Next to a clear reflective lake stood an all to familiar azure unicorn mare wearing a torn cape and a hat both with star patterns on them. She was looking at her rough ragged reflection. She used to be beautiful. Once upon a time she would look upon her reflection to find her coat smooth and glimmering in the moonlight. Not any more. Now mud caked her legs and underbelly, and one of her knees was raw from when she tripped. Her mane was disheveled and messy, and the lines etched onto her face made her seem older than she truly was. This was all her fault. After the ursa minor incident she lost her wagon and possessions. Nobody would hire her because that mare had spread the word that she was a 'fraud'. At least she still had her most important possessions. Her hat and cape. It was given to her by her mother right before she died.
Her mother was an azure unicorn mare with dazzling violet eyes and a sunset red mane and tail and a sun shining bright the bright red and yellow colors of the evening sky as a cutie mark. She was a better mother than she could have asked for. She always loved and supported Trixie enough for both herself and her father. Her father had died in a weather related accident right before she was born. He was a nutmeg brown pegasus with deep blue eyes and a cloud shooting a lightning bolt into a twister as a cutie mark. Needless to say he handled the more dangerous weather. Her father had died protecting them and everyone in their village.
One day an unexpected tornado had appeared. He went into the twister to stop it. He did, but not without a fatal injury. He was flung onto a sharp branch that had been broken off by the twister itself. Right through the heart. He never stood a chance. The last exchange between him and her mother went like this:
Her mother had collapsed a little ways away from the tree her husband was impaled on. He took a raspy breath blood trickling down his chin from the corner of his mouth. Suddenly he smiled. "I thought of a name for her." he said his voice weak. She stopped crying and looked up her light red mane covering one of her now bloodshot eyes.
"What is it?" she asked him tears drying on her cheeks. "Her name-" he cut off coughing up blood onto the ground in front of him. "Her name," he started again, "will be Trixie." She nodded her head in agreement. "That's a lovely name." she said trying to make her voice sound strong and not break out crying again.
He motioned with his hoof for her to get closer. That's exactly what she did. She stood so close to him that she could hear his shallow, ragged breathing. He tentatively used his hoof to move her sunset red hair out of her eyes. "You have such lovely eyes. I hope our daughter inherits your beauty." he said. "I'm sure she will. And I'm sure she'll inherit your strength and courage too." she said tears rolling down her cheeks.
He closed his midnight blue eyes tears rolling down his own face, and said, "Goodbye Dusk Light. Take good care of our daughter." "Goodbye Storm Chaser. I'll give our daughter enough love for both of us." said Dusk Light her small frame racking with sorrow and pain.
15 years later that same mare was lying in a hospital bed. She had been fighting cancer for 3 years now. Her beautiful bright red mane and tail had fallen out. Standing beside her was her daughter who had indeed inherited her mothers beauty. Her azure colored coat and deep violet eyes had been inherited from her mother. Her mane, however, had not. it was a very pale blue almost silver in some places and in the moonlight it seemed to glow. She had also inherited her fathers strength and courage being able to make it through with her mother having cancer.
She was here every day cheering up her mother with the magic tricks she taught herself. Today was a special day though neither knew. She was showing her mother new magic tricks she learned. The 14 year old deep blue mare magicked out a normal, black and white, wand. With two waves of it though it turned into a bright bouquet of tulips, daisies, and rhododendrons.
"Tada." she said giving them to her mother who took them in her own telekinesis and clapped with her fore hooves. She gently set them down in a small glass vase filled halfway with water. "And now for my grand finale a trick I have been working on for a while." the younger Trixie said. Her mother watched intently expecting something amazing. What happened was more than just amazing it was heart touchingly beautiful.
Trixie gathered up her magic and let it out in one big burst releasing a spectrum of colors. It took her a second, but when she realized what it was her hoof flew up to her mouth and she started crying. Trixie instantly got worried. "Mom, What's wrong? Do you- Do you not like it?" she asked tears of her own beginning to form. Her mother shook her head and hugged her. "It- It's beautiful." she whispered to her daughter.
In the air, conjured by Trixie's magic, was a picture of Trixie and her in a lush green field holding hooves. Trixie was unable to hold back tears of her own now as they rolled down her cheeks. She laid her head down on Trixie's and Trixie's on her shoulder. After a few minutes of silently crying her mother lifted her head and smiled. "Hey. What's that on your flank?" she asked Trixie.
Trixie lifted her head quizzically and said, "There's nothing on my-" As she turned her head around her words were replaced by a squeal of joy as she realized she had just gotten her cutie mark. It was a wand with a star on it and some magic dust. She pushed her head into her mother's warm body as she hugged her. Her mother chuckled and started stroking her mane. Her beautiful mane. She continued this until she heard the soft snoring of her daughter. She smiled, wrapped the blanket over her, and pulled her into an embrace allowing her daughter's warm rhythmic breaths lull her to sleep.
A few days later it was Friday. Trixie had just returned from school and she noted the wilted flowers in the vase and resolved to get some more later. She was about to show her mother more tricks like usual when she stopped her. "I have a present for you my daughter. Come over here." she called to Trixie. She did as told and went to her mother. Her mother levitated over a medium sized box to her. It was covered in red and white stripes with a small red bow at the top.
Trixie slowly opened the box wondering what it was. She gasped in amazement when she saw the contents. Inside it was a cape folded neatly and on top of it was a magicians hat. They were both velvet like her eyes and had star patterns on them. "Mom it's beautiful!' she said turning to her mother. she had her eyes half closed and had a sleepy look on her face. "I'm glad you like it my daughter. I made it myself. It will be the last gift I ever give to you. Your father is calling for me, and I have to go now." she said.
Trixie's eyes widened as she realized what was happening. "No Mom! You can't. Don't leave me here alone." she said hugging her. "I must. I know you will be able to handle yourself. You inherited your fathers strength and courage. My only regret is that I will not be able to see you turn into the great and powerful mare you're destined to be." With those final words her eyes closed and Dusk Light was no more.
"MOMMY NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Trixie's scream petered out into a whine and then crying as she embraced her mothers corpse. When the medics arrived it took 5 of them to ply her from the body.
A tear dropped disturbing the reflection as she remembered these events. The events that shaped her into the mare she was today. Her mother believed she would become great and powerful, so that's just what she did. She became The Great and Powerful Trixie.
Another tear drop sent ripples along the water just as it was settling back down. "It's been 7 years now hasn't it? And I still can't let go." she commented as she turned her gaze to her right to face a gravestone. "What would you think. . . Mother?"
Twilight sighed. She was at the entrance to the Everfree. She couldn't believe she was doing this. And in the middle of the night too. She remembered the events that led to her being here.
Twilight was sitting at her desk various newspapers strung about on the floor. They all had the same topic though. Some of the topics included: Fraud Ran Out Of Town, Phoney Exposed For Who She Really Is, and the most recent one, which was sitting on her desk, Great and Powerful or Boastful and Dishonest
This was the one she was currently reading. On the cover was a very familiar dark blue unicorn. The unicorn know as The Great and Powerful Trixie.
Great and Powerful or Boastful and Dishonest?
Today the unicorn 'The Great and Powerful Trixie' visited Hoofington. After having been exposed as a fraud no town will hire this show mare. She tried to sell off her fanatical tales in this town too, but she was run off. She was last seen heading towards the Everfree forest.
Twilight put down the newspaper. This had been going on for a few months now, ever since she had showed up Trixie. She thought it would wear down eventually, but she was wrong. It seems as though Trixie was chased out of every town and it was all her fault. She had just wanted for Trixie to stop bragging so much.
Twilight sighed again pulling back into reality. She was going to go tomorrow, but the guilt had eaten away at her. She decided it was now or never and stepped into the forest. She started searching for clues as to where Trixie could have gone. She knew how astronomical the odds were of finding her in the dark, but still she searched. After a few minutes she found something. A small light.
Her heart filled with hope even though she knew it could easily be just a lightning but. When she walked into a small clearing her heart rose, and sank. It rose because there was a small fire, flower stems, and hoofprints in the clearing. It sank because of what she saw. She saw a small shelter poorly put together with twigs and sticks. It was barely big enough to cover half of a pony and was exposed to the elements.
Is this how she's been living? Twilight asked herself her heart breaking with the sorrow of what she saw. Of what she caused. She followed the most recent hoofprints and after a few minutes of walking she saw a light through the trees. Before she breached the treeline though she heard crying. She hid behind a tree and peered out. The majestic scenery she saw that night would be engraved into her memory.
Surrounded by the forest was a large beautiful lake that reflected the night sky perfectly since there was no clouds. In front of the lake, lying next to a gravestone was Trixie. Her almost malnourished body was shaking as she cried. The moonlight seemed to reflect off of her hair giving it an almost magical quality.
She could see the tears rolling down her face and onto the ground forming a small puddle. She decided to step out.
Trixie couldn't hold it in any longer. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. The more she thought about it the more the sobs escalated and eventually turned into full blown crying. She collapsed in front of her mother's grave not caring she fell on her hurt knee, and the crying racking her her frail frame. Suddenly she heard hoofsteps, and her head shot up.
She turned it to see the one pony that she despised the most. "Twilight Sparkle." she hissed venom obvious in her voice. It gave Trixie no small satisfaction to see her flinch in the cold unforgiving stare she gave her. Twilight Sparkle resumed her journey towards her. Trixie herself flinched when she laid down next to her and their fur touched. She would have moved, but she was exhausted from the events of the day.
Nopony spoke for a while. Nopony knew what to say. Then, "You ruined my life." said Trixie. Twilight Sparkle looked down and said, "I know, and I'm very sorry. You'll never know how sorry I am, but I just wanted you to stop showing off.'' Trixie was enraged. "Showing off! I''m a SHOW mare. That's what I'm supposed to do. Being a magician was all i had and you- you." her rage faded into sadness as she finished in a voice that was filled with pain and anguish, "you took that away from me."
She hated herself for doing it, but she started crying in front of Twilight. "I- I know, and I'm sorry, but don't you have a home or some family?" Twilight asked. Her tears started to flow harder. "No." she whispered. "That wagon was my home. As for my family my father died before I was born." she was shaking now like a herd of elephants was coming through.
"And my mother died 7 years ago. This is her gravestone. We used to come here all the time before-" she let out a choked sob. "Before the cancer." she finished letting out all the emotions she'd been holding in for the past 7 years. She felt something wet hit her shoulder and roll down her azure blue fur. She looked up to see Twilight crying right beside her.
She went on to finish her story. "Right before she died she gave me this cape and hat. She made them herself. She told me I was destined to be great and powerful, so that's what I did. I became the great and powerful Trixie. But now I'm not sure if I can go back to that life. I'm not sure if I even want to go back. I- I." she was unable to finish only letting out choked sobs.
She just told her biggest enemy her biggest secret. But then again she just may be her savior. She had finally told somepony her sad history. Now she was awaiting judgement. They sat there crying for what seemed like hours, but was really only a few minutes.
Finally Twilight gained the courage to speak. "I- I'm so sorry. I didn't know. That's so horrible." she said. Trixie just nodded her head slowly in acknowledgment of her. They stayed silent for a few more minutes until Twilight spoke again, "I- I know it isn't much, but would you like to stay in the library? I could give you a job until you get back on your hooves. Maybe you could even stay in Ponyville."
Trixie was so surprised by what she heard she didn't respond. Was she actually offering what she thought she was? Was it possible? A new life? When she finally did speak up her voice was hoarse, "D- Do you think they would accept me?" Twilight did something unexpected. She smiled. "Of course they will. It might take a while, but I'm sure they will." she said. Is it possible? Trixie wondered. Can I really atone for my sins? In that moment she made a decision that would change her life forever. If there was a chance to redeem herself she would take it.
She slowly nodded. "Okay. I- I'll try. can you give me a moment though?" she asked. Twilight nodded and said, "I'll be in the clearing where you've been staying" With that she slowly got up and walked off. When she could no longer see Twilight through the vegetation she herself got up.
"Well Mom, I can finally let it go. I'll be able to live the life I should have. You were right I will become great and powerful. I love you." And with that parting statement she walked into the forest towards her new life. Next to the gravestone her cape was neatly folded on the ground and her hat was on top of it. Just then a light breeze blew through the clearing.
