A hunter green peruses staring out his train car window. As the trees quickly past by his eyes he relived his life. Remembering everything that brought him to travel all over the country of Equestria. Tears started to fill his eyes knowing that his search was almost complete. The story had started over in his head in hopes that it is the last time it would be told alone.
*****
It all started over 17 years ago in a dark forest. A young unicorn couple were traveling around performing magic to uplift the spirits of those who had reason to be sad. They had walked through the Everfree Forest in order to find a certain flower to make their explosion powder. They had been walking for almost a few hours when they heard the soft sounds of a foul crying a little way off the trail.
The mare walked off the path in search for the source of the racket. Loud crying filled her ears as she got closer to a large tree that had been sitting there for hundreds of years. The noises stop suddenly, replaced by a soft snoring that seemed to be coming from nowhere.
She was close to giving up until a patch of moss that was on the other side of the tree started to move. The motion was moving up and down, following the rhythm of the out of place snoring. Upon further inspection of the moss revealed that it was not a moss at all, but a very messy green Pegasus foul with brown hair sleeping in the middle of nowhere.
A pink aura surrounded the foul as the mare used her magic to carry him to the trail. Putting him in a basket the flowers were supposed to go. Grabbing the basket with her teeth she was off to find the stallion. When the stallion caught sight of the basket he was filled with the same confusion that the mare was. Knowing that there was no town for miles they would have to take him in until the real parents were found.
The unicorn couple named the young foul Moss and raised him as one of their own. His energy was outrageously high compared to what they were used to, but they found ways of keeping him under control, even when he started flying.
As the years past and the couple finally settled down in Canterlot hoping it would be a good environment for him. He was enrolled in a public school later on when he was old enough, but he was the only Pegasus in all of Canterlot that wasn't a royal guard. That made him the easy target of bullying and teasing among the other classmates.
Everyday Moss would have to deal with the constant rumors and fights that he was involved in. He was unable to focus in school, or make friends because of the things people would say. A few years of constant abuse made him do something that he was told to never do.
Instead of going to school he walked down a path that he has never taken before. It lead to a corner of old shops that were either closing, or close to it. One of the shops had a sign that read "The Magnificent Piper's Magic Shop" in small red letters. A smaller sign beneath it said, "Everything must go!"
Knowing that he must hide before anyone caught him ditching the young green Pegasus snuck inside quietly. The Shop was filled with a lot of books and magic tricks that could be done by anypony. Looking around he saw an old leather book that been worn through tons of use.
Moss pulled it out of the bookshelf and read the cover, "Magic for the Magic less: Illusions 101." The title alone got him hooked on reading it. Walking up to the counter he paid the cashier 5 bits for the book and left the store. Feeling a new found happiness, he put the book carefully into his book bag and flew off to school.
He had to sit through the rest of his classes and an hour of lecturing from his parents before the book was even opened, but it was worth it. The book contained knowledge of how to do a type of illusions that can be done without magic. Moss had spent countless days just going over the basics.
It took him several months of practicing in secret to get through half of the book, but he was able to do almost any kind of magic trick from it. No pony ever asked him what he was doing. When somepony saw him, they just went on with their lives. Going as far as pretending that he wasn't even there sometimes.
A year or two had gone by before his parents had eventually caught on to his hobby and decided to help out. The unicorn pair taught Moss how to make explosive powder that helped with hiding movement for certain tricks. They had also showed him how act when on stage. and how to react to any situation while on stage. He had everything that he could need for his act.
*****
Whoot Whoot!
The trains whistle blew loudly signaling its next stop. Everything seem to disappear from the young Pegasus’s mind, He was unable to remember what happened next. A memory of how he got his cutie mark was gone, but that he could live without for now. He left for the food cart hoping that lunch would jump start his brain.
Taking a seat away from the windows, Moss caught the attention of one of the waiters. "May I help you young man?" he had asked in a rude manner.
"Yes. Would you happen to have Daffodil sandwiches?"
"Yes. Are you going to order one?" The waiter asked, rolling his eyes as if to say hurry up.
"I guess." The waiter left him for the kitchen and spent a good while there. After he returned with Moss' meal, the waiter dropped it on his table. He no longer paid any attention to the lone Pegasus, but instead move on to another pony that sat a few feet away.
"Hey did you hear?" The waiter whispered to a nearby pony, "There is a magician on board today."
"Who is it? Do you know?" The passenger replied
"No. The conductor must know, but he isn't telling."
He never liked it when they would speak about a magician that nopony would know the name of. It would always remind him of her, but what are the odds that she would be on the train as him. After he finished his meal, Moss walked back and lay down on his bunk. He waited for the train to begin moving again before he fell asleep. The most memorable day of his life played through the darkness.
*****
It was the day of little Moss's 16th birthday. That day had begun like every other day. He ate breakfast, got ready, and left to do everything that his parents had asked him to do. When all was set and done he left for the comfort of his bed. The walk back home seemed to be quiet as normal. The only sounds that broke the silence were strangers that were talking to each other.
As Moss entered his parents’ house, he quickly met eyes with a light blue unicorn. Her purple irises looking at him. Studying him as if she was unsure what to think. She was a little taller, but seemed to be about his age. They both just stared at each other in silence until Moss began to speak.
"Who are you? I have never seen you before." The blue unicorn just kept silent. She just studied him like a timber wolf would study a tree. Her silver mane must have been too long for her, because it kept getting in her eyes causing her to have to blow it out of the way to see. It took a couple of moments before she gave any sign of response.
"Are you moss?" She asked with the hint of curiosity.
"Yes. My name is Moss." The unicorn looked rather displeased at his answer. Before she had time to voice her opinion Moss's mother walked into the conversation.
"I see you met Trixie." Looking back at the kitchen she started to push Trixie and Moss out of the door. "You two should go play outside. Maybe you can show her a few of those new tricks you have been working on." With a slam of the front door, both of the ponies were locked outside. It didn't take long before Trixie started to complain.
"I don't like to play with fouls," She started to rant walking away from the front door, "Especially a colt that can't perform magic." Moss felt a small burst of anger rise from his chest.
"I'm your age, so how does that make me a foul," Trixie paid no mind to him as she lay down under a nearby tree. Acting like she didn't even hear what he had said. She just played with the dirt, drawing little stars in the soft earth. Knowing that he wasn't going to get an answer, Moss left her alone to work on his magic.
He had gone over the act like he normally would. First he would pull something out of a hat, then he would make a card disappear, finally he ran over a teleporting trick. A little idea flashed through his mind about a fun prank he could do. Pulling out the little flash bombs his parents taught him to make, Moss prepared for a very quick transition. He must have been doing something interesting that caught Trixie's eye. She was now watching every move as the flash bomb to the ground.
A veil of smoke quickly enveloped the area leaving a short window of opportunity. Moss ran as quietly as possible behind the trees to make it seem like he had actually vanished. He waited until the smoke dissipated and Trixie had run over to the spot, before jumping out and scaring her right out of her coat.
Her eyes were wide with shock for a minute, then they were filled with anger for another, and finally curiosity overcame the rest of her emotion. "How did you do that? You got to teach me." Moss's Father yelled out the door to them to get back inside.
Just as he started to leave, he turned around and told her, "I'm sorry, I don't play with snobs." He continued his walk with Trixie following close behind. As he entered the house he was greeted by an overwhelming chorus of "SURPRISE!" that scared the two young ponies.
His birthday party was the best party he had ever been to. There was games, music, dancing, cake, and even an armored Pegasus was at the party. He was only there for a little while before leaving. Moss's parents didn't look happy about it.
He knew none of the guests besides his parents and Trixie, but there was always a feeling a familiarity when he spoke to each and every pony. It wasn't until he spoke to Trixie's parents the guest list became clearer. All of the guests were people that Moss’s parents while they were traveling. He met the light blue unicorn at a benefit long ago. They got a long a little better back then, but she has changed over the years.
Each guest greet him and was, for some reason, they were wishing him good luck. At first Moss thought it was for the long life ahead of him, but it changed when he saw a small stage across the room. Apparently the teens were having a small talent show across the room to show off what they could do. Even Trixie was in on the action, sitting the front row waiting for her turn. Moss was the only one that didn't know, even if it was his own birthday party.
Quite a bit of them were pretty bad, but a few were good. One of them was a beautiful singer, and another was an amazing mimicker. Every one of the teens went and none of them did magic, besides Trixie and Moss. Trixie's little magic show was missing something. It was a wonderful performance, but there was just an empty feeling watching her. Moss couldn't put his hoof on it, but he was too busy thinking about when they were playing as fouls to care.
After her simple magic, Moss had a new feeling of pride that made him more confident. He wanted to impress her with everything he had. In no time his first magic show opened with him "magically" appearing on the stage. He started with simple tricks, like magic playing cards and flowers out of his magic wand. Then he moved on to his advanced tricks that had a smaller margin for error. He showed off his escape artist skills, levitation abilities, and much more things that wowed the crowd.
Trixie was keeping her eyes on him the whole time. Following his every move as if to find the truth behind the secrets. On his final trick he bowed to the large group of people and disappeared in a cloud of smoke. Moss hid behind the stage listening to the rising applause that filled the room.
The party ended with the opening of gifts that were scattered around. Most of them were items that he didn't really care for, but pretended to like all of them. Near the end of the present opening was becoming more worthwhile to him. Moss had received a copy of "Horror around the Campfire: A Collection of the Scariest Stories in Equestria". The front empty page of the book was signed "From Trixie Lulamoon".
The last present, and maybe his favorite, was from an unknown person. The package had no card, no Tag, just To Moss written on the side. No pony took credit for the gift, but Moss didn't care. After ripping the nicely wrapped paper, He found the most thoughtful thing he had ever gotten. Inside was a neatly folded plain black cloak with a dark mask that only covered around the eyes. It was the one thing that he didn't realize was missing from his act. A stage outfit.
His party ended quickly after that. Everypony left the house for where ever they were from, everypony but Trixie. She was just standing around waiting for everypony else to leave. Moss's parents started the long process of cleaning up. It was going to take a while, but they refused to let him help. Going outside he prepared for his afternoon flight. Staring out in the late afternoon sky, Moss reflected on what he was feeling. His day was close to perfect. He had gotten to meet a lot of people, he ate cake with friends, and he got to see Trixie. Even if she was rude to him.
"How did you do that?" asked Trixie, who was standing right behind him.
"Do what?"
"How are you able to do magic without a horn?"
"Not allowed to tell." Was all his mind was giving permission to say.
"And why is that?"
"A magician can't give away their secrets to just anypony. Can they?" Moss away from his reflection to catch a glimpse of Trixie's eyes. The way they were being illuminated in the afternoon sky was hypnotizing. The shades of yellow, orange, and red over her pupils made it almost impossible for Moss to look away. His eyes moved up and down the yard, trying to find something to keep his wandering eyes from staring at the young blue mare.
"Fine. Be that way. I guess that I will have to go for the next best thing."
"Which is?" he asked, watching birds flying across the sky. Trixie was silent for a short while.
"Would you mind being my assistant?"
"Huh?"
Moss's first reaction was to dismiss it, but he looked back too soon and was caught in a trance. His eyes met Trixie’s and it was getting harder to tell her no with each passing moment. It took a while before the question reentered his head.
“Uh... Yeah. Sure. Sounds... great!" he absent mindedly answered. Moss couldn't help but feel the jumbling of his words as they left his mouth. Trixie smiled a little and looked the happiest he had seen all day.
"Good. We will start tomorrow. Meet me by the Bakery at 10, and don't forget you’re magic." Trixie teased galloping off to her parents’ trailer. The rest of the night was forgotten after Trixie left.
The next day was not at all what he had expected it to be. After meeting her at the bakery, they had started discussing what he will be doing as her assistant. Moss mostly was just a lab rat for Trixie, but he was also there to find out what she was missing in her act.
The assistant thing was only supposed to last a few days, but then it turned into a week. Moving on into a month. Then before they knew it a year had passed by. Their time had been spent working hard on the acts and discovering new ways to perform on stage.
Not long after they started, Moss found what Trixie was missing. It was a gimmick. Something to set her apart from the other magicians, but he left that up to her because for her to decide.
After the first month they started to perform at small things, like talent shows and parks. It was a good start, and they would always tend to draw large crowds. It was all just small time for Trixie, but Moss thought of it as an opportunity. He wasn't worried about the fame or glory. All Moss wanted was to give a performance that would let anypony watching put all of their troubles and hardships aside for entertainment. It was a blessing to watch the audience clap for them after a show.
As time moved forward on their magic, Moss and Trixie started to grow closer. After a while they started competing for being the greatest magician in all of Equestria, and went their separate ways. Moss spent quite a bit of time trying to please the small crowds that would watch his shows. He appeared at small talent shows, magic competitions, and also tried to compete against people that his father used to work with.
Moss never made much, but his fame was enough to get him a contract with a big company. They paid pretty well, and most of their stops were to actually stuff for charity. He knew his life was getting easier, but there was not a single day past where he didn’t think about Trixie.
*****
The bright unwanted morning sun kept Moss from going back to the land of dreams to see her again. They were the last remaining parts of his mind trying to desperately hold on to what was lost. Every day was becoming greyer and more dull the last, but it wasn't going to stop him. Not yet at least. Pulling out the old book that was given to him, he began to wonder back into the times from before.
*****
A few months of Moss's life had past, and he had spent a good amount of his time touring Equestria. His acts were mainly used to keep morale up in large towns, but he made some exceptions for hospitals in the smaller villages. Once Moss had been through every town on his agent's list, he got a feeling of dread. He was out of a job, but for how long was never spoken out loud.
The sound of the train’s wheels, beating on the tracks, was all Moss could hear as he waited. Sitting in the designated booth that was chosen, Moss listened to the other passengers talk about their uneventful lives. Everypony around him gave little to no information that he wanted to know. His agent was a good ten minutes late before showing up looking rather pleased with herself.
Joining him at the table, Moss just waited for the worse to come. She proceeded with the long awaited meeting. "I know that you will understand, when I tell you that we don't require your services right now." His agent stopped for a second in order to pull out a yellowed paper. He had though that it felt like ages since he seen it, "We were also going over your contract and noticed something that we had to bring to your attention."
Pushing it into his view, she pointed at a small date located at the bottom. Moss read the line over and fell into a state of disbelief. Looking up from the paper, he felt more confused every time he read it. "You see Moss; your contract doesn't expire until around spring. Seeing that you still have awhile left with us, we have decided to discuss about renewing it."
Moss's jaw went slack with shock. His agent started up again before he could come up with anything to say, “We are planning on waiting until after the Grand Galloping Gala in the spring, but we want you at the gala. We need you there to discuss terms your renewal." She placed an envelope on the table. He looked in the envelope knowing that it was the ticket for the Gala, but instead of one there were two tickets inside.
"Why do I need two tickets?" Moss asked, hoping for a straightforward answer.
"It is customary for Stallions going to the Gala to have an escort. I personally thought that it would be wrong just to assign you one. So we are letting you choose who it is." Everything started to go silent in his head as the words slowly sunk in. He knew exactly who to take, but he didn't know where she was. Lost in thought, he just concentrated on the list of towns she was going to appear in. "If you are going to ask that Lula moon mare, you better get off at the next stop."
"Huh, why is that?
"She is planning on making an appearance in Ponyville soon."
"How do you know that she is going to be there?"
"Let’s save the questions for later. The train will be coming to a stop soon and, if I were you, I would want to be off of the train before it leaves."
"What about my family?"
"I will go to them personally and tell them that you will be gone for a while." And with that the meeting ended. Moss had taken his agent's advice and got off of the train in Ponyville. His first encounter of the civilians of Ponyville was a pair of colts that seemed too curious for their own good.
"Hey mister," the smallest of the two yelled waving his hoof in my direction, "Hey mister, what brings you to Ponyville?" Walking over in Moss's direction, he wasn't able to avoid the confrontation.
Looking him in the eye, Moss wanted to leave so badly, but my better judgment wouldn't let it happen. "I am waiting for the arrival of The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
The Larger one looked confused at the mentioning of her name. Cocking his head to the side as if it would help him figure it out, "Who is the Great and Powerful Trixie?" Moss could only chuckle as he answered the young colt.
"You do not know of the Great and Powerful Trixie. She is only the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria." The look on the colts faces were filled with nothing less than awe struck.
"Do you know when she will be coming?" The smaller colt asked.
"Yeah, do you?" His friend chimed in.
Moss leaned toward the two and whispered as if telling a life changing secret, "I know it is going to be sometime soon, but you can't tell anypony."
"Why?" they both asked simultaneously.
"We wouldn't want to ruin the surprise. Would we?" Nodding their heads in agreement, Moss shooed them away before any more time was wasted. After being checked into a nearby inn, Moss started a small routine that would be his way of life for now.
He would work for the weather team in the mornings. During his lunch break he would go to a bakery that had the best sweets he had ever eaten. His afternoons were pretty lonely, but he was going to endure every second for her. Finally ending with returning to the inn and sleeping the night away. This was how his days would run for a while.
The two colts that he met would sometimes visit him during lunch and discuss about the same thing. Trixie Lulamoon. But it wasn't a problem for Moss. He eventually found out that the pairs names were Snips and Snails.
That pattern repeated itself for the next month before all of that waiting was put to an end. The weather was starting to turn to fall, but not enough to change the color of the leaves. Late in the afternoon, Moss was sitting in a high up cloud resting after an exhausting day of work. He was looking off in the distant horizon when a fancy looking cart speeding across the grassy field.
Moss was close to falling out of the sky when he caught sight of it. It was a carriage with "The Great and Powerful Trixie" engraved on one of the front panels. It was being moved by a familiar blue aurora.
Moss's heart leapt for joy as he watched it glide to town square. It was the show he has been waiting for since the beginning of the month. He was finally going to see Trixie, but it wasn’t the reunion he expected it to be.
Watching from the crowd, Moss had never seen any of Trixie’s shows after they went their separate ways. After the light show and the initial tricks that were easy to do, he had a bad feeling in the pit in his stomach. She started calling out ponies halfway through the show. Claiming she was better than all of them, she picked out ponies that looked popular, and challenge them to see if there was anything that they could do better than her.
One by one she made selections. The first was an energetic rainbow colored Pegasus, and then it was an orange farm mare, and a pony that was obsessed with fashion. Every one of them was humiliated in front of the large crowd. Moss felt sick just watching the performance. It broke all of the rules that he was told when he was a foul.
The last thing she did was call out an innocent looking purple unicorn. The mare just ran away from the crowd, probably trying to keep that from happening to her.
I need to talk to Trixie, he thought as the crowd started to disperse, She just can’t possibly think that this is right.
A few hours later, he found himself in front of Trixie’s. Everything about it made him feel like she was showing off. With the water in his head getting hotter, he knocked at the door and waited for her response.
“Who is it that disturbs The Great and Powerful Trixie?” she yelled as she opened the door, “It better be important. The Great and powerful Trixie was taking a nap… oh,” She looked at him in utter disbelief as she exited her trailer, “Uh, what are you doing here Moss?”
“I was told you were going to be here.” He was staring her down the entire time they were talking, “It seems like you changed Trixie, and not the way I was hoping.”
“What are you talking about?” she yelled nervously.
“I saw your show. Mocking people is not how performers get their fame.”
“You don’t understand-“
“Oh! I don’t understand. I don’t understand.”
“Please just listen.”
“No. I will not hear it now. I spent this whole time thinking that you were doing the same as me, but I was wrong.”
“Moss please. I just wanted-“
“Trixie. I don’t want your excuses. I want you to apologize to those you terrorized, and then I want you to go home.”
“But-“
“No buts. Now I expect you to be gone by the morning.”
Moss left her, and began to pack up his stuff to leave for Canterlot. He didn’t have much, but it was enough to calm him down. The last bit of work that was left was to leave a note at work saying that he quit, and he took the next train to Canterlot.
His stomach was too tense for him to want to eat, so he just laid in a bed the entire way home. He kept thinking about how worthless all of that waiting he did, and how stupid he was to care for somepony like her. He stayed that way all of the train ride there.
Once back in Canterlot, he got back to his parents’ house and was welcomed with opened arms. His parents congratulated him for what a success he had became, but he didn’t care about that. He Thanked them, unpacked his bags, and just went to bed for the rest of the night.
A week went by, and there was still no sign of Trixie. She should have only been a day behind. A ring at the door lighten his spirit. Running as fast as he could, he answered it, only to be disappointed by a mail mare that gave him a letter. He thanked her, and watched her carry on over to the next house.
Looking down at the letter he noticed there was no return address, the paper was worn down, and there was a faint smell to it that he couldn’t place a name to that surrounded it. He was half-tempted not to open it, but something in the back of his mind that screamed to open it.
Opening it, he just skipped to the end, and found Trixie’s name printed at the bottom. His mind went racing as he read the contents.
Dear Moss,
I am sorry it had to turn out this way. All I wanted was to impress you, but I guess you were right. Nothing is worth tearing ponies down. My cart was destroyed and I have nothing left. I am just going to disappear like everypony wanted me to. Maybe then I will make ponies happy. Before I go, I guess I should just say it. I love you. I wanted to say it out loud, but I am sure you didn’t feel the same. I won’t forget the fun times we had.
Love,
Trixie Lulamoon
He found himself crying as he finished the letter. He knew he felt the same way, but now she was gone forever. There was no telling where she went. Equestria was large and there was no way for him to look in every town.
His mom walked into the room, and noticed his crying, “Moss, What’s wrong sweetie?” He just handed the letter to her. It only took her a few seconds to read it. “Oh. Well… you should go after her.”
“What?”
“You should go after her. I don’t think you should let her go that easily.”
“But how am I going to find her?”
“You have to figure that out yourself. Now go. I will explain to your father why you left.”
“Ok. Thanks mom.”
With that he started his long journey to find her. He had begun in Ponyville and moved thru each town looking for any clue of her. It was the longest month of his life.
Waking back up in his bed, he gave in to the hopelessness. Nothing was bringing her back now, and he was now bit less so there was nowhere left to go is home. He was defeated.
Moss's body was set into auto-pilot as he got up to eat. There was only one other person in the dinning cart when he went. It was almost a habit now for him to pick the booth furthest away. He hated every second of being out in the public, but one other person was easy enough to tolerate.
As usual, he expected the waiter seemed too preoccupied to even take his order, but today was a little different. There must have been a shift change, Moss thought as a light blue mare with navy blue hair walked up to him to take his order. He just ordered something random off of the menu, knowing that he wasn’t going to make up his mind anyway.
“Do I know you from somewhere?” the waitress asked as she brought him his food.
She seems like somepony I have met before. Moss thought in his confused brain.
“Ever been to Canterlot?” he asked, trying to steer clear of his occupation.
She looks Familiar. He looked at her for a short while before giving up.
“I don’t think so.”
She even sounds familiar, but where have I met her, He was almost certain it was Trixie, but the hair color was off.
“Then you must be thinking of some other pony.”
“Oh.” The waitress looked away sadly, “I guess so,” she said as she turned around to walk over to the other customer.
Moss felt bad for the poor mare, “Wait.” He tried to stop the saddened mare, “I might have seen you somewhere. What’s your name?”
“Lula, or at least I think it is.”
“What? You don’t know your own name?”
“I was told that I was found outside the town I was staying at. Nopony knew who I was, and when I woke up, I didn’t know anything about my past life. All I had on me was this picture,” She pulled out a water damaged picture of Trixie and him as children. On the back were two names. One was completely unreadable, and the other you can only read Lula out of her last name.
He felt the back of his brain start to melt. Stopping himself, he had only one question left, “Did you dye your main?”
“Well, yes, it was silver. How did you know?”
“Trixie! It really is you,” Moss yelled as he hugged her tightly.
“Do I know you?” She asked as she pushed him away.
“Sorry, it’s just been so long. I had given up after the last town.”
“Given up on what?”
“Finding you.”
“You were looking for me? I just thought that I was always alone. Except the colt in the picture, I didn’t know if I was even wanted by anypony.”
“Honestly, you still don’t get it. Do you?”
“Get what? I do not understand what you are getting at.
“I am the colt in the picture. I just grew up a little.”
After a moment of silence she sat down with him at the table, and after a lengthy discussion about her former life, she was confused about one thing.
“Then, who are you?”
“I guess you could say… I am a childhood friend.”
