> The Great and Powerful Trixie's Greatest Show
>  by Zeck
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Trixie's Greatest Show
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Trixie ran back into the room and slammed the door. She pressed her body against it as she struggled to breathe. It was happening again. The sky was growing dark from all the flying forms, screams were starting to flood the air, and her pulse was threatening to explode from her neck. 
It wasn’t until she saw the small faces looking up at her, their eyes filled with fear, that her mind snapped out of its panic. She took several deep breaths and made her face smile. 
“Miss Trixie, what’s happening?” one of the fillies asked, her voice quivering as she huddled next to one of her friends. 
“Is…this part of your show?” another asked. 
“Of course not!” Trixie protested, flooding her voice with more confidence than she had felt in months. “As if The Great and Powerful Trixie would stoop to such base entertainment!”
“Then…is it them?” Ruby Pinch asked as she walked up to the front of the small ground. 
Trixie swallowed. She wasn’t good at this. She had told Berry she wasn’t good at this from the start. She was a showmare, a pony who wowed crowds with her talents—at least, she was before that creepy bug queen had ruined everything. Now, she lived in a filthy hut in a camp with a small band of survivors, dreading the day when the Changelings found them. 
It hadn’t been easy to adjust to her new life. She still hated having to wear the mud all the time, and she had seen enough trees to last the rest of her life. For a while, she had cried herself to sleep every night, sometimes cradling the tattered remains of her hat and cloak. Some nights, she had even wished she hadn’t managed to escape, and that the Changelings had caught her and…done whatever it was that they did to ponies.
It had been the little filly in front of her now, with lime green eyes and a soft pink mane, that had dragged her out of depression, and she hadn’t even meant to. One day, a new group of survivors had found Zecora’s camp, and before Trixie had known what was happening, Ruby had run up and clung to her leg, sobbing and calling her “Mom” over and over.
The poor little filly hadn’t realized her mistake at first. When she had, her mother, Berry Punch, had had to take her away screaming and sobbing. It was a few days later when Ruby had appeared outside of Trixie’s home, asking to come in. Normally, Trixie would have told the little brat to get lost, but she had been lonely in her new home, so she had agreed.
What had started out as a small filly missing her mom had grown into what was before Trixie now: a small gathering of little fillies and colts that adored her simple stories and magic tricks. It had been Berry that had suggested the idea, and while it wasn’t the same as having ponies gathering by the hundreds to watch her, Trixie still loved the sensation she got from making the children smile. 
Trixie smiled. “I’m afraid so, little Ruby,” she said, but then she puffed out her chest. “But don’t you worry. Don’t any of you worry. These disgusting bugs have to get past The Great and Powerful Trixie, and none have ever done that. Trixie is the greatest Unicorn who has ever lived, and as long as you all remember that, we—”
The room shook as a blast rocked the trunk of the tree they were in. Several of the children started to cry, but Trixie stomped her hoof. “What did The Great and Powerful Trixie just say? Don’t worry! Now, we have prepared for this, and you all know what to do. Ruby.”
“Yes!” Ruby said as she saluted. 
“What do we do first?”
“We make sure we are all wearing our mud!” the filly shouted. 
“Exactly!” Trixie looked around the room. Everypony had Zecora’s special mud painted on their bodies. “What’s next?”
“Oh, I know, Trixie!” a young colt said as he waved his hoof in the back. “We all line up and make sure we’re all here!”
“Very good!” Trixie replied. She was about to ask what the next step was when the door shook behind her. She spun around and backed away, shooing the children behind her. She risked a quick look at them and saw that they were all shaking just as badly as she was. 
“They’re going to eat us!” one of them yelled. 
“Trixie would never allow that!” Trixie said, and she meant it. “Now children, Trixie is going to show you what Trixie can REALLY do!” 
Trixie had prepared for this day. Ever since she had survived the attack on Manehattan, she had prepared an escape plan in case this day ever came. Her room was rigged with plenty of traps, and the Changelings outside the door were about to find that out the hard away. 
The door began to splinter as it was hit again. It cracked and pieces of it fell to the floor. 
Trixie’s purple eyes scanned her room, making sure everything was in position. 
A hoof, or rather, a twisted black version of a hoof, punched through the door and got stuck. 
Trixie took a deep breath. “Stay behind Trixie, all of you.”
“But the Changelings!” a child squeaked.
“We have The Great and Powerful Trixie with us,” Ruby whispered as the Changeling struggled to free itself from the door. “We’ll be fine. She said so.” 
Trixie couldn’t help but smile. The hoof finally freed itself from the door and Trixie counted to two. 
Showtime. 
Trixie grabbed the door with her magic and yanked it open. Sure enough, the Changeling outside was just about to hit the door again, but instead of hitting it, he stumbled inside. He tripped and landed flat on his face. Trixie jumped forward and stomped on his head as hard as she could, and then she triggered the first trap. 
Trixie used her magic to ignite one of her old fireworks hanging from the ceiling. It shot out the door and slammed into the other three Changelings outside. It caught one of them in the chest and Trixie relished the look of surprise on its face for a split second before the rocket exploded in a brilliant display of color and fire. 
“Ha ha! Witness the true brilliance of The Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie yelled as the familiar smell of the burst rocket filled her nose. It had been ages since she had been able to set one of her rockets off, for fear of giving away her position, but now that the Changelings were here, it didn’t matter. 
There was no trace of the Changelings outside of her door, but the fire and scorch marks gave her a pretty good idea of what had happened to them. She hoped it wouldn’t be too scary for the children. 
“See?” Trixie said as she turned around, a grand smile on her face. “What did Trixie tell you? She is the best, plain and simple.” 
“Do we go outside now?”
“One thing Trixie has learned in her years, child, is to never give the audience what they expect.” Trixie looked at her burning doorway and knew that the explosion had no doubt caught the eye of more Changelings. “They’ll expect that, and we want to keep them guessing. So instead, we’re going down.” 
“What?”
“This way!” Trixie yanked the makeshift rug off of her floor and revealed a crude trap door that lead into the tree. She had spent months hallowing it out for her escape. She had learned how important trapdoors were in her days on the stages of Canterlot and Las Pegasus. 
“Ruby, you will lead Trixie’s fans down through the tunnel, since you are Trixie’s biggest fan. When you get to the bottom, there will be a small room. It will be dark, so you will have to use your magic to light the way. Can you do that?”
Ruby swallowed, but she nodded. “Yes.”
“Of course you can,” Trixie said with no small amount of pride. “Now, there will be a torch on the wall for extra light, but Trixie will be down there momentarily. Remember the password?” The children nodded. “Good. Don’t open the door unless Trixie gives the password.”
“But, where will you be, Miss Trixie?” a colt asked.
“Why, The Great and Powerful Trixie has to put on a show for these Changelings. She will keep them distracted long enough for you all to use the tunnel. Oh, and one more thing. Whatever you do, do not come back up the tunnel. For any reason. Understand?”
“Yes,” the children said as one and then they began to file into the trap door. Trixie was about to close it and cover it with the rug, but Ruby popped back up.
“Ruby! What are you doing? You need to be leading Trixie’s fans!” Trixie said. “Your Mom will kill Trixie if anything happens to you.”
“Promise me you’ll come back,” Ruby whispered, tears flooding her eyes. “I…I don’t want to lose another Mom.”
Trixie swallowed the lump in her throat. “Of course Trixie will come back. Trixie promises.” She reached down and gave the little Unicorn a kiss on the forehead.
“Trixie keeps her promises, right?” Ruby asked. 
“You know better than to doubt The Great and Powerful Trixie. Now get going.” Trixie nudged the little filly down the passage and then closed the door. She tossed the rug over it and then looked around her room. She had already used the firework that she had aimed at her door, but there were still a few tricks left for her to use. 
The mare moved as fast as she could, using her magic to move furniture. When she was done, she had seven full-sized mirrors lined around her room. She was in the process of setting another one up in the middle of the room when she heard Changelings landing on her porch outside. 
“Come in, come in!” Trixie called as she put the last mirror in place and jumped behind it. “Welcome to The Great and Powerful Trixie’s home. Thanks to all of you, Trixie has been reduced to living like a common scavenger, but she won’t let that stop her from entertaining guests!” 
Trixie hid behind her mirror and watched as half a dozen Changelings stormed into her home. They were just as vile and bug-like as she remembered. Some of them had torn insect wings that buzzed like a fly’s as they hovered in the air, while others were dressed in dark blue armor. All of them had sharp fangs, some dripping with what Trixie feared was blood, and their same, soulless blue eyes. Those eyes still gave Trixie nightmares. 
The Changelings cautiously looked around the room, hissing as they did. To them, it looked like the room was full of Trixies because the mare was making sure her reflection was lined up perfectly with the mirrors. It was nothing more than a silly house of mirrors trick, but it was enough to give the creatures pause. 
“Do you like Trixie’s little display?” she asked. One of the Changelings was drawing near to her, and if it spotted her, the illusion would be ruined. “Trixie apologizes that it’s not up to her normal standards. If she had known you were coming, she would have had time to prepare. But, the show must go on!” 
Trixie focused all of her magic into her horn and fired a blast at one of the mirrors. To the Changelings, it looked like all the Trixies were firing at once, and even though they knew it was a trick, some of them panicked. They bumped into each other and the mirrors, toppling some to the floor and breaking them. Trixie’s magic attack even managed to catch one of them in the flank, although she doubted it did anything more than irritate him. 
“How dare you!” Trixie shouted. She pushed on the mirror she was hiding behind and the thing fell forward, crashing onto two of the Changelings that had tripped over each other in the confusion. “You ruined Trixie’s show!” She looked up at the rafters in her room and made sure the bag was in place. “Now The Great and Powerful Trixie will have to come up with a whole new act! Until then, farewell!”
Trixie yanked on the bag of flash powder that she had hanging in her room. She used it to make flashy entrances, making it seem like she appeared and vanished in a flash of smoke back when she performed, but she had discovered that it also made an excellent cover for escaping; especially when used in the amount that was in the bag.
Trixie took a deep breath and closed her eyes just before the bag landed. Even with her eyes closed, she still saw the flash and smoke filled her nostrils instantly. Her ears rang, but she had no time to worry about them. She forced her eyes open and ran straight for her door. It was easy enough to spot because of smoldering flames from the firework, and she shoved a stumbling Changeling aside as she reached it. 
When she reached the outside, Trixie charged her horn with magic and scraped it along the right side of her tree house. She heard a hissing sound a second later and decided she had about twelve seconds to reach the bottom of the tree. 
Luckily, she had prepared for such a quick escape. She jumped off the edge of her porch and aimed for the cushioned mat she had buried under some leaves. 
The leaves crunched under her as she hit, but even with their extra padding, the landing knocked the air from her lungs. She shook it off and rolled through the leaves and off the mat. Two seconds before—
The sound of over two-dozen fireworks going off filled the air. Trixie looked up as her former home became a blazing glory of color, noise, and heat. She smiled to herself as a firework shot out of her window and exploded in the air, knocking several Changelings out of the sky.  
It was a fitting end to the home of a Unicorn as great as she was. Why, if ponies survived this, they’d no doubt be telling stories of how many dozens—no, hundreds of Changelings The Great and Powerful Trixie had defeated today. 
Trixie’s glorious daydream was shattered a moment later when a Changeling landed in front of her, only to have a spear skewer its body a second later. She was up and moving before the creature’s body hit the ground. 
Trixie sprinted around the tree that now housed her burning home and found the special knot in the trunk. She banged on the trunk with her hoof and yelled over the battle, “Ruby! Are you all okay?”
“What will you give us?” a small voice called back from inside the tree. Trixie couldn’t help but smile at the question. The children were good listeners, just like she expected. 
“The old razzle-dazzle,” she answered back. A few seconds later, the tree trunk swung open to reveal several frightened faces huddling under the torch they had managed to light. 
Ruby ran out of the crowd and wrapped her forelegs around Trixie’s leg. Trixie patted her on the head and then looked at the other frightened children. “See? The Great and Powerful Trixie is unbeatable!”
“Yay!” one of them cheered in response, and it seemed to lift the spirits of the others. 
“Now Trixie needs all of you to get in her wagon,” Trixie said as she pointed to her trusty traveling wagon. It wasn’t what it used to be, much like the rest of her life. The red paint was faded and cracked on the roof, and the shutters on the widows were broken or missing. It had long ago lost the ability to fold out into a small stage, and even the small sign with her cutie mark had fallen off some time ago, but she just couldn’t bring herself to part with it. Before Equestria had fallen, it had been her home. 
Another explosion rocked the tree and the children screamed. Trixie hurried them into her wagon and then shut the door. Ruby’s head poked out the window and Trixie ruffled her mane as she stuck her head in. 
“Now you listen here, Trixie’s little fans. Trixie is going to be running as fast as she possibly can, so things are going to get bumpy. But Trixie promises she won’t let any of those nasty Changelings catch you, so don’t you worry about anything.”
“Behind you, Miss Trixie!” one of the fillies shouted.
Trixie turned around and found herself face to face with a Changeling. The creature opened its mouth and hissed at her, its spit splattering her face, and to her shame, she froze. Memories of Manehattan’s fall flooded her mind and her body seized up. She tried to scream, but all that came out was a small whimper. Her lip quivered as the creature opened its mouth wider and drew closer. She heard the children behind her start to scream, but it still wasn’t enough to break her out of her panic. She closed her eyes and waited for the Changeling’s teeth to sink into her neck.
“GET AWAY FROM HER!” 
Trixie’s eyes snapped open as she recognized the voice. The Changeling looked to the right, but a second later it was gone, tackled by a light plum-colored blur. Trixie looked to her left just in time to see the Changeling’s neck crushed under the hoof of her savior. 
“Are you okay?” Berry Punch asked as she looked up at Trixie. 
“O-Of course!” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is—”
Berry rushed forward and wrapped Trixie in a hug so fierce that Trixie thought her neck was going to break. “Good,” the Earth pony said as she gave Trixie a quick kiss on the cheek. “I won’t lose you too.”
Trixie felt a tear run down her cheek. “Thank you, Berry.”
“Where’s Pinchy? And the other children?” Berry asked. Her coat was matted in mud and blood, and a deep gash was running down her foreleg, but she hardly seemed to notice. 
“Mommy!” Ruby called from inside the wagon. She poked her head out and Berry gave her a hug that rivaled the one she had given Trixie. 
“Trixie, you get them out of here,” Berry said. “We’ll hold them off as long as we can.”
“Naturally,” Trixie said, puffing her chest out with pride as she hooked herself to the wagon. “Trixie would never let Trixie’s wife down.”
“You take care of yourself, too.” Berry said.
“Trixie is the best at that,” Trixie said, and Berry shot her a sly grin. “Um…Trixie means she’s the second best at that. But…what about you, Berry?”
“As long as Pinchy is safe, it doesn’t matter,” Berry said. She grabbed a spear out of the corpse of a nearby Changeling and turned to rejoin the battle, but Trixie caught her with her hoof.
“It does matter,” Trixie said quietly. “To Ruby. And to Trixie. Trixie knows she’s no replacement for Minuette, but…you’re the first pony that’s ever made Trixie, made me, feel impor—”
“I’ll find both of you,” Berry said as she gave Trixie another tight hug. “I promise. Now get them out of here!” With that, she turned and charged back into their camp, screaming and waving the spear as she slammed into a horde of Changelings. 
Trixie turned away from the battle, pulling her wagon with her. She took a deep breath and started to run as fast as she could from her burning home and the Changelings. She dodged debris and bodies, both Changelings and ponies, as she ran through the camp. She passed several ponies fighting, or losing to, the Changelings and offered help when she could. She flung mud in the eyes of some Changelings and fired magic at others, hoping that it served as a good enough distraction for the ponies to get the upper hoof. 
As Trixie tore through the center of the camp, the wagon bouncing along behind her, she saw Zecora on the far side of the clearing. She stood alone against Queen Chrysalis and her Changelings. Trixie almost stopped, almost changed course to go help. Zecora had helped her when she had first arrived, and even trained her in some new magic. The Zebra had been her mentor when she had arrived, and now she stood alone against an overwhelming force. 
But Trixie kept running. Not because she didn’t want to help, but because she knew Zecora would want her to escape with the children. She would probably just get in Zecora’s way anyway. 
Plus, she had made a promise to Berry. 
Trixie reached the edge of the camp and kept running deeper into the Everfree Forest. The sounds of the battle slowly faded from her ears, but still she ran. She ran until her legs ached and her lungs burned. She ran until the harness bit into her back and the wagon’s weight threatened to tear her in half. She ran until—
“Ah!” Trixie tripped over a root and slammed face first into the ground. Mud filled her mouth and pain raced across her back as the harness snapped free. She watched in horror as the wagon careened to the side and went up on one wheel. She heard the children scream for a moment, but then the wagon slammed into a tree and the screams fell silent.
“Ruby?” Trixie called as she forced herself to stand. Her legs protested the effort and mud flew from her mouth as she struggled to breathe, but she didn’t care as she rushed to the wagon. If Ruby or any of the children were hurt, she’d never forgive herself!
“Ruby! Kids?” Trixie said as she reached the wagon and poked her head inside. The children were scattered across the small wagon, their eyes spinning and heads shaking, but they all appeared to be unhurt. 
Trixie breathed a sigh of relief and was about to tell the children to get out of the wagon, but then she heard a voice. 
“The tracks go this way!”
Trixie’s blood ran cold. One of the children opened his mouth to say something, but Trixie motioned for him to be quiet. She held her hoof to her lips and made eye contact with each one of her fans to make sure they all understood. Each one nodded slowly and pressed themselves against the wagon’s walls. 
“There she is!” another voice hissed. 
“You! Get away from that wagon! Turn around, slowly!”
Trixie took one last look at Ruby and then grabbed the small bag that she kept in her wagon. She pulled it out and then turned around, swallowing her fear. 
Five Changelings were standing behind her, all of them hissing. One of them stepped forward, clad in dark blue armor, and sneered at her. “So you’re Trixie then?”
Trixie opened the bag and stared at its contents. Despite the terror she was facing, a warmth filled her heart as she pulled out her tattered cape and worn out hat. She slipped them on, relishing their familiar silky touch, and looked over her shoulder to watch her cape fall over her body. Its edges were tattered beyond repair, and several chunks of its star-patterned fabric were missing, but she had never felt so proud to put in on as she did now. 
“Excuse you,” Trixie said as she pulled the brim of her hat down a little and lowered her head. “The full name is The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She tilted her head up so that her purple eyes were peeking out from under the brim of her hat. She was going to need every trick she knew if she wanted to survive this, and presentation was one of them. “And Trixie warns you that if any of you take one step closer, she will show you why she is called that.”
“Ha!” the armored Changeling laughed. “We know all about you, Great and Powerful Trixie. You’re just—”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie,” Trixie interrupted. The Changeling stumbled in his speech, and Trixie smiled to herself. 
“Whatever. Like I was saying, you’re just a showmare. We learned a lot about you from some of your old fans when we took over Manehattan. You have no real magical talent. It’s just smoke and mirrors.”
“You ruined The Great and Powerful Trixie’s show that day! Her biggest show yet!” Trixie’s blood boiled in spite of the fear quaking in her legs. “Trixie will make you regret that.” 
The armored Changeling started laughing and the other five quickly joined in. “I’m sure,” he said as he rolled his unnerving blue eyes. “Come along quietly and you won’t be hurt. The Queen can find a use for you. After all, what’s a court without a jester?”
Trixie scowled and stuck her front hooves into her bag. She felt around inside until she found her bracelets and them slipped them on. She only had about ten uses between the two of them, so she was going to have to make them count. 
“Whatever you’re trying to do, it won’t work,” the Changeling warned. “Give up.”
Trixie flashed her best show smile as she struck her fiercest pose. She used her tail to flick her cape up so it appeared to be blowing behind her and for one moment, she imagined that she was back on stage with her fireworks and lights. 
“You bugs clearly don’t know anything about show business,” Trixie said as she raised her chin and smiled. “No matter what, the show must go on.”
The Changeling shrugged. “Take her,” he said, and two of the Changelings rushed forward in the blink of an eye. For any other pony, they would probably have been too fast, but not for a pony as great as Trixie. Her entire life had been built around perfect timing and little details, and to her, the two Changelings were already announcing their attacks before they moved. 
Trixie reared back on her hind legs and stomped her front hooves on the ground just as the Changelings neared her. The bracelets around her hooves worked perfectly, causing a quick explosion of smoke to fill the air. It caught her attackers off guard as it filled their lungs. She heard them coughing as she ducked and rolled to the side just as they crashed into one another. She sprang up as the smoke began to clear and pinned one of the Changelings to the ground. 
“G-G-Get off!” the Changeling choked, but Trixie pressed down harder on his stomach until his mouth opened in a gasp of pain. Then, she plunged her hoof into the open mouth and closed her eyes as her smoke bracelet went off in the back of his throat. She knew the Changeling was out of the fight now, but she didn’t want to see the look on his face. 
The other Changeling was dragging himself out of his companion’s legs. He looked up at Trixie and hissed at her. He tried to lunge, but his hind leg was still tangled up with his fellow bug, so he came up short. Trixie used to opportunity to pull out a small bag of glitter and blew the content’s into his face. He screamed and pawed at his face as the tiny flecks of paper flew into his eyes, mouth, and nose. He spit viciously as they clung to his tongue, and then Trixie punch him as hard as she could. There was another flash of smoke as her hoof connected to his face and he fell to the ground. 
As the smoke cleared, Trixie stood triumphantly over the two Changelings. Her blood was pumping and her breathing was rapid, but she made sure she grinned at the three remaining Changelings when they came back into view. 
“Do you still doubt The Great and Powerful Trixie, simpleton?” Trixie asked as she tapped the head of one of the Changelings. “Trixie is the greatest Unicorn in these times—perhaps the greatest ever!” She closed her eyes, puffed out her chest, and tapped it, displaying confidence that she didn’t feel. “If you don’t want to end up sucking down dirt like your friends, Trixie will consider allowing you to flee for your miserable—ooaf!” 
Something slammed into Trixie’s chest and knocked the wind out of her. She opened her eyes in shock, but then something slammed into the side of her head and her vision went black. She was aware that she was suddenly on the ground, but she couldn’t remember how she had ended up there. She coughed and started to pick herself up, but then something hard slammed into her stomach with so much force that she was lifted off the ground a little before she crashed back down. 
“Ugh…” Trixie groaned. She curled up on the ground and struggle to fight back the pain that was swimming freely in her body. 
“Yes, I do still doubt you,” the armored Changeling said from somewhere above her. A moment later, Trixie felt something pulling on her white and blue mane and lifting her into the air. She opened an eye and saw the armored Changeling glaring at her. “So much for The Great and Powerful Trixie. You’re all out of tricks.” 
“Leave Mom alone!” a little voice shouted, and Trixie panicked when she heard it. She tried to turn her head to see Ruby, tried to tell her to get back in the wagon, or even just run into the forest, but the Changeling’s hold on her mane, and the blinding pain, prevented her from doing anything. 
“Is that your daughter?” the Changeling asked, and then he laughed. “Oh, this is perfect. Children are filled with love for their parents. They taste so good, especially when they’re right there with the parents at the end.” The Changeling smacked Trixie in the face. “Hey, stay awake. I want you to watch as we suck the life out of your little girl.”
Trixie coughed and made sure she spit in the Changeling’s face. “You’re…wrong,” she said. 
“Oh, believe me, we’ve eaten enough children’s love to be experts on it.”
“I mean…about me…” Trixie reached up and wrapped her forelegs around the Changeling’s foreleg “being out of TRICKS!” Trixie opened her mouth and sank her teeth into the Changeling’s foreleg. He howled in pain and let her go, but Trixie didn’t relent for a second. “Trixie is amazing!” She pulled her hat off and put in on the Changeling’s head and then yanked it down over his eyes. “Trixie is great!” She tore her cape off and wrapped in around the Changeling’s body as he struggled to pull her hat off his face. “Trixie. Is. Beyond. Compare!” 
Trixie punched her cape as hard as she could. She wasn’t trying to hurt the creature tangled up in it, but instead was aiming for one of her many inside pockets. If her guess was correct, then in a moment, the Changeling was going to experience pain that he had never felt before. 
Trixie’s aim was true. She felt something pop against her hoof as it slammed into her cape. Her smoke bracelet went off and she half jumped, half fell, away from the Changeling just before he let out a howling scream. She collapsed on the ground again and looked up as he danced around, struggling to get her cape off of him. 
Trixie always kept a small stock of burst pellets in the inside pocket of her cape. They were just little firecrackers really, and she used them to help wow the crowd during her show. In small numbers, they were harmless, but Trixie had just smashed all of them, and now they were exploding against the Changeling’s body over and over, building in pain and heat. 
The Unicorn watched from the ground as her cape caught fire from the tiny explosions and the armored Changeling screamed in agony. He yanked the fabric and its exploding contents off, but the damage was already done. His entire left side was nothing more than a fried mess of flesh as he screamed at the sky.  
“ARGH! Kill her!” the Changeling howled through the pain. “Kill her and kill her kid! Slowly! Make her watch! Kill all of them!” 
“R…Ruby,” Trixie said as she struggled to stand up. “Run. Get…get as far away as you can. Find Berry and—ah!” Trixie collapsed on the ground as one of the remaining Changelings fired a magic blast into her side. She watched in horror as Ruby turned to run, but the other Changeling swooped in and grabbed her. He dragged her by her mane over to Trixie, and then shoved her to the ground in front of her.
“If you hurt her, Trixie will…” Trixie started, but then a hoof slammed down on her back and pinned her. It twisted against her fur and pushed down until it felt like it would break Trixie’s ribcage. 
“You’ll what?” the burned Changeling hissed as he limped over to her. The look in his eyes was beyond reason, and his breathing reminded Trixie of a barely controlled beast. “You’re done. The only thing you have left to look forward to is the look of horror on your daughter’s face after we suck the life out of—”
The Changeling never finished his sentence. There was a flash of light, and a second later, a hole appeared in the Changeling’s chest. He looked down in shock, glanced at Trixie, and then fell over dead. 
“Mom?” Ruby whispered in awe, but Trixie got the feeling that the little filly wasn’t talking to her. 
“Who’s—?” The Changeling holding Ruby was blasted across the clearing and hit a tree with so much force that Trixie knew he was dead. She felt the hoof grinding into her back vanish as the last Changeling either tried to flee or fight, but a second later he fell to the ground by Trixie, a smoking hole in his chest as well. 
“MOM!” Ruby yelled, and she was up from the ground and sprinting by Trixie is a heartbeat, tears flying from her eyes. Trixie slowly picked herself up, but before she could turn around, the remaining children in her wagon came running out. They swarmed over her, hugging her legs and asking if she was okay. 
“Of course Trixie is alright,” Trixie said, doing her best to mask her pain as she hugged and rubbed the children’s manes. “Trixie was simply letting them think they had won. It was all part of Trixie’s brilliant strategy, naturally.” 
“Mom, Mom!” Trixie felt a tug on her tail and she turned around. Ruby was standing there, a grand smile on her face with tears spilling from her eyes. She pointed over her shoulder. “I want you to meet Mom!”
Trixie raised an eyebrow at the filly’s odd statement. Ruby called Berry “Mommy”, so who was she talking about?
“Thank you, The Great and Powerful Trixie, for saving our daughter,” a new voice said as Trixie turned around.
“Um…” Trixie found herself at a loss for words. Standing in the clearing was another Unicorn, one that looked a lot like her. Her coat a lighter shade of blue, but just barely, and an hourglass cutie mark graced her flank.  Her mane was a mix of white and blue, just like Trixie’s, save for the fact that her blue was much darker. Trixie felt like they could have been mistaken for sisters had then been standing next to one another. 
“Come on, Mom,” Ruby said as she tugged on Trixie’s front leg. “You have to say hello to Mom!”
“You’re…?” Trixie asked as her brain slowly began to realize who she was looking at. “But…you’re…you didn’t survive the attack on Canterlot. Berry said so.”
“Not in this time, it seems,” Minuette said, a sad smile on her face. She looked down at Ruby and gave her a giant hug. “Pinchy, have you been a good girl?”
“Yes, Mom! And Trixie has been great, too! She tells me stories every night!”
“Glad to hear it.” The Unicorn looked up at Trixie and smiled. She opened her mouth to speak, but then her nose crinkled and a shiver ran up and down her entire body. She shook it off and then threw her forelegs around Trixie’s neck. “Time’s up, Trixie. I just wanted to thank you for taking care of Ruby and Berry in this time. It’s good to know that they were in safe hooves even when I wasn’t here anymore.”
Trixie was about to ask what the Unicorn was talking about, but before she could, a flash of white light washed over everything. 


*                                                  *                                                  *


“Behold, The Great and Powerful—” Trixie froze for a moment as she stood on her stage in front of the small birthday party. A weird taste was suddenly in her mouth, and the only word she could use to describe it was purple. She blinked a few times. What had she been doing here? She looked down at all the small faces staring up at her, wonder twinkling in their eyes as they gazed at her greatness. She heard the whistling sound of a firework rising behind her, and a moment later it exploded high above her head and she fell right back into her routine. 
“TRIXIE!” she shouted as she threw her forelegs up in the air, tossing out a few burst pellets for extra effect. The little fillies before her gasped with glee and then stomped their hooves in approval as more fireworks went off. 
When the display ended, a plum shaded Earth pony with dangerous curves walked over to the gathering of fillies. “Okay, kids, time for cake. Go line up and we’ll have Pinchy blow out the candles.”
“Ruby?” Trixie asked as the name rolled off her tongue, although she didn’t know why.  She looked down and saw a small filly with pale green eyes and a pink coat looking up at her with pure amazement. 
“You know my name, Miss Trixie?” she asked.
“Of course!” Trixie said, tapping herself on the chest. “The Great and Powerful Trixie knows everything! Especially the name of the birthday girl!”
“Eep!” the little filly jumped around for a few moments, until her mother shooed her away.
“Go get ready to blow out your candles, baby,” the mare said. She had her back to Trixie, and Trixie couldn’t help but stare. Those curves were making her mouth dry. 
“Like what you see?” a blue Unicorn asked with a sly smile. “I stare at her a lot too.” 
“Uh…Trixie doesn’t know what you’re talking about,” Trixie said as she pulled her hat over her face. 
“You were right, Minuette,” the Earth pony said as she gave the Unicorn a kiss on the cheek. “Trixie’s pretty good—when she’s not taking over Ponyville.”
“Of course I was right, Berry,” Minuette said as she kept her eyes on Trixie and smiled. “There’s a lot more to Trixie than you know…”
“Berry…” Trixie whispered. The name was like a lingering spice on her lips, but as soon as she tried to lick it, it vanished.
“She kind of looks like you, too. Like your sister or something.” Berry said as her eyes inspected Trixie. “Longer mane though, which means more to hold on to.”
Minuette rolled her blue eyes. “Berry.”
“Hey, Great and Powerful Trixie. How would you feel if we had a little...fun after the party?”
“Berry!” Minuette said. 
“I’m not hearing a no,” Berry shot back. “From either of you.” 
“I’m sure Trixie has had a very…” Minuette looked at the magician and smiled a smile that seemed happy, sad, and something more all at the same time “busy day. She doesn’t need you roughing her up, I’m sure.”
“Hey, it doesn’t have to be rough!” Berry protested. “I can be gentle. Besides, sometimes that’s the best way to relax.”
Trixie found it impossible to talk, although she couldn’t understand why. She didn’t know Minuette or Berry at all. In fact, she was fairly certain she had never crossed paths with either of them before today except for passing each other in Ponyville once or twice. But for some reason, the thought of what Berry was offering excited her.
“Let’s just get some cake,” Minuette said as she and Berry turned to head over to Ruby’s birthday cake. “Before Pinchy and her friend tear it apart.”
“You coming, sexy?” Berry asked as she wiggled her flank a little more than normal. “Or do you just want to keep staring?”
Trixie shook herself out of the trance and hopped down from her stage. For some reason, sharing Ruby’s birthday cake with her and her parents, especially Berry, filled the Unicorn with joy. And she liked it.