(Almost entirely inspired by "Problem Pony" by "BGM, Pony Degeneracy" on YouTube. Here's the Trixie story I proimised to BGM, the song ended up being integral to it, not just an inspiration!)
So.. you hear mournful singing...
"It's a lonely road, I'm out on my own
With my head held high, and a prideful tone
From near and far, ponies come to my show
After today I've never felt so low
I try so hard to be loved
So what if it's through a lie
Today I've just had enough
So Trixie says goodbye
Why the hate, can they see through my face
Where do I go from here
I can't see through my tears
Is it me, is the problem Trixie
Why am I chased away
Do I get any say?
Ponies see, great and powerful me
Now they point and laugh, and I'm forced to leave
Didn't think, it would all come to blows
Now I'm lost and have nowhere to go
Maybe it's not meant to be
Now everything has gone wrong
I guess a showmare like me
never will belong
Why the hate, can they see through my face
Where do I go from here
I can't see through my tears
Is it me, is the problem Trixie
Why am I chased away
Do I get any say?"
..and wonder why this is so?
YOU.. are Anonymous. The ever-present representation of the everyman, and as always, the main character in stories like this. You've been in Equestria for about three months, now, and had been personally escorted to Ponyville by Purple Autismo herself, and under orders from Princess Sunbutt to behave yourself.
More that she hadn't really seen a human before, and wasn't sure what you were all about.
She even gave you a real job: Town Watchman. More or less, this meant you went around town and looked for trouble, and then went and got the proper Ponies to deal with it. Your days were four per week, and another Pony covered the other three, with a split day in there where both of you were on duty. His name was Vigilant Peepers, and he was rather a bro. He didn't care what you were.
So, your day off, and you're out exploring around the area.. and you hear this song being sung.
You don't recognize the voice, as the Great and Powerful Disaster that just happened in town, happened while you weren't there. So, hearing something TOTALLY alien to your experience here - a SAD PONY - you go and investigate.
What you see.. is a trailer. Or, a covered cart. Something like that. YOU'D call this a trailer. It's a horse cart, though, since.. ponies.
Someone is moving around inside. You can hear that much.
"Stupid country ponies.. stupid Twilight Sparkle.. stupid.. STUPID! STUPID!" She starts crying. Then, you can hear her hitting her head against the walls of the cart. "Wh-AHH!"
Then.. the sound of things falling off a shelf, and shattering glass.
"AHH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!! AAAHAHAHHA! AAAAAAAAAAH! BURNS! BURRNNNSS!" She screams.
YOU.. rush in without thinking, and just grab her and drag her out. You recognize her from her posters - it's Trixie, the Great and Powerful Magician. There's smoldering.. smoke? Coming off of her face, all green, purple, and red. You grab your canteen and pour it over her face, trying to wash out her eyes. Spotting a stream, you carry her quickly over to it.
"Relax! Relax! Let me wash your eyes out!" You say to her, in comforting, but firm tones.
"Ahhhh! AHAH! It BURNS! IT BURNS!" She cries, as you wash her face and eyes out as best you can.
Once that's done, though, you can see her eyes are an icy blue. You brush some errant tiny shards of glass from her snootle, and dab her face with your handkerchief.
"That better?" You say, in low tones.
"I-I-I.. I can't open my eyes!" She cries, pitifully.
"Miss Trixie.. your eyes ARE open." You say, gravely.
"Wh.. WHAAAAAAAT?! NOOOOO! NOOO! NO-HO-HOO!" She started crying again. "I'M BLIND! I'M BLIND! AH-HAH-AAAAAAAA! DAMN IT ALL TO TARTARUS!"
She tries beating her face with her hooves, and you? You get your arm in there, and hold her hooves and forelegs away from her face. She? Just writhes for a bit.. then just wordlessly sobs into your chest.
You hold her tightly for a better part of an hour. Just.. letting her chill out some. After she calms down, though..
"You better?" You ask.
"No.." *Sniffle* "..I'm useless, now." She gets somber.. and just goes kinda limp.
So.. having no idea what ELSE to do, you carry her back to your place in Ponyville. Near the far edge of town - on the other side from Sweet Apple Acres - you don't see anyone else as you get there. You get her to your couch, and lay her down. You then cover her with a blanket.
"Relax, okay? Just.. try and relax. I'm going to go back and get your trailer. Just rest here." You say to her, comfortingly.
"..what's the use.." She kinda rolls over, and starts crying again, softly.
So, you go back and get the cart. But, instead of going straight home, you take it to Twilight's place.
"Twilight? It's Anon! Are you in? I have a problem, here!" You call out.
"What is it?" She slides in from her magical research nook. "I'm a bit busy.."
"That magician, Trixie? She's had an accident." You shrug. "I don't kn-"
"REALLY?!" She sounds a bit perturbed. *Snort* "What, did she get a splinter in her hoof?!" She shook her head at you. "Do you even KNOW what she just did in town, Anon!?" She waved her foreleg out. "She put ponies in real danger! Someone could've been hurt!"
"..I see." You shrug. "Well, she-"
"Whatever problem she's having, I'm SURE a GREAT and POWERFUL magician like her, can solve it herself!" She snorted, mockingly, and nodded to you. "Anything else I can help you with, Anon?" But returned to a neutral tone to address you.
"Yeah. A spell of Attitude Adjustment. Cast it on yourself, you purple bitch." You turn and slam the door behind you.
She's off the Christmas Card list, that's for sure.
Sooo... lacking any other known magical geniuses, you go to the Clinic, and find Dr. Horse. He's just sitting in his office, reading a medical journal.
"Uh, Doc?" You tilt your head in.
"Yes, Anon! What's the matter?" He looked up.
"Ahh... listen..." You shrug. "..I just got told that magician Trixie did something in town.."
"Yes, as I was told, she summoned an Ursa." He shrugged a bit. "Something about wanting to show up Twilight."
"Mhm. And.. well.. as far as I know, you being a doctor, that doesn't matter, if she's your patient." You nod to him.
"Indeed not!" He blinked. "What's wrong?"
"She.. she had a bit of an accident a few miles outside of town. I heard her singing this.. really sad song.. and then, she started beating her face on the inside wall of her trailer, and.. I don't know. I heard glass breaking, she screamed, I ran in and dragged her out. Only thing is, Doc, she got something in her eyes, I'm not sure what it is, but it made this green and purple smoke. Oh, and red, too." You shrug WIDE, not knowing what any of that means. "I washed out her eyes - I told you, I have First Aid training - and there wasn't any glass in it, that I could see. But, whatever was IN the glass, got into her eyes." You lower your head. "She's.. she's blinded, Doc, and I don't know.. HOW.. or WHY.. or what caused it."
"Oh, dear!" He looked very concerned. "That sounds like alchemical components of some kind. Have you talked to Twilight?"
"Oh.. yeeeahhh.." You get a very sarcastic tone. "Her Purple High-and-Mighty-ness says that whatever the problem is, Trixie can solve it herself." You snort. "She wouldn't even hear me out!"
"Oh.." He lowers his head. "..where is Trixie right now?"
"My place. I'd rather not leave her alone TOO long, she.. ah.." You clear your throat. "She seemed really.. really broken up and depressed about being blinded, Doc, and she's been through emotional trauma. I don't want her.. I'm afraid she might try to take her own life."
"Oh, my!" He exclaimed. "Well.. I suppose I can at least examine her. Maybe look in her wagon and see if I recognize anything." And he then got up, grabbing his Doctor's Saddle Bags. "Come along."
You returned to your house with him in tow. Trixie hadn't tried to do anything in your absence, but she WAS asleep, now. You reach out carefully and touch her shoulder.
"Hey, Trixie?"
"YAHAHHAHAH! WHO'S THERE?!" She swings wildly, startled.
"It's Anon, I'm the one that rescued you. You're on my couch. I brought Dr. Horse to have a look at you." You keep out of reach of her hooves.
"Trixie? I'm Doctor Horse. I'm going to have a look at your eyes." He set his bags down and dug into them, pulling the focuser on his head, over his eye. "Hm."
"I can't.. see anything, Doctor.. it's.. like my eyes are shut, but they aren't!" She sniffled.
"Mmm.." Doc Horse said, looking closer, then pulling his head back and flipping the focuser back up. "It's magical, alright. There's no foreign matter in her eyes. And there's seemingly no reason why her irises are the color they are, nor the pupils being completely shut. There seems to be a very, very tiny pupil opening, but.." He shook his head. "..it's far too small for her eye to take in any light." He sat on his haunches. "It's a shame Twilight was so negative about helping you, Trixie. You know she wouldn't even hear Anon out?" He tilted his head. "Either way, I.. I'm sorry, I have no idea how to help you. If it's an alchemical component and your eye wasn't phyiscally damaged, your vision might come back when the component is flushed from your body."
"I.. I don't even know what hit me!" She weeped. "Damn it all to Tartarus.." She curled up.
"Try to rest, for now, as best you can. Okay? I'll check on you from time to time. Anon? If her condition doesn't clear up in a couple weeks, see if you can get an audience with Princess Celestia or Luna." He shrugged.
"Yeah, if Purple Autism didn't rat me out for being rude." You scowl.
"What's Autism?" Dr. Horse cocked a brow.
"Never mind, Doc, thank you for everything." You shrug.
"Not a problem, Anon." He gathered his things. "Let me know if you need me."
With that, he departed. You? Sat on the sofa and pet her mane a bit.
"I.. I'm sorry this happened to you. I'll do my best to help you in any way I can." You nod to her.
"..it's more than I deserve." She whimpers out. "I'm worthless. I'm useless! I can't.. I can't even find my way to WATER like this!" She cried again. "And that purple BITCH wouldn't even hear you OUT!?" She curled up into a little ball. "I wish I was dead."
"Don't say that." You say, in a comforting tone.
"No one cares." She sniffled, and wept.
"I care." You say.
"How could YOU care!? You don't even KNOW me!" She snorted.
"Because I do." You say, in low, caring tones.
"What am I even going to DO with myself, now!? MAGIC was my LIFE! And now I can't.. I can't read magic books, I can't look at artefacts, I can't.. I can't DO ANYTHING!" She thumped the pillow.
"I'll be your eyes." You say, with determination.
"..what?" She rolled over, vaguely facing your direction. "Do you.. what are you saying?!"
"I'll. Be. Your. Eyes. Until you get better, or we find some kind of alternative." You shrug. "I'm SURE that SOME wizard SOMEWHERE at SOME TIME lost their eyesight, and found a cure or a way around it."
"You'd do that.. for ME!?" She mewled.
"Sure." You nod. "Think about it. If everyone thinks you're totally blind, and you STILL pull off an incredible magic act, what can ANYONE ever say about you? That you overcame adversity, a crippling accident, and are STILL the best."
"I'h.." *Sniffle* "..no one's ever been this nice to me, before."
"It's time someone started." You nod, firmly.
She rested for a couple of days. In that time, you taught her the layout of your little tree stump house. It was small, but it worked. You learned how to describe things better, to explain to her what they were. She soon got to the point where she could navigate the house by herself.
"We should see about some kind of a work-around or something for your condition. At least for now." You nod.
"Like what? I mean, I have absolutely no vision. Zero. It's like my eyes are shut, Anon. Nothing." She shrugged.
"But, you can concentrate on your imagination, right? You ask.
"Yes.. yes, I can." She nods.
"Alright. Are there any spells you have, that create a magical field you can get some kind of reception from? Like, if you press the spell against something, can you feel that something, with your magic?" You ask.
"..hmm." She lowers her head in thought. "The basic Telekinesis spell. Magic Hoof. Normally, you need to see the object in order to grasp it, and when Unicorns are little foals, we're taught to use it like an extension of ourselves." She looks in your general direction. "I think if I can retune the way I use the spell, I can use it like a feeler." She shrugged a bit. "It'll take a lot of focus for me to useit constantly, but that's a start." She struck a tiny, proud pose. "Not that the Great and Powerful Trixie isn't capable of such a feat."
"That's the spirit." You cheer her on. "What should we start with?"
"Got another apple?" She lifted her head up.
You set it in front of her, and place her right forehoof on it, to show her where it is. She takes a minute to focus her energy, and sends it DOWN her foreleg, and AROUND the apple.. feeling it with her magical field.. and smiling.. lifting the apple into the air, and (somewhat hesitantly) moving it to her mouth, and slowly eating it.
"That was amazing, Trixie." You say, in comforting, cheerful tones.
"Technically, you're not supposed to use the spell like that." She shrugged. "But, if I focus in a different way.." She looked down, setting the apple core on the table (and just barely making it on there, but she DID do it). "..it's like, if you could turn your mouth inside out, and felt along with the inside of your cheeks, then ate with the outside of your cheeks inwards."
"That kinda makes sense." You shrug.
"It's the best way I can describe it." She nodded a bit. "I'm turning the magical field inside out, so I can feel resistance with the field itself, instead of grasping the object with that side of it."
"Fascinating." You blink at her. "I don't know how magic works, so.." You shrug.
"Well. Not many know how magic works as well as the Great and Powerful Me." She twinkled.. just a little.. finding a small piece of her confidence once more.
"I bet if you can do that, you can use that like.. like feeling your way around." You nod.
"OH! I.. I hadn't thought of that!" She nodded a bit. "I wonder.."
She slid off the couch.. and closed her eyes.. after a few deep breaths, she walked right to the kitchen, and got HERSELF a glass of water! Granted, she was a bit shakey the whole time, and the glass was jiggling in her hoof like an Irish drunk on St. Patrick's Day in an earthquake, but.. she did it. And came right back to the couch.
"I.. I can't believe I did that.." She said, excited, her heart a'flutter. "Anon.. this gave me a wonderful idea!"
"I'm glad YOU thought of it, your Great and Powerfulness." You smile at her, even if she can't see it.
"..you flatter me, Anon." She said, with a slight softness. "I think.. with this.. I think I can restructure my magic act." She nodded. "But.. I will need your help..." She paused. "Please?"
"Anything." You nod to her.
"I need you to take notes for me, so I can remember things." She nods a bit. "That and.. I might need your assistance in the act." She raised her head. "I think I know a way for me to plot things.. locate things.. at a distance. But, I'll need you."
"Oh?" You tilt your head.
"Well.. it IS an act. I AM a showpony. Some of what I doo..." She trailed off. "..is misdirection and not actual magic." She nods. "About that. I think I can use this magic field out to maybe.. two meters? A bit more? Beyond that.."
"Beyond that, you need someone that can signal distance and direction?" You followed.
"Yes. And with that, I think I can focus my Feeler Field to zero in on it." She nodded sagely.
"Verbally, in code, or..?" You ask.
"No.. taps." She nodded firmly. "I have my Feeler Field out.. tap your hoof on the ground, gently."
You don't have hooves, but you didn't correct her. You did, however, make several careful taps with your heel.
"I thought so! I can detect that." She 'hmm'd a bit. "Say, one tap every ten feet? No, five. I will need more precise control."
"I can do that." You nod. "You want me to be your EmCee? Your Ringmaster?" You smirk.
"Sure." She grinned. "I like the idea of someone announcing me." She said softly. "Never had THAT before."
"Now, you do." You stand and make gestures. "Now announcing, the GREAT and POWERFUL.. TRIXIE! Mistress of Magic and Prestidigitation! Wonder of the World! The prettiest magical mare in Equestria~!" You put out a real Old Timey Ringmaster voice for this.
"..P-Prettiest!?" She blushed. "A-Ahh.. Anon.. Ahh." She lowered herself a bit. "I mean, I've had.. FANS.. call me pretty.. but.." She cleared her throat just a bit. "..it's.. different, coming from you."
"That's because I actually mean it." You nod to her. "Not as a fan, starstruck by your awesome, but.. as someone that actually cares."
"Awh.. Anon." She was blushing. Hard.
Over the next several weeks, she had regular checkups with Dr. Horse with no change in her condition. But, that suited her fine. She took her blindness as a perfect challenge. A chance to show her superior skill.. by not only overcoming it, but coming back stronger and more skilled than ever before.
You changed up a lot of her routine, switched out some parts of the act, and with your help, she was able to throw in some more showponyship into the entire thing. Your days off were spent practicing together, or you reading to her from magical books you got from any source other than Twilight's library. She taught you to read and write in Ancient Equestrian, Ancient Donkey, and Ancient Griffonic.
You taught her how to 'see' objects with greater and greater precision, and how to engage in misdirection better.
Finally, after five long weeks, you two were ready for her Come Back Tour.
You made posters.
"The GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE - Equestria's most skilled BLIND Wizard!"
"Blinded in an HORRIFIC accident, Trixie RETURNS! BETTER than EVER!"
"SEE her perform the MOST AMAZING MAGIC - WITH NO SIGHT AT ALL!"
"BEHOLD her BEAUTY as she MESMERIZES!"
You paid to have them printed out, and put ALL OVER town. Time to show Purple Bitch Pants what's up. She was ready, you were ready, it was time to shine.
While on duty the day before the performance, patrolling the town, the word on the street was all about Trixie.
"So, I sez, there's no WAY she can do magic, blind!" You hear Lilly in her Manehattan Lower East Side accent chirping away.
"Really. LAST time she was here, it was a disaster." You heard Roseluck retort. "I've GOT to see this."
"Even if's she CAIN'T!" Lilly giggled.
Proceeding to Twilight's library (you'd made certain to have one of the posters pasted up over the side of it), you eavesdrop on her talking to her pet/son Spike.
"..all the things, imagine trying to do all this while blind! It's IMPOSSIBLE! She's cheating. She has to be!"
"Twilight.. don't get so worked up about this.." Spike pleads.
"NO! I'm GOING to that so-called MAGIC show. I'm going to SHOW her ONCE and FOR ALL. Show EVERYONE what a CHEATER and a FRAUD she is!" She snorted.
Perfect. Yes, come into my parlor, said the spider to the fly.
At the end of the day, you reported this to Trixie.. who was busy cooking both of you, dinner.
"Interesting." She heard the egg timer ding, and went and got the pie out of the oven. "She thinks she can show me up, eh?"
"Yeah." You looked over the dinner she was making - roast ham, mashed potoatoes, corn on the cob (steamed), and an apple pie for dessert. "Hey.. this is pretty good."
"I've been practicing." She smirked. "I'm getting to the point where.. it's.. I can't see, but I can sense everything almost as well." She aimed her face in your direction perfectly. "Thank you, Anon. Without you? I don't know.." She looked down.
"I.. I feel the same way." You blush a bit.
"O-Oh!" She looked up. "OH!" She smiled. "I.." She sighed. "I do, too, Anon. And that's not easy for me to say."
"Mm.. I get it." You nod. "You haven't had it easy, emotionally.. and now, you don't know how to react, right? Like, you've never had someone genuinely care, or be genuinely attracted to who you really are.. so.. you don't know how to respond properly."
"..yes." She blushed, then looked up with a tiny haughty look. "Other than to remind you, I will need a bit of a hooficure before the show. No Great and Powerful wizard such as I, could DARE go out, with sullied hooves."
"It will be my pleasure, O' Mistress of Magic!" You bow, melodramatically.
"Oh, Anon! You're such a card." She smiled, though.
The next day, you gather near town square. You had her carriage (still a trailer to you, and your Humanisms) all set up, and the stage pulled out. The hour drew near..
"I.. I can do this." She said, more to herself than you.
"I know you can." You tell her.
You were dressed up, a bit - a red coat, and a bow tie, with a top hat, and cane. Time to put on a show!
The crowd outside was murmuring.. you could clearly hear some serious doubt about this. Like, they expected a blind mare to stagger on stage, and make a fool of herself.
Time to show them different.
You stepped out.
"MARES AND GENTLECOLTS!" You start in with a Carnie accent. "HUR-RAY HUR-RAY HUR-RAY! FOR TODAY, YOU SHALL ALL BE AMAZED! ASTOUNDED! AND DARE I SAY, MESMERIZED! FOR, ON THIS DAY, YOU SHALL WITNESS THE *GREATEST* MAGIC SHOW, EVER TO BE SEEN ANYWHERE IN EQEUSTRIA!" You make grand motions with your cane. "After a HOR-I-FIC accident whilst researching the greatest alchemy, the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE was left BLINDED! But, THIS cannot stop THE GREATEST Magician that's ever lived! EVEN BLINDNESS is NO barrier to her SUPREME AWESOMENESS!" You strike a pose, here.
You pace around the stage, nodding and pointing to the neighsayers.
"AFTER MERE WEEKS! The GREATEST Magic Mare in ALL THE LAND has RETRAINED herself! Her magic STRONGER! Her skill GREATER THAN EVER BEFORE!" You bow slightly. "AND NOW, WITHOUT FURTHER A'DO! THE.. GREAT.. AND.. POWERFUL.. TRIXIE!!"
She appeared in a puff of thunderous smoke - Short Range Teleport.
Okay, THAT got their attention.. the simpletons.
"Greetings, Ponyville!" She struck her haughty pose. "It is I! The Great And Powerful Trixie!" And slightly bowed. "As my EmCee has told you.. I am now blind! Entirely without sight!" She opened her eyes, to show the lack of pupils, and the icy color that her iris has taken on, the lack of pigmentation showing their deadness.
The crowd gasped.
"But, fear not, loyal fans! For my magic is THE GREATEST!" She bowed slightly, again. "And NOTHING can STOP me - or you - no matter what tragedies may happen." She nodded RIGHT TO TWILIGHT. "And my return shall prove, once and for all, that I am.. THE GREATEST!"
Twilight stared at her, a little surprised.
For starters, Trixie pulled a few basic 'sleight-of-hand' ('sleight-of-hoof') magic 'tricks' (not spells). The infamous 'pick a card' trick, done absolutely blind. Three Card Monty with rubber and foam balls. Levitating magic rings that made patterns in the air.
"Nice TRICKS, TRIXIE!" Twilight finally shouted, as Trixie had just begun her 'guess the object' trick with your help. "Where's the MAGIC?"
"Ohhhh... a neighsayer!" She trotted right up to where Twilight was. "Fine, Miss Sparkle. Do you doubt my magic?"
"You can't cast spells while BLIND!" She stated, firmly. "Without being able to see where you're casting, you're just GUESSING!"
"Mm.. fine, then." She shrugged, and trotted back to center stage. "It seems, dear Ponyfans, we have a doubter. It is time for Trixie to move on to the main act, to satisfy her rude demands."
You get back on stage, and as you take position, tap your right heel three times.
"I will now fire an arrow, hit the apple hanging from the tree to my right, and fire a second arrow, impaling it into the tree, precisely 15 feet off the ground. With telekinesis magic." She nodded, and produced a bow and two arrows, levitated with telekinesis magic.
"Oh, ah'd REALLY like ta see this!" You hear Applejack pipe up. "That thar apple's pretty high off'a the ground, a-"
She fired her first arrow, cutting the branch and dislodging the apple itself. The second arrow was pulled back on the bowstring, and fired a half second later, hitting the apple square in the center, and impaling it on the tree.
"HOLY HAY BALES!" Applejack spouted.
"I invite Miss Sparkle to check my math." She snorted a tiny bit.
"I-It's a trick! She's cheating!" She, none-the-less, went over with Rarity and verified.. it was exactly 15 feet off the ground, to the center of the arrow, down to the fraction of the inch. "You CHEATED!" She trotted over to the stage.
"Oh? You still doubt me?" She struck a haughty pose. "You claim to be one of the best, yourself, Twilight. Care to accept a challenge?"
"NAME it!" She snorted.
"Lovely Assistant?" She nodded to you.
You produce two large watermelons, and two razors, setting them each on their own stand.
"As any of you Unicorns know, trying to do something with great precision, requires great concentration." She nodded to the watermelons. "The finer the control, the more concentration is needed. So.. Twilight.. think you can shave one of these watermelons, without cutting through to the meat, faster and cleaner than me? One without sight?"
"Th.. that's.. that's impossible!" She came up on stage.
"Only because you don't BELIEVE that my magic IS THE GREATEST!" She swept a hoof to the crowd.
"Really, Darling.." Rarity stepped to the edge of the stage. "..such a feat would be truly amazing."
"Ah!" You bow deeply to her. "Rarity! Ponyville's finest fashionista! Would you do us all the honor of judging the competition?"
"Oh!" She smiled, happily. "Of COURSE, Darling!" She accepted your hand and got up on to the stage.
"Be careful, Rarity! She's cheating! This is all just a trick!" Twilight snorted.
"We shall soon find out, Miss Sparkle." You say.
After both of them got into position and hefted the razors, with Twilight making certain hers was as sharp as it should be, you motioned to Rarity.
"Alright, Magicians.. and.. GO!" She nodded.
As expected, Twilight started immediately trying to mathematically calculate the angles of the watermelon, depth of the skin, most time-saving stroke patterns..
...and Trixie, with her face aimed at Twilight, simply hefted the melon, and gently brought the razor to the skin.. and began peeling. Not in straight lines, no, but in a rotating pattern, making a spiral from the skin..
..while Twilight began cutting, very precisely making shallow lines in a mathematically perfect grid pattern..
..while Trixie got towards the middle of the melon, she increased its rotation speed..
..and Twilight soon fully gridded the watermelon with the greatest precision..
..while Trixie reached the bottom, and cut the ribbon.
Trixie's skin ribbon was PRECISELY the depth of the skin itself - the thinness of a hair, or so. Twilight's first few cuts, had some rind on them.
"TRIXIE is the WINNER!" Rarity announced.
Twilight had been so caught up in her own world, she never looked up once to see what Trixie was doing. Her jaw literally hit the stage.
"THAT'S NOT POSSIBLE!" She yelled, marching over. "YOU.. you CAN'T DO THAT! Not.. not without SEEING it!"
"Twilight, Darling, even if she COULD actually see.. her face was pointed at you the entire time." Rarity interjected.
"No.. no, no! This is.. some kind of a TRICK!" Twilight shook her head in utter disbelief.
"As I said, Twilight, my magic is the greatest. It looks like.. YOU.. have a bad case of sour grapes!" She levitated eight grapes, peeled them perfectly with the razor, then fired them PRECISELY into Twilight's mouth when she opened it to retort.
The crowd clapped.. and there were a few cheers.
Twilight swallowed the tiny orbs of tasty, and glared at Trixie in contempt.
"FINE! Fine. Fine." Twilight trotted right up to her. "Maybe you can pull off parlor tricks. You had weeks to practice it." She snorted a bit. "Let's see you do.. REAL magic." She narrowed her eyes.
Uh-oh.. THAT side of Twilight was coming out. The side that refused to be proven wrong. The side of her that made Safety a tertiary concern, in the quest to be proven right.
"What do you propose?" Trixie looked right at her, with her dead eyes.
"Mount Bizaborn." She pointed in the distance to a tiny snowy peak. "Think you can chop off just the tip?" She cocked a brow.
"Er.. Twilight.. Darling.. that would require using rather.. eh.. forbidden magic." Rarity cautioned.
The crowd murmured in concern, and a few nearest the stage pulled back a pace.
"Quiet, Rarity! I'm about to PROVE that this is all TRICKS and LIES and FRAUD!" She snorted.
"Oh? I presume you intend to go first, then?" Trixie retorted. "After all, you're asking ME to break the rules.. it's only fair you take your turn, that we may both be admonished for the misuse of magic."
"FINE!" Twilight spat. "But, you have to hit both corners I leave behind! That way, you can't just trace my spell path!"
"Go ahead, then!" Trixie dared her.
Twilight moved to center stage, and took a moment to center herself. She stared intently at the mountain peak in the distance.
You.. tapped your heel several times.. seemingly impatient.. but, you were, insead, relaying exact angle, distance, and parabolic trajectory.
Twilight hovered off the stage, and with a swish of her horn, she fired a great bolt of energy.. it flew towards the mountain peak, and impacted, blowing the very tip off the mountain, leaving it flat.
"THERE! I bet you can't even HIT the mountain!" She snorted at Trixie.
Trixie, shrugged.. and simply levitated herself off the ground, summoned the appropriate spell sigil.. and with one outstretched hoof, fired twin beams of energy.. they flew faster, straighter, and made two perfect chips off the two edges of the mountain, cleaner than Twilight's impact.
The crowd CHEERED! They were astounded! They were ELATED!
Twilight WAS SO PISSED!
"HOW?! HOW DID YOU DO THAT!? YOU CHEATED, YOU MUST HAVE! YOU'RE NOTHING BUT A FRAUD! A LIAR! AN UNDISCIPLINED AND UNTRAINED *SHOWPONY!* YOU DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF POWER! YOU DON'T-"
"Ehh.. Twai? Sugarcube?" Applejack tugged at her tail. "Ah.. ah think we g-got.. BIGGER PROBLEMS!"
Twilight huffed, and sneered at Applejack.
"WHAT IN TARTARUS ARE YOU ON ABOUT!? THERE'S NOTHING BIGGER THAN EXPOSING HER AS-"
*Draconic Throat-Clearing*
The crowd had scattered. A Dragon had zoomed over from the mountain soon after Trixie impacted it, and was seated behind Twilight, off the stage, glaring at her.
"Spike, not NOW!" Twilight said, still glaring at Trixie. "Trixie, there's no way you hit that mountain! I DID, and it was a STRETCH for ME!"
"Soooooo... YOU DAMAGED MY HOME!" The Dragon bellowed.
"..eep!" Twilight made a tiny noise, and started quivering like a bowl of jelly.. slowly turning around, and seeing the gignatic 25-foot-tall dragon standing there.
"Ah, another customer!" You cheekily step up. "Tickets are one Bit, my good man!" And hold your hand out.
The Dragon GLARES at your IMPUDENCE.
"YOU RUDE LITTLE CREATURE! MY ROOF WAS JUST SHOT OFF, AND MY CEILING IS CRACKED! AND YOU EXPECT ME TO PAY FOR A TICKET!? I SHOULD BURN THESE STINKING HOVELS TO THE GROUND!!" He screams in your face.
Trixie, without missing a beat, trots right up to him.
"Listen, Buster, we don't need any more audience participation, here!" She prodded his belly. "Now, either PAY for a TICKET, or I'll THROW YOU OUT MYSELF!"
"T-T-T-Trii-xii-eee!" Twilight stammered, lowered flat to the stage, and urinating herself. "A-A-ARE Y-YOU C-CRAZY!?"
"She MUST be, to speak TO ME in THAT MANNER!" The Dragon snorted smoke at her.
She didn't budge.
"Alright. Alright, mister rude attitude. Don't say I didn't warn you." She snorted right back at him. "YOU don't get to go around threatening the homes of my adoring fans, either!" She nodded firmly. "SO BEGONE!"
Trixie reached out, and without making contact with the Dragon, encased him in a bubble, and using an inverted magical telekinesis field, FIRED him into the air like a springboard! He sailed so far, so fast, he was soon a twinkle on the horizon.
"Well. THAT takes care of THAT!" She snorted. "Also, Twi, get a mop and clean that up." She smirked.
The crowd? Regathered and CHEERED their hearts out! The whole TOWN cheered. EVERYONE cheered, and chanted her name. Trixie? Simply took a small bow.
"AND THERE YOU HAVE IT, MARES AND GENTLECOLTS! THE! GREATEST! MAGICIAN! THAT! EVER! LIVED! HAS DEFEATED A DRAGON!" You gesture to her. "While her NEIGHSAYER.. COWERS IN A PUDDLE OF HER OWN FEARS!"
The rest of the show was less impressive, Twilight slunk off in humiliation, and Trixie topped the show off by pretending to cut Fluttershy in half. Everypony loved it.
The two of you went back to your place, after that. Inside, was Princess Celestia.
Despite not being able to 'see' her, Trixie bowed, a bit surprised.
"Your Highness!" She blinked.
"Princess." You nod to her. "Just decided to walk in, eh?" You pace over to your cupboard and get out a juice box for you and Trixie. "Juice?"
"..no, thank you." Celestia blinked. "Trixie.." She looked right at her, and got close to her. "..you are, indeed, blind."
"Yes, Your Highness." She bowed deeply.
"Did the Dragon come back and threaten a lawsuit?" You ask, not really intimidated by Celestia in the slightest.
"More that they demanded the repairs be paid." She nodded to you. "But, they DID apologize for threatening to burn the town down."
"Mmm." You nod to her. "So, what did your -prize- student have to say? Embellished the truth, maybe? Blamed Trixie?"
"Something like that." She grinned a bit. "I see she was.. stretching the truth.."
"She probably flat out lied." You shrug. "Twilight's been on a rant since I tried to tell her Trixie had been blinded, and tried to get her help figuring out what went wrong. She wouldn't even hear me out."
"So Spike has told me." She nodded a bit. "Twilight and I.. had a talk."
"Slap on the wrist. It's fine - no one got hurt. Again." You shrug again, and sip your juice.
"Twilight will be here tomorrow to apologize." She nodded again.
"I think we can call it even, now." Trixie nodded, slowly.
"Trixie?" Even YOU were shocked by that.
"Mm.. Anon.. after all.. she may have fended off an Ursula.. but I bested a Dragon. And a very angry one, at that." She flicked her mane, haughtily.
"You seem to have adapted well to your condition." Celestia addressed her.
"Mmm." She nodded. "It's taught me a few things. Not taking things for granted, taught me how to use magic blinded, how to adapt.. that maybe I was a bit too full of myself." And shrugged.
"I can detect the components that got into your eyes." Celestia said, looking straight into them. "It wouldn't be that hard for me to neutralize them.."
ENDING NUMBER ONE:
"That's okay." Trixie said, lowering her head. "I.. don't need them any more." She paced over to you, and 'looked' right at you. "I have the greatest assistant in the world.." She put a hoof on you, and finally actually used her magical field to detect your entire body. "That's funny.. I thought.. you might be a Griffon or something. You have.."
"Hands." You put one on her snout. "Not claws."
"What are you, Anon?" She looked up to you.
"A human.. that loves you." You smile to her, even if she can't quite see it.
"Well, Mister Human Anon Y Mous.." She raised her head haughtily once again. "You'd better be ready to be my EmCee for the rest of your life. Because, no matter what you are..? I feel the same way."
"You don't want your sight restored, Trixie?" Celestia asked, a bit amazed. "That's incredible."
"You don't get it. I can see.. by other means.. now." She blinked a bit. "And losing my vision allowed me to see there really is someone out there that can love me for who I really am underneath.."
"..underneath The Greatest Magician in Equestria." You lean down to her a bit. "Underneath the Showpony. The real Trixie."
"Yes." She smiled broadly. "The real.. me."
As the two of you kissed before Celestia, your future was assured. After the show in Ponyville, her status as a Blind Hero, the greatest magician in Equestria, was cemented. None would ever question her. Ever question her skills. After a whirlwind national tour, she secures a permanent spot as the premier magic act at the most prestigious casino/hotel in Las Pegasus, with occasional tours to Europe.
And.. marriage. To the strange human that saved her life, and saved her heart.
Twilight, meanwhile, was given a very stern talking-to by Celestia, and her behavior towards Trixie delayed her installment as the Head of the Government by over a year - Celestia being just a bit reserved about that attitude of hers, and not letting her take the reigns fully and unassisted until she was absolutely certain she could handle it. But, with Trixie out of the picture, no further friction occurred, even after her academy was opened - WITHOUT Trixie. You both decided it would simply be best to write the purple menace out of your lives forever.
And what happy lives they would be.
[END #1]
ENDING NUMBER TWO:
"Really?" Trixie pondered this turn of events for a moment.. and nodded a bit. "Anon.."
"Yes, Trixie?" You nod to her.
"..before I go through with this, I want you to know how I feel. You've.. you've shown me that someone can love the real me. The me beneath all the glitz and glamor of being the greatest magician.." She blushed. "..that.. I really do care about you."
"I feel the same way, Trixie. Helping you all these weeks? Standing together against that Dragon? We're a team." You nod. "I'd like to.. maybe make that permanent."
"Mmm." She smiled a bit. "Do it."
With a flash of magic, Trixie slumped over, and quickly regained herself. She looked down at her hooves, and smiled.
"Wow, Anon.. you did a better job than I-" Then, she saw you. "-AH! A.. Anon? What..? What ARE you?"
"I'm a human." You shrug. "I hope my visage isn't too hideous."
"I.." She looked at you, looked down, then looked back to you, and launched herself off the floor.
You caught her, and she kissed you. Hard. Madly. Deeply.
"I don't care. You could look like a mud demon, at this point. Silly me.. caring about what things look like on the outside." She caresses your face. "I -KNOW- what's inside.. and I can't.. I can't *see* a life without that." She kisses you once again.
"Rather interesting you'd agree to be with him." Celestia nodded. "He's not.. exactly like us."
"You don't know him like I do. You can't SEE what's IN his heart." She nuzzled you. "Now.. about Miss Twilight." She turned and trotted right over to Celestia. "Forgive me, Your Highness, but her behavior today? She's done that before. That's the real HER. She can't stand to be proven wrong. She can't stand to have her ego challenged." She shook her head. "She needs retrained. She needs to be taught humility." And shrugged. "I volunteer."
"Really?!" Celestia was taken aback. "After all that's happened?!"
"It taught ME something, too. That -I- needed to know when to be humble, to look past what my eyes can see. I was lucky. Very lucky. I.. if she's going to have ANY hope of protecting our nation and our people?" She made a short sniff and struck a pose. "Then, she'd better learn from the best, how to be humble and accept when she's wrong. I did."
"Hmm.. perhaps you SHOULD help my dear Student." Celestia nodded. "And you, Anon?"
"I'll help any way I can. I am a Town Watchman." You shrug. "And, I suppose, we can put on a show for the town, regularly. Entertainment, morale, and researching and developing -that- aspect of Magic." And gesture. "Should be worth a subsidy."
"Mmm.. wise counsel." Celestia nodded. "Very well."
And with that, Trixie was more or less made 'the big boss' of the Elements. Regarded as the most skilled, and most unflappable, most adaptable magician in town, meant she could inventively come up with alternative ideas in ways the other six could never dream of.
Twilight, taught humility and humbleness, taught to jettison her ego in favor of new friends and the greater good, became an even better Princess of Friendship, when the time came to take the throne. And Trixie stepped right in to fill the void, to maintain the Elements of Harmony when Twilight ascended to higher duties, her skill with magic only growing in the meanwhile.
You settle in Ponyville, the two of you, and foster orphans from all over. While your genetic incompatibility meant you'd never have your own, you raised a vertiable army of orphaned ponies, yaks, griffons, and more. All taught the harsh lessons you two learned together.
Long and happy lives filled with adventure and love awaited you.
[END #2]
