2 The Great And Powerful

“So did you exist before Twilight became an Alicorn?” Spike asked.

Earth Pony Twilight looked down from the papers she was grading. “I’ve only existed for about an hour and a half now.” She was more coy then existential about it. Actually she appreciated the little break. It was hard writing with her mouth, levitation was far more preferable.

“That’s not what I meant. Okay Twilight’s been split into her three aspects, so when did she get an earth pony aspect? Did she have one before she became an Alicorn? Do all Unicorns have one?”

“Nope, before the ascension, she, I only had a unicorn aspect.”

“Then what is an earth pony aspect?” Spike thought it might be rude to tell her this, but he always defined earth ponies in the negative. They’re ponies without wings or horns. “Do you have super-strength or something?”

Twilight got under the desk. She pressed her back against the bottom and tried to lift with her legs. Her face showed strain. Spike watched the legs of the desk intently, waiting for them to budge even the tiniest bit.

“Nope,” she answered. “I guess Applejack got really strong the old fashion way.”

“Can you pull stuff out of your hair like it was an inter-dimensional portal.”

Twilight reached in.

“Spike, stop distracting her while she’s working.”

Unicorn Twilight sounded a little harsher then usual, though not so much that Spike could mark it as one of their personality differences. He chalked it up to the overwork, that or a contrast because Earth pony Twilight was so pleasant.

“Hey Uni Twi, since you were a Unicorn before you became an Alicorn, does that mean you’re just your normal self now that you’re a Unicorn again?”

“Yes, I am.”

“Actually, no she’s not.” Cadence corrected. Cadence was grading the math homework. It wasn’t her preference, she chose this because Cadence didn’t know the students well and this had less nuance than essay’s as the answers were simply right or wrong.

Earth Twi stretched a bit. “Hey Spike, I’m done grading essays, and I still have some stress from before we even split. Why don’t we go for a walk together?”

Surprised to hear she was done, Uni Twi looked over a few of the papers. From what she saw the work seemed acceptable. Even her quill-manship was up to par. Uni Twi’s only complaint was that she was a little too generous with the partial credit.

When she wasn’t distracted Earth Twi was more diligent and focussed then Uni Twi. It would be wrong to think of herself as her leader or her superior, because she was the Unicorn. Taking a break also seemed wrong, although science, her friends, and even Princess Celestia all told her that breaks were good for productivity. She didn’t raise any objections.

Splat!
Pega Twi hit the mud. Now she was a mess. She leaned her head to one side and tapped the other side, hoping to get the filth our of her ears.

It was her own fault really. She knew that it was. It was that darn Twilight brain of hers. How much thrust per wingbeat? When free gliding do wings act like a parachute or is it more like the vortex effect of a ships sail. Can I turn at this speed? Guess she knew the answer to that last one.

There’s no way every filly is doing all this geometry and calculous in mid flight. The worst part is she was doing fine, until an equation came along that she would’ve needed quill and paper to solve. She was more interested in the question then the manoeuvre she was trying to perform.

Next time, math first then flight.

What was the question she was trying to solve again? Her last thought before hitting the mud had been forty-two. Was that the answer? What was the question?

She was doing it again. C’mon Pega Twi, you’re out in the open on a slightly breeezie day. What’s more interesting math or doing cool flight tricks?

Maybe if she opened her wings to expand the surface area at 2/3 of terminal velocity.

“Are you okay?” A voice called out to her.

Trixie peaked through the curtain. It was the smallest audience yet. She cursed slightly.

It’s not that her act was unpopular, there was a heat wave going on, that and every pony in Ponyville had seen it already. Advertising a new trick or two would bring the crowds, back. Also, there was a festival in one week that would attract customers from out of town, so it wasn’t time to go on tour just yet, she reasoned. Still, Trixie was becoming a little too attached to this town, and she knew it.

When it came to magic (and only magic) Trixie was a consummate professional. The show would go on even if there wasn’t a single pony there to admire her.

Gawd that was a dreadful thought. What could possibly be worse then this?

She peeked through the curtain again. Earth Twi smiled and waved at her.

She quickly closed the curtain. Trixie peeked two more times, then decided to heck with being professional. She climbed off the stage and went out into the audience section.

It was an open air stage. Earth Twi had spread out a blanket, and was sipping a soda, waiting for the show to start.

“Sparkle, is that you? What’s the meaning of this?” Trixie’s eyes traced a line from Twilights forehead down to her tail. Earth Twi stretched out a bit, allowing her body to better be seen.

“Did Celestia demote you?”

That idea just made Earth Twi laugh. Trixie wasn’t the first person to ask about her missing appendages, that was a new one though. Every pony else figured it was either Discord or Zecora. She quickly explained the real reason she had no horn or wings.

“That still doesn’t explain what you’re doing here. Are you trying to show me up again, like that time with the Ursa Minor.” She was talking about the fiasco that occurred around the time they first met.

“Me, Celestia no! Why I’m just a weak Earth Pony right now. I don’t even have any magic. I just came to see how great and powerful you are.”

The great and magnanimous quickly blurted out something that could be considered an apology and told her to enjoy the show. Of course she kept an eye on Earth Twi, even while performing.

Earth Twi only clapped politely at most of the card tricks. No surprise there, that was colt and filly stuff anyhow. Once done with cards, she scatted the deck toward the audience, each card exploding into a miniature multi-coloured firework with moderately loud pops.

That one did manage to startle Earth Twi a little bit, though it always went over better at her nighttime showings.

She yawned once at the ‘saw a pony in half,’ then roared with applause at the pull a rabbit out of a hat. Trixie wondered if that applause was sincere or not. Every-pony knows that one.

Earth Twi just seemed frightened and not entertained with the unicycle through flaming hoops. All the other ponies loved that one.

The trick she liked best was a mirror trick. Not much to it really, it was more of a gag act. She danced while using mirrors to make it look like a whole chorus line, but one reflection looked clumsy, tripping twice and not really keeping step with all the others.

When the show was over, Earth Twi waited for the crowd to disperse.

She offered to help Trixie carry her equipment. Trixie politely declined.

Earth Twi waited for a minute or two, as though not sure what to do next, as Trixie departed, dragging her stage trunk with her. She trotted until she caught up, then offered to take Trixie out for refreshments.

“You want refreshments with me? What sort of refreshments?”

Twilight wondered what to tell her. Should she say coffee? Every pony just says coffee, some mares even treat coffee like it’s a code word. Not that it’s okay to assume that’s what ponies mean every time they say coffee. Would Trixie jump to conclusions if she said coffee? That would make it a lot easier.

Trixie was getting impatient. “Is there something you want Sparkle.”

Earth Twi twiddled her hooves, blushing adorably. “Show me how great and powerful you are.”

By the time they reached her stage coach, Trixie was beyond impatient. She pressed Earth Twi’s body against the outside wall of the coach. Celestia’s sun had been beading on the stage coach for hours. It was so hot that the lacquer on the wood was sticky.

Trixie tasted the sweat running down Twilight’s neck. It wasn’t kiss exactly, and in a moment it turned into something closer to a bite. Twilight squealed, more from excitement them pain, and the sound surprised her. It was a sound that would only encourage Trixie, and that was fine, Twilight wanted her to bite harder.

Her hair smelled of ozone and black powder. It wasn’t sweet like candy, it was dangerous, almost foreboding. Her perfume was the pyrotechnics in her act.

Trixie tore herself away from Twilight and began searching her cape. She had misplaced her key.

Twilight felt she should do something, try to get Trixie back where she was a moment ago.

She’d read, in romance novels, that ponies like to have their ears nibbled on by their lovers. Not quite sure how to do it right, Twilight held the lobe with her lips, and brushed the sides of it with her teeth.

Trixie pushed her away.

Oh no, Twilight thought. She didn’t like that, it must have been weird for her.

It turned out Trixie was just turning around so she could kick in the door with the buck that would have impressed Applejack.

The inside was clean, at least free of dirt. Trixies belongings were so cramped that it still gave the impression of being messy.

Twilight didn’t have time to ask if it was okay to enter, because Trixie pushed her by the flank into the stage coach. She threw Twilight onto the bed, then barricaded what was left of the door with her stage trunk.

Earth Twi had at least a vague notion that their were more then a few ponies she could make love to if she made the option available to them. That’s not quite what she wanted. It occurred to her that sometime between the Ursa Minor and the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie must have been obsessed with her, seething in a jealous rage. Some of that obsession must have lingered even after they reconciled, and now it was being redirected, or perhaps it was just more true to what it had always been. Whatever the reason Trixie was giving Twilight exactly what she desired.

Pega Twi quivered, and let out a meep sound. The sound was almost erotic.

“Are you sure this is normal?” She asked.

“Of course darling. This is how all Pegasi are groomed. Now don’t flinch so much, or you’ll hurt Fluttershy.”

Why was Rarity the one teaching her about proper Pegasus feather grooming? The only answer was that Fluttershy’s mouth was too occupied to explain anything. They’d hosed her off first, though that didn’t get the mud caked between her feathers. At the moment, Pega Twi did lay upon her stomach as her kind friend helped clean her off. After her crash, Twilight was so caked in mud they could not even see if she had any injuries. She was sore of course. Fluttershy had first given her a tertiary check for broken bones and all seemed fine. It was embarrassing to have her friends fuss over her like this. Why did she have to practice so close to Fluttershy’s animal sanctuary?

“I’ve never been groomed like this before. As an Alicorn I just took bathes.”

Fluttershy spit mud as though appalled by the idea. She didn’t try to talk and continued grooming Pegasus Twilights wings.

“Feathers have slickness to them, it keeps them from becoming water logged when you fly in the rain.” Rarity explained. “Regular soap and water isn’t good enough to wash them properly.”

“Luna gave me a Shampoo for that.”

“I’ll have to see this shampoo to make sure Luna is taking care of her own wings. I should also have words with Rainbow Dash. As your first flight instructor, I assumed proper grooming would be the first thing she would have taught you. Now tell me darling, whatever possessed you to even try something as foolhardy as doing a sonic rainboom.

“When I… I mean when Twilight first got her wings.”

“You can say I, darling. From what I understand, you’re no less Twilight then the other two, so don’t go talking like Trixie now.”

Twilight had given them at least the short version of why she was currently not an Alicorn.

“Okay, when I got my wings, it was more about becoming a princess than it was about, you know, getting wings. Wings are awesome, and now they’re the thing that sets me apart. I’m the Twilight with wings, and, for Celestia’s sake this sounds ridiculous, I was all ready to prove to them that I’m the awesome one.”

“The awesome one, really, how old are you?”

“Two hours, I guess. When the spell wears off, we’re all going to merge together, and I was prepared to give them some really awesome memories, to show them how awesome I am. And yes I’m aware that I’m saying awesome like it’s a nervous tick.”

“Let me see if I understand this. You want to do something… awesome.” Rarity spoke as though that last word came with some difficulty for her.

“Yes,” Twilight answered.

“You want to do something adventurous.

“That’s right.”

“Something the other Twilights would never normally do.”

“I guess so.”

Something to show those other two that you are a special part of them, no less important to the whole them either of those other two.”

“Exactly!”

“Darling, might I, and Fluttershy, posit some alternative suggestions.”

“So why did you want to do this now of all times.”

Earth Twi was a bit surprised by the question. She never thought Trixie would be the type for pillow talk.

“From inner turmoil,
Now be free.”

“What does that mean?”

“It was a line from the spell that Cadence used to split me. I’ve been wondering what it meant.” Her voice turned reflective and uncertain. “I wanted this, and I couldn’t think of any reason why not. Maybe, and I don’t know this for certain, maybe all the conflicting feelings I used to have, they went into one of the other Twilights.”

“Wait,” Trixie bolted upward, looming over Twilight. “You mean not all the Twilight’s think the same way.”

“Of course not.” What, was she hoping to get a menage et trois?

Trixie leapt from bed and paced. She didn’t have much space to pace in the stage coach. She kicked some toys out of the way so, so she could pace better.

“Trixie, what’s wrong?”

“When the spell wears off, will you still like me?”

“Like,” Twilight repeated the word, as though confused by the meaning.

“Will you even be okay with what we did together?”

“Hey don’t talk that way. It’s fine. I’ll make them understand.”

Trixie sat down and crossed her arms, pouting. Twilight tried that thing with the ears again, but Trixie pushed her off and kept pouting.

“Do you even know what those conflicting feelings you mentioned were all about.”

“Of course I do!”

“It’s the Unicorn isn’t it. Unicorns are always the most stuck-up. She thinks I’m not good enough, doesn’t she?” As she said this, she realized that didn’t really sound like any version of Twilight. The suggestion also seemed to upset Earth Twi. What was she upset about? Trixie was the only one of the two who actually had a Unicorn horn. “Okay, maybe that’s not it. It’s the responsibility angle isn’t it. She thinks she can’t put time into a relationship because she’s too important to every pony in all of Equestria.”

Earth Twi placed a hoof on her shoulder. Trixie knew what was coming. This was still Twilight Sparkle. She was about to pass on a friendship lesson, give her some sound if slightly preachy advice about what she was supposed to learn right now and they’d all be so much happier.

“Trixie, why don’t you give me an orgasm that is so ‘Great And Powerful’ that if Alicorn Twilight can still walk she’ll be begging you for another.

At that moment, Starlight was well rested and back to finishing her paperwork.

Cadence announced that she would go check on the other Twilights, since Earth Twi still wasn’t back from her walk, and had apparently ditched Spike at some point. Spike decided to go with her.

Unicorn Twilight turned to her star pupil. “I guess it’s just you and me.”

“I guess so,” Startlight responded before immediately returning to her quill and paper.

Unicorn Twilight pretended to look at what Starlight was writing, as she sniffed at the nape of her neck. She held her position just a little too long, and Starlight caught on to what was going on.

Startlight turned her head, so now they faced one another, their lips practically touching.

“So, you wanna go get some coffee.”