The Lost Alicorn City

“So Trixie, if you really had that book before, how did you come by it?” Twilight asked while they were walking.

“Like Trixie said, it’s a long story,” said Trixie.

“It’d be a great way to pass the time,” suggested Twilight.

“Very well,” said Trixie, and she began her tale. “After Trixie had left Ponyville, back all those many months ago, things have not been easy for her. Trixie had nothing. She was homeless, her caravan and all her belongings having been smashed by the Ursa. All she had was a few bits on her, which she used to acquired a new cape and hat. Trixie tried to continue her life as a show mare, but no pony would watch her shows anymore. Word had spread about the Ursa incident in Ponyville, about how she had failed to defeat an Ursa Minor and her story had been exposed as a lie. Trixie was humiliated! Her reputation ruined! Some towns she was even chased out of because they did not want her. Often, she could find no place to stay at night and was left out in the cold, hungry and alone. That was the lowest Trixie had ever been. Eventually, Trixie realized she had no pony to blame but herself for making up that story in the first place.”

At this Twilight and her friends were surprised. Trixie really had learned a lesson after all.

“Well, Trixie, looks like y’all learned a valuable lesson,” said Applejack authoritively. “Not only is lyin’ wrong, but it can come back to bite y’all in the flank.”

Trixie glared over at her. “Don’t interrupt Trixie while she’s telling her story,” she snapped.

Applejack gritted her teeth and growled at the show mare.

Trixie continued with her story. “Trixie was down, but not defeated. Trixie realized that the only way to gain back her reputation was to actually do something great and amazing. And she also realized that in order to accomplish such an awesome feat, she would have to become great and powerful for real. So Trixie vowed that she wouldn’t rest until she truly was the most powerful unicorn in all of Equestria, no matter what it took.” Trixie then turned her head to Twilight and looked her directly in the eyes. “So enjoy your title while you can, Twilight Sparkle, because Trixie aims to take it, one way or another.”

They all glared back at Trixie in disdain. She may have learned the drawbacks of making up stories, but she was still the same boastful, prideful, arrogant pony they remembered.

“Yeah, well good luck with that, you loudmouth,” Rainbow Dash shouted at Trixie. “Twilight is more than twice the unicorn that you’ll ever be.”

Trixie merely chuckled. “Oh? We’ll see about that,” she said smugly.

“What does any o’ this have to do with the book?” asked Applejack.

“Trixie was getting to that!” she spat. “Trixie began training with her magic, going to libraries, studying every advanced spell she could find. She trained for months; doing everything she could to improve her magical skill. She supported herself by finding jobs wherever and whenever she could, mostly waitressing. Trixie was barely scraping by, and even though she was definitely getting better and better with her magic, she still wasn’t as powerful as she wanted to be. Not by a long shot. Then, finally, Trixie’s luck changed.

One day, Trixie was training out in the forest, practicing lifting extremely heavy objects with her magic, when some old stallion was approaching her. He was weak, thin, badly injured, and seemed half mad. He looked like he had been traveling around out in the wilderness for weeks. He collapsed and Trixie went over to help him, but all he did was hand Trixie a black book, and with his dying breath, he said, “Don’t let the dragon get this,” and then he died.”

“Don’t let the dragon get it? What did he mean by that?” asked Twilight.

Trixie shrugged. “Trixie doesn’t know. Maybe a dragon was chasing him, or maybe he was just crazy. Anyway, once Trixie found out what the book was, she realized this was her big chance. If she could find the legendary lost city, she would be famous once again. Perhaps even the Princess herself would award Trixie in a public ceremony in Canterlot.” She said the last part as if she were staring off into a dream. Then she sighed happily. “Trixie has almost forgotten what it is like to be worshiped and adored.”

Applejack snorted. “Y’all are right pathetic, Trixie,” said the farm pony, at which Trixie gaped at her in astonishment and anger. “Goin’ through all this trouble just so ya can be popular again.”

Trixie growled. “Well, what else is Trixie supposed to do?” she said. “You all might be happy just being plain, ordinary ponies, but Trixie does not want to be ordinary. Trixie wants to be the best! Trixie wants to be adored! Trixie wants her name to be known all across Equestria!”

Twilight sighed, disappointed in Trixie. She had hoped the boastful unicorn would have one day learned her lesson, but that was starting to seem less likely now. Trixie was under the belief that the reason no pony liked her was because she wasn’t the best anymore. She was so blinded by her desire for fame, that she couldn’t see that her own selfish arrogance was the real reason no pony liked her.

“Trixie, there’s nothing wrong with wanting to accomplish great things, or be the best you can be,” said Twilight, attempting to give the show mare some helpful advice. “I myself am proud of my own magical skill, and Rainbow Dash wants to be a Wonderbolt one day. But you have to remember to act with grace and humility; otherwise you lose what’s really important.” Twilight looked at all of her friends. “Great friends like these!”

“Its true,” said Rarity. “Fame and popularity may seem wonderful at first, but it hardly ever lasts. But true friendship…” she looked at her friends with a smile. “That is forever.”

At that, the six friends all suddenly stopped walking and hugged each other in a warm group hug, while Trixie watched from the side in annoyance... and perhaps just a twinge of envoy.

“Oh, please,” Trixie groaned at the sight. “You’re all even lamer than Trixie remembers. Trixie learned a long time ago that being miss nice pony gets you absolutely no where.”

The six friends all glared at Trixie in annoyance and broke up their hug. Twilight sighed.

“I guess you’ll never learn,” said Rarity, sticking up her nose at the blue unicorn.

“Now, if you’re all done hugging, can we please keep moving?” demanded Trixie.

The group began walking again through the forest.

‘Friends? Who needs friends?’ Trixie told herself as they walked. ‘Friends just get in the way. All Trixie needs is power.’ Then Trixie smiled to herself. ‘And soon, Trixie will have all the power she needs.’ Because what Trixie hadn’t told Twilight and the others was that she also had another reason for wanting to find the lost city.

“So, Trixie, how did you eventually loose the book?” asked Twilight suddenly.

“Huh?” said Trixie. Then she remembered what they had been talking about. “Oh, right. Trixie woke up one morning and it was gone. Stolen in the night.” She turned and glared at them. “Stolen by you, apparently.”

“Oh, for the last time! We didn’t steal the book!” shouted Applejack.

“And you expect Trixie to believe that?”

“I’m one of the Apple family!” said Applejack, getting right up in Trixie’s face. “And the Apple family don’t lie!”

Trixie snorted and rolled her eyes. “Whatever,” she said as she turned and quickened her pace to move away from the farm pony.

A few minutes later, Rarity said, “So Twilight, darling, does it say anything in the book about how much further it is to the lost city?”

Twilight pulled out the book and began turning the pages in it until she seemed to come to the correct one.

“Okay, according to this, we should come to a cave pretty soon, and we have to go into it.” The purple unicorn kept flipping through the pages for a bit until she stopped on one. “Well this is strange,” she said.

“What?” asked Rarity.

“There’s a page missing! It looks like it was ripped out.”

Applejack turned to face Trixie. “Y’all wouldn’t happen to know anythin’ about this, would ya?”

Trixie scoffed. “You accuse Trixie? The book had all its pages when Trixie had it. Something must have happened to it after it was stolen from Trixie.”

Twilight kept flipping through the book. “The page that’s missing is page seventy one to seventy two.” She looked up and then over at Trixie. “Trixie, do you remember what was on those pages?”

“Page seventy one to seventy two,” Trixie mumbled as she thought. Then her eyes widened, but then a split second later, she simply shrugged. “If Trixie recalls, it wasn’t anything important. Just some uninteresting notes Trixie didn’t even bother finishing reading.”

Before Twilight could inquire further, Rainbow Dash suddenly shouted from above them.

“Look, up ahead,” said the rainbow maned Pegasus. “I think I can see the cave entrance. Follow me!”

They all started following Rainbow Dash. Then, suddenly, out of the blue, they heard a loud cry on their left, as if somepony had shouted. They all stopped and listened.

“What was that?” asked Pinkie Pie.

“Sounded like somepony crying out!” said Rarity.

“It sounded like it was coming from over there.” Fluttershy pointed off into the forest to the left of them. “Come on, girls,” she said as she flew off in that direction.

“This is obviously a trap,” said Trixie, staying where she was as the others started to follow the yellow Pegasus. “A trick to try to lure us away from the right path.”

“Lets go, you!” ordered Applejack, suddenly coming up from behind Trixie and pushing her forward with her head against her hindquarters.

“Hey! Stop pushing Trixie!” the blue unicorn shouted as she started moving along with the rest of them reluctantly, soon catching up with Fluttershy. They kept heading towards where they had heard the sound.

“Trixie still thinks this is a trap,” she said.

“But what if its not and some poor innocent creature is in terrible danger,” said Fluttershy. Then she put her hooves to her head. “Oh, I simply can’t stand to imagine it.” Fluttershy flapped her wings harder and flew faster towards the location of the noise.

“Hey, Fluttershy, wait up!” shouted Rainbow Dash, as she and the others quickly started moving to catch up to her.

They soon came to a large hole in the ground, like a large animal trap. They could hear soft crying coming from inside it. They looked down into the hole and saw a young, light brown colt, who didn’t even have his cutie mark yet, sitting at the bottom, tears streaming down his face. He had dirt and some minor scrapes and bruises all over his body. He looked up when he heard the seven mares approach the hole, a hopeful expression appearing on his face.

“Hold on, kid! We’re gonna get you out of there!” shouted Rainbow Dash.

Fluttershy quickly flew down into the hole and picked up the colt in her forelegs. Then she flew up out of the hole and set the little colt on the ground next to her friends.

“Are you okay?” Fluttershy asked.

The colt smiled. Then suddenly, there was a flash of light, and the colt was gone.

“Wha… Where’d he go?” gasped Fluttershy as she and everypony else started glancing around for the colt.

Twilight began to wonder if Trixie had been correct and this really was a trap.

A split second later, there was another flash of light to the left of them, and when they looked, they saw that, where a bunch of bushes had once been, there was now a cave entrance.

Just then, Twilight understood, and she spoke up. “It was another test!” she exclaimed. “This must have been the test of our KINDNESS.”

Applejack shot Trixie an evil grin. “Ya see what a little kindness can do?” she said.

Trixie seemed stunned for a moment, but then regained her composure and stuck up her nose. “Trixie thought it was a trap. She was simply trying to be cautious.”

“Come on, girls. Lets go,” said Twilight, excited now that they were one step closer to finding the lost city.

The seven mares began walking down into the cave.