The King's pawn.

by RubyRed Phoenix

Rating: everyone
Tags: Dark, Sad, Trixie, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, King Sombra, Twilight Sparkle
Length: 2001

An alternate storyline for "Magic Duel"

Being obsessed with the great and powerful Trixie, this how I felt the episode "Magic Duel" should have played out, adding in a little darkness.

Published 2013-02-23 01:20:01 UTC
Last updated 2013-02-23 01:20:01 UTC

The King's Pawn

The blue unicorn (formerly "the great and powerful") Trixie heads to a small shop in the southern section of Canterlot dealing in rare antiques. Upon entering, she immediately shuffles through the magical wares on display, until the shop keeper, a white stallion with purple plats, calls her attention.

"You have good eyes. Is their anything in particular you're looking for?"

Trixie immediately notices her prize beyond the counter: the Alicorn Amulet. The shop keeper dismisses her gaze, quick to point out the amulet is absolutely not for sale.

"Are you quite sure about that?" Trixie replies, levitating a sizable pouch of bits onto the counter, so full that some spilled onto the floor when dropped. The owner sold out then and there.

As Trixie began navigating the streets she examined the amulet. A simple design resembling an Alicorn with a red gem in the middle; an amulet containing arcane powers. Trixie fastened the amulet around her neck and continued her walk, her destination: Ponyville.

Not long after beginning, Trixie felt a sharp pain in her head. A strong migraine that persisted for a time, before being replaced by an ominous voice:

"I can... Feel your hatred. Your desire for revenge." The voice called clear as day. Trixie knew the amulet would have some draw back for gaining such powers, but she dismissed the danger. She had a mission to carry out; Trixie would defeat Twilight Sparkle, once and for all.

Ponyville was in sight. Her ambitions were high. Trixie picked up her speed, anxious to get execute her plans. There was a small group of ponies hanging around a small flower shop to Trixie's left when she entered Ponyville. Trixie walked towards them and demanded the whereabouts of Twilight Sparkle. When the group noticed the ex-show mare and started to laugh, she felt the pain again.

"Such cruelty, do they not deserve the same?"

As if the words overtook her mind, Trixie's horn lit up, as well as the amulet. Her eyes even seemed to glow a bright red. And suddenly, as quickly as it had started, one of the ponies laughter ceased. The others looked over to the silence, to find a bouquet stuffed in the ponies throat... The victim choked up the flowers and gasped for air, before being dragged away by her friends.

Trixie didn't seem to mind. She was almost content with such a subconscious-protection provided by the amulet just then. With her confidence boosted, she trotted towards the Ponyville square.

"Twilight!" The cry growing louder as two ponies carrying their friend drew closer.

"Did someone call for me?" Twilight smiled.

"Twilight, be careful! You need to get out of here, it's not safe!"

She laughed, "Why? What's wrong with Ponyville on a day like today?"

"She's back, Tr-" was all that could be said before the panicked mare was levitated off of her hooves and thrown into a nearby tree, now lying unconscious in the grass from the impact.

"Now, now, we wouldn't want to ruin The Great and Powerful Trixie's surprise would we?" Trixie smiled in the injured mares direction.

Shocked, Twilight Sparkle stood frozen. Such a violent act committed with no signs of remorse. "How could somepony be so cold," she thought.

"What, didn't expect to see Trixie again? It's not like Trixie to keep her fans waiting you know."

"What do you want Trixie? And who do you think you are hurting my friends?"

That last word, "friends", hung in the air, and that familiar voice rose into Trixie's mind once more:

"Friends... What good are they? Just enemies you allow to grow close to you."

Trixie quizzically raised a hoof to her head, "Oh, these are your friends? That's right, Trixie had almost forgotten that 'friendship' was what you are all about these days." At this, Twilight seemed to get angered. "But-" Trixie grinned, "you should be more worried about yourself, Sparkle. I intend to take my revenge for all the misery you've cause me."

Twilight was now furious, "I caused YOU misery? Because of you Ponyville was almost destroyed!"

"Hm... No. I never asked the boys to drag an Ursa of any kind from its cave and bring it to Ponyville, I was simply putting on an act, a show, a grand performance!"

Twilight glared. There was absolutely no way Trixie was not responsible for the endangerment of Ponyville. Trixie, however, started to laugh, enjoying the anger Twilight Sparkle so vividly displayed. She was about to throw another taunt towards her, when the headache started once more and she winced in pain, before suddenly collapsing.

"Trixie? Are you... Alright?"

Ponyville was filled with confusion. No pony there would have predicted Trixie's return and her bullying of the towns folk followed by her sudden collapse. She was just barely conscious and still eyeing down Twilight Sparkle.

"Do you enjoy seeing others suffer? It seems we share some attributes." The voice in Trixie's mind was back.

"And what would the others be?" Trixie thought, surprised at the abrupt comparison.

"A painful past, a desire for your own brand of justice, let us say 'retribution', and a common obstacle we wish to have ourselves rid of."

"I see," Trixie thought understandingly, "but who are you, exactly?"

After that last thought, Trixie's eyes and the amulet glowed brightly once again, with the strange voice formerly in her head now speaking clearly through her:

"I am the darkness... Of Sombra. The King of the Crystal Empire. I am what has been left behind, to ensure his return!" The Amulet was now glowing brighter than it ever had, there was no mistaking it's connection to Sombra.

With these words bellowing through the town, and Twilight now aware of the spirit that has overtaken the show mare who had only been rude and obnoxious, it was clear Trixie was unintentionally committing these acts; Sombra had somewhat influenced her actions. As Trixie was getting back up, the sky started to darken.

"Sparkle, let's finish this." Trixie said, with Sombra's voice echoing her own.

"Finish what?"

"Well, in Trixie's case, finish You; in yours... Finish existing."

"I'm not going to fight you, I wouldn't stoop to your level!"

Another devious smile crept across Trixie's face, as if the challenge of forcing Twilight Sparkle pleased her. What would be the best way to completely destroy one who holds friendship higher than all else? The choice was obvious.

"Well... That just won't do. Perhaps you would rather watch as Trixie humiliates your friends once again? It was So much fun the first time around." Trixie made a quick glance to her left, where the sleeping pony, who she had earlier thrown into a tree, laid in the grass. With a spark from horn, numerous acorns came pouring from the tree, burying her.

"Trixie's not after these meaningless obstacles, so if you could just agree to the duel, that would be wonderful."

"Trixie snap out of it! You're not a monster, it's that Amulet!"

The eyes of Trixie displayed a slight twitch, but she was still very much linked to Sombra.

"You even worry about your enemies more than yourself, you truly are a fool, Twilight Sparkle." Sombra's voice was now drowning out Trixie's even more. "I can see this is going to require so more... 'Persuasion'."

With the end of that sentence, Trixie's horn lit up a dark black. A large rock slowly approached a pony sitting at a table near a restaurant, behind where Twilight was standing, rendering her eyes useless in spotting the mystified object. This did not last long, only long enough to position the rock directly over head, to which the pony let out a cry of fear. That cry seemed to echo inside of Trixie's mind:

"That's too far, I came only to defeat Sparkle! This reckless violence is not what Trixie wanted.."

"But Sparkle, you wanted her gone did you not? You must crush her completely, and everything important to her."

"Maybe Trixie did, what's it to you? Trixie can change her mind."

"And that is why you are weak!"

During Trixie's brief squabble with the essence of Sombra, the large rock positioned over the table had moved to and from its position, as if the caster had been unsure of what their motives were, giving the pony ample time to escape to safety. Trixie and Sombra were struggling for control, until finally Sombra was done playing games; he threw the rock far outside out of Ponyville.

"You lack ambition, such wasted power. And a conscience... I've abandoned mine long ago. You have no further use as a vessel!" The Amulet's glow ceased, and it broke in half. The darkness of Sombra spilled in a ghostly form and had materialized outside of the Amulet- a phantom; Trixie was fatigued, as if Sombra had been draining her power while occupying the Amulet. All the while Twilight was watching with concern, not knowing what she should do to help at this point. Her thoughts eventually came to a concise decision:

A panicked, "Trixie! Get out of here it's not safe!" Trixie tried her to best to get up, but could only slowly get to her hooves.

"You'll meet your end Sparkle. The Crystal Empire will be mine once again!" Sombra threatened, then launched a shot of Magic at Twilight, wasting no time. Twilight blocked the magic with her own, holding a magical connection with Sombra, each trying to break through the others spell. His magic was to much for Twilight to fend off, and she was growing weaker, Sombra's was magic getting closer to her. The Dark Magic was turning her horn black.

Trixie could see the two locked in battle. Knowing Twilight was in danger, she rushed over, her former desire for revenge replaced with a will to make things right. "Oh come on, sparkle. It's like you're not even trying." She was still feeling drained, but Trixie added her magic to the fray, and began to push back Sombra's.

"Trixie?" Twilight said in disbelief. "Are you sure you should be pushing yourself like that?"

"Trixie is nopony's slave. " Twilight and Trixie continued to push on Sombra's magic.

Sombra laughed, "try all you like, you can't beat the likes of me!" His magic persisted.

"Keep going. We can do this!" Twilight managed, mustering up all the strength she could.

"Trixie could do this all day!" Trixie also conjured up whatever she had left.

They both gave Sombra everything they had, and forced their way through his magic. Upon being struck by the forces of Twilight and Trixie, Sombra started to fade away, clearly lacking sufficient power to fully return. As Sombra was fading, he let out a bellowing scream, which in time, faded as he did.

Panting, Twilight looked over to Trixie, "how do you feel?"

"Like Trixie should apologize. This was never meant to 'actually' be a death battle, Trixie just wanted to humiliate you."

Twilight laughed, "Thanks, I guess? One things certain though, you sure do bring a lot of trouble for Ponyville."

"That seems to be the truth." Trixie had no expression on her face. "In any case, Trixie will leave now."

"You're just going to leave? What happened to your 'revenge'?"

"Trixie may have wanted that at one point, but she can change her mind."

"And what brought that on?" Twilight questioned.

"You were worried about Trixie, an enemy. Nopony ever had before." Trixie gave a smile, and with a spark of horn she vanished in a cloud smoke... However, she could clearly be seen running through the smoke to some unknown destination.

Author's Note

This story was inspired by a great love for Trixie's character, and the drive to complete it was brought about by a good friend, Psicosis, who I challenged to a write-off. He's a really good writer, and I encourage you to check read his stories as well.

And Thank You for listening to my story!