Chapter 1
Trick for a Trick
A Short Karma Tale
On any other night the Everfree Forest would seem ominous, but for Twilight Sparkle and Princess Luna it was quite pleasant. Having left the Nightmare Moon statue awhile ago, the two ponies passed the time in conversation as they strolled back to town.
“And that is why the abacus is the preferred calculating tool for one such as you Twilight,” Luna said. “While any pony can simply punch numbers into a calculator and get an instant result, the abacus requires concentration and makes the mind more focused as a result, which is more beneficial in the long run for any academic.”
“Hmm, I never thought of it that way,” replied Twilight as she nodded with a jingle “I have to say all your thoughts on studying makes my own look amateurish by comparison.”
“It’s nothing to be proud of,” said Luna. “Studying was all I could really do during my year of recovery, and having to learn the past one thousand years of history made for little time to socialize. I’m just fortunate that the villagers here are forgiving of my obtuseness.”
“The important thing is you were able to make a good impression, even if it took a few tries,” Twilight assured her. “And all things considered, you could have done worse for someone who’s been away for a thousand years.”
“That is true,” agreed Luna. "But even with those setbacks this has been the most fun I’ve in a long time. And I intend to have even more fun so long as the night is young, until the fun has, dare I say, quadrupled!”
“That’s certainly the spirit Princess, but mind you there is such a thing as too much fun,” Twilight replied.
“Nonsense. We, Princess Luna, will make it that every citizen’s capacity for having fun is UNLIMITED! SO SHALL WE DECREE IN HONOR OF THESE GENTLE AND WONDERFUL SUBJECTS!” proclaimed Luna, thunder clouds rumbling overhead.
“Uh, you might want to tone down some princess,” said Twilight.
“OUR MIS-, um, my mistake,” Luna replied, before giving a soft laugh. “It’s quite helpful having someone as level-headed as you around.”
“I’m glad to hear that, though you should know I have my off days,” Twilight replied.
“Yes. Sister informed me of your doll incident,” Luna said. “Even so, this is the present and much fun still needs to be had back in town.”
Twilight gave a nod, and the two increased their pace in silence. Eventually the thick forest canopy gave way to open sky as Twilight and Luna exited the forest, and before them stood Ponyville, still alight for the Nightmare Night festivities.
“Such a wonderful and welcoming sight,” remarked Luna. “To think I wanted to have this event cancelled.”
The pair resumed their walk and in short time entered the town proper. Almost immediately upon their arrival several ponies in costume ran past them.
“That’s sorta odd. Where are they running to?” Twilight pondered.
“Perhaps to another fun event,” Luna suggested eagerly. “Come Twilight Sparkle, this matter demands an investigation.”
At the heed of a suddenly enthusiastic Luna, Twilight joined her in following the fleeing ponies. In their pursuit several more ponies ran past from the surrounding houses toward the center of Ponyville. Eventually they reached the town square, where most of the town’s citizens had gathered in a packed and squirming crowd before the stage that had been set up for the costume contest. A large unmarked crate had taken up most of the stage, and the gathered townsfolk were abuzz with speculation about it. From the edge of her vision, Twilight noticed the telltale attire of Ponyville’s mayor, and immediately she trotted over to her.
“Mayor, what’s going on? What’s with the crate?” pressed Twilight.
“I honestly have no idea,” the Mayor said. “It certainly wasn’t there before I left to have a talk with Zecora. From what I’ve gathered it suddenly appeared there without anypony’s notice, and none of the other organizers know what to make of it. All I can say for certainty is there will be no costume contest while this mystery crate is taking up the stage.”
“It does seem a bit unsettling,” Luna said. “However, I don’t think we need be too concerned. I’ve learned that it’s the nature of Nightmare Night for there to be surprises, and this crate is surely brimming with surprise!”
The Mayor still looked uneasy despite Luna’s assurance and turned her gaze back to the crate. The air grew thick with curiosity and anticipation as ponies milled about, chattering and ogling the crate on the stage. Suddenly the blaring of an unseen organ silenced the crowd, and all eyes were affixed to the stage and the crate. A strained creaking broke the silence as everyone saw the sides of the crate buckle and fall away, mist loudly erupting from the seams. The clamor of the crowd reached a fever pitch as three sharp lights from the rafters shone down on the stage center, clearing the mist and revealing the contents of the crate.
Hovering for all to see, was some kind of living mish-mash of assorted animal parts, but to Twilight it was an all too familiar mish-mash. The creature was a Draconequus, and not just any ordinary Draconequus; it was none other than Discord, Wielder of Chaos!
“It’s Discord! He’s come back, Ba-GAWK!” clucked chicken-suited Pinkie Pie within the thick of the crowd, causing everypony to gasp in shock.
“How? We turned ‘im back ta stone!” cried out the scarecrow-adorned Applejack, as the malevolent being on the stage began to speak once more.
“Citizens of Ponyville, and of all Equestria, it is indeed I, Discord! I have returned to claim my rightful place as ruler of you all. Tremble in fear of my awesomely POWERFUL and intimidating presence!”
The crowd of ponies trembled before the Draconequus’ words. Before the sight of Discord, Twilight became filled not with fear but fiery memories of his misdeeds, the way he nearly ruined the bond she shared with her precious friends, and more importantly, of how he ultimately failed before their hardened companionship. As Twilight made to step forward to face the returned foe, she was stopped by the sight of Princess Luna stepping boldly forth and directing a stern look at the terror-inducing creature.
“Begone monster! You don’t belong in this world!” shouted Luna in regal defiance.
“Huh? What foal dares to speak against the GREAT Discord?” the stuffy Draconequus inquired. “I will have you know that it was not by my claw that I am once again made into flesh. I was called here by once-ungrateful ponies who wish to pay ME tribute.”
Luna shook her head harshly before saying, “Tribute!?! You bring harm to ponies and fill their lives with unrelenting chaos!”
“Perhaps the same could be said of all Equestrian royal rule…” Discord countered mockingly, bringing a dead silence as confusion struck everypony.
“…Dat don’t make a lick a sense,” Applejack said.
“Your words are as empty as your sense of morality!” Luna cried while shaking a hoof. “Ponykind ill needs a vile being such as you!”
“What is a pony?” Discord asked, just as Ditzy Doo dropped a glass chalice resulting in an audible shatter. “Miserable little piles of jealousy are what they are. But enough talk neigh-sayer. If you dare challenge my rightful rule, then have at you!”
Electricity from Luna’s horn blasted forth to meet the challenge, to which Discord accepted whole-heartedly with his body. A scream pierced the night as flames engulfed him.
“AAAAAAHHH!!! NO NO NONONONONO!!!”
A small figure rushed to the burning Draconequus and frantically tried to smother the flames with her hooves, uttering curses all the while. As the townsfolk looked on dumbfounded, the raging fire eventually died leaving only a smoldering pile of ash and burnt fluff. The pony on stage tenderly held the charred remains of Discord in its hooves.
“Just my luck it had to go up in smoke, and it was incredibly expensive to make too,” bemoaned the pony.
After mourning the destroyed marionette for a few seconds, the pony dropped the remains and rose to face the town. A mare of remarkable beauty, the blue pony wore a star patterned cape that matched the pointed and somewhat burnt hat which rested atop her luscious whitish-blue mane. Twilight instantly recognized the smug-looking pony with surprise.
“Trixie!?” she blurted.
At the mention of her name the disheveled unicorn lifted her head and looked down on everypony as she spoke.
“Indeed it is I, The Great and Powerful Trixie! Returned once more to the very town that had shamed me so long ago, only this time I appear before you victorious. For you see simple townsfolk, what you beheld was nothing more than a mere prop, and in no way the fearsome Discord! Yet you trembled as though it were the real thing, and your gullibility made it more laughable, ha HA!”
“What ill-spirited trickery is this?” Luna said. “Your facade brought actual fear to these innocent ponies. And we should know, for WE ONCE INSTILLED UNADULTERATED FEAR INTO THE HEARTS OF ALL WHO GAZED UPON THE PITCH BLACK SKY WHEN WE WERE KNOWN AS NIGHTMARE MOON, QUEEN OF THE ETERNAL NIGHT!!”
“Princess, you’re doing it again,” said Twilight, to which Luna bashfully looked away and fell silent.
“P-Princess Luna? You were the one talking earlier?” Trixie said with surprise, then immediately gave a devious laugh. “It seems you were convinced by my masterful prank as well. Truly I am a genius to be able to fool even royalty, and surely you, Princess, are impressed by such genius. In one fell swoop, I have achieved the highest recognition imaginable as well as getting my revenge! Only the best for the Great and Powerful Trixie! Hahahahahahaha!!”
“Twilight, just who is this braggart that thinks so highly of herself?” Luna asked, unamused.
“Just an ego-maniacal performer,” Twilight bluntly answered. “She claims to be all-powerful, but an incident with an Ursa Minor ruined her image a while back.”
“That stupid bear more than just dampened, it flat out demolished my image. Literally!” yelled Trixie. “Despite that embarrassing setback, I quickly resumed my fantastic magic tour and in no way had to eke out a living in the backroom of some two-bit haberdasher’s shop. I never forgot the shame I experienced that day though. Thus, I dedicated almost every waking hour to formulating the ideal plan that would properly shame you high-minded townies. One could say the time I spent thinking up such an ingenius plan was obsessive to a point of madness, but no insanity came of it. In fact Trixie is the perfect image of sanity, as well as beauty, grace and intelligence. WHO SAID I WAS CRAZY?”
Trixie leered at the crowd, causing several ponies to cower for their lives. Fear reestablished, Trixie resumed.
“Anyway, what you just witnessed was just the first part of my ingenious return to glory in this wretched town. Though I had originally planned for my Discord skit to go on a bit longer, it served its purpose of grabbing your attention for what’s to come next. Tonight, you will all bear witness to the Great and Powerful Trixie’s full potential as I perform a complex and devastating spell from a book of complex and devastatingly powerful magic!”
A blue aura encased Trixie’s hat and lifted it from her head, unveiling her radiant horn while a book floated in from backstage. The archaic design on the book’s cover appeared worn and faded. A gasp caught Twilight’s attention, and turning she saw that it was made by Princess Luna.
“Where did you obtain such a tome?” the princess asked.
“Impressed even more, Princess? Clearly, her reaction validates this book’s authenticity!” boasted Trixie. “Yes, in the midst of hardship, I found myself by a road when this wondrous item fell from a passing royal garbage wagon and into my possession. This is none other than a genuine book of summoning, and though our proud rulers consider it garbage, it will serve as the key to my glorious return to glory! And to show you that I mean business, I shall summon forth a fearsome lightning fiend!”
A wave of gasps arose from the crowd once again.
“Princess Luna, can she really do that with that book?” Twilight asked, but her plea was met with grave silence from the princess.
“Now ready your bodies, Ponyville, for after tonight you will be forever awed by the mere mention of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” announced Trixie.
With a wisp of magic, the book opened and flipped through several pages before settling on the sought passage. Rearing on her hind legs, Trixie waved her front hooves before her, the magic surrounding her horn growing more radiant.
“Oh grand forces from way on high, of power both immense and earth-shattering, I command you, in the name of Trixie, to unleash your fury and reveal your destructive splendor to the nonbelievers that scoff at our majesty!”
The invocation uttered, a cool air blew through the town as growing darkness hailed the formation of thick clouds overhead. Thunder bellowed high above, and the townsfolk nervously watched the underside of the clouds light up with sparks. The crackling of electricity intensified before a single massive bolt erupted, lancing downward and striking the caped summoness. With unbelievably high voltage coursing through her body, she twitched helplessly, the smell of burnt hair and fabric filling the air until the lightning eventually ceased. As the clouds above departed and the light of the moon returned to the town, everyone could see Trixie sporting a rigid pose and looking at the crispier.
“S-see? You are all a-amazed beyond words. Now if you’ll excuse me, Saturn is calling…”
Trixie let out a groan and fainted, and Nurse Redheart, who was dressed as a burn ward victim strangely enough, rushed onto the stage to tend to her injuries as the crowd looked on in silence.
“Y’know, though she was kinda threatin’ for a sec, dat Trixie was still a blow-hard,” said Applejack.
Almost immediately, the crowd dispersed and everypony resumed their previous engagements like nothing happened. As the crowd diminished, Twilight took the opportunity to bring over Trixie’s book from the stage with her magic. Though the cover was slightly charred from the lightning strike, the title and description were still legible.
“’Meteorological Summoning: A Beginner’s Guide to Weather Conjuring Guaranteed to Impress Your Friends?’”
“Yes, the original purpose of that tome was to allow ordinary magic users to directly control weather patterns if there were no pegasi around,” Luna explained. “The spells in that particular edition however are quite overpowered and have a high risk of misfire. I had it marked for disposal along with other outdated publications, but it seemed one foalish unicorn got hold of it.”
“It appears so, but I sort of feel sorry for her,” said Twilight. “I just hope she finally learns some kind of lesson when she regains consciousness.”
At that moment, Rainbow Dash in her Shadowbolt costume hovered over to the two.
“In any event, it sounds to me like Trixie,” she paused to put on a pair of sunglasses over her yellow-tinted goggles. “Chose trick. YEEEAAAAAAAAH!!!”
Raindbow Dash was met with painful silence as her outburst went completely ignored, save for one.
“No RD. Just, no,” said Applejack, shaking her head slowly.
Ashamed for the second time that night, Dash took off her shades and glumly fluttered away, and everypony was all the better for it.
End