A Star Without a Stage

Chapter 1: The Fallen Star's Old Friend.

Cold, something that the mare hated. She also hated the wind and being outdoors in autumn. Most of all though, what the mare hated was herself or at least what she once was. As she gazed down at the reflection in the partially frozen pond, she couldn't help but see it. In the violet eyes of her very own reflection she saw what once was. She was once a showmare, a star, something she could be proud of, yet, here she sat, with nothing left to her name except her cape and hat, which were set aside while she gazed into the frozen water. It was painful to think about as she recalled everything, every last detail of her life as a showmare.

At first, it had been a wonderful feeling performing for a crowd, showing off her magical abilities, even using them to upstage a few other ponies. Most of it had been in good fun in the beginning, but where had it gotten her now? Now, she sat, gazing into the eyes of her own reflection. The mare before her was in shambles, her pale blue mane and azure coat covered with dirt, leaves and burrs. It was dreadful to look at if you took notice of her. What was worse though, was the fact that she was growing increasingly thin, visibly you could even make out a few extra ribs, indicating that she hadn't eaten much recently.

This was due in part to the fact that autumn was upon the land, causing it to whither and fade. It made everything nearly inedible to her, she knew, because she had tried. Apparently her stomach didn't really agree with what she had chosen, thus resulting in her loosing what little contents she had left in it. This was especially hard on her, without food, her magic became more and more limited, to the point where she could barely perform even a basic telekinesis spell. With little magic, her chances of survival had dwindled. You know the worst part in this mare's dilemma? The worst part was, she was actually in a park, with a marketplace just a short walk away.

While she gazed at the reflection, a tear slid down her cheek as muddled thoughts raged through her mind. With an empty stomach and her ever-growing hunger, these thoughts became even more muddled, a decision on what to do soon became out of reach and while she would deny it to herself, she needed help. Yet, she couldn't bring herself to do as such as she lowered her head closer to the pond to take a drink.  The water was a soothing relief to her as it flowed down her throat. It provided a cooling sensation to her frazzled mind and body, not only rehydrating her, but giving her the feeling of at least having something in her stomach.

It didn't help the painful emptiness inside though. Where the emptiness came from she had no idea. Whether it was from her stomach or from her heart, she couldn't figure, at least in this state. She felt hopeless. What was worse though, was, this was where her career had been crushed. Staying in the town hurt her even more as she recalled everything that had happened, all the trouble she had caused. It was a surprise she was even alive after what she had done!

That last spark of thought brought something to mind that she hadn't thought of before. It was curious indeed, why wasn't she in prison? Why hadn't she been apprehended by the authorities? To some degree she could be seen as a fugitive after her second visit, yet...there hadn't been a single wanted poster of her, at least to what she could've seen. It was unusual, very unusual, especially considering what she had done with the Alicorn Amulet. Had it not been for her hunger, she might've been able to figure this out, but, with the scent of freshly baked bread flowing around her and her stomach growling even louder than before, she couldn't focus her mind at all.

'Wait a second...' she thought, taking another whiff of her surroundings. It was then she truly took notice of the smell, thus causing her to shift her head in the direction of where the smell was. Hunger was gnawing at her stomach, the primal instinct of survival quickly took over as her gaze shifted. Sitting right behind her, was a simple whicker basket, with several loaves of bread neatly placed inside it, all of which were freshly baked and still warm thanks to a small blanket placed over them.

Who had left it? Why was it sitting right behind her? Who knew she was in the park? These were all questions she asked herself as she carefully stepped toward it. With the caution of a wild animal, she inched in closer, as she did, she took notice of something that sat atop it, pinned to the blanket itself. It was a note, a short one, but still a note none the less. As she picked it up and glanced it over, it became apparent just how bad she had it.

The letters were fairly blurry as she glanced over them, making it even more difficult to read. However, it wasn't the writing that was hard to read, it was her own eyes that were having trouble processing what was on the page. It reached the point where she was forced to squint to be able to even see the words, but once she was able to, she sighed in relief.

A gift for someone in need.

This left her questioning everything even more. Why would somepony help her? Why would they sacrifice their food for her? It wasn't important now though, because now she had food before her and her stomach was begging for it to be eaten.

Without another thought, she lifted up the blanket to reveal the freshly baked bread, her mouth watering. At first she wanted to eat it rather quickly, but that's when a thought occurred to her, she needed to take it slowly. Given she had gone without food for at least a week, her body needed time to adjust to it. So, carefully, she brought up the first loaf, taking a small bite of it. It had to be the most satisfying feeling she had in a long time. With each bite she took, the pit in her stomach gradually began to fill and by the time she had finished the first loaf, she was already full, with at least three more loaves left to eat.

'Perfect!' she thought, 'This should at least get me through the next couple of days.'

Not only had the bread renewed her strength, but it had also renewed her hope. At least now, she could begin to think a little more clearly on what she needed to do. With that in mind, her horn lit up for the first time in a long time, taking ahold of the basket as well as her hat and cape, tucking all three things away behind a small tree before making her way out from behind the brush she had hidden behind. What she had found as she stumbled out though proved to be a surprise for her, especially given  that she hadn't expected anyone waiting on the other side of the bushes for her. As she tripped into him, having fallen out from the bushes, there was a bit of a struggle, both of them rolled around briefly before coming to a quick halt with the mare sitting atop the stallion.

“Well...this is embarrassing,” he spoke up, “Glad no one's around to see this.” The mare's cheeks flushed as she moved off of him, at the same time she couldn't help but giggle softly at the situation. Once the stallion had gotten to his hooves though, it became an entirely different story for the mare.

Panic quickly set in as she saw his face, but the unicorn was quickly subdued by the stallion with a single hoof. Why had she begun to panic about this stallion? It wasn't because he was significantly larger than her and much healthier, no. It was something far worse to her, to the point where it became a fight or flight response in the back of her mind. It was what he was wearing, it was something she had seen countless times and for her it meant potential trouble. She wanted to get away, yet, something about him actually told her to stay in place.

It was his uniform that terrified her, the fact it was a Royal Guard's uniform, not just that though, but an officer's. It made her nervous to the point where she was even choking on nothing. At the same time though, he seemed gentle, almost like he stood before her for another reason and this reason was conveyed through just his gentle blue eyes.

Before she even thought about running, she found her own eyes locked with his and it was lucky this had happened too, otherwise she might've created a scene. His eyes were like the ocean and sky, peaceful, yet ever-changing. While his eyes never changed visibly, the emotion behind them did, and in them presently she could feel a degree of security and trust. Unlike other royal guards she had seen, his eyes weren't lifeless. On top of that, she found herself fascinated with his appearance. His mane in particular was a eye popper in direct sunlight, as it was as white as freshly fallen snow and very tough to look at, as he seemed to be standing directly in the sunlight.

One thing she was glad for on the other hand, was the fact his coat worked in contrast to his mane, virtually matching the uniform he wore, it was only here where she took note of another fact. If he was a Royal Guard, why was he in Ponyville? Not only that though, but he wasn't wearing his armor. Was he off-duty?  No, it wasn't likely, because he was still in a uniform. It was truly a conundrum for the azure mare as she gazed up at the stallion.

The stallion in question sighed in relief, appreciative of how quickly she had calmed down. He didn't care much for how she calmed down, but just simply glad of the fact. It was only after he had exhaled his held breath did he take a good look at her. To his shock, he was surprised at what he saw too. At first he hadn't recognized the mare, but, as he took a closer look, he began to take note of everything. Before making any assumptions however, he leaned back slightly, taking a brief glance at her cutie mark.

'No...it couldn't be...' he thought, but lo and behold, it was indeed the cutie mark that had been described. A blue crescent moon with a wand. His heart broke immediately when he saw it too, realizing just who the mare was, but what came as a shock to him most was her physical state. “Trixie...?” his voice called out.

Now, how in all of Equestria did this stallion know her name? Had it been due to the trouble she had caused a couple weeks ago? Was it possible she was still wanted? At first, this is what she thought, but when she narrowed her eyes at the stallion, before finally leaning back to take a brief look at his cutie mark and everything clicked.

A few tears began to form in her eyes as she flopped back onto her rump, shocked to see this pony, out of all of them. “S-Shield Breaker?” she was able to squeak out. The tears finally beginning to fall. “I-I thought...”

He merely shook his head in response to her, while he was indeed Shield Breaker, he could figure what she was about to say. “Doesn't the uniform give you a clue? But that's not important now...I believe the important thing is that, you're alive!” he pointed out. “Last thing I hear about you is, you're on the wanted list for causing such a ruckus in Ponyville.” Trixie gulped when she heard this, it was no question that she was indeed a criminal now. Given he was also a Royal Guard, it would only be a matter of time, she assumed, before he would take her away. Yet, here she stood, before him...and nothing bad was happening.

“A-about that...I-I can explain.” Trixie struggled to say.

“No need, Trixie....just walk with me...” he said, before taking a step to his left. “Oh and bring your cape, hat and the basket of bread with us...you'll need it.”

Trixie didn't argue with him, instead, she just followed his request. After collecting everything, they began to trot down the path through the park rather silently too. The entire time on their walk they ran into no trouble, passing absolutely no ponies along the path, to Trixie's relief.

“So...um...where are we going?” she asked hesitantly, doing her best to keep up with his pace. Even though on occasion he'd pause to let her catch up.

“I should be the one asking questions, Trixie,” Shield Breaker snapped, this stung a little bit, having him angry at her. Even knowing that she probably deserved it. “So...why are you still in Ponyville? I thought you left it after the last incident.” His words stung even more, reminding her of what had happened not more than two weeks ago.

“W-well...I'm here to speak with somepony,” replied Trixie, causing him to turn in her direction briefly, “But...I don't know how to approach her.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie?” he laughed, “Not knowing how to approach someone? Now that's a laugh!” The laughter was more like a quiet chuckle, but it was enough, resulting in him being smacked straight across the face by Trixie's hoof. “Hey!” he cried out, rubbing his cheek while glaring at her.

“I'm serious, Shield. I just don't know how to approach her,” His curiosity was piqued, he could even detect the seriousness in her voice before once again stopping in his tracks.

“Might I ask...who she is?”

Trixie froze the instant he asked this, her eyes shifted in his direction. Should she tell him who she was having issues with? Should she bring her old friend into this? A part of her mind wanted to be grateful and actually tell him, considering he was helping her more than he needed to right now. Not only that, but he had also given her food, which was something she had desperately needed. Yet, she found herself lost in a sea of doubt as she thought carefully, all the while unaware of where he had been  guiding her. By this time, the two sat on a bridge, waiting for her to come up with a response. Nothing came though, just silence.

As they sat there, ponies casually walked or trotted on by, occasionally sending a glance at the two of them. While they knew Shield Breaker, it was Trixie that had left them befuddled. With her present condition few recognized her, but those that did hurried into a gallop, in attempts to get far away from her.

“Well?” Shield Breaker asked rather impatiently, “Or would you rather I guess who it is?” Something clicked in her when he said that, causing her to not only snap back to her senses and simply frown in his direction.

“I'd...rather keep it to myself for now.” argued Trixie, he only snickered in response to this before the two pressed onward. The rest of the time they were rather quiet, not saying a word between one another. This was mostly due in part to the fact that neither really had much to say to the other, that was until they arrived at their destination.

That was it for Trixie, when she saw where they had arrived. Before them was a tall oak tree, but not just any either, it was one she was quite familiar with in fact, one that she herself needed to go to actually. Fear began to set in as she gazed up at the splendor of the tree which had been reformed into a building, but not just any, oh no. Why did it have to be here? Why did he have to drag her off to this location of all places?

A tightness began to form in her chest as she gazed at the door. Trixie was petrified, to the point where she refused to take another step, even with Shield Breaker's coaxing, she shook her head. How had he known? Was it coincidence that she was here now or was it fate? She didn't know, nor did she want to know at all. With another hesitant step back, she felt a tug on her ear, which actually caught her off guard.

“No...you're not running this time!” Shield Breaker snapped, catching her with a quick telekinesis spell. This had been his tipping point, right then he actually knew why Trixie was still in Ponyville. It all fell into place with her reaction to just seeing Golden Oaks Library.

“No, please!” Trixie begged, “Don't make me go in there! I'm not ready yet!” Frantic, she began to struggle even against him. The struggle was rather intense too, as she continually fought against his telekinetic grip. What came as a surprise to him though, was the fact she was actually able to briefly break free of it. Within seconds she had spiraled around, making a mad dash away. This was to no avail though as he was able to get a grip on her tail instead.

This second grip was far sturdier than the previous one thankfully, mostly because he had reached for the center point of her tail instead of just the tip of her ear. Trixie struggled though, putting up a great fight, yet, his grip was just too strong. Even while she was being dragged up to the door she fought against it though, attempting to dig her hooves into the ground to prevent being dragged along further. She even attempted to kick dirt into his eyes to distract him. This failed of course, mostly due to her poor aim, instead landing on his uniform.

'Oh great...Rarity's going to kill me now...' he thought as he dragged her right up to the door, his eyes gazing down at the dirt on his uniform. He wanted to brush himself off right away, but, Trixie's situation was a bit more important, so he pressed forward, giving the door a few small knocks before he stepped in, as if to just announce his presence.

He was surprised, surprised at the fact that the door was unlocked, but then again it made sense. It was a library and even though it was early, it would figure that the door would be open at this hour, as its librarian was often a very early riser, even if it was a Saturday. Being dragged along just behind him as he entered, was Trixie, who was still virtually clawing at the ground in attempts to get away, which were simply futile, he was just thankful that he had taken the three things she had with her beforehand.

Once inside, he paused, taking a moment to look around before his attention turned to the stairs.  “Princess Twilight...you have a visitor.” Shield Breaker called out. It only took a second for these words to register in Trixie's mind, they seemed to puzzle her more than ever.

'Princess...?'

“Hang on, I'll be right down!” A voice called back, “And don't call me princess!”