Cruel as a Mule

by Ori Whitedeer

Rating: everyone
Tags: Comedy, Adventure
Length: 6033

Diamond Tiara's bad attitude finally catches up with her. Can she change before it's too late?

When Diamond Tiara bumps into and bullies the wrong mysterious, magic-wielding stranger she has a horrific spell placed on her. Can Diamond Tiara discover the magic of friendship and break the terrible curse before it's too late?

Published 1970-01-01 00:00:00 UTC
Last updated 2012-12-09 22:12:52 UTC

The Pale Deer's Leer

Cruel as a Mule!

Staring: Diamond Tiara

Co-Staring: The Cutie Mark Crusaders, The Great and Humble Trixie Lulamoon

Part 1: The Pale Deer's Leer

Winter Wrapup seemed like an eternity away to the bundled citizens of Ponyville. As they trotted from store to store through the freshly fallen snow, gathering gifts and well wishes for Hearth's Warming Eve, the chill seemed to do very little to cool their warm smiles and cheery spirits.

Everyone seemed to move with happiness and joy in their every step, all but one little filly who stood apart from the crowd, dressed in all the finest couture Canterlot had to offer, yet couldn't seem to fashion even the slightest stitch of a smile. Her purple, gem-encrusted coat and matching boots paled to the brilliant silver Tiara atop her lavender mane. The frowning filly gave a little huff, as she took a step into the street, a look of annoyance crossing her ever-sour face as the sound of a shop's dangling door bell chimed behind her.

"Hurry up, Belvedere! We only have 5 hours to shop before the stores close," the little filly demanded as an elderly stallion, carrying far more shopping bags than one with his horrible back should attempt, stumbled from one of the lavish boutiques. With her nose turned up and her eyes closed, she almost resentfully scoffed at the butler as he did his best to keep the packages at the top of the pile from toppling to the ground.

"Yes, Diamo-"

"Miss Diamond Tiara," she corrected with a tilt of her head and a flip of her flowing mane.

"M-Miss Diamond Tiara," Belvedere nervously laughed as they walked into the busy lane. As she passed, Diamond Tiara seemed to have no qualms about bumping and shoving any pony that was in her way, as if it was their fault for not yielding in her privileged path. Butler Belvedere did his best to apologize on his charge's behalf while balancing tilting packages in his two front hooves as his young ward's offenses began to outnumber the parcels in his strained grip.

Despite the little filly's apparent aura of entitlement and righteous outrage, that didn't stop the otherwise merry pony's from glaring in disapproval at the richest, and arguably most spoiled little filly in town.

"Ugh! What is taking you so long?" Diamond Tiara growled in frustration. She stopped and turned with a stomp of her front hoof to see the struggling butler nearly topple into a young, grey pegasus pony with bubbles on her flank and a worn red hat on her blonde head. The pegasus lifted her front hooves as the mountain of packages and bags began to sway, flying to the top of the pile and plucking a few parcels from the top. The good deed seemed to pay off, as the teetering pile steadied. Diamond Tiara's eyes filled with momentary rage as the bubble-flanked pegasus pony offered to help carry more of the butler's burden.

"Thank you, young lady-"

"What do you think you're doing!? Who told you, you could touch my things!?" Diamond Tiara nearly screamed, causing a few startled ponies to trot away. The gray Pegasus pony's crossed eyes shifted a little in confusion as the huffy child stomped obnoxiously close to where she stood. Before the gray pegasus could reply, Diamond Tiara's angry voice cut her off.

"Put. Them. Back!" She shouted with a stomp of her fine-booted hoof. The Pegasus's crossed eyes started to fill with sadness and the hint of tears as she moved to place the packages back with care, trying to place them evenly and in more stable places on the pile. She cast a sad, almost apologetic look to the butler before flying off.

"Can you believe the nerve of some ponies?" Diamond Tiara started, as she closed her eyes, upturned her nose and quickly continued further along the bustling lane. "If I ever see that grabby, googly-eye'd geek again I'll'-" Diamond Tiara gasped as she felt herself walk into something. She collided with the starry-cloaked figure with such careless momentum that it was enough to knock them both to the ground.

"Ow!" Diamond Tiara shouted as she felt her front boot scrape against the ground, carving out one of the sparkling gems. The much taller, cloaked figure hit the ground with a grunt as the chinking sound of crystal hitting solid ground rung out in the street.

The figure's hood fell back to reveal a pale, panicked, and notably non-pony face. Her doe eyes watched in horror as her large ears picked up the sound of the crystal tumbler's stopper popping open, spilling the tumbler's precious contents on the ground. Her large, coal-black nose could smell the sweet liquid's perfume as it mingled with the snow and sank into the ground below.

It was then that the pain in that the stranger, a deer in the sight of those who had traversed through the deeper parts of the Everfree forest, bruised knee began to throb. What was more, the creature, a white-furred deer in the gawking ponies' sight, reached her cleft hoof to her freckled cheek, which had suffered a small cut on a hidden stone in the ground.

"Why don't you watch where you're go--my boot!" Diamond Tiara looked to the slightly damaged boot with horror and outraged in her young eyes, "What did you do to my boot you dog-nosed freak!? Do you have any idea how much these cost?!" She raged. By now many had gathered to see what the fracas was about.

The pale deer looked to Diamond Tiara, kindness leaving her large, chestnut eyes as a frown came to her face. She tried to stand but the sharp pain in her knee coupled with a slick patch of snow caused her to slip back onto the ground with a wince. All the while, the arrogant, accusatory child in her site did little more than spout insults, rather than make any motion to help her to her hooves.

What made her heart and ears sink further was the fact that none of the ponies now watching and whispering about the display moved to help her up either. Some turned, as if pretending not to see her there on the ground, others seemed fearful of getting involved especially at the sight of the daughter of the richest, most powerful pony in Ponyville.

After what seemed like ages, one among the crowd straightened her star-and-moon hat and moved towards the injured deer with fearless and proud steps.

"Are you alright?" a mare with fine blue fur and a silvery-sky-colored mane asked, picking up the spilled tumbler with one hoof before offering the other to help the fallen stranger up.

"I'm alright, not harmed at all, I just had a nasty fall," the deer, who seemed to speak in a similar manner to the zebra in the Everfree Forest, replied with a strong, highland accent to her soothing voice. She gave her momentary rescuer a grateful smile before turning her attention back to the red-faced and rage-eyed child.

"Um, hello? She totally bumped into me and ruined my new boots, you saw her do it, didn't you Belvedere?" Diamond Tiara turned with threatening intent in her vision as the now sweating and laboriously-breathed butler quickly nodded. "So either you need to fix them or you owe me 200 bits to replace them." Diamond Tiara declared with a triumphant smirk. The deer moved her hood back over her face with a slight grimace of pain, as a small red welt began to form on her cheek.

"Ok, seriously, you need to calm yourself down little girl. You are fortunate that the Great and Powerf-Humble Trixie is not in the mood to discipline rude fillies. I saw the whole thing--you weren't watching where you were going and you bumped into her! Now say you're sorry." The mare, who called herself 'Trixie' spoke with much attitude and conviction.

"I'm not saying I'm sorry-- it's her fault for being in the way!" Diamond sneered with confidence and swagger flowing in her aura.

"No pony speaks to me that way! Who do you think you are to address Trixie with such disrespect?" Trixie indignantly asked.

"Oh, you don't know who I am? I'm only the daughter of the richest, most powerful, and most able to get your flank banished from this town for good, business owner in Ponyville. So you better turn your tacky-dressed self around and mind your own business. I mean seriously, where did you get that outfit? Starswirl's Second-Hoof Store?" Diamond Tiara chuckled with the conceit only a spoiled princess could muster. Trixie did her best not to grind her teeth to the root as her cheeks began to flush.

"Why you-you—horrible, monstrous little brat!"

"Be calm, new friend, I will see to this bickering's end," the deer softly spoke with a cool smile. She turned her gaze until it was fixated on the little filly, a strange golden aura surrounded her, but it seemed that only those with magic in their skill set could see it. Trixie raised a brow at the sight as Diamond Tiara's very being seemed to dare the deer to cross her further. The deer slowly walked up to the little filly until she was close enough to look her square in the eyes. Diamond Tiara held her ground as the deer began to speak again.

"Such vile spirit, such bile in it,

such a hateful, disrespectful child.

Such strong hate, will not abate,

she will ne'er be tender nor mild,

So by the night, the stars so bright

and the moon's heavenly rule

until you speak the words I seek

you will forever be a mule!"

With a twinkle in her eyes and a spark in her aura, the deer finished that seemed like a weak poem in the ears of the brash little filly. Trixie stood agape as what looked like a sunlight explosion filled the scene in her perceptive vision.

"Whatever, I don't have time for this. I'll tell my father on you, and you'll be sorry, loser! Come on Belvedere," Diamond Tiara jeered as she and her butler trotted off for a few more rounds of selfish shopping. The crowd began to disburse as the starry-cloaked deer did her best to keep the tears forming in her eyes from spilling over onto her bruised cheeks.

"What WAS that magic I've never seen-what's the matter?" Trixie asked as the deer did her best to keep a smile on her face despite the evident sadness in her eyes.

"It was deer magic, from the forest of Everfree. You can learn it though; I'll teach you if you'll walk with me. It's the least I can do for your kindness, when all the other ponies looked to my plight with blindness," she spoke as she took the tumbler from Trixie and placed it back in her open side bag.

"Everfree magic huh?" Trixie asked with a sly smile, "That could be...useful later. I'll walk with you a while then, where are you headed?"

"To Canterlot, to the palace there, I'm to meet with the royal heirs. That tumbler contained a great gift, but now it is lost to the snow drifts," the deer sighed as the pair of new friends began walking from the busy street.

"That works out perfectly. I'm from Canterlot. I was only in Ponyville to do some shopping; prices here are better. My name is The Great and Humble Trixie! And you are?"

"I am called a princess where I am from, but I'm just Yula in the pony kingdoms. Celestia and Luna are my father's friends, he sent me to them with a gift for year's end."

"Well it is very nice to meet you Yula--wait you have an audience with the princesses?"

"That I do, would you like to meet them too? As I am traveling things can get lonely and hard. I could use a skilled and confident body guard. Besides, I like your style. I have not seen night themed-garb like mine in a while," Yula smiled as the mare at her side nearly beamed with radiant inner light.

"Well it is your lucky day! There is no better companion, nor magical body guard than the GREAT AND STYLISH AND HUMBLE TRIXIE!" Trixie gushed with great emphasis on her title and name, causing the deer at her side to give a joy-filled laugh, as if the ugly events were already forgotten, at least for her. "By the way, what did you do to the little brat anyway? Hey, now you've got me rhyming!" Trixie gave a little giggle of amusement.

"Rhyming is the key to the magic of the Everfree. Keep yourself in a state, so serene, your casting will remain pristine. But if you stray in your discipline, it will be seven days before you can, from the start, begin. I can speak as you do if you want me to. Seven days without magic wouldn't be too tragic. As for the silly filly—no more or less than what she's earned for being a rotten child, as far as I'm concerned," Yula informed as the stinging in her cheek momentarily brought her thoughts back to the fall and loss of her precious present to the princesses.

"Your rhyming doesn't bother me, but it seems like it would be hard to keep it up," Trixie shrugged. Yula smiled with a slight laugh as she allowed the slightly golden sheen to drop from her person.

"You have no idea. It's almost worth seven days without magic just to be able to talk freely, you know? Sometimes I wish I was born a unicorn so I wouldn't have to do that all the time," Yula shook her head as Trixie spoke words of reassurance. The pair walked towards the outskirts of town as Yula did her best to remain upbeat despite the loss of her precious gift as, for the first time in her yearly journey, she had a seemingly kind-hearted and enthusiastic companion.

Despite the many hours that had passed since her prized shoe was damaged, Diamond Tiara was still seething. She barely touched her favorite dessert as the events of the day ran through her mind.

"Not hungry, dear? You usually inhale that strawberry trifle," Diamond Tiara's mother, known as 'Crown Jewel' to the citizens of Ponyville as well as the Canterlot Elite dryly inquired.

"No, I just had the most annoying day. Bevedere almost dropped my presents AGAIN and ponies all over town were just in my way--all the time! I swear it's like they don't even know they're wastes of space," Diamond Tiara grumbled. Crown Jewel rolled her eyes as Diamond Tiara's father, Filthy Rich, cleared his throat.

"Diamond Tiara--that is no way to talk about those ponies and my customers. After the 'kooky old lady' and 'Gabby Gums' incidents, it'd do you well to try and put yourself in others' hooves for once--," Filthy Rich began as a sharp look from his elaborately-dressed wife silenced his voice.

"What your father means is you have to learn to tolerate them, sweetie. They may be crude, obnoxious, and not quite up to our standards but, their patronage keeps our business and lifestyle going. So there's no need to be in a tiff, now eat your trifle," Crown Jewel motioned with her own well-licked spoon.

Diamond Tiara's mind whirred with anger, bile, and a touch of resentment at her parent's dismissive tones. She gave a frustrated tone, slammed her hoof on the table, and left for her headed to her personal wash room to prepare for bed. Her hooves seemed to drag a few early yawns came far sooner than usual.

Diamond Tiara conducted her usual evening ritual of a bubble bath, thorough tooth brushing, mini facial scrub, and hot towel treatment. Despite the relaxing and replenishing ritual, she still wore the face of a disgruntled and seething filly.

She put on her satin pajamas and settled into her plush pink bed, nearly forgetting to remove her favorite, diamond-encrusted tiara. She pulled a gem-encrusted book from beneath her pillow, took the pencil that was tucked in the binding, and began to furiously write as if she was in the heat of battle rather than in her lavish bed.

Once her scratching, aggressive pencil strokes stopped and the book was placed back in its daily resting place, Diamond Tiara slowly settled into a light sleep, her usual dreams began co churn as something grabbed her consciousness and pulled her far from the waking world.

Swirls of violently-bright color draped her then aching mind as a pain wracked every inch of her little body. She tried desperately to wake up, but something kept her under. Just as she thought she would be trapped in the terrible nightmare forever, the bright light of morning brought her back from the brink of madness.

Diamond Tiara sat up as a wave of relief washed over her sweaty form. She did her best to calm the beating in her chest as her panicked breath slowly became even. Just as a sense of calm began to settle in Diamond Tiara's mind she looked down to her hoof and her eyes went wide.

Instead of her usual, perfectly-groomed leg and hoof, a wrinkled, gray, spotted, and knobby-looking knee met her site. She looked to her other hoof and it too looked worn, rough and angular.

"W-Wha-HAAWW?" she spoke with a strange, donkey-like haw as she clasped her hooves over her large, mangle-toothed mouth. She could feel her now huge lips and gigantic, crooked teeth as she lifted her hooves to feel long, narrow ears where her cute pony ones once were.

Diamond Tiara tried to scramble out of bed, but her new legs were a tad longer than the ones she was used to and she only succeeded in falling to the floor. She stood and shook herself, the awful feeling of long jowls on her cheeks and loose skin on her stomach nearly made her blood run cold. The little diva raced over to the mirror, hope trapped in he once again racing heart that what she was feeling was little more than a continuation of her horrible nightmare.

But despite smacking her now horribly ugly visage, the reflection in her ornate mirror didn't seem to shift. Instead of the familiar site of her pony persona, the wrinkled and worn face of a gray mule met her terror-filled eyes.

Diamond Tiara' let out a scream that echoed through out every room in her vast mansion home.

~To be Continued...~

It's not easy being gray...

Cruel as a Mule

Part 2: It's not easy being gray

A horrible scream rang through the Rich family mansion. While it's patriarch, Filthy Rich, had left for work well before Celestia brought up the sun, Crown Jewel's eyes shot open beneath her plush sleep mask at the sound. She clumsily removed the obstructing, though very comfortable, sleep mask, hurried out of bed, and toward the source of the sound. When she sleepily stumbled into the hallway, her still hazy vision managed to see the family's butler, Belvedere, also moving with hasty hooves towards the source of the sound.

"What was that?" Crown Jewel started but her slightly raspy voice was cut off by another scream. This time the sound seemed to come from Diamond Tiara's room, which was only a few doors away along the wide corridor. All remnants of sleep left the pampered pony as she called to her daughter and ran with her butler trotting close behind. When they reached the door confused, panic-filled babbling clearly penetrated the wooden surface from within as Crown Jewel knocked with a firm hoof.

"Diamond Tiara, what is going on in there? Do you have any idea what time it is?" Crown Jewel asked with a hint of concern in her otherwise irritated voice. A few moments of silence passed, punctuated only by a few grunts or or shifting of what sounded like glass bottles clicking against one another. Almost instinctively, Crown Jewel's hoof began to tap against the wooden floor, causing a loud and familiar clop sound to make its way to the frantic filly within.

"E-Everything's fine! I just saw a-a bug! Yes, a horrible bug on my dresser! I'm fine!" Diamond Tiara answered as she feverishly tried to make the unbelievable;e sight in the mirror disappear under a cloud of foundation, blush, and wrinkle cream she had acquired from her mother's stash. She could hear her mother groan in annoyance and almost feel the glare through the thick, wooden door. After some further muttering, Diamond Tiara could clearly make out her mother's huffy words.

"Honestly, you woke me up over a bug? Really Diamond Tiara, what am I going to do with you? I'm going back to bed," Crown Jewel huffed as she rolled her eyes with an audible grumble and started walking back toward her bedroom. Belvedere gave a concerned look to Diamond Tiara's door, and moved to say something-but before a single word of further concern came from his wrinkled old mouth, the sound of Crown Jewel clearing her throat stopped the action.

"Belvedere, shouldn't you be cleaning something? I'll want breakfast in an hour or so, and please, try not to burn the hay-flower quiche this time," she frowned with a raised brow before continuing toward her bedroom door. Belvedere sighed, gave one last glance to Diamond Tiara's door, and turned to do what he was told.

Diamond Tiara did her best to ignore her mother's scathing tone, still ringing in her ears, as she did her best to color gray complexion with her usual pink hue. Despite her best efforts, her now sweaty brow seemed to work against her, causing the masterfully applied makeup to smear and drip.

"O-oh, oh no, no! Why is this happening!?" Diamond Tiara mused aloud as she felt her chest tighten and her breath quicken. She did her best to take deep breaths and tried to think when the memory hit her like a hoof to the face. Her eyes went wide a moment before a deep-jowl scowl came to her face.

"That deer, she's the reason I look like this!" Diamond Tiara spoke as she attempted to brush her short, wiry mane, only succeeding in making it even more tangled and frizzy. She threw her brush onto the dresser with a frustrated growl as she quickly galloped into her walk-in closet. The massive closet would have been the size of most pony's bedrooms but it barely contained all of the fancy clothing Diamond Tiara had acquired over her short life. She haphazardly threw the garments as if they were rags in her pursuit of the thickest, most covering items in her large wardrobe. When she finally emerged she was covered from head to toe in individually stylish clothing, but when put together, looked as if she was a roadie with Sapphire Shores and the Foal Follies.

Though the thought of running to her mother and explaining the situation did grace her mind for a moment, the horrible imaginings of her mother's angry form chasing her from their family home seemingly erased the option from her young mind. Her mind moved to her father, but shook her head as he would be working at the shop, clear across town at that time of morning.

"I've got to get to daddy-he'll be able to help me. But i can't let mom see me..." Diamond Tiara mused aloud as she looked to her large window. She galloped towards it and pushed it open. The gust of frigid wind now streaming into her bedroom caused a quick shiver to momentarily flow through her, but it did not seem to cool her heated determination. She looked down to a ledge just outside her window and a thick ivy vine that extended all the way down the two-story building and to the snow-covered ground.

Diamond Tiara smirked beneath her scarf-mask and carefully made her way onto the ledge. Despite her slow and steady grip, a slick patch of fresh snow on the ledge caused her to slip. She stomped and scraped with her hooves to try and find some traction, but was met with patch after patch of snow or solid ice. Diamond Tiara screeched and slid off the window completely, reaching with a flailing hoof to the thick, ivy vine. Despite grabbing onto the old, thick vine, the leaf she managed to grasp held for only a moment before it detached, causing her to fall the rest of the way and into a large mountain of snow.

Diamond Tiara winced as she stood and rubbed her wet backside before shaking off the slightly drippy snow from her form.

"I've got to get to daddy, no matter what! And I know just who'll help get me get to him," Diamond Tiara declared as she dashed off toward their usual meeting place just at the end of their street. She moved in the shadows as best as her now clumsy, cumbersome form would allow: hopping from bush, to pile of snow, to pole in her progression toward their meeting place. When she finally arrived at her final hiding shrub, Diamond Tiara let out a sigh of relief at the sight of her best friend and fellow sugar-lump-rump Silver Spoon, standing on the corner waiting for her. But that momentary relief seemed to freeze along with her blood at the sound of a demure giggle coming from the silver-gray pony.

Standing beside Silverspoon was another one of their neighbors, a slightly older colt that always seemed to make the young filly blush and giggle like a bubble brain whenever he came around.

"Augh! Silverspoon, now is not the time for this," Diamond Tiara winced and resisted the urge to gag at the syrupy display oozing from her friends every giggle, eye lash bat, and vapid compliment. "Pssst, Silverspoon, over here," she hissed and rustled the branches of her shrub shield. The action seemed lost on the silver pony as she continued to ask the older colt about things that she never seemed to care for, or possibly would have made fun of had it not come out of his mouth. Diamond Tiara called to her friend again with a little more volume and a more violent shaking of the branches, causing Silverspoon to roll her eyes and cast the cold an annoyed look.

"Can you excuse me for just a second," She asked while plastering the most nauseatingly sweet face she could muster. The cold shook his head and motioned for her to proceed before Silverspoon turned to investigate the talking shrub.

"You better have a good reason for interrupting me, weir-"

"Silverspoon, its me!" Diamond Tiara quietly, but forcefully hissed. Silverspoon's eyes went wide for a moment before a look of concern slowly came to her face.

"Diamond Tiara? What are you doing inside a shrub?"

"You've got to help me! This deer witch cast a spell on me, and now I look...I look like-" Diamond Tiara paused, voice seemingly caught in her throat.

"What? That's terrib-"

"Silverspoon, are you talking to a bush?" the colt asked with a raised brow and a slightly mocking smirk. Silverspoon visibly froze as she turned her attention back to him and shook her head. "Well then lets get going. If I don't get to the store in time to pick up my mother's Heath's Warming present, my father will have my flank."

"GoodluckDiamondTiaragottagok bye!" Silverspoon quickly spoke as she rushed to her crush's side. Diamond Tiara could barely make out the words in Silverspoon's speedy sentence and she could feel her heart beat begin to quicken.

"Silverspoon, wait! Come back here-" Diamond Tiara called, without a moment of thought, before she scrambled out of the bush to stop the foals from leaving. Just as she thought she cleared the shrub, she felt one of her garments catch on a branch, sending her to the ground with a thud. The sound caused the two foals to look behind them to see something that cause both their jaws to drop. It wasn't until she saw the looks on their faces did Diamond Tiara realize that the scarf around her misshapen, gray face had been tugged off.

"Silverspoon, w-wait, you've got to help me-" Diamond Tiara started as the two foals began backing away with fear in their shaking hooves. As she lifted a gnarled hoof, as if reaching out for help, the pair screamed and ran away from the wrinkled, gray mule in their sight. Diamond Tiara shook her head as a sinking feeling started pooling in the bottom of her stomach. She could feel tears forming in her eyes and brought an angry but still trembling hoof up to wipe them away. An angry, determined expression seemed to be left in their wake as Diamond Tiara gave a little growl and ran in the direction of Ponyville's town square.

She didn't stop to place her scarf back around her face, as panic and anger seemed to drive her every step. When she reached the town square, there were many ponies already up and about their business. While the sight of a mule never made any of the tolerant citizen's of Ponyville stop to gawk, the strangely dressed mule filly did turn a few heads as she galloped past. While a few ponies innocently whispered comments about her strange assortment of clothes or laughed about some joyous story one of their friends happened to be telling, their faces seemed to become huge and monstrous in her wide eyes, their simple comments turned into stinging insults in her long ears.

Her breath started to feel heavy in her lungs as each breath became a struggle. The towering, fire-bathed visages her torturing mind viciously produced seemed to surround her ad the sounds of insult after insult flooded her consciousness.

"Stop it! Leave me alone--daddy help!" Diamond Tiara shrieked as a steady stream of hot tears fell from her wide eyes and onto her wrinkled, gray cheeks. In her hurried galloping she did not see the festively-decorated pole that was right in her path. When the metal pone finally registered in her ailing mind, Diamond Tiara was only a few speedy hoof steps away. The collision caused her to see an aurora of colors and every star hidden away by the sunny morning light. The echoing sound of concerned voices and the occasional, faded image of a worried face seemed to be thousands of miles away in her darkening mind. Then all the spinning stars and colors faded away leaving Diamond Tiara alone in the darkness.

"...and that is how I, The Great and Humble Trixie, impressed the delegates from Saddle Arabia with my fantastic fireworks display. I totally made Twilight Sparkle's decent display of animal juggling a hit!" Trixie boasted with her eyes closed, nose to the sky as she and her deer companion walked along the North-Hoof Highway toward their destination of Canterlot.

"How ah, fascinating. It sounds like you stole the show," Yula weakly responded, forcing a grin onto her white muzzle as her chestnut eyes seemed to beg for some small silence.

"I so did. How about you, you're a princess right? I bet you've done a few amazing things in your...um-actually I don't know much about deer, well, anything. I know you can cast magic spells with rhymes but, what else can you do?" Trixie asked with what seemed like genuine interest in her violet vision. Yula paused for a moment in thought before responding.

"Well, the king and queen of the deer rule our people. We live in the very center of the Everfree Forest, so we're neither bound nor supported by unicorn magic. Each deer is born a day deer or a night deer, so depending on when a fawn is born will determine their magical powers, if they're born with any at all. I'm a night deer, first daughter of the King Nightdeer himself, so my magic draws it's strength from the stars and moon. Those born in the daytime will draw their magic from sunshine. So, even though my mother and father rule our people, we're all subjects under The Night Mare Moon and...her sister," Yula paused, trying to get the momentary bad taste out of her mouth before continuing, "When my father and mother pass on, it will be up to me and my three siblings to rule over our people."

"So do your siblings have deer magic too?"

"Yes they do, my twin brother and I are night deer, while my younger sister and elder brother are both day deer. We're to rule as a council once my father and mother retire, but my siblings don't care a wit about dealing with ponies, nor are they in anyway skilled diplomats.I swear, my people would be better off if father and mother just left me in charge but, they'll never happen. Still, at least my father knows my superior intellect and leadership skill; its why he always sends me to visit with the beloved Night Mare and her sister," Yula spoke with a tone that was not lost on the perceptive Trixie.

"You don't seem too thrilled to be seeing Princess Celestia again, how come?" Trixie asked with a slight look of confusion and suspicion on her face. Yula gave a long sigh before responding.

"It's not that I don't like the solar princess, its just that...well it's strange but every time she looks at me she just makes me feel guilty for something, like she's constantly judging me. She always acts so happy to see brother Solstice and sister Bonnie Belle, but never me. I mean, I've brought her the nicest gifts over the years, ones like the 'Tears of the Moon' that awful little brat spilled all over Ponyville," Yula huffed. Trixie mulled the words in her mind but found no memory of the fancifully-named gift.

"What are 'Tears of the Moon?'"

"A very expensive and hard to obtain, natural perfume. I farm it myself and there's an ingredient I can only get from far away lands. Luckily I can go ask my supplier in the Everfree Forest for some, but its rare that even she has it," Yula sighed as she felt the hollow clink of the stopper and tumbler in her side pack. "Now beloved Night Mare on the other hand, she's just a joy to be around. She'll take me flying and stargazing-we always have so much fun on my visits. Have you met her before?" Yula asked with excitement shining in her face like a full moon in a clear sky. Trixie shook her head.

"Not in person, but when Twilight Sparkle humiliated me I started getting horrible nightmares. Princess Luna came to me during one of those nightmares and encouraged me to face whatever it was causing me so much grief. That's when I got the Alicorn Amulet and challenged Twilight Sparkle to a magic duel! Well I still lost but, things turned out fine and the nightmares did stop after that. Hopefully with your deer magic I can finally defeat her, fair and square!" Trixie gave a determined and hopeful nod, causing the deer princess to give a warm chuckle.

"You see, Princess Luna is simply the best princess there is, well maybe second best," Yula gave a haughty huff causing both her and Trixie to enjoy a good-humored laugh. "Well if you're serious about learning deer magic, I'd be happy to be your teacher! We'll just have to figure out of you're a day pony or a night pony," Yula spoke as Trixie shook her head with a chuckle.

"My full name is Trixie Lula-moon," she said with a smirk.

"That's wonderful! Oh, I've never taught anyone before-this is going to be so much fun. And I'll be sure to be there when you defeat this Twilight Sparkle pony," Yula gave a supportive nod as the pair continued along the long and winding road to Canterlot.