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]

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!