Trixie's Redemption

"Spellfighting...it is advanced magic that requires alot of skill. Trixie, you have your books...you have your quill...let's get to work" Luan said as the two sat on her couch."The first thing you will need to know is that everypony has a different style of fighting."

Luna slowly strode back and forth in front of a white board, levitating a quill and writing at an incredible speed. She wrote a few symbols on the board, smiling lightly at her work before her face went straight once more."Now...those in Stalliongrad fight dirty. It's all about strength and action to subdue their target." The princess illuminated a scene of a red stallion galloping with his head down, creating a shield with his horn as he rammed into a group if yellow earth ponies, sending them flying as it exploded into a shockwave upon impact. The scene faded away as Luna pointed to the next picture.

"In big cities like Manehatten, those with class duel for fun. It isn't about strength of power, but instead they use their courteous nature to fight each other. They use minor spells and take turns shooting specific parts of the other's body." She rolled her eyes, not interested in giving an example."We at Canterlot prefer to use numbers to take down our foes. Half of the crew casts a shield that works much like a one way mirror. Our stallions and mares can fire out of the shield, but anypony on the other side can only receive the dame page, their spells reflected off.

Luna watched as Trixie scribbled quickly, looking up with a curious expression as she listened.

"Erm...finally...there is you. You have neither a symbol or doctrine to follow, so you may choose whatever style you wish...and" Luna began, but was cut off by a hoof promptly pointing in the air.

"So...I just find my own way to fight against combatants?"

"That's correct my student. Many choose to let their magic do all the work, to take all of the heat, and to do all of the damage. You will need to either eliminate or subdue your enemies...I won't sway you in any way...but just remember that while planning. You have a week and a half to perfect your unique style, and may use any magical enhancements to accomplish the task."

Trixie was taken back by the comment. No holding back meant she could use and magical stimuli to make her skills develop quicker, or boost her experience in a non-magical ability. Without another word she lowered her head and began writing page-upon-page of sketches. Luna smiled wide as she watched the mare, glad she was showing so much gumption, made evident by the mess of crudely drawn images of herself and potential magic.

Luna rose slowly and whispered into the unicorn's ear as she walked past where the pony sat."Oh...and you have free use of...say...400 bits of my personal treasury to accomplish your task." Trixie's face was so red that it was as if the princess had slipped her tongue into the mare's ear. She had never been given money to accomplish a task such as this, and as the pouch of 10 bit gold coins dropped onto her lap, she let out a whimper as she looked up at Luna, who gave a bright smile as she continued onward.

For the duration of the week, Trixie used the second lever to tinker and work with the material she had purchased from a local blacksmith. All that Luna noticed was the gleam of copper as Trixie made one of her last trips to the store. She was glowing with an aura, meaning that she had used her magic to enhance a basic skill. The brightness of the aura suggested to Luna that Trixie was performing tasks that only the advance would perform. The final two days were target practice. Luna didn't wish to see what spell Trixie had chosen, mainly because she wished for a surprise.

After the ten days, Luna brought Trixie into an open field, sitting ontop of a small hill just a few feet away."Alright Trixie...the first step is to show me what spell you've chosen." The princess hastily conjured a hologram of a stallion in Canterlot royal armor. He stood tall, and his face was emotionless.

Trixie didn't waste time, firing out a bolt of cyan magic, pegging the stallion in the forehead and making a clear shot through his cranium. Luna smiled at Trixie before she brought up nearly a hundred more, all aranged like an obstacle course. Some were pegisi floating a few feet in the sky, while others stayed on the ground and were in a variety of stances.

"Trixie...I may now inquire...what IS your fighting style?"

"Well, princess, isn't it obvious?" She beamed brightly as a pair of circular, copper rimmed goggles materialized onto her face. Just then her horn burst with color, bringing all of the copper and parts into reality around her. Cogs twist and spun in a pre-fabricated design before attaching and covering the mare. Her horn was dressed in a metal coil spiraling into a bronze helmet that covered most of her head, spare for her face. Her body was sealed in spinning cogs and plates of copper as two metallic, bendable sheets of some type of orange metal were folded to her sides.

Trixie looked over at you and gave a devious smile before adding "I love Steampunk." She took off after the fourth wall had shattered around my perfectly created story, galloping at full speed before the coil around her horn lit up. She spun her body in circles, continuing to gallop in the same direction as she spun, firing off bolts of magic that cracked upon going through a few stallions.

After dealing with a few enemies, she noticed a lone pony in the distance, grinning as she sped up. Her hooves melded into a blur as she began careening forward, jumping into the air just moments before she tucked her front hooves to her side and into the slots designed to lock her into that place. She jumped with a heavy spin, corkscrewing at an insane speed as her horn went straight thru the stallion's chest. As she neared the ground, the two orange, metal panels flipped out from beside her, folding out into a pair of wings. She clicked her hind hooves together and reeled as the G-force rocketed her into the sky.

She had designed the metal around her hind hooves to propel her forward, using up half of the unicorn's magical reserve. Trixie flowed effortlessly through the sky as she hit every target with her magic, the final one dropping as she went to land. The unicorn let out one more spell that dissolved the metal away, stretching as she beamed at the princess, who was slack-jawed as she approtched Trixie.

"Trixie...how did you...that was...my gosh." Luna spoke in almost a whimper as she looked around. There were no burn marks in the ground, meaning that the spell evaporated after hitting the target. That was an advanced skill to learn, but Luna knew that Trixie was full of potential talent.

"Well...the first few days I created the armor, using my magic to give me the knowledge to combine everything. After that, I spent my time mastering my accuracy and speed...if arts alright." Trixie blushed as she grinned at the princess, hoping that her act was enough to impress the royal alicorn.

"Trixie...you are...my gosh. Your such a talented mare. Perfect...amazing!" Luna hugged Trixie tightly."I think you've deserved a break...maybe Dash would like to speak to you...you have been isolated for the past few days, and I'm sure she wants to catch up with you."

Trixie lowered her head cordially before she took her leave. She galloped off at full speed towards Dash's training ground. As she arrived, she noticed it was empty."Hmm...maybe she's with Twilight ...no ...um ...oh ...maybe Rarity." Trixie began galloping faster than before, crashing straight into a familiar purple pony.

"Oof...Trixie? Where have you been?"

"Oh...sorry Twilight, Luna had be perform a test...I've been working on it for the past few days. Um...where's Rainbow Dash?"

"Um...Trixie...Dash is in the hospital...she crashed into another Pegasus during her practice."

Trixie's eyes went wide as she looked at Twilight."WHAT...WHEN?"

"Y...yesterday..."

Trixie slammed her hoof to the ground, her copper armor materializing around her, the cogs smoking as she bolted off, leaving a spiraling twist of magic following her. She took off into the sky, the wings gleaming off of the sun as she reached the hospital. Trixie dived for the entrance, retracting the wings, tucking and rolling as she bolted through the door.

"R...Rainbow Dash...what room?" she stuttered to the receptionist.

A white coated unicorn made a worried face as she looked upon the cyan mare."Trixie I assume? Dash has been asking for you for the last few hours...I'm glad you made it. I'll take you to her...but...remember that it was a terrible crash. She's lucky to be alive...let alone in such a good condition." the unicorn let Trixie into the room, smiling before whispering "you can stay as long as you want...I understand."

Dash was lazily counting ceiling tiles, her eyelids heavy, when the unicorn entered the room. Her rainbow mane was perfectly straight, probably from Rarity or Fluttershy after the initial visit. The Pegasus bolted upright, smiling faintly as Trixie raced forward and hugged Dash tightly.

"Dash...my gosh I'm so sorry. I just heard the news and rushed over. They said you were hurt...but...you look fine...what happened?" Trixie's heart was shredded as she looked at the Pegasus, her hooves shaking as she hugged back.

Dash slowly teared up as she began reliving the event."The local competition is coming up...the Young Flyer's Competition. I was training for my main event...where I would perform a Sonic Rainboom. No pony had ever done it...but as a filly...I had already done it once. I thought...I thought I could do it again." Dash took a moment to sniffle before continuing.

"When I made my way towards the ground, I knew I wasn't going fast enough. I pulled up at my sub-sonic speed, leveling out...just in time to hit another Pegasus. He...he was able to come out of it with a broken leg...but I wasn't so lucky. I hit the ground on my back...and...and..." she couldn't continue speaking, sobbing heavily as she hugged Trixie tighter. She pointed to her back, making the unicorn gasp. Dash's wings were gone. Trixie was able to deduce that the bleeding and damage done to Rainbow Dash's wings were not fixable...and the nurse unicorns must have had to remove them for safely.

Dash cried for the next half an hour, only stopping as she looked into Trixie's eyes."I...I'll never be a Wonderbolt now...I'll never be Equestria's best flyer...or...or...anything." Dash whimpered softly, receiving a gentle kiss from Trixie as she sat at Dash's hooves.

"Listen hon...I know it's bad...but you have me...and I'm going to make sure that you have the best life possible. I won't leave you...ever again." Trixie held the Pegasus softly, whimpering as she felt the cyan pony shiver.

They bonded for a few more hours, the doctors eventually convincing Trixie to let Dash sleep. After a few more tears, the formerly winged Pegasus let her go after Trixie promised to return the next day. It was with a heavy heart and a weak will that the unicorn exited the building. She felt her insides want to rip apart, the pit in her stomach seemingly spreading like a black hole inside if her. We barely made it to Twilight's home, entering with tears welling in her eyes. Twilight was quick to mend the broken pieces of Trixie's heart, cooing softly to the mare as she whimpered. The cyan pony quietly laid down in her bed, clutching her tail with her hooves as she shivered her way to sleep, speaking as if Dash was present.

"I...I love you Dashie....I'll make things right...I promise."