"You hired DJ Pon-3?" asked the original Trixie with a raised brow, peeking between Not Trixie and Vinyl. "You are desperate, but ready to fight. I like that." She gave a single nod, turning to the front. "Can you hear that? The crowd is thickening. Trixie's advertising was quite a success. Put on a decent enough showing as Trixie crushes you and Trixie may even share a little with you."

Vinyl patted Not Trixie on the shoulder. "Keep it cool. We got this."

Not Trixie could hear the crowd of countless ponies. This would not be a private battle, not by far. Her faint hope that Trixie's efforts to draw a crowd would fail crumbled. She would win or lose with an audience. That also meant that a lot of ponies would know there were two Trixies. "Aren't you worried ponies will react oddly if they know there are two of you."

"But there aren't two of Trixie," stated Trixie confidently. "Just one. That's why you'll lose that name." With confident steps, she strolled towards the curtain. "Now await your cue, Trixie will begin the show."

Vinyl watched her go before speaking, "She's not like Vinyl, you know, the original. I don't think she's alright with two of her."

Not Trixie lifted her shoulders with a sigh. "I suppose I wouldn't want two of me either." Though hosting a big show about it was not what she would have done about it. "Nevermind that, we just have to be ready."

"That's the stuff." Vinyl pat her DJ equipment before her horn glowed, folding it up into a little cube. "I'm ready when the word's given. Just like we practiced it, alright?"

Trixie smiled at the crowd of curious pony faces. "It's good to see so many of you tonight as Trixie defends her honor! An impostor has challenged her for the right to the name Trixie, and Trixie will not be standing down." She paced as she spoke, peering across the crowd with a determined look. "So I hope you are all prepared for a show of astounding magic, tricks she had saved for a special occasion, and whatever the copycat can come up with."

In the crowd, a pony began clopping her hooves together perhaps a bit early. Starlight was being supportive.

"Because Trixie is both Powerful and Humble, she will allow her doppelganger a chance to show what she has first. Trixie presents Trixie." She gestured broadly towards the back. "Come on out!"

Emerging from the back, the copy of Trixie strode. Vinyl gave a hoofs up as her equipment unfolded into a grand booth capable of her music. Not Trixie's steps were stiff, eyes taking in so many faces at once. It was like a sea of hum--equinity. "Good evening, everyone. Tonight I will be spinning a story."

She reared up on two legs as the music began, a soft tease of what was to come, gentle electronic notes. She went with it, not trying to force it. All she had to do was tell her story. "It's about a special little man with a special little plan." The music rose, wrapping around her words and her thoughts. She pointed into the crowd. "He was much like you."

"Much like me?" asked the stallion, his words fitting the notes of the song perfectly. The song magic had begun.

"Much like you," agreed Trixie. "He wanted to much more, but he was only so tall. Not even a tail or waggy ears." She turned and gestured broadly, her magic creating an image out of crackling lights of a general human shape. "Didn't know down from up, didn't know who he could trust. It was just the start of his journey." She turned with the last word, hooves wide as her magic flowed.

Behind the curtain, the other Trixie sat beside the working Vinyl. "Why is she telling a story that doesn't involve Trixie? What sense does that even make?" She leaned to the side, peeking out to see the crowd. They seemed interested enough, their eyes on the fake Trixie and her strange marks. "She isn't using nearly enough magic." Vinyl was ignoring her entirely, working her music.

In the crowd, Starlight peered at the not Trixie, taking measure of her as she wove her story for the crowd. "Huh..." she softly grunted to herself. Was that a changeling? She considered ways of testing for that, but there were annoyingly few spells developed to make quick confirmation of it. But what were those marks?

Starlight's ears perked in time with a sweeping change in the story. An idea came to her. Twilight had run into a copy with extra wounds once before. It had been a copy from the future. Could that be a Trixie from some alternative timeline, like the ones that Starlight had been creating just before Twilight talked some sense into her?

That would make some sort of sense. What sort of world would require Trixie to ever do anything that would result in those fine lines that ran across her like battle scars. Even Twilight, who Starlight knew had actually been in several battles, had avoided that.

Then again, even if it was another-world Trixie, it was still Trixie. Starlight smirked as she watched. She probably did something she shouldn't have and brought it on herself. That would be something Trixie would do. Real or not, from another world or not, Starlight saw 'a' Trixie putting on a show with passion and she smiled. They didn't seem to be acting like a mean invader. Hay, they had agreed to the contest Starlight had suggested against.

As if Trixie listened to her warnings...

The crowd was joining in the story, the magic of the song infecting them as they danced and played along with the alternative Trixie in their telling of the story that only she knew, but they spoke the words as if they had been rehearsing it as long as she had. Even Starlight wasn't immune, as she was a pony, and singing was a part of her nature.

The original Trixie scowled from behind the curtains, stepping out onto the stage. "You talk about some unknown star. We don't even know who they are. Why should we care, why would he dare? He sounds like some con man. Can't fool a star mare." Her words were sung, even if they rhymed as often as not.

Alternative Trixie waved towards the original. "He had to face such challenges."

"Had to face, yes, had to face," echoed the crowd, still caught in the music."

"He had to stay strong!" sung out the scarred Trixie.

"Stay strong, had to stay strong!" echoed the crowd.

"But in the end all he had left was but one little thing." She held her hooves close together. "One little thing."

"So small, so very small," echoed the crowd.

"This little song!" called out Trixie as the music swept in to support her, somehow even incorporating the other Trixie's interruption into its flow as if it had all been part of the production.

The original Trixie cringed, realizing she had fallen for the magic of the song. She fled back behind the curtain with a dive for cover, lost to the sight of the watching ponies. She scrabbled to her hooves, scowling at her clone. "Just you wait, Trixie will bedazzle them with her newest trick..." She stalked off to prepare for her part of the show.

Alternative Trixie was in her element, singing and dancing, though the dancing seemed to come from the song magic more than any amount of skill or coordination on her part. She surrendered to it and it happened, and she was loving it. She was telling her story, and they were living it out with her. She had never felt so attached to the world, so much a real part of it. "Boom-shoka-boom, the room did shake!" she sang, getting to an exciting bit with the protagonist facing some terrifying beast.

The music was sublime, if you liked electronic. The crowd seemed entirely onboard with it, swept up in its beat as they sang out their parts, helping her to weave the tale forward. She had lost all track of time. There was no room for such a concept, just the song, and her story, and the ponies participating in it. Whatever she was, she was... there. She was there and she had a story to share.

Vinyl nodded along to the beat of the backup music she was making. She was not swept up in the music magic, she rarely was. She was part of the source of it, a vital component. The most she ever felt was the urge to tweak her music just a little to keep that supporting structure flowing even in the case of disruptions, like the other Trixie had tried to do. She had a supporting role in the grand act of music, but that wasn't a part she looked down on. She was doing her part and a fine part it was.

The storytelling Trixie slid on her knees towards the crowd as the music settled. "What happens next is, as they say, another story." She bent forward, a forehoof folded in front of herself. "Thank you. Thank you all." Tears were in her eyes, flowing despite herself. She couldn't hold them back anymore than she could stop moving with the story. "Thank you."

The crowd erupted into cheers and stomps of the ground in approval of the show. Though Trixie was certain she hadn't seen them walk in with it, flowers showered her. She reached out a hoof and a full bouquet landed right where she could pull it closer. She rose up to three legs, one holding the flowers. "Thank you..." She glanced back towards the curtain. "But we're not done yet! I hope I didn't wear you out, because you're about to see the Great and Powerful Trixie weaving her amazing magic!"

Crackling exploded across the top of the stage and along the top of the curtains as the other Trixie strode out with her cocky smile returned. "It is good of you to remember to introduce your betters. Now that you've warmed them..." She gestured to the back and the other Trixie fled with her flowers. "It's time for a real show! This is a trick Trixie had first seen when she was bit a little filly."

Several strong-looking ponies trotted out onto the stage, carrying an immense glass case with them. Trixie waved to it. "Submerged, Trixie will free herself from certain doom! And that's only the first trick of many that will astound and amaze tonight!"

Her horn glowed as a ladder floated over and slapped against the side of the filling tank of water. She ascended the ladders, looking towards the crowd. "Though Trixie will certainly be in a grave amount of danger, you should not worry for her. She is a trained mare of magic and will defy death! To make sure this isn't too easy, she will be shackled before she enters."

She waved at her assistants and a pegasus flew over to her with a length of heavy chains. He threw it around her and had it tied quite quickly, leaving her barely able to wriggle. "As you can see, mmmf, Trixie is immobilized. Now, throw Trixie in!"

The pegasus looked not entirely certain, but an order was an order. He pushed Trixie right over the edge and into the water she sank rapidly. He grabbed the ladder and flew off with it, leaving the crowd with a clear view of Trixie as bubbles escaped her snout, sinking to the bottom of the tank.

Starlight's teeth clenched. That was a trick that was supposed to be performed with a team, not by one pony. She had volunteered to take part, but Trixie was quite adamant about facing her clone on her own. She had to sit and watch as her friend struggled in the water, more bubbles escaping.

Author's Note

Trixie makes a good show, but will it stand up against Trixie's performance?

Will Starlight have a heart attack watching this typo in progress?

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