Covalence

Chapters

Regret
Recovery
Reconciliation
Rabbits
Rarity
Return

Regret

Chapter 1: Regrettable Actions

“They watched as the great beast tower above them, enveloping the very ground they walked on in its shadow. The ponies could not but watch in horror as the town they knew and loved was flattened under its feet. However, there was one mare that was brave enough to try to stop the beast; she steadied herself and concentrated. She struggled as her magic slowly forced the beast away, leaving the town in ruins and rubble, but peaceful once more.”

“In the aftermath, the ponies found the mare whose actions and boasting spurred two foolhardy young colts to prove her worth, lying amidst the detritus that was once her home. The mare could not believe her eyes, the powerful and courageous mare that saved the little hamlet stood above her, with a look of pity in her eyes.”

“The mare fled, leaving behind everything she owned. She sprinted towards the forests that sat in the edge of the town; she disappeared in the forest, leaving not a trace.”

“And that, my little woodland creatures, is the tale of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s failure,” She paused, beginning the dramatic end, ”Nopony has seen her for quite some time, maybe she escaped to dragon territory, or ended up the dinner of some starving manticore in the Everfree Forest.”

Trixie gave a shallow bow as the animals ran back into the dens; a few squirrels approached the blue mare as she finished. They placed a small assortment of fruits and nuts at her hooves; the mare gathered the gift and smiled as the squirrels returned to their homes.
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“Two acorns, twelve mulberries, a pinecone, and a......” Trixie picked up the last item the squirrels gave her. She gave it an experimental sniff, but couldn’t smell anything. She brought it up to her mouth and bit lightly on it. Her face scrunched up as her teeth scratched against the surface, “They gave me a rock?” she sighed, “third time this has happened, dumb rocks.”

Trixie picked up the berries; she emerged from her makeshift home with a sigh. She ambled towards the creek that served as her bath; she dunked the berries under the water and watched as flecks of dirt and debris were caught in the river’s flow. She pulled them out and examined them; they were clean enough for Trixie. She slowly walked back into her shelter. She placed a berry into her mouth and chewed, happy that she is having her first bit of food for the day.

‘It wouldn’t be this way if you just apologized to Ponyville.’ Her conscience whispered. Ever since her failure in Ponyville, the small voice that was her conscience constantly berated her, mocking her or attempting to coax the stubborn mare back into society. Trixie chewed louder, trying to block out the nagging voice.

‘If Trixie goes back, those foals would undoubtedly mock her,” she countered,” They would laugh and sneer at how the “Poor and Helpless Trixie” has crawled back to them, I’m never going to let those ponies see me as long as I live.’ With that, Trixie swallowed the last of the berries. She turned towards her stockpile and grimaced; she brought the pinecone close to her muzzle and sighed. She forced the pinecone into her mouth and hurriedly chewed, she hated the bitter taste pinecones left behind.

She carelessly tossed the acorns and rock into a small woven bag and settled down for the night. She pulled a large pile of leaves together and unceremoniously jumped into it. She snuggled against one of the larger piles and laid her head, ready for sleep to take her away. The Everfree forest fell under the lull of night; few animals would venture out that night, most content to sleep in their dens.

The voice continued to rave in her head, ‘I must say Trixie; this pile of dead leaves is so much more comfortable than the rocks you decided to sleep on for the last few nights. This certainly is a step up for you; maybe soon the animals will bring three acorns.’

‘wonderful, my own conscience is mocks me,” Trixie mused,” There has to be some silver lining to this.’ She knew that she couldn’t support herself on the offerings of the forests animals. Trixie and the animals liked each other enough, but the animals had to scrounge for every bit of food they already had.

‘Oh Poor and Deluded Trixie, there is no way out of this,’ Her conscience remarked, ‘You may as well suck it up and go back to Ponyville, abandoning this glorious loner lifestyle you’ve made for yourself.’

Trixie shifted against her makeshift bedding, trying in vain to drown out the hateful voice in her head. ‘No matter what happens, Trixie will never go back to Ponyville,’ she said to her conscience, ‘Now if you would be so kind, shut up.’
Her consciousness ebbed away as she fell into a restless sleep.
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“Oh, Boo-hoo,” a unicorn colt mocked, pushing the helpless blue filly to the ground, “The Weak and Worthless Trixie is gonna cry again,” He lifted Trixie’s so-called “Magician Cap” off the ground and snorted. “Where’d you get this dirty old thing?” He snickered and casually tossed the hat into a puddle.

“I bet she found it in the trash,” one of the colt’s friends called back. The other colts and fillies nodded in agreement. “She probably stole it from the trash of that deserted magic shop.”

The group of cruel foals stalked off, laughing and calling out, “Trixie the Trash Picker”. Trixie picked herself off the dirt and wiped her eyes. She promised herself she wouldn’t cry; that would show those foals. Trixie grabbed her hat and shook off the muddy water that now stained the lip. She placed the less muddy hat on her head and walked out of the park.
Trixie lived with her mother in a little house in the outskirts of Canterlot. Her mother did what she could to support her baby girl, especially after her father’s... accident. Trixie walked in to her mother and the smell of pie in the air. Trixie carefully placed her hat and cape on a shelf and greeted her mother. “Smells good, who’s it for this time momma?”

Her mother smiled and lovingly patted her daughter’s head; she pulled the pie out of the oven and set it on the windowsill. “Well sweetie, this is for that lovely couple that cleaned up your father’s hat after you....” Her mother spied the dirty hat and sighed, “After you had your last little fight.”

“It wasn’t a fight momma, honest,” Trixie protested,” Silver Swirl pushed me down and tossed papa’s hat in a puddle.”

Her mother sighed and pulled Trixie into a tight hug. Trixie returned the hug and listened to the soft shuddering of her mother. Her mother hugged her tighter and tighter, forcing little Trixie to adjust so she wouldn’t be squeezed to death. Her mother pulled away from the hug, she looked at her daughter and wiped her eyes. “Trixie, I don’t want you using your father’s old hat anymore; it’s all I have left of him. I also really, really, really don’t want you going anywhere without a friend, alright?”

Trixie stared at the ground and said, “Yes momma.”

Her mother pulled her into a deep hug, together the mother and daughter shared a moment of harmony.
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Trixie groaned and shakily rose to her feet. She sleepily lurched towards the river, counted to three, and dunked her head under the water. She shrieked as the ice cold water enveloped her senses; she pulled her head out and roughly shook the moisture out of her mane. She smiled at her now cleaner mane and pulled it into a rough bun before tying it up with a length of bulrush stalk.

She returned to her shelter and pulled out what little food remained from the animal’s generosity. She chewed through her food and grabbed a small bowl, now she was ready. She sighed and sullenly said, “Hopefully, Trixie will get some more of those berries, I can’t handle anymore pinecones.” Trixie shuddered.

The clearing bustled with the sounds of the forest, birds sang to their lovers and the mice played in their dens. Trixie admired the serenity of nature while she foraged, keeping ever vigilant for the wayward berry bush or patch of edible grass. The monotonous nature of her foraging drew Trixie into a lull, unaware of her surroundings save for the call of nature. She savored every small victory a few berries brought, how she would enjoy them when mealtime came around.

Morning slowly shifted towards afternoon, by that time Trixie was satisfied with her haul. “Well it seems that Trixie is better and finding food than the animals in the forest.” She placed the bowl on her back and cheered. The animals filtered out of their dens to watch the strange mare cheer, eliciting a number of snickers. Trixie heard the chattering laughter at her expense and immediately made her way back to her shelter, hoping the animals only saw that small part of her celebration.

The forest grew dimmer and dimmer as Trixie entered her home; she placed the bowl lovingly on the floor and licked her lips in excitement. She placed several berries in her mouth almost immediately, savoring the lightly sweet juice that flowed out.

She savored every moment, and regretted every second after putting the still half-filled bowl away. ‘Unless Trixie doesn’t want breakfast,’ her conscience chided, ‘you should save enough of those for tomorrow.’ For once, she had to agree with her conscience.
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Night fell over the forest again, a faint shifting outside of her shelter spurred to mare awake. Trixie eyes shot open, “Something outside,” her mind blared. She quietly stood up and tensed up, ready for anything. She listened to the forest around her; thankfully it had all gone quiet. She heard faint snuffling outside; she snuck outside and hid from the offending animal. All she could see were thick patches of orange fur, a rough red mane, and a scorpion tail. She gave her thanks to Celestia that she had not decided to confront the beast directly.

She knew she would have to abandon the shelter or become a late meal for this animal. She snuck away quietly, leaving the manticore to tear down her home for the last month and use it as bedding. She allowed her pace to quicken as the distance from the beast increased; she felt her pride swell as she realized she bested the forest again. “Oh foul beast, outsmarted by Trixie,” she cheered, “Was there ever any doubt.”

A loud roar stopped Trixie’s cheering and froze her where she stood; she heard a faint rumble grow louder. The forest rumbled as the manticore charged at the blue mare, eyeing Trixie like a starved pony would eye a slice of cake. Trixie found that her legs could move again, she ran from the manticore. She sprinted between the trees, leaping over roots that would trip lesser ponies. She cringed whenever the manticore got close to growl; she felt the hot, dirty breath on her back. She pushed her body further; she felt her leg twist. Her body pitched forward, leaving her in a heaped mess. She panicked and strained to pull her hoof out the hole it was caught in. Her hoof refused to budge; her desperation grew as she saw the manticore bound towards her. “Somepony, anypony please help Trixie!” She cried. The manticore approached and stood over her like a trapped prey.

Trixie felt her consciousness fade as certain doom loomed over her; her last fading vision was of the manticore, lifting a heavy, clawed arm.
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Fluttershy had always had a deep fear for the Everfree Forest; be it the foul beasts that stalked through the trees in search prey, to the empty ominous void the forest gave off with each fleeting moment. But she found the resolve to venture into to forest for her pet, Angel.

Fluttershy found that Angel could become a hurricane of endless rage on rare occasions. He tore through Fluttershy’s cottage, breaking any object he could get his hands on. Fluttershy desperately begged and pleaded with the small white torrent of anger, trying to keep her house in one piece. Eventually, Angel stormed out of the cottage and into the forest; leaving Fluttershy alone to pick up the pieces.

Foregoing the cleaning, Fluttershy chased after her pet. Her calls grew louder as he ventured further into the forest, leaving his caretaker behind to blow off steam.

Her fear of the forest kept her from venturing too deeply, her calls grew more desperate as the sun began to lower. She steadied her resolve and ventured slowly into the forest, hoping and pleading that she and her pet would be able to survive this trip.

Her calls for Angel were unheard by the rabbit, he found more of his kind and spent the day forcing the woodland creatures to his whim. Leaving Fluttershy alone, calling for a pet that wouldn't return to her.

The night slowly consumed the forest and the fearful mare with it. She was torn between what to do. Leave her pet for the night and find him tomorrow; or search for him the whole night, hoping he would turn up eventually. She cowered in a bush as she weighed her options.

She made the resolve to step out of the bush and face her problem head on; were it not for the roar that echoed through the forest, causing the timid mare to dive back into the bush. The roar quickly faded as quickly as it came, leaving the shivering Fluttershy to hide from the monster that would appear out of nowhere and would get her. She heard a piercing shriek within the forest and panicked, ‘What do I do? What do I do?’ She thought.

Her duty to help anypony or any animal rose up and told her to go help, in a demanding tone that Fluttershy herself would never even dream of being able to muster normally.

She quietly zipped between the bushes, careful not to make a sound. She heard the sound of panicked hoof beats and the cries of a pony in distress. She leapt out of the bush in search of the pony to find a dirty blue mare stumble and twist her hoof in between a trio of thick tree roots, she watched as a vicious manticore stalked up to the fallen mare, licking its chops in anticipation of a fine meal.

“Somepony, anypony please help Trixie!”

Fluttershy gasped; Trixie was here, in the Everfree Forest? She breathed in calmly for a miniscule second before charging out and facing the manticore.

“HOW DARE YOU!” She shouted, “You do NOT eat ponies!”

The manticore stared at the newly arrived yellow mare; it felt a small twinge of fear as the mare stepped closer.

“You,” Fluttershy hissed, “I remember you.” She drew up close to the manticore, putting her eyes as close to the manticore as she could. “So I help you pull out a mean, old thorn, and this is how you’re going to act?”

She felt a familiar warmth in her chest and locked eyes with the errant manticore. The beast visibly began to cower at the new, confident mare now scolding him. It backed away from seething eyes of the mare, realizing that it would also be stepping away from his prey.

“Now,” Fluttershy scolded,” You will go back into the forest, think about what you’ve done, and no dinner for the night. Is that clear?”

The manticore frantically nodded and fled into the deep forest. Fluttershy calmed as the manticore fled. She looked down at the unconscious mare before her. She placed Trixie on her back and made her way home, Angel would have to wait.

Recovery

Chapter 2: Recovery

“Get up little one, Fillydelphia is just over that hill,” She whispered, nudging the sleeping filly, “I think you may like it here, I lived here when I was a filly.”

The barely conscious filly rubbed her eye with a hoof and yawned. “Really Momma?” She asked, peering groggily at the buildings as the carriage rode over the horizon. The filly marveled at the tall, brick monoliths that amassed near the center of the city.

As the carriage was pulled further into to industrial town, Trixie eagerly marveled at the wonders the large working class city had. She turned back to her mother, “This town has so much, momma!” She cheered, “Can we see it all someday?”

Her mother patted her daughter’s head lovingly, “We’ll see little one,” she replied, “But don’t you want to see your new home first?”

Trixie’s eyes opened in surprise, “Where are we gonna live Momma? I bet it’s a huge apartment filled with a lot of ponies!”

Her mother chuckled and turned her head towards the window her little Trixie gazed from. “We’ll see little one, we’ll see.”
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Bright sunlight poured in from the window, bombarding a single spot in its blinding light; unfortunately the light was focused on a single, blue, unicorn mare. She tried to bat away the tyrannical light with her hoof, but to no avail. She groaned and attempted to roll onto her side, but felt a sharp pain shoot up her right foreleg. The pain got to her too quickly and she let out a shriek as the pain rolled over her.

She threw her foreleg into the air and sought out the source of her pain. Her leg was heavily bandaged, leading up almost to her chest. Faint yellow stickers placed around the thicker wrapping. Trixie examined them, butterflies, ‘A foal no doubt, saving the life of some poor hapless mare from the clutches of a mantic...’ Her pupils dilated, ‘The manticore!’ She took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down.

She looked around the room to help ease her panic. Light filtering in blended seamlessly with the interior of the room; the furnishings took up most of the room, yet to Trixie, they felt small and unassuming.

Trixie heard a small skittering across the floor; she lowered her head down to eye level and tried to find the source of the noise. A small, brown blur rushed towards her head, she shrieked as the blur latched onto her horn. She panicked and began shaking her head, trying to send the foul beast to the floor. She rose up in an attempt to shake the creature off as hard as she could. She felt little claws slowly begin to give way as her shaking continued. She rose up onto her back hooves for the last powerful shake. “Foul beast!” she cried as slammed her hooves into the floor, sending her head and the beast against the floor. Trixie felt a stab of pain as she put her good foreleg against her nose to staunch the blood that slowly began to trickle out of her nose.

Tears blinded her as she made out a brown blur unmoving; she instinctively batted the brown blur with her bandaged leg, sending another wave of pain through her leg. She shrieked as the pain flared back up her leg.

“Stop!”

Trixie blinked the tears out of her eyes and searched for the source of the new voice. She saw a butter yellow mare standing in the doorway, her eyes met the mares and she felt a small feeling of fear in her chest. Yet the mare was not staring at Trixie, she glared at the small squirrel that lay dazed on the floor. Her eyes softened as the squirrel stood up, “Now Sylvie, Trixie is hurt and can’t have visitors right now.” She motioned the small squirrel out of the room. Trixie sat on her cushion of pillows, trying to make sense of the scene that unfolded in front of her.

The mare returned with a soft smile on her face. Saddlebags rested under her wings as she walked back into the room. She looked at Trixie and said, “Ms. Trixie, I need to replace your bandages.” She cowered slightly and half-whispered, “I-if that’s ok with y-you.”

Trixie looked at the mare before her and felt the fear the mare gave off. She gently lifted her foreleg towards the mare and watched as the she slowly approached. She unwrapped the bandages gingerly, wary of hurting Trixie. She plucked a fresh roll of gauze out of her saddlebags and began to slowly redress the leg. The procedure ended seamlessly and the mare picked up the remaining gauze and stowed it in her saddlebags.

Trixie spied a trio of butterflies painted on the saddlebags. She scrutinized the mare before her. ‘If she is too scared to even address Trixie directly, how could she have ever fought off a manticore.’

The pegasus mare sat motionless in the doorway, half hiding behind her mane. Trixie knew she had to say something, just to thank the mare for saving her from the manticore, bringing her here, saving her from that horrid squirrel, and most of all, caring for her in her time of need.

“I...” she began, but felt unable to find the words. She breathed in and whispered, “Thank you for saving Trixie.”

The mare smiled softly and motioned towards a bowl sitting on a small end table near Trixie’s pillows. She turned and left without another word. Trixie brought the bowl before her pillows and smiled in satisfaction, mulberries.

Munching on berries, Trixie pondered her existence, her ending up here, and most importantly. Who in the hay would name a squirrel Sylvie?
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“Momma, can I go play with the some of my friends?”

Her mother smiled softly and raised a hoof to her cheek in mock consideration. “I don’t know,” she said slyly, “I don’t think you should be in Fillydelphia alone.”

Trixie’s face fell as her mother refused her request, “B-B- But momma, I’ll be with a bunch of other fillies,” she begged, “Nopony would mess with us. Especially with me there, we could easily stop any bullies.”

She sighed in fake contemplation as she watched her daughter’s reaction. “Oh fine,” she said, “Just stay with the other fillies, and be back before sundown. Celestia knows how easy it is to get lost in Canterlot, let alone Fillydelphia.”

Trixie cheered and hugged her mother and disappeared from their shared apartment.

She met a small group of fillies idly toying with their manes near the apartment block’s entrance. The group visibly brightened when they saw an excited, blue filly charging towards them.

“Hey girls,” Trixie wheezed, too excited to breath, “What do you want to do today?”

“Hey Trixie,” one of the fillies called, “Well, ever since Comet got her cutie mark, we’ve been trying to get our cutie marks too.”

Comet turned proudly and presented her cutie mark, a light streak circled around a ball of light that radiated in the sunlight. “Oh it’s nothing; I just used a telescope, that’s all. Anypony could do that, right Screwy?”

A timid light-blue filly stood apart from the small circle, Comet tapped her in the side with a hoof. “Oh s-sorry girls-s.” she stuttered, “I got lost in my own mind there for a second.”

“Alright girls,” Trixie said, “There is only one thing we can do.”
Three pairs of eyes stared at Trixie, looking for an answer from Trixie.

Trixie giggled as her friends stared at her, dumbfounded.

“Girls, it’s time to go get some cutie marks!”
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Trixie awoke with a loud crash and blinding white light. Panicked, she cast a shield spell. A soft shriek emanated in the light, causing her spell to break as her focus was lost. The light cleared and she saw her host cowering against a wall. She glanced at the window, a few drops of rainwater spattered against the panes.

Trixie waited for her host to stop shivering. The moments passed by as the mare continued to cower. Trixie had grown bored of the inaction and coughed quietly to gain her host’s attention. She looked up to Trixie and stared at her with fear filled eyes.

“Trixie wants to thank you for saving her,” Trixie said, “I would not be here if it weren’t for you.”

“It’s ok,” She murmured, “I had to do something, you could’ve been hurt.”

Hurt? Trixie chuckled lightly as she realized the innocence of her host. She put a hoof out for her host, “Im Trixie.”

“Fluttershy.” She replied as she returned her patient’s hoof. “Um, please don’t take this badly, but I need you to stay here for a while. Oh please don’t be mad at me!”

Trixie smiled at the sudden change in Fluttershy’s mood. “Ms. Fluttershy was it? Trixie is not mad at you. In fact, Trixie would like to thank you for the great deed of heroism you have shown her.”

“It was nothing, please don’t thank me. I had to help you any way I could.” She replied, as a small grin formed on her face. She lightly motioned towards the door, Trixie watched as a familiar brown squirrel scampered towards Fluttershy. “This is Sylvie, she had a fever a few days ago and needed to stay with me.” she explained, “She was the little darling that tried to hug you earlier. She wants to apologize, don’t you Sylvie?”

The little squirrel scampered up to Trixie and tried to hug her foreleg. Trixie gave a bemused grin as the squirrel wrapped its paws around her. “Trixie thinks that she can forgive her little assailant.”

Fluttershy smiled brightly and said, “Oh that’s wonderful. If it’s ok with you, I can have little Sylvie here keep you company.”

“That would be alright with Trixie.”

“Alright then Ms. Trixie, if you need anything please don’t be hesitant to ask or send Sylvie to find me. I want to make sure that you are as comfortable as possible while you recover.”

“Yes, thank you Ms. Fluttershy. Now if you please, Trixie feels that she must rest for now.”

Fluttershy nodded and exited the room, leaving Trixie with her new friend.

Reconciliation

Chapter 3: Reconciliation

“The mare ventured into the countryside. Abandoning any hope of ever returning to her village. She was forced to leave behind all she loved, her friends, family, even her talent. But she did what she had to for the greater good of everypony. Without her sacrifice, the village would have fallen to the tyrannical dragon king.”

“Her travels brought her to the large capital of her country, a great metropolis that spanned as far as the mare’s vision. The mare entered the city under the guise of a simple craftspony, fooling the guards and townsponies with a cloak and her charms. She attempted to avoid anypony that crossed her path; for fear that they would discover her and report it to their king, who served under the dragon king.”

“She made her way to the castle, seeking to gain an audience with the king. She was hoping that she could make the king blunder and reveal the dragon’s lair. Yet all did not go according to plans; you see, a passing stallion from the mare’s village recognized her and shouted for her arrest.”

“The guards bound her with thick iron chains, which strangled the life out of the mare’s body. She was drug towards the castle, under the mercy of the townsponies. They jeered and pelted her with anything they could find, staining her coat and breaking her resolve. She was tossed into a dank, dark dungeon and was warned against doing anything drastic. The guards began enlightening her with stories of other criminals that misbehaved, stirring up a deep fear in the mare’s heart.”

“After what seemed like hours to the mare, the harsh banter stopped. She heard the clinking of the armor, and the grating metal of the dungeon’s door being forced open. The mare found she was staring into the eyes of the king himself. In a cruel, mocking tone, he sai-“

“Trixie, is that you? I’ve been wondering where you went those months ago.”

Trixie turned and saw a purple mare standing in the doorway, smiling enthusiastically at Trixie as she regaled stories to an to a small gray squirrel . Trixie pulled herself up to accost the mare. ‘She seems familiar’ her conscience mused.

“You’ve been wondering about Trixie? Whatever for? She only left this place after some goody-goody mare showed her up and made Ponyville ostracize her.”

The mare frowned for a moment, leaving the room in a pregnant silence. “Ponyville didn’t ostracize you,” she said, “If that’s what you’re thinking.”

“They didn’t you say,” Trixie replied, “Well what about those mares that attempted to show her up and failed tragically, and then the town went on to support them instead of I, who clearly beat them at their own little games, If that is not an example of how bad this town was for Trixie.”

The mare paused, bringing an arm to her chin. “Hmmm, Oh wait a moment.” she said, quickly rushing out of the room. Trixie heard the mare tearing through the house, she also heard small yelps emanate the door; no doubt it was her host. The mare returned with a pair of saddlebags and a smile gracing her face. “Here,” she said, floating the bag over to Trixie, “That’s everything that Snips and Snails could salvage from the wreckage that was your caravan. My name is Twilight, Twilight Sparkle.”

Trixie studied the bags for a moment, then relented and opened the bags. She gasped as she pulled out a patch of purple cloth. Her cape, It was really her cape. This brightened her mood considerably as she continued to pull articles out of the bags. She found her supply of bits, glossed to a gleaming sheen. She recalled the nights she had spent carefully counting the bits she received after a performance, relishing in the light the reflected off the little gold coins.
She shifted various items around, seeking out her prize. She smiled in satisfaction as she spied the purple and light blue stars of her prize. She lovingly placed it on her head; she felt a few tears leaking at the edges of her eyes. She wiped away the moisture and smiled at Twilight.

“Trixie...Trixie thinks that she can forgive this town, she hoped that she can stay in this town longer. That is... if the ponies will have me.”

Twilight approached the aggrieved mare and pulled her into a light hug. “I think Ponyville would love to have you back.”
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Trixie smiled and replaced her hat for the third time that night, she sighed as she brought the hem of her hat over her eye. She lay wrapped in her cloak, using her magic to examine the various bits and pieces of salvage that Twilight brought with her.

Twilight.

Trixie paused as she thought about Twilight. Emotions bubbled as she remembered how that mare bested her in magic, yet she felt a sense of relief and appreciation towards her. She brought back something that Trixie longed for, her father’s hat.

‘Well, it seems that Trixie has gone back to Ponyville,’ a small voice sneered, ‘how wonderful of you, practically begging that mare to let you stay in Ponyville. Not to mention the skittish mare to save you from a manticore; who I might add, you brought upon yourself in the first place.’

Trixie yelped as the voice began its tirade. She had heard nothing from the nagging voice in days; she had hoped that her conscience would have quieted down while she recovered.
‘Well like always, it seems that you have no such luck,” her conscience quipped, “You think that because you have an injury I will leave you alone?’

‘No, no, don’t say anything, I already know. But I only have one question, what will you do when this mare, Fluttershy, clears you to leave? You may have everything you could need back, but what will you be doing then? I suppose the forests are still warm this time of year; and the manticores may be less aggressive now.’

Trixie felt a weight lying heavily against her back, her conscience was right. What would she do?
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Hey Screwy, can you pass me some of those nails? Some of the boards are sticking up funny.”

Screwy chuckled under her breath and tossed the box of nails to her blue friend, “Alright, just be careful Trixie. We don’t an accident like last time.”

Trixie picked up the nails and pulled out a few of the larger ones. “Oh come on Screwy,” she replied indignantly, “Besides it wasn’t my fault, Comet was the one that thought she could use her hooves to get the nails in.”

Screwy replied to her brilliant rebuttal with a sarcastic roll of her eyes. “But you agreed with her, and now it’s just you, me, and Lily over there.” They both looked over their shoulders to find the blue unicorn filly absentmindedly playing with flowers. They watched as Lily collected a small pile of wildflowers that had been growing; she picked up a single flower and reverently gazed at it before placing it back down and repeating the process at random.

“Hey Lily,” Trixie shouted, “You want to help us a little? We could sure use some of your help right about now!”

Lily turned towards her friends and cantered over to the half-built thing... that her friends were trying to build. “Sorry girls, lost in thought there.” She examined the mishmash of nails and boards that stood on the outskirts of Hoofington. “So what is it we were making again, some kind of zip-line or cannon thing?”

“Well, we were planning on making a stage to see if we could get some cutie marks in entertaining,” Trixie replied, trying to hide a small smirk that was forming on her face, “But if preforming cutie marks don’t turn out to be our special talents, we could always turn it into a cannon thing.”

“Oh, cool, “Her friend replied obliviously, “Say girls, when are we ever going to try and do what I suggested?”

“You mean the flower gardening,” Screwy responded, “Or the flower pot arranging, or the flower sniffing, or the flower everything else?”

“Yeah, that.” Lily replied, “It’s a lot safer than what you had us try a few weeks ago. What was that again?”

Screwy responded by displaying a bright shade of red across her face. Trixie saw this and decided to chime in, “You mean the whole incident with the barber’s booth? Or the mane cut she gave to that one colt, you know the one, the one that she has a crush o-“

“Cherry said he liked his mane that way, Trixie.” Screwy said, cutting off Trixie, “Besides, he said his parents thought he was very “huggable”.”

Trixie and Lily flashed a devilish grin at each other before falling over in bouts of laughter. Screwy’s face gave off a brighter shade of red as her friend’s giggling grew louder.

Trixie rose shakily to her feet, fighting off the last bout of laughter faded. “Ok Screwy, whatever you say,” She said, “Now that Screwy is embarrassed, we can get back to work on the stage.”

Lily, having finished laughing, moved to Trixie’s side to assist her friend in the next thing they would need to do to have a stage. Trixie motioned towards a small stack of boards; Lily pushed the boards closer to her friend.

She watched as Trixie struggled to lift one of the boards. She had managed to raise it into the air before it began to wobble and fall, hitting the ground with an impassive thump. Lily attempted to stifle a laugh while her friend sighed in exasperation.

Lily nudged the board closer to Trixie with her hoof, “How about we work together on this,” she said, “You aren’t the... What were you gonna call yourself for this? The Mighty and Powerful Trixie?”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie,” Trixie exclaimed, “And once I get my act together, I’ll have my cutie mark for sure!”

Both fillies let out a few small cheers and began placing the boards in place. Trixie smiled in satisfaction as the boards lifted near-effortlessly with her friend’s help, they carefully guided the planks into the correct position. Screwy, no longer paralyzed from embarrassment moved into position and began nailing down the boards with expert precision.

She moved from board to board, giving each piece the same careful but precise hammer strikes that fitted the nails snugly inside the boards.

The three fillies smiled in satisfaction as the pushed the stage board into place. “What was that last thing we needed?” Screwy asked, “I feel like were missing something.”

Trixie examined the building and gasped, “I know, we were supposed to get some fabric for the curtain.”

“Oh yeah,” Screwy said, “But who has fabric?” She tapped the curtain frame with her hoof, “It looks like we’ll need a lot if we don’t want them to see us after the show.”

“Well Comet’s mom is a seam... seamster... a dress maker, why don’t we ask her?” Lily asked.

The three fillies gathered their supplies and placed a cover over their stage. Once they packed all their tools, they ventured into town to find Comet’s mother.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Miss Trixie, I need to check on your leg,” Fluttershy said, nudging the sleeping blue mare, “If you don’t mind that is, I mean if you need to sleep more...”

Trixie stirred quietly and woke up to find Fluttershy standing next to her with a roll of bandages, “What was that?” she asked, “Trixie is feeling a little dizzy.”

“Oh... um, I need to check on your leg to see if it’s healing properly,”

“That’s fine,” she replied, “When do you think that Trixie can start moving around again, she is getting stir-crazy with nothing to do besides stuff her face and tell stories to little Sylvie.”

Trixie felt a small nudging against her neck; she turned her head and saw her little friend indignantly trying to push her. She chuckled and lifted the squirrel in front of her, “Not that there is anything wrong with telling stories to my favorite little animal.”

Trixie turned back to Fluttershy, who was smiling softly as she slowly peeled the layers of bandages covering Trixie foreleg.

“I must say, Miss Fluttershy,” Trixie said, “You have quite a bit of skill when it comes to medicine. I’ve never seen bandaging this well done since my foalhood.”

Fluttershy giggled softly and pulled the last bit of bandaging away; Trixie scrutinized her foreleg and smiled. It looked almost recovered, “Well, It takes a lot of time and diligence to make bandages or casts well,” She replied, “But to me, it’s worth it knowing that I can help my little animal friends.”

“So you’re a veterinarian,” Trixie snickered, “Well I guess that makes sense, ponies are animals after all.”

Fluttershy nodded and smiled at her guest’s joke; she examined Trixie’s foreleg and smiled, “Well miss Trixie, your leg is healing nicely,” she said, tapping lightly against the bone, “You should be able to walk around again in a few days.”

Trixie smiled at her host with a toothy grin, “Wonderful, yes, thank you so much Miss Fluttershy,” She said, “And how can I repay your kind treatment after all you did?”

Her host placed the used bandages in a small wastebasket and turned back to her, “Please call me Fluttershy, all my friends do,” she replied, “And please, there is no need to repay me.”

‘Keep pushing to help,’ her conscience chimed in, ‘You can’t just leave without thanking this mare.’

“Please Fluttershy,” Trixie pushed, “I would very much like to help you in any way I can. If not in bits, I could at least help you take care of your animals for a few days.”

“Ohh, um, alright,” Fluttershy said, “If you want to, I could use some help with my some of my animal friends; but only after your leg fully heals.”

“Thank you Fluttershy,” Trixie said, “And be the way, you can call me Trixie. Miss Trixie sounds too formal for an entertainer.”

Rabbits

Chapter 4: Rabbits

“Hi Miss Nimbus, can we borrow some fabric?”

Nimbus looked up from her dress to see three brightly smiling fillies. “Well hello girls,” she replied,” I suppose you can, there’s a box of lengthy fabrics over there, help yourselves.”
Lily and Screwy zipped towards the box, nearly toppling several dress forms in the process. They began to pull huge swatches of fabric out the box. Lily pulled a hastily cut piece of linen out of the box and presented it To Nimbus. “Do you have more of this fabric anywhere?”

Nimbus grasped the linen and began examining the thin fabric, “Aww,” she murmured, “Spider silk and pegasus cloud cotton, beautiful stuff.” She handed the fabric to the excited unicorn filly and said, “I'm sorry girls, this stuff is so expensive to make, I couldn’t possibly part with a piece any larger than this.”

Screwy draped a large swath of fabric in front of Nimbus and asked, “How about this? This stuff is perfect for a curtain.”

Nimbus stared at the fabric in front of her and snickered, “Girls, the first thing you should know about making a curtain for a stage is that you shouldn’t be using silk and linen.”

She rose from her sewing machine and rummaged in a few of the chests sitting on the edges of the room. She pulled out a ruby red fabric and presented it to the three fillies, “Her(e) girls,” she said flashing them a great smile, “Heavy velour has always been used by the greatest performers out there, and I don’t see why three great performers like you girls would be doing without it.”

“Thanks Miss Nimbus,” The three fillies cheered.

“Oh it’s no problem girls,” Nimbus replied, “Just be careful with it, and I was wondering about how Comet was fitting in this little act...”

“Oh uhh, We were going to perform when she got better,” Trixie replied, “In fact, ugh, we were planning on making capes for us all to wear when we were performing.”

“Well,” Nimbus said, resuming her sewing, “I suppose that will be a nice little treat for her once she gets better, do you girls need any help with making the capes or anything?”

“No thanks, Miss Nimbus,” Trixie said, “But could we borrow some fabric and some rulers?”

“I don’t see why not,” Nimbus replied, “Feel free to look in the fabric chest.”
Trixie peered into the chest and began idly pulling bolts of fabric and tools. She would stop to examine every fabric, determining each and every scrap with a scrutinizing eye. Her eyes lit up and she presented a slightly worn bolt to Nimbus.

“Can we use this?” she asked, “It’s really pretty, and we can be so mysterious while were on stage.”

“Go ahead Trixie, have fun,” Nimbus said, “And if you want girls, Comet is resting upstairs, you could go visit her.”

The trio of fillies thanked Nimbus and climbed the stairs of the home. They found Comet in her room idly pushing a book.

Her eyes lit up as her friends entered her room. “Hey girls, I didn’t expect you to get here this early. How’s progress on that stage?”

“Well, we got the platform done and we got some fabric from your mom to make the curtain.” Trixie remarked, “All we need to do now is figure out what we want to do for our shows.”

“Well when my hoof gets better I wanted to do a ballet, my mom always said I had some talent when I danced at parties and such.” Comet smirked, “What do you girls plan to do?”

“Well I was gonna do something with building. I don’t know what though.” Screwy said.

“Ugh, I don’t really know what I wanna do,” Lily replied, “I don’t really have any talent I can show; all I do is grow flowers.”

“Well,” Trixie said, “I am planning on having a magic act, so the world can see the marvel and mystery of the Great and Powerful Trixie.”

“That’s so cool,” Comet remarked, “I bet you’re gonna blow all those ponies away with your magic.”

“Yeah, this is gonna be the best show ever.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Now, please be careful with the bunnies,” Fluttershy explained, “They are timid little darlings most of the time. And they all need equal amounts of food, so don’t let any of the bunnies have more than they need.”

“Yes, alright,” Trixie replied, “This doesn’t seem like too hard of a task for Trixie, now where can she get the feed for these animals?”

“There are a few bushels of carrots in the storage shed behind the chicken pen. Just be careful, some of the feedbags could fall off and you could get hurt again.”

“Alright,” Trixie said, “And what do I do after I finish with the rabbits?”

“Well, there is always something to do when it comes to these adorable critters, if you want we can see what else needs to be done after the rabbits have been fed.”

Trixie nodded and trekked towards the shed, silently admiring the scenic tranquility the animals brought to the cottage. Trixie began to push against the door with her magic, but felt the smooth wood resist her magic. She placed her hooves against the door and pushed with her weight. She felt the door slowly budge open, creaking and groaning every inch. Trixie took a deep breath and leaned heavily against the door. She felt the door swing open, taking her with it. She landed in a startled heap in the middle of a small shed, stacked to the ceiling with bags of seeds, nuts, and dried fruits. She pulled herself of the shed’s floor and examined the door. The door had been blocked by several bags that had been stacked against the door. She quietly sighed and pushed the bags out of the way.

She turned towards the containers and sacks in the shed. She pulled several boxes off the pile and peeked inside them, looking for the orange that would reveal her goal. She repeated this several times before sighing and restacking the boxes. She looked up and smiled, she saw a large bundle of carrots, sitting on a pile of bags with pictures of birds happily munching seeds printed on them. She grabbed the carrots off and smiled.

She walked to the door and stopped, the door to the shed was once again blocked. She sighed and dropped the carrots, using her magic to move the bags out of the way. She enveloped the heavy burlap bags with her magic and focused on lifting, but she found that the sacks resisted her every attempt at moving them. She changed her stance and focused harder, willing the bags to move. She felt the bags haphazardly rise off the ground, Trixie grit her teeth and redoubled her effort.

A faint shuffling broke Trixie’s concentration, the sacks landed with a strange, metallic clang. Trixie stared at the curious sacks; she telekinetically opened the bag and searched the bags contents. She poured the contents in front of her and grimaced, thick ingots of iron rested atop the mound. She scooped up the feed around the metal and refilled the bag. She pulled one of the smaller ingots from the pile and examined it.

‘What pony in their right mind would hide metal in a sack of animal feed?’

Her ear twitched, the shuffling was patter of light feet scamper across the shed. Trixie spun around, hoping to find or accost the noise maker. She only saw an opaque blur disappear from sight, hidden behind an unassuming bucket of grain. Trixie slowly approached the bucket, feeling her heartbeat increase as she drew closer.

She tapped the bucket away with her hoof and saw a snow white rabbit glaring at her. ‘This is what Trixie was supposed to be afraid of?’ she thought with a chuckle.

“Now, what are you doing here little rabbit?” Trixie said, bringing the agitated rabbit to eye level, “I hope you weren’t doing anything that Fluttershy wouldn’t like.”

The rabbit replied by swinging himself towards Trixie and latching onto her horn. Trixie yelped and tried to grab the errant invader. The rabbit leapt from her head into the forgotten bucket, Trixie centered herself and growled. She lifted the bucket and dumped its contents; she found the white nuisance standing in the grain, brandishing an awkwardly sized sliver of metal. The rabbit raised his weapon towards Trixie. She stared in disbelief as the rabbit lunged at her, attempting to strike Trixie on her muzzle. Trixie felt a surge of panic and lowered her horn, parrying away her attacker’s strike.

Trixie heard the rabbit squeak viciously and swing his weapon down; Trixie raised her head and met the rabbit’s strike. She deftly tilted her head and pushed the beast off balance, which in return spun to regain its balance.

Her opponent quickly changed its stance and lunged toward Trixie, forcing her to leap back. Trixie landed ungracefully and sprawled across the floor, she watched her opponent smile and charge towards her, raising its weapon high into the air.

Trixie gasped and pushed herself up; she charged towards the door, barely avoiding a swift strike from the vicious rabbit. Trixie felt a heavy tug on her hoof and she sprawled forward, falling muzzle first into her only exit. Trixie jumped to her feet and surged the weak shed door with a burst of magic, shattering it into thousands of splinters.

Trixie bolted from the shed, wheezing for air and crying out for Fluttershy. She caught sight of the cottage and panted, using all her remaining strength and making and sprinting for safety. She leapt over a small stone fence and yelped as she landed in a stream cutting through her path. She shook the water out of her mane and struggled to stand.

A small ball of metal embedded itself in the river’s bank, barely missing Trixie. She turned her head and shook with fear as she saw the hordes of rabbits standing on the other side of the banks. Dozens of rabbits brandished slings, firing at Trixie with near perfect accuracy.

Trixie cried out in panic and scrambled towards the cottage; using her finite magic to cast a shield, protecting her from the rabbit’s projectiles but forcing her to go slower.

Trixie saw several bunnies flank her, positioned to block her from advancing. Trixie crouched and doubled her shield’s strength.

She crouched, unmoving as the battalion of rabbits surrounded her shield, ready to strike down their target.

‘Oh come now Trixie,’ her conscience mocked, ‘They’re just rabbits, I would think a great and powerful mare such as yourself would be unafraid of such pests, but I suppose that we all make mistakes.’

Trixie felt a wave of unbridled fury surge through her, she rose to her hooves. With a flick of her horn, Trixie changed her shield into a pulse of air, sending the rabbits standing closest to her to the ground. The rabbits stared in disbelief at their fallen comrades before turning back to Trixie.

Trixie ran through the weakest line of rabbits she could find. Unfortunately, she ended up putting the horde of rabbits between her and safety.

The rabbits watched as the blue mare fled; every single rabbit turned to face their leader. He rode a brownish white collie, allowing him to tower over his army. He raised his weapon, a large shard of metal, high into the air. The rabbits raised their weapons and saluted, leaving their enemy for another day.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Fluttershy!” Trixie cried, “Where are you? I’m being stalked by rabid animals!”

“Just a moment Trixie,” Fluttershy replied, “Now Wingsly, please, please, please, be more careful, your wings are very fragile.”

Fluttershy found Trixie ragged and panicked. She gasped and zipped towards Trixie, “What happened? Are you alright? Was it something I did? Please don’t be mad!”

Trixie forced herself to stop shaking, she took a deep breath and replied, “No it wasn’t anything you did, some crazed rabbit attacked me in your storage shed, and then it led some organized rabbit army that chased me around your house.”

Fluttershy blushed, “Oh my,” she squeaked, “Please don’t be mad at them, I couldn’t possibly imagine why they were trying to hurt you.”

Fluttershy gently nudged Trixie towards her bed and said, “I’ll take care of the chores for the day, we can try again tomorrow if you want.”

Trixie waited for Fluttershy to leave before collapsing and heaving a heavy sigh, “Couldn’t imagine why my hoof.” she grumbled. Trixie heard a rhythmic tapping on her window; she saw the white rabbit that attacked her, sporting a smug grin. Trixie growled at the rabbit and turned her head away.

‘My Trixie, whatever are you going to do against that little pest?’ her conscience asked.

Trixie paused, she tapped her head in contemplation. What could she do to stop that rabbit from attacking her again?

Rarity

Chapter 5: Rarity

“Are you ready for this Comet?”

“Uh.... I don’t know; what if I mess up? Everypony might laugh at me.”

Trixie sighed and put an arm around her friend. “Come on Comet; just imagine that everypony is wearing something silly, like socks. That always helped me when I had to stand in front of crowds.”

Comet giggled, “A pony just wearing socks does seem silly, and maybe I can try that.”

“Don’t worry Comet; my dad always said that the most important part of being on stage is to imagine that anypony watching wants to watch you.”

“Well, that kinda makes me feel better. I’m still kinda nervous though.”

“It’ll be fine; you have us to help you if you mess up.”

”If I have my friends, I think I can do it.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Thanks again for helping Trixie; I couldn’t imagine anypony more qualified than you.” Twilight said, taking a sip of tea.
Fluttershy blushed, “Oh... it was nothing really, she was a pony in need and I just had to help her. She’s getting a lot better, her legs almost fully healed and she will be back up and traveling again.”

“Well it’s still amazing to me; last time she was in Ponyville, her actions almost destroyed the town. But seeing her now in the state she is in, she seems... not vulnerable, but reserved.”

“I assumed that the poor dear was in shock, she has been so calm and friendly to the animals.” Fluttershy replied, “Well apart from the bunnies, she takes care of the animals very well.”

Twilight gasped, “What does she do? I wouldn’t think Trixie of all ponies would do anything to such poor, small creatures.”

“Oh dear, I meant that it’s not what she does to the bunnies, she tries to help them as well, it just that every feeding time she comes back to me with a torn bag and a annoyed attitude. I really feel like the bunnies seem to have it out for Trixie, I want to find some way to help all of them get along.”

CRASH

Both mares turned and saw a dusty mare land in the middle of Fluttershy’s living room. The mare brushed herself off and growled. “You dirty rabbits; you think you have bested The Great and Powerful Trixie? Well mark my words, I will beat you!” the angry mare shouted, slamming the door behind her. She turned and gasped as she saw her friends staring at her, trying not to giggle.

“Trixie would like to not be laughed at thank you, and don’t think that she is going to let these blasted rabbits push her around.”

“Oh Trixie,” Twilight giggled, “They’re just rabbits, what’s the worst they could possibly do?”

Trixie frowned, “Well besides trying to best me with all manner of weapons and chasing me, they don’t do much else besides steal food.” Trixie sighed and began trotting to her room, “If anypony needs Trixie, she’ll be in the guest room.”

Twilight waited for the door to shut, she smiled at her friend. “I think Trixie could do with meeting some more ponies, have you thought about introducing here to some of our friends?”

“Oh well, I thought Trixie wouldn’t want to meet ponies that may not like her. Since she is still recovering I didn’t want her to be stressed any more than she already is.” Fluttershy explained, “But maybe you’re right, she seems like she is starting to get a little bored here.”

“I know something you could do, without stressing Trixie and relaxing yourself a little.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Good evening everypony,” Lily said, “and welcome to... uhh... our talent show.”

Several ponies milling about the town square took notice of the filly’s announcing and gathered in front of the stage, waiting patiently for the show to begin.

“Good evening to you all, I hope you will enjoy the show as much as we did preparing the stage and our acts, in other words, not a lot.” Lily said, flashing a goofy smile to the crowd. “I’m just kidding folks, and now for our first act, we have my friend Trixie.”

The audience stamped their hooves in applause while a nervous looking filly walked onto the stage. The audience quieted down and waited for the filly to begin.

“Welcome everypony!” Trixie announced, “I, the great and powerful Trixie will, um, amaze you with daring feats of magic and awe. I want to introduce you to my assistant for the night, Screwy!”

Screwy quietly trotted onto the stage, she turned towards the audience and bowed, “Hello Everypony!” Screwy announced, “I hope you have a great show.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Are you sure you feel well enough to come into town with me?” Fluttershy squeaked, “I wouldn’t want you to get hurt because of me just wanting some company while I shop.”

Trixie nodded her head, “I feel fine, thank you for your concern Fluttershy. But I feel that going into town would be good for me.”

“If you say so,” Fluttershy said, with a small nod, “We have to go to the marketplace for a bit, and then we can go do something fun in town. Like the park, I always love going there.”

“That sounds pleasant, after the marketplace we can go to the park for a bit.”

“Wonderful,” Fluttershy said, “I was hoping to get some more supplies for the animals and maybe go see my friend about repairing a few linens.”
The pair departed, admiring the tranquil scenery along the path to Ponyville.
“This town is rather quaint,” Trixie surmised, “I must’ve not realized how nice this town is when I first came.”

“Umm, Trixie,” Fluttershy squeaked,” We have a little bit before we get to the market, would you mind if I asked you a question? I mean, if you want to.”

“I suppose that’s fine,” Trixie replied with a nod.

“Where did you go after you, umm, left Ponyville?” Fluttershy asked, “Most of Ponyville was searching for you for months trying to find you after you left.”

Trixie paused, trying to string together what exactly happened since she fled from Ponyville.

“Since I fled from Ponyville, She found herself in a thick forest. I spent the large parts of the week hiding in that forest, hiding. She understood how to forage and also found that some of the smaller animals understood generosity, so she traded stories with them for food. It was never enough for me to not have to forage and I’m not even sure they understood what I was saying, but I survived. Then some beast sauntered into my camp and tore it up for its sleep. I may have been a little too loud and the beast heard me. That’s about all I remember since she found herself, thankfully, in your care.”

“Why would you hide from Ponyville?” Fluttershy asked, “We wanted to find you to make sure you didn’t do something dangerous. Like going into the Everfree forest, we would never want anypony to ever go in there, even if they were a little boastful.”

“You mean to say...” Trixie said, with a cringe, “That Ponyville didn’t want to find me to banish me or put me in some kind of cell?”

Fluttershy put a hoof on Trixie’s side, “Trixie, we don’t care what bad things anypony has done if there in danger. The most that they would have done to you was cleaning up your caravan.”

“That makes me feel better,” Trixie replied.

“That is good to know,” Fluttershy nodded, “Aww, were here Trixie.”

Trixie looked around. She saw ponies shopping, smiling and talking with friends, and a white unicorn staring angrily at her.

The white pony stomped over to the pair. Trixie watched as the white grabbed Fluttershy and pulled her behind a cart, leaving her to ponder what happened in confusion.
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Rarity pulled her squeaking friend behind a cart.“What is she doing her,” Rarity growled, “ When Twilight told me that dirty, no-good boaster was returning, I didn’t know what to do with myself, I spent days trying to return my coiffure to normal after that incident. Do you know how many bits I had to use to get enough shampoos to fix what she did?”

Fluttershy felt an instinctive urge to cower as her friend growled at her. She shook her head and stood up, staring back at her friend. “Rarity please, she made her mistakes and now she is trying to make amends for what she did. She apologized to Twilight and they made up, I was hoping to have her meet the rest of my friends after she recovered so she could apologize to them.”

Rarity paused and considered what her friend said. “Fluttershy dear, I feel that you are being a bit overzealous with Trixie. But if you are willing to give her a chance to apologize and make amends, I supposed I can try to talk with her as well.”

Fluttershy nodded and walked back to Trixie with Rarity in tow. She sat down and watched her friends with a light smile shining across her face.

Rarity looked at the ground and lightly rubbed a hoof against the dirt. Trixie stared at the mare nervously fidgeting in front of her, trying to remember where she had seen this mare.

“Hello Ms. Trixie,” Rarity mumbled, “My name is Rarity, you may remember me from your act you did when you were last in Ponyville, you turned my mane into a green bird's nest...”

Trixie eyes shot open and she gulped, she look towards her friend and only got a soft smile. “Aww yes, I remember that.” Trixie replied, “That wasn’t one of my best moments...”

“Yes... that little incident forced me to use most of my more exotic products to clean the green out.”

Trixie felt her face blanch with embarrassment, “Yes... I should apologize about that, it wasn’t one of my better moments...”

“Well, I don’t know, I suppose that I can accept your apology,” Rarity murmured, “Maybe if we warm up to each other more we could... I don’t know... go to the spa or something of the like...”

“That’s sounds fine,” Trixie replied. She turned to Fluttershy, she saw her yellow friend watching the two with a wide smile.

“Oh how wonderful,” Fluttershy said, “Now, Im sorry but Trixie and I still have shopping to do. Would you go mind telling Pinkie that someone new is in town?”

Rarity nodded, “I can go tell her in about an hour, do you think that’ll be enough time for her to prepare? Or would it be better if we just had our friends this first time?”

“I think for now that we just get our friends, we don’t want one to throw a big one for her first.”

“Alright darling, I’ll see you later then,” Rarity said, “Have a nice time, and remember, Assertive.”

“Assertive, got it,” Fluttershy said with a light hoof stomp.

The group split apart and went their separate ways, leaving a smiling Fluttershy and a very confused Trixie.

“What was that all about?” Trixie asked.

“Oh um well, I’m kind of shy,” Fluttershy responded, “So I was taking a few lessons from my friends about being more assertive with myself. I think I’ve done very well with the lessons.”

“No, not about being assertive,” Trixie groaned, “About somepony named Pinkie and throwing something?”

“Aww, well that’s a surprise for later. Be ready for anything, Pinkie always seems to be able to get these things ready almost anywhere.”

“If you say so, Fluttershy.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Thank you everypony,” Trixie announced, “You’ve been a wonderful audience.”

The crowd cheered and stamped their hooves, excited from the show.

“We’re not done yet,” Trixie said, “We have one more trick for you, my wonderful audience.” She looked to her friend. Screwy smiled and wiped a light sheen of sweat off of her forehead. Trixie nodded, and Screwy disappeared backstage.

“Now, fillies and gentlecolts,” Trixie said to the audience, “I would like to tell you all a story.”

The crowd murmured amongst themselves while Trixie waited for her friend. She saw her friend’s hoof giving her the signal to proceed.

“I would like to tell you the story of a single mare, a single mare that defeated a great and powerful beast.”

“Our tale begins in the sleepy little hamlet to the east of Equestria. The town sat safely under the view of a council of the town’s wisest ponies. The town sat calm and safe, save for the occasional beast that would stray too close to the town.”

Trixie forced a small spark from her horn; she waited a few moments before feeling heat against her back and the hiss of gunpowder. The crowd awed in amazement of the brightly colored assortment of firework animals danced around a small, sparkling town.

“The Council would send a small group of guards to help the animal on its way. Overtime, the council felt that they could handle anything the world could throw at them; they believed that all it took was for them to send soldier’s to deal with it.”

“One day, a traveling magician set up her stage in the town’s square. The magician was very powerful but humble, she would perform to amaze and entertain the crowds.”
Another flash behind Trixie, this one of a magician standing in front of a crowd of cheering townsponies.

“Many ponies stopped to watch the talented magician preform, seemingly in awe of her talent with illusion and sleight of hoof. So many ponies stopped to watch her that ponies began to miss their jobs, the council began to take notice. They hated the mare, for she was distracting the townsponies from their main duty, which as the council believed, was to serve them.”

“The council sent a group of guards to gather the mare for questioning. But the council didn’t want her to arrest her; they had a much darker intent.”

“‘Send her to the dungeons!’ one cried, ‘Banish her!’ another cried, ‘Throw her into another town’s dungeon forever!’ they both cried. The leader of the council raised a hoof to silence the shouts. ‘Why must we be the ones to sully our hooves with this mare’s fate? Im sure the beasts that try to besiege our town could use a bit of persuasion about leaving our town alone. All we would need is a large group of our soldiers...”

Trixie paused, she looked to the crowd of ponies how were leaning forward, eager to hear more of the story. She sparked her horn once more and waited. Several ponies in the audience squeaked in fear as the fireworks went off, forming a pair of eyes, dark and angry.

“And this mare.”

Return

Chapter 6 Return

Trixie felt her chest swell with pride as the audience silently watched her with amazement. The crowd hung on every word that Trixie spoke, standing entranced as she began the ending of her tale.

“They pulled the dirty and bruised mare in wrought iron chains; she felt the cuts the ground left on her body as the traveled the countryside. The guards sneered at the mare and often made it a game to see how far they could go to get her to react. She played along with them in hopes of avoiding any more trouble for herself until they got to the end to their destination.”

“The mare felt a jolt and shifted her eyes up, they were there. The inky darkness swallowed up any trace of light or glint off of the guard’s armor; she heard the faint drips of water as they landed on the stone floor. The guards chuckled and removed the mare’s shackles.”

“The mare momentarily collected herself and raced for the door, hoping to escape. But a line of guards stood between her and the caves mouth. She struggled and pushed her way against the wall of guards, but to no avail.”

“She felt the harsh pull of magic against her legs, dragging her ever closer. She felt her legs rise above her head and she was left dangling in the grip of the town’s council. The council ponies sneered and stared at her with contempt in their eyes.”

“Their leader stood up, letting his council robes flourish behind him as he approached the mare. He smiled at the mare, revealing perfect white teeth held in a malicious smile. “The council has decided that they have little use for a mare that attempts to spark any sort of tumult in the ponies of our fair city”.

“We do however,” he said with a quiet chuckle, “have a place for ponies that are very... dedicated to benefitting our city in any way they can. You, my dear mare, will be one of the very generous and courageous ponies.”

“The mare drifted closer to the stallion, feeling colder as she went. The stallion placed her on her feet and looked into her eyes.”

“Most of our fair city ponies just don’t understand the risks that happen to be so close to our town. There are many dangerous weather patterns and disasters lingering just beyond the borders of our city. Not to mention the great beasts that make their homes in the aftermath of these disasters; waiting to make a meal of any foolish pony that gets too close.”

“The stallion continued, “Fortunately for the council, many of the beasts were sentient or at least, aware that deals could be made for their benefit as well as ours.” He flashed the mare a sadistic smile, “and you, my little mare, will be the offering to one of our most intelligent but brutal beasts; hand wrapped and ready for him to do whatever he pleases with you. I say that because the council has seen him release offerings for them to make one last halfhearted attempt to run. They usually never make it out of the cave.”

“The stallion nodded towards one of the guards and the mare watched as he approached, brandishing an iron shod hoof. The last thing see felt was a jolt.”
_____________________________________________________________________________________

“Surprise!” Pinkie cheered, pulling Trixie and a squeaking Fluttershy in for a hug, “Im so happy you to could make it to your “Thanks for helping Trixie, Fluttershy! Slash Welcome back to Ponyville, Trixie party!” I mean, after all, it is a party for you two. And I don’t know of any party ever being thrown were the guests of honor didn’t show up. Well except for that one time were that stallion didn’t like other ponies very much, so when I tried inviting him he ran away. So I got a bunch of ponies together and we hid inside his house and waited for him to come back. He sure was surprised when we jumped out.”

Trixie pulled herself from Pinkie’s vice-like hug and frowned, trying to work out some wrinkles that their host’s hug had left in her cape.

Fluttershy nodded as Pinkie continued her story, preferring to let her friend carry most of the conversation while Trixie sat quietly next to her and gazed at the ponies that came to the party. She saw Twilight waving at her while talking to an orange mare and a little yellow filly, Trixie waved back towards Twilight and walked over to her.

“Good evening Trixie,” Twilight said, “I’m really glad that you felt well enough to come to the party. Pinkie was quite excited to find out that you’ve come back to Ponyville.”

“And I would’ve found out sooner, but I had a feeling that you wouldn’t be able to have a party for a little while.” the bubbly mare chipped in before quickly departing to serve treats to a few foals at the party.

“Well, I thought it would be a good idea to show ponies that I’ve come back to Ponyville no worse for wear.” Trixie said, “I plan on making my life turn around after I fully recover.”

“Well, I could help you out if you needed it,” Twilight said, “If you’re going to be a traveling magician you are going to need another wagon, supplies, and some friends to see whenever you’re in town.”

Trixie nodded and excused herself to the treat table; she felt her mouth water as she spied the piles of treats and drinks Pinkie had supplied for this party. Trixie opted for a cupcake covered in blue frosting and a glass of punch. She took a generous bite out of her cupcake and looked around the room. Most ponies were chatting in small groups or dancing in the middle of the party room. Trixie lightly tapped her hoof to the music while pony watching. Fluttershy took a quiet place next to Trixie, quietly sipping from a soda bottle.

“Twilight and Pinkie are really glad that you’re back in Ponyville,” Fluttershy said between sips, “You already have some good friends in Ponyville.”

“Im glad that I do,” Trixie agreed with a nod, “Hey, I’ve got an idea, finish that bottle and get Twilight and Pinkie, we’re going to dance!”
_____________________________________________________________________________________

Trixie discreetly nodded to Comet, who began loading fireworks as Trixie readied to start the finale chapter of her story.

“A barring weight held the mare in place, forcing her to lay prone against a cold hard floor. She opened her eyes to pitch black and the scent of decay.”

“A deep growl began to echo of the walls of the place, filling the mare with dread. She heard heavy footfalls hit the floor and the foul heat of a beast’s breathing against her whole body.”

“A spark lit up a collection of torches against the wall, revealing the creature to be rare and dangerous Ursa Major. This realization sent the mare into a fit of panic as she struggled against her chains even harder.”

“The Ursa let loose a thundering roar, shaking the entire area. The beast raised its giant claws and prepared to strike down the mare.”

“The mare closed her eyes and heard the crack of stone and the creaking of broken metal. She flew through the air and landed with a great crash. She heard uproarious laughter and the clink of glass.”

“The mare felt her bindings loosen as she continued to struggle and began to free herself. By the time that she freed her fore hooves, the Ursa was upon her again; it began to charge her down as she struggle even harder to free herself. She pulled herself free just as the Ursa Major brought another heavy paw down, smashing the rock.”

“The mare, free from the chains looked around. She saw the vile council of ponies watching her from a large ledge, either enjoying the show the mare was being put through or talking amongst themselves. She saw their leader, coolly and confidently staring down at her.”

“The mare turned to face the Ursa. The Ursa’s eyes were shrouded in shades of hunger and cruelty as it charged towards the mare, preparing to strike her down. The mare sprinted away from the beast, trying desperately to put distance between herself and her demise. She screamed in panic and ran, pushing her body as hard as it could go. The mare tripped, landing against the hard stone wall of the pit. The Ursa, too blind in its charge for the mare, dashed itself against the stone wall; causing the stone walls to shiver and crack under the beast’s weight. The mare quickly leaped to her feet to flee from the beast.”

“As the mare sprinted away from the beast again, a flash of cunning crossed her mind. She grabbed one of the stones and threw it at the dazed Ursa as hard as she could. The stone struck the bear in the eye, now enraged, the Ursa roared and charged the mare.”

“The mare placed herself as close to the ledge the council was on as possible. She taunted and threw more stones at the Ursa, sending it into a deeper rage. Before the Ursa’s great jaw could snap up the mare, she leaped out of the way. The Ursa collided headfirst against the ledge, once again causing huge cracks to form on the walls. However, the cracks slowly rose to the ledge; many council members didn’t see this as they were too enthralled with the action.”

“The cracks slowly began break the ledge; a few rocks began to crumble from the ledge. The ledge started to give way as the weight of the ledge became too much to bare. A loud crunch of stone and screams of ponies was all that the mare heard as the ledge fell, toppling the dazed Ursa and bringing the council ponies along with it.”

“The mare leaped onto the broken stone and ran towards freedom.”

“Upon returning to the village, she gathered as large an audience as she could. She weaved the townsponies a tale of the leader’s betrayal and her escape to the ponies, causing the ponies to band together to find the council ponies.”

“Alas, the townsponies were unable to find the council. The mare knew that they would undoubtedly return, so she stayed near the village to quietly watch over it in case anything happened.”

“Legend says that she still watches over that little village. The council returned, unaware that the citizens knew, and were found guilty. Yet the mare continued to watch over the village; hidden from danger in a cloak and a mantle of stars.”