by G. M. Berrow
“Ouchies!” Trixie winced, losing her balance. As if in slow motion, the blue Unicorn tripped over her other hooves, knocking into a side table. A glass of water teetered precariously. Trixie reached her hoof out to try to stop the glass. “Nooo!” Another zap of magic shot from Trixie’s horn right at the dress as the water splashed down. As the holding spell took effect, the drenched skirts began to tear apart. Rarity quickly shot a zap of her own glowing magic at the dress to counteract it, but it was too late. The dress was torn and wet.
“My beautiful work!” Rarity cried out in horror. She shook her purple mane in disbelief.
“Whoopsies?” replied Trixie, massaging her hoof, which now pulsed with soreness. Rarity didn’t have to say anything in response—the annoyed grimace on her face said it all. Trixie backed out of the shop with a humble shrug and a wink.
So far, the unstoppable magic show was looking more like a pitiful dress rehearsal—where the dress was ruined. And there was no new cloak.
Tricks of the Trade
“Come on!” Trixie called out to her reluctant assistant. She looked over her shoulder, brimming with enthusiasm. Trixie couldn’t wait to get started setting everything up for the magic show tonight. So what if there’d been a silly accident? The greatest and most powerful Unicorn in all of Equestria wasn’t going to let a tiny little thing like a torn dress derail her. Even if it was for a “pop star.” Sapphire Shores, Sapphire schmores.
It’s not like anypony had been hurt, other than Trixie herself. One little sore hoof was no big deal. Rarity would come around again to the idea of sewing her a new cloak eventually. The most important aspect wasn’t the costume anyway—it was the daring magic.
All Trixie needed was her best friend on board to help out. “Hurry up, Starlight!”
“Are you sure about this?” Starlight trotted two paces behind Trixie. It was as if she wanted to give her friend enough space to change her mind. Not that she would.
Once Trixie set her mind to something, she would not let the matter drop. “I’m positive,” she declared. “The only way for me to perfect the trick I intend to do in front of the Starmane Society elders is to practice it in front of a live audience.” Her eyes lit up as they rounded the corner and her traveling wagon of tricks came into sight. “And you’re going to be my assistant, right?”
“Of course.” Starlight nodded. She clearly still felt guilty about the last time Trixie had tried to put on a show in Ponyville. Starlight had agreed to help Trixie with her feat, “The Moonshot Manticore Mouthdive.” In the stunt (originated by the great Hoofdini), Trixie was all set to launch herself from a cannon into the mouth of a hungry manticore before reappearing unharmed inside a magic box.
But Twilight’s dinner party with Princess Celestia had gotten in the way of things, and Starlight Glimmer had almost let down one of the only ponies she was truly able to call her friend. Trixie had forgiven Starlight, but the memory still stung a little.
“So, what did you decide on for your grand trick?” she asked as she followed Trixie up the steps of her wagon and inside her traveling abode. The place was littered with scrolls of parchment, costume pieces, and empty applesauce packets.
“It’s ‘The Tears of the Dragon’!” She spun around, her cloak knocking a purple top hat onto the floor. A confused bunny hopped out.
Trixie’s violet eyes sparkled deviously. “The Clever and Inventive Trixie came up with it herself this morning after breakfast. It is sure to deliver the equal amounts of shock and awe necessary to catch the discerning eyes of the highest-ranking Starmane Society ponies!” She changed her tone to a more matter-of-fact one. “Besides, each applicant won’t even be considered for membership unless he or she comes up with a brand-new, never-before-attempted daring feat of magical trickery.”
“See? I told you that taking a walk around Ponyville would inspire you!” Starlight replied. She brushed some colored scarves off the sofa and took a seat. “So, how does it work?”
Trixie unfurled a giant scroll with a complex series of drawings on it. Starlight followed the progression of the images in disbelief. The last frame was filled with arrows and feathers, surrounded by hundreds of fiery raindrops. A massive, angry dragon sat in the center. The scribbled likeness of Trixie stood on top of him, hooves held out in triumph.
“Whoa!” Starlight Glimmer pulled a face. “Am I reading this correctly?” She pointed her hoof at the fire-breathing dragon. “You’re going to tickle a dragon with a feather so much that it cries dragon funny tears—the hottest-known substance to ponykind—then perform a dance routine while they rain down on you, culminating in your disappearance into thin air before you will then reappear on top of the dragon to put the very feather you tickled it with in your performance hat?!” Starlight’s eyes were as large as saucers.
“Precisely.” Trixie smirked. “Good thing Trixie knows what she’s doing.”
She began to trot around, gathering various items into a saddlebag. “Oh good—my dragon whistle!” She picked up the prop, shined it on her starry cloak, and tossed it in. “Now, where did I put those feathers?” Trixie rifled around in her mess but had little luck. Finally, she picked up a pillow and tore it open. It exploded, and feathers rained down on every surface.
“You don’t have to do this, you know…” Starlight put her hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “I wouldn’t want anything to happen to you.”
Trixie spit out a mouthful of feathers and laughed. “I’m touched by your concern, but give me a break, Starlight. I’m great and powerful! Everything is going to go exactly as I want it to.”
A Razzle-Dazzle Rehearsal
The new-and-improved traveling stage setup, which had been recently built for “The Humble and Penitent Trixie’s Great Equestrian Apology Tour,” was officially back in Ponyville. It was quite grand—a true step up from the rinky-dink stage Trixie used to drag from town to town.
Two large posters depicting a dramatic Trixie inside a ring of fire hung on either side of the wooden platform. Shimmery curtains held up by cardboard stars were draped above. A spotlight illuminated the center of the stage, and exciting music blasted from the speakers. It was more than enough to draw attention. Sure enough, it wasn’t long before curious ponies began to gather and wait in anticipation of the show.
Backstage, Starlight Glimmer stole a peek through the shiny blue curtains at the growing crowd. She hoped Trixie was right about the safety of her daring display.
Whatever happened, Starlight would do her best to diffuse the situation and protect everypony—even if that meant shooting wayward force fields everywhere to do so.
“How do I look?” Trixie asked, striking a pose in her old purple starry hat and cloak. She smiled devilishly. “Don’t tell me, I already know.”
“You look great!” Starlight lied, forcing an encouraging smile. “Powerful!” In truth, the costume now appeared lackluster in comparison to the extravagant stage. Perhaps Trixie had been right earlier about needing a new cloak.
“That means the Great and Powerful Trixie is ready to attempt ‘The Tears of the Dragon’!” Trixie tossed the silver whistle to Starlight Glimmer. “You remember your cue?”
Starlight nodded. “When you say ‘Behold the fearsome dragon,’ I blow the whistle.” Starlight pointed her hoof at a hose. “And then I turn that on after you tickle the beast?”
“Yes!” Trixie’s eyes were alight with a fiery determination. It was not unlike the one that had possessed her when she wore the cursed Alicorn Amulet and tried to control all of Ponyville. Trixie giggled with glee. “It’s going to be so dangerous and impressive.” Starlight shot her an admonishing look. “Whaaat?” Trixie replied innocently. “That’s the name of the game.”
Without further ado, Trixie trotted over to the side and pulled a lever. The curtains swung apart, and the blue Unicorn stepped out onto the stage.
The audience stomped their hooves on the ground in applause. They’d been waiting a long time, which always amped up th
e anticipation to an appropriate level.
“Welcome, mares and gentlecolts, to the greatest show, the most memorable feat you will ever lay eyes upon!” Trixie did a theatrical twirl. Her pale-blue mane and tail whipped out in time with her cloak. “The Great and Powerful Trixie’s one-of-a-kind stunt—‘The Tears of the Draaaaagon’!
“I have yet to even test out this daring feat.” The crowd gasped. Trixie smiled gleefully and continued on. “So if you are faint of heart—avert your eyes! If you care to witness the glory of my magical prowess, do not dare to tear them away.
“Behold the fearsome dragon!” Trixie said through her gritted-teeth smile. Starlight trotted onstage, eyes darting around. She blew the whistle. At once, the entire crowd felt the fiery heat of the gigantic beast.
Trixie tried to raise her hooves way up high to gesture toward the approaching dragon, but suddenly her right forehoof seemed extra heavy. She struggled with its weight, barely lifting it the height of her shoulder. The crowd gasped.
Trixie’s hoof was pulsating with an eerie golden glow.
The Big Reveal
“Ahhhhh!” Trixie screamed as she held up her hoof to inspect it. Not only was it glowing, it was now completely transparent!
Starlight galloped over. “What’s happening, Trixie? You didn’t tell me about this part!” she whispered in a panic. “Is this part of the act?”
“N-n-n-nooo!” Trixie shook her head in disbelief. Was this really happening to her while she was onstage, mid-trick? It was like an embarrassing dream, except it was real. She looked out to the audience. Ponies shielded their eyes as the hoof grew brighter. “Help me, Starlight!” she whispered out of the side of her mouth.
“I have an idea!” Starlight snapped into action. She galloped across the stage with a showy flourish as she retrieved the hose. Starlight used her magic to turn on the flow of water and tilt it up at an angle to create a beautiful, misty spray.
It obscured the stage with the combination of water and light from Trixie’s pulsing hoof, creating a dewy rainbow-filled curtain. It was enough to distract the crowd temporarily.
Starlight Glimmer was trying to think of what to do next when a gigantic red dragon landed on the stage! It screeched as it dove low above the heads of the ponies in the crowd. They looked up in surprise as the dragon’s massive wings caused gusts of air to blow through their manes. The dragon dove straight through the mist and burst through the back of the stage before taking off into the sky.
The crowd ooohed and aaahed. It didn’t even matter that the part of the trick where the dragon was going to cry funny tears hadn’t happened.
It was music to Trixie’s ears. She forgot all about her afflicted hoof and stepped out into the water to receive the praise and take a bow. Water rained down on her as she did her signature twirl. “Another impressive performance by the Great and Powerful Trixieeee!”
Within seconds, a small spray of golden droplets rained down onto the crowd, solidifying in midair like a sparkling hailstorm. The ponies close enough to the stage pulled them from their manes and retrieved them from the ground. Their faces glowed as they held the stone pieces in their hooves in awe.
“What is it?” asked one.
“It’s beautiful!” cried another.
“It’s Glowpaz!” shouted a pale-pink Pegasus. She held up a large piece in victory.
The aqua-colored Earth pony next to her smiled. “That’s one of the most valuable gems in Equestria!” The rest of the ponies scrambled to find a Glowpaz drop.
“Uhhhhhhh…” Trixie laughed nervously. “Voilà?” She glanced across the stage and met Starlight’s eye. Her friend’s gaze seemed to say, What exactly just happened here? Trixie gave her a tiny wink and maintained her hundred-watt smile. Because whatever odd spell Trixie had just conjured, it had been a Big Reveal to even the magician herself.
The sky was darkening over Ponyville as Trixie trudged to her favorite spot on the edge of the Everfree Forest. “Euuugh!” Trixie grunted, trying to lift her heavy hoof. Beads of sweat trickled down her muzzle. She was starting to feel a deep sense of dread inside. Despite the fact that Trixie had achieved her goal of impressing everypony, she knew that something was very wrong with her hoof. If she could only make it to her favorite thinking spot, she might be able to make some sense of the night’s odd events.
Finally, Trixie saw it. The trees arched in a frame over a secluded grassy spot that brushed a curve in the river. Trixie had stopped there on numerous occasions while passing through Ponyville. It was perfect for freshening up after a long day, which Trixie was desperately in need of right now.
The troublesome interaction with Rarity was still bothering her, but the truth was that Trixie couldn’t riddle out was the wonky performance. She replayed in her mind the events of the bizarre show as she dragged her leaden hoof through the dirt.
Trixie plopped down for a moment, exhausted. She held her heavy hoof up to her face for inspection. It was still glowing, but more faintly. Originally, the shock of seeing her hoof glow had thrown off Trixie. But she couldn’t deny the way she’d impressed the crowd with the water trick. It was a response she’d never felt from any audience before! Trixie had shocked them. She had awed them! It almost didn’t matter to her that “The Tears of the Dragon” hadn’t gone according to her plan. Maybe this glow-hoof trick was better than her original idea! It would really set her apart from other magicians hoping to woo the Starmane Society.
An image of Starmane herself pinning a Society brooch onto Trixie’s cloak danced around in her head. With this new talent, she was unstoppable.
But by the time Trixie had arrived at the water’s edge, the glow had pulsed to a faint light. “No, no, no!” Trixie whined as it faded away. She picked up her hoof with ease, the heaviness magically removed and the blue color restored. She was so disappointed that her glowing idea had fizzled out that she didn’t even feel like dipping her hooves into the cool stream anymore. She jumped in quickly and then stepped out again, slumping down in defeat. “Guess I’ll just head back to the castle,” Trixie mumbled to herself. So the pony took off back toward the castle at a gallop, failing to notice the tiny mass of glistening Glowpaz stones now forming in the river like little stars in a darkened sky.
The Glow Rush
Starlight Glimmer had recently gotten into the habit of waking up very early each morning to have a nice trot before she and Twilight would attend to the friendship business of the day. It was a pleasant time to reflect on all that she had learned so far—everything from how to make new friends to being honest about needing alone time away from her studies. The whole incident where she’d accidentally created a vortex in the castle had been a tough but valuable way to learn that lesson.
Starlight awoke at sunrise and promptly set out. She weaved her way through town, watching and saying hello as other Ponyville early birds opened up shop and delivered newspapers. Then she headed toward the fields.
On rare occasions, Starlight Glimmer would venture into the Everfree Forest to search for potion ingredients or interesting plants. Today, she was on a mission.
The fresh smell of exotic foliage hit her muzzle the moment she entered the forest thicket. The big treetops gave her abundant cover. As a result, shade shrouded the land except where shafts of light broke through the trees and illuminated the ground below. Starlight stopped and scanned the bushes.
She had been so worried about Trixie after that weird magic show last night that she’d immediately told Twilight about the debacle. Twilight, in turn, had spent hours poring over books in the library to find anything that might give a clue about Trixie. It was not normal to have one’s hoof light up like a bulb. If Twilight’s book on plants had been correct, there was a certain exotic plant that just might help.
If Starlight ever managed to find one, that was.
Starlight was confident, but she hoped that she would recognize the Gleam Berries as soon as she saw them. She’d never run into any other ponies in the Everfr
ee Forest, so it would be difficult to get a second opinion until she was back at the castle, and if Twilight was right, that hoof glow was going to start getting a lot worse—and a lot more powerful. Maybe it could start to really hurt Trixie as the magic developed.
The sun was rising over the horizon, illuminating Ponyville with a hazy golden glow. Birds began to chirp, and the smell of fresh grass and flowers wafted through the sweet, breezy air. As Starlight came upon a little stream near the edge of the forest, she felt a sense of contentment, even if it was underscored with worry for Trixie. Why did her friend need so much attention that she constantly put herself in harm’s way just for the approval of other ponies? A sudden memory interrupted Starlight’s musings.
Well, Starlight thought, Trixie may want attention, but at least she didn’t force an entire town of ponies to surrender their cutie marks to her in the name of equality like I did. Starlight brushed away the memory and blushed crimson even though there was nopony around to hear it or even see her.
“What are you blushin’ about there, young filly?” A mare’s voice came from the other side of the bushes. Starlight jumped. “Nothin’ to be embarrassed about. We hightailed it straight to this spot when we heard about the sightings, too!”
“Don’t startle her, Emerald!” another gruff voice replied. “She looks terrified. You always scare off new friends.…”
“That’s total hogwash and you know it, Sparky!”
The two voices continued to grumble to each other.
“Uh, hello?” Starlight Glimmer craned her neck, searching for the source. She pushed aside a branch with her hoof and gasped at the sight. An old Unicorn couple had pitched a tent, gathered wood, and whipped up a meal of apple-carrot oatmeal. At least the smells wafting from the bubbling pot perched on the fire implied it.