To Be Great and Powerful

Chapters

Chapter 1 - The Usual Spot
Chapter 2 - A Helping Hand
Chapter 3 - The Crest
Chapter 4 - Enemy Inside

Chapter 1 - The Usual Spot

Trixie Lulamoon sighed forlornly to herself as she trudged down the slope towards the foothills of the Kingdom of Canterlot. Her rucksack weighed heavily on her shoulders; she had not taken the time to go back to her home and change after classes.

Trixie was clad in the uniform of Celestia and Luna’s Academy for Young Sorcerers; a black, long sleeved top with golden epaulettes and a red checkered skirt. Feeling the wind caress her slender legs, she passed the main gates to the mountain city and wound her way down the well-trodden track to the foothills. It would take about half an hour to get to her destination, but Trixie was in no rush.

Rather than focusing on the cool autumn afternoon, Trixie’s mind was back at the academy, earlier that day.

Brushing aside a wayward lock of her pale cerulean hair, Trixie mulled over the class that had taken place not two hours ago. It had been a lesson in harnessing magic to put a protective barrier over objects to protect them. Of course, the instructors had asked one of the Rainbooms to demonstrate the standard that they were supposed to work towards.

The Rainbooms. Trixie clenched her teeth. The seven most talented girls in the school, when it came to magic. Their magical power was unparalleled in the entire academy, and Headmistress Celestia made sure everyone knew it. She never hesitated to show them off to any visitors who came to the school, especially to upcoming and potential new students.

Trixie scoffed at that. As if any new student had a chance in Tartarus of being on the same level as the Rainbooms. They were the perfect pupils. Powerful, natural mages, and even talented enough to make up the student council and the school’s official band.

A chill breeze ruffled Trixie’s hair and clothing as she approached one of the many orchards that made up most of Canterlot’s lower tiers. However, instead of seeing the swathes of fruit-bearing trees, her gaze was locked onto the tops of her shoes and the few feet of ground that lay ahead of them.

The day’s lesson had not gone well. Not for lack of effort on her part, though. Trixie’s skills just didn’t lie in very many of the academy-approved activities. Her protection spell had been faulty, prompting the instructor to give her extra homework to practice with it.

Extra homework… Trixie mulled inside her head unhappily. More work on top of practicing her own brand of magic.

Putting such unpleasant thoughts out of her mind for now, the teenage magician-in-training hitched her bag higher on her shoulders and took a deep breath of the cool air. She liked coming down this way after a rough day at school. Trixie turned left down a dirt trail that wove between a passel of apple trees. Once she was a good ways in, Trixie turned to the left, where there was a sizable Rhododendron shrub. She reached out and pulled the greenery aside, revealing a seldom used nature trail.

Trixie ambled down this trail, which wound between many trees and overhanging ivy, until she reached her target destination. The path opened onto a tall, grass covered cliff that overlooked one of Canterlot’s rivers and an orange tree orchard.

Taking off her rucksack, Trixie sat herself down on the grass and reached out with her right hand to a nearby apple tree. Her teeth clenched with the effort and concentration, a weak, pink magical aura formed around one of the ripe, red fruits, tugging it from its leafy perch. The apple floated unsteadily towards Trixie, and she allowed herself a smile.

Then the magic flickered out and the apple fell onto the grass.

Making a small noise of frustration, Trixie got up and retrieved the apple before sitting back down, feeling the upset emotions from school threaten to come rushing back.

Sitting back down, Trixie took a bite of the apple and chewed it slowly. It was sweet and crunchy and helped to calm her nerves. She liked to sit at this spot and eat apples whenever she was upset or stressed.

Trixie had been coming here more and more often as of late.

She was now in her final year at the Academy for Young Sorcerers, and that worried her greatly. In less than a year, she would graduate and have to find a job that suited her magical caliber. Which, she knew was severely lacking in many regards; the apple was proof of that.

Trixie took another bite of the fruit. There was no denying that unless she shaped up spectacularly in this final year, she would find herself in some kind of third rate job as a fourth rate mage. She clenched her hand around the apple.

It wasn’t that she was bad at everything. Trixie had a relatively good grasp on prestidigitation, and using that, she had made a comfortable place for herself among the illusionists in the school. However, she was painfully aware that card tricks and changing the colors of handkerchiefs wasn’t really a viable skill in the workforce of Canterlot, or any of the surrounding settlements either. That, and she lacked raw power. Her tricks were just that: tricks. When she changed a rabbit into a dove, she was merely swapping one animal out for another, not performing a transfiguration spell like she had seen other students do.

Sighing with dejection, Trixie finished her apple and weighed the core in her hand. She frowned, willing the magic inside her to change it into something like a bird, or a precious stone. A soft pink glow surrounded the apple core and it began to sparkle. Then it changed into a swarm of black-shelled beetles.

Trixie shrieked and whipped her hand down instinctively, scattering the insects everywhere. One flew down the front of her uniform’s blouse, prompting another hysterical shout from the young magician.

Squirming at the sensation of the beetle’s tiny legs tickling her skin, Trixie tore off her top and threw it aside, then seized the offending insect and hurled it off the cliff. Breathing heavily, Trixie pulled her blouse back on slowly and fell backwards onto the soft grass.

Another failure, then. Trixie allowed her arms to rest on the grass as she pouted. Was it all pointless? She had practiced day in and day out to get better at magic, and she was still no closer to her goal, let alone becoming great and powerful like the Rainbooms.

“What I would do to be great and powerful…” Trixie mumbled.

She lay like this for an indeterminate amount of time, until the sun began to dip down toward the western horizon. She pushed herself up laboriously and let out a long breath. She had better get back home and start fixing dinner, unless she planned on sneaking more apples.

Trixie had just looped her rucksack around her shoulders and she cast one last longing look off the cliff, wanting to take in the view one last time before the long walk back to her place.

As she did so, a faint flash of light from the orange tree fields below caught her attention.

“Huh?” Trixie did a double take at the spot. It had looked magical in origin, and not of the sort that would be found in an orange farm.

She kept looking, and was rewarded with the sight of another flash, accompanied by tiny shapes and silhouettes of people moving around amongst the trees. Orange thieves? Probably not, but Trixie could tell there was something odd going on down there. Then a flash of orange flame blasted out and Trixie could see that this was worth investigating. She almost wanted to go back to the city to call the guards, but something gave her pause. If she could get down there first, and see what was going on, she might be able to help, or at least, be able to relay a more complete account to the city watch. Perhaps she might even learn something to give her an edge back at school.

Trixie turned and ran back down the trail, not knowing that this was going to change her life forever.

Trixie sprinted down the path, almost twisting her ankle on an exposed root. Recovering, she continued to hurry down the hill towards the orange orchard as fast as her feet could carry her. She passed a farmer on the way down, who scratched his head at the schoolgirl’s rapid pace. Normally people dressed like her would stay up in the city districts of Canterlot. What was she doing running down this way?

Trixie could feel her breath hitching as she skidded to a halt outside the orange orchard. The gate to get inside was locked, but she pointed at it with her finger and the lock glowed pink and then came undone. Prestidigitation did come in handy at times. She pulled the gate open and went inside.

By now the sun was already halfway set, and was casting long shadows around the orchard. It was a spacious area, but Trixie prided herself on having a good sense of direction. She could remember just where the magic flashes she had seen had come from.

As she got closer, she could hear more sounds, shouting and grunting, as well as the signature zaps and whooshes of what Trixie suspected was magic.

Then a bolt of fiery orange energy blasted past Trixie’s face and suspicion turned into confirmation. She recoiled from the attack and fell over, hitting her head on a tree trunk. Trixie shook the stars from her eyes and raised her head to look.

There were four figures standing a short distance away, three of them wearing robes with some kind of crest on them forming a rough triangle around the fourth, who looked to be a young man about Trixie’s age who was wearing a dark cloak. As she watched, one of the robed people raised their hands and a blast of orange light lanced out at the young man, who dove to the side to dodge it. A flurry of pink-rimmed blue flames erupted around the young man’s fist and he dived towards his attacker, punching them in the chest. The robed person flew back and slammed into a tree, cracking the trunk and making leaves rain down.

Trixie gasped. She had never seen magic like that before.

Without missing a beat, the cloaked mage transferred his attention to his other two assailants. That was when Trixie noticed something strange. The young man’s left arm was hooked around what looked like a shoebox-sized wooden chest that he held close to his body. The other two people raised their arms, and a hail of ice darts flew towards their opponent. He tried to block it, holding out his hand to perform a shield spell. A half-sphere of blue magic stopped the ice shards, and once the shower of deadly fragments stopped, he dropped the shield and slashed his hand down. A crescent of silver energy burst from his fingertips.

Trixie watched the battle in awe. She had never seen magic like this back at the academy, and she wished she could ask about the spells that were being flung about.

Just as the young man finished despatching the second robed figure, he turned to face the third enemy. Pink-tinged azure fire flared up in his free hand, but then the first mage who had been thrown into the tree suddenly sat up and whipped their arm in an arc. A dark green streak of light shot out and split into a dozen smaller shooting stars.

Trixie was sure the young man would drop the chest to defend himself, but he did nothing of the sort. The flurry of green bolts hit him in the back and he fell forward on to the ground with a cry, smoke rising from his prone form. There was a crak as the wooden chest hit a stone in the ground, cracking its casing slightly so that a faint glow shone out.

Trixie looked on in horror as the first and third robed mages began to walk towards the fallen youth, dark orange energy growing in the palms of their hands. Trixie had no doubt in her mind that they were going to kill that young man, and she couldn’t let that happen.

Without really thinking, the schoolgirl stepped out from behind her hiding place and shouted, “Hey! You!” And pointed her fist at the nearest robed figure, index and little fingers extended.

Self-defense class, please don’t fail me now!

A tiny bead of yellow light flickered into existence between Trixie’s fingers, floating there for a split second before shooting out and hitting the closest robed mage in the chest. There was a thunderous detonation as the shockwave spell threw Trixie’s target off their feet and up into the air before coming down with a crash.

A disbelieving grin crossed Trixie’s face. I did it. I actually cast a spell without having to psych myself up.

The last robed mage looked at Trixie, who gulped as both their palms were raised, flickering with orange light. She readied another shockwave spell, but she knew that by the time she channeled one, the mage would have already cast their own spell.

Trixie closed her eyes and turned her head away, only to hear a heavy thud! She cracked open one eye.

The young man was standing there behind the fallen body of the robed mage, holding the chest that he had used to smash his enemy over the head with. He panted and wheezed before sinking down onto one knee.

Now that all three assailants had been taken care of, Trixie could see them better. The symbol on the front of their robes looked like an old-fashioned bell with two curved, horn-like shapes on either side; she could not remember seeing this sigil before. Their hoods prevented Trixie from seeing their faces.

Taking her attention off the strange emblem, the young sorceress went over to the young man. He was holding the wooden chest close, like a mother might hold her child. He staggered to his feet, brushing locks of dark hair from his icy blue eyes.

“Thank you,” he said quietly, his speech punctuated with gasps for breath. “They would have… killed me if you hadn’t come along.”

He wavered and fell forward, with Trixie running up to catch him before he hit the ground. His back was dotted with burn marks and there were numerous smaller cuts on his body that looked recent; there was blood running down from his hairline and over one eye. But what caught Trixie by surprise was that sticking out slightly from under his mop of hair, were pointed ears. And according to her lessons on the peoples of Equestria, that only meant one thing.

“You… You’re… a Kirin,” Trixie breathed in amazement. “My name is Trixie Lulamoon, who are you?”

The Kirin glanced at Trixie, as if trying to study her. Then at last he sighed and fell into the schoolgirl’s trembling arms. The wooden chest poked her in the ribs but she didn’t care.

“My name is Winter Frost,” he said. “The last free knight of the Murian Isles.”

Chapter 2 - A Helping Hand

Trixie looked at the Kirin, her brow furrowed.

“Last free knight?” she repeated slowly. She hadn’t even known that the Kirin people had knights. Although, truth be told, she didn’t know much about the Kirin people at all.

Winter Frost pushed himself back up into a standing position. “Yeah. We should get away from here. More of the Miasme will come looking for these ones.” He gestured to the three downed mages that they had just defeated. He held his wooden box up and grimaced as he saw the crack in the wood. “Damn. No hiding it from them now.”

“Wha- Miasme?” Trixie asked, feeling more and more out of her depth. The smell of burning flesh filled the schoolgirl’s nose and she remembered that this Kirin was injured. “Look, we have to get you medical attention. Can you walk?”

Winter Frost grimaced and rocked backward onto his feet unsteadily. “I think I can manage a short walk. Lead the way.”

The Kirin made it a few steps before his legs gave out and he stumbled, reaching out with one hand to catch himself and keeping the other arm curled tightly around his cargo. “Ah… it seems those heretics got me harder than I thought,” he said through gritted teeth. “I don’t suppose…?”

Without another word, Trixie lifted up the Kirin and gave him her shoulder to lean on. The black furred collar of his cloak tickled her cheek. “I’ve never met a Kirin before,” she said as a way to distract herself from the task at hand. “Aren’t the Murian Isles way over by the Celestial Seas?”

Winter Frost nodded but said nothing. They walked on and left the orange orchard, pausing only to let Trixie re-lock the gate. By now night had fallen and the Kingdom of Canterlot was lit up with pale yellow flameless lanterns on tall metal poles. The city looked quite pretty from a distance, Trixie thought.

“So… that’s Canterlot…” Winter Frost croaked from the side with a weak laugh. “I almost didn't realise I had travelled so far.”

“Why were you coming here, and who were those hooded people who attacked you?” Trixie asked.

“Not here,” the Kirin whispered. “Just know that they were after what’s in the chest, and I can’t let them have it.”

As they walked up to Canterlot’s front gates, the Kirin waved his free hand and the pair of them suddenly became invisible. Trixie yelped at the sudden wash of magic over her body and almost dropped Winter Frost. An invisibility spell was meant to be one of the higher tiers of magic that she had not yet even come close to mastering. She could still see herself and Winter Frost, but they were surrounded by a cocoon of magic that prevented anyone from seeing them.

“What was that?” She hissed, stopping. “Why do we have to be invisible?”

The Kirin coughed. “The fewer people know I’m here, the better.”

“Why is that?”

“Not now. In fact, it’s probably better… that we don’t go to a hospital. News about a Kirin being treated there will spread fast.”

“Why is it so important that nobody knows you’re here?” Trixie complained. She was growing tired of the Kirin’s cryptic remarks.

Winter Frost suddenly gripped Trixie’s collar, pulling her face uncomfortably close to his own. “Because more of the Miasme will come looking for me,” he said through clenched teeth. “If they manage to get what I’m holding, destruction and ruin will follow. Nobody will be safe! That’s why the fewer people know I’m here, the better…” he finished with a pained groan and slid halfway to the ground before Trixie pulled him back up again.

Close to exasperation, Trixie asked, “Who are these Mias- you know what, tell me later. If not a hospital, where else am I supposed to take you? You have literal holes in your back, for Celestia’s sake!”

Winter Frost eyed Trixie up and down. “Celestia. You’re a student at Celestia’s magic school?”

Trixie looked down at her uniform. On her breast was the crest of the school, a complicated sigil that incorporated both Headmistress Celestia and Vice-Headmistress Luna’s own royal emblems.

“Yes…” the schoolgirl confirmed.

“Then take me there. You must have a clinic on campus,” the Kirin’s voice sounded even more strained now, and Trixie didn’t want to argue with him, as it was clearly taking a lot out of him just to speak.

The invisible pair, with Trixie leading, walked right past the gate guards and into Canterlot’s city streets.

There were a moderate amount of people on the streets and Trixie had to remind herself that they wouldn’t get out of the way, courtesy of Winter Frost’s invisibility spell. But they managed to navigate the crowds well enough until they came within sight of Trixie’s school.

The structure was hewn and built into the side of the mountain, and was made of the same shimmering, pinkish-white stone that all the early buildings in Canterlot were constructed from. The magic academy had been here ever since the founding of Canterlot, in order to teach and raise mages for the defense of the kingdom. Eventually Canterlot’s influence had spread, and aspiring magicians from all across Celestia and Luna’s domain came to learn sorcery from the finest.

Trixie felt her stomach do a small lurch as she looked at the academy. There were still some lights on, but all the students would have gone home for the day, either to their dormitories or apartments. That meant she wouldn’t run into anyone who might know about her magical ineptitude. Not that it mattered anyway, she reminded herself. She was invisible.

Thankfully, the gates weren’t locked, and Trixie knew for a fact that some of the staff practically lived on campus. She and her Kirin passenger entered the school grounds, keeping to the footpaths to avoid leaving prints on the grass. They had just crossed the front lawn when the invisibility spell that Winter Frost had cast began to flicker in and out.

“Please hurry…” the Kirin whispered. Sweat beaded his face from the effort of keeping his enchantment active.

The infirmary of the academy wasn’t hard to find. It was tucked away in the eastern wing of the campus, and was marked by a white circle with an ornately designed red cross within it. Trixie pushed open the door and steered herself and Winter Frost inside, just as the invisibility spell failed completely.

“Nurse Redheart!” Trixie called out into the infirmary. “Anyone?”

A woman with pink hair in a bun and wearing a white doctor’s outfit stepped out from behind a shelf of tonics and potions. She saw Trixie and Winter Frost and immediately snapped into action.

“Oh! Miss Lulamoon?” Redheart dropped her clipboard and hurried over to help support Winter Frost’s limp body. “What happened? Who is this? Is that a…?” The nurse saw the blast marks in the Kirin’s back and motioned for Trixie to lay him onto one of the beds.

“Kirin, yes,” Trixie confirmed. “And he’s hurt pretty badly. Can you help him?”

Nurse Redheart got to work unfastening the Kirin’s cloak, then his jacket and undershirt while Trixie stood by, watching. It was a struggle to get the clothing off, due to the fact that Winter Frost maintained a death grip on his wooden chest, even though he was bordering on unconsciousness.

“I can’t treat him like this,” Redheart said exasperatedly, trying to tug the container out of the Kirin’s arms so that he could lie flat.

Trixie knelt down to Winter Frost’s head and spoke gently.

“We made it to the infirmary. Everything’s going to be okay, but we can’t help you while you’re holding that chest. I know it’s important to you, but you have to let go of it. Just for a little while.”

The Kirin turned his head to look at Trixie. His face was gaunt and colorless, but he managed to answer. “I can’t. Someone… has to keep it safe…”

Trixie reached out and tentatively put her hand on Winter Frost’s shoulder. She admired the Kirin’s tenacity, though she did not know why.

“It’s okay, you’re in a safe place,” Trixie crooned soothingly. “You’re hurt. Let us help you.”

Winter Frost looked at Trixie blearily. “But… the chest…”

“I’ll watch it for you,” Trixie offered. “I won’t even take it out of this room. You can watch me hold it, right here,” Trixie patted her thighs. “I promise I won’t run off with it.”

Winter Frost seemed to consider the idea. “Promise?” he asked.

“I promise,” Trixie held out her arms.

With great reluctance, the Kirin’s grip on the wooden chest slowly eased and the container slid into Trixie’s hands. It was surprisingly light, and she gave it a slight shake, but there wasn’t anything rattling around within. She sat down on the next bed over, placing the box in her lap. This seemed to be the final straw for the Kirin’s defiance. He collapsed face down on his bed and Nurse Redheart was able to get his jacket and undershirt off.

“Ooh…” Redheart winced as she beheld the injuries. There were more than Trixie had first seen; smaller cuts and half-healed lacerations, burns and bruises, and the most recent wounds, the blast wounds in his back. The holes slowly oozed with blood and the flesh around them was tinged a nasty purple color.

The nurse promptly got to work, pulling jars of ointments, salves, and potions down from the shelves. She began with a pinkish-red potion that she poured into a cloth to dab onto the Kirin’s more serious injuries. Once that was done, Redheart closed her eyes and waved her hands in a complicated formation. Several rolls of linen and gauze flew out from one of the shelves and wrapped themselves neatly around Winter Frost’s torso. Then she began to apply cream and ointment to the smaller cuts and bruises.

“The burns and lacerations I can heal with no problem,” Nurse Redheart told Trixie as she worked, since she couldn’t possibly be talking to the unconscious Kirin. “It’s the more serious wounds that will take time to mend. They’ve been inflicted by dark magic, so ordinary methods won’t work on them.”

“But you can heal him, can’t you?” Trixie asked anxiously.

“I’ll try my best,” Nurse Redheart said as she went back to applying smaller bandages.

Feeling somewhat like a third wheel, Trixie looked down at Winter Frost’s discarded raiment, now able to look at them properly. There was his cloak, dark and worn at the hem and trimmed around the collar with black fur. A black, long-sleeved jacket-like garment that was trimmed with gold thread. There were holes in the back of the jacket where the spells had burrowed through. Finally there was the grey undershirt, which seemed unremarkable except for a symbol of a horse-like creature with a curved horn embroidered on the front. They were obviously expensive and well-made, though the outfit had clearly seen better days.

Nurse Redheart busied herself with her healing arts and magics in the meantime, and by the time she stepped away, more than an hour had passed.

“I’ve done what I can for him,” the nurse told Trixie as she wiped her hands with a sterilized cloth. “But a Kirin, this far away from the Murian Isles? I’ve only seen a Kirin twice in my life, and those were at international health conferences all the way in Manehattan. He should be stable for now, but like I said, the wounds caused by dark magic will take time to heal. Where did you find him?”

Trixie shifted uncomfortably, unsure of how much she should tell Nurse Redheart. Winter Frost hadn’t wanted people to know he was here, for some rather ominous reason. But she saw no harm in telling the nurse where she had found him.

“I found him out in the orchards, while taking a walk,” Trixie said awkwardly. She was very aware of the weight of the chest in her lap. There must have been some kind of magical item inside, for through the crack in the wood she could feel the mana seeping out. She wondered what it could be that this Kirin would guard it so jealously. “He was hurt, so I brought him here.”

“Why not a hospital?” Nurse Redheart asked.

“He didn’t want me to take him to one,” Trixie explained. “In fact, it’s probably best if we kept his presence here a secret.”

Redheart looked confused. “What? Why?”

“Because it will place you in danger if people know you helped me,” Winter Frost’s faint voice came, making both Redheart and Trixie jump. The Kirin slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position in the bed. “My thanks to you, doctor. I do not think I would have survived without your help.”

“Oh, it’s no problem,” Redheart said modestly. “But would it not be better to transfer you to a place with more resources and staff? You might recover quicker.”

But the Kirin shook his head. “It’s already a risk that you know I’m here. For the sake of my people and yourselves, I have to ask that you keep my presence here a secret. The both of you.”

“Now look here, master…”

“Winter Frost,” Trixie supplied.

“Winter Frost,” Nurse Redheart continued. “If you intend to stay here, I can’t keep your presence a secret. This clinic is open to the whole school; students come in here every day! I can’t hide you in here.”

“I see, that is an issue…” Winter Frost sighed and winced at the motion. “And I am in no condition to find a place of my own to hide in. Unless…?” He turned to Trixie.

A sudden spark of an idea rushed through Trixie, and before she knew it she had opened her mouth to speak without really thinking.

“I could hide you,” the schoolgirl offered. “I live in an academy-sponsored apartment a short way from the school. My roommate graduated last year, so I’m all alone now. Still got her bed and everything.”

Winter Frost blinked. “Do you get a lot of visitors?”

“I- no, not really,” Trixie admitted, more than a little embarrassed. “I don’t, um, have a lot of friends. Or any, really,” she finished with a mumble.

“That sounds like it could work,” Nurse Redheart nodded. “And I could come by regularly to see about treating your injuries. It’ll be a while before you’re fully recovered, and as a healer, it’s my duty to ease a patient’s pain as much as I can on their road to recovery.”

Winter Frost looked taken aback at the sudden display of generosity. Then he inclined his head gratefully. “Thank you. The both of you.”

“But I have one condition,” Trixie added. She placed a hand on the box that was still on her lap. “I want you to tell me what’s going on with you and this chest.”

“Knowing the truth will put you in even greater danger,” Winter Frost warned.

“I’ll already be sheltering you in my house, don’t you think that also puts me in danger?” Trixie countered.

“...Fair enough,” the Kirin conceded after a pause. “It’s not like I have much of a choice in the matter.” He slowly slid his legs out of bed and onto the floor, then buttoned his jacket around his person. “All right, once I’m settled in, I’ll tell you. How far is your apartment?”

Chapter 3 - The Crest

True to Trixie’s word, her apartment was only about five minutes’ walk once she and Winter Frost left the campus, this time without the invisibility spell. Covering Winter Frost with his cloak, Trixie and the Kirin hurried along the road, keeping to the side and avoiding the few people who were out and about at this late hour.

In the pale light shed by the flameless lanterns, Trixie took out a ring of keys and unlocked the door before ushering them both inside. The interior of the building was lit with magical white werelights, floating inside their transparent glass holders on the walls.

“Almost there,” Trixie said to Winter Frost. “I live on the third floor.”

Nodding affirmative, the Kirin, now once again in possession of the wooden chest, followed Trixie up several flights of steps until they came to a door which had a metal plaque that displayed a star-tipped wand and a wisp of blue magic on it.

Trixie took out her keys again and in no time, the door was open.

"In we go," the young magician said.

Inside it was dark, but that was quickly solved as Trixie pressed an embossed glyph on the wall and several magical lights flickered into life on the ceiling.

As the room brightened up, the interior of the apartment was revealed. A coffee table piled high with playing cards, colored handkerchiefs, various spell tomes, and sheets of paper with runes and scribbles on them. Several quills and an open bottle of ink decorated the couch, and there was the faint smell of burning paper.

“It’s a work in progress,” Trixie said hastily before steering her guest into the room that had been occupied by her old roommate.

This room was more or less empty and nondescript, whitewashed walls with a desk in one corner, a bed, and a wardrobe that was built into the wall. A singular, shuttered window adorned the far wall.

"It's not much, but nobody ever comes here and disturbs me, so it'll probably suit you just fine," Trixie helped Winter Frost into the bed, propping him up in a sitting position with the precious wooden chest on his lap.

“It’ll do,” the Kirin leaned forward and put a pillow behind him to make a soft surface for his wounded back. “I expect now I’ll have to uphold my end of the bargain.”

Trixie nodded. She wasn’t sure why, but she really wanted to hear the tale of what was behind this battle-worn Kirin and the seemingly-priceless treasure he was guarding. There had to be something valuable indeed inside that chest to warrant such protective behaviour from this knight. Maybe it was a royal treasure, or an artifact capable of destroying kingdoms. Her imagination ran wild with possibilities. She pulled up a chair next to the bed and crossed her legs, ready to listen.

“Well?” Winter Frost said, putting his hands on top of his box. “What do you want to know?”

“Well, for starters, what are you doing all the way here?” Trixie asked eagerly.”What’s in the box? Who were those guys who were chasing you?”

Winter Frost sighed. “I guess I’ll have to start at the beginning. What do you know of the Murian Isles?”

Trixie thought back to her lessons on the history of Equestria and its surrounding lands. She hadn’t been too into that class, but as it had nothing to do with casting spells, she had passed it quite easily. She had prided herself on taking intricate notes of every topic and it only took a few seconds for her to recall the lessons on the Murian Isles.

“The Murian Isles are a dominion by the Celestial Sea in the west. They are the home of the Kirin people, a reclusive but large spanning empire who are skilled in many branches of magic. They rarely interact with the other kingdoms and are notoriously secretive.”

Winter Frost gave a faint snort of laughter. “Is that what they teach about us over here? Never mind. You’re more or less right about the Isles. Maybe if we weren’t so isolated, the Miasme wouldn’t have been so successful in their coup.”

There was that name again.

“Who are the Miasme?” Trixie asked. The name hadn’t appeared in the lessons of Equestrian history, of that she was fairly sure.

“The Miasme…” Winter Frost growled. “They were a group of heretic seperatist Kirin who opposed the rule of Empress Rain Shine. They were a mostly insignificant minority in the Murian Isles, but no threat to the crown. But then that changed… what’s the date?” Trixie told him. The Kirin grimaced. “Almost three weeks ago, then.

“The Miasme somehow got their hands on a malign kind of magic that was able to rob others of their arcane powers. Kirins’ magic is unlike yours; it takes the form of a magic crest that manifests in each Kirin’s body, and the power is passed down from parent to child, each generation adding to the strength and the complexity of the crest and allowing the holder of the crest to inherit the magic powers of the previous generation. In long-lived families, the crests grant a great amount of power. And it’s what the Miasme are after.”

“They want your magic crests?” Trixie repeated. As far as Trixie knew, magic was not passed down like that in Canterlot or anywhere else she had heard of. Magic techniques were bestowed on the next generation by way of lessons and hard work and teaching. To just get magic like that was unlike anything Trixie could have dreamed of. How powerful must the long-established families of Kirin be!

Winter Frost nodded once, his face grim. “The Miasme somehow managed to call some kind of dark spirit called Tirek into this plane. Tirek, the Bane of Sorcerers.”

Tirek. Just the name gave Trixie the shivers. She hadn’t learned about this either, but Trixie was beginning to see that there were a great many things she had not learned in school.

“Overnight, the Miasme were transformed from a group of ineffectual rabble into a deadly threat. The Miasme and Tirek started stripping the magic crests from the Kirin people, anyone they could get their hands on. The Duskguard and the Dawnguard orders of knights fought back, but Tirek and the Miasme were already too powerful from their stolen crests. Eventually, they overcame nearly everyone and made to seize the throne. Knowing that her defenses were not going to be enough to defend her from Tirek and the Miasme, Empress Rain Shine did the only thing that she could.”

Trixie found herself leaning more and more forward in her chair as Winter Frost recounted his tale. In her mind’s eye, sights that she could only begin to imagine took place, battles with mages and Kirins and dark spirits. Trixie’s eyes grew bright; how much more exciting than school was this?

“And what did she do?” Trixie prompted in a hushed tone as Winter Frost stopped to catch his breath.

“Empress Rain Shine knew that Tirek and the Miasme were coming for her,” Winter Frost continued. “And that the ruling line of Kirins that she belonged to possessed the most powerful magic crest in the Murian Isles. If the Miasme got ahold of her crest, then there would be no stopping them. But she refused to abandon her people. So she stripped herself of her crest and told the last remaining members of her Duskguard to get it as far away from the Isles as possible.”

Slowly, the pieces began to fall into place. Trixie glanced at the wooden box. No wonder Winter Frost was so protective of it. It must contain the Kirin empress’s magic crest.

“I was one of the three knights chosen to spirit Empress Rain Shine’s magic crest away from the Miasme,” Winter Frost said, his voice becoming melancholy. “The Miasme must have guessed what happened, however, and sent magicians after us. While passing through Hollow Shades, we were… separated. The Miasme captured the other two knights who had come with me, and all I could do was run,” he finished bitterly. “To protect my empress’s magic crest and to carry out her orders, I left my friends at the mercy of those heretics,” the bedridden Kirin clenched a fist. “One day I will pay them back for the evil they have wrought- Ahh!” Winter Frost suddenly grabbed at his back and slumped backwards, wincing in pain.

“Hey, easy, easy,” Trixie said gently. “You’re safe here. Don’t strain yourself.”

Winter Frost lay back, waiting for his breathing to stabilize. Trixie motioned for him to stay put and left the room, heading for the kitchen where she filled up a glass of water. By the time she made it back to the room, Winter Frost was looking a bit more composed, if a bit pale. He accepted the water and drank down half the glass in one gulp.

“Thank you,” the Kirin gasped as he placed the half empty glass on the bedside table.

“So… is that why you introduced yourself as the last free knight of the Murian Isles?” Trixie asked. Winter Frost nodded balefully. “You’re sure that there aren’t any others?”

“If there are any others, they’ll be scattered to the winds without Empress Rain Shine’s magic to hold everything together,” the Kirin said glumly. “So many of us risked our lives to get keep the empress’s crest out of the Miasme’s hands, but this could be the end of the road. I can’t fight them like this, and more of them will follow. The last hope of the Kirins lies within this chest, and now it has no suitable guardian.”

Winter Frost looked even more despondent after saying that. And Trixie felt pity for him welling up inside herself, something which she had not felt in many years. Here was someone on a mission for his ruler, now unable to do his duty of fighting evil any longer.

“Couldn’t you hide the chest somewhere?” Trixie suggested. “If you went to Headmis- Princess Celestia and asked for her help with keeping your empress’s magic crest safe, I’m sure she wouldn’t turn you away.”

“Hiding it’s no good anymore. You see the casing?” Winter Frost held up the box for Trixie to see. There was the crack in the wood, allowing a faint light to shine out. “It’s ruptured. The Miasme will be able to track it from afar now. Unless it’s in a suitable vessel, the crest will continue to radiate raw mana like a beacon.”

Trixie knew about things like containment vessels for magical artifacts; they had been part of classes in her first year at the academy. Although usually a thick enough barrier of mundane material would be enough to block mana emission. But then again, she knew almost nothing of Kirin magic.

“So we need another chest?” Trixie asked. “It shouldn’t be too hard to find one. I have a couple of boxes here myself-”

“It’s not just any wooden box,” Winter Frost said wearily. “This chest has been specially crafted and enchanted to mimic the bodily leylines and magical patterns of Empress Rain Shine to stabilize the mana emission. I might be able to craft a new one, but I doubt I’ll be able to make it in time before the Miasme catch up to me. They already almost took it from me back in that orchard, if not for you.”

“So what you’re saying is that the Miasme will track this magic crest’s signal unless it’s inside this box or your empress?” Trixie clarified.

“Yeah. That’s right.”

Trixie ran her tongue over her teeth. A daring idea began to form in her head. “Does it have to be your empress? Like, what if you hid it inside another person?”

“What, like myself?” Winter Frost snorted. “Wouldn’t work. I already have a magic crest. Having two of them would ruin my magical equilibrium. Besides, it’s heretical for a Kirin to take the crest of someone who isn’t family.”

“Not quite what I had in mind,” Trixie gave Winter Frost an aside glance. Comprehension dawned on the Kirin knight’s face.

“No. No, no, no,” Winter Frost shook his head at Trixie vehemently. “I couldn’t do that. I can’t. You can’t.”

“The Miasme are going to follow the magical emission from that crest, you said so yourself, unless it’s placed in a proper vessel,” Trixie argued, feeling the idea turn into a full-fledged plan. This could be her chance for a big break, as well as help Winter Frost at the same time. It was golden. “You can’t do it, and you don’t want people knowing you’re here. So I’m the only choice you have. I can keep the magic crest safe and hidden while you recover.”

“You don’t even know if you’re compatible with the crest,” Winter Frost argued back. “I’m not going to put you in danger like that.”

“I’m already in danger,” Trixie repeated what she had said back at the clinic. She was building up steam now, and knew she had to press the attack if she wanted her plan to succeed. This could be her chance to finally make something of her otherwise drudgery-filled life. “If you don’t hide that crest, then the Miasme will come and find us and take it. You don’t… we don’t really have a choice here. You wanted to keep as many people safe by keeping your presence a secret. I get that. But if you want to keep me safe, then we both know what needs to be done.”

Winter Frost stared at Trixie, sliding his hard gaze from the girl to the box. Trixie held her breath; this could be the moment that decided everything. Her desperate wish to finally be something more than a second-rate illusionist might be finally within her grasp. She had no idea what would happen if the Kirin said yes, but she’d had enough of sneaking off after school to ruminate on how badly she was doing.

Eventually Winter Frost’s shoulders slumped in defeat, and Trixie fought to conceal a smile.

“You’re right, Trixie,” Winter Frost sighed. Trixie blinked. This was the first time he had used her name out loud. “There really isn’t any other option. But I have to let you know, what you’re asking me to do has never been done before. I don’t know if it’s even possible.”

“You never know unless you try,” Trixie wheedled. “I’m not afraid.”

“Then you’re a braver person than I,” Winter Frost murmured. Finally, he picked up the chest and placed it on the middle of the mattress. Then he slipped out from his sitting position and knelt down beside the bed.

The Kirin placed one hand on the lock that held the chest shut and closed his eyes. Trixie watched from behind as a faint blue glow surrounded Winter Frost’s palm. There came a series of clicking sounds from the lock and then a snick as something slid aside. Taking a deep breath, Winter Frost pushed the lid back.

Inside was something that made Trixie gasp. Nestled in a plush interior was a spherical object that was shining with all the colors of the rainbow, made out of dozens, if not scores of hair-thin concentric rings of arcane runes and symbols which orbited around a flicker of bluish-pink flame. It positively radiated magical power, and Trixie thought it was one of the most beautiful things she had ever seen.

“It’s magnificent…” Trixie stared at the crest with starry eyes.

“It’s the result of countless generations of good breeding and intense magical study,” Winter Frost said. He reached out and cupped the luminous crest in both his hands, lifting it out of the chest. “Are you sure you want to go through with this? Last chance to back out.”

Trixie shook her head. If anything, seeing the crest now only made her more sure that she wanted this.

“Do it.”

Winter Frost looked Trixie in the eyes. “Very well. Take off your clothes.”

This knocked Trixie out of her trance. “Wait, what? Why?” She exclaimed, a blush coloring her cheeks.

“Because your clothes are in the way. The transplant only works if it touches your bare skin.”

Trixie was hesitant. “Can’t I just use my hands or something?”

Winter Frost gave Trixie an unimpressed look. “Do you want to do this or not?”

“Y-Yes, I do, but-”

“Then hurry up and take off your clothes,” Winter Frost said impatiently. “Every moment this crest stays out in the open is another moment the Miasme have to track us down.”

“Okay, okay…”

Trixie reluctantly unbuttoned her uniform blouse and undid her necktie, placing it on the bed. Then she lifted her top off, where it joined the tie. Now wearing only her white bra and red checkered skirt, Trixie turned around so that she wouldn’t have to see Winter Frost watching her. The young magician hooked her fingers around the waist of her skirt and slowly pushed it down onto the floor.

Now blushing a deep scarlet, Trixie started to undo the straps of her bra, but was both surprised and relieved when she heard the Kirin say, “You can keep those on. Now lie down.”

“On the floor?” Trixie crossed her arms in front of her chest, grateful that none of this was being witnessed by anyone else. Standing here almost naked in front of a member of the opposite sex, no less.

Winter Frost nodded, his face showing no carnal interest in the young magician at all. He held his empress’s magic crest with extreme care, without even a hint of a tremble in his hands. Feeling a little better, Trixie lowered herself onto the floor and lay down. The wooden floorboards were hard against the back of her head, and she blew a wayward strand of hair out of her face.

“Very good,” Kneeling down next to the girl, Winter Frost held the magic crest over Trixie’s upper body. The mana emanating from it made Trixie’s skin crawl with anticipation, and her breathing grew faster.

Winter Frost lowered the magic crest onto just below Trixie’s sternum, and the place where it touched her burned both hot and cold. She lay as still as she could, watching in wonder as the crest began to sink into her skin. Lines of light branched out from the crest across her body like forked lightning bolts, lighting up and stimulating her own magical leylines. The place of contact began to itch almost painfully, but the young magician made no move to scratch or otherwise disturb the process. Winter Frost’s own hands began to radiate a watery light, and he muttered some words in a language Trixie didn’t understand.

Finally after almost five minutes, the entire crest sank under Trixie’s skin and the glowing ceased. The intense outpouring of mana faded, and Winter Frost slumped back along the bed’s frame.

“It is done,” the Kirin panted as Trixie sat up, feeling her ribcage and giving herself a scratch. “I can hardly believe it worked, but you now carry the magic crest of Empress Rain Shine. Protect it and yourself well, for you are now the bearer and guardian of the most powerful magic in the Murian Isles. At least until I get well enough to resume my duties.”

He closed the empty chest and placed it under the bed before climbing back on top and lying down.

“What happens now?” Trixie asked as she began to dress herself. There was a faint tingle of what resembled pins and needles crawling from her torso to her arms and legs, like electricity.

“Now I must rest,” Winter Frost said, his head settling on his pillow. “Giving you the crest, along with everything else, has taken up much of my strength. You don’t have to watch over me.”

“All right,” Trixie went to leave the room and turn off the light. “I have to go back to the academy tomorrow anyway. Maybe it’s best I turn in too.”

“Yes. Your body will take some time to adjust to the crest, so try to take it easy on the magic. Oh, and one more thing.”

“What is it?”

Winter Frost opened his eyes and stared at Trixie from his position on the bed. “Watch your temper. Good night, Trixie.”

And with that last cryptic word of caution, Winter Frost shut his eyes again and rolled over to sleep.

Chapter 4 - Enemy Inside

Trixie woke that morning feeling no better for wear, though her ribs did itch a little. She didn’t know if she was supposed to start feeling more powerful or not, but as of yet, there wasn’t anything that would make her believe so. The schoolgirl slid out of bed and went to take a shower. On the way there, she passed Winter Frost’s room, but through the cracked open door, she could see that the lights were off. He was probably still resting.

After having a wash and getting dressed in the academy uniform, Trixie went to the kitchen to make herself breakfast. There wasn’t much left in the cooler; about half a loaf of bread and a near-empty jar of strawberry jam. She would need to go grocery shopping after class today.

Stifling a yawn, Trixie dipped her knife into the jam jar and spread its contents onto a slice of bread. But when she went to close the lid, she accidentally swept the jar off the table. She made a swipe at the jar, but it slipped out of her grasp and onto the floor.

At least, that’s what should have happened.

Instead, Trixie’s outstretched hand was glowing an ephemeral shade of pink, which also surrounded the jar. The glass container floated an inch off the floor, completely stopped in place. She was so surprised that she did nothing and then it dropped to the ground again, but at least from that height, all it did was leave a crack on the jar’s surface.

Trixie pulled her hand back and looked at it, but she didn’t know what she hoped to find. It looked exactly the same, with the exception of a drop of jam smeared across her thumb.

That was… strange. Trixie mused. She had always needed to concentrate to use telekinesis on objects, like the day before with the apple. That just now had been almost instinctive, done without thinking. She stretched her arm out and attempted to try it again, but this time the jar just stayed there on the ground on its side. Strange indeed. Was it because of the crest?

After a few more unsuccessful attempts to lift the jar with magic, Trixie sighed and picked it up with her hand and threw it into the trash, which ended in a crashing of glass. Then she finished her breakfast and left the apartment.She trudged up the slope towards the academy, her mind still a buzz, trying to figure out how she got her magic to work without any effort. She was eventually joined by some of the other students, some of them still blinking sleep from their eyes.

It was Wednesday, and that meant mid-week assembly in the great hall before any classes so that they could give everyone the two previous days’ announcements. She had also missed the previous day’s Magibout, because she had gone off to her hidey-hole to sulk, so she did want to learn the outcome.

There was some kind of hold up in the great hall, and students were packed at the entrance. Craning her neck, Trixie could make out the top of Headmistress Celestia’s head. She seemed to be speaking to someone.

Eventually the trickle of students allowed Trixie passage, and as she passed by the doors, she was able to get a look at the person Celestia was speaking with.

Her blood ran cold. There was a tall adult male Kirin standing there, his face adorned with long sideburns and a goatee. His pointed ears poked out from under his shaggy maroon hair, but what chilled Trixie the most was the emblem on the front of his dark green robes. An old fashioned looking bell with two horns. The same symbol the hooded mages from the day before had been wearing.

She would have stayed there, stunned, but the crowd around Trixie pushed her into the great hall. It was a cavernous building, held up with stark white stone columns and draped in red and gold banners that displayed the academy emblem and the Canterlot Kingdom’s flag. Flameless lanterns hung on the sides of the wall, keeping the place quite well lit, and the hall was already set up with rows and rows of chairs for the assembly.

Trixie sat down near the back of the hall by herself and fidgeted. The Miasme were here. They had managed to track Winter Frost all the way to Canterlot and now Trixie was seated here, with the crest within herself. Her Kirin friend had mentioned they won’t be able to track it once it was in her, but she couldn’t help but feel that he could be wrong.

As the students entered, the chatter in the room began to amplify and from what she could hear, the students beside her were asking each other what the robed figure outside was about. One of them even mentioned they were from a rival academy and they were planning some sort of co-academy championship.

“Maybe we’ll need to beat them at dragonriding,” one of them snickered as though it was a funny joke.

Once everyone had gathered, Trixie spotted Headmistresses Celestia and Luna walk upon the stage, set before large stained glass windows, depicting images of the school’s history, with the former waving a hand in the air and casting a voice enhancing spell. Trixie knew a little about those, but with most spells, she couldn’t quite seem to get it. The last time she used one, she had instead made her voice sound like that of a hamster for half an hour.

“Good morning, everyone,” Celestia greeted.

“Good morning, Headmistress Celestia,” the student body droned back in unison like a well-oiled machine.

“Before we get into announcements, I would like to let each and everyone of you know that we have a special guest here with us today. You might have seen him at the entrance, but let me formally introduce him.” Celestia gestured for their visitor to come up on stage from where he was seated. “This is Adviser Dark Oak. He has come here all the way from the Murian Isles as a delegate to our academy.”

There was a small outburst of murmurings as the students whispered about what that might mean. Trixie knew how they felt; to her, Kirins too had been mere legends until yesterday. Having one show up like this was no doubt a remarkable event for most of them.

“He will be here to inspect our way of life and the prospects of our academy,” the headmistress continued. “And perhaps share a little insight on the ways of the Kirin as well?” She looked at their visitor, who nodded. “I would wish for you all to treat him with the utmost respect of how you would treat a teacher here.”

Trixie didn’t know how to feel about that. From what Winter Frost had told her, these Miasme were usurpers. The headmistresses probably didn’t know a thing about that.

“Now, I would like to invite our guest up to say a few words. If you will, Adviser Oak.” Celestia stepped aside as the Kirin took to the voice enhancing spell.

“Good day, students of Canterlot’s Young Sorcerers’ Academy,” the Kirin spoke, his voice somewhat gruff and for a lack of a better word, hairy. “Might I first say what a privilege it is to be in such a well established building, and one of Canterlot’s many marvels. We Kirin have maintained an air of secrecy for eons, but some of us feel it is time to branch out to see what other nations have to offer, with the first being yours. I look forward to learning from you as much as giving you insight to our magic and our culture at the same time.”

Headmistress Luna was next to take the center of the stage, once the adviser lad stepped aside. “And now for the announcements. We are pleased to say that Twilight Sparkle attained victory in yesterday’s Magibout.”

“Of course it was Twilight…” Trixie sank lower in her seat.

She didn’t know why she hadn’t just assumed she had won yesterday. She would win at least six of ten matches and then the other four usually went to one of the other Rainbooms anyway. And then when it came to clutchball, it was always Rainbow Dash who came out victorious. Trixie sighed at their accomplishments and her failures. She could never be good at magic like they were. At least, she couldn’t.

She placed a hand on her chest, where the magical crest had been entombed. Perhaps if she could actually figure this out, she might actually win something for once.

Headmistress Luna went on about change in weather patterns, meaning their nature classes would have to shift to the end of the day from the beginning now, where they would be able to harness the storms to practice their elements.

Once she was done, they were free to get on with the day and Trixie was one of the first students out of the great hall, hoping to get to working on her magic and also to get as far away from that Kirin as she could.

Because of the weather changes, her first period nature class had swapped to philosophy, which she wasn’t particularly a fan of. It always worked in putting her to sleep, but at least there was no actual spellcasting in it.

Philosophy class passed slowly, with the professor instructing them to read a chapter from their textbooks and standing up at the blackboard to vaguely watch them. Trixie propped her textbook up on the table, as if she were reading it. In reality, she had out her bottle of ink and was trying to lift it with telekinesis, all the while trying not to concentrate too hard.

Come on, magic. Do your thing.

She waved her hands around, she tried out some magic words, but it still remained there on the table, unmoved. Somehow, something had happened with the jam jar back in her apartment. Perhaps she needed to recreate the scenario for it to work. Inching the ink over to the edge of her wooden table, Trixie casually flicked it off. She immediately reached her hand out and willed for a magical aura to halt the fall of the ink bottle, but again, nothing happened and it hit the ground and rolled in a circle, staining the floorboards a shiny black.

“Miss Lulamoon, is something the matter? What are you up to over there?” Her teacher, Professor Pomegranate looked over from the front of the room.

“Uh, no sir,” Trixie said quickly, picking up the bottle quickly. “Just dropped my ink while taking notes.”

“Be sure to clean that up before you go.” Then he returned to explaining existence in multiple realities.

Trixie sat back down and groaned, looking at the almost empty bottle of ink. That didn’t do it. So what did? How had she done it the first time?

Once class was over and Trixie had tried using a scouring spell to remove the ink. She did it once, she did it twice and to her relief, it worked the third time and the ink stains on the floorboards vanished without a trace. She didn’t know whether it had been her own talent for magic or the crest, but she couldn’t figure it out just by standing here, so she set off to her next lesson. There was a lot of chatter in the corridors, most of it focused on the new arrival to the academy.

“Do you think that the arrival of that Kirin adviser means that we might be able to visit the Murian Isles for a class trip?” One student asked his friend excitedly. “I hear they’re beautiful beyond compare, and full of new magic, too!”

“Nah, they use magic differently from what I hear.” She pointed to her butt. “From here.”

“I wonder why the Kirins suddenly decided to send a guy all the way to Canterlot,” another girl asked her friend. “I wasn’t even sure they existed until I saw that adviser.”

“You need to pay more attention in history and geography class,” her friend scolded. “We’ve gone over the Murian Isles before. I even remember lending you my notes; did you read them at all?”

“Oh, uh… I think I gave them to Watermelody.”

“You what?! No wonder I found her new art piece familiar!”

Trixie soon found herself in her botany class, where they were going to learn about alchemical ingredients for healing. Her teacher, Professor Leafbottom, was a short plump woman with a pointed hat and a wart on her nose. If one would see her for the first time, they would most certainly say she was a witch. And they probably would not be wrong.

“Now, class. Today we will be reviewing the three uses of staunchweed in alchemy. Can anyone tell me a property of said herb?” Professor Leafbottom asked the class.

From across the room, Twilight Sparkle’s hand shot up, as it always did during sessions like this. “Please, professor, a property of staunchweed is that is is good for use in potions that help with closing up bleeding injuries.”

“Very good, Twilight,” the botany teacher said. “Now, the other two properties are that it is remarkably good for cleaning up stains, if mixed with water and lemon juice, and that it is a primary ingredient of the drink Golden Tear.”

There was a pause as some students scribbled this down in their notebooks. This was one of the classes Trixie didn’t mind as much, because there wasn’t any casting involved. She simply had to mix ingredients together and see what happens. She would like to say she was actually good at this, but she just couldn’t seem to remember the combinations. She would always have to look through her notes to find the right ones, which wasn’t allowed on tests.

After that, her next class was actually an interesting one. In the class of offense magic, she got to learn how to fight with magic, which was mostly used for their Magibout competitions, where they would stand on a platform in protective gear and fire spells at each other until there was only one person left standing.

Mr. Wong Time was the teacher here and he was some sort of mystic from the East, but Trixie never did ask more about how he found himself all the way in Canterlot.

To Trixie’s dismay, she was paired up with one of the top students in the class, Starlight Glimmer. While not quite on the same level as the Rainbooms, Starlight’s magical prowess was well known in the class and Trixie received more than a few sympathetic looks from the other students as the class began in earnest.

“Don’t worry, I’ll take it easy on you,” Starlight Glimmer said as she slipped on her protective tunic. “But not too easy,” she finished with a cheeky wink.

Trixie grimaced and put on her own protective gear. It was enchanted to dampen the effects of hostile spells, and was in fact a less potent version of the armor that the kingdom’s elite guard wore. The academy’s headmistress also being the ruler probably had something to do with that. The equipment was also bewitched to light up where spells hit, for easier work for the referees once the spell-slinging began.

Taking up her position on the Magibout platform, Trixie mentally went over the kinds of spells that might help her put up somewhat of a fight against Starlight. She had no illusions about winning; she had seen Starlight trounce other students who were stronger than Trixie was. But she did not want to go down without putting up at least a little bit of a fight.

Once all the students had adjusted to their Magibout podiums, Mr. Wong Time raised his hand, index finger and thumb extended. He jerked his hand backwards slightly and there was a loud bang.

Spells began to shoot across the room, with shouts echoing around as they either missed or hit their mark.

Starlight held both her hands at her sides, fingers twitching. It seemed as though she was waiting for Trixie to make the first move.

That was just fine. Concentrating, which was no easy task given the noise coming from every direction, Trixie felt her magical energy well up inside her and collect in her left hand. She extended her index and little finger as a bead of light formed between them. Then she released the spell and it shot at Starlight.

The other girl didn’t move until the spell was right on her and Trixie thought she was actually going to hit her until she flicked her hand up, projecting a wall of fiery sparkles, which nullified Trixie’s yellow bolt. Starlight then retaliated with a wave of her left hand, sending a crescent of lavender magic at Trixie.

Trixie raised her hands to put up a barrier, but her concentration wavered and Starlight’s spell slammed into her, almost knocking her off the platform. Steadying herself, Trixie looked at her opponent, who was spinning an orb of magical energy on her fingertip.

“Come on. You gotta work on those barriers, Trixie,” Starlight said and levitated the orb over her head, which split into four smaller ones.

With a ripple of her fingers, Starlight shot the four magical orbs at Trixie. The white haired girl tried to conjure up another barrier, but again, when she needed some magic the most, it fizzled out and she had to resort to shrieking, and ducking down and leaning to the side, narrowly avoiding all of them.

“Come on, at least put some effort into it.” Starlight gave Trixie no room to breathe, a beam of green light shooting from her finger and striking Trixie in the arm, the impact spinning her around. It stung a little, but Trixie rallied and went for a classic, lobbing a fireball at Starlight.

Unfortunately, Starlight simply extinguished it with a gust of wind that she conjured up.

“Out of tricks already?” Starlight said playfully. “Then I’ll finish this in one go!”

Bringing her hands together in front of her chest, Starlight summoned a six-pointed star shape, which unfolded like a lotus flower before shooting a beam of aquamarine light at Trixie. There was a howl of wind as the blast rushed at Trixie’s podium.

Trixie could do nothing but duck and hold her arms up over her head in a fruitless attempt to halt Starlight’s attack.

Starlight’s spell smashed into Trixie, obscuring the latter’s dueling platform with a thick haze.

Then suddenly, out of the smoke a spearing ray of pale pink light stabbed forth and caught Starlight Glimmer in the chest, throwing her backwards and off her platform, landing on the floor in a heap.

The smoke cleared to reveal Trixie standing on her podium, her outstretched hand still glowing pink from her counterattack. She looked just as surprised as everyone else who had come to watch the duel. The magic aura swiftly faded away, but Trixie still felt the rush of power that had suddenly possessed her to cast such a mighty spell.

“Miss Lulamoon…?” Mr. Wong Time came over to bring order. “I have not seen anything like that before…”

“I’m sorry-” Trixie began, but her teacher cut her off.

“You have clearly been practicing!” Mr. Wong Time said, his face breaking into a smile. “Your magic has greatly improved since our last practical. Well done, well done indeed!”

Starlight groaned and stood up. She took off her protective headgear and whistled. “I thought I had that match in the bag, but you sure showed me,” she said, massaging the spot where Trixie’s spell had hit her. “Nice casting.”

“Yeah…” Trixie looked at her hands, which were still buzzing with a faint electrical tingling that had seemed to originate from her sternum, where the crest of Empress Rain Shine had been planted. “Thanks…”