Twilight Sparkle discovers a strange book from her uncle's collection, and accidentally releases a powerful force known as the Clow Cards. Now, she must become Cardcaptor Twilight, and recaputre all of the cards, before a great catastrophe befalls the world.
Meanwhile, Yuko Ichihara has spotted her chance to finally claim the prize she has always sought from her biggest rival, but is unable to capture the Clow Cards herself, due to certain limitations in her powers. Therefore, she leaves it in the hooves of one of her customers, who, like Twilight Sparkle, carries the blood of Clow Reed in her veins.
“Thank you, Derpy,” Twilight said as she bowed respectfully to the grey Pegasus. She took the crate into her magic and levitated it inside the library.
“No problem, Miss Sparkle!” Derpy exclaimed cheerfully as she saluted and fluttered her wings to rise off the ground. “Have a good day!”
Twilight waved goodbye to Derpy as she flew off towards her next destination. Once Derpy was out of sight, she closed the door of her library and approached her delivery. “Finally, it’s here!” Twilight let out a small squeal of excitement as she used her magic to open the crate. Sure enough, it was filled with the books that she had been waiting for.
About two weeks ago, grave news reached Twilight regarding her uncle’s passing. Although she never knew this particular uncle very well, as he was an archaeologist who spent most of his time travelling and excavating, she was still sad to hear that he had died. As part of his will, he left all of his books to Twilight, who he knew was very much into reading.
Twilight already had most of the books that he had, but there were still quite a few that she didn’t, and some of which she had never seen before. Because there were too many to carry back all at once, Twilight’s parents told her that they would mail her the books that she wanted.
Finally, they had arrived. She looked at them with stars in her eyes. So much knowledge sitting in front of her, just waiting, begging to be read. And best of all, Spike was called to Canterlot for Royal business, so she had the next three days all to herself. She already knew what she was going to do: she would close the library, stock up on sweets and high-energy snacks and coffee, and lock herself in her room with her new collection of books, and enjoy some nice, peaceful time off as she read each book and savoured their words.
She picked up the first book and read the title. ““Book of the Clow”, huh?” she asked as she opened it up. She stopped for a second when a strange feeling passed through her body, but then shook it off and looked at the first page. Although, there was a problem. There was no first page. “What? What’s this?”
She examined the contents of the book, and saw what appeared a card inside a hollowed out section. She levitated it up with her magic, and saw another card beneath it. A deck, maybe?
She examined the card that she was holding up, and saw a word at the bottom of it. It was written in old pony tongue, but she was able to translate it fairly easily. “Win…Wind…Windy?”
Upon reading the word written on the card, the card lit up and escaped Twilight magical grasp, starling her for a second. Before she could question what was going on, the floor beneath her started to light up, and from out of nowhere, a strange, glowing circle appeared, with her in the centre.
A sudden gust of wind shot up, spiralling around the confused librarian, and the next thing she knew, the cards from within the book, as well as many of the books around her, were flying up into the air. A bright light filled the room, and shot up through the ceiling of the library.
When Twilight was able to see again, she noticed the book lying on the ground, along with practically every other book in her library. She groaned at the mess, but didn’t have time to do anything more, as the book began to light up. A golden glow shot out of the book, and with it, something started to emerge.
Twilight moved back and raised her hooves, ready to defend herself. From out of the book came…Twilight wasn’t sure. It looked like a plush toy she once had when she was a filly, only shaped more…Weird. Was it a bear? Twilight noticed the tail poking out from its behind, and noticed that it resembled a lion’s tail.
“Hi-hi-ho!” the strange creature shouted, the glow around it subsiding. Twilight was startled by the creature suddenly speaking, and apparently, the creature took offence to her screaming and retreating back a few steps. “Hey! I know I’m cool looking, but ya don’t have ta be so startled, y’know!?”
“Y-Y-Y-Y-Y-You…” Twilight struggled to find her voice, and took a few deep, calming breaths to collect herself. She tried again. “Um…Who, or what are you?”
The creature ignored her question, instead just stretching its limbs and wings. Twilight took note of the wings, now even more confused. A lion with wings? Such a thing has never existed, as far as she was aware. “Man, it feels so nice to get out and stretch, y’know?”
The creature turned to Twilight, and jumped down from the book. He held it up with some magic, and put on a proud face, placing a leg to his chest as if ready to boast some great feat. “My name’s Keroberos! Nice ta meetcha!”
“K-Kero?” Twilight asked, unsure of just what to make of this strange thing. At the very least, it didn’t seem to be an enemy.
“Keroberos! I’m a cool guy, and deserve to be called by my cool name!” Kero turned his attention to the book from earlier, once housed the deck of cards that were no more. “I’m the guardian of this here book! Lots of magic in here, so my master, Clow Reed, put me in charge of it, ta make sure none the magic inside escaped!” he explained, his face beaming with pride, before he noticed the lack of cards in the book.
His expression suddenly stated to turn into one of worry, and then panic, as he lifted up the book and checked under it, in it, on it, around it, and practically everywhere in the library. “W-What gives!? Where are they!? Where are the Clow Cards!?”
Twilight noticed the card from earlier, which had the word “Windy” written on it, and passed it to Kero. “Um…Is this what you’re looking for?” Twilight asked, feeling a little calmer now, thanks partially to seeing this creature running around panic and confused, which brought out the side of her that just wanted to help others with their problems.
Kero turned to the card, and his face lit up and her grabbed it and hugged it tightly. “Yes! The Windy card! Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!” He cleared his throat, and put the card aside, turning his attention back to the purple Unicorn. “Now, where are the others?”
“Uh, well, you see…” Twilight explained what had happened earlier, about how she read the word that was written on the card, and then how a sudden gust of wind swept the other cards away, and that now, she had no idea where they were.
Kero didn’t take this news very well, practically exploding when she mentioned that she had no idea where the rest of the cards were located.
Yuko Ichihara’s head had never hurt so much in all her life. Not even when she hangovers after going out drinking with her old drinking buddies. Her entire focus was on the board in front of her. This was the most important game of her entire life. No. To her, it wasn’t a game. There was too much riding on this. She had to win, no matter what! Otherwise, her entire life would be ruined!
“It’s over, Yuko,” said the slim, teenage boy sitting next to her. Yuko ignored her assistant, or she as liked to think of him, her errand boy, and continued trying to think of a way out of this situation. “Just face it. Mokona wins.”
Mokona jumped up and down in his seat opposite to Yuko, holding up two fans which bore the symbol of the Japanese flag. “Yay! Mokona wins! Mokona wins!” he started singing, partly to taunt Yuko, partly out of sheer innocence.
“There’s no way out of this, Yuko,” Watanuki said, getting up and walking away. “You lost, which means no more drinking for a month.”
“Now hang on a minute! I can still reverse this!” Yuko insisted, although she knew it was hopeless. She had two Pawns, a Rook, and her King, whereas Mokona had two Queens, his King, three Pawns, and a Bishop. Not to mention Yuko’s Rook was useless. She couldn’t move it, or it would die. It was only a matter of time before she was placed in Checkmate. She turned to her errand boy and begged for mercy. “Please! You can’t do this to me! No saké for a whole month!? I can’t last that long! This is too cruel, even for you!”
Watanuki’s face remained neutral, but inside, he was taking great pleasure in Yuko’s suffering. Finally, after all the horrible things she had put him through, like making him look after Mokona whenever he was sent on an errand, or forcing him to spend time with Doumeki, the biggest jerk on the planet, and many, many other things that he just couldn’t forgive, he had his revenge. “Sorry, Yuko. A deal’s a deal,” he said, trying not to let his enjoyment show in his voice, but failing.
Yuko was about to complain further, when a sudden “mekyo!” from Mokona filled the room. Yuko turned to Mokona with a look of surprise, a look she hadn’t worn for many, many years. She wasn’t expecting anybody to be calling her, and her divinations didn’t reveal anything exceptional happening today.
To date, the only one who had ever managed to completely go against her divinations, and was always able to surprise her, was Clow Reed. She narrowed her eyes at the wide-eyed Mokona, and followed the light emitting form the jewel embedded into its forehead. “My, now that’s certainly a surprise. So, the old fool is still able to cause trouble, even in death.” She let out a soft chuckle, and then rose to her feet. “Watanuki, I need you to prepare some items for me.”
Watanuki sighed and turned towards his tyrant boss, his fears of her punishing him for taking away her alcohol apparently coming true. “And what you like me to get you? Please tell me I don’t have to go to some sort of demon world this time.”
Yuko rose her pipe to her lips, and then took it away, breathing out smoke towards Watanuki. Watanuki wafted it away, and looked at her disapprovingly, but by now, he was used to it enough that he didn’t react too much to it. “Don’t worry. You won’t have to travel far.” Watanuki sighed a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived. “You can find everything we’ll be needing in Hong Kong.”
“That’s still too far!” Watanuki shouted, flailing his arms about as he usually did whenever someone annoyed him. “And just how am I supposed to get there, huh!? I don’t have a passport, y’know!?”
“Don’t worry. I have a backdoor that will take you there.” Yuko pointed to a wall panel, which slided away to reveal a swirling purple portal of some kind. “You can be there in a jiffy. If you survive, I’d like the items on this list.”
“IF I SURVIVE!?” Watanuki screamed, fear suddenly appearing on his face. Yuko handed him a list that she had just written out, and started to push him towards the portal, with a demonic grin on her face. “Uh, wait! If this is about the alcohol, maybe we can work something out?”
Yuko pushed Watanuki into the portal, his screams of fear fading away slowly as he fell further in, and eventually being silence. Yuko turned to face the chess set that she was using not too long ago, and her grin turned into a disgusted frown. “Clow Reed…Those accursed items of yours…I’ll make sure to take them from you this time.”
The sun was starting to set in Equestria, and Twilight a Kero had finally managed to calm down and properly introduce themselves. Kero told Twilight that he was the guardian of the Book of the Clow, and that he was responsible for making sure that nopony could open it.
“But then, how could I open it?” Twilight asked, to which Kero responded that she must have extraordinary magical capabilities. “Ok, then why didn’t you step in sooner to stop the cards from being blown away?”
Kero was a little more reluctant to answer this one, but eventually, he realised that she wasn’t going to give up without an answer. He turned away from her and answered: “I was sleeping.”
Twilight looked at him dumbfounded. “You…Were sleeping?”
“D’you have any idea how long I’d been guarding that thing!? Even Guardian Beasts get tired, y’know!?” Kero cleared his throat, and turned back towards Twilight. “Anyway, thanks to you, the Clow Cards have been scattered across all of Equestria.”
“Clow Cards?” Twilight asked, looking over at the Windy card on her desk.
“Yes. Each card has a living being inside of it. If left on their own, a great disaster will befall this world. Which is why…” Kero motioned with his limb for Twilight to move back, which she reluctantly did. Kero closed his eyes and began focusing, and soon, a magical circle appeared beneath Twilight.
“W-What are you doing?” she asked, but received no answer.
“Key of the seal. There is a mare wishing to form a contract with you. Her name: Twilight Sparkle.” A small white orb flew out of the front of the book, and floated over towards Twilight, stopping just short of her face. “Oh key, grant her your power: RELEASE!”
The orb let out a blinding white light, and when Twilight could see once more, a staff of some kind was floating in front of her. It was a pink staff with a wing pattern on the end of it. The magic circle faded away, and the staff dropped to the ground. “Success! Cardcaptor Twilight is born!”
“Come on, Twilight! You’re the only one who can do this!” Kero pleaded, carrying a small key in his paws as he hovered around Twilight.
Twilight kept her back to Kero, turning around whenever he circled her. “No way! I’ve got way too much reading planned to be going around collecting these “Clow Cards”! Find somepony else!”
“There isn’t anypony else! You’re the only one!”
“Why me?” Twilight asked, turning around to glare at Kero. “I’m just a regular old Unicorn! Surely there’re plenty of others you can ask.”
“No, Twilight,” Kero said. “There aren't. Somehow, you were able to open the Book of the Clow. This is proof that only you can collect the Clow Cards. And you have to, otherwise, terrible things will happen.”
Twilight calmed down a bit, and looked at Kero with a worried face. “You mentioned that before. What exactly do you mean by “terrible things”?”
“I dunno, but trust me, you do not want to find out.”
The conversation was interrupted by a loud scream from outside. Twilight and Kero both rushed to the nearest window to see what was going on. Outside, the two could see a huge black figure towering over a group of ponies, along with plants, chairs, and other various objects being thrown about.
“W-What’s that!?” Twilight asked, levitating a book on animals over to her and skimming through it. “It’s not in here!”
“Of course not,” Kero said. “That’s a Clow Card! Shadow!”
After Shadow caused a ruckus in the town, it fled into the fields surrounding Ponyville. The citizens of Ponyville were freaked out by the sudden attack, and many were scared that it would come back. Twilight managed to convince them that it was a spell gone wrong, and that it wouldn’t happen again. She didn’t like apologizing for things she didn’t do, but Kero asked her not to reveal that it was a Clow Card.
“Clow Reed had many enemies. If they discover that the Clow Cards have resurfaced, and that you’re collecting them, then they’ll surely target you and your friends,” is what he said.
Twilight still hadn’t committed herself to collecting the Clow Cards, but she couldn’t just sit by and do nothing while one was on the loose, and could attack Ponyville at any second. That’s why, after things had calmed down a bit, she and Kero entered the fields surrounding the small town to try and find Shadow.
Twilight and Kero spent about 20 minutes searching the area where Shadow had fled to, and Twilight was just about ready to give up. They had no way of finding Shadow, and Kero admitted that Shadow was always a bit of mystery, so he had no idea how to lure it out.
Before they left, however, a strange feeling passed over Twilight and Kero. Twilight assumed it was just the cold wind brushing against her body, but Kero knew better. “It’s here!” he shouted, floating over to Twilight.
A tall shadowy figure emerged from the ground, and towered over both Twilight and Kero. The two stared up at it, Twilight with fear in her eyes, and Kero with a serious look on his face. Shadow picked up a nearby rock, one large enough to easily crush Twilight, and threw it down towards the two. Kero flew away while Twilight teleported, both managing to get away with relative ease.
“Twilight! Summon the staff!” Kero shouted. He predicted Twilight’s next question, and answered before she could ask it. “Repeat after me: Key that hides the power of the dark!”
Twilight looked at Kero, and then at the key that she had given her earlier. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “…Key that hides the power of the dark…”
“Show you true form before me!”
“Show your true form before me…”
“I, Twilight, command you under our contract: Release!”
“I, Twilight, command you under our contract…Release!”
The key levitated in front of Twilight, and as she recited the incantation that Kero told her, a bright glow emitted from it, filling the area with a bright light. Once she was finished, the key began to transform, once again becoming the staff that Twilight received earlier that night.
“Now, Twilight, hold down Shadow!” Kero shouted, floating in front of Shadow to distract it from Twilight.
“How!? How can you hold down a shadow?” Twilight asked, grabbing the staff in her magic before it hit the ground.
“Shadow’s main body is hidden within the shadows! You can hold him down using Windy!” Kero avoided a few attacks from Shadow, and flew down close to Twilight. “Just tell Windy what to do and hit it with your staff. Windy’s a gentle creature, so she’ll hold Shadow down without harming him.”
Twilight pulled out the Windy card from her saddlebag, and then looked up at Shadow, who was preparing to attack the two.
“…Wind, become a binding chain. Windy!” Twilight threw the card into the air and hit it with her staff. The card lit up and emitted a strong gust of wind, which flew towards Shadow. The wind had no effect, bouncing off of the shadows and disappearing. “What!? Why didn’t it work?”
Kero put a paw to his chin in thought. “I guess Windy is too gentle. She can’t tear through those shadows. We need to find some other way to dispel them.”
Twilight stared at Shadow with a determined look on her face, thoughts racing through her mind as she devised a strategy. “Shadows…Shadows…I’ve got it!” Twilight’s horn lit up, and a bright purple orb shot up into the sky.
The orb emitted a bright light that illuminated the whole area beneath it. The shadows began to disappear, all expect one, which was draped in a white hooded cloak. “There! That’s Shadow’s main body! Hold it down, quick!”
Twilight used Windy again, this time successfully holding down Shadow before her could run away. She approached the subdued Shadow, and turned to Kero to ask what to do next.
“Repeat after me: Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!”
Twilight nodded, and turned back towards Shadow. She raised her staff into air. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in…” She swung the staff down fast, and stopped it just short of Shadow. “Clow Card!”
A card appeared at the tip of the staff, which Shadow was sucked into. Once it was over, the card fell slowly to the ground. Twilight fell to her haunches, completely wiped out. “Phew…He’s safely subdued now, right?”
“Yep!” Kero said cheerfully, floating down to the card and picking it up. “Not bad for you first capture…I’d give you an A if you were still on your hooves!”
Twilight wanted to argue that she wasn’t committed to capturing the other cards, but she was too tired to argue at this point. Instead, she simply levitated the card up to her, and asked what would happen now.
“Well, with Shadow in card form, his power is yours to use as you wish,” Kero explained, floating up onto Twilight’s back. “Shadow was just one of many Clow Cards. And, believe it or not, but he was one of the less dangerous ones.”
Twilight turned to him a look of utter shock on her face. “What!? We were almost crushed to death, and he practically tore the town apart earlier!”
“I think he was trying to scare us. He probably thought you’d have no problem dodging his attacks,” Kero said. “Anyway, just thank yourself lucky we didn’t encounter one of the more rowdy Clow Cards. Otherwise, the town wouldn’t have gotten off so easily.”
Suddenly, a bad feeling passed through Twilight’s stomach. ‘There are more cards out there that are more troublesome than this one? Oh man, I’m never going to get through those books, am I?’
Trixie kicked a tin can as she walked down the streets of Filydelphia, mumbling to herself at how terrible today’s audience was. “Why are there so many neigh-sayers? Trixie’s just trying to do a show to earn some bread! Trixie’s even dropped the admittance fee and is relying on tips only!” She stopped when she realised that she was no longer kicking the can from earlier, and that the cold wind against her skin had disappeared.
She turned her head up, and noticed that she was inside some kind of building. “What? How did Trixie get here?” She guessed that she must have accidently walked in to some kind of shop while she wasn’t paying attention, and tried to leave, but her legs weren’t responding. “W-Why can’t Trixie move!?”
“Welcome!” two voices shouted in unison in front of Trixie. She saw two strange creatures appear from around the corner. She recognised them from her “Mythological Creatures of Ancient Societies” book. They were known as “humans”, if she remembered correctly. They were identical in terms of their faces, but their hair and clothes were different from one another. One had pink hair with white clothes, and the other had blue hair with black clothes. “Right this way! The mistress is waiting!” they said, in unison again.
“Um, actually, Trixie didn’t mean to come in he-” Before she could finished, she started to follow them deeper inside. “W-What!? Why is Trixie’s body moving on its own!?”
“Because this was inevitable,” a voice from behind a closed door in front of her spoke. The two girls opened the door, revealing inside a woman lying down on her side, smoke filling the room coming from her pipe. “It was inevitable that we would meet here today.”
Twilight levitated her quill pen into the air, and lowered it down onto the two Clow Cards on the table. “Tell me again, why do I have to do this?” she asked as she wrote her name on the bottoms of both cards.
Kero looked down at the two new cards that Twilight had found lying around the town. They were Wood and Jump. According to Kero, Wood is a gentle card, like Windy, and so wouldn’t have caused any mayhem no matter how long they had left it there. Jump, on the other hoof, was a rascal that liked to pull pranks, and they were lucky to catch it in its dormant state.
“Like I said, even if you have the cards, they still won’t listen to you unless you sign your name. It then marks you as their owner, and lets you borrow their power whenever you wish,” Kero explained, floating over to the other two Clow Cards sitting on the table. “So far, we have four…Four cards and it’s only your second day. Not too shabby, but we still have a long way to go.”
Twilight placed a hoof to her face as finished signing the cards with her name, and sighed heavily. “I already said that I don’t want anything to do with this…”
“But still,” Kero said, ignoring Twilight. “It’s strange that no news of any odd happenings have spread yet. The way I remember it, news spread quickly throughout Equestria.”
“When was that, exactly?” Twilight asked, curious as to how old Kero actually was.
“Well, back then, there was certainly no “Ponyville”, that’s for sure.”
“So a long time ago,” Twilight concluded. She looked over to her calendar, and let out a loud gasp. “Oh no! I was supposed to meet with Rarity today! I asked her to repair one of my dresses, and she told me to pick it up today!”
Twilight ran around the room in a panic, before finally being calmed down by Kero. She made her way to the front door and began to leave. “I’ll be back soon. Just stay here, ok?”
“Ok,” Kero responded. As soon as Twilight was out of the library, Kero floated over to the kitchen. “Now then, let’s see what kinda snacks she has…”
Twilight entered Rarity’s shop, and took a seat whilst Rarity went off to fetch her dress. When Rarity returned, Twilight examined her fixed up dress, and gave an approving nod. “Brilliant work, as always, Rarity.”
“Why thank you, darling. You know I always want my friends to look their best,” she said. “Incidentally, I was taking a stroll outside last night, to clear my head. It usually helps when I’m struggling on a new fashion design, you see.”
“Oh? And did you think of anything?”
“Well, actually, yes…Maybe you’d like to come and have a look?” Rarity offered. Twilight agreed, and followed Rarity into the back of the shop, leaving her dress on one of the ponnequins in the front of the store. “Here it is, darling. So, what do you think?”
Twilight stood with wide eyes at Rarity’s new ensemble. It was a black skin suit that covered the entire ponnequine from hooves to half way up its face. Draped around it was a long, flowing white cape, with a hood up around the ponnequin’s head.
“I call it, the Shadow,” Rarity said, causing Twilight to spin around and look at her in shock. “I must thank you for the inspiration, Twilight.”
“R-Rarity…So, you saw me?” Twilight asked nervously.
“I sure did. And I must say, you simply dashing. Although, I couldn’t help but feel you would have looked more splendid if you were more properly dressed…”
“Um, listen, I don’t suppose you could keep this our little secret, could you?”
Rarity’s eyes lit up, and she moved closer to Twilight, a reassuring smile on her face. “Don’t you worry, Twilight. I think I can keep this a secret between the two of us.” Twilight sighed, but it was short-lived. “In return, I want you to do a favour for me.”
Later that day, news spread to Ponyville of unusual weather in Manehatten. Apparently, freak thunderstorms had been occurring out of nowhere. Kero suggested it may be a Clow Card, and that if it wasn’t stopped soon, it may seriously harm some ponies.
Twilight and Kero made their way to Manehatten, along with Rarity, who insisted on coming along with Twilight on her hunt for these cards, after hearing the full story from Twilight. Rarity’s condition for keeping Twilight’s secret was that Twilight do some modelling for Rarity, but after hearing the full story from Twilight, she had a better idea. She wanted to follow Twilight whenever she goes after a Clow Card, in the hopes that seeing more of them would help inspire her.
Of course, she still wanted Twilight to model for her. As such, she prepared a new dress for Twilight that was suited for a trip to Manehatten; it was classy and highlighted her intelligence. Rarity made some modifications to the dress, primarily changing the material to rubber, to protect her from lightning strikes. She had also made herself a dress, too.
“It’s nice to meet you, Kero. Twilight’s told me about you,” Rarity said, introducing herself to the small orange creature on Twilight’s head.
“Oh, really?” Kero asked, striking a cool pose. “What did she say about me?”
“Hmmm…That you’re annoying, and try too hard to be cool. And that you eat too many sweets, and she’s surprised you’re not fat with the kind of appetite that you have.”
Kero glared down at Twilight, who was laughing nervously. “I tell ya, Guardian Beasts get no respect these days…”
One the three arrived at Manehatten, they made their way over to an empty alleyway, and used the Wood card to lift themselves up to the top of one of the nearby buildings. The streets were empty, due to the severe thunderstorm currently taking place.
“Well? Is it a Clow Card?” Twilight asked Kero, who was meditating in the air, trying to pick up the presence of a Clow Card.
“Hmmm…Yes,” Kero responded, opening his eyes and turning to face the Manehatten Tower. “This is defiantly the work of the Thunder card. And it’s coming from over there.”
Twilight nodded, and levitated the Jump card from her saddlebag. “Rarity, stay here. I’ll handle this.”
Rarity shook her head, and grabbed onto Twilight’s tail. “No, Twilight. I want to see this card too. Besides, you’re my friend. I can hardly leave you to go into such a dangerous situation all alone, now can I?”
“But-”
“It won’t matter,” a voice from behind them said. The group turned around to see who was there. “Since it will be none other than Trixie who will capture the Thunder card.”
Twilight and Rarity stared wide-eyed at the blue Unicorn standing before them, clad in the trademark hat and cloak that they had seen her wear in Ponyville some time ago. What drew Kero’s attention was the object she was holding with her magic.
“That compass…”
Trixie turned to the small creature with a grin on her face. “Yes. This compass will direct Trixie to the Clow Car-” She flinched when the compass suddenly lit up, and then noticed a bolt of lightning approaching the group. “Look out!”
The group turned around to see a bolt of lightning making its way towards them, but they were unable to react in time. “Shield!” A small barrier formed around the group, deflecting the lightning bolt away from them. The bolt of lightning turned into a wolf, made of electricity. Twilight assumed that this was Thunder’s true form.
Kero was more interested in the blue Unicorn behind them, though. He turned around, and saw her holding a staff that resembled Twilight’s, except the end was a different shape; instead of a pointed tip with wings, it resembled a butterfly. The colour was different, too. It was dark blue, instead of bright pink.
“Kero, what now?” Twilight asked, bringing out her Clow Cards. “Do I do the same as before?”
Kero shook his head. “No. You can’t hold Thunder down with Windy or Shadow. Wood’s no good, either. Too gentle.”
“Then what!?” Twilight asked frantically.
“Like Trixie said, Trixie will handle it,” Trixie said, attracting the group’s attention once again. “Watch and learn, as the Great and Powerful Trixie shows you what being a Cardcaptor is truly all about!”
Before anyone could say anything, Trixie took out a card, threw it up into the air, and hit it with her staff. “Time!”
A sphere extended from the card, enveloping an area around the group. The group watched as time around them seemed to have frozen completely, including Thunder, who was now stationary. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in…” Twilight turned to face Trixie, who had raised her staff into the air. “Clow Card!” Trixie shouted as she slammed down her staff, drawing Thunder towards her and trapping it in card form.
The sphere disappeared, and time returned back to normal. The thunderstorm continued for a second, before suddenly ceasing. With Thunder trapped, the weather quickly turned back to the bright, warm weather that it was supposed to be.
Trixie picked up her newly acquired Clow Card, and faced Twilight with a cocky grin on her face. “That makes three now. And soon, Trixie will have them all.”
“What do you mean by “this was inevitable”?” Trixie asked, her legs pulling her towards the strange woman. “Explain to Trixie why she can’t control her legs!”
The strange woman took a puff of her pipe, and then turned to face Trixie. “Before that, why don’t you introduce yourself?”
Trixie hesitated for a moment before answering. “Trixie Lulamoon, the Great and Powerful.”
“My, that’s certainly a mouthful,” the woman responded. “And my name is Yuko Ichihara. I am the owner of this wish granting shop.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow, suddenly curious about the strange woman. “Wish granting?”
“That’s right. This is a shop that specialises in the granting of wishes. That you’re here means that you have one, correct?”
Trixie thought for a moment. “Well, Trixie would like to win the lottery. She’d like to settle down with a nice mare before she gets too old. She’d like to put that smug Twilight Sparkle in her place. She’d like to-”
Yuko’s laughter cut off Trixie’s list. Yuko rose to her feet and approached Trixie. “No, no, dear. I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood. By “wish”, I don’t mean every little desire you possess. I mean something big…And emptiness in your soul, if you will. Something you have not the power to realise for yourself.” Yuko looked down at Trixie, a demonic grin on her face. “So? Is there anything like that in your heart?”
Trixie flinched, momentarily intimidated by Yuko, but then began thinking harder. “Well…Trixie guesses…She’d like her performances to be better received…”
“I see…” Yuko moved back to her sofa, and sat down again, still staring into Trixie’s eyes. “You specialise in illusionary magic and stage tricks, correct?”
Trixie’s eyes widened. “How did you know that? Are you a fan of Trixie’s?”
“Of course not. I could tell by your Cutie Mark.” The door behind Trixie opened, startling her and causing her to turn around to see who was there. It was a young, slim boy, dressed in black clothing with a white apron and cleaning cap. “Ah, Watanuki, great timing.”
Watanuki looked at Trixie with a curios look on his face. “Uh, Yuko? What’s with the strange-coloured pony?”
“Strange-coloured!?” Trixie shouted, glaring at Watanuki. “How dare you!”
Watanuki jumped back and raised his arms in front of himself. “Whoa! And it talks!? What the heck!?”
“Why are you so surprised, Watanuki?” Yuko asked, taking another puff of her pipe. “After all you’ve seen, why should a talking pony shock you in the slightest?”
Watanuki lowered his arms, revealing a slight redness across his face. “W-Well, when you put it that way…” Watanuki cleared his throat, and turned to face Yuko. “So? What did you want?”
“I need you to fetch something for me. Maro and Moro will show you where it is,” Yuko said. The two girls from earlier led Watanuki away, leaving Yuko and Trixie alone. “Now, let’s discuss your payment.”
Trixie blinked at Yuko, a look of confusion on her face. “Payment?”
“That’s right,” Yuko said. “For every service rendered, compensation must be paid. Or it could cause great harm throughout the Universe.”
Trixie gulped, as Yuko’s words sent chills down her spine. “W-What kind of payment?”
“Oi! How did you do that!?” Kero asked, glaring daggers into Trixie’s eyes. “Only Twilight should be able to capture the Clow Cards!”
Trixie stared blankly at the strange creature before her. “What’s this?” she asked, pointing a hoof at Kero.
“Haven’t heard of me?” Kero asked, floating over to Trixie. “I’m the Guardian Beast created by Clow Reed to guard the seal on the Clow Cards!”
Trixie’s eyes widened in shock. “What!? You’re the one whose power rivals even that of Celestia’s!? The Guardian Beast of the Sun, who has the power to topple mountain!?”
Kero grinned smugly at Trixie’s words, until she started poking him with her hoof. “You mean this plush toy is what Yuko was so afraid of?”
Kero responded by chomping Trixie’s hoof, causing her to yelp and shake her hoof until her fell off. He continued glaring at her, until he realised what Trixie had just said. “Yuko? As in Yuko Ichihara?” Trixie nodded. ‘I see…If it’s the Dimensional Witch, then that explains why this filly was able to capture the Clow Cards…’
Twilight pulled Kero back with her magic, and approached Trixie. “Trixie, what’s going on? How do you know about the Clow Cards? And what was that thing you used earlier?”
Trixie pulled out her compass from her bag, and started chanting. It lit up, and a beam of light shot out of it, and made its way towards Twilight’s saddlebag. “Trixie is also on a mission to capture the Clow Cards. This compass was given to Trixie so that she may find them.”
Trixie made her way closer towards Twilight. Twilight flinched at the look in Trixie’s eyes, and started to back away. “W-What is it? What do you want?”
“Trixie will be taking possession of your Clow Cards now, Twilight Sparkle,” Trixie said as she grabbed Twilight by the shoulders. She attempted to throw her down, but Twilight managed to escape and back away. “Trixie must collect the Clow Cards! Now hand them over!”
“Now stop right there!” Rarity yelled, rushing in between both Twilight and Trixie. “I will not allow you to harm Twilight in any way! If you insist on resorting to violence, then you shall have to get past me first!”
“Move it!” Trixie yelled, using her magic to fling Rarity to the side. Trixie moved closer to Twilight, knocking away Kero as he attempted to stop her.
“Hey! What d’ya think you’re doing to my friends!?”
Trixie looked up to see a blue Pegasus with rainbow coloured hair landing in front of her. She recognised the pony as Rainbow Dash, the only Pegasus to have ever pulled off a Sonic Rainboom. She glared at the Pegasus, who glared back at her. The two stood there for a few seconds, staring each other down, waiting for the other make their first move.
“Rainbow Dash!” yelled a voice from above Trixie and Rainbow. The two looked up to see a yellow Pegasus floating down towards them. “I think the thunder originated in that area…What’s going on here?” she asked, noticing Rarity lying on the ground, and Twilight hiding behind Rainbow Dash. She looked over to Trixie, and noticed a gash on her left forehoof.
“Don’t worry, Fluttershy. I got this,” Rainbow Dash said, turning his gaze back on Trixie.
Fluttershy ignored Rainbow Dash though, and made her way over to Trixie. Trixie turned her attention to Fluttershy, and got ready to defend herself. Until she felt something strange running through her body. ‘W-What the? What’s going on?’
Fluttershy stopped just short of Trixie, who by this point was shaking like a leaf, and whose face was as red as a tomato. “You’re hurt,” Fluttershy said, raising Trixie’s hoof. “What happened?”
Trixie pulled back her hoof, and was unable to pool her thoughts together. She felt her entire body heating up, and was struggling to find the right words. Instead, she turned tail and fled as quickly as possible. She jumped down over the roof of the building, starling everyone on the roof.
Fluttershy made her way to the edge of the rooftop, and saw Trixie lowering gliding down using a hang glider. She sighed a sigh of relief, and explained that Trixie was ok.
Rainbow Dash turned to Twilight, and asked her what had happened. “It’s ok, Rainbow Dash. Really,” Twilight said, trying hard to convince Rainbow that she wasn’t hurt. “By the way, what are you two doing here?”
“Huh? Oh! Well, you know the freak storms that this place’s been having?” Rainbow asked, to which Twilight nodded. “Well, me and Fluttershy were asked to help investigate the cause of it.”
Twilight now noticed the special weather suits that the two Pegasi were wearing, which were made to protect them against lightning. “What about you?” Rainbow Dash asked, laughing at Twilight’s apparel. “You look pretty dressed up. Were you on a date by any chance?”
“O-Of course not! Twilight shouted, her face turning as red as Trixie’s was moment ago. “I was…I was…”
“She was doing some modelling for me,” Rarity said, approaching the two ponies. “I thought a thunderous background would be perfect. That’s why I made the costume out of special material, and asked Twilight to come model for me here.”
Rainbow Dash folded her forelegs, looking disappointed. “That was it? Well that’s just lame…”
Trixie opened the door to her trailer and stepped inside. Once she was in, she allowed herself to fall onto her bed. She had been running nonstop since the incident with Fluttershy, and was now completely worn out.
After taking a moment to catch her breath, she began wondering to herself just what had happened. She ran the image of the Pegasus’ face through her mind many times, and each time it gave the same result: she would start to blush, and then shake her head in order to get the Pegasus’ face out of her head.
She eventually tried to get her mind on other things, and remember the Clow Card that she had secure earlier. “That’s right…Trixie still needs to sign her name on it…”
Trixie levitated the Thunder card out of her bag, and placed it onto her table. She reached for a nearby quill, and began writing her name onto the bottom of the card.
“And this will really make Trixie’s performances better?” Trixie asked, eyeing the strange manepin that she had been given suspiciously. It was shaped like a butterfly, and didn’t seem that out of the ordinary.
“Of course not,” Yuko said, taking a sip of her tea. “It will simply share your passion with the audience.”
“Trixie doesn’t understand.”
“Well, basically, it will make the audience fall in love with your performance, as long as you continue to give it your best. But, be warned.” Yuko took another sip of her tea, and ordered Watanuki to pour her some more. “It will only work as long as you continue to believe in yourself. If at any point you begin to doubt your own abilities, even slightly, it will have the opposite effect. And the audience will begin to dislike, even resent your performances.”
Trixie flinched at the word resent. Sure, she had had trouble with hecklers before, but she’d never run into somepony who truly hated her performances with a passion. She looked at the manepin, and contemplated whether this was a good idea or not.
“It will only work whenever you wear it. So if at some point you feel like it isn’t working out, you can always just take it off. But keep in mind that if you take it off when ponies are already under its influence…”
Trixie didn’t even need Yuko to finish that last warning. She already had an idea of what would happen. Not only would they go back to disliking her shows, but they would realise that she was manipulating them, and forcing them to like her shows.
Trixie took one last look at the manepin, and was about to return it, when suddenly, memories of her life up to this point started flooding into her mind. Memories of her performances being less than satisfactory, and memories of all the ponies that gave her a hard time, no matter how hard she worked. And finally, memories of the purple Unicorn who had upstaged her, and almost made her lose all hope of ever being a successful showmare.
Yuko grinned as Trixie applied the manepin to her mane. “Now then, as for your payment…I want you to collect something for me.” Yuko took another drink of her tea, and then offered a small key of some kind to Trixie. “The Clow Cards.”
Luna’s eye was as vigilant as ever as she kept watch over the city of Canterlot. Every night, she would relieve her sister of her duties, to allow her some rest. She would start by patrolling the skies of the city, looking out for any wrongdoers, and then make her way back to the Palace, where the night court would open to the public.
Luna’s watch was disturbed when she felt a strong surge of magical energy, followed by a loud screech that pierced the night sky. Luna turned around to see a huge flash of light coming from behind the Palace, and readied herself and her guards. “Guards! Ready thy spears!”
The flash of light soon turned into a giant white bird, whose glow lit up the entire city. It flew over the city, startling many onlookers, but didn’t appear to have any hostile intent. Luna examined it closely, and saw that it was merely passing by. That is, until she felt another surge of energy. At that point, the bird’s eyes started to glow red, and it let out another loud screech.
The vibrations caused by the bird’s cry caused many onlookers to fall down in pain, and caused a few of the weaker buildings to collapse. The bird descended, and started to attack some of the buildings, causing the Canterlot civilians to retreat.
“Guards! Subdue that bird at once!” Luna shouted, leading her guards towards the suddenly aggressive bird. Luna’s horn lit up and she speeded towards the bird, but she didn’t go unnoticed, and with another loud screech, Luna and her troops were sent flying back, before the bird ascended and made its escape, flying off into the distance.
“Princess! Are you alright!?” one of the guards asked.
“I’m fine! Quick! Follow that bird!” Luna ordered. Two of her guards followed the bird’s general direction, but a few minutes later, they returned to report that they had lost track of it. “How do you lose track of something so huge!?”
The guards had no answer, and Luna simply sighed as she looked down at the recently attacked city and its frightened locals. “This is bad. We have to stop that thing before it strikes again.”
My faithful student,
It has been a while since I have last written to you, and I wish that I could write to you under better circumstances, but unfortunately, this letter is to inform you of a recent attack on Canterlot. The culprit was a mysterious bird, the likes of which my sister and I have never seen.
The attack happened late last night. The bird appeared out of nowhere, and caused a fair bit of destruction in the town square. My sister and her guards attempted to subdue it, but it unfortunately managed to escape, and was last seen heading in the direction of Detrot.
We still don’t know where this strange bird will move to next, or what level of destruction it may cause in the future, so please alert those in Ponyville, and prepare an evacuation procedure in case it heads your way.
Princess Celestia
Spike, who had returned to Ponyville two days ago (three days after the Thunder incident), finished reading the letter to Twilight, and then turned to face her. “Wow, sounds rough. I mean, strange things have been happening all over Equestria lately, but this defiantly takes the cake.”
Twilight pulled the letter from Spike with her magic, and read over it quickly. “Spike, can I ask you to go around Ponyville and tell everypony about this? And make sure the Pegasi set up a watch around the town.”
Spike saluted and made his way towards the door. “No problem, Twilight! Just leave it to me!”
Twilight waited a few moments after Spike left the house, and then made her way to her room upstairs. She saw Kero reading one of her Daring Do books. “Hey, Kero, I think we may have a problem on our hooves.”
Kero looked up from his book and turned to face Twilight. “Oh? What’s up?” Twilight showed him the letter, and her gave it a quick read over. “Hmmm…I don’t think this is a Clow Card…”
“Really? Why’s that?”
“Well…” Kero turned to face the Clow Cards that Twilight had collected so far. “As you probably know by now, each card has their own personality. Shadow was a prankster, whereas Wood and Windy were gentle spirits. And then Rain was playful, and Dash is competitive, and always looking for a race.” Twilight nodded, and shuddered when she remembered Dash, and what she had to go through to finally capture it.
“Well, the only card I can think of that’s a giant bird is Fly, but…Fly is like Windy and Wood; very gentle. It’s true it would fight back in self-defence, but it would never harm anypony, or cause too much destruction around it.”
“So…You think it’s just another giant bird that just came out of nowhere?”
Kero thought for a second, and then shook his head. “Well, only one way to know for sure…Twilight, let’s go to Detrot!”
Twilight sighed and hung her head low. Somehow, she knew it would come to that. “Fine. I’ll go get Rarity…” It had been 5 days since the Thunder incident, and since then, Twilight always brought Rarity along whenever a Clow Card was causing trouble. At first, she considered leaving her behind whenever possible, but she knew that she’d regret it later if she did.
Twilight, Rarity, and Kero arrived in Detrot after a half-hour train ride. Detrot wasn’t much bigger than Ponyville, but was defiantly a lot more packed. That was because it was a popular tourist destination, since they were many historical landmarks close by.
Twilight looked silly walking down the streets in the new dress that Rarity had made for her, which was based on Rain, the newest card she had captured. Just like Rain, the dress was made to resemble a jester/clown outfit.
Kero found the dress amusing, but Rarity insisted that she looked great, and that it was sure to be all the rage soon.
“Come one, come all, and witness the amazing magic, of the Great and Powerful TRIXIE!”
The group flinched when they heard the all too familiar sound of Trixie’s voice. They turned to see a group of ponies walking towards a trailer, where, sure enough, Trixie was performing her magic for all to see.
“Oh no…You don’t think she knows about the Clow Card, do you?” Rarity asked.
Kero shook his head. “Looks like she’s just here to show off again…But, with that compass, who knows?”
The three moved closer, curios as to what kind of tricks Trixie was performing. She asked for a volunteer to hand over their camera, and hid it behind her cape. After a single flash, it was gone. She then called upon another volunteer to hand over their cap, which she revealed to be empty to the audience. She reached a hoof in, and within seconds, pulled out the first volunteer’s camera.
Twilight had to admit it wasn’t bad, but didn’t join in the cheering of the rest of the crowd. Kero just decided that he didn’t like Trixie, and so he was automatically impressed with everything that she did.
“Oh wow! That was simply amazing!” Rarity shouted, surprising both Twilight and Kero.
“Rarity? Are you ok?” Twilight asked.
“Never better. Why do you ask?”
Kero narrowed his eyes, and looked over at Trixie suspiciously. He felt something strange coming from her. A magical presence that originated from her, and loomed over the crowd. Kero leaned over and told Twilight about it.
Twilight looked over to Trixie, and could feel the same thing. She tried to pinpoint where it was coming from, when she heard a loud screech from the distance. “W-What the!?”
Everypony in the area turned to direction where the screech had come from. It was a farm area not too far from the village. Coming from that direction was a stampede of panicked ponies, screaming about a giant bird attacking the village.
“The Clow Card!?” Twilight asked Kero.
Kero entered his meditation state, and then snapped his eyes open. “Yes! There’s no doubt about it! This is the Fly card!”
The three immediately took off, running into the same direction where many ponies had just fled from.
Upon reaching the farm area, Twilight could see a giant bird sitting on the ground, flailing about, and knocking over many trees around it. “What’s it doing?” she asked.
“It looks like it’s suffering,” Rarity said, keeping her distance from all the dust that was flying about as a result of the giant bird slamming into wings onto the ground.
“In any case, we need to subdue it! Twilight, use Windy!” Kero said.
Twilight nodded, and took out her key. “Oh staff that hides the power of the dark, show your true form before me. I, Twilight, command you under our contract: Release!”
“Oh staff that hides that power of dimensions, show your true form before me. I, Trixie, command you under out contract: Release!”
The three turned around to see Trixie behind them, holding her staff with her magic, and grinning at them. “Sorry, but this one’s Trixie’s!”
“In your dreams!” Rarity shouted. “You may have gotten the last Clow Card, but I can assure you, this one will defiantly be Twilight’s!”
Twilight sighed, and walked up to Trixie. “Trixie, why do we have to compete? Can’t we work together?”
Trixie held her head up high, pointing her nose up. “Don’t be silly. Trixie must get the Clow Cards. And you shall not get in her way.”
“Watch out!” Kero shouted, alerting the three ponies to a tree that was flying their way.
“Shield!” Trixie erected a shield using her Shield card to protect three ponies and Kero. “This one’s most certainly dangerous, but…” Trixie examined it closely, keeping the shield up in case anymore trees or debris flew their way. “…Sparkle, don’t capture it just yet.”
Twilight looked at Trixie with a confused look. “Huh? Why not?”
“Trixie isn’t sure, but…There’s something there.” Trixie lowered the shield, and pulled out another Clow Card from her saddlebag. “Sooth this tortured soul with a motherly image. Illusion!”
The card shot out a multicoloured image that, to any onlookers, appeared to just be a strange pattern. However, to the target, Fly, it was an image of a mother bird, comforting its youngling, and calming it down. Trixie made her way slowly over to Fly, and used her magic to locate the source of the strange feeling that she felt coming from it.
“…Here!” Trixie shouted and she reached a hoof towards one of Fly’s feather. It was different from the rest; it was just as white, but it had a strange red pattern on it, and it emitted a strong power that the others did not.
Fly thrashed about for a little as the feather was removed, but then slowly started to calm down again. Twilight took this chance to capture Fly. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
Once Fly was in card form, Twilight extended her hoof to grab it. However, instead of making its way over to her like she was expecting it to, Fly instead made it way over to Trixie, who was just as surprised and confused as Rarity and Twilight.
“Wait, what!? But…I’m the one who caught it, right?” Twilight asked Kero.
Kero shook his head, and looked disappointed. “You sealed it, but Trixie’s the one who subdued it…Therefore, it rightfully belongs to her.”
“No way…” Rarity said, glaring at Trixie.
Trixie examined the Fly card with a smile on her face. “Hmmm…Fly…Trixie wonders what this does…” Trixie tapped her staff against Fly, and called out its name. Seconds later, wings extended from the tip of her staff. She looked at it with awe, and took a moment to think of how it worked. “Like this?” she asked, climbing onto her staff as if it were a witch’s broomstick.
She kicked off the ground, and shot up into the air. She let out a loud scream as she soared upwards, and tried to gain control. It wasn’t so hard; she was able to gain control over it fairly quickly, and was soon flying gracefully through the air, a huge smile on her face.
Her hat blew off her head and fell to the ground, causing Trixie to chase after it. She landed next to Twilight’s group, and found her hat resting on Twilight’s head. Twilight gave Trixie back her hat. “Having fun?” she asked, seeing the huge smile still plastered on Trixie’s face.
Rarity giggled and faced Twilight. “She looks like you do when there’s a sale on books online.”
Twilight blushed and laughed nervously. Trixie levitated her hat over to Rarity, asking her to hold onto it for a second. “Want to try it?” Trixie asked Twilight.
Twilight turned to Trixie, a look of surprise on her face. She looked over at the staff, and then back to Trixie, worry clear in her eyes. “Is it safe?”
Trixie rolled her eyes and reached over to pull Twilight closer. “Come on! What’s the worst that could happen?”
“If you don’t focus, the wings’ll disappear and you’ll come crashing down to the ground.”
Twilight and Trixie looked over at Kero with looks of horror on their faces. “W-WHAT!?” Trixie shouted, quickly getting off of her staff. “Why didn’t you say that earlier!?”
Kero turned around to hide his grin. “I was only kidding. You’re so gullible.”
Trixie glared at Kero, cursing him in her mind. Twilight cleared her throat, hoping no one had seen that she fell for it too. “Um, so, Trixie…What was wrong with Fly, anyway?”
Trixie regained her composure, and reached into her saddlebag. She pulled out the strange feather that she had found earlier, which immediately caught Kero’s attention. “It was this. Trixie’s not sure what it is, but it seems to hold some sort of great power…”
Kero examined the feather closely. It clearly wasn’t one of Fly’s feathers. In fact, he wasn’t sure what it was. But it was powerful, and was surely dangerous in the wrong hooves. He offered to take it off of Trixie’s hooves, but she refused, saying that this would make her performances 20% greater.
Trixie turned back to Twilight. “So, you want to try flying? It feels great!”
Twilight reluctantly nodded, and climbed onboard Trixie’s staff. At first, she was screaming and demanding to be let off, but after a minute of flying, she was enjoying herself just as much as Trixie. ‘No wonder Rainbow Dash likes flying so much! This is…Simple amazing!’
Kero watched the two with a look of disgust. “Ugh, she’s the enemy…Why is Twilight being so friendly with her?”
Rarity laughed and blew some dust off of Trixie’s hat. “That’s just who Twilight is. She loves making friends with everypony…Especially when it’s somepony she has so much in common with.”
Twilight stared off into the distance, her staff gripped tightly in her magical field as she took a deep breath. “We’re almost there, Sparkle!” Trixie shouted as the two, riding on Trixie’s Fly-staff, neared their destination. “Get ready!”
“Right,” Twilight said, narrowing her eyes as the sight of various flying objects came into view. “Just don’t shake too much.”
“Please, Trixie has already mastered the art of flying,” Trixie said, grinning as she leaned forward to increase speed. Twilight forehooves, which were already wrapped around Trixie’s waist, grabbed on tighter, so that she wouldn’t fall off. “Where’s that plush toy?”
“Who’re ya callin’ a plus toy!?” Kero shouted, floating out of Twilight’s mane and flying beside Trixie.
“Only one plush toy around here,” she answered. “And it certainly isn’t Sparkle.”
“Why you!”
“Guys!” Twilight shouted, stopping their argument before it could escalate. “Kero, which one is it?”
Kero turned to face the flying objects, which they were now very close to, and entered his meditation state. “Not sure…Float’s constantly changin’ between ‘em, so I can’t pinpoint its location.”
“Then how are we supposed to seal it?” Trixie asked, slowing down so that they didn’t fly past the flying objects. “Ah, I’ve got it!”
“Hm? Got what?” Twilight asked. Trixie used her magic to levitate the time card from her bag, and floated it over to Twilight. “Time?”
“Use that to keep float from moving, and then seal it. Trixie would do it herself, but…”
Twilight understood. If Trixie undid Fly, they would both plummet to their deaths. Twilight held up Time, and slammed her staff against it. “Time!” she shouted, unleashing a sphere that froze time around them. Twilight looked over to see the true body of Float as it was passing between two objects.
“Return to the guise you were in meant to be in, Clow Card!” Twilight shouted, slamming her staff down on Float, sealing it in card form. She undid Time’s effect, and grabbed the new Float card in her magic. “Got it!” she shouted triumphantly.
The various objects around them started to fall to the ground rather quickly, and Twilight quickly made use of Windy to make sure they didn’t break upon crashing to the ground.
Trixie slowly descended to the ground, where Rarity was waiting for the three of them. “Well? Did you get it, Twilight?”
“Yep,” Twilight said, a cheerful smile on her face.
“My, it seems you’re getting quite into this whole Cardcaptor business,” Rarity observed.
“Well, maybe a little,” Twilight admitted, a slight blush across her cheeks as she did so. She felt a tap against her shoulder, and turned around to see Trixie glaring at her. “Um…Y-yeah?”
“Trixie's Time card,” Trixie said, holding out a hoof expectantly. “Return it.”
“Oh, right. Sorry, “Twilight said, levitating the Time card into Trixie’s hoof.
“Hey! What’re ya doing!?” Kero shouted, floating in front of Twilight’s face. “Don’t help out the enemy!”
“But…It’s her card, Kero,” Twilight said.
“That’s true. Trixie’s name is on it,” Trixie said, pointing a hoof to her name on the card.
“That is her name,” Twilight confirmed. “That means if I kept it, I’d be stealing it.”
“You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me! Did ya forget how she tried ta steal your cards during the Thunder incident!?”
“Two wrongs do not make a right, Kero dear,” Rarity said, before turning to smile at Twilight. “And Twilight is just simply too kind to stoop to such lows.”
Before Kero could continue his rampage, Trixie’s saddlebag started to glow with a bright light, startling her and attracting the group’s attention. She levitated out her compass, which shot a bright beam of light off in one direction.
“What? Another one?” Twilight complained. “Where is it?”
Trixie shrugged, and climbed onto her staff. “Somewhere over there,” she said, kicking up off the ground. “Well, in any case, Trixie will be sure to find it before any of you.” She looked down at the two ponies and one “plush toy”, and grinned. “See ya!” she shouted as she took off in the direction shown by the light.
“Not good! She’s gonna beat us to the punch!” Kero shouted. “Come on! Let’s go!”
“Well…I could use Dash, but…” Twilight turned to Rarity, who told her to go on ahead. “Are you sure?”
“I’ll be fine, Twilight,” Rarity said, only half truthfully. “Really, don’t worry about me. Just make sure you don’t lose to Trixie, ok?”
Twilight nodded, and levitated the Dash card from her saddlebag. Kero sat down in Twilight’s mane, grabbing a hold of it tightly. “Dash!” Twilight shouted, slamming her staff against the card. She took off in the same direction that Trixie had, and soon caught up to her.
Twilight slowed down so that she could follow Trixie to wherever the next card was, but sped up again once she realised where they were heading. “Ponyville?” she asked herself, seeing the small town in the distance. “But…How could we not have found it there yet?”
“It must have been inactive until just recently,” Kero explained. “Anyway, it’s a small town, so it shouldn’t be hard to find.”
“How have we not found it yet in this small town!?” Kero shouted as he and Twilight checked the bushes in the park. Thankfully, nopony was around to see or hear him, due to the downpour of rain. “There haven’t even been any strange rumours!”
“Hey, Kero, can’t we just search later?” Twilight asked, moving her wet mane out of her eyes. “We’ll catch a cold if we stay out here much longer.”
Kero sighed and float down onto Twilight. “Guess it can’t be helped. Let’s go find some shelter for now.”
Twilight ran out of the park and through the streets of Ponyville, heading towards her library. A voice called out to her, and she turned to see a pink pony shouting to from Sugarcube Corner. “Hey! Twilight! What’re you doing out in the rain?” she asked, waving a hoof from the front door. “Come here! Before you catch a cold!”
Twilight smiled and accepted her friends offer, making her way towards her friend. “Hey, Pinkie Pie. You sure it’s alright for me to stay here for a bit?”
“Of course it is! What kind of friend would I be to leave you out in the cold rain?”
“Thanks, Pinkie,” she said, smiling warmly at her friend. “Um, I don’t suppose you have a towel I can borrow, do you?”
“Sure do! Right this way!”
Pinkie led Twilight to the bathroom, where she lent the wet Unicorn a spare towel. Once Twilight was dried off, the two friends moved up to Pinkie Pie’s room, so that they could talk whilst waiting out the downpour.
Twilight tried to explain to Pinkie how her research had made great progress lately, and although Pinkie was listening intently, Twilight wasn’t sure how much of her conversation the pink pony understood. Afterwards, the two played a few games together to pass the time. Kero, meanwhile, was sitting off to the side in Twilight’s saddlebag.
“Oh, hey, I got this new manepin today!” Pinkie shouted cheerfully. “You wanna see it? Huh? Do ya do ya?”
“Uh, sure. I’d love to-” Before Twilight could finish, Pinkie dashed off to her bedside table, and then returned moments later with her new manepin in her mane. “Wow, Pinkie. That’s…” Twilight examined the manepin, and was actually surprised at it. It was a miniature sword with a blue stone in its hilt. “…Something I’d expect Rainbow or Rarity to wear.”
“I know, but when I saw it I thought “oh wow this looks so cute!” and I like cute things and it was on sale so I bought it and-”
Twilight raised an eyebrow when Pinkie suddenly stopped talking, and waved a hoof in front of her. “Um…Hello? Pinkie Pie?”
“Twilight! Watch out!” Kero shouted as he shot out of her saddlebag. “This presence…It’s the Sword card!”
Twilight turned around when she heard Pinkie Pie moving, and just about managed to dodge an attack from the pink pony. Twilight stared at her friend in shock. Pinkie Pie’s face showed no sign of any emotions, and her mane had deflated from its usual curliness to a long, straight mane. And finally, in her hooves, she was holding an enlarged version of the manepin that she was wearing just moments ago.
“That’s the Sword card,” Kero repeated. “We need to get out of here! There’s not enough room!”
“But-”
“Watch out!” Twilight saw Pinkie Pie charging at her, and used her magic to teleport outside of the bedroom. Pinkie Pie looked up and saw Pinkie following her, and quickly made her way down to the lower level of the bakery. “Sword grants whoever wields it the power of a master swordsman. But if they have little to no magical ability, it also takes control of their mind!”
“So why is it trying to kill us!?” Twilight asked. “And how do we seal it!?”
“Sword is aligned with Firey! It’s an aggressive card, and seeks out the strongest of opponents to prove its strength!” Twilight and Kero made their way outside of the bakery, still being followed by Pinkie Pie. “To seal it, we need to make her let go of Sword somehow! But…I don’t think we have any cards powerful enough to defeat her.”
“Wait! You mean we have to hurt her to save her!?”
“It’s the only way!” Kero shouted. He felt a child down his spine, and turned around to see that Pinkie Pie had caught up to them, and was about to cut Twilight down. “Watch out!”
“Shield!”
A magical barrier formed around Kero and Twilight, and although Pinkie’s sword was able to cut through it, it had still allowed Twilight enough time to retreat a little bit. Pinkie turned towards Trixie, who was standing off to the side, and stared at her for a few seconds, before charging towards the blue Unicorn.
“Watch out, Trixie!” Kero warned. “She’s changed her target to you!”
“Yes, Trixie can see that,” Trixie responded sarcastically. She levitated out the Illusion card, planning to use it to distract Pinkie Pie long enough to knock Sword out of her hooves. However, she underestimated Pinkie’s speed, and the sword wielding pony was right in her face before she could use the Clow Card. “Oh buck…”
Trixie just about managed to dodge Pinkie’s attack, but in her haste she had dropped the Illusion card, and with Pinkie still pursuing Trixie, she was unable to go back and grab it.
Twilight watched the scene in horror, trying to think of something she could do. “We have to make her let go…But how?”
Trixie dodged another attack of Pinkie’s, and used Shield to slow the pink pony down. “Darn it! Why is she so fast!?”
An idea hit Twilight, and she took out her key. “Key that hides the power of the dark, show your true form before me. I, Twilight, command you under our contract: Release!” Wasting no time, Twilight made her way back to the bakery. “Hold on, Trixie! I’ll be right back!”
“What!? Don’t leave Trixie!” Trixie shouted, fumbling about with the cards in her saddlebag with her magic to find the right one. “A-ha! Now Trixie’s got you!” Trixie pulled out a Clow Card, threw it into the air, and slammed her staff against it. “Time!”
A sphere started to emerge from the Time card, but a single slash from Pinkie’s sword caused the sphere to shatter, surprising Trixie. “What!? How did it do that!?” She shouted, continuing to run from Pinkie’s attacks.
“Sword can cut through anything, even time and space distortions,” Kero explained, flying beside Trixie. “I dunno what Twilight has planned, but she better hurry…”
“Dash!” Trixie and Kero turned around to see a purple blur approaching the pink pony. Pinkie Pie stopped as the blur started to circle her, attempting to follow it with her eyes.
Trixie and Kero also stopped, and watched as Pinkie grew increasingly dizzy from chasing the purple blur.
Twilight took this chance to knock sword out of Pinkie’s hooves, and the pink pony in question suddenly collapsed to the floor. “Pinkie!” Twilight shouted as she slowed to a stop, holding Pinkie Pie to make sure she was alright.
“She’ll be fine, Twilight,” Kero assured her. “Quickly! Seal Sword before it possesses somepony else!”
Twilight nodded, and turned to face Sword, which was now floating in the air. “Return the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!”
Slamming her staff down, Twilight’s staff pulled Sword towards it, sealing it in card form. The card floated towards Twilight, and she grabbed it with her magic.
“Nice work!” Kero shouted, thrusting a fist into the air. “Meanwhile, Trixie was useless yet again.”
Trixie glared at Kero, and then raised her nose into the air. “A mere slipup. It happens to everypony, even great Unicorns like Trixie.”
“Actually,” Twilight started, approaching Trixie. “It was thanks to Trixie that I was able to seal Sword away. If you hadn’t come along, I wouldn’t have been able to reach the Dash card in my saddlebag.” Twilight scratched the back of her neck and looked down at the ground, shuffling her hooves nervously. “Um, thanks, Trixie.”
Trixie felt her face heating up, and turned her back to the purple Unicorn. “W-well, Trixie will be going now. She has a big day tomorrow, and can’t afford to waste anymore time here,” she said, taking a moment to recover her Illusion card.
As Trixie made her way down the streets of Ponyville, she felt a sharp pain running through her right forehoof. But she couldn’t stop to examine it, since it was raining, and she wanted to hurry up and return to her trailer. That’s when she took notice of the black thunderclouds up ahead, where lightning was beginning to shoot down.
“Well, that’s not good,” Trixie said to herself. “Trixie can’t really fly back in that weather…”
“Oh my, are you ok?” Trixie turned around to see a yellow Pegasus standing in front of her, panting heavily, completely drenched from the rain. “You’re covered in scratches. What happened?”
Trixie recognised the yellow Pegasus as one of Twilight’s friends. The one who had a strange affect on the showmare before. Trixie felt that same effect running through her body, as her heartbeat increased quickly, and her entire body started to heat up.
“Oh my, do you have a fever?” she asked, approaching the shivering showmare and placing her forehead against Trixie’s. “You’re burning up! Oh, we need to get you out of this rain, quickly!”
Trixie wanted to insist that she was ok, and that she didn’t need any help, but the pleading look from the adorable pony in front made it practically impossible. She instead simply nodded, and followed the Pegasus back to her house.
“Oh, I’m Fluttershy, by the way,” Fluttershy said. Her gentle voice made Trixie feel dizzy, but not in a bad way…It was like she was getting high on just being near this yellow Pegasus. “What’s your name?”
“T-Trixie,” Trixie responded, although her voice was unnaturally high as she did so.
“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Miss Trixie,” Fluttershy said.
“J-Just Trixie is…Fine…”
“Ok then, Trixie. It’s nice to meet you,” she repeated.
“Y-yeah, you too.”
Hours later, Trixie had finally managed to calm down, and was once again able to calmly pool her thoughts together. Over the past few hours, she simply followed the yellow Pegasus, Fluttershy, back to her home, allowed her to apply some first aid to her wounds, took a bath (Trixie insisted on taking one alone, although the singing from Fluttershy in the other room prevented her from calming down), ate a meal together with Fluttershy, and now, she was sleeping in Fluttershy’s bed, whilst Fluttershy took the couch downstairs.
Trixie wasn’t sure why, but right now, she felt like she was in heaven. She had only met the Pegasus once before, but just the thought of being near her, and sleeping in the same bed that Fluttershy herself had slept in many times before, made her so happy that she could barely hold in her squeals of joy.
However, now that Fluttershy was in a different room, and the storm outside had died down, Trixie decided to try sneaking out and returning to her trailer, before she became too entranced by the yellow Pegasus. She took off the bandages covering her wounds and threw them into the nearby bin.
“Honestly…Trixie doesn’t need such pity…” Trixie searched her saddlebag to make sure that everything was there. As she searched, the feather that was attached to Fly fell out, and she picked it up with her hooves. “Ah!” Trixie yelped as she made contact with the feather.
She examined her hooves, and saw the scratches running down them slowly disappearing. “W-what the!?” Within a few moments, her entire body was looking better than ever. The wounds gained from her battle with Sword had disappeared without a trace, and even some other wounds from before today had been healed, too.
She looked at the feather that she was still holding in her hoof, and could feel powerful magic flowing out of it. “This feather…What is it?” she asked herself. When she heard movement downstairs, she quickly put the feather away, and made her way towards the window.
Using the Fly card, Trixie made her way out of Fluttershy’s bedroom, and started her journey back to her trailer. “Today, Twilight got two Clow Cards, and Trixie got none…” Trixie ascended slightly to avoid an incoming cloud, and then slowed down as a thought ran through her mind. “Trixie should go and confirm something with that witch,” she said to herself as she changed direction.
Yuko sat down on the porch of her shop, staring up and peaceful blue sky above her, the soothing wind and the jingling of the wind chime above her allowing her to relax as her errand boy, Watanuki, poured her some tea, as per her request.
She opened her eyes as her companion, Mokona, let out a loud “mekyo!”, and the peaceful feeling filling the air disappeared. “He is waking up,” Yuko said silently to herself.
Twilight woke up the next morning feeling terrible. He nose was runny, and her body was hot and sweaty. She couldn’t stop sneezing and coughing, and she could barely see properly, her vision blurred as her eyes watered up.
“I suppose it can’t be helped,” Kero said, unwrapping a chocolate bar on Twilight’s bedside table. “You were fightin’ out in the rain like that yesterday, so of course you’d get a cold.”
“Then how come you don’t have one?” Twilight asked with much annoyance in her voice.
“Guardian Beasts don’t get sick,” he answered, opening his mouth and taking a huge bite out of the chocolate. “By the way, where’d your assistant go?”
“Spike’s gone to Fluttershy’s to get me some-” Twilight stopped for a moment to sneeze, and then blow her nose. “-Some medicine. I hope he comes back soon…” Twilight plopped her head down on her pillow and closed her eyes, the light entering the room through her window only making her headache worse.
“Well, I just hope we don’t encounter any Clow Cards today,” Kero said, floating over to Twilight and wiping the sweat off of her forehead with a hoofkerchief. “I wonder if Trixie’s also ill? It wouldn’t surprise me…”
“Twilight, I’m back,” Spike shouted as he entered the library. Kero immediately took his place on Twilight’s bedside table, adopting the pose that he took whenever he wanted someone to believe he was just a toy.
Spike climbed the stairs to Twilight’s room, followed closely by Fluttershy. “How’re ya feeling?” he asked, before noticing the chocolate bar wrapper on the bedside table. “Hey! Have you been eating chocolate?”
Kero flinched, though neither Spike nor Fluttershy seemed to notice. Twilight rolled her eyes, but decided to cover for the Guardian Beast. “Uh, yeah,” she said, before letting out a few coughs. “I thought…I’d get better quickly if I had more energy?”
Spike facepalmed, and moved over to the wrapper to pick it up and throw it away. “Honestly, Twilight, for somepony so smart, you sure are stupid sometimes,” he said, earning an annoyed grunt from Twilight. “Anyway, Fluttershy said she’d be happy to take care of you, so I’m gonna go organize the library.” Spike took one last look at Kero, narrowing his eyes at the “stuffed toy”, before taking off down the stairs.
Kero wanted to sigh and lower his legs, but Fluttershy was still in the room. He took the moment that Fluttershy was checking Twilight’s temperature to wipe the sweat running down his forehead.
“Oh my, you really need your rest, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, reading the high temperature reading on her thermometer. “Here, I’ve got some medicine I prepared last night. It should fix you right up.”
Twilight happily took the medicine from Fluttershy, and let out a pleasant sigh as her headache started to ease up. “Thanks, Fluttershy.”
“No problem. I’m always happy to help,” Fluttershy said, putting the medicine to one side. “I just hope Trixie’s ok…”
“Hm?”
“Oh! N-nothing, never mind…”
“You said “Trixie”,” Twilight said, sitting up and turning to face Fluttershy. “What happened? Did she get hurt?”
“Oh, you know her?” Fluttershy asked. She received a nod from Twilight. “Don’t worry,” she said with a warm smile across her face. “I was just worried that she might have gotten sick, and when I woke up this morning, she was gone…”
“I see,” Twilight said, still wondering what Trixie was doing with Fluttershy in the first place, but in her current state of mind, her usual curiosity was gone. “I wouldn’t worry too much about Trixie. She’s stronger than she looks.”
Kero wanted to strongly disagree, but managed to summon enough willpower to sit still and remain silent.
“Hey! Twilight!” Spike shouted as he ran up the stairs. “There are some books missing downstairs!”
Twilight raised an eyebrow at the baby dragon. “What d’you mean? How many?”
Spike put a finger to his chin. “Uh, two shelves worth?”
Trixie stared forward at the small shop in front of her. The area around her was empty, and as she stood at the edge of the store’s yard, she felt a deep chill pass down her spine. She took a deep breath, and moved a hoof inside.
She felt the sudden change in the atmosphere around her as she entered Yuko’s shop, and took a moment to adjust to it before continuing forward. She saw Yuko sitting out in the front yard, her errand boy Watanuki cleaning a bunch of strange objects.
Yuko noticed Trixie enter her store, and turned to face her. “Trixie, how nice to see you again,” she said, though Trixie wasn’t sure if Yuko was being sincere or not. “What brings you back so soon? Surely you haven’t captured all of the Clow Cards just yet?”
“Actually, Trixie just wanted to confirm something,” Trixie said, walking up to the seemingly drunk storeowner. “It’s about the price Trixie has to pay.”
“Yes? What about it?”
“Well…There’s another Cardcaptor hunting down the Clow Cards,” Trixie said.
Yuko chuckled, and took a sip of her saké. “Yes, well, that doesn’t really surprise me. Someone had to release them, and knowing that Guardian Beast of the Seal, that same one would be assigned to collect them.”
“But, what if Trixie can’t capture all of the Clow Cards?” Trixie asked. “This other Cardcaptor is no pushover. She’s already captured many cards, and her talents are close to…Neigh, they’re on par with Trixie’s.”
Yuko took another sip of her saké, and then turned to Trixie. “But surely the Great and Powerful Trixie should have no problem taking her rival’s cards away, thus rendering her useless as a Cardcaptor.”
Trixie remained silent for a moment, and then shook her head. “No, Trixie can’t do that,” she said, sighing. “Unfortunately, recent events have left Trixie feeling uncomfortable with the idea of simply taking Sparkle’s cards from her.”
“Sparkle, eh?” Yuko asked, placing down her saké cup. “Tell me about this “Sparkle”, Trixie.”
Trixie thought for a moment, and then began. “Like Trixie, she’s a Unicorn whose special talent is magic. However, unlike Trixie, Sparkle has had her life handed to her on a silver platter! She had warm, caring parents, and the Princess of all of Equestria as her mentor!” Trixie stomped a hoof on the ground in frustration. “Ugh, just thinking about her makes me want to…”
Watanuki raised an eyebrow at the fuming Unicorn. “Wow, she must really hate her.”
Yuko chuckled at Watanuki’s comment. “No, I’d say her relationship with Sparkle is not much different than yours with Doumeki,” she said, before turning to Watanuki. “Watanuki, be a dear and bring me some more saké, would you?”
“What!? You drank it all already!?”
“I’ve had to catch up,” she said. “Now hurry up. I don’t appreciate slackers in my store.”
Watanuki let out a series of unintelligible mumbles as he stormed off towards the kitchen. Meanwhile, Trixie was still ranting about why “Sparkle” was so annoying to her. Finally, she calmed down, and took a breath.
“But…She’s also an amazing mare, in some ways,” Trixie said, blushing slightly. “Her magic is great, and her intellect unmatched. Indeed, Trixie wouldn’t be surprised if one day, Twilight’s name becomes bigger than even Starswirl’s.”
“Twilight?” Yuko asked.
“Oh, Sparkle’s first name,” Trixie answered. “Anyway, naturally Sparkle will always be second to Trixie.”
“I see…” Yuko said, grinning at the mare. ‘Yes, it’s quite clear that these two were destined to make an acquaintance.’
Watanuki returned from the kitchen with a bottle of saké, and began pouring some for Yuko. “Don’t worry, Trixie,” Yuko said, raising her saké cup to her lips. “I think you’re misunderstanding. Your payment isn’t to collect all of the Clow Cards for me.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow, confused at Yuko’s words. “Then…What is it?”
Yuko drank the saké in her cup, and placed it down. “It’s simply to enter the “hunt” on my behalf, since I am unable to hunt them down myself,” Yuko explained. “So, even if you fail, as long as you actually put the effort into succeeding, that will be sufficient payment.”
Trixie sighed a sigh of relief, suddenly feeling better at knowing that she wouldn’t be forced to give back her manepin should she fail. “Naturally,” Yuko continued. “If you succeed, I’ll be taking the Clow Cards for myself, since you’re collecting them on my behalf.”
Trixie nodded, a smile forming on her face now that her worries had been washed away. “Trixie doesn’t have a problem with that. And Trixie thanks you for clearing that up. She wasn’t able to sleep last night because of her worries.”
“Really?” Yuko asked. “You don’t seem so tired.”
Trixie thought about that for a minute, and then realised that she was unusually energetic for somepony who hadn’t slept in over a day. “That’s right…” she said as she looked towards her saddlebag. “I wonder if it’s because of the feather?” she mumbled.
Yuko’s eyes narrowed, and she suddenly seemed to sober up. She rose to her feet and approached Trixie. “The feather?” she asked. “What feather?”
Trixie turned to Yuko, and then back to her saddlebag. She opened it up, and levitated out the strange feather that was on Fly. Yuko’s eyes suddenly widened. “Hey, that looks familiar,” Watanuki said, putting a hand to his chin as he thought about where he has seen it before.
“This feather…” Yuko reached out to touch it, but a strange field repelled her hand. “Trixie, would you mind leaving this feather here?”
Trixie titled her head in confusion, and then shook her head. “This feather holds great magical power. Trixie thinks it can make her performances much grander.”
“It can also bring great disaster,” Yuko said, her face and voice suddenly more serious than either Trixie or Watanuki had ever seen or heard from her. “I can’t force you, but it would be in your best interest if it remained here.”
Trixie felt a chill run down her spine, seeing that Yuko wasn’t kidding around anymore. Whatever this feather was, it had Yuko worried, and that thought terrified Trixie. Trixie was about to hand it over, when suddenly, the shop started to fade out around her. “W-what’s going on!?” she shouted as the shop eventually disappeared, leaving a confused Trixie standing alone in the middle of a vast, empty field.
“W-what happened?” Watanuki asked, staring at the spot where Trixie stood moments ago in horror. “Was it that feather? Did it take her somewhere?”
Yuko shook her head, still staring straight ahead of her. “No, it was him. He prevented Trixie from giving me the feather…Which means…” Yuko turned around and started to walk towards her shop. “Watanuki, I have an errand for you to go on.”
Twilight stared in shock as she examined the lower level of the library. Sure enough, just as Spike had said, there were two entire shelves worth of books missing. Her hair was starting to pop out of place, and her eyes were starting to twitch. “W-w-w-w-w-w-what?” she asked, falling onto her haunches. “W-who would do such a thing?”
“Whoever it was, they must have had some skill,” Spike said. “I mean, I wasn’t gone that long, and there are lots of ponies outside. Oh! Maybe it was a ninja!”
“A n-ninja?” Fluttershy asked, sinking to the ground.
Twilight heard a knocking at her door, and walked over to open it. Standing outside were Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity, all looking pretty upset. “Hey, guys. What’s up?” she asked, though her voice was muffled from the facemask that she was wearing.
“Twi, it’s horrible!” Applejack started. “Things’ve been disappearing all over Ponyville! Half of our orchard has gone missin’!”
“Clouds have been disappearing, too!” Rainbow Dash added. “We’ve had to send a rush order for dozens of new clouds to be made at Cloudsdale, but we don’t think they’ll be here in time for tomorrow’s scheduled shower!”
Twilight turned to Rarity, waiting to hear what she had lost. “Lemme guess, you’ve lost something too?”
Rarity nodded her head furiously. “Oh, it’s dreadful, simply DREADFUL!” Rarity leaned in to whisper into Twilight’s ear: “All of the costumes and their designs that I made for you…They’ve vanished! Gone without a trace!”
Twilight let out a few coughs, and then asked her friends to leave, so that she could get some rest. “Oh, maybe I should stay, Twilight,” Fluttershy said, but Rarity offered to watch over Twilight instead, so that Fluttershy could get back to her animals to watch over them. Rarity also asked Spike if he could watch the store for her, a request the baby dragon was more than happy to accept.
Once everyone besides Twilight and Rarity were out of the library, the two mares made their way upstairs, where they found Kero sitting in quiet meditation. “A Clow Card?” Twilight asked, hoping against all hope that it wasn’t.
“A Clow Card,” Kero confirmed, resulting in a deep groan from Twilight. “And a pretty bad one, too. The Erase card.”
“The Erase?” Rarity asked, supporting Twilight who looked like she was going to collapse any second. “That’s what has been taking things from around town?”
“Not just takin’ ‘em. It’s been erasing them from existence altogher.”
Twilight and Rarity gasped, and stared at Kero with wide eyes. “W-why in Equestria would such a card be created?” Twilight asked.
Kero simply shrugged, however. “Who knows? Clow Reed was a strange guy,” he said, floating up into the air. “Anyway, we’d better hurry. Before Erase decides to erase ponies.”
“But, Twilight isn’t feeling very well…Surely it can wait until she’s better, right?”
Kero shook his head, a frown on his face. “‘Fraid not. If Erase isn’t captured soon, the effects will be permanent,” he said, floating over to Twilight’s key and bringing it over to the purple Unicorn. “Which means if any ponies have been taken by it, then our only chance to save ‘em might be now.”
Twilight stared at the key with wide eyes, and swallowed hard as she reached out for it. She was in no state to run around capturing Clow Cards, but if what Kero said was true, there was no choice. She had to capture Erase, or innocent ponies may suffer for it.
Twilight and Rarity made their way to the entrance to the Everfree forest, which Kero told them was the source of the strange presence her was feeling. They made their way through the Everfree forest very slowly, partially for the sake of caution, but mostly because Twilight was still ill.
They came to an unnatural looking clearing, and Kero pointed out that many trees and other features had been taken by Erase. “We’re getting close,” he said.
The group heard a rustling in the nearby bushes, and turned around to see Zecora emerge from behind some bushes. “Zecora!” Twilight called out in surprise.
Zecora turned to face the two ponies, a look of horror on her face. “Girls, run, with all haste! Before vanishing becomes your fa-”
The two mares and Kero watched in horror as Zecora suddenly disappeared, a bright flash of light surrounding where she one was.
“Twilight! It’s the Erase card!” Kero shouted. “Seal it away! Quickly!”
Twilight nodded, and levitated her staff into the air. “Return to the gui-” Twilight stopped to let out a series of coughs, and felt her headache getting worse. The magical field around her staff faded away, and she dropped it to the ground.
“Watch out!” Kero shouted as he dived in front of Twilight, shielding her from the light that was approaching.
“Kero!” Twilight and Rarity watched as Kero started to fade away, until he vanished completely. “Rarity, we’ve got to-” Twilight stopped when she saw Rarity also fading away.
Rarity noticed Twilight’s horrified face, and raised a hoof to examine it. “Oh no!” she shouted, panic in her voice. “Twilight, run! Hurry!”
“But-”
“You idiot!” Twilight turned around to see a blue Unicorn flying down towards the group on her winged staff. She jumped in front of Twilight, blocking yet another burst of light that was aimed at her. “Agh!”
“Trixie!” Twilight screamed, grabbing Trixie’s shoulders with her forehooves. Tears were starting to form in Twilight’s eyes as Trixie started to slowly fade away.
“You idiot…Why haven’t you sealed it yet?”
“But…I can’t…I’m just…” Twilight’s head started to spin, and she struggled to keep herself awake.
Trixie saw Twilight’s weakened condition, and levitated her feather out with her magic. “Here, use this,” she said, levitating it over to Twilight. “It should help. Use this, and seal that Clow Card, before it’s too l-” Trixie disappeared before she could finish, the only thing left behind being her feather.
“TRIXIE!” Twilight screamed as she saw the blue Unicorn vanish suddenly right before her eyes. She looked around, and saw no one around her. She was all alone. Rarity, Trixie, Kero, and Zecora had all been taken by Erase, and she was next.
Tears fell down Twilight’s cheeks, and she simply watched as Erase prepared to take Twilight to wherever it was it took its victims. However, just as it launched its attack, the strange feather that Trixie had given to Twilight started to glow, and a powerful burst of magic shot forth from it, shielding Twilight from Erase’s attack.
“W-what? What’s this light?” she asked as she felt her strength returning to her. He tears dried up, her vision returned, and her throat and head felt so much better. She could feel herself being embraced by this warm light, and all signs of her cold seemed to vanish.
She looked ahead at Erase, which was standing in front of her. She narrowed her eyes as she glared at the card, and picked up her staff, slowly approaching the Clow Card.
Erase once again attempted to take Twilight away, but the powerful magic of the feather protected her.
“Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!” Twilight shouted as she slammed her staff down on Erase, which was attempting to flee. The staff drew Erase towards it, and sealed it in card form.
Twilight picked up the Erase card and stared at it for a few seconds, and then turned around with a hopeful look on her face. Her face lit up as she saw Rarity and Kero returning, shortly followed by Trixie.
“Ugh…What happened?” Rarity asked, feeling groggy from the whole experience. “Twilight? Trixie? How did we get here?”
Trixie raised an eyebrow at the white Unicorn. “We came here to capture the Clow Card. Did you forget?”
“It’s because she’s not got as much magic as you,” Kero explained. “Erase also erased some of her memories, too.”
“Kero, does this mean that everything else taken by Erase will return?” Twilight asked.
“Yep,” Kero confirmed, bringing a smile to the purple Unicorn’s face. “Speakin’ of, we should get her home, right?”
Twilight turned around to see Zecora resting on the floor. She smiled at the sight of her friend returning safe and sound, and walked over to her. “Leave it to me. I’ll take her home and then be back in no time.”
“Are you sure, Twilight?” Rarity asked, concern clear in her voice. “What about your cold?”
It was then that Twilight realised that all traces of her cold had vanished. “Huh…That’s strange…Was it this feather?” Twilight asked herself as she levitated the feather in front of herself.
Twilight’s magic field was enveloped by Trixie’s, and Trixie took the feather from Twilight, bringing it over to herself. “That’s Trixie’s. She only let you borrow it because it was an emergency.”
Kero stared at the strange feather, a look of uneasiness on his face. ‘That feather…I can’t help but get a bad vibe from it.’
“Anyway, Trixie shall be taking her leave of you now,” Trixie said, taking out her staff and activating Fly.
“Trixie,” Twilight called out. Trixie stopped to face Twilight. “Thanks.”
Trixie turned her face away to hide the smile on her face. “Honestly, without Trixie, you’d have never made it this far,” she said as she pushed up from the ground, flying off back towards her trailer.
“And over here we have our Equestria famous dolphin tank,” the tour guide said as he led the group to said tank.
Twilight and Pinkie excitedly watched a group of dolphins playing around as the tour guide talked about dolphins. The other four mares were visibly less amused, but still took interest in the information being fed to them, with the exception of Rainbow Dash, who was just pure bored out of her skull.
“Wow! They’re amazing, aren’t they girls?” Twilight asked as she pressed her face against the tank. The rest of the group were amused at her enthusiasm.
Earlier that week, they all decided to go somewhere together, since they all had the day off, and decided where to go using rock, paper, scissors. Twilight won, and chose to visit the Manehatten aquarium.
“Twilight, the tour’s movin’ on,” Applejack said, snapping Twilight back to reality.
Twilight turned to Applejack, and then back to the dolphin tank. “Why don’t you guys go on ahead? I kind of want to stay here for a little bit.”
Applejack checked the nearby wall clock, and saw a small café nearby. “Hey, why don’t we sit down and get some ice-cream? Then we can move ahead together, and at our own pace.”
Rainbow Dash’s head shot up at the sound of ice-cream. It had been a pretty boring day so far, and right now, anything could sound exciting to her. “Yeah! Let’s go!” she shouted, dashing off towards the café.
The rest of the group, with the exception of Rarity and Twilight, followed Rainbow Dash.
“Oh good. Trixie didn’t miss the dolphins being fed,” Trixie said, walking up to the tank next to Twilight.
Twilight and Rarity both jumped at the sound of Trixie’s voice, and turned around to face the blue Unicorn. “Trixie!?” Twilight shouted, being shushed by nearby ponies shortly after.
Trixie turned around to face Twilight, her eyes widening at the sight of the purple Unicorn. “Well well, Sparkle. So, you like the aquarium, too,” she said, trying to be civil, so as to not get thrown out.
“Uh, yeah,” Twilight said nervously. “F-fancy meeting you here. Small world, huh?”
“Certainly quite a coincidence,” Rarity said.
“There is no such thing as coincidence,” Kero started, popping up from Twilight mane.
Kero was about to finish, but Trixie finished for him. “There is only inevitability.” Kero looked at her with a surprised look, and she explained: “That’s what Yuko told Trixie when she visited her shop.”
Kero’s face turned into a frown as he crossed his arms. “Man, she totally ripped off Clow’s phrase.”
Trixie was about to ask what he meant, when she suddenly realised that the dolphin feeding was over. “Oh no!” she shouted, causing the ponies around to shush the group once more. “Great! Now Trixie’s missed the dolphins being fed!”
“Why did you want to see them being fed so badly?” Rarity asked, an eyebrow raised in confusion.
“Trixie is currently studying the habits of various sea animals,” Trixie explained, levitating a notepad and a quill from her saddlebag. “Great. Now Trixie will have to come back tomorrow…”
“You know,” Twilight started. “If you want, I have a lot of books you could borrow.”
“Really?” Trixie asked, her face suddenly lit up. She then caught herself, and returned her face back to its neutral expression, clearing her throat before continuing. “Well, Trixie might take you up on that offer.”
“Speakin’ of dolphins,” Kero said. “Did ya know they shed their skins, like snakes?”
“Really!?” Twilight and Trixie asked in unison, their eyes wide with surprise.
“Yeah. It’s not very well known, because they only do it at 3000m below sea level.”
Twilight put a hoof to her chin, whilst Trixie made sure to write this information down on her notepad. “Wow…I never knew that,” Twilight said. “None of my books ever told me that.”
“Trixie had no idea either.”
Rarity’s giggling caused them both to turn to her. “Oh, girls, that’s not really true,” she said. “He’s just pulling your legs.”
Twilight and Trixie stared at Rarity for a second, and then averted their gazes to Kero, glaring at him together. “Man, you guys are easy to fool, huh?”
“Hey, guys!” Kero ducked down into Twilight’s mane and Rainbow Dash approached the group. “You guys coming, or…Trixie!?” Rainbow lowered her head and entered an attacking stance, ready to charge forward into Trixie.
“Oh, hello, you,” Trixie said, glaring it Rainbow Dash, who glared back at her with equal ferocity.
Twilight saw the two of them ready to break out into a fight, and tried to calm them down. “Uh, Rainbow Dash, shall we go have that ice-cream now?”
Rainbow turned her attention to Twilight, and then, after a deep breath, stood up straight. “Yeah, c’mon, let’s go,” she said, giving Trixie one last glare.
Twilight and Rarity followed Rainbow Dash towards the café, and an idea passed through Twilight’s head. “Hey, Trixie, would you like to join us?” she asked, turning to face Trixie.
“What?” Trixie and Rainbow Dash asked in unison.
“You can’t be serious, Twi!” Rainbow said, walking up to Twilight.
“Why would Trixie want to eat with you?” Trixie asked.
“There, see!? She doesn’t want to eat with us!”
Rainbow Dash and Trixie resumed glaring at each other, and for a moment, Twilight could swear she saw sparks between their eyes.
Before anything bad could happen, a gentle voice could be heard from behind Twilight and her friends. “Um, girls?” Everypony turned to the source of the voice, and saw Fluttershy approaching the group. “W-what’s going on? Is everything ok?”
Trixie’s eyes widened, and her heart skipped a beat. She felt her legs shaking beneath her, and sweat dripping down her forehead. “F-Fluttershy?”
Fluttershy saw Trixie, and quickly walked over to the blue Unicorn. “Oh, Trixie. You’re ok. Oh, thank Celestia. When you suddenly left like that, I was so worried. But I’m so glad to see that you’re ok!”
Trixie’s nerves did not settle down at this. Her face started to turn red and the yellow Pegasus moved closer to her, and her mind was in complete chaos. ‘S-she was worried about Trixie? And she’s glad to see Trixie's ok?’
Rarity noticed the nervousness running through Trixie, and quickly caught on. A sly grin crossed her face as she approached Fluttershy. “Come on now, Fluttershy. Let’s not keep Applejack and Pinkie Pie waiting.”
“Oh, um, ok…” Fluttershy followed Rarity towards the café, along with Twilight and Rainbow Dash.
“W-wait!” Trixie called out, causing the group to stop and face her. “Um, well, T-Trixie…Can spare some of her time…For ice-cream…”
‘Thought so,’ Rarity thought, holding back the laughter building up inside of her.
“Oh, you’re joining us, Trixie?” Fluttershy asked, a gentle smile on her face.
Trixie’s face became even redder at this, and she could do was simply nod, before following the group with a series of robotic movements.
“Great!” Twilight shouted, clapping her forehooves together. “The more the merrier, right?” she asked, facing her three friends.
Rainbow Dash simply turned away and walked towards the café, obviously annoyed. Rarity and Fluttershy both agreed with Twilight, and the four ponies followed Rainbow Dash towards the café.
Trixie made sure to take her seat right next to Fluttershy. Applejack was confused by Trixie being here, but when Twilight said that she invited her, she didn’t complain. She figured that if Twilight trusted her, then she was ok.
Rainbow Dash was noticeably less trusting of the blue showmare, sitting opposite her and glaring daggers the entire time. Trixie returned Rainbow Dash glares whenever she wasn’t shifting her eyes nervously between Fluttershy and her ice-cream.
Rarity simply sat back and watched the situation unfold, while Twilight and Pinkie Pie tried to break the unpleasant mood between Trixie and Rainbow Dash.
“So, Dripsy,” Rainbow Dash started. “Learned any magic recently? Y’know, besides the hacky stuff you already knew before?”
“Actually,” Trixie said, fixing a glare on Rainbow Dash. “Trixie had learned a wide variety of powerful spells recently.” Her horn started to light up. “For example, this!” she shouted, her horn shooting a beam of light at Rainbow’s wing, causing her to yelp and jump out of her seat.
“W-what was that!?” she shouted, landing on the ground and trying to check her wing. “Hey…It won’t extend!”
“Of course not,” Trixie said, grinning at the blue Pegasus. “Trixie disabled the nerves inside your wing. You won’t be flying for the next two hours.”
Rainbow Dash resumed glaring at Trixie, who just smiled back smugly. “Trixie, that wasn’t very nice,” Fluttershy said, causing Trixie to turn her head to the yellow Pegasus. She had a stern look on her face, which caused Trixie’s entire body to shiver in a similar way to before. “You should apologize.”
Rainbow stuck her tongue out at Trixie, but pulled it back when Fluttershy turned to face her. “And you, Rainbow Dash. You shouldn’t call other ponies names. It’s very rude.”
Rainbow Dash tried to protest. “But…She…”
“Indeed,” Rarity said, levitating her cup of tea and taking a sip. “After all, you don’t like it when somepony calls you Rainbow Crash, right?”
Rainbow turned her head towards Rarity, and then to Fluttershy, and finally to Trixie. She grunted loudly, and then turned to walk away. “I’m going to the restroom!” she shouted, walking away from the group.
Before anypony could call out to her, a loud crashing noise was heard from deeper within the aquarium, along with the sounds of many screaming and running ponies.
“Everypony run!”
“H-heeeelp!”
“Quick! Call an ambulance!”
The aquarium’s PA system alerted everypony that some of the animal tanks had broken, and the aquarium was being flooded. Everypony in the aquarium was asked to leave so that they could close it down to investigate the matter. Twilight and Trixie were upset at this, but had no choice but to comply.
“Hey, is it true that somepony died in there!?” a random passerby asked their friend.
“No, just injured,” their friend answered. “But isn’t it strange? It was like the water was moving on its own!”
“Really? I wasn’t paying much attention.”
Twilight and Rarity were walking side-by-side, behind the rest of their friends. Rarity leaned over to whisper into Twilight’s ear: “Hey, do you think it’s a Clow Card?”
Twilight shrugged her shoulders, not entirely sure. “It is,” Trixie answered, walking just behind the two, holding her compass, which was glowing. “It’s somewhere in this aquarium.”
“Then, shouldn’t we go and capture it?” Rarity asked, turning back to face Trixie.
“Not yet,” Twilight said. “There are too many ponies around. We’ll have to come back tonight.”
Later that day, Twilight and Rarity took a late train from Ponyville back to Manehatten, and hung around some of the shops until nightfall. When it was dark outside, the two mares, along with Kero, made their way to the aquarium.
At the back entrance, they ran into Trixie. At this point, they were accustomed to running into the showmare, and were in fact expecting it. All three mares were dressed in black skin suits, which acted to both hide them in the dark, and also hide their identities in the event that any security cameras caught them.
“Sparkle,” Trixie greeted casually, tipping her hat. “Rarity.”
“Trixie,” the two mares greeted back. Twilight made her way to the door and placed her staff down, using her magic to try and unlock it without setting off the alarm. She had read a few books on the subject, and so she had a good idea on how it worked, but the consequences of failure would be severe, so she took extra caution.
“And the plush toy’s here, too,” Trixie observed, turning to Kero, who was sitting on Rarity’s head.
“Little kids should be at home in bed,” Kero responded, turning his head away from Trixie.
“Oh? You dare to call somepony little?”
“For your information, my true form is much bigger, and much, MUCH cooler than this!”
“Trixie doubts it.”
“Why you-”
“Guys,” Twilight said, breaking up the argument. “We have a problem. The lock has an anti-magic element to it.”
Trixie laughed and pushed Twilight aside. “Once again, it’s up to the Great and Powerful to save the day.” Trixie walked up to the security door, not noticing Kero pulling faces at her, and then examined the door with an analytical spell. Once she was sure no improvements had been made to the lock, she opened up the panel by the door, and pressed a few buttons. A satisfying click was heard, and the door opened. “Nothing to it,” she said smugly, her nose pointing up.
“You were…A little too good at that,” Rarity said, raising an eyebrow.
“Of course. Such a simple lock is foal’s play for Trixie. Quite literally.”
“What’s that mean?” Twilight asked.
“It means that Trixie had this lock beat when she was just a foal,” Trixie said, pride beaming on her face as she entered.
“What!?” Twilight shouted. Trixie turned back to shush, and Twilight placed her hooves to her mouth, before following Trixie inside, Rarity not too far behind. “Um, you mean, you’ve broken in here before?”
“Yes,” Trixie said. “When Trixie was young, she was too poor to afford the entrance fee, so she had to sneak in through the back door.”
“Were you ever caught?” Rarity asked, a nervous look on her face.
“No, but back then, Trixie snuck in during the day, and blended in with the tour groups. Any security personnel wouldn’t have given Trixie a second look.” The three ponies stopped as they reached a four way intersection, and Trixie checked around the corners.
“So, which way?” Twilight asked Kero, who was meditating on top of Rarity’s head.
“Hmmm…I think…Yes, it’s defiantly to the right,” Kero said, opening his eyes and pointing down the right-hoof corridor.
“Perfect,” Trixie said sarcastically. “That’s where security’s the tightest. We’ll have a hard time sneaking past them.”
““We”?” Rarity asked, a smirk forming on her face.
Trixie’s face turn slightly red, and she quickly corrected herself. “I-Trixie means “Trixie will have a hard time”,” she said, trying to keep her voice as low as possible, despite her flustering. “Obviously, Trixie doesn’t care if you get caught. In fact, it would just make things easier for her.”
“Oh, really?” Trixie turned to face Rarity, who was grinning at the blue mare. “If we get caught, what’s to stop us from telling them about you?” Trixie glared at Rarity, who just simple grinned back at Trixie. “Also, if we get arrested, that would cause so much trouble for Fluttershy.”
Trixie’s eyes widened, and she almost let out a loud “WHAT!?”, but managed to hold it in, by pinning her hooves to her mouth. “W-what do you mean?” Trixie asked.
“Well, the poor dear likes to worry so much, and if we got arrested, she probably wouldn’t be able to sleep for days.”
Trixie’s face suddenly took on a concerned look as she ran the scenario through her head. She could see images of Fluttershy searching around her small cottage for any bits that she could find, trying to raise the money for the two mares’ bail fees, all the while losing weight from not eating properly.
“Um, Trixie?” Twilight asked, waving a hoof in front of Trixie, who was simply staring straight ahead of her. “Hello? Equestria to Trixie.” This seemed to wake Trixie up, and Trixie cleared her throat as she pushed the images aside. “Um, are you ok?”
“Never better,” Trixie lied, peeking around the corners again. “…Stay close. Trixie has an idea.”
Rarity let out a quiet giggle, whilst Kero simply leaned against his paw in annoyance. ‘She’s so easy,’ Rarity thought.
‘She’s so stupid,’ Kero thought.
Trixie pulled out a Clow Card from her bag, and whispered: “Create an image of a fleeing thief. Illusion.” After tapping her staff against it, the Clow Card began to light up, and soon enough, a shadow figure began to take shape in front of them.
“Hey! Who’s there!?” one of the security ponies shouted. The image ran off down one of the corridors, and was soon chased by many security ponies.
There were two security ponies left guarding the right-hoof corridor, something which Twilight was prepared to handle. “Shadow,” she whispered, tapping her staff against the Shadow card. “Ok, let’s go!” she shouted, running ahead of the group and down the corridor.
“Ah, wait!” Trixie shouted, chasing after Twilight. Rarity followed Trixie, and the three mares were quickly spotted by the two security ponies in front of them. To Trixie’s surprise, Twilight was able to just simply run past them. “Oh, Trixie sees what she did…” Trixie observed the shadows of the two security ponies, and noticed that they were tied down by the Shadow.
Trixie passed the two frightened guards, quickly followed by Rarity, who actually stopped for a moment to apologize to them. “Um, Twilight darling,” Rarity shouted to the pony at the front of the group. “Won’t they just, you know, call for back up?”
Twilight slowed down for a second, but then sped back up to her previous speed. “I…Hadn’t thought of that.”
“Well, it’s too late now!” Kero shouted, jumping off of Rarity’s head and flying up to Twilight. “Watery’s close by!”
“Watery?” Twilight asked.
“Yeah. It’s one of the four elemental cards in Clow Reed’s deck,” he explained. “There are six main cards, and of those, four are known as the elemental cards: the Windy, the Watery, the Fiery, and the Earthy. The other main cards are the Light and the Dark.”
“So what makes those cards so special?” Trixie asked as she managed to catch up to Twilight.
“Well, every other card is aligned under one of these six main cards. In other words, if it were like a business, these cards would be the board of directors.” Kero motioned for Twilight to take a left turn at the next fork, and continued his explanation. “Basically, these cards are the most powerful, and they can’t be capture by cards aligned under them.”
“So which cards would that be in this case?” Twilight asked.
Kero thought for a moment, trying to recall which cards they had which were aligned under Watery. “Out of what we have, Rain and Wood can’t be used,” he said, before turning to Twilight. “Additionally, you can’t hold down Watery with Windy, sine Watery’s main body is a liquid, meaning it’d just split apart if you tried.”
The group finally reached the room where Kero could sense Watery. It was a backstage room, with a few water tanks, where sick animals were cared for. They approached the tanks cautiously. “Watery has ta be here somewhere…Keep you guard up.”
Rarity heard a noise behind her, and turned to see that one of the tanks had a crack in it. “What the?” She stumbled back a bit when the crack grew, and let out a loud scream when the water burst out of the tank, beginning to flood the room.
“Everypony! Get to high ground!” Kero shouted, floating up to a catwalk above them.
“Fly!” Trixie shouted as she activated her Fly card, using it to ascend to the same catwalk.
“Jump!” Twilight shouted, and then, after grabbing a hold of Rarity, jumped to the rest of the group.
Below them, the four could see more tanks leaking and bursting, and the water level quickly rising. “We should be safe up here,” Kero said, looking around. “Where’s Watery?”
Everyone else also scanned the room, and eventually, Rarity caught sight of a blue mermaid-like creature, which seemed to be made of water. “There!” she shouted, turning the group’s attention to it.
Watery held its hands together, drawing water into them in a swirling pattern, ready to fire it at the seemingly defenceless group.
“What do we do!?” Twilight asked, turning to Kero.
“I dunno…If we had Freeze…No, that’s under Watery, too…Agh!”
“Freeze?” Trixie asked. An idea hit Trixie, and she searched through her bag. “Of course!” she shouted, throwing a Clow Card up into the air and striking her staff against it. “Time!”
Watery was about to unleash its attack, when suddenly, it froze in place, along with the water rushing towards it from below.
“Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card!” Trixie shouted as she swung her staff down onto Watery, sealing it away in card form. The card floated towards Trixie, who smiled triumphantly.
“No way!” Kero shouted, completely shocked that Trixie actually managed to capture one of the main cards.
“Hmph, a simple feat for the Great and Powerful Tri-” Trixie’s gloating was cut off by the sounds of incoming security ponies. “Uh, perhaps we should get out of here…”
Twilight nodded in agreement, and the group looked around for another way out, since the room was too flooded to exit the way they came in.
“There!” Rarity shouted, pointing a hoof at the ceiling, where there was an opening in the glass dome.
“I don’t think I can jump that high,” Twilight said.
Trixie let out a sigh, and then brought out her Fly card. “No choice, then. Trixie will have to take you one at a time,” she said, tapping her staff against the card. “Fly.”
Once the group was safely out of the aquarium, and had covered some distance, they took a moment to catch their breaths. Except for Kero, who was bragging about how Guardian Beasts don’t get worn out. Twilight then pointed out that he got worn out during morning exercises.
Trixie was about to leave the group, when Twilight called out to her. “Hey, Trixie. Tomorrow, Ponyville’s going to have a party to celebrate the return of everything that went missing because of Erase.”
“Is that so?” Trixie asked, clearly not interested. “And?”
“Well, I mean, since it was thanks to you that I was able to seal it away, I was thinking…Maybe you’d like to join us?”
Trixie raised an eyebrow at the purple Unicorn, and then shook her head. “Trixie will have to decline. She has no intention of mingling with such low-class ponies at their low-class party.”
Twilight looked disappointed. A problem that Rarity decided to fix. “Are you sure, darling?” she asked, gaining Trixie’s attention. “Everypony will be there, and I’m sure that Fluttershy would be just delighted to see you there.”
Trixie’s eyes widened, and her cheeks flushed red. She took a moment to clear her throat, and then turned around. “W-well…Maybe Trixie…Can make an appearance…”
Rarity smiled at Trixie’s acceptance of their invitation. “Splendid. We’ll be expecting you, then.”
Trixie nodded, and then silently walked off towards her trailer.
Twilight stared at Trixie with a confused look, and then directed said look towards Rarity. “Am I missing something?” she asked.
Rarity rolled her eyes, and then leaned over to whisper into Twilight’s ear. Twilight’s eyes widened as she turned back to where Trixie was just moments ago. “S-seriously!? Trixie and…Fluttershy?”
The Everfree forest was as dark and quiet as usual, even during the day. Reldo, a dragon who took up residence within the depths of the forest, was out searching for his next meal, when suddenly, he felt a chill down his scales.
He entered a forest clearing, and his eyes widened at the sight of the air being ripped apart, a black void replacing what used to be there. From within the void, a creature that Reldo hadn’t seen in many thousands of years stepped out: a human. A short, male human, with short brown hair, wearing black clothes with a strange red emblem.
The rip behind him closed up, and the dragon licked its lips before approaching the strange creature. “Well well, it’s been a while since I’ve tasted a human,” the dragon said, grinning at the young boy.
The boy didn’t respond; he simply stood there, staring at the dragon with his one brown eye and one blue eye.
“I think I’ll fatten you up a bit, and then save you for a special occasion. Although the thought of enjoying you now is appealing, too.”
The dragon raised its claw, ready to swing it towards the boy. However, before he could, he felt a sharp pain spreading throughout his body. He looked down, and saw a trail of fire across his stomach. He then turned back to the boy, and saw him holding out a katana that he didn’t notice before, fire blazing around its blade.
The dragon spat up some blood, before collapsing to the ground, blood starting to pour from the wound across its stomach.
The boy ignored the dying dragon’s weak pleas for help, and simply moved on through the forest. “The feather…”
Twilight had to admit, Pinkie had seriously outdone herself this time. When she said that the party would cover the whole of Ponyville, she wasn’t kidding. This was easily the biggest party the pink pony had ever thrown together, somehow, she was still able to race around the town with so much energy, determined to talk to everypony at least once before the party ended.
Across all of the streets, Twilight could see colourful streamers, balloons, tables topped with snacks and drinks, and flower petals scattered all over the ground. The petals were a particularly nice touch, though Twilight couldn’t help but think how Pinkie had managed to throw all of this together on such short notice.
“Trixie must admit, she is impressed,” Trixie announced as she approached Twilight. “It seems your friend is quite the expert at throwing parties.”
Twilight smiled at Trixie’s arrival. She was worried that Trixie would change her mind and not show up, but she was happy to see her fears were for naught. Trixie wasn’t as excited at her being here as Twilight was. She had only shown up because of Rarity’s words that day.
“Glad you made it, Trixie,” Twilight said, levitating a glass of juice from a nearby tray and offering it to Trixie. A flower petal slowly descended into the glass, causing Twilight to switch it for another one. “Hehehe…Sorry ‘bout that…”
Trixie took the glass into her magic and started drinking the juice. Another flower petal landed on her nose, which she knocked off with her hoof. “Honestly, didn’t your friend overdo it? What’s with all of these flower petals?”
“I don’t know,” Twilight said, noticing that it was suddenly starting to rain flower petals all over Ponyville. “I’ll go ask her to tone it down a notch.”
Twilight walked towards Pinkie Pie, who was conversing Mayor Mare not too far away. “Pinkie Pie,” she called out.
Pinkie turned around and hopped over to Twilight. “Heya Twilight! You enjoying the party so far? It’s the second biggest party I’ve ever thrown! Have ya tried the punch? I used an old family recipe! By the way, have you seen my manepin? I can’t find it anywhere.”
Twilight let out a nervous squee at the mention of the manepin. Pinkie’s memory was hazy, so she didn’t realise that she was possessed by the Sword card, or that she almost killed her friend with it. Twilight decided it best not to reveal that to the pink pony. She probably wouldn’t really get it, anyway.
“Uh, Pinkie, these flower petals are beautiful and all, but…D’you think you could turn it down a notch?”
Pinkie raised an eyebrow at her friend. “What? Flower petals?” Pinkie looked around to see the many petals falling all around her, and then turned back to her friend. “Wow, they are beautiful. But it’s not me controlling them,” she said.
Twilight’s eyes widened, but before she could ask who it was, Pinkie had hopped over to another pony in the distance to talk to her.
Twilight turned back to Trixie, and frowned when she saw Trixie quickly put away her compass, acting innocent. She walked over to the blue showmare. “Trixie? Is there something you want to tell me?”
“…Nope.”
“Really? So there isn’t a Clow Card nearby then?”
Trixie shook her head, smiling at the purple Unicorn. Twilight quickly ran a circle around Trixie, and grabbed the compass in her magic. “Hey! That’s Trixie’s!”
The glow only lasted a second, but Twilight defiantly saw it. The compass glowed the same way it always did whenever there was a Clow Card nearby. “So there is a Clow Card nearby.”
“Alright, fine! There is! But you should just let Trixie handle it, and enjoy your little party!”
“I don’t think so,” Twilight said, walking over to Trixie to return her compass. It was then that Twilight had noticed just how deep the flower petals were right now. She looked down, and couldn’t even see her hooves at this point. “Whoa! What kind of Clow Card could be responsible for this?”
Trixie shrugged as she took back her compass, returning it to her saddlebag. “In any case,” she started, before noticing that the downpour of petals had started to increase rapidly. “Argh! Trixie can’t even see through all of these petals!”
Twilight took out her key, before looking around to confirm that it was safe. Most ponies had retreated to their homes, and what ponies were left weren’t paying any attention to her and Trixie at all. They were far too absorbed in the heavy shower of flower petals that was going on.
“The key that hides the power of the dark, show your true form before me. I, Twilight, command you under our contract: Release!”
“The key that hides the power of dimensions, show your true form before me. I, Trixie, command under our contract: Release!”
Twilight levitated a card from her bag, and swung her staff against it. “Wood!” A branch of wood shot out from the card, and tied itself along Trixie’s waste. The other end tied itself along Twilight’s waste, making sure that the two wouldn’t become separated.
“Alright, now where is it?” Trixie asked to herself as she looked around. “Blast, there’re too many petals. Trixie can’t see clearly.”
“Erase!” Twilight shouted as she activated the Erase card, using it to remove some of the flower petals in their way. “That way!” She pointed a hoof towards the park, where a faint golden glow could be seen in the distance.
The two Unicorns slowly made their way to the park, with Twilight using Erase to clear the way a little bit every so often.
They finally reached the park, where they found a woman in a long dress dancing around, spreading flowers all over the place.
“Which way, Kero?” Rarity asked, slowly making her way through the huge pile of flower petals burying the town.
“Just keep goin’ straight,” Kero answered. Rarity eventually reached a fork in the street. “Now go left.” Rarity obeyed, but stopped when Kero called out to her. “Wait, I mean right. Right!”
Rarity turned to glare at Kero. All of these petals were clearly annoying her, and Kero’s lack of directional ability wasn’t helping. “Make up your mind!”
“Sorry,” Kero said. “I can’t think very well when I haven’t had my morning snack yet.”
The two eventually made it to the park, where the downpour of petals was much less intense. “Twilight! Are you ok?” Rarity called out as she made her way to her friend.
Twilight turned to face Rarity, and also saw Kero. “Yeah, I’m fine,” she answered. “But, Trixie…”
The group turned to face strange woman in a long dress, and she was…
“Is she…Dancing with Trixie?”
“Indeed,” Twilight responded, watching as the woman forced Trixie into a Waltz. Trixie wasn’t sure what to do. The woman wasn’t being aggressive, but for some reason, Trixie couldn’t free herself from the woman’s grasp.
“Ah, as expected of the Flower card,” Kero said. “She likes festive events, like the party today. She’s probably just trying to make things more fun for everypony.”
“So…She’s not going to attack us?” Rarity asked.
“Nah, it’s cool. In fact, if it weren’t for this party, she probably would’ve remained ion card form, like Windy and Wood.”
“Trixie didn’t know she could dance like this,” Trixie said, starting to get into the dancing with Flower. “She will have to add this to her résumé.”
“Twilight, ya better seal her, before she covers the whole town in flowers,” Kero said.
Twilight nodded, and then approached Flower, who stopped dancing in order to turn and smile at Twilight. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in, Clow Card.” Twilight gently swung her staff forward, sealing Flower into her card form.
Trixie fell to her haunches after Flower’s grasp over her had gone, and then rose back up to her hooves. She looked around, and noticed that the flower petals had stopped falling. However, the petals that had already fallen still remained.
“What?” Twilight asked, a frown on her face. “You mean we have to clean this up ourselves?”
Rarity sighed, but then lifted her head up and smiled at her friend. “Well, at least no big disasters happened.”
Suddenly, a cold chill passed through Kero’s spine. “I wouldn’t be so sure of that…” he said, turning around slowly.
The three mares followed his gaze, and saw a young boy approaching the group, holding a katana in his right hand, which had blood dripping off of it. “Is that…A Clow Card?” Rarity asked, her body shaking as the boy approached.
“No,” Kero said, moving backwards slightly. “But whoever he is, every single part of my body is telling me to run…”
“The feather,” the boy said, raising his katana into the air. “Hand it over.” Without any warning, the boy started running forward at high speed towards Trixie.
Trixie noticed this, and quickly fumbled through her bag with her magic. She quickly pulled out a card, and slammed her staff against it. “S-shield!” The barrier formed just in time, as the boy’s katana struck against it.
The boy backed away, and pointed his left hand forward. Two purple streams of energy coiled around his arm, forming a ball in the palm of his hand, and he fired it forward. To Trixie’s shock, and horror, the attack completely overwhelmed Shield, shattering the magical barrier that it had set up.
“The feather,” the boy repeated, lunging forward and striking at the blue Unicorn. His attacked was intercepted by a purple Unicorn, levitating a sword with her magic. “I will collect the feathers, at any cost.”
Twilight felt her body weakening as the boy forced his blade against hers, but she managed to summon up enough magic to propel herself forward, pushing the boy back a bit. He responded by falling back somewhat, distancing himself from the mare.
“T-Twilight…” Trixie stared at the librarian with wide eyes, before suddenly becoming annoyed at her. “What are you doing!? You could have gotten hurt, or worse!”
“But if I had done nothing-”
Twilight couldn’t finish before the boy raised his katana. Flames engulfed the blade, before he swung it forward, firing the trail of fire at the two mares. Twilight was about to raise a barrier with her magic, when Trixie suddenly stepped in front of her.
“Watery!” Trixie shouted as she slammed her staff against the Watery card. A stream of water shot out of the card, and collided with the fire, resulting in an explosion and an excess of steam obscuring her vision. Because of this, she didn’t see the incoming attack from the boy, and was unable to retreat before feeling a sharp pain pass through her left foreleg.
“TRIXIE!” Twilight shouted. She looked up at the scene in horror. The boy had run his katana through Trixie’s leg. Blood was dripping from the wound. And, even worse, he wasn’t done yet; he moved his left hand towards her neck. “Oh no you don’t!”
Twilight jumped up swung her sword down on the boy, causing him to back off once again. Trixie fell to floor, the pain in her leg too much to continue standing. “T-Twilight…Run…” Trixie said, but her warning fell on deaf ears. Twilight glared at the young boy, her anger boiling. She slowly started to approach him, and Trixie repeated her warning. “RUN, TWILIGHT! HE’LL KILL YOU!”
Her warning was ineffective though; Twilight charged towards the boy, intending to stun him with her attack. She was no fool. She could see that, even if she did try to run, with Trixie in her current state, they wouldn’t get away. But if she could wound him…If she could just get one good hit on him, then they had a chance.
Twilight swung her sword down on the boy, who blocked easily with his katana. He tried to kick her while blocking her attack, but Twilight used a teleportation spell to get behind the boy. She lunged her sword forward, taking advantage of the opening…But stopped just short of his arm.
She felt an intense chill run through her body, and simply stood still, her sword still in mid-lunge. Trixie, Rarity, and Kero all looked at the scene in horror. The boy had used the same magic that he used earlier, but this time, he used it to pierce Twilight’s stomach with a stream of purple magic. The same magic also attacked her horn, and she watched disbelievingly as she saw half of her horn falling off of her head, right in front of her eyes.
She finally let out a loud scream as the reality of the situation caught up to her, and fell down to her side, the pain too intense to continue standing.
The boy turned around and loomed over her body. “I will obtain all of the feathers. And I will destroy any who get in my way.” The boy raised his katana into the air, ready to bring it down and finish Twilight for good.
“STOP!” Trixie shouted out, limping over to the young boy. The boy turned to face the showmare, who was levitating a feather in front of her. “This is what you want, right? Take it. Take it and leave us, alright!?”
The boy stared at Trixie for a few seconds, his expression not changing. He lowered his katana, and held out his left hand. The feather floated over towards him, and was absorbed into his body. “I have collected the feather. I am ready to move on to the next world.” A few moments later, the space in front of the boy ripped open, revealing a black void. The boy stepped inside, taking one last look at the blue Unicorn, before the rip closed itself up.
Twilight opened her eyes slowly. She felt a powerful headache wash over her, and tried to remember what had happened. “Where am I?”
“Your library.” Twilight turned to the voice that had answered her, somewhat startled, since she wasn’t expecting it. She saw Trixie, sitting on a stool next to her bed, her head turned away from Twilight. “How are you feeling?”
Twilight placed a hoof to her temple, and resisted the urge to throw up. “Not so good…What happened?”
Trixie remained silent for a moment, giving Twilight a chance to recall things. After some time, she managed to remember the mysterious boy that had attacked them, but couldn’t recall much after that.
“After you were defeated, Trixie sent you to someone who could help.”
Trixie sat down in the park, holding Twilight in her forelegs. “Twilight! Come on, Twilight, wake up!” Despite Trixie’s best efforts, the purple Unicorn refused to awaken from her slumber. “DAMNIT! Don’t do this, Twilight! You can’t die…You can’t…”
Tears ran down Trixie’s face, and she wasn’t alone. Kero and Rarity, who had been watching the whole thing, soon started to join her.
“Twilight darling…We have to help her…”
“COME ON! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TA CAPTURE THE CLOW CARDS! STOP BEING LAZY AND GET UP! Please…C’mon, kid. Just get up…”
The group remained silent, as all hope for the librarian seemed lost.
“Oh no…I think I’m too late.” The group turned their heads quickly to see a young boy in black clothing. Kero and Rarity immediately raised their guards, causing the boy to step back nervously. “Whoa! Hold on! I’m only here because-”
“Watanuki, right?” Trixie asked. Watanuki nodded his head at her, and she quickly ran up to him. “Please…Take me to Yuko! She’ll know how to save Twilight, right? You’ve got to take me there! PLEASE!”
Watanuki pushed Trixie back a bit, and tried to calm her down. “That’s actually why I’m here. Yuko wanted me to give you this.”
“Watanuki gave Trixie the means to save your life. It was a device to teleport us to Yuko’s shop. The shop where wishes can be granted. At a price.”
“Yuko! Please, you can’t let her die! Isn’t there anything you can do!?”
Yuko raised her hand to silence Trixie, and then knelt down to examine Twilight. “She is in pretty bad shape…Her horn will need to be reattached, but the problem Is that she’s lost too much of her magic…Even if we reattach it, it may not be enough to save her life.”
“No way…So it’s hopeless?” Trixie looked down at the purple Unicorn, tears falling down her face rapidly, no longer able to hold them back.
“No, there is a way,” Yuko said, perking Trixie’s head up. “But there will be a price.”
“I’ll pay whatever price I need to!”
“Are you sure? Think carefully now.”
“I SAID I’LL PAY! NOW HURRY, BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE!”
Yuko nodded, and then called over Watanuki. Trixie noticed that Watanuki was covered in bandages, something which Yuko picked up on. “You should thank him,” she said. “When he heard that you were in trouble, he insisted on going out to help you. He even paid the price for bringing you to my shop.”
Trixie stared at the boy in shock, but then pulled herself together. “…Thank you.”
“It’s no problem,” Watanuki said. “So, what do we need to do, Yuko?”
“The only way to save Twilight at this point…”
Twilight waited patiently, but Trixie stopped talking, and didn’t seem to have any intention continuing any time soon. “So…What was it? How did you save me?”
Trixie hesitated, and then said: “The price and the solution were the same.”
Twilight didn’t understand, but then noticed how much Trixie was avoiding looking at Twilight. A thought crossed through Twilight’s mind, and she leaned over to Trixie. “Trixie…Show me your eyes.”
Trixie sat still, and didn’t say a word. Twilight grabbed Trixie’s shoulders and forced her to face Twilight. She gasped in shock at what she saw. Trixie’s right eye was exactly as it should be, but her left eye…It was grey. Trixie eye had lost its colour. And there was only one thing that could mean.
“Give me a mirror,” Twilight demanded. Trixie again froze up, so Twilight used her own magic to levitate one over to her. Her suspicions were confirmed; Twilight’s left eye was exactly the same as Trixie’s. It had lost all of its colour, and was now grey. Her other eye…
“A Unicorn who loses all of their magic…Dies,” Trixie said, looking down at the floor beneath her. “In order to save you, you needed a…What did she call it? A “magic transplant”.”
Twilight’s right eye was exactly the same as Trixie’s left. It was the same shade of purple, the iris was the same size, and the reflection was the same. “Trixie…You…”
“In order to save you, Trixie needed to give you half of her magic. It was the only way.”
“You idiot!” Twilight shouted, grabbing a hold of Trixie’s shoulders. “Don’t you realise what that means!? Magic is a Unicorn’s life force! If you give up half of it, then-”
“I know!” Trixie shouted back, turning up to look at Twilight, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. “But I had no choice! If I didn’t, you would have died!”
“But…You gave up half of your remaining life…Why would you-”
“I could ask you the same,” Trixie interrupted. “Why did you risk your life to save Trixie? You could have just fled, but you didn’t. You could have died, and the reason…Was to protect Trixie…Protect me…”
“Trixie…”
The two remained silent for a good few minutes, although to them, it seemed like a good few hours. Finally, Twilight let out a quiet “thank you”.
Trixie turned her head away. “You don’t need to thank me, Sparkle.”
“Twilight…”
“What?”
“You can…Call me Twilight. Ok?”
The silence between the two returned once again.
Kero and Rarity waited downstairs in the library, whilst Trixie took care of Twilight upstairs. Naturally, bringing home an unconscious Twilight with bandages around her stomach didn’t go unnoticed by the baby dragon working there, and Rarity and Kero felt it only right to explain everything to him.
Surprisingly, he had taken everything quite well, up to the point where Trixie saved Twilight’s life. But, despite how much the thought of that bugged him, he was still thankful to her, though he would never admit it to her face.
“Still, I’m surprised,” Kero said. “To think she’d go so far for her…I thought she didn’t get along with Twilight.”
Rarity lowered her teacup and turned to Kero. “Even if you don’t get along with somepony, that’s no reason to leave them to die when you can do something to help.” A grin formed on Rarity’s face, as she turned to face the stairs leading up to the upper level of the library. “Besides, you’re wrong Kero. Those two…Get along quite well together. Despite how they may act to try and prove otherwise.”
Twilight felt groggy when she woke up this morning. It had been a full week since the incident where Trixie had given her half of her magic, but she still felt the effects of having another pony’s magic running through her veins.
It also didn’t help that Trixie’s magic was a lot more reactive than her own, albeit in shorter quantities. She had to learn to tone down her spells, so that they wouldn’t strain her too much, and also had to be careful not to exhaust herself each day.
‘Trixie was able to perform many spells each day, and didn’t seem worn out at all… She must have discovered some method to harnessing her own magic efficiently. I’ll have to ask her about it when I see her again.’
Today, though, was no time to feel worn out. Today was the Running of the Leaves race, and Twilight had intended to participate in it once again this year.
“Hi-hi-ho!” Kero shouted as Twilight walked over to her mirror, and began to brush her mane. As she looked into her eyes, and noticed the changes in them since that incident, she immediately turned away.
One eye reflected what she had lost, and the other eye showed what somepony had given up, to save her life. She looked up at Kero, who was floating above her, stretching his legs. “… Kero, I have to ask you something.”
“Sure. Go ahead,” Kero said, floating down and landing on Twilight’s desk.
“… Level with me, Kero: how dangerous exactly is this whole ‘Cardcaptor’ thing?”
“What d’ya mean?”
“I mean, how many more creatures like that one that attacked me and Trixie are going to show up?! How many more times is somepony’s life going to be in danger?!”
“… As long as the Clow Cards remain on the loose, nopony is safe from them. The only way to stop it, is to seal them away. As for that boy, it didn’t seem as though he came here for the Clow Cards. Though, I’d be lying if I told you that there aren’t those out there that will be after them. But right now, you and that brat should be the only two able to seal them away. So long as you keep your identities as Cardcaptors hidden, you should be fine.”
“… Is that the truth.”
“It’s all I can offer you.”
Twilight sighed, and resumed brushing her mane, only taking periodic looks into the mirror, to avoid any long-term eye contact with her own reflection.
“Alright… I’m going now, Kero. The Running of the Leaves starts at noon.”
“You’re not gonna eat before the race starts?”
“The girls and I are going t have a picnic together over at Applejack’s.”
“I see… Hey, wait! What about me?!”
“… Just, try not to eat out the entire fridge, okay? Other than that, do whatever.”
“Hmph. Just use Dash and win that stupid thing already.”
“That’d be cheating!” Twilight shouted. “I’m not going to do something like that! The purpose of this race is to have fun, and get the leaves to fall off of the trees with all of our running.”
“Alright, alight. It was only a joke, don’t get so worked up over it.”
“… Later, Kero.”
“Later, egghead.”
“Racers, on your marks!” Mayor Mare waved the flag in her forehoof down. “GO!”
All of the ponies gathered at the start line took off immediately, leaving the mayor in a cloud of dust. At the back of the pack was Twilight Sparkle, following her books’ lessons and taking the first leg of the race slowly.
“Such beautiful scenery. I wish Trixie were her to see this.” Twilight wondered why she wanted Trixie to be there at that moment, but shook of the strange thought. ‘I just want to share this view with somepony. That’s all.’
Above her, Twilight noticed Pinkie Pie and Spike in their hot air balloon, performing live commentary on the race below them.
“And in the lead is Applejack, followed closely by Rainbow Dash! Rainbow Dash takes the lead! Now Applejack! Now- Oh! This sure is a surprise!” Spike facepalmed. Twilight wasn’t sure why, until she heard Pinkie Pie’s next line. “Taking the lead is: Surprise!”
Twilight giggled at Pinkie Pie’s pun, and continued her slow running through the woods. She looked to her left at the trees to her side… And then gasped, when half of her vision suddenly changed. The left side of her vision was still the trees with their orange leaves, but the right half…
‘W-What the? What’s going on?’ She stop running, but still found the right half of her vision to be moving. It looked like some kind of stone labyrinth, only, the walls extended pretty high up. She tried to move her head, but the vision wouldn’t change. At least not as she expected it to.
She saw another pony there, though she didn’t recognise them. She couldn’t even tell if it was a stallion or a mare, because they were wearing a hood. Suddenly, an object came into view. ‘Trixie’s staff?’
“Ooh, pretty!”
Twilight was snapped out of her thoughts by Pinkie Pie’s voice, and suddenly, the strange image was gone. Looking up at the balloon in the sky, she could see many green lights filling the air. “Looks like a gift from the heavens! What do you think, Spike?”
“I think they look like green jewels in the sky!” The baby dragon extended his tongue to try and taste one. “… Only, not quite as solid…” he said in a disappointed voice, accompanied by Pinkie Pie’s giggling.
“Twilight!” Twilight jumped, and turned around, to find Kero flying behind her. “Twilight, I sensed a Clow Card! Is everything alright?!”
“Kero… W-What are you doing?! What if somepony saw you?!”
“Well, what else was I supposed to do? But forget about that now! Tell me, has anything strange happened yet?”
“Well… there’s that glow in the sky.” Twilight pointed up to where the green lights were floating in the air.
“… Oh. Is that all it is?” Kero breathed a sigh of relief.
“What do you mean? Is it not anything to worry about?”
“Nah. That’s Glow. Like Flower, Glow is completely harmless. It’ll just create those lights in the sky, that’s all.”
“I see… So, it had nothing to do with that vision then, huh?”
“Hm? Vision?”
“Oh, nothing!” Twilight cautiously looked around herself. “So, where’s Glow’s main body?”
“You’re gonna capture it now? What about the race?”
Twilight looked behind herself. “… I doubt I’ll catch up now. Besides, after the race, ponies might come and investigate.”
“Well, if you’re sure you want to… You just have to go to where the lights are coming from.” Kero looked up at the lights in the sky, and then down to a path leading up the nearby mountain. “They seem to be comin’ from up there.”
Twilight nodded. “Right. Let’s go do this… Y’know, it’s been awhile, hasn’t it?”
“Yeah. It feels good to finally see some action again!”
As Twilight passed the finish line, receiving the last place medal, she was immediately swarmed by her friends.
“Twilight, what happened?” Applejack asked. “Ah thought ya’d get at least tenth out there today!”
“What, you pull a muscle out there or something?” Rainbow Dash asked.
Twilight decided to use that as her excuse. “Uh, yeah… Something like that.” She was quickly pulled aside by Rarity.
“Twilight, darling, you went out a captured a Clow Card all by yourself, didn’t you?” she whispered into her friend’s ear.
Twilight was shocked. “H-How’d you know?”
“Because Kero told me,” she said.
‘Kerooooo!’
“Twilight, I cannot believe you would keep me out of something like this!”
“C-Calm down, Rarity! Fine, I’ll stop by your shop later and show you the card I got, so you can make your new costume. Happy?”
“… Well, I suppose, it’ll have to do. But in the future, please don’t leave me out of such things, Twilight. I hate to think of you going up against such things all on your own.”
Twilight smiled at her friend’s concern for her. “Right. I’ll try harder to keep you in the loop next time.”
“Hmmm… It’s strange,” Kero said.
“What’s strange?” Twilight asked.
“”Well, earlier, I sensed two Clow Cards, at the same time. But, the other one vanished, just now.”
“Must have been Trixie,” Rarity suggested. “That would explain why she didn’t show up here, at least.”
“I guess so, but… What’s strange, is that I was able to sense it.” Twilight and Rarity both looked confused at that. “Remember, I can only sense Clow Cards when I’m meditating. I was bored today, so I decided to meditate, to see if there just happened to be a Clow Card nearby.
“However, I usually can’t sense a card as far away as this other one was. I wonder why I could this time?” Neither Twilight nor Rarity had an answer for him. Kero decided to break the short silence that followed. “Ah, whatever! Twilight got a new card today! I say we celebrate by throwing a party, naturally with lots of cake!”
“Did somepony say party?” Pinkie Pie asked, suddenly appearing in-between Twilight and Rarity. All three gasped, and Kero quickly adopted ‘stuffed toy mode’. “Hey, that’s a great idea! A Running of the Leaves party, to reward all the ponies that worked so hard to clear up the falling leaves!”
Twilight quickly used her magic to stuff Kero into her bag, receiving a few mumbled grunts from the Guardian Beast. “Y-Yeah! That sounds great, Pinkie Pie!”
“Alright everypony, party at Sugarcube Corner, pronto!” Pinkie Pie pulled Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy from somewhere, and huddled everypony together into a big group hug. “By the way, cute toy, Twilight.”
Inside Twilight’s bag, Kero groaned, and shifted about to try and find some breathing room. Twilight simply giggled nervously. ‘Sorry, Kero. I’ll get you a big slice of cake, so just bear with it, okay?’
Trixie stared into her mirror as she ran her brush through her mane. She had just finished bathing at the Neighagara Resort’s spa, and was now in her room, painfully bored, and desperate to find something to do.
She began to brush her mane in the hopes of taking her mind off of things, but as it turned out, it only made things worse. As soon as she saw her reflection, or more specifically, her eye in her reflection, she was reminded of just how close she had come to death not too long ago… and how she had given up half of her magic, to save Twilight.
“That was a stupid thing to do,” she told herself. “That Twilight Sparkle humiliated me in front of an entire town, rubbed salt on the wound when she told everypony I had lost to an infant, and to make matters worse, she had previously claimed to be just a ‘regular old Unicorn’, making my defeat at her hooves even more embarrassing!
“Not to mention, she’s now my rival at capturing the Clow Cards. At ht every least, I should have taken her cards from her when she had the chance.” Trixie continued brushing for a few seconds, and then sighed, and lowered her brush down onto her table.
“… But, she saved my life, didn’t she? Not only that, but her life was in danger because of me. Even so, to give up half of my magic, for somepony I barely even know? Sure, we’ve spent a lot of time together recently, but still… Why did I do something so stupid?”
Unable to find an answer in her own mind, Trixie decided to turn in for the night. “I suppose Fluttershy would have been upset if Twilight had died… Yeah, that must be why I saved her. No other possible explanation…”
Trixie awoke in a vast field at night, where there was no sign of life, save for the cherry blossom trees around her and the grass beneath her hooves, anywhere in sight. She found that, despite being outside without her cape, she still felt pleasantly warm. In fact, she noticed that there actually wasn’t any breeze at all.
She looked up, to see Luna’s beautiful night sky above her. It was a full moon that presented itself to Trixie, but last she remembered, tonight was the night of the new moon. “Where am I?”
“You’re in a dream,” a voice behind her said. She quickly spun around, to find a pink pony sitting on a rock, her mane white, with a pink stripe running down it. “Hi there. What’s your name?”
Trixie was too shocked at what she saw to notice the subtle differences. “T-Twilight Sparkle?”
The mysterious pony giggled. “Close. Twilight Twinkle. But tell me, how is it that you know my granddaughter? Are you friends with her?”
‘Granddaughter? Friends?’ Trixie harrumphed, and turned her head away. “Hardly. That pony’s been a pain in my flank ever since the day I first met her.”
“Oh?” Twinkle moved aside, and patted the space on the rock beside her. “Come, sit. I’d love to hear more about how my granddaughter is doing.”
“… Trixie will talk, if you tell her what she is doing here. Wherever ‘here’ even is.”
“So, Trixie’s your name,” Twinkle said with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Trixie. And as I said, you’re in a dream.” The sitting pony put a hoof to her chin. “If I’m able to meet you in a dream like this… it must mean that you and my granddaughter share a special bond together.”
Trixie practically gagged at the mere thought of sharing a bond with that Unicorn. “Well, Trixie has kicked her flank on numerous occasions, if that counts.”
Twinkle simply giggled at that. “I see. So you don’t get along? I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Can’t stand her. She’s nothing but a spoiled brat, who doesn’t even appreciate what she’s got. She pretends she’s not as snobbish as all those other Canterlot nobles, but that just makes her even worse.”
“… My Sparkle? Are you sure you’ve got the right pony?”
“She’s stupid, unattractive, always getting in the way, always kissing the Princess’ flank, and the way she claims to be nothing special just drives Trixie crazy!”
“Okay, okay. Settle down.” Trixie cleared her throat, and composed herself. “You know, not everypony is as good or as bad as you may think. The fact that you’re here is proof that you two are, at the very least, connected by some common fate.” Something caught Twinkle’s attention. “Your eye…”
“Oh, that… Trixie supposes, that if she and Twilight were to share something in common, it would be this.” Trixie explained the story of how she saved Twilight’s life by offering half of her magic, omitting details of her own life almost being taken, and adding details to make Twilight seem even weaker than she actually was.
“I see… My, my granddaughter sure leads an interesting life.” Twinkle sighed. “My daughter likes to write adventure novels, and my granddaughter likes to live them. I hope my great-granddaughter doesn’t go seeking them, or something.”
“Trixie would still like an answer. How is it that we are here, in this dream together? And why, for that matter.”
“Well, dreams are sort of random. Completely beyond our control. Us meeting here is simply coincidence, that’s all.”
“… Somepony, or someone, rather, once told Trixie that there’s no such thing as coincidence, only inevitability.”
Twinkle mused that for a second. “Then, maybe I’m here to thank you. For saving my granddaughter’s life.” Twinkle’s horn glowed pink for a second, and beside her, a teapot and two porcelain cups appeared from out of nowhere. “Would you like a drink? I used to make the finest brew in all of Equestria, when I was alive.”
Trixie’s eyes widened. “You mean… you’re dead?”
Twinkle nodded. “Yes. I am.” She put a hoof to her lips. “But, no questions about the afterlife. I don’t like to give away spoilers.”
“… Well, Trixie supposes she had nothing else planned for tonight. Besides, drinking tea with a dead mare is certainly something that nopony else can brag that they’ve done before.”
Twinkle laughed as she poured tea into the two cups, and waited for Trixie to be seated beside her, before giving her one of the cups. “I wouldn’t go bragging about this, if I were you. Ponies might think you’re crazy.”
Trixie shrugged. “Ponies can think whatever they want.” Trixie examined the mare sitting beside her for a bit. “… How old are you?”
Twinkle almost gagged on her tea. “My my. I guess things have changed since I’ve been gone, but in my day, it was considered rude to ask a lady her age.”
“Trixie cares not for social etiquette, when she is merely engaged in conversation with a single nopony.”
“Honesty is indeed a virtue, but so is self-restraint,” Twinkle said, though her smile never faded. “And if you mean what age I died at, I was sixty-eight.”
“Impossible! You look no older than Trixie!”
“Why thank you,” Twinkle said. “To tell you the truth, when I was alive, I used magic to stop my appearance from aging.”
“You can do that? But, the books say-”
“The books written by Celestia?” Twinkle leaned in closer to Trixie, to whisper into her ear. “Tell nopony I said this, but a lot of the spells that Celestia decreed as ‘dangerous’, are actually completely harmless. It’s just a countermeasure, to prevent her subjects from abusing powerful spells like that.”
“… Trixie would hardly consider a spell that keeps your skin young to be dangerous if misused.”
“Ah, but consider this: if you use a spell to stop your physical age from progressing, it is just that much easier to lie about your age. Even if it seems relatively harmless, if used intelligently, false information regarding one’s identity can be dangerous. Especially on a spiritual level.
“Also, there was one incident where a fugitive managed to hide from the Royal Guard, after an unsuccessful attempt to take the Princess’ life. He then prevented his appearance from aging, to throw off his pursuers years later, who would, by then, be looking for an old stallion.”
Trixie nodded. “Trixie has heard that story. But, she thought it was just an old pony tale.”
“A lot of ‘pony tales’ are based off of true happenings. Mare in the Moon, the Elemental Geodes, Tirek… Ponies are happier when the darker sides of their history are wrapped up as mere works of fiction.”
Trixie hummed, and sipped at her tea. It tasted good. “This is good.”
“Thanks. Though I can’t really take credit for it… In a dream, if you focus hard enough, you can control practically everything around you.”
Trixie saw a light flicker in front of her, and saw her vision beginning to blue. “What’s happening?”
“You’re waking up… A shame, too. I was enjoying the company.”
Trixie yawned, and then placed her cup down… Or tried to, but the cup was already gone. “What?”
Trixie woke up in her room, in her bed, or on it. Her covers had been thrown off at some point in her sleep. She groaned as she used her magic to lift the covers back up. She hadn’t done that since she was a foal…
She looked outside of the window, and saw that it was still night outside. That made her wonder why she had woken up so early, until she caught sight of something shining behind her. Turning around, she found that her compass was going off. A Clow Card was nearby.
Once Trixie was a good distance away from the inn, she used her magic to activate her compass. A beam of light shot up into the air for a moment, but then vanished. In its place, a small dome of blight shone in the centre of the compass.
“What the? That’s never happened before…” Trixie pulled a sheet of paper out of her cape, and scanned across it. “Let’s see… These instructions should tell Trixie what the deal is…”
In the event that the light is merely a sphere in the centre of the compass, that means that you are in the Clow Card itself.
“What does that mean?”
It means that the Clow Card affects a large field, and that you are trapped within it. A fine example would be Loop, which creates an infinite special loop to trap its target.
“So I’m trapped in the card? What the heck do I do?”
Simple. Find out what card it is, and then escape it, either forcefully, or by playing its game.
Trixie blinked a few times after reading that last line. She then looked around cautiously, before turning back to the sheet of paper.
No, I’m not watching you. Stop being so paranoid.
“W-What the hay?!” Trixie shouted, pulling her head back and giving the paper a strange look.
Quiet down, or somepony may stumble upon you. Also, be careful. You make that face too much, and it’ll stick.
“Screw you!” Trixie shouted as she used her magic to burn the paper to ashes. It then occurred to her that she had just burned what could have held many hints for capturing future cards, and that that was her only copy. “… Oops.”
Suddenly, the ground began to shake beneath Trixie’s hooves. She looked around the area to try to see what was causing it, when she was startled by large stone walls shooting out of the ground, and the area around her morphing from the forest that it once was, into a cold stone labyrinth.
“W-What the? Is this the Clow Card?” Looking up, Trixie could see that the walls went up very high… but there was no roof. She grinned, and pulled out her key.
“The key that hides that power of dimensions, show your true form before me. I, Trixie, command you under out contract: Release!” Hey key expanded, eventually forming her Staff of Sealing. “Fly!”
Making use of the Fly card, Trixie attempted to beat this Clow Card by simply flying over the walls of the maze… “Hm?” As she neared the top, she noticed that the walls began to grow once more. “Oh no you don’t!” Trixie picked up the pace, flying even faster, but it was no use; the walls also grew faster as she did.
Finally, she decided to call it quits, and simply flew back down to the floor. “Well, that didn’t work out…”
“Of course not,” a voice said. Trixie turned around, and found a cloaked approaching her. “You can’t beat the Maze card in that way.”
“‘Maze card’? Is that what this is?”
“Indeed it is. And if you want to capture it, you’ll first have to escape it, without such tricks.”
“And what do you know about all of this? Who are you, anyway?”
The mysterious pony turned around, and levitated something in front of her. It was a small, crystal bell, held in a golden aura. “You have the Watery card, do you not? Please use it to ring this crystal, and it shall guide us out of this labyrinth.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie asked you who you are!”
“I cannot reveal that,” the pony said. “For now, just trust me.”
“Hmph! Trixie’s trust cannot be gained so easily!” Trixie turned around, and placed her left hoof a nearby wall. “If Trixie does this, she’ll eventually find her way out, all on her own!”
“That won’t-”
“Good day, sir or ma’am!” Trixie honestly couldn’t tell the gender of this pony. Not from their voice alone. It sounded feminine, but it could just as easily belong to a guy.
Trixie began to march through the maze, keeping her left hoof on the wall at all times. Eventually, she found herself crossing paths with the mysterious pony once more. “Ugh, you again?! Go take a different path!”
“I have not moved from this spot once.” Trixie give the pony a disbelieving look. “It’s true. The Maze won’t allow you to leave that easily. I did try to warn you, Miss Lulamoon.”
Trixie growled, but then stopped when she realised that this card was going to be a bigger problem than she first thought. “… Fine. Hold out your stupid bell.” The cloaked pony complied, and Trixie pulled out her Watery card. “What does Trixie do, just fired a torrent of water at it?”
“Just a light sprinkling should do,” the pony said.
Trixie nodded, and touched her staff to the card. “Water, do… whatever it is you do to activate that bell. Watery!”
A light sprinkling of water appeared over the bell, and moments later, it began to ring, and distort the air around it.
“This way,” the cloaked pony said, leading the way out of the maze. Trixie watched her the entire time, occasionally using the Watery card whenever she was asked to. “We’re almost out. Get ready.”
“Look, the Great and Powerful Trixie really must insist that you-” Before Trixie could finish, the two had rounded one final corner, and were now out of the maze. “… I-It worked…”
“Now, Miss Lulamoon!” the cloaked pony shouted. “Seal Maze away, before it engulfs us once more!”
“W-What?!” Trixie looked up at Maze, and found that it was distorting around them. Her eyes narrowed, and she held up her staff. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
The Maze was drawn into a small, concentrated space in the air above Trixie, and eventually, returned to card form. The area around the two ponies returned to the forest that it once was, and the card began to float down towards the cloaked pony.
“I’ll be taking this, then,” the pony said. “Since it was my bell that got us out of there, the card is rightfully mine.”
Trixie turned towards the pony, and glared daggers at them. “Hand that over. Now.”
The pony remained un-intimidated, and simply turned away from the angry mare. “Well, it was nice to finally meet you, Miss Lulamoon. Our paths shall cross again, but in the meantime, I wish you a pleasant night, and sweet dreams.”
Trixie was about to use a spell to hold the pony down, but before she could, the mysterious pony was engulfed in a golden light, and then vanished into the night.
“A teleportation spell…” Trixie kicked the ground angrily. “You’ve got to be kidding me. So even after all of that, I still didn’t get the card… We’ll meet again, you say?” Suddenly, Trixie’s frown turned into a grin. “Very well, then. The Great and Powerful Trixie accepts your challenge. And next time, she won’t lose. Not to you, or to that inferior whelp Twilight Sparkle!”
“Over there!” Trixie shouted as she rounded a corner, chasing a blue chameleon through an alleyway in Log Pegasus. “Ha, it’s mine now! I’m familiar with these alleyways!”
“C’mon, Twilight!” Kero shouted as he flew alongside Twilight and Rarity. “Don’t let that brat win!”
“But she’s right!” Twilight said. “She’s in familiar territory, and I’m not! So what can I do?”
“I’ll give ya a bird’s eye view!” Kero flapped his wings faster, and raised higher into the air. He looked down at the Clow Card that was still on the move, and looked for a pathway to cut it off. He found two that would work quite well, and descended back down. “Take the next right! We’ll cut it off, and capture it!”
“Got it!” Twilight, Rarity, and Kero turned right at the next intersection, whereas Trixie turned left. They continued to run until they came into contact with the Clow Card once more.
“It’s mine!” Trixie shouted, raising her staff with her magic. However, before she could cast her spell, the Clow Card turned around, and made a break for the alleyway that it had just come from. “Oh no you don’t!”
“Rarity, hold it down for me!” Twilight shouted.
Rarity nodded, and ran up to the chameleon, grabbing it at the same time as Trixie. It struggled against the combined hold, but was unable to break free.
“Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!” With a swing of her staff, and an explosion of magic, Twilight smiled contentedly as the captured Change card floated into her hooves. “We did it! Nice work, everypony!”
“Hmph!” Rarity huffed as she flicked her mane, and dusted herself off. “You may have won this time, but don’t get carried away, Sparkle. The Great and Powerful Trixie will most certainly… What has happened to Trixie’s voice?”
“Good heavens!” Trixie shouted, backing away from Rarity with a look of horror on her face. “T-That’s my body! What is it doing there?!”
Rarity’s eyes widened, and her jaw dropped open as she scanned Trixie’s body up and down. “W-What’s going on?! Why is Trixie seeing her Great and Powerful Body in front of her?!”
Meanwhile, Twilight looked between the two with a confused, and concerned, look on her face. When she heard a sigh beside her, she turned to Kero, and immediately frowned. “… Is there something you’d like to tell us, Kero?”
“The Change card… has the ability to swap ponies’ bodies.”
“And you didn’t think to tell us that before?!”
“I was going to!” Kero shouted in his defence. “But then that brat came along…” He shot a glare at Trixie, before remembering that it wasn’t Trixie, but Rarity. The blue pony flinched, and looked nervously at the white one beside her. “And I kinda… forgot? Ehehehh…”
Twilight didn’t feel like laughing. She was furious, and also afraid. Afraid that her friends were forever trapped in each other’s bodies. “This is bad… What do we do? How d we explain this everypony? What about Sweetie Belle, and Snips and Snails? How do we explain that the ponies they look up to so much are now in different bodies? And what about Rainbow Dash?! She’ll be livid! Absolutely livid!”
A blue aura appeared around Twilight’s mouth, and a zipper formed, and closed. Twilight tried to undo it at first, but stopped when she saw that it was Rarity – or Trixie, in Rarity’s body – performing the spell. “Try to calm down first, okay?”
Twilight nodded, and closed her eyes. She tried to picture her happy place. In a library, surrounded by books, her family, books, the Princesses, more books, her friends, her friends as books…
“Ow!” Trixie shouted as she rubbed her head, and the spell that she was casting disappeared. “It seems that Trixie’s magical ability still remains, but she is using your magic reserves,” she said as she cast a glare at her own body.
“That’s not all,” Rarity said, pointing at Trixie’s flank. “You still have your Cutie Mark! And it appears that I have mine!”
“Of course,” Kero said, floating in-between the two ponies. “Your Cutie Marks are part of who you are. No matter what body you’re in, your talents, and thus, your Cutie Marks, will remain.”
“Oh, but what is this gaudy manepin?” Rarity asked, looking at her reflection in a small mirror.
“Don’t touch that!” Trixie quickly shouted, startling everyone present. “Uh, i-it’s important to Trixie. She doesn’t want you to lose it.”
“I won’t lose it, darling. I just think that-” A blue aura surrounded Rarity’s hoof, stopping it as it neared the manepin.
“Just… leave it alone! Okay?!”
Rarity stared at Trixie flabbergasted. The look on Trixie’s face showed desperation, and fear. With a nod, Rarity gently began to lower her hoof back down to the ground. She then stowed the mirror back into Trixie’s cape, where she had found it.
“Anyway,” Trixie began, now a little more calm, “Why don’t you try using the Change? After all, that’s the reason we got swapped in the first place, right?”
“Ain’t that simple,” Kero said, shaking his head sadly.
“What do you mean?!” Trixie shouted. “So, what, we’re stuck this way forever?!”
“Not exactly. What I mean is, the Change card alone won’t be enough.”
“So what else do we need?” Rarity asked. “Fabulous outfits?”
“Attention-grabbing incantations and special effects?” Trixie asked.
“An ancient spell book written by a Unicorn from olden times, that’s been sealed away in some dusty vault for over a thousand years?” Twilight asked.
Kero shook his head. “First, we need to wait twenty-four hours.” Everypony nodded. “And then… the two of you, in perfect harmony… must hug.”
Rarity breathed a sigh of relief, whilst Trixie gagged at the thought. “Is that all?” Rarity asked.
“Trixie absolutely refuses!” Trixie shouted, earning a glare from Rarity.
“And just what is so bad about the idea of hugging me, exactly?!”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not do hugs! Especially not with the enemy!”
“So you’d rather stay like that, then?!”
Trixie examined her new white hooves, and grinned. “This body isn’t so bad. And Trixie is given to understand you have a nice little boutique in that town you live in, correct?”
“But what about your magic?” Twilight asked. “You said it yourself. Rarity’s magic isn’t quite as potent as yours. No offence, Rarity.”
“None taken, Twilight,” Rarity said. “And what about our reputation? You’d have to start it from scratch, you know?”
“… That doesn’t seem like such a bad thing,” Trixie mumbled, confusing the other two mares. “But you bring up a good point about the magic… Ugh, fine then. Trixie will swap back with you.” Rarity smiled, whilst Trixie turned her head to pout. “Trixie will just pretend she’s hugging her clone or something.”
“Whatever makes you happy, darling. Now, I suggest, to make matters easier on ourselves, that Trixie stays at my boutique, and I stay in Trixie’s trailer.”
“I don’t know,” Twilight said. “I think it would be better to keep you together.”
“And if Rainbow Dash found out?”
“Trixie has been meaning to ask: why are you so afraid of that hothead, exactly?”
“It’s not that we’re afraid, Trixie,” Twilight said. “It’s just… easier, if we don’t tell her about this. She’s not exactly your biggest fan, in case you haven’t noticed, and she’s easy to provoke, like you.”
Trixie nodded as she listened, but then stopped as Twilight’s words sunk in. “What do you mean, like me?!” She noticed the blank stares pointed her way, and quickly cleared her throat. “… Fair point. But the Great and Powerful Trixie does not feel comfortable letting a stranger stay in her trailer unsupervised. If you insist on sleeping in Trixie’s trailer, then it will have to be with the Great and Powerful Trixie.”
Rarity gave Trixie a sly grin. “Oh, my. You really do love yourself, don’t you?”
Trixie’s face turned red as she realised what Rarity was suggesting. “N-Not like that, you fool! Trixie means in separate beds, bodies not touching, and definitely magiplay!”
“Very well then, dear. Oh, but what about Opalescence?”
Trixie titled her head. “If that’s some kind of slang term, Trixie doesn’t follow.”
“She means her pet,” Twilight said, before smiling at Rarity. “And don’t worry. I’ll take care of her.”
“Are you sure about that?” Rarity asked, her voice full of concern. Which sounded strange, considering it was still Trixie’s voice. “Opal can be quite a hoofful, you know?”
“It’s just a cat,” Trixie said. “If she can handle Nightmare Moon, she can handle a cat.”
“I will not have the Elements of Harmony being used on my little Opalescence!”
“Rarity, relax,” Twilight said. “Really, it’ll be fine. I’ll have Spike and Kero to help me out, remember?”
“Wait, what?” Kero asked. “Why do I gotta-” He stopped when his eyes met Twilight’s hard glare. “Uh, I mean, I’d be happy to help! S-Since, I guess, I should’ve warn you all before this whole mess happened, after all…”
“Then it’s settled!” Twilight cheered, before reaching over and pulling Rarity towards her. “While you’re at it, see if you can introduce some of the magic of friendship to Trixie. I really think that she needs it.”
Rarity sighed, and her ears flattened against her head. “I was afraid you might say that. Well, I can certainly do my best, but-”
“Hey!” Trixie shouted, parting the two mares. “That’s still Trixie’s body! Don’t go touching it like that without Trixie’s permission!”
As the two watched Trixie walk off down the alleyway, Rarity leaned over to finish her last statement. “No promises.”
“What do you mean, you can’t open it?” Rarity asked as she watched Trixie struggling with her trailer door.
Trixie eventually gave up, and gave Rarity an annoyed look. “It’s locked with Trixie’s magic. And since you’re now in Trixie’s body, that means you need to unlock it.”
“How do I do that? I don’t know the spell!”
“Hmmm… We could ask Twilight to do it, since she now shares the same magic as Trixie, but she’s all the way back in Ponyville…”
Rarity sighed. “Is there no other way in?”
“… There could be.”
BANG!
Rarity was startled by the sudden explosion, and completely stunned as she watched the door fall down. “Trixie’s magic enhances her door so that it can’t be broken down so easily. However, there are weaknesses to it, and if you know the right spell-” Trixie’s bragging was cut off by a sharp pain in her head.
“Well, I’m happy that we can get in now, but please do remember that that is my body, won’t you dear?”
Trixie grit her teeth together, and tried to power through the pain. “… Anyway, Trixie will have to repair her door tomorrow. For now, there some spare wood in the back that we can use as a temporary wall.”
Rarity nodded, and followed Trixie into the trailer. She looked around, curious as to what the home of Trixie Lulamoon actually looked like. It wasn’t quite what she was expecting. First off, there was no actual bed, so to speak. Just a blanket of the floor, and a few pillows, and a lava lamp sitting next to it.
There was a kitchen facility, which consisted of a sink, and oven, a microwave, and a few small cupboards.
On the floor, there were many papers, props, fabrics, and other items just laying about, along with a beanbag chair stashed in the corner, surrounded by books. Trixie’s reading corner, Rarity guessed.
Further down the trailer, there were two wardrobes, and a chest. Rarity felt that something was missing… And then it hit her.
“Trixie, where’s…” Rarity blushed, and walked closer to Trixie to whisper the rest of her question. “… The little filly’s room?”
“Don’t have one,” Trixie said as she rummaged through her wardrobe. “Which reminds Trixie, if you want to go, there’s a public restroom around the corner to that restaurant we passed earlier.”
“You… really don’t have one?”
“Having one would mean that Trixie would have to clean it herself.” Trixie grimaced at the thought, and pulled something out of her wardrobe. “Making use of public restrooms is fine. Not to mention much cheaper. Here.”
Rarity took the sleeping bag that Trixie had offered her, and waited for a pillow to come with it. She didn’t get one, though. “Um… Thanks, I guess…”
“Well, let’s just make some room in here, and then we’ll go to the spa.”
“The spa?” Rarity asked, her ears jumping up at the delightful word. They then fell again shortly afterwards, as she realised how awkward that would be. “Um, actually, wouldn’t it be better to do that after we swapped back?”
Trixie gave Rarity a blank stare, and then moved closer, pushing their muzzles close together. “The Great and Powerful Trixie always bathes every other day! And she has a discount for this town’s spa that is only valid today! My body is covered in sweat from all of Trixie’s hard work, so you are going to take it to the spa, and get it cleaned!”
“But isn’t it rather… strange, darling?”
“Ponies clean Trixie’s body all the time,” Trixie said. “What, have you never been to a spa before? Trixie would have assumed differently.”
“Well, of course I have, but I’m not a spa pony.”
“Trixie doesn’t care! Look, how about if Trixie gives you an autographed wand? It’s in the same style as Trixie’s Cutie Mark.”
Rarity didn’t seem swayed at all by the offer. “Tempting, but still, I-”
“Trixie will come to you the next time she needs a dress for some important event.”
That offer was actually appealing to Rarity. “Well, I-”
“Trixie knows some good gossip about the noble up in Canterlot.” That seemed to really pique Rarity’s interests, and Trixie grinned as she noticed it. “In particular… some juicy stories about Prince Blueblood, and also some stuff on Fancypants.”
“You don’t say!” Rarity exclaimed, her face beaming at the sound of fresh gossip about her favourite Canterlot celebrities. Such talk wasn’t easy to come by. The big names in Canterlot weren’t exactly ponies that other ponies liked to spread stories about, so if what Trixie was saying was true…
“You’re not just going to make up some fake stories about them, are you?”
Trixie scoffed, and backed away. “Of course not! The Great and Powerful Trixie may exaggerate her own tales, for the purposes of entertainment, but she does not lie about gossip regarding other ponies! What would be the point, anyway?”
Rarity considered it for a moment. She then looked over her body, and realised that she was rather sweaty. And filthy. And then she felt dirty. She couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping like this, even if it wasn’t her body. And a good trip to the spa did sound rather tempting.
Twilight’s words rang through Rarity’s ears. She wanted Rarity to try and befriend Trixie, even if only a little bit. “Oh, very well, then,” Rarity said, earning a smile from Trixie. “I suppose that the day is still young. I’ll just close my eyes and pretend it’s my own body.”
Trixie shrugged. “Whatever works for you.”
“Okay now, easy does it…” Twilight slowly crept towards the lazy cat, laying down on a pile of pillows on the bottom floor of the library. It was Opal’s feeding time, but the bowl for her food was sitting next to her. Which meant that Twilight would have to take it, fill it up, and then return it, all without being scratched to death by the furry little menace.
“I got the bag ready, Twilight,” Spike announced from a safe distance away from the cat.
Twilight nodded, and carefully placed another hoof in front of her. She saw Opal’s ear twitch, and had to hold back a frightful gulp. When no further moves were made by Opalescence, Twilight took a few more steps forward, and grabbed the bowl with her magic.
Smiling, she levitated the bowl over to Spike, who quickly began to fill it up with the cat food. The baby dragon suddenly yelped, and dropped the bag onto the floor, pointing a finger at something behind Twilight. “T-Twilight, look out!”
Twilight’s ears fell flat against her head when she heard a hiss, and she turned around to see Opal giving her a look of anger, and getting ready to pounce. “Oh no…”
Rarity sighed happily as she made herself comfortable inside Trixie’s sleeping bag. It wasn’t at all a comfortable place to sleep, especially with the lack of pillows, but the spa trip was indeed relaxing, and it felt good to be so clean and well-groomed.
She found it strange how fixated Trixie was with her manepin. Even when bathing, or sleeping, Trixie insisted that Rarity leave it in. Her face made it clear that she was desperate, and Rarity even felt that Trixie was close to begging at one point.
As a show of good faith, she complied with the showmare’s request, and kept the manepin in throughout the spa trip, and even when settling into her sleeping bag.
Glancing over at the clock, Rarity saw that it was pretty late, but not late enough for a little late-night chat. Turning onto her side, Rarity saw Trixie laying next to her, wrapped in her own blanket, with her head resting on three rather cushy-looking pillows. She almost felt bad for what she was about to do, considering how peaceful and content Trixie looked, but when she thought about how it might help in the long run…
“Trixie?” Trixie’s eyes opened, and she gave Rarity and annoyed look. “I was just wondering, how did you discover your passion for show business?”
“… School talent show,” she answered, before closing her eyes and attempting to go back to sleep again.
“And your magic?”
“Unicorns from Canterlot can generally do magic very well, even if it isn’t their talent. Therefore, it’s only that those of us whose talents are magic-based would discover it fairly quickly.”
“I see. You know, Twilight went to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns.” Trixie’s eyes opened once more. It seemed she was giving Rarity a silent signal to shut up, but Rarity chose to believe that it was just her imagination. “How about you? Did you go to any special magic schools?”
“Same one,” Trixie said. Between her eagerness to just go to sleep, and her eagerness to brag about her most spectacular upbringing, Trixie was torn, and her voice was a mix between lazy, annoyed, and enthusiastic. “Trixie also got into that school.”
“Oh my. I hear it’s not easy to get a placement in that school.”
“No, it wasn’t.” A smile began to form on Trixie’s face. “Would you like to hear the story of how Trixie got in?”
Rarity bit her lip. If she said ‘no’, then the conversation would most certainly end right there. If she said ‘yes’, then she would have to sit through what she was sure would be hours of Trixie talking herself up.
“Um, actually, I was wondering if I could ask you about your shows?”
Trixie’s face suddenly turned serious, and she sat up and gave Rarity a suspicious glare. “… You hated Trixie’s show last time. Why the sudden interest?”
Rarity quickly formulated something that would sound believable. “Oh, well, I just figured that I judged you too quickly, that’s all. I would like to start fresh… if that’s okay?”
Trixie narrowed her eyes, and leaned in closer to examine Rarity’s face for any hint that she was lying. “… Well, since you’re so interested, the Great and Powerful Trixie will tell you about some of the spells she uses in her shows. They’re general spells, so they can be used by any Unicorn.”
Rarity smiled. This might actually not be so bad. “Oh, do tell.”
As the night shifted to early-morning, the two Unicorns continued to talk and exchange knowledge with each other that they both found useful, and interesting. Whilst Trixie taught Rarity a few spells to help her with her work, as well as getting back at Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie whenever they pranked her, Rarity taught Trixie a good number of tips for keeping her mane beautiful and healthy, and for making her dresses much more fashionable and stronger.
Eventually, the topic began to shift. They moved onto talking about famous colts that they felt were overrated, to movies that they felt were great, or that had touching moments in them, and then to exchanging stories about the worst dates they had ever been on. At some point, Rarity had began to braid Trixie’s mane. Though, since Trixie was in Rarity’s body, she was technically braiding her own mane, but she didn’t really mind. She was actually surprised at just how much fun she was having right now.
“So then, I finally decided that enough was enough! You should have seen the look on his face when I ruined his well-groomed coat by covering it in that apple cake!”
Trixie laughed at the image of Prince Blueblood covered in cake, running around and screaming like a little filly. She offered her hoof to the mare behind her, who bumped her own against it. “Well well. It seems that not all of Sparkle’s friends are boring or as obnoxious as Trixie first thought.”
Rarity half-smiled at the compliment sent her way, but also half-frowned at the insult directed towards her other friends. “You know, if you just gave them a chance, you would find that they’re not really so bad… I should know. I, too, felt that Applejack and Rainbow Dash were merely uncouth brutes for the longest time. But then I spent some time around them.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is a good judge of character. Trust her, she will never get along with those ponies.”
Rarity sighed, but continued to work on the mane regardless. “By the way, why do you keep calling Twilight by her last name?” Trixie didn’t answer. “Surely you two are close enough that you can call her by her first name, right?”
“… It’s a bit personal.”
“You don’t exactly hate her, do you?”
Trixie sighed, and shook her head. “Sparkle is the one pony to have ever bested the Great and Powerful Trixie. Until Trixie can even the score, she refuses to see Sparkle as anything other than her greatest enemy. That is all that there is to it.”
“Well that just seems childish, if you ask me,” Rarity said with a pout.
“To each their own. For Trixie, it is easier to work towards defeating her, if she sees Sparkle as an enemy, rather than a friend.”
“But if you were on friendlier terms with her, you two could help each other to improve.”
“Why would Trixie want to help Sparkle? Were you not listening? The Great and Powerful Trixie wants to beat her.”
“Is that why you became a Cardcaptor?”
Trixie shook her head. “There’s a different reason for that. It was just good fortune that Sparkle was the pony that Trixie would be competing against.” Trixie thought back to Yuko’s words. “Or maybe… it was inevitable. Maybe the gods arranged this little competition for us, as our ultimate battle.”
“That’s rather poetic,” Rarity said, backing away when she was finished with Trixie’s mane. She then let out a large yawn, and rubbed her eyes as she looked over at the clock. “My goodness, we really should be getting to sleep now.”
Trixie turned around and smirked. “Whose fault is it that we’re still up right now?”
Rarity chuckled, and made her way back over to her sleeping bag. She was stopped by a pillow suddenly flying past her, and settling itself at the head of her sleeping bag, the blue aura around it disappearing as she turned to face Trixie.
“That’s Trixie’s body,” Trixie said with a grin on her face. “It should be treated well.”
Rarity smiled, and thanked Trixie as she began to settle into the sleeping bag. Suddenly, she remembered something. “Oh, Trixie? Please be a dear and remove my contacts, would you?”
Trixie’s ears twitched. “You… have contacts?” Rarity nodded. Trixie turned to the mirror hanging on her wall, and gulped as she slowly brought a hoof to her right eye. “S-Sure. Trixie can do… that…” She brought the hoof closer, and closer, and closer, and then… “GAH!” she screamed as she immediately pulled her hoof away. When she was clam once more, she saw Rarity staring at her with a concerned look on her face. “Um… Trixie has never done this before…”
Breathing a sigh of relief that Trixie was okay, Rarity smiled once more, and motioned for Trixie to come closer. The showmare reluctantly obeyed, and shifted about nervously as Rarity reached a hoof towards her eyes. “Just hold still. I’ll get these out in a jiffy…”
Trixie tried her best not to move, but her hooves seemed to have minds of their own. She began flailing and shaking about as Rarity tried to remove the contact from her right eye, which only made the situation even more uncomfortable. After thirty minutes of struggling, screaming, yelling, and pain, the contact was finally out.
Trixie breathed heavily, and thanked the stars above that the ordeal was over.
“Alright,” Rarity said, “Now for the next one.”
The following evening, Twilight Sparkle and Keroberos arrived at the arranged meeting spot on time, not a single second late or early. Twilight had expected Rarity and Trixie to be there on time, too, or at most, only about five minutes late. But after fifteen of waiting, they were still not there, and Twilight was beginning to grow very annoyed.
“What is the point of arranging a meeting time if they don’t even show up at the meeting time?!”
“Calm down, Twilight,” Kero said, watching with slight amusement, and slight worry, as Twilight paced around the grassy area.
“Calm down? CALM DOWN?! The whole point of making plans beforehoof is to make sure that everything goes off fine, without a hitch! If not everypony sticks to the plan, then everything does not go fine! Everything falls apart into total chaos! The very harmony of the entire world is thrown into disarray!”
“We’re here!” Rarity cheered as she and Trixie arrived.
“YOU’RE LATE!” Twilight shouted, startling the two mares.
“Uh, s-sorry about that,” Rarity said. “The train had a slight… delay…” Rarity shot a glare at Trixie, who simply whistled innocently in response. It was then that Rarity noticed all of the cuts and scratches on Twilight’s body, and she cringed at the sight. “Oh, Twilight, darling, I’m so terribly sorry about Opalescence.”
Trixie also cringed when she turned and noticed the same injuries. “That came from a cat? Boy, is Trixie glad she didn’t stay at your boutique last night.”
Twilight sighed, and looked over her scratched and bandaged body. “Well, it wasn’t so bad. She fell asleep, eventually.”
“So, when do we start?” Trixie asked, turning to Kero.
“Twenty-four hours have passed, so you’re good to go whenever. You two just need to embrace, and then Twilight needs to use the card.”
Rarity and Trixie nodded, and then turned to each other. Without a moment’s hesitation from either of them, the two mares moved closer, and wrapped their forelegs around each other.
Twilight and Kero were both surprised by how easy that was. They were prepared to deal with quite a hassle from the two of them, but instead… “I guess things went well last night,” Twilight whispered, a smile on her face.
“Great,” Kero said sarcastically. “Just what we need. Rarity getting’ all chummy with that brat.”
Twilight rolled her eyes, and then pulled out the Change card from her saddlebag. “Right, let’s do this, then.”
Princess Celestia walked down the dark stone passageway beneath her castle, two guards flanking her rear, and two guards leading the way in front of her. The passageway had very little lighting, and looked like something out of a nightmare. It was a dark, gloomy place, and there was a terrible smell in the air.
This was the Canterlot dungeon. Whilst there was no particular health hazard down here, its appearance had to drive fear into the hearts of anypony thinking of breaking the law. Since the dungeon was designed one thousand years ago by Princess Luna, the low lighting was designed to give prisoners a hard time breaking out, or keeping their cool, whilst having no effect at all on the nocturnal Princess of the Night.
Celestia, however, had to use a spell just to see where she was going, as did her guards.
“This is their cell,” the guard before her said. “They injured fifteen of our guards, including a Captain.” A bang was heard behind the metal door, and the guard cleared his throat. “Well, one of them did. The other one has yet to make a single violent move.”
“I see. And you say these… ‘creatures’, as you described them… they requested to see me personally?”
“I don’t know how else to describe them, Your Highness. And yes, they requested to see you, even calling you by name, and claiming that you are their old friend.”
Celestia nodded, and motioned for the guard to open the door. The guard obeyed, and Celestia watched as the door slowly opened, revealing the even darker, even danker, and even more horrifying cell inside. Chained to the wall inside, were the two prisoners that currently took up residence inside the cell. And Celestia’s eyes widened as soon as she could see them properly.
“It’s been a while,” one of them said. Of the two, he seemed to be the friendlier one, even smiling at the guards that were glaring at him. “Your Royal Guard has grown soft over the years.”
“Well, now that you’re here, perhaps you could release us?” the other one said, giving Celestia a cold, cautious glare. He looked like he was ready to attack at a moment’s notice, and if it wasn’t for Celestia’s reassurance, the guards would have been all over him, ready to keep him in line. “We could break out ourselves, but it would be pointless. Since we need to talk to you, Celestia.”
Celestia smiled, and walked into the cell, approaching the two creatures inside. “It has been a long time, but neither of you have aged a bit. Kamui. Subaru.”
Sweetie Belle huffed as she entered her house, slamming the door shut behind her and throwing her saddlebags down to the floor. “Stupid Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon… I’ll get my Cutie Mark someday…”
Sweetie Belle made her way to the living room, where she expected to see her mother and father sitting around, doing whatever boring stuff it was that adults did. Instead, she found the room empty, save for a note on the coffee table in the centre. “Mum? Dad?” she called out. She picked up the note to read it.
Sweetie Belle, your father and I are going to be coming home late tonight. We found a book that we think you will enjoy, and maybe you can find your Cutie Mark with it. It is in your room, on your bed. Good luck, and remember: don’t open the door for anypony.
Love, your mother.
“A book?” Sweetie Belle asked. “Find my Cutie Mark?” Sweetie Belle suddenly brightened up, and she smiled as she excitedly turned tail, and ran up the stairs towards her room. “Oh boy! I can’t wait! I wonder if Apple Bloom and Scootaloo will be surprised when they see me tomorrow with a brand new Cutie Mark?”
Opening her bedroom door and stepping inside, Sweetie Belle’s attention immediately shifted to her bed, where she found a small brown book waiting for her, with a green feather quill sitting beside it. She picked the book up and opened it. There was some strange writing on the first few pages, but she couldn’t make out what it was saying.
A few more pages in, the writing stopped completely, save for one sentence at the top of a new page, this one written in clearly, and in a language she understood. The writing read: ‘We want you to write what happens next’.
Sweetie Belle put her hoof to her chin and thought for a moment. “A Cutie Mark in story-writing? That’s a good idea! How did I not think of it before?” With some new-found energy and confidence, Sweetie Belle carried the book over to her small desk at the side of the room, and sat down to begin writing. “Now, where to start?”
Trixie approached the large rock before her, using her magic to light up the dark area so that she could see. There was a something pink on top of the rock, and it turned to face her. “Oh, you’re back.”
Trixie used her magic to teleport on top of the rock, and sat down beside the pink figure. “It seems so. Trixie thought you had already thanked her, Twilight Twinkle.”
Twinkle shrugged, and used her magic to summon a teapot and some teacups. “Maybe I just wanted to talk to you, then.”
“Isn’t it against the rules for the dead to just talk to the living whenever they get lonely?”
“I think it’s okay for the two of us, since we share a special spiritual connection.”
Trixie shivered, and picked up one of the now-filled cups with her magic. “Great, as if Sparkle wasn’t bad enough. Now Trixie is spending time with her grandma.”
Twinkle laughed, and took a sip from her own cup. “So, anything new happen since the last time we spoke?”
“… Actually, yes.”
“Wanna talk about it?”
Trixie sighed, but then decided that she had nothing better to do right now. “Some cloaked pony stole Trixie Clow Card.”
“Oh? How so?”
“They tricked Trixie into playing their game, and used some kind of strange bell in order to defeat the Maze card.”
“I see… And, what exactly is a Clow Card?”
Trixie facehooved. “Right. Trixie didn’t mention those, did she? Well, long story short, Trixie and Sparkle are currently competing against each other to collect them.”
Twinkle nodded, and took another sip of her tea. “You know, they say the more you fight with somepony, the closer you are to that pony.”
“Hardly!” Trixie scoffed, turning her head away. “Twilight Sparkle is the Great and Powerful Trixie’s biggest enemy! She is to Trixie what Discord is to Celestia!”
“And yet, you saved her life. And she saved yours.”
“… There’s also something else that happened lately,” Trixie said, in an attempt to shift the topic. “Last night, Trixie’s left eye had a vision that clearly wasn’t her own. In it, Trixie could see Sparkle’s friends surrounding her.”
“Just your left eye?” Trixie nodded. “Any idea what that could mean?”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “It’s no big mystery. Clearly, it has something to do with this magical transfer.”
Twinkle nodded. “Another sign that you and my granddaughter share a special bond.”
“Will you stop it with that?!” Trixie snapped. “Trixie and that egghead have no bonds, other than the one that ties us as enemies!”
“Alright, alright. I’ll drop the subject, and we can just talk about something else.”
“Thank you,” Trixie said, finishing off the tea in her cup. Twinkle offered her a refill, which she accepted. “So, how did you die?”
Twinkle laughed at Trixie’s straightforwardness. “You really want to know? It might be pretty gruesome.”
Trixie smiled. “Trixie is sure that it’s nothing she won’t be able to stomach.”
Twinkle paused for a second, before placing down her teacup. “Maybe next time,” she said. “It seems you’re waking up.”
“Huh?” Trixie looked down at her own body, and saw it beginning to fade out. “Well, that was short-lived.”
“I hope you drop by again, Trixie,” Twinkle said. “It’s kind of nice to have somepony to talk to every now and then.”
“… Well, no promises. Since Trixie really has no idea how this whole thing works.”
Trixie awoke in her trailer, immediately guessed the cause of her premature awakening. She turned her gaze over to her compass, and proved her theory correct when she saw it glowing. “A Clow Card…”
Twilight, Rarity, and Kero gathered at the entrance to the Everfree Forest, where the Guardian Beast had sensed the Clow Card’s presence.
“So, what exactly are we looking for?” Rarity asked, looking around nervously.
“Dunno,” Kero admitted. “But I’m sure we’ll know when we see it. Even in the Everfree Forest, the Clow Cards should stand out quite well. By the way, what’s up with that outfit?”
Twilight blushed, and looked down at the outfit that Rarity had prepared for her. It was a dragonfly-style costume, complete with wing and antennae accessories. The cover of night didn’t obscure her any, as various parts of the outfit flowed a bright green.
“Isn’t it simply marvellous?” Rarity asked, admiring her handiwork. “I was inspired by the Glow card that Twilight showed me. It should help us find the Clow Card this late at night, don’t you think?”
“So would magic,” Twilight pointed out. Rarity scoffed and waved her hoof dismissively. “Anyway, be careful, you two. This is the Everfree Forest, which means that this is much more dangerous than usua-”
Twilight was interrupted by a loud, thunderous noise behind her, and the group turned around to see something very, very large coming out of the trees.
“W… What is that?”
The vicious T-Rex emerged from the Everfree Forest, and started to attack the innocent ponies of Ponyville.
“JUMP!” Twilight screamed, and immediately grabbed Rarity in her magic as she jumped to avoid the tyrannosaur’s attempt to squash them with its foot. Kero grabbed onto Twilight to stay close to her as she soared in the air. “W-What is a dinosaur doing here?!”
“Is this the Clow Card?!” Rarity asked.
Kero shook his head. “No ‘Dinosaur’ Clow Card, guys!”
Suddenly, a large, three-headed dragon appeared, and engaged the ferocious T-Rex in a fight.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie has arr- WHAT THE HAY IS THAT THING?!”
Twilight and Rarity landed on the ground beside Trixie, who was staring with her mouth wide open at the dinosaur before her. “Trixie, we need you Fly card!” Twilight shouted.
“T-T-T-T-T-That’s a d-d-d-d-d-dinosaur…” Trixie said, watching the large creature in disbelief.
“Yes, it is! Now hurry up and-”
“This is awesome!” Trixie shouted, her face suddenly beaming in excitement. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has always wanted to ride a dinosaur, ever since she was a little filly! Now she can! Clow Reed, you are Trixie’s new favourite pony!”
Kero rolled his eyes, and floated beside Trixie. “Fly card, now!”
“Oh, right!” Trixie pulled out the card, but before she could use it, the sound of something roaring up in the air distracted her. “W-What the?”
Looking up, the group all fell silent as they saw a large, three-headed dragon soaring above them.
A large grasshopper…
“What is this?!” Trixie asked as she flew in the air on her staff, Twilight and Rarity hitching a ride with her. “The ‘Monster’ card?!”
“It’s the Create card!” Kero shouted, looking down at the three large creatures tearing each other apart. “If we can defeat one of those creatures, we can seal it away! The problem though…”
“Is defeating one of those creatures?” Rarity asked, to which Kero nodded. “How exactly do you propose we do that?”
Kero put a paw to his chin. “The Sword card won’t do. Not against the Create card. The question is, who’s using the card? The card’s power is limited only by the user’s imagination, so if the user is somepony whose imagination runs wild, then these creations will have practically no weaknesses.”
“What’s that?!” Twilight asked, pointing down at a new arrival: a black Alicorn with a striped red and black mane, casting a variety of spells at the creatures whilst deflecting their attacks with five oversized sword.
Trixie rolled her eyes. “A freaking Mary Sue, that’s what. Which doesn’t bode well for us.”
“Can’t you find the one who is using the card, Kero?” Rarity asked.
Kero shook his head. “Sorry, but no. If I could, I would have found it ages ago. I can only sense it when it’s in use, and even then, only the things that are created by it.”
“What about Erase? Or Time?” Twilight asked. “Either of those would work, right?”
“Erase would only get rid of the monsters currently here,” Kero said. “We won’t be able to seal away what isn’t there, though, and surely more monsters would just come if the user of the card continues to write.
“But Time might work, however… Freezing all those monsters in place, all at the same time, will be a tremendous strain on Trixie’s magical energy.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie will be able to handle it, but one of you will need to distract them!”
“I can do that,” Twilight said.
“Indeed. That ridiculous costume of yours should be able to gather their attention fairly easily,2 Trixie said with a grin. “But are you sure you want to play decoy like that?”
“Just land already,” Twilight said. “If we don’t seal them away now, just think of what they could do to Ponyville.”
With a nod, Trixie began to descend, just a short distance away from the epic battle currently going. Twilight and Trixie nodded to each other, and then ran off in separate directions.
“Hey! You guys!” Twilight shouted, alerting the four creations to her presence. “Now, Trixie! Hurry!”
“Time!” Trixie shouted, slamming her staff against the Time card. A bright light shot forth from the card, and surrounded the four creations. Trixie winced as she felt a sharp pain pass through her head, but she powered through it as she focused on her magic…
“Not good!” Kero shouted, noticing the T-Rex moving towards Trixie, completely unfazed by the Time card. “Brat, get outta there!”
The light from Time faded, and Trixie looked up in horror at the beast towering above her, roaring as it lowered its head towards her.
“TRIXIE!”
Time seemed to stand still for Trixie, and all she could do was watch as something black entered her vision. Something tall, and slim, and coated in black… and brandishing a sword. “W-What?”
The black figure thrust its sword forward, and then moved it to the side as it pierced the T-Rex’s neck. The creation stumbled backwards, and then started to fade away slowly.
“T-There!” Kero said, snapping himself out of his shock. “That’s it, Twilight! Seal it away, now!”
Twilight nodded, and quickly made her way towards the staggering creation. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
“Thank you,” the mysterious figure said, and then stuck out its hand as the four creations were enveloped by a bright light, before being turned back into card form. The Creation card floated down, and landed in the figure’s hand. “The Creation card… With this, I shall finally be able to claim my prize.”
The book before Sweetie Belle was suddenly enveloped in a strange light, and the Unicorn filly stumbled backwards as she watched it suddenly disappear before her eyes. “W-What happened to it?” she asked herself, searching her desk, under her desk, and everywhere else in her room for it.
When she could find it, an idea popped into her head. “Maybe I-” Turning to look at her flank, Sweetie Belle’s smile turned to a frown when she realised that she was still a blank flank. “Awww…”
Trixie approached the figure cautiously, keeping her eyes on the sword that it still brandished in its right hand. “The Great and Powerful Trixie… appreciates the assist,” she said, before turning her attention to the back of the figure’s head. “However, that card belongs to her. Return it, at once.”
The figure turned around, revealing its face to Trixie. It was another human, she noticed, only this one looked different from Watanuki and that boy from before. This one looked… older, perhaps? His hair was similar to Watanuki’s, though; it was short and black. Those his eyes were definitely different. One of them didn’t even seem to be there at all. It was just a blank gray colour.
“This Clow Card belongs to whomever defeated it, correct?” the figure asked, holding the card up with its left hand. “Therefore, it rightfully is mine, now. And even if it wasn’t, there is no way that I would hand it over. After all, this card has the power to give life to what should only be allowed to exist in one’s imagination. It breaks the border between reality and fantasy. Indeed, with this card, anything is possible.”
The figure raised his sword, prompting Trixie to back up and summon her magic. He gently tapped the tip of his sword to the card. “For example, a barrier that would prevent anyone from leaving this world through any magical means. Create.”
A bright light shot out of the card, and up into the air. It stayed for about five seconds, before slowly fading away. “W-What did you just do?!” Trixie demanded.
“Forgive me,” the figure said. “I did not mean to startle you.”
“Hey!” Kero shouted, flying over to where the two were standing. “Who are you, and how’d you defeat the Create card so easily?!”
“Kero!” Twilight scolded, catching up the Guardian Beast alongside Rarity. “He just saved Trixie’s life!”
“I get a bad vibe from him,” Kero whispered to Twilight. “Something about him feels similar to that boy from before. I don’t like it.”
“That boy?” Twilight asked, before suddenly remembering the boy that had attack them before. The same boy who almost killed both her, and Trixie. Suddenly, Twilight felt uneasy, and she raised her staff cautiously as she faced the new arrival.
“Seishiro,” the figure said, confusing everyone present. “That is my name. You asked for it, didn’t you?”
“Seishiro,” Twilight said, “What are you planning to do with that card?”
Seishiro grinned, and looked over at something to his right. Twilight followed his gaze, and could see Canterlot in the distance.
“There’s something I’m hunting,” Seishiro said. “That something, is now trapped in that city over there. I am going to go there, and claim my prize.
“Kamui. Subaru.”
A black aura surrounded Seishiro, startling the others and causing them to back away. When the aura dissipated, he was gone, along with the Create card.
“He said he was heading to Canterlot,” Twilight said. “… I have a bad feeling about this.”
“We should warn the Princess,” Rarity said. “Just in case.”
“You guys can do that,” Trixie started, “But the Great and Powerful Trixie has had enough of outsiders interfering with our little contest! She is going to find this ‘Seishiro’, and take back the Create card from him, no matter what it takes!”
“Don’t be foolish,” Kero said. “You saw how strong he was! You wouldn’t last a second by yourself!”
“… Then, I’ll go with her,” Twilight said.
“What?!” Kero and Trixie shouted in unison.
“There’s clearly no stopping you, Trixie. Therefore, I’ll go with you, too. To make sure you don’t get yourself killed.”
“Now look here-”
“I’m going too!” Rarity added. “That Seishiro had a rather interesting outfit. I want to get a closer look at it.”
Smiling, Twilight nodded to both Rarity and Trixie. “Well then, looks like it’s settled.”
Kero let out an exasperated sigh, and sank down beside Twilight. “Honestly, I swear you ponies are all crazy…”
Princess Celestia awoke to a foreboding feeling passing through the air. Looking outside, she could see that it was still night, and as such, it should fall on her sister to handle any trouble that finds its way to Canterlot. However, as much faith as she had in her sister, this feeling was too strong for Celestia to ignore.
Walking through the hallways of Canterlot castle, Celestia followed her instinct, and headed towards the throne room, certain that something bad would happen there soon. Luna was currently meeting with some nobles at the Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns to discuss a budget increase for a new laboratory, so the throne room should have been empty. And indeed it was, when Celestia arrived there. Completely empty, save for the one human standing in the centre, turning towards Celestia as she opened the doors and walked inside.
“Hello there,” he said. His tone was friendly enough, but Celestia could sense that there was malicious intent buried within. She already had a good idea as to her new visitor was. “I assume that you are the one in charge here? Going by your attire, and your strong levels of magic, at least.”
“You would be correct,” Celestia said, walking inside and closing the doors behind her. “My name is Celestia. May I ask yours, and also, what you are doing in the castle’s throne room?”
“My apologies,” the stranger said. “I didn’t realise I would wind up here. That’s the thing about travelling through space. It’s difficult to know exactly where you’ll wind up, especially in unfamiliar territory. My name is Seishiro, and I am merely here to hunt for something. Tell me, do you know of the two named Kamui and Subaru?”
Celestia narrowed her eyes, and took a few steps closer. “Kamui? Subaru? I can’t say that I’ve ever heard of them before.”
“I see,” Seishiro said, reaching into his jacket and pulling out a pair of glasses. He placed them onto his face, and then drew his sword. “So, you’re intent on hiding them. Is that it?”
“… What makes you think that?”
“Because, you have a face similar to my former pupil’s, when it comes to protecting those you want to protect.” Seishiro pulled a card out from his jacket pocket, and held it up. “Create.” The card glowed for a second, before morphing into a book in Seishiro’s left hand, and opening up. A quill floated into the air above the book, and stayed there in a black glow. “Now, tell me where Kamui and Subaru are.”
“Never,” Celestia said, her horn glowing gold. “I’ve heard about you. You’re the vampire hunter chasing them down, aren’t you? Those two are old friends of mine. I’ll never give them to somebody who means them harm.”
“… And, I don’t suppose you’d just step aside, and let me find them on my own.”
“That’s right.”
Seishiro sighed, and used his magic to lower the quill onto the book, writing something down into it. “Very well then. I’ll just have to wait a little longer, before I reach my prize, it seems.”
Twilight, Trixie, Rarity, and Keroberos all departed the train together as soon as it finished pulling into Canterlot station. Trixie narrowed her eyes as she looked into the direction of Canterlot castle, along with Kero, whilst Twilight looked on in worry.
“There’s a lot of powerful magic over there,” Kero said, with Trixie nodding in agreement.
“There is?” Rarity asked. “I can’t sense anything.”
“Well, not everypony is born with such talent,” Trixie retorted, grinning proudly as she flicked her mane. Rarity scowled at her, but she ignored it in favour of the magic she was feeling from the castle. “There are two separate sources of magic there, at the very least.”
“One’s the Princess,” Twilight said. “The other… traces of a Clow Card, mixed in with something else.”
“That’d be our visitor from another world,” Kero said. “He said his name was Seishiro. I got a bad vibe from him. He’s definitely not someone you wanna underestimate, and with the Create card…”
“In any case,” Trixie cut in, “We should hurry up and get there, before her runs away again.”
Everyone agreed, and Trixie used the Fly card to grow a pair of wings on the tip of her wand. Rarity and Twilight climbed on, and the three took off into the sky, with Kero flying beside them.
Suddenly, a familiar feeling rushed through Kero, Twilight, and Trixie, and they stopped moving to look around for the source of it.
“What’s wrong?” Rarity asked. “Don’t tell me… it’s yet another thing that you can sense that I can’t?”
“Sorry, Rarity,” Twilight said sheepishly. “This feeling is familiar to me… I think it’s a Clow Card…”
“At a time like this?” Trixie asked. “Where is it?”
A sudden crashing sound, followed by screaming, drew everyone’s attention. They all looked down to where they could hear the sounds coming from, and saw the ground shaking, and lifting up beneath them, along with many ponies running away from the scene.
“There!” Kero shouted, pointing a paw.
“Gee, thanks,” Trixie said sarcastically. “What card is that, then?”
“That’s the Earthy card,” Kero said. “One of the four Elemental cards. Also one of the most powerful, and most aggressive cards in Clow Reed’s deck. This is bad. To encounter such a card at a time like this…”
Trixie stared down at the beast rampaging below her. It appeared to be a giant dragon, made of stone. “How do we capture it,” she asked Kero.
“It’s aggressive, but easy to subdue, ‘cause it only uses raw strength to cause havoc. I’d recommend cards that are specialised for holding things down, like Windy or Wood.”
“Both of which are cards that Sparkle has,” Trixie muttered. She mulled the situation over in her head, and then looked over her shoulder at Twilight. “… Trixie will leave this to you, Sparkle.”
“Eh?” Twilight asked, tilting her head in confusion.
“You heard Trixie! Trixie has the Time card, which would present the perfect chance to hold Seishiro down whilst she snatches his card away!”
“That’s true,” Kero said. “But you’ll need to catch him off guard, first. It’d be best if you both fought him together, but, I guess we can’t leave Earthy alone, either.”
“Exactly. Your cards are more suited to this, Twilight. Trixie will go after Seishiro, and you take care of Earthy.”
“But-”
“For once, she’s actually right,” Kero said, earning a growl from Trixie. “But, in that case, I think you should lend her the Erase card, Twilight.”
“Erase?” Twilight asked, before reaching into her bag and pulling out said card.
“Erase is Create’s opposite. It may just present the opening you need to use Time, but be warned: Seishiro strike me as the kind of opponent who would only let his guard down once. Don’t’ expect a second chance if ya screw it up.”
Trixie nodded, and stared into Twilight’s eyes. The purple Unicorn seemed uncertain. “Don’t worry,” Trixie said. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will be fine.”
Twilight hesitated for a bit, but then nodded, and handed the Erase card to Trixie. “… Please don’t do anything reckless, Trixie.”
Trixie only nodded in response. She felt her face heating up, and her heart increasing ‘What’s going on? Is it just the heat of the moment? Y-Yeah… that must be it.’
Trixie descended down to the ground, allowing Twilight Rarity to jump off. As she began to ascend once more, she noticed Kero flying beside her. “What are you doing?”
“I wanna make sure you get the Create back. It bothers me, letting that guy have something so powerful.”
“… Very well then. The Great and Powerful Trixie will allow you to watch her feats of amazing Clow Card retrieval, since you seem to be such a big fan.”
Kero gagged at the suggestion. “Whatever. Just don’t screw this up, kid.”
Trixie stuck her tongue out at Kero, before picking up her speed and flying faster towards the castle. Once she arrived, she flew into an open window, and landed in a corridor filled with Royal Guard ponies. None of them looked happy to see her.
“Who are you?!” one of them shouted.
“Are you with the one attacking the Princess?!”
“An intruder! Subdue her!”
“What a pain,” Kero said, landing on Trixies’ shoulder. “Explaining things might take a while.”
“Are you forgetting?” Trixie asked, pulling a Clow Card out from her bag. She tapped her wand to the card, and called out its name: “Sleep.”
The card glowed, and a small fairy popped out from the card. The fairy then flew around the room, sprinkling dust on all of the guards present, putting every single one to sleep in just a few moments.
“Right. I forgot you had that.” Kero sighed at the memory of Twilight losing that card to Trixie. Trixie doodled incorrect formulae all over the sleeping Rainbow Dash, prompting Twilight to personally correct each and every one. As she did that, Trixie captured the Sleep card, and then woke Rainbow Dash up with her magic, to the sight of Twilight drawing on her body. The rest was not pretty… Truly a sad day for Cardcaptor Twilight.
“Let’s go,” Trixie said, using her hoof to make Kero get off of her. “The Great and Powerful Trixie would prefer you not treat her like your throne or something.”
“Whatever,” Kero said, flapping his wings to take flight. “It seems the magical energies are battling it out upstairs.”
Trixie looked up at the ceiling, and found that Kero was correct. “… Well then, let’s get rid of that. Erase.”
“Wait!” Kero was too late; Trixie had already used the Erase card to create a rather neat hole in the ceiling. “Idiot! What if somepony was standing there?”
“Then Trixie would have caught them, obviously!” Trixie responded, though she wouldn’t admit that she hadn’t actually considered that. “Anyway, we can’t afford to waste any time here, right?” Trixie’s horn lit up before Kero could answer, and she teleported herself to the upper floor, through the hole. Kero followed after her.
“I’ll give you one final chance.” Trixie and Kero were both startled by the sudden, familiar voice, and turned around to see Seishiro approaching a kneeling Celestia, a sword in his right hand, and a book in his left. “Where are the vampire twins, Kamui and Subaru?”
“Seishiro!” A new humanoid figure appeared suddenly in front of Seishiro, and stuck its arms out to its sides. “Stop this, right now!”
“Subaru!” A third human appeared behind Seishiro, this one crouched down. It suddenly shout up, and thrust its right arm forward, towards Seishiro, who nimbly jumped back and over the newest arrival to dodge the attack. “What are you doing?!”
“I won’t allow Princess Celestia to die for us, Kamui!” Subaru said, kneeling down and holding his hand open above once of Celestia’s injuries. A golden glow surround both his hand, and the injury. “Princess Celestia, there was no need for you to do this for us.”
“I won’t allow my friends to be hurt,” Celestia said, raising a hoof and placing it over Subaru’s hand.
Kamui grunted, and then turned around to face Seishiro. “… Okay, so you’ve caught us now. It seems we can’t leave this world for some reason.”
“That would be my doing,” Seishiro bragged, smiling proudly at his prey.
“Then, it seems we’ll have to settle this right here and now, vampire hunter!” Kamui’s eyes changed from purple to gold, and he charged forward towards Seishiro.
Meanwhile, Twilight was using the Jump card to avoid the various tremors and other earth-based attacks that Earthy was throwing her way. The streets of Canterlot had been evacuated a while ago, save for the Royal Guard ponies that were trying to subdue the rampaging Earthy. Rarity was watching from a safe distance, silently cheering for Twilight as the purple Unicorn desperately sought a way to defeat Earthy.
“Windy!” Twilight used the wind created from Windy to cushion the falls of some guards that were sent flying by Earthy’s attack. Once they were safe, Twilight refocused on Earthy. “I need to distract it somehow… Why is it attacking me? Is it attracted to my magic, or is it something else?”
Earthy roared, raised a leg high up into the air, before bringing it down towards Twilight. Twilight used her Jump card to once again dodge the attack. “It’s big, but thankfully it’s slow… Slow?” An idea presented itself to Twilight. “That’s it!” Twilight pulled a card out from her bag, and touched her wand to it upon landing. “Dash!”
Earthy once again prepared to flatten Twilight, but this time, she was able to use Dash’s speed boosting power to avoid the leg long before it had a chance to start lowering. Twilight ran circles around Earthy, and watched as the behemoth tried to keep up with her, only to eventually grow dazed and confused, and then fall down onto its behind.
“Now’s my chance! Hold him down with your tough roots! Wood!” Twilight smacked her wand against the Wood card, and a bright light, followed by several thick branches, came from the card. The branches wrapped themselves around the downed Earthy, prompting it to flail about as it tried to free itself. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
Kamui ducked under Seishiro’s sword, and delivered a roundhouse kick to his foe. Seishiro simply jumped up to avoid the kick, and then thrust his sword forward towards Kamui, who quickly jumped a few feet back to avoid it.
Meanwhile, Subaru had snuck up on Seishiro from behind, and attempted to catch him off guard with a punch to the back of his head. Seishiro wrote something down in Create, and moments later, a shield appeared between his head and Subaru’s fist, blocking the attack.
“He’s a quick thinker,” Kero observed. “But, I think now’s our best chance. Whilst the other two keep him busy, we should come up with some kind of strategy.”
“Trixie already has one,” Trixie said. “But…”
“What?”
“… As much as it pain the Great and Powerful Trixie to admit this…” Trixie turned her head away, and lowered her hat over her eyes. “She needs you… assistance…”
Seishiro turned around and slashed at Subaru, who stumbled back to just narrowly avoid the incoming blade. Rather than following through with his attack, Seishiro quickly spun back around to block an attack from Kamui, and then wrote something else down into his book.
A sword manifested on the floor, and then shot up, piercing Kamui’s stomach. Kamui let out a pain yelp, and then fell down to his knees. Celestia and Subaru watched in horror as Seishiro used his own sword to administer the killing blow, driving his blade into Kamui’s chest.
“KAMUI!” Subaru cried out, gritting his teeth together and charging in a blind rage towards Seishiro.
“You shouldn’t lose your composure during battle,” Seishiro said, dodging Subaru’s attacks, and then countering by swing his sword upwards, slashing Subaru’s chest in the process. “Otherwise, you’ll lose.”
Seishiro’s sword vanished, and he used his now-free hand to remove his glasses, and wipe off the blood that had sprayed onto them. As he did so, he turned his attention towards Celestia, who was narrowing her eyes as she stared at him. “Well then, it appears as though my business here is at an end. Naturally, I will be taking these two with me, as my prize.”
“Those two?” Celestia asked. “You mean those dolls?”
“‘Dolls’?” Seishiro looked down at the corpse of Kamui, and gasped as he saw a simple wooden, pony-shaped doll where the body should have been. “But, how?”
“An illusion,” a calm voice said. Seishiro looked back over to Celestia, and saw Kamui and Subaru standing beside her. It was Subaru who had spoken, smiling as he held up a card. “More precisely, the Illusion. It shows somebody what their heart desires.”
“You desired our deaths, and so that is what you saw,” Kamui added. “The dolls serve as an extra distraction.” As he said that, the wooden dolls exploded into clouds of smoke, completely obscuring Seishiro’s vision.
“You’ve fallen for the Great and Powerful Trixie’s trap!” Trixie shouted as she charged into the smoke, towards where she could sense the Create card being used.
“So, this is the move you decided to make,” Seishiro said, using Create to manifest a fan to blow the smoke away. “I was wondering what you would do. A valiant effort, but not enough.” Seishiro wrote some more into Create, and moments later, many spears appeared around Trixie, all aiming at her. They began to move immediately.
“TRIXIE!” Kero shouted, worried she might not make it in time.
“ERASE!” Trixie shouted, smacking her wand against the Erase card. The spears vanished moments before they could reach her, shocking Seishiro, and giving Trixie the opening that she needed to reach him. “Got you now, Seishiro!”
“Wrong.” Seishiro jump back before Trixie could reach him, and drew his sword once more. “You seem to forget, Create isn’t my only power.” Seishiro thrust his sword towards Trixie, who was still charging towards him, too quickly to dodge in time.
“Shield!” Kero shouted, holding up the Shield card in his paws. A shield of light manifested in front of Trixie, blocking Seishiro’s attack. Whilst Seishiro was caught off guard by this, Kero quickly flew over and reached for the Create in his hand.
Seishiro considered dropping his sword and falling back, but realised that Celestia, Kamui, and Subaru were all waiting for just that to happen. With a grin, he instead dropped the Crete, and jumped a few feet back, pinning himself against a wall, but allowing himself to see everyone in the room at once, and keep his guard up.
“Gotcha!” Kero said as he grabbed the Create, which turned back to card form a moment later. “I claim this card in the name of Cardcaptor Twilight! Isn’t that lovely?”
Trixie harrumphed. “Even though it was Trixie that got it back.”
Kero simply stuck his tongue out at the showmare. “This card is way too dangerous to be entrusted to somepony like you!”
“You trying to start something, you little plush toy?!”
As the two continued to argue and glare daggers at each other, Celestia slowly approached Seishiro, the vampire twins following her, and ready to back her up. Seishiro sighed, and his sword vanished once more as he removed his glasses.
“What a shame. But, it seems that I’ll have to retreat this time. Kamui, Subaru, you two are game. And game only exists for the purpose of being hunted. One day, I shall catch the two of you. Be prepared for that day, vampire twins.”
Kamui raised his clawed hand, and started to charge forward, but was stopped by Celestia’s extended wing. “Celestia-”
“Kamui, as much as I value our friendship, I must insist against any unnecessary blood being spilled in my presence.” Celestia watched as Seishiro’s eye began to glow, and then, in a flash of light, he was gone. “Now then, as for you two-” Celestia began, but stopped when she saw Trixie and Kero already on their way, jumping down the hole they had used to get there. She sighed, but then smiled.
“This is so unfair,” Trixie pouted as she walked down the streets of Canterlot, alongside Twilight and Rarity. “You get both Earthy, and Create.”
“I already said you could have Create, if it means that much to you,” Twilight argued.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie does not need your charity!” Trixie shouted back, earning a groan from Twilight, and a giggle from Rarity.
“Well, it seems that everything ended up quite well, right?” Rarity said, looking up at the flying Keroberos. “And, whatever happened to that dashing young man, Seishiro?”
“He ran away,” Kero said. “Must’ve realised he stood no chance once he saw my awesome moves.”
“Or maybe your face just made him feel sick,” Trixie suggested.
“What was that?!”
“You heard me, plush toy!”
“You guys!” Twilight pleaded, but it was no use.
“Twilight? Rarity?” The group stopped and turned around, finding Fluttershy approaching them, a confused look on her face. Trixie’s anger immediately faded, and her face turned red as Fluttershy drew closer. “And Trixie, too? What are you all doing here?”
“We could ask you the same thing,” Rarity said.
“Oh. I came here to buy some flowers for Angel’s birthday. He only wants the kind they sell at this florist in Canterlot, so…”
“Honestly. That rabbit can be such a hassle,” Rarity said. “Anyway, the three of us are here to… uh… do research?”
“Research?” Fluttershy asked.
“Yes. Uh, Unicorn, research.” Fluttershy stared blankly at the three Unicorn mares. “Uh, Twilight asked us to come and… be her test subjects. You know, because we’re Unicorns.”
Fluttershy nodded. “I see,” she said with a smile. “But still, this is a big city. To run into each other like this is quite a happy coincidence.”
“There is no such thing as coincidence,” Trixie said, flipping her hat up coolly and approaching Fluttershy. “There is only inevitability. It was inevitable, that you and I would meet here like this.”
“Oh… I, I see…”
Rarity tried to hold in her laughter, whilst Twilight simply turned away in embarrassment. Kero gagged as he watched Trixie putting the moves on Fluttershy, and turned away so that he wouldn’t have to watch it.
“Well then, Miss Fluttershy…” A cloud of smoke appeared at Trixie’s hooves, obscuring everypony’s vision for a few second, before it vanished. “‘Til we meet again, farewell!” Trixie’s voice echoed.
Fluttershy blinked a few times, not quite sure what had just happened. Trixie was now gone, and in her hooves, was a bouquet of beautiful flowers. She looked up at Twilight and Rarity, who both looked just as confused as she did. “Um… D-Did I miss something?”
“It seems she’s finally making her move,” Rarity said, grinning slyly at Fluttershy, which only served to confuse her even more.
Fluttershy checked that the alignment of the plates on the dining table was perfect, before smiling and giving a satisfied nod. She looked over at the banner hanging from her ceiling, which read ‘Happy Birthday Angel’. She then looked over at the vase of flowers sitting next to a pile of presents, and then finally turned to her friends, Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Trixie Lulamoon.
“Thank you for helping me, girls,” she said, trying not to let the glares that Rainbow Dash and Trixie gave each other bother her.
“We were happy to help,” Twilight said, nervously stepping away from the two hot-blooded mares, sensing a disturbance around them.
“Why are you even here?” Rainbow Dash asked Trixie. “Shouldn’t you be showing off your lame-o tricks somewhere right now?”
“Trixie’s job is not 24/7. She takes breaks every now and then,” Trixie explained, though she kept her true reason a secret. ‘There’s no need to tell this featherbrain I actually came here for the Clow Card… I especially can’t let her know that Twilight beat me to it!’
“Come on, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight pleaded, daring to get close enough to gently pull Rainbow Dash away from Trixie. “She helped out, right?”
“She’s up to something,” Rainbow Dash whispered to Twilight. “I know she is! My gut’s telling me so!”
“Oh!” Fluttershy squeaked. Everypony turned towards her. “I almost forgot. Angel wants me to make him a special cake today, but I forgot to get the ingredients.”
“Is that all?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No prob! Just tell me where they are and I’ll get ‘em in no time!”
“No, Trixie will!” Trixie said, pushing Rainbow Dash aside. “Tell the Great and Powerful Trixie where to go, and she will amaze you with speeds that this featherbrain could only dream of reaching.”
“The only time you’re fast is when you’re running out of towns!”
“Do you wish for Trixie to shave off that multi-coloured rat’s nest you call a mane?!”
“Um, girls, please,” Fluttershy tried, but it was no use. Twilight saw that this was going to get ugly fast, so she helped Fluttershy out, by using her magic to pull Rainbow Dash towards her, and push Trixie away.
“You two need to calm down, before you break something!” Twilight said, trying hard to keep them apart as they both fought against her magic. “Like Fluttershy’s house! Or each other!”
Both ponies realised that Twilight was right; their fighting could very easily break something in Fluttershy’s house. And neither of them wanted that. They settled down, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now then, is there any way that we can resolve this peacefully?”
“Um, actually,” Fluttershy started, “If one of you could go into town to fetch the ingredients, I do have another job for the one who stays. I have some decorations out in my shed, and would much appreciate it if one of you could go and fetch them. Um, if you don’t mind, that is.”
Trixie grinned at the yellow Pegasus. “But of course! The Great and Powerful Trixie will have those decorations here before you can say ‘Clow Card’!”
“‘Clow Card’,” Rainbow Dash said, before raising her eyebrow at the showmare. “What the heck’s a ‘Clow Card’, anyway?”
“Um, t-they’re nothing!” Twilight said quickly. “Right, Trixie?”
“What are you talking about?” Trixie asked. “The Clow Cards are-”
“Hey, why don’t I go with you?! I bet you don’t even know where Fluttershy’s shed is! I’ll help you carry the decorations back!” Twilight grabbed Trixie’s foreleg with her hoof, and started to drag her out of the house, against the showmare’s wishes. “C’mon, let’s not waste time! Fluttershy wants this party to be done just right!”
“Hey, wait! W-What’s gotten into you?!”
Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy watched with confused looks as Twilight dragged Trixie out of the cottage, the blue mare protesting the whole time. “What the heck was that about?” Rainbow Dash asked. “No, never mind. So, about these ingredients you need…”
“Seriously?” Trixie asked as she walked beside Twilight. “You’re keeping the Clow Cards a secret?”
“Yes, so please don’t mention to anypony like that. Okay?”
Trixie grinned wickedly at Twilight. “And what exactly is stopping the Great and Powerful Trixie?”
“… I’ll tell Rainbow Dash you like Fluttershy.”
Trixie’s face turned red in an instant. “H-How did you know that?!”
“Oh please. It’s so obvious,” Twilight said, rolling her eyes. She then blushed herself as she remembered that she never noticed anything, until Rarity told her. “… Whilst we’re on the topic, what exactly is it about Fluttershy that you like?”
The two ponies reached Fluttershy’s shed, and walked inside. A blowing wind shut the door behind them. “… The Great and Powerful Trixie isn’t entirely sure. Whenever she is around Fluttershy, her heart beats wildly, her face heats up, and she feels very dizzy. She used to lose control of her senses, but she has since grown accustomed to it… sort of.”
Twilight knelt down to search some boxes on the ground, whilst Trixie searched the shelves on the opposite side of the room. “I see,” she said, taking all of the information in and making some mental notes of it. ‘Heh, that’s how I felt when Princess Celestia first took me under her wing… Come to think of it, what Trixie described just now is very similar to my feeling for Celestia. Only, it turned out it wasn’t really love… At least, I don’t think that it was…’
“Is this it?” Trixie asked.
Twilight was about to turn around, but she didn’t feel the need to, as, in the left half of her vision, she could see a pair of blue hooves carrying a box of decorations. “Looks like it,” she said, getting up, and then realising what had just happened. With a yelp, Twilight closed her eyes, shook her head, and then reopened them. The vision was gone.
“What’s that matter with you?” Trixie asked, giving Twilight a strange look.
Twilight turned around, feeling her heart beating quickly, and looked at the box in Trixie’s magic. It was the same book that she had just seen. “T-Trixie… have you… ever had a vision, that wasn’t your own?”
Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “You mean, like seeing something from your perspective?”
Twilight’s eyes widened with surprise. “S-So you have!”
Trixie nodded. “Yeah. An… acquaintance, of mine, told Trixie that it is probably to do with us sharing the same magic source. Every now and then, we see things from the other’s perspective.”
“… It’s happened twice for me.”
“Same. And FYI, Sparkle, you have weird showering habits.” Twilight’s face turned red, and Trixie chuckled. “Honestly, you even have a laminated checklist on the shower wall that you follow when you wash up. What’s up with that?”
“S-So I like to take care when I wash myself! What’s the big deal?!” Twilight huffed, and turned towards the door. “Anyway, let’s get out of here already. Angel’s party isn’t going to prepare itself.” Twilight approached the door, and tried to open it… only to fail. “… Trixie?”
“What?”
“I think the door’s broke.”
“How could the door be broke?”
“It’s not opening.”
Trixie began to feel uneasy. “A-Are you sure? Is it locked or something?”
“No keyhole,” Twilight said.
“Really? That seems unsafe.”
“Ponyville is a relatively low-crime area. But that’s not the point! The point is, we can’t get out of here!”
“Of course we can!” Trixie shouted, charging some magic into her horn.
“Wait!” Twilight’s warning came a little too late, as Trixie had already fired the built-up magic towards the door. However, instead of breaking it down, as expected, the blast was reflected by some kind of barrier, and fired right back at Trixie, who just narrowly managed to dodge it. The blast hit the wall behind her, which was protected by the same barrier, only this time, the blast was absorbed, rather reflected.
“W-What was that?!” Trixie asked.
“Could this be… a Clow Card?”
“You’ve got to be kidding Trixie. And when your annoying pet is MIA, too!”
“Kero’s not MIA,” Twilight said. “He’s just sleeping. And he’s not my pet!”
“Whatever! What are we going to do?! Trixie can’t spend her entire life locked in a shed!”
“Just relax,” Twilight said, and then closed her eyes in order to think calmly. “Since Kero’s not here, we’ll have to figure this out for ourselves. This card hasn’t made any aggressive moves… which means it’s not out to hurt us. But it isn’t letting us leave, either.”
“It’s got us locked in her like rats in a cage! Or, a rat and a beautiful, charming, sexy goddess of magic.”
“Aw, why thank you, Trixie,” Twilight said with a grin.
Trixie’s blush returned. “N-Not you, you idiot! Trixie was talking about Trixie!” Twilight giggled, and Trixie turned away to pout to herself. ‘Stupid little… You, sexy? Hah! Don’t make me laugh! Okay, so not ‘bad-looking’, but definitely not sexy, either! Maybe… just moderately attractive?’ Trixie blinked a few times, then snapped herself out of her thoughts. ‘W-What am I thinking?! Sparkle’s not even remotely attractive! Sure, she’s got those flanks of hers, but-’
“Trixie?”
“YES?!” Trixie asked, not turning around. Twilight jumped with a start at Trixie’s sudden response.
“Um… I was hoping maybe you had thought of something? You’ve been pretty quiet over there.”
“… T-Trixie was just thinking about our situation!” Trixie lied. “It seems to Trixie, that this is a situation that she has found herself in before! In her shows, she would be locked in a seemingly inescapable prison, and would have to use her magic to get out!”
“Tried that,” Twilight said. “The barrier’s not letting me teleport out.”
“Yes, but in many cases, Trixie would suppress her magic beforehoof, to make her escape even more impressive.”
“Interesting… And? How do you do it?”
“… Well, the simplest solution is the obvious one: there is a hidden key somewhere.”
“A hidden key?” Twilight asked, and Trixie nodded. “So, there’s a key somewhere in this shed?” Suddenly, realisation struck Twilight, and she reached into her saddlebag and pulled out her key. “That’s it! The key that turns into Clow Reed’s wand!”
Trixie smiled. “Yes! That must be it!”
“Alright, I’m gonna try it.” Trixie nodded, and watched as Twilight moved the key closer towards the door. The barrier reappeared, but this time, it started to act differently than before. It vibrated, and flashed, and then, it started to compress into one spot. “I think it’s working!”
Trixie kept her eyes on Twilight the entire time, unable to take her eyes off of Twilight’s smiling face, and she felt her chest tighten at the sight. ‘W-Why? Why is this happening around her? She’s supposed to be my rival, not-’
“Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
Trixie gasped as she was brought back to reality. And then, she frowned as she watched the Clow Card float down into Twilight’s hoof. The card’s image revealed itself, along with its name.
“‘The Lock’,” Twilight read, before turning around to face Trixie. “Well, that was certainly an adventure, huh?”
Trixie scowled as she picked up the box of decoration in her magic, and silently walked past Twilight. “Hmph! You get this one, but the Great and Powerful Trixie will get the next! Just you wait!”
Twilight sighed, and followed after Trixie. “Can’t you just be happy that we got out of there without any hassle?”
“No!” Trixie shouted back, picking up her pace to get away from Twilight. ‘Stupid little bookworm! The Great and Powerful Trixie won’t let you get away with this! Whatever sorcery you’re using to distract her, I’ll unravel it, and then crush you, once and for all!’
Trixie hummed a happy tune as she stirred the hot soup heating up on the stove in front of her, occasionally taking a taste test to make sure it was satisfactory. She giggled as she looked out the doorway to her right, seeing the owner of the house she was currently in, Fluttershy, lying on her back on her couch, a blanket draped over her body, and her many animal friends surrounding her to help her whilst she had a cold.
Trixie couldn’t believe how lucky she was that Fluttershy caught sick right before she was going to leave town. It gave an excuse to stay so that she could take care of the sick Pegasus. Of course, she had to make sure that Twilight and the others didn’t find out, otherwise, they’d butt in on her quality time with Fluttershy. It was bad enough sharing it with all of these animals, especially the rabbit that wouldn’t stop glaring at her, but the last thing she wanted was to have to be stuck with those annoying ponies and Rarity, who Trixie would admit was not so bad.
Of course, it was a cinch to keep them all distracted, when she had the Illusion card. Twilight was reading a pile of one thousand books that nopony else could see, Applejack was testing herself against the world’s most stubborn apple tree that was actually just a dead tree (or, it was dead now, at least), Pinkie Pie was throwing a part for the new pony that was actually just a stray dog from the streets, Rarity was flirting with a handsome stallion who was really just one of her ponnequins, and Rainbow Dash was on the train to Los Pegasus right about now, on her way to meet with Spitfire, who had supposedly sent her a VIP invitation to party with the Wonderbolts.
‘That reminds me… I hope Fluttershy gets better before that featherhead returns. I’d better buy a ticket soon, so that I can leave as soon as she’s well again.’
Trixie decided to check on the patient whilst she waited for the soup to boil. When she walked into the room, the first thing she noticed was Fluttershy’s flushed face as she tried to put up a strong front, so as not to worry her animal friends. Trixie blushed, and then turned her gaze to the empty glass on the table next to Fluttershy’s head. “Y-You want a refill?”
“N-No. I’m okay. I-I don’t want t-to bother you…”
“It’s not bother at all,” Trixie said, lifting the glass with her magic and taking it with her into the kitchen. “Your friends are just too busy to come and help you, so the Great and Generous Trixie, thought that she’d offer some of her time to help you.”
Trixie placed the glass down, and poured some orange juice into it. She then searched through Fluttershy’s cabinets, and eventually found where the Pegasus kept her medicine. She set aside a couple of pills and the glass on a tray, and then moved over to where the soup was heating up. She decided to take another taste test…
“Hm?” Trixie looked at the spoon in her magic with a confused look. “What the what? Why is it so sweet?”
Trixie looked at the bag of sugar behind her. Sure, it had been sitting there since she started cooking, but she never used it. And it wasn’t open either. And… there wasn’t two there earlier. “Eh? Wait, wasn’t the other bag flour?”
She felt a presence to her right, and quickly turned to find a small light flying around in the air. Wherever it went, things were turning into sugar, cupcakes, candies, and other sweet foods. “W-What the? Hey, stop that!” Trixie quickly gave chase after the strange light, and tried to catch it, only to crash headfirst into the shelves that the light had ducked behind for shelter.
“Ow… You little!” Trixie used her magic to move the shelves, and found the light behind them. On closer inspection, the light appeared to be a pink fairy in a yellow dress. “Aha! Got you now!”
Trixie tried to catch the fairy again, but it quickly flew past her, and started to make its way towards the kitchen doorway. Trixie was quick on her hooves, though, and used a quick teleportation spell to block the fairy’s escape path, and then used her levitation spell to grab a bag of sugar beside her.
“Demon begone!” Trixie shouted as she threw a pinch of salt at the fairy, which flinched and flailed about in response. It then started glowing, and Trixie felt a familiar presence coming from it. “Wait… A Clow Card?!”
Trixie quickly pulled out her key from her nearby saddlebag, and summoned her wand. “The key that hides the power of dimensions, show your true form before me. I, Trixie, command you under our contract: Release!” With her wand in her hooves, Trixie reared up, and slammed it down onto the fairy. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
The fairy turned into a blinding light, and was absorbed into card, which then floated down into Trixie’s hooves. Trixie read the name that appeared on it. “‘The Sweet’…” Trixie jumped back as, suddenly, all of the things that had been turned into sweets turned back into their true forms. “… So, this thing… makes things sweet?”
Trixie smelled something burning, and gasped as she realised that she had left her soup unattended. “No!” She ran over to the stove, and sure enough, her soup had been burned during her little kerfuffle with Sweet. Her ears flattened against the sides of her head, and she looked back into the other room, at the still-sick Fluttershy, as she wondered what she was going to do now.
Finally, with a sigh, Trixie realised that there was only one thing she could do: start again, and hope that Fluttershy could last long enough for her to remake the batch of soup from scratch.
“… Oh well. At least Trixie got a Clow Card out of all this.”
Trixie awoke with a loud yawn, and stretched her hooves as she sat up in her bed. The sheet felt rather heavy, for some reason. Looking around her, Trixie found that her very spacious trailer was lit up with the brightness of the morning sun. But, it still seemed rather early, so Trixie buried herself in giant blanket, and tried to go back to sleep…
“Wait!” Trixie’s eyes shot open, and she tried to push the blanket off of herself, only succeeding in straining the muscles in her legs as she pushed. She then tried to make the task easier with her magic, but even that proved to be difficult. By the time she was free of the colossal-sized blanket, Trixie was panting and sweating heavily from all the effort that it took. “W-Why is all of Trixie’s stuff so big all of a sudden?!”
“Good morning, Miss Lulamoon.”
“Morning. Now, as Trixie was saying-” Trixie stopped, and turned around to see another pony occupying her bed. It was the cloaked pony who had taken the Maze card from her. “W-WAA! Why are you in Trixie’s bed?!”
The pony held up a hoof to ask Trixie to calm down. “Please be calm, Miss Lulamoon. I sensed a magic presence here, and simply came by to make sure that you are okay… And, I’m ashamed to say that… I was affected, too…”
“‘Affected’? By wha- Wait, a Clow Card?!”
The cloaked pony nodded. “That is correct. The Clow Cards are aware that they are being hunted, and many of them are targeting their hunters… That’s why, I have taken it upon myself to keep a close eye on you. At her request.”
“‘Her’? Who?”
“The Dimensional Witch. Yuko Ichihara.”
Trixie frowned at that. “Yuko? She asked you to- No, that can’t be right! Yuko wants Trixie to capture the Clow Cards! There’s no way that she would send you, who took one of the cards from Trixie!”
“Ah, but Yuko doesn’t want her Cardcaptor falling victim to the cards’ powers. The other Cardcaptor, Twilight Sparkle, has the Guardian Beast Keroberos to aid her. You, on the other hoof… Could you identify the card that you are currently faced with?”
“… Everything seems to have grown, so… the Grow?”
“There is no such card,” the cloaked pony giggled, causing Trixie’s face to flush red. “Try again. What else has changed?”
“… Trixie’s magic… Trixie found it harder to use her magic than usual. Though, that could just as easily be attributed to the fact that Trixie has only just woke up.”
“The card you are faced with right now, is the Little card.”
“‘The Little’… So, it’s not that everything else has grown, but that Trixie has shrunk?” The cloaked pony nodded. “Alright, so now that we know that, we just have to capture it, right? And by ‘we’, Trixie of course means herself.”
“It won’t be that easy, though. Little is quite a fast, agile being, and you won’t be able to use Time in your condition.”
Trixie shot the cloaked pony an icy glare. “How do you know so much about Trixie, anyway? Did Yuko tell you this stuff?”
“I’ve been keeping tabs on you.”
“Oh? Then you should know, that even in this state, the Great and Powerful Trixie can use whatever spell she wants!”
“I assure you, Time is not a card that you want to be using without full access to your magic.” The cloaked pony sighed. “But, if you still want to try, go ahead. That is, assuming you can reach you key and Clow Cards.”
Trixie’s ears stood up, and she quickly looked behind herself, to find the vanity where her key and Clow Cards rested on top. It was big… Bigger than mountain Trixie had ever climbed. Or at least, that’s how it seemed at the time.
“W-What do we do?” Trixie asked, trying not to let the fear in her voice be too obvious.
“We must find Little, and touch it. After that, we will revert back to our true heights, and you can seal it away. Providing you can trap it in time.”
“But where is the Little?! It could be anywhere by now!”
“Don’t you have something that can help you with that?” Trixie wondered what the pony meant for a second, before remembering her compass. Which was left on the floor last night!
“The compass!” Trixie exclaimed cheerfully as she looked behind herself. “Yes! There it is!” Trixie ran over to the compassed, which took a lot longer than it would have in her normal form. By the time she finally reached the compass, she felt like she had just run a marathon.
“Can you still use it, in this form?” the cloaked pony asked from their seated position atop the compass, not the least bit out of breath. This earned a sharp glare from Trixie.
“Hmph! Just you… watch…” Trixie took a moment to catch her breath, and then, closed her eyes as she began to channel her magic through her horn. The compass was enveloped by her purple aura, and a light shot out of it, and flew towards the back of the trailer. It hit a chest of props at the back, but didn’t go any further. “A-ha! It’s still in here!”
“Of course it is,” the cloaked pony said. “Little likes to have a laugh at its victims, after all.”
“… Anyway, the Great and Powerful Trixie had better capture this thing before that meddlesome Sparkle interferes.”
“I don’t think you have anything to worry about there.”
“Why not?”
Meanwhile, in Ponyville, ponies were running through the streets, screaming and panicking as ‘monsters’ filled the streets. The ‘monsters’ in question were Opalescence, Rarity’s cat, Winona, Applejack’s dog, Tank, Rainbow Dash’s tortoise, Angel Bunny, Fluttershy’s rabbit, Owlowiscious, Twilight’s owl, and Gummy, Pinkie Pie’s alligator. All of which were twenty times their normal size.
“What’s going on here?!” Rainbow Dash shouted as she flew around her idle pet. “Why are they so big?!”
“Do you think it was something we put in their food?” Fluttershy asked.
“Do you think Discord’s come back?” Applejack asked.
“Do you think it’s the apocalypse and we should throw the world a goodbye party?” Pinkie Pie asked, earning strange looks from her friends. “… What?”
Rarity leaned over to Twilight. “Do you think it’s a Clow Card?” she whispered, receiving a nod from Twilight.
“I can sense it… It’s nearby.”
“It’s the Big card,” Kero explained. “If we capture it, the pets should all go back to normal.”
“Well then, let’s capture it,” Twilight said, frowning when she saw the glint in Rarity’s eyes. “… After a quick change,” she added with a sigh.
Trixie felt like her legs were made of lead. She had been trudging across the floor of her trailer for a while now, and she still hadn’t reached her destination. She was fairly close, though. What annoyed her the most, though, was how the other pony didn’t seem at all tired from all the walking. In fact, they were already at the chest where the light from the compass had told them to go.
“If you don’t hurry, I’m going to find the Clow Card first!” the cloaked pony called over to Trixie, enraging the showmare even more.
“Who the hell are you, anyway?!” Trixie called back, hoping to stall the other pony, but also wanting to know just who this pony was.
“I am your long-lost mother, back from the depths of hell to train you, my daughter, to become the next successor of my dark legacy.”
Trixie stopped, and stared at the cloaked pony in complete bewilderment. “A-Are you taking Trixie for a fool?! Because if you are, that will be the last mistake you’ll ever make!”
“Then, I am your guardian angel. I have been sent down from heaven to-”
“GAH! Just forget it!” Trixie shouted, finally catching up to the cloaked pony, who had indeed stopped to answer Trixie’s question. “If you’re not going to answer seriously, then just shut up, let Trixie capture this card, and get out!”
“I can’t get out until the card is capture,” the cloaked pony pointed out. “And as confident as I am in your ability to capture Little, I would still rather help out than simply sit back and watch.”
Trixie was about to respond, when she suddenly heard the sounds of giggling above her head. Looking up, Trixie saw a very large pawn piece from her chess set falling towards her. “AH!” Trixie quickly rolled to the side, narrowly dodging the object before it could crush her. “W-What the hell?!”
“Ah, there it is,” the cloaked pony said, looking up at something in the air. Trixie followed their gaze, and saw a small yellow pony flying in the air, giggling as it looked down at Trixie. “Mischievous little thing, isn’t she?”
“‘Mischievous’?! She tried to kill me!”
“I’m sure she meant no harm by it. Anyway, you need to touch her to change back to your true size.”
“And how do we do that, when she’s all the way up there?!”
“Like this.” The pony’s white wings extended from their sides, and they ascended into the sky quickly towards Little, who quickly turned around and dropped down to the ground to avoid the incoming pony. “Now!”
Little turned around, and saw Trixie leaping at her. She was unable to dodge, and Trixie collided with her, pinning her down to the floor. “Gotcha!” Trixie shouted as her body began to grow back to its normal size. She looked down at Little, who was now shaking as she looked back up at the angry-looking mare.
Trixie used her magic to pull her key towards her. “The key that hides the power of dimensions, show your true form before me. I, Trixie, command you under our contract: Release!” Trixie’s key transformed into her wand, and Little quickly scrambled to her hooves, and tired to run away. Trixie didn’t give her the chance to get away, though.
“Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!” Twilight shouted as she swung her staff down onto Big, who was found sitting in the middle of the Ponyville park. Big transformed to her card form, and floated into Twilight’s hooves. “… This should fix all of the pets, right?”
“Yep!” Kero said cheerfully, but then looked serious as he landed on Twilight’s shoulders. “… It’s happening, huh?”
“What’s happening?” Rarity asked.
“… The Clow Cards. They’re aware that somepony’s capturing them. They’re now starting to reach out and attack you personally.”
“They’re what?!” Twilight shouted. “And you didn’t think to warn me earlier?!”
“I was hoping we could capture ‘em all before it happened… Well, it should be fine! Ya already have Earthy, so now we just need Firey, and I’ll be able ta transform and help ya out!”
“‘Transform’?”
Kero nodded. “That’s right. My real form… is much cooler than this! But without Firey and Earthy, I can’t assume it… Anyway, I think we’d better get back to Ponyville, and clean up some of the collateral damage from the enlarged pets.”
Twilight and Rarity looked over at the town in the distance, and their faces fell as they saw the crushed stalls and the knocked over trees in the streets. “… Ooh boy. Guess I’d better get Dash out…”
Trixie signed her name onto the Little card, and then looked over at the cloaked pony standing beside her, who still hadn’t left her trailer. “Why are you still here?”
“Forgive me. I was under the impression that ponies offered tea to their guests, but maybe that doesn’t apply to everywhere in the world.”
“You’re not Trixie’s ‘guest’. You’re an intruder. And you still haven’t told Trixie what you’re even doing here in the first place!”
“Like I said, I was concerned. The Clow Cards are starting to act aggressively towards you and Twilight Sparkle, so I wanted to make sure that you were okay when I felt a presence here.”
“And the time in Maze?”
“Oh? You wanted to be lost in there forever?”
“… Anyway, the Great and Powerful Trixie is still tired, so she will not attempt to take her card back. However, she will have to ask you to leave now.”
“… Very well then. We shall meet again. Until then, I wish you luck, Miss Lulamoon.”
The cloaked pony turned around and left the trailer, with Trixie glaring at the back of their head the entire time. Once they were gone, Trixie put a hoof to her chin, and considered who this mysterious pony could be. “They used magic in Maze… but they had wings earlier… Who are they?”
A loud yawn escaped Trixie’s mouth, and she rubbed her eye as she looked over at her clock. “… The Great and Powerful Trixie thinks she’s just going to take the rest of this day off, and think about it tomorrow…”
Trixie moved over to her now-normal-sized bed, and wrapped herself up in blanket, smiling contentedly as she rested her head on her pillows. As she drifted off to sleep, her brow furrowed as an image entered her mind. An image of herself and Twilight Sparkle, in the middle of a town she did not recognise, the two of them completely surrounded by flames.
“And then, the Great and Powerful Trixie is going stun the crowd with-” Trixie stopped as she realised that Twinkle was simply staring off into space. “Hey, are you even paying attention?”
“Hm? Oh, sorry. Go on, you were telling me about your favourite flower?”
“That was ten minutes ago,” Trixie said flatly. “What’s with you, zoning out like that, and for so long?”
Twinkle shook her head and sighed. “I’m sorry, I just… I feel uneasy. Like, something really bad is about to happen.”
“Oh? Well, Trixie has already faced many dangerous situations, so it would hardly be a new experience for her.”
“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Twinkle picked up her cup of tea and took a drink. “… So, about this town that you’re currently in…”
“Oh, Appleoosa? It’s a new town that started up about a year ago,” Trixie explained with little interest. “Not the brightest lot of ponies, but they make some good apple pies. Trixie’s simply stocking up on supplies, before she continues her travels.” A familiar feeling ran through Trixie’s body, and she saw the world around her begin to shimmer. “Ah, it seems that Trixie is beginning to wake up.”
“Well then, I guess this is goodbye for now,” Twinkle said, setting her teacup down. “Good luck on you quest, Trixie. And… be careful.”
“… Thanks. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall not lo-”
“Ugh…” Trixie rubbed her eyes as they slowly opened to the bright morning sun. Outside, she could hear hammers striking wood, saws sawing away, hooves clopping against the hard ground, and somepony making a ruckus about pests on the eastern orchard.
“Stupid farmers, making so much noise so early in the morning,” Trixie groaned as she sluggishly pushed herself out of her bed. “Well, no sense in dawdling. Trixie shall make herself presentable, and then get whatever food and water she needs.”
After the showmare had sufficiently brushed her mane enough times to remove the unsightly bed mane from sight, and had put on her cape and her hat, she grabbed a couple of empty saddlebags and a small sack of bits, and exited her trailer into the small farming town of Appleoosa.
“Oh! Good morning, Trixie,” Rarity said as Trixie hopped down from her trailer. She was sitting in a nearby café, sipping some coffee along with Twilight. Kero was also there, sitting on Twilight’s head/
Trixie blinked, did a double take, and then frowned at the three familiar faces. “What are you three doing here?” she asked as she walked over to them.
“You didn’t know?” Kero asked. “Or maybe, you’ve finally decided to call it quits?”
“In your dreams, plush toy,” Trixie said with a glare directed at the Guardian Beast.
“Now now, you two. It’s far too early for such childish behaviour,” Rarity said in a stern tone.
“Never too childish to put the brat in her place,” Kero said.
“Nothing childish about calling it like it is,” Trixie added.
“Guys, please,” Twilight pleaded, holding her head in her forehooves. “I’m tired, and I have a headache. I just want to get this Clow Card captured and then-”
“Clow Card?!” Trixie asked, in a voice so loud that it made Twilight wince in pain. “There’s a Clow Card here?”
“Isn’t that why you’re here?” Rarity asked.
Trixie shook her head. “Trixie is merely here to stock up on supplies. That is all.” A dark grin crossed Trixie’s face. “So, there is a Clow Card here, huh? Well well. It looks like Trixie’s day won’t be so boring after all.”
“Well, it still hasn’t shown itself yet,” Kero pointed out. “You can just go and do your shopping. We’ll handle this.”
“Nothing doing!” Trixie shouted, pulling up a chair and sitting down with the other three. “The Great and Powerful Trixie shall allow you the honour of keeping her company until that Clow Card shows itself!”
“… Great,” Twilight said in a sarcastic tone. “Just a thought, but, can’t you use your compass to find the location of the Clow Card?”
Trixie stared at Twilight silently for a few moments, glaring coldly at the other mare as she ran that thought through her mind.
“… No,” Trixie answered. “But… Trixie remembered that there is something she must do, in her trailer, so, she shall have to excuse herself for now.” Trixie climbed out of her seat, turned around, and casually walked back towards her trailer.
“Why did you tell her that?” Kero asked. “Now she’ll have the advantage!”
“I don’t care,” Twilight answered. “I just want to go home already. We left so suddenly, I bet Spike and the others are worried about us.”
“I’m sure they’ll be fine, Twilight,” Rarity said. “But I agree. Not that this town isn’t… nice, but there’s just so much dust everywhere.” To emphasis her point, she ran a forehoof across the table, showing just how much dust was piled up and gagging at the sight.
Suddenly, a scream could be heard nearby, and the three turned their heads to find out what it was. They saw ponies running down the street, obviously fleeing from something.
“Heads up, guys!” Kero said. “This could be it!”
“What’s going on out there?!” Trixie shouted as she jumped out of her trailer once more. “Is this the Clow Card’s doing?”
“FIRE!” one of the stallions running away shouted.
“HUGE FIRE! EVERYPONY FOR THEMSELF!”
As the final pony finished running past the group, a sudden series of embers in the air startled the four. In the midst of the embers, was an odd-looking flame, in the shape of a pony, looking down at the group with a maniacal grin on its face.
“W-What is that thing?!” Rarity asked as she took cover behind a nearby post.
“That’s Firey!” Kero shouted. “Watch it, you guys! This is one mischievous little card, and also one of the more powerful cards in Clow Reed’s deck!”
“Hmph! Perhaps you’ve forgotten, but the Great and Powerful Trixie has just the card to deal with this little pest.” Trixie pulled out her key from her cape, and held up a card. “The key that hides the power of dimension…”
“No, don’t!” Kero shouted, but Trixie didn’t pay him any heed.
“Release! Watery!” Upon hitting her wand to the Watery card, a torrent of water shot out and moved towards Firey. However, a large burst of flames from Firey’s hooves evaporated the water before it could get too close, and continued on to form a cage around Trixie. “What?!”
“I tried to warn ya! Firey’s too strong to take on directly, even with the Watery card!” Kero turned around to face Twilight. “Twilight, try using the Earthy card to hold it down! It may just be enough to stop it!”
“Right!” Twilight pulled out a card from her saddlebag, and slammed her wand into it. “Earthy!” The ground began to shake beneath Firey, and soon shot up and opened up around it. It began to close up, only for Firey to shoot flames beneath itself and fly out of reach. “It’s too fast!”
“Watch out!” Kero shouted as he witnessed Firey throw a huge fireball towards Twilight.
Twilight’s eyes widened in horror as the flaming ball approached her, too quickly for her to react. “Time!” Suddenly, the ball, and everything else around her, stopped. “What are you waiting for?!” Twilight turned to find Trixie yelling at her. “Move! Trixie can only freeze time for a few seconds!”
Realising that Trixie had used the Time card, Twilight nodded, and quickly moved out of the way, using her magic to move Rarity with her. Once the two were a safe distance away, Trixie allowed the Time to dispel, and watched as the fireball collided with nothing.
Firey looked at the area with a confused look on her face. ‘She’s distracted,’ Trixie thought to herself. ‘Alright, now’s my chance.’ Reaching into her cape, Trixie pulled out another card. She winced as she threw it up into the air. ‘Running low on energy… I’ve got to make this count…’ “Little!”
Firey turned to the flaming cage, only to find that nothing was in there. She tilted her head as she examined the insides of the cage, trying to find the showmare that should be trapped within.
“Watery!” Firey gasped and turned around, to find a torrent of water once again heading her way.
“Idiot!” Kero shouted at Trixie, who was now standing outside of the cage, after using Little to temporarily shrink just small enough to fit in-between the flames. They still caught her a little, though, and she was clearly having trouble standing at this point. “That won’t work! Firey has quick reflexes!”
True to the Guardian Beast’s warning, Firey was already firing her attacks at the incoming water… only for them to completely go through. The water shimmered, and then transformed into the colourful shape known as Illusion.
Whilst Firey was distracted by this, the true Watery hit her from the side, extinguishing her flames and knocking her down to the ground.
“Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
Kero watched in shock as Trixie slammed her staff against the downed Firey, drawing her in and sealing her away in card form. “… You’ve… You’ve gotta be kiddin’ me!”
Twilight and Rarity ran up to Trixie, immediately helping her to stay upright as she swayed a little on the spot. “Good work, Trixie!” Twilight praised, trying not to collapse herself under Trixie’s surprising weight.
“There’s nothing good about it!” Kero shouted in rage. “The Firey and the Earthy! Those are the two elemental cards under my rule! Without you having both of them, Twilight, I can’t assume my true form!”
Trixie grinned at the enraged Kero floating in the air in front of her. “Gee, sucks to be you.”
“I’m sorry, Kero,” Twilight said. “But, look at it this way: at least the town is safe.” The four of them looked around at the wooden buildings around, some still slightly ablaze from Firey’s rampage. “… Mostly.”
Kero sighed, and flew down dejectedly onto Twilight’s shoulder. “It’s so not fair. How long am I gonna have ta stick to this form?”
“Hm?” Trixie raised her head, and her eye caught a slight movement in the distance. “Hey… that’s that pony that’s been hindering Trixie’s captures!” Trixie shouted, pointing towards a cloaked pony in the distance, who quickly turned around and began to walk away. “Hey, get back he- Ouch!”
“Calm down, Trixie,” Rarity said, extending her hoof to stop Trixie from chasing after the cloaked pony. “That pony… who were they?”
“Whoever they are, they’re powerful, that’s for sure,” Kero said, a serious look on his face as he stared off into the direction that the cloaked pony wandered off in. “But, it’s not that pony we should worry about. It’s the Clow Cards. As you’ve just seen, they’re not playin’ around anymore. You were lucky to have met up with us here, but if you were attacked while you were on your own…”
The four stayed silent for a while, before Twilight decided to break the silence with a proposition. “Hey, Trixie… what would you say to staying with me at the library for a while?”
A proposition that was met with three voices simultaneously responding: “Eh?”
After the close call that the group had with the Firey card, Twilight and Rarity suggested to Trixie that they stay together from that point on, in case any more aggressive Clow Cards were to show up. Initially, Trixie rejected the proposal, stating that she was not as weak as them, and that she could fend for herself. However, after some more pleading from Twilight’s end, as well as a rather painful reminder of the damage she had sustained from Firey, Trixie eventually gave in.
‘Stupid Trixie, accepting their offer like that! Now I’m here in Twilight’s library, with that annoying dragon kid and that talking plush toy, and I can’t even see Fluttershy because of all the snow outside!’
“Trixie,” Twilight called as she entered the library’s main room from the kitchen area, “Dinner is still going to take a while, so would you like to take a bath whilst you wait?”
Trixie thought about it, and realised that she had actually missed her bath yesterday, because of the whole Firey incident. She looked over at Spike, who was reading a comic book and giggling to himself, and then over to Kero, who was being very noisy whilst playing his videogame. “Very well,” she said. “Show Trixie to your bathroom, then.”
“It’s just up the stairs, connected to my bedroom,” Twilight told her guest, before popping back into the kitchen to finish making their dinners. “Oh,” she added, “Make sure you use the orange towel. That’s the one I’ve set aside for guests.”
“Does it matter?” Trixie asked rhetorically as she made her way over to the stairs. However, she was stopped by an angry-looking Twilight suddenly appearing in front of her.
“‘Does it matter’?! Of course it matters! Proper organisation and order are the key to a happy life! When you bake a cake, you don’t just use soap when you can’t find any flour! When you’re eating dinner, you don’t just grab food from another plate because yours is empty!”
“Uh, Twilight?” Spike asked, grabbing the purple Unicorn’s attention. “Dinner?”
Twilight’s eyes widened, and she quickly rushed back to the kitchen as she realised she had left the stove on. “Man, what a neat freak,” Trixie commented, stifling a giggle as she watched Twilight frantically dancing around the kitchen to make sure that nothing had burned in her absence.
“I have to agree with her on this, though,” Spike said. “Don’t use my towel. I don’t want Trixie germs on it.”
Trixie scowled at the baby dragon, who went back to innocently reading his comic book. “Hmph. Trixie is willing to bet you don’t use that towel, anyway,” she said with a grin on her face. “You’re probably still at the age where you hate taking your bathy-wathies, aren’t you?”
“Get real!” Spike shouted. “I got over that years ago!”
“He actually spends more time in the tub than Twilight does,” Kero said. “It’s really annoying. That’s why we always go first.”
“Hey, at least I can actually wash myself. You have to have baths with Twilight like a little kid.”
“It’s not like I can help it! This form was only meant to conserve energy, it’s not designed for daily living!”
“Wait,” Trixie interrupted, looking over at Kero. “You bathe with Sparkle?” Kero nodded. “And, she’s okay with that?”
“Well, I guess… I mean, if I was a pony, obviously it would be weird, but-”
Trixie’s glare cut him off, and he flinched as he felt himself being lifted off of the ground by her magic. The showmare continued to glare as a burning anger filled her mind. ‘Why am I getting so worked up over this? If she wants to let this little plush toy bathe with her, that’s her own business! But…’
“H-Hey! Lemme go, brat!”
A vein popped in Trixie’s head, and her anger intensified. To the point that Spike could actually see flames starting to form around her, and backed away in fear. “You smell,” Trixie said. “Come. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall allow you to bathe with her.”
“Eh? I don’t wanna! I’m in the middle of a boss battle!”
“Don’t care!” Trixie shouted, walking up the stairs with Kero in her magical hold, flailing and struggling to get free. ‘What am I doing? If it was Fluttershy, it’d make sense, but this is Twilight.’
‘Well, at least the dinner isn’t so bad,’ Trixie thought to herself as she sample the food prepared for her by Twilight. ‘I’d still prefer to eat my own food, in my trailer…’ Trixie glanced over at the window one more time, and furrowed her brow as she saw just how fast the snow was falling. “Why the hay was a blizzard even scheduled here, anyway?”
Twilight shrugged as she levitated her glass of water to her lips to take a drink. When she was done, she moved it away to answer verbally. “I didn’t even know there was a blizzard tonight, so I can’t say I know why there’s one. Maybe they messed up over at the weather station or something? Of course, if they had let me take a look at their scheduling, that would never happen…”
“This doesn’t feel right,” Kero said, looking down at his plate of food with a serious look on his face.
“If you need to throw up, do it away from Trixie. She just finished bathing, remember?”
“Not the food!” Kero shouted. “This snow… I don’t think it’s natural.”
“You mean, it’s a Clow Card?” Twilight asked. “But I don’t sense anything.”
“Neither does Trixie,” Trixie added.
“You’re both still exhausted from your battle with Firey. Besides, the Clow Cards are aware of you now, remember? It’s possible that this one is being stealthy right now, but… it’s definitely there. I can sense it, just about.”
“Oh, great,” Spike said as she brought his hands to his face. “This isn’t gonna result in Twilight being injured again, right?”
“The Snow is an aggressive card by nature,” Kero said, much to the dismay of the group. “However, it’s weaker than some of the cards we’ve faced thus far. We should be fine, but I suggest we dress warm before heading out there to confront it.”
A knock at the door startled everyone. Twilight got up and approached the door cautiously, wondering to herself who could possibly be visiting in such weather. Trixie put up her guard, taking out her key and charging magic into her horn as Twilight opened the door.
“Oh my, what a dreadful blizzard!” Rarity shouted as she ran inside, shaking her head to get the snow out of her mane. She was wrapped in many scarves, and was wearing a thick coat up to her chin. “Thank you for letting me in, Twilight.”
“N-No problem,” Twilight said, shutting the door to keep the cold out. “But, why are you-”
“Ah, well, I noticed the odd weather we were having, and even I could guess that this must have been the work of a Clow Card!” Twilight and Trixie deflated a little at that, neither of them having reached that conclusion themselves. “And so, I figured that the two of you would need something warm to wear when you’re out there capturing it! And so, I picked up the pace a bit, and finished my latest designs, based off of the Firey card!”
Rarity opened the saddlebag that she was carrying, and pulled out two pairs of clothing for everyone to see. “May I present to you, the newest in winter fashion, soon to spread across the entire Country!”
Out of the bag came two thick coats, both of which were orange and red. It was clear they were designed to look like raging fires. “Wouldn’t regular coats work just fine?” Trixie asked.
“These have been specially designed by yours truly, to make it feel as if it were still summer outside, even on the coldest of days!” Rarity explained in a proud voice. “With these, there’ll be no need to pay expensive heating bills through the long, harsh winters, and foals will have no problem playing outside, even during raging blizzards such as this!”
“Except, y’know, the fact that they won’t be able to see anything,” Kero pointed out.
“… Okay, so I missed one minor detail,” Rarity said with a sheepish look on her face. She saw Trixie trying one of the coats on, and waited with anticipation for the verdict.
“… Oh Celestia! Sparkle, quick, turn off that damn heater!” Trixie said, her breathing getting faster and her body producing sweat as she began to fan herself with her forehoof. “W-What the hay did you make these out of?!”
“I’m glad you asked!” Rarity said in a cheery tone. “My oh-so-generous Spike-wikey was kind enough to donate some of his dragon scales to me. I recall in Twilight’s books that dragon scales have magical properties, and that they change according to their environment. For example, they heat up in cold environments.”
“Ooh, I see!” Twilight said, examining the other coat with intrigue. “That’s so clever! You could make a fortune off of these, and nopony would be able to copy you, because dragons aren’t exactly commonplace in Equestria.”
“OH GOD, WATER, WATER!” Trixie shouted, holding her just-summoned wand into the air and pulling out a Clow Card. “Watery!”
“Trixie, wait-” Twilight’s warning came too late, as soon, a large volume of water poured out onto Trixie. The showmare let out a relieved sigh at the refreshing torrent of water hitting her face, whilst Twilight used her magic to quickly shield her books against the water, and Rarity used hers to shield her mane.
“Well, the coats work,” Trixie concluded as the water stopped pouring out of the card. Twilight and Rarity gave disapproving glares, but they didn’t last long before Trixie pointed at something behind them. “We should hurry up! We’re almost snowed in!”
Twilight turned around, and noticed the thick layer of snow still building up outside. “Rarity, I think you’d better stay here. You only made two of these, after all.”
“The brat could stay here,” Kero suggested, much to Trixie’s annoyance.
“No, Twilight’s right,” Rarity said with a sigh. “Very well, just… make sure you come back safe, alright?”
“We will,” Twilight said with a warm smile to her friend. Trixie felt strange seeing the other Unicorn’s smile, and almost zoned out, before Twilight turned to address her. “Let’s go, Trixie.”
“… Yeah,” was all that Trixie said in response, before making her way towards the library door. The others looked at her with puzzled looks, with the exception of Kero, who had floated up to Twilight.
“I’ll have ta stay here too. Sad as it is ta say, without Firey, I can’t protect myself against Snow. So, here’s some advice before ya go out. Keep on your guard. Snow will attack you from all sides, and splitting up will do you no good. Stay together, and wait for an opening.”
Twilight nodded. “Got it. Thanks, Kero.” After putting her coat on, Twilight followed behind Trixie, and the two left the library together, stepping outside into the snowy wasteland that was once Ponyville.
Twilight and Trixie trudged through the rapid blizzard that had taken over the small town of Ponyville, Shield to protect their eyes and Float to hover just above the snow, to avoid tripping over their own hooves.
“Man, it’s loud out here!” Trixie shouted.
“What did you say?!” Twilight shouted back, turning to face Trixie.
“What did you say?!” Trixie asked, stopping along with Twilight.
“I can’t hear you! It’s too loud!”
“What?!”
“Hold on!” Twilight reached into her coat’s pocket, and pulled out a Clow Card. “Bring peace and quiet around us! Silent!” Touching her wand to the card, a bright light filled the area. A moment later, all was silent. Completely silent. Which was a little bit of a disorientating experience, after everything just being so loud that you couldn’t even hear yourself think. “There! Much better!”
“You don’t need to yell,” Trixie said, covering her ears and glaring at Twilight, who had a sheepish grin on her face.
“Oops. Sorry.” She put the Silent card away. “Now, what were you trying to tell me?”
“Trixie was just pointing out how loud it was. What were you trying to say?”
“I was trying to ask you what you were saying…” The two stood in complete silence for a second, before deciding to continue on through the blizzard. “W-Well, at least now we can talk to each other.”
“Yippee,” Trixie said with obvious sarcasm in her voice. “Hopefully we’ll find Snow soon, then Trixie can capture it, and we can go back to the library for some hot cocoa.”
“I don’t have any cocoa,” Twilight said.
“Ugh, what a terrible host you are.”
Twilight turned to Trixie and frowned. “Hey, we only just got back from Appleoosa earlier today! It’s not like I’ve had much of a chance to go shopping for your needs!”
“Well, maybe if you spent less time arguing with Kero about divinations and actually doing it…”
“Divinations are not scientifically possible!” Twilight argued. Trixie rolled her eyes, and covered her ears with her hooves. “Predicting the future is not possible, even with the highest level magic! Even Princess Celestia isn’t able to predict the future!”
“It’s not ‘predicting the future’, it’s divination! And trust Trixie, it works!”
“Trust you? Oh, okay, maybe I will. If you can tell me something.”
“Shoot.”
“What’s with that manepin you always wear?” Trixie remained silent after that. “I can sense some kind of strange magic coming from it! Now what is it?”
“That’s none of your business!”
“It is when it affects my friends! I saw the way Rarity acted different to your show that one time! Especially when you compare it to how she reacted to your show before!”
“Maybe she just developed good taste?”
“Trixie!”
A loud howl interrupted the two, and they both turned to find a large torrent of icicles flying towards them.
“Look out!” Twilight shouted as she reached inside her pocket. “Earthy!” Before the icicles could hit them, a large mound of earth rose up from the ground, and acted as cover for the two Unicorns.
“Hah! It’s mine now!” Trixie shouted as she reached into her own coat’s pocket. She ran around the cover, and faced the direction that the icicles had come from. There, she saw a light shining in the distance, in the shape of a pony. “Gotcha. Firey!”
“Wait!” Twilight shouted, but it came too late. A strong blast of fire came out of Trixie’s card, and soon, the entire area was up in flames. Twilight watched in horror as the town she lived in burned the ground. “N-No way… How could you-” She stopped when the flames started to die down. As expected, the snow around them had melted, and the blizzard in the air had also ceased. However, much to her surprise, the town itself was intact. They were standing in the town square, with a mare in a blue-white kimono kneeling before them, charred and breathing heavily.
Trixie harrumphed. “You didn’t think the Great and Powerful Trixie would torch a town, just to capture one card, did you?”
Twilight frowned at that. “So you would torch a town for more than one card?”
“… Don’t twist Trixie’s words. Now then, we’re not done just yet.” Trixie walked up to the mare still kneeling on the ground, and raised her wand into the air. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
Swinging her wand down, the mare was sucked up into it, returning to her card form, which then drifted into Trixie’s hoof.
“… Guess that one’s yours,” Twilight said with a sigh. ‘Huh? That’s odd. I usually don’t care which of us captures them.’
“Was there ever any…” Trixie trailed off as she began to feel herself getting warmer. Then hotter. Then burning. Her breathing increased quickly, and she felt herself dripping with sweat. “T-These damn coats! Didn’t Rarity say they would cool down in warmer weather?!”
Twilight felt the same effect as Trixie, and quickly fumbled about with her coat to get it off. “T-They must be malfunctioning! I can’t get it off!”
“Damnit!” Trixie reached into her pocket, and pulled out a card.
“No! Don’t!”
“Watery!” Twilight ran over to try to stop her, but it was too late. Moments later, a large torrent of water hit them both, washing them down the streets of Ponyville. They only stopped when they both crashed horn-first into the library, both of their horn stuck into the side of the building as the water started to drain away. Twilight crossed her forelegs, and looked up at Trixie with a disapproving frown. “… Totally worth it.”
Rainbow Dash stifled a laugh as she watched from her little hiding place on top of a cloud. Watching as her latest prank proceeded. The tripwire was set. The bucket was in place. The confetti and banner had been set up. Now, it was just a matter of time.
A hoof suddenly tapping her shoulder startled her. She yelped and turned around, and was surprised to find Twilight Sparkle standing on the cloud with her. “W-What the?! How are you-” She then remembered. “Oh, right. Cloud walking spell. So, uh… what’s up?” Twilight didn’t say anything, but instead just stared at the confused Pegasus, a grin on her face. “Uh… something wrong?”
Twilight giggled, and her horn lit up. A few moments later, Rainbow Dash was lifted into the air by her magic, and started to flail about. “H-Hey! What gives?! Put me down!” Twilight giggled some more, and then reached forward and grabbed Rainbow Dash’s wing with her hooves. “OW! Hey, watch it! Wings are sensitive, y’know?!”
Ignoring the flailing Pegasus, Twilight pushed the joint of Rainbow Dash’s wing, causing her to scream and retract her wing quickly. After that, Twilight undid her magic, causing Rainbow Dash to fall onto the cloud, her left wing temporarily disabled. “OW! Twilight, what the hay?!” Without answering, Twilight turned around, and jumped off of the cloud. “W-WAIT!” Rainbow Dash peered over the edge of the cloud, but saw no sign of the purple Unicorn anywhere. “What the? What’s going on? … Ah! How am I gonna get down from here?!”
“Thank ya kindly! Have a nice day!” Applejack said as she pocketed the bits from her latest sale. “Whoa boy! If ah keep on at this rate, ah’m gonna be sold out in record time!” As she finished counting the profits she had made so far that day, a familiar purple Unicorn entered her field of vision. “Well howdy there, Twilight! You want the usual?”
Twilight didn’t say a word, but instead just stared at the apples with a smile on her face. “Uh, Twilight?” Twilight lifted her forelegs off of the ground, and then stretched them forward, kicking the apple stand in front of her, and causing the apples on it to fall onto the floor. “W-What’re ya doin’?!” a startled Applejack asked, only to be answered by Twilight running away at full gallop. “Hey, wait!”
“Applejack?” Applejack stopped her pursuit before it began, and turned to find Rarity approaching her. “D-Did I just see what I think I saw?”
“Well, if’n ya saw Twilight knockin’ all these freshly-picked apples onto the ground, then yeah.”
“Why in the world would Twilight do such a thing?”
Applejack shook her head. “Ah dunno, but ah intend ta find out!” And with that, the farmer continued her pursuit of Twilight, running off down the streets of Ponyville before her friend could stop her.
Rarity considered following after her at first, but instead stopped to think. ‘Why would Twilight act so out of character like that? Could it be Trixie playing one of her pranks? Would Trixie really go so far? If she pushed Applejack herself, it would be one thing, but Trixie usually has more respect as far as other ponies’ possessions are considered.
‘Wait, could it be…’ Rarity turned the other way, and started to walk quickly towards the library. “It must be. I can think of no other explanation.”
Twilight levitated a biscuit up to her mouth as she read through the book opened up in front of her. Behind her, Kero was playing a video game, surrounded by a dome created by Silent so that Twilight could concentrated, and Spike was sweeping the floor with a broom. Trixie had gone out for a jog that morning, and still hadn’t come back yet.
Trixie let out a battle cry as she charged forwards, only to receive the same result as the last five times she had tried that. She had been warped back a few feet, and was back in the exact same spot that she was in moments ago.
“Having fun?” the cloaked pony sitting to the side asked in a teasing tone. “Want me to free you yet?”
“Go to hell!” Trixie shouted. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will defeat this thing!” Trixie pulled out her key and her Clow Cards, and looked through them. The gears were turning inside her head as she tried to formulate a plan.
“If only you had Sword,” the cloaked pony said. “Sword can cut through even space, so it is an effective way to defeat Loop.”
“Shut it,” Trixie growled as she levitated a card. “Okay, let’s try this one.”
The cloaked pony leaned back against the tree behind them. “Just let me know when you’re ready. Good luck, my little pony.”
“Just you wait and see! The Great and Powerful Trixie will be out of here very shortly!”
A knock at the door startled Spike, but seemed to go completely unnoticed by the other two library occupants. With a sigh, Spike walked over to the door, and opened it to find Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy on the other side.
“Oh, hi guys. You here to see Twilight?”
The two mares exchanged uneasy looks with each other. “Something like that,” Pinkie Pie said, in a tone that sounded just a little too serious for her.
“Is she here?” Fluttershy asked, her tone also serious.
“Uh, yeah.” Spike suddenly remembered Kero, and quickly stretched out his arms to prevent the two mares from entering. “Uh, I’ll go get her real quick! You two just wait right here!” Before they could respond, Spike slammed the door shut, and ran back into the library. “Twilight! You’ve got visitors!”
“Spike, I’m reading!” Twilight scolded as she saw Spike’s claw moving up and down before her eyes.
“It’s Fluttershy and Pinkie. It sounds like something’s up.”
Twilight raised an eyebrow. “Oh? Guess I’d better go see what’s bothering them, then.” After rising to her hooves, Twilight made her way to the library’s front door, and opened it to find her two friends on the other side. “Hi guys! What’s up?” she asked in a cheerful voice.
The two mares exchanged uneasy looks once more, and then looked back at Twilight to confront her. “Twilight,” Fluttershy began, “Um, you haven’t… been around town today, have you?”
Twilight shook her head. “No, I’ve been here in the library all day. Why do you ask?”
The two mares both breathed relieved sighs in unison, causing Twilight to give the two a puzzled look. “Thank goodness,” Fluttershy said. “It looks like we got the wrong pony after all.”
“I should’ve known!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed. “There’s no way Twilight would even do anything to make three little fillies cry!”
“Wait, what?” Twilight asked, now more confused than she usually was whenever Pinkie Pie spoke.
“We, uh, saw somepony who looked like you push Sweetie Belle and her friends into mud,” Fluttershy explained.
“I don’t think Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon are friends with her,” Pinkie Pie corrected. “But even so, it was totally not nice what that Twilight imposter did! We should find her and teach her a lesson!” Pinkie Pie suddenly gasped, and jumped into the air, her head hitting the roof of the doorway as she did so. “I’ve got it! We should throw the Twilight imposter a party, to lift her spirits up!”
“Uh…” Before Fluttershy could protest, Pinkie Pie took off down the streets of Ponyville, shouting for ‘Twilight imposter’ to show herself. “Oh, dear. I’d better go with her…” She stopped to give Twilight a concerned look.
“Don’t worry,” Twilight said, waving her hoof dismissively. “I’m sure it’s nothing to worry about, and I think you’d better go with Pinkie Pie to make sure she stays out of trouble.”
With a nod, Fluttershy turned to leave, and chased after Pinkie Pie. Once the yellow Pegasus was out of sight, Rarity stepped out from the bushes on the other side of the street. “I heard the whole thing, Twilight!”
“Since when was Rarity a ninja?” Twilight asked jokingly as she stepped aside to let Rarity in. “Let me guess: you’ve seen this ‘Twilight imposter’, too?”
“I have,” Rarity said as she entered the library. Twilight closed the door behind her. “And I just knew that it had to be a Clow Card behind all of this. I was right, wasn’t I?”
“It’s definitely a Clow Card,” Kero said as he suddenly appeared between the two. “I can sense it.”
“AH! D-Don’t sneak up on ponies like that!” Twilight scolded, holing her hoof over her chest to calm her beating heart.
“And? Which card are we dealing with this time?” Rarity asked. However, Kero didn’t answer. “Kero?”
“There are a lot of Clow Cards, okay?!” Kero shouted, startling the two once more. “A card that impersonates you… was there such a card?”
“You mean… you have no idea, right?” Twilight asked, sighing as Kero nodded. “Great. So what now?”
“In any case, with Earthy providing me with half of my powers, I can still pinpoint this card’s location. It seems to be moving towards the mountain, just outside of Ponyville.”
“Then that’s where we’re heading,” Twilight said, grabbing her key and her Clow Cards. “Spike, we’re heading out for a bit!”
“Alright! Take care out there!” Spike called back, waving at the three as they left the library. Once the door was closed, he dropped the broom, and grabbed a nearby mirror, flexing his muscles in front of it. “Hey there! Haven’t seen you in a long time! Been so crowded in here lately!”
“Twilight, hold on!” Applejack called out as she chased after her friend. “Ah just wanna talk ta ya! What the hay has gotten into ya?!”
Twilight used her magic to teleport up the steep slope before her, and then looked down at the pursuing Earth Pony. “G-Get away!” she shouted as her horn lit up. Applejack stopped as she felt the ground beginning to shake, and stopped dead in her tracks.
“Whoa nelly! Twilight, have y’all gone an’ lost yer mind?!” Looking up at her friend, Applejack gasped as she saw a large boulder falling down the mountain, making its way towards an unaware Twilight. “Watch out!”
Twilight turned around just in time to see the boulder about to crash into her. The light around her horn faded away, and she screamed as she raised her hooves to protect herself. Suddenly, she was knocked to the side by some unknown force, and she yelped as she felt her body hitting the hard ground beneath her, and something heavy landing on top of her.
Looking up, Twilight saw Applejack lying unconscious on top of her body, blood pouring from a shallow wound on her head. It didn’t take long to piece together what had happened. Applejack must have risked herself to push her friend out of the way…
“… Even though I’m just a-” Twilight stopped and turned around as she heard hoofsteps approaching her. She saw two ponies approaching her. A white mare with a purple mane, and a purple mare with a striped purple and pink mane. Rarity, and the real Twilight Sparkle. And floating beside them was Keroberos, the Guardian Beast of the Sun.
“Applejack!” Twilight shouted as she approached the farmer with her two friends. “… You… What did you do to her?!”
The other Twilight didn’t answer. She merely stared back at the real Twilight with a saddened look on her face.
“Twilight, there’s no mistaking it!” Kero shouted. “That’s a Clow Card! And a powerful one, too! You won’t be capturing it without weakening it first!”
“Right! Then, let’s try… Windy!” Twilight slammed her wand against the card, and a powerful gust of wind shot out… only to pass straight through her doppelganger’s body.
“It didn’t work! Try something else!”
“Then, how about… Shot!” This time, a bright light formed above Twilight’s head, and began to fire beams of light at the fake Twilight. These also passed through it, though. “Nothing’s working!”
“As I thought… this is a special card!” Kero announced.
“A ‘special card’?” Twilight asked.
“Right! Special cards can’t be captured like regular cards. You have ta call out its name, and it’ll lose all its power!”
“But, I don’t know its name…”
“C’mon, think! You’re the egghead here, surely you can deduce what card this is!”
Twilight hesitated for a second, but then nodded, and turned to face her counterpart. She thought for a second, and then grinned as it hit her. “That’s it… I know exactly what card you are… ‘Changeling’!”
A few moments of silence passed, and absolutely nothing happened.
“Uh, I’m guessing not,” Rarity said, trying not to let her laughter leave her mouth.
“C’mon, Twilight, stop playin’ around!”
“I was serious!” Twilight shouted, her face red as she glared at Kero. She turned her attention back onto her clone, and put a hoof to her chin in thought. ‘Okay, so that wasn’t it. Come on, Twilight. You can do this. Maybe… ‘Doppelganger’? ‘Clone’?’ “Hm?”
Twilight noticed that the fake hadn’t actually moved much since they had arrived. In fact, it only moved when she did, and only to mimic said movements. ‘Wait a second…’ Twilight lowered her hoof, and the doppelganger did the same. ‘It’s mirroring my movements… Wait, ‘mirroring’? … Could it be?’
“Are you… ‘Mirror’?” Upon saying that last word, the fake Twilight began to glow, and then changed shape. Now, standing before the group, was a white filly with a long green mane, mirrors adorned all over her body. “I did it…” Mirror stared at Twilight, smiling as she closed her eyes, and readied herself for what was to come next. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
Twilight swung her staff forward, and absorbed Mirror into her card, sealing her back into her card form. As she did so, she heard a faint voice calling out to her: “Sorry.”
Once the sealing was complete, Twilight collected the card, and turned to Rarity. “How is she?” she asked, referring to Applejack.
“She’s fine,” Rarity said with a smile. “Well, that certainly was quite the ordeal. I must say, though, that filly looked rather stunning. Who would have thought mirrors could be a form of fashion wear?”
Kero raised his eyebrow at the strange comment. “Really? Man, I’ll never understand you mares…” Kero felt that something was off, and looked around the area. “Hey, I just realised: that brat never showed up.”
“Trixie?” Twilight asked. “You’re right… I wonder where she is?”
“Alright,” the cloaked pony said, rising to their hooves and approaching the exhausted showmare. “As amusing as this is, I’d better wrap this up before somepony notices I’m missing.”
“N-Not yet! Trixie is not done yet!”
“Sorry, but I gave you ample time. Now it’s my turn.” The cloaked pony pulled out the same crystal bell from the Maze incident, and rang it. Moments later, the special distortion that Trixie had just spent the last hour fighting began to shake. “There’s your opening. Now seal it.”
“Why you…” Trixie lifted her wand into the air, and then swung it down. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
The special distortion was pulled towards her staff, and reverted to card form. The card then hovered over to the cloaked pony, who grabbed it with their hoof. “The Loop card… I guess this one’s mine, then.”
“Give that back!” Trixie shouted, pulling out her Firey card. “Trixie warns you, she will burn you to a crisp!”
“Sorry, but I have plans today, and being burned to a crisp would hinder them.” The cloaked pony extended their wings, and took off into the air. “Good luck in the future, though, my little Cardcaptor!”
“Get back here!” Trixie ordered, but it was useless. “Damn it!”
“Um, excuse me.”
“What?!” Trixie shouted, turning around to find… “F-Fluttershy?!”
Fluttershy yelped, and took a step back. “Um, s-sorry. I didn’t mean to sneak up on you like that. It’s just, I saw you yelling at that cloaked pony, and was wondering if everything was okay.”
Trixie saw the worried look on Fluttershy’s face, and mentally cursed herself. “O-Of course everything’s okay!” Trixie shouted, teleporting over to the yellow Pegasus, causing her to yelp in surprise once more. “Why, the Great and Powerful Trixie was just having a spirited conversation with that pony, nothing more!”
“S-So, you weren’t fighting?” Fluttershy asked.
“Of course not! Hey, how about the two of us enjoy a nice lunch together? It’s a lovely day for a picnic, after all.”
Fluttershy smiled, and nodded. “Okay. In that case, let’s go invite the others, too.”
Trixie frowned. She wanted to enjoy a nice picnic with just Fluttershy alone, but… “Oh, very well then.” She knew that Fluttershy would be upset if she insisted on leaving her friends out of it. And so, half-dejectedly, Trixie walked back towards Ponyville alongside Fluttershy.
Meanwhile, Rainbow Dash was tapping her hoof impatiently on the cloud she was sitting on, waiting for her wing to recover, which could take hours, or even days, depending on how much force Twilight had applied to the joint.
“I swear, when I get down from here, there’s gonna be hell to pay, Twilight.”
Trixie looked around at the dark landscape around herself. It was a sight she had visited many times recently, and it was starting to grow on her. As was the pony she found herself meeting up with there.
“You seem to be doing well,” Twinkle said as Trixie approached her. “A lot more cheerful than your previous visits. What’s changed?”
“Maybe it’s because the Clow Cards have been easier to capture lately,” Trixie suggested. “Or else, Trixie has just gotten used to hanging around Sparkle and her friends.”
“Oh? Not just my granddaughter, but her friends, too?”
“… Well, for the remainder of our hunt for the Clow Cards, Sparkle suggested we stay close together, since the cards themselves are starting to fight back. Rather aggressively.”
Twinkle nodded. “I see. Tell me, what kind of ponies are my granddaughter’s friends? The only one you’ve really told me about is that mare you have a crush on.”
Trixie’s face turned red as an image of Fluttershy entered her mind. “W-Well, they’re not really worth talking about.”
“I’m simply curious, as to who my granddaughter is hanging out with.”
“… Well, that’s understandable, I suppose. First, there’s a farmer, named Apple… something. Knows nothing about art. Quite a bonehead. But she’s at least got a level temper…”
“Sounds like a nice girl.”
“Then there’s Rainbow Trash. Even Trixie feels bad for Sparkle, being around that one.”
“Sounds, er… lovely.”
“Now Fluttershy, on the other hoof…” Trixie smiled and turned her head to the side to hide her blush. “Trixie would rather live with her than Sparkle.”
“You’re living together?” Twinkle asked.
Trixie nodded. “Yeah. And let me tell you, it’s not easy. Your granddaughter snores quite loudly, by the way. Anyway, her other friends are… Rarity, she’s not so bad. And that pink one… Trixie doesn’t hate her, but the less time spent around her, the better.”
“Does she have a name?”
“Possibly, but after just five seconds of listening to her talk at supersonic speed, Trixie started to drown out everything she said.”
“My, it sounds like my granddaughter has quite the circle of friends. A diligent farmer, a kind vetennarian, a fancy dressmaker, a boastful showmare, a-”
“Stop right there. Trixie is not one of Sparkle’s friends.”
“Oh?” Twinkle gave Trixie a curious look. “The two of you spend so much time together, and are looking out for each other so much, that I just assumed-”
“Yeah, well don’t,” Trixie said sharply. “Sparkle is Trixie’s rival, get it right.”
Twinkle watched Trixie for a moment. The showmare had turned to face away from her, and was noisily slurping her tea. A hint of red could be seen on the side of the blue mare’s face. “Hm… very well, if you say so…”
Twilight stirred in her bed, flattening her ears against her head to drown out the sound that had been bothering her for a while now. As she slowly awoke, and opened her eyes to the world around her, her brain started to wonder what the sound was, and she listened more intently to it.
“Is somepony singing?” she asked herself as she slowly sat up in her bed. “Wait, this presence…” Suddenly, Twilight bolted up in her bed, her eyes wide open and her mind on full alert as she looked around for the Clow Card that she was sensing.
Turning to her left, Twilight started nudging the sleeping Kero on her bedside table, using a napkin as a blanket. “I’ll have five servings of takoyaki… Nah, make that six…” the Guardian Beast mumbled in a drowsy tone.
“Kero, wake up!” Twilight whispered, not wanting to wake Trixie. Not after the last time she had accidentally woken the showmare up. Compared to what happened that time, Rarity no longer felt offended about the incident with her own mane. In fact, she felt thankful she had gotten off so easily.
“Huh? Whuzzat?” Kero yawned as he sat up in his little makeshift bed, looking up at Twilight with a tired look on his face. “What’s up? It’s still dark out.”
“Kero, I sense a Clow Card nearby! And there’s this strange singing noise, too. Listen.” The two were silent for a bit, as Twilight waited for Kero to pick up on the familiar singing outside. “Hey, I know this song… This is the song the Cutie Mark Crusaders sang at their talent show.”
“Well there ya go. Mystery solved,” Kero said, before falling back onto his pillow in an attempt to go back to sleep. Twilight wasn’t finished yet, though.
“It’s way too early for any of them to be up singing! And I told you, I sense a Clow Card!”
“Then it’s probably the Song card,” Kero told her, followed by a long yawn. “Ya remember Voice, right? Song is attracted to nice singing voices, and copies ‘em into her memory. Now go capture it and lemme sleep, will ya?”
Twilight frowned at the lazy Guardian Beast beside her. ‘Sheesh, talk about cranky! Who was it that asked me to hunt the Clow Cards in the first place again? Oh, that’s right! It was you!’ Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself, and then slowly climbed out of bed. “I don’t want to wake Trixie. She looks like she’s having a nice dream… Do you think it’d be dangerous to go alone?”
“Nah. Song has a nice personality. She’s just a lil’ on the shy side. If anything, she’d be more scared of you than you of her.”
“Sounds like Fluttershy, then,” Twilight mused to herself. “I wonder if I should take Spike with me?” She giggled at her own joke, which seemed lost or completely ignored by Kero, who was soon snoring again as he fell back to sleep. “Fine, then. I’ll do this on my own…”
Picking up her key and her cards, Twilight crept down the stairs as silently as she could, and left the library. “Right, now, where is it? …” Twilight looked around, trying to pinpoint the source of the singing. She looked over towards the Ponyville clock tower. “Over there.”
Twilight made her way through the streets of Ponyville, the singing getting louder and louder as she made her way towards the clock tower. There was no doubt in her mind that she was heading in the right direction, and this was confirmed when she got there, and found a blue mare sitting at the top, with a long purple mane, singing the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ theme song.
“Ugh. Great. Of course she’s be at the top…” Twilight summoned her wand, and pulled out her Jump card. However, before she activated it, she remembered what Kero had told her about Song being shy, and how she would probably be afraid of Twilight. “… Better approach her more quietly,” she said to herself as she put the Jump card away, and opted instead to climb the stairs inside the tower to the top.
After the long and tiring trek towards the top of the tower, Twilight was panting, and her legs were killing her. She cursed Clow Reed a couple of times in her mind for creating such troublesome things as the Clow Cards, but she calmed down a little as she finally reached the top.
She could see Song sitting on the edge of the tower, singing in Sweetie Belle’s voice the Cutie Mark Crusaders’ theme song. She looked so clam, so gentle. And it seemed like she was having fun. It almost made Twilight feel bad as she approached the card slowly, taking care not to make a sound as she neared her.
‘Sorry,’ Twilight thought as she raised her wand into the air. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in!” Song jumped and turned around, just in time to see Twilight’s wand swing towards her, and stop just short of her face. “Clow Card!”
The singing ceased, and Song’s startled look turned to a frown for a moment, and then to a look of defeat as she was pulled into her card form. Twilight grabbed the card, and looked at it. “Thank goodness,” Twilight said to herself, a relieved smile on her face. “She looks happy… I guess I’ll let her out from time-to-time, as long as she won’t cause any trouble.”
And with that, and with a very loud yawn, Twilight decided to return home, before she suddenly fell asleep at the top of the clock tower.
“How dare you?!” Trixie shouted, bits of cereal spraying from her mouth and just narrowly missing Twilight, who quickly ducked to the side to avoid them. “You went out and captured that card on your own?! Inexcusable!”
“You were asleep!” Twilight argued. “I didn’t want to wake you!”
“So you decided to sneak around behind Trixie’s back! How low of you, Sparkle!”
Twilight sighed, and brought a hoof to her face. She didn’t get much sleep after returning home, so she wasn’t really in the mood for this. ‘Stupid Kero. Why couldn’t you have waited until later to ask about Song?’
“You’d better take Trixie with you next time,” Trixie said, glaring daggers at Twilight.
Twilight stared back at Trixie, and simply nodded. “Sorry, Trixie… I’ll make sure to let you know the next time a Clow Card pops up.”
Trixie examined Twilight’s face for any hints that she was lying. As she looked more closely, she took note of how cute Twilight was when she was upset, and how gentle she sounded, even when somepony was yelling at her. Trixie blushed, and turned her attention back to her cereal. “Well, Trixie supposes she can let you off with a warning, this time.”
Twilight sighed in relief, happy that the situation didn’t get too out of hoof. Meanwhile, Kero looked at the two mares with a serious expression on his face. “Well, there aren’t that many Clow Cards left, anyway,” he told them, gathering both mares’ attentions.
Three whole days had passed without a single incident taking place. According to Kero, the last remaining Clow Cards were probably being cautious, or else, they simply hadn’t been triggered yet. In any event, because things had finally started to settle down once more, Twilight and her friends decided to do something together, as it had been a while. Trixie invited Fluttershy to come and watch her latest show in Los Pegasus, and, much to the showmare’s dismay, she had asked if the rest of her friends could come along, too.
Whilst Rainbow Dash was opposed to the idea, and Applejack wasn’t too sure herself, the rest of their friends wanted to go. Rarity and Pinkie Pie were genuinely excited to go watch, and Twilight was curious about something. As such, the six mares were now sitting in a special VIP box in the Nightshade Theatre, watching as the Great and Powerful showmare entered the stage.
From the moment she stepped out onstage, the audience was already cheering for her. However, the level of enthusiasm in the crowd felt odd to Twilight, along with something else…
Trick after trick, story after story, and the occasional joke and anecdote, and Trixie was receiving heavy applause from her audience. Even Rainbow Dash was cheering for her, which is where Twilight drew the line. She knew that something was up. She had nothing against the performance itself, but she could sense that there was something strange going on… and it was coming from Trixie.
Twilight decided, after the intermission was called, that she would got and have a little chat with Trixie.
Trixie sighed as she went over her performance schedule in her head, whilst running a brush through her mane in front of a mirror in her changing room. “So much that the Great and Powerful Trixie would like to show those ponies, but she only has so much time…” A knock at the door caught her off guard. She certainly wasn’t expecting anypony right now. “… Come in.”
In the mirror’s reflection, Trixie could see the door opening, and Twilight walking inside. The purple mare closed the door behind her, and stared at the back of Trixie’s head with a serious look on her face. “That was a good first act, Trixie.”
Trixie grinned proudly at the praise. “Of course. The Great and Powerful Trixie is-”
“Just so you know, that came from my heart,” Twilight said, cutting Trixie off and causing the showmare to look at her with a raised eyebrow. “Not from whatever magic you’ve been using on the crowd.”
“… So, you saw through that, huh?” Trixie asked, looking a little uneasy. “Right. Of course you would,” she mumbled to herself.
“Trixie, level with me here. You’ve been using some kind of manipulation magic on the crowd to make them love you, haven’t you?”
“… So what if she has?”
“Well for one thing, it’s illegal!” Twilight shouted, though not too loudly, as the walls have ears. “For another, it’s totally immoral!”
Trixie scoffed. “What purpose do morals serve for a pony who has nothing? Would morals keep Trixie warm at night? Would they feed her at noon and evening? Can morals be Trixie’s friend?”
“What do you mean?”
“Perhaps you weren’t aware, but ever since the incident with ursa minor, Trixie has been unable to perform her show! Everywhere she went, it was the same! Ponies laughing at Trixie. Ponies booing Trixie off stage before she can even get started. Trixie was starving, Twilight Sparkle!”
“So you thought to go use your magic to manipulate ponies into loving you?! Why didn’t you just go to your friends for hel-” Twilight stopped when she saw the venomous look in Trixie’s eyes, and she quickly understood why that wasn’t an option. “Oh…”
“We’re not all like you, Sparkle. Not everypony is born into luxury. Not everypony is raised to be a success. Some of us have to fight for our place in the world. Some of us have to play a little dirty. And yes, some of us even have to do dark deeds in order to survive. It’s a matter of having nothing to lose, but everything to gain. In that case, there is really only one logical path to take.”
“But what about the ponies that you manipulate? How do you think they feel? And don’t forget, manipulation magic isn’t just illegal for moral reasons. There are health hazards involved with it, too!”
“Why should Trixie care about them?! They certainly didn’t care about Trixie!”
“Maybe not, but that doesn’t mean you should stoop to this level! I thought you were better than that!”
Trixie flinched, and moved back a bit. “Y-You did?”
Twilight nodded. “Of course. I mean, you’ve helped me out so many times with the Clow Cards, and when you saw that Fly was in pain, you stopped us from attacking it so that you could help it out. When I was on the verge of death, you sacrificed half of your magic, your most important thing, to help me out. You… I considered you a friend…”
“… Well, that was foolish of you. We’re rivals, Sparkle.”
“We can still be friends,” Twilight argued. “And it’s not just me. Rarity, and Pinkie Pie, and Applejack, too. And not to mention Fluttershy. Do you think she’d be happy to know about what you’re doing?”
Trixie gasped, and jumped out of her seat to confront the other Unicorn. “Is that… a threat?!”
“N-No! It isn’t!”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie finally has what she’s always wanted! A legion of loyal, adoring fans that will never abandon her! Why can’t you just look the other way for once?!”
“Because it’s not real!”
“I don’t care!”
“Well you should care! How would you like it if you were manipulated?! If you were made to love something against your will?!”
“Shut up!”
“I know you’re a better pony than this, Trixie! Please, do the right thing here.”
“I said shut up!”
Before Twilight could say anything more, a thick cloud of black smoke surrounded Trixie suddenly, startling the two mares and causing them both to back up. “W-What’s that?!” Twilight asked.
“I-I don’t know!” Trixie answered. “It feels like a Clow Card, but-” Trixie’s words vanished as the black smoke surrounded her entire body, shielding her from Twilight’s vision.
“Trixie?!” Twilight called out, and tried to run over to the showmare, only for the black smoke to surround her, too. “W-What’s going on?!” Twilight called out as she saw everything around her fade to darkness. Soon, she was immersed in pitch-black, and no longer see or hear anything, save for her own breathing. “Trixie?! Are you there?!”
No answer. Twilight tried running straight forward, but no matter how far she ran, she never seemed to find Trixie, or an exit to this strange place. “Where am I?” she asked herself as she stopped running to catch her breath. “Am I… Am I all alone?”
Twilight looked around once more, and decided to try calling out to somepony again. “Trixie! Applejack! Rainbow Dash! Fluttershy! Rarity! Pinkie Pie! Kero! … Anypony… please, somepony answer me…”
When no answer came, Twilight began to panic. She realised that she was on her own, and that she would have to solve this mystery by herself. “… Trixie said it feels like a Clow Card… In that case…” Twilight took out her key, and held it up with her magic. “The key that hides the power of the dark, show your true form before me! I, Twilight, command you under our contract: Release!”
A few moments passed… and nothing happened. “What? W-Why didn’t that work?” Twilight closed her eyes to think about the situation. ‘If my magic is being blocked… but this is still a Clow Card… does that mean it’s a special card, like Mirror? In that case, I need to determine which card this is… I’m surrounded by darkness. I can’t see a single thing… I wonder…’
“This card, could it be… ‘Dark’?” The darkness around her began to shimmer, and Twilight’s face lit up as she realised she had guess right. However, the darkness soon returned back to the way that it was, which worried the purple Unicorn. “But, why? It should have lost its power, right? Is there something else I have to do?”
Twilight looked down as she thought, and then noticed something. She could see her own hoof, despite everything else being coated in darkness. “That’s odd. Why can I see myself so clearly? My body… it looks like its emitting some kind of light.” ‘Wait, Kero mentioned something about the Dark before. He said that it was one of the six main cards in Clow Reeds deck. Four of the others are the elemental cards, and the final one is…
‘Light! My entire body is lit up, even in this darkness… Could it be?’ Twilight closed her eyes, and focused. She concentrated deeply, using her mind’s eye to try to see the truth. She searched the deep recesses of her own mind, and saw a small flicker of light.
“Yes. That’s right.” Twilight gasped, and opened her eyes. Standing before her, was large mare, about as tall as Celestia, completely white, and wearing a flowing white robe. “Well done in finding me, Twilight Sparkle. To find that faint glimmer of light, in a world consumed by darkness. You are indeed the heir to Clow Reed’s legacy, the Clow Cards.”
Beside this mare, another, equally-tall mare appeared. This one was completely black, and wore a flowing black robe. “So you were able to find Light within yourself. I’m glad.”
“Are you… Dark?” Twilight asked.
“You should be able to use your magic now,” Light told Twilight.
“Please, seal us together,” Dark added.
Twilight looked at the two mares for a moment. They were both looking back at her, smiling at her. She smiled back, and nodded. “… The key that hides the power of the dark, show your true form before me! I, Twilight, command you under our contract: Release!”
Twilight’s key turned into her wand, and she raised it into the air. “Return to the guise you were meant to be in! Clow Card!” As Light and Dark were absorbed by Twilight’s magic into their card forms, the two of them never lost their smiles, and offered Twilight some final pieces of advice as they were sealed away.
“The darkness resides in us all, and it is easy to get lost in it.”
“That’s why there are ponies like you, who can find the light within others, and share it with those who can’t find their own.”
“Those who can’t find their own… You mean, Trixie?” Twilight asked as the two cards floated down into her hooves.
“What about Trixie?” Twilight jumped back with a start as she realised that Trixie was now standing beside her. “So, you captured the Clow Card… Wait, there were two of them?!”
Twilight looked around, and found herself back in the changing room. It seemed that everything had turned back to normal… With a relieved sigh, Twilight pocked her newly-obtained Clow Cards, and turned to face Trixie. She was now prepared to continue from where she left off.
“… Trixie, there’s no need to keep manipulating others with that manepin of yours.”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “You’re still on that? Look, just leave Trixie alone, and let her be happy for once, okay?”
“But are you really happy?” Twilight asked. “Wouldn’t it better to have a fan base that actually loved you for you, and not because of some magical influence?”
Trixie turned her head to the side. “Well, obviously. But it isn’t going to happen.”
“Why not?” Twilight asked. “Your shows really are great, Trixie. Sure, you’ve had bad luck in the past, but… now that ponies have actually given your shows a chance, you can wow them without the use of that manepin. I know you can.”
Trixie scuffed her forehoof against the floor. “Well, of course Trixie can. But… it’s impossible now.”
Twilight tilted her head to the side. “Why’s that?”
“… If… If Trixie removes this manepin, the manipulation magic will disappear. And everypony will know what Trixie did.” Trixie shook her head. “They’ll realise that Trixie was using magic to make them like her shows! Once they sit through her show without her manepin on, they’ll easily be able to tell the difference, and then-”
“I think a lot of them will still like it,” Twilight said in a reassuring tone, taking Trixie by surprise. “I mean, I sure did.”
“… That’s you, though. You’re… You’re too kind for your own good.”
“I’m also a harsh critic. I even gave my mum’s book a harsh review when it deserved it, so you know I’m not biased.”
“… But, that’s just one pony…”
Twilight moved closer to Trixie, and placed her hoof over the showmare’s. “One friend, who you can trust, Trixie. And if things do go bad, I’ll take full responsibility.” Twilight’s smile never left her face. “You can trust me. I’ll be there to help you, and so will the others.”
“… Twilight…” Trixie raised a forehoof to her head, but stopped just short of her mane. “But I-”
“Trixie, you can have all the fans in the world.” Twilight gripped Trixie’s hoof a little tighter. “But they won’t be your friends. We will.”
Trixie and Twilight stared at each other for a few silent moments, before Trixie nodded, and continued moving her hoof up towards her manepin. “… Twilight… you’d better be right about this.”
“Have I ever steered you wrong before, Trixie?”
“… No… and that’s the most annoying thing about you. You always play clean.” The mares smiled at each other, and Trixie closed her eyes as she gripped her manepin in her hoof.
“Thank you, everypony! You have been such a wonderful crowd!” Trixie shouted as she bowed to her cheering fans. Compared to earlier in the show, the theatre was less than half of what it had started out with, but that still left a lot more ponies in the crowd than the showmare was expecting. And they were all cheering for her. Genuine cheers, not fakes ones created by magic.
“I knew they’d love her,” Twilight said as she applauded from her own seat. Behind her, Rainbow Dash huffed.
“I still can’t believe she used magic to make us cheer for her. When this is over, I’m gonna teach her a lesson!”
“Oh, let it go, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said in a dismissive tone. “She’s had enough troubles already, and I told her we’d support her after she removed the manepin. Can’t you just let this one go?”
Rainbow Dash crossed her forelegs, and let out a groan. “Ugh, fine. I’ll give her a freebie this one time, but she’s on thin ice!”
Twilight rolled her eyes, and looked back at the stage, where Trixie was bowing and taking in all the applause sent her way. “Ponies do crazy things when they’re desperate, and even if they realise their mistakes later on, by that point, they feel it’s already too late. That leads them to do more crazy things, to protect themselves.
“That’s why we have friends with us. That’s why we have ponies who’ll help us get back on our hooves when we fall over, and who’ll steer us away from the wrong choices.” Twilight stopped for a moment when a thought crossed her mind. ‘Light entered my body, so that I could dispel the Dark. And Dark entered Trixie’s body… Dark didn’t have to do that to attack me, though. I wonder… did the Clow Cards set this whole thing up?’
Twilight shook her head, and watched as Trixie left the stage, a cheerful look on her face. ‘Well, whatever the case, all’s well that ends well, I guess.’
“Miss.” Twilight put a hoof to her chin, and examined the board in front of her. She ran a few calculations through her head, thought about Trixie’s play style, and then… “G5.”
“… Miss,” Trixie said, shifting her eyes to the side as she tried to subtly use magic to move her piece.
“Trixiiiie,” Twilight said in a warning tone.
“Oh, fine! Hit, but Trixie’s still in this!” ‘Even if I am one hit away from losing…’
As the two continued to play their game, with Trixie purposefully dragging it out by taking extra long to think her next move through, Kero sat by the window not too far from them, staring out at the full moon outside. ‘Yue, your time is drawing near…’ Suddenly, a chill ran through Kero’s spine, and he bolted up on the windowsill. “A Clow Card!”
Twilight and Trixie both turned to him with a start, and Trixie pushed the game between them onto its side, scattering its pieces all over the floor. “Really?!” Trixie asked, pretending not notice the mess that she caused.
“Hey!” Twilight yelled in protest. “I was about to win!”
“We’ll just have to call it a draw,” Trixie said. “This is serious business!”
Twilight frowned as she picked up the game and the scattered pieces with her magic, and neatly began packing it away in an orderly fashion. “Why couldn’t this card have waited until morning to show up? Well, guess I’d better get Rarity and-”
“No time,” Kero said, confusing the two mares. “This one’s a powerful one… I can’t tell which one it is, but I think we should hurry, before it can do anything bad.”
“Well, where is it?” Trixie asked. Kero paused for a second, and then shrugged. With a sigh, Trixie got up, and moved over to where her saddlebag was sitting beside the guest bed. “You two are lucky that the Great and Powerful Trixie is here to save the day, again.”
“Yeah, lucky us,” Kero said in a sarcastic tone. “Y’know, you don’t have ta come aong. We’ll just take the compass and go without ya.”
“Kero,” Twilight said in a stern tone. Kero turned around and began whistling innocently.
“Now, let’s see,” Trixie said as she pulled out her compass. “The Clow Card is located…” As Trixie focussed her magic into the compass, a bright blue light shot out of it, and passed through the window beside Keroberos. She and Twilight looked outside the window to follow the light. “… In the Everfree Forest.”
“Wonderful,” Twilight said with a roll of her eyes. “Everfree Forest, at night, when the full moon is out. Oh, yeah. This is going to be great.”
“Well, at least the full moon will provide us with some light,” Trixie pointed out.
“Yeah, while strengthening all of the dangerous animals that live out there,” Twilight argued.
“Are you forgetting? We have the Clow Cards. We can just, I don’t know, fly over the forest?”
Twilight thought about that for a second. “Huh. I actually did forget that.”
Trixie shook her head in disbelief. “Well, let’s go then. Whilst the cloud cover is relatively low.”
Twilight nodded in agreement. “Yes, now would be the best time to head on out.”
“Just be careful, you two,” Kero said as he landed on Twilight’s shoulder. “I’m sensing some seriously powerful magic from this card.”
“It isn’t aggressive, is it?” Twilight asked.
“I dunno. That’s why you’ve gotta be careful.”
Trixie opened the library window, and took out her key. “The key that hides the power of dimensions, show your true form before me. I, Trixie, command you under our contract: Release!” As her key transformed into her wand, she pulled out a card from her cape. “Fly!”
As the three flew over the Everfree Forest, the light from Trixie’s compass grew shorter and shorter, until they finally reached their destination.
“Down there!” Kero shouted, pointing down at some ruins beneath them. “The card is down there somewhere!”
“That’s… the Ancient Castle of the Royal Pony Sisters!” Twilight said. “That’s where we fought Nightmare Moon! Where the Elements of Harmony were held before we reactivated them!”
“It’s where the Clow Card is right now, and that’s all that matters to Trixie!” Trixie told her as she pointed her wand down, causing them to descend slowly towards the ground. “It could be hiding. We should split up and look around.”
“Okay, but let’s not wander too far apart,” Twilight cautioned, looking around nervously. She shivered as a cold wind passed down her spine. “This place gives me the creeps.”
“I’ll check over there,” Kero said, pointing at the road outside of the castle. “There’s a chance it’s already outside. And if not, it might try to escape.”
“Good thinking. Then, I’ll check down here, and Trixie, could you check upstairs, please?”
“… Fine, but if you find anything, you’d better let Trixie know,” Trixie said, glaring at Kero, who stuck his tongue out at the showmare in response.
“We will,” Twilight said in an exasperated tone. “Now come on. I want to get this over with so I can go to bed.”
With a silent nod, Kero turned around and made his way outside of the castle. With a huff, Trixie turned the opposite way, and began to ascend the staircase behind her. With a sigh, Twilight brought a forehoof in between her eyes, and started rubbing. “Those two, honestly… And then there’s Rarity, too. I’m going to have to find some way to apologise for not bringing her here. But first, the Clow Card. Now, if I were a pesky little spirit of mischief, where would I be?”
A familiar feeling passed through Twilight’s body, and she quickly turned around to find a huge rift opening up in the air in front of her. “… Oh, I-I guess I’d be there…”
Twilight groaned as she opened her eyes, and rubbed her aching head as she tried to recall what had just happened. “W-Where am I?” she asked herself as she lowered her hoof to the ground. She felt grass beneath her hooves, and looked down to see that there were also white flowers planted all over the place. “A field? How’d I get here?”
Twilight gasped as she suddenly remembered her most recent hunt for a Clow Card. How she began to search for it at the ruins in the Everfree Forest, and then, how she was absorbed by that strange rift that appeared out of nowhere.
“Was that… the Clow Card? And, if so, what did it do to me? Did it… teleport me?” Twilight looked above her, and found a ceiling above her head. “An indoor garden?”
“We are glad thou couldst make it,” a voice said somewhere nearby. Twilight recognised that voice. It belonged to…
“Princess Celestia!” Twilight suddenly jumped to her hooves, and looked around for the Princess. “But, where-”
“I know how lonely you’ve been since that time. I figured you could use a friend.”
Twilight didn’t recognise this new voice… though, it sounded familiar. Or rather, it felt familiar. “Over there?” she asked herself as she looked over at some nearby bushes.
“We thank thee, Clow.” Twilight gasped, and ran over towards the bushes. She peeked through them, and sure enough, Princess Celestia was there… but, not quite as Twilight remembered her. Her mane was solid pink, though it still flowed like before, and her coat, though it was still white, had dark-blue patched all over it. She also seemed shorter than she usually did, and she was wearing armour that looked at least five eras old.
“Your coat… is it like that in memory of your sister?” the pony beside the Princess asked. This pony was just a little shorter than the Princess. He was a pale Unicorn, with a long black mane and tail, wearing blue robes with a familiar looking emblem on the front. Twilight recognised it as Clow Reed’s emblem. A sun and a moon emblem, symbolising two styles of magic brought together to create his own.
“Please do not word it thusly. We have not given up hope yet,” Celestia said as she reached out a hoof and gently held some roses in front of her.
“Forgive me. I meant it not in such a way, I was merely-”
“‘Tis fine, Clow Reed. Pray tell, the rumours that we have heard, be they the truth, or else…”
“… I’m afraid so, Your Highness. I am… not long for this world.”
“… So thou would leave me too?”
“If I could stay, I would. Unfortunately, I am unlike Yuko. My time is short, and I intend to make the most of it while I still can.”
“Keroberos, and Yue. How fare they to this news?”
“Keroberos is as dependable as ever, but Yue… I never should have created my guardians to have such emotions.”
“We think it is that kind quality that is your finest feature.”
Twilight couldn’t believe what she was seeing and hearing. She simply stared at the two ponies before her in complete shock. ‘I-If that pony is Clow Reed… and that one is Princess Celestia… w-what does this mean? Have I… Have I gone back in time?’
“Twilight!” Twilight gasped and turned around. She was sure that that was Trixie’s voice, but… “Twilight!”
“Twilight!”
There it was again, followed by Kero’s voice. “What’s going on?”
“It is time for you to return.” Twilight jumped with a start, and turned to find Clow Reed standing beside her. Princess Celestia was no longer there. “I am not sure how you came to be here, but it is not where you belong. I sense great troubles ahead of you… but just remember, your friends will always be there to guide you, even in the deepest darkness.”
“W-What do you-” Before Twilight could finish her question, an overwhelming light blinded her, and she was forced to close her eyes. When she opened the, she found herself just outside of the ruins in the Everfree Forest, with Trixie and Kero before her. Trixie was on her knees, panting heavily as she held her wand. “Y-You guys…”
“Twilight, hurry!” Trixie shouted. “Seal the card, quick!”
Kero pointed behind Twilight, who turned around to look. “That’s the Return card! It sent you back to the past!”
Twilight took a step back as she saw the same rift from before in front of her, growing bigger and reaching out towards them. “W-What the?”
“Hurry!” Kero shouted. “Trixie brought you back with Time, but that drained her too much, so now she can’t seal it herself!”
Twilight gasped, and quickly pulled out her key. “The key that hides the power of the dark, show your true form before me. I, Twilight, command you under our contract: Release!” Twilight grabbed her wand, and swung it into the air. “Return to the guide you were meant to be in! Clow Card!”
“Well well, it looks like I wasn’t needed after all.” Kero and Trixie turned around, and saw the same cloaked pony from Appleoosa approaching them. “The Return card is indeed a frightening thing. I thought for sure that you would need help with this one.”
As Twilight collected the card, she turned around to face the cloaked pony. “Who are you?” she asked. “And, why do you feel so… familiar?”
“I would love to tell you, but…” The cloaked pony turned around, and looked at something in the distance.”It’s time.”
“‘Time’?” Trixie asked. “Time for what?”
“That was the final Clow Card,” Kero said, surprising both Twilight and Trixie. “It’s not time for him to make his appearance.”
“Indeed,” the cloaked pony said. A sudden movement in the distance caught the two mares’ attention, and they watched as a new pony entered the scene. They both gasped at who they saw walking towards them.
“F-Fluttershy?!” Twilight asked, watching as a yellow Pegasus pony with a long, flowing pink mane and tail walked towards them. Something seemed different, though. “Wait, t-that looks like Fluttershy, but…”
“A stallion?” Trixie asked as the pony got closer to them, and she was able to see them better. “And, what’s this intense feeling coming from him?”
“It’s him,” Kero said. “Yue. The Moon Guardian, and the one who will administer the final judgement.”
“It has been a long time,” the new pony said, looking over at the group before him, “Keroberos.”
“H-Hold on! What’s going on here?” Twilight asked Kero, her eyes still locked on the pony before her who looked so much like Fluttershy, but who had a different aura around him. “Why is Fluttershy here?”
“Yue, the Moon Guardian, created by Clow Reed to watch over the Clow Cards, just like me,” Kero explained. “It seems that that mare, Fluttershy, was nothing but a faux body he created whilst he slept.”
“Y-You’re kidding,” Twilight said in shocked tone.
“Well, I wouldn’t quite go that far,” the cloaked pony said, drawing the groups’ attention. “Although she was created by Yue, she, just like the two of you, has her own body and soul. She is still the same Fluttershy as before… but right now, it is Yue standing before us.”
“W-What’s this that Trixie is feeling?” Trixie asked as she tried to stop her legs from shaking.
“Yue is aligned with the moon,” the cloaked pony said. “And so are you, Miss Lulamoon. What you’re feeling now is Yue’s magic.”
“That explains her sudden infatuation with Fluttershy, then,” Kero said, putting a paw to his chin. “I thought something was off about that mare. To think that she, of all ponies, was actually Yue.”
“The final judgement shall now begin,” Yue said, his wings extending and his body lifting up into the air. “There are three of you that have Clow Cards. Now, which of you shall go first?”
“The ‘final judgement’?” Twilight asked.
“The final test, to determine who shall be worthy of succeeding Clow Reed’s legacy, and becoming the new master of the Clow Cards.”
“Wait! I thought we just had to collect them! I never said anything about becoming their master!”
“Then don’t,” Trixie said with a grin. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, however, will be more than happy to take up this challenge.”
“Twilight,” Kero began, “If the cards have no master, then, it doesn’t matter if you’ve collected them or not. They’ll scatter again, and the catastrophe will still happen.”
“The catastrophe…”
Yue looked between the three ponies that held Clow Cards. “I will ask again: which of you shall go first.”
“Um, about that,” the cloaked pony stared, “I have no intention of taking part. I simply captured these cards to help these two out. Therefore, I’ll let these two mares take up your challenge.”
“You wish to withdraw from the final judgment?” Yue asked for confirmation. “It will mean relinquishing the cards that you have captured so far.”
“I understand.” The cloaked pony pulled out their two cards, Maze and Loop, and offered them up to Yue. A blue glow enveloped the cards, and they moved towards the stallion. “Well then, I’ll leave it up to you two. Good luck, my little ponies.”
“What the hell?” Trixie asked. “If you didn’t want them, you could have just given them to Trixie.”
“Who are you, anyway?” Twilight asked. “You feel familiar, but…”
“If either of you can pass this trial, I shall reveal myself to you.”
Trixie huffed, and turned back to face Yue. “Well then, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall sake the stage first.”
“What?!” Kero shouted.
“It’s okay, Kero,” Twilight told him, before turning back to Trixie. “Are you sure? It could be dangerous.”
“Twilight, after everything we’ve been through, do you really think a little danger will stop Trixie now?”
“… Yeah, good point. Well, good luck, then.”
“Are you ready?” Yue asked. “The test is a simple one. Defeat me in combat. That is all. You may use whatever abilities you wish, including the Clow Cards that you have captured.”
“Is that all? Very well then! When do we begin?”
“First, I want you to follow me into the ruins behind you. That will be our battleground. The others must stay outside. I will ensure that there is no interference by setting up a barrier.”
Trixie nodded, and turned around to enter the battlefield. Twilight stopped her by grabbing her hoof. “Trixie… good luck. Come back safe.”
Trixie sighed and shook her head. “Silly Twilight. You should be more sad. After all, Trixie is going to beat you in this competition to capture all of the Clow Cards.”
“I’m just glad the others aren’t here to see this. Especially Rainbow Dash. She’d be freaking out so much if she saw Fluttershy looking like that.”
The two shared a quick laugh together, before Twilight let Trixie go, and wished her luck one final time as the showmare approached Yue. “Sorry to keep you waiting,” she announced as she entered the ruins. Around the two, a shimmer of light indicated that the barrier was up. “So, is there going to be a signal to start, or can Trixie just go whenever she pleases?”
“Such an arrogant master of the Clow Cards… shall never exist,” Yue said. “You may start now. And I won’t hold back.”
“Neither shall Trixie!” Trixie shouted as she pulled a card out from her cape. “Fi-” Trixie stopped, and then jumped back to avoid Yue’s incoming attack of magical arrows.
“Why did you hesitate? Firey is a good card to use.”
“… Trixie almost forgot. That’s Fluttershy’s body. Taking a hostage… how despicable!”
“A pony who hesitates in battle, has no right to be master of the Clow Cards!” Yue reared his front legs, preparing to attack again.
“Watery!” Trixie shouted, slamming her wand against said card. ‘This way, I won’t harm her! I’ll just trap him, and then-’
“That won’t work,” Yue said, holding out his hoof and stopping the torrent of water rushing towards him dead in its tracks. The water then turned around, and rushed back towards Trixie.
“What?!” Trixie shouted as she pulled out another card. “Shield!” The shield formed just in time, and managed to deflect the incoming attack.
“Watery falls under the moon’s jurisdiction. My jurisdiction. You cannot harm me with that card.”
“Well then, in that case…” Trixie pulled out her Time card. She wasn’t sure about using it, considering she had recently drained herself with it to save Twilight from Return, but… “No choice. Time!”
“Also won’t work,” Yue said as he suddenly appeared behind Trixie. “Time is also under my jurisdiction.” Trixie turned around, only to freeze up suddenly as she felt the magical energy from Time wrapping itself around her body. “You fail.”
Twilight and Kero watched as the battle unfolded before them. Trixie pulled a card out, and activated it. “Time!”
“No good,” Kero said, his brow furrowed as he watched Trixie standing perfectly still whilst Yue slowly descended behind her. “Time can’t be used against Yue. Not to mention, she’s still drained from earlier. She ain’t gonna win.”
“Let’s not count her out just yet,” Twilight said.
“No, it’s as he says,” a voice behind them suddenly announced. They both turned around, and found Yue floating in the air, with Trixie on the ground beneath him, panting heavily as she struggled to rise to her hooves. “Trixie Lulamoon has lost.”
“Trixie!” Twilight rushed to the blue mare’s side, and helped her to steady herself. “Are you okay?!”
“I’m fine,” Trixie said, wincing as she finally got up on all four legs again.
“Your Clow Cards will now be confiscated, and you will not become the new master of the Clow Cards.” As Yue said that, he raised a forehoof into the air, revealing all of the cards that Trixie had collected. “Next up, is Twilight Sparkle. The final candidate to become the new master of the Clow Cards.”
“Hold on! Trixie needs treatment, fast!”
“She will be fine. I did not severely damage her. Now, stop stalling, and enter the battlefield.”
Kero float over to Trixie, and was joined by the cloaked pony. “We’ll take care of Trixie,” the cloaked pony said. “Twilight, you must face this trail. And you must win. Otherwise, a terrible catastrophe will befall this world.”
“She’s right, Twilight. You have to do this,” Kero added.
“… A-Alright then. I don’t know if I can do it, but… I’ll try. As long as I have my friends with me in here-” Twilight held a hoof over her chest, “-then I’ll be fine.”
“Twilight,” Trixie said. “… Good luck. Kick his flank.”
Twilight smiled and nodded. “Thanks, Trixie.” After taking a deep breath to ready herself, Twilight turned around, and approached the battlefield, where Yue was already waiting for her.
“Final candidate to become the new master of the Clow Cards, Twilight Sparkle. You may begin when ready. Or if you wish, I will make the first move.”
Twilight furrowed her brow, and examined her opponent closely. “I don’t want to hurt Fluttershy. In that case…” Twilight out a card. “Windy!”
“Fool.” Yue held out a forehoof, stopping the incoming wind dead in its tracks. “Just like that other mare. Had you used Earthy, or Sword, you may have stood a chance, but… I give no second chances.”
The wind turned around, and rushed towards Twilight, who quickly tried to use Jump to get away. However, although the card activated, the result was her legs feeling heavier, rather than lighter, and she found herself unable to move as Windy trapped her within a cage of wind.
“What?! Why can’t I move?!”
“Because Windy falls under my jurisdiction,” Yue explained. “And Jump is aligned under Windy. You lost your chance to win because of your softness, and now, the Clow Cards shall be released once more. And a terrible catastrophe will befall this world.”
Twilight gulped as she watched Yue raising his forehoof into the air. “… W-What kind of catastrophe? The end of the world?”
“No. Nothing quite so severe.” Yue’s eyes met Twilight’s, and the purple Unicorn flinched as she felt his cold gaze piercing her soul. “The catastrophe that will occur… is a world without love.”
Twilight awoke to the sound of her alarm clock ringing. She screamed as she bolted upright in her bed, and looked around cautiously for Yue’s next attack. When she found herself to be alone in her room, she tilted her head to the side in a quizzical manner. “Huh? What’s going on? Why am I here?”
“Twilight, are you up yet?” Twilight slipped out of bed, and made her way towards the staircase leading down to the lower level of the library. She could see Spike at the bottom, wearing a pink apron and a chef’s hat. “About time! C’mon, breakfast is almost ready!”
Twilight slowly descended the stairs. She had so many questions to ask, like why she was there, and what had happened at the final judgement? And, where were Kero and Trixie? ‘Maybe… Maybe Kero left, after I lost the trial… Or maybe he’s just off sulking about it somewhere. It certainly wouldn’t surprise me.'
“Twilight, what’s up with you?” Kero asked. “You’re looking kinda out of it. You okay?”
Twilight saw the concerned look on Spike’s face, and smiled, so as not to worry him. “I’m fine, Spike. Just haven’t woken up yet, that’s all.”
“Well then, it’s a good job your number one assistant here took the liberty of making your favourite breakfast for you this morning!” Spike said in a proud tone.
Twilight giggled and patted him on the head. “Great. Can’t wait to taste it.” She heard the front door open, and looked up to see who it was. “Oh, Rarity! Good morning. You’re up early.”
“Yes, I wanted to come by and pick up a book that Spike told me about,” Rarity told her. Twilight gave the baby dragon a knowing grin, and decided to leave the two alone whilst she straightened up her mane.
“Oh, it’s on that shelf over there,” Spike said, pointing a claw at a shelf behind Rarity. Twilight found it odd that he pointed it out, rather than going and getting the book himself.
“Ah, I see it. Thank you, Spike,” Rarity said, picking the book up with her magic and turning to leave.
“No problem! Just return it whenever!” Spike said as he waved goodbye to his friend. He turned around and walked back into the kitchen, leaving a confused Twilight halfway up the stairs to her room.
‘W-What was that? Spike and Rarity, having a normal conversation like that? What happened to Spike putting the moves on Rarity and offering to do everything for her? And Rarity usually spoils him silly when she offers her gratitude.’
“Twilight, breakfast will be ready in five minutes!” Spike announced.
Twilight shook her head to clear her thoughts, and continued up the stairs to her room. ‘Nah, I’m sure it’s just because she was in a hurry. And Spike’s… ah, maybe he’s being cold intentionally to make Rarity take the initiative. Reverse psychology. Very clever, Spike.’
Satisfied with her logic, Twilight approached her mirror with a smile on her face, and began to brush her mane. As she did so, she noticed that a certain picture was missing. The picture of her and her friends, all together in the park. “… Huh. Guess Spike moved it when he was cleaning. I’ll ask him about it later.”
Twilight decided to see if Trixie knew anything about what happened the previous night. Hearing from Spike that she was going to be practising her magic at the park, Twilight set out find her. On the way, she saw Scootaloo approaching her at a dangerously-fast speed, and readied a teleportation spell.
It wasn’t needed, though, as the scooting Pegasus filly planted her hind hooves on the ground, braking just short of the purple Unicorn. “Heya, Twilight!”
“Good morning, Scootaloo,” Twilight said as she cancelled her built-up magic. “Haven’t I told you before how dangerous it is to travel that fast?”
Scootaloo scoffed and waved a hoof dismissively. “You sound just like my mum.”
“Hey guys!” Both Twilight and Scootaloo jumped as they saw a blue blur crash down in front of them, followed by laughter as the blur revealed itself to be Rainbow Dash. “What’s up?”
“R-Rainbow Dash!” Twilight scolded. “You almost gave me a heart attack!”
“That would’ve sucked! Then who’d let me read their Daring Do books?” Twilight rolled her eyes and Rainbow Dash laughed at her own joke. The Pegasus then looked down at Scootaloo. “You goin’ crusading, this early in the morning?”
“Yeah. Apple Bloom had a great idea, but the weather is scheduled to be raining later, so we have to do it now,” Scootaloo explained.
“Ah, I see. Well, good luck.”
“Thanks.” Scootaloo kicked the ground to give herself a push, and continued to scooter through the streets of Ponyville.
“Huh,” Twilight said as she watched her leave. “That was… a little casual, don’t you think?”
“What do you mean?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I barely know the filly, why wouldn’t it be casual?”
“Oh, come on, you know.” The look on Rainbow Dash’s face told Twilight that she didn’t know. “She’s your number one fan, right?”
“Really? Huh, first I’ve heard of it.”
Twilight sighed. “Yeah, okay, very funny, Rainbow.”
“Uh… thanks?” Rainbow Dash looked up at something above her. “Look, I’d like ta stay and chat, but I’ve gotta get this sky ready for this afternoon’s rainfall. So, catch ya later, Twilight!”
“See you later,” Twilight said as she watched Rainbow Dash fly up into the sky. “… How strange. She’s always humouring Scootaloo’s affections for her. Why would she suddenly act like…” Twilight shook her head. “One problem at a time, Twilight. Gotta find Trixie, and ask her about yesterday.”
Twilight found the wooden trailer sitting in the middle of Ponyville’s park. She felt uneasy as she approached it, but when she saw the blue showmare it belonged to stepping outside, she smiled and continued on. “Trixie!” she called out.
Trixie turned around to face her. “Oh, Miss Sparkle,” she said, causing Twilight to stop and look at her in shock. “What can Trixie do for you?”
“… W-What?” Twilight asked. “Trixie, did you just call me…”
“Hm? What’s wrong, Miss Sparkle?”
There it was again. Twilight felt her stomach turning as she heard Trixie addressing her in such a casual manner. There was malice in her voice, nor any gentleness. No competitive tone, nor a friendly one.
“W-What’s going on? What’s this uneasy feeling?”
“It is just as Yue said.” The world around Twilight began to shake, and Twilight panicked as she saw darkness surrounding her. “A world where everypony forgets their feelings, for the ones they hold dearest to them.” Twilight recognised that voice. She turned around, and saw the cloaked pony from before standing before her. “A world without love. One would have to experience it, to know its true horror.”
“Y-You’re…” The cloaked pony smiled, and pulled down their hood, confirming Twilight’s suspicions. “Princess Celestia!”
“Twilight Sparkle, surely you do not wish for such a world to exist.”
Twilight hung her head in defeat. “But, what can I do? Yue is too powerful. I can’t harm him, because his body is Fluttershy’s…” Twilight felt a wing gently caressing the side of her face, and looked up to see the Princess smiling down at her.
“I’m so proud, to have a student who cares for her friends as much as you do.” Celestia’s horn lit up, and from her cloak came her crystal bell. “If you give up now, the result will be a world in which all the feeling which everypony held for their loved ones will be no more. Is that the world that you desire?”
“No, of course it isn’t!”
“Then, I’m sure that you will find a way. After all, you are the pony that revived the Elements of Harmony with the power of friendship. Inside you lies the power that you need to defeat Yue… you just need to realise that fact for yourself.”
“But… But what can I do? I lost, didn’t I? That trail’s over, right?”
Celestia’s bell rang out, and began to glow. “This bell was designed to give you one final chance.” The bell rang again, and the world began to glow around the two ponies. “From this point on, you are on your own. But remember, though you may be alone in person, in spirit, your friends will all be with you.”
“In spirit…” Twilight put a hoof to her chest, and closed her eyes. “Applejack. Rainbow Dash. Pinkie Pie. Rarity. Trixie… and Fluttershy. They’re all… They’re all right here, in my heart.”
Celestia nodded, and rang her bell one final time, before it shattered in her magic. “Now, the rest is up to you. Good luck, my little pony.”
Twilight opened her eyes, and gave her mentor a confident smile. “Thanks. I won’t let you down, Princess!”
Yue gasped as the wind cage surrounding Twilight dispersed, and the purple Unicorn from within teleported back a few steps. “She broke through Windy?”
“Hey, Yue!” Twilight called out, getting the Moon Guardian’s attention. “I don’t care about Clow Cards or masters! But a world without love… is something that I’ll never accept!”
“Oh? But, unless you’re willing to harm me, then there is nothing that you can do.”
“Wrong,” Twilight said, pulling a card out with her magic. “You see, I’m not fighting alone. The spirits of all my friends are here with me, lending their strength. And, when you have that kind of power…” Twilight threw the card up into the air, and raised her wand. “Anything can happen, even miracles!”
Twilight swung her wand forward, and Yue narrowed his eyes as he examined it. “It’s changed shape…”
True to his words, the wand that collided with the card in the air was different from the one that Twilight had been using previously. Whilst the shaft and the colour were the same, the head was different. It was now a six-pointed purple star, with five white stars shimmering around it. “Windy!”
A strong gust of wind shot out of the card, and approached Yue. “I’ve already told you, Windy is under my jurisdiction.” Yue held out a hoof, only for it to get snagged by the incoming wind. “What?!” Yue struggled as Windy grabbed all four of his hooves, and then wrapped around his body, preventing him from moving. “B-But how?!”
“it’s simple,” Twilight, walking forward as Windy dragged Yue down. “My magic is neither under the sun or the moon. My magic… comes from harmony. From friendship. And that, is a power that falls under no jurisdiction.”
Yue glared at Twilight for a moment, before sighing and closing his eyes. “… I see… so this is the pony that would succeed my master.”
“… I don’t care about being your master or anything,” Twilight said. “I simply want to protect my friends, and everypony else in Equestria. That’s all.”
Yue shook his head. “Regardless, you have passed. The judgement has ended… and I, Yue the Judge, deem you worthy of being our new master, Twilight Sparkle.”
“Twilight, you did it!” Twilight backed away as a huge, winged lion-like creature approached her.
“W-Who are you?!”
“Hm? Oh, right. My new form. It’s me, Keroberos.” Twilight stared in disbelief at the large creature before her. “Heh, told you my true form was cool, didn’t I?”
Twilight nodded her head slowly. “Y-Yeah…” ‘This is Kero? … Guess Trixie won’t be calling him a plush toy anymore. Hold on…’ “Where’s Trixie?”
“The brat? Beats me. She started sulking after you passed the trial, and wandered off somewhere.”
Twilight frowned at that news. She hoped that Trixie wasn’t too upset by all of this. “Don’t worry, my student,” Celestia said as she approached the purple Unicorn. “Miss Lulamoon will be fine. I sense she just has her own way of dealing with things.”
“Are you sure?” Twilight asked. “I mean, I just got her to start trusting me, I don’t want her to suddenly start calling me her rival again.”
Celestia giggled at her student’s worries. “Twilight, I don’t think you ever stopped being her rival,” she said, much to Twilight’s dismay. “Trust me, you’ll be fine. When Trixie comes back, just greet her with a smile… and she will do the same.”
Twilight thought about it for a moment, and then nodded. “Okay, Princess. I’ll trust your words.” A thought crossed Twilight’s mind, and she turned around to look for Yue, who was no longer present at the scene. “Fluttershy… What’s going to happen to Fluttershy?”
“Well, although you’re the new master, Yue still has no intention of going out of his way to serve you,” Kero said. “Therefore, he’ll most likely spend most of his time sleeping, and allowing his alter ego to take control.”
“You mean, Fluttershy will be okay?”
“Yes. So you have no need to worry, Twilight.”
“Oh, thank goodness,” Twilight said with a yawn. A long yawn.
“Sounds like somepony’s ready for bed,” Celestia teased, her wings spreading as she prepared to take off. “Well, it is getting rather late. I congratulate you on passing this trial, Twilight.”
“Thanks, Princess…” Twilight rubbed her tired eyes, and let out another yawn. “I’d better get back to the library, before I fall asleep in the middle of the forest.
Celestia nodded, and started to flap her wings, lifting off of the ground. “Well then, I wish you a good night, my faithful student. And, I hope to hear from you again soon.”
“Yeah… I’ll write to you soon, promise.” With that, Celestia flew off into the night sky, leaving Twilight and Kero at the ruins in the Everfree Forest. Twilight looked down the pathway ahead of her, and then turned to Kero. “Come on. Let’s go home.”
Trixie looked around at the familiar garden she was in. It had been a while since she had last visited this place… The shop that grants wishes, if you can pay the correct price. It was at this shop that Trixie Lulamoon had purchased a magical manepin that would make ponies love her shows… and her price, was to set out on a journey to capture the Clow Cards.
As Trixie walked through the garden, she admired the beautiful cherry blossoms in bloom around her. It was the wrong time of year, but then, this shop may not have even existed inside her world at all.
“Good afternoon,” said the young boy sitting outside the shop. He wasn’t wearing the same black clothes he always wore. Instead, he wore a loose-fitting kimono, that made him seem the exact opposite of his neat and tidy appearance from before. He held in his hand the same pipe that Yuko used the last time Trixie had visited.
‘Great,’ Trixie thought to herself, ‘Another smoker…’
“Trixie, it’s good to see you again,” Watanuki said, picking up a cup of tea beside him and bringing it to his lips.
“Sorry, but Trixie hasn’t stopped by to chat.” Trixie looked around, trying to find the shop’s owner. “Where’s Yuko?”
“… She’s… not here,” Watanuki said, lowering his cup and bringing his pipe to his mouth.
“She’s out?” Trixie asked, but received no answer. “Well, whatever. Trixie simply came to return the key that Yuko gave her, since the hunt is over.” Trixie used her magic to pull the key out of her cape, and tilted her head as she looked at it. “How odd. It looks duller than it did before. Oh, and here’s the compass, too.” Trixie used her magic to pull her compass out of her cape, and placed it down gently by Watanuki.
Watanuki put down his pipe, and reached his hand forward, taking hold of the key and bringing it towards himself. “The key powered by dimensions… By Yuko’s magic… Thank you. Oh? You’re not wearing that manepin that Yuko gave you…”
Trixie shifted about uncomfortably. “Well… as it turns out, Trixie won’t be needing it after all.”
“Is that so?” Watanuki asked. “I’m sorry we couldn’t help you, even after you went through so much trouble.”
“Trixie didn’t say you didn’t help her,” Trixie responded, a slight blush crossing her face. “Trixie… found something better, that’s all.”
“Oh? What did you find?”
“… Ponies that she can turn to… Ponies that she can trust… That’s what Trixie found.”
“Companions, then,” Watanuki summarised.
“Friends, yes,” Trixie confirmed. “It’s strange. Compared to what they think, the opinions of the rest of the Country seem so… insignificant.”
“I’m happy for you,” Watanuki said with a smile. “Say, would you like to stay and drink for a bit? It’s early, but I have a good bottle of saké in the kitchen.”
Trixie shook her head. “No thanks. Trixie only came by to drop off the key and the compass, she has no intention of dragging this out.”
“Suit yourself. But, you never know when a meeting with someone, will be your last…” Watanuki brought his pipe back up to his lips, and released a puff of smoke. “You should cherish each and every moment while you still can, so that you have no regrets later.”
Trixie considered that for a moment, and then looked up at the sky above her. “… Oh, what the hay. Twilight will just have to wait a little longer. And besides, Trixie could use a drink right now.”
“That’s the spirit,” Watanuki said as he rose to his feet. “Mokona’s asleep, so I’ll have to fetch it myself. Could you wait here for a moment?”
“Sure…” Trixie watched as Watanuki left, and then looked down at the pipe that he had left behind. Yuko’s pipe. She looked around the store for a bit, and noticed that it was rather quiet. There was no sign of those twins anywhere. Or of the mysterious shopkeeper who had set her on her quest in the first place. “… Sorry for your loss,” Trixie muttered as she took a seat on the ledge, beside Yuko’s pipe.
Twilight closed her book and placed it on the pile to her left. Without skipping a beat, she pulled the next book out from the large pile to her right, opened it up, and started to read. “Finally,” she said quietly to herself. “Finally, I can catch up on all the reading I missed out on.”
“If that’s how ya felt, ya shoulda just let Trishie have the Clow Cardsh!”
Twilight raised an eyebrow, and turned around to find Trixie standing behind her, grinning as she shook side-to-side on the spot. “Trixie! Where have you been?!”
“Sssshut up, mum! Trishie can go out ash late ashe wantsh!”
Twilight covered her nose as a horrid smell came from Trixie’s breath. “Are you… drunk?!”
“No! Your drunk is face! Er, I mean, your drunk is… drunk… Yesh…” Trixie hiccupped, and then giggled as she sat down in front of Twilight. “By the way, your town is shtupid! You poniesh don’t lock yer windows or doors, it wash sho easy to get in here!”
“It’s evening,” Twilight pointed out. “The library’s still open. And it’s warm out today, so I had my windows open because the air conditioner doesn’t work.”
“Fool!” Trixie shouted. “Thish ish why Trishie shoulda been made mashter of the Clow Cardsh! What’s with you gettin’ a second chance, anyways?”
Twilight groaned, and put a hoof to her face. “Trixie, please… I wasn’t trying to upstage you or anything, I just-”
“What’sh for dinner?” Trixie asked, cutting Twilight off. “Trishie thinksh we should have shomethin’ special. Ooh! Let’s go get kebabsh!”
“… What’s a kebab?”
Trixie shrugged. “Trishie doesh not know, but she suddenly wantsh one.” Trixie fell down onto the table beside her. “Twilight, you’re upshide down. Stop it, Twilight. Twilight. Stop.”
Twilight had no idea what to think at this point. She got up and approached Trixie, then sat down in front of her. “Trixie, be honest with me. Are you upset, because I became the master of the Clow Cards, and you didn’t?”
Trixie suddenly started laughing, catching Twilight completely off guard. “Are you an imbecile, Twilight Shparkle?! Of courshe Trishie is a lil’ annoyed, but you’re her friend now! That meansh that Trishie ish happy for you, and wantsh ta celebrate an’ all that crap!”
Trixie jumped up and pulled Twilight into a great and powerful hug. Twilight squirmed a little bit, but Trixie’s grip was strong. “Then, why did you go out and get wasted?”
“Trishie wash jush havin’ shome fun with a friend! She wash jush gonna have one, she swears, but damn that wash good shaké!”
Twilight was relieved to hear that Trixie wasn’t upset or angry with her, but she still felt uncomfortable being so close to the drunk showmare. “So, we’re still good, then?”
“Absholutely! Now, give Trishie a kish!”
“What?!” Twilight’s face turned bright red, and she put even more effort into trying to break out of Trixie’s hold as the showmare started to bring her face closer to her’s. “T-Trixie, wait! I-I’m not, I don’t, j-just hold on!” To her surprise, Trixie did stop… but only so that she could fall asleep and drop her head onto Twilight’s shoulder. Her loud snores filled the room, and Twilight took a moment to calm down. “Phew, that was close… I guess I’d better let her sleep it off, and then talk to her in the morning.”
Twilight tried to free herself from Trixie’s hold, but that only prompted the sleeping mare to squeeze even tighter around Twilight’s body, making escape utterly impossible. “… Oh, horseapples.”
