The madness

Becoming One

We return to our story, still in the same timeframe. Though, a couple of hours have passed since we last left the Princesses at the hospital.

Our heroine has been approached, see, she’s just there, over near the trees. Well, maybe we need to get a bit closer, just so we can work out who they are. But, when you find out, don’t tell a soul!

Now, I’ll leave you in the capable hands of the next part of our story. Just don’t read too much between the lines. You might go mad…

6 Weeks Earlier

Dusk had started to fall. A glow could just be seen peeking out of the slight crack through the window shutters of the wooden trailer, and smoke wafting gently up towards the cloudless sky.

The trailer, was also rocking from side to side, and a quiet, giggling noise could be heard, but, only if one was standing right next to the door, with their ear pressed right up against it. Though, to be honest, if some pony was standing that close, then, there was a good chance that they’d be noticed.

Eventually, the rocking motion stopped, and the glow went out. Followed by the door opening, and a unicorn stepping out into the cool evening air, “Thought she hadn’t seen me, uhuh? Thought that SHE could hide from me!?”, the unicorn scoffed, to nopony in particular, “Well, I’ll show her, I’ll show…”, realizing that the was some pony standing, stock still, on the hoofpath next to the trailer, the unicorn span round and glared at the intruder, “WHAT?”

“Miss Lulamoon.”, the pony asked, not a question, but more of a statement, “I’m glad I’ve found you, your presence is requested at Canterlot Castle.”

Finally looking at the pony, the showmare realizes that this is a guard, but not just ANY guard, a Royal Guard, “Uh, moi? Requested to visit that castle?”, she stammers, “Do they wish for a showing of MY talents?”

The guard, not phased at all by the show put on, just replies, “No, Miss. I have orders to bring you to the castle, you have been summoned. Top priority. So, please, follow me.”, the tone of his voice told Trixie that this wasn’t something she could run away from, not this time.

“Very well, but, if my trailer is damaged in ANY way, or ANYTHING is stolen, I will hold you responsible!”, she spoke, in a haughty voice, “You, personally!”

Still unphased, the guard just casts an invisibility spell on the trailer, “There, now nopony will know it’s here, except you.”

‘Well, well, well, my friend’, she thought to herself, ‘You are a clever one!’. Impressed, she follows the guard through the streets of Canterlot, to await her fate.

Following the guard, Trixie spent a majority of the time just looking around her, seeing as she was getting strange glances from everypony they passed, ‘They probably think I’m being taken in for some fraud or other, well, let them think that, I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, cares not for what they think!’

Approaching the castle, the guard mentioned for Trixie to wait, “Miss, please wait here for the next guard.”, a look of confusion passed over her face, “Do not worry, I am just the messenger, I am handing you over the guard who will take you to your final destination. Please follow ANY orders they give you.”

With nothing else to do, the corn blue unicorn just nodded, “Very well, The Great and Powerful Trixie, will…”, she stopped when she realised that there was nopony near her, it seemed to her, that they had just vanished, seeing as she hadn’t heard them walk away. A few minutes later, after she’d started to shuffled her hooves in frustration, and wondering if this was all one elaborate joke, she heard a set of heavier hoofsteps approaching.

“Miss Trixie Lulamoon, this way.”, a large stallion unicorn stood glaring down at her, “I am sorry for the delay in arriving, but we have had a situation here tonight, the Princesses will explain everything to you, so, please, just follow me.”, he said, and without looking back, started into the grounds of the castle.

Following right behind him, Trixie was still in a state of confusion, ‘A situation? The Princesses will explain everything to me?’, these thoughts just continued to swim round and around in her mind, ‘What sort of situation could they want me to help with? Surely, the star pupil of Celestia would be the one who would be helping, not me!’. With these thought distracting her, she nearly walked into the guard, who’d stopped before the great doors of the throne room.

“Your majesties, I present to you, Miss Trixie Lulamoon.”, bowing before both the Princesses, the guard intoned, and mentioned for the unicorn to enter.

“Thank you, Golden Mace. You may leave us now.”, Princess Celestia replied, “And, please make sure that we are not disturbed, have your men patrol the grounds.”, and then once the doors were shut, and sealed with a spell, Princess Celestia turned to the surprised unicorn, “Trixie, it is a pleasure to see you once again, though, I wish that it were under better, and happier, circumstances.”

Trixie stared up at the Princesses before her, her jaw open slightly from shock, “I...I don’t understand, your majesty. Why have you sent for me?”, she stammered out, dropping the third person references.

“Miss Lulamoon”, Princess Luna said, “Thou hast been summon here, before your imperial majesties, because a, certain fate, has befallen one of the Elements of Harmony.”, Trixie could almost feel the capitals begin spoken, “And, if the situation is not remedied, then all of Equestria could fall.”

“Your majesty?”, was all Trixie could reply.

“What my sister is trying to say, Trixie, is that we have lost one of the bearers of the elements. Now, before you ask,”, Princess Celestia saw the look on Trixie’s face, “how can we lose one of the bearers, I think you should follow us.” And leading the way to the ante-chamber, Trixie followed the two Alicorns.

Within the room, the unicorn was surprised to see, well, a table, set up for tea. Corn blue coloured tea service, cups, saucers, tea pot, the whole set. But, what surprised her more, was the Princess of the Night, bidding her to sit, while she served the tea, “Miss Lulamoon, it is still one sugar, and no milk?”

Trixie could only nod, wondering how the Princess could know such things, “Thank you, your majesty.”

“Please, Miss Lulamoon,” intoned the Night Princess, “we are all here, just to have a friendly chat. There is nothing thou need to be afraid of.”, and with a slight grin, one that could make a cockatrice run off, “I certainly have not tainted thou beverage, and I certainly do not wish to have my wicked ways with you...well, not until my sister has retired for the night!”

“Luna!”, came the Day Princesses reply, “Please, she is confused enough.”, and turning to the shocked unicorn, “Trixie, we have a national emergency on our hooves here. As I explained to you earlier, one of the bearers of the elements, has been lost to us. And, well, we feel, both Luna, and myself, that another unicorn is needed to replace the, aforementioned, lost bearer.”

Thinking to herself, Trixie tried to picture the bearers of the elements, who held what position, and what race were they? Laughter, was held by that pink earth pony, and so was honesty, that was also an earth pony, kindness and loyalty were held by those pegasi, that left only honesty, and…

“Princess!”, exclaimed Trixie, “You don’t mean?”, to which the only reply was a nod of the head, “So, let me, try, and understand this. You’re telling me, that the holder of the Element of Magic, THE most important of the elements, has been LOST? How, if I may ask, has this happened?”

Princess Celestia sipped on her tea, and seemed lost in thought for a moment, finally she replied, “The Element of Magic, has, well, she was not as strong in mind as I hoped. She has suffered a mental collapse.”, a tear stole its way down her muzzle, “I had hoped that she would lead the rest of the elements into the future, to hold Equestria together, but, I am afraid that she just couldn’t handle the pressure that befits one of high status.”

“What my sister is trying to say, Miss Lulamoon”, Princess Luna said, “is that Twilight Sparkle”, she seemed to spit these words out, “has been placed under the strictest security, due to her cracking like a twig under hoof.”, this caused her sister to shudder, “So, we need, no, we demand, there will be a NEW bearer of the Element of Magic!”

Comprehension dawned on the face of the unicorn, “Moi? You require that The Great and Powerful Trixie”, she exclaimed, including some fireworks in the exclamation, “become the most powerful bearer of the Elements of Harmony?”

Both the regal sisters just looked at her, and nodded, Princess Celestia spoke for both of them, “Yes, my little pony. You have shown in the past the courage to stand up for yourself, and that you did not have an easy life, also, adding the fact that you are very skilled in magic, and not just showmareship magic either.”, Trixie was in shock over this exclamation, “I know, oh so much about you, I have watched you grow from a lost filly, into this, the most wonderful showmare in Equestria!”

“Yes, Lulamoon, even when I was imprisoned in the moon, I had means to keep an eye on you, in your dreams, because I could feel that there was something more in this life for you, than being a showmare.”, Princess Luna replied.

Sitting there, before the two most powerful ponies in Equestria, Trixie was at a loss for words, thoughts crowded in her mind though, ‘They have been keeping an eye on me? But, I’ve never known one of the Princesses to do something like this before, granted, Celestia has had Twilight as a student, after the Sonic Rainboom. But, still, I’ve been chosen as the Element of Magic? Will the other ponies accept me?’, her thoughts still ran round in circles, each trying to lodge themselves in the front of her mind, ‘But, what of Twilight?’

Looking at the unicorn before her, Celestia placed a hoof on her foreleg, “Trixie, I know that this is unexpected for you.”, she held the unicorns eyes, “But, you must understand, the Elements of Harmony must be kept together, if they were to fall then the future of Equestria could crumble.”

“What my sister is trying to explain”, Princess Luna spoke up, “is that you are the ONLY choice. Your magical ability is as powerful as the ex-bearer, and with the right guidance, and encouragement, you will become more powerful, but with one difference.”

Trixie looked into the dark cyan eyes, all her worries seemed to be drawn into them, and she felt as ease, for the first time, in what seemed like an eternity, “Your majesty?”

“You have, as we previously mentioned, lives a life that has been hard, and you have had to climb to the pinnacle of your chosen career. My sisters’ previous student, was too closeted, not versed in the ways of life, but you are.”, the Night Princess paused, as if to gather her thoughts, “You have that advantage, you are able to cope with whatever life, and Equestria, can throw at you.”, she finished with a smile. A genuine smile for once.

Trixie’s mind was, once again, racing with thoughts, but decided to sip at her tea to give herself time to put some coherence in the raging thoughts, “Your majesty, Princess Luna, I understand the implications of the offer, but, I would be grateful if you could explain to me the reason for the, um, fall of grace?”

Both Princess Celestia and Luna looked with surprise at the showmare, Celestia spoke up first, “Very well Trixie, I think it would be best for you to know that whole story. Please, sit very still, and we’ll show you…”

The showmare was enveloped in a combined aura of both the Alicorns, and was taken back to the beginning of Twilight’s downfall.

Minutes, hours, or possibly even days later, Trixie was released from the aura, “You know understand, I hope.”, Princess Luna spoke, “You now know the story, and what is expected, no, what we hope from you. You shall, if you wish to take the role, become the Element of Magic.”

“Trixie, I know that this all unexpected, and that you wish to take some time to consider, we shall give you that time. But, do not take too long, the fate of Equestria is at stake.”, Princess Celestia said, which received an eye roll from her younger sister, “You are more than welcome to stay here at Canterlot Castle, we will even have you caravan transferred here.”

“Thank you, Princess Celestia.”, the unicorn replied, “Yes, I would like to take a small amount of time to consider my position, as such, but, I do not think it will take much time.”, she thought for a moment, “I shall sleep on it, as they say.”

“Very well, Lulamoon.”, Luna spoke up, “We shall have an escort for you, to your sleeping quarters.”, and standing up, “Guard! Please escort our esteemed guest to her quarters, and see that she has everything she requires!”

“Very well, your Majesty.”, the Night Guard replied. Trixie bowed to the two regal sisters, and followed the guard to her, hopefully, new life.

Once she had departed, Luna turned to the Ivory White Alicorn, “Sister, doth thou think we have made the right decision? Trixie Lulamoon is indeed a powerful unicorn, but I sense that there will be trouble with one of the Elements.”

“Luna, I understand your concerns, and yes, Rainbow Dash will cause us some problems, but, with us to explain everything, I’m sure that we can overcome any obstacle that may befall our passage.”, Celestia replied, with a comforting hoof upon her sisters back.

Her sleeping quarters were so large, that her trailer would have sat in the corner, and probably gotten lost next to the wardrobe, it was the largest room she had ever been in, and Trixie, being a travelling showmare, had stayed in quite a few rooms in her time. She hadn’t always slept in her trailer, in fact, when she was travelling the cold arctic north, she has stayed in some of the more accommodating inns, who took visitors with no questions asked, and this room was larger than the whole inn!

‘Still, the bed does look very comfortable!’, she thought to herself, ‘Might as well make the most of it.’, and sitting on the edge, she began to think about the offer that had been placed in her hooves, the bearer of the Element of Magic, of all things she thought that she could be asked, this was the last thing she could have thought of.

Across the room sat a desk, simple, elegant, and, well, stocked with scrolls, quills, and ink. Begrudgingly getting off of the bed, Trixie made her way over, and decided to write down everything she could think of, both pros’ and cons’.

An hour, or so, later, she’d filled in only a small portion of the a scroll, and most of that was taken up with doodles, she’d gotten two items written down, Trixie, Element of Magic - Pro and Twilight Sparkle, Ex-Element of Magic - Con (will she try and get her title back?)

‘Well, that settles that.’, she thought as she made her way back to the bed, ‘I might as well accept the offer, what else is there for me to do? Other than going back on the road, and doing my 2 bit shows for the ungrateful population!’ Settling back down for a quick rest, ‘I’ll go and speak to the Princesses first thing in the morning.’

Only meaning to have a couple of hours rest, Trixie woke up with the sun shining in her eyes, and noticed a tray on the desk, filled with a sumptuous breakfast, and a note attached to the largest pot of coffee she’d seen in ages.

Trixie Lulamoon,

We hope that thou didst enjoyed thy rest, one took it upon oneself to ensure that thy sleep was indeed, deep and restful.

When thou hath freshened thyself up, please come and see Celestia and myself.

We await thy presence in the Breakfast Room. Just asketh a guard, and they will bring thou to the room.

Princess Luna,

Regent of the Night

“Well, well, well!”, she exclaimed to nopony in particular, “I’m guessing that she’s seen the doodles I’ve done, and the two pitiful notes.”, and adding in her mind, ‘The breakfast does indeed look appetizing!’

Trotting along the corridor, and passing the stained glass windows, Trixie was stopped by a Royal Guard, “Miss Lulamoon? Can I help you?”

Snapping out of her gazing at the windows, she turned to face the guard, “Um, yes, I’ve been summoned to the Breakfast Room, and, well”, she lowered her voice, “I really don’t know where it is. I think I’m lost!”

Her remark was just received with a snapped salute, “By all means. If you would like to follow me, I will escort you there personally.”, and started trotting along the corridor, but stopped to check that she was following, “Please miss, there is nothing to fear. The Princesses have informed every royal guard to escort you if they see you.” The look on her muzzle told the guard everything that he needed to know.

‘Curse my expression!’, she thought to herself as she followed the guard along the corridor, ’I’d better not mess this up!’ Minutes later, she was ushered through a set of double doors, and handed over to two more guards, who escorted her to a patio behind the throne room, “Miss Trixie Lulamoon!”, one of the guards bellowed.

Princess Luna just winced at the shout, and Celestia wore a smirk, “Thank you, Stoutheart. That will be all.”, and turning to the unicorn, who had jumped at the shout from the guard, “I’m very sorry for that Trixie, he gets a bit carried away with his duties!”

“Carried away, sister, carried away?”, Luna spoke, “If that flea bitten excuse for a guard shouts THAT way in one's presence again, then he shall rue the day he decided to become a royal guard! And be carried away himself!”

“Sister, please, we have an important guest. Now, Trixie, I’m assuming that you have come to a decision?”, she asked the now confused looking showmare, “I hope that you thought long and hard? Because once you have made your choice, there is no going back.”, and patting a seat next to her, bade Trixie to take breakfast with them.

“Yes, your majesties. I believe I have made my choice.”, she eyed the cup of tea placed in front of her, “I believe that your most generous offer would be indeed, suitable for me.”, and taking a sip, continued, “Though, I have some questions that I would like answered first.”

Celestia was surprised at this, but Luna just did a repeat of her sisters’ reaction earlier, and smirked, “Very well, Trixie. Ask.”

“If I do take the offer, where will I be living? Will it still be in my trailer? Or will it be somewhere, different?”, she asked, in a matter-of-fact tone.

“Why, yes, that is a good question.”, Celestia replied, “I was hoping that you would take up residence in the library, where my former pupil lived. If that would be acceptable to you, but, if you are uncomfortable with that, then, I would be more than happy to allow you to stay in your trailer, until a more suitable place could be made available!”

Trixie was surprised with this reply, ‘The library? But that’s where her assistant lives! I don’t think he’d take too kindly to me moving in and taking over!’, but, ignoring this issue, she continued, “Very well, the other question is, what of the rest of the bearers? I know that they didn’t take too kindly to me visit, I did kind of show them up!”

It was Luna who replied to this question, “We have thought about this too, Beatrix.”, Trixie was taken aback at this use of her full first name, “If thou doth take our offer, which we hope thou dost, then, we, my sister and myself, will accompany you to Ponyville, and explain to each element nearer, individually if necessary, the situation and the reason for your presence, and the absence of the previous bearer.”

Once again, Trixie was surprised, and taking her time to sip, replied, “Very well, I accept! Is there anything special I need to do? Any, entrance exam I need to pass?”

“No, my little pony!”, Celestia replied, “You already have within you the necessary qualities. So, please, finish your tea, and then let us depart for Ponyville, and bring forth a new dawn!”, she finished with a smile.

Finishing their breakfast, the two Alicorn Princesses, and one corn blue unicorn, departed for Ponyville, the capital of world saving. Luna was deep in thought, whilst Celestia and Trixie were discussing what they were going to say to the remaining Mane 6, “Personally, your Highness, I think that the Element of Loyalty will be the biggest problem, the easiest will be the Element of Laughter…”

Celestia burst out laughing, causing Trixie to stop and look at the Ivory White Alicorn, “Your Highness?”

“I’m...I’m sorry Trixie, but calling me ‘Your Highness’ is something that I think you can stop. Being the bearer of the Element of Magic, gives you, certain, how can I put it?”, Celestia said.

Luna snapped out her thoughts, and just replied, “Oh, for Fausts sake, Tia! Just tell her, or do you want me to?”, Celestia placed a hoof on her sister, and nodded, “What my sister is trying to say, Trixie, is that being the bearer of the most powerful element, allows you to sidestep the usual formalities when it comes to titles. Do you understand?”

The showmare placed a hoof under her chin, and thought for a moment, “I think I understand.”, she paused, then continuing, “If I’ve worked this out correctly, I may simply address both you and Princess Celestia by your names, without the formal titles?”

Luna nodded, and faced her sister, “I’m assuming, myself, that this is what you were referring to?”, this just brought a nod from the Alicorn.

“Approaching Ponyville, Your Majesties!”, the guard informed them, from over his shoulder, “Where would you like us to land?”

“At the Golden Oaks Library, thank you.”, Celestia replied, Luna on the other hoof, just glared at the guard, “Luna?”

“Is that, is that Stoutheart?”, she growled, “If it is, he’d better not shout, or raise his voice in any way!”

Landing in front of the library, Celestia turned to Trixie, “Trixie, I think it would be prudent for you to wear this cape, if Rainbow Dash is in the area, she will certainly make a scene, and I for one would not like to have to deal with her, of all the Elements!”, handing her a black cape, Trixie attached it, and drew the hood up over her head, thankfully, it covered her horn, and most of her mane.