A colorless room with one firm bed, a small shelf, a foul scent of mildew, and no windows; this is what Trixie called her “home.” It was cramped, dull, dimly-lit, and in a state of disrepair. The overall apartment itself was in a similar shape, but most of the residents had nowhere else to go.
Trixie took no pride in her living conditions, nor did she take pride in her life outside her closet-like home.
Her career had been shattered and her reputation was ruined. Her life was filled with mistakes and misfortune that made her feel like an unwanted burden in a world where she was not needed. She worked hard for very little, often spending the money solely on food and rent. She was given little respect at her job digging graves. Hours were spent on hard labor that Trixie resented. She had no friends, stories about her prevented any companionship from forming. She was denied multiple jobs, often taking duties that nopony else wanted to do. Trixie had no idea why she kept herself going, but she tried not to think about it.
Memories of the past kept her awake at night. She remembered the cheering of her fans and the thrill of being on a stage. Respect and admiration were mixed with the excitement of the crowds that watched her. She was paid to do what she loved and she relished every moment of it. However, this was all just a series of memories to her now.
**
One day, Trixie browsed a local thrift shop with the spare money she had saved up.
“Perhaps a new pair of slippers or some scented candles.” Trixie enthusiastically thought to herself. Shopping was one of the few joys Trixie had left.
The store had red tags for new items, which Trixie always kept an eye out for. Some scarves and baseball bats were among some of the new items, but they didn’t interest Trixie.
Trixie wondered to the end of the store, where the books were. Cookbooks, How to books, and outdated schoolbooks occupied the shelves. Upon examination, Trixie noticed a new book. The title, “A Magicians Guide to the Pony Mind”, instantly grabbed her attention. Holding the book brought out Trixie’s happy memories of being a magician. She had just enough money to purchase the book and immediately read it on her way home.
Trixie was on the third chapter when she entered her room, which was about audience interaction. Trixie wondered who previously owned this book. It could have been another failed magician, but Trixie couldn’t be sure. The only pony she could think of was Twilight Sparkle, who slept in a library packed with different kinds of books.
Trixie once hated Twilight, but her mind changed a few days after she terrorized and hurt ponies with a forbidden amulet. In those few days, Trixie realized that she had nopony to blame her misfortune on but herself. She was the reason for her loneliness and failure, and she hated herself for it.
She remembered Twilight saying she forgave her, but Trixie saw it as a lie to make her feel better. “How could anypony forgive me?” She always asked herself this question, but never found a reasonable answer.
Trixie turned the pages to a list of illusion spells. One in particular caught her eye, “Warped Reality.” This spell was designed to incorporate an illusion of all five senses. Trixie was unfamiliar with this spell.
The book said that the spell could make anypony experience whatever the caster wanted. Trixie stared at the text, reading it multiple times.
She could be anything and do anything. She could give herself a meaningful life, one that she always wanted.
Trixie decided she wanted to use the spell on herself. With a bright flash of her horn, everything around her faded into a dark emptiness. Trixie found herself standing on an invisible floor overlooking the obscure darkness around her.
“What would there be?” She asked herself. She took a long time before finally deciding on her dream world.
“A clear sunny day.” The darkness above her became a bright blue, with a shining sun in the center. Trixie smiled, she knew this spell would work.
“Ponyville would be nice during this day.” As if appearing out of fog, buildings and houses began to take form. The dark ground changed to the smooth ground of Ponyville. The land became occupied with numerous ponies she remembered. After a short minute, she was in Ponyville. She smelled the air and felt the cool breeze push against her mane. She heard the birds chirping and the other ponies talking. It all came together.
Posters and banners cluttered the buildings, alerting everypony of Trixie’s show later that night. She spent a lot of time getting her act together and it was all about to pay off. It was going to be her best performance yet.
As Trixie thought about her upcoming show, ponies greeted her with friendly smiles and excited waving. She overheard ponies talking about how beautiful and talented she was. A filly came to Trixie and pleaded for an autograph, which Trixie happily gave her. A Pegasus with a rainbow mane told her how excited she was about the performance later that night.
Trixie was also excited herself. She enjoyed every opportunity there was to be on a stage. The tickets, as she remembered, were sold out and ponies all the way from Canterlot were coming to watch. Trixie found it flattering that ponies were coming to her, rather than her having to come to them. She bid farewell to the Pegasus and took a stroll to her home.
Trixie casually trotted through the roads of Ponyville, taking the time to truly enjoy her day. Every street was named after her, which made it a little confusing for newcomers. Town Hall was renamed “Trixie Hall” a few weeks back and featured a large bust of Trixie inside. Several stores sold Trixie products, such as magic trick kits and pictures. Of course, all of this was outshined by Trixie’s mansion.
Trixie’s home overlooked the entire town and was visible by any pony that passed by. The mansion was a pearly white color that seemed to shine in the sunlight. Silver statues of Trixie sat on the four corners of the roof. Trixie admired her home as she trotted up the six ebony steps to her front door, each with a letter of her name formed with rubies.
Her home seemed even larger on the inside, with wide walls and high ceilings. One could have gotten lost inside, but Trixie was familiar with every inch of her home. There was a spacious living room with a lovely fireplace, a large kitchen with every utensil a pony could think of, a well-kept garden with a seemingly unlimited variety of flowers, a glass observatory that gave a great view of the town, a dining with a table big enough to fit everypony in Ponyville, and a luxury bedroom with the most comfortable bed she had ever slept on. She also had a spare room in the eastern wing of the house, but it was mostly used to store and sort fan letters.
Trixie was alone in her in her mansion, as she gave her maids the day off to attend the show. She decided to invite a friend to her home. That friend was Twilight Sparkle, who also acted as Trixie’s assistant in her shows. Twilight was a kind and smart friend that Trixie always gave her trust to. Twilight was also very good at magic, not as good as Trixie but she showed potential. Both shared a passion for magic and a thirst for the spotlight.
Trixie always looked back on the day they became friends and the day Ponyville worshipped her as a hero. A wild and crazy Ursa Major was destroying the homes and property of the innocent ponies. Twilight tried with all her might to fight the monster, but her spells were not strong enough to vanquish it. That’s when Trixie stepped in, cape and mane blowing in the wind as she charged her magic. With one blast, every trace of the Ursa Minor vanished from existence. Trixie was immediately met with applause and praise for her heroic dead. Twilight was also impressed, asking Trixie to be her tutor on magic use. Trixie agreed and spent her day in Ponyville performing for the ponies and teaching Twilight everything she knew.
At one point, Ponyville was to be renamed as Trixieville. However, Trixie humbly allowed the name to remain. With all the streets, restaurants, and children being named after her; she decided to show modesty and allowed the name to remain.
Trixie teleported an invitation to Twilight and within seconds was met with a knock at the door.
Trixie charismatically welcomed her visitor. “Why Twilight, come on into Trixie’s large and magnificent home.”
Twilight gave Trixie a friendly smile. “Thanks for inviting me, Trixie.” Twilight took a few steps before gazing in awe at Trixie’s newest treasure on display. It was a chrome suit of armor designed specifically to fit Trixie, the shape of the helmet permitted Trixie to wear her hat and cape while inside the armor.
“Don’t waste your time gawking at art. You have books full of art.” Trixie teased. She got a chuckle out of Twilight and led her to the couch in her living room. The couch matched the design of Trixie’s hat and had Trixie’s name stitched across in gold-colored silk. She heard a sigh of relief as Twilight sank into the couch.
“A hard day of practice?” Trixie asked.
Twilight nodded her head. “I just hope I get it right at the show tonight.”
Trixie playfully pat her on the head. “With Trixie as your teacher, you can do anything right.” Trixie knew Twilight had been working really hard lately and appreciated Twilight’s dedication.
“I wish I could be like you and not have to practice.” Twilight said.
Trixie shook her head. “Nopony can be like Trixie, only Trixie can be Trixie.” Trixie put a hoof on Twilight’s shoulder. “But nopony can be like you either. Trixie couldn’t ask for a better friend nor a better student.”
Twilight smiled at Trixie and showed devotion in her eyes. “Thank you, Great and Powerful Trixie.”
Trixie smirked. “You know it’s just Trixie to you.”
Twilight smirked back. “Well, it has a better ring to it.”
Trixie took a proud stance. “It does, doesn’t it?”
If there was one thing that Twilight was good at, it was support.
Trixie left Twilight in the comfort of the couch and checked the new fan mail. It was more of the usual, ponies saying how big of fans they are and ponies wanting to be like her. Trixie thought she’d get tired of reading the same thing over and over, but it warmed Trixie’s heart to see so many ponies care. As an entertainer, the love of the fans is the very blood that keeps the act alive. It was the love of the fans that motivated Trixie to push her limits.
She put down her letter opener that had her face engraved in the blade, which made Trixie wonder whether or not she was getting carried away with her image.
Trixie shrugged. “With a name and a face like mine, who wouldn’t want to see it?”
Trixie returned to Twilight, who by then was half-asleep.
“Sleeping on my couch? Would you like Trixie to give you a relaxing hoof rub when you wake up?”
Twilight smiled. “Bite me, Great and Powerful Trixie.”
Trixie laughed. “Nervous about the show tonight?”
Twilight shook her head. “Not with you helping me. I can’t think of anypony with such grace and skill. Any show with you would be a good one.”
Twilight was right, Trixie was the main reason ponies came to the magic shows. Twilight was aware of this, but she didn’t care. Being on stage and being a good friend of the Great and Powerful Trixie was what was most important to her. Trixie appreciated Twilight’s nobility.
**
Scattering conversations filled the air before the curtains opened. Trixie and Twilight waited for the right moment to begin the show. Twilight showed a mild amount of nervousness.
“We’ll do great.” Trixie said with a wink. “Now get ready.”
Twilight shook away her fears and stood tall, ready to show Ponyville all she’s got.
The curtains flung open and the pair was met with loud cheering.
“Hello, Ponyville!” Trixie proudly shouted. “Are you ready to see the greatest display of magic ever seen?”
Trixie took the cheering response as a confirmation.
Trixie and Twilight jumped right into the show, beginning with levitation and flying over the heads of the amazed audience. Trixie changed Twilight into a young colt and into an old mare in the blink of an eye. The two mares then created twenty duplicates of themselves, which Trixie secretly helped Twilight with during the performance, then each duplicate disappeared into a puff of smoke. The two did numerous other tricks, one involving a ten-pound weight and a bowl of frosting. The finale was Trixie’s favorite part, where every firework was hurled into the sky and detonated in the shape of Trixie’s face. It went without a single mistake and the crows loved it. Trixie let the rest go off to give her audience an extra amount of entertainment.
With the finale done Trixie was showered with cheering and flowers from the audience.
As if it all couldn’t get any better, Princess Celestia herself had been watching. She teleported down and actually bowed to the magician.
“You have clearly displayed a mastery of magic.” The princess proclaimed. “For your superior skills I hereby grant you authority power over Equestria as Princess Trixie.” The princess placed a crown on the stunned unicorn.
Trixie’s jaw almost dropped to the floor. Luckily, it wasn’t physically possible without some sort of dismemberment spell.
Trixie stood on the stage, deemed a princess, with her best friend, and surrounded by adoring fans. The sounds of the cheering and the booming sounds of the fireworks were music to Trixie’s ears. She stood in gleeful awe, taking in this fantastic moment of her life. With this gleeful awe, came another emotion.
Disbelief.
“What is this?” Trixie asked herself. Why did all this success feel like a failure? Why did all the sights and sounds feel alien?
“Because it’s not real.” All of Trixie’s joy vanished with this thought.
She wasn’t a famous magician. She wasn’t loved by the populations. She wasn’t talented at magic. She didn’t own a big home. She wasn’t important.
She was filthy laborer. She was mocked and hated by others. She was a failure at magic. She lived in a run-down apartment. She was nothing.
The cheering crowd’s excited cheering seemed to fade into barely auditable white noise. The sky grew darker and blurred the light of the moon. The fireworks stopped their colorful decoration.
The town, the ponies, the stage; all were now just reminders of what never was and never will be.
The sights and sounds made her angry, as if taunting her with an unachievable dream. Making her remember everything she lost and everything she will never have.
With a bright flicker of light, Trixie evaporated the princess into a bright red mist. The crowd stopped cheering and simply stared. A few nervously backed away, but froze as Trixie spoke.
“I want you all gone.” A dark shadow covered Trixie’s face. Her horn began to grow bright with power.
The crowd began to run from the stage, but Trixie fired the blast into the center of the crowd. About a third of the crowd was reduced to ashes as the rest of the ponies scattered. A few ponies stayed behind to hopelessly gaze at the remains. A white unicorn with a curly purple mane fell to the ground sobbing and hysterically tried to put the ashes back together, perhaps trying to bring somepony back to life.
Trixie turned her attention to the homes and stores decorated with her banners and posters. Trixie set every structure in Ponyville on fire, covering the night sky in a deathly black cloud of smoke. Ponies ran out of their homes covered in flames. Distant crying and screams were heard within the homes, but eventually the sound of the crackling fires drowned out all other noise.
Tears dripped down Trixie’s face, but her blind rage quickly caught sight of several pegasi attempting to fly away. Dark clouds formed in the horizon and released bright bolts of lightning that illuminated the fleeing ponies. With each flash of lightening, less pegasi were seen. Until all that occupied the sky was smoke.
With the sky clear, Trixie decided to eliminate the land escapers. Trixie stared into the mountains in the distance. The mountains began to fall apart into a sand-like substance, which fell into a dark abyss that formed beneath them. The decay of the landscape spread closer to the borders of Ponyville. Realizing this, the fleeing ponies turned around and sprinted for dear life. While a few made it, the rest fell screaming into the bottomless darkness.
All that was left of the world was a chaotic and unstable Ponyville. Trixie watched the violence and dismay around her, but ignored it to focus on getting rid of her burning mansion. Within a second long glance, the mansion exploded into a hundred flaming piece. The pieces rained down on Ponyville, crushing homes and smashing fleeing ponies.
Twilight stood in place and helplessly watched the world descend into a living nightmare.
Ponies screamed in agony, other cried in fear. One pony jumped from a high roof top and plummeted to the ground, sparing her from the suffering.
Trixie grew tired of the noise and sight. The ground crumbed and the land around the stage fell into the darkness. Screams, flames, and the crumbling of buildings all faded into silence as the remainder of Ponyville disappeared. Trixie stood on a stage with Twilight, floating in an empty and dark space.
Trixie tearfully gazed at the absence of her world. Everything was gone. The sky, her home, her fans. She got rid of it all, but had no idea how to feel. Should she be sad about losing something that was never really there?
“Trixie.” Twilight softly called.
Trixie wiped her tears and faced the unicorn.
“I will always be here for you.” She sincerely said.
“No matter how bad things get, I will always be by your side. You’re my best friend, Trixie.”
More tears fell down Trixie’s face. Twilight’s words were strongly desired by Trixie, desperately wanting just one person to truly care. It was exactly what Trixie wanted to hear and she felt like Twilight really meant what she said.
Twilight extended her hooves to Trixie, as a friendly invitation for a hug to make the bad feelings go away.
Trixie took a few steps forward.
Twilight lightly nodded and kept her hooves extended.
Trixie tried to take another step, but stamped her hoof back in place. Anger and sadness chaotically blended together.
“You’re…not…real.” Trixie struggled. Twilight and the stage slowly faded away like duct in the wind. Twilight did not resist nor scream, she simply waited for Trixie’s embrace.
“It’s never too late” Twilight said. She smiled at Trixie.
With a small flicker of light Twilight and the stage were gone.
Trixie was all alone, again. She put the book under her bed and sat on the floor for a long time. Trixie struggled at the thought of what to do.
She eventually rose from her thought and slowly left her apartment, leaving the door open and the lights on, never returning.
