With the setting of the sun, it had become a great deal cooler, with a gentle breeze flowing through the air. Twilight stood silent, waiting upon the balcony of the Golden Oak Library, looking out at Ponyville as those in the town were starting to get themselves ready for the end of the day. Shops were closing, the children of the local school were heading home, and all around there was just a sense of finality to it. Turning, her gaze now set upon the edge of the Everfree, and after adjusting her glasses, she took note of what was happening over there. Workers, freshly-arrived from the Lunar Kingdom, were hard at work, clearing a few trees from the entrance while also making some preliminary notes on the ground before actual construction began. Twilight sighed to this, only to be greeted by a nearby voice.
"You okay, Mom?"
Looking beside herself, Twilight smiled at the face of her son, Spike, and gave him a quick pat on the head.
"I'm fine, Spike. There's just...a lot on my mind right now."
Nodding, Spike looked over the edge of the balcony, his eyes now also looking to the far-away Lunar ponies.
"So that's the new embassy?"
Twilight nodded back, taking her place beside him before replying.
"Yes. Though it'll take quite a lot of time before it's finished. And there are the guards, keeping watch."
Spike looked over to where his Mother was now pointing, and sure enough, there was indeed a collection of Equestrian royal guards close by to the embassy workers, staying perfectly still and never taking their eyes off the newcomers. Taking a few steps away from the edge, Spike once more looked up to his carer.
"Are you worried about them? I mean...that Rarity lady looked pretty serious."
Giggling, Twilight carefully placed her hoof upon his shoulder.
"I wouldn't worry about it, Spike. They came here for peace, not a fight."
Spike still appeared to be nervous about it, but, before long, he found himself being escorted back inside by his Mother. None of them said anything, and as they finally re-entered the library, Twilight used her magic to close the door behind her. In the warmth of their new home, Twilight watched her son climb onto his bed, and once more lit up her horn as she levitated some nearby blankets over him. Tucking him in, she smiled warmly to him, to which he returned with a look of equal affection.
"Goodnight, Mom."
Her smile widening, Twilight leaned forward, planting a tender kiss upon his forehead.
"You too, Spike. Sweet dreams."
She stayed beside him, watching as his eyes slowly started to close. But, before they did so in earnest, the eyes snapped back open, and he now began to sit up in his bed. Naturally, Twilight seemed more than a little concerned over this.
"Spike? What is it?"
The young dragon looked to her, then back to the door leading to the balcony, before swiftly pointing to the latter.
"It's a firework!"
Turning, Twilight saw that there did indeed seem to be some far-off firework being lit in the sky, and from the looks of it, it appeared to be just beyond the boundary of Ponyville, somewhere along the road leading out of the town. While at first simply confused by this, Twilight's eyes soon began to widen, and as she took a step closer to that window, realisation crossed her face.
"But...that's...a signal spell!"
Spike looked to her with confusion, and as his Mother turned to face him, her expression was one of clear worry.
"There's a unicorn in trouble out there!"
She began to run towards the door leading out of the bedroom, only to stop when she realised that Spike was getting out of his bed to follow her. Halting in place, Twilight raised a hoof, silently stopping him.
"No, Spike! You need to stay here! This could be serious!"
Although hesitant, the drake gave his Mother a nervous nod. With that matter settled, Twilight turned yet again to the door, and within moments, she was off, running down the stairs and, shortly afterwards, bursting out of the front door of the library. She ran through the streets of Ponyville, with the sunlight now completely gone from the sky, revealing a brilliantly starry night above her. On the way, some ponies looked to her with confusion, never speaking to her or trying to enquire where she was going. That is, until a familiar voice called out to her.
"Twily!"
Immediately, Twilight halted in her tracks, her head turning to the sound of her brother, Shining, who now ran towards her from the direction of the town hall. He was fully-clad in his usual armour, and beside him were a pair of pegasi guards. Feeling at least a little bit relieved at seeing him, Twilight began to speedily trot towards him.
"Shining! You saw it too?"
Finally reaching her, the stallion nodded.
"Yeah. I've ordered the other guards to spread out around town in case anything happens."
Twilight nodded back, and together, both she, Shining and the other two guards resumed their prior running, heading right to the edge of the town. Although it was night, the light of the moon above did much to light the way, and before long, all four of them were on the road leading out of town. Here, they stopped, and Shining began to scour the surrounding area.
"See anything?"
Twilight shook her head.
"No, I...wait...yes! There!"
All eyes turned to where the young unicorn was now pointing. For there, just coming over a nearby hill a little ways beyond the town, was another unicorn. Blue in her fur and mane, it was a mare, who, at this present moment, was running as fast as her legs could carry her. Although, this was no easy feat, given that she was also carting along what appeared to be a large wooden caravan behind her. Even from this distance, Twilight could tell that she was exhausted and, more importantly, terrified.
"Who is that?" Twilight asked.
Shining shook his head.
"I don't..."
But, he was halted by one of his pegasi guards, who took a step forward and pointed forward.
"Look, Sir! Behind her!"
It took no time at all for the others to see what he was referring to. For just a few seconds after they first caught sight of this new mare, another figure now appeared over that hill. Unfortunately, this was no pony. Instead, it appeared to have the shape of a bear, though far larger than any Twilight had ever seen. It was huge, at least several times the size of most Ponyville homes, and was coloured a deep blue. Seeing the beast, Twilight's expression was one of utter shock.
"It's...an Ursa Minor!"
Stepping forward, Shining glared at the sight of this creature.
"Whatever it is, we have to stop it!"
There was no point arguing that statement, as it was obvious that the beast was enraged, glaring down ferociously at the blue unicorn, who even now struggled to run away from it. Turning to his guards, Shining frowned before pointing straight at the approaching Ursa.
"Guards! Distract it!"
The two stallions instinctively saluted, and they spread out their wings, giving an almighty flap before shooting off towards the Ursa. And this was not a moment too soon, for just then, the animal reared up on its hind legs, before coming crashing down again, and as it did so, it smashed the caravan being pulled by the mystery mare. The terrified unicorn tried to pull herself away from the wreckage, but the sheer weight of her massive assailant kept her pinned, and as she turned around, a look of horror crossed her face. For the Ursa raised one of its paws, claws extended outwards, ready to strike down at the defenceless pony. But, just as she shielded herself for the oncoming blow, the beast suddenly found itself distracted by a pair of pegasi swiftly circling its head.
"Now's your chance! Run!"
The blue mare turned to the one who had spoken; Twilight. Quite frankly, she didn't need to be told, and so, after struggling to get herself out of her harness, she was off like a shot, all while the Ursa continued to try and swat at the pegasi like a pair of annoying flies. Seeing the new mare run off, Twilight then turned to her brother.
"What do we do now?"
Shining frowned, but could not speak, as it was just then that another familiar voice started to speak up.
"What we do is attack!"
Quickly, both siblings turned to find, to their surprise, that it was none other than Aurora Dash, walking towards them while flanked by a pair of armoured Lunar pegasi. While Twilight herself smiled at the sight of this additional help, her brother was not so eager to have them here, as evidenced by his angry tone when he took a step closer to them.
"What are you doing here?!"
Aurora raised an eyebrow.
"We're here to help bring that monster down, same as you!"
But this did little to alleviate Shining's irritation.
"We had an agreement, Captain! No Lunar soldier is to depart from the Carousel grounds unless escorting Ambassador Rarity!"
Stepping forward, Aurora frowned and placed her hoof squarely in Shining's chest.
"Are you seriously telling me that's more important than dealing with that beast over there!"
Shining opened his mouth to reply, only to be kept from doing so by Twilight, who forced herself in-between him and Aurora.
"We shouldn't be arguing like this! That Ursa's going to destroy the town if we don't do something!"
That, at the very least, seemed to diffuse the situation, as Aurora and Shining, for the time being, looked to each other in silence. Eventually though, the Lunar Captain spoke up again.
"...My troops can get the civilians clear of the area."
Reluctantly, and after some time, Shining let out a snort, nodding once.
"Fine."
Nodding back, Aurora gave a silent gesture to her two cohorts, and together, they took flight. Both Twilight and Shining watched them go, heading off towards frightened groups of ponies who were running around the streets, with their Captain not far behind them. However, it was not long before the attention of Twilight and Shining, naturally, turned once more to the Ursa, who was becoming increasingly frustrated with the continued distraction of the Equestrian guards about its head. Looking very much concerned, Twilight began to speak in a hushed tone.
"I think..."
Shining looked to her, seeing her uncertainty as she continued.
"...I think I might be able to calm the creature."
While at first sceptical, Shining's look of doubt melted away shortly afterwards as the nearby Ursa let out an almost deafening roar. After nursing his ears, the Captain looked down to his sister.
"Well, whatever you've got planned, I suggest you get to it, Twily."
The young unicorn nodded back, turning her eyes back to the still-angry Ursa before her. She trotted forward, beads of sweat rolling down her forehead over just how scared she was right now. The pegasi were still keeping the creature occupied, so Twilight was able to get much closer than she had hoped she would. Now, standing just a short distance away from the enormous bear, she closed her eyes. Before long, her horn began to glow, and she concentrated greatly over the spell that now formed in her mind. Shining watched from a distance, ready to rush forward should his sister find herself in more peril. But, it was not to be, for now was the time when her spell took effect. The wind around her began to rush far more than was natural, and this had a knock-on effect on the local area.
In the nearby field, on either side of the road leading out of Ponyville, there were many plants, and as this magically-changed wind rushed past, those plants began to create, of all things, music. The notes carried across the air, and before long, the Ursa began to hear it. In spite of the constant swooping of the pegasi, this lullaby had a clear effect, as its movement became more slow and sluggish. Twilight, ever so slowly, opened her eyes to see this occur, and so she kept up her pace, continuing her spell just as the pegasi finally started to relent. Soon enough, the Ursa found itself calmed a great deal, to the point where it was starting to lie upon the ground, looking very tired. Witnessing this, Twilight began to give a small smile.
"Okay...step two."
Again, she concentrated, and her horn began to glow even brighter than before. Brighter than most would have thought a horn even possible of doing. Within moments, Shining looked on in wonder at what his sister was now doing, for the Ursa itself now became aglow with Twilight's magical aura. And while the young unicorn herself seemed to strain a great deal, her spell nevertheless started to do its job, as the sleeping beast was not starting to be levitated above the ground. All gathered there looked on with shock at this impressive display of magic, but, as it was going on, Twilight looked over her shoulder, seeing her brother, and spoke up with clear effort in her voice.
"Shining...I need...to take it home."
The stallion looked to the Ursa, then back to Twilight, before giving a single nod to this command. Looking back to the creature in her influence, Twilight started to make step after step, with the unconscious beast still floating gently before her. Nopony followed her, but they still stayed where they were and watched as she made her way further and further from the edge of Ponyville. Eventually, she was gone from sight, and so many continued to look that way with concern upon their faces. Even Aurora had returned, having finished her task of escorting civilians away from the area, and like all the others, she waited. They all waited, for minute after minute, trying to see what would happen next. After a full ten minutes of this, Shining, in a tone of frustration, gave a grunt of annoyance.
"Urgh! I'm gong after her!"
But Aurora, who had been keeping her eyes on the horizon since Twilight left, pointed forward before the stallion could take a single step after her.
"Hold it! There she is!"
Stopping in his tracks, Shining saw that Aurora had the right of it. Twilight was indeed coming back over the hill. Immediately, the stallion charged forward, and as he drew closer, he saw that his sister was looking utterly exhausted. Once he'd reached her, he embraced her tightly.
"Twily! I'm so glad you're okay!"
Though taken aback by this, Twilight soon broke out into a smile, returning the hug.
"Thanks, Shiny. It was a little bit tiring, but...I got the Ursa back home."
Parting from her, Shining looked on with curiosity.
"So where'd you put it?"
Twilight turned, pointing to a spot away from them.
"There was a cave not too far from Ponyville's borders. Thankfully, his Mother wasn't awake when I got there. I could not deal with that tonight."
Shining chuckled, and yet again, he found himself embracing his sister, much to Twilight's delight. However, it was shortly afterwards when the sound of a clearing throat could be heard, catching them both off-guard. Parting from one another, they saw that it was Aurora, who looked to Twilight with a degree of interest.
"I gotta say, Sparkle...that was a fine bit of magic you got there."
Twilight blushed slightly at that.
"Um...thanks, Aurora."
But Shining, of course, soon returned to his previous look of suspicion as he regarded the cyan mare.
"Now that the danger has passed, I trust you and your guards will return to the Carousel?"
Looking to him, Aurora narrowed her eyes, speaking back with a somewhat bitter tone.
"Yeah, nice working with you too."
She turned, gesturing to her accompanying pegasi, who gave a salute before heading off in the direction of the Carousel. As for Aurora though, she remained, giving Twilight a rather serious look.
"I don't know who brought that bear to Ponyville, but I suggest you sort them out, Sparkle."
And with that, she too began to depart, speeding up to join with the other two guards. However, upon hearing the Lunar mare's words, Twilight's eyes widened with realisation.
"Oh! The unicorn!"
She spun around, running off in the direction she'd last seen the mystery mare, and Shining too began to follow. They went along the street together, looking all around, but for a time, there was simply no sign of her. Then, after squinting around a bit, Twilight caught sight of something. It was a light-blue tail, sticking out of a nearby alleyway. She pointed it out to Shining, and he nodded back to her, following her as they approached that spot. Upon arriving, they saw that it was indeed the new mare, who was cowering in the darkness of that alleyway. She was shaking, covering her face with her hooves, and upon seeing this, Twilight gestured for her brother to stop. Shining did so, and watched as Twilight took a step forward.
"H...hello?"
Instantly, the mare looked to her, backing away slightly.
"It's okay!" Twilight said.
Slowly she reached out a hoof.
"The Ursa's gone...you're safe now."
The mare looked to Twilight's hoof, then back to her face. Gradually, she started to move forward, reaching out her own hoof in a clearly nervous manner. When the two hooves met, Twilight gently led her out of the alleyway.
"That's it...you're with friends now."
Turning, the blue unicorn looked back towards where the Ursa had been encountered.
"Is...is it gone? For certain?"
Twilight nodded.
"Yes. Don't worry."
Hearing that, the mare let out a long sigh.
"I'm...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to..."
But Twilight raised a hoof, stopping her.
"It's alright. Creatures like that can just...just go after somepony. It was no fault of yours."
Looking up to her, the mare nodded.
"I'm...I'm Trixie."
Smiling, Twilight nodded.
"I'm Twilight. Welcome to Ponyville."
A smile formed upon Trixie's lips, but Twilight found herself looking away from her when Shining caught her attention. The gesture he gave her made it clear that he needed to be elsewhere, so his sister gave him a short nod, giving him permission to go. With the stallion moving off, Twilight turned her eyes once more to Trixie.
"So...what brings you to these parts?"
Lowering her hoof from Twilight's, Trixie began to respond.
"Well...I'm a stage magician. I go from town to town, doing acts."
Twilight smiled wider to this.
"That sounds pretty interesting."
Trixie nodded to this, at first looking eager to say more on the matter. But, as time passed, her ears began to drop. Once more, she looked over to were the Ursa had been, prompting Twilight to do the same. And it was here that the lavender unicorn realised what it was that Trixie was so concerned about. Because even from this distance, she could see the shattered remains of what had once been her caravan. With that rather sobering thought now foremost in her mind, Twilight turned to Trixie yet again.
"Oh! I'm...I'm sorry."
The blue mare hung her head.
"Everything I owned was in there. I...I have nowhere else to go."
Silence passed between them, and for a time, Twilight simply had no idea what to say. Then, as she considered the situation, she looked up again, looking as if an idea had just popped into her head.
"Well...you could always come with me."
Trixie looked to her with confusion, leading to Twilight carrying on.
"I mean it. There's plenty of room in the Library where me and my son live. You could stay with us until you get back on your hooves."
But Trixie seemed uncertain about that.
"Oh, I...I wouldn't want to impose."
Twilight giggled.
"It's no problem, Trixie. I insist."
Again, Trixie looked over to where her caravan had once been, before then looking to Twilight. Like before, the latter reached out an open hoof to her, and after a long time of considering the offer, Trixie sighed deeply, before then giving a warm smile.
"Well...I guess I'm coming with you then."
Twilight smiled wider, taking her hoof to Trixie's once more.
"It's good to have you with us, Trixie."
It was still dark, but by this point, everypony had gone to their homes, ready to shake off the unexpected incident their small town had just gone through. The marks where the Ursa minor had been could still be seen on the road leading out of the place, and several of the Equestrian guards remained, standing watch just beyond Ponyville's borders to keep a vigil, should the beast make some form of comeback. Lights were going out in every home, and all around, the only real illumination around was that of the bright moon in the clear starry sky above them. It truly looked as if Ponyville was nothing short of the model of absolute peace and quiet.
That is, until steps could be heard.
They were quiet, barely enough to catch anypony's attention. But they were there all the same. A figure moved in the shadows in-between homes, and when it emerged into the moonlight, it turned out to be none other than Trixie. But this was not the same mare Twilight had approached mere hours ago. Gone was her look of fear and nervousness, replaced instead by an expression that could only be called serious. She watched around herself carefully, making sure that she was not seen by anypony. Every once in a while, she would spot a nearby guard, out on patrol, prompting her to take refuge in some secluded dark spot. One when such potential dangers were gone, and she was certain that none could see her, did she truly started to gallop quickly.
She moved far from the more developed areas of Ponyville, heading instead to, of all places, the Everfree Forest. Here, at the very least, there was little chance of being discovered, and so on she went, drawing ever nearer to the dangerous woodland. But, when she reached the outermost border of that dark forest, she stopped, looking over her shoulder to make sure she was not seen. However, it was as she did this that a voice, finally, broke the silence of the night.
"So...were you successful?"
Turning back to the treeline, Trixie squinted, and could now see a second figure emerging from the shadows of the Everfree's trees. Whoever it was, they were clad in an all-concealing black cloak, their face obscured in shadows. Nevertheless, a small smirk crept onto Trixie's face as she regarded this new arrival, giving a short nod.
"Indeed I was. It was a bit of a close call with that Ursa, especially after waking it, but it was just the spectacle I needed."
The unknown figure before her gave a nod in return, and when it spoke, it was with the clear voice of a mare.
"I imagine you must be pleased to not have to travel any more, Trixie."
A chuckle escaped the magician at hearing that.
"Tell me about it. Roaming this dull little country has been most taxing. But at least it gives me some good foundation for that whole traveller story I've got going."
Again, the figure nodded, which was followed by a silence for a time, before she then spoke in a more serious manner.
"And your new friends? Do they suspect anything?"
Looking around, Trixie's eyes drifted over towards the centre of Ponyville.
"I doubt it. As far as they're concerned, I'm just the innocent victim of a savage beast. I've been welcomed with open hooves."
She looked back to the figure, who raised a hoof and rubbed her still-hidden chin.
"...And young Sparkle? You've see what she can do?"
Trixie nodded, but said nothing as the figure continued.
"And?"
The "show-mare" paused, considering the question carefully, before giving a slow nod as she started answering.
"The rumours were not wrong. She has perhaps the greatest amount of raw magical talent I've ever seen. Seeing what she did to that Ursa...there's no question that we're dealing with a very powerful unicorn here."
She frowned.
"Perhaps...more powerful than even Twilight herself knows."
The hooded figure nodded, placing her hoof back upon the ground.
"So then...do you think she could be...what our Lady is looking for?"
A brief flash of doubt crossed Trixie's eyes.
"Hard to say, at least this early on. She has the ability...but so did many others. Only time will tell, I suppose."
The unseen mare lowered her gaze to the ground, pausing at what Trixie had said, all while the latter watched patiently. Eventually though, the former spoke again, this time with a more restrained tone.
"Very well. I will let the Queen know what we've found. And as for you..."
Again, the hoof was raised, but this time, it was pointed straight at Trixie.
"...you are to continue your assignment. Play your role, and let nopony think of you as anything else."
Trixie nodded.
"Fine. But what about Rarity? Or the Captain?"
The mystery mare considered this for a few moments.
"...Do not approach them about this. I have no doubt that they'll suspect why you're here, or at least understand that your purpose is important. So don't worry about explaining things."
Again, Trixie nodded.
"Alright then. Guess it's back to the library. I think I'll have had enough "needing fresh air" for one night."
Having said that, the blue mare turned, beginning to walk back towards Ponyville. However, before taking too many steps, she paused, looking back to the figure in the shadows with uncertainty.
"If what our Queen suspects about her is true...what's to be done?"
The figure remained still and silent, looking past her colleague in the direction of Ponyville. Then, after letting out a long sigh, the unnamed pony answered.
"If the Queen's suspicions are right...then tread carefully."
