Of Dreams and Magic

“Trixie?” asked Sunset.

“Yes, yes. It is I, the great and powerful Trixie.” The robed witch approached the group of teenagers while glancing around the evacuated fair site. “A shame that the fair was ruined. Trixie was sure to win first place with Sparkle out of the running.”

“You… what happened to you?” asked Twilight while inspecting the witch further. “I can’t see your face even in this light. I know that’s not how shadows work, even with a wide hat.”

“Right, give Trixie a moment, will you? Just making sure the nightmare didn’t escape.”

“What, the shadow monster?” Sunset jabbed a thumb at Lemon. “It dissolved and sort of, I guess, possessed Lemon Zest.”

“It what!?” Lemon yelled and quickly hugged herself.

“Trixie assumed so, but she never knows. They’re crafty sometimes,” she said. All at once the scarves, robes, and hat began to break apart into particles that disappeared like faint light leaving only the light blue skinned girl with silver-blue hair.

Trixie dusted off her dark blue hoodie and purple jeans casually speaking her arrogant manner. “Well, that’s that. Honestly, Trixie was having a good day until some accidents postponed her winning. She should’ve known that it would somehow link bad to Sunset Shimmer and crew.

“Well, not all of the crew,” finished Trixie peering at Lemon and Twilight.

Twilight comforted Lemon as she helped her stand up, the girl tearful and scared. “Trixie, please, do you know what’s going on? Sunset and I were just here for the fair and got wrapped up in this.”

“Not that I would’ve ignored Lemon if she needed help. Which she did,” added Sunset.

Trixie rolled her eyes at the three. “Yes, Trixie knows what’s going on. More or less, anyway. Trixie has many experiences, but do not ask Trixie for a scientific breakdown. She is great and powerful, not boring and studious.”

“So? What’s going on?” questioned Sunset.

Trixie stared her down. “You want Trixie to explain herself here? In the middle of the area they cordoned off? With a crying girl about to breakdown? And Trixie thought you the clever one. But who is Trixie to deny her audience? It all started—”

“She has a point. My house isn’t far from here. We can walk over there in no time at all,” said Twilight. “Lemon, can you walk?”

“Y-yeah, I’m cool. Thanks, guys,” muttered Lemon. “This has been crazy terrifying.”

“Trixie does not enjoy being interrupted. Fine, lead the way, Sparkle.” Trixie put her hands in her hoodie’s pockets and followed Twilight as she helped Lemon along.

“So. We can go, but how do we leave exactly? The shutters are still down,” stated Sunset pointing back at the hallway still glowing from the red warning lights.

“Must Trixie do everything? She entered grandly from the emergency fire door behind the curtain.” Trixie turned and walked over to the exhibit she jumped down from. With three well-placed kicks, she broke down the makeshift walls revealing an open double door with a large red exit sign above it. “And now Trixie adds vandalism to her victories.”

“That’s not a victory, Trixie,” said Sunset.

“Shows you what you know about victories.”

“Girls, please, let’s just… leave.” Twilight sighed as they all walked out of the nearly wrecked robotics fair.

A crowd had gathered outside of the expo with fire trucks and a police car nearby. There didn’t appear to be any emergency, everyone milling about like it was a drill. Several people looked their way but no one did anything as the four girls walked down the street.

They walked in silence down several blocks. Sunset kept an eye on Trixie who was typically arrogant. Twilight constantly looked over a borderline-crying Lemon Zest. Every time someone went to speak they found it too hard to break the silence.

Except for Trixie as they approached Twilight’s house. “Your house is purple. What an abysmal color.” Trixie pondered that for a moment. “For a house. Purple is perfect for many things, like capes and hats, but a house?”

“Is that an insult or compliment?” asked Twilight rhetorically.

“Both,” answered Trixie regardless.

The four entered the house behind Twilight.

“Mom, Dad? Shining, are you here?” she called out. Nobody answered. “Nobody’s home. I thought Shining would be here at least. Really could use an older sibling’s advice right now.”

Trixie made her way into the living room and plopped down on the sofa. “Please, Trixie’s advice is all you ever need.”

Sunset’s anger flared. “Gods, Trixie. Do you have to be so obnoxious all the time?”

“I don’t know, Shimmer. Do you and your friends have to use horse magic and shoot rainbow beams at people all the time?” Trixie retorted miffed.

Twilight escorted Sunset and Lemon into the room after Trixie. “One moment and I’ll get something to drink. Uh. What does anyone want to drink.”

“Cola.”

“Jeez, um, iced tea?”

“Trixie will have water. Trixie doubts you would have anything she would normally request.”

“Okay, give me a moment,” said Twilight as she disappeared into the kitchen nearby.

“Seriously, Trixie, tone is down a notch? We almost got chewed on by a shadow monster,” stated Sunset.

Trixie gasped mockingly. “Why, Trixie had no idea. Why didn’t you say so? The Humble and Apologetic Trixie says sorry. Sorry.”

“Can we just wait for Twilight?” pleaded Lemon clasping her hands together as she sat in a recliner chair straight-backed.

“Sorry it took so long, I wasn’t sure if you wanted ice in your water or not. I assumed you’re good with cola from the bottle, Sunset. It was in the fridge so no worries.” Twilight set the glass on a coaster in front of Trixie, tossed the bottle to Sunset who caught it with both hands and handed the glass of iced tea to Lemon carefully. “Here, Lemon.”

“T-thanks Twilight. Seriously, it’s really cool of you.”

“Okay, Trixie. Feel free to explain,” said Sunset.

Trixie stared as the cold glass of ice water before looking at Twilight puzzled. “No straw?”

All three were about to say something before Trixie continued. “Alright, Trixie knows when to cut her losses. Understand that this hasn’t been a good moment for Trixie. She doesn’t like what has to come next.”

“Next?” Lemon sounded worried. Her grip on the glass tightened as she slowly drank.

“Sigh.”

“Did you really say sigh?”

“Sigh,” Trixie emphasized. “Trixie shall now explain, but she really thought the Shimmer girl would know already.”

“Know what?” asked Sunset.

Trixie held up a hand. In said hand was a single gnarled oak wand, one that wasn’t there before. She held it gently and gave it a casual flick. “Magic.”

A light breeze pushed against Sunset blowing her hair into her face.

“Of course I know… no. Wait, did you?”

“Sunset, she used magic. I thought only our friends and us had magic?” asked Twilight.

“Hah, yes. Trixie had her moment of fun. Now she will explain what she thinks. Sparkle, Shimmer, you and your crew have what I like to all horse magic.”

“Equestrian magic,” corrected Sunset.

“Horse magic. You grow little ears, gain a ponytail, and do... Well, you do whatever horses do with magic. I don’t know. Trixie isn’t all that involved in your escapades except as collateral damage.” Trixie had a slow drink from her glass, looking completely satisfied.

“What I have is human magic. As much as it pains me to say it, Trixie was not always great and powerful. No, it was sometime after you defeated those three sirens in the musical festival Trixie deserved to win. Of course she didn’t,” Trixie stated firmly. “Because the finalists had magic!”

“Trixie, you know that’s not true,” Sunset said softly.

“Perhaps, perhaps not. Trixie digresses. A week or two after that Trixie had a horrendous nightmare. She won’t go into detail because of how plain and awful it is, but afterward Trixie knew it was no mere dream. No ordinary nightmare.”

“What was it?” asked Twilight.

“Trixie doesn’t know, but it was very real. Too real if Trixie must say. It took precisely thirteen days for Trixie to figure it out. That was when Trixie became great. It was only after she defeated her first nightmare when Trixie became powerful.”

Sunset ground her teeth. “This isn’t explaining anything. You’re just being condescending, Trixie.”

“Sunset, please.” Twilight studied Trixie. “So you’re saying that you had a nightmare, a real nightmare, after that battle of the bands. That it somehow led you to having magic?”

Trixie sipped her water. “Yes.”

“That makes no sense.”

“Dreams often make little sense, Sparkle,” said Trixie. “What you saw at the fair was Trixie’s animus. Her personification of her spirit if you would. Trixie has found that anyone who has the life-changing nightmare gains one. Which is why, during the Friendship Games, when you two transformed into not-horses Trixie assumed you were like her.”

Trixie studied all three girls closely. “Which you are, make no doubt. Trixie has seen all of your true forms, which is why Trixie was properly stumped when she saw you two being trounced by a baby nightmare.”

“Baby? I almost died!” yelled Lemon. “Sorry.”

“Trixie never said it would be easy as a baby. She got the surprise attack so it didn’t last long. Trixie admits, she hasn’t faced more than ten nightmares in the real world. Few were so easy as it could be solved with pure overwhelming force.” Trixie frowned. “Let alone after that.”

“Woah, wait, hold on. You’ve battled ten of these things, and that was the weakest?” asked Sunset. “How? I know you have magic, but, no, you said we did too. Well, we do, but not like you. Argh, this is really confusing.”

“Yes. As Trixie put it we have equestrian magic and human magic, but we don’t know how to use the latter,” said Twilight.

“Sparkle is correct. All three of you have human magic. Although speaking aloud I would coin it as dream magic. Usually Trixie just says magic, but now there’s two types and it can get confusing.”

Lemon looked up and rubbed her eyes. “Three?”

“Yes,” Trixie confirmed. “May Trixie know how long you have been feeling uncomfortable, Lemon Zest?”

“Since last week,” said Lemon.

“That sounds about right.” Trixie gestured at Twilight. “Trixie is hungry. Do you have any chips? Original if you don’t mind.”

“Trixie?” Twilight smiled.

“Fine. A week is the typical time your first nightmare studies you. Even the dumb ones do this. It will make you feel cautious, watch you turn weak, stalk you until you’re scared, and when you’re a paranoid mess about to break down in a fit of hysteria as everyone around you thinks you’re crazy it strikes when you’re weakest.” Trixie cracked her fingers in a silent moment. “I assume while you two lucked out with the magic transformation at the games, Lemon has been experiencing the standard way.”

“Trixie, when you said thirteen days,” said Sunset.

“I said I’m not talking about it, Shimmer,” stated Trixie flatly.

All three girls blinked.

“Trixie is explaining to the ignorant masses. Don’t interrupt her. Trixie is not magnanimous enough to offer help to a total stranger. However, anyone who is experiencing nightmares, real ones, are not strangers to Trixie.”

Trixie twirled the wand in her hand with practiced grace. “You may have noticed the nightmare now flowed into Lemon Zest. Trixie has been saying words. Dreams. Nightmares. Animus is an old term for mind and spirit. Are you seeing where Trixie is going with this?”

Twilight’s gaze danced back and forth as her mind raced. “It’s a nightmare manifested in reality. We defeated it here, but it went back to… to where it came from.” She gulped. “It doesn’t end here. It has to be defeated inside the dream?”

Lemon’s breathing picked up as she glanced around the room. “I can’t defeat it on my own, girls. You gotta help me.”

Sunset stared at her hands. “I want to, but how do you help someone fight a dream?”

Trixie sighed. “Trixie knows, and it’s why she’s here. Now comes the hard part.”