A Great And Powerful Legacy
Spike grunted and dumped the roll of scrolls in his arms on the table. There were two piles, one of scrolls he was delivering, and a much larger pile on the floor of scrolls Twilight Sparkle had already read. She sat at the table with a scroll unfurled in the air in front of her, her eyes not looking away at Spike’s arrival.
“Here you go, Twilight, all birth records of unicorns from 700 LS to 900 LS.”
“Thank you, Spike.”
The two were in a vacant office in the basement of Hoofington General Hospital, just off the massive storehouse that was the hospital archives. They had already spent hours pouring over documents stretching back before the fall of Nightmare Moon, in the Era in the Two Sisters. That had been the hardest part, since documents that old were often lost or faded. Fortunately, they had navigated through them, and now Twilight knew she was close to an incredible discovery.
~*~*~*~*Some Time Earlier*~*~*~*~
“And Astral Plane begot Guiding Star, and Guiding Star begot Star Swirl the Lesser, and Star Swirl the Lesser begot Nightshine…”
In the Canterlot archives, Twilight walked backwards along a long parchment rolled down the aisle, her muzzle almost touching the text as she read. Spike sat on a stool and turned his head to watch as she passed him.
“Twilight, aren't we supposed to be researching that chest the Tree of Harmony spit out?”
“Spike, this could be the greatest discovery since… that,” Twilight replied. She had come to the archives with the original intent to research the chest. Then her curiosity had gotten the better of her and she had started looking at unrelated texts. By pure chance, she had read a book from a pegasus named Morning Dew documenting powerful ponies of the Tribal Era, before Celestia and Luna had united Equestria. All it had taken was a comparatively offhoof mention of “Star Swirl’s son, Spiral Nova” to set her mind racing.
Twilight had spent the hours since scouring the archives for records of family lines. Back then, lineage was of the highest importance to ponies, if they had a heritage worth note, and thus they kept diligent records of their family lines. She had been able to confirm that yes, Star Swirl the Bearded, the most famous and powerful unicorn in the history of Equestria, had a single son, Spiral Nova. Between Star Swirl’s pioneering in magic eclipsing his personal life, and Spiral Nova’s comparatively lacklustre accomplishments, Twilight found that most books these days just never mentioned him.
Now, thanks to the few that did, she was on the trail. She had a name to go on, and tracked Spiral Nova through the archives, looking up every book that might mention him. She worked her way down a few generations to a unicorn named Radiant Comet, and that had been her breakthrough. Radiant Comet’s name was documented in the tribal records of the era, though somehow his ancestors up to Star Swirl were not. Thus Twilight found herself reading her way down the scrolls written by ancient unicorn record keepers, tracing Radiant Comet’s descendants through the centuries. The family line was mercifully direct, so far there had been only one or two children per couple, and of them only one had children of their own. Against the odds, the line of Star Swirl endured across centuries.
“And Starlight Murmur begot Twinkling Star and Shooting Star, and Twinkling Star begot Twilight Moon…” Twilight paused for a moment, her ear twitching. “Spike, do you think I could be a descendent of Star Swirl the Bearded?”
“I dunno.” Spike shrugged and held up his claws. Twilight turned back and eagerly kept reading.
“And Twilight Moon begot Moonlight Oracle…” Twilight stepped back to keep reading and found her muzzle pressed against the carpet. She grabbed a scroll from the table, sent it unfurling down the aisle in the other direction, then turned to walk back along its length. “And Moonlight Oracle begot Cosmic Light…”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Eventually the historical archives had petered out. With Equestria expanding and ponies moving about the country, the scrolls had stopped in the Year 508 in the Era of the Lone Sister, with Cosmo Vortex, daughter of Starherald. Fortunately, the scrolls had started keeping track of location as well as family line. Cosmo Vortex had lived in Hoofington, and Twilight and Spike set off to dig up hospital archives in Hoofington General. It had taken hours to find a birth notice for Cosmo Vortex, daughter of Starherald, and then the hunt began again.
“Star Trick, born to Stardust Glimmer in 894 LS… Spike, we’re almost there!” Twilight smiled in triumph and looked up at Spike. “We just need the notices for the last hundred years.” She got stars in her eyes and clapped her hooves eagerly. “Just think, Spike! We are within minutes of discovering a living legend! A direct descendent of the greatest unicorn to ever walk Equestria! The heir of the legacy of Star Swirl the Bearded!”
“Yeah, great.” Spike yawned. They had gone to Canterlot in the early morning, now it was almost the morning of the next day. In her excitement Twilight had worked through the night, and while she may not have been tired, Spike was. He turned to the table piled with scrolls and held out two to her. “Here we go, the last hundred years up until Luna’s return, all unicorn birth records.”
“Much appreciated.” Twilight beamed and took the scrolls in her magic, floating them over to her. She unrolled them and looked over the birth records, scanning until she found the name. “Here it is! Stardust Glimmer, in 934, gave birth to a filly named Shinespark. Shinespark…959, had a son, Lunar Spark, and in 985 he fathered a filly named Beatrix Lulamoon…” Twilight looked over the scroll and blinked.
“That’s it, Spike. That’s the last entry…”
Spike didn't hear her; he had curled up on the floor to nap. A snore was the answer she got, but Twilight didn’t notice.
“The last entry… Beatrix Lulamoon!” Twilight looked up from the scroll, her eyes wide and her mouth set in a joyful smile. “Star Swirl’s current living direct descendant is named Beatrix Lulamoon, born right here in Hoofington! And she’s my age!” Instantly a flurry of fantasies filled Twilight’s mind. The heir to one of the greatest legacies in Equestrian history was a mare her age! A new teacher, a new friend, a new chapter in both their lives! All the long-lost magics kept secret, the heirlooms and relics, the stories that had been passed down…
Twilight jumped up and slammed her hooves on the table, causing Spike to awaken with a scream.
“Spike! Get me the city directory!”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The citizens of downtown Hoofington gave Twilight a large berth as she walked their streets. Perhaps none of them were used to an alicorn in their midst.
“Oh, this is going to be so wonderful! Spike, we are going to meet a direct relative of the Star Swirl the Bearded!”
Or perhaps it was the fact she was almost dancing on the pavement with the widest grin any of the townsfolk had ever seen on a pony older than twelve years old.
“Yeah, gonna be awesome,” Spike muttered. Twilight didn’t notice his lack of enthusiasm.
“I wonder what she’s like! I hope she’s friendly, she could teach me so much!” Twilight gasped and whipped around to grab Spike in her hooves. “Maybe we’ll become best friends and she’d want to move to Ponyville to spend time with me! We could be neighbours! No, roommates!” Twilight turned back and let go of Spike, the dragon dropping to the ground.
“You're planning to meet her like this?” Spike picked himself up and dusted himself off.
Twilight cleared her throat and took a breath to regain her composure. “Yes, you’re right, Spike, absolutely right. We have to be calm, collected… oh ponyfeathers, I should have brought my Star Swirl costume for her to sign!”
The two turned the corner to find a street lined with apartment complexes, and Twilight looked up to watch the building numbers, counting them off until she saw what she had been waiting for.
“There it is! 365 Trotterdown Street!” She galloped to the bottom of the stairs leading to the apartments and rushed up them, Spike hurrying after her. Twilight looked over the directory in the lobby. “Lulamoon, apartment 203.” An earth pony stallion came out, and Twilight caught the door and headed inside with Spike. There were two elevators up, one just opening to let out a unicorn stallion, and Twilight ducked inside, raising a hoof to push the button for the second floor.
The doors closed, and Twilight looked up at the lights marking the floor numbers. She bit her lip and fidgeted, shifting her weight between hooves. “I should have thought about what I was going to say! Should I introduce myself, or tell her why I'm here? What if she feels intimidated over meeting a Princess? Or maybe she’ll be offended I'm not in my royal regalia to meet somepony so important! Spike, did we bring my crown?”
“No.”
“Oh, I hope she isn't angry!” The elevator opened and Twilight grew quiet. She stepped out and looked down the hall. Walking slowly, her mind raced, wondering what to say, what to ask, how to act. The door numbers counted off. 207… 205…
Twilight came to a stop outside apartment 203. She swallowed and took several deep breaths.
“Here we are, Spike. Get ready, we are about to make history and the present collide!”
Twilight raised a hoof and gave three sharp knocks.
Several seconds passed with no response. Twilight strained her ears to listen, but no sounds came from beyond the door. She frowned and raised her hoof to knock again.
“Yeah yeah, knock it off!”
Twilight’s eyes widened at the voice, and she looked down at Spike.
“Did that voice sound familiar to you?” Spike shrugged. Before Twilight could ponder this more, the voice spoke again, closer to the door this time.
“The Great and Powerful Trixie would remind you that her rent is not due until the first of the month, and she will be perfectly on-time as she always is!”
The tenant pulled the door open as she spoke, revealing a very familiar light blue unicorn mare with her eyes closed and nose turned up in contempt. Twilight’s jaw dropped.
“Trixie!?”
Trixie opened her eyes and froze at the sight of Twilight and Spike standing outside her door. Three seconds passed of the two of them staring, before Trixie slammed the door in Twilight’s face.
“Whadda ya know, we've already met her. Let’s go home.” Spike began to walk down the hall, but a violet aura of magic surrounded him and floated him back to Twilight’s side where he was greeted by a glare.
“I guess she remembers us,” Twilight said, looking back at the door. She raised a hoof to knock, gentler than before. She could hear movement inside, and slowly twisted the door handle to push it open just an inch. “Uh, Trixie?”
The inside of the apartment was very modestly furnished. A couch, a bookshelf, a table with a half-finished plate of hay fries on it. Twilight pushed the door open wider and took a cautious step inside. She heard movement from another room separated by a curtain of blue and silver beads hanging from the frame, and Trixie came through, a suitcase floating behind her. She didn't look at Twilight, or even acknowledge her presence. Instead she began grabbing books off the shelf and throwing them into the suitcase, which already held an assortment of cloaks, hats, and magical props.
“Trixie always knew this day would come sooner or later. It was all over the papers, Equestria's newest Princess from Ponyville. Trixie began to wait right that moment. She didn’t think it would take this long, but, here we are.” Trixie finished tossing her books into the suitcase and then grabbed a few other knick-knacks from other shelves and tables, tossed them inside and clicked the suitcase shut.
“What are you talking about?” Twilight watched, confused. Trixie came to stand in front of her, dropping her suitcase beside her. Then she dropped down and stuck her hooves out in front of her, pressing her muzzle into the carpet.
“Princess Twilight Sparkle, I, the Humble and Apologetic Trixie, place myself at your mercy and accept my punishment. Trixie begs you, in your infinite wisdom and kindness, that you do not banish her to the moon for any longer than ten years. Even fifteen would be light, but please, show Trixie mercy. Also, please allow Trixie to bring some of her things. She has packed light, it should not take much effort on your part.”
“Banish to what-now?” Twilight made a face and knelt. “Trixie, I’m not banishing you to the moon.”
Trixie looked up. “Come again?”
“I am not here to punish you, and even if I was, I certainly wouldn’t banish you to the moon!” Twilight cocked her head and thought. “I’m not even sure if I could…”
Trixie climbed to her hooves but kept her head low.
“Oh, Great Princess Twilight Sparkle, your mercy is most appreciated! The Free and Acquitted Trixie thanks you for your generosity and will tell all she meets of the glory of your name and the compassion of your decision.”
“Trixie, stop calling me Princess.”
“As the Princess commands.”
Twilight grunted in frustration and gently took Trixie's head in her magic to tilt it up until they were facing each other. “Trixie, I am not here to get revenge or force any sort of punishment on you. And if you please, ‘Twilight’ will do just fine.”
The glow over Trixie's head faded and she shuffled her hooves nervously. “Yes, well then, Pr-um, Twilight. If it pleases you to fulfill her request, the Loyal and Subservient Trixie would ask what you are doing here in her humble apartment.”
“Well, kinda a long story, actually.” Twilight chuckled nervously.
“Yeah, twenty-four hours long,” Spike grumbled. Twilight bumped him with her hind hoof. Her thoughts about what to say came back to her, but now they didn’t seem of much importance. Her enthusiasm had deflated the moment she saw Trixie open the door.
“You see, Trixie… Spike and I were doing some research in the Canterlot archives. What do you know about Star Swirl the Bearded?”
“Trixie is well-versed in Equestrian magical history. Most of Star Swirl’s spells are of no importance to one in Trixie's profession, but she has read of them.”
“Really?” Twilight couldn’t help her surprise from showing on her face, and Trixie shared it in response. “I mean, just, um, that’s interesting. You see, Trixie… Star Swirl had a son. And he… well, we traced the family line through the centuries, really amazing that it survived for so long intact, the record keepers were so diligent, but anyway, we traced the line and it seems…” Twilight took a breath and blurted it out. “We tracked it to a filly named Shinespark, who was the mother of a stallion named Lunar Spark. And… yeah.”
Trixie didn’t show any visible reaction for some time. She just stared at Twilight, blinking now and then, her body not moving a muscle.
“Uh, Trixie?”
Trixie spoke slowly. “Princess Twilight… does Trixie misunderstand… or are you telling her she is a descendant of the greatest and most powerful unicorn in history?”
“Yes, I am.” Twilight nodded, and Trixie gasped sharply, then spun around and dashed from the room, blue beads dangling in her wake. Twilight approached them and parted them to see Trixie in her bedroom. She was rifling through her closet, tossing clothing and props behind her on her bed in auras of light pink magic. Various colour cloaks, hats, and other garments lay among plastic swords, magic wands, and small curtain rods with coloured curtains.
“I always knew I wasn’t like other unicorns!” Trixie called from the closet. “I always felt different when I used magic, even as a foal I knew I was special! But to be descended from Star Swirl… this is even better than I had ever thought!”
“Way to go, we fed her ego,” Spike said from the living room, “Because it wasn’t bloated enough already.” Twilight hushed him over her shoulder. Trixie emerged from her closet wearing a dark blue hat and matching cloak, both with star and moon patterns drawn on them in marker. They looked damp and old, and had frayed threads on the edges.
“I dressed as Star Swirl for Nightmare Night every year as a filly! It was a sign! Even back then, I knew somehow!” Trixie turned to show the costume off.
Twilight looked at the costume and couldn't help herself. “You forgot the bells.”
Trixie made a face, and her magic unclasped the cloak and tossed the garments on the bed. “Yes, well, Trixie made it herself, and she didn't know how to sew yet.”
Trixie turned back to the closet and began going through her things again. “Trixie has to put some of these things aside. She’s a living relic now, a blast from the past! These could be in a museum some day!” A magic wand hit the bed and snapped together to form a bouquet of plastic flowers, followed by a trio of silver rings and a line of coloured hoofkerchiefs tied together.
“I think I've seen them on display in toy stores.” Twilight ignored Spike’s mumbling and came further into the room.
“Trixie, are you telling me you really never knew you had such a famous ancestor?”
Trixie's head emerged from the closet, her face scrunched in thought. “Well, grandmother Shinespark always said we had a family history of powerful sorcerers… but she also said parasprites snuck into her room at night to eat her pillow stuffing. I didn't pay much attention either way.”
“I guess it isn't surprising you didn't know,” Twilight said. “After the banishment of Nightmare Moon, there were Luna sympathizers who called for her release. Your ancestor at the time was Lunar Divine, named in honour of the Princess, and an adviser on her night court. In the generations after that, a lot of ponies quietly disowned themselves from their ancestors to avoid being associated with troublemakers.”
“Really? So if Trixie were to present herself to Princess Luna and brought this up, it could get Trixie a Princess's favour?”
“Well, I don’t know about-”
“Perhaps she’d take me on as a student. Celestia did it all the time, why not Luna? I suppose I’d have to move to Canterlot, not a great loss, I've been looking to move out of this dump for years.”
“Trixie, don’t you think you’re getting a little ahead of yourself?” Twilight asked.
“Twi, on the way here you discussed the idea of her moving in with you,” Spike said. Twilight blushed and kicked him again, but Trixie had heard.
“You? You would take Trixie as an apprentice? Princess Twilight, the Illustrious and Well-Bred Trixie is honoured by your consideration. However, she questions if such an arrangement is wise given our history together.”
“I did not come here to invite you to be my student!” Twilight cried. “I just thought it would be neat to meet the living descendant of the greatest unicorn in history!” She grew quiet again and looked sheepish. “And, well, when I saw it was you… I wasn't sure where to go from there.”
Trixie watched Twilight’s reaction and tossed a collapsible sword into the closet. “Right.” She looked at the pile of magician props on her bed, which had grown so large some had fallen to the carpet. She sighed. “I don't blame you. When you imagined the descendant of one of Equestria’s greatest heroes, I’m probably not what came to mind.”
“Well… that’s not what I meant, but…” Twilight struggled to express her thoughts on the matter without offending. “I just thought I would meet somepony with a long and glorious history of mages, maybe you would have family heirlooms passed down through centuries or ancient forgotten spells kept in the family line. But, I’m guessing not.”
“No, no spells or heirlooms. There is this, though.” Trixie’s horn glowed as a yellowed scroll in a clear glass holder floated from her closet. “According to grandmother Shinespark, this has been in the family since our ancestors first came to Hoofington centuries ago.”
“Really?” Twilight almost snatched the scroll container from Trixie to see for herself. “What is it?”
“The old family recipe for our daffodil soup.”
Twilight deflated again. “Daffodil soup?”
“Your family passes down soup recipes over magical relics?” Spike was equally unimpressed by the revelation.
“Yeah… it’s a good recipe, at least. Deliciously spiced.” Trixie floated the scroll back on the closet shelf. “I’m sort of disappointed myself. Aside from your research my relation to Star Swirl won’t mean much. Even if I tell others about it, it’s hard to believe, and I’m not going to carry around a scroll tracking my family line to prove it to them.”
“That’s true… sorry. I guess we all got carried away in the excitement,” Twilight said.
“Yeah… yet, Trixie is grateful, Twilight Sparkle.” Trixie smiled. It was obviously fake, but Twilight returned it anyway. Looking at her bed, Trixie floated her trademark purple hat and cloak over to her and put them on, the jewelled clasp clicking shut around her neck. “At least Trixie looks the part, yes?” Her smile was genuine this time.
“That she does. That look really does suit you well."
“Thank you. Trixie’s grandmother gave them to her when Trixie went into the stage business. She said they had brought our family luck for generations.”
As Trixie turned her head to look over the garment, Twilight came closer to do the same. Her time with Rarity had granted her a working knowledge of craftsmanship with regards to clothing, and it came to mind now. In many areas close-up one could see where the cape had torn or been worn out, but unless one knew what to look for it was hard to tell. The cape was meticulously cared for, with every sign of age and wear repaired by a delicate and skilled hoof. The hat similarly had subtle signs of greater age than it seemed at first.
An idea came to Twilight’s mind. “Trixie… your grandmother said these were in the family for generations?”
“Yes. She also said the pegasi were conspiring to take over Equestria by holding our weather clouds hostage. Grandmother Shinespark said a lot of things.”
“Maybe, but these…” Twilight’s eyes fell on the gemstone on the clasp of the cloak. “May I have a look?”
“Trixie supposes.” The clasp opened, and Trixie floated the cloak to Twilight in an aura of light pink magic. The aura darkened to violet as Twilight took it to examine it. The clasp was a simple aquamarine gem set into a metal setting, the setting holding it in place with four arms bent into carvings in the back of the gem. A lever of metal with an orb on the end slid over a pair of metal orbs behind the setting to hold the cloak around the user’s neck.
“This is odd… this metal should have begun to corrode, or rust, or something, if it really was as old as your grandmother…”
“One would think. What of it?” Trixie replied. Twilight held the gemstone up to her eye and peered at it closely, turning it over to look at the setting.
“… There’s something behind it.”
“What?” Trixie tilted her head.
“I can see something through the gemstone, and judging from the size and shape of the metal… I think there’s a tiny compartment behind the gem.” Twilight finished her explanation and let the gem down from her closer inspection. “I can’t see clearly enough through the gem to tell what it is, but it does look like-”
She was cut off by Trixie’s magic seizing the cloak and floating it back to her. With a small squeak of metal, the arms holding the gem in place were wrenched out of their settings and the gemstone parted from the metal it rested in.
“Trixie prefers simple solutions,” she said, floating the cloak back in front of Twilight. Twilight looked over in, stunned.
“But, Trixie… you said this was a family heirloom.”
“Trixie still has the soup recipe.” Trixie shrugged. “Well?” Twilight slowly turned her attention to the cloak in her telekinesis. As she had thought, the metal had bent back enough for a very small object to be hidden behind the gem. Twilight plucked it from the setting and floated the cloak and gemstone over to Spike to take hold of.
“No snacking,” she said, not looking at him. Spike made a face and wrapped the gemstone in the cloak to hide the temptation. Carefully turning the small object in her magic, not wanting to damage something potentially centuries upon centuries old, Twilight realized what it was.
“It’s a scroll.”
“A what?” Trixie walked up to her. A very fine piece of rolled-up parchment paper was floating between them, so small it could fit in their hooves.
“It must have been shrunk down, hang on.” Twilight focused her energy into her horn, and the scroll returned to its original dimensions, just long enough to touch the floor while floating. The letters were ancient, and Twilight thanked her studies of Star Swirl’s writings, because this was definitely Ancient Equestrian written down. Barely containing her excitement, she read out to Trixie and Spike.
“Mine Dearest Spiral Nova,
Mine time is nearly passed in this world, and thy time has already begun. The promise thou displays in thy studies is truly inspiring, and if I could have but one child, I grateful it is thee. I am sure thou will become a great sorcerer in thy own right someday.
As I prepare to live out mine final years in peace, I find mine self reflecting not on what I have accomplished, but what I have not. They say mine research on magic will be studied years from now, and for this I am proud. Yet, there is much I have not done that I now wish I had. The call for the nobility to produce heirs is what conceived thee, not any love I had for thy mother, the Founders rest her spirit. And while I have had many admirers, students, and apprentices, always there has been a barrier between I and they.
Though thou will undoubtedly become great, mine hope now is that thou will become even greater than I was. Mine hope is that thou will come to know the one magic I could never master, the magic that eluded me all mine life no matter how I sought it. With these garments I give thee a wish, that they will guide thee to this greatest of magics someday.
The magic of friendship.”
Twilight slowly lowered the letter, stunned.
“It’s signed… Star Swirl.”
Trixie took the scroll in her magic and turned it to look at the words herself. However, she was unable to read the text, and with a small sigh rolled the parchment up.
“There’s my proof, then.” Trixie set the parchment on the edge of the bed beside her. “I was hoping if he left something hidden for us to find, it would be something… well, not that. An ancient relic or something would be nice.”
“He did leave us something great to find, Trixie,” Twilight said. “Celestia told me when I became a Princess, as great as Star Swirl was, he didn’t know what true friendship was, and could not understand the power it held.” Twilight took the cloak and gem from Spike and carefully put the gem back in place, folding the metal arms in to hold it. “This was his gift to his son. Hope that his son would know the friendship he never did.”
“And did he?” Trixie turned her head to look at Twilight.
“Um, well, not really. The information I could find on Spiral Nova said he lived a life of mediocre success, but he was pressured to live up to his father’s name. After that, people kept track of the family line of course, but none of them were ever half as great as Star Swirl. Then Nightmare Moon came and the family didn’t care to admit their ancestry anymore.”
“Well, that’s that, then.” Trixie took the cloak and hat from Twilight. After some thought, she clipped the cloak back around her neck and put the hat back on. “Star Swirl’s legacy to his descendants was loneliness and inferiority because of his fame. They live in his shadow until somewhere down the line they became pariahs.”
“That’s not true, Trixie. His legacy was hope. Hope his descendants would find the companionship he didn’t. It wasn’t an empty hope, either. Surely some of them knew friendship, and you do too, right? That’s a legacy worth holding on to.”
Trixie slowly turned her head to look at Twilight. “Trixie is a showmare, she has little time to make friends on the road. And at home nopony knows her.”
“I meant me, Trixie.” Twilight smiled warmly, but Trixie was taken back.
“Friends? Us?
“Of course.” Twilight tilted her head and her smile turned awkward. “Well, okay, you have sort of tried to take over Ponyville and exile me into the Everfree Forest. That was the amulet, bad example.” Twilight shook her head. “It’s behind you now, right? You came back to town after to make amends, and the Ursa incident wasn’t really your fault anyway.”
“Wish the papers saw it that way,” Trixie grumbled.
“The point is… yes. We’re friends. If it’s alright with you, that is.” Twilight held out a hoof. Looking between it and her smile suspiciously, Trixie slowly reached out. Rather than press them together, she hesitated and then bumped Twilight’s hoof with her own.
“Friends.”
“Good.” Twilight nodded.
The gemstone around Trixie’s neck flashed, and her head tilted back, her eyes lit up in blue light. Twilight gasped and took a step back. “Trixie?”
Trixie didn’t respond, the light from her eyes shining lines of colour onto the ceiling. After a few more seconds they subsided, and Trixie fell onto her flank, groaning and swaying.
“I… whoa…” Trixie blinked rapidly, her eyes dazed. “That… that was a rush.”
Twilight looked down at the gemstone. It seemed duller in colour somehow now, its radiance lessened. “What was that, Trixie?”
“That… oh wow.” Trixie slowly stood up, stumbling slightly. “That… was magic. I feel so… just, wow.” Trixie looked around the room as if seeing it for the first time. “I feel energized, like every part of my body is tingling… is this what it’s like being a Princess?”
“Not quite, though that is what it’s like when you get supercharged on magic,” Twilight replied. “It’ll simmer down eventually, though if that gemstone really did grant you stronger powers, you’ll have to be careful. It’s hard to say how it could have affected you, you should see somepony who can test your magic levels and—”
“Yeah yeah, later.” Trixie nodded eagerly and talked faster than usual. “I gotta go, and like, do something. Now. Get out of here and do something. We’re friends, right? Let’s go to lunch.”
“Um, sure, we can do that. What’d you have in mind?”
“I know, it’s, uh, around… lemme try something.” Trixie stepped up closer to Twilight and closed her eyes. Her horn glowed pink, and with a like-coloured flash of light, the two ponies vanished from the room.
Spike pushed aside the beads and looked at the spot where Twilight and Trixie had been before she teleported them away. He shrugged and hopped on the bed, curling up beside the mess of clothing Trixie had left behind and yawning.
There was a flash of violet light. “Sorry, Spike, she’s never teleported before and she forgot…” Twilight trailed off as Spike looked over at her and she saw what he was doing. “Nevermind. We’ll be back.” She teleported away and Spike lay his head down.
“It’s surprising what a pony can learn about themselves, and their future, by looking at their past. You can get a new understanding of where you’ve come from, and you’re going, and it can change your life in ways you didn’t think it would. Recently, a new friend of mine made such a life-changing discovery, and it’s like she’s a completely different pony.”
There was a rumbling from outside, and Twilight turned her head away from the friendship journal, her quill lifting from the page. She saw coloured lights going on outside, and heard a voice aided by magical projection through her window.
“Citizens of Ponyville! Once she has come before you as a boastful showmare, and once after as a vengeful tyrant! But now, making her third appearance, with new illusions that will dazzle and astound! Welcome back, the one, the only! The Grrrrrreat and Powerful Trrrrrixiiiiiie!”
Twilight sighed and looked back at the journal, putting the quill back to the page.
“Well, maybe not completely different.
But she definitely has changed. It is proof that no matter what might happen to a pony or what they might do, if they have the will to let friendship into their heart, and somepony else has the will to give it to them, then there’s always a second chance for them. Now a missing piece of her past has been brought into her present, and a bright new future awaits her.”
Twilight set her quill down and headed to the door.
“Come on, Spike, let’s go,” she called back into the library.
“We going to watch her new show, or to make sure nopony starts any trouble with her?”
“Yes.”
Author's Note
I'm not completely happy with the ending, but I had some fun with the circumstances of this idea and that was my focus, the comedy aspects. I considered turning the gem into a Seventh Element of Harmony to tie it back into Star Swirl's unfinished spell from Magical Mystery Cure, but I've seen that exact idea with Trixie done before and am not in the business of stealing ideas. I hope you enjoyed this story for what it was, and thanks for reading.
