Magic Duel, part 4

[no_vampires_plz]

Sneaking Fluttershy back into Ponyville was, fortunately, a lot easier than getting her out. After that, Twilight and Zecora spent the rest of the night fine-tuning the unicorn's plan, while their friends on the other side of the wall carried out the instructions sent with Fluttershy.

It's nearly noon when Twilight and Zecora walk up to the borders of Ponyville. She has to squint, but Twilight can just barely see the strip of red cloth tied to the peak of the Carousel Boutique--the agreed-upon signal that the plan is ready for execution. She looks back at Zecora, briefly, and the zebra gives her an encouraging nod.

Nix your magic. Use the six.

Twilight walks up to the edge of the forcefield and raps her hoof sharply on the wall. Rings of blood-red light ripple out from the point of contact. That ought to get Trixie's attention.

Comments

[powered_by_red]

That does indeed get her attention. And as any good ruler of Ponyville, she must go seek out whatever's causing it and remove the problem efficiently. As she gets pulled on her bed by the doltish duo, she can't help but feel agitated.

"This better not be another false alarm, or The Great and Powerful Trixie will-" She immediately loses her train of thought when she sees a familiar purple menace plaguing her eyes with her presence: Twilight Sparkle. "You!"

This came at a surprise to her. Trixie never expected her to be back so soon. She jumps off of her bed to teach that purple unicorn a lesson in being the loser... the hard way. What comes first is a little gloating that Trixie's still the superior unicorn.

"What's the matter, Twilight Sparkle? Not enjoying your exile?"

[no_vampires_plz]

"I know about the Alicorn Amulet. I know you cheated."

[powered_by_red]

"Cheated!? Moi?" What an utterly preposterous idea. Besides, she's still stronger than any other unicorn on the planet now. There's absolutely no way Twilight can ever beat her now.

[no_vampires_plz]

"Yeah." Twilight's smiling now. "And I thought you might wanna see what a real magical amulet looks like."

She levitates up a heavy gold necklace with a pendant made of carved green stone.



"Zecora gave it to me," she continues as she clips it around her own neck. "It's from beyond the Everfree Forest, and it's way more powerful than your measly little Alicorn Amulet."

[powered_by_red]

That is to laugh.

"Ha! Nothing's more powerful than the Alicorn Amulet, and nopony's more powerful than The Great and Powerful Trixie!"

[no_vampires_plz]

"Care to put your amulet where your mouth is?" says Twilight with a smug grin. "How about another duel?"

[powered_by_red]

...For serious? Last time Trixie checked, she had single-hoofedly beat Twilight in a duel, proved her superiority, shown herself capable of doing top-level unicorn spells, and became a good basketball player.

"Why should I? I already beat you."

[no_vampires_plz]

Twilight shrugs. "That's up to you. But I guess you'll never see the totally awesome magic from beyond the Everfree Forest. Come on, Zecora..."

The two of them turn and stroll away from Ponyville.

[powered_by_red]

Trixie watches them walk away. Twilight doesn't deserve another duel.







...But what if it's true? What if that amulet really is as powerful as Twilight says it is? ...No, there can't be any way that that's true. But... Twilight doesn't know just how powerful she is if she's all smug like that. Trixie must show Twilight that she's wrong, but they're walking away. This could be her only chance.

"Wait!"

She dismisses the magic shield surrounding Ponyville and teleports in Twilight's way because Trixie MUST crush Twilight's flimsy amulet and truly prove herself superior. "Okay, okay, you're on! A second duel..."

[no_vampires_plz]

* * * * *

It's high noon in Ponyville, but you wouldn't know it to stand in front of Town Hall. Heavy thunderclouds blot out the sun, giving way to an occasional flash of lightning, and the breeze that blows through the streets is cold as ice.

The entire town has once again gathered to witness the event, and the two titans of magic--Twilight Sparkle and Trixie--stand six feet apart with their hooves firmly planted in the earth.

This is it. The duel that will decide Ponyville's fate. But this time, Twilight has an ace or two up her sleeve.

[powered_by_red]

Trixie snarls at her opponent, thunder going off behind her. This is it, the moment she'll win yet again.

"Let's start with a simple age spell, shall we?" After all, that is what defeated Twilight before.

[no_vampires_plz]

"Let's."

She's not intimidated. Why is she not intimidated?

[powered_by_red]

Trixie figures that Twilight's delusional. She might as well get this over with quickly.

"Snips! Snails!"

She sees the doltish duo stand at attention on her command. she trained them well. To defeat her right away, Trixie casts an age spell on Snips and Snails.

[nponyc]

This time, both of them are foals.

"WAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

[powered_by_red]

And just like that, Trixie won.

"An oldie, but a goodie. Heh. Now, let's see what your little charm can do."

[no_vampires_plz]

"No problem. Um... Apple Jack? Rarity? Could you help me, please?"

The two ponies look puzzled, but step forward as they're asked.

[powered_by_red]

Trixie's eyes roll.

[no_vampires_plz]

Twilight takes a deep breath and fires off a blast of magic at Rarity and Apple Jack. The two ponies are enveloped in magenta smoke.

When it clears, a white unicorn filly and an orange earth pony filly (the latter with a far-too-large hat on her head) stand in front of Town Hall.

[powered_by_red]

Trixie was too busy filing one of her hoofs to really pay attention, given that she knows she'll win. However, when she takes a little glance, all that happens is Trixie's mouth falling wide open.

How could Twilight possibly do an age spell!? ...Wait a minute, why is Trixie surprised. She still has a lot more powerful spells that she can use to prove her superiority.

"Eh... Ho hum, so you can do an age spell. Big deal."

[no_vampires_plz]

Oh, Twilight's not done yet.

POOF. Another burst of magenta smoke, and Rarity and Apple Jack are back to normal.



POOF. Now Rarity is a filly balancing on an adult Apple Jack's back.



POOF. Now Rarity is fully grown again, and an elderly Apple Jack is struggling to hold her up.



POOF. And they're both restored to their normal ages again.

[powered_by_red]

But... she... what!? Did she really just do all those age spells in succession that quickly!?

"That's... that's impossible...!"

[no_vampires_plz]

"That's nothin'."

Now Twilight turns toward Rainbow Dash.

Before the rainbow pegasus can react, she's struck with another bolt of magic.

POOF.

[nponyc]

For a moment after the smoke clears, it looks like nothing has happened.

Then a second pair of blue wings appear on Dash's back.



"Yow!" Rainbow Dash is half-excited, half-boggled as she stares down her exact double.

[powered_by_red]

...Trixie is utterly baffled.

"How did you...?"

She's even having trouble finishing questions. How could Twilight be this powerful? It's like she's not even breaking a sweat!

[no_vampires_plz]

"Duplication spell," says Twilight smugly. "Ever see one pony play ten instruments?"

Think fast, Pinkie!

POOF.

[havetubawilltravel]

That's just her second nature, Twi!



Awww yeah!







...In your face, Trixie!

[powered_by_red]

Trixie doesn't know what's happening! She was sure she was going to crush Twilight in this second magic duel, but somehow, she's doing all these age spells and duplication spells and she even made a pony play ten instruments AND ALL OF THIS IS IMPOSSIBLE!

"This- this can't be!"

[no_vampires_plz]

"Ooh, one more--I can turn a mare into a stallion."

Twilight casts her eye on Apple Jack, who tries to flee before--

POOF.

Too late.



"...eeeyup," says Apple Jack, crossing her his legs uncomfortably.

POOF. And she's back again.

[powered_by_red]

Trixie's mouth gapes wide open. Maybe Twilight was telling the truth about that amulet... which means Trixie needs it.

[no_vampires_plz]

"Well, Trixie, looks like my amulet is more powerful than yours--"

[powered_by_red]

Trixie grasps the green amulet necklace with her magic and tears it off of the soon-to-be-loser. Everything is hers now.

[no_vampires_plz]

"HEY!" Twilight yelps. "Give it back!"

[powered_by_red]

Trixie just laughs. There's no way she'll give this back.

"With this amilet, I shall now rule all of Equestria" Because why should she just stop at Ponyville? She has the most powerful thing in existence and nothing could ever hope to stop her now. She lets loose another laugh, taking off the red amulet she's wearing right now. She can feel the amulet's power wearing off immediately, but she won't be powerless like this for long.

She puts on her shiny, stylish new amulet. "Witness, my subjects! Gaze upon an ever Greater and More Powerful-er Trrrrixie!" the new overlord decrees, trilling the 'r' in her name. All will soon know her power.

[nponyc]

She's monologuing! Now's their chance!

One of the two Rainbow Dashes swoops down to the ground and back up again, grabbing the Alicorn Amulet from Trixie's outstretched hoof as she passes.

[powered_by_red]

Trixie is outraged by such an atrocity being committed against her. ...It mostly immediately fades. "Ugh, I don't need that old Alicorn Amulet. I've got this!" she says, proudly puffing out her chest to show off her new ultra-powerful amulet.

Still, there is the matter of stealing from her. A lesson needs to be taught here. Trixie will definitely make that Rainbow Dash pay. She shoots a pink magical beam at the Rainbow Dash that stile her old amulet.

[nponyc]

When the beam strikes her, Dash pulls up short in midflight...

...and starts giggling.

"Stop it! That tickles!"

[powered_by_red]

...What. "Tickles...? Wh- Uh- That was supposed to make you writhe in agony!"

Trixie angrily glances down at her amulet and pokes it a couple times with her hoof. "This amulet is defective!" It looks like she'll be needing her Alicorn Amulet back, so she fires off another Agony Beam at the Rainbow Dash and outstretches a hoof. "Give mine back!"

[nponyc]

Rainbow Dash easily dodges the beam. "Sorry. This is going back into hiding where it belongs."

She swoops back down to where Zecora is waiting with a small wooden box. Dash drops the Alicorn Amulet into the box and smartly closes the lid.

[powered_by_red]

Trixie is snarling. She needs her Alicorn Amulet back!

[no_vampires_plz]

"By the way, Trixie, the amulet around your neck? It's one of Zecora's doorstops."

The cheap craft glue holding the stone to the necklace chooses that moment to give way, and the "amulet" drops to the ground and cracks in half.

[powered_by_red]

...Wait... Wait... If this amulet was just... some cheap doorstop or whatever, then...

"But- uh... How did you do those spells? Nopony could do those spells!" Trixie's going to get to the bottom of this one way or another.

[no_vampires_plz]

"You're right... not even me."

Twilight waves toward Town Hall, and ponies start spilling out from their hiding places. There are three extra Apple Jacks wiping makeup out of their fur, and one tiny Rarity combing the dye out of her mane. The second Rainbow Dash removes her wig and shakes out Fluttershy's soft pink hair.

"Zecora taught me so much about magic while I was in exile," Twilight explains. "She even taught me when not to use it. My magic alone wasn't powerful enough to take on the Alicorn Amulet head-to-head, so I needed to use a different kind of magic: the magic of friendship. Combined with some good old-fashioned stagecraft and slight-of-hoof, of course. I also knew that the only pony who could get the Amulet off your neck was you, so..."

[powered_by_red]

...Well, okay then. That explains a lot. ...But something else is bugging her, something that can't really be explained by slight-of-hoof or stagecraft...

"But... What about the pony with the ten instruments?"

[no_vampires_plz]

"That's not magic," Twilight giggles. "That was just Pinkie Pie."

[havetubawilltravel]

...Semi-best day ever!