Chapter 1: Trixie's Book

[Ponyville. Five years after the defeat of Tirek.]

Yet another show went a bust. Yet another humiliating situation. That seemed to be the pattern lately. To go from one show to the other for earth and Pegasus ponies only for your own magic to stop working and be laughed at. The life sounds incredibly unpleasant does it not? Well, for the unicorn mare known as Trixie, that is her life. Failed show after show, Trixie is on the verge of being evicted from her home due to money loss. It was insane. Trixie had to resort living with her old rival Twilight until at least two or maybe three of her shows are successful. But that was weeks ago. Now, Twilight is growing more and more impatient with her new roommates time in her castle. Not to mention Twilight had her own four year old daughter to look after. The whole situation was starting to get to her.

Trixie was in her room, which was originally Spikes before he moved out, practicing her latest spell. The spell could change an object into solid rock no matter the size. The unicorn was planning to use the spell to transform a tree to solid stone in matter of seconds. Trixie was sure it could win her some major publicity in Ponyville. She even wished to get more then that old statue near the mayors building. She hated it that statue. A lot to be precise. She thought of Voorhees as nothing but trouble for Equestria, its ponies, and maybe her own fame. Trixie flipped through the pages of one a book she collected from Twilight's personal library. She gave a wide grin as she saw the spell on the page she was looking for. Her eyes glided on the page, reading the instructions on how to make it work. Pretty easy, just imagine seeing something as a rock. Easy. No problem. Trixie closed the book and set it down on a nightstand next to her. She cracked her knuckles. Stretched her legs. And cracked her neck. She then closed her eyes and concentrated. She could feel her horn start to radiate magic as her mind focused on a chair she set up in front of her. Taking in a deep breathe, Trixie unleashed her magic stream hitting the chair and creating a huge grey cloud of dust which filled the room.

Outside the room, a little pony was walking by just coming back from the castles kitchen with a little juice box in both her hands. She heard the explosion go off. Then again who didn't hear that explosion. The child walked over to the door and peeked under the door. All she could see was dust flowing from under the crack. Narrowing her eyes, the child stood up and knocked on the door a repeated number of times. The door finally opened and the child looked up to see Trixie standing over her with a defeated glare. The earth pony child standing to only Trixie's knees was Twilight's daughter. She wore a bright purple dress with pink stars coating it. Her darkish cyan mane and eyes starring up at her. And her blackish coat nearly disguising her in the shadows. She smiled and waved up to her.

"Morning miss twixie!" she said.

Trixie's expression didn't fade, she groaned and stepped aside. letting the child into her room and the dust going out.

"Ugh...morning Dawn."

Dawn plopped herself on Trixie's bed and watched as the unicorn grabbed the book on her nightstand and began furiously flipping through the pages. All the time, Trixie had a puzzled look on her face. Why hadn't the spell worked? She was sure she read it right. maybe she skipped a sentence, verse, or heck even a picture. Trixie reread the page and even triple checked she was doing the right things. She closed it and focused again. Then she remembered Dawn was in the room. She wanted to tell her to sit against the wall on her bed but then she thought of what would happen if Twilight walked in. Then she's really be in deep trouble. Trixie was so caught up in her own thoughts, she didn't notice Dawn started going through the other magic books she possessed.

Trixie had nearly a dozen different books on her nightstand. Each with a lesson for a different spell. Their was healing, destruction, alteration, conjuration, and more. Dawn could hear Trixie continue to mumble to herself, as if her own twin was standing in front of her. The little filly then saw something. A black hard cover book with a screaming frowning face on it. Though it looked as though the face itself was stretched to be the cover! Dawn stopped sucking on the straw to her now empty juice box and pulled out the strange book. The texture felt rough; like it was made from some strange leather. She turned her head to the unicorn mare who hadn't stopped speaking to herself.

"Um...miss twixie?"

Trixie turned her head and saw Dawn holding the strange book. In a flash, she took the book from Dawn.

"Didn't your mother tell you not to go through another ponies stuff?" she said with a firm tone.

The filly shrank a little from the scolding. She looked down at her hands and began twirling her fingers. She then spoke in a timid tone of voice.

"I-I was just gonna ask about that book." Dawn said. Pointing to the book under Trixie's arm.

The unicorn gave a confused look and looked at it herself. Trixie had to admit, she didn't remember grabbing this from the royal library. Matter of fact, she doesn't remember it at all. Must have been that dragon's before he moved out. Trixie flipped over the thick cover and scrolled through the oddly pictured pages. The book was strange indeed. Most of it was written in some strange language she wasn't familiar with. Trixie frowned, that was something she couldn't stomach. Trixie flipped through more of the book until she came upon a page with a illustration of a strange skeleton rising from the ground. She gave the book a wide eyed stare. What ever the reason, this book was starting to creep her out. But if has magic that can advance her own, she'll take it. Trixie levitated the book with her magic and started studying the language. Then, she remembered her guest.

"Um Dawn. Could you possibly leave for a minute?" Trixie said. Giving the filly the most innocent fake smile she could do.

"Okay." said the child.

Trixie signed and gave a not fake grin. However it was short lived when Dawn poked her leg. She looked down to meet the fillies eyes.

"What are you gonna do about the that?" she said pointing behind her.

Trixie looked at the corner of her eyes to see the book she was levitating had broken free of her magic, without her knowledge, and was floating in mid-air. Then, a sudden loud clash of thunder and a flash of lighting made her and Dawn jump. As if a sudden breeze swept into the room, paper and books started to swirl in the air like a tornado. Trixie kneeled to the floor and cupped her hands above her head. Dawn watched with astonished expression on her face, not noticing a paper had cut her cheek. Suddenly, whispers filled the room. Trixie looked all around the room, trying to find the source of the whispers. They started to get louder, the wind in the room increasing in strength, and the storm outside roaring. Trixie and Dawn screamed as the beam of light came from the book and blinded the two. The beam of light shot through the room, launching into the sky like a rocket.

When the flash had gone down some, Trixie uncovered her eyes to see Dawn walking toward the book. She quickly started to crawl toward the child.

"Wait! Dawn don't go near that thing!"

The filly looked back her with a confused look.

"But it looks pretty!" she said.

Suddenly, a blue light flashed from the light as if the book was having a malfunction. Trixie felt her heart sink when she realized Dawn was right under the book. A stream of blood flowing down her cheek. Twilight would have Trixie's head on a stake with she saw this now. The moment Dawn touched the book it slowly glided down to her level. She looked into the light with happy look on her face. Trixie then saw a small drop of blood drop onto one of the pages and all tarturas broke loose. The room illuminated brighter until it was like starring into a white sun! What followed was an fiery explosion which shook all of the castle.

After the dust had settled, Trixie felt as though she was buried alive. She slowly cracked open her eyes to see she was buried until rubble from the blast. She tried to use her magic, but couldn't pull the strength to use it. She was trapped. It didn't feel as though no bones were broken or internal bleeding. She somehow survived and so did-

"Dawn!" Trixie called.

No answer. The unicorn struggled to get free, trying to push off the support beams of wood and crystal off her.

"Dawn!" she called again. No answer once more.

Trixie then heard the stomping. Heavy, and ground shacking stomps on the floor. It felt as though a huge animal or dragon had made its ways into the castle. Had Spike heard the explosion and returned? Trixie prayed to Faust it were true.

"Hello!? Any pony there!?"

Trixie's only response was a deep, and terrifying snarl that filled the destroyed room. The stomping grew larger and Trixie could almost smell something rancid. Her nose twitched from horrible smell. It smelled like sulfur and rotting flesh. Then, she saw the shadow against the wall. The beat was tall, at least a head taller then Celestia. Its head shaped almost crudely. Its tail pointed like sword. Its arms were long and its fingers were as well. She then saw the organic arm reach down next to her line of sight and pull something out of the rubble. It was Dawn! Trixie struggled even harder. Trying to save the child before the beast did the unthinkable. Trixie could hear the beast ram itself through the damaged wall and fall to the earth below. She could hear the beasts gut rumbling roar slowly fade as it fell tot he ground. Then nothing. It was gone. With Dawn in its claws.