2 Prepration

         When the ceremony was complete and the medals given out, Trixie backed away from the growing crowed of ponies where friends and family were pooling around to congratulate the ponies who had just competed. Trixie shook her head. She wished for a moment that she could be content with just having entered and doing her best, but she just couldn't. Not if her best wasn't the best.
         "I um. I have to use the little mares room" She lied and galloped away. She had to get away, even as shattered as she was some portion of her pride remained. She could not let them see her cry.
         "Hey, Trixie! You did a fantastic -oof!" The young blue mare ran right smack into her older brother, knocking him back into a sitting position. "When you were moving that boulder, WOW! I thought you'd never drop it. heck, I wouldn't even be able to budge that thing."
         "I lost, Alex." Was all she could squeak out, "She beat me."
         "Oh Twilight?" He put his hoof to his chin and considered her for a moment. "Yes, The purple one, right? She was something else. You should have seen her in the ring stack it was less than half of your time, cute too" Unfortunately Alex was too socially inept to see that that information would do the opposite of help.
         "Alex, If I'm not the best then what am I?" She hung her head down as more tears began to well up. "Being the best is all I have!  If I'm not the great and powerful Trixie, then who am I? What do I have left in this world?"
         Alex was a bit taken aback "Hey now, you ARE the great and powerful Trixie-" She ran past him "WAIT!" She was gone. ".....And...You have me." he added barley above a whisper and stomped his hoof in the dirt out of frustration. "You have your stupid, insensitive brother."

**--------------------**

         Trixie was completely out of breath by the time she reached the caravan. She looked again at the card "True power..." she mused. What could that mean? Was it even real? It may just be a practical joke but still. If it meant there was even a chance that she could get her pride back, she had to take it.
         Her brother came in a few minutes later "Hey, I'm sorry. I didn't meant to ehh." Alex was no good at these types of things. "Look. I wasn't trying to offend you." He thought for a moment, What would his mother have said at a time like this?
         Trixie sniffed, Her face sticky and pathetic from crying. She barely acknowledged his apology. "Alex, what you think of this?" She said giving him the small, white card.
         Alex held the card with a thin white glow and glanced down at it in confusion. "Um Trixie...Are you feeling ok?" He looked up at her. "This is a black piece of paper."
         The younger unicorn shook her head "What? No! There's a message on it...midnight tomorrow, true power! I know I-" She stopped when Alex turned the card around. It was completely blank. Not a single letter printed on it. "But, but I know saw it. It was rite there!"
         Alex set the card down on an already cluttered night stand. "I think we need to take your mind off things. There's a really nice restaurant on Mane street, I was thinking we could go and check it out tomorrow." Trixie sniffed and wiped he nose "Uhh, Why don't you get yourself cleaned up?" He added

**--------------------**

         The restaurant was spectacular. The food was great and the service was top notch! Despite this, the young blue mare had trouble enjoying herself. Not only had Twilight out sparkled her AGAIN, but apparently she was also going crazy. *I know I saw the message!*  Still she also knew that paper was blank when her brother turned it around. What was going on? Had she lost her mind?
         It was dark by the time they got home. Alex yawned  "We'd better get some sleep."  He decided. "We'll pick up a few things and head out tomorrow. Canterlot is a big city, there's bound to be some work for us here." The grey furred unicorn rested his neck against hers "I love you, ok?" She nodded vacantly "Well...Good night."
         Trixie couldn't sleep. She had to know for sure she had to take one last look at the card to know for sure that she wasn't insane. Her blue glow of magic picked up the card and she floated it in front of her with her eyes closed. Silently she counted to three and opened them...IT WAS THERE!
         There was no question now. The message was right there in front of her! She dropped the card, put on her cape and dashed out the door. The young unicorn raced back to the arena. She had no idea what time it was or even what was waiting for her, but she would find out soon enough.
         Trixie stepped slowly into the main area of the arena, By now everything had been cleaned up and put away with little trace of the fan far that had taken place just the day before.
         "You've come, That's a good sign." Said a deep, strangely familiar voice. "Hello Trixie."
         Trixie turned to see a dark red unicorn, much older than herself or Alex, with a pale orange mane. A very short beard covered his lower jaw and he had a long scare across his face. "You wrote the message?"
         He nodded "I did."
         "My brother can't see it. Why?"
         He laughed "That's no surprise."
         She was about to ask what he had meant by that but the strange mystery unicorn caught her off guard with an odd question. "Would you consider yourself the second most powerful pony in Equestria?"
         "I-I guess so..." Began Trixie, "but-"
         The mysterious red unicorn shook his head "No! You're wrong." He said sternly "You are not the most powerful, or even the second most powerful pony in Equstria. I'd say you're more like...the fifth."
         Trixie tilted her head slightly confused "Fifth!? I am the great and powerful Trixie!" It felt good to say that again. "Who, aside from that ditsy freak, Twilight is better than me?"
         The older stallion pointed to the spot where the huge rock had been the day before. "Who do you think moved that rock? Who do you think put it back....um where ever it is they keep it?"
         The young mare's purple eyes suddenly stretched wide with realization. She had not broken any record, sure she may have moved the boulder almost eight feet, yes, but that was nothing! Celestia was able to move the boulder into and out of the arena with very little if any effort at all. Trixie tried to processes this devastating new understanding of just how far from top she was. The strange, bearded pony continued.
         "All this time you've thought it was Twilight, you." He drew two lines in the dirt. "But in actuality its more like Celestia, Luna..." He said drawing two more lines about four feet above the 'Twilight and Trixie' lines "..Myself..." He drew a fifth line in between "...Then you Twilight and you."
         Trixie looked down at the crudely drawn display. "So are you just here to insult me? Who are you and what did you mean be 'true power'?"
         The stranger turned, showing that his cutie mark was an iron shield. "My name is Bane, And I can help you unlock your true power." His eyes gazed over the the blue unicorn before him. "You have great potential, Trixie. You could be the most powerful pony in not only Equestria, but the entire world." He looked her dead in the eyes. "But you have promise me one thing."
         Trixie's mind was reeling. The boastful pony had often claimed to be the most talented and magical in all Equestria but had never even considered 'in the world'. Could this stranger, Bane, really back up these fantastic claims? Should she trust him? She didn't know why but...she like she could. For some reason she completely trusted this pony, almost like an instinct. *His voice, why does it seem so familiar?*  "And whats that?"
         "I will train you, and help you to reach your full potential...but before we begin the training you must renounce all loyalty to Princess Celestia and the thrown." Trixie was naturally hesitate. The azure colored pony took a few steps back. "Your princess suppresses the magic of those under her rule. You can never reach you full power unless renounce your loyalty and give up her protection!"
         Trixie was silent for several moments with closed eyes, She replayed all the events of the past few days in her head. Arriving at Ponyville. Being beaten by an Ursa minor. Have to preform in that dump of a town, Appaloosa. Coming second to Twilight in the competition... "I'll do it! If it will make me stronger, I'll do it." She took a deep breath  "I, Trixie, here by renounce any and all loyalty to Princess Celestia and Princess Luna. I reject their protection!" Just by uttering that simple sentence, it was as if she could feel a rubber band inside her snap.
         Bane's horn was now aglow as he shrouded Trixie and himself in a crimson magic.
         Just then Alex was at the front gate of the coliseum "TRIXIE! Whats going on?" He ran toward his sister only to skid to a clumsy halt when he got a better look at the second pony. His eyes flared with immediate recognition. The grey unicorn, mane matted by sleep, dropped into a sitting position as his mouth hung open for loss of words. Then with a flash, they were gone. "Why?"

**--------------------**

         Bane and his new found pupil suddenly appeared in a desolate looking sort of waste land. The ground looked like it was covered in dried mud for miles around. They certainly weren't in Equestria anymore.
         Trixie gazed around in awe. They must have teleported over a thousand miles just now. How!? There was no way! her gaze shifted up to the dark red pony who had just preformed this feat.
         As if reading her thoughts, Bane smirked. "I have to teach you these techniques outside of Equestria and the prying eyes of that deceitful princess." He waited a moment for Trixie to shake herself out of shock. "You'll learn to do that soon enough, But I have something a bit more fun planned for your fist exercise."
         The azure unicorn nodded "I'm ready, Bane. Teach me."
         Bane began "Now that you no longer acknowledge Celestia as your ruler, the first of many magical locks with in your body has been broken. You are now ready to learn the first of these forbidden techniques." His face turned into a smug expression "But first..." He touched the top of Trixie's head with his horn and in a flash of red light a golden shackle materialized around the young mare's neck.
         Trixie immediately felt weaker and much heavier, Nearly face-planting into the dried mud the instant it formed around her neck. "What is the meaning of this!?" She shook her head and tried to pry the golden restraint off of her. She took an aggressive stance and glared at Bane who only looked down at her calmly. "Get this thing off me right now, you freak!"
         "Calm down!" Bellowed the dark red stallion. "That shackle is enchanted, it will constantly put pressure on your inner flow of magic....think of it like putting weights on your magical power. The longer you wear it, the stronger your magic will become. Plus, it looks good on you."
         Trixie nodded slowly
         "Now then, we are ready to begin our first lesson." He watched Trixie's face turn to shock as he began to float right off the ground and drift about twelve feet in the air. "I'm going to teach you how to fly..."