Cardcaptor Twilight

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!’