'I could really go for something cold and sweet...'
I stepped out of Scroll & Colors after restocking on parchment rolls and ink. Sitting down on a nearby bench, I organized my backpack. I had decided to use it today; it was far more comfortable than saddlebags, and its expansion enchantment was much more stable.
After putting everything away, I was about to stop by Bon Bon's candy shop for some ice cream when I noticed a mare in the distance using her magic to park a wagon in front of Ponyville Town Hall.
What caught my attention wasn't the wagon itself, but the way she was dressed. She wore a wide blue hat decorated with stars and a matching cape. It was exactly the kind of outfit any foal would imagine a mage wearing.
Several ponies turned to look at her. The mare smiled with obvious satisfaction, removed her hat, gave it a theatrical shake, and a shower of flyers scattered toward the nearby crowd.
By the time I looked up again, she had already disappeared inside the wagon.
"The Great and Majestic Trixie invites everypony to her spectacular show this afternoon! You are cordially invited to witness magic that will amaze you and leave you laughing at just how spectacular Trixie truly is! Volunteers brave enough to perform alongside the Majestic Trixie..."
Somepony read the flyer aloud.
'Sounds interesting...'
'I wonder what kind of magic she'll use?'
I glanced back toward the wagon with curiosity. The announcement alone had already drawn the attention of most of the ponies in the square. It wasn't surprising. Ponyville was a quiet town, and anything out of the ordinary quickly became the talk of the day.
Within minutes, small groups had formed to chat about the upcoming performance. Foals ran from one group to another, excitedly talking about the show while several adults discussed where the best seats would be.
I watched the scene for a few seconds before adjusting my backpack again.
'I'll go get that ice cream...'
'The show's still a while away.'
...
"Hi, Bon Bon! Can I get a vanilla ice cream and a few orange candies?" I pointed a hoof toward the basket I wanted them from.
"Nice day, isn't it?" I glanced over my shoulder. The line in front of the counter was much longer than usual.
"Hey, Wizbell! Yeah, business has been great today." Bon Bon finished serving a couple of customers before grabbing a cone and starting on my ice cream.
"Look at this! I haven't sold this much in days." She wrapped a handful of orange candies in a small paper bag and looked up at me with a smile.
"You should stop by one of these days. It's been a while since you've talked with Lyra."
"Somepony has to listen to her talk about humans. It's entertaining and all—I care about her—but once she gets started on that subject, she can go on for hours. At least when you're around, she eventually moves on to something else. Or, if she starts explaining all her conspiracies, saying them out loud seems to get them out of her system. She needs that every now and then."
Bon Bon moved on to the next customer while I stepped aside. I used my magic to help finish a few orders as she kept talking.
"On top of that, she's come up with an entire theory about how a human might function in our world. According to her, she's been working on it since preschool. Just reading what she showed me gave me a headache."
'...Huh?'
"She's still hung up on that?" I couldn't help letting out a small laugh.
"It was just a silly idea we came up with when we were foals... but then again, we're talking about Lyra and humans." Bon Bon nodded with a resigned smile.
"And she's not working alone anymore. I remember somepony named Sunburst has been helping her. I think they exchange letters pretty often to share their research."
'Sunburst... huh.'
"A joint research project?" I nodded to myself.
"Then it's probably grown beyond a simple idea. If Sunburst's involved, there's a good chance it's turned into a solid hypothetical theory. I think I understand why it caught his interest."
I slipped the bag of candies into my backpack before taking my ice cream.
"Well, I'll talk to her one of these days. If not, just tell her to come see me once she's ready to defend her theory."
"I will!" she called just before I stepped out of the shop.
I waved goodbye with a hoof and headed back toward the town square.
By the time I arrived, even more ponies had gathered. The show hadn't started yet, but groups were already chatting excitedly about what they expected to see.
I've never been particularly fond of crowds.
I scanned the area until I found a spot a little farther away. It still offered a clear view of the makeshift stage, but it was far enough from the crowd that I wouldn't feel surrounded by ponies.
Settling down with my ice cream, I waited for the show to begin.
[Third's POV]
The conversations filling the town square gradually died down as the sun began to sink lower in the sky.
Every makeshift bench was already occupied, while many more ponies stood together, forming a wide semicircle around the stage. Foals crowded into the front rows as more adults continued to arrive carrying bags of candy, caramel apples, and ice cream.
Suddenly...
BOOM!
A brilliant flash erupted, followed by a thick cloud of blue smoke that engulfed the entire stage. Colorful sparks shot into the air before fading away like tiny fireworks.
Several foals gasped in excitement while the rest of the audience fell silent.
As the smoke slowly cleared, a lone figure could be seen standing confidently at center stage.
Her blue cape, decorated with stars, fluttered gently as she gave an exaggeratedly elegant bow.
"Welcome!"
Her voice carried across the entire plaza.
"The moment you've all been waiting for has finally arrived!"
She raised a hoof toward the sky as another shower of sparkling lights swept across the stage.
"Prepare yourselves to witness the incomparable talent of the most magnificent...!"
She paused deliberately, savoring the complete attention of everypony present.
"The most majestic!"
Another burst of light illuminated the stage.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
She proudly puffed out her chest at the end of her introduction.
'Interesting... she bent the light to hide herself.'
Wizbell wasn't watching Trixie herself.
'The magic circles are carved directly into the stage...'
A faint smile appeared on his face.
'Such a crude design. The carving is poorly done, there are far too many irregularities, the trigger is placed directly beneath her, and she didn't even close the engravings properly.'
He watched the last traces of magic dissipate without causing any instability.
'What a terrible use of the explosion rune...'
'It shouldn't work...'
He idly tapped the ground with a hoof while mentally reconstructing the spell, trying to understand what allowed it to keep producing the expected result despite all its flaws.
He bit into another orange candy and slowly shook his head.
'How absurd...'
Leaning back a little farther against the magically conjured sofa he'd created for himself, he kept his eyes fixed on the stage.
Trixie continued her performance to enthusiastic applause and expressions of amazement.
With a flourish of her cape, a shower of sparkling lights spread across the stage before taking the shape of glowing birds. The tiny creatures circled above the audience for a few seconds before dissolving into specks of light.
Without missing a beat, several objects rose into the air around her, orbiting in perfect circles as she continued speaking with the same theatrical confidence that seemed to delight her just as much as the tricks themselves.
'She's chaining her spells together...'
Wizbell popped another orange candy into his mouth.
'The timing leaves much to be desired... but it maintains the illusion of continuity.'
Another explosion lit up the stage. Smoke enveloped Trixie once more, and when it cleared, she was already standing at the opposite end of the platform, greeting the audience with a wide smile.
'She bent the light again...'
He settled more comfortably against the back of his magical sofa.
'Not teleportation. She's simply redirecting everyone's attention while changing positions. Clever... it's practically the same trick an illusionist would use on Earth, except here the magic does the work.'
The applause grew louder with every performance.
"No unicorn alive can rival the feats of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" she proclaimed proudly, lifting her head high. "The most dangerous creatures in all of Equestria have fallen before Trixie's incredible talent!"
The claim immediately stirred the audience. Some ponies exchanged surprised glances, while others began murmuring with obvious skepticism.
Far removed from the discussion, Wizbell barely paid attention to Trixie's words. His focus was no longer on the unicorn herself, but on the few magical circles engraved into the stage. Using what little he had been able to sense, he had already begun slowly reconstructing one of them in his mind.
Trixie smiled as she noticed the crowd's reaction.
"Does anypony here dare doubt the word of Trixie?"
The silence lasted only a few seconds.
"I do!"
Rainbow Dash stepped forward and leaped onto the stage with a challenging grin. She spread her wings without taking her eyes off Trixie.
After exchanging a few words, the argument shifted toward Trixie's supposed accomplishments. Then another voice cut through the crowd.
"I've had just about enough of this!"
Applejack strode forward, adjusting her hat before climbing onto the stage to face Trixie.
Everypony's attention immediately shifted toward the two mares.
Applejack finished her demonstration to a round of applause.
Trixie merely smiled.
Her aura effortlessly enveloped the lasso. With a simple flick of her horn, the rope changed direction again and again, obeying her every command until it finally wrapped Applejack herself, drawing laughter from the audience.
Meanwhile...
Wizbell had closed his eyes, concentrating on the lingering magical residue left behind by each spell so he could mentally transcribe them. Before long, he had begun recreating the spell itself, trying to understand how Trixie had achieved that result.
Runes separated, rotated, and shifted into new positions as countless variations layered themselves over one another.
One exploded... Then another.. And another.
Dozens of configurations collapsed, stabilized for only a moment, and failed once again.
'...No.'
The connections shifted once more... Another explosion... Another modification.
This time the spell remained stable for several seconds.
'So it really was trial and error...' He bit into another orange candy without taking his eyes off the stage.
'What a strange way to do magic...' He examined the final configuration carved into the wooden platform.
'She convinced herself that this was how it worked... and somehow managed to amaze all of Ponyville.' A small smile appeared on his face.
'It's almost like placebo magic...'
'Her understanding of the spell is fundamentally wrong... yet the result is correct.'
[At the same time]
"I don't see Wizbell..." Twilight scanned the crowd for several seconds.
"I thought he'd be here. After all, it's a magic show." Spike also looked over the audience, searching through the crowd without finding the scruffy-haired unicorn in his oversized sweater anywhere.
Before Twilight could answer...
BOOM!
Another explosion of light engulfed the stage as Trixie made her grand entrance.
Twilight's attention immediately returned to the performance.
'Hmm...'
Spike folded his arms, wearing a critical expression.
'I'll give that a five.'
'Twilight has made explosions way bigger than that while doing alchemy... and they were a lot more spectacular.'
Instinctively, he raised a claw to stroke his imaginary judge's beard.
He froze.
'...Right.'
Slowly, he lowered his claw.
'I don't have a beard anymore.'
...
Rainbow Dash stomped a hoof against the ground.
"That doesn't count! She cheated!"
Applejack pulled the lasso off one of her forelegs and let out an annoyed snort.
"All she knows how to do is make fun of other ponies."
Rarity was busy trying to restore some order to her mane, which Trixie's magic had completely ruined.
"The nerve! There's a difference between showing off and humiliating others."
Onstage, Trixie once again basked in the audience's applause, smiling smugly as she enjoyed every second of the attention.
"As Trixie has already demonstrated, there isn't a single unicorn alive who can rival her incredible talent!"
Rainbow Dash clicked her tongue.
"Somepony ought to knock her off that cloud of lies."
"And arrogance," Applejack added without taking her eyes off the stage.
Completely oblivious to the mood around her, Pinkie Pie kept laughing and clapping at every new trick.
"I'm loving this show!" she exclaimed excitedly before the next act immediately stole her attention again.
Fluttershy looked at her friends with concern and timidly stepped closer.
"Girls... it's over now. I don't think staying angry is going to help..." she said softly.
But her voice was drowned out by the audience's applause and yet another burst of light from the stage.
Twilight remained silent.
Her ears lowered slightly as she watched Trixie continue her performance. The unicorn's arrogance bothered her as well, but the thought of responding in kind made her even more uncomfortable.
Spike glanced sideways at her, still a little annoyed after Twilight had magically zipped his mouth shut when he'd tried to brag about her.
"You're not going to do anything?" he asked, already sounding resigned.
Twilight slowly shook her head.
"No."
"But you can do all of that! And way better!" he protested, pointing toward the stage, where Trixie had just produced yet another one of her now all-too-familiar explosions.
Twilight lowered her gaze for a moment before answering.
"It's not about proving who's better, Spike."
She looked back toward the stage.
"If I went up there just to prove I can outdo her tricks... I'd end up looking every bit as egotistical as she is."
Her ears drooped a little farther as she noticed the expressions of irritation on her friends' faces while they glared at Trixie.
Spike opened his mouth to argue, but thought better of it.
'Perfect! I know somepony who doesn't care what others think of him!'
A grin spread across Spike's face as he began searching the plaza.
'...Where could Wizbell be?'
When he couldn't spot him anywhere, he frowned.
'Whenever you actually need him, he's never around!'
Without a second thought, he started weaving through the sea of ponies. He searched the outer edges of the square, the most distant benches, and even a few trees where a curious unicorn might have watched the performance without joining the crowd.
Nothing.
Only after reaching one of the quietest corners did he notice a small bush beside a rock.
It looked like the perfect hiding place.
Spike approached curiously.
"Huh?"
Tiny golden motes of magic still drifted lazily above the grass before fading away.
No one was there.
"I'm too late..." he muttered.
...
Several streets away, completely unaware that Spike was looking for him, Wizbell walked calmly back toward his house.
Several translucent magic circles orbited around him.
They were reconstructions of the engraved circles he had observed on the stage.
The runes constantly shifted position. Some connections vanished, others formed in their place, and every so often one of the circles silently collapsed before reforming moments later with a different configuration.
Wizbell never once looked up from the road.
Author's Note:
Well, by now you've gotten to know Wizbell, so it's finally time to see him interact with the canon.
The next few chapters will follow the events of the show to help move the world forward. I'll probably throw in some original scenes here and there... assuming I don't run out of inspiration.
Honestly, whenever I sit down to plan, I almost always end up going off on a tangent. I start debating ideas about things that won't happen until much later, like whether Wizbell would ever teach a simplified version of his own magic system... and what could possibly motivate him to do it.
I'm talking about the Magic Rings.
See you... Thursday? Nah, let's make it Saturday instead.
Olvidé actualizar aquí xD