Lingmare IV: The Quest for Fans
Outside Ponyville- Trixie’s Wagon- Trixie Lulamoon
It was a calm, beautiful day in Ponyville. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky, a morning breeze whistled through the branches of the trees, and little colts and fillies hooves clip-clopped on the ground as they made their way to school. Though it seemed a wonderful day for all, one pony would receive a great surprise.
Birds fled from the trees just outside of Ponyville as a scream reverberated from a little lavender wagon with yellow-gold trimming. Inside stood Trixie Lulamoon, her gaze focused on the mirror fastened to her wagon’s door. She had awoken only moments before when a sliver of light hit her face through her window. The mare smacked her lips, opened her eyes and let out a yawn. As she groggily walked to a small hot plate to warm up some coffee, she grabbed her mug and stared at the water. The blue unicorn let out a loud yawn, which sounded slightly different from normal. Not thinking anything of it, she poured the coffee into her mug as soon as the water boiled and stirred the hot beverage.
As she carried said cup in her magic across the small wagon, she glanced over at her mirror and gasped in surprise. The mug shattered and said scream left her lips as she took in her reflection.
She reached a hoof up to her cheek and shook her head in denial as her reflection did the same. “No, no, no, no this can’t be!” she moaned and took a step closer to the mirror to confirm. With the same hoof as before she touched the mirror and saw the reflection before her do the same. A black hoof with two small holes near the center, a larger one along the inner hoof nearly making it half its usual size.
“HOW could Trixie be a changeling? Is Trixie a changeling?” she asked the reflection. As she examined her new reflection further, she could as least breathe a sigh of shallow relief that she hadn’t become that horrid shade of blue. (Not that she was as fashion-minded as Twilight’s friend Rarity, but even she could admit it would have not worked well with her hat and cloak.) Sure she was that grey-black like all the changelings she saw during the wedding, but she had kept her light purple eyes, even if they were buggy now instead. Her –what was it called on bugs? Carapace? Yes, that was it- was the same color as her pony coat, azure blue. Trixie’s mane, though shorter now, retained its cornflower blue.
Trixie tore her gaze away from her reflection and hopped back up onto her bed. She dove under the covers and closed her eyes. “Trixie is imagining things,” she said. “Trixie is a pony, Trixie is a unicorn, and not a changeling. When Trixie looks again, there will be a pony, right?” After three long, deep breathes, she dared to carefully crawl out from under the covers, eyes still closed, and step back in front of the mirror.
“Okay, here Trixie goes,” she gulped and opened her eyes.
“Nooooo!” she moaned. Nothing had changed. “Who dares play such a vile trick on Trixie? Trixie has a show tonight, she can’t go out looking like this!” she pointed a hoof at her reflection. “Trixie must be herself!” she yelled and stomped a hoof. Pale magenta magic shot from her new holey horn and surrounded her form with a whoosh.
Trixie’s mouth dropped open in shock as she now looked back at her reflection. Could it be? “I- T-Trixie is normal again?” she stammered. “Did she break the curse?” she nibbled on her lip as she thought of a way to test if it was real. As she lit up her horn again she thought of what she would do to the culprit who had tried to trick her. Was it that Rainbow Dash? That colorful pegasus did like to pull jokes, but something of this caliber might be beyond her.
Trixie yelped as the magic surrounded her once more. She held a hoof to her head and groaned. “What the hay?” she yelped, then let out a gasp when she looked upon the mirror. Before her stood the same pegasus she had just been thinking of! “Welp that answers that question. Trixie has become a changeling,” she sighed, her new wingtips touched the floor.
She scowled at her reflection at the cyan pegasus mare. “You and all your little friends will pay if this is your doing!” She released the magic and returned to her new form. The magic blast plowed through the roof above her and scared what little animals that were left away. As she levitated her hat and cloak over to her the new changeling gave a small smirk. “At least Trixie’s outfit still looks good. Ouch!” she rubbed her head and looked above her, to see her magic blast had produced a hole in the roof, a piece of the roof had fallen on her head..
“Great, that is going to cost a fortune for Trixie to fix! W-wait…” her eyes opened wide and blinked slowly twice. “Since when does Trixie have the strength to do that?” It had always been a hard pill to swallow, how much she struggled with magic, but Trixie had been persistent and worked with what she had. There was that whole debacle with the Alicorn Amulet… but she had learned from her mistakes,( yes she had!) This- this was new.
“Has Trixie become stronger as a changeling?” she asked her reflection. “Perhaps she can now be,” she stood up on her hind hooves and proudly lifted a forehoof, “the Great and Powerful Changeling Trixie!” she let out a laugh. “Even their Queen never made a hole with her magic transformation,” she grinned. “Perhaps Trixie is even the best changeling now? Only one way to find out.” With that, she leapt out of her wagon.
She galloped toward Ponyville and transformed discreetly back into her own form as she passed through the apple orchard of Sweet Apple Acres.
Ponyville- Twilight’s Castle- Trixie Lulamoon
Trixie pounded on the door to Twilight’s castle and beamed at Spike when the purple dragon opened the door. “Trixie?” he yawned and covered his mouth with one clawed paw. “What are you doing here?”
“No time to explain,” she snapped and grabbed the little dragon in her magic and rushed inside.
“Hey!” he yelped. “Just because you are reformed doesn’t mean you can come in here!”
“We just need something to write with,” she beamed and grabbed a blank scroll and some quills from upon a nearby desk. Her gaze forward, she kept her pace, opened a door here and there until she apparently found one she liked and raced inside. The baby dragon yelped as his head hit against the doorframe.
“Trixie, what are you doing?”
“Trixie needs you to send a letter, dragon.”
“The name is Spike,” he huffed and rubbed his sore head. “Why should I send anything for you? I don’t think Twilight would like you being in here.”
“All the more reason to send it,” she snorted. The door closed behind the two of them with a light click and Trixie set Spike on the ground. The quill sped across the scroll in front of her as she wrote.
“Woah, you’re writing almost as fast as Twilight,” he gasped. “When did you get better at magic?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“You didn’t find another dangerous ancient magical artifact did you?”
Trixie groaned and paused in her writing to glare at the baby dragon. “No! Trixie learned her lesson in messing with things like that.” She turned back to her letter and continued to write.
“Why do you want to send a letter to Princess Celestia?”
“This isn’t for her,” she smirked. “You can send to multiple recipients, can’t you?”
“Of course!” He stomped a foot and folded his arms.
“Good, then send this for Trixie? Pleaaaaase?” she held out the scroll, now rolled up and sealed.
“Will you leave the castle if I do so?”
She nodded. “Trixie will need to prepare for her arrival.”
The purple dragon rolled his eyes and took the scroll. “Fine.” He took a deep breath and held the scroll up to his mouth. With a crackle of flame, the scroll disappeared. “Who did you send it to anyway?” he asked.
“Oh, you’ll see,” she giggled.
As she left the castle, she hurried back to her wagon and jumped inside. “Trixie must make sure she is the best changeling,” she said and grabbed a few objects out of a wooden chest. With said objects in hoof, she hurried into the apple orchard. She removed her cloak and hat and replaced them with sweat bands upon her forehead and each hoof. “Now to practice,” she smiled and got down on the ground with her forehooves spread out. With little effort she let the flames consume her every time she came up from her push ups and changed into different ponies. She changed into Princess Luna, Fluttershy, that handsome hunk of a red farm stallion, and more. “Haha, this is easy! Trixie will for sure be the best!” she declared as some sort of fight music played in the background.
Ponyville- Town Square- Trixie Lulamoon
Trixie pulled her wagon into the middle of town square and rubbed her forehooves together in glee. This shall prove that Trixie really IS the greatest! After today, nopony or any other creature would even remember her past times being in Ponyville. This would be the day they would all remember!
“TRIXIE!”
The blue mare turned around to see Princess Twilight Sparkle galloping over to her, the purple dragon riding on her back. In her raspberry colored magic she held a scroll on dark parchment with a teal colored ribbon.
“Yes, Twilight?” she grinned and eyed the scroll.
“WHAT THE HAY did you think you were doing inviting Chrysalis here?” the purple alicorn fumed. Her wings spread out and ears splayed back against her skull, she glared at Trixie.
“Is it not obvious? Trixie wants to have a duel with her.”
“What?” Twilight questioned, one eyebrow raised and her head tilted.
“Trixie has been practicing her magic. It is much stronger now. Perhaps not alicorn strong, but Trixie knows she can beat the Changeling Queen.” She rubbed a hoof against her chest and gave the purple mare a sly wink.
Twilight facehoofed. “She is a villain, Trixie. I’m sure she has some devious plan now thanks to your invitation.”
“Give Trixie a chance, won’t you Princess?” she frowned. “You have forgiven Trixie, haven’t you? Trixie promises to be good.” The disguised new changeling turned to her wagon and lighting up her horn, clicked the secret latch inside. Golden fireworks shot into the sky as a stage unfurled from the wagon. A banner with her cutie mark on it snapped open and fluttered in the light wind.
Twilight shook her head and sighed, hoofing over the scroll to the show mare. “Fine, but I’ll have all my friends present in case something goes wrong.”
“Nothing will go wrong. The Great and Powerful Trixie has got things under control,” she grinned slyly and trotted away from the frustrated purple mare. She unrolled the scroll to see a hastily written reply in some sort of lime green goopy ink.
I’ll be there. Noling is better than me.
~QC
“Excellent. Things are going just as Trixie planned.” The blue mare trotted back behind stage and looked at herself in the mirror, discreetly dropping her disguise. (Sure she could make it fancy, but making it so nopony saw? Also important.) “You might have beaten Trixie, Twilight, but Trixie will not be beaten by the Queen,” she gave her reflection a fanged grin then let out a cackle. Oh this was going to be fun!
About an hour later Trixie trotted out to the middle of the stage, back in her old form, and stared out at the crowd. It was the largest one she had gathered together since before the Ursa Minor incident. Evidently Ponyville was either excited to see her take down the Queen, or beaten by her. Trixie will show you all! This time SHE shall win on her own power. You all shall see her greatness!
A few gasps echoed over the audience, followed by three flower mares fainting near the back, as the buzz of wings filled the air. Queen Chrysalis along with three armored changeling drones appeared over the tops of the nearest homes. The sky darkened behind them as clouds rolled in and thunder boomed. They flew down and landed on the stage. Chrysalis sent a harsh glare Trixie’s way.
“So, little pony. You think you are better than me?” she growled and stomped a hoof on the wooden floor.
“No, Trixie doesn’t think so,” she quipped. “Trixie knows so!” With a sly smirk out at the audience, she let her magic flow over her and shot a pale magenta streak into the sky, it exploded like a firework above and came down to rest upon the stage. Dozens of gasps filled the air as before them all now stood Trixie the changeling. The thunder stopped and the clouds fled with her reveal, the sun glittered against her chitin.
“What?” Chrysalis yelled. “You are not one of my changelings, how did this happen?”
“Trixie knows not,” she chuckled. “You’re not going to let Trixie win by default, are you?”
The dark queen bared her fangs at Trixie and waved a hoof at her minions. “Into the crowd you three, I have some business to take care of.” They nodded and hopped down from the stage. Each took a place near the front with the ponies around them giving them plenty of room. “So, what is it you had in mind to test who is better?”
“Trixie was there the day you attacked Canterlot,” Trixie purred and glanced down at a hoof. “That little display you did when revealing yourself? It was pathetic.”
“What did you say?” the Queen hissed, a vivid green glow flickered in her eyes.
“Trixie bets she can do far better than your silly display.”
“Oh really?” Chrysalis huffed. “You may not be one of my drones, but I’ve always been the one with the best show. Do you know how long I’ve been Queen? How much practice I have had at scaring little ponies?”
“Long enough that your spectacle is lacking.” Confetti shot into the air behind Trixie and the crowd gasped.
“You vile worm!” the dark Queen yelled. “I’ll show you lacking!”
“Good, as that will just prove Trixie’s point.”
“Get on with the show!” somepony in the crowd yelled.
Mayor Mare stepped slowly onto the stage and trembled as the gaze of both changeling mares settled on her. “T-Trixie has asked me to officiate this match,” she gulped. “T-the challenge is using your natural changeling powers, to change into somepony else — be it a real pony or unique — in the most impressive way possible. The winner will receive a trophy and half of the loser’s stored love.”
“Fine, I agree to the terms,” Chrysalis snorted.
“As does Trixie,” the mare smiled.
“Then l-let the match begin!” the light amber-grey mare took a few steps back to give the combatants plenty of room.
“As Queen, I’ll start.” She closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then lit up her horn. A moment later a pillar of green fire engulfed her. Pink fur slowly grew over her chitin. Her horn straightened and grew slightly longer. Bone and muscle grew over her buggy wings, pink and purple feathers quickly covering them. The dark Queen’s mane and tail shimmered and lost their holey look, the color gradually changing to streaks of violet, rose, and pale gold.
As the flames died away, before them all stood a perfect likeness of Princess Cadence. She stepped forward and poked the smaller changeling on her nose. “Beat that dearie.” The sky behind her darkened slightly, and Trixie could hear thunder in the distance.
Trixie yawned and tapped a hoof to her muzzle. “Is that really the best you can do? We’ve all seen your dramatic display as Princess Cadence.”
The pink princess’s eyes glowed green for a moment. “Then you won’t have any problem beating it, will you? Or are you not as great as you claim?”
“Trixie is great! She is the Great and Powerful Changeling Trixie!” she laughed . She took her own deep breath and concentrated. A moment later she was consumed in her own pillar of flames, these ones magenta instead of green. Little sparks shaped like the sun popped and fizzed around her as she grew taller. A beautiful white coat of fur covered her chitin and her horn grew long upon her forehead. Snow-white wings glistened against her back and her mane became a hue of colors as vivid as the colors of dawn. With a last few pops and twirls of magic around her, she spread her wings and smiled down at the audience. “Behold, your Princess Celestia!” she cried majestically. Confetti and streamers shot into the air once again and fell into the crowd.
Cadesalis scowled at her, then turned as Mayor Mare stepped forward.
“W-what does our audience think?” she asked. The nervous earth pony pointed a hoof Cadesalis’s way. There were a few yells and claps in the audience but not many, even Chrysalis’s changelings just shrugged and looked over to Trixie. She lifted her other hoof to point at Trilestia. This time there were yells and screams from much of the audience including the changelings. “Well, I guess that sett-“
“Not so fast!” The pink Queen growled and scowled over at her drones, who lowered their ears and looked away.. “Let’s make this a two out of three, shall we?”
The faux sun Princess grinned so wide Pinkie would be proud. “Sounds good to us, if you think you can top our proud performance!”
“Just watch me.” She wiggled her eyebrows and rubbed a pink hoof to her chin as she thought of who to transform into. Aha! That was it. That would make this foal blush. The faux alicorn chuckled to herself and let the magic flow over her. Golden stars sparked at her hooves as she changed, her lime green fire shooting up high into the sky. Her wings simply broke away and turned to ash at her feet.
The flames brightened and hid her completely from sight for a moment, then as they died away revealed a handsome unicorn stallion. His fur was an off-white, and he had an elegant amber mane and tail. A compass rose cutie mark adorned his flank and a debonair smile his muzzle. With a quick pop of magic, a red rose appeared between his lips. He offered it up to Trilestia.
“Hmph, you think a silly rose and a cute face is enough to sway Trixie?” she let out a snort and looked away. “Trixie shall show you real chic.”
A small explosion rocked the stage as her magenta magic shot through the sky. Trixie let out a cackle as fireworks shot from her magic and exploded in the shapes of blue diamonds. She shrank in size, but retained that ‘proper mare’ look as the flames fell away to reveal a perfect Rarity doppelganger. “Why don’t we look simply marvelous darling?” she crooned and puffed up a delicate curl of her mane with one hoof. “While you look simply horrid! That mane style is so last season!” With a hoof to her forehead she collapsed back onto a couch and let out a deep sigh. Rain clouds appeared over her, a light rain falling for a few seconds before the cloud disappeared with a pop.
“Excuse me, but I am not that bad,” the real Rarity huffed near the back of the audience.
“You kinda can be sugarcube,” the orange farmpony said bluntly. “Though she might be overactin’ a scootch.”
“Can we just go home?” spoke a soft voice. The yellow pegasus hid behind her wings and watched the two changeling mares with a shudder.
“They’re almost done Fluttershy,” the purple alicorn whispered and rubbed a hoof down her friends back. “Then if we need to we’ll fight.”
“Stop complaining and just vote!” Trixity snapped as she glared back at them. A loud clap of thunder rolled behind her.
“Right, the vote!” Mayor Mare grinned sheepishly and stepped forward.
“I’m votin’ for Chrysalis this time,” Applejack said and cheered when the hoof pointed her way. “No matter how much ya might be like what Trixie was pretendin’, that is no excuse to make fun of my friend!”
It seemed many other ponies shared her feelings as the cheers for Trixity were far less this round, which only made her growl at them. “Really? Our show was far better than hers!”
“Oh contraire, little ling. Trixie, was it?” the suave stallion purred. “It seems we are now tied. Do you still think you can win?”
“Trixie has been saving the best for last!” She stomped her hoof and lowered her ears. “All the ponies here will love me!” The ground trembled beneath her with her yell.
“I highly doubt that,” the suave stallion purred. “A Queen is always more powerful than her underlings.”
“Then let’s make this interesting, shall we?” the fashionable mare grinned. “No using real ponies. If you really are more great and powerful than Trixie, you will have no problem with that.”
“I think that will do just splendidly,” Blusalis simpered.
The two glared at each other for a moment. Their eyes glowed green and magenta. Twin blasts of changeling fire exploded on stage. They tore the banner bearing Trixie’s cutie mark from its place and melded it to a house just behind the stage. Stars, moons, and random other shapes popped from each contender’s magic. The audience watched with wide eyes as the flames crackled along the stage but thankfully didn’t burn down the wooden structure.
As the flames died down around each of them, the laughter of Pinkie Pie could be heard from near the back of the crowd. “Worst OC ever!” she trilled and pointed a hoof at Chrysalis.
Chrysalis had once again become an alicorn. Her coat was jet black, mane and tail a dried blood red, and eyes like twin rubies. She snarled at Pinkie, but then turned her attention back to her competition and stepped back a few steps in horror. “So. Much. Pink!” she shuddered.
“Also cute and FLUFFY!” Pinkie yelled and bounced up and down a few times. The crowd laughed. The sun seemed to shine even brighter above Trixipuff.
A ball of pink fluff stood before the terrified queen, hardly looking like a pony to her except in face. She could hardly even see its hooves under all that fur. Its eyes were huge and turquoise, the ears long and fuzzy. “What the hay have you become?” she gasped.
The Persian cat-pony hybrid before her giggled, a sound that sent chills down the dark alicorns spine. Who laughed like that? It-she stuck out her tongue and blew a raspberry at the queen. While doing so, she shuffled closer, those eyes never leaving her prey.
As Chrysalis soon stared down at the abomination in front of her, it booped her on the nose, which came with a surprising squeak like that of a dog toy.
“Okay, that is it,” the dark Queen shuddered and lifted into the sky. “I will have nothing to do with thee, thou creepy thing you!” With a gesture to her minions in the crowd, the four of them fled away from Ponyville.
The ponies cheered, making the pink pony puffball on the stage beam and let out what many considered a cute gasp. Trixie let her disguise fall and stood before the masses in her new natural changeling form. Fireworks, confetti, and streamers abounded around her and filled the air.
“Trixie! Trixie! Trixie!” the crowd roared. Mayor Mare came up from the back of the stage, a golden trophy in hoof.
“Well done, Trixie,” she grinned and held the trophy out to the changeling mare.
“Trixie! Trixie! Trixie!”
“TRIXIE!”
“Wha?” the blue mare moaned and rubbed her head.
“What the hay you doin’ sleepin’ in my apple orchard again?”
Trixie looked around her and let out a yawn. Applejack stood before her, the orange mare had a frown on her face and tapped a hoof as she awaited an answer.
“Sleeping? Trixie? It was all a dream?” She rubbed her head, sore from her wooden choice of a pillow. “No! Trixie was just about to win an award!”
“For sleepin’? Not likely sugarcube. Come on, I suppose the least I could do is offer ya breakfast.” The farmpony trotted off.
Trixie groaned and rolled to her hooves. It had all been so vivid! How could it have been a dream? She never turned down a free meal though, so she trotted after the orange earth pony. A small flash of green caught her eye and she jolted. She turned and looked around, but saw nothing. “Now Trixie is seeing things,” she sighed. “Whatever, I don’t need changeling magic to be great and powerful,” she snorted and continued on.
Author's Note
Short and sweet, and one of my first tries at focusing on comedy. (Might have some comedy in my other works, but they are a lot more on the serious end.) Hope you all like! Comment, critique, like, favorite, and share with your friends! Let me know what you think, as I love to hear such things. 
Should I try to do more comedy? Is my sense of humor drier than a desert? Or should I stick to the darker stuff? 
