Equestria Girls: Bonds Forged of Friendship I (Love)

When it came to seeing shows live and in person, Pinkie Pie never quite understood the appeal of a balcony seat before. She always wondered why anyone would ever want to sit so far away, especially when all of the action was going on down in front. Half of the fun of attending a Gallaherd show in the first place, after all, was just sitting in the splash-zones while he smashed watermelons to pieces. Wasn't that the entire point—to bask in, and literally become a part of, the act? Perhaps some people just didn't appreciate fine theater quite like she did...

With all of that said, however, things were a bit different this time around. In fact, considering what was currently going on with Trixie's show, Pinkie was more than happy for once just to be observing things from a distant balcony—or rather from outside the community theater's clerestory windows. Either option was fine, really.

“WOW!” she cried out. “Her act's gotten way better!”

“Shhh!” Twilight insisted, straining to keep her unhelpfully squirming friend aloft with her powers. “Not so loud! We don't want her to hear us!”

“What's she doing now?” Fluttershy asked softly.

“Well, she just made some giant gloves appear, and now they're juggling people! It'd be really neat if it wasn't thanks to evil magic...”

Mindful of overusing their own, especially before a probable confrontation, Twilight lowered Pinkie back onto the ground before inquiring any further.
“And it's still due to the wand, right?”

“Yup! Every time she waves it, magic comes out like 'WHOOSH!'”

“Hmm. And could you estimate roughly how many people are still in there?”

“Ummm... It's kinda hard to tell, especially when she keeps making things happen to them... But I think there's at least twenty?”

“Oh dear," Fluttershy said. "At least most of the audience fled before things got too crazy...”

“True, but still...this definitely isn't ideal...”

The trio continued reviewing what Pinkie had observed, before raising her back up once again to gleam whatever else she possibly could. At this point, every little piece of information could prove vital, and they would need as much as possible to effectively deal with a threat like this.

As their friends handled reconnaissance from the side, Applejack and Sunset were over by the theater's entryway, with the former gauging how to quietly pry open the magically sealed doors, and the latter giving Rainbow Dash an update over the phone.

“So, that's the situation so far. At least we got here pretty quick. Guess traffic's really died down. Any sign of Rarity's plane yet?”

“No,” her friend sighed. “Seriously, what's the point of arrival times if nobody actually arrives on time!?”

The young athlete sounded a little frustrated, and Sunset couldn't exactly blame her. Considering how Rainbow had been the first to discover this incident via Snapgab, and how she always welcomed any chance for them to be super-heroes, being relegated to simply waiting around for their friend must've been quite the curve-ball.

“You sure you guys don't need me?”

“Of course we need you, but Applejack did make a really good point.”

Even as she said it, Sunset wondered whether or not that was really the case. Calling it a point alone seemed like a stretch, all things considered. But everything had happened so quickly, and there were already so many hangups just getting here, that it was difficult to argue logistics now, let alone half an hour ago in the heat of discussion.
Originally, the plan was just for everyone to meet up at the theater, but that would've meant leaving Rarity clueless and her family without a ride home. Then, right before departing from the airport in Applejack's truck, the girls realized that someone would still have to stay behind anyway. How else would Rarity find out about what was happening, let alone acquire the keys and directions to where their tour bus was currently parked? Bearing all of that in mind, the question then became one of who should remain.
Almost immediately, everyone assumed that Applejack would be the one to await her best friend's arrival, but the farm girl was rather quick to rebut the notion.

N-NO!... I-I me—I mean, I... I-I reckon, uh... What about Fluttershy!? O-Or Rainbow!? She's—uh—she's got that super speed an' all, so...

Nobody quite understood the reasoning then, but Sunset caught onto her friend's trepidation quickly enough. And though not usually an advocate for avoiding one's problems like this, she opted to help out with a last-second save. Heaven knows just how valid her improvised rationale really was, but it certainly convinced everyone of Applejack's suggestion back then. Hopefully it would continue to sound reasonable enough while on the phone now.

“If anyone else stayed behind, not only would we be short two people, but there's no guarantee they'd make it here in time to help, either. At least this way, once you let Rarity know what's going on, you can just dash over here in a heartbeat.”

“Yeah... I guess you're right. Well, just don't be too awesome without me. And call if anything comes up!”

“Absolutely. Oh, gotta go! Wish us luck!”
Sunset hung up then, just in time for Applejack to report on breaching the entrance.

“Any luck?”

“Sorry, but the structure's way too old an' creaky. An' them doors are sealed tighter than a barn in hurricane season.”

“So, we can't get in that way?

“Oh, we'll get in fine. Just ain't gonna be quiet. Reckon we'll have to bust right on through, and ain't no way Trixie don't notice that kinda entrance.”

“Hmmm... That might be for the best, actually...”

They joined the others soon afterward, just as Pinkie finished taking in another round of illegitimate theater, to compare notes and devise a strategy.
Obviously, Trixie had fallen under the influence of Eqeustrian magic, and was growing more corrupted with each passing moment. This particular magic seemed especially powerful, as it apparently allowed her not only to conjure up objects from out of nowhere, but also to transform things into whatever she willed.

A dangerous opponent, for sure, but not without some weaknesses.
First and foremost was what seemed to be the source of the magic itself: her wand. With every wave of that thing, the young magician managed to pull off yet another impossible feat, and she seemed to be particularly focused on it in these last few minutes. Clearly, that would be the girls' primary target, and the means by which they could resolve all of this. They break that wand, they free the user, and everything else returns to normal—same as always.
Second was the actual person that they were dealing with. Not only was Trixie a natural showboat, but she was also rather easy to goad on, and tended to be more focused on her audience than anything else. She wouldn't be one to notice what's going on behind the scenes, if that was indeed the case.

It certainly wasn't going to be an easy mission, especially when the entire team wasn't together. However, so long as they understood and took advantage of what they could, it was definitely achievable nevertheless.

“Alright,” Sunset said, as the girls huddled around. “Is everyone good on the plan? Pinkie, AJ, and I will go in first and get Trixie's attention. While we're keeping her distracted, you two wait for an opening to sneak in unnoticed.”

She turned to address both Twilight and Fluttershy, the stealth team of this operation.
“Twilight, you'll be our trump card. If things start looking bad, your magic can support us. But until then, just focus on rescue and evacuation.”

“Got it!”

“And Fluttershy, you're sure Angel's probably still backstage somewhere?”

“I mean... I'm pretty sure. He's been helping Trixie with her shows all week. I can't imagine he'd have just gone wandering off...”

“Okay. Then, while we're dealing with her, you make your way around to the back, find where he's being kept, and get him ready to grab the wand when her guard's down.”

“R-Right... Um... A-Are you sure there isn't any other way?”

“You heard what's going on in there. We'll definitely try, but we might not be able to get that close to Trixie. And with people still in there, we can't confront her too much without also putting them at risk. But Angel's so quick and small, he should be able to swipe her wand before she has time to react.”

“Oh...right...”

“Don't worry,” Sunset said, putting a hand on her friend's shoulder. “He'll be safe. I'll make sure of it.”

Fluttershy nodded, and steeled herself as much as she could.
“Okay... We'll try our best!”

With that, Sunset looked around at her friends one last time. It had been a while since they needed to take action like this, and the last few days certainly did little to boost morale; however, right then, they still shined with the same confidence and camaraderie as always. At that moment, she knew that they'd definitely pull together through this slump...and save the day yet again!

“Everyone ready?”
With a unified cheer in response, the girls all ponied up then. Their leader was the last one to do so, and she followed it up with one final declaration.

“Then let's do this!”

****

For most people, the hardest step of any art tends to be at the very beginning. Be it the first few strokes of a painting, the first few lyrics of a song, or even the first few words of a book; regardless of the medium, many artists simply have the most trouble when it comes to getting started on whatever their passion might be.

The same could also be said of the performing arts, as well. Indeed, for anyone whose calling guides them to the big stage, the hardest part of that art form was often just the opening warm-up. Be it clearing out the pipes, stretching out the limbs, or finding one's particular groove; simply put, there were many things that could make warming-up the most difficult part of a performer's routine.

Trixie was usually no different.
In some ways, getting warmed-up at a show was akin to waking up in the morning for her. She could never just jump right into an act, or hit the ground running thereafter. It always had to be something that she steadily acclimated toward, with every trick incrementally sharpening both her performance and her sparkling showmanship.
Now, this wasn't necessarily a bad thing. It was usually better to end on a stronger note than not, and she always saved her best stunts for last, anyway. But it did mean that her opening acts were usually rather uneven, and this particular performance had been no exception.

But just look at her now!
Standing on this stage, in front of a roaring crowd that surely cheered as the hecklers became active participants in her new act. And what an act it was proving to be!
Levitation, teleportation, transmogrification... A little bit of everything for everyone!

That condescending neckbeard down in the fifth row? She made his whiskers grow out until he became a literal hairball!
The few that threw popcorn at her? She threw something right back: darts, which flew around and proceeded to pin each of them to the walls and ceiling.
And for rest that couldn't keep their mouths shut!? She decided to fall back on some good old-fashioned juggling—up close and very personal!

Granted, you simply can't please everyone. A few handfuls of the audience did depart from the theater in a rush. But the important thing was entertaining the ones that stayed behind—the loyal ones, who surely would stick around even if she hadn't magically locked the doors.

And again, this was all really just the warm-up.
After she finished bowing and basking in standing ovations around here, she'd literally get this show on the road! It would be the beginning of The Eternally Great and Infinitely Powerful Trixie's Worldwide Sorcery Tour!
The title was a work in progress, but the tour itself would be grand! And, soon enough, everyone would bear witness to—

Before Trixie could further entertain either herself or her ideas, a loud knock reverberated throughout the theater. A second one followed shortly thereafter, and only then did she realize where it was emanating from. Something, or someone, was slamming against the entryway doors; furthermore, they were actually coming close to breaking through, even with her magic serving to reinforce them!
There were a myriad of ways to deal with this problem, but time simply wasn't on the performer's side. In fact, before she could do anything more than think about responding, one final blow caused the doors to break apart entirely. And just like that, the theater was yet again opened to the masses.

In any other situation, Trixie would've welcomed the adamant insistence on seeing her show. Such dedicated fans were usually something to be cherished, after all. However, when it came to the three women currently running down the aisle, she could already predict that they would be a new group of troublemakers.

A farmer, a party animal...and their ringleader. Points for originality, but it would take far more than that to make it on the big stage...especially with a master sorceress already headlining.

“Ah, Sunset Shimmer,” Trixie announced, her tone just a little more condescending than usual. “You and your friends come to see my new act? Well, don't think that just because we go back a little, I'll cut you a deal on ticket sales and refreshm—”

“Trixie?” Sunset interrupted. “What's happened here? What are you doing?”

“Isn't it obvious? The Great and Powerful Trixie is conjuring up wonders and amusements, the likes of which NOBODY has ever seen! Just look at the audience! They're so awestruck, they're speechless!”

“Are you sure they're not just terrif—”
Sunset shushed Pinkie Pie before she could finish that question—innocent and accurate though it might've been—and cut in with something a bit less immediately confronting.

“So...this is all just part of your act? Don't you think it's a bit intense?”

“Ha! Typical jealousy! Just because my magic's far greater than yours, you can't help but criticize it.”

Realistically speaking, no matter what was said then, provoking and upsetting Trixie was most likely inevitable; however, there was always a slim chance that perhaps she could be reasoned with before things got too heated. Sunset wished to take that approach before any other, and she was hoping that the young magician wasn't too far gone yet for it to work. Sadly, what happened next pretty much ended any chance of that coming true.

“Least our magic ain't bein' used to torture folks!” Applejack interjected.
Peaceful discussion only worked when both parties were calm enough to engage in it, and the farmer was anything but, as of late. It certainly didn't help, either, that their opponent was not only skilled at dishing out aggravating barbs, but was also quite susceptible to them herself.

“Torture!? As if simpletons like you could do any better at captivating an audience!”

“Heh, betchya without that fancy wand, y'all wouldn't even have an audience to bore!”

Trixie gasped, and held her treasured accessory even closer than before. Things were pretty much going exactly not as desired now.

“Wait,” Sunset urged, “she didn't mean that! Your usual routine is great! Isn't that right, Pinkie!?”

“Mmmm, I don't know,” their friend mulled, once again proving incapable of reading the room. “Even I can only watch card tricks so much...”

“That does it! The Great and Powerful Trixie won't tolerate any more of these interruptions! To the three imbeciles currently proving so disruptive...DOWN IN FRONT!”

And thus, the warm-up was over!

With a wave of her wand, Trixie cast a bolt of magic at her new critics, each of whom jumped out of the way before it hit the ground and exploded. Sunset and Pinkie Pie both remained near the center of the aisle, but Applejack landed beside one of the nearby seating sections. Then, mindful of her role as a distraction, she decided to throw more than just some rotten tomatoes at this awful act.

With her super-strength in play, it was easy enough to rip the seats out from the floorboards, and even more so to lob them in Trixie's direction. Were the young magician a bit more attentive, she might've noticed just how off the farmer's aim deliberately was then. Instead, however, she instinctually cast her magic at the oncoming projectiles, transforming them into flowers, cards, and all manner of softer objects before they even hit the stage.

The two engaged in this back and forth for a few rounds, but Sunset was intent on changing things up before Applejack ran out of ammo.

“Pinkie!” she said, holding out her hand. “Grenade!”

“Huh? OHHH!”

Catching onto her friend's train of thought, Pinkie Pie pulled out a can of sprinkles and gave it a vigorous shaking. With the aid of her magic, the container of confections quickly became a ticking time-bomb, and she tossed it over to her leader when it had about five seconds left till detonation.

Sunset positioned herself, and took aim at one of the intact seats near Applejack. Three seconds.

“AJ!” she yelled, throwing the can right into the crook of the folded cushion.

“Ha! Much obliged!”

The farm girl grabbed that particular chair and sent it flying towards Trixie—one second—who yet again transformed it in midair, this time into a bunch of feathers. The makeshift bomb, however, continued flying forward, and went off only a few feet away from where the performer stood.
From seemingly out of nowhere, a loud and colorful explosion manifested right in front of Trixie. It didn't really hit her, but it was bright enough to temporarily blind her, and the resultant smoke clouds only further added to that effect.

“There's our chance!” Twilight said, observing from the edge of the entryway. “Let's go!”

“Right!”

The two girls seized on their opportunity, bolted into the theater, and split up almost immediately afterward. Fluttershy started crawling around the perimeter, steadily making her way toward one of the side-doors that hopefully lead backstage. Meanwhile, Twilight started weaving between the rows, searching for anyone who might've been taking cover from all of the chaos going on up front. So far, so good...

In the midst of Trixie being surrounded and confused by all of the smoke, Sunset saw a chance to end this right now. She climbed onto the stage and, upon finally seeing where her opponent stood, reached forward to grab for the wand. Though her attempt proved successful, actually prying it from Trixie's hand proved more difficult.

“HEY!” the magician shouted, grabbing at her assailant's shoulder to resist.
The two struggled briefly for hold of the wand, but things came undone when Sunset grabbed Trixie's wrist. Without warning, her powers activated then, and she was treated to...something bizarre.
There were clearly flashes of the performer's own memories then, but they were interspersed with something else... Something almost like...otherworldly sensations...

—a unicorn of pure alabas—
—banished to a realm between—
—feel the entire city beneath—
—what outstanding powers they—

Suddenly, she felt overwhelmed. Something started screaming within her head, blaring at her mind as if to violently force her from out of Trixie's. It quickly became too much to bear, and in the pain of it all, she was forced to let go of both the magician and the wand.

As the smoke finally cleared, Trixie saw Sunset clutching at her head, almost as if she was having a bad case of brain freeze then. Perhaps the little thief just couldn't handle the pressures of being on stage!

“Sunset!” she taunted, before giving her wand another flick. “You don't look so well...”

Suddenly, Sunset was lifted into the air against her will.

“Maybe you should TAKE A SEAT!”

With that, Trixie pointed back toward the aisle, and her very temporary assistant was launched into the air and off the stage.
Pinkie Pie managed to catch Sunset as she fell, cushioning the impact as they both rolled down the aisle. It didn't take long for either of them to recover, but the young magician also didn't wait long to strike again. With two troublemakers in her sights, she cast forth another magic bolt, one that would surely knock them both out for a while! Before it could land, however, yet another airborne chair intercepted the blast.

“Ain't you got more important things to be worryin' about!?” Applejack taunted, already winding up for another pitch. As the farm girl resumed her barrage, Pinkie and Sunset managed to rise onto their feet.

“...You okay, Sunset?”

“Yeah,” she moaned, still rubbing her head. “Sorry... I'm not sure what happened there.”

“Hey!” their friend urged between throws. “I could use a lil' help with what's happenin' here!”

“Oh!” Pinkie responded. “Coming!”

She rushed in to join the assault, and started tossing a variety of exploding containers and sweets to keep the magician busy. Between the two girls tag-teaming Trixie then, she couldn't do much more than just play defense for the time being.
Meanwhile, Sunset could only watch as her friends pushed forward. She was still taken aback by everything that just happened, but there would be plenty of time to reflect on all of that later. In the meantime, she kept a steady eye on both the performer...and the curtains behind her.

When she saw Sunset and Pinkie about to be attacked, Twilight nearly broke from her designated role to go help out her friends. Thankfully, Applejack's quick actions proved sufficient in keeping them safe, and convinced her to keep focusing on evacuating everyone else for the time being.

Most of the remaining theatergoers had taken cover down on the ground. Since Twilight couldn't fly or run around without risking being spotted, finding some of them proved more time-consuming than anticipated.
At least getting people out of the theater was an easier task, since almost all of them had wound up in the rows closest to the exit. And in the ensuing volleys of magic, explosives, and flung furnishings going on elsewhere, she found plenty of opportunities to covertly direct people toward said exit. Eventually, almost every civilian had been evacuated—with the exception of those being juggled in mid-air, those still pinned to the ceiling, and the gentleman in the fifth row who was too tangled in his own hair to really move about.

Unfortunately, there was no way for Twilight to continue stealthily from here on out. Extricating the remainder of this audience would require the use of her magic, and she'd have to get closer to pry some of them free. She could only hope that Trixie wouldn't yet notice her most visible patrons pulling a disappearing act without her...

Successful as they had been so far, the distraction duo were beginning to run out of steam a bit.

Pinkie Pie had almost completely depleted her supply of explosive treats, and though Applejack still had plenty of scenery left to throw, it was proving far less effective as a tactic. Trixie herself was growing tired of these one-note stunts, and began retaliating as more openings presented themselves.
But why rely on the same old tricks herself to silence these interlopers? The unstoppable sorceress had an entire assortment of spells at her disposal, and it was time to change up the act a little bit.

As Applejack backed up to the next row of chairs, her grab for one was interrupted by an object whizzing right past her outstretched hand.

“What the hey!?”
The way it spun in midair then, she initially thought that Trixie had thrown some kind of throwing star at her. But on closer inspection, it was actually a playing card that was now slightly embedded into the seat's armrest. It wasn't the only one on its way, either, as Trixie pulled out a deck of cards and tapped her wand to them.

“Tired of card tricks, huh? How about a game, instead!? Ever heard of 52 card pickup!?”
With that, she squeezed the deck and allowed the cards to spray from her hand; however, rather than just limply fall to the floor, they picked up speed and started to fly around in the air. Moments later, the paper projectiles angled around and dive-bombed the girls, forcing each of them to hastily take cover beneath what rows remained.

“Eeek!” Pinkie squealed as she hid. “I hate getting paper-cuts!”

As Trixie enchanted deck after deck, more cards rained down on the girls, effectively keeping them pinned down to where they were. Now, these mischief-makers were just three more members to add to her adoring audience.

“Ha ha ha! It's too bad you girls had to go and waste your talents like this! You probably could've made a decent opening act for The Great and Powerful Trixie's many shows to come! Oh, well! Guess you'll just have to settle for being spectators like the rest of—HUH!?”

Trixie stopped in mid-boast, suddenly more interested in what was actually going on over in the back rows.
“WHERE IS EVERYONE!?”

They were gone! Her entire audience was gone!
The hairball? Nothing left where he was, save for some unkempt locks tangled within the cushions!
The juggling act? Nothing there but some magic gloves just waving up and down now!
And where was everyone else!? If the others had managed to walk out on her, whose to say they didn't!?

While dealing with these little upstart whelps, her audience had simply vanished! No... They were chased off! Now she had nobody to watch her performance, and it was all because of—

But wait! What about the ones hanging from the ceiling!?
Trixie looked up then, expecting to find even those popcorn pelting peons to have somehow gotten away. What she saw instead, however, was even more infuriating.

There was Twilight Sparkle, high up in the air and pulling at the darts that kept everyone pinned by their clothing. Needless to say, the sorceress on stage was less than amused.

“Stealing my act is one thing... BUT STEALING MY AUDIENCE!?”

For a moment, Trixie was so angry that she couldn't decide what course of action to take! Soon, however, her eyes rested on the gloves that had been reduced to mere miming now. If they weren't going to juggle, then perhaps they could at least catch a very annoying little gnat!

Twilight was so close!
She had rescued almost everyone in the theater, and just had to unpin these last few civilians before joining in the fray down below. Sadly, her powers alone couldn't get these enchanted darts to budge much at all. For the sake of brevity, she was forced instead to try and pull at them with both her magic and her own strength, which so far had proven a bit more effective. Now, it would just be a matter of time before the rescue was complete. Unfortunately for Twilight, her time was up right then.

From out of nowhere, the giant gloves that she had freed people from earlier surrounded her. They clapped in and grasped tightly at her torso, squeezing some of the air right out of her lungs in the process.

“Hey!” she shouted, struggling to break free all the while. “Let me go!”
Rather than oblige to that request, however, they instead brought her down to where their master could get a better look.

“Well, well,” Trixie teased. “So nice of you to volunteer to be a part of my act, Twilight. But we've already done juggling, and using just one ball isn't very interesting, anyway... Ooh! I know...”

The gloves tightened their grip just a bit, as the sorceress playfully drew out the suspense.
“Maybe... We should try that sawing-in-half trick again, but with YOU this time, instead of your dog!”

In the few moments she spared to deal with Twilight, Trixie had completely forgotten about the three women currently hiding from her precipitation of playing cards. And once that barrage had subsided, they were all back out, on their feet, and ready for another round within seconds. Seeing their friend currently being held captive, however, quelled the girls' fervor quite a bit.

Throughout all of this, Sunset kept eyeing the stage curtains, hoping to find some sign that their final ploy was ready to go. Thankfully, just as things started looking a bit dicey, she finally spotted some rustling near the curtains' edges, with Fluttershy and Angel popping their heads out shortly afterward. The two girls made eye contact, and Sunset gave the signal to hold for just a bit longer.
If anything, Trixie was far too active with her wand right now to make a clean grab for it. She needed to be calmed down a bit first...and maybe even be made to realize just what she was doing.

“Why you,” Applejack growled, already prepping to charge in for another assault.

“AJ!” Sunset called, catching the farm girl's attention and motioning for her to refrain from anything drastic at the moment. Applejack found it hard to comply, what with Twilight currently being treated like a squeeze-toy and all, but she trusted in their leader's judgment, and did as instructed.

As Trixie prepared to summon the necessary tools for her next act, Sunset quickly ran up and called out to the young magician.

“Trixie, stop! Why are you doing this!?

Maybe it was the sheer audacity of how this fool questioned her, or perhaps it was the fact that the answer should've been so painfully obvious. One way or another, however, Trixie was annoyed enough by Sunset's query to put everything else on hold and address her directly.

“Why? WHY!? After how they all mocked me...how they made me feel! I'm not the one doing anything wrong here!”

“No, this isn't you! The real Trixie wouldn't get so hung up over some stupid comments from meaningless strangers! Because she knows that she's better than them!”

“Ha! I wish this was just over some strangers! BUT IT ISN'T! You try standing up here, Sunset! Try having an audience, and friends...and family...AND EVERYONE ELSE...DISCOURAGE YOU FROM FOLLOWING YOUR DREAMS!”

In their master's anger, one of the gloves was compelled to release their captive then, and slam down at the floor with all of its might. At least Twilight had a bit more room to breathe now, but she still couldn't break free just yet.

“But now, nobody will so much as think about doubting my powers! Now, I can finally be what I was always destined to be, and soon the whole world will be looking up in admiration at the new—the improved—THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!”

“DOES THAT LOOK LIKE ADMIRATION TO YOU!?”
Sunset threw her hand upward, directing Trixie's attention to the people still hanging from the ceiling.

She had almost forgotten about those ingrates... But perhaps that was for the best! Worthless wastes who got exactly what they deserved, and they should get even more! She might just leave them up there for a while, so they can keep looking and feeling just as...as overwhelmed...and scared...and powerless...as she does?

“They don't respect or admire you! They don't see you as great and powerful! They see you as a monster, and they're terrified! Is that really what you want!? Is that how you want everyone to feel about you!?”

“...I...I...NO!”

The young magician griped at her head, clearly struggling with whatever was compelling her thoughts then. And she really needed to stop struggling, especially when they were all just trying to belittle her achievements!

“NO! YOU'RE WRONG! THEY ALL LOVE ME! THEY LOVE MY MAGIC!”

“Except it isn't yours! None of this is your doing, and it doesn't have to be! You've never needed to rely on some dark magic before, and you don't need to now! You can become whatever you want, with your own talents! You are The Great and Powerful Trixie, after all...right!?”

“That's...I—NNGHHH!”

Every word that came out of this woman's mouth grated against the sorceress...but Sunset was technically correct, right? Trixie had worked so hard to get to where she was now...and what did she have to show for it!? More friends, more fans, more loyal followers...

In the ensuing argument that raged on within her mind, the performer finally allowed her guard to drop for a moment. She stumbled back and forth, clenching at her pounding head with one hand, and barely keeping hold of her wand with the other. Sunset saw their chance right then, and, without hesitation, gave the word.

“NOW!”

Seconds later, and before Trixie could either rebound or revert back, she felt something snatch the wand from out of her grasp.

“HEY,” she cried out, “THAT'S MINE!”
By the time that she realized who the culprit was, Fluttershy's rabbit had already rushed off of the stage, with the wand held tightly in its mouth. And before she could do anything in response, he delivered her precious keepsake right into Sunset's hands.

“NO! WAIT! DON'T!”

“Sorry, Trixie, but the show's over!”
With that, everyone braced themselves. Sunset raised the wand upward, and with one clean snap, proceeded to break it over her knee in an instant.

It was just as she said. The show was finally over...right?

Next Time: Ms. Direction