They Fight Crimeby Twilight ShadowChaptersIssue #1Issue #2Issue #3Issue #4Issue #5Issue #1Fillydelphia wasn’t exactly the kind of city with an extremely dangerous reputation. It’s crime rates weren’t abnormally high, and it certainly didn’t see frequent supervillain attacks like the statistical anomaly that was Canterlot City. But it wasn’t perfectly safe either; it was still the kind of city where a young woman could get mugged by a group of thugs in a dark alley. “Help! I’m a young woman being mugged by a group of thugs in a dark alley!” “You’ve got that right,” the lead thug said with a wicked grin, raising the switchblade knife in his hand and pointing it at his target. “Now, gimme all your stuff!” The target in question, the aforementioned young woman, flinched, cringing back away from the weapon. Her name was Sunflower, and she’d made the probably poor choice to stay out late with friends, followed by the definitely poor choice of walking home alone. The fact that this was her first time being mugged by a group of thugs in a dark alley spoke less to her personal life choices, and more a combination of Fillydelphia’s safety as a place to live, and sheer dumb luck. As is traditional, the group cornering her numbered three. The leader, who naturally stood ahead of the other two, was the one holding the knife, a large man with an outrageous black mullet and sharp, grey eyes. His lackeys flanked him; as also is traditional, one was extremely tall and thin, and the other shorter, with broad, burly shoulders, both with malicious yet doofy expression betraying their status as dumb muscle. They were all wearing black leather jackets, which completed their very specific look of ‘having walked straight out a movie set in the 1960s.’ “Listen, I don’t gotta hurt ya,” the knife wielding thug said, taking a step forward. “All you gotta do is hand over your cash, your jewelry, and anything else nice you’ve got. Then, we can all go home.” He turned his head over his shoulders to look at his partners in crime. “Ain’t that right, boys?” “Yeah, Boss,” the thin thug replied in a snively voice. “Don’t want to hurt a lady.” “Wouldn’t be proper.” the bulky thug echoed, his voice lower and dopey sounding. “See?” The leader turned back to Sunflower, sneering. “We’re not so bad. So… what’s it gonna be?” “You will go no further!” “Huh?” The thugs flinched, looking around. The voice, bold and bombastic, didn’t come from Sunflower, and it didn’t come from any of her attackers either, not just because it was femmine, but because it would be really weird for any of them to say that in the first place. “Who’s there?” The leader yelled, waving his knife around. “Vile criminal scum! You will see no mercy from the wrath of-” Out of nowhere, a cloud of blue smoke burst up from the ground between Sunflower and the thugs, forcing them to cover their eyes and take a step back. As the smoke settled, a figure, one who hadn’t been there prior, stepped forward, striking a dramatic pose “The Great and Powerful Trixie!” ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’ happened to be another young woman, around the same age as Sunflower, dressed in light blue and purple outfit that was best summed up as ‘overly elaborate sorceress’, complete with a hat and cape covered in stars. In her right hand, she held a thick, brown book with two turquoise wisps and a purple and white star on the cover, one that would best be classified as a ‘tome’, which completed her very specific look of ‘anime magic user.” The thugs started at Trixie, unable to decide if her sudden appearance and dramatic declaration was impressive, or completely absurd. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?” The lead thug asked. Trixie scoffed. “Clearly, you need to pay more attention when people are speaking to you!” She raised her free hand and pointed at the group of goons. “Clean the wax out of your ears and listen up! The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived, and that means the end of your wicked ways!” She smirked. “Now, drop the weapon and put your hands up, and maybe Trixie will let you walk away without a fight.” The muggers blinked, looking back and forth between Trixie and each other... and then burst out into laughter. “Are you crazy?” Their leader asked between wheezing breaths. “You think we’re gonna surrender to you? You’ve gotta be kidding!” “The Great and Powerful Trixie never kids!” Trixie replied smugly. “But she does do tricks. And for her first trick…” Seemingly under its own power, her book floated out of her hand and up in front of her, opening by itself and flipping through its pages at a rapid pace. “Trixie will make your weapon… disappear!” The knife wielding thug, clearly too distracted by laughing to notice Trixie’s magical floating book, raised an eyebrow, and his switchblade. “Really?” He asked, tone as sharp and threatening as his weapon. “Ya wanna bet?” “Trixie will take that bet, and she will win it!” Her book began to glow a light turquoise, as did Trixie’s left hand. The lead thug’s grin fell, and he took a half step back, suddenly realizing the reality of the situation. “And now, I say the magic words…” She thrust her arm out dramatically. “Abraca-TRIXIE!” A bolt of turquoise light shot from Trixie’s hand, flying towards the lead thug at an incredible speed. It struck his knife dead on, causing it to vanish in a puff of blue smoke. The now weaponless mugger stared at his empty hands in disbelief, eyes wide. “What…” He looked up at Trixie, scowling. “That was my favorite knife!” Trixie grinned smugly, flipping her long silver hair with a flick of her head. “Aw, such a shame. Maybe you should have thought of that before pointing it at Trixie. Now, do you want to give up, or shall we do this the hard way?” “There’s still more of us then there are of you!” The lead thug cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. “You can’t take us all on!” His lackeys nodded in affirmation, readying themselves for a fistfight as well. Trixie remained unphased. “Perhaps you’re right. Maybe, Trixie can’t.” She said, her grin widening. “But she can.” “Huh?” Before he could ask who Trixie was talking about, the lead thug felt a tap on his shoulder. Spinning around, he found himself face to face with yet another woman, one dressed in a grey-blue hoodie and sweatpants, with an extremely apathetic expression. “Hello.” She said, voice completely monotone. “Wha-” That was all he could get out before the woman punched him in the stomach. The force of the blow sent him soaring through the air, arms and legs flailing wildly. He crashed face first into a conveniently placed pile of trash bags on the side of the alley, going limp with a muffled groan. His buddies watched him get sent flying, and then turned to face the bored looking woman. The larger of the two, in a move that proved just how phenomenally stupid he was, threw a punch at her. She caught it in her palm without flinching. “That was a bad idea.” She said, tone still completely emotionless. She twisted her hand, and the thug’s arm shuddered as his shoulder was dislocated from the force. Then, she pushed him back, sending him stumbling into the side of the alley and down next to his boss. The third thug took a step back, eyes darting around wildly. “Now, h-hang on,” he stammered. “Let’s just talk about this for a momen-” A bolt of turquoise struck the back of his head. His whole body shook for a second, and then his eyes closed and he slumped over. The woman moved forward, catching him over her shoulder before he fell to the ground. A light snore came from his mouth as she lay him next to his fallen comrades. “Well then,” Trixie dusted off her hands. “Trixie would say that went rather well.” A rope coiled around from under her cape and flew through the air, pulling the three dazed goons together and tying them up. “Mmm.” The apathetic woman gave a light nod, and walked past Trixie and towards Sunflower, who was cowering in the back of the alley. “You okay?” She asked, reaching out her hand. Sunflower nodded hesitantly, taking the woman’s hand and staggering to her feet. “You… you saved me…” She stammered in disbelief. “Yep!” Trixie said, tucking her book under her arm and spinning around. “All in a night’s work for The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She paused. “And Maud!” She added, giving her companion’s shoulders a quick hug. Maud, for her part, just gave Sunflower a light wave. “How can I ever repay you?” Sunflower asked. “There is no need!” Trixie put her hands on her hips, her cape and hair billowed in a non-existence breeze. “For the only thing The Great and Powerful Trixie desires is the adoration of those she helps!” “...Ooookay then…” Sunflower took a step back, becoming increasingly concerned at how bizarre her saviours were. “Hey, aren’t you forgetting someone?” Sunflower blinked. The new voice hadn’t come from Trixie, or Maud, but… “Did… did that book just talk?” She asked. The book in question wormed its way out from under Trixie’s arm, floating up to Sunflower’s face. It opened up, revealing an illustration of a purple skinned woman dressed in form fitting green and purple robes, a pair of curved horns sticking out of the top of her head. The woman moved inside the image, leaning forward with an annoyed expression. “I swear, sometimes I think Trixie forgets who provides the power around here…” Sunflower just stared at the irritated illustrated woman inside the magical floating book, jaw agape, for several seconds. After which, her brain promptly decided it had had more than enough weirdness for one night, and that now would be a very good time to stop thinking for a while. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped to the ground, landing in yet another conveniently placed pile of trash bags. The woman in the illustration froze. “...Oops.” “How was I supposed to know I’d make her faint? I just wanted some recognition!” Trixie just stared at her. “Starlight, you are a purple skinned demon! Inside a book!” “I thought you found that sexy!” Starlight gaped. “I do! Extremely!” Trixie shot back. “But that doesn’t mean random people on the street aren’t going to freak out!” The three of them had retreated to a rooftop, because rooftops were where all heroes hung out after successfully saving people. Maud stood watching over the edge in a way that would have been dramatic and inspiring if her face wasn’t perpetually stuck in a non-expression, while Trixie leaned against a ventilation box, Starlight floating in front of her. Starlight’s avatar shook her head, her hair not reacting at all to the movement and moving as a static lump. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to hog the spotlight?” Trixie opened her mouth to respond… and then stopped. “Okay, that might be true.” She admitted. “Just a little. But that’s besides the point.” “I don’t think it is…” Starlight said in a sing-song voice. “Admit it. You don’t want people finding out where you draw your magic from, because then you wouldn’t be the one getting all the praise and adoration, it would be me, ” She smirked confidently. “The sexy book demon.” “That’s ridiculous.” Trixie said flatly, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air. “Trixie will not respond to such lies and slander.” “It’s not slander if it’s true…” “Blatant falsehoods.” Trixie insisted. “Trixie is perfectly capable of sharing her spotlight. She just does not wish to scare people who are less receptive to cute demon girls inside magic books.” “Cuter than you?” Starlight asked with a sly grin. Trixie gave a mock gasp. “How dare you? Trixie will have you know that she is much better looking! And besides, you’re just a drawing, you don’t count.” Now it was Starlight’s turn to gasp. “And I’ll have you know that this is exactly how I used to look!” “Really?” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “You sure you didn’t take the chance to make some… let’s say ‘minor alterations’?” “Now look who’s spreading lies and slander.” Starlight put her hands on her hips. “Well, there’s one way to settle this.” She spun her book around. “Hey, Maud!” She called. “Yes?” Maud turned around herself, walking over towards Trixie and Starlight. “Who’s prettier: Me, or Trixie?” Starlight asked. “Hey, come on Starlight, you can’t just ask a question like that!” Trixie shook her head. “How could you force Maud to hurt your feelings?” “Mine?” Starlight questioned with a smirk. “Or yours?” Maud blinked, slowly looking back and forth between them, and said nothing for a while. Starlight and Trixie both watched her, a tense moment passing over the rooftop. Eventually, she answered. “You’re both extremely attractive.” Maud said, in her usual expressionless tone. Trixie and Starlight looked at each other, lips curling upwards. “Pft…” Trixie put a hand to her mouth, trying and failing to stifle her giggles. “Heheh…” Starlight did the same, her book wobbling a little as she tried to maintain her composure. Trixie broke first. “Pwahahaha!” She put her hands on her stomach, leaning over from laughing so hard. Starlight cracked soon after, her book fluttering erratically in the air from her giggles. “Maud, why was that- how are you so funny?” Starlight asked in between laughs. “Natural talent.” Maud replied without missing a beat, causing Starlight and Trixie to laugh harder. Maud’s own mouth moved up an imperceptible fraction, which for her was the equivalent of rolling around on the floor. Argument forgotten, the three of them spent a moment simply laughing and enjoying each other’s company. For about three minutes, before one of the building’s tenants chased them off with a broom for making loud noises while he was trying to sleep. Issue #2“...of course, if a sapphire contains even a small amount of chromium, it’s called a ruby, despite the fact that they are, at their core, the same mineral–” The sound of a bell echoed throughout the lecture hall, signalling that once again, Professor Topaz’’s lecture had run over time. Topaz, a middle aged man with a tweed jacket and bow tie that seemed picked specifically to remind you that he was, in fact, a professor, stopped, looking up at the clock behind him. “Well, I suppose you all knew that already,” He said with a wave of his hand. “I won’t keep you any longer. A quick reminder that your assignments are due next week, so I hope you’ve been working on them, because I will not be lenient on last minute essays.” There were one or two quiet grumbles, but the majority of the rather small class of students were mostly silent as they gathered their things and exited the large hall. Among them, and the quietest of them all, was Maud, effortlessly carrying her large back of books and notes in one hand. She got looks for that, occasionally. She wasn’t tiny, by any means, but she still appeared rather slight for a girl who didn’t bat an eye at weights that made men over twice her size flinch. Her demeanor perhaps didn’t help; her constantly neutral expression kept eyes off of her most of the time, but it only made her casual acts of incredible strength look even more effortless. She’d never been quite sure where that power had even come from. She’d just been born with it; so had two of her three sisters, though her strength was the greatest among them. She had an inkling that her parents had some idea, but if they did, they’d never told her. As for her third sister… Well, nobody could explain Pinkie. Their abilities had been useful, though. Work on the isolated quarry that had been her childhood home had been much easier when one could smash rocks with her fists and carry half a tonne with minimal effort. But, while Limestone and Marble had been content to remain on the farm with her parents, she and Pinkie had struck out on their own. Unlike her hyper energetic pink sister, however, Maud’s passion still lay within the earth. She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do with her geology doctorate once she got it. Mineralogy, volcanology, geophysics… as long as there were rocks involved, she was invested. Not that anyone could ever tell from her expression. She put her free hand in her pocket, feeling for the familiar shape of Boulder. Perhaps she was a bit old to have a pet rock, but when she curled her fingers around the stone she had dug from the ground as a child, she could almost swear she could feel the pulse of the earth itself, connecting her not just to her family’s quarry, but to the entire planet. Maud pushed open the doors to the university and walked outside, a chilly gust of late afternoon wind slightly ruffling her hair. All her classes for the day were over, which meant it was time to head home. The apartment she shared with Trixie and Starlight wasn’t too far away, and with the superhuman stamina that came with her strength, the relatively short walk was nothing. Despite the fact that Fillydelphia wasn’t often the site of blatant crimes committed in broad daylight, Maud kept her eyes peeled on her walk home. Trixie may have been the one obsessed with heroic names, poses and costumes, but that didn’t mean Maud didn’t also care about doing good wherever she could. Nothing caught her attention, however. It wasn’t something she particularly minded, as much as the lack of action annoyed Trixie to no end. Maud much preferred living in a peaceful city, even if it meant she was less needed. Unlike Canterlot, which needed a team of heroes to fight off the constantly appearing super criminals. Who, for some reason, had only started appearing after heroes capable of fighting them did. With nothing else to occupy her attention, her mind wandered, wondering how Trixie was doing. She’d actually managed to land a performance gig after weeks of nothing; there wasn’t too much demand for a stage magician, after all, especially not a new and unknown one, despite her talent. The best she could get were small venues, clubs and the like, but Trixie refused to let that stop her. Her determination and confidence were things that Maud loved about her. One day, Maud was sure Trixie would have her time in the spotlight. “And now,” Trixie announced dramatically, removing her hat and reaching deep into it. “Watch, as the Great and Powerful Trixie… ends the same way she begins.” She pulled out a card from her hat, revealing its face to the audience: The Three of Clubs, with a large ‘T’ drawn on with blue marker, the very same card, picked by the audience, she had burned to ash at the beginning of her performance. Her audience clapped politely, prompting Trixie into an elaborate bow. “Thank you, thank you, you’re too kind.” She paused. “Not that Trixie wants you to stop. She lives for the attention.” She got a few laughs at that. “Now then,” Trixie placed her hat back on her head and flicked her cape. “You’ve been a wonderful audience, but Trixie is afraid she must bid you adieu. So, for her final trick, The Great and Powerful Trixie will make herself… disappear!” With that, she was engulfed in a burst of blue smoke, and when it cleared, Trixie was nowhere to be seen. She appeared backstage, in the small dressing room she had been allocated. With an exhausted sigh, she slumped down on the couch pressed up against the side of the room, her hand sliding down over her face. As if sensing her presence, the hefty tome sitting on the side table shook to life, floating up into the air and opening at the middle to reveal the illustrated form of Starlight’s avatar. “Hey,” she said, hovering over to Trixie. “How’d it go?” “Same as it ever was,” Trixie replied, sighing again. “Card tricks, coin tricks… Trixie wishes she could do some real magic for once. It has been too long since she sawed somebody in half.” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “You… Know you have real magic, right? All you need to do is take me with yo–” “That’s not what I mean, Starlight!” Trixie sat up, pushing her hat back up on top of her head, and gave the book in front of her a determined stare. “The point of stage magic is to do things without supernatural aid! It defiles the sacred art of illusions!” Starlight shook her head. “Humans. You spend thousands of years pretending you can use magic, and when you finally get that power you choose not to use it.” She smiled slyly. “Good thing you’re cute.” “Trixie is glad you agree.” Trixie replied with a sagelike nod, before sighing again. “It’s just… Trixie has always dreamed of performing on a grand stage, the eyes of the world on her amazing feats of magical brilliance. Her name, spoken far and wide by fans across the globe. And yet, she’s stuck performing common parlor tricks of an audience of a few dozen at best.” “Don’t let it get you down, Trix,” Starlight gave a reassuring smile. “You’ll get there eventually, I know it.” “Trixie knows, she just wishes she could get there faster. You sure Trixie can’t sell her soul to a demon or something?” Starlight snorted. “As if. Any demon offering to exchange your soul for anything is cheating you. Most of the time they don’t even follow through. And, besides,” her avatar’s eyes flashed with magical light. “Your soul already belongs to a demon. Me.” “I hope you weren’t planning on doing anything with it,” Trixie replied idly. “Trixie is still using it.” “Don’t worry, I’m a merciful mistress,” Starlight grinned, though it was less malicious and more ‘flirty’.”All I desire is your eternal love and affection.” Trixie met Starlight’s grin with one of her own. “Well, it’s a good thing Trixie had planned to give you that anyway.” “Excellent.” Starlight’s grin gave way to a giggle, any factor of intimidation she may have crumbling even further. “You know,” she said, her laughter fading as her expression grew more serious. “I’m really glad you’re the one who found me. It got really lonely, being all by myself for all those centuries.” “Trixie can imagine.” She clenched her fist. “It boils Trixie’s blood, thinking about the bastard that trapped you in there. You don’t deserve it.” “I mean…” Starlight shrugged. “I suppose I can’t really blame him. I did cause quite a bit of trouble back then. I’m lucky Starswirl didn’t just kill me outright, if I’m being honest. I got off lightly.” “Still… we’ll get you out of there someday.” “I hope so…” Starlight forced a smile. “Still, even if I don’t, it wouldn’t be so bad. At least I have some of my magic back, now that we have a pact. There are certainly worse ways to spend eternity.” “You don’t have to pay rent, at least.” Trixie pointed out. “Nah, I can just mooch off you and Maud. Thus is the demon way!” Starlight declared, putting her hands on her hips. “You know…” Trixie learned in towards Starlight’s avatar, dropping her voice. “I’m beginning to think demons aren’t very nice.” “Not traditionally, no.” “Well then,” Trixie tapped the image of Starlight on the nose. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.” Issue #3“...once again, Canterlot City has been saved, thanks to the heroic efforts of the group of superheroines known as ‘The Elements of Harmony’. The self proclaimed ‘Lord of Chaos’ Discord was defeated this afternoon by the team, and is now once again sealed away in stone. So far, no deaths and very few injuries have been reported in the aftermath of Discord’s rampage, no doubt thanks to the quick response from The Elements…” Lying on her couch, legs hung over the armrest, Trixie scoffed, rolling her eyes. With a flick of her wrist, she grabbed the TV remote in an aura of magic, pressing the ‘mute’ button to silence the news broadcast. Satisfied, she went back to absentmindedly checking her social media feed on her phone. The click of a door opening made her look up– or, rather, made her tilt her head over the other armrest and look upside down behind her, at Maud as she entered their shared apartment. “Hey,” she greeted, tilting her head to the now silenced TV. “Your sister and her friends are on the news again.” Maud nodded. “I saw. I’m glad she’s okay.” It was only through continued exposure to Maud’s monotone that allowed Trixie to pick up the extremely subtle hint of relief in her voice. “It’s not fair,” Trixie grumbled. “How come Canterlot gets all the supervillains? The Elements have, like, a bajillion nemeses, and we don’t have any! Why does this city have to be so boring…” “Really?” Starlight asked from the corner. Her illustrated avatar lowered the book she was reading, a thin line of turquoise magic connecting it to its physical counterpart in the real world. “You’re complaining about not having enough crime to fight?” She shook her head. “In my day, humans would have sacrificed so much for a place to live that was this peaceful.” “Yeah, well, in your day, people still thought the Earth was flat.” “Actually, that’s a misnomer,” Starlight corrected. “Knowledge of the of Earth’s spherical nature was fairly widespread among learned circles, and even those who weren’t–” “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Trixie cut her off, waving her hand, and sighed. “Trixie just desires a challenge. Something to test the limits of her great and powerful abilities! You get what I mean, right Maud?” “Yes.” Maud said, placing her bag on a hook and walking over to the nook of the apartment that functioned as a kitchen, a collection of envelopes and flyers in her hand. Trixie sat up, leaning over the back of the couch to watch Maud check the mail. “Anything interesting?” She asked. “Ad. Bill. Charity. Bill.” Maud placed each envelope down onto the countertop in turn, separating them into different piles. “Letter from home. Ad. Coupons for pizza.” “Ooh!” Starlight looked up again, floating over to Maud, the book in her hand vanishing as the thread of magic sustaining it snapped. “Pizza sounds good, what do you girls think?” Trixie shrugged. “Works for Trixie.” Maud nodded. “We can do pizza.” “Make sure you get pineapple on mine!” Starlight added, her grimoire bobbing up and down at an increased pace. Trixie made a face. “Blech. Trixie has no idea how you can stomach that. Demons are weird…” She shook her head, pulling up the pizza chain’s app on her phone and entering the coupon codes. “Humans are weird,” Starlight retorted. “You have all these amazing foods and you just refuse to eat most of them! Back in the Demons Realms, all we had to eat was raw magic and the suffering of tortured souls.” “What did that taste like?” Maud asked. Starlight thought for a moment. “Baguettes, mostly. Kinda weird, when you think about it.” She shrugged. “Either way, pizza’s much better.” With a frown, she added. “Most things here are better than the Demon Realms.” “You don’t talk much about where you come from,” Trixie said. “What are the Demon Realms even like? Are we talking, like, barren rocky wastelands, pits of fire everywhere, or what?” “Kind of? In some places, yes, in others…” Starlight sighed. “I’d rather not talk about it. I left as soon as I could, and, well..” She gestured at the book that was her prison. “I haven’t exactly been back in a long time. Not like I’d want to go back.” She gave a grin. “They don’t have pizza, or pineapples, or kites, or you two! This world is much better.” “I’m glad.” Maud said. “If we’re gonna get sappy, Trixie is breaking out the liquor.” Trixie declared. “Trixie is never sappy while sober.” Trixie did, indeed, break out the alcohol, as promised. However, they did not ‘get sappy’; rather, the three of them decided to just eat pizza and watch Netflix, which was more enjoyable, despite not being nearly as emotionally cathartic. Starlight took the last bite of her illustrated pizza, As she did, it’s counterpart in the real world, connected to her with a thread of turquoise, completely turned black and shriveled up, the magic connection fading away. With a hum, Starlight tilted herself slightly to face another slice, and pointed at it. A beam of magic shot from her finger, out of her tome, and hit the pizza, tethering it to herself, causing it’s illustrated form to appear in her hand. She shot a glance at Trixie’s glass of rum, and sighed. She took another bite of her pizza, mulling over her thoughts, and then floated over to Trixie and nudged her shoulder. “Hey, Trix?” she asked quietly. “Yeah?” Trixie turned to look at Starlight, her avatar taking a step into the background with a nervous expression. Trixie tilted her head slightly in confusion, followed Starlight’s line of sight to her glass, and put two and two together. “Starlight…” “Come on, please?” Starlight all but begged. “I can’t even get tipsy in here, it’s like, one of the very few downsides if I’m being on honest, can you even imagine what it’s like to drink alcohol without the buzz, it’s horrible–” “You do remember what happened last time, right?” Trixie asked flatly. “Because Trixie does. Or, rather, Trixie remembers what happened after.” “I’m sorry, okay?” Starlight hissed, trying not to speak too loudly despite the fact that none of them were really paying attention to whatever crappy Netflix original had autoplayed. “I wasn’t prepared, I lost control, it won’t happen again, I promise.” Trixie turned to look at Maud, who was sitting on her other side, with a questioning look. Starlight looked to her too, with puppy dog eyes slightly too wide to be a realistic expression. “I trust her.” Maud said simply, downing the last of her whiskey. “And I can keep her in check, too.” “Fair enough…” Trixie sighed. “It’s not that I have a problem with it, it’s just...” Starlight shook her head rapidly. “No, no, I get it. Human bodies are squishy, and having someone else run around in yours isn’t something you’re used to.” “It is… exceptionally weird, yes,” Trixie admitted. “But Trixie is more concerned with your wellbeing. You have a tendency to go… overboard.” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t?” “Trixie is a trained professional. You aren’t used to feeling pain.” “...Fair point.” Starlight conceded. “Look, just…” Trixie sighed again. “Don’t do anything Trixie wouldn’t do. And try not to hurt yourself, I don’t want to wake up with bruises, or worse.” “I’ll be careful, I promise.” Starlight gave a salute, and then looked past Trixie, at Maud, and gave her a saucy look. “So I can do things you would…?” “That is between you and Maud.” Trixie said. “What you decide to do with our girlfriend while you are controlling my body is your business.” Trixie paused. “It is bizarre to Trixie that that sentence made sense. Why is life so weird?” “That’s not so bad.” Maud answered. “We’re superheroes. Starlight is a demon who lives in a book. My sister can bend reality. Everything is weird.” “Maud is… not wrong,” Starlight admitted. “I’m still not sure what Pinkie is…” she muttered under her breath. “Besides,” Maud gave a very slight smile. “I think it’s hot.” Both Trixie and Starlight went red in the face. “Uh…. good to know, then.” Starlight managed. “We don’t deserve her.” Trixie stage whispered to Starlight. “I know.” Starlight whispered back. “I heard that.” Maud said, a touch of amusement actually present in her voice. “You were supposed to.” Trixie stood up. “Alright, Starlight, let’s do this. Please try not to throw up this time.” “I won’t, I swear.” Starlight promised, hands and eyes glowing as she prepared her magic. “I’ll be super responsible.” Trixie awoke with a splitting headache. “Ugghhh… what…” She tried to opened her eyes; her face was pressed against a pillow, but the light shining in from a crack in the curtains was still strong enough to force them shut again. She was in bed, wrapped up in sheets… and not much else. Next to her, she could feel Maud’s body heat and hear her soft breathing, and putting those two facts together implied… well, it implied. Fighting through the familiar pain of a hangover, Trixie tried to remember what had happened the prior night. There had been pizza, and gin, and Starlight– Starlight. “Starlight…” Trixie grumbled, turning over and forcing her eyes open to look around. Starlight’s tome hung on the bedside table, face down with one side hanging over the edge. “...Ugh, yeah?” Starlight’s voice, muffled through the table, replied. “What did you do last night?” “...Maud is really pretty…” Starlight slurred. “No, not–” Trixie would have shaken her head, but the movement made her feel dizzy. “How much did you drink?” “Umm… the whiskey or the gin? Cause I only had a little of the whiskey, but...” Trixie groaned again as Starlight’s words set in. “How much?” She asked, louder, regretting it as she felt Maud stir beside her. “The whole bottle.” Starlight admitted guiltily. “But I didn’t throw up this time!” Trixie sighed, bringing a hand to her face to massage her brow. “You have a problem.” “...Maud is really pretty…” Starlight repeated dopily. All Trixie had the energy to do was agree. “...Yeah, she is…” Issue #4On the outskirts of Fillydelphia, barely within the city limits, there was an abandoned factory. Like most abandoned factories, it hadn’t always been like that. It had been built, several decades ago, by a bathroom fixtures company to manufacture shower curtains. However, after the company’s eccentric owner drove his business into the ground investing in experimental technology, it’s liquidated assets were purchased by FlimFlam Co, a multinational corporation. Since FlimFlam Co. had been far more interested in the patented prototypes they now owned than a simple fixtures factory, the building was left to fall into disrepair. The walls were covered in graffiti, most of the windows were broken and boarded up, and anything of value had been stolen years ago. In other words, it was a perfect hiding place. In the dead of night, an unmarked grey van pulled up to the factory, parking in a hidden nook inside one of the disused loading bays. A pair of men stepped out, both of them dressed in dark clothing. One of them put his hand to his jacket pocket, wrapping his fingers around the grip of his concealed pistol, and looked around cautiously. The other rolled his eyes. “There’s no one there, Sharp.” he said, opening the back of the van. “You can never be too careful, Blunt…” Sharp replied, peering into the darkness. “The Boss’d kill us if we were followed.” “Nobody even knows the Boss is in this city.” Blunt said, retrieving a large case from the back of the van. He undid the latch and peeked inside briefly, before nodding and closing it again. “Come on, we don’t wanna keep him waiting.” Sharp hesitated, then nodded, stepping over to join his partner. The two men made their way deeper into the factory, old flickering lights providing just barely enough visibility. “This place gives me the creeps.” Sharp muttered. He pulled out a handheld torch and flipped it on, the strong white light drastically increasing the illumination. Blunt nodded. “Gives everyone the creeps. I’ve heard a bunch of rumors about this old factory. Apparently the guy who used to own it was completely bonkers, did all sorts of messed up science shit. Artificial intelligence, trying to buy moon rocks from the government, that sort of thing. People say there’s all sorts of freaky stuff locked up in here.” “Good place for the Boss to hide, then.” Sharp said. “Nobody in their right mind would come out to a place like this.” *THUNK* “What was that?” Sharp spun around, shining his torch around for the source of the noise with one hand while reaching for his gun with the other. Blunt waved his free hand dismissively. “Probably just the wind, or some old pipes.” He shook his head. “You’re way too jumpy, buddy.” “And you’re too calm,” Sharp scoffed. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, he turned back, continuing ahead. “Did you forget the reason the Boss is hiding out in a dump like this in the first place?” “How could I?” his partner replied. “Damned ‘hero’ brats… It’s a miracle we made it out of Canterlot in one piece.” Continuing deeper into the abandoned building, the two reached something that was noticeably out of place. A reinforced steel door blocking an entryway, one that looked much newer than the rest of the factory. Sharp approached it, and knocked three times. “Password?” A gruff voice asked from the other side. “Wait three minutes.” Sharp answered. There was silence, then the sound of multiple locks being undone. The heavy door was pulled open, and a third man, tall and extremely bulky, silently ushered Blunt and Sharp inside. This part of the factory was completely different to the rest of the dilapidated building. Clean, plush carpets, expensive art hanging from the wall, a bar in the corner… every part of it screamed ‘hidden safehouse of a crime boss”. Probably because it was the hidden safehouse of a crime boss. At the end of the room, with a bodyguard on either side of him, was said crime boss himself. Don Krow, a short squat man in a dark blue pinstripe suit and matching fedora with a large white beard. He looked at the two new arrivals with approval. “Sharp Tack, Blunt Edge. You’ve brought them?” “Yes, Boss.” Blunt Edge nodded, placing the case on Don Krow’s large, mahogany desk and stepping back. Don Krow unlatched the case and opened it, revealing the contents: Boxes and boxes of imported cigars. “Excellent.” He said, taking a single box out and inspecting it. “And you weren’t followed?” Sharp Tack shook his head. “No, Boss.” “Good.” Don Krow placed the box on his desk, closed the case, and snapped his fingers. One of his bodyguards took the case from the desk and carried it to a cupboard in the corner of the room. “Until we get set up properly in this city, my location must be kept in the utmost secrecy, capiche?” “Of course, Boss.” Sharp replied. Don Krow sighed. “Nearly ten years of operation in Canterlot, and it all comes tumbling down in three months.” He pulled a cigar from the box and examined it closely. “All thanks to those ‘Elements of Harmony’.” He scoffed, rolling the cigar between his index finger and thumb. “Damn superheroes. Why can’t they mind their own business and stick to fighting monsters and freaks?” Satisfied with the quality, Don Krow placed his cigar on a cigar cutter on his desk and sliced off the tip, before placing it in his mouth. The other bodyguard leaned forward, with a matchbox in his hand, striking a match alight and lighting the cigar’s end. “Still,” Pulling the cigar from his lips and slowly exhaling the smoke, he gave a slight grin. “Maybe it’s not so bad. New city, new opportunities, eh?” “And no ‘heroes’ to get in the way..” Blunt pointed out. Don Krow shook his head. “Not quite. Heard some rumors about a couple of girls running around, some kinda stage magician and her muscle. You boys better keep your eyes peeled, I don’t want them making any trouble,” He shrugged. “But they’re amateurs, apparently. They shouldn’t be too hard to handle.” “Excuse me?” An indignant voice from the back of the room exclaimed. A burst of blue smoke flared up, and Trixie emerged from it, one hand on her hip and Starlight’s book floating at her side. “I think you’ll find the Great and Powerful Trixie to be more than a match for you!” Maud walked out of the smoke next to Trixie without any florushes, arms by her side. “What she said.” “What?” Don Krow stood up and stepped back, dropping his cigar. “How did you–” He glared at Sharp. “Idiots! You said you weren’t followed!” “W-we weren’t!” Sharp stammered. “I– how the hell did you get past me?” “A magician never reveals her secrets!” Trixie declared dramatically with a flourish of her cape. “Don Krow, leader of the notorious Krow Gang,” Maud said emotionlessly, as usual. “Your criminal ways have come to an end. Surrender, or we will subdue you, by force.” “What she said!” Trixie added with a smirk. “Grr… I don’t think so.” Don Krow growled. “You’re outnumbered,” He reached into his suit pocket, pulling out an oversized magnum. “And outgunned. Boys, get em!” At once, Sharp, Blunt, and both of his bodyguards drew their guns, pointing them at the heroic duo. In response, Starlight flew out in front of them, projecting an energy shield of turquoise magic. Don Krow fired, and the bullet was caught in the shield, floating harmlessly. The third bodyguard, who had been guarding the door, lunged forward, attempting to grab Maud. She deftly slipped out of his grasp and twisted his arms behind his back, spinning him around and pushing him into the wall, where he slumped to the ground. “These bullets are nothing to the Great and Powerful Trixie! Let her show you some real firepower!” Trixie flexed out her fingers, hands flickering with magic flowing from Starlight. A ball of energy began to form in her hand, slowly growing from the size of a marble to that of a baseball. “Klaatu… Barada… Trixie!” Trixie cried, throwing the orb of magic over Starlight’s shield. It exploded in mid air with a massive burst of light, forcing all of Don Krow’s thugs to stop shooting and shield their eyes. Taking the opportunity to go on the offeresive, Starlight lowered her barrier, and Trixie fired sleep spells at the two larger bodyguards. One of the bolts missed, but the other struck true, and the large man fell backwards into a chair and collapsed. Just before Starlight reestablished her shield, Maud darted forward, moving in front of Blunt and sweeping his leg with a kick before he could fire. He fell, firing a bullet that went wide and struck the ceiling. Sharp swiveled to point his gun at Maud, but she was quicker, wrenching his gun from his grasp and pulling him down on top of his partner. Noting the last remaining bodyguard turn his attention to Maud, Starlight flew forward, adjusting her shield. However, while she did so, Don Krow, watching the firefight from the back of the room, saw an opportunity. He aimed his mangum carefully, and as Starlight moved the barrier of magic to project Maud, he fired. The bullet went low, underneath Starlight’s shield, and struck Trixie in the leg. With a cry of pain, she crumpled to the floor, spell in her hand fizzling out. “Trixie!” Starlight screamed. In a panic, she dropped her barrier, moving back to hover over Trixie’s collapsed body, projecting a dome of energy over it. Don Krow grinned evilly, and turned to aim his gun at Maud. “You’re next.” Maud locked eyes with him, unblinking. Her expression hadn’t changed, but somehow her gaze had. For a split second, Don Krow faltered. It was all she needed. In a flash, Maud was next to the remaining bodyguard, moving so fast she left a faint afterimage. She punched him in the stomach, and he went flying into the back wall, crashing through the bricks and into the room behind him. Don Krow took a step back, but it wasn’t enough. Maud was in front of him now. He tried to fire his gun, but she was too fast, tearing it from his hand so hard she pulled his shoulder, throwing it against the wall with such force it shattered. She grabbed the Don’s beard, and pushed him against the back wall. She glared at him. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. Don Krow was frozen, fear causing him to lock up. Maud pulled his head forward slightly, preparing to slam it into the wall. “Maud, stop!” Starlight called. “She’s okay!” Maud froze, still gripping Don Krow’s beard, and turned to look over her shoulder. Starlight floated over Trixie, the bullet held in front of her. On the ground, Trixie looked up and smiled weakly at Maud, leg wound held tight by bands of magic. Turning back to look at the Don, Maud instead pushed him to the ground. Smashing his desk and walking through it, Maud stopped briefly, knocking over Blunt and Sharp before they could get up and snatching Blunt’s gun from him, and stepped over them, kneeling down to check Trixie’s injury. “How is it?” “Hurts like hell,” Trixie said, wincing. “But it’ll be fine.” She gave a low whistle of appreciation. “You really showed them, huh?” “He hurt you.” Maud replied simply. Starlight, focusing her magic on healing Trixie’s wound, grimaced. “Remind me to never get on your bad side…” “Well, all things considered, that–” Trixie hissed in pain, gritting her teeth. “–went well enough. Could have done without getting shot, but...” “I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault...” Starlight said, avatar pacing back and forth. “You could have been killed. I need to pay more attention…” “Starlight, it’s fine.” Trixie insisted. “It’s not your fault. Trixie chooses to blame the one who actually shot her.” After successfully subduing the Krow Gang, and tipping the police off to their location, Maud and Starlight had taken Trixie back to their shared apartment. While Trixie’s injury had been relatively minor for a gunshot wound, the bullet not hitting anything majorly important and Starlight’s healing magic taking care of the rest, the book-bound demon had still fretted constantly over it, pumping as much magic into it as possible. By this point, it was only a thin scar on her leg, albeit one that still stung. “It’s…” Starlight’s face fell. “I could have lost you. I can’t screw up like that again. We’re lucky Maud was able to take the rest of them out.” “She was amazing.” Trixie declared, looking over at Maud, who was sitting next to her. “I didn’t know you could even move that fast!” “I hold back a lot.” Maud explained. “I don’t usually like to hurt people too badly. But when people I care about are in danger, I find it hard to restrain myself.” Trixie thought about this for a moment. “Trixie, you’re not putting yourself in danger more often to trigger Maud’s protective instincts.” Starlight chastised. “But–” “Trixie!” “Fine…” Trixie grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting. “You always veto my best ideas…” Issue #5It was Tuesday morning, and the world was ending. Hundreds of massive green and black spaceships hung in the skies of planet Earth, hovering above major cities and locations of strategic importance. Their chitinous, semi organic appearance, suitably alien, made the fleet instantly recognizable to anyone who had basic knowledge of major galactic powers (on Earth, that was a group of people who numbered double digits) as the invasion force of the Changeling Empire, a race of shapeshifting insectoids that fed on emotional energy. And, above Canterlot City, which apparently had become the most important place on Earth at some point, was the mothership, almost the size of the city itself. Within the twisted flying fortress, sitting on her dark throne, was Queen Chrysalis, Empress of the Changelings, come personally to claim the primitive planet as her people’s newest feeding ground. If Earth had been any normal planet, the battle would have been over in hours. Its population reduced to slaves or livestock, its cities razed and replaced with hives, its resources plundered for the Empire’s expansion. However, Earth had two things that the Empire’s previous victims lacked: Advanced forewarning of their arrival, and a frankly absurd amount of super-powered individuals capable of fighting back. The Elements of Harmony, acting on information provided to them by a Changeling defector named Thorax, had rallied a veritable army to defend the planet. Heroes from all over the world came together, uneasy truces were made with villains, and, through some miracle, they’d even received support from the world’s governments. Reinforcements had arrived, too, from unexpected places: A sorceress from the future, who traveled back in time to aid her to-be mentor Alicorn, leader of The Elements, and revolve a time loop; a mysterious woman in a purple blazer who cut through spacetime with a greatsword to join the fight; and a group of spider themed heroes from other worlds, lending aid across the multiverse wherever needed. If Chrysalis had expected an easy conquest, she would find anything but. From the roof of their apartment building, Maud and Starlight watched the ominous form of the Changeling ship above them, Maud stoic as always and Starlight with a faltering, slightly nervous expression. “That’s… a really big spaceship.” Starlight commented. “Yep.” Maud replied quietly. “Do… Do you think we can really fight these guys?” Starlight asked. Maud was silent for a moment. “We have to.” She answered eventually. A comically exaggerated noise, like rubber stretching, drew their attention away from the ship. A pink mass pulled itself out of a ventilation slit clearly far too small for it to fit out of, resolving into the head and upper torso of a woman with a *sproing* sound. Her face was framed by a mass of bright pink curly hair, and she was covered in a form fitting pink bodysuit that somehow formed thick black outlines around her body, like a cell shaded cartoon character. “HI MAUD!” The woman shouted excitedly, waving enthusiastically at Maud and Starlight, so far her arm appeared to be a blur. “Hello, Pinkie.” Maud said, relief barely tangible in her tone. Pinkie Pie, better known to the world as the bizarre and wacky superheroine Slapstick, craned her head unnaturally to look directly up at the Changeling ship above Fillydelphia. “Huh. They haven’t started attacking here yet. That’s strangely convenient!” Turning back to Muad, her expression turned serious. Or, at least, as serious as Pinkie ever got. “The girls and I are gearing up to infiltrate the mothership. Thorax said if we take down Chrysalis, the rest of the fleet should surrender. It’s our one shot at ending this as quickly as possible.” Maud looked at Pinkie for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but Pinkie cut her off. “I know it’s dangerous,” she said, uncharacteristically somber. “But it’s our best hope. If things drag out any longer…” she frowned. “People are gonna start dying.” “Just… promise me you’ll come back safe.” Maud eventually said. “I…” Pinkie faltered. “I Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She said, reciting the childish chant and going through the matching motions. “There, you see?” She gave a strained smile. “I’d never break a Pinkie Promise.” She thought for a moment. “But, if… if we, if I…” she trailed off, before giving Maud a sad smile. “Tell Mom and Dad and Limestone and Marble what happened, okay? Oh, and look after Gummy for me?” Maud gave a solemn nod. “I will. But I won’t have to.” Pinkie pursed her lips, before smiling and nodding. “No, you won’t. No icky bug queen can stop The Elements!” The sound of triumphant horns playing a heroic tune emanated from no particular source, and Pinkie threw up her arms as a cloud of confetti surrounded her. “We’ll beat her alien butt back to deep space!” She gave Maud a salute. “Seya, sis!” With that farewell, she took a deep breath, and was sucked back through the ventilation slit, in violation of several laws of physics and common sense. Starlight, who had remained silent during the talk between sisters, turned to Maud. “I still don’t understand how she does that.” “Nobody does,” Maud answered. “She’s just… Pinkie Pie.” “Powers beyond man and demon…” Starlight’s avatar shook her head. “Hey,” she asked, looking up and around. “Where’d Trixie go?” Wordlessly, Maud pointed to the rooftop access doorway. Part of a star studded cape was visible on the ground, sticking out from the other side of the small part of the building that jutted out to cover the staircase up. “Trixie?” Starlight asked, floating over to her normally bombastic girlfriend. “You okay?” Trixie, huddled against the wall hugging her knees, looked up at Starlight, a frightened expression on her face and eyes filled with tears. Trembling, she shook her head. Starlight gasped, moving in closer. “What’s wrong?” “I…” Trixie gulped. “Trixie is terrified, okay?” She blurted out. “I just– I can’t– I wasn’t– I’m not prepared-” she took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself, while watching her hands shaking. “It’s too much…” “But…” Starlight frowned. “What happened to all that confidence? We’ve been preparing for days, you didn’t say anything before…” “It…” Trixie shook her head bitterly. “It’s fake, it’s always been fake, you know that!” She shouted. “Trixie is a coward who shouts her own name to validate herself. She pretends to be confident to hide how utterly afraid she is.” She hung her head. “Trixie is pathetic…” “No, you’re not!” Starlight insisted, putting her hands on her hips. “Trixie is amazing and smart and talented and I love her. Just because you’re afraid…” “I’m afraid too.” Maud knelt down, lightly taking Trixie’s hand. “I’m not good at expressing my emotions. But I’m scared too. For myself. For my sister. For the world. For you, and Starlight…” She gripped Trixie’s hand tighter, taking care not to squeeze it too hard. “Pinkie’s scared too. Everyone is, no matter how strong.” “I know I sure am…” Starlight added. “But it's not about not being afraid. It’s about acting in spite of it. Even if the ego and the third person speech and everything is just a facade… well, first of all, if it lets you work through fear, then it’s not fake. And…” her avatar blushed a little. “It kinda helps me too.” “R-really?” Trixie asked. It was Maud who answered, nodding. “Your confidence is very reassuring. It makes me feel like we can achieve anything.” Trixie blinked, and then laughed a little. “Heh. For me it was always… you’re always so calm, Maud. That’s what reassures me.” “Me too.” Starlight nodded. “For me, it’s both of you. I’ve never really… had anyone before, and–” she cut herself off, shaking her head. “This isn’t about me.” “No, no,” Trixie shook her own head, wiping away tears. “Say it. Trixie… I want to hear it.” Starlight hesitated a little. “Okay, then… It’s just, I’ve always been alone, even before…” She gestured at the grimoire that held her spirit prisoner. “I’ve never had anyone who cared about me, anyone to care about. And, if I’m being honest, the thought of losing either of you terrifies me, and…” She smiled half heartedly. “I guess we’ve all been holding in our fear, huh?” “Trixie did not sign up to fight alien armies. She was perfectly content beating up common criminals.” Maud’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly. “I thought you wanted a challenge?” she asked. “...Mostly content. But this is way beyond that.” She looked up at the glowing green patterns on the underside of the ship high above the city, and took a deep breath. “But we don’t have any other choice, do we?” “We… could just run?” Starlight suggested. “Let The Elements do their work? It’s not like we’re that important. Nothing we do here will have an effect on the bigger picture, so…” Trixie shook her head. “We can’t. Innocent people could get hurt, and we’re supposed to be protecting them. What was it one of those weirdo spider people said? ‘Being great and powerful comes with responsibility?’ Something like that. If Trixie wants to be Great and Powerful–” she flashed a hesitant smile. “–she has to be responsible too.” Maud nodded, giving a light hum of affirmation. Trixie slowly climbed to her feet, Maud helping her up. “Trixie is terrified right now. But Trixie will fight anyway. And…” She mustered up some bravado from deep within her soul, giving a confident grin. “With her girls by her side, Trixie will win! No freaky space bugs can stop The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She gave Maud a slightly hesitant look. “Better?” “Much.” Maud squeezed Trixie’s hand again. From her other side, a tendril of magic stretched from Starlight’s book, taking hold of Trixie’s other hand. A hatch opened on the spaceship above them. A cloud of black figures, too numerous to count, swarmed out, flying out and spreading across the city. Trixie gulped, but stood firm, squeezing her girlfriends’ hands tighter. “Ready?” She asked. Maud nodded. “Ready.” Starlight smirked. “Ready.” Letting go of Maud and Starlight, Trixie held her hands out in a reading stance, Starlight floating underneath her now glowing hands, enveloped in a turquoise aura and pages flipping rapidly. A large circular platform of magic formed underneath her, carrying her and Maud into the air to combat the approaching Changelings. It was Tuesday morning, and the world was ending. But as long as they had each other, Trixie, Maud, and Starlight would be just fine. Author's Note (To find out how the Changeling Invasion arc ends, be sure to pick up Elements of Harmony #15, the epic conclusion, coming October 2013 to around 3 dozen comic shops in Oregon and that's about it, good luck finding one I don't know where this joke is going it made more sense in an older draft) Thanks for reading my terrible attempt at something resembling romance, if you squint. Please remember to give the story a thumbs down and tell me all the things you disliked about it in the comments so I can learn from my numerous mistakes. Once again a special shoutout to The Sleepless Beholder, not only for pre-reading this trash but also for taking the time to draw this cover art, despite how unhelpful I was in it's creation, they have the patience of a saint I swear. As stated, this story is an entry in the StarTrixMaud Shipping Contest, so make sure to go read the other entries, all of which are probably better romance stories than this one. Though, this story has superheroes in it so I guess that counts for something? Possibly. Probably not though.
Issue #1Fillydelphia wasn’t exactly the kind of city with an extremely dangerous reputation. It’s crime rates weren’t abnormally high, and it certainly didn’t see frequent supervillain attacks like the statistical anomaly that was Canterlot City. But it wasn’t perfectly safe either; it was still the kind of city where a young woman could get mugged by a group of thugs in a dark alley. “Help! I’m a young woman being mugged by a group of thugs in a dark alley!” “You’ve got that right,” the lead thug said with a wicked grin, raising the switchblade knife in his hand and pointing it at his target. “Now, gimme all your stuff!” The target in question, the aforementioned young woman, flinched, cringing back away from the weapon. Her name was Sunflower, and she’d made the probably poor choice to stay out late with friends, followed by the definitely poor choice of walking home alone. The fact that this was her first time being mugged by a group of thugs in a dark alley spoke less to her personal life choices, and more a combination of Fillydelphia’s safety as a place to live, and sheer dumb luck. As is traditional, the group cornering her numbered three. The leader, who naturally stood ahead of the other two, was the one holding the knife, a large man with an outrageous black mullet and sharp, grey eyes. His lackeys flanked him; as also is traditional, one was extremely tall and thin, and the other shorter, with broad, burly shoulders, both with malicious yet doofy expression betraying their status as dumb muscle. They were all wearing black leather jackets, which completed their very specific look of ‘having walked straight out a movie set in the 1960s.’ “Listen, I don’t gotta hurt ya,” the knife wielding thug said, taking a step forward. “All you gotta do is hand over your cash, your jewelry, and anything else nice you’ve got. Then, we can all go home.” He turned his head over his shoulders to look at his partners in crime. “Ain’t that right, boys?” “Yeah, Boss,” the thin thug replied in a snively voice. “Don’t want to hurt a lady.” “Wouldn’t be proper.” the bulky thug echoed, his voice lower and dopey sounding. “See?” The leader turned back to Sunflower, sneering. “We’re not so bad. So… what’s it gonna be?” “You will go no further!” “Huh?” The thugs flinched, looking around. The voice, bold and bombastic, didn’t come from Sunflower, and it didn’t come from any of her attackers either, not just because it was femmine, but because it would be really weird for any of them to say that in the first place. “Who’s there?” The leader yelled, waving his knife around. “Vile criminal scum! You will see no mercy from the wrath of-” Out of nowhere, a cloud of blue smoke burst up from the ground between Sunflower and the thugs, forcing them to cover their eyes and take a step back. As the smoke settled, a figure, one who hadn’t been there prior, stepped forward, striking a dramatic pose “The Great and Powerful Trixie!” ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’ happened to be another young woman, around the same age as Sunflower, dressed in light blue and purple outfit that was best summed up as ‘overly elaborate sorceress’, complete with a hat and cape covered in stars. In her right hand, she held a thick, brown book with two turquoise wisps and a purple and white star on the cover, one that would best be classified as a ‘tome’, which completed her very specific look of ‘anime magic user.” The thugs started at Trixie, unable to decide if her sudden appearance and dramatic declaration was impressive, or completely absurd. “Who the hell are you supposed to be?” The lead thug asked. Trixie scoffed. “Clearly, you need to pay more attention when people are speaking to you!” She raised her free hand and pointed at the group of goons. “Clean the wax out of your ears and listen up! The Great and Powerful Trixie has arrived, and that means the end of your wicked ways!” She smirked. “Now, drop the weapon and put your hands up, and maybe Trixie will let you walk away without a fight.” The muggers blinked, looking back and forth between Trixie and each other... and then burst out into laughter. “Are you crazy?” Their leader asked between wheezing breaths. “You think we’re gonna surrender to you? You’ve gotta be kidding!” “The Great and Powerful Trixie never kids!” Trixie replied smugly. “But she does do tricks. And for her first trick…” Seemingly under its own power, her book floated out of her hand and up in front of her, opening by itself and flipping through its pages at a rapid pace. “Trixie will make your weapon… disappear!” The knife wielding thug, clearly too distracted by laughing to notice Trixie’s magical floating book, raised an eyebrow, and his switchblade. “Really?” He asked, tone as sharp and threatening as his weapon. “Ya wanna bet?” “Trixie will take that bet, and she will win it!” Her book began to glow a light turquoise, as did Trixie’s left hand. The lead thug’s grin fell, and he took a half step back, suddenly realizing the reality of the situation. “And now, I say the magic words…” She thrust her arm out dramatically. “Abraca-TRIXIE!” A bolt of turquoise light shot from Trixie’s hand, flying towards the lead thug at an incredible speed. It struck his knife dead on, causing it to vanish in a puff of blue smoke. The now weaponless mugger stared at his empty hands in disbelief, eyes wide. “What…” He looked up at Trixie, scowling. “That was my favorite knife!” Trixie grinned smugly, flipping her long silver hair with a flick of her head. “Aw, such a shame. Maybe you should have thought of that before pointing it at Trixie. Now, do you want to give up, or shall we do this the hard way?” “There’s still more of us then there are of you!” The lead thug cracked his knuckles and rolled his shoulders. “You can’t take us all on!” His lackeys nodded in affirmation, readying themselves for a fistfight as well. Trixie remained unphased. “Perhaps you’re right. Maybe, Trixie can’t.” She said, her grin widening. “But she can.” “Huh?” Before he could ask who Trixie was talking about, the lead thug felt a tap on his shoulder. Spinning around, he found himself face to face with yet another woman, one dressed in a grey-blue hoodie and sweatpants, with an extremely apathetic expression. “Hello.” She said, voice completely monotone. “Wha-” That was all he could get out before the woman punched him in the stomach. The force of the blow sent him soaring through the air, arms and legs flailing wildly. He crashed face first into a conveniently placed pile of trash bags on the side of the alley, going limp with a muffled groan. His buddies watched him get sent flying, and then turned to face the bored looking woman. The larger of the two, in a move that proved just how phenomenally stupid he was, threw a punch at her. She caught it in her palm without flinching. “That was a bad idea.” She said, tone still completely emotionless. She twisted her hand, and the thug’s arm shuddered as his shoulder was dislocated from the force. Then, she pushed him back, sending him stumbling into the side of the alley and down next to his boss. The third thug took a step back, eyes darting around wildly. “Now, h-hang on,” he stammered. “Let’s just talk about this for a momen-” A bolt of turquoise struck the back of his head. His whole body shook for a second, and then his eyes closed and he slumped over. The woman moved forward, catching him over her shoulder before he fell to the ground. A light snore came from his mouth as she lay him next to his fallen comrades. “Well then,” Trixie dusted off her hands. “Trixie would say that went rather well.” A rope coiled around from under her cape and flew through the air, pulling the three dazed goons together and tying them up. “Mmm.” The apathetic woman gave a light nod, and walked past Trixie and towards Sunflower, who was cowering in the back of the alley. “You okay?” She asked, reaching out her hand. Sunflower nodded hesitantly, taking the woman’s hand and staggering to her feet. “You… you saved me…” She stammered in disbelief. “Yep!” Trixie said, tucking her book under her arm and spinning around. “All in a night’s work for The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She paused. “And Maud!” She added, giving her companion’s shoulders a quick hug. Maud, for her part, just gave Sunflower a light wave. “How can I ever repay you?” Sunflower asked. “There is no need!” Trixie put her hands on her hips, her cape and hair billowed in a non-existence breeze. “For the only thing The Great and Powerful Trixie desires is the adoration of those she helps!” “...Ooookay then…” Sunflower took a step back, becoming increasingly concerned at how bizarre her saviours were. “Hey, aren’t you forgetting someone?” Sunflower blinked. The new voice hadn’t come from Trixie, or Maud, but… “Did… did that book just talk?” She asked. The book in question wormed its way out from under Trixie’s arm, floating up to Sunflower’s face. It opened up, revealing an illustration of a purple skinned woman dressed in form fitting green and purple robes, a pair of curved horns sticking out of the top of her head. The woman moved inside the image, leaning forward with an annoyed expression. “I swear, sometimes I think Trixie forgets who provides the power around here…” Sunflower just stared at the irritated illustrated woman inside the magical floating book, jaw agape, for several seconds. After which, her brain promptly decided it had had more than enough weirdness for one night, and that now would be a very good time to stop thinking for a while. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head, and she slumped to the ground, landing in yet another conveniently placed pile of trash bags. The woman in the illustration froze. “...Oops.” “How was I supposed to know I’d make her faint? I just wanted some recognition!” Trixie just stared at her. “Starlight, you are a purple skinned demon! Inside a book!” “I thought you found that sexy!” Starlight gaped. “I do! Extremely!” Trixie shot back. “But that doesn’t mean random people on the street aren’t going to freak out!” The three of them had retreated to a rooftop, because rooftops were where all heroes hung out after successfully saving people. Maud stood watching over the edge in a way that would have been dramatic and inspiring if her face wasn’t perpetually stuck in a non-expression, while Trixie leaned against a ventilation box, Starlight floating in front of her. Starlight’s avatar shook her head, her hair not reacting at all to the movement and moving as a static lump. “Are you sure you’re not just trying to hog the spotlight?” Trixie opened her mouth to respond… and then stopped. “Okay, that might be true.” She admitted. “Just a little. But that’s besides the point.” “I don’t think it is…” Starlight said in a sing-song voice. “Admit it. You don’t want people finding out where you draw your magic from, because then you wouldn’t be the one getting all the praise and adoration, it would be me, ” She smirked confidently. “The sexy book demon.” “That’s ridiculous.” Trixie said flatly, crossing her arms and sticking her nose in the air. “Trixie will not respond to such lies and slander.” “It’s not slander if it’s true…” “Blatant falsehoods.” Trixie insisted. “Trixie is perfectly capable of sharing her spotlight. She just does not wish to scare people who are less receptive to cute demon girls inside magic books.” “Cuter than you?” Starlight asked with a sly grin. Trixie gave a mock gasp. “How dare you? Trixie will have you know that she is much better looking! And besides, you’re just a drawing, you don’t count.” Now it was Starlight’s turn to gasp. “And I’ll have you know that this is exactly how I used to look!” “Really?” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “You sure you didn’t take the chance to make some… let’s say ‘minor alterations’?” “Now look who’s spreading lies and slander.” Starlight put her hands on her hips. “Well, there’s one way to settle this.” She spun her book around. “Hey, Maud!” She called. “Yes?” Maud turned around herself, walking over towards Trixie and Starlight. “Who’s prettier: Me, or Trixie?” Starlight asked. “Hey, come on Starlight, you can’t just ask a question like that!” Trixie shook her head. “How could you force Maud to hurt your feelings?” “Mine?” Starlight questioned with a smirk. “Or yours?” Maud blinked, slowly looking back and forth between them, and said nothing for a while. Starlight and Trixie both watched her, a tense moment passing over the rooftop. Eventually, she answered. “You’re both extremely attractive.” Maud said, in her usual expressionless tone. Trixie and Starlight looked at each other, lips curling upwards. “Pft…” Trixie put a hand to her mouth, trying and failing to stifle her giggles. “Heheh…” Starlight did the same, her book wobbling a little as she tried to maintain her composure. Trixie broke first. “Pwahahaha!” She put her hands on her stomach, leaning over from laughing so hard. Starlight cracked soon after, her book fluttering erratically in the air from her giggles. “Maud, why was that- how are you so funny?” Starlight asked in between laughs. “Natural talent.” Maud replied without missing a beat, causing Starlight and Trixie to laugh harder. Maud’s own mouth moved up an imperceptible fraction, which for her was the equivalent of rolling around on the floor. Argument forgotten, the three of them spent a moment simply laughing and enjoying each other’s company. For about three minutes, before one of the building’s tenants chased them off with a broom for making loud noises while he was trying to sleep.
Issue #2“...of course, if a sapphire contains even a small amount of chromium, it’s called a ruby, despite the fact that they are, at their core, the same mineral–” The sound of a bell echoed throughout the lecture hall, signalling that once again, Professor Topaz’’s lecture had run over time. Topaz, a middle aged man with a tweed jacket and bow tie that seemed picked specifically to remind you that he was, in fact, a professor, stopped, looking up at the clock behind him. “Well, I suppose you all knew that already,” He said with a wave of his hand. “I won’t keep you any longer. A quick reminder that your assignments are due next week, so I hope you’ve been working on them, because I will not be lenient on last minute essays.” There were one or two quiet grumbles, but the majority of the rather small class of students were mostly silent as they gathered their things and exited the large hall. Among them, and the quietest of them all, was Maud, effortlessly carrying her large back of books and notes in one hand. She got looks for that, occasionally. She wasn’t tiny, by any means, but she still appeared rather slight for a girl who didn’t bat an eye at weights that made men over twice her size flinch. Her demeanor perhaps didn’t help; her constantly neutral expression kept eyes off of her most of the time, but it only made her casual acts of incredible strength look even more effortless. She’d never been quite sure where that power had even come from. She’d just been born with it; so had two of her three sisters, though her strength was the greatest among them. She had an inkling that her parents had some idea, but if they did, they’d never told her. As for her third sister… Well, nobody could explain Pinkie. Their abilities had been useful, though. Work on the isolated quarry that had been her childhood home had been much easier when one could smash rocks with her fists and carry half a tonne with minimal effort. But, while Limestone and Marble had been content to remain on the farm with her parents, she and Pinkie had struck out on their own. Unlike her hyper energetic pink sister, however, Maud’s passion still lay within the earth. She wasn’t exactly sure what she wanted to do with her geology doctorate once she got it. Mineralogy, volcanology, geophysics… as long as there were rocks involved, she was invested. Not that anyone could ever tell from her expression. She put her free hand in her pocket, feeling for the familiar shape of Boulder. Perhaps she was a bit old to have a pet rock, but when she curled her fingers around the stone she had dug from the ground as a child, she could almost swear she could feel the pulse of the earth itself, connecting her not just to her family’s quarry, but to the entire planet. Maud pushed open the doors to the university and walked outside, a chilly gust of late afternoon wind slightly ruffling her hair. All her classes for the day were over, which meant it was time to head home. The apartment she shared with Trixie and Starlight wasn’t too far away, and with the superhuman stamina that came with her strength, the relatively short walk was nothing. Despite the fact that Fillydelphia wasn’t often the site of blatant crimes committed in broad daylight, Maud kept her eyes peeled on her walk home. Trixie may have been the one obsessed with heroic names, poses and costumes, but that didn’t mean Maud didn’t also care about doing good wherever she could. Nothing caught her attention, however. It wasn’t something she particularly minded, as much as the lack of action annoyed Trixie to no end. Maud much preferred living in a peaceful city, even if it meant she was less needed. Unlike Canterlot, which needed a team of heroes to fight off the constantly appearing super criminals. Who, for some reason, had only started appearing after heroes capable of fighting them did. With nothing else to occupy her attention, her mind wandered, wondering how Trixie was doing. She’d actually managed to land a performance gig after weeks of nothing; there wasn’t too much demand for a stage magician, after all, especially not a new and unknown one, despite her talent. The best she could get were small venues, clubs and the like, but Trixie refused to let that stop her. Her determination and confidence were things that Maud loved about her. One day, Maud was sure Trixie would have her time in the spotlight. “And now,” Trixie announced dramatically, removing her hat and reaching deep into it. “Watch, as the Great and Powerful Trixie… ends the same way she begins.” She pulled out a card from her hat, revealing its face to the audience: The Three of Clubs, with a large ‘T’ drawn on with blue marker, the very same card, picked by the audience, she had burned to ash at the beginning of her performance. Her audience clapped politely, prompting Trixie into an elaborate bow. “Thank you, thank you, you’re too kind.” She paused. “Not that Trixie wants you to stop. She lives for the attention.” She got a few laughs at that. “Now then,” Trixie placed her hat back on her head and flicked her cape. “You’ve been a wonderful audience, but Trixie is afraid she must bid you adieu. So, for her final trick, The Great and Powerful Trixie will make herself… disappear!” With that, she was engulfed in a burst of blue smoke, and when it cleared, Trixie was nowhere to be seen. She appeared backstage, in the small dressing room she had been allocated. With an exhausted sigh, she slumped down on the couch pressed up against the side of the room, her hand sliding down over her face. As if sensing her presence, the hefty tome sitting on the side table shook to life, floating up into the air and opening at the middle to reveal the illustrated form of Starlight’s avatar. “Hey,” she said, hovering over to Trixie. “How’d it go?” “Same as it ever was,” Trixie replied, sighing again. “Card tricks, coin tricks… Trixie wishes she could do some real magic for once. It has been too long since she sawed somebody in half.” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “You… Know you have real magic, right? All you need to do is take me with yo–” “That’s not what I mean, Starlight!” Trixie sat up, pushing her hat back up on top of her head, and gave the book in front of her a determined stare. “The point of stage magic is to do things without supernatural aid! It defiles the sacred art of illusions!” Starlight shook her head. “Humans. You spend thousands of years pretending you can use magic, and when you finally get that power you choose not to use it.” She smiled slyly. “Good thing you’re cute.” “Trixie is glad you agree.” Trixie replied with a sagelike nod, before sighing again. “It’s just… Trixie has always dreamed of performing on a grand stage, the eyes of the world on her amazing feats of magical brilliance. Her name, spoken far and wide by fans across the globe. And yet, she’s stuck performing common parlor tricks of an audience of a few dozen at best.” “Don’t let it get you down, Trix,” Starlight gave a reassuring smile. “You’ll get there eventually, I know it.” “Trixie knows, she just wishes she could get there faster. You sure Trixie can’t sell her soul to a demon or something?” Starlight snorted. “As if. Any demon offering to exchange your soul for anything is cheating you. Most of the time they don’t even follow through. And, besides,” her avatar’s eyes flashed with magical light. “Your soul already belongs to a demon. Me.” “I hope you weren’t planning on doing anything with it,” Trixie replied idly. “Trixie is still using it.” “Don’t worry, I’m a merciful mistress,” Starlight grinned, though it was less malicious and more ‘flirty’.”All I desire is your eternal love and affection.” Trixie met Starlight’s grin with one of her own. “Well, it’s a good thing Trixie had planned to give you that anyway.” “Excellent.” Starlight’s grin gave way to a giggle, any factor of intimidation she may have crumbling even further. “You know,” she said, her laughter fading as her expression grew more serious. “I’m really glad you’re the one who found me. It got really lonely, being all by myself for all those centuries.” “Trixie can imagine.” She clenched her fist. “It boils Trixie’s blood, thinking about the bastard that trapped you in there. You don’t deserve it.” “I mean…” Starlight shrugged. “I suppose I can’t really blame him. I did cause quite a bit of trouble back then. I’m lucky Starswirl didn’t just kill me outright, if I’m being honest. I got off lightly.” “Still… we’ll get you out of there someday.” “I hope so…” Starlight forced a smile. “Still, even if I don’t, it wouldn’t be so bad. At least I have some of my magic back, now that we have a pact. There are certainly worse ways to spend eternity.” “You don’t have to pay rent, at least.” Trixie pointed out. “Nah, I can just mooch off you and Maud. Thus is the demon way!” Starlight declared, putting her hands on her hips. “You know…” Trixie learned in towards Starlight’s avatar, dropping her voice. “I’m beginning to think demons aren’t very nice.” “Not traditionally, no.” “Well then,” Trixie tapped the image of Starlight on the nose. “It’s a good thing you’re cute.”
Issue #3“...once again, Canterlot City has been saved, thanks to the heroic efforts of the group of superheroines known as ‘The Elements of Harmony’. The self proclaimed ‘Lord of Chaos’ Discord was defeated this afternoon by the team, and is now once again sealed away in stone. So far, no deaths and very few injuries have been reported in the aftermath of Discord’s rampage, no doubt thanks to the quick response from The Elements…” Lying on her couch, legs hung over the armrest, Trixie scoffed, rolling her eyes. With a flick of her wrist, she grabbed the TV remote in an aura of magic, pressing the ‘mute’ button to silence the news broadcast. Satisfied, she went back to absentmindedly checking her social media feed on her phone. The click of a door opening made her look up– or, rather, made her tilt her head over the other armrest and look upside down behind her, at Maud as she entered their shared apartment. “Hey,” she greeted, tilting her head to the now silenced TV. “Your sister and her friends are on the news again.” Maud nodded. “I saw. I’m glad she’s okay.” It was only through continued exposure to Maud’s monotone that allowed Trixie to pick up the extremely subtle hint of relief in her voice. “It’s not fair,” Trixie grumbled. “How come Canterlot gets all the supervillains? The Elements have, like, a bajillion nemeses, and we don’t have any! Why does this city have to be so boring…” “Really?” Starlight asked from the corner. Her illustrated avatar lowered the book she was reading, a thin line of turquoise magic connecting it to its physical counterpart in the real world. “You’re complaining about not having enough crime to fight?” She shook her head. “In my day, humans would have sacrificed so much for a place to live that was this peaceful.” “Yeah, well, in your day, people still thought the Earth was flat.” “Actually, that’s a misnomer,” Starlight corrected. “Knowledge of the of Earth’s spherical nature was fairly widespread among learned circles, and even those who weren’t–” “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Trixie cut her off, waving her hand, and sighed. “Trixie just desires a challenge. Something to test the limits of her great and powerful abilities! You get what I mean, right Maud?” “Yes.” Maud said, placing her bag on a hook and walking over to the nook of the apartment that functioned as a kitchen, a collection of envelopes and flyers in her hand. Trixie sat up, leaning over the back of the couch to watch Maud check the mail. “Anything interesting?” She asked. “Ad. Bill. Charity. Bill.” Maud placed each envelope down onto the countertop in turn, separating them into different piles. “Letter from home. Ad. Coupons for pizza.” “Ooh!” Starlight looked up again, floating over to Maud, the book in her hand vanishing as the thread of magic sustaining it snapped. “Pizza sounds good, what do you girls think?” Trixie shrugged. “Works for Trixie.” Maud nodded. “We can do pizza.” “Make sure you get pineapple on mine!” Starlight added, her grimoire bobbing up and down at an increased pace. Trixie made a face. “Blech. Trixie has no idea how you can stomach that. Demons are weird…” She shook her head, pulling up the pizza chain’s app on her phone and entering the coupon codes. “Humans are weird,” Starlight retorted. “You have all these amazing foods and you just refuse to eat most of them! Back in the Demons Realms, all we had to eat was raw magic and the suffering of tortured souls.” “What did that taste like?” Maud asked. Starlight thought for a moment. “Baguettes, mostly. Kinda weird, when you think about it.” She shrugged. “Either way, pizza’s much better.” With a frown, she added. “Most things here are better than the Demon Realms.” “You don’t talk much about where you come from,” Trixie said. “What are the Demon Realms even like? Are we talking, like, barren rocky wastelands, pits of fire everywhere, or what?” “Kind of? In some places, yes, in others…” Starlight sighed. “I’d rather not talk about it. I left as soon as I could, and, well..” She gestured at the book that was her prison. “I haven’t exactly been back in a long time. Not like I’d want to go back.” She gave a grin. “They don’t have pizza, or pineapples, or kites, or you two! This world is much better.” “I’m glad.” Maud said. “If we’re gonna get sappy, Trixie is breaking out the liquor.” Trixie declared. “Trixie is never sappy while sober.” Trixie did, indeed, break out the alcohol, as promised. However, they did not ‘get sappy’; rather, the three of them decided to just eat pizza and watch Netflix, which was more enjoyable, despite not being nearly as emotionally cathartic. Starlight took the last bite of her illustrated pizza, As she did, it’s counterpart in the real world, connected to her with a thread of turquoise, completely turned black and shriveled up, the magic connection fading away. With a hum, Starlight tilted herself slightly to face another slice, and pointed at it. A beam of magic shot from her finger, out of her tome, and hit the pizza, tethering it to herself, causing it’s illustrated form to appear in her hand. She shot a glance at Trixie’s glass of rum, and sighed. She took another bite of her pizza, mulling over her thoughts, and then floated over to Trixie and nudged her shoulder. “Hey, Trix?” she asked quietly. “Yeah?” Trixie turned to look at Starlight, her avatar taking a step into the background with a nervous expression. Trixie tilted her head slightly in confusion, followed Starlight’s line of sight to her glass, and put two and two together. “Starlight…” “Come on, please?” Starlight all but begged. “I can’t even get tipsy in here, it’s like, one of the very few downsides if I’m being on honest, can you even imagine what it’s like to drink alcohol without the buzz, it’s horrible–” “You do remember what happened last time, right?” Trixie asked flatly. “Because Trixie does. Or, rather, Trixie remembers what happened after.” “I’m sorry, okay?” Starlight hissed, trying not to speak too loudly despite the fact that none of them were really paying attention to whatever crappy Netflix original had autoplayed. “I wasn’t prepared, I lost control, it won’t happen again, I promise.” Trixie turned to look at Maud, who was sitting on her other side, with a questioning look. Starlight looked to her too, with puppy dog eyes slightly too wide to be a realistic expression. “I trust her.” Maud said simply, downing the last of her whiskey. “And I can keep her in check, too.” “Fair enough…” Trixie sighed. “It’s not that I have a problem with it, it’s just...” Starlight shook her head rapidly. “No, no, I get it. Human bodies are squishy, and having someone else run around in yours isn’t something you’re used to.” “It is… exceptionally weird, yes,” Trixie admitted. “But Trixie is more concerned with your wellbeing. You have a tendency to go… overboard.” Starlight raised an eyebrow. “And you don’t?” “Trixie is a trained professional. You aren’t used to feeling pain.” “...Fair point.” Starlight conceded. “Look, just…” Trixie sighed again. “Don’t do anything Trixie wouldn’t do. And try not to hurt yourself, I don’t want to wake up with bruises, or worse.” “I’ll be careful, I promise.” Starlight gave a salute, and then looked past Trixie, at Maud, and gave her a saucy look. “So I can do things you would…?” “That is between you and Maud.” Trixie said. “What you decide to do with our girlfriend while you are controlling my body is your business.” Trixie paused. “It is bizarre to Trixie that that sentence made sense. Why is life so weird?” “That’s not so bad.” Maud answered. “We’re superheroes. Starlight is a demon who lives in a book. My sister can bend reality. Everything is weird.” “Maud is… not wrong,” Starlight admitted. “I’m still not sure what Pinkie is…” she muttered under her breath. “Besides,” Maud gave a very slight smile. “I think it’s hot.” Both Trixie and Starlight went red in the face. “Uh…. good to know, then.” Starlight managed. “We don’t deserve her.” Trixie stage whispered to Starlight. “I know.” Starlight whispered back. “I heard that.” Maud said, a touch of amusement actually present in her voice. “You were supposed to.” Trixie stood up. “Alright, Starlight, let’s do this. Please try not to throw up this time.” “I won’t, I swear.” Starlight promised, hands and eyes glowing as she prepared her magic. “I’ll be super responsible.” Trixie awoke with a splitting headache. “Ugghhh… what…” She tried to opened her eyes; her face was pressed against a pillow, but the light shining in from a crack in the curtains was still strong enough to force them shut again. She was in bed, wrapped up in sheets… and not much else. Next to her, she could feel Maud’s body heat and hear her soft breathing, and putting those two facts together implied… well, it implied. Fighting through the familiar pain of a hangover, Trixie tried to remember what had happened the prior night. There had been pizza, and gin, and Starlight– Starlight. “Starlight…” Trixie grumbled, turning over and forcing her eyes open to look around. Starlight’s tome hung on the bedside table, face down with one side hanging over the edge. “...Ugh, yeah?” Starlight’s voice, muffled through the table, replied. “What did you do last night?” “...Maud is really pretty…” Starlight slurred. “No, not–” Trixie would have shaken her head, but the movement made her feel dizzy. “How much did you drink?” “Umm… the whiskey or the gin? Cause I only had a little of the whiskey, but...” Trixie groaned again as Starlight’s words set in. “How much?” She asked, louder, regretting it as she felt Maud stir beside her. “The whole bottle.” Starlight admitted guiltily. “But I didn’t throw up this time!” Trixie sighed, bringing a hand to her face to massage her brow. “You have a problem.” “...Maud is really pretty…” Starlight repeated dopily. All Trixie had the energy to do was agree. “...Yeah, she is…”
Issue #4On the outskirts of Fillydelphia, barely within the city limits, there was an abandoned factory. Like most abandoned factories, it hadn’t always been like that. It had been built, several decades ago, by a bathroom fixtures company to manufacture shower curtains. However, after the company’s eccentric owner drove his business into the ground investing in experimental technology, it’s liquidated assets were purchased by FlimFlam Co, a multinational corporation. Since FlimFlam Co. had been far more interested in the patented prototypes they now owned than a simple fixtures factory, the building was left to fall into disrepair. The walls were covered in graffiti, most of the windows were broken and boarded up, and anything of value had been stolen years ago. In other words, it was a perfect hiding place. In the dead of night, an unmarked grey van pulled up to the factory, parking in a hidden nook inside one of the disused loading bays. A pair of men stepped out, both of them dressed in dark clothing. One of them put his hand to his jacket pocket, wrapping his fingers around the grip of his concealed pistol, and looked around cautiously. The other rolled his eyes. “There’s no one there, Sharp.” he said, opening the back of the van. “You can never be too careful, Blunt…” Sharp replied, peering into the darkness. “The Boss’d kill us if we were followed.” “Nobody even knows the Boss is in this city.” Blunt said, retrieving a large case from the back of the van. He undid the latch and peeked inside briefly, before nodding and closing it again. “Come on, we don’t wanna keep him waiting.” Sharp hesitated, then nodded, stepping over to join his partner. The two men made their way deeper into the factory, old flickering lights providing just barely enough visibility. “This place gives me the creeps.” Sharp muttered. He pulled out a handheld torch and flipped it on, the strong white light drastically increasing the illumination. Blunt nodded. “Gives everyone the creeps. I’ve heard a bunch of rumors about this old factory. Apparently the guy who used to own it was completely bonkers, did all sorts of messed up science shit. Artificial intelligence, trying to buy moon rocks from the government, that sort of thing. People say there’s all sorts of freaky stuff locked up in here.” “Good place for the Boss to hide, then.” Sharp said. “Nobody in their right mind would come out to a place like this.” *THUNK* “What was that?” Sharp spun around, shining his torch around for the source of the noise with one hand while reaching for his gun with the other. Blunt waved his free hand dismissively. “Probably just the wind, or some old pipes.” He shook his head. “You’re way too jumpy, buddy.” “And you’re too calm,” Sharp scoffed. Satisfied that nothing was amiss, he turned back, continuing ahead. “Did you forget the reason the Boss is hiding out in a dump like this in the first place?” “How could I?” his partner replied. “Damned ‘hero’ brats… It’s a miracle we made it out of Canterlot in one piece.” Continuing deeper into the abandoned building, the two reached something that was noticeably out of place. A reinforced steel door blocking an entryway, one that looked much newer than the rest of the factory. Sharp approached it, and knocked three times. “Password?” A gruff voice asked from the other side. “Wait three minutes.” Sharp answered. There was silence, then the sound of multiple locks being undone. The heavy door was pulled open, and a third man, tall and extremely bulky, silently ushered Blunt and Sharp inside. This part of the factory was completely different to the rest of the dilapidated building. Clean, plush carpets, expensive art hanging from the wall, a bar in the corner… every part of it screamed ‘hidden safehouse of a crime boss”. Probably because it was the hidden safehouse of a crime boss. At the end of the room, with a bodyguard on either side of him, was said crime boss himself. Don Krow, a short squat man in a dark blue pinstripe suit and matching fedora with a large white beard. He looked at the two new arrivals with approval. “Sharp Tack, Blunt Edge. You’ve brought them?” “Yes, Boss.” Blunt Edge nodded, placing the case on Don Krow’s large, mahogany desk and stepping back. Don Krow unlatched the case and opened it, revealing the contents: Boxes and boxes of imported cigars. “Excellent.” He said, taking a single box out and inspecting it. “And you weren’t followed?” Sharp Tack shook his head. “No, Boss.” “Good.” Don Krow placed the box on his desk, closed the case, and snapped his fingers. One of his bodyguards took the case from the desk and carried it to a cupboard in the corner of the room. “Until we get set up properly in this city, my location must be kept in the utmost secrecy, capiche?” “Of course, Boss.” Sharp replied. Don Krow sighed. “Nearly ten years of operation in Canterlot, and it all comes tumbling down in three months.” He pulled a cigar from the box and examined it closely. “All thanks to those ‘Elements of Harmony’.” He scoffed, rolling the cigar between his index finger and thumb. “Damn superheroes. Why can’t they mind their own business and stick to fighting monsters and freaks?” Satisfied with the quality, Don Krow placed his cigar on a cigar cutter on his desk and sliced off the tip, before placing it in his mouth. The other bodyguard leaned forward, with a matchbox in his hand, striking a match alight and lighting the cigar’s end. “Still,” Pulling the cigar from his lips and slowly exhaling the smoke, he gave a slight grin. “Maybe it’s not so bad. New city, new opportunities, eh?” “And no ‘heroes’ to get in the way..” Blunt pointed out. Don Krow shook his head. “Not quite. Heard some rumors about a couple of girls running around, some kinda stage magician and her muscle. You boys better keep your eyes peeled, I don’t want them making any trouble,” He shrugged. “But they’re amateurs, apparently. They shouldn’t be too hard to handle.” “Excuse me?” An indignant voice from the back of the room exclaimed. A burst of blue smoke flared up, and Trixie emerged from it, one hand on her hip and Starlight’s book floating at her side. “I think you’ll find the Great and Powerful Trixie to be more than a match for you!” Maud walked out of the smoke next to Trixie without any florushes, arms by her side. “What she said.” “What?” Don Krow stood up and stepped back, dropping his cigar. “How did you–” He glared at Sharp. “Idiots! You said you weren’t followed!” “W-we weren’t!” Sharp stammered. “I– how the hell did you get past me?” “A magician never reveals her secrets!” Trixie declared dramatically with a flourish of her cape. “Don Krow, leader of the notorious Krow Gang,” Maud said emotionlessly, as usual. “Your criminal ways have come to an end. Surrender, or we will subdue you, by force.” “What she said!” Trixie added with a smirk. “Grr… I don’t think so.” Don Krow growled. “You’re outnumbered,” He reached into his suit pocket, pulling out an oversized magnum. “And outgunned. Boys, get em!” At once, Sharp, Blunt, and both of his bodyguards drew their guns, pointing them at the heroic duo. In response, Starlight flew out in front of them, projecting an energy shield of turquoise magic. Don Krow fired, and the bullet was caught in the shield, floating harmlessly. The third bodyguard, who had been guarding the door, lunged forward, attempting to grab Maud. She deftly slipped out of his grasp and twisted his arms behind his back, spinning him around and pushing him into the wall, where he slumped to the ground. “These bullets are nothing to the Great and Powerful Trixie! Let her show you some real firepower!” Trixie flexed out her fingers, hands flickering with magic flowing from Starlight. A ball of energy began to form in her hand, slowly growing from the size of a marble to that of a baseball. “Klaatu… Barada… Trixie!” Trixie cried, throwing the orb of magic over Starlight’s shield. It exploded in mid air with a massive burst of light, forcing all of Don Krow’s thugs to stop shooting and shield their eyes. Taking the opportunity to go on the offeresive, Starlight lowered her barrier, and Trixie fired sleep spells at the two larger bodyguards. One of the bolts missed, but the other struck true, and the large man fell backwards into a chair and collapsed. Just before Starlight reestablished her shield, Maud darted forward, moving in front of Blunt and sweeping his leg with a kick before he could fire. He fell, firing a bullet that went wide and struck the ceiling. Sharp swiveled to point his gun at Maud, but she was quicker, wrenching his gun from his grasp and pulling him down on top of his partner. Noting the last remaining bodyguard turn his attention to Maud, Starlight flew forward, adjusting her shield. However, while she did so, Don Krow, watching the firefight from the back of the room, saw an opportunity. He aimed his mangum carefully, and as Starlight moved the barrier of magic to project Maud, he fired. The bullet went low, underneath Starlight’s shield, and struck Trixie in the leg. With a cry of pain, she crumpled to the floor, spell in her hand fizzling out. “Trixie!” Starlight screamed. In a panic, she dropped her barrier, moving back to hover over Trixie’s collapsed body, projecting a dome of energy over it. Don Krow grinned evilly, and turned to aim his gun at Maud. “You’re next.” Maud locked eyes with him, unblinking. Her expression hadn’t changed, but somehow her gaze had. For a split second, Don Krow faltered. It was all she needed. In a flash, Maud was next to the remaining bodyguard, moving so fast she left a faint afterimage. She punched him in the stomach, and he went flying into the back wall, crashing through the bricks and into the room behind him. Don Krow took a step back, but it wasn’t enough. Maud was in front of him now. He tried to fire his gun, but she was too fast, tearing it from his hand so hard she pulled his shoulder, throwing it against the wall with such force it shattered. She grabbed the Don’s beard, and pushed him against the back wall. She glared at him. She didn’t say anything, but she didn’t have to. Don Krow was frozen, fear causing him to lock up. Maud pulled his head forward slightly, preparing to slam it into the wall. “Maud, stop!” Starlight called. “She’s okay!” Maud froze, still gripping Don Krow’s beard, and turned to look over her shoulder. Starlight floated over Trixie, the bullet held in front of her. On the ground, Trixie looked up and smiled weakly at Maud, leg wound held tight by bands of magic. Turning back to look at the Don, Maud instead pushed him to the ground. Smashing his desk and walking through it, Maud stopped briefly, knocking over Blunt and Sharp before they could get up and snatching Blunt’s gun from him, and stepped over them, kneeling down to check Trixie’s injury. “How is it?” “Hurts like hell,” Trixie said, wincing. “But it’ll be fine.” She gave a low whistle of appreciation. “You really showed them, huh?” “He hurt you.” Maud replied simply. Starlight, focusing her magic on healing Trixie’s wound, grimaced. “Remind me to never get on your bad side…” “Well, all things considered, that–” Trixie hissed in pain, gritting her teeth. “–went well enough. Could have done without getting shot, but...” “I’m so sorry, it’s all my fault...” Starlight said, avatar pacing back and forth. “You could have been killed. I need to pay more attention…” “Starlight, it’s fine.” Trixie insisted. “It’s not your fault. Trixie chooses to blame the one who actually shot her.” After successfully subduing the Krow Gang, and tipping the police off to their location, Maud and Starlight had taken Trixie back to their shared apartment. While Trixie’s injury had been relatively minor for a gunshot wound, the bullet not hitting anything majorly important and Starlight’s healing magic taking care of the rest, the book-bound demon had still fretted constantly over it, pumping as much magic into it as possible. By this point, it was only a thin scar on her leg, albeit one that still stung. “It’s…” Starlight’s face fell. “I could have lost you. I can’t screw up like that again. We’re lucky Maud was able to take the rest of them out.” “She was amazing.” Trixie declared, looking over at Maud, who was sitting next to her. “I didn’t know you could even move that fast!” “I hold back a lot.” Maud explained. “I don’t usually like to hurt people too badly. But when people I care about are in danger, I find it hard to restrain myself.” Trixie thought about this for a moment. “Trixie, you’re not putting yourself in danger more often to trigger Maud’s protective instincts.” Starlight chastised. “But–” “Trixie!” “Fine…” Trixie grumbled, crossing her arms and pouting. “You always veto my best ideas…”
Issue #5It was Tuesday morning, and the world was ending. Hundreds of massive green and black spaceships hung in the skies of planet Earth, hovering above major cities and locations of strategic importance. Their chitinous, semi organic appearance, suitably alien, made the fleet instantly recognizable to anyone who had basic knowledge of major galactic powers (on Earth, that was a group of people who numbered double digits) as the invasion force of the Changeling Empire, a race of shapeshifting insectoids that fed on emotional energy. And, above Canterlot City, which apparently had become the most important place on Earth at some point, was the mothership, almost the size of the city itself. Within the twisted flying fortress, sitting on her dark throne, was Queen Chrysalis, Empress of the Changelings, come personally to claim the primitive planet as her people’s newest feeding ground. If Earth had been any normal planet, the battle would have been over in hours. Its population reduced to slaves or livestock, its cities razed and replaced with hives, its resources plundered for the Empire’s expansion. However, Earth had two things that the Empire’s previous victims lacked: Advanced forewarning of their arrival, and a frankly absurd amount of super-powered individuals capable of fighting back. The Elements of Harmony, acting on information provided to them by a Changeling defector named Thorax, had rallied a veritable army to defend the planet. Heroes from all over the world came together, uneasy truces were made with villains, and, through some miracle, they’d even received support from the world’s governments. Reinforcements had arrived, too, from unexpected places: A sorceress from the future, who traveled back in time to aid her to-be mentor Alicorn, leader of The Elements, and revolve a time loop; a mysterious woman in a purple blazer who cut through spacetime with a greatsword to join the fight; and a group of spider themed heroes from other worlds, lending aid across the multiverse wherever needed. If Chrysalis had expected an easy conquest, she would find anything but. From the roof of their apartment building, Maud and Starlight watched the ominous form of the Changeling ship above them, Maud stoic as always and Starlight with a faltering, slightly nervous expression. “That’s… a really big spaceship.” Starlight commented. “Yep.” Maud replied quietly. “Do… Do you think we can really fight these guys?” Starlight asked. Maud was silent for a moment. “We have to.” She answered eventually. A comically exaggerated noise, like rubber stretching, drew their attention away from the ship. A pink mass pulled itself out of a ventilation slit clearly far too small for it to fit out of, resolving into the head and upper torso of a woman with a *sproing* sound. Her face was framed by a mass of bright pink curly hair, and she was covered in a form fitting pink bodysuit that somehow formed thick black outlines around her body, like a cell shaded cartoon character. “HI MAUD!” The woman shouted excitedly, waving enthusiastically at Maud and Starlight, so far her arm appeared to be a blur. “Hello, Pinkie.” Maud said, relief barely tangible in her tone. Pinkie Pie, better known to the world as the bizarre and wacky superheroine Slapstick, craned her head unnaturally to look directly up at the Changeling ship above Fillydelphia. “Huh. They haven’t started attacking here yet. That’s strangely convenient!” Turning back to Muad, her expression turned serious. Or, at least, as serious as Pinkie ever got. “The girls and I are gearing up to infiltrate the mothership. Thorax said if we take down Chrysalis, the rest of the fleet should surrender. It’s our one shot at ending this as quickly as possible.” Maud looked at Pinkie for a moment. She opened her mouth to speak, but Pinkie cut her off. “I know it’s dangerous,” she said, uncharacteristically somber. “But it’s our best hope. If things drag out any longer…” she frowned. “People are gonna start dying.” “Just… promise me you’ll come back safe.” Maud eventually said. “I…” Pinkie faltered. “I Pinkie Promise. Cross my heart, and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” She said, reciting the childish chant and going through the matching motions. “There, you see?” She gave a strained smile. “I’d never break a Pinkie Promise.” She thought for a moment. “But, if… if we, if I…” she trailed off, before giving Maud a sad smile. “Tell Mom and Dad and Limestone and Marble what happened, okay? Oh, and look after Gummy for me?” Maud gave a solemn nod. “I will. But I won’t have to.” Pinkie pursed her lips, before smiling and nodding. “No, you won’t. No icky bug queen can stop The Elements!” The sound of triumphant horns playing a heroic tune emanated from no particular source, and Pinkie threw up her arms as a cloud of confetti surrounded her. “We’ll beat her alien butt back to deep space!” She gave Maud a salute. “Seya, sis!” With that farewell, she took a deep breath, and was sucked back through the ventilation slit, in violation of several laws of physics and common sense. Starlight, who had remained silent during the talk between sisters, turned to Maud. “I still don’t understand how she does that.” “Nobody does,” Maud answered. “She’s just… Pinkie Pie.” “Powers beyond man and demon…” Starlight’s avatar shook her head. “Hey,” she asked, looking up and around. “Where’d Trixie go?” Wordlessly, Maud pointed to the rooftop access doorway. Part of a star studded cape was visible on the ground, sticking out from the other side of the small part of the building that jutted out to cover the staircase up. “Trixie?” Starlight asked, floating over to her normally bombastic girlfriend. “You okay?” Trixie, huddled against the wall hugging her knees, looked up at Starlight, a frightened expression on her face and eyes filled with tears. Trembling, she shook her head. Starlight gasped, moving in closer. “What’s wrong?” “I…” Trixie gulped. “Trixie is terrified, okay?” She blurted out. “I just– I can’t– I wasn’t– I’m not prepared-” she took several deep breaths, trying to calm herself, while watching her hands shaking. “It’s too much…” “But…” Starlight frowned. “What happened to all that confidence? We’ve been preparing for days, you didn’t say anything before…” “It…” Trixie shook her head bitterly. “It’s fake, it’s always been fake, you know that!” She shouted. “Trixie is a coward who shouts her own name to validate herself. She pretends to be confident to hide how utterly afraid she is.” She hung her head. “Trixie is pathetic…” “No, you’re not!” Starlight insisted, putting her hands on her hips. “Trixie is amazing and smart and talented and I love her. Just because you’re afraid…” “I’m afraid too.” Maud knelt down, lightly taking Trixie’s hand. “I’m not good at expressing my emotions. But I’m scared too. For myself. For my sister. For the world. For you, and Starlight…” She gripped Trixie’s hand tighter, taking care not to squeeze it too hard. “Pinkie’s scared too. Everyone is, no matter how strong.” “I know I sure am…” Starlight added. “But it's not about not being afraid. It’s about acting in spite of it. Even if the ego and the third person speech and everything is just a facade… well, first of all, if it lets you work through fear, then it’s not fake. And…” her avatar blushed a little. “It kinda helps me too.” “R-really?” Trixie asked. It was Maud who answered, nodding. “Your confidence is very reassuring. It makes me feel like we can achieve anything.” Trixie blinked, and then laughed a little. “Heh. For me it was always… you’re always so calm, Maud. That’s what reassures me.” “Me too.” Starlight nodded. “For me, it’s both of you. I’ve never really… had anyone before, and–” she cut herself off, shaking her head. “This isn’t about me.” “No, no,” Trixie shook her own head, wiping away tears. “Say it. Trixie… I want to hear it.” Starlight hesitated a little. “Okay, then… It’s just, I’ve always been alone, even before…” She gestured at the grimoire that held her spirit prisoner. “I’ve never had anyone who cared about me, anyone to care about. And, if I’m being honest, the thought of losing either of you terrifies me, and…” She smiled half heartedly. “I guess we’ve all been holding in our fear, huh?” “Trixie did not sign up to fight alien armies. She was perfectly content beating up common criminals.” Maud’s eyebrow raised ever so slightly. “I thought you wanted a challenge?” she asked. “...Mostly content. But this is way beyond that.” She looked up at the glowing green patterns on the underside of the ship high above the city, and took a deep breath. “But we don’t have any other choice, do we?” “We… could just run?” Starlight suggested. “Let The Elements do their work? It’s not like we’re that important. Nothing we do here will have an effect on the bigger picture, so…” Trixie shook her head. “We can’t. Innocent people could get hurt, and we’re supposed to be protecting them. What was it one of those weirdo spider people said? ‘Being great and powerful comes with responsibility?’ Something like that. If Trixie wants to be Great and Powerful–” she flashed a hesitant smile. “–she has to be responsible too.” Maud nodded, giving a light hum of affirmation. Trixie slowly climbed to her feet, Maud helping her up. “Trixie is terrified right now. But Trixie will fight anyway. And…” She mustered up some bravado from deep within her soul, giving a confident grin. “With her girls by her side, Trixie will win! No freaky space bugs can stop The Great and Powerful Trixie!” She gave Maud a slightly hesitant look. “Better?” “Much.” Maud squeezed Trixie’s hand again. From her other side, a tendril of magic stretched from Starlight’s book, taking hold of Trixie’s other hand. A hatch opened on the spaceship above them. A cloud of black figures, too numerous to count, swarmed out, flying out and spreading across the city. Trixie gulped, but stood firm, squeezing her girlfriends’ hands tighter. “Ready?” She asked. Maud nodded. “Ready.” Starlight smirked. “Ready.” Letting go of Maud and Starlight, Trixie held her hands out in a reading stance, Starlight floating underneath her now glowing hands, enveloped in a turquoise aura and pages flipping rapidly. A large circular platform of magic formed underneath her, carrying her and Maud into the air to combat the approaching Changelings. It was Tuesday morning, and the world was ending. But as long as they had each other, Trixie, Maud, and Starlight would be just fine. Author's Note (To find out how the Changeling Invasion arc ends, be sure to pick up Elements of Harmony #15, the epic conclusion, coming October 2013 to around 3 dozen comic shops in Oregon and that's about it, good luck finding one I don't know where this joke is going it made more sense in an older draft) Thanks for reading my terrible attempt at something resembling romance, if you squint. Please remember to give the story a thumbs down and tell me all the things you disliked about it in the comments so I can learn from my numerous mistakes. Once again a special shoutout to The Sleepless Beholder, not only for pre-reading this trash but also for taking the time to draw this cover art, despite how unhelpful I was in it's creation, they have the patience of a saint I swear. As stated, this story is an entry in the StarTrixMaud Shipping Contest, so make sure to go read the other entries, all of which are probably better romance stories than this one. Though, this story has superheroes in it so I guess that counts for something? Possibly. Probably not though.
