舞厅下方的秘密休息室里，播放着轻柔的爵士乐，到处都飘着蜡烛。崔克茜站在神秘莫测的星鬃魔术师协会成员的面前。

她一边想，一边大幅度地旋转了一圈：这里的布置非常适合举办一个高级的协会聚会。她那件崭新闪亮、色彩斑斓的斗篷旋转展开，轻柔地落在她浅蓝的肩头。她紫色的眼眸中闪烁着狡黠的神采，「诸位协会成员，这就是我和我的朋友们如何从小马界已知最可怕的恶棍——邪茧女王，和她的噬爱幻型灵大军蹄中——拯救小马国的故事！」

「精彩！」一位名叫「大胆无畏威尔德」的魔术师称赞道。他把闪闪发光的黑色大礼帽向她倾斜。一只白鸽飞了出来，停在了另一位魔术师的头上。

「敬你一杯！」一位名叫「天赋异禀吉米克」的天马边说边递给了崔克茜一杯苹果酒，「你让我坐立不安。这才叫娱乐！」

崔克茜点头同意，脸上微微泛红。星鬃自己也在听故事。年长雌马点了点头表示赞许，接着缓步走到崔克茜身旁。她身上挂着的珠宝叮当作响，长长的皇家蓝天鹅绒斗篷在地上飘动。崔克茜感觉心脏都快要跳出来了。

「你也许有点与众不同……你活力四射，小姑娘！——你是个真正的表演者。这是我们这个备受尊敬的群体非常钦佩且急需的。」星鬃用一只蹄子搭在崔克茜肩上，「那么，我想这是属于你的了。神通广大崔克茜啊……」星鬃的蹄中，有着崔克茜梦寐以求的东西，比发光财富和观众无尽的赞美更有意义的东西——一枚星鬃魔术师协会的正式会员胸针！

「我……我……」崔克茜一时语塞，研究着胸针上的标志——两根交叉的魔杖，周围环绕着一圈星星。「我很敬畏。谢谢您，超凡卓绝星鬃！」

小马们爆发出欢宴的笑与掌声。崔克茜深深地鞠了一躬，努力保持着扑克脸。但她还是忍不住咧嘴笑了。因为，她真的在这，她真的成为了其中的一员！崔克茜的每一分每一秒都感受到了真正的魔力。直至她的蹄尖。

原文：

Trixie stood before the enigmatic members of the Starmane Society of Magicians. Candles floated everywhere, and there was soft, jazzy music playing throughout the secret lounge below the ballroom.

It was a more-than-suitable setting for an exclusive Society party, Trixie thought as she spun around dramatically. Her brand-new shiny cloak of swirling colors swung out and landed softly upon her pale-blue shoulders. A devious look sparkled in her violet eyes. “And that, Society members, is the tale of how my friends and I saved Equestria from the most fearsome villains known to ponykind—the evil Queen Chrysalis and her army of love-sucking changelings!”

“Well done!” commended a magician named The Daring and Fearless Wild Card. He tipped his shimmering black top hat to her. A white dove flew out and perched upon another magician’s head.

“Cheers to you!” said a Pegasus aptly named The Incredible and Gifted Gimmick as she passed Trixie a glass of cider. “You had me on the edge of my seat. True entertainment!”

Trixie nodded in agreement, a slight blush on her face. Starmane herself had been listening to the story. The old mare gave a nod of approval and slowly made her way over to Trixie. Her jewels clink-clank ed together and her long, royal-blue velvet cloak floated along the floor. It felt like Trixie’s heart was going to beat right out of her chest.

“You may be a bit different, but you’re spunky, young filly! You’re a true entertainer. That’s something we here admire very much and need more of in our esteemed group.” Starmane put a hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. “So, I believe this belongs to you, O Great and Powerful Trixie…” There, in Starmane’s very hoof, was the only thing that Trixie had dreamed about, the only thing that meant more than glowing riches or endless praise from audiences—a Starmane Society of Magicians official member brooch!

“I… I…” Trixie sputtered as she studied the symbol of the two crossed wands surrounded by a halo of stars. “I’m in awe. Thank you, Stupendous and Astounding Starmane!”

The ponies erupted into convivial laughter and applause. Trixie took a deep bow, trying to keep a serious magician’s face. But she couldn’t help but grin. She was really here; she was really a part of this! Every ounce of Trixie felt truly magical, right down to the tips of her hooves.

「女士们先生们，欢迎来见证你们此生所见最奇妙的景象！为你们介绍……不必多说……唯一的……永远焕光、赐予宝石、不可思议的幻术师……神通广大崔克茜！」崔克茜突然闪亮登场。

观众们被眼前的震撼场景惊呆了：崔克茜的半个身子都在发光！她低头看了看自己，眼睛瞪得巨大。她赶紧掩饰惊讶，一瘸一拐地以一种别扭的方式继续穿过舞台。「神通广大崔克茜现在将表演一个前所未见、独一无二的绝技——『耀晶之握！』」

崔克茜举起她发光的蹄子——耀眼光芒映照了她脸上的疯狂表情，「看哪……我的神奇之蹄！」她将蹄子在空中挥舞，在舞台上缓慢地来回踱步；她的身子感觉相当沉重。观众的目光随着她来回移动。「我现在要把任何物品，任何物质，都变成璀璨的宝石！」

「任何物品都可以！」突然，星光熠熠登场。她打着亮片蝶形领结，穿着短裙；摆了个姿势，露出一个夸张的假笑。她向前迈步，做了一个戏剧性的旋转，然后腾跃到前排的一匹小马身旁，俯下身来。

「小先生，你有想让神通广大崔克茜变化的物品吗？」小小马不情愿地把毛绒玩具熊递给了她。

崔克茜生气地看了星光一眼。她以为她是谁啊，想破坏演出吗？

「我们什么时候才能淋上耀晶石雨？」观众席上的某匹雌马喊道。「快点！」

崔克茜没有理会，继续往前走。「看哪……看哪……」

「看哪，发光之蹄将会把这只小熊变成稀世珍宝！」星光说完眨了个眼。「这还不是全部，大伙。——在表演结束时，崔克茜自己也会完全变成由耀晶石组成的！」观众们惊叹不已，爆发出热烈的蹄声。就连崔克茜也一脸惊讶。

「没错！」崔克茜大喊。「我会变化，然后恢复正常，不会受到难以承受之重以及相当大的——啊啊啊，哦！」崔克茜像是木制玩偶般侧倒在地，她双腿伸得笔直，在发光石膏里动弹不得。

观众们大笑了起来，崔克茜的脸尴尬到发烫。她试图起身却无济于事，只能做到在舞台上滑行。

暮暮、小蝶、云宝、萍琪、瑞瑞和阿杰在观众席上痛苦地看着。小蝶捂住了眼睛，无助地呜咽。

尽管时间比她预想的要早，但星光熠熠已经等不及了。她从后台推出水管，打开水龙头，把辉光解咒直接倒进雾气腾腾的水流中，一路喷向崔克茜！

药水碰到崔克茜的皮肤，一道刺眼光芒便涌动了整条街道，刺耳的响声穿透了每一匹小马的耳朵。

小马们眨巴着眼睛，驱散了咒语生效的光芒在他们眼中留下的星星；他们跌跌撞撞地摸索着站稳，接着迷迷糊糊地四散离开。表演结束了。

星光熠熠揉了揉眼睛。视力恢复时，她看到崔克茜在地上蜷成一团，双眼紧闭。「结束了吗？」她呜咽着说。「我那美丽、发光的神蹄不见了吗？」

「恐怕是的。」星光伸蹄把崔克茜扶了起来。她感觉自己轻如鸿毛。「但还是谢天谢地！」星光露出了真诚的笑容。「我很担心你。我真的不知道这样改变表演是否会奏效！」

「那……」崔克茜叹了口气，回以微笑。「我想你说的发光雕像的事是真的了。」她瘫坐在地上，摇了摇头，「对不起，我又忘乎所以了。我只是太想给星鬃协会的小马们留下深刻印象！」

「我们懂的，小糖块儿。」阿杰宽慰，「还有机会的。」

「我想着……如果他们看到我的发光蹄，也许就会觉得我很特别……」崔克茜解释道。

「你的确很特别。崔克茜，我们最喜欢你的一点，就是你永不放弃！」暮暮咧嘴笑着承认，其他马也点头赞同。崔克茜振作的速度给她们留下了深刻印象，「这是每匹小马都敬佩的品质。」

「我之前没来得及把这个给你。」瑞瑞说着上前。她拉开衣服包的拉链，露出了一件缝制完美、独一无二的斗篷。崔克茜惊得下巴都掉了下来。「我想为……呃……那个蹄子的事说声抱歉。」瑞瑞紧张地笑了起来。

「哇！」崔克茜把新斗篷围在身上。它光滑、闪亮、炫目——各个方面都完美无缺。「太谢谢你了。」崔克茜非常感动，眼泪都快流出来了。「我不配拥有你们这样的朋友。」

「你当然配！」她们异口同声地回答。每匹小马都用传统的集体拥抱把崔克茜搂在怀里。

「如果可以的话，我还是会想办法让协会对我刮目相看的。」崔克茜咧嘴一笑，脑子里已经开始盘算了，「也许我可以想出一个全新的、从未尝试过的壮举……涉及到鳄鱼什么的——」

「打扰一下？」一匹浑身挂满绿宝石的年长雌马走了上来。「我猜，阁下就是神通广大崔克茜吧？」她银色的鬃毛上挂满了闪闪发光的星星，脸上带着淘气的表情。「我是——」

「星鬃！」崔克茜肃然起敬。「哇。我当然知道您是谁。」

「你的表演可真有趣。」她狡黠地笑着说。「真是场巧妙的表演。我喜欢你装作不知道表演内容的样子！自我看过『爆笑惊艳派博德』后，还没有笑得这么开心过！」

「哦，谢谢您……」崔克茜回答道，她感觉既惊讶又困惑。她看向她的朋友们。她们都咧着嘴，兴奋地做着蹄势。

星鬃把头扭向一边，「我说，崔克茜……你愿意跟我还有其他成员一起去街对面喝杯苹果酒吗？今晚是我们的盛大舞会，我们肯定需要一些新鲜血液来活跃气氛！」

「崔克茜再乐意不过了！」

原文：

“Welcome to the most marvelous sight you will ever see! Mares and gentlecolts, I present to you… without further ado… the one… the only… the always-glowing, gem-giving, incredible illusionist… THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIEEEE!” Trixie burst onto the stage in a flash of light.

The crowd gasped at the shocking sight of her. Half of Trixie’s body was glowing! Trixie looked down at herself and her eyes went large. She quickly covered up her surprise and continued on, limping across the stage in an awkward fashion. “The Great and Powerful Trixie will now perform a never-before-attempted, one-of-a-kind stunning stunt—‘The Hoof That Holds the Glowpaz!”

Trixie held up her shining hoof. The brilliant light illuminated the crazed expression on her face. “Behold… my hoof of wonder!” She waved her hoof in the air and began pacing the stage slowly. Her body felt quite heavy. Everypony in the crowd followed her with their eyes, back and forth. “I will now transform any item, of any substance, into a beautiful jewel!”

“Any item at all!” Suddenly, Starlight Glimmer appeared, wearing a sequined bow tie and skirt. She struck a pose and flashed a cheesy smile. Then she stepped forward and did a dramatic twirl. Starlight pranced over to a young colt in the front row and leaned down.

“Do you have an item you’d like the Great and Powerful Trixie to transform, young sir?” The colt reluctantly passed her his stuffed toy bear. Trixie shot an angry look at Starlight. Who did she think she was, trying to ruin the show?

“When do we get the Glowpaz rain?” a random mare shouted from the audience. “Hurry up!”

Trixie ignored her and continued on. “Behold… behold…”

“Behold the beautiful glowing hoof as this bear becomes made of precious gems!” Starlight finished with a wink. “And that’s not all, folks— by the end of this show, so will Trixie herself become fully made of Glowpaz!” The audience gasped and erupted into applause. Even Trixie looked surprised.

“That’s right!” Trixie hollered. “I will transform and return to normal, unscathed by the unbearable weight and considerable—Ahhhh, oohh!” Trixie fell over on her side, like a wooden pony doll. Her legs stuck straight out, immobilized in their glowing casts.

The audience started laughing. Trixie’s face burned with embarrassment. She tried to get up but just scooted across the stage.

Twilight, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Applejack watched in agony from the audience. Fluttershy covered her eyes and whimpered helplessly.

Even though it was earlier than she’d anticipated, Starlight Glimmer couldn’t wait another second. She wheeled out the hose from backstage, cranked it on, and poured the Radiance Remedy right into the misty stream, blasting it all the way over to Trixie!

As soon as the potion hit Trixie’s hide, a blinding light surged through the entire street and a ringing sound pierced everypony’s ears.

The ponies blinked away the stars in their eyes that had been left by the light of the spell taking effect. The audience stumbled around, grasping for their hoofing, and began wandering off in a confused stupor. The show was over.

Starlight Glimmer rubbed at her eyes. When her sight finally returned, she saw Trixie curled into a tiny ball on the ground. Her eyes were closed tight. “Is it over?” she whimpered. “Is my beautiful, magical glow hoof gone?”

“I’m afraid so.” Starlight reached out and helped Trixie up again. She felt as light as a feather. “But thank Celestia!” Starlight broke into a genuine smile. “I was so worried about you. And I really wasn’t sure if changing the show like that would work!”

“So…” Trixie sighed and smiled back. “I guess you were right about the whole glowing-statue thing.” She plopped down on the ground and shook her head. “I’m sorry I got so carried away again. I just really wanted to impress the ponies from the Starmane Society so badly!”

“We know, sugarcube.” Applejack smiled reassuringly at her. “Maybe there’ll be another chance?”

“I thought… that if they saw my glow hoof, they might think I was special.…” Trixie explained.

“You are special. And the thing we love about you most, Trixie, is that you never give up!” Twilight admitted with a grin. The others nodded in encouraging agreement. They were all impressed by how quickly Trixie had bounced back. “That’s a quality that everypony admires.”

“I didn’t get to give this to you earlier,” Rarity said, stepping forward. She unzipped the dress bag, revealing a perfectly stitched, one-of-a-kind cloak. Trixie’s jaw dropped. “I wanted to say sorry for… uh… the whole hoof thing.” Rarity laughed nervously.

“Whoa!” Trixie swung the new cloak around her body. It was smooth, shimmery, and showy—perfect in every way. “Thank you so much.” Trixie was so touched, she looked like she might cry. “I don’t deserve friends like all of you.”

“Of course you do!” they replied in unison. Everypony enveloped Trixie in a traditional group hug.

“I’m still going to find a way to impress the Society, if I can.” Trixie grinned, the wheels turning in her head already. “Maybe I can try to come up with a whole new never-before-attempted feat… something involving crocodiles—”

“Excuse me?” an older mare dripping with emeralds interrupted, stepping forward. “The Great and Powerful Trixie, I presume?” Her silver mane was laden with shimmering stars and she wore a mischievous expression on her face. “I’m—”

“Starmane!” Trixie gasped in reverence. “Wow. Of course I know who you are.”

“That was quite the amusing performance you put on,” she said with a sly smile. “Such a clever show. I loved how you pretended to not know what the act was! I haven’t laughed that much since I saw ‘The Hilarious and Amazing Piebald’!”

“Oh, thank you…” Trixie replied, feeling an odd mixture of starstruck and confused. She looked to her friends. They were all grinning and motioning excitedly.

Starmane cocked her head to the side. “Say, Trixie… would you like to come join me and the others for a mug of cider across the street? Tonight’s our big Society ball, and we could certainly use some new blood to liven up the party!”

“Trixie would love nothing more!”

这匹有着耀晶蹄的辉光雌马的消息很快便传开了。整个王国的小马都把崔克茜这个名字挂在嘴边。每一匹小马都想亲眼目睹她的风采，分一杯羹。

到达中心城后，崔克茜花了不少时间布置舞台。一是她想制造悬念，二是因为她的蹄子实在太重，无法快速移动。但为什么现在感觉整条右前腿都变重了？

崔克茜刚展开她新做的巨型海报「耀晶之握」时，就听到一群吵吵嚷嚷的朋友对着她胡言乱语。崔克茜捂住左耳，假装痛苦地皱起眉头，「崔克茜的耳朵很娇嫩！你们为什么非要对我发出这么难听的声音？」

「别上台！」暮暮喊道。

「停止表演！」小蝶哭着。

「求你了！」瑞瑞哀求道。

崔克茜看着她们，笑了。「我要让在场的每匹小马都被炫目个不停，这可是我打动星鬃魔术师协会小马的唯一机会。我们说话这会，他们可就在街对面呢！」她翻了个白眼。「所以你们大老远跑到中心城，就是为了阻止这一切？这可不太友好！你们不都该是这方面的专家吗？」说到最后，她直视着暮暮。

天空渐暗。崔克茜的蹄子和前腿在微弱的光线下显得更加耀眼。瑞瑞无法将视线从光线爬上她后背的情形中移开。

「听我说！」星光恳求道。她紫色和青绿色的鬃毛在微风中摇曳，她指着崔克茜发光的肩膀，「你必须阻止你的蹄子发光，否则它就会扩散。它会把你变成一个非常……光彩……夺目的……雕像！」

「我可不信。」崔克茜一脸傲慢地回答。她小跑起来，「这不过是个障眼法，好让别马把注意力从我身上移开。是不？」

「不是，当然不是，」暮光闪闪真诚回答，「我们是你的朋友啊！」

崔克茜嗤之以鼻。「我的表演还有三分钟就要开始，我希望你们都能到观众席上支持我。」她把鼻子翘起，回头看着她们，「你们知道，朋友就该这样。」

这位魔术师小跑着去后台准备了。星光跟在她后面。「我会解决的。」她对大家说。「我保证。」

崔克茜忙前忙后、检查道具，透过幕布缝偷看外面越来越多的观众。成百上千的小马等着一睹闻名遐迩的发光蹄的风采！在崔克茜调整水管水龙头的间隙，星光突然灵光一闪。就是这样！星光可以在肆意喷洒的水雾中施用「辉光解咒」，就像在之前那场表演中的那样。这样崔克茜就会被洒上这种神奇药剂得救。

星光立马感觉好多了。她现在要做的就是等待时机。

原文：

Word had spread quickly about the magnificent mare with the Glowpaz hoof. Ponies across the kingdom had the name Trixie on their lips. Everypony wanted to see her in action and catch a piece of the glowing bounty.

Once she’d arrived in Canterlot, Trixie had taken her time setting up the stage. Partly because she wanted to build suspense, and partly because she was physically unable to move very fast with her heavy hoof. Why did it feel like her entire foreleg was heavier now, too?

Trixie was just finishing the task of unfurling her new giant “The Hoof That Holds the Glowpaz” posters when she heard the annoying babble of a loud group of friends yelling some nonsense at her. Trixie covered her left ear and winced in mock pain. “Trixie’s ears are delicate! Why must you make such terrible sounds at me?”

“Don’t go onstage!” Twilight shouted.

“Stop the show!” cried Fluttershy.

“Pretty please?” Rarity whined.

Trixie looked at them and laughed. “I’m going to razzle-dazzle every single pony out there because it’s the only chance I have to impress the ponies of the Starmane Society of Magicians. They are right across the street as we speak!” She rolled her eyes. “You came all the way to Canterlot to try to stop all that? That’s not very friendly! Aren’t you all supposed to be the experts in that department?” She looked right at Twilight for the last part.

The sky was beginning to darken. Trixie’s hoof and foreleg were beginning to look even more brilliant in the low light. Rarity couldn’t tear her eyes away from the way the light was creeping onto Trixie’s back.

“Listen to me!” Starlight begged. Her purple-and-teal mane swayed in the breeze as she pointed to Trixie’s bright shoulder. “You have to stop your hoof from glowing or else it’s going to spread. It will turn you into a very… pretty… glowing… statue!”

“I don’t believe you,” Trixie replied with a sassy expression. She began to trot away. “This is all just a ploy to take the attention away from me again, isn’t it?”

“No, of course not,” Twilight Sparkle replied sincerely. “We’re your friends!”

Trixie scoffed. “My show is starting in three minutes, and I hope you will all be in the audience to support me.” She stuck her nose in the air and turned back to look at them. “You know, what friends do.”

The magician trotted off backstage to prepare. Starlight followed her. “I’m going to fix this,” she told the others. “I promise.”

Starlight remained hidden as Trixie puttered around, checking props and peeking around the curtain to look at the growing crowd outside. There were hundreds of ponies waiting to catch a glimpse of the famous glowing hoof! When Trixie went to adjust the faucet on the hose, a lightbulb went off in Starlight’s head. That was it! Starlight could administer the Radiance Remedy through a random water mist, just like she’d done at the other show. Then Trixie would be doused in the magical tonic and be saved.

Starlight felt better instantly. All she had to do now was wait for the right cue.

糟！了！过去几天停放崔克茜拖车的地方现在空空如也。只剩下几张散落的扑克牌和一缕发光的耀晶尘轨迹。

「她不见了！」萍琪震惊地叫了起来。粉色小马开始在树丛里探头探脑，就像是在玩捉迷藏。「就像，消失了！」

「你说她可能去了哪儿？」云宝大声问。阿杰踢了踢泥土，俯身去检查一块耀晶石。

「她不可能走太远。」暮暮看着远方。「如果诅咒的效力足以让她留下痕迹，那么她的蹄子现在应该已经很沉重了。」没有错，崔克茜越多使用魔法，诅咒就会越快完全生效。暮暮希望这匹独角兽能够谨慎使用她的魔法。

星光和瑞瑞一路飞奔过田野，就像是在噩梦之夜撞见鬼了一样。「你们在这儿！」星光对她的朋友们喊道。「瑞瑞和我一直在到处找你们。」

「你知道崔克茜在哪儿吗？」暮暮焦急地问。也许她们的关系并不总是融洽，但暮暮最不希望的就是她发生任何意外。「我们必须马上找到她！」

瑞瑞的眼睛紧张地四处张望。「她去中心城表演了，我们根本拦不住她。另外，我想我可能不小心，呃……哦，天哪，我该怎么说呢？好吧……我不是故意的，但是……我诅咒了她！」

友谊快车自乡间缓缓驶向首都，瑞瑞却紧紧攥着她的礼服包。每匹小马都应以最好的面貌示马。即使这件服装并不完美，但也能让崔克茜相信瑞瑞是关心她的。她真的没有恶意。

「魔法可以如此善变又狡猾，这难道不令马着迷吗？」瑞瑞紧张地笑着。「前一分钟，一匹小马还在向她的明星格莱马礼服发送漂亮的光漩，下一秒就可能不小心刺击了一匹小马的蹄子，导致一个不起眼的诅咒生效！」

「别难过，瑞瑞。」暮暮向她的伙伴投去同情的目光。「这只是个意外。」

「重要的是，我们在城堡仓库里找到了一些微光莓。」星光提醒每匹小马，「暮暮制作的辉光解咒药剂应该能让崔克茜恢复。」

「如果她愿意喝的话！」云宝嘲笑道。「想从那匹小马蹄里撬出特殊的力量，那祝你好运咯。记得天角兽护符吗？」

小马们都交换了一个尴尬的眼神。她们知道崔克茜已经为她嫉妒暮暮的魔法技能，将她驱逐出小马镇的事道歉了。她一定已经改过自新了。但她们的心中还是有一丝怀疑……

好在，星光熠熠了解崔克茜的另一面。她最好的朋友曾多次帮助过她，星光欠她马情。「不管用什么办法，我都会想办法让崔克茜喝下这瓶药，治好她。」星光举起瓶子，对着光仔细检查。里面只有一小口。

「最好能一次成功，」阿杰皱着眉头警告说。「这点儿量连跳蚤的渴都解不了。」

一滴就够了。

原文：

Oh no! The spot in the field where Trixie’s wagon had been parked for the past few days was now decidedly empty. All that remained were a few wayward playing cards and a glowing trail of Glowpaz dust.

“She’s gone!” Pinkie Pie squealed in genuine shock. The pink pony began to poke around the bushes as if she were playing a game of hide-and-seek. “Like, gone gone!”

“Where do you think she could’ve gone?” Rainbow Dash wondered aloud as Applejack kicked the dirt with her hoof and leaned down to inspect a piece of Glowpaz.

“She couldn’t have gotten too far.” Twilight looked off into the distance. “If the curse has taken effect enough for her to be leaving a trail, then her hoof should be getting pretty heavy by now.” In fact, the more Trixie used her magic, the faster the curse would take full effect. Twilight hoped that the Unicorn was being judicious with her spells.

Starlight and Rarity came galloping across the field. They looked like they’d seen a ghost on Nightmare Night. “There you are!” Starlight exclaimed to her group of friends. “Rarity and I have been looking all over for you.”

“Do you know where Trixie is?” asked Twilight, feeling anxious. They may not have always gotten along, but the last thing Twilight wanted was for anything to happen to her. “We need to find her right away!”

Rarity’s eyes darted around nervously. “She’s gone to Canterlot to put on a show. There was no stopping her. Also, I think I may have possibly accidentally, erm… oh dear, how should I put this? Well… I didn’t mean to but… I cursed her!”

As the Friendship Express chugged through the countryside to the capital city, Rarity clutched her dress bag protectively. Everypony deserved to look their best, and even if the garment wasn’t perfect, it would still help to convince Trixie that Rarity cared about her. She really hadn’t meant any harm.

“Isn’t it fascinating how magic can be so fickle and tricky?” Rarity laughed nervously. “One minute, a pony can be sending swirls of pretty light at her celebrity Glammys gown, and the next she could be accidentally zapping a pony’s hoof and causing an obscure curse to take effect!”

“Don’t feel bad, Rarity,” Twilight said, shooting her pal a sympathetic look. “It was an accident.”

“The important part is that we were able to find some of the Gleam Berries in the castle stores,” Starlight reminded everypony. “The Radiance Remedy potion Twilight whipped up should work to restore Trixie.”

“That is, if she’ll drink it!” Rainbow Dash scoffed. “Good luck prying a special power out of that pony’s hooves. Remember the Alicorn Amulet?”

The ponies all exchanged an awkward look. They knew that Trixie had apologized for the incident in which she’d exiled Twilight from Ponyville out of jealousy for her magic skills. And she had definitely changed for the better. But still, there was a sliver of doubt in each of their minds.…

Starlight Glimmer, however, knew a different side of Trixie. She’d come through for her on a number of occasions. Starlight owed her best friend.

“One way or another, I will find a way to get this tonic into her and cure Trixie.” Starlight held up the bottle to the light for a closer inspection. There was barely a sip’s worth inside.

“Better get it right on the first try,” Applejack warned with a furrowed brow. “That amount there couldn’t quench a flea’s thirst.”

One drop would do the trick.

回到城堡，暮暮一片混乱。她请苹果杰克、小蝶、萍琪派和云宝黛茜到王座室与她会合。五匹小马像往常遇到危机那样面对面坐着。

「可是，为什么这么多小马都在这扎营？」云宝不解地问。「我们以前可从没见他们来过小马镇，对吧？」

「探矿者一听到风吹草动就会行动，」阿杰耸肩解释道。「只要听说有小马这样或那样发了财，他们就会去到那儿立据点。」

暮暮摇了摇头，「你们看到他们对小马镇公园做了什么吗？」她扬起蹄子，「到处挖了洞！」

「当然看到了！」小蝶怒气冲冲地说，声音比平时甜美轻柔的耳语声稍微大了一点，「可怜的小动物们都吓坏了……吓坏了！」小蝶看起来快要哭了，「它们的家被挖开，四分五裂……」

「那该怎么办？」云宝环顾了一下她们每匹马的脸，「请他们离开？」蓝色飞马烦躁地摆弄她彩虹色的鬃毛。

「你可以试试，但他们多半不会让步。」阿杰提醒道。她看向云宝，「苹果鲁萨过去有过淘金热。就是溪水都干了，他们也花了好几个月才走。」

「我希望星光熠熠能找到崔克茜。」暮光闪闪担心地说。「如果她像我们所担心的那样被宝石蹄诅咒了，那在她陷入危险前我们的时间就不多了……尽管还没有到那个时候，但它最终会影响被诅咒小马的整个身体。如果去晚了，崔克茜就会完全变成一尊宝石雕像！」暮暮咬着嘴唇，抬头盯着吊灯，把这个可怕的念头从脑海里赶走。「我只是希望我知道是谁诅咒了她以及为什么！」

「哦！哦！」萍琪派在她的宝座上扭动着身子，举起蹄子叫道。「我想我知道！」

阿杰皱起了眉头。「那你为什么不早说呢，小糖块儿？」

「是啊，怎的？！」云宝催促道。

「嗯……」萍琪深吸了一口气，语速飞快，「崔克茜一直缠着瑞瑞给她定制服装，但崔克茜想弄乱她为宝蓝莎莎制作的礼服，结果坏了她的事，然后瑞瑞的魔法就乱套了！于是崔克茜的蹄子就像是，『光——！』镇上的每匹小马就像是，『哇啊——！』现在她接触的所有东西都变成了耀晶石！」萍琪耸了耸肩。「我透过窗户看到的。」

小马们吃了一惊，但暮暮的脸上却失去了血色。「是瑞瑞？而且是个意外？」这完全出乎她的意料。但暮暮知道，魔法的效果取决于施法者的意图。瑞瑞的魔法针对的是裙子，而不是崔克茜，那么补救措施也需要改变吗？以暮暮和星光的能力，她们很有可能找出答案。但是时间不多了。

「我们必须马上找到崔克茜，逆转咒语，否则就来不及了！」

如果不这样做，崔克茜很快就会变成一尊神通广大的雕像——永远被定格在耀晶石中，像是琥珀中的飞虫一样。

原文：

Back at the castle, Twilight was in a tizzy. She’d asked for Applejack, Fluttershy, Pinkie Pie, and Rainbow Dash to join her in the throne room. The five ponies sat facing one another, as they usually did when there was some sort of crisis.

“But why are all those ponies camping here?” Rainbow Dash puzzled. “We’ve never had them visit Ponyville before, right?”

“Prospectors go where the wind whispers to ’em,” Applejack explained with a shrug. “They hear about a pony strikin’ it rich this way or that, and they’ll be there, staking a claim on it.”

Twilight shook her head. “Have you seen what they’ve done to Ponyville Park?” She flung up her hooves. “Holes dug everywhere!”

“You bet I have!” Fluttershy fumed. Her voice was just slightly louder than its normal volume of a sweet, gentle whisper. “The poor little animals are terrified. Just terrified.” Fluttershy looked like she was going to cry. “Their homes just dug into and ripped apart…”

“So what should we do?” Rainbow Dash looked around to each of their faces. “Ask them to leave?” The blue Pegasus fidgeted with her rainbow mane.

“You can give it a whirl, but chances are they won’t budge,” Applejack cautioned. She looked to Rainbow Dash. “There was a gold rush once in Appleloosa. Took ponies moons to leave, even once the stream dried up.”

“I hope Starlight Glimmer was able to find Trixie,” Twilight Sparkle fretted. “If she is cursed with a Gem Hoof like we fear, we don’t have much time until she’s in danger.… It takes a little bit, but the Gem Hoof eventually affects the cursed pony’s entire body. If we’re too late, Trixie could be completely transformed into a gem statue!” Twilight bit her lip and stared up at the chandelier, pushing the horrible thought from her mind. “I just wish I knew who cursed her and why!”

“Oooh! Oooh!” Pinkie Pie squealed as she squirmed in her throne, hoof raised. “I think I know!”

Applejack frowned. “Well, why didn’t ya say so, sugarcube?”

“Yeah. What happened?!” Rainbow Dash urged.

“Well…” Pinkie took a deep breath and spoke very quickly. “Trixie was bugging Rarity to make her an outfit, but then she tried to mess with the dress Rarity was sewing for Sapphire Shores and got in the way, and Rarity’s magic went all loopsy-doodles! So then Trixie’s hoof was like, ‘gloooow!’ and everypony in town was like, ‘whoaaaaa!’ and now everything she touches is totally turning into Glowpaz!” Pinkie shrugged. “I saw it happen through the window.”

The ponies were all taken aback, but the color drained from Twilight’s face. “It was Rarity? And it was an accident?” Now that she didn’t expect. But Twilight did know magic’s effect worked with intent. Rarity’s magic was intended for the dress—not Trixie. So would the remedy need to change, too? Between Twilight’s and Starlight’s skills, they stood a good chance of figuring it out. But they didn’t have much time.

“We have to find Trixie right away and reverse that spell—before it’s too late!”

If they didn’t, Trixie would soon become nothing more than a great and powerful statue—forever frozen in Glowpaz like a fly in a piece of amber.

城堡离小马镇中心并不远。但崔克茜已经忘记，在咒语的作用下，自己的蹄子有多么沉重。蜿蜒曲折的小巷里，她拖着蹄子在鹅卵石上跋涉，每走一步都要花上平常两倍的时间。她向蹄子发射减重咒希望能减轻负担，可惜没有任何效果，只是在发光的表面上发出轻微的咝咝声。

「这真是太枯乏无味！」崔克茜无力叫道。回到她的拖车那需要花费特别长的时间！崔克茜迫不及待想到达那里。她想着一到家，就把自己的表演整个改头换面，把自己全新的特殊才能展现出来。

会有水，会有光，还会有数不清的闪闪发光的宝石。虽然想清楚它们还得花些时间，但这绝对值得。崔克茜确信，她马上就能站在星鬃身旁，一边喝着苹果酒，一边交流幻术秘诀和魔术师八卦。

「崔克茜！」星光熠熠在她身后喊，把她从崇高的白日梦中拉了回来。「等等我们！」

蓝色独角兽转过身，看到星光和瑞瑞向她飞奔而来。不出所料，她们脸上都带着关切的表情。小马镇的每匹小马不是傻嘻嘻地笑，就是在为「友谊问题」烦恼。又来了，崔克茜想。她做好了挨训的准备。

「很抱歉我不得不像那样突然离开水疗中心，」崔克茜道歉道。她小心翼翼地把她的金色蹄子藏在她的星空斗篷里，「我有个表演的好点子，必须得马上离开，免得忘了是什么。」她紧张地对瑞瑞笑了笑，「你知道灵感来时是什么样！得赶紧握住它的蹄尖……」

「当然。」瑞瑞点点头，微笑着回答。「魔法灵感女神变幻莫测！」她瞟向星光熠熠，发出娇滴滴的哼哼声；要么是她得了重感冒，要么就是她们间有什么暗号。崔克茜挑起一道怀疑的眉毛。

「我们想和你谈点事，」星光爽朗提议。「用不了多长时间……」

突然，一团烟雾在她们中间炸开！星光和瑞瑞又咳又喘，四处寻着崔克茜。待烟雾散去，她们以为崔克茜会像往常一样消失不见，没想到她只走了几步远。崔克茜沮丧地用她正常的蹄子跺着地。她的惯用伎俩在沉重的蹄子前毫无作用。「啊，这也是我最后一个烟雾弹了。」

她回头看了看朋友们。「不管是什么，都给我稍稍。」崔克茜气呼呼地回答。「如果我想在星鬃盛会前准备好全新的表演，就得着手设计我新的难以置信、令马震惊、令马惊掉下巴的壮……」她的声音逐渐变小，被远处聚集的一小群小马分散了注意力。他们似乎在检查地上的什么东西。也许是一匹小马丢了零钱包。

「还有耀晶石！」飞板璐叫道，踢了踢一块嵌在地里的石头。

「我真不敢相信，到处都是！」臭钱俯下身，眼里闪烁着贪婪的期待。他环顾四周马群，意识到了自己的疏忽，「我是说……呃……没有！这里什么都没有！走开！」他迅速俯地，将宝石藏在身下，意图之后取出据为己有。

越来越多好奇的小马停下查看骚乱的源头。崔克茜忍不住了，她也要凑个热闹！她飞奔过去，瑞瑞和星光紧随其后。

不一会，所有的小马都发现，最耀眼的光芒就在他们中间——那就是崔克茜自己。她的蹄子来回移动，在地上划出一个个小图案。她每走一步，脚下的石头就亮一下，随即闪烁着稀有宝石的标志性光芒。

「看……」一匹淡黄色的飞马说，「崔克茜碰到的一切……都变成了耀晶石！」

「哇啊。」镇民们惊奇地叫起来。瑞瑞和星光交换了一个紧张的眼神。看来暮暮是对的，魔法对崔克茜的影响越来越大了。

丝毫不错！崔克茜从水疗中心小跑出的直接路径上，布满了闪闪发光的魔法残迹。不知出于什么奇怪原因，崔克茜的蹄子现在已经不限依靠水珠才能创造出耀晶石，它现在被咒予能将任何东西，哪怕平平无奇的石头，都变成稀有的宝石。

「退后！光辉灿烂崔克茜还有重要的事情要做！」她叫道。「但如果你想更多地了解这壮丽的奇迹，明天就来中心城看我的表演吧！」

想到能用新发现的能力给星鬃协会留下深刻印象，崔克茜激动不已。

遥远城市和异国他乡张开双蹄欢迎她的景象在诱惑着她。幻想中，崔克茜将不仅仅是一个协会魔术师，还将是星鬃衣钵的继承者：一位光芒四射的女神。她有能力创造出璀璨的宝石，给观众带来欢乐与喜悦。小马们会对她的魔术专长和独特天赋拜倒在她蹄下。

明天即是崔克茜的夜晚。她觉得有责任让自己的崇拜者们得偿所愿，以及立刻向星鬃协会的小马们证明她出类拔萃！崔克茜只需一点点水，就能让宝石如雨般降下。

原文：

The castle wasn’t far from the center of Ponyville, but Trixie had forgotten just how heavy her hoof was while under the spell. Every step took twice as long as she trudged through the winding backstreets, dragging her hoof over the cobblestones. She shot a burst of magic at it, hoping to employ a featherlight spell to ease the weight. The zap took no effect, pinging on the glowing surface with a tiny fizz.

“This is oh-so tedious and tiresome!” Trixie groaned. It was taking forever to get back to her wagon! She was so eager to arrive because once she was there, Trixie planned to revamp her whole act to feature her brand-new special talent.

There would be water, there would be light, and there would be tons of sparkling gems. It would take some extra work to figure out, but it would be well worth it. Trixie was positive that she would be standing next to Starmane herself, exchanging secret illusionist tips and magician gossip over ciders in no time.

“Trixie!” Starlight Glimmer called out from behind her, yanking Trixie from her lofty daydreams. “Wait up!”

The blue Unicorn spun around to see Starlight and Rarity galloping toward her. Unsurprisingly, they had concerned expressions on their faces. Everypony in Ponyville was always either grinning like a filly in a candy shop or fretting about a “friendship problem.” Here we go again, thought Trixie. She steeled herself for a lecture.

“Sorry I had to duck out of the spa like that,” Trixie apologized. She was careful to hide her golden hoof inside her starry cloak. “I had a great idea for my show and had to leave immediately before I forgot what it was.” She smiled nervously at Rarity. “You know how it is when inspiration strikes! Got to grab it by the hoof.…”

“Of course,” Rarity replied with a nod and a smile. “The magic muse is a fickle mare!” Her eyes darted to Starlight Glimmer. She made a dainty grunting noise. Either she was developing a nasty cold or it was some sort of code between the two of them. Trixie raised a suspicious eyebrow.

“We wanted to talk to you about something,” Starlight offered brightly. “It won’t take long.…”

Suddenly, a cloud of smoke burst among the ponies! Starlight and Rarity coughed and sputtered, looking around for Trixie. A moment later when it cleared, they expected Trixie to have vanished as per usual, but she was only a few steps farther away. Trixie stomped her normal hoof on the ground in frustration. Her usual tricks were no good with her heavy hoof. “Awww. That was my last smoke bomb, too.”

She turned back to her friends. “Whatever it is, it’ll have to wait,” Trixie replied in a huff. “If I’m going to be ready with a whole new act in time for the Starmane Society ball, I need to get to work designing my new incredible, astonishing, flabbergasting feat of…” She trailed off, distracted by a small group of ponies gathering in the distance. They seemed to be inspecting something on the ground. Perhaps a pony had lost her coin purse.

“More Glowpaz!” yelled Scootaloo. The filly kicked her hoof on the piece, but it was lodged in the ground.

“I don’t believe it. It’s everywhere!” said Filthy Rich, leaning down. His eyes began to twinkle with greedy anticipation. He looked around at the crowd, realizing his mistake. “I mean… uh… never mind! Nothing to see here! Go away!” The stallion plopped down his flank, trying to hide the gem until he could extract it and keep it for himself.

The group began to grow larger as more curious ponies stopped to check out the source of the commotion. Trixie couldn’t help herself. She had to see it for herself! She galloped to the group, Rarity and Starlight following close behind.

It didn’t take long for everypony to see that the brightest glow of all was standing right among them—it was Trixie herself. She shifted back and forth on her hooves, making a little pattern on the ground. The stones beneath her lit up with each step and began to pulse with the trademark glow of the rare gem.

“Look…” said a pale-yellow Pegasus. “Everything Trixie touches… turns to Glowpaz!”

“Whoaaaa.” The townsponies cooed in awe. Rarity and Starlight exchanged a nervous look. It looked like Twilight was right, and the magic was starting to affect Trixie more and more.

It was true. Even the direct path in which Trixie had trotted from the spa was now littered with a glittering trail of remnants. For whatever strange reason, Trixie’s hoof had progressed from just creating Glowpaz out of water droplets. It had been cursed with the ability to turn anything, even ordinary stones, into rare jewels.

“Stand back! The Brilliant and Luminous Trixie has important things to do!” she barked. “But if you’d like to see more of this magnificent marvel, come to my show in Canterlot! Tomorrow.”

Trixie was bursting at the thought of using her newfound power to impress the Starmane Society.

Visions of being greeted with open hooves in far-off cities and exotic lands taunted her. In them, Trixie would be more than just a Society magician—she would be the successor to Starmane’s legacy herself: a glowing goddess with the ability to entertain and delight by spectacularly creating beautiful, sparkling gems. Ponies would fall at her hooves in reverence for her magical expertise and unique gift.

Tomorrow was Trixie’s night. She felt a sense of duty to give her admirers what they were clamoring for and to show those Starmane Society ponies she was the cream of the crop right away! All Trixie needed was a little water to make it rain.

崔克茜从前窗探出头，轻轻敲了敲旋转木马精品屋的门。这次可不能再冲进里边要求这要求那了。甚至——崔克茜必须表现得诚心悔过。她那发光蹄子的炫目光芒消失后，崔克茜就只好依靠她的旧计划了。

「有马在吗？」崔克茜咬着嘴唇，满怀希望地扬起眉毛，「在——吗？」

门被推开，露出了一脸憔悴的瑞瑞。她肯定已经工作了一整夜。在她身后，崔克茜看到那件漂亮的舞会礼服已经修补好。这意味着瑞瑞已经完工，终于可以缝制她的斗篷了！

「瑞瑞！」崔克茜眼神一亮，「你今天看起来美极了！」

「如果你又是来问斗篷的事，」——瑞瑞摇了摇头——「我非常抱歉，但是——」

「不，不，不！」崔克茜撒了谎。她看着地板、耷拉肩膀，以增加戏剧效果（耷拉肩膀总能奏效）。「我是来为自己的冒失道歉的！为表歉意，我想我们两个可以一起去拉蹄达水疗中心享受美好的一天。」她无辜地笑了笑。

瑞瑞确实相当疲惫，她回头看了看补好的裙子——也许让崔克茜远离这条裙子会是个好主意……以防万一。

「我想放松一下也不错。」

前台接待她们的是一匹长着粉鬃毛的蓝色水疗小马芙蓉。「崔克茜女士，欢迎光临！」她微笑着说。「您要求的一切都已准备就绪。女士们，这边请。」她们跟在芙蓉身后小跑，薰衣草和黄瓜的香味扑鼻而来。小马示意她们看向两张堆满蓬松白色毛巾和浴袍的休闲椅。

瑞瑞坐到她熟悉的位置上，瞥了一眼崔克茜。她不禁觉得崔克茜的动机不单纯。这匹小马在耍阴谋方面没有良好的记录，但瑞瑞还是打消了这个念头。每匹小马都值得再给一次机会。

「那么，崔克茜，」瑞瑞靠在椅背上。一匹名叫芦荟的水疗小马把瑞瑞的鬃毛盘起包入毛巾，并在她的眼皮上敷了几片黄瓜。瑞瑞在脑海中搜索着闲聊的话题。「你……你帮助所有小马从幻形灵的占领中解救出来后，都在忙些什么？」

「那真是太疯狂了，对吧？！」一个熟悉的尖锐声音补充道。欢快的粉色小马蹦蹦跳跳过来。萍琪派红紫的鬃毛用毛巾扎了起来，但毛茸茸的小鬃毛还是试图从边缘逃出来。她正开心地啃着黄瓜片，「你最近在忙什么？还是去了哪里？还是到处跑？」

「只是在我的巡演中环游小马国。」崔克茜不感兴趣地耸肩说道。这样的谈话让她厌烦。她想进入正题——瑞瑞同意再给她做一次斗篷。别瞎扯这些没用的。

「哦！我知道是哪个了！」萍琪派笑容依旧灿烂，「『诚心悔过崔克茜的全国致歉巡演』？」

「那是个暂定名。」崔克茜疲惫地叹了口气，向准备给她做按摩和修蹄的水疗小马伸出了蹄子。

「哦！那现在叫什么？」萍琪派在啃黄瓜片的间隙惊呼道，「『轻松自在崔克茜的拉蹄达水疗巡演』？」萍琪左蹄起跳，「还是『黄瓜眼浴袍崔克茜的神奇蹄子巡演』？」

瑞瑞忍住了一声轻笑。

「都不是！」崔克茜回击。「现在，萍琪派，你能不能让我们单独待着，好让我们好好放松一下？」

「好咧好咧——好咧！」萍琪派笑着开始蹦回桑拿房。

「等等——她刚才说我的蹄子怎么了？」崔克茜猛地前倾，黄瓜从她的眼睛上滑落。

萍琪不慌不忙地在走廊上喊：「它看起来闪闪发光，怪怪的！」

「是吗？」崔克茜把蹄子举到鼻口，发现它正闪烁着微弱的光芒！这怎么可能呢？她的目光迅速转向芙蓉泡过她蹄子的那碗温水。突然，那刻的记忆涌上心头：当时就是在舞台的雾帘中，蹄子第一次变得有魔力……

「哈！」崔克茜胜利般大叫了一声，跃起湿漉漉的蹄子站起。是水！她的眼里充满了狂野，「我的魔法蹄子又回来了，我知道该怎么留住它了！现在谁也无法阻止我进入星鬃魔术师协会了！」她把毛巾从淡蓝色的鬃毛上扯下扔到一边，接着施放一团烟雾，消失在月夜之下。

「瑞瑞！」星光熠熠冲了进来。她一路从无尽之森跑来，气喘吁吁。「你看见崔克茜了吗？！我们必须赶在她不小心毁掉整个小马镇前阻止她！」

瑞瑞把蹄子放在额头上，叹了口气。「难道一位淑女就不能享受一下小小的、微不足道的水疗时光，而不发生什么史诗级的大剧吗？」

星光慌乱地看着她，「看来不能？」

「说得对，亲爱的。」瑞瑞站起，把一些金币丢给芦荟和芙蓉，接着对星光点了点头。「现在让我们去帮助那匹狂热的小马吧！」

原文：

Trixie peeked inside the front window and knocked gently on the door of the Carousel Boutique. There would be no bursting into rooms and demanding things this time. No—Trixie had to appear humble and penitent. With the razzle-dazzle of her glowing hoof gone, Trixie had to fall back on her old plan of action.

“Anypony there?” Trixie bit her lip and raised her eyebrows hopefully.

“Helloooooo?”

The door swung open, revealing a haggard-looking Rarity. She’d definitely been working all night. Behind her, Trixie could see that the beautiful ball gown had been repaired successfully. That meant Rarity was finished and would have time to sew her cloak!

“Rarity!” Trixie brightened. “You’re looking marvelous today!”

“If you’ve come to ask about the cloak again”—Rarity shook her mane —“I’m terribly sorry, but—”

“No, no, no!” Trixie lied. She looked at the floor and slumped her shoulders for an extra dramatic effect (shoulder slumps always sealed the deal). “I’m here to apologize for being such a klutz! As a peace offering, I thought that the two of us might enjoy a nice day at the La Ti Da Spa together.” She smiled innocently.

Rarity looked back over her shoulder at the finished dress. She did feel quite exhausted. And keeping Trixie away from the dress was probably a good idea… just in case.

“I suppose it would be nice to unwind for just a bit.”

Lotus Blossom, a blue spa pony with a pink mane, greeted them at the front desk. “Welcome, Miss Trixie!” she said with a smile. “I have everything you requested all ready to go. Right this way, mares.” The fragrance of lavender and cucumber hit their muzzles as they trotted behind Lotus. The pony gestured to two cushy chairs piled with fluffy white towels and robes.

As Rarity settled into her familiar spot, she eyed Trixie. She couldn’t help but feel that there was more to Trixie’s motives. The pony didn’t have a great track record when it came to scheming, but Rarity pushed aside the thought. Everypony deserved another chance.

“So, Trixie,” Rarity said, leaning back into her chair. A spa pony named Aloe twisted her mane up into a towel and placed some cucumber slices over her eyelids. She searched her mind for a casual topic of conversation. “What… what have you been up to since you helped rescue everypony from the changeling takeover?”

“That was so crazy, right?!” a familiar high-pitched voice added. A jubilant pink pony bounced over. Pinkie Pie’s fuchsia mane was tied up in a towel, but little frizzy pieces of it tried to escape around the edges. She was munching happily on cucumber slices. “What have you been up to? Or down to? Or all around to?!”

“Just traveling around Equestria on my tour,” Trixie said with an uninterested shrug. This conversation was boring her. She wanted to get to the good stuff—the part where Rarity would agree to make her cloak again. None of this chitter-chatter.

“Oh! I know which one!” Pinkie Pie kept her wide smile. “‘The Humble and Penitent Trixie’s Great Equestrian Apology Tour’?”

“That was a working title.” Trixie sighed in exhaustion and held out her hoof to the spa pony who was preparing to give her a massage and hooficure.

“Oooh! What’s it called now?!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed between chomps of cucumber slices. “‘The Relaxed and Unperturbed Trixie’s La Ti Da Spa Tour’?” Pinkie jumped on her left hooves. “Or ‘The Cucumber-Eyed and Bathrobed Trixie’s Magical Hoof Tour’?”

Rarity stifled a giggle.

“Neither!” Trixie shot back. “Now, Pinkie Pie, would you kindly leave us alone so we can get to the relaxing part?”

“Okeydokey-lokey!” Pinkie Pie laughed and began to bounce back toward the steam room.

“Wait—what did she say about my hoof?” Trixie lurched forward and the cucumbers slid off her eyes.

Without missing a beat, Pinkie yelled from down the hallway, “It looks all sparkly and weird!”

“It does?” Trixie held her hoof up to her muzzle and noticed that it was glittering with a subtle light! How was this possible? Her eyes darted to the bowl of warm water in which Lotus Blossom had soaked Trixie’s hoof. Suddenly, the moment came rushing back to her. She’d been onstage in a curtain of mist when her hoof had become magical in the first place…

“Ha!” Trixie shouted in triumph as she sprang to her wet hooves. It was water. Her eyes looked wild. “My magical hoof is back and I know how to keep it! There’s no stopping me from getting into the Starmane Society of Magicians now!” Trixie tore the towel from her pale-blue mane and tossed it aside. Then she cast a cloud of smoke and disappeared to Luna knew where.

“Rarity!” Starlight Glimmer burst into the room. She was out of breath, having galloped all the way from the Everfree Forest. “Have you seen Trixie?! We have to stop her before she ruins all of Ponyville by accident!”

Rarity put her hoof to her head and sighed. “Can’t a mare have one little, teensy spa hour without some epic drama?”

Starlight looked at her frantically. “Guess not?”

“Fair enough, darling.” Rarity stood up, tossed some bits to Aloe and Lotus Blossom, and nodded at Starlight. “Now let’s go help that crazy pony!”

星光熠熠最近养成了一个习惯，那就是每天很早就起床，在和暮暮处理当天的友谊事务前，先来一段惬意的小跑。在这段时间里，她可以愉快回想迄今所学到的一切——从如何结交新朋友到诚实承认自己需要有远离学习的独处时光。那次她不小心在城堡里制造了一个漩涡，对她来说也是一次艰难但宝贵的一课。

日出时分醒来，即刻出发。星光穿梭在小镇上，看着其他早起马儿开店、送报，并与他们打招呼。接着，她向野外走去。

偶尔，星光熠熠也会到无尽之森寻找魔药原料或有趣的植物。今天，她有一项任务。

进入森林，扑面就能够闻到异域植物带来的清新气味。参天树冠提供着充足遮蔽，一束束光线穿过其中、照亮下方地面，树荫笼罩大地。星光停下步子，扫视着灌木丛。

昨晚那场奇怪的魔术表演后，她就一直很担心崔克茜，并马上把这场灾难告诉了暮暮。而暮暮则花了几个小时在图书馆里翻阅书籍，希望能找到有关崔克茜遭遇的任何线索。马蹄像灯泡一样亮起是不正常的。如果暮暮那本关于植物的书说的正确，那么有一种奇特植物或许能帮上忙。

前提是星光能找到。

星光信心满满，但还是希望自己一眼就能认出那种微光莓。她从来没有在无尽之森里遇到过其他小马，所以在回到城堡之前很难得到第二个意见。但如果暮暮是对的，那蹄子的光芒会变得越来越厉害——威力也会越来越大。也许随着魔法的发展，它会真正伤害到崔克茜。

太阳从地平线上升起，朦胧的金色光芒照亮了小马镇。鸟儿啁啾、清新的花草香在甜美的微风中飘荡。哪怕星光已经来到森林边缘的一条小溪旁，她仍能感受到一股满足感——尽管之中夹杂着对崔克茜的担忧。为什么她的朋友需要如此多的关注，以至于为得到别马的认可而不断把自己置于危险之中？

但一个突如其来的记忆打断了星光的沉思。

好吧，星光想。崔克茜或许是想得到关注，但至少没像她一样以平等名义强迫整个镇子的小马向她交出自己的可爱标记。星光拂去记忆，脸涨得通红，尽管周围没有马听到，更没有马看到。

「姑娘，脸红啥呢？」一匹雌马的声音从灌木丛的另一侧传来。星光跳了起来。「没啥不好意思的，咱俩也是听到目击消息直接跑来的！」

「翡翠，别吓着她！」另一个粗犷的声音回答。「她瞅着挺害怕。你总吓跑新朋友……」

「火花，你就净胡扯！」

两个声音继续互相埋怨着。

“呃，你们好？”星光伸长脖子寻找声音的来源。她用蹄子拨开一根树枝，眼前的景象让她不禁大吃一惊。一对独角兽老夫妇支了帐篷，拾了柴火，还做了一顿苹果胡萝卜燕麦粥（至少锅里的香气是这样告诉她的）。

除此以外，这绝对不是一个普通的露营地。

这对老马站在小溪里，蹄子深深探入水中；他们戴着厚厚的放大镜，穿着高筒胶靴，正在装满河石的淘选盘中筛选着什么。

「就说她会过来！」老雄马转向星光，伸出蹄子。「姑娘，欢迎留下吃燕麦粥。但这是咱俩的地儿，如果你想占了，就赶紧走。」

「地？」星光不相信地问。「占什么？」

「当然是这片森林这一区域的所有耀晶石。」他指了指河边，「咱俩要发了！」

「我找着一个！」翡翠毫不掩饰地高兴喊道。「火花，看这儿！」雌马举起一块在阳光下闪闪发光的小矿石。

两匹小马把它凑近自己的眼睛，眼镜后的它们显得硕大无比。果然，它和崔克茜表演时的蹄子一样闪闪发光！可是，这块矿石是怎么跑到这里来的？星光百思不得其解。

「那……祝你们好运！」星光试图隐藏自己的震惊，一边回答，一边退着穿回灌木丛，绕开他们的营地。尽管这次碰面很奇怪，但蹄上任务并未改变——为崔克茜寻找一些野生微光莓。

星光熠熠继续沿着河边小跑，却意识到了一个更大的问题——不止翡翠和火花听说了耀晶石的事。

几十匹勘探小马已经停好拖车，准备在小马镇长期逗留！这里随处可见土堆和铲子，他们中的一些已经开始挖洞寻找地下的宝石了！

瞬间，星光把微光梅的事情忘得一干二净。她飞奔回城堡，告诉暮暮她所看到的一切；并去设法找到崔克茜，把消息传达给她。

星火已燃，晶潮涌现。

原文：

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 Everfree 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.

But aside from all that, it was clearly no ordinary campsite.

The old ponies were hooves-deep in the stream, sifting through pans filled with river rocks. They wore thick magnifying glasses and tall galoshes.

“Told ya she’d come over!” The old stallion turned to Starlight and put out his hoof. “You’re welcome to stay for some oatmeal, dearie. But you should know that this is our claim we’ve staked here. So if you’re fixin’ to get in on this spot, you’d best be movin’ on.”

“Claim?” Starlight asked in disbelief. “To what?”

“To all the Glowpaz in this section of the forest, of course.” He gestured to the river. “We’re gonna strike it rich!”

“I got one!” Emerald shouted with unabashed delight. “Lookee here, Sparky!” The mare held up a tiny piece of ore that glinted in the light.

The two ponies held it close to their eyes, which appeared gigantic behind their glasses. Sure enough, it glowed just as Trixie’s hoof had at the show! But how had that piece gotten over here? Starlight was baffled.

“Good luck!” Starlight tried to hide her shock as she replied, backing away through the bushes and circling around their encampment. Though the run-in had been strange, it didn’t change the task at hoof—finding some wild Gleam Berries for Trixie.

But as soon as Starlight Glimmer continued trotting down the river, she realized they had a much bigger problem on their hooves. It seemed that Emerald and Sparky weren’t the only ones who’d heard about the Glowpaz sightings.

There were dozens of other prospector ponies parking their wagons and getting set up for a long stay in Ponyville! Some of them had even begun to dig holes to search for the gems in the ground, as was evident by the piles of dirt and shovels everywhere.

In an instant, Starlight forgot all about the berries. She took off at a gallop back toward the castle to tell Twilight what she saw and find Trixie.

Starlight had to deliver the news.

The fire had been ignited and the glow rush had begun.

「啊啊啊！」崔克茜尖叫着举起蹄子检查。它不仅在发光，而且现在变得完全透明了！

星光飞奔过来。「崔克茜，怎么回事？你没告诉我这部分！」她惊慌地低声说，「这是表演的一部分吗？」

「不不不！」崔克茜难以置信地摇着头，这真是她在舞台上表演魔术时发生的吗？这就像一个令马尴尬的梦，只不过它是真的。崔克茜向观众席望去。她的蹄光越来越亮，小马们都遮住了眼睛。「星光，帮帮我！」她从嘴边挤出话来。

「我有个主意！」星光时不我待。她炫耀似的飞奔过舞台取来水管，用魔法打开水流，将之扬起，喷洒出漂亮的水雾。

水雾和崔克茜的蹄光一同遮蔽舞台，形成一道充满露珠的彩虹帘幕，足以暂时分散观众们的注意。

星光熠熠在想下一步该怎么做时，一条红色巨龙突然落到了舞台上方！它发出尖锐刺耳的鸣叫，向观众的头顶俯冲而下，遮天蔽日的翅膀卷起的气流穿过每一匹小马的鬃毛。他们惊讶地抬起头。只见巨龙径直俯冲过薄雾，冲破舞台后方腾空而起。

观众们啧啧称奇。哪怕龙要流出滑稽眼泪的戏码没有发生也无关紧要了。

这对崔克茜来说是好消息，让她完全忘记了自己发光的蹄子。她踏入水中接受赞美，并鞠了一躬，接着做了个招牌式旋转，溅起水花。「神通广大崔——克茜的又一次令马印象深刻的表演！」

顷刻，一小团金色水珠喷洒到了马群中。它在半空中凝固并落下，就像是下了一场晶莹剔透的冰雹。离舞台足够近的小马把它们从鬃毛上扯下或是从地上捡起。他们用蹄子捧着石块，脸上映照着敬畏的光芒。

「这是什么？」一匹小马问。

「太漂亮了！」另一匹喊道。

「是耀晶石！」一匹淡粉色的飞马胜利般地举起一块大的碎片喊道。

她旁边的水蓝色陆马笑了。「这是小马国最珍贵的宝石之一！」剩下的小马开始争先恐后地寻找着耀晶石的下落。

「呃呃……」崔克茜紧张地笑了起来。「瞧？」她瞥了一眼舞台，与星光的目光相遇。她朋友的目光像是在说：刚才这里到底发生了什么？崔克茜向她微微眨了个眼，并保持着她那百发百中的笑容。不管崔克茜刚刚变出了什么奇怪戏法，对魔术师本马来说，也都算是一个重大揭示。

崔克茜艰难走到她最喜欢的无尽之森边缘时，小马镇的天空已经暗了下来。「呃！」崔克茜咕哝，努力抬起沉重的马蹄。豆大的汗珠顺着她的鼻口往下淌。她开始感到深深的恐惧。尽管崔克茜已经实现了让所有小马刮目相看的目标，但她知道自己的蹄子绝对出了大问题。如果能到达那个她最喜欢的思考地点，或许就能对今晚发生的怪事有所眉目。

终于，崔克茜看到了那片地方。那是一片幽静的草地，树木向内呈拱，溪流的弯道处从中间穿过。崔克茜路过小马镇时曾多次在那停留。这里非常适合忙碌了一天的崔克茜梳洗打扮，而崔克茜现在正急需梳洗打扮。

与瑞瑞间的麻烦互动仍困扰着她，但她真正想不通的是表演时发生的古怪事。她一边拖着铅般重的蹄子走在泥地上，一边在脑海里回放着这场离奇表演的经过。

崔克茜筋疲力尽，瘫坐了一会儿。她把她沉重的蹄子抬到面前检查：它还在发光，只是稍弱了些。起初，她看到自己的蹄子发光，吓了一跳，但她无法否认自己的水戏法给观众留下的深刻印象，这是她从未感受过的观众反应！崔克茜让他们震惊了、让他们惊呆了！对她来说，「巨龙之泪」没有按原计划进行几乎已经不重要了，或许这个发光蹄子戏法会比她原来的想法更好！这将真正使她与其他希望赢得星鬃协会青睐的魔术师区别开来。

她脑海中浮现出星鬃亲自将协会胸针别在崔克茜斗篷上的画面。有了这个新才能，她将势不可挡。

但崔克茜来到水边的时，光芒几乎微弱了。「不，不，不！」崔克茜悲哀道。光芒逐渐消失了。她轻松地抬起蹄子，沉重感神奇般的消失，蓝色也恢复了。她很失望，她发光的想法泡汤了，她甚至不想再把蹄子浸泡在清凉的溪水里，只是草草沾水便垂头丧气地走了。「我想我还是回城堡吧，」崔克茜喃喃。于是她飞奔回城堡，没注意到，河里正在形成一小团闪闪发光的耀晶石，就像黑暗天空中的小星星。

原文：

“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 glowhoof 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.