Cardcaptor Twilight

“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?”