Chapters Trixie wiped the sweat off her brow as she sat down on a smooth boulder. Wielding a pick axe with her magic was tough going on a normal day. When it was ninety degrees in the shade, she was lucky not to die of heat stroke, much less smash her quota of rocks. The blue unicorn looked over at her earth pony partner. Maud was smashing small rocks into gravel between her hooves with no effort. Trixie never failed to marvel at Maud’s strength as she crushed rock after rock. Not only was she strong, she was fast. In the time it would take Trixie to smash a five foot tall boulder, Maud would have pummeled it and the next six just like it in half the time.
“Maud, don’t you need a break? I’m sweating like I’m about to go into an Ursa Major’s Den.”
Maud looked up at Trixie with the same expressionless face as always. “No,” she replied as she went back to work with the efficiency of a machine.
Trixie nearly choked in-between mouthfuls of water. “Are you sure? Because you look pretty hot.”
“Thanks. You don’t look too bad yourself,” came the monotone reply.
Trixie’s cheeks turned bright pink. “You know that’s not what I meant, Maud.”
One side of Maud’s mouth turned upward ever so slightly as she grabbed another rock. “I’m fine, Trixie. Thank you for asking. You go ahead and take it easy for a while. We’re ahead of schedule.”
Trixie sighed in exasperation. Maud was a hard worker and a good friend, but the work always came first, especially when it came to the Pie family gravel business. After Trixie failed to conqueror Ponyville with the Alicorn Amulet, she was out of luck and out of bits. To make ends meet, she went to work for the Pie’s since she had experience with rock farms.
After a few minutes, Trixie levitated her axe and went back to work. Ting, ting, ting went her pick as she wielded it with all the concentration she could muster. “Only one more hour,” Trixie muttered to herself. “One more hour.”
After what seemed like an eternity of concentration and swinging, the hour passed, and when it did, Trixie let out a cheer. “Yes! The Great and Powerful Trixie triumphs once again over the grey and unyielding rocks.” With that, the unicorn brought her pick down as hard as she could, utterly smashing the last of the boulder.
The magician heard the slow measured clapping of her earth pony friend behind her. “You’re getting better every day, Trixie. Who knows, eventually you’ll be as good as me.”
“Really?”
“Sure, when I’m dead.”
Trixie dropped her pick axe and attacked Maud with a pathetic, slow-moving magic missile.
Maud didn’t even blink when she said, “Ouch.” She was about to head back to the house when she saw something in the ground where Trixie’s boulder used to be.
“What’s that?”
The magician turned around to see what Maud was pointing at. To Trixie, it looked like a metal cylinder. Using her magic, the unicorn tried to levitate it out, but it was stuck. Trixie tried again and again but to no avail. She sat on her rump in the dirt pouting in frustration.
Shaking her head in amusement, the earth pony walked over to the object and gave a quick tug. The cylinder came out of the ground like it was stuck in water and not a few layers of hot, dry ground.
Trixie glared at Maud in mock loathing. “I hate it when you show me up like that. Why do you have to be so much better than the Great and Powerful Trixie at everything?”
Maud shrugged her shoulders and wiped away the dust and debris, revealing a crease right in the center of the metallic item.
Trixie eyed the cylinder like they had just unearthed a treasure chest. “Go ahead, open it.”
The earth pony hesitated. “I’m not sure. It could belong to somepony.”
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Come on, aren’t you the least bit curious? When was the last time you found something like this?”
“I’ve found some gold and a few gems but never. . . anything like this,” Maud replied.
“But, since it’s on your family’s land, doesn’t that make it your property?”
Maud shrugged her shoulders again.
“Pleeeeeeeeeeeease!” Trixie pleaded.
Maud continued to look at the cylinder blankly, unsure of what to do. Trixie mentally prepared herself to play her trump card. She really didn’t want to do it, but she had to find out what was in that container.
“The sooner you open it, the sooner we can get back to the house and play hide and seek with Boulder.”
Maud’s eyes widened ever so slightly. For her, that was the equivalent of screaming in delight. Maud tried to twist the two halves of the cylinder away from each other.
Maud blinked and hoofed the metal object to Trixie. “I can’t do it.”
“What do you mean you can’t do it? You’re the strongest pony I know.” Trixie thought for a moment and then continued, “Why don’t you try again? Put everything you got into it.”
“I did.”
Trixie’s jaw dropped as she heard this. How could a pony that could reduce mountains of rocks to bits not open such a small thing?
“Why don’t you try?” Maud suggested.
Trixie shook her head and looked at her friend doubtfully. “If the Strong and Mighty Maud can’t open it, how can the Weak and Pathetic Trixie?”
“Use your magic.”
Trixie rolled her eyes and muttered, “Yeah right.” But seeing as they had nothing better on hoof to try, the unicorn levitated the container out of Maud’s grasp. Her magic gripped the two halves and the cylinder opened effortlessly.
The sky blue pony was overcome with joy and surprise. “I did it! I did it! I did it!” She was so giddy, she began to jump up and down.
“Yippee,” Maud said deadpanned.
Settling down, Trixie cleared her throat. “Alright, let’s see what’s in this.”
She withdrew a two foot long metal rod and a small piece of parchment. While the magician examined the rod, the rock farmer looked at the paper. The rod felt very cold in Trixie’s hooves, so much so that it sent a shiver up her spine. There were no markings, imperfections, or any discernible characteristics of any kind on the rod. It felt sturdy enough to use as a club.
What does the paper say, Maud?”
“I don’t know. I can’t read it.”
“Is the mouth script bad?”
“No, it’s . . . kind of pretty actually. I think it’s in a different language. It’s signed Starswirl the Bearded down at the bottom,” Maud replied in monotone.
“Oh, really?” Trixie said as she raised a skeptical eyebrow. “You’d be surprised at how many ponies claim to have Starswirl memorabilia.” Trixie’s imitated one of the Flim Flam brothers. “Come see the real Starswirl’s genuine hat, cape, and beard for the small price of ten bits per customer!”
Maud stared at Trixie blankly. “So, what do you think that stick was doing in a magically sealed jar?”
The magician levitated the rod in front of the two of them and replied, “I don’t know. It doesn’t really feel . . . ”As the unicorn said this, she drew back the rod and pointed it at a huge pile of dirt she and Maud had dug up the day before. Trixie was instantly teleported to the top. “. . . Magical.”
The now very surprised unicorn looked back at her friend and yelled, “Never mind!”
As the unicorn climbed down the mountain of dirt, Maud asked, “Are you alright?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. Let’s see if it does that twice.” Flushed with excitement, Trixie flicked the wand in the direction of the dirt pile. The entire mountain of dirt turned purple. As this happened, Trixie saw her own magic leave her horn and encompass the mound. It was surreal to watch her power be taken and converted into something else by the rod.
The unicorn and the earth pony looked at each other and then back at the dirt pile. Without a word, Maud walked up to the pile of dirt and pawed at it with her hoof. “I think it’s purple all the way through.” She sniffed the dirt, and then chomped down on a mouthful of it.
Trixie yelled in shock, “Wait! Don’t!” But it was too late.
After Maud swallowed, she declared, “Still tastes like dirt. All you did was change the color.”
The magician sighed in relief. “Next time don’t taste a magically changed thing. It might be bad for you.”
Maud shrugged and said, “It tasted okay to me.”
“That’s not the point Maud, just . . . oh never mind.” Trixie offered the metal rod to the earth pony. “Do you want to try it?”
Maud shook her head, “No thanks, magic is more your area.” Looking up at the sun, the rock farmer declared, “We best be heading back, Trixie. It’s starting to get dark.”
“One more time,” Trixie said as she pointed the magical device at the dirt pile.
The next thing Trixie knew it was completely dark. “Wow, Maud, you were right. It is getting dark out. I can’t see a thing.”
“Neither can I,” came the dry monotone reply of her friend.
Trixie followed the voice of her fellow worker until she bumped into her.
“What should we do now?” Trixie asked nervously.
“Follow me.”
After Trixie had grabbed onto Maud’s tail, the two ponies began to walk. Eventually they emerged out of the darkness and into the light of the setting sun. They turned around and saw a fog of absolute pitch black.
After a moment of staring into the black cloud, Trixie said, “So far that’s three different spells.” A wicked grin spread across the unicorn’s face. “Who knows what the Great and Powerful Trixie could accomplish with this?” she declared as she held up the rod.
“Color me impressed,” Maud said dryly as she turned to leave and go back to her home.
Trixie sighed. Maud was the ultimate buzz kill. The rod had performed some impressive magic, but nothing that special. Nothing that would make Trixie think that it was the Star Swirl the Bearded’s wand, or rod, walking stick or . . .whatever this thing was. Still, she thought, it was pretty fun to use.
The next morning, Maud and Trixie returned to the quarry to find the dark cloud had vanished. On the other hoof, the purple mound of dirt was still purple. Maud didn’t comment on this. She just got back to work, digging up boulders for Trixie to crush into smaller boulders. The magician followed Maud’s lead, but she kept glancing back to the violet pile of rubble. She ached to try the magic rod again to see what else it could do.
During their lunch break, Trixie brought out the rod. Maud swallowed a bite of her hay and mustard sandwich, “If you’re going to use that thing, use it on the dirt mound. I don’t want you to make any of the rocks disappear.”
The magician rolled her eyes. “Don’t worry, Maud. I won’t hurt any of the fragile rocks.”
“Good,” Maud replied in-between mouthfuls.
Before the unicorn used her magic to wield the device, she closed her eyes and imagined the dirt mound being teleported.
“Well, I’m waiting,” Maud said in her uncaring voice.
Trixie opened one of her eyes and said irritably, “I’m trying to make the wand do what I want it to do, and that takes concentration.” Trixie went back to focusing on making the dirt pile move.
“Just don’t stand there thinking too long. The break’s about over.”
The unicorn ignored the earth pony, and after a few more seconds, she used her magic to flick the wand at her target. She felt the rod tug at the magic in her horn again. Strangely, nothing seemed to happen.
Not taking her eyes off the dirt mound, Trixie asked, “Hey, Maud, did anything happen?”
“Yeah, you disappeared,” Maud replied nonchalantly.
“No, really, did anything happen?”
“I told you already, you disappeared. I can hear you, but I can’t see you.”
“I’m right here, I’m . . .” The words died in Trixie’s throat as she held up one of her hooves to prove that she wasn’t invisible. She stared right through it. Panicking, the unicorn looked down and realized that the rest of her body was also like this. She looked for Maud but couldn’t see her either.
“Where’d you go, Maud?” Trixie asked curiously.
“I’m right here.” The magician looked in the direction of the voice and saw an apple floating in the air, slowly being eaten.
“I think you’re invisible too.”
“I know,” Maud sighed as she chomped down on the apple. “It looks like that metal stick of yours is starting to put out some more powerful magic.”
“It’s called a rod.”
“Isn’t that the same thing?”
“No, it’s not. A stick is something that comes off of a tree. A rod is something that is made with magic.”
“Uh-huh,” Maud replied unconvinced and swallowed a bite of apple. “Can you change us back?”
“Uh . . . maybe. This is kind of what I wanted the rod to do. I wanted to make the dirt pile disappear and reappear . . . This is sort of what I meant.”
Even though Trixie couldn’t see Maud, she could feel her condescending look boring into her.
“Hey, it’s an improvement,” the magician insisted. “Give the Great and Powerful Trixie time, and she will master the rod.”
Trixie watched the lunch box close, and the apple core get tossed away. “Try and make us visible again. We need to get back to work,” Maud told her.
Uncertainty gripped Trixie. Practicing on a dirt mound with a magic device was one thing; practicing on a friend was another.
“Are you sure, Maud?”
“Go ahead. You haven’t done anything equestria-shattering yet. But, this is the last time you use that stick when we’re working.”
Trixie nodded. “Alright.” Without another word she concentrated on turning Maud visible again.
Pointing the rod at the spot where she guessed Maud was, a glittering black portal opened. At least that’s what Trixie thought it was. It was a blank black space that glowed at the edges, hovering in the air. She didn’t know what else it could be. Trixie had learned about portals in basic magic classes but it was thought only high-level unicorns could create those. She couldn’t remember much else about them. Honestly, she slept through a lot of that class. Tearing her eyes off her latest creation, she raised a hoof to her face. To her great relief she was visible again but where was Maud?
“Maud? Are you okay?” Trixie called out.
No answer. Trixie approached the portal. Curiosity overcame her as she gazed into the newly-formed gateway to somewhere else. Wherever this . . . thing took Maud, it was very dark on the other side, like it was night time there when it should be day. As Trixie frowned at this peculiarity, she saw movement on the other side of the pool of magic. Whatever it was, it was moving very fast. Only when the being was actually coming through the portal did she think to get out of its way. By then it was too late.
The mysterious figure came barreling out of the gateway right into the magician. As Trixie went flying through the air, she realized the pony looked an awful lot like Maud.
Running into Trixie didn’t slow Maud down at all as she raced through the portal. The earth pony picked up the magician’s rod and pointed it at the portal, willing it to cast a spell. Any spell.
The rod worked; grey magic surrounded the earth pony and leapt forth. It encompassed the portal just as a black, nightmarish being was about to step through it. The gateway shimmered like somepony had thrown a rock in the middle of a pool of water. The creature that had almost followed her through vanished. Before Maud could breathe a sigh of relief, the gateway showed the earth pony another place.
She saw a small, rustic, town. Maud recognized the place. It was Dodge City, home of the world famous cherry orchards. The portal was showing the center of town. Ponies gawked at Maud curiously through the pool of light. Eventually, a stallion wandered up to the portal and asked, “Hey, are y’all close to Ponyville?”
Maud blinked at the pony before nodding her head absently.
“Well, Gadzooks that’s lucky. Can I use your magic door here? I reckon it’s cheaper than taking the train.” Without waiting for a reply, the gutsy stallion stepped through the portal right before it closed. The newcomer walked up to Maud and shook her hoof. “Thank you kindly. My name’s Hayseed. I’m originally from around these parts myself.”
Recovering, the rock farmer said levelly, “Maud Pie, and this is Trixie.” The earth pony pointed to where Trixie lay unconscious.
Hayseed’s eyebrows rose as he asked, “Ain’t that the mare who took over Ponyville for a spell?”
Maud nodded. “Yeah, but she’s a good worker here on the rock farm, so we keep her around.”
The stallion started in surprise. “Rock farm? Say, you wouldn’t be Igneous’s daughter by any chance, would you?”
“He’s my dad.”
A toothy smile split Hayseed’s face. “Well, ain’t I luckier than a fox in a hen house. This is perfect. I wanted to talk to your Daddy about working for him. I wanted to get here as quick as I could since I heard ‘bout the opening. Wasn’t sure I’d make it in time, on account of a magic contest of some sort going on tomorrow in Ponyville.”
Trixie sat bolt upright as if on cue.
“Magic contest?” she screeched.
The magician tackled the country earth pony to the ground. “Where? When? Magic contest?! Trixie! Must! Know! Tell her!” She didn’t care at the moment how foolish she sounded.
Not at all put out about having a crazy unicorn inches from his face, he replied. “It’s at Ponyville, tomorrow at noon. Nice to meet you, ma’am. The name’s Hayseed.”
Ignoring the hoof Hayseed was offering her, Trixie smiled menacingly and declared, “At last, another chance for the Great and Powerful Trixie to show the world what she can do!” At this, Trixie noticed that she no longer possessed the rod.
“Where’d the rod go?” she asked.
“Right here,” Maud replied holding it up.
Trixie frowned, “I thought you didn’t want to . . . oooohhhhh.” The unicorn finally remembered the dark figure running at her through the portal. “Was that you who knocked me out earlier?”
Maud nodded and explained to Trixie what happened since.
Hayseed whistled when the rock farmer was done with her story. “That’s some stick ya all got there, if it can do all that.”
The wheels in the magician’s head began to turn as Hayseed spoke. She imagined herself going to the contest and taking on all the other unicorns at once and winning. She saw herself swimming in a pool of bits. Best of all, she envisioned sitting on Celestia’s throne, commanding the former sun monarch to shine Trixie’s hooves.
Grinning with greed, the unicorn asked, “What’s the prize for first place? Is it something the Great and Powerful Trixie would like?”
The stallion bobbed his head up and down. “I reckon so. The pony who wins gets to be Celestia’s pupil and a thousand bits to boot.”
Trixie’s jaw dropped. The money was great and all, but to train under Celestia herself. . . that was priceless. Maud’s eyebrows also rose a fraction of an inch at the stallion’s answer. A thousand bits would go a long way on a rock farm.
Maud’s reaction did not go unnoticed by Trixie. “What do you think, Maud? Can we take tomorrow off and go win the farm and us some bits?”
Maud didn’t hesitate when she replied in a monotone, “I’d be all for it, if you could control this thing.”
Hayseed looked at the rod and asked wondrously, “Could I try it?”
The rock farmer shook her head as she hoofed the rod back to Trixie. “Sorry, but we got work to do. If you want the job, you start today. Trixie will show you the ropes.”
With Hayseed’s help, the three made short work of the rocks and boulders that needed to be crushed and turned into gravel. As the trio walked back to the farm house, Maud and Hayseed talked until they were almost home.
Suddenly, Maud said to Trixie, “You still want to go to Ponyville tomorrow and enter that contest?”
“Buck, yes! . . . I mean, yes,” she said reigning in her enthusiasm. “But, what changed your mind?”
“According to Hayseed, Princess Celestia will be on hoof in case anything goes wrong,” Maud replied.
Chiming in, the stallion added, “She’ll be one of the judges.”
“Who are the other judges?” Trixie asked curiously.
“Uh, Princess Twilight Sparkle for sure, and I think Princess Luna,” Hayseed said scratching his head.
A predator’s grin split Trixie’s face as she said boastfully, “At last, the Great and Powerful Trixie shall show Celestia who really is the greatest unicorn in Equestria.”
Hayseed nudged Maud and whispered, “Is she always this way?”
“She has to get that out of her system every now and then. You get used to it after the first week,” Maud replied dryly.
The next morning, the trio of rock workers walked into a very crowded Ponyville. Trixie got more than her fair share of sneers and dirty looks from the locals. The magician smiled back nervously and kept moving. Eventually, they made their way to the center of town.
“Welp, ladies, I see some of my kin-folk over yonder I aim to visit with, so I’m gonna have to see you two later on,” Hayseed announced.
“Aren’t you coming to the competition?” Trixie asked.
“Nope. I reckon with that stick of yours, you otta’ win first prize.”
Trixie beamed as she patted the metal carrying case of her new toy. After the three said their goodbyes, the magician and Maud plodded forward through the crowd of colorful ponies. They and the rest of the ponies followed tall, royal violet and gold signs directing them to the outskirts of town. When they were nearly at the edge of the Everfree Forest, most of the crowd made their way into a huge wooden amphitheatre constructed for the event. Outside the structure, a sign-up line was slowly creeping forward.
Trixie joined the back of the line and turned to Maud. “Well, I’ll see you in the winner’s circle.”
From behind, they heard, “Hey, Snipps. It looks like they’ll let anypony in this competition, even frauds.”
Snips replied, “Heh, heh, she’s not so great and powerful without that . . . that . . . thing around her neck that made her great and powerful, eh Snails?
Recognizing the voices, the ponies faced the two small unicorns wielding plastic wands. They were also wearing very cheap robes made to look like Starswirl’s.
Trixie smiled mockingly down at the pair. “Snipps, Snails, my two best assistants,” she said warmly.
Both ponies sneered at her.
“We’re no assistants of yours. You’re no more magical then . . . uh, then Snails.”
“Hey!” The other pony cried out indignantly.
“What’s going on?” Maud asked. Her tone suggested she was disinterested but Trixie knew she was anything but.
“Oh, nothing. In her hay day, the Great and Powerful Trixie had many admirers. These two were the most fanatical,” Trixie explained.
“We were not!” Snips cried. “You’re just here to make trouble, aren’t you?”
The magician grinned. “Actually, I’m here to win Celestia’s Magic Competition.”
Snips and Snails looked at each other and burst into gales of laughter.
“What’s so funny?” asked Maud.
Snails was the first to recover. “Her magic stinks. I bet she couldn’t even turn a frog into an orange.”
“Can you?” Maud asked the small unicorn.
“He’s got a better chance than her anyday of the week,” Snipps answered. The fat little unicorn punched Snails in the shoulder playfully. “Me and him are gonna split the winning’s after we trounce every other pony here.”
“That’s big talk coming from a unicorn with a plastic wand. Did your mommy by it for you?” Trixie asked condescendingly.
“That’s none of your business,” replied Snipps a little too quickly. “Beside’s this baby is just for show. I don’t need it.”
That remark stung the sky-blue unicorn more than the young pony knew, but Trixie didn’t let it show.
Getting back into the action, Snails asked Trixie, “Why are you even here? You can’t do magic. You’re just a show pony with no . . . uh . . . no . . . what’s the word, Snipps?”
“Talent,” Snipps said rolling his eyes.
Maud shook her head. “Come on, Trixie, the line is moving. These two aren’t worth your time.” As Maud turned to face her friend, she saw that the magician had uncased the rod and was glaring at her antagonists.
“No, Maud. If these two want to see magic, I shall give them magic. Behold!”
“Trixie, wait,” Maud said in a monotone, but it was too late. The magician was already trying to cast a spell . . . but nothing happened. Trixie felt the bottom drop out of her heart.
She tried again, pointing the wand at the ground, “Behold!” But there was nothing to see.
The other ponies in the line joined Snips and Snails in laughing at the embarrassed pony.
“Yeah, that’s some powerful magic you got there,” Snails snickered.
“No kidding, I bet she’s been practicing all day,” Snips howled.
Crest fallen, Trixie mustered as much dignity as she could and put away the rod as other snickering unicorns passed her. When she was done, she looked pitifully at Maud for answers. The Earth Pony pointed to an elaborate wooden sign that read, All magic is prohibited before the tournament and shall be enforced by Her Majesty, Princess Celestia. Have a nice day.
The sky-blue unicorn blinked at the sign. A smile crept over her face until it reached from ear to ear. She then started to giggle, which turned shortly into a maniacal laugh. She laughed until she could no longer stand.
Catching her friend before she could hurt herself, Maud asked, “What’s so funny?”
Between heaves of laughter, Trixie replied, “My rod’s not broken. I can still compete. You have no idea how relieved I am.”
The rock farmer shook her head. “You’re right. I don’t think I’ve ever been that relived,” she said dully.
Sobering, Trixie collected her rod and joined the line, ignoring the worried stares of the other unicorns. Waving to her friend, she yelled, “I’ll see you inside, Maud!”
Sweat rolled down the magician’s back as she looked at the fruit. Her goal was simple; turn the orange into a frog. It was only round one of the competition, and already she knew she was going to fail. The constant jeers and boos from the crowd were not helping her confidence. They remembered the last time Trixie visited their town. She shook her head and tried to block out the hateful noise surrounding her.
Trixie had hoped their goal would be broad, like “who could impress the Princess the most with their magic?” Such was not the case. Instead a fruit was placed in front of every single one of the unicorns. They were then told to change it into a frog. Most of the competitors had already successfully completed their task, some with more finesse than others. The ponies who couldn’t, hid their embarrassment as best they could while exiting the arena. Trixie promised herself that she would leave the amphitheatre in victory, but as she continued to stare at the orange, victory seemed so far away.
As her mind buzzed, a loud voice issued from the throne at the top of the amphitheatre. “You have twenty seconds, competitor, until you are disqualified,” Trixie’s eyes bulged in shock.
Knowing something had to be done now, Trixie gripped the plain looking metal rod between her hooves. She took a step forward and used her own magic to levitate the fruit while she pointed the rod at it.
Nothing happened. As a fresh wave of nausea and panic welled up inside the magican, she felt several drops of water. Trixie looked up, and saw the sky had turned dark grey with clouds. With a great boom of thunder, the massive storm drenched the attendees with a deluge of rain. The magician’s mouth filled with water as she gaped skyward. As she sputtered and coughed, something squishy hit her in the face and stayed there. She shrieked in panic, dropping her rod into the mud as she tried to pry the thing off her.
Trixie lost her footing on the muddy ground as she struggled. After a few more moments of desperate pulling and muffled screaming, the thing on her face loosened its grip.
She opened her eyes and was face to face with a huge mud-green frog. She would have yelled in its face if she hadn’t noticed the bright violet aura encompassing both her and the amphibian.
“Did you have to turn the arena into a swamp, Trixie?”
Recognizing the voice, Trixe tried to turn her head, but found that she couldn’t. “Uh, why of course, Twilight. The Great and Powerful Trixie loves to make an impression.”
Trying to sound as confident as possible, she continued, “Now release me! I have a competition to win.”
The new princess rolled her eyes as the magician was lowered to the surprisingly dry ground. Twilight had cast a spell to clear the skies.
“Just save the showboating until later, okay?”
“No guarantees on that, Princess, I have an image to . . .” The words died in Trixie’s throat as she saw Twilight Sparkle looking curiously at her metal rod. If Twilight was not a Princess, the magician would have tackled the other unicorn to the ground and yelled at her to never touch her property.
Mustering all her patience and control, she said calmly, “Could I have my ro . . . er, my walking stick back?”
Twilight stopped turning the rod over in her hooves and looked at Trixie, eyes narrowed. She hoofed the rod back to her and replied, “I want a nice, clean competition, Trixie. If you step out of line once, if you use your magic to harm anypony in any way, you will be punished severely. Do I make myself clear?”
Inside, Trixie was jumping for joy; she was still in the game. Outwardly, she scoffed and said, “Really, Twilight? I thought you knew me better than that. I never cause trouble. I’m just misunderstood.”
Not rising to the magician’s baiting, Twilight scowled and pointed to where the other competitors were waiting for the next round of the tournament. Chin held high and wearing a triumphant smile, Trixie walked away from the Princess. Before she could enter the ladies’ locker room of the amphitheatre, she was confronted by two fans.
“How did you do it?” asked Snipps.
Smiling, Trixie innocently asked, “Do what?”
“You know, the epic thundercloud,” Snails continued.
“Oh, that. It was nothing a unicorn of my stature couldn’t conjure. I was bored and wanted to put on a show.”
“Wow, you sure did,” gushed Snipps. A moment later he asked, “Could you teach Snails and me some of that magic after the competition?
The magician thought for a few seconds before saying, “Hmmmm. The Great and Powerful Trixie shall consider your requests. In the mean time, Trixie hungers. Get the Great and Powerful Trixie a hayburger and an orange juice.”
Bowing deeply, the two small unicorns said in unison, “At once, oh Great and Powerful Trixie.” They stumbled over each other in their haste to do the magician’s bidding.
As she watched her two old minions do as she instructed, a nostalgic smile spread across her face. “I am back.”
“What do you think is going on out there, Trixie?” Lyra asked the other mare nervously.
“Trixie has no idea, but she wishes they would let us watch,” the magician replied irritably.
Lyra nodded. The waiting was torture. After the first round of the tournament, the majority of the contestants had been eliminated. The fact that Trixie had succeeded so spectacularly was not lost on the mint-colored mare. So, after a few minutes of trepidation, Lyra struck up a passing conversation with the bloviating mare. To Lyra’s surprise, Trixie was not at all like she had expected. The show pony was actually pretty nice once Lyra spent a little time talking with her. Sure Trixie was a braggart and more than a little snobbish, but underneath that was a kind mare. Trixie had listened to Lyra’s fears about the competition and had even admitted some doubts of her own magical ability. Lyra thought it was nice to know there was some other pony in the competition who she could talk to. All the other unicorns participating were too focused on winning to chat.
Their musing about what was happening was interrupted by a well-groomed, blonde-maned unicorn who spoke in a condescending voice. “Silly fillies, I wouldn’t worry about what’s going on in the arena.”
Before speaking again, Prince Blue Blood ran a hoof through his mane and continued, oblivious to the hateful stares from the two mares. “We shall all eventually be called two by two to compete against each other. It’s probably going to be something as mundane as, oh, incapacitating one’s competition. Something like that. If I were you, which thank Celestia I’m not, I wouldn’t concern myself with what the others are doing. Yours truly shall crush all beneath his well-manicured hoof.”
Not caring for the ritzy pony’s tone, Trixie asked, “Would his highness care to make a small wager?”
The Prince blinked, “What do you mean, peasant?”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie challenges you to the next duel. If I win, you become my servant.”
A hushed murmur issued from the other unicorns who were witnessing the challenge, curious on how Blue Blood would react.
“Trixie,” Lyra said quietly beside her new acquaintance, “Think about what you’re doing.”
Blue Blood’s face contorted in annoyance at this upstart pony who dared challenge him. She was hardly worth his time. However, he did not want to look weak in front of his subjects either.
“Very well, if I win, you become my new court jester,” the Prince declared mischievously. “Patches is getting rather old; I could use another fool.”
Both ponies shook hooves and walked away from each other. The other unicorns in the lounge moaned and grumbled at the injustice of their situation. Two of the most despised ponies in Equestria were going to have at each other, and they didn’t even get to watch.
The magician grinned evilly as she turned to her new acquaintance. “Hee, hee. Trixie has always wanted a royal servant.”
Lyra shook her head. “Trixie, since you’ve given me some advice about this competition, let me give you some about common sense. Don’t go looking for trouble. That’s what got you thrown out of town the last two times.”
The show pony scoffed. “The little prince was out of line. Somepony had to put him in his place. It might as well be me.”
The minutes crawled by, but at last the doors opened and in stepped Mayor Mare with a checklist. She read from the list, “Lyra, and C . . .”
“NO!” A stallion yelled over the shocked mare.
“I beg your pardon!” The mayor said indignantly.
Prince Blue Blood pushed his way to the front of the crowd of unicorns. “Yes, you may, and I shall grant it to you this time, but not again.”
The mayor bowed deeply to the Prince. “My deepest apologies, my Prince. How may I serve you?”
He smiled at the earth pony’s discomfort. “I have been issued a challenge by one of these ragamuffins. I demand that I and my opponent go next.”
Biting her hoof nervously, she replied, “My Prince, I—I don’t know if . . .”
“What’s the problem, peasant? Surely you would not prefer that we take this matter up with my aunt, do you, about how you denied the Prince’s request? Oh, I would hate to be you if it came to that.”
The mayor stiffened. “No. Of course you and your opponent can compete now.”
Before the Prince could say anything further, Trixie, rod in hoof was already walking through the door. “It’s about time. I was afraid we were all going to run out of oxygen from his blathering.”
Blue Blood’s nostrils flared as the howls of laughter washed over him from the other unicorns. “You’ll pay for that, peasant,” he muttered as he walked after the magician.
Mayor Mare bolted after the two opponents down the long hall that led to the arena. Before either of them could exit, the Mayor said quickly, “Begging your pardon, your majesty and Trixie, but if you two could wait here for just a moment, I will announce the change in plans to the judges.”
The Prince frowned at the Mayor’s request, but nodded. “Be quick about it.”
“Yes, the Prince is in a hurry to serve Trixie. Make haste, Mayor.”
The Mayor tried to stop a smile from breaking on her face but was unsuccessful as she stifled a laugh.
Blue Blood’s eyes narrowed at the grey-maned pony. She quickly sobered and left at a gallop.
Never taking his eyes off the retreating city official, he said crossly, “You think you’re so clever, don’t you, daring to talk to me in such a way? Well, I shall teach you proper respect young filly. Mark my words.”
The magician smiled back wickedly. “The Great and Powerful Trixie doubts if she can learn anything from a yellow mane with a pony attached to it.”
Blue Blood’s face turned from pasty white to scarlet. “How dare you? That’s it. You shall receive no mercy from me.”
Trixie’s smile broadened. She knew that an angry opponent was more likely to make mistakes.
Finally, the doors to the arena opened, and the duelists heard the mayor’s voice through the battleground’s sound system. “Presenting, his highness, Prince Blue Blood.”
A smattering of applause could be heard throughout the audience. Trixie noted that a good portion of it was coming from Princess Celestia who was sitting in the judge’s booth. Princess Twilight and Princess Luna were seated next to her. They were whispering to each other and looking at Prince Blue Blood. Luna must have said something particularly funny because Twilight could not stop laughing after she said it. Celestia shot Twilight a disapproving look that instantly made her sober
So that’s where Blue Blood gets his trademark glare, Trixie thought. A healthy dose of fear clouded the magician’s heart at that moment. She realized that if she harmed the Prince with her random magic spewing device . . .
Trixie was so busy dwelling on this possibility that she almost didn’t hear her name being called out by the Mayor. No applause greeted her, save from two tiny unicorns who were seated in the front row.
“Go get em, Trixie!” yelled Snipps.
“You’re the greatest!” Snails echoed.
The two continued to cheer despite the many hostile glares they were accumulating.
Trixie absently waved back at the pair, her mind spinning at the possibilities of what could go wrong.
The Mayor’s voice snapped the worried magician to attention. “The rules are simple, contestants. The first pony who steps outside the white circle loses. On Princesses Celestia’s word, the match shall commence.”
Princess Celestia stood. In a voice that was as smooth as silk yet loud as thunder she said, “Begin.”
Showing no mercy to his unprepared opponent, Blue Blood struck first. Far faster than Trixie expected, the stallion lashed out with his purple magic and struck the sky-blue unicorn in the face. The show-pony went flying backwards, but fell just short of going out of bounds of the circle.
Slowly, Trixie sat up and saw three Blue Bloods smiling at her. In a moment of panic she thought the Prince had copied himself somehow. After a few headshakes, two of the stallions disappeared. Still grasping the rod in her hooves, she flicked it at the Prince. Blindingly bright colors erupted from her horn. Blue Blood screamed as he covered his eyes with his hooves, “Augh! What have you done to my gorgeous eyes?”
Trixie didn’t answer as she watched the now fading lights dizzily. She didn’t wonder how come she was not blinded by those same lights, for she was thinking about something else. She looked at the rod and said to herself, “So this is what this thing does. It is a rod of blinding.” It didn’t matter that it had performed other feats of magic before this one. For some reason, it was now clear to the magician what this rod was made for.
As Trixie struggled to her hooves, she heard something. From the audience, she heard actual cheering. Ritzy, upper class ponies were standing on all fours, stamping their hooves in delight at seeing the obnoxious Prince finally put in his place. There were still plenty of native Ponyville citizens who booed and hissed, but being the showpony that she was, Trixie just smiled and waved back.
A gust of wind at that time blew the magician’s pointed hat off of her head. Frowning in irritation, she bent down to pick it up. As she did so, a purple bolt of magic flew over where her head was moments ago. The magic attack bounced harmlessly off the golden barrier Princess Celestia had erected around the spectators.
Whirling around, Trixie saw a furious Blue Blood. The Prince’s eyes were bloodshot and teary as he glared at the show-pony. He threw all caution to the wind and charged.
Panicking, Trixie fumbled and dropped the rod. Knowing it was her only hope of surviving this round much less winning it, she dove to the ground. She could feel the earth shaking as Blue Blood galloped closer and closer. Finally, Trixie got hold of the rod. At the very last second as the furious Prince was about to trample over her, she closed her eyes and pointed the rod at her opponent.
After several moments, Trixie slowly realized that she was still alive. She cautiously peeked out from beneath her cape. She half expected to see Blue Blood writhing on the ground again, eyes ruined by her rod of blinding, but to her surprise, she saw a portal instead. This portal was not unlike the one that she had opened to that dark place where she had sent Maud. However, instead of teleporting the Prince to a creepy place full of creepy things, she saw the stallion charging down the middle of what looked like a city hall. Frightened ponies dove out of the way of the white unicorn’s path, and at the last moment before Blue Blood hit a brick wall at full gallop, he looked back at Trixie, who just grinned at him.
As the portal closed and disappeared, the show pony’s sigh of relief turned into gut-wrenching terror. Celestia towered above Trixie. Trixie instinctively backed away from the Princess, then bowed deeply before her. Bracing for the punishment she knew would come, she waited for Celestia to act.
“Where did you send him?”
Trixie blinked and rose to look at the Princess. Near tears she stammered, “I—I think, I sent him to App—Appleoosa your highness. The banner above that brick wall he ran into had those words on it. Please, please don’t banish me.”
Celestia’s eyes narrowed as she frowned at the magician. A muffled laugh escaped the Princess’s lips, followed soon after by another. Trying to cover up her laughs with a fake cough, she asked, “And why would I do that? You have bought me at least a few hours of peace and quiet from my nephew.”
Trixie gaped at the Princess in shock. “So, I’m not banished?”
“Banished?” Celestia asked. She then leaned in close and whispered to the magician, “I should give you a medal and a key to my castle.”
Celestia motioned to the metal stick clutched between Trixie’s hooves. “That’s quite an interesting rod. May I examine it?”
Trixie’s heart froze in her chest at the Princess’s request, but there was only one answer she could give. “Of course, your Highness.”
The pony’s grip loosened as she felt Celestia’s warm aura around the rod. Celestia turned the rod end over end, curiously investigating the device like one examines a sword for defects and balance. To Trixie, it felt like an eternity before the Princess finally gave the rod back to her. “I must say, Trixie, you have come a long way with your magic since the last time I saw you.”
The show pony smiled back nervously. “Y—you know what they say. Practice makes perfect.”
Celestia nodded. “Indeed. Tell me, how much practicing have you done?”
The magician swallowed. “Oh, whenever I get time. It’s pretty hard to practice when you work on a rock farm.”
At this, the Princess raised an eyebrow but did not reply. After a few seconds of awkward silence, the alicorn finally said, “I’ll catch you later.”
Trixie’s eyes widened at this, but before she could say anything, Celestia had teleported back to the judges’ booth. In her royal Canterlot voice, the Sun Princess boomed, “My subjects, I give you the victor of this glorious match.”
Several ponies cheered, more than ever before for the magician. However, to Trixie the adulations seemed miles and miles away as she thought. Did Celstia know? Did the Princess know that she had cheated?
This, and many questions like it, plagued the unicorn as she hesitantly waved back at the crowd.
“Your highness, it’s time to wake up.”
Trixie looked around. She frowned when she didn’t see anyone. The stallion’s voice seemed very close, almost like he was right next to her. She thought it sounded familiar but could not quite put her hoof on who the speaker was. Shrugging, she focused on the new castle she had just bought for herself. It was monumental, a beacon to her glory as well as an unbreakable fortress from which to rule. The platinum castle towered above the Everfree Forest.
But something was wrong. Cracks began to show in the flawless edifice. Horrified, Trixie tried to use her magic to fix it but to no avail. The cracks spread faster than lightning as it moved upwards and splintered, forming fresh fissures. Off to the side, the magician heard an enormous crash. One of the great platinum towers had split off from the palace and plummeted to the earth. Unable to speak or move, the magician watched as the beautiful spire fell into her massive purple moat.
The moat rose beyond its confines and swept Trixie away. Her last thought before her head went below the surface, “Why is my moat purple?”
Awaking with a drowned scream, the magician sputtered and coughed. Flailing around in her hammock, she overbalanced and fell out with a loud thump. Untangling herself from her soaked cape and hat, she spied Prince Blueblood standing above her with a pitcher of purple punch.
Blueblood stamped his hooves in applause mockingly. “Bravo, Your Highness. I’ve never seen such grace when one awakens from slumber.”
Trixie wiped the juice from her face. “How dare you do this to the Great and Powerful Trixie. I should skin you alive for this blatant assault.”
Blueblood gave his mistress a wounded look. “But Your Highness, you told me to wake you precisely one hour before your next match. You did not specify how. And since Her Highness did not rise a minute ago when I called her, I feared the worst and took more . . . exotic measures.”
Trixie discarded her sopping outfit. “You ever wonder why everypony in Canterlot hates you?”
He gave the magician a confused stare. “Honestly, I don’t see why I am not as beloved by the masses as my aunt. I am handsome, quick-witted, and above all, charming.”
Trixie shook her head. Some of her anger dissolved as she saw a food-laden picnic blanket underneath one of the trees. Stomach growling, she headed over to the buffet and began to chow down. In-between mouthfuls she said, “At least you picked out some descent food.”
“Yes, I’d thought you’d like the bounty the commoners consume day in and day out,” replied the stallion as he wrung the punch out of Trixie’s costume with his magic. “That’s why I asked your two followers to procure this . . . ” Blueblood shuddered, “meal.”
Trixie stopped chewing and narrowed her eyes at her new servant. “I told you to fix me my dinner yourself, you pompous buffoon.”
The Prince’s cheeks reddened in anger. “Am I not allowed help in doing my mistresses’ bidding?”
“No. And to see that you remember my orders next time, today you shall wear that cape and hat you soiled.”
Blueblood’s jaw dropped in horror, but before he could protest, two small unicorns bounded up to where Trixie sat.
“Oh, Great and Powerful Trixie, how is the meal Snails and I have bought for you?”
Before answering, the show pony grabbed an apple fritter with her magic and tasted it. The treat was the best thing she had tasted in months. “It is adequate, but tell me, how did you pay for all this?”
The two friends looked at each other proudly. “We used our own allowance to buy it just for you, Trixie.”
The magician almost choked when she heard that answer. She drained a glass of apple juice. “You two paid for all this by yourselves? Why didn’t you get the money from the drag-queen?”
Snips and Snails laughed as Trixie pointed at the fuming Prince, who was busy taking down the hammock.
“Naw, we wanted to do this on our own,” Snails said happily.
Thunder-struck, Trixie didn’t know what to say, “Th . . . Thank you, boys. I’ll see that you two are paid back with interest.”
“Ah, that’s okay. We’ll call it even if you give us a magic lesson after the finals today,” Snips said eagerly.
The show pony winced. “Yes, I’ll see what I can do.”
Grinning, Snips and Snails exchanged a hoof bump.
As Trixie was about to take another bite from her fritter, she spied an Earth pony heading toward her little group.
The magician stood up and waved. “Maud! Over here.”
Maud made her way to the clique of four unicorns.
“Why aren’t you eating with the other ponies?” Maud asked uninterested.
“Come now, Maud, you were there in the arena. Except for Snips and Snails, everypony else hates me.”
“Well, no pony hates me,” Blueblood smirked. “If anything, they are just jealous of all my charms.” The Prince ran a hoof through his now purplish hair. Horrified that his mane was sticky to the touch, he whimpered, “Mistress, can I wash my mane?”
Snips and Snails looked at the Prince in disgust. “You’re worse than Sweetie Belle,” declared Snips.
“Yeah, at least she smells good,” Snails chimed in.
“Hush, you cretins. I was talking to the peasant, uh I mean, Her Majesty,” the Prince quickly amended.
Trixie frowned. She was about to refuse her servant’s request when a thought occurred to her. “Yes, Yes,” she said distantly. “And buy me something decent to wear while you’re dawdling in town.”
After expressing his gratitude, Blueblood took off toward the shops, desperate to get himself cleaned. She whispered to Snips and Snails, “Make sure that what he gets me is something good. If he gives you any trouble, just throw some dirt at him.”
The two young colts laughed maliciously as they galloped after the Prince.
Trixie turned back to Maud. “What did the Star Swirl memorabilia expert know about that piece of parchment?”
“He thinks it’s the real deal. He offered me two thousand bits after he looked at it,” Maud replied in her monotone voice.
Trixie’s jaw dropped. “Two thousand?!”
The magician’s outburst attracted some looks from the neighboring picnickers.
Trixie blushed. “Sorry.”
She whispered to the earth pony, “Could he read what it said?”
“Not all of it. But from what he could make out, he said that the rod is meant for amusement, and that anypony can use it. You don’t have to be a unicorn.”
“Wait, what? Amusement?” Trixie asked.
Maud nodded. “Apparently, Star Swirl called it his ‘party rod.’ He found it on one of his trans-dimensional travels with Celestia. That’s pretty well all the expert was able to translate.”
Trixie stared wide-eyed at her friend. “This is incredible.”
“If you’d give that note to Twilight Sparkle, I’m sure she would be able to translate all of it,” the rock farmer added.
Trixie’s face darkened. “No need. The Great and Poweful Trixie’s curiosity has been satisfied.”
The earth pony shrugged.
“Maud, can I ask you something?”
“Sure.”
“Were you the one who threw that frog into the arena?” Trixie asked softly.
The grey pony froze. “What makes you think I did that?”
Trixie smiled. “Because you’re the only pony who would even consider helping me.”
Maud nodded. “You looked like you needed it. I just walked over to the nearest pond and waited until the right moment to throw it over the arena walls.”
“I guess the thunderclouds were a pretty obvious sign, huh?” the unicorn giggled.
“Yeah.” Maud smiled.
The magician picked up an apple. “Well, we better get some of this food eaten. The Great and Powerful Trixie can’t win on an empty stomach.”
But before the show pony could take a bite, she saw a mint-colored unicorn waving at her. Trixie grinned and motioned for Lyra to join her.
“How did you do?” Lyra asked.
Trixie smiled wickedly. “Let’s just say Blueblood will be getting his hooves dirty for a while.”
The other unicorn covered her mouth with her hooves. “Oh my gosh, you won!” Lyra was so happy that she gave Trixie a hug.
Caught completely off guard, the magician didn’t know how to react until Maud whispered, “You’re supposed to hug her back.”
Blinking, Trixie found her voice. “Oh, Lyra, have you met Maud? She’s my supervisor at my day job.”
Breaking the embrace, Lyra nodded. “Yep, I know her.” She paused for a moment before she asked. “Wait, do you work on a rock farm?”
The show pony nodded shyly. “Uh, yeah, a pony has to eat.” She quickly changed the subject. “So how was your match?”
Lyra sighed and looked down at her hooves. “I lost.”
“Oh. I’m sorry to hear that,” replied Trixie.
“It’s no big deal. I was just going to use some of the money to restore my mother’s old lyre.”
“Can we see it? Boulder is always interested in antiques,” Maud said.
Lyra smirked. “Sure.”
From her saddle bag, the unicorn levitated a beautiful stringed instrument. Despite the scuffs, nicks, and blemishes, Trixie could tell that the lyre was once a thing of great beauty. At that moment, the magician made a decision.
“It would be a travesty for that instrument to be in its current state a moment longer. I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, hereby declare that she will use her prize money to restore the beautiful and lovely lyre.”
Lyra shook her head. “Oh, no, Trixie, I couldn’t accept that.”
Before the show pony could reply, Maud spoke up. “Oh, yes, you can. Trixie can be as stubborn as me.”
Lyra’s eyes widened. “That’s pretty stubborn. Alright, I could use the help. Thank you, Trixie.” And this time when Lyra hugged Trixie, the magician was ready and hugged her back.
“I’ll let you get back to your lunch. You deserve to win this thing.” And with that, Lyra turned and walked away with a skip in her step.
Trixie peered cautiously around the maze corner and sighed in relief. She could have sworn she had heard something. Mindlessly she scratched her side. After realizing what she was doing, she cursed Blueblood. The Star Swirl the Bearded costume he had picked out for her was really itchy and uncomfortable. However, it did turn some heads, thanks to the gaudy colors and the bells on the hat. She even got a few compliments and well wishes before she and the other competitors were teleported to Discord’s old maze in Canterlot. The next thing she knew, she was on her own with nothing but a floating crystal sphere for company. She gazed into the sphere and saw ephemeral words form in the glass.
Your goal is to make it to the center of the maze. The judges and the audience will watch your every move from this special crystal ball. Good luck, you’ll need it.
With this in mind, Trixie resisted the urge to scratch at her itching flanks. Instead she focused on walking down the path between the huge shrubby walls of the maze.
Choosing each step with care, the magician reached the next corner and stopped. Trixie pondered what to do next; she really did not want to set off one of Discord’s nasty traps. A malicious grin appeared on her face as she looked up at the ever-present crystal ball. Grasping the orb in-between her hooves, she cast a spell. The crystal sphere became heavy. Just as she hoped, the orb was being held afloat by an elementary spell.
Trixie tossed the ball around the corner. She expected to hear all sorts of devilishly crafted traps being set off, but she didn’t. Instead she heard a whooshing noise above her ears. She looked up, and to her surprise, the crystal ball was floating in mid-air with words appearing across the surface.
Any attempt to destroy this crystal ball is highly frowned upon. This is your first and final warning. Your next attempt to destroy this artifact will have consequences.
Trixie frowned as the message disappeared and wondered why the globe didn’t shatter. Curiosity overtook her as she peeked around the maze angle. The show pony’s eyes widened as she beheld a mirror image of the sky on the maze’s floor. White puffy clouds were floating by on the ground. The maze walls were also much further apart; so much so that it looked like a great chasm was before her. Her hooves were on solid ground, but if she took one more step, it looked like she would fall a very long way down.
“You’re pretty clever,” a voice said out of nowhere. “You are the first pony to use their floating camera as a means to set off my booby traps. Bravo.”
Before her eyes, a chimera materialized over the chasm.
“Discord!” Trixie yelped as she nearly dropped her rod into the abyss.
Discord rolled his eyes. “Well, duh? I swear all you ponies are always so surprised to see me. Where do you think you are? Manehattan? No, sister, you’re in my house.”
The magician gulped. “Wha-what do you want?”
“To ask you a question. Tell me, are you scared of heights?”
The show pony declared, “The Great and Powerful Trixie is many things, but she is not a pegasus.”
Discord roared with laughter at the unicorn’s admission. “Oh, that’s good enough for me.” He snapped his fingers and a bridge materialized into existence.
The magician looked at the construct carefully. The bridge was thin, barely wide enough for two ponies to cross side by side and covered with tiles, no bigger than the size of her hoof. On each tile there was a different engraving. They depicted everything from fierce dragons to lowly insects. The tiles were all different and were changing before her eyes. Where once was a pony engraving, it became one of a hawk, and so on.
“What is all this?” asked Trixie.
“It’s your challenge, my dear. All you have to do is make it to the other side. But, if you put your hoof on the wrong symbol, the tile collapses like so.” Discord lowered himself to a tile. The magical piece of masonry disintegrated. Trixie watched in horror as the pieces fell into the blue and white depths.
“Don’t be afraid. If you fall through, I’ll bail you out,” declared Discord enthusiastically.
Trixie sighed in relief.
“But you’ll be a statue decorating the front lawn of the maze for the rest of the tournament.”
The magician’s relief deflated quickly.
Discord chuckled at the mare’s discomfort. “But hey, don’t worry about that. I like you. So I’ll even give you a hint on what tiles to step on.”
With that, the chimera seemed to tear the very fabric of reality as he wrote a message in the air.
We are the ones that hide in plain sight and feast on what is treasured most. What are we?
Trixie had to blink several times as she read the message. For some reason it was hard to focus on the ever-shifting and shimmering words.
“You got it?” Discord asked.
The magician shook her head as she declared indignantly, “That makes no sense. The Great and Powerful Trixie demands that you give her another question.”
Discord smiled down evilly at the magician. “You can demand all you want, Trixie, but the question remains.”
The Chimera snapped his fingers, and the way the unicorn had come became an overgrown mess of thorn bushes. After that cruel deed was done, an hour glass appeared in Discord’s hands.
“You have one minute to answer the riddle of the bridge. Then it will fall apart piece by piece.”
Panic gripped Trixie as she looked at Discord, the rippling words, the bridge, and back at Discord.
“This is impossible,” Trixie said desperately.
“What’s the matter little pony, having brain freeze?” Discord tittered. “Tick-tock, time’s a wasting.”
Quickly re-reading the question before her, the unicorn put her hoof down on a tile with a spider engraving. Her hoof punched through the tile like it wasn’t there.
“Good try, but wrong,” Discord said mockingly.
“Shut up,” Trixie snarled at the chimera.
She tried again, this time putting her hoof down on a chameleon tile. Again, the magical masonry crumbled under her weight.
“You’re getting warmer,” Discord chimed.
“I said shut . . . wait, what did you say?” the magician looked up at Discord curiously.
The chimera stared back at her expressionlessly.
Trixie glanced at the hour glass. She had maybe twenty seconds left. Searching the bridge desperately, she locked onto a tile that depicted something she hadn’t seen in a very long time. But the tile was too far away to step on.
She looked around for something to throw, but the only thing within reach was the crystal ball. She hesitated, remembering the message the orb had given her the last time she tried to get rid of it. However, desperate times called for desperate measures. Grabbing the ball with her magic and quickly disenchanting its ability to fly, she hurled the orb at the chosen target. The glass sphere flew straight and true, as it landed and shattered on the masonry that depicted a changeling. The tile didn’t crumble.
Trixie’s heart leapt with glee as she figured out the answer to the riddle.
“Time’s almost up,” Discord said from above her.
The magician craned her neck skyward to see the sand was nearly at the bottom. Throwing caution to the wind, Trixie launched herself at the nearest changeling tile, but she was too late. The masonry had already changed and would not support her weight. The unicorn shrieked in terror and tried to change direction in mid-air. But as she had said before, she was no pegasus. Her body crashed through all but one of the tiles. A single hoof clamped on a tile that could change at any moment was the only thing saving her from disqualification.
Discord appeared beside her clapping his paw and claw together in applause.
“Bravo, Bravo. Valiant effort, my dear, but I think it’s time to give up the ghost. Besides being a statue isn’t that bad.”
The show pony ignored him. She knew that she didn’t have the strength to pull herself up, nor the magical genius to get herself out of her current mess. This left her but with only one option. Grunting with effort, Trixie brought up her rod that she was miraculously still holding and pointed it at the tile. She was about to use her weapon of randomness when the crystal ball reappeared before her face. If a crystal ball could look unhappy, this one certainly was. It glowed a fiery orange and a message written in fire beneath its glass surface read.
I warned you.
Trixie quickly changed targets and let fly the magic of the rod. She saw her magic shoot forth over the crystal ball and into the bushes of Discord’s garden maze. The foliage seemed to grow in size and stature and become fuller and greener, and that was it.
Right before the crystal ball surged forward at her head, she heard Discord say, “Hey, thanks. I meant to water those earlier.”
The magician screamed in terror as she fell . . . onto cushions? Trixie’s heart thundered in her ears as she flailed uncontrollably on the soft pillows.
“Calm down, Trixie. You’re alright,” a soft, pleasant voice said.
The unicorn immediately stopped her thrashing and opened her eyes. Before the magician in all of her majesty was Princess Celestia.
Trixie clumsily stood up and tried to bow to the alicorn, but she was too dizzy to manage that. She fell back down on the cushions. “Your Highness, what happened? Did I win?” Trixie asked wistfully.
The princess could not stifle a chuckle. “No, I’m afraid you didn’t. But as Discord said, it was a valiant effort. I’m afraid nopony could make it all the way through Discord’s maze.”
“Oh? So, I could be a runner-up.” Trixie thought. “I would have made it further if that stupid rod . . . ” The show pony’s mouth went dry as she thought of her priceless possession. Where was it? She started to glance around herself frantically. Like Discord had said, she was in the front lawn of the maze, but neither he nor the rod were in sight.
“Looking for this?” asked Celestia. The Princess for a brief moment used her magic, and the rod materialized on the ground between herself and the magician.
Knowing the game was finally up, the show pony closed her eyes tightly and nodded her head.
The Princesses’ friendly demeanor darkened. “Do you realize how destructive a rod like this is, young lady? You put yourself and every pony around you in jeopardy every time you used it.”
The words stung all the more because they were true. Trixie looked down at the ground, tears welling her eyes. She had failed again, and this time there would be no recovering from the shame of this defeat. She had not only let herself down, but Maud, Lyre, Snips, and Snails would again see her as the fraud she truly was.
“Now, with that said, I am very impressed with you.”
Trixie lifted her tear-stained face at the princess in curiosity.
“After Maud watched you fall in the maze, she knew that you would be in trouble for having an illegal magical item. So she went forward to the judges and explained everything. She said that you entering the tournament with this rod was her idea.”
The unicorn’s eyes widened. “That’s not true, your Highness. I entered the competition for the magic lessons with you. She and Lyra could keep the prize money if I won any. I . . .”
Celestia held up a hoof. “This is why I am impressed with you, Trixie. Not long ago, you would have let Maud take the punishment in your stead. And now look at you. You have learned a lot about friendship.” The alicorn smiled and continued, “Maud told me the truth. I just wanted to see how you reacted.”
“You’re not going to punish her, are you?”
Celestia shook her head. “Even though you both have broken the rules of the tournament, no harm was done.”
Trixie sighed in relief.
“But,” Celestia continued, “I must insist that this rod be kept in the royal vaults.”
Trixie winced but nodded in agreement.
“I have been looking for this for some time. It was one of the first artifacts Star Swirl brought back with him from his dimensional travels.”
“Wait, so that rod isn’t from this world?”
The Princess nodded. “It’s magic is undetectable in our world. The note you found with this rod tells a bit of its history. Starswirl wrote that he’d found this item while he was questing with a group of creatures called humans. In gratitude for Starswirl’s service as a magic user, they gave him this device.”
Celestia giggled. “He loved its randomness so much, he called it his party rod. Something this rare and powerful is worth a lot of money, several hundred thousand bits at least. One could do a lot with such wealth. For example, completely renovate a certain rock farm? Or perhaps restore a priceless Lyre.”
Trixie began to brighten at Celestia’s words. “You don’t mean . . .”
“Yes, I do. This rod was found on Ingenious’s land. Maud and her family should be well-compensated for finding such a treasure. The promise that was made to Lyra should be kept, and I will see to it that it is.”
Trixie grinned like a fool. She was happy for Maud and Lyra. It had been a while since she had been actually happy for someone else.
“As for you,” Celestia continued looking down at Trixie with disapproval.
The magician gulped in worry.
“You will not be learning magic from me. In fact, I should probably make an example of you.”
The breath caught in Trixie’s throat.
Celestia giggled, “I’m just teasing, Trixie. Instead you will be taking lessons from Princess Twilight Sparkle in magic and friendship.”
The unicorn turned this fresh revelation over in her mind. Studying magic and friendship with her arch rival? But then again, that beats being punished for cheating in the Princess’s royal tournament.
Noting the magician was pondering her new future, Celestia said, “I must warn you though. Twilight can be a little strict, even by my standards. However, she is an excellent mentor, and I think you and she will become good friends in due time.”
Knowing in reality she had little choice in the matter, Trixie spoke with as much enthusiasm as she could muster. “That sounds wonderful, Princess.”
Celstia raised an eyebrow at the show pony but didn’t reply. Instead she picked up the wondrous rod with her magic. “Come, Trixie. I know two little unicorns, a rock farmer, a musician, and my nephew are dying to see you. Well . . . perhaps not my nephew.”
