Everypony in town gathered back into the square in great anticipation of the rematch. They were nervous yet hopeful that Twilight would somehow come through and put that tyrannical charlatan in her place. But one little pony didn’t care about Trixie, he just wanted his brother back.

As Twinken stood next to her, Applejack noticed her little brother looked to have been crying recently.
“Oh, sugarcube, what’s gotcha down?”

“I tried to see Midnight,” Twinken hiccupped, wiping the tear stains on his face. “He just stood there, like he didn’t have a soul! Then Trixie saw me and chased me away… Applejack, please tell me Twilight’s gonna save my big brother!”

Applejack pulled Twinken into a tight and warm hug.
“Don’choo worry, lil’ haystack – Twilight’s got a plan t’ beat tha’ cheatin’ witch.”

In no time at all, the rival unicorns met up, Twilight backed by her friends, Trixie by an unwilling Snips n’ Snails and enslaved Midnight. Twilight was disgusted with Trixie, how she’d used a dark magical object to gain power for the sake of satisfying her ego, and had furthered this hubris by enslaving her friend’s mind and plastering her image all over Ponyville with banners and statues of herself.

But she had to focus as she and Trixie glared directly into each other’s eyes, lightning cracking, all eyes on the duelists, Twilight saying, “I expect Midnight won’t fight your battle for you this time, Trixie…”

“Pshaw, Twilight,” Trixie scoffed. “My little thrall is just here to ensure your pathetic friends don’t try anything cute. Speaking of, let’s start with a simple age spell, shall we? Snips, Snails!”

The two colts hurried up nervously, and Trixie struck them in a flash of red mana. When it cleared, both colts had been reduced to crying foals.

“An oldie but a goodie,” Trixie sighed smarmily, “now let’s see what your little charm can do.”

“No problem. Applejack, Thunderlane? Mind lending me a hoof?” Twilight invited them while discreetly winking.

AJ and Thunder played dumb while Soarin snuck away. He hurried to the statue of Trixie, making sure the real thing didn’t see him and saw everypony ready. Apple Bloom and Rumble looked like a filly and colt version of their older sister and brother, Granny Smith looked like an elderly version of Applejack while Big Mac looked like a taller and thicker Applejack with a ball sack.

“Ready for a little sleight of hoof, guys?” he whispered, and they all nodded, Big Mac whispering, “Eeyup!”

“Remember, wait until Twilight sends out the poof of smoke, then quickly switch places with the real deals. I’ll signal you.”

Soarin peered carefully to see Trixie filing her hoof when Twilight shot a beam at Applejack and Thunderlane, creating a thick and voluminous poof of magically-made smoke. He signaled to Apple Bloom and Rumble and they hopped out while Applejack and Thunderlane hid behind the statue. To sell the illusion better, Apple Bloom’s Stetson was too big to fit, but to anypony not in on the trick it really did look as though Applejack and Thunderlane had been de-aged to a filly and colt.

Trixie gaped in shock, her file dropping but she quickly regained her composure.
“Ho-hum, so you can do an age spell. Big deal!”

But then the real trick began. Twilight shot more puffs of smoke, making it appear as though she’d returned the “filly” and “colt” Applejack and Thunderlane to normal. Then she fired again, making it look like a colt Thunderlane was on Applejack’s back, another made an adult Thunderlane on an elderly Applejack, and another brought back the fully grown Applejack and Thunderlane (from Trixie’s point of view).

“Th- That’s impossible!!” Trixie was blown! Even with the Alicorn Amulet, age spells were very difficult. Even with a boost, there’s no way Twilight could’ve done a successive number of age spells with such impeccable control!

“That’s nothing!” Twilight turned to Rainbow Dash and fired a poof of magenta smoke.

Rainbow Dash flinched when she heard a flap of wings behind her and turned to see-

“Yow!”

It was another Rainbow Dash! (Actually it was Fluttershy disguised perfectly like Dash, mirroring her moves).

“How did you- ?!” Trixie continued to gape in shock.

“Duplication spell,” Twilight informed, not noticing a nonchalant Lyra drinking a soda next to her best friend Bon Bon. “Ever see one pony play ten instruments?”

She fired another puff of smoke at the still-mouthless Pinkie Pie, and she came out of it covered with musical instruments, including an accordion, a banjo, a drum, a tuba, a tambourine, and more (disregarding the question as to how she could play some of the instruments, like the tuba, without her mouth).

“This- This can’t be!” Trixie just couldn’t believe it! So many high-level spells, that amulet Twilight had seemed to be the real deal!

“Ooh! One more,” Twilight sounded giddy as she set her sights on Applejack, “I can turn a mare… into a stallion!”

Applejack started to make tracks, only for another poof of smoke to envelop her. Trixie was shocked to see what could only be a genderswapped Applejack, sheepishly covering “himself” as he said, “Eeyup!”

The plan was working! Trixie was fooled, now all Twilight had to do was “dispel” the illusion (or just make another poof of smoke to cover AJ and Big Mac’s switch-out). But what no one noticed was a banana peel ever so subtly being levitated from out of nowhere.

*POOF/SQUIP*
“OOF!”
“OW!”

As the smoke cleared, Trixie saw something that didn’t make sense while it caused everypony else to gape in fear, their blood running cold.

“Applejack” heaped onto Applejack, the mare one saying, “Mac, get...off!”

“What is this?!” Trixie demanded and her horn flared as she levitated them both up and towards her. They flinched as Trixie examined them and then reached up, touching Big Mac’s fetlock and smelling the residue.
“Paint…!”

She glared angrily at Twilight and everypony instantly knew – The jig was up!

“You haven’t been using any high-magicks at all, have you?!” Trixie yelled angrily, and she concentrated on Twilight’s so-called amulet, ripping it off the lavender unicorn’s neck and bringing it over to examine it.
“This is just a cheap piece of jewelry and a lousy rock!”

She capitalized that by crushing the rock under her hoof, and everypony started to sweat.

“You’ve made a fool of me for the last time, Twilight Sparkle…” Trixie growled, her eyes burning with rage so hot she was literally seeing red. “Midnight! Kill her!”

Midnight’s eyes glowed white as he forebodingly approached Twilight, who was being held in place by Trixie.

“Twilight!” everypony shouted and hurried to protect her, only for a blast of Midnight’s magic to slap them away.

“Big brother!”

The out-of-his-mind midnight halted and looked down to see Twinken, looking up at him with tears in his eyes.

“Twinken, no!” Twilight struggled to escape Trixie’s hold on her. “Get away!”

“No!” Twinken shook his head and continued to gaze up at his brother, his family. “I won’t let you do this, Midnight, because this isn’t you! You love Twilight, she loves you, just as I do! You took me under your hoof, you gave me a family! You’re the most powerful unicorn I know, and I’m proud to call you my brother! Trixie’s magic can’t be so strong that you’ve forgotten that! You have to fight it!”

Midnight’s brows furrowed as he raised his hoof to hit Twinken out of his way.

“Get that stupid colt out of your way and finish that piece of trash, Midnight! I command it!!” Trixie shrieked angrily.

But something was wrong – Even under Trixie’s control, Midnight could see and hear everything going on. This entire time he’d been a prisoner of his own body, which had been turned into Trixie’s puppet-enforcer.
No… I don’t… want to!

“What are you waiting for?!” Trixie roared as she fired a tendril of energy that made Midnight flinch and groan. “You belong to me now, you follow my orders, you will kill Twilight Sparkle, even if you have to kill that brat to do it!”

NO!

What happened next blew everypony away – Midnight screamed as he whirled around, his eyes still glowing as he launched himself straight at Trixie, his horn poised…!

*BLLZZZAAATT*

Midnight’s horn pierced the Alicorn Amulet itself, a blinding radiance erupted from his horn and through the cracks as it was shattered, creating a sorcerous shockwave that literally knocked everypony off their hooves!

As the dust cleared, everypony present groaned as one by one they started shakily getting back onto their hooves.
“What was that?!”
“I think Midnight…”
“He defied Trixie!”
“He destroyed her amulet!”

They all looked to see Midnight on his belly, groaning as he rubbed the base of his horn.
“What happened…?”

“Big brother!” Twinken bawled as he jumped midnight, hugging him around the neck, “You’re back to norma-ha-hal!”

“Twinken…?” Midnight groaned as he hugged his brother back and sat himself onto his haunches.

“Midnight!”
“Haystack!”
“Buddy!”

All their friends converged by Thunderlane fanned out his wings, saying, “Come on, guys, give him some air!”

“What happened?” Midnight asked as the fog started to clear out of his mind. “I remember Trixie… She… she wanted me to-!”

“Shh, it’s okay,” Twilight came up and placed a comforting hoof onto his shoulder. “Trixie used a mind-control spell on you but you managed to break free!”

“Mind-control, Trixie?” Midnight echoed, trying to remember and understand when-

*VVT*

Midnight’s eyes bulged, as he sensed something!

He sprang to his hooves and pushed everypony out of his way as he looked towards a distant hill overlooking Ponyville.

On the hill, a certain Hooded Pony thought, Uh-oh!

He turned around to start his getaway when…
*FLASH*

Standing before the enigma was a very tired and very pissed off blue unicorn, glaring hatefully at the figure.

“It was you…!” he seethed. “I felt it, right as my horn pierced the Alicorn Amulet – there was a bewitchment, something to mess with Trixie’s mind, but it had something else. Your mystic signature! You gave her the amulet, didn’t you?!”

The Hooded Pony smirked in the shadow of his hood, pleased with this outcome, though he had mixed-feelings regarding this little face-to-face experience.

“And I remember you,” Midnight brought up, “You were the one who stayed my hoof before I almost killed Chrysalis, you convinced me to spare her wretched life. But you’ve been doing a whole lot more than that, haven’t you…”

It wasn’t a question, but more like an all but confirmed state of fact.

“What do you want from me?!” Midnight demanded, angrily stepping towards the figure. “Who are you?!”

“…The future, Midnight Blaze,” the Hooded Pony chuckled cryptically, “I… am the Future.”

“Well you’re about to lose yours…!” Midnight growled as he pointed his horn threateningly.

But then the figure whirled his cloak, and there was a flurry of darkness.
*KAW, KAW, KAW*

Midnight gasped in shock as the figure’s billowing cloak dispersed into a murder of ravens that flew skyward, and when it cleared, the Hooded Pony was gone!

Next Chapter: 108. Magic Duel - Epilogue Estimated time remaining: 83 Hours, 44 Minutes