wide. “What happened? The laser? I thought those were supposed to be safe.”

Trixie waved a hoof in front of her eye and shrugged. “I guess not.”

“Do you need a doctor? You should have it looked at.”

“It’s not urgent. If it doesn’t get better, I can have it healed later.”

Florence reached over and gently scratched behind Trixie’s ear. Trixie closed her eyes and smiled, despite herself, and lowered her head to rest on the covers. Florence grinned and said, “I see that still works, at least. And I didn’t think your show was a disaster. In fact, the Nisut wants to meet you.”

Trixie grumbled, “For what? To put me in a petting zoo?”

“Don’t be like that! Come on, pull yourself together! You’ve done the hard part; things can only get better from here. She just wants to talk with you. Or should I tell her the Great and Powerful Trixie is too busy sulking?”

“Tempting idea,” Trixie muttered. However, she sat upright and said more loudly, “The Great and Powerful Trixie shall not disappoint her adoring fans.” Her horn glowed and she conjured a handkerchief, wiped her eyes and blew her nose, then dismissed the cloth in a puff of magic. She levitated her hat and cape to her, and said, “Trixie would be grateful if you would stay nearby for a while, though.”

Florence nodded. “Of course. Lord Peter is waiting for us in the drawing room. Come on, I’ll show you the way.”

As they walked, Trixie asked, “I saw the Nisut in the audience. What is she?”

“Nobody told you about that? She’s genetically engineered to be partly human, partly feline.”

“That was done with technology? Not magic?”

“Yes. Do ponies ever do anything like that with magic?”

Trixie lowered her head, along with her voice. “Long ago we did, using morphogenic spells. Renegade unicorns created monsters to fight in the Wizard Wars. That’s where griffins came from, and minotaurs, and manticores. Those spells have been forbidden for centuries.”

Florence nodded. “Genetic engineering of humans is illegal in most of this world too — but not everywhere. In any event, it wasn’t her decision to be made the way she is.”

They entered the drawing room, where they found a modest cocktail reception underway. The same guests who’d watched Trixie’s performance now mingled and conversed. Ivan was one of the first to notice Trixie and wave her over. She glanced at Florence, uncertain about whether she needed to go directly to meet the Nisut, but Florence nodded and led the way as the two of them joined Ivan and the others he’d been talking with. Foremost was an imposingly tall man with a mass of brown curls for hair, who wore a brown coat and an absurdly long woolen scarf that he apparently couldn’t be bothered to remove upon coming indoors. With him was a younger man in a dark blue uniform, and a slender, brown-haired young woman. Ivan began the introductions, gesturing to each in turn. “Trixie, I’d like for you to meet the Doctor and his traveling companions. The gentleman in uniform is Dr. Harry Sullivan of the Royal Navy, and the young lady is Sarah Jane Smith.”

Trixie replied, “Trixie is pleased to make your acquaintances.” She looked up at the tall man. “Err, Doctor… who? Trixie did not catch your name.”

Before he could answer, Florence put a hand on Trixie’s withers and said, “You mustn’t inquire, dear. The Doctor is traveling incognito. However, we might take the opportunity to ask for an opinion on your eye.” She looked to the others and explained, “One of the lasers caught her in the right eye.”

The taller, more anonymous of the two doctors demurred, saying in a deep voice, “Well, I’m no medical man; my doctorate is purely honorary. Perhaps Surgeon-Lieutenant Sullivan could take a look at it?”

Harry said, “I’ll do my best. I’ve never examined any small, colorful equines before, though. Falls a bit outside of my training, it does. Would anyone have a penlight?” The Doctor fished one out of a coat pocket and handed it over. Harry knelt by Trixie and shined the light in her eye, carefully noting the response. “Any pain then?” he asked.

“No,” Trixie answered. Her sensitive ears picked up a whispered conversation between Sarah and Florence. “She’s adorable!” one gushed. “I know!” the other almost squealed. Trixie gritted her teeth.

“Has your vision started returning at all?” Harry asked.

Trixie blinked. “Yes, I can see a bit. Everything looks red, though.”

Harry stood up and said, “It seems pony eyes are more light-sensitive than human eyes, but the indications are temporary flash blindness. I expect she’ll be right as rain come tomorrow.”

“That’s a relief,” Trixie said. “I was worried I’d have to get healing magic cast on it.”

Harry blinked. “Healing magic? Now that’s something I should look into. Can you heal yourself?”

Trixie shook her head. “That is a specialized category of magic I never studied. Even if I had, it’s difficult for a unicorn to cast healing upon herself.”

Sarah quirked a mischievous smile and spoke up, “Doctor, weren’t you just telling us a while ago how there’s really no such thing as magic?”

“What?” Trixie exclaimed, her ears perking up. “My performance should have put paid to that.”

The Doctor cleared his throat and answered, “I meant in a purely supernatural sense, of course. This phenomenon that you call magic has an underlying scientific explanation. Magic is nothing more or less than knowing how to do something that the other party does not. Given your mastery of stagecraft, you should understand that better than most, I imagine.”

Mollified by the compliment, Trixie replied mildly, “Your point is taken, but if there’s any connection between thaumaturgy and science, it’s beyond my ken.”

The Doctor flashed a toothy grin. “I understand. I’ve had some stimulating discussion of this subject with Ivan as well.”

Ivan nodded. “We agreed to disagree. I asked our Nisut if she could settle the matter, but she got all mysterious and refused to take sides. Said we could both be right or both be wrong, and it’s all a matter of perspective.”

“Well, there’s a true leader for you,” quipped Harry. “She could be a Member of Parliament.” The other humans chuckled good-naturedly.

Florence said, “Speaking of which, I believe our dear leader wants to meet Trixie. We’d better not keep her waiting any longer. If you would excuse us?” They did so, and Florence led Trixie across the room to where Lord Peter and the feline lady were conversing, while Maikel Nabil looked on silently. Trixie hadn’t seen him since her plane ride, and she didn’t recall him ever saying a word. Even now his gaze wandered about the room, paying attention to everything except the conversation in front of him. Trixie decided he must be a bodyguard.

Lord Peter grinned upon catching sight of them. “Trixie, it’s about time you were able to meet our Nisut! Allow me to present the supreme leader of The Golden Dawn, The Living Heru, Right Eye of Ra, First Primate of all Kemet, Living Image of the Goddess, the lady Tutankhbast!”

Now Trixie had a close-up view of the Nisut. Dressed in white denim jeans and a coat of royal purple, she gave the impression more of a trendy jet-setter than the leader of a cult. She flashed a smile, but the combination of large fangs and slit-pupil eyes — cat’s eyes, serpent’s eyes, dragon’s eyes — triggered an instinctive response in Trixie. She froze, eyes wide and ears folded low, unable to speak.

The Nisut’s smile faded and she said, “Lord Peter, it seems all those titles have frightened this little pony.” She dropped to one knee, bringing herself down to Trixie’s level, and extended a gloved hand. “I would like to be your friend, Trixie. Please feel free to call me Katrina.” Her voice sounded so normal, so composed, it belied her exotic looks.

Trixie swallowed her fear and managed to lift a hoof for Katrina to shake. “I-I’m honored to meet you, Katrina.” She glanced at the glove, wondering if it concealed claws.

“I watched your show with keen interest, Trixie.”

“It wasn’t my best!” Trixie blurted. “I’m sorry, you deserved a better performance.”

Katrina smiled softly and shook her head. “Don’t worry about a few missteps. I noticed you cast at least five different categories of spells. That’s impressive. Most unicorns can’t come close to that.”

Trixie rubbed one foreleg against the other. “Yes. Magic itself is my special talent. Most unicorn ponies don’t even bother to study magic past the basics.”

Katrina gestured towards a couch. “Trixie, would you come and sit with me for a little while? There is something I would like to discuss.”

“O-okay.” Trixie followed and hopped onto the couch, and sat on her haunches, while Katrina adopted a human pose. Lord Peter took a chair nearby, but Mr. Nabil remained standing, still watching over the room and subtly turning away anyone who might try to intrude on Katrina’s conversation.

When they were comfortable Katrina said, “As you know, The Golden Dawn recruits talented individuals from Equestria. We play no favorites. We’ve taken ponies, griffins and gnolls. A truly talented unicorn mage such as yourself, however, has been difficult to acquire. Most are well-settled in their professions, and those that come through the Barrier are almost invariably employed by the Conversion Bureaus. It would please me greatly if I can convince you to stay on with us.”

Ah. This was business. In moments Trixie shifted from nervous to hard-nosed. “Stay on in what capacity? I still know very little of your organization.”

“I would be happy to explain. Thousands of years ago our world had its own natural magic. Great monuments were built to tap into this flow of magical power between earth and sky. It was channeled through ley lines and distributed across the globe, linking distant lands together with a vast network of etherial energies. However, a natural cataclysm obliterated one of the most important hubs of this network, and its power waned. Science began to replace magic as the doctrine of mankind, and the ley lines were abandoned to time and mischance. This, we believe, is the reason why the Equestrian Barrier is engulfing our world. With the Earth’s own magic dormant and forgotten, and your world flooded with magic, the imbalance creates a pressure that inflates the Barrier like air in a balloon.”

Monuments. Trixie recalled her conversation with Ivan about restoring ancient monuments, and the stone circle she’d seen on his computer. “You want to rebuild that magical network?”

Katrina nodded. “At least partially. If we can reawaken the Earth’s magic, it will push back against the Barrier, and the human species will no longer face extinction. Conversion will become an option rather than a compulsion, and our culture and civilization can remain intact.”

Trixie licked her lips. She knew she had to be tactful. She said, “Ponies have already tried to stop the barrier with spells. Our best unicorns, and even the princesses, couldn’t figure out a way to slow it. They said it’s impossible.”

Katrina nodded. “Yes, they tried. If I’m right, any spell they cast would only make things worse, like adding fuel to a fire. So, now it’s our turn to try doing it our way.”

“What about me? Where do I fit into this plan?”

“Magic is almost a lost art among humans. Even in ancient times we never had a unicorn’s natural ability to sense and direct its energy. Now we are on the clock, trying to recreate a millennia of magic in only a few short years. We need help. We need a unicorn who can, at the very least, sense the flow of luminiferous ether and tell us when we are successfully gathering and directing it. We’ve tried newfoal unicorns, we’ve tried to recruit other unicorns from Equestria, but none of them were able to help us. None of them had your facility with magic. You’re our best hope, Trixie.”

Trixie frowned. “I’m not sure if that will work. If Earth’s magic is so different from Equestria’s, maybe they aren’t compatible at all, and I can’t use it or even sense it.”

Katrina shrugged easily. “There’s only one way to find out. We can’t leave any stone unturned in this effort. It’s do or die for us, Trixie. We just don’t all want to become ponies.”

Lord Peter commented, “Indeed. Can you even imagine me turned into a cute little pony?”

“Hardly!” said Florence, who had moved to Lord Peter’s side during the course of the conversation, still standing but resting her hand upon his shoulder. “Or myself, for that matter? The very idea hardly bears contemplating.”

Trixie fidgeted. She didn’t want to insult Katrina, or the others for that matter, but this had to be said. “I’m just… It’s a lot to take in. We’ve been told your world doesn’t have any magic at all, and that the barrier is unstoppable. I’m just not convinced it’s possible.”

Katrina fixed her large, feline eyes on Trixie. “A very wise human being named Margaret Mead once said: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” She leaned closer to Trixie and said, “The decision is yours. You are free to return to your wagon and your street corner performances, relieving newfoals of their pocket change — or, if you prefer, the Great and Powerful Trixie can join us in changing the world.”

There was only one possible answer to that. Trixie took a deep breath and said, “I’ll try. I’m with you.”