The Everfree forest was not the most accommodating of places. Even during the day, the sun caused its twisted trees to cast frightening images. The undergrowth was never still, as countless creatures made their way through the shadows, just at the edge of one’s vision. The very roots seemed to grow in front of one’s hooves, just in time to trip you. At night, however, these factors were amplified tenfold into a truly harrowing experience. Especially if you were an everyday pony. A hopelessly lost everyday pony.
The filly made nervous steps, turning her head rapidly towards any sudden noise, which threatened to dislodge the large pink bow in her red mane. A small, purple bag was hung around her waist, packed with various herbs and plants. How had she had gotten so lost? She knew the path to and from Zecora’s forest hut like the bottom of her hoof, and yet, somehow, she now had no idea where she was. Had the forest played a trick on her? With all the stories and rumours surrounding the place, that wouldn’t have surprised her. And no amount of retracing or walking helped her find the right path.
She came to a stop and sighed, before idly commenting to herself:
“Gosh darnit, just my luck,” almost immediately, she frowned, “Ah’m already talkin’ to myself. Great.”
A sudden sound immediately sent chills down her spine. A low-pitched growl. Despite already knowing what she would see, she turned. Within the darkness, a pair of emerald orbs shone menacingly. Without a second thought, she broke off into the fastest gallop of her life. She tried all she could, making erratic turns, throwing down an obstacle or two onto the path, but nothing could deter the pursuer. In fact, it actually attracted more of the monsters. Before exhaustion had the chance to set in, a fateful root caused the filly to fall onto the ground, face-first.
She shook her head and looked up, trembling all over. Several pairs of those same horrific eyes gazed at her, growling and snarling filling the area. One pair grew larger as its owner stepped closer. To an uneducated onlooker, the thing might have seemed like a poorly made toy. Wooden parts held together by various other plant-life made it almost seem like a cheap scarecrow. But the beasts of the Everfree had to be tough to survive, and few were tougher than the dreaded timberwolves. And as she took a breath, she had to say, even fewer probably stunk as badly.
Step by step, the pack drew closer. She crawled away from them, her heart thumping wildly. One of them snapped at the closest one, who she presumed was a sort of leader, and earned itself a mighty swipe. Its head fell apart, only to reform in moments. As they drew closer, she closed her eyes and buried her face in her hooves, awaiting the inevitable. She heard its claws brush against the ground and then... nothing. Several painfully long seconds of nothing, followed by violent, almost panicked roars and growling. She dared peek, only to stare at the scene before her.
The entire area was bathed in light, emanating from a large, bear-like beast that towered over her. Its fur shone with a violet light. It roared mightily and the wolves cowered. The leader was the first to turn tail and run, the rest following shortly afterwards. Seconds passed as the bear stood over her. She almost started running again, when the beast suddenly vanished out of existence. In its place stood a mare.
Her coat and mane were of various shades of blue, with her mane almost reaching white. She could not make out a cutie mark, for it was hidden by a rather large, violet cape, with countless multi-coloured stars sown into it. A peculiar hat of the same design rested on her head, more akin to a traffic cone than a proper piece of headwear. Her saviour panted heavily for a few moments, then turned to her with a simple question:
“Are, hah, are you okay?”
She finally got back up and looked up to the magician with a faint smile:
“Ah think so,” suddenly, she narrowed her eyes as she realized just who stood before her, “Miss Trixie?”
“I see someone remembers me,” she emitted a nervous chuckle, “I reckon you are from Ponyville? Only civilised area nearby.”
“Ah am.”
“Good. Now, come on. I may have scared them off, but I’d rather not stay here for too long.”
“Right.”
She took off her hat and stuffed it into an old, worn travel bag. Her horn started glowing and soon shot a beam of light at their surroundings, not unlike a flashlight. The filly walked right beside her as they set off into the darkness.
They walked silently for a few minutes, before they finally found an old trail. It was a twisting path, overgrown by most standards, but better than braving the forest proper. Trixie immediately sighed in relief:
“There. Now we won’t get lost, at least.”
“Yeah,” she smiled up at the unicorn, “thanks. Fer scarin’ the wolves off and all.”
“Least I could do. But what was a little filly like you doing here so late? This forest is not a playground.”
They started walking along the path as she replied:
“Ah got stuck talking with my friend, Zecora,” Trixie nodded, the name was known, “and besides, Ah’m not that little. Oh,” she looked up, “Ah totally forgot. Name's Apple Bloom.”
“And you already know me. I hope you don’t get lost too often.”
“No, ma’am.”
“Try to keep it that way.”
“Will do. Uhm, what are you doin’ here? In the forest, Ah mean?”
“Well, a travelling showpony must travel, as the name would imply. I was hoping to just get some supplies in Ponyville and be on my way. As quickly as possible.”
“Why’s that?”
“You were there during my last visit, weren’t you?”
“Oh, yeah,” she smiled sheepishly.
Hastily, the blue mare changed the subject:
“Do you live in town?”
“Oh, no. Sweet Apple Acres, right at the edge of the forest. Mah sis, Applejack, is probably dead worried about me.”
“I see,” she remembered that one. Orange farmpony, with the hat and braided hair. It was always good to see someone who could appreciate the appeal of headwear, “you can’t blame her.”
“Ah know. Ah used ta’ be real annoyed by it, but Ah know she just loves me lots,” she looked up, “do you have family that worries about ya’?”
Trixie’s eyes stared blankly into the distance as old memories resurfaced.
“Hahaaah! I am the gweat and powewfuw Twixie! My magic wiw save Equestwia!”
The energetic filly concentrated and the tiniest spark shot out of her horn, dissipating harmlessly in the air.
"Such power," the purple stallion's face put on a look of practiced terror, "but I know your weakness, Trixie," his front legs rose into the air menacingly, "my dreaded tickle attack!"
Squeals of absolute joy filled the house as the filly succumbed to her mortal enemy. Their titanic clash was broken by a commanding, but loving voice, belonging to, in Trixie's eyes, the most beautiful mare in equestria:
"Alright, you sorcerers, that's enough. We'll be late for the train at this rate," she turned to a young mare, her mane and fur of different hues of yellow, "we'll be back tomorrow morning at the latest, Sundance. Make sure the little devil doesn't cause too much mayhem."
"Me and Trixie get along just fine, don't you worry."
She received a parting kiss on the forehead and was then subjected to more surprise tickling. A game-filled evening passed swiftly and before she knew it, the sun's warm touch woke her up again.
They weren't home yet. Sundance assured her they would be back any minute. There was a knock on the door and she rushed to open it with a smile and a squeal. To her surprise, it was mare wearing the armour of the Canterlot city guard.
"Hewwo, miss." she greeted, still rather cheerful.
Immediately, the mare's face turned gloomy and she patted the filly on the head.
"Hi. Um, do you have anyone home?"
"Yes, what seems to be the matter?" Sundance approached, visibly worried.
"I'm," she looked down at Trixie again and sighed, "I'm afraid I have bad news. May I come in?"
She blinked, snapping out of her trance, and answered:
"No. Not anymore."
Apple Bloom's ears immediately dropped:
"Ah'm sorry, didn't mean ta'..."
"It's okay. It was a long time ago," though the scars never quite disappeared, "we're almost out of the forest. You'll have to lead from there."
As if on cue, voices could suddenly be heard in the distance. Voices unalligned with any of the forest's more insidious horrors, thankfully:
"Apple Bloom! Are ya' here?"
"That sounds... like mah sis!"
As more voices were added to the mix, the former trickster added:
"My, she brought a whole welcoming committee. Come, let's hurry and meet them."
A few more twists of the path and they ran into a multicoloured group. The two siblings immediately met gazes and ran into each other's embrace:
"Applejack!"
"Apple Bloom," she was almost in tears, "ya' had me worried somethin' fierce."
As the inevitable scolding arrived, Trixie allowed herself a smile. It was then that she inevitably met gazes with a violet uni... oh, right, she was an alicorn at this point. That fact always seemed to slip her mind. Princess Sparkle, gosh that sounded strange, spoke, bewildered:
"Trixie?"
She realised she was shining her light right into their eyes, hastily cancelled the spell and then followed it all up with an awkward bow:
"T-that would be me. She got lost, helped her find the way back, is all."
The filly screamed out:
"Nuh-uh! She saved me from timberwolves, too!"
The conveniently rainbow-coloured group gasped in uncannily perfect unison. Applejack approached the travelling showpony:
"Ah don't know how Ah could thank ya' enough. Dunno' what Ah'd do if somethin'," she shook her head and looked back up with a smile, "you plannin' on spendin' the evenin' in Ponyville?"
"Well, yes. I'll just camp outside of town."
"Not on my watch, ya' don't. Yer comin' ta' Sweet Apple Acres fer some dinner and proper rest."
Her smile was nervous, and she guessed all of them noticed:
"I-I'd hate to trouble you," she turned away from the earth pony and added, in a somber tone, "even more than I already have."
Applejack would not be so easily deterred:
"Listen here, sugarcube. Ah ain't takin' no fer an answer. So either ya' come with us, or Ah'm gonna' fetch some rope and drag ya' the whole way."
The most radical pegasus in Equestria chimed in while flying upside down for no particular reason:
"And you better believe she'd do it. Element of Honesty and all that."
They all erupted in a giggle. Trixie cleared her throat and allowed herself a bit of stage presence, complete with a dramatic wave of the hoof:
"In that case, the Great and Powerful Trixie," she chuckled inwardly as she lowered her voice, "would love to join."
A force of nature was set in motion as a pink lightning bolt darted around them, dancing within nearby treetops, before impacting the ground like a comet and screaming:
"Oh my gosh, are you thinking what I'm thinking?!"
There was a brief silence, as they all shared uncertain looks. Finally, Equestria's most graceful pony, and one-time reluctantly-ultra-popular photo model, took the bait:
"Ummm, maybe?" her voice was like a soft breeze tickling one's ear.
"What if sunlight and moonlight are toootally the same thing?! Oh, but also, I have the bestest, most amazing idea ever! Again! Better than banana chocolate cupcake sandwiches," she remained oblivious to the group groan, "slumber party at AJ's! All of us! Please," her body seemed to lose most of its skeletal structure as she crawled towards Applejack like a snake and stared right into her eyes, violating every conceivable personal space standard, "it would be okay, right?"
With an audible gulp, fully realising the consequences, the farmpony answered:
"Uh, sure?"
"Yippeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
Out of a pocket dimension, she suddenly retrieved a sizeable cannon, put on a candy cane helmet, then blasted herself into the night sky, leaving behind a trail of multicoloured confetti. The cannon dissipated into thin air on its own accord afterwards. The others stood there for a few moments in silence, before Twilight said simply:
"Pinkie Pie."
"Pinkie Pie." the rest agreed, breaking out into a fit of laughter afterwards.
It was all so unbelievably delicious. The pie, the fritters, the cider. All of it. It had to be the apples, no chef would have been able to produce such exquisite delight otherwise. It was a meal fit for Celestia herself, absolutely impeccable in every regard. Oh, if only her stomach was bottomless, so that she could stuff herself to no end.
Trixie finally realised ponies were staring at her with a few grins. Savouring the mouthful of delight for just a moment longer, she finally swallowed and put on a nervous smile, blushing slightly:
"I'm terribly sorry, my manners have left me."
"Oh, it is quite alright, darling," Ponyville's premier fashionista had brought her own full set of cutlery, which included four separate types of fork, "you are still nowhere near Pinkie's level."
"I'm the champ and I intend to keep it that way!" the hyper-active mare seemed to have more food in her bubbly mane than in her mouth.
"The food is simply divine, Applejack. I haven't eaten something this good in ages."
"Is bein' a travellin' showpony not makin' ya' bits?" Apple Bloom seemed eager to challenge Pinkie over the championship title in a few years.
"Oh, no, no, quite the opposite. Especially once I've broadened my horizons a bit."
"Whuzzat mean?" Rainbow spoke with her mouth half-full, earning herself a scornful look from Rarity.
"I've turned it into more of a theatrical ordeal. You know, telling stories using puppets and a touch of magic. And a musical number here and there," Tricks up My Sleeve was a definite hit, though she still wanted to revise the part with the food allegories, "everypony loves it."
"So why not get yourself some proper food, darling?"
"Truthfully, I've been saving up."
"For what, a doomsday weapon," Rainbow snickered, only to receive several quite obvious kicks under the table, "ow, I get it!"
Trixie ignored the comment with a bitter smile:
"I wish to eventually go back to studying at Canterlot. Improve myself and all that."
"That's wonderful," Twilight almost literally lit up at the mention of studying, "and no place is better than Canterlot."
"I bet," she shot the alicorn a teasing grin, "it does have a majestic princess making it some splendid advertising these days, after all."
Twilight blushed as the table erupted in chuckles. Applejack suddenly rose, holding her glass of apple cider:
"Ah say this deserves a proper toast. To Trixie, travellin' showpony and, Ah'm sure, super future student!"
They all rose in unison, Pinkie somehow holding the glass with her mane, and agreed:
"To Trixie!"
At that moment, she realised there must have been something stuck in her eye.
Her wings had gotten stiff. Twilight knew this without a doubt, because the painful sensation was a bane to her sleep schedule. Fighting a mighty yawn, she slowly got up from her makeshift floor-bed and looked around. Everypony was... no, wait one of the spaces was vacant. Trixie's. As realisation struck, she heard the clop of hooves overhead. The roof.
A faint breeze blew through her mane as she ascended the precarious staircase upwards. The door to the outside was unlocked and left slightly open. The moon's light was dim at best, yet the roof itself almost shone. She found an explanation for this strange phenomenon almost immediately, when she noticed her old rival sitting there, in front of some kind of bright, swiftly-moving light. So concentrated was she on her work, that Twilight might as well have been invisible. Finally, the princess spoke:
"Trixie?"
The light dissipated as the trickster almost jumped and looked her right in the eyes. She seemed to sigh with relief:
"Oh, it's you, Twilight. You startled me."
"Sorry. What are you doing up here so late?"
"Oh, well I... I was just practicing."
"And what could the Great and Powerful Trixie be practicing, I wonder?" the alicorn put on a teasing smirk.
"My specialty, of course! Illusions."
"Would it," she paused for just a moment, "be okay if I watched?"
"A showpony does love an audience. Sorry if I mess up, still working out the kinks."
Her horn started glowing and the light soon reappeared. It started as a simple sphere, before slowly morphing and taking shape. Soon, the light assumed the form of two ponies, their gender impossible to discern, locked in a dance performance. They moved back and forth, their movements surprisingly detailed and fluid. She could not help but smile:
"It's wonderful, Trixie."
"Thank you. Took me a long time to get the legs right," as soon as her concentration waned, one leg grew to twice its intended length, "oops."
"And you'll only get better if you keep at it."
"You bet! Which reminds me," their gazes met, "you better watch out, Sparkle. Because one day, I'm going to knock on the gates of your fancy tree-castle and demand a rematch. A proper one, this time."
"I'll look forward to it. Though, you can always just stop by," she raised her hooves, her face lit up in more ways than one, "we could study together!"
"If that is your idea of a good time," she allowed her dramatis persona to come to the surface once more, "then the Great and Powerful Trixie would... be delighted to join you, Twilight."
Both of them fought the inevitable giggles. Twilight lost and soon, the two magic users filled the air with sincere, joyous laughter.
Author's Note
Thank you for making it this far. I hope you enjoyed the read, short as it was.
