A Tale of Sparkles and Black Magic

Spike woke up feeling like he hadn’t gotten a good night’s sleep. He sat up, pondered his capability to get out of bed for all of five seconds before falling back down. He must have dozed off again as the next thing she knew, the sun was shining a little brighter through the window. He groaned, burying his face in the pillow. An ache in his groin told him he needed to visit the bathroom if he didn’t want to change his sheets so, with a resigned sigh, he rolled out of bed. He remained in a groggy state the entire trip down the hallway to the bathroom. The faint sound of running water reached his ears, but he didn’t fully register it. He reached up, pushed in the doorlock and—

“AH! BLACK BURNING!”

“Whoa!”

Spike sidestepped a ball of pink magic that shot through the open doorway. It hit the opposite wall and exploded, showering the hallway with crystal shards.

“Whoa whoa, what’s going on!?”

“Pervert! Close the door right now!”

Spike cast his eyes into the bathroom—

“I SAID CLOSE THE DOOR!”

Spike slammed the door closed. A minute passed before Twilight came galloping down the hall, panic in her eyes.

“What happened!? I heard an explosion! Is anyone hurt—?” Her eyes settled on the hole in the wall. “How did that happen?”

Before Spike could answer the bathroom door slid open. Black Magician Girl stepped out, wearing two separate towels wrapped around her chest and her hips. Her entire body was dripping wet and her cheeks were a deep shade of red mixed along with their natural pink. The look she was giving Spike sent shivers down his spine; for a moment, he was afraid she might blast him with laser vision or something equally horrifying.

Twilight looked back and forth between them for a moment before she seemed to connect the dots. She glared sharply at Spike.

“What did I say about knocking?” she asked.

Spike gulped. “Always do it before I enter the bathroom.”

“Right, what do you say now?”

Spike turned to Black Magician Girl. “I’m sorry.”

Black Magician Girl sighed. “I suppose it can’t be helped.” She closed the door. Running water could be heard a couple of seconds later.

Twilight turned to the hole in the wall and sighed. “Well, this won’t be cheap to fix. Was that Black Magician Girl’s doing?”

“Yeah, it was her magic,” Spike answered. “Almost blew my head off.”

Twilight inspected the damage more closely. “That’s some strong magic if she’s able to cut a hole clean through solid crystal.”

“Yeah, no kidding.”

Black Magician Girl exited the bathroom a few minutes later, looking clean as a whistle and with a spring in her step, totally over the previous unfortunate encounter.

“Your showers are so much better than what we have!” she complimented. Her eyes tracked to the hole in the wall and she blushed. “Oh yeah, sorry about that.”

“It’s okay,” Twilight assured her. “Actually, how about you give us a demonstration of your magic before we eat breakfast? Somewhere a lot safer, of course.”

“Sure thing!” A confident smile split Black Magician Girl’s mouth and she twirled her staff. “I’ll show you the full power of a Black Magic disciple!”

Breakfast passed without incident. Twilight and Spike conversed with Black Magician Girl over cereal and toast— not that duel spirits needed to eat. They exchanged stories of their various adventures and shared details about their respective world’s cultures. Of particular interest to Black Magician Girl were the Elements of Harmony and the tree they’d grown from.

“That’s the kind of thing that would fit in Duel Monsters,” she said, fiddling with her glass of orange juice. “Like, you hold all six ‘Element’ cards, and then you can activate an even more powerful ‘Rainbow of Harmony’ card.”

“I remember liking the game when I played it against your master,” Twilight said, then grimaced. “I wish it could’ve been under better circumstances, though.”

“I’d totally play you if I had my own deck with me! I could let you borrow my deck and make another for myself using leftover cards.”

“Count me in too!” Spike said. “This game sounds like a lotta fun!”

Breakfast finished and the three made their way outside to see Black Magician Girl’s magic in effect. They retreated a great distance behind the castle to an open plain, far away from the nearest road, stopping once they reached the center.

Black Magician Girl turned to Twilight and raised her staff to her shoulder. “So, how should I do this?”

“Try not to blow up the ground,” she replied.

“Okay then.” Black Magician Girl placed her staff beneath her, sitting down on it like a witch’s broom. That proved to be a very apt comparison, as she then took to the air riding it, stopping about ten pony-lengths above the ground.

“Whoa,” Spike said, slack-jawed.

“Black Burning!” she shouted.

A crackling ball of pink magic formed at the tip of her staff, growing and distorting the air in front of her. With a smile, she pushed her staff down and launched the magic at the ground away from Twilight and Spike. It sailed through the air at blinding speed, hitting the ground with a loud boom and kicking up a gigantic spray of dirt and grass that stopped just short of Twilight’s and Spike’s position. The magic left a small, smoking hole in the ground.

Black Magician Girl flew back down, looking unsure. “Does that count as destroying the ground?”

Twilight stared deadpan. “You couldn’t just fire it at the sky?”

Black Magician Girl looked upward. “I wouldn’t want to hit any birds passing overhead.”

Twilight facehooved, then turned to Spike. “Is there anything we can afford to lose?”

“The garbage,” Spike suggested.

“That’ll do.”

Spike and Twilight left for the castle, returning a few minutes later carrying several black bags of what Black Magician Girl assumed was filled with their garbage— certainly different from how garbage disposal worked back home. They set the bags in a pile in the middle of the field and returned to her side.

“There you go,” Twilight said. “Have at it.”

“Alright, prepare for a show!”

She flew into the air again. There were only two more offensive spells she knew, both particularly powerful. She pointed her staff directly at the piles of garbage. The air at the tip of her staff crackled with electricity, forming a point of concentrated lightning.

“Thunder Bolt!”

The lightning discharged to the ground, exploding the garbage bags in a cacophonous boom that echoed across the plains. Burning trash scattered everywhere. Twilight opened her mouth, likely to protest, but Black Magician Girl beat her to the punch.

“And now for my final trick!”

Pink magic coalesced at the tip of her staff, growing and forming dual rings. She took a position high above the plain, dead center in the field of trash.

“Diffusing Wave!”

Dual rings shot forth from her staff in rapid succession, each striking an individual piece of trash per her aim. Each piece vaporized upon contact, leaving no trace of anything behind. It was a slow, methodical process as Black Magician Girl gradually cleared the surrounding area of all trash. It was also incredibly noisy, undoubtedly catching the attention of any and everyone in Ponyville and any potential travelers.

The last piece of trash was destroyed and Black Magician Girl nodded, satisfied with her work. She descended to the ground and couldn’t help but giggle at the looks of shocked awe on Twilight’s and Spike’s faces.

“I take it you liked the show!”

Spike came out of his stupor first. “That. Was. Awesome!”

Twilight followed suit. She cleared her throat and said, “Yes, well, that was certainly impressive. I’m assuming that’s high-level magic in the Duel Monster Spirit World?”

“Kinda. It’s high-level offensive magic, but it’s not the best overall. But I really wanna learn this one spell called Resurrection of the Dead.”

Twilight’s jaw dropped open. “Wait, you mean… your world has necromancy!?”

“Yeah…” Black Magician Girl tilted her head. “You don’t?”

“I wish we did,” Spike said, earning himself a light slap from Twilight. “Ow! What was that for!?”

“Remember last week...?”

“... Oh yeah, sorry.”

“Trixie must ask: What is with all the ruckus!?”

They turned to see two newcomers coming from over the hill in the direction of Twilight’s castle. Two mares, both unicorns: One was pink with two-toned purple and light green hair while the other was blue with silvery hair and wearing, interestingly, attire similar in shape to Black Magician Girl’s own. A fellow magician, perhaps? They crossed the plain towards them, all the while looking at Black Magician Girl with an almost studious curiosity, the blue mare, especially.

“Starlight! Trixie!” Twilight said, rushing over to hug them. “How was your trip?”

“It went well,” the pink mare said. “Thorax is fully established now and all the changelings are happy to have him in charge. But he’s very thankful to have us there whenever things get mane-pullingly unbearable.”

“Yes, the Great and Powerful and Reliable Trixie is all too happy to help a friend in need!” the blue mare said with grandeur. “Let this be known to all throughout Equestria!”

The pink mare, Starlight, looked at Black Magician Girl. “I see we have another otherworldly visitor. Hi, who are you?”

“Black Magician Girl!” she replied, tipping her hat in a showy fashion while donning a playful smile. “Nice to meet you!”

“So you are a magician yourself?” Trixie inquired. She looked up and down Black Magician Girl’s figure before settling on her hat. “Trixie would’ve expected otherworldly magicians to dress differently.”

“I don’t see you wearing a cute skirt!” Black Magician Girl stuck out her tongue.

“... No comment.”

Everyone shared a round of laughter before Twilight proceeded to get everyone up to speed on everything: Who everyone was, what they were doing here, and a few tidbits about their personal histories with each other. As soon as she explained a little bit about Black Magician Girl’s background, the fires of good-natured rivalry appeared in Trixie’s eyes. That is until Twilight explained that she was helping to destroy their garbage with her magic and all that rivalry instantly turned into surprise. It only made Black Magician Girl more interested to see what kinds of magic she specialized in.

“Well, if Twilight’s happy to have you here, then so am I,” Starlight said.

“Yes, as is Trixie,” Trixie said, still looking oddly at Black Magician Girl.

“I hope you won’t mind having to share the castle with an additional person,” Twilight said to Starlight.

“The castle is too big for that to ever be a problem,” Starlight said, dismissively waving a hoof. “But to change the topic: We were hoping you could book us a gig at the festival up in Canterlot. Trixie and I have been evolving and expanding her act and we’d like a good chance to show it off to the whole country.”

“The most I can do is send a letter to Princess Celestia,” Twilight said. “I’ll make sure to do it when we get back to the castle.”

“Thank you, Twilight,” Trixie said. “Before she leaves, Trixie would like to know something.” She turned to Black Magician Girl. “Is your magic only good for blowing things up?”

“Nope! I know lots of neat tricks! Did you want to see some?”

“Yes, please. Trixie wishes to know how you might stack up against her.”

“Sure thing!” Black Magician Girl retreated away. ‘Retreating’, as in, skipping with her arms to her sides while humming a merry tune. That playful demeanor ended abruptly when she dug her heel into the dirt and spun around, face hidden behind her hat showing only a confident smile. She twirled her staff and pointed it at the ground. Floating above the ground, four large top hats with question marks on them appeared. She gestured toward the ponies.

“Pick a hat and shoot it,” she said.

The ponies and dragon blinked, clearly confused.

“Trust me,” she said. “This is a trick my master loves to do with his opponents.”

A few moments of silence passed before Starlight stepped forward. A concentrated beam of magic coalesced at the tip of her horn and she fired it at the leftmost hat. The hat turned transparent upon being hit, revealing the contents inside: A cylinder with diamond patterns and more question marks. The magic beam entered the cylinder and disappeared.

“Trap activated!” Black Magician Girl cried passionately. “Magic Cylinder!”

The second rightmost hat disappeared, revealing a second cylinder containing Starlight’s magic beam in the form of a concentrated ball. The magic burst forth from the cylinder, sailing through the air towards everyone. They screamed. But halfway through the magic’s trajectory, the first cylinder shot forth under Black Magician Girl’s magic, coming to stand in its way. The magic entered the first cylinder again and was promptly redirected through the second again. Into the first and out through the second. Over and over. The ponies and Spike watched, transfixed, as the magic became caught in a never-ending loop. The cylinders gradually drew closer together until the magic became a solid stream connecting them.

Black Magician Girl brought the cylinders over to her and closed them together. The way they vibrated slightly showed the magic was still active. It took some time, but the vibrating stopped when the magic finally lost the last of its energy and she pulled the cylinders apart. Her magic tools disappeared in puffs of smoke and she faced everyone. She took pride in the awe etched across their faces, Trixie’s especially.

“What do you think?” she asked.

Trixie cleared her throat. “Trixie is certainly impressed, this she cannot deny.”

Everyone else concurred with smiles.

Black Magician Girl skipped over to them and leaned forward, meeting Trixie’s gaze with her own, excited eyes. “Can I see your magic now?”

“Trixie has a better idea.” She adopted a playful grin and thrust her hoof up at Black Magician Girl. “The two of us. Magical duel. This afternoon.”

Black Magician Girl blinked. “Magic… duel?”

“Not Duel Monsters,” Twilight said, stepping in. “Magic duels here are just a test of each other’s magical prowess against each other.”

“Oh, well… you’d lose in the first second, Trixie.”

“Trixie begs your pardon!?”

“I didn’t show off my best magic just now. If we battled each other, I could win with just one move.”

Trixie let out a shocked, indignant gasp. “If you think the Great and Powerful Trixie will go down so easily, you’ve got another thing coming!” She pressed her hoof firmly into Black Magician Girl’s chest and her snout against her face. “Meet Trixie in Town Square at five o’clock. And prepare yourself!”

Somehow, she produced a pink ball from thin air in her mouth and threw it to the ground. A plume of pink smoke burst forth, sending everyone into a coughing fit. Once the smoke cleared, they caught sight of Trixie cresting the hill leading towards the castle.

“What was that for?” Black Magician Girl asked.

“She’s extremely showy,” Starlight explained. “Competitive, too. She’s determined to be the best stage magician in all of Equestria, but she definitely respects your talent.”

“Were you serious about being able to win in one move?” Twilight asked.

Black Magician Girl nodded. “Yep! But we’ll just see how things turn out, won’t we?” She placed her arms behind her head in a casual manner. “So, what do we do now?”

“Let’s go see how Rarity’s doing with your dresses,” Twilight suggested.

“Hmm?” Starlight said.

“Black Magician Girl’s gonna be in Hoity Toity’s Festival Fashion Extravaganza.”

“Oh, that sounds interesting. First time a human’s gonna walk the catwalk. Or, duel spirit, I guess?”

“Wait, do I need to learn how to walk like you ponies?” Black Magician Girl asked, ignoring Starlight. “Last I checked, human fashion models have a particular way of walking. Strutting, is it called?”

“Don’t worry about any of that,” Twilight said. “If Hoity Toity wanted a humanoid as part of the show, he should expect you to present yourself like one. But if you need pointers, Rarity will be more than glad to help.”

“Glad to hear it.”

“Good luck,” Starlight said.

“Thank you.”

The group returned to the castle. Twilight and Spike put together a letter for Celestia and sent it off. Starlight stayed behind while everyone else left for Rarity’s boutique. The small little town was as lively and bustling and utterly adorable as ever. Now the ponies were visibly far more welcoming and less nervous to see Black Magician Girl walking down the street. She waved to a few of them as she passed and they waved in turn, smiling broadly. At one point she passed by a trio of mares with flowers for Cutie Marks outside a flower shop that she presumed to be theirs. The trio noticed her approaching and quickly huddled together, but Black Magician Girl still caught a bit of their conversation as they passed.

“You think she’s really so powerful?”

“I dunno. We don’t know if those clothes represent power levels.”

“We’ll find out tonight.”

“I gotta be honest, I’m worried for Trixie more than her…”

Overhearing more conversations along their trip revealed that, somehow, word of the upcoming magic duel had spread very far in less than fifteen minutes. Black Magician Girl waited until Rarity’s boutique came into view before she posed the resulting question.

“Do ponies love gossip in this town?”

“Oh, you don’t know the half of it,” Twilight said. “Especially Rarity. She’s all about gossip.”

“Trust me, there’s gonna be a huuuge crowd for that magic duel,” Spike added.

More eyes on her? Certainly not bad for Black Magician Girl, but it made her hope that Trixie could handle being utterly defeated in front of so many people.

They made it to Rarity’s boutique in good time, knocking and being led inside by the fashionista. Twilight and Spike took spots on the drama couch while Black Magician Girl stood in the center of the lobby, waiting for Rarity to bring out her dresses. When the unicorn returned, it was with an accompaniment of energetic, yet sophisticated music out of sight in another room, like this was, itself, a fashion show.

“Preeeesenting,” Rarity began, her horn aglow, “the first-ever garments tailored for an otherworldly being in Equestria.”

Two dresses floated into the room and held in the air before Black Magician Girl. She inspected them from top to bottom, finding herself pleased with their appearance. Both were crafted based on the general aesthetic of her normal clothes but used additional fabric to create a few extra embellishments. One was colored two shades of green and rather plain in comparison to the other which featured a star motif set against a black, night sky backdrop. Dark and mysterious versus nature, an odd contrast, but she supposed Rarity would have to be particular about her choosing if she was working under a strict time limit.

“How do you like them, dear?” Rarity asked.

“They’re ultra cute!” Black Magician Girl replied. “Thanks for making them for me. I wish I had money to pay you.”

“Think nothing of it, darling. Seeing your smiling face while wearing it is enough payment for a friend of a best friend. Go on, try them on! The changing room is right there.” She pointed to a small room on the other side of the room, about the size of a closet.

Black Magician Girl grabbed the dresses and made her way to the changing room. Slipping out of her normal clothes, she held the green dress up to the mirror and examined it. It went down as far as her normal skirt and the sleeves were about as long, but…

“Is everything okay, darling!?” Rarity called.

“The chest area is a little… small.”

“Let’s see it for ourselves!”

Black Magician Girl slipped into the outfit, finding that, indeed, the chest area was quite restrictive. Her breasts threatened to spill over the top— not a big deal in front of ponies, but an inevitable problem if she was going to take them back home. She stepped out of the changing room, showing off the outfit with a playful twirl.

“Oh, it looks splendid on you, darling!” Rarity said, stomping her hooves. Then her eyes fell upon Black Magician Girl’s chest. “Ah, I see your point. Not to worry, I’ll make the necessary adjustments before the festival. Try the other one on!”

Black Magician Girl swapped the green dress for the starry one. Looking at herself in the mirror, she preferred this one over the other. The darker tone reminded her of her mentor and the night sky motif was beautiful. No doubt, some duelists back in the human world would find the new outfit even more appealing, like she’d tapped into her ‘dark side’ or some such nonsense. Human boys had some weird kinks.

“Oh my, you look absolutely stunning, darling!” Rarity said with sparkling eyes.

“I concur,” Twilight put in, nodding. “You look amazing.”

“So beautiful…” Spike mouthed, slack-jawed.

Black Magician Girl giggled and winked at him, to which she swore she could see hearts in his eyes. Rarity and Twilight were none the wiser to the exchange.

Black Magician Girl changed back into her normal clothes and handed the new dresses back to Rarity, who levitated them into the back room.

“I hear you’ve got a magic duel this afternoon, darling,” she said. “Best of luck.”

Word travels ridiculously fast around here, Black Magician Girl thought. “I won’t need luck, but thanks anyway.”

“Why don’t you have some tea before you leave?” Rarity suggested.

“I don’t need to eat or drink.”

“Still, you’re here on vacation. Sampling local cuisine is a staple of any good vacation.”

Black Magician Girl turned to Twilight and Spike, the matter of whom was looking normal now. They both made an ‘it’s okay’ gesture.

“Alright, I guess it’ll help kill some time.”

They all retreated into the kitchen whereupon Rarity prepared the tea. Camomile, she called it. They drank and chatted casually for about an hour before leaving. The tea was good, as was having such great company. This vacation was going great so far, all the more reason for Black Magician Girl to be glad she defied her mentor’s orders.

Footsteps approached. Did his ears deceive him? Was someone actually approaching? Someone intelligent? Someone he could use as an escape from his accursed isolation at the bottom of this canyon. He pressed his ear close to the ground, listening closely. The footsteps — no, the pattern wasn’t that of a bipedal being — were strolling along the canyon wall. Considering the residents of this world, the new arrival was probably one of those ponies from Ponyville— that name would never not be ridiculous. He waited, patiently, until the new arrival came into view between the rocks surrounding him.

It wasn’t one of the ponies. No, it was a zebra. Black stripes and everything, just like the kind he’d seen in zoology textbooks at the university back home. Only for the briefest of moments did he ponder the specific branches of the evolutionary garden of this world— what mattered was setting himself free. Tendrils erupted from the bottom of his neck, grabbing a small stone nearby and banging it against the wall of his prison. The sound attracted the attention of the zebra for only a moment before they looked back to the canyon wall, tapping it in a peculiar manner, as though they were searching for something. He banged the rock again, this time attracting their attention more fully.

“A curious sound my ears have heard,” they said in a feminine voice. “What manner of creature might it be: A squirrel, a skunk, a bird?

Rhyming? Another oddity to puzzle the brain. The zebra approached the cluster of rocks he was hiding under. Her eyes widened once she noticed him and she broke into a gallop. Upon reaching the rocks she ducked her head into the opening, her muzzle mere centimeters from him.

“What happened to this poor creature!?”

He acted quickly before she could get off another rhyme. Pressurized fluid built in his eyes, releasing in one devastating shot in the form of twin beams that pierced through the zebra’s face and skull, killing her instantly. Her body fell over, kicking up a small cloud of dust, her lifeless, fisk-like eyes staring at him in shock.

It took a while for him to build up enough fluid again to decapitate her head and then even longer to graft his head onto her body. Thankfully, the cloak she was wearing proved effective at protecting him from the sunlight, but by the time he’d fully adjusted to the new body, the sun would probably set.

The white princess, the one that could control the sun, was a nuisance he’d need to wipe away before he could rule over this world.