Trixie: Take 2

Chapters

Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
The Real Chapter 8
Chapter 1
Chapter 8

Chapter 2

Trixie’s mind was racing. What had she done to upset Celestia enough to call the guards on her? She was beginning to hyperventilate when she noticed Luna leaning back on the bed laughing hysterically. Had she not been surrounded by guards, she would’ve given her a piece of her mind. She turned her attention back to Celestia and noticed that, in the corner of her harsh scorn, there was a hint of a smile.

She had to admit, even though Celestia had imprisoned her for a thousand years, this was still hilarious. “My stars, she’s good at this! I wonder how long she’ll keep it up.” Luna couldn’t help but laugh and laugh and laugh, in spite of Trixie’s harsh gaze. She noticed her sister was beginning to cave, so she stepped over and lightly poked Celestia in the sides and whispered “Tia, you’re scaring her! I didn’t want you to scare her this badly, she looks as though she’s about to cry!” Celestia conceded that this was true and called off her guards.

Trixie was dumbfounded. A few seconds ago, Luna had been laughing harder than Trixie had ever seen anyone laugh, but now she stood up to the mightiest Pony in all of Equestria to save her! “That’s 2 times in 24 hours,” Trixie remarked “best not to question it, I suppose.” Trixie was handed a pair of warm, clean clothes to change in to, and escorted along with Princess Luna to the dining hall for breakfast. Upon entering, she noticed the incredible contrast in the regal granite table, with antique wooden chairs (3 set out for the occasion) and an intricately designed ornate rug, when all that was on the table was 3 plates of plain old toast with a glass of orange juice to eat and drink. She sat awkwardly, intimidated by the presence

around her, quietly sipping her orange juice between bites.

“This is certainly an odd breakfast… I wonder what’s gotten into our guest. Perhaps the prank was a little much…” Luna began to feel a pang of guilt, fearing that that was the cause of the lack of conversation. She attempted to start a conversation about the weather schedule, but Celestia excused herself to raise the sun and begin the necessary routines to begin the day. Luna’s face lit up all of a sudden. “Trixie!” She said enthusiastically, “You’ve travelled all around Equestria, correct?” a feeble “yes” was the only response she received. “Well, perhaps you could show me around? I hear you were quite popular in Ponyville, and my sister has taken such a fascination with the place!” She noticed Trixie light up at the mention of Ponyville, and assumed this was a welcomed idea.

Trixie’s face became a mixture of both shock and realization; “That purple pony! She must be responsible for the atrocious welcome the Great and Po-“She stopped mid-thought, “perhaps she has something to do with the inappropriate greeting I received…” She had started realizing that she had to stop talking in 3rd person; it was just too painful to think about. “Perhaps her highness would simply like to entertain ourselves in the castle? I would very much enjoy a tour!” But her words fell upon deaf ears as Luna called a servant over to alert Princess Celestia of her plans for an expedition to Ponyville.

Luna was overjoyed, her ideas were rarely heard, and even less commonly agreed with! She had heard Trixie say something about a tour, and assumed she offered a tour of Ponyville. She ordered a nearby Servant to deliver a note post haste, and another to pack 2 day packs with the necessary items needed for a picnic. “Wait a minute…” She thought to herself. “Weren’t those ponies that saved me from… her… in Ponyville? They WERE! Perhaps they’d like to attend the picnic as well!” She couldn’t contain her excitement, although she did order 2 pairs of over coats and sun glasses so that she (and her guest, if she pleased) could go and maintain a low profile, which Trixie accepted, much to her surprise. The hot air balloon was readied, and the two took off with no further delay.

***

The balloon ride was majorly uneventful, for Luna had already seen the ground from above, and Trixie seemed to be trembling with excitement, which made Luna even more impatient. She had arranged to have the balloon stop about a mile away from the village to avoid too much attention.

Trixie was terrified. Surely the ponies had not forgotten about their little mishap already! She appreciated the fact that she had an overcoat to conceal her identity, but had Luna forgotten what she had told her? After little contemplation, she decided to express her concerns. “Luna, are you sure this is a good-“but the look she got was too much. Luna had the look of a young filly, giddy about a new doll. It was both disarming and reassuring at the same time. Trixie found herself almost sympathizing with the Princess, but she didn’t know why. The look she was giving the show-pony was so naïve and hopeful that she simply didn’t have the nerve to disappoint her. She smiled and said “Do you have a bottle of water?” Luna eagerly reached into her saddle pack and offered her a bottle.

“Oh, this is going to be so much fun! It’s been so long since I was around anypony besides Tia, and now I not only get to spend time with the Great and Powerful Trixie, I also get to… hang? Yes, hang with the 6 ponies that saved me!” She felt a tinge of pain as she remembered the things Nightmare moon had whispered to her during those awful days on the moon, of the long nights she spent alone, yearning for company… She suddenly felt the urge to open up to somepony, and Trixie was right there, so…

Trixie was completely blindsided by the Princess’ sudden confessions, and listened in both fascination and pity. “I… I don’t have many, neigh, any friends, fair Trixie. I want to thank you. You’re the first pony I’ve trusted in quite awhile. It’s hard, not being able to trust those around you, or even yourself. Being trapped on the moon taught me to loathe the one pony in this world I could trust. Even though I purged myself through the aid of 6 young mares, I still find it difficult to trust others. I know you must be humbled by this, but I am no different than you, or anypony else. I too have 4 legs, and 4 hooves. I have a special talent, and a horn, and a mane. The only thing that sets up apart is my sister, bless her heart. I know she’s only looking out for me, but she rarely let’s me leave the castle. Part of- I think,” She quickly corrected herself “She does it because she is over protective of me, but I also think she fears I’ll become lost again… I don’t know why, Trixie, but I trust you.” She smiled over at Trixie, who looked away to hide the tear sliding down her cheek. She hadn’t even gotten to Ponyville, and she had already found a use for the sun glasses. “Thank you…” she whispered, although she didn’t think Luna could hear her.

“Oh, Luna, what were you thinking? Simply because she stayed at your castle over night does not make her your best friend!” She thought to herself, thinking Trixie had turned away out of discomfort. “I apologize for putting you in such an awkward position, Trixie; I am just unaccustomed to having a friend.” She heard her whisper something, but could not quite make out what it was. She was shocked when Trixie stared at her through her sunglasses. “Thank you” she said shakily. “Thank you so much…” Luna could see tears starting to roll down her cheeks from under her shades.

The two sat in silence for a moment so Trixie could regain her composure, when she suddenly blurted out “Oh, and Pr… Luna? What did you tell Princess Celestia this morning to save me?”

Luna looked over with a shy smile and said “All I said was that the joke had gone on far enough!” She was surprised to see Trixie start laughing; she had thought she would be furious. Soon, she found herself laughing, and the pair rolled on the floor of the balloon’s carriage, laughing harder than they ever had, Ponyville a mere half-hour away.

Please, feel free to offer any forms of criticism, either by comment, private message, or even messenger hawk if you'd like! At any rate, thank you for reading this.

-MrGreat

Chapter 3

A gentle wind blew through Ponyville that morning, and the Purple Pony felt today was going to be great. Spike made her a wonderful breakfast of Pancakes and French toast with a fresh glass of orange juice to make up for his absence that evening for undisclosed reasons. Twilight daintily ate her breakfast as spike headed out the door, and she decided today was going to be amazing.

Trixie, uplifted by the princess’ confessions, created an artificial wind, stronger than she was used to, to make the hot air balloon arrive sooner, as she was sure it was noticeable in Ponyville. Luna had taken to arranging her saddle pack, blanket on bottom and the edibles beneath for “Maximum picnic efficiency!” as she phrased it. The more she thought about it, the more that pony- Starlight? Something like that- seemed to resemble the Princess of the night. Trixie found herself looking on at the princess in the same way a parent looks upon her young filly pretending to play Mare with her own filly doll. Perhaps it was the way she seemed to fret over every detail, perhaps it was the constant “…and if I put this here…,” or “no, no, that should go on bottom!” she found it almost adorable. She hid an embarrassed smile from the princess, although she did not know why she felt the need to.

Oh my, I am SUCH a klutz! This picnic’s going to be a complete disaster if the sandwiches are crushed! Luna was on the brink of a panic attack, but did her best to hide it from the Great magician she shared the balloon with. What if the blanket’s all wrinkled up? Surely they’ll think I didn’t take enough care! Is the wind blowing harder now? Luna suddenly became painfully aware of the howling wind’s blowing the balloon, and couldn’t help but think somepony was causing this to happen, and then she noticed a faint glow from Trixie’s horn. She groaned, too polite to ask her guest to stop, surely she thought she was doing her a favor! She decided to attempt to take Trixie’s mind off the subject, knowing elemental magic’s require ones entire attention. “Trixie, perhaps you’d be willing to tell me a story of your travels about Equestria? I’d ever so love to hear one!”

Trixie didn’t know if the Princess could tell that she was creating the wind, but she welcomed the chance to take a break, she was almost working up a sweat with the spell. “Well, there’s a plethora for you to choose from, dear friend, perhaps The Great and Powerful Trix-“Trixie silently cursed herself for falling back into such habits. She had to turn a new leaf, and fast! “I have one or two… I’d prefer to hear about you though” She turned to Luna with an innocent smile on her face. “What’s it like being Queen of the Night?”

“Oh… oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no… No. NO! I am a Princess, not a “Queen of the night” I am “Princess Luna!” She was suddenly breathing very hard, and her vision was clouding over with both rage and tears. She saw that she was scaring Trixie, but she didn’t care. “Don’t you DARE call me that EVER AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?!” She was practically yelling at the ex-show pony by now, but she was hurt! Why would Trixie want to hurt Luna like that?

“L… Luna, I’m sorry…” True, Trixie didn’t know what she had to be sorry about, but she had just witnessed Princess Luna go from a mildly content pony to a psychotic monster on the verge of throwing her off of the hot-air balloon. She decided it’d be best to wait for a decent amount of time before bothering her about it again, which is why she was slightly shocked when Luna apologized.

“I’m sorry, Trixie, perhaps you did not mean to hurt me so badly” “Well, I didn’t mean to hurt you at all” Trixie thought to herself. “But surely you have heard of…” Luna looked away, tears in her eyes for a second time that morning. She took a deep breath and continued. “Surely you’ve heard the horrid tales of Nightmare Moon, Queen of the night? I apologize if you have not, I refuse to go into any detail, but please, for me, never say that EVER again… It hurts too much.”

“Well that solves THAT mystery” Trixie thought to herself. She trotted over to Luna and sat down beside her. “Hey.” She said holding a hoof under Luna’s chin and holding her head up. “Let’s get this saddle bag all packed up, we’re due to land any second, and I KNOW you didn’t finish arranging our food items” She said with a playful smirk. She could see that Luna appreciated the gesture, and the two worked in silence (save Luna’s murmurs) for the rest of the ride.

***

Twilight plodded along silently, her mind buzzing ever since she got a surprise letter from Princess Celestia informing her that her baby sister was coming to visit. “Princess Luna is coming here? And she’s preparing a picnic! Hopefully she’s arranged the contents so the sandwiches don’t get crushed, although I’m more than certain that Pinkie would be delighted to make some snacks.” She got to the drop off zone moments before a hot air balloon came into sight. She could see two ponies looking over the side, and she could only assume one was Luna, although they were both wearing over coats and shades. “An undercover guard, perhaps? No, it appears to be two mares… maybe it’s a servant or a cook?” Twilight patiently waited for the balloon to float gently down. The two passengers didn’t move for a second, and Twilight could make out Luna’s Aqua-blue eyes, although the familiarity of the strangers’ deep purple eyes.

Luna glanced uneasily at Trixie. They hadn’t been expecting a visitor, had they? No, certainly THAT is not something she’d forget. Maybe it was just a coincidence, they were, after outside a popular location in Equestria… right? It was not until the lone pony called out “Princess? Is that you?”This caused Luna to blush. Normally, she was just called Luna or (on very rare occasions) Lulu. She had felt only slightly less embarrassed when Trixie had addressed her as such, although she didn’t know why. She opened the door and lead herself and Trixie over to meet the mare.

Trixie was feeling a mix of anger and anxiety. “This was the pony that ruined my career! Oh, if the Princess weren’t here, I’d give her what-for!” But she held her tongue, for Luna’s sake. As they approached the greeter, Trixie’s anger quickly vanished, leaving behind only apprehensive feelings. “what if she recognizes me? What if she rats out my horrible behavior to the Princess? Oh, I think she recognizes me! Act cool, you got this! Oh, is this what insane people feel like? Trixie watched Luna light up with joy as she met the ring leader of the group of mares who had saved her. “Twilight, how good to see you again!” She heard Luna say. “Twilight! How could I forget such a dramatic name? Ugh.” She scorned herself and hung back, hoping Twilight would mistake her for a guard.

Luna was overjoyed, to her front was the Lead pony who saved her from herself, and to her back was her new friend. “Why is she back there?” she thought. “Surely, she is eager to meet my savior!” She pushed Trixie up to Twilight, eliciting whispered complaints from the blue pony.

Twilight extended a hoof, as was custom greetings in Canterlot, although the stranger merely looked at it. “You’re supposed to shake it, ya know! She said. The stranger let out a strained laugh, both nervous and phony. She did NOT trust this mare. She saw a glimmer of white hair on the pony and she felt like she was going through déjà vu, although she chose to ignore it. “Why upset a guest, she’s done nothing to harm you, perhaps she’s just shy!” Twilight ignored the fact that shy ponies are not often seen with royalty, and led them back towards the village.

Trixie’s heart was pounding. “Surely she recognizes me! Oh, could this day get any worse?” Her fears were confirmed when she heard an over eager princess say “Twilight, this is my friend, perhaps you’ve heard of her?” Trixie started shaking her head and motioning no, but it was too late, for Luna said (in what would be later known as her “Royal Canterlot voice”) I am travelling with none other, than the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRRIXIEEEEEEE!!!”

The only sounds heard in the silence to come was a frustrated groan, followed by a furious shriek, and a spell that Trixie recognized as “spell 25.”

Ok, so a recent review told me to take more time in my details, so I believe I did that here. Tell me what you think, comment, review, PM, anything! Again, thank you for reading this!

-MrGreat

Chapter 4

“Well, I can’t honestly say I thought I’d need to learn how to shave when I woke up this morning… Come to think of it, I didn’t think I’d be waking up in a freezing cold bath tub with the princess standing over me either… Something tells me this day isn’t getting any less weird.” Trixie thought to herself. She was mildly frustrated with Twilight, although it was difficult to not laugh with one of the most powerful ponies in Equestria playing with the beard that now adorned Trixie’s face. As she looked over at Twilight, she could see nothing but contempt in her purple eyes, and Trixie was extremely grateful for the company she was travelling with, knowing that if the princess was not there she would’ve lost an appendage or two.

“So you just made that appear? Out of nowhere?” Luna was fascinated, not for the first time, by the talent the purple mare possessed. Since she had been freed from Night Mare Moon, Luna hadn’t seen anything more than basic magic, seeing as there was no real need for such measures in her current life style; most matters were taken care of by the servants at the castle. “Could you teach ME how to do that?” She played it off as a simple lust for learning to encourage the purple pony, although she secretly thought it would be hilarious if Princess Celestia, ruler of Equestria, were to wake up with a faded, rainbow goatee and a soul patch, although she didn’t think Twilight could hear her request, she seemed to be intrigued by something else. Something that made her angry…

“And to think I could be in bed right now! Or, better yet, reading! This day started out so well, first I get breakfast in bed with a letter from the Princess- well, Princess Celestia, I suppose, there are two princesses after all… Announcing that I would be touring Princess Luna around Ponyville, but then SHE showed up… what is she even doing here, anyways?” Twilight was in a state of pure rage, her horn still glowing, ready to humiliate the Blue mare further if necessary. She couldn’t honestly pin the reason for her anger, last time she had seen “The Great and Powerful Trixie” (She said, mentally, in a mocking tone) she had been nothing but piteous for her, why am I so angry at her? Had she not noticed Princess Luna looking over at her, she may have gone in for a second attack on the mare. She quickly regained her composure and addressed Luna with the bow that was normal for greeting royalty, but Luna quickly held up a hoof to stop the bow. “Yes, yes, it is I, Princess Luna. Please call me Luna. Could you possibly teach ME that trick? I would love to begin learning magic again!” Instantly, Twilight set off on a tangent about how she’d love to show Luna some magic spells, and she was instantly put into a good mood, Trixie being all but forgotten by the group.

Trixie suddenly saw a resemblance between the two ponies; they both loved learning, albeit the motives may be different, and they both are insanely powerful… the three could certainly put on a fabulous show, although Trixie foresaw a harsh decline in her popularity in the very near future. She trudged on silently while the two ponies chatted about this spell, or that enchantment. She was planning on using her magic to make the beard disappear, but the morning air was crisp, and she suddenly realized the beard would help her mask her identity, and keep her face nice and warm. “Did Luna say she planned on assembling the SIX ponies that saved her? Assuming Twilight is the least rash of the group, this day CERTAINLY isn’t getting any less weird.” Her mind wandered for a few more minutes before she heard her name pop up in the other pairs’ conversation, and she immediately focused her attention on eaves dropping, although she pretended to be focused on the scenery.

“Ok…” Luna thought with growing exhaustion “I get that she doesn’t like Trixie, but she sure has thought out her argument!” The conversation about random small talk had suddenly changed to Luna defending Trixie while Twilight tried to convince her that Trixie was a “bad seed” as she had so eloquently put it. She noticed Trixie’s ears perk up for just a second, and realized she was (or had been, perhaps) listening in on the conversation, and, to avoid a conflict between the two, immediately changed the conversation. “Yes, I DID hear about her show in *Mareland, I particularly liked her “Ursa Major” act. She noticed that Twilight was thoroughly confused, and she was both sorry and somewhat happy, although she immediately felt guilty about the latter. “The picnic hasn’t even started yet, and I’m already getting tired…” She halted Twilight’s attempts at ejecting Trixie from the plans then and there, leaving a very frustrated Twilight, a very Exhausted (yet satisfied) Luna, and a very confused, and mildly annoyed, Trixie.

“Great, just great. I start listening in JUST as the conversation is ending… What were they saying? I KNOW I heard my name, and I’m pretty sure both sides said it at least once, perhaps more on Twilight’s side. I’m no **Sherlock Hooves, but I’m smart enough to know that’s probably a bad thing. I just hope she hasn’t gotten to Luna…” She was suddenly awed by the presence of the shadow-gray mare before her. She was spending the day with a unicorn, so powerful that she had to be banished to the moon to protect the supposedly “All powerful, Princess Celestia”… Come to think of it, Luna was probably stronger than her more popular sister, why hadn’t she chosen to assume power of the throne? She’s certainly smart enough, and she seems to know her way around a spell much more comfortably than Luna, although Trixie had seen no direct demonstration, Luna seemed to have a soft-spoken air of confidence radiating around her at all times. She pulled the Shadow-bound mare aside to ask her what had happened, and had to remind herself not to address her as “Princess Luna” and certainly not “Queen of the Night!” “Luna, what were you two talking about? I KNOW it wasn’t only about my show in Mareland, and I also know that Twilight certainly isn’t fond of me!” She seemed less sure of herself for some reason, although she couldn’t place why. Not until, that is, Luna leaned over and whispered in her ear in a menacing tone “The reason I seem to be radiating self confidence, little Trixie, is because I know much more magic than anypony could ever conceive!” She seemed to hiss out the last word, and Trixie was truly terrified, her heart had started thundering in her chest. “How had she known I thought that? Is this the same Luna? What… What’s-“ Her thought process was cut short by an intruding thought, which she felt was not her own. “Look at me!” It seemed to almost suggest. She obeyed the alien thought and peeked at Luna, who was choking back laughter. Between laughs, she managed to say…

“I’ve not been completely ignoring my studies since I arrived home, Trixie! I found a book on mind control. Interestingly enough, mind control isn’t only about having a brainless puppet do whatever you, more so ***subtly planting your thoughts into their heads, so subtly that they don’t even realize it isn’t their own.” She was proud to see that Twilight was completely dumbfound by this idea, and she saw that Trixie was not only equally impressed, but that she was also put at ease. She was pleasantly surprised when she heard Trixie say “A rather impressive notion, although it sounds like somepony would turn it into a movie; a very... very bad movie.” As the trio trotted on, sharing a laugh, Luna turned to Twilight and said “Now, Twilight, would you like ME to explain why you harbor feelings of hostility towards my friend here” motioning towards Trixie, cheeks faintly red “or would YOU like to?”

“She wouldn’t dare… would she? She obviously has entrance to my thoughts, she certainly knows why I’m angry at Trixie, but she wouldn’t do this to me, would she?” Twilight was in a state of panic, and it certainly would have gone on, had a certain unicorn laid a hoof on her shoulder.

Trixie was shocked at the sudden realization. “She isn’t mad at her for her actions on the night of the show, Twilight is mad at me for what I’m doing right now! Luna and I have plans to spend the entire day together, and that means Princess Celestia not only allows this, but welcomes it! She feels threatened by my being here!” Trixie was overcome with such guilt she suddenly found it hard to swallow. She’d been so naïve up to this point, she had paid literally no attention to what Twilight was feeling. She realized that Princess Luna could have planted those thoughts in her head, but… somehow she knew she had realized it herself. She did the only thing she could think to do. With tears in her eyes, she walked over to Twilight, laid a hoof on her shoulder and said as sincerely as she knew how “I’m sorry. I’m sorry for everything I’ve done to you. I’ve been a bad seed” the thought seemingly came out of nowhere, “and I don’t deserve your forgiveness, but I want you to know that I am sorry. The princess, your mentor spoke very highly of you after Luna took me in last night.” Trixie knew Luna would be listening, or seeing, rather, her thoughts, so she knew she would see the reasoning behind this lie.

Twilight was dumb founded, not for the first time, by what was happening to her. Was this the same Trixie? Was it Luna making her say this? “No” she thought. “This is sincere, Twilight.” She realized she wasn’t one to think in 3rd person, and the spell must take massive amounts of concentration, which led her to believe that Luna was the one influencing her thoughts. She looked into Trixie’s eyes and said something Trixie never thought she’d hear in her life. “I forgive you.” The two shared a brief PLATONIC hug, and then the three walked on in silence towards Ponyville, where a familiar orange pony was seen giving the young ponies a tour of the library, a chore Twilight had requested she do in her brief absence. When they walked into the library, Apple Jack was just wrapping up the tour when she saw Trixie.

“Well, well, well, if it isn’t the “Great and powerful Trixie” she spat. Have you come to settle the score, or have you come to apologize?

“The answer’s going to surprise you, I promise” Trixie said.

*Come on, I had to think of something horse related, and Maryland was the first thing to pop into my head, give me a break.

**Don’t look at me like that, it’s 2 in the morning.

*** I honestly thought of that myself, although I know Inception is based on that. If you haven’t seen it, don’t.

I feel like I was dragging my feet a little bit on this one, and that I might be losing steam. It’s fun to write, though, and that’s what’s important, so to anyone actually following this, thank you, I hope I don’t disappoint you in the near future. As always, I’m open to any and all forms of criticism, so please feel free to leave a review or comment, PM me on my page, or anything else. Seriously, though. Do NOT see inception.

-MrGreat (Just to avoid looking conceited, my brother made that name up as a joke and never used it again, and I thought it was hilarious, so I took it from him permanently :D )

Chapter 5

Apple Jack prided her on the tour she gave the younger ponies. “Fer a pony who don’t come here but to talk to her friend, I sure did give one hay of a tour, if I do say so mahself!” While she found the thought of the students being so fascinated by these books, Apple Jack could not betray her distaste for tomes. While she had never been a keen reader, the root for her less-than-satisfactory review was due solely to the one book in her kitchen she attempted to read when she was just a filly. She complained to Big Macintosh (Little Macintosh, at the time) that the chapters were too long, and the plot was horribly muddled. In her frustration, she only picked up a few words from what Big Mac said, such as “perseverance is key…” “you need to have patience…” “that was a dictionary…” Apple Jack had no tolerance for excuses, and these were no exceptions. She glanced outside, noticing it was about time for Twilight to arrive home. She cleaned up the small mess her sister and her two friends had created in their attempts to become the “Cutie mark Crusaders Librarians” which was going rather well, until scootaloo decided it was too “lame.” She was just sitting down when she heard a knock at the door. Her suspicions were met and exceeded when she not only saw her friend, but Princess Luna as well! And a third pony followed along beside them, although it shrunk back when it saw Apple Jack, who would have recognized the stranger much sooner had it not been for a flowing white beard; Trixie had come back, and Apple Jack hadn’t forgiven anything she’d done. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t the “Great and powerful Trixie”. Have you come to settle the score, or have you come to apologize?” She could only faintly hear the blue showpony mutter “The answer will surprise you, I’m sure.”

“Surely this isn’t the same pony who aided in freeing me? I didn’t think Twilight would hang out with such… ruffians!” Luna eyed the purple mare suspiciously, although she immediately felt guilty, the librarian was all but having a panic attack, and with Trixie trying to reason with the orange show pony, Luna felt as though she was the only rational one of the group. She knew it’d be best for her to intervene, although, although she knew she didn’t have enough information to know which side to defend. “Perhaps waiting and acting on the bits of information I can pick up can give me some ground in this argument.” She knew it was going to be awkward if she just stood near the ponies, and, deep down, she enjoyed a good argument. She quickly assessed all the possible things she could do to avoid making her eaves dropping too evident, so she decided to pretend to read, she was a natural book worm, and no pony would question her choosing to do so. She chose a mystery novel, as she found such books to be mundane and pointless, allowing her the most opportunity to listen in on the conversation undetected.

“This isn’t happening, this isn’t happening, this isn’t happening…” Twilight was in shock. Perhaps one of her closest friends was showing a complete disregard to the Princess! How could she act so irresponsibly in front of one of, if not THE most powerful equine in all of Equestria? While they were refraining from any physical violence, they were certainly going at it verbally, with several words being spouted by Apple Jack which would make Old Granny Smith cry. Although she was, at first, frantic in seeing the princess calmly strut over to the book cases and casually pick out books, she was glad to know she was distracted from the scene the other 2 were causing. She did happen to notice she was reading *The Westing Mane, a book which Twilight personally found infuriating, although upon seeing how content the Princess seemed, she was tempted to grab a few books herself and ignore the storm her friends had caused, although she doubted she could so masterfully ignore such a ruckus.

“I can understand why she’s mad at me, but this profanity is nothing short of unnecessary! I consider myself to be rather familiar with many popular swear words, but she has increased my vocabulary at least 3 times!” The Blue unicorn was in a state of both offense and utter confusion, one minute she had been innocently chatting with her friends, something she could take comfort in saying, and the next she was being verbally barraged by this… this… Hayseed! Trixie had, more than once, spoken in third person, although she caught herself soon after, less so for angering the orange earth pony, more so to avoid slipping back into old habits. While Apple Jack had taken a much more aggressive stance, Trixie had mainly stayed defensive. She became lost in thought for a moment, reflecting on how much she had changed in the past day alone. Less than 24 hours ago, she was the top contender for “Most vain pony of the year” and now she was reluctant to even form an aggressive rebuttal. While now was not the best time to realize it, she was changing for the better.

“The gall! The nerve! She’s lucky I aint beatin’ her sorry hide here an’ now!” Apple Jack’s temper had gotten the better of her a long time ago, and her manners had all but flown out the window. She didn’t find her attitude annoying, or even her personality. What REALLY bugged her was the fact that she issued a challenge, and instead of truly up-staging anypony, she simply humiliated them! Although she considered herself a logically-thinking pony, what she had done was “darn near unforgivable,” but the worst part is she wouldn’t admit it! She saw that the princess had gone to read books, and her friend was curled up in a ball stroking her tail reciting the Dewey Decimal System. She started Trixie in the eyes and said “This isn’t over, ya hear? I’ve got more important things to attend to, and you don’t place very high on the list… and shave that beard, will ya? Makes ya look even worse than you already do.” She left the stunned mare in silence and awe, and, with a light yet infuriating whip of her tail, sat down to comfort her friend.

“Wait… literally, not even a minute ago she was yelling at me, seemingly ready to go to jail for the actions she would no doubt enact, and now she’s calming down our friend as if there isn’t a care in the world… What’s WRONG with this town?” Although, she did owe Apple Jack thanks, she had completely forgotten about the beard. She took care of the beard both quickly and effectively, and took stock of her surroundings. She noticed that Luna had put down her books and was speaking to the foul-mouthed pony, although she was certainly on Trixie’s side, which relieved and surprised Trixie, only because she hadn’t realized she had been worried about it until now. She also noticed that Twilight was upset with Apple Jack, and while she would have taken extreme pleasure in having support, she felt as though the only one to blame was the show pony herself. Against her better judgment, she walked around to the opposite side of the frantic mare and tried to comfort her as well, although she was having no greater effect. She saw Luna staring at the trio in dissatisfaction, imitating her older sister as best she could. She leaned down into Twilights ear and whispered something too quietly for the other two to hear. Suddenly, Twilight bolted up right, looked at the two ponies to her sides and let out an exhausted breath.

“No, it wasn’t the butler, you FOAL! The clues obviously point to the jealous ex-wife!” Luna thought to herself. This is, by far the most gripping book Luna had ever read, and was shocked to see that the argument was already over, and the two were standing around the purple mare who was, quite masterfully, feigning a panic attack, and if her pupils had been a tad more dilated, she would have alerted the emergency medical technicians. She whispered in her ear that she had gained the attention of the feuding ponies, whereupon Twilight sat up and let out an exasperated sigh. “Well, seeing as the argument is said and done, perhaps an introduction is in order? I am-“ although she was cut off by Apple Jack quickly saying “Oh, I recognize ya, ma’am, how could I not recognize one of the most powerful ponies in all of Equestria?” “Hm!” she said, disapprovingly “You certainly weren’t acting as though you recognized me.” She could see Apple Jack cringe and hang her head in shame. She turned her head to the purple mare and whispered in her ear “It’s ok, they stopped arguing, you can give up the act” with a playful smile.

“How had they not noticed I was faking? I certainly didn’t act like I’d imagine a hysterical pony would… Oh well, I suppose this isn’t the sort of thing to question.” She could plainly see that Princess Luna was annoyed by what she had just witnessed, and Apple Jack’s reputation was going to suffer because of it. Once the introductions had been made, Luna suggested the ponies departed the library, stating that more than enough time had been available to rest. No sooner had the party left the tree, than a Pink Pony was seen bouncing around the perimeter of the Library.

“Oh, Celestia,” Trixie thought to her “tell me we aren’t to be expected to hold a picnic with this pink tornado!” “Hey guys! Wowie Zowie, I didn’t think you were EVER going to come out! Hey, you’re Princess Luna, right?” had only time to say “Why, yes, I am-“until she was cut off once more by the Pink motor mouth. “Wow, it’s great to see you again, do you remember me? Huh, huh, huh?” While Twilight and Apple jack were unaffected by Pinkie’s greetings, both Trixie and Luna felt as though a nap were in order. “Hey, waaait a minute… aren’t you the big meanie beanie magician?” Pinkie asked, obviously directed towards Trixie, who responded, much more nervous than she had hoped to, “Uh, haha, I haven’t the faintest idea what you’re talking about.” This sparked suspicious glances from Luna, Twilight, and Apple Jack, the unicorn and earth pony starting to realize that Luna hadn’t heard about what Trixie had done.

“Oh, Princess!” Apple Jack said in a mock friendly tone, “Has Trixie not told you how she acted during her first visit to Ponyville? Go on, Trixie, tell her! Or, would y’all like me to?” Trixie, fearing this farm pony was about to destroy everything she had earned in the past day, attempted to play it off. ”Oh, that, that was just a uhh… a Joke! Yes, yes, a joke and nothing more! Ha-ha!” although her efforts were ill received, and Apple Jack took it upon herself to explain. “Well, ya see, princess, it goes like this…” For the next 10 to 15 minutes, Apple Jack tells Luna every last detail of Trixie’s initial visit to Ponyville, causing Trixie to blush, laugh, and cough in embarrassment during different parts. Once she had finished her story, Luna turned her back to the group and trotted a few steps away…

“I’m very disappointed in you” was all that she said

Trixie looked around to see Apple Jack, smirking viciously, Twilight, ashamed of her friend for the second time today, and the Pink tornado sitting in a lawn chair, contentedly eating popcorn, seemingly acquired from nowhere.

Alright, I feel like Apple Jack is by far the hardest pony for me to work with, but I got it done, although I feel like I could make it better, I just don’t know how… Anyway, leave a review or PM me, I especially need feedback on this chapter, so let me hear it!

-MrGreat

Chapter 6

“Oh, this day just gets better and better, huh?!” The pink pony thought to herself, as she offered the Blue Pony some popcorn. “First I wake up with Gummy curled up into the cutesy ootsey-est ball after last night’s crazy *PLATONIC* party, Mrs. Cake has a free strudel for me, and now I get here just in time to see the princess pretend to get angry at my friends while I eat this great popcorn!” Although her ecstasy was cut short upon realizing something, something important in what she had just said… Thoughts raced through her head in order to detect the problem, although she couldn’t quite put her hoof on it. “Oh my good golly gosh!” she cried. “I forgot the butter and salt for this popcorn! No wonder something seemed wrong with this situation!” She slapped her forehead, annoyed that she could have missed something so obvious. "I forgot to add butter and salt to this popcorn! I mean, come on, what's popcorn if it isn't drowning in butter and salt? I guess it is still popcorn, but come on, what could be more boring than that?!" Pinkie went on and on about how popcorn was not popcorn unless it had the necessary, no, crucial seasonings toppings, but managed to arrive on the topic of why Fluttershy wouldn't make a good wrestler, and had offered her popcorn, if you could call it that, to Twilight, hoping to cure her apparent bad mood.

“Apple Jack, what have you done? Trixie didn’t want to hurt anypony, she’s trying her hardest to make amends, why can’t you forgive her?” While the purple mare did not say this aloud, she certainly wanted to. She had always known Apple Jack to be a stubborn pony, but this wasn’t like her, she could always see the best in everypony! Twilight shifted her attention over to the Princess, who had her head hung in disappointment. She could hear Pinkie sitting back in her chair eating popcorn as if there wasn’t a care in the world. She did, however, find some consolation in the fact that Pinkie seemed t suddenly realize that what was happening was not something to be enjoyed, and even appeared to make Pinkie lose her appetite! It was almost strange, seeing the Pink pony take something so seriously after taking it so light-heartedly. While she was proud of Pinkie for showing moderation, she could see it didn’t bother Trixie, though, so she chose to follow the Show pony’s lead.

“First, this pony comes out of nowhere and sets a huge fight in motion, then she procures a lawn chair and popcorn out of thin air, to watch the fight between this hick and me, and now she’s offering me food? I know I expected this day to get less and less normal, but who could expect that?!” The show pony was suddenly aware of how easily she was distracted from the more pressing matter at hand: Luna was upset, and Trixie was sure she wasn’t going to be seeing a pretty end to this argument, certainly not anytime soon. “I shouldn’t be complaining” she thought “I SHOULD be huddled underneath a tree right now, half starved. Had it not been for the princess, I’d be in that very situation right now. While Trixie had some choice words she’d like to share with Apple Jack, although she could see how upset the display in the library had made her, any more hostility at the moment may cause a second outburst from Luna. “Listen here, Miss Jack, I really don’t want any trouble, and I’m sorry for anything I’ve done to offend you, but keeping Luna happy is-or at least SHOULD be- top priority here. Truce, for now?”

“Did she really just say that? I knew she had a problem controllin’ her ego, but this is unforgivable! Now, I like to think I’m a forgiving pony, always willin’ to let go of what happened in the past, but not If it involves hurtin’ my friends! I don’t know why Twilight stands this sort of behavior, but I’m certainly not going to be bossed around by a one-trick-pony with a bloated ego!” Apple Jack walked away from Trixie without a word to sit by Luna’s side. “I’m sorry for the way I acted in the library, Miss-erm, Princess Luna, what I did just wasn’t right, and I’m truly sorry.” While she meant what she was saying, she didn’t think it was having an effect on Luna. She continued on, in hopes of cheering up the night princess. “I know you didn’t want to hear the truth about Trixie, but what she done is even less justified then what I’ve done! Anypony can seem good, and It ain’t your fault for fallin’ for her tricks, but Trixie’s not the kind a pony anypony should spend too much time around.”

“Alright, I’ve had enough of this.” Luna growled. “You are NOT one to tell me who I should and shouldn’t be friends with, young Apple Jack. Do you realize I could have you imprisoned for what you have done here today, for what you have done to my friend? She has shown nothing but self control, while you have shown the opposite! Twilight spoke very highly of you, and I’m sure you have good intentions, but you and I are NOT equals, do you understand?” Luna let out a sigh of relief. “Hoo! That felt good! She suddenly realized what she had said, and what impact they had on the humble earth pony. “I… I apologize. Perhaps I have not completely ridden myself of my “Princess” personality.” She said, with a nervous chuckle, and was about to request Twilight explain what she meant, seeing as she too grief-stricken to explain, but she noticed she was busy talking to the pink pony about something.

“A PICNIC!!! Ooooh, I just love picnics! They’re just like parties, except you get a good meal out of them!” This, added onto the list of things that made the day great for the Pink Tornado, made Pinkie the only pony of the group who could say she was having a good day. Once she was finished with her little outburst, Twilight shot her the nastiest look she had ever seen. “Oh… right… the picnic was a secret… oopsies…”

“Twilight, what’s all this about a picnic? What’s going on here?” She could see Twilight grow even more uncomfortable, which only added to her worries, until Twilight finally cracked under the pressure.

“Apple Jack, I’m sorry. You’re a great friend, and I wouldn’t trade you or anypony for anything in all of Equestria, but you’re acting so weird today! I understand you’re mad at Trixie, and I can respect that, but you have to understand that ponies change!” She let out a sigh, something told her that things were about to get a lot louder. “I decided not to tell you about the picnic so that you wouldn’t…” Twilight was treading on thin ice, and she knew it, she had to choose her words carefully. “…We just felt you wouldn’t have had a good time with Trixie there.”

“D…D’ya really think I’m wrong here?” There was no anger in her voice, only sorrow. “Twilight, I’m sorry. All of you, Pinkie Pie, Twilight, Princess Luna, even you, Trixie, I’m sorry. I’ve been a terrible friend, and I know it, but I promise to behave myself.” Throughout the entire apology, Apple Jack maintained a low volume, and kept her head low, not out of respect, but of shame. She felt a hoof on her shoulder, and expected to see Twilight looking at her, but was shocked to see Trixie staring at her, smiling, although Apple Jack couldn’t bring herself to meet her gaze.

“As terrible as this might make me” thought Trixie “I’m glad I’m not the one apologizing this time!” Now that the picnic was common knowledge, Luna announced that she thought the preparations should begin, with Pinkie and Trixie going to bake some food for the picnic which Luna could not bring, and Twilight, Luna, and Apple Jack going to do 2 things, the first of which was gather up the remaining ponies, although Trixie had her suspicions about whatever else they had planned based on the fact that Twilight claimed they were going to clean the library, which seemed innocent enough, and would have satisfied Trixie, had it not been for several things, one of which was Twilight could not look Trixie in the eyes, and yet another was the fact that she was laughing about it. The other cause for suspicion was Luna claimed they were going to the race tracks, which directly contradicted Twilights excuse, and she planned on questioning them about it later, but the trio raced off, leaving Trixie and the “Less than mentally stable pony” to prepare the food. She followed the bouncing pony back to Sugar cube Corner, and saw her maneuver the shelves and cupboards to retrieve the necessary ingredients expertly, and wondered why her cutie mark wasn’t of baking equipment. Deciding working while conversing beat working silently (not that Pinkie was capable of such a thing) she questioned her about it. *After a story identical to the story Pinkie would later tell the Cutie Mark Crusaders, she said “How’d you get YOUR cutie mark?” This elicited only a bemused stare from the Magician. “Oh, right! Silly me! Your parents must have been so proud of you!”

“Well, actually, they were rather ashamed of it.” She let out a soft chuckle when she saw Pinkie had a look of utter confusion on her face. “Allow me to explain.” Trixie offered.

“My first memories of life are of my mom picking out the cheapest hat for me to wear, claiming whatever she picked out was all the rage, and I believed her for a long time, and why wouldn’t I? She was my mother! She always insisted I wear my hat before leaving the house, and got into arguments with my dad over it a lot, which I didn’t understand for a long time, they were comfortable hats, and I always liked them, and my mother was happy to do it, why would my dad not want me to wear a hat? When I’d leave to go to school, my mother and father would always see me off, my father saying, without fail, ‘Goodbye, my little darling, see you when you get home!” and once they thought I was too far away to hear, I’d sometimes hear my father say things like “You can’t hide it forever.” Which I thought was silly, my mother wasn’t hiding me, she loved me! Why else would she buy me hats? This went on for about 3 years, and I honestly couldn’t complain about life. My mom always bought me new hats when my old ones were out of style, or even if I didn’t like them! I had always thought that she just wanted me to like them so much that I never took them off, and my dad was always there for me, for my problems and to read me a bed time story. While they could refrain from the more brutish acts in my presence, their arguing often woke me up at night. I may have been just a child, but it was painfully obvious that the way the two acted towards each other had gradually become more and more hostile. At first it was just awkward meals due to lack on conversation, but it escalated until the two couldn’t be in the same house. My dad would, more often than not, spend the night at a motel, or at a friend’s house. Yes, this meant I had to sacrifice my bed time stories, but it was a small price to pay to have an adequate amount of sleep each night, and wake up to a mother who was in relatively good spirits. Things went on like this for a long time, spending time with my father every few days, and always sleeping in the same house as my mother, it became routine; That is, until my 8th birthday. Like I said, there was no set schedule for me to spend time with my father, so it was common not to see him for 3 days. I really started getting worried when I had not seen him in over a week, nor had I heard any form of communication through friends of friends of his. While she was very unwilling to co-operate, I finally convinced my mother to explain what was happening, although she refused to go into any detail. She told me that my father had “taken a vacation from being a daddy” and that I wouldn’t be seeing him anymore. While this would be traumatic for any pony, I’m sure you can agree, it was only made worse by the fact that the last person I could trust, my mother, became cold towards me; she stopped talking to me for days at a time, although she had no problems talking with her new colt friend.” At this point, Trixie wiped away a tear before continuing, more for her own sake than her work mate, who had already put the food in the oven to bake and sat on the floor, focused completely on Trixie’s story. “I found a note stored in my very favorite hat a few days after my 8th birthday, from my father… He told me how much he loved me, and that I should never be ashamed of who I was, and that I was a strong filly, and how he would never forget me. I ran downstairs to ask my mother about it, and when she saw me, she screamed as if she didn’t even know me. Her colt friend, whom I had met many times, shouted at me to “Get out of the house”, claiming I was a burglar. I feel as though, at that point, I truly knew fear: my father was gone, my mother hated me, and I was kicked onto the streets without so much as a hat! She kicked me out of my own home with nothing, but a note. But do you know what the scariest thing is?" She looked at the Party Pony and said, almost hysterically "The... the ink was wet... It was WET, Pinkie!” Trixie then looked slowly and deliberately off into the distance, Pinkie could noticeably see the tears on her face. After a few minutes to get her emotions under control, of sorts, she continues. “Somewhere, out there, is some pony who loves me. The father I lost, he’s out there. For so many years, I survived in the streets by myself, but not before I had repaid a visit to my home to gather anything I might need to make it in the world alone, but my mother had already erased me.” Trixie felt the tears flowing down her cheeks now. “I had to sneak into my- well, my mother’s home- to do so, but I could immediately notice the changes; any photos of me had been taken off the walls, and any evidence in the halls had been cleared. I felt like I could take comfort in the thought that she never could have cleared out my room that quickly, and perhaps I was right, but I can never know. When I got to the spot where my room had once been, I only found a wall of bricks, completely sealing off my room. I had never felt more alone in that moment than I ever had; not only had I lost my mother AND my father, but it was like I didn’t exist! I couldn’t think of anything else to do but take to the streets, always hoping that my father would swoop in and save me, but he never did. I gradually came to realize this, and knew that I no longer had a home. That night, I slept in a dark alley, I was fortunate enough to not be harmed by anything; I was naïve to the dangers that lurk in such places.” She paused to choke back tears. “When I woke up, I realized it had rained the night before, yet I was dry. Some pony had come in the middle of the night to cover me with clean, unused trash bags. My initial thought was that some creep had sheltered me in the middle of the night, but I felt like he would have filly napped me. My next thought was that my mother had forgiven me and wanted me back, but she was nowhere to be found. Then, my eyes fell upon a magicians hat, it was blue, and adorned with hoof stitched stars. My mother had no patience for such frivolous things, which was the first tip off that it was my father, but the big hint was what it said: “Never be ashamed of what you are, be proud of what sets you apart from the average pony, and that, no matter what, you will always be my little darling.” It took me until that moment to realize that my mother was ashamed of me! I was frustrated that it had taken so long to realize that, I was angry that I was being abaondoned, and rightfully so! But, deep down, I was only disappointed... was she jealous of my magic? I did everything I could to impress her, so why couldn’t she just… Why couldn’t’ she just LOVE me?” Trixie was so lost in thought that she hadn’t even realized the tears streaming down her face, or that the room was filled with delicious looking treats, but most prominent was Pinkie holding a lone cupcake with a single word written on it;”Trixy”.

She faked a laugh at this. “I appreciate the thought, but you spelled my name wrong.”

“No I didn’t!” the Pink pony said, in her usual upbeat tone. “You aren’t the same pony as you were when you first came to town, silly, any pony can see that! You’re a totally new mare, you’ve changed for the better in a lot of ways. I know this cupcake isn’t that big a deal, but-“Trixie stopped her short. While the magician still had tears running down her cheeks, Pinkie could tell they weren’t of sorrow anymore.

“It’s the nicest thing any pony has ever done for me” Trixie said.

To anyone who was hoping for a Pinkie-heavy chapter, I apologize, but Pinkie’s a pretty laid back character, she really doesn’t get in fights or any sort of conflict, at least in my mind, so… Yeah! Thank you for reading, please feel free to leave a review or a private message, or a messenger hawk even, just so long as I can hear what you guys are saying.

Chapter 7

Trixie watched as the pink pony rubbed her face in various, silly manners in an attempt to remember what Twilight had instructed her to do after the pastries were done. She glanced over at the cupcake and thought to herself ‘Even though she may be… different… she is still definitely somepony I’d consider a friend, both her and Twilight.’ “Pinkie, I’d like to thank you agai-“but she was cut off by Pinkie.

“Oh, now I remember! We’re supposed to go get Fluttershy! Oh, you’ll love her, she’s the friendliest pony I know, and I know every pony! Well, every pony in Ponyville, of course, I don’t think anypony knows every pony! But if any pony did, it’d be me, because…” Trixie managed to tune out the party pony. ‘Even friends can get a tad over bearing at times.’ She justified. She nodded intermittently at Pinkie, feigning attention, and her mind wandered to what Luna, Twilight and Apple Jack were doing.

‘Aw, shucks!’ the farm pony thought. ‘I know what I did was wrong, but Twilight’s still my friend, and I did apologize!’ She sighed out loud, although it wasn’t intentional. ‘Maybe I’ve been too harsh on Trixie… She apologized too, and she’s been tryin’ awful hard to be kind to me…’ although the thought of Trixie made Apple Jack’s blood boil. “No.” she thought, and, had she been saying it, it would have been accompanied by a stomp of her hooves. ‘I’m goin’ to find a way to fix this, what Trixie’s done is plum unforgivable.’ Even though she pretended to be confident, the fact that both Twilight and Luna were silently excluding her was enough to rattle her morale. “At least… I hope I can find a way…”

Even with the previous events of the day, Twilight was thoroughly enjoying her conversations with the princess, since the only other unicorn she spent a prolonged amount of time with was only focused on fashion, she seldom got a chance to have an educated discussion on spells and their history, and Luna had no shortage of such information. “You KNEW Star Swirl, the bearded? What was he like? Was he nice? What did he do in his spare time?” She had more questions to ask, but several things were bothering her. She asked Luna, as quietly as she could, “Do you think we’re being a little too harsh on her?” She could see the confused look on the princess’ face. “Apple Jack.” She quickly explained. The princess nodded her head to show she understood, and Twilight went on. “I know she acted inappropriately, but she only did it because she thought she was sticking up for me.”

Luna considered the view point for a second. After a moment, she had no choice but to concede. “If what you say is true, then I will forgive her, although you are not to tell her. I am open to reconciliation, but only if she comes about it naturally, deal?” She offered her hoof, which Twilight gladly “shook.” “Now, did you say you were taking me to meet your friend Rarity?” Twilight looked at the princess and nodded in confirmation. “I look forward to meeting another unicorn; tell me, does she study magic as dutifully as you?”

Twilight intentionally disregarded the question, knowing Luna wouldn’t like the answer, and decided instead to ask a personal question. “So, Luna, how was it growing up with Princess Celestia? You know, before the uh…” She looked away out of guilt, fearing that the princess would take offense to the question.

“Well, a princess never speaks of herself at such lengths…” Luna began.

The amount of verbal protest she received from the studious mare was comparable to what would be expected from a certain pink pony.

“Go on, now, eat your veggies!” The yellow pegasus cooed to the baby mouse. “Don’t you want to grow up big and strong like your daddy?” She was just scratching off her “baby mouse lunch” chore off the list when she saw two ponies strolling over to her cottage, one of whom she recognized completely, and the other rang a bell, but not very clearly. Not wanting to be rude (and feeling a bit more daring than she normally felt) she didn’t run away screaming, and instead waited for her guests to arrive.

“See? What did I tell you, I can see that you two are going to be the best of friends! What? No, the blushing and backing away out of fear is a good thing!” The party pony was frantically reassuring Trixie that the cowering pegasus that stood- well, huddled in fear before them was actually a kind and caring pony, whom would be any pony’s good friend, although Trixie was unconvinced and made no effort to hide it. She turned to Pinkie skeptically, feeling a bemused stare would get the message across, which shocked the pink pony, and was quickly rewarded, with a look of both shock and embarrassment from the ex-magician.

“Oh, Celestia… I can’t believe I just did that!” Trixie quickly looked over to the now dejected-looking pegasus. “I- I’m Trixie.” She stammered, mainly due to the sheer amount of guilt she felt. “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” Judging by the looks the Pegasus was giving her, Trixie could tell she’d have to do some serious work, even if she hadn’t judged so harshly at first. She looked to Pinkie for help, but she was only rewarded with a shrug. She surveyed the area around her in hopes to find something to relate to the timid pony in front of her, and couldn’t help but notice the overwhelming amount of animals that surrounded them. “So, Fluttershy… Pinkie tells me you’re a fond of animals?”

It was as if Trixie had thrown a magic switch, the pegasus was talking a mile a minute! While she appreciated the fact that the pegasus seemed to have a much higher opinion of her, she couldn’t help but wonder what the princess was doing.

Luna forced a smile. Twilight was desperate to hear some stories from her past, it didn’t take a detective to figure that out, but there was something bothering the princess: She couldn’t think of anything she would be embarrassed about, but there was something at the back of her mind that was… unsettling. She couldn’t put a name to it, and yet… “I can’t simply ignore her question, even though she did the same to mine.” She pointed her head into the sky, looking at nothing in particular and said in a retired tone “What is there to tell? I lived in a wonderful home along side my wonderful parents, and my wonderful sister. My life was just that: wonderful.” The blank stare she received from Twilight told her that she was clearly unsatisfied. Luna forced a smile in an attempt to convince her, but Twilights stare was unwavering. She sighed, defeated. “Any specific type of story you’d like to hear?”

Twilight was extremely pleased upon hearing this, although she hadn’t planned on Luna taking requests. “I really don’t have any particular story I’d like to hear, but you MUST have a favorite?” But the resulting expression worn by the princess told her otherwise. Twilight allowed herself to gush for just a moment. “Well, what was it like growing up alongside Princess Celestia?” but, when she saw Luna cringe, she could tell it was a sensitive subject. This, however, only succeeded in fueling her curiosity. She felt a nudge in her side, and looked over to see Apple Jack smiling at her in an amused fashion. Twilight looked away, but the silent contribution put her in a slightly better mood. The two stared at Luna, hoping she’d take notice,

The princess could feel the two mares’ gaze on her, and knew there was no way out of this situation. “My sister did not lie, Twilight Sparkle, you certainly have a way of doing things…”

“…and that’s why I think robins can perform songs much more fluently than the average blue jay!” Fluttershy was ecstatic, nopony else was very interested in animals, whereas Trixie hadn’t interrupted her once during her whole rant! Suddenly, she came to a realization. “I’ve been such a blabber mouth; I haven’t even given Trixie time to talk!” She scorned herself under her breath, and then politely asked if Trixie had any questions or thoughts.

“Can it be? Could she finally be done?” Trixie managed to contain her joy, and dismissed Fluttershy’s inquiries. She was being sincere, she really did not have any questions or thoughts, although she didn’t know whether to attribute that to the fact that Fluttershy was a rather eloquent speaker, or the fact that Trixie hadn’t listened to a single word she had said. Either way, she decided to change the topic before she could begin a new tangent. She turned to address the butter-yellow pegasus, but decided to include Pinkie. “Have you two ever ventured outside of Ponyville?” True, it was a simple question, but Trixie couldn’t tolerate another tale about the musical capabilities of birds. Much to her satisfaction (and misfortune) Pinkie decided to dominate the conversation for the next hour.

“Well, I’ve never been outside of Ponyville, although Twilight has given us tickets to go to Canterlot for the Grand Galloping Gala! Have you ever been to the Gala? I know you’ve been to Canterlot, heck, you’ve been all over Equestria! What was the most interesting place you’ve been to? What’s the LEAST interesting place you’ve been to? Have you been to Phillydelphia? I’ve always wanted to go there; it just seems like boat loads of fun! I’ve heard ponies talk about how the weather is just peachy, and there are parties every night! Twilight always says those aren’t the types of parties I’m used to. I asked her why, and she just laughed. Not like a “HAHAHA” laugh like when you laugh at a joke, but a “HEH HEH HEH” laugh, like when you don’t want to say something. She said something about the parties being a little more “personal” then I’m used to, but that’s not possible because I’m a personal pony, I know everything about everypony!”

The conversation, one sided as it may have been, went on like this for an awe-inspiring amount of time, with Pinkie asking questions but not allowing an answer. While this was going on, Fluttershy asked why the two had come for her. Trixie glanced over to Pinkie, happily bouncing around the group and paying them little mind, and explained that Trixie and Princess Luna had decided to host a picnic for the friends. She asked why the princess had decided to do so, and, after it was explained why, she asked why it was so late, shortly followed by her scolding herself under her breath once more. Trixie took notice of the frequency of this and told the pegasus to not be so hard on herself. Fluttershy looked at Trixie sheepishly and apologized once more, only irritating Trixie further.

“You need a little confidence!” She exclaimed which would, later, be similar to the efforts of a competitive cyan pegasus. In the same way, it elicited the same response, leading only to Trixie’s frustration.

“As you’d imagine, my parents were very protective of the two of us, always making sure we got along nicely, never got into fights, never acted out of line, never faltered, no mistakes. They were raising the perfect princesses. For a brief period of our pony-hood lives, we were allowed to attend a private school in Canterlot, later renamed after my sister. She has always boasted a great string of achievements, whether it is making top marks in all of our classes, or winning the talent show, placing first in the spelling bee, or being class favorite, she’s always been the winner of the two of us. Now one might imagine this to be a great bother to me, and at first it was. She was always picked first, never ate alone, always the favorite among the adults, and she maintained perfect composure in everything she did. Everything, that is, except the bed rooms. I was always the quiet one, or at least, I THINK I was, a judgment of a pony’s character should come from others, not one’s own self. I never spoke in class, never participated in the activities after school… never dared. She was the confident one who would succeed in everything that she did, but I digress. She always appeared to be upbeat and happy at school, but I was truly her diary. Whenever she had problems, I was the one she would come to. She had to go through so much pressure every day, the focus was always on what she did, meaning every mistake or error would be magnified to ludicrous extremes. One day I found her bawling in our closet because she didn’t get the highest grade in the class on a test. I couldn’t understand why this bothered her so much, but I consoled her nonetheless. She always would preach to me about how awful it was to be her, and how hard it was to be in her position. In this way, I began to hate her. Don’t get me wrong, she is my sister and I love her, but she had no idea how hard it was living in her shadow, to be expected to match and surpass her standards, and she seemed oblivious to what she was doing. I’m sure I was selfish to some degree as well, but none so much as my sister was, she was always willing to throw someone under the proverbial chariot to better her own self.” It was at this point that Luna looked back and saw the shocked looks on friends’ faces. “Oh, yes, your darling princess was none to perfect as a school-filly. Care to hear the undeniable proof?” The two ponies nodded, but Luna had planned on continuing whether or not they wanted to hear it. “As I said, no expense was too great as long as it benefitted her, even if it meant the betrayal of family. Yes, Tia and I had always played little pranks on each other, and she was much better than I was at it, from unscrewing the pepper shakers top to hiding under my bed and scaring me, quite severely, as a very young mare, but I always assumed this was universal to siblings and acts of compassion, and not of malice. To this day, I still wish I were right. I found out one day, that Tia had always been talking about me behind my back. This did not bother me for the reasons you may expect, I never strove for, nor did I even want to be popular. What really hit me about this were the betrayal and the lies. What lead to this discovery was when, for the first time since school started, I tried to make a friend. He was the new stallion in class, although I never learned his name. He came from a rich family himself, and he, too, never spoke up. He sat alone for the first few days of class and ignored the idle chatter around him. Keep in mind, we were all fillies and colts at the time, and love had not yet been a part of our lives, but seeing Tia so happy around her friends made me envious, and I wanted to have that joy for myself. I approached him on his third day of class and asked if I could sit next to him. He looked me square in the eyes and said, without hesitation “No, I don’t associate with Cry Babies.” At first I dismissed this as a joke, but instead of humor, there was only judgment in his eyes. I demanded to know where he had gotten this judgment from, but his silence told me that he was no longer interested in conversing with the likes of me. I didn’t know what else to do, so I ran to Celestia, in hopes that she’d be able to comfort me. I had initially planned on waiting until the day had ended, but my curiosity (and unsettlement) got the best of me. I approached her after lunch when most of her friends were in the lunch line and questioned her as to where the rumor could have started. She looked at me with genuine curiosity and asked what I meant. It was at this time when a friend of hers walked up to the table and shoved me aside, saying only “Move it, drama queen!” I looked at my sister pleadingly, but she seemed suddenly uncomfortable, like she wasn’t in her own skin. Her friend, I believe her name was Solar, looked at her and said “Uh oh, looks like you’ll have another crying session on your sister’s part to deal with, huh?” Celestia just laughed awkwardly and agreed. She looked at me with an impossible combination of both wicked pride and shame.” Luna cast another glance at the ponies behind her, expecting them to either look sympathetic or bewildered, but, apart from being wide eyed, they were otherwise expressionless. Luna continued on, more for her own sake than anypony else’. “You can understand how frustrated I was at that moment. She had been spreading lies about me to make her own self look better! And what’s worse is that she was hypo critic about it! I couldn’t think of anything else to do at the time but scream and flip her friend’s tray of food at her. I wanted to cry, but I didn’t want to give her friends the satisfaction of conforming to the rumors. In the end, I was sent to detention and suspended from school. My parents, having no tolerance for failure, punished me by giving me all of Celestia’s chores. I could take most of this, albeit begrudgingly, but what truly did it in was what she told me after she was let out of school. She walked up to me while I was in the midst of cleaning the living room, a job which previously belonged to her, and whispered in my ear “No matter what you do, you will never exceed my accomplishments. With an outburst like that, who do you think mother and father will send to the “Young Mares School of Excellence?” She left me there, to realize that she had planned out everything that had happened, from the new foal to the outburst, everything had gone exactly as she had planned… The next year, she was sent to her new school, and I was left to be the ridiculed one in my school. Every day was a veritable jail sentence, ending in the same thing: Misery, shame, and frustration. No one was sensitive towards my position, not the kids, not the teachers, not even my own parents. In their eyes, I was a failure; a bad egg, the bad apple. They could hardly look at me except to berate me or discipline me, and it was never with pride. Everything- every SINGLE thing I had done from that point on was tainted by my outburst… Never good enough… inferior… pathetic…” She snapped out of whatever had briefly gripped her and looked at the ground in shame. “Anyway, that is my story… sorry for boring you.”

The orange farm pony looked over at her librarian friend. Wordlessly, she walked over to the princess and nudged her flank. Luna was surprised, understandably, but she soon gave her attention to the farm pony nonetheless. “Don’t worry none, princess, we’re your friends here, and you’re just fine to us.” She could feel the princess sighing on her shoulders, although Luna remained dry eyed. Apple Jack pulled away and looked her in the eyes and repeated “you’re just fine.”

…and if someone tries to cut in front of you in line, you say…?

“Excuse me… I believe the line starts um… back… there…”

Trixie jumped with frustration. “No, no, no! Assert yourself! It’s your spot, not theirs! Are you even trying to learn?” She recited the rules to the timid pegasus, but, in the end, the result was always the same. “Do you want to be a… a…” Trixie searched furiously for the words. “a door mat for the rest of your life?” The subtle nod elicited from Fluttershy had a much more strong effect on the show pony than either Pinkie or the cream-colored pegasus would expect: She rolled on the ground, laughing as hard as she possibly could, to the point where tears were rolling down her cheeks. “Why is that so funny?!” She managed to gasp. Trixie’s fit of laughter, the other two noticed, was infectious, and had them all laughing within seconds, but none so severely as Trixie.

As the sun reached its highest point in the sky, the two groups looked at each other and truly acknowledged the camaraderie they shared.

And now for something my “editor” (I put it in quotes because he’s more of a co-author, he tells me where I can improve in the story and things like that, and he has never steered me wrong) told me while I was talking about how the idea of writing 4 more chapters was overwhelming:

The future is water, always moving, always changing but you cannot influence it, it will always be moving and changing, no matter what you do. We all want it, we all need it, but not all will get it.

The past is stone, unmovable, unchanging, but fading from view, some faster than others. We cannot stop this, though we can speed up the process of erasing it.

We all have stones weighing us down, we all have stones in our way, but we don't all have the same stone.

The present is fire. We can change this, we can make it bigger, better, we can make it smaller, weaker. We can lose control of it sometimes, and it can consume our life.

Fire is not forever, it is dangerous, it can be changed, and will be changed, and it can make you happy, it can make you sad, or it can start or destroy your life.

Just feed the fire.

Carry the stones.

and pray you get some water.

The Real Chapter 8

“This should be far enough…” The Great and Powerful Trixie muttered in between rasps and wheezes. Before lying down for a moment, she cast a glance over her shoulder to make sure she hadn’t been chased. At a steady canter, she wandered off to nowhere in particular. At least, that’s what she told herself. She was lost, and in more ways than one. Why had she run? She couldn’t find an answer for this. Why didn’t she just admit that she was wrong and hope to at least go down with respect? “Hind-sight is 20/20, I suppose.” She considered turning around and issuing an apology, when an image seared in her mind. Not for more than a moment, but she felt like it was good enough reason to abandon her things and press on. Shortly before her legs gave out, she came upon another small town. True, she didn’t have her chariot, but with her hat and cape, she was convinced that she could put on a show to earn enough money to rent her a room and maybe some food. She was wrong. As soon as she walked into town, she could see that the ponies that inhabited it were far too interested in the destination to pay attention to a show. “What am I SAYING?! I am the GREAT and POWERFUL TRIXIE! Surely nothing could be more important than what I have to showcase! I’ll just have to grab their attention…”

Costume and dignity shockingly still intact, The Great and Powerful Trixie hobbled away from the wretched town. “How DARE he shove me aside as thought I’m some… Some One-Trick Pony! Into the middle of the STREET, no less! He had best consider himself lucky, if the oncoming traffic had killed The Great and Powerful Trixie, why I’d… I’d… Well, The Great and Powerful Trixie isn’t sure what she’d do, she’d be dead… But think of the consequences! If Equestria had lost its best source of entertainment! Why, the entire world would tear itself to shreds without such a shining example of culture!” This continued on until the magician had completely assured herself that what had happened was absolutely in no way her fault. The whole point of the fireworks was to surprise the citizens, how would she know that they’d react angrily? “Surely The Great and Powerful Trixie was, once again, victim of circumstance.” “Speaking of “victim of circumstance…” The Great and Powerful Trixie muttered to herself. For the uncountable time since “the Ponyville incident” Trixie couldn’t help but think of her chariot. It was nearly night time, and shelter and food was starting to sound pretty nice right about now. She lay down for the night under a large stone slab when she saw it again. A flash, not more than a moment behind closed eyes. She felt like it resembled something, but she was only able to identify that whatever it was, happened to be blue. The Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t dream that night, she received only an idle state of unconsciousness.

The Great and Powerful Trixie woke up feeling less than “Great and Powerful,” and purely drained in general. With an ample amount of struggle, she managed to raise herself to her haunches. After a moment of regaining her bearings, she remembered, painfully, the events that had happened in the last few days. She faintly recalled seeing a sign in the last town. Eventually, she remembered the horrid town to be called Manehattan. “How anypony could live in that place is beyond me! Although…” The Great and Powerful Trixie had to admit, “…it must surely be better than sleeping under a rock… but not by much.” Chuckling at her own joke, The Great and Powerful Trixie dusted herself off and marched onwards, thinking about how insulted the pony from Manehattan must feel for pushing her. She became so preoccupied with her own thoughts she almost didn’t notice the town just ahead. Right away, she could sense a difference between the this town and Manehattan. Whatever town it was, it seemed to be much more… “Homey,” she said to herself. The town was absolutely vibrant, between the colorful street signs and the colts and fillies playing in the streets, Trixie couldn’t help but appreciate the friendliness that radiated. Everyone in the streets happily greeted each other, and no one seemed to know what a bad mood was. She started off towards the town, but stopped. “Oh, I suppose I should try to wash up, my mane must look like it hasn’t been washed in ages!” she paused for a moment. “Well, I guess it really hasn’t been washed in ages…” For a moment she thought to use her garish appearance to gain some sympathy, but quickly abandoned the thought. “The Great and Powerful Trixie does not go for PITY! She carries herself with the sophistication and respect she deserves!” Although she could not deceive herself, she smelled awful. She noticed a pond off in the distance and decided that that’d suffice for a bath. She galloped to it, hoping to avoid being seen in such a vile state. She quickly stripped herself of her hat and robe and set them on a nearby rock and all but leapt into the pond. The water was comfortably lukewarm, although The Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t hesitate to use some magic to heat up the rocks near the bottom with a basic spell. The comfortably-scalding temperature was just shy of perfect, and it wasn’t hard for the greatest magician in Equestria to doze off.

***

The Great and Powerful Trixie’s head shot up. She’d heard a noise, she was sure of it. It was either leaves rustling, or something-or somepony- hitting the ground, or a combination of both. Since there was only one bush for a moderate distance, it wasn’t hard to determine the origin of the sound. Reluctantly, she got out of the water to check the bush but stopped when she noticed something; her robe had been neatly folded and cleaned, and her hat had been delicately placed on top. More curious than alarmed at this point, she cantered over to the bush, only to be greeted by a blonde-coated earth-pony colt covering his eyes, hoping to avoid detection, only to succeed in appearing rather silly. The Great and Powerful Trixie decided to take a seat and wait for the stranger to give up the act, although he seemed rather persistent. It was after nearly 10 minutes of the Great and Powerful Trixie clearing her throat that the strangers, with an exhausted sigh, rose to his hooves and hesitantly turned around to greet the magician. Trixie was pleasantly surprised to see a handsome caramel-coated colt, although the profuse apologies were extremely offsetting.

“Ma’am, I know it was wrong of me to take your clothes, and I’m mighty sorry that I did it, but I thought such a beautiful mare like you wouldn’t want to be traveling in such… weathered attire, and, since I know how…” he went on and on, until the mysterious mare in front of him literally zipped his lips shut and turned to walk away. The colt turned to follow her, although he allowed her time to dress herself in privacy behind a boulder. Once she had finished, he gently nudged her and motioned to his now-zippered lips, hoping she’d undo the spell. He was disheartened when she smirked playfully at him and shook her head. He followed in silence for a few moments before the mysterious mare turned and asked him:

“Would you like me to unzip your mouth?”

“MMmf! MMf!”

“I’m sorry, I didn’t quite catch that. Could you repeat it?”

“MMMMMMMMFFFFF!”

“One more time, please.”

On this attempt, The Great and Powerful Trixie received nothing more than an angry glance.

“Alright, alright, you’ve had your fun, let the poor colt talk.” The Great and Powerful Trixie thought as she chuckled to herself. She turned to the stranger and said “Now, listen. I’m going to unzip your lips, and when I do, I want you to answer some questions for me. Sound fair? Trixie watched with sheer awe as the colt as her proposition was considered, and then denied! With pure rage, she screamed “How DARE you refuse The Great and Powerful Trixie! You should feel honored to kiss the ground upon which she walks, let alone have The Great and Powerful Trixie bargain with you! Why, if you ever-“ She cut herself short when she saw the colt reeling with silent laughter. Embarrassed and shocked that she had taken a joke so seriously was rather eye-opening. She apologized briefly and explained that it was HIS fault that she had gotten so angry. She repeated her offer, and the colt happily agreed. Smiling, she shut her eyes in concentration as a flash of dull purple light emanated from her horn and she turned around to see the colt opening and closing his mouth to stretch his jaws. Without realizing it, she uttered a “sorry” to the colt, which was received warmly by the stranger.

“Y’all don’t need to apologize, miss; I shouldn’t have taken yer clothes! I should be apologizing for-“ Remembering what happened last time he apologized, he decided he’d apologized enough. “Er… never mind. So, what brings y’all to these parts? I’d be happy to give ya the grand ol’ tour of our town here! Why, App-“ He was cut short by the rumbling stomach of a now-blushing Great and Powerful Trixie. “Oh, where are my manners? You must be famished! Here, come with me, I’d be more than happy to cook you up some grub!”

Genuinely shocked by how kind this colt was being, especially after what she’d done to him, The Great and Powerful Trixie nodded. It was true, she was famished, and, at the moment, nothing sounded better. She followed the colt through his town and watched in awe as he was warmly greeted by everypony, young and old. While some were just a casual “Howdy!” or “Afternoon!” Many vendors would offer him the wayward apple, or a pie, all of which he politely refused, to the magicians dismay. Once they reached his house, he guided her into the kitchen and had her sit down. “Now, miss, care to tell me what you’d like to eat?” Her first thought was to blurt out that her favorite food was a dandelion sandwich with extra hay, she also thought she should at least attempt to repay the favors he’d done for her. “I’ll have whatever your favorite is.”

Shocked by the sudden warmth of his guest, the colt turned and smiled. “Why, miss, my favorite food’s whatever you want to eat! I’m no fancy-shmancy “Gourmet Chef” but I still know my way around darn near any kitchen appliance in Equestria! He saw the magician prop her elbows on the table and her head between on her hooves. In a mock-challenging tone, she said “Surprise me” Finally excited for a chance to show off his own magic. “This might take a few minutes, and I apologize for that, but in the mean time, why don’t you tell me about yourself? I don’t even know your name, so let’s start with that, huh?”

Delighted that she’d have a chance to brag, the Great and Powerful Trixie introduced herself. “Well, I normally don’t do interviews, but, The Great and Powerful Trixie guesses she’ll make an exception. You may have seen some street performers, and maybe even some magicians, but believe me when I say, The Great and Powerful Trixie leaves them all behind! Whereas some saw their assistants in half, and some can perform feats thought only possible by pegasi, The Great and Powerful Trixie does all this, and has even vanquished an Ursa Major!” By this point she had slid her chair across the floor and was standing straight up on her haunches. “I’ve done shows in every major city and town, from Mareyland to Ponyhio, I’ve left an inspirational mark on those who watched, and struck all with an overpowering sense of awe. Growing up in an unforgiving world where The Great and Powerful Trixie had no one to rely on but herself, she prevailed against all odds!” She turned to look at her host when she thought she heard him say something, although she was surprised and infuriated when she discovered that he was actually laughing! With obvious malice, she asked “I’m sorry, is there something FUNNY about all this?” She’d have acted a tad more irate had she not been a combination of hunger and gratitude.

He silently scolded himself for letting that slip. It’s impolite to laugh at someone, especially a guest, no matter what. He had to admit, though… “I’m sorry Miss Trixie-“

“That’s The Great and POWERFUL Trixie” She corrected him.

“Yes, of course. It’s just that… Well, if you’ve done all that, why are you…” He looked her up and down, and The Great and Powerful Trixie knew just what he meant. “I just feel like anyone who’s accomplished so much’d carry themselves with more…” He knew he should choose his next words carefully. “They wouldn’t be in short supply of a place to bathe, you know? I mean no offense, but surely someone with so many accomplishments would have at least a cart? Or some traveling companions?” When he saw his guests gaze fall and wince with pain. “I’m sorry, I know I shouldn’t have pried. I’m almost done with your food, can I get you something to drink?” He saw The Great and Powerful Trixie nod half-heartedly and he wandered over to his cabinet and grabbed out a bottle of Apple Juice and a bottle of Apple Cider, along with some Milk and Water. He turned around and waited for her to decide. She didn’t decide, so he poured her a cup of cider and sat down beside her. He handed her the glass and watched her eyes light up. “Before you ask, the secret to great Apple Juice’s an age old family secret, no one knows it but us.”

“But… how’d you know I was going to ask that?”

“Lucky guess, I suppose.” He replied with a sly wink.

“Now, prepare for the best meal you’ve ever had, Oh Great and Powerful Trixie.” He rolled his tongue as he executed a mock bow as one would when bowing to royalty and was rewarded with a playful shove and “Shouldn’t you be getting food?” from his guest. As he brought out the platter of food, he smiled with pride as he saw the magicians jaw drop.

It was the most beautiful thing The Great and Powerful Trixie had ever seen. The plate was specked with dandelions and hay, with a small assortment of Daisy-and-cooked-grass sandwiches. On another platter was some fried apples with sauce on the side, and dessert was a slice of Chocolate cake on a fine china plate. She looked over at the chef and could only say the words

“You lied to me!” She saw her host look at her with a mix of worry and surprise. Before he could say anything, she said “You said you WEREN’T a gourmet chef!” After her first sandwich, she said “Thish ish delicioush!”

He smiled contentedly as he waited for her to finish, which took far less time than he had expected. The last time he’d seen anypony eat that much so quickly was in the great pie eating contest last summer. As he recalled, that very pony who won was later seen in the hospital getting his stomach pumped. Finishing in record time, The Great and Powerful Trixie leaned back in her chair to massage her now-stuffed stomach. As her chef stood up to clear away her plates, the near-comatose pony uttered a groan of rebellion in hopes of assuring the stranger that she could clear her own plates, as a sign of gratitude. Laughing, the colt proceeded to retrieve the used dishware and wash them by hoof. She could feel her eyelids grow heavy, and it wasn’t long before she fell asleep for the second time that day, visited by dreams of simpler, happier times.

With gentle nudges, The Great and Powerful Trixie opened her eyes to see the early light of the evening flooding through the windows, and a very eager colt standing in front of her.

“Good evening, miss Great and Powerful Trixie! Did you enjoy your nap?” As the still-sleepy mare opened her mouth, the colt went on. “I was wondering if you’d like to accompany me to my private get away to see something very special to me.”

Smiling groggily, she agreed. As she followed him out the door, she was painfully reminded of the wonderful meal she had regretfully woofed down not too long ago. She hoped she could keep up the pace, although something told her it wouldn’t be easy… perhaps it was the fact that she could barely walk, and her entertainer had all but taken off at a gallop.

***

The dirt trail they had been on gradually transitioned into grass, then small twigs, and eventually into a forest, big enough to conceal the view from the steep hill they had consequently ventured onto, much to the magicians dismay. The Great and Powerful Trixie did her best to keep her grunts and complaints to a minimum, but after the huge lunch, hiking wasn't exactly the best idea. The fact that her gracious host was still chugging along at full power wasn't helping, either...

"We're almost there, Miss Trixie, just a little more!" He was doing his best to hide it, but he couldn't help but act a little nervous. Never before had he shown anyone his "Little Slice of Heaven" as he called it, and, he had to admit, he didn't know why he was doing it now. He cast a glance over his shoulder to take a look at his guest and was pleasantly surprised to see how well she was doing.

After a few moments of silent walking, the Caramel-coated colt stopped in place and looked at his guest with genuine content. The Magician looked at him quizzically, but when she saw him motion to the left, she followed his gaze. What she saw was utterly breath taking.

Through her fatigue, The Great and Powerful Trixie had failed to notice the forest gradually recede, and that the only thing left was Princess Celestia’s setting sun*, in its entire splendor. The duo stared at the scene for what seemed to be ages, until the sun had burrowed itself out of sight. The Great and Powerful Trixie stood up, expecting the colt to be ready to leave, although she saw that he was still sitting just as he had been. When asked why she stood up, The Great and Powerful Trixie gave a slightly embarrassed shrug and sat back down, wondering why they were still there. She was pleasantly surprised when the colt began making idle small talk, which was oddly intriguing.

The conversations jumped from one topic to another, sports to books, music to places visited, when the colt suddenly went silent. He did nothing but look straight up and smile. Following his gaze, The Great and Powerful Trixie discovered why. Even though the sun had gone down, the cloudless sky acted as a window for a perfect view of Princess Luna's beautiful night. The night sky had been studded with distant stars, all dancing motionlessly around the moon. For a full minute, the mare remained oblivious to her entertainer’s subtle movements until he was right beside her. She felt his warm touch and smiled at him before returning her gaze to the gift that so many over looked. After a moment, she was finally able to speak, although she could not avert her eyes.

"I... I don't know what to say. It's amazing, this view."

"I'm glad you like it. I come here when there's too much going on in my head, or when the world gets to me. It helps remind me that, at the end of the day, we're all only mortal. We have flaws and imperfections and lose sight of what's important, you know?"

"You're right." She admitted. She turned to him and continued. "I've lived such a lonely life, thinking the only attention that mattered was envy, or adulation. I never once realized that what's important is lasting relationships... friendships..." She noticeably started to tear up. "I don't know how to explain it... but..." Shaking drops from her eyes, she turned to meet the colt’s eyes. "I’m just happy to be here with you now." She said in a hushed tone.

The Great and Powerful Trixie smiled before standing up and trotting over beside him to marvel at the night, seemingly created for them, and them alone. The magician nuzzled the cheek of her host softly, and laid her head on his shoulder. Too soon, however, the night began it's slow transition into the day, and the couple realized they needed to return to the town. The walk down the mountain was serene, as the grasshoppers chirped their last chirp, just as the birds sang out to usher in the beautiful sunset, bearing high hopes for the coming day. As they reached the town limits, marked by a sign reading "Welcome to Appaloosa!" The couple froze, cursing the sun for setting.

The colt turned to the magician and asked the question on both of their minds: "Will I see you again? The time I've spent with you was amazing, and I don't want it to end." But the look of uncertainty from the Great and Powerful Trixie provided more than enough of an answer.

The colt continued on "Well, should our paths ever cross again, my door's always open to you, Oh Great and Powerful Trixie." He repeated in his playful tone. What surprised him was the response it would elicit.

"Just... Trixie. You taught me more about myself than I could have ever hoped, and I can never repay you." The tone of confidence brought a smile to both of their faces, but the imperceptible sadness beneath it was not undetected. "Each new day brings potential and possibilities. I've been acting like more than I can ever be, but today it ends. I don't know what tomorrow will bring, or the next, but we will meet again, and on much better terms.” A look of shock shot across her face. “But, I should probably learn your name?”

The colt’s face flushed. “How could you forget to introduce yourself! You feed this stranger, and wash her clothes, you even take her to the only place for miles that nopony else knows of, but you don’t even tell her your name!” As soon as he finished berating himself mentally, he bowed to Trixie, only sincerely. “My name, Miss Trixie, is Braeburn. Please excuse my thoughtlessness in delaying that introduction, but I felt that there were more-“

“You talk too much.” She interrupted.

With that, Trixie kissed him briefly, yet passionately, before turning her back on the town which had taught her so much and headed into the beautiful uncertainty of tomorrow.

***

“How long has she been like that?”

“I’d say at least 20 minutes!”

Fluttershy and Pinkie had gotten lost in idle conversation while they scoured the park for a good spot to host the picnic, and entirely forgot that Trixie was even there. The Pegasus and Earth pony started to worry when the Magician solemnly turned her head to address the two of them, and uttered a simple phrase. “It was as if the night had been made for us… Please, can I rely on you two to remind me to do something later?”

Without hesitation, the two nodded.

Trixie turned her gaze upward and continued “Please remind me to thank Luna for her beautiful night.”

Hey readers (scarce as you may have become D: ) Thank you for reading what I have so far, and thank you VERY much for putting up with my delays! In all honesty, I scrapped several ideas for this chapter, and had no idea what to do, until I started getting comments wondering why Trixie was so different, and, I thought i'd do a little flash back explaining why! As always, feel free to leave suggestions in the comments, or PM me with anything you may have. The story’s not done yet, I’d say I have at least 3 chapters to go, although nothing’s set in stone. Stay awesome you guys, and don’t expect the next one too too too soon, I have no idea what it’s going to be about yet!

Chapter 1

Princess Luna let out a bored sigh. She may have returned from the moon to rule Equestria by her sister’s side, but night time was still majorly uneventful, apart from the occasional animal here and there. Although she had once embraced silence, she had come to loathe it from being trapped on the moon for a thousand years. Luna decided to lay back and let her mind wander to pass the time. She started humming a song she had heard earlier that night, but she couldn’t place which band had played it. She attempted to recreate it as best she could, but knew she hit the wrong notes at times. She was playing it over for the third time in her head when she was interrupted by what sounded like crying, and, Sensing that she might get to do something interesting, bolted upright and immediately started searching for the depressed pony.

Trixie sat beneath a tree, head between her hooves, and wallowed in pity. “Why can’t I just make friends? Am I that hard to get along with?” She had lost everything, and she knew it. Her mobile home, along with all of her possessions had been crushed by an Ursa Minor, forcing her to leave Ponyville with nothing but her hat and cape, both of which she sold 2 days earlier so she could buy something to eat. Food! She bawled at the thought that this poor, sleep deprived pony on the brink of starvation had once been a rich travelling magician, widely known for her spectacular abilities. She could think of nothing else to do besides weep, and weep, and weep.

“Hey, I know you! You’re the great and powerful Trixie! ”

Trixie’s head shot up to see who had addressed her. She was about to tell the stranger to leave her alone, but then she saw Princess Luna staring at her. “No… I’m sorry; you have me confused with someone else…” Trixie stood up, eyes red and puffy, and started walking away when she felt her hat start to slip down over her head.

Her hat! Trixie couldn’t believe it! Her hat was back! She looked at her flank, only to be greeted by a purple/blue cape with stars concealing it from view. Luna raced stepped forward nonchalantly and said “One should not lie to a princess. If I weren’t in such a good mood, I could have you banished!” She meant this purely as a joke, but Trixie winced in pain. “It’s too late for that” She chuckled with a weak fake laugh. Luna stared at her with a look of sincere concern, asking why she was so sad. Trixie had assumed that everypony in Equestria had heard about her incident in Ponyville, but was evidently incorrect. “Don’t worry about it” she mumbled half-heartedly, trotting off into the nearby forest, and was not surprised when she discovered her hat and cape had disappeared. “You can tell me what’s wrong, or you can sit out here and starve. Your choice.”

Luna couldn’t understand why The Great and Powerful Trixie could be anything besides rightfully haughty. Last time she had checked, Trixie had not only vanquished an Ursa Major with her powers, she had been performing amazing magical feats on stage, being cheered on by hundreds of fans, many of which waited on her hand and foot. In many ways, Luna was jealous of her. Of course, this was a long time ago, and Luna was shocked when Trixie explained the events in the past week

“I was doing a show in a nearby town called Ponyville, like I do every year, you know, card tricks, illusions, magic, all that good stuff, until an obnoxious dragon claimed I was nothing to strut about. Obviously, The Great and Powerful-no,” she sighed, her disappointment palpable, “no, just Trixie, was deeply offended. I foolishly challenged any Pony to top my tricks, and when anypony offered, I humiliated them instead of actually performing… all except the strongest mare challenged me, and it was this mare that saved me, as well as the whole town from an Ursa Minor.”

“But you’ve vanquished Ursa MAJORS! How could-“ But Trixie just shook her head “No I haven’t, I made that all up… I was humiliated, and after the beast destroyed my cart, I ran away from Ponyville, and sold the clothes off my back for even the tiniest morsel of food!” At this point, she was speaking through waterfalls of tears, undignified, weak, and pathetic, Trixie screwed her eyes shut and let the tears fall, and was startled when Luna sat down beside her, put her hoof on her shoulder and started… Comforting her!

Luna was honestly shocked. Trixie had been a legend, this spectacular performer, capable of performing impossible acts, when, in reality, she had been a lie, a fake! Yet Luna felt sympathy for the young mare. She offered Trixie a stay at her palace for a few nights, a few meals, and a bath. Trixie’s throat was sore from crying, but she accepted Luna’s offer nonetheless, and thanked her in a sore raspy voice.

Once they had arrived at the palace, Luna showed Trixie to her private chambers where she could freshen up in every sense of the word. Trixie would have gladly accepted a hose and some soap, never would she have thought she would be bathing in a royal bath! And what a bath it was, she had the water comfortably boiling, and fell asleep.

***

Trixie awoke to Princess Luna standing over her, holding back chuckles. It took Trixie a moment to remember where she was. She sputtered an apology to Princess Luna, quickly washed her body and hair in the now frigid water, dried herself off and exited the bathroom, only to be greeted by Princess Celestia herself, who was, at first pleased to have a guest, but upon recognition, a shrill cry was heard throughout the castle, and within minutes Trixie was surrounded by Castle Guards.

___________

Ok, so this is my first story, and it’s a work in progress, just thought I’d share what I have so far. Tell me your thoughts, suggestions, comments, anything!

-MrGreat

Chapter 8

Alright, I know this is probably getting annoying, and I apologize, but I really need your guys' help... I feel like that last chapter was... lacking to say the least... please leave any tips or suggestions.

For the record, yes, I have started chapter 8, but this chapter is bugging me far too much to really get started.

Thanks for putting up with this, and thank you for reading!

-MrGreat