To Die Twice

Chapters

Prologue
2: From unexpected places
3: Moving places
4: Places never to be seen...
5: ...and never to remember
6: Living in places
7: Known places
8: Escaping old places
9: Hallucinating about places
10: Letters from various places
11: Familiar faces
12: Angry faces
13: Royal faces
14: Faces in the desert
15: Non-Equestrian Faces
16: Various faces
17: Enraged faces
18: Surprised faces
19: Truthful faces
20: Sorrowful faces
Epilogue: Leaving places and forgiving faces
1: Friends in high places

Prologue

Twilight is wet. Not that rainy day wetness you get if you’re standing outside while it’s raining. No, she’s the kind of wet you only get if you’re drowning in it. This is kind of appropriate, now that Twilight is drowning. The novelty of the situation has long since gone, along with the panic. She’s left with that strange sense of wonder you only get when you’re about to experience something horrible but know there’s nothing you can do about it that’ll work.

She tries to summon her magic one last time, in the hopes that she’ll at least have enough magic to light up her surroundings to see where she is, but it’s futile. Her magic is just as gone now as it has been since yesterday. She could open her eyes to look around her, but all she’d see is darkness.

“Who could have thought the lake outside Ponyville would be so dark at the bottom?”

She still has her conscious thoughts but within moments they will, too, be gone from the rest of her short life. In a futile attempt to move she shifts her hind legs a little, only succeeding in tightening the rope around them harder. The thick, sturdy rope bound to the weight now holding her down looked so harmless yesterday as well. Alas, how things can change so fast.

Her consciousness is slipping, there’s not much time left. A last futile swimming motion is done with her forelimbs, but they do little more than twitch in her weakened state. Giving up escaping once again, Twilight stops moving altogether. Unmoving lying in the depths she waits. Waiting for the last of her supply of air to run out, forcing her to take that one fatal breath.

“Why did everything go so wrong?”

This morning Twilight hadn’t had a care in the world, except fixing her magic. Spike had made her breakfast as normal, which she devoured in an instant followed by a several hours long study session. But now, one way or another she wouldn’t live to see the morning. Life is ironic that way. Peaceful and predictable one moment and gone the next. The last thing the pony known as Twilight Sparkle does is smile. She smiles at the irony of life and how it now caught up with her.

She lets out her last breath of air, slowly sinking down towards the murky bottom of the lake. The feeling of softly landing on the bed of rocks making up the ground reaches her before she finally slips into the darkness where you never return from.

Twilight finds herself lying on her back, in a relatively comfortable position considering. Vision blurry from just awakening, making the immediate surroundings impossible to discern. Her entire body feels numb, with a certain wrongness to it that should be there. Taking slow and steady breaths she waits, waiting for her vision to clear, and for things to make sense again.

She died; she shouldn’t be lying and breathing here, wherever here was anyway. Twilight was completely sure when you died you didn’t randomly pop out into thin air and survive all of it. Focusing on her breathing, she stayed on her back for what felt like hours but could in reality only have been a few minutes at the most. Staring up at the clear sky she waited. Not that she anything to wait for to be honest, she needed to get back up and find out what happened.

Realizing her vision was returning, she moved her head about trying to take in the immediate surroundings. The first thing she notices is that she’s in an alley, a rather messy one too. Overflowing trash cans and discarded bottles are littering the sides, with the odd cardboard box standing here and there. The dirty brick walls are filled with stains she’s not sure what they are, yet aren’t that interested in finding out either. All in all it looks like one of the worst alleys Twilight have seen in her life. Strangely enough, most of it looks larger than it should, possibly because she’s lying down. Sighing, she closes her eyes again.

“I need to find out where I am, and how to get back to Ponyville from here.”

Without much other choice Twilight makes an attempt to roll over on her stomach. In a less that graceful way she succeeds, but what she finds right after makes her pause. Rather than the purple coat she expected to find on her legs, there’s an unknown yet strangely familiar blue colour glaring back at her. Dreading what she’ll find she moves one hoof up towards her head to move some of her mane down to confirm her suspicions. Doing so though, makes her bump into a lump on her forehead.

Howling out in pain she clutches her head in a desperate attempt to quell the pain just a little if possible. Horns were rather sensitive after all, and slamming a hoof on one wasn’t to be advised by anypony.

After a few minutes of cradling her head the pain moves from unbearable to a numbing background noise she can turn out. She moves her head back up, but this time more carefully to avoid the horn she now knows is there. Taking a few locks of her mane down for her to see, she’s greeted by a silvery blue instead of the darker make with a streak in it. In a rather accepting way she sighs again, defeated by whatever force in the universe out for her.

Getting back on track she moves on with the next part of her plan, which haven’t changed at all. Pushing her legs underneath her she tries to get up on all fours again. Thankfully her legs are more than willing to cooperate and soon enough she’s standing upright again. Sadly Twilight has little time to notice this, and the most prominent change makes itself known to her. While she should reach up with her body to the lids of the trash can, now she barely gets her head over the top of it if she stretches all she can.

“This… This can’t be happening,” she exclaims, immediately noticing the squeaky shifts in her voice much like the ones small fillies have. “I need a mirror, now!”

Disregarding all pretense of being subtle she runs out of the alley, but stops dead in her tracks. There are ponies everywhere, or at least as far as she’s able to see. Most of them trotting by her without even casting a second glance at her. From her new rather short perspective all these strangers are an imposing sight. The streets are strangely quiet for being so packed, barely managing to build up more than a standard speaking volume. Glancing up and down the street she’s now standing in she tries to find her goal for the moment. Most of her view is blocked and the little can see only show more of the same nondescript brick buildings she stands next to.

Sighing in defeat that the goal wasn’t so easily completed, she slowly starts making her way down the street in the hopes of finding a bathroom or a reflecting glass surface somewhere soon. Most of the buildings she passes on her way are just like the first she found, boring brick buildings in either red or brown. Here and there are small stores squeezed in between two larger buildings, breaking the trend they set up. Most of the stores either sell bread or other consumables and as she’s nearing what she think is the end of the path no apparent mirror shop or bathroom have shown up.

“Do I really have to go through all of that again?” she asks herself. As a full grown mare walking through the masses would have been hard enough, but as a filly none of the adults take notice of? More than once she had to jump out of the way as some stray hoof almost hit her in various part of her now small body. Twilight moves to the side of the road where she won’t be in as much danger and collapses down on her haunches, head lowered towards the ground.

“You all right there, little miss?” An unknown and very raspy voice suddenly asks her. With as little effort as possible Twilight moves her head to look at the speaker. From her current vantage point all she can make out is a pair of dusty brown coated legs.

“No I’m not,” she quietly replies, sighing before continuing. “I need a mirror but I don’t know where to find one.”

“Cheer up, little miss. Nopony around these parts like a frown like that. Especially not on a cute little face like yours,” the pair of legs says, apparently unconcerned by her notable lack of interest in anything. “But if you only need a mirror there’s a public restroom just a few minutes from here if you just keep going. It’s impossible to miss.”

Twilight suddenly and rather forcefully snaps her head back up, coming face to face with the owner of the voice. Staring back at her is the most unassuming earth pony she ever saw. Dusty brown coat with a darker mane, his mane all hanging straight down without any apparent style to it. Adorning his face is the most perfect grin ever, not too much to seem forced but wide enough to be natural.

“You sure?” she asks hesitantly. If this turned out to be another dead end… But her worries are unnecessary, because the moment she ended that thought he nods. Twilight immediately brightens up, and even wears the smallest of smiles towards him. Without further notice Twilight sets off down the path the stranger had pointed her at, but suddenly stops and turns around.

“Thanks mister…” she trailed off, forgetting what she planned to say next. Because the spot where the mysterious stallion had stood just moments ago was empty, with him nowhere to be seen. Frowning slightly Twilight takes a last look around in the hopes of catching a glimpse of him, before turning back around and resumes her trotting down the pathway.

Sticking to the sides close to the buildings, Twilight avoid most of the adults roaming around the streets. More buildings similar to the ones she’s already seen everywhere but fewer and fewer shops in between them. Keeping a close eye out for the apparently obvious restrooms somewhere down this way. She is so focused on the task that she never notices the sign standing in her way before it’s too late.

Face first into the v-shaped sign plants a firm imprint of her face in the chalk on the board. Rubbing her snout in annoyance from such a simple mistake she takes a moment to catch her breath. It’s not until then that she inspects the sign she stumbled upon closer, only to barely contain her glee when she read what the sign says.

“Restrooms this way -->”

Turning her head towards the way the arrow points, all she can see is a nondescript wooden door with planks. The door is bolted to a wall much like all the ones surrounding it and the only hint towards it being a restroom is the sign, which according to Twilight’s face is very inappropriately placed. Getting back up on all fours she hesitantly moves towards the door, taking each step carefully like it would run away if she did too much noise. Approaching the door more and more details make themselves clear.

The door is rotten and barely hanging together. Much of the supposed paint have fallen off, some of it lying below and in front of the door. The hinges are rusty and worn, possibly from being exposed to all the elements over the years. As she puts a hoof to the door and slowly applies more pressure to it the hinges slowly gives way to get force. A drawn out creaking noise sounds as the door swings open to reveal what has to be one of the smallest rooms Twilight have ever seen, even judging by her current standards.

Inside is a barely concealed latrine, to do what you need to with and a small sink for afterwards. All of these details are not at the front of the filly at the moment however. For all intents and purposes she’s transfixed by the cracked and dirty mirror hanging above the sink. Determinately moving towards the mirror, looking for ways she can get up on level with it. Finding nothing however, she decides to simply use the sink as support and stand up on her hind legs so she at least can see her face in the mirror.

Cautiously putting first her left hoof on the sink, then the right she slowly lifts herself off the ground and towards the truth just ahead of her. Closing her eyes as she rises, to protect her from whatever truth she will find in mere moments she halts her ascent. Head staring straight at the mirror, eyes closed she stands there. Taking a slow, deep breath to calm her nerves she prepares for the moment.

In an instant her eyes are wide open, looking straight at the mirror. Her mouth hanging open in shock and surprise as she takes in the sight in front of her. Staring back at her in the mirror was a very well-known face to her, but not the one she was expecting at all.

“Trixie?”

Author's Note

Down-vote because Trixie doesn't exist.

I rock at procrastinating, so updates will be infrequent at best.

2: From unexpected places

Meanwhile in the capital city of Equestria, Canterlot, a very frantic and exhausted blue unicorn could be found galloping through the halls of the Canterlot Castle. Without the slightest care to how he acted he navigated carefully through the white corridors of the castle, occasionally slipping on the polished marble floor but catching himself before falling. His dark and unkept mane whipping in his eyes as he ran, slowly closing in on the Princess’ private study room.

At the end of the hallway his destination comes into view, a completely unassuming wooden door save for the two guards currently standing outside guarding it. Gradually slowing down as he approached the two guards, he took a moment to catch his breath before addressing the two golden-clad guards.

“I need to speak with Princess Celestia right now, this is important,” he little less than shouted at the guards, who merely looked at each other before knocking once on the wooden door between them.

For the next few minutes of waiting everything went dead quiet. The ponies were quiet, the hallways were quiet and even the fading sun outside was quiet. So quiet, that when the pony on the other side of that wooden door moved to open all three immediately knew she was coming. Guards standing just a little bit straighter and messenger just a little more nervous.

Then out from the door stepped Celestia, supreme ruler of the land and currently the most powerful pony to walk among mortals. Her ethereal mane in blues and pinks flowing in a non-existing wind, and the bleach white coat. The most noticeable thing about her was the smile, that almost ever-present smile few had seen her without. That same smile now looking down at him, questioningly.

“Hello, Night Light. What can be so important you have to come here, in the last hours of the day when you should be home with your family?” she asked him, never once losing that smile.
Realizing she asked him something, Night Light quickly gathered his thoughts back to form coherent sentences again.

“Apologizes Princess, but this couldn’t wait. We double-checked the instruments a last time just a few minutes ago to make sure we didn’t miss anything during today’s events. Not surprisingly, two extreme magical surges happened almost simultaneously in Couldsdale and here in Canterlot. Eye witnesses in Couldsdale confirmed the surge as a ‘Rainboom’ as they called it. Very obvious.”

“The second was the same one we both witnessed and you stopped, when my daughter had her first surge. Princess, both of these events were very obvious and noticed by a lot of ponies. During out latest search we found a third surge recorded, mere minutes after the first two. So close we missed it during out first look-through.”

“I will admit Night Light that this is very interesting, but I fail to see the importance of this,” Celestia replied as he trailed off, looking at her for a confirmation to go on.

“You see Princess, the first two were really obvious”–earning him a nod from the princess–“but the third? The third nopony we had the time to ask ever saw. Measuring at forces equal to the one my daughter had it should be known by hundreds it happened. But nothing, not a single notice of anything of that scale recorded by anypony around the Fillydelphia region.” He completed his short and hastily prepared explanation and stood there waiting for a response as the Princess had a thoughtful expression. After what felt like hours but could only have been a minute at most.

“Very well, I will send a message to my guards to search the area and question the locals in hope of finding the source of this surge. In the meantime, go home Night Light. You have a wonderful wife and daughter waiting for you.” If it was possible, Night Light would swear he saw the tiniest of teasing on her face as she completed that sentence. But if he asked she would forever deny it. And while she had forever to deny, he didn’t have forever to ask. Right at this moment he knew of several much better ways to spend the evening, too.

“I will, your Highness. I will.”

Morning came and with that the all too bright sun shining from above the rooftops. Still sleeping Trixie moved deeper in under her makeshift cover, trying hard to escape the morning light attempting to wake her. Joining the light in attempts to wake her was an insistent poking on her backside, making it harder and harder to ignore the world around her any longer.

The relentless assault on her senses became too much and Trixie involuntarily opened her eyes to the surroundings, only to find herself staring at the brick wall right in front of her. Yawning loudly she pushed the cardboard off her, but much to her surprise the damp cover fell to pieces as she pushed it. Covered in mud and wet pieces of paper she finally took the time to roll to her other side to look out across the alley she had spent her night in. Largely holding the same trash can and junk as the night before, the biggest change stood right in front of her.

Towering high above her shrunken frame stood a frowning earth pony stallion, most likely the source of the earlier poking. Looking down on her with a disapproving glare, he took a step back to allow her enough space so she could stand up again. Standing on weak legs Trixie slowly moved her head up towards the stallion, but ended up staring at his brown coat.

“’s forbidden sleeping in the alleys, kiddo. Hate to say ‘t like this, but ya gotta follow me down to the station for questioning. Standard procedure. Follow ‘t and ya are out b’fore ya know ‘t.” The way he said it you could almost think he had practiced that same speech in the mirror or something, just waiting for a chance to use it. But the looks he gave her quickly crushed any attempt at humor at it and Trixie could only swallow what little rebellion she could muster.

Sighing, Trixie fell in beside the officer as he moved out of the alley taking off down the road she just the other day had come from. Next to the larger pony she noticed far less issues with traveling than she had on her own just the day before. The absence of required focus let her mind wander.

“What am I doing? I can’t get caught now. He said it’ will just be questioning, but what if I say something wrong? Should I really risk that, or try to escape right now? But escaping now is practically impossible, he knows the area more and I have no idea where I am at all. I should try escaping at all. Maybe I can try explaining it to him and he will understand? But I guess he can’t know, after all…” Her thoughts continued in a similar manner for the duration of the journey, only occasionally taking a moment’s pause to make sure she still followed her captor.

The police station was a sorry affair in itself. The rundown building falling apart in the corners, barely holding together in places. As little Trixie got closer more and more of the blemishes showed up. The grey paint didn’t quite have the same tint all over, sporting darker and lighter places among the sides, much like a badly shaded painting.

The stallion held up one of the glass doors for her, motioning with his head for her to enter properly. Entering the lobby showed much of the same decay as the outside did. Darker spots in the wooden floor she carefully navigated around, not particularly interested finding out exactly what it consisted of.

Continuing down the hallway passing several offices in the process. Rooms occupied by a single mare or stallion most of the time, but two or three on occasion as well. Each of the rooms just as broken and touched by time as the last, broken glass laying on the floor she carefully avoided. Moving past the last of the rooms, Trixie came to the very end of the corridors. Two closed metal doors met her, one right in front of her and one to the side. The stallion next to her moved forward as she stopped, opening the door with a hoof for her.

“’n with ya now, kiddo. ‘ll come back with the forms ‘n a second,” he said as he motioned with his head for her to enter.

Slowly moving forward Trixie moved into the dimly lit room one hoof at a time. Navigating around the cube that could be used as a table she sat down on the pillow facing the mirror in the opposite side of the room. In said mirror she could see the reflection of her still unfamiliar visage staring back at her.

Interrupted in her staring by a loud bang from the door, she shakes her head for a second to clear her mind. She watches as the same officer from before sit down right in front of her, this time carrying a bundle of papers in his mouth while balancing a pen at the very top of the stack.

“’s al right kiddo. This takes just a minute and ya’ll be back out there again,” he begins in an attempt to calm her down a little. With no obvious sign of it working or not he continues without missing a beat. “So first of all, need a name. Who are ya, kiddo?”

“Trixie Lulamoon.” The answer comes from her a bit louder than expected, in her attempt for whoever might be watching from behind the mirror that most likely is a one-way to hear her.

“So Trixie, why were ya sleeping ‘n the alley, besides being tired?” While noting down the replied name on the topmost paper in the stack he continues to ask questions. Before answering the filly in front of him sighs loudly once.

“I slept there because it was the only place with any form of privacy I could find.” He nodded once in between his writing before casually dropping the pen down on the table, discarding the rest of the papers for the moment.

“So ya are saying ya had noplace to sleep with a roof?” A nod came from the filly.

“’m guessing ya don’t have a family to turn to, either?” Another nod.

“Sorry kiddo, but guessing ya won’t get out tonight after all. ‘s illegal sleeping in the alleys, even for a filly like yaself. Now sit tight while I go make things happen for ya. Ya’ll be out of here soon.”
And with that proclamation he took the stack of papers on the table and left the room, suddenly in a hurry.

What followed were the longest hours in her previous and current life. Sitting awkwardly in place fiddling with the few locks of her mane she could reach, pacing around the room or practicing her magic. All of it a way to make the time pass as she waited for whatever would happen. No significant improvements to her magic happened but before the day ended the tiniest hint of a circle could be seen in the floor.

Sometime in the middle of the pacing, fiddling and training lunch came. It was the same as other common free food you got at hospitals or visitors in prison, watered down vegetables with barely any nutrition at all. She ate regardless, if only to get a break in the monotone routine this one day had become.

Then sometime in the afternoon during her six hundred forty second lap around the room the door opened while she was one the opposite side of the room, as far from the door as possible. Entering through the doorway was once again the stallion officer from before. Behind him, an unknown white-coated earth pony nearing the prime of her life entered.

“Sorry for the wait, kiddo. This ‘s Winter Heart, and she’ll be taking ya to the orphanage first thing in the morning,” he explained as he motioned to the mare in question with one of his fore hooves and at the mention at her name she smiled a gentle and warm smile towards the lone filly in the room. Said filly had barely registered any of which had been said.

“Orphanage?”

Author's Note

I have a question for you who are reading this. Is this too fast-paced?

Also, Winter Heart's name courtesy of Random Name Generator. Go check it out if you have five minutes sometime.

3: Moving places

“Sweetie, time to wake up, we’ve got a long walk ahead of us.” If anything could ruin a good night’s sleep better than anything, it was the sound of her new ‘caretaker’ as they called it. That far too happy voice went through walls, relentlessly waking her from the comforting slumber.

Reluctantly Trixie strips off the borrowed blanked they gave her yesterday, not caring where it ends up in her sleepy haze. Getting up on her hooves she stretches her back for a moment, stopping when she hears that rewarding crack from it. Regardless of what other ponies said, sleeping on the floor on a couple of pillows was not the recipe for a good night’s rest.

As her eyes goes into focus for the first time that morning she turns her head towards the source of the sound generator. Standing in the doorway to the interrogation room is the same white earth pony from yesterday, the smile plastered on her face like she’d never done anything else. Not even breaking her smile for a moment to blow a strand of her deep blue mane out of her eyes.

“Had a nice sleep, did you?” she asks, presumably completely oblivious to the fact Trixie had been sleeping on a couple of pillows with a borrowed blanked for the entire night. Not wanting to complain Trixie merely nods in response.

“Great, let’s get some breakfast and we’ll be on our way right after.”

Breakfast as it turned out was more off the same stuff she had yesterday, though with a fresh apple to go with it. But being as hungry as she was no complaints were heard from her, and sitting in the cafeteria beat the interrogation room by far. Occupying the corner near the exit Trixie sat happily munching down on the apple she were given. Resting against the grey walls on the wooden bench right beneath her.

Sitting right next to her was Winter Heart, her new guardian as they called it. Winter paid her little attention at the moment, simply looking out across the deserted cafeteria. Tables clean and vacant for ponies to use if the wished to, all neatly lined up in rows of four per row with just enough space to not get caught between them when you walked down the aisle. The silence only broken by Trixie’s chewing which in itself barely moved past the two ponies occupying the room.

Finishing off the last pieces off the apple Trixie nimbly jumps off the bench, standing just a neck and head above the edge of it. Looking up at Winter she patiently waits for the older mare to get off as well. Appearing lost in thought Winter simply walked out of the room, oblivious to the little filly following in her wake.

Navigating through the hallways for the third time in two days, the pair made their way towards the entrance. Passing many of the same booths as they did on the way in. Booths that still contained many of the same ponies as before, with just as chaotic desks as well. Papers lying spread everywhere a common theme among all of them, some having more than others but none that completely broke the pattern. Most of the ponies passing them on their way never gave them a second glance and the few that did were ones Trixie never saw on their way inside. As the entrance grew nearer Winter stopped in front of a reception desk too high for Trixie to see over.

“Sweetie can you wait here a moment, I need to report that you’re leaving to the reception. It will only take a minute,” she politely asked but the tone she used didn’t play around, Trixie wasn’t to move anywhere for the next few moments.

Looking towards Winter as she moved up to the desk, presumably to sign a release paper that gave her the legal rights to be her guardian. Under the few minutes that the process takes, Trixie does nothing but watch. She watches the pen go from board to mouth then forward to where the paper most likely lay before being dropped off to the side again. Winter is given a paper by magic that she takes in her mouth before giving a low bow to the receptionist and walking away.

Still carrying the paper in her mouth Winter once again signals to Trixie with a tugging motion of her head, before walking towards a pair of brown-grey saddlebags. She unlocks the snowflake shaped cutie mark buttons that matches her own before depositing the paper inside them. Relocking the bags once again Winter puts her head in between the bags and slips them on, securing them safely on her back, partly covering the blue snowflake she have as cutie mark.

“Come on now, sweetie. We have a long way to go and only so many hours to do it.” And after a second of waiting she simply walked out of the door. Blinking, Trixie stands unmoving just where she did before with mouth open. After a moment to collect herself she moves forward to the door, requiring both fore hooves and a large amount of force from her to push the glass door open. The hinges screech loudly as the door slowly opens to the world again.

Standing outside is Winter and the smile from earlier that morning gone, replaced with an uncaring line for mouth. Staring intently at Trixie as she gets closer, the older mare begins to move as soon as Trixie is close enough. Keeping a brisk pace that forces her to trot in order to keep up, Trixie is soon exhausted in her attempt to navigate the equally crowded streets from before. Following in the wake of her guardian leaves a gap in ponies right in front her which she stays in as much possible.

Trotting down the main district’s road lead her past nondescript brick house after brick house, one not any different from the one before. Occasionally Winter glances back over her shoulder to check if she’s there, but Trixie soon finds her doing that less and less as the time goes on. As the journey down the main road continues the amount of ponies going about grows fewer and fewer, ultimately only a few still around.

Then, just a row of buildings ahead of their group is a field. The buildings abruptly stops and stretching out in both directions is two large fields of wheat, slightly bending in the breeze. Panting slightly as she nears the field a spark of appreciation appears when Winter slows down just so much she doesn’t have to trot anymore. Now with Winter slowly walking alongside one side of the road, Trixie moves closer until they are walking directly beside each other.

Looking up at the mare, Trixie finds her looking down at her with a calculating face. Looking into those deep blue eyes show no sign of emotion, only the examining glancing across her body

“I really don’t like that city,” Winter suddenly begins, the small scowl on her face present for an instant.

“Miss Heart?” A question is the only thing Trixie manages to reply with, unsure of exactly where this is going.

“The city is a dangerous place for fillies like you. A piece of advice, never go in there if you don’t have to and get out as fast as possible.” Finishing her two sentences Winter gets really quiet, the only sound coming from her being the cropping of hooves on gravels in the road.

“I’m sorry Miss Heart, but I don’t understand. I’ve been in large cities before and I haven’t noticed anything dangerous,” Trixie replies after a few moments to form a response that isn’t too revealing but still carry the conversation towards answers.

“Oh little filly you don’t know it yet, but all the cities are dangerous places. That’s where I come to find ponies like you who get to live with ponies like me. Ponies your age should never see me, let alone know what I do and what I represent. Now, nothing more of this we have in fact a schedule to keep and we can’t fall behind.” Without missing a beat, Winter once again picked up the pace enough to force Trixie back into trotting to keep up.

Not much was said after that conversation thankfully for Trixie. It let her focus on keeping up more than anything. The pace kept stead for several hours only slowing down a little every now and then to let Trixie catch her breath. The countryside passed in a blur, fields blending into each other as they progressed. Wheat field exchanged for apple orchards that were exchanged for carrots, hay and every other imaginable crop along the way. Together they moved past the still river flowing across the road, bridge rotten and unsafe to use.

“The water is too deep, I can’t get across here.” It was true, too. Winter had found the shallowest place along the river bed to wade over at, but she was still too short to get across. Backing up so her head was above the surface of the water, she watched as Winter crossed the river once again coming back over to her side.

“Hop up on my back then and I carry you across. But hurry we need to get going as fast as possible.” And that’s what she did. Taking a moment to collect herself Trixie jumped up out of the water onto the back of the older pony present. Water splashing everywhere as she landed, barely staying on from the momentum she had.

A now very much drenched Winter and Trixie crossed the river together, both heads a comfortable distance above the surface. Manes dripping and falling in their eyes they exited on the other side of the river, a successful river crossing later. Trixie taking another moment to catch her breath while Winter went and picked up the saddlebags she had thrown across earlier to stop them from getting wet altogether. A silly notion now that both of them had water dripping from everywhere. Shaking off most of the water quickly the two of them more or less enthusiastically resumed the journey to the orphanage that should only have taken a day.

Winter once again taking the lead with Trixie falling in behind her slightly to the right to stay clear of the major part of the road. After the obstacle that was the river, the familiar routine once again continued. Trixie slightly struggling to keep up and Winter only looking back often enough to make sure she wasn’t missing.

Not long after the sun had started its decent towards the horizon the first buildings came into view for Trixie. Far off in the distance several squared houses with chimneys stood clumped together. And as the hour went on more and more of the houses could be seen. Grey, white and yellow being the most common colours of houses but some red could be seen unlike the last town where everything was at least tinted red of not completely red.

Standing by the side of the road was a sign, a rather large one at that. On the sign painted in bold letter black on white was a notice: ‘Welcome to Hoofington. Population: Rising.’ Passing the sign as she read it Trixie comes to a striking realization.

“I know this place! I’ve been here once before, several years ago. Or in the future I suppose, I hope most of the things I saw then still are the same.” The thought process ends there for the time as Trixie suddenly finds herself on a small walked-in path away from the main road across the countryside and the scant few trees standing alone here and there. Climbing up a rather steep hill the pace plummets to a crawl so not to slip and fall down again.

Ascending the top of the hill, the sight that meets her is shocking to say the least. From the hillside the filly stands alone on the hill as she watches Winter Heart walk down the canyon on the other side. Following the path she is taking with her eyes Trixie’s eyesight stops upon the most neglected building she’s seen so far. What little of the blue paint on the walls still sticking to it are desperately trying to pull off, the wooden walls underneath not offering much resistance. Several broken windows and some missing their glass completely.

She watches as Winter moves alongside one wall of the house, looking for something. At one point she stops and pushes on one of the outer walls for a moment. Much to Trixie’s surprise a door opens and the mare beside the door turns towards her.

“Hurry up and get down here, you need your room before the night,” she practically screams up the hill to cover the distance between them, shockingly aware of the sudden stop for half of the group.

Finding the motivation to move again, Trixie scampers down the side of the hill almost slipping several times but catching herself before tumbling. Then as she nears the foot she slips a final time. Unable to catch her balance she stumbles and tumbles down the rest of the way. Head into the ground her body flips on her back as she slides down the grassy hillside towards the rundown house.

Groaning slightly Trixie shakily gets back up on her hooves again, standing in place a second to calm her spinning head down at least a little.

After a sufficient amount of time, Trixie closes the rest of the distance between herself and the house on shaky legs. The door in the wall leads into the house to a completely dark room without any apparent light source. Standing just outside and peeking in, Trixie can find nothing of notice from the dim light that the sun still gives off. A sudden white hoof shoves her into the room before slamming the door shut.

“There is a bath tub and a bed in there. Clean up and sleep there for the night, I will have your room ready in the morning,” comes the muffled sound through the door from the outside. “Please get some sleep tonight, you will need it tomorrow.”

With the final sentence said, the clopping off hooves departing can be heard through the walls of the house. In the distance another noise can be heard that sounds like a door opening, and several other sounds of doors closing.

Getting back up Trixie feels her way through the darkness towards where the door was just a minute ago, trying to find any way to open up the door from the inside. Running her hooves over the completely slick and flat surface she touches her way across the lower half of the door. At one point she bumps into a vertical crack and decided to follow it downwards. Slowly moving her hoof down she bump into the second uneven part of the entire door.

“A hinge?” She examines the hinge to the best of her ability, which isn’t much due to her lack of sight and unfamiliarity with the task.

“The door opens inwards, and this side is completely flat making it impossible to get a grip of.” As the train of thought continues she comes to a striking realization that up until now had been obscured by finding and examining the door closely.

“I’m stuck in here.”

Author's Note

Also a short notice for those of you who enjoy this, I'll be putting this on a complete hold until the next weekend. Real life is catching up and I have a few things to take care of.

4: Places never to be seen...

Darkness stretched out around her, completely hiding all objects in the room. Trixie stumbled backwards from the door with hooves slightly sinking into the loose ground. Blindly putting one hoof in front of the other she move backwards towards the middle of the room. Loudly announcing its presence Trixie slam her heightened head into one of many support beams holding the floor above her head up.

Grabbing her head in agony she falls flat to the ground. Ears ringing and head spinning she simply lay there and waited, waited for the pain to back down. Breathing heavily in and out with eyes closed. As the turmoil assaulting her head subsides she sighs.

Eyes slowly adjusting to her pitch black environment she takes the first real look around the room. Lying in a corner is an outline matching week-old hay, most likely the planned bed for her. Not a pony’s length away from it is the outline of a tub. Slowly feeling her way towards the tub the scent of unhealthy dirty water enters her nose. Grimacing at the smell Trixie increase the distance between the two objects, all pretense of a bath abandoned.

Moving closer to the pile of hay instead, Trixie ease her way down into the hay in an attempt to make herself as comfortable as possible in the circumstances. The strong scent of the tub noticeable but bearable from the current distance. With sleep keeping itself away from her thoughts begin to wander.

“Why did this happen to me? I never asked for any of this.” Thoughts assaulting her mind as the one still open eye began to moisten. “I never wanted to die, but coming here was a mistake. I should just have ran away, far away from Equestria and tried living on my own in seclusion so I didn’t change history. Who knows what me being here will do now.” Trixie feels the first tear run down the side of her face, uncaring to the meaning on it.

“I have to fix this, I can’t stay here. First thing in the morning when I get out of here I will flee. Hide somewhere and when the craze dies down escape far, far away from here.” Tears now falling from both eyes, the closed and the open equally happy to shed her tears. “Why am I crying? I should be happy! Happy I’m getting out of here, happy I have a plan to follow. Why am I not happy?” Sighing and chocking on her tears at once the attempt to wipe away some of the tears are unsuccessful.

“Am I crying because of her? The one they sent to help me, and the fact she just locked me in a cell again less than a day later. I can’t let her keep doing this to me. As soon as she opens that door I am out of here.” Tears gave way for conviction that tomorrow she would be free. And as the last tear fell from her face the filly slowly drifted off to sleep and eyes closed.

The first rays of sunshine slowly crept in the room through the gaps in the walls, conveniently moving their way towards the lone sleeping filly in the room. As the first rays of dawn reached her eyelids and began the first relentless attempt to wake her, two pair of hooves could be heard making their way down a staircase and towards the secret door into the room.
If the sun had been relentless in its attempt to wake the filly, the owner of the hooves was no better. Barely a second after the clip clop noise had ended a particularly loud scream could be heard.

“You have thirty seconds to wake up and stand at the other side of the door young miss!” The unspoken or else was heard by every pony present in the house, even the one sleeping in the room just behind the door.

Groggily Trixie opened her eyes, rubbing them with her front hooves. Bloodshot eyes looked out across the now dimly lit room, finally getting her first real look of the room. To her dismay the shadowed outline from yesterday evening had been correct and the only two objects in the room were the bed she currently occupied and some sort of bathing tub just next to her.

“Ten seconds remaining.”

Stumbling to her hooves Trixie hurries around the room, studying the walls in a desperate attempt to find exactly where the door in sat.

“Five.”

Twisting her head around, eyes glances over every inch of the walls, looking for any clues as to where the door out of here could be. Thinking back to the night before, she judges her position to the two objects in the room in a last attempt to uncover the location for the door. Noticing the two of them sitting far away from her in the other side of the room, Trixie slowly twist her head in the opposite direction and stare right at a large vertical crack in the smooth walls. The crack in the wall only grew larger and larger as the outside world once again was revealed to her.

Blocking the freedom completely was the same mare from yesterday, Winter Heart. The white coat leaving not a single hair out of place and a stern look in her eyes. And she frowned. Standing just below her, Winter towered above her far more than she had yesterday. An air of superiority surrounding the mare as she looked down on Trixie.

“Did you take that bath as I asked you to?” The question left no room to argue. Either she had taken the bath, or there would be something that happened if she hadn’t. Trixie Answered with what she hoped Winter would want to hear.

“Y…yes, Miss Winter.”

Winter stood silent for a moment after the answer, unmoving. Then after several minutes had passed she bent her neck down towards the little filly, snout and eyes moving uncomfortable close to her chest. A moment later she deeply inhaled through her nostrils, sucking up even the smallest traces of smell from her.

The mare then moved her head back up to once again show an imposing sight to anything smaller than her. The frown on her face deepening for a moment, eyes unblinking and completely focused on Trixie. Again inhaling enough to puff her chest out, Trixie tensed up for what was sure to come.

“Liar. You still reek of those dirty city odors. I thought I told you to clean up, didn’t?” The coldness in her voice as she said it made Trixie shiver. This mare took no excuses nor gave any. “You’re staying in there until I know you’re clean. The tub is right there, use it.”

“But the water…” She didn’t want to argue, but that water wouldn’t make her cleaner. It would only make her wet.

“No but miss. If you don’t like it, clean it up.” And with that the door in front of her slammed closed in the blink of an eye, barely giving Trixie enough time to notice the swing at all. Through the wooden walls came the muffled last words of her guardian. “And no dinner until you’re clean and stop lying to me.”

Listening as the sound of hooves moving away slowly quieted down, Trixie sat still on the ground and sighed. The lights finding their way in through the boards in the walls helped illuminating the small room, the filly and the two objects inside it.

Glancing to her side Trixie looked towards the water-filled vat standing stock still in the corner beside the ‘bed’ of hay. Getting back on her hooves again Trixie hesitantly makes her way towards the not-so-inviting bath tub. The closer she got the more unbearable the stench got and standing just a few step away the rotten smell made her sick. Looking over the top of the vat into the water only made things worse. The vat held something that could once have been water, but as Trixie gently touched the surface of the tank she was sure. Water shouldn’t bounce back up like that.

Finally giving up her stomach went into uproar, making her retch and cough. Desperately trying to move away as she kept her mouth closed she turned around and limped on three hooves as far away from the disturbing smell as possible. Feeling the taste of bile in her mouth, she lowered her hoof and spit what little bile there was on the ground. A pathetic stain marked the ground for a moment before getting soaked by the ground.

“She can’t expect me to bathe in that. I would be worse off than I am now if I did. That stuff can’t be healthy to get covered in, much less clean yourself with.” Sighing deeply Trixie falls back down onto the dusty floor, hooves tuckered under her for comfort. “I didn’t even try to escape. I just froze up as soon as I saw her. Why would I do that? It makes no sense.”

Closing her eyes for a moment Trixie lets her head down on the ground, silver mane falling down over her eyes and partially obscuring the view of the vat.

“What if I refuse to ‘clean’ myself? She can’t expect to keep me in here forever. I need to eat something sometime.” At the thought of food, her stomach kindly reminded her she in fact had nothing to eat since yesterday morning and that it requested something soon. Slightly blushing from the sound, Trixie looks around and realize where she is. Instantly the blush disappears, along with the smallest hint of a smile that existed for the fraction of a second.

The only sound around her is that of her own breathing, slowly in and out again in an endless pattern of repeats. Above her the roof of her room is stock still, not a sound from the likely inhabitants of the orphanage above.

Time stretches on as she laid there, shadows creeping along the walls and marking the passage of time. Watching carefully with her head still in her hooves, Trixie studies the holes that let the light through. Holes smaller than the tip of her horn, but numerous to make up for their size. As the time passes by the room slowly grows darker and darker, stealing details from her surroundings meanwhile. The planks holding the water become a single entity of wood, the individual strands of hay melting into each other to form a discoloured heap of browns and yellows.

As her field of vision shrinks she takes one final push and get up on shaky hooves. Carefully making her way towards the hay while she can, eyes wander once more towards the unspeakable vat that holds her doom and her freedom. Settling down in the pile of hay for the second time she sniffs the air for the first time since the morning. While not as noticeable as the day before the unmistakable scent of dirty water is still present.

The final rays of the sun leave the room plunging the already dark room into the same pitch black stare as yesterday. Moving her head around for a more comfortable position Trixie slowly closed her eyes, drifting off to sleep in the company of her stomachs loud protests.

The morning came and with that the morning sun. Slipping in through the holes it greeted the barely sleeping Trixie in her pile of hay once more. Rubbing her eyes with a hoof she gently raised her head up. The exact same room lay in front of her as it was yesterday, vat of fluid still reeking that horrible smell of rot.

A door slamming in the distance gave the first warning signal, and the dulled clopping noise that could be heard was the second. Getting up on weak legs she stumbles towards the general area of the door. A previously unknown hole greet her hoof and she falls down face first into the ground. Jaw numb from pain and head spinning from the impact she barely register the same call for attention as yesterday.

Pushing her hooves under her she barely manages to get up into a standing position before the door swings open, barely missing her head as it does. Blinded by the light from outside Trixie rapidly blink her eyes in a desperate attempt to regain her focus. Blocking some of the light is the silhouette of a pony. A very specific pony.

“Have you taken your bath yet?” And the mare sounds no less pleasant this time around either. Struggling to open her dry and cracked lips, the best she can manage is the faintest reply.

“N… no, Miss.”

“What did I tell you? You stay in there until you take your bath, that’s final.” The annoyance in her voice cut through the weakened haze Trixie just in time to see the door close in front of her once again. “And no lunch until you do as I tell you.”

As the clopping on grass moved away from the door for the second time in as many days, Trixie gave up all pretense of strength and fell to the side. Closing her hurting eyes the filly took several deep heavy breaths, before mustering enough strength to once more get off the ground. One step at a time she crept at a snail’s pace towards the vat she could get out of here with.

As she closed in on the tub she felt the smells again. Hanging heavily in the air her breathing became more and more forced. The thick air around the bath sapping what little strength she have as she collapses on the ground, failing to reach it with a significant margin. Simply laying there on the ground, forcing air in and out of her lungs the hours pass.

Slightly shifting her legs to spread out from her she once more watch the shadows creep across the walls as the time pass. Head resting on the ground and eyes flicking about the room as the hours slowly move forward. The morning turns into day and day turns into evening as she lay there, barely moving her body the slightest.

As she notices the fading light in the room, a last desperate attempt to move begins. Avoiding all pretense of standing, Trixie drag herself across the floor towards the place she slept for the previous two days. With a final push of will she forces herself back up on the now used pile of hay and immediately collapses, gasping for air. Heavy breaths and complaining stomach is the last two things she hear as she falls back into the dark embrace of sleep.

Author's Note

Real life problems kind of solved. At least I don't have to live with a broken heating system when it's -10°C outside anymore.

5: ...and never to remember

Light shone in through the walls, illuminating every corner of the enclosed room with no exit. Seeping through the walls the heat from the sun warmed the back of the filly within. Shifting slightly the unicorn made one last unconscious attempt to get the light out of her eyes with no success. Admitting defeat Trixie weakly opened her eyes to the room once again.

Eyes drifting across the walls and unsurprised noted no apparent changes to anything in the room. Same old stack of hat, same old tub of something-that-wasn’t-water and same old walls of wood blocking her from the rest of the world. Slowly the eyes moved from left to right, taking in every detail as they went. As Trixie’s eyes reached the far side of her vision something new appeared.

Placed just a little bit away, close enough to be in reach for her neck without moving was a small red bowl. A bowl not unlike those dogs gets their feed in. At the moment said bowl was not filled with feed however. Carefully glancing over the rim of the bowl, she found her snout submerged a minimal amount in some kind of a liquid. Looking down in the bowl, Trixie could see the unknown particles swivel around from her disturbance.

As carefully as possible she lowers her moth down under the water’s surface and slowly begins to drink. A small mouth of water at a time, the bowl is emptied in a minute. Gulping down the last remnants of water, Trixie moves her head away from the red bowl and lowers her head to the ground. Sighing softly in contempt for the water she begins to close her eyes once more.

A door slams in the distance, muffled by the walls but still audible to her. Ears up in anticipation, tilted towards the door she waits. The familiar sound of hooves walking towards the door getting closer as the time goes by. And finally the screeching noise when the rusty hinges open up to the world again.

“I see you woke up again. Why didn’t you say you were thirsty? You may not get dinner just yet, but I am reasonable enough to give you water.” Standing in the doorway, her voice moved all across the room. Not enough for the sound to echo it just dispersed soaked up by the walls. “Get that bath soon and I’ll see about dinner for tonight, will you?”

Trixie slowly moved her head towards as she spoke and by the end of it had come nearly face to face with her. Looking into the eyes of Winter she slowly but unmistakably nodded her head a few times, a few extra for clarity. Satisfied with this response, Winter promptly shut the door in front of her and could be heard walking away once more.

Defeated Trixie pushed herself up on her hooves again. On shaky legs she forced herself closer to the tub. Forcing back down the bile that threatened to come up from the stench she took the first step and lifted one hoof over the edge of the vat and pushed it down towards the surface.

Lowering the hoof even further she felt as the liquid softly parted for her, never once breaking the surface tension. Shifting the hoof around Trixie made some halfhearted attempts at breaking the rubber-like membrane covering her bath.

With the submerged hoof as support Trixie lifted her other front hoof up and over the side of the vat and gently pushed down right next to the first. Placing as much weight on her front hooves as she could manage the first tear finally started to show. Without warning the size of the tear increased rapidly, freeing more and more of the same gut wrenching stench from before.

Recoiling with her head in disgust as the scent assaulted her senses she missed the moment when both her hooves found the bottom of the tub. Feeling the water seeping in through her fur and drenching even her skin a shiver went up her spine. Awkwardly standing in that pose for a moment, back raised up to pass the vat she silently breaths. Shallow labored breaths pushing her stomach down in the sharp edge of the tub.

Stumbling and flailing with her back hooves she somehow manage to get them over the side and into the water with the rest of her. All four hooves planted in the deep bottom of the water, the water almost reached up to her belly. Feeling the disgusting water move around her hooves she suppresses a shiver.

With a frown one of her front hooves is lifted up above the surface once more. The grimy water was dripping off it like syrup, all while giving a brown-green tint to the once blue hoof. Staring intently at her own hoof as for the first time, Trixie frowned slightly. Taking a small sniff of the hoof confirms what she already knew, the smell is revolting.

Taking a deep breath and bracing herself Trixie drops down on her haunches with no care for splashing. The disgusting water swivel around her, disturbed by the extra mass present in the tub. All around her lower body the coat and skin slowly gets taken over by the liquid and soaks her to the bone. Forcing herself to stay put meanwhile, Trixie suppress yet another reflex to bolt out the tub and attempt to clean herself off.

Gently bending her forelegs she lower herself down to the neck in the water-look-alike, the same wetness appear over the rest of her body. Before long the only dry part of her body is her head and neck, the two carefully maneuvered to never get wet before now. Frozen in that position for a moment, Trixie bit down another attempt of her body to empty the contents of her stomach.

Careful not to disturb the water too much she maneuvers herself to feel the edge of the vat with her back. Measuring the distance and confirming she got enough space to dip her head down. Closing her eyes she attempts to find a moment of calmness, taking steady and even breaths in and out. The moment pass and before she can change her mind she forcefully dunk her head down underneath the surface.

Trixie can feel the water moving around her, attempting to get in wherever it can. Eyes forced shut and holding her breath she lay completely still underneath the water. The water pushing on her everything, ears twitching and the muscles in her neck tense. The curiosity to open her eyes just a tiny bit is suppressed before it can grow, and the burning sensation in her lungs slowly made itself known.

The need to breath overpowering Trixie pulled her head up from the water, giant droplets flying from her mane by the motion. Panting she studied her drenched mane as the liquid sluggishly moved through it and dripped down to join its equals. The substance severely limiting the movements of her mane to a minimum. Eyes still forced closed she whips her head back and forth, forcefully removing most of it before carefully opening her eyes ready to shut them on a moment’s notice.

When her breathing slowed down she made her first attempt to exit the vat. Edging closer to the wooden frame the forelegs easily slid over and down on the floor. Forelegs firmly set on the floor the back soon followed. Shaking each appendage in turn to get most of the water out. The overpowering smell still finding its way in her nose, reminding her exactly what she just had done.

Shuddering Trixie collapses back down onto the ground, furiously swiping away any of the water that comes close to her nose. Swipe by swipe the amount lessen each time and soon enough all of the liquid near her nose is gone or dripping from other places. The ground underneath her rapidly shows more and more signs of what recently transpired.

“How did this happen? One moment I’m dead, the next I’m at a police station and now I’m reeking of Celestia-knows-what that was. I don’t know how much longer I can keep this up. First chance I get I’m out of here, back somewhere I never have to remember this again.” She relaxed with her thoughts, doing everything she could to not think of the nauseating smell that came from her own body.

It didn’t take long for the stench to penetrate her shaky defenses and as she passed out from the smell there was only one thing on her mind.
“Never again.”

“Good morning little miss. I can see you finally took my advice and took that bath. Good, it will help you feel better.” The voice coming from behind disturbed the filly during her nap. Shaking the tiredness from her eyes she looked up to find Winter standing right next to her.
Motioning with her head Winter signaled for Trixie to follow her, before she promptly walked out through the same door as before. Except for this time the door stayed open so she could follow. The same morning sun greeted her for the fourth time as she stared through the door at what laid on the other side of that door.

Still disoriented from her sleep Trixie slowly exited the room she had been stuck in for the last few days. On the other side the same green hills greeted her as she left. All sides covered in grass and flowers of all colours as she followed Winter towards the house.

“I could escape now, she would have a hard time catching me. But would she expect it and be ready for it? What if I tried and she caught me? Would I have to spend more time down there? I can’t do that, I can’t take much more of this and I can’t risk it. I have to play along for now and hope another opportunity will present itself soon.” Lost in thought she almost missed the real entrance and almost walked past it. Snapped out of her wandering thoughts by the door slamming wide open prevented that all while alerting her to the presence of her supposed guardian.

“Glad you could make it little miss. I have a room for you with food in it. If you just follow me you get there soon.” The tone of her voice and the look in her eyes showed none of the compassion her words held, and the intention behind those words promised something completely different if she didn’t follow along. Reluctantly following inside and away from the relative freedom outside led Trixie into the orphanage for the first time properly.

Walking across the same floor that just yesterday was her roof she passed poorly done tapestry and construction work. Following Winter down a long green painted corridor with closed doors, all painted the same brown earthy colour and in various amount of repair required to fix them. Some barely held together while the next almost looked new. Head moving back and forth as Trixie took in as many details as possible, memorizing the route she came so she knew where she could find the exit.

“Straight ahead, left, right, up the stairs, turn around, right, up the next set of stairs and right next to the stairs. I can remember that I hope.”

“Here is your room little miss. Remember it because I won’t be showing you it again. Now in you go, the breakfast is already there,” she said before turning around and leaving the filly standing there all on her own.

Sighing Trixie moved up to one of the worst door she had seen on her way up and up her lips around the handle. With a forceful twist the door gently swung open to reveal a room just like the rest of the house. Green walls falling apart and the same wooden floor. She entered and carefully walked around the bed that stood in center and occupied most of the room. Standing on the only table next to the bed was her apparent breakfast.

Somewhere in the distance a door slammed shut, but Trixie paid little attention to it. She watched as her own door swung back shut from gravity, no apparent other source that could explain it. As the door shut she turned her attention back to the bowl standing on the table.
Looking down into the bowl she found some sort of soup, containing what looked like several kinds of vegetables and small pieces of bread. Sniffing on the aroma from the bowl and not finding anything particularly horrible about it she sat down and took the soup in both her front hooves.

Firmly pressing her lips to and edge of the bowl she tilted the bowl up and let some of the soup slide down her throat. Grimacing from the bitter smell she let the bowl back down just enough to stop it from entering her mouth.

“I miss the prison food already. At least that had taste.”

6: Living in places

Twilight Sparkle found herself being lead down a very familiar corridor. The corridors of the royal castle were among the most decorated hallways in Equestria, so any pony who had once wandered down one knew how they looked. She slowly passed white marble walls decorated by paintings, statues and in some places carvings of the princess and the emblem of Equestria, the two sisters bent around the sun and the moon.

The stoic guard leading her down the hallways allowed himself a tiny smile as she moved from side to side, trying to take in every detail with wide eyes. Futile of course, she would need more eyes or several more laps to take everything in. That did nothing to stop her trying. It was, after all, not every day that a filly as young as her was allowed to wander without guardians down the corridors towards the throne room with business for the princess.

The large smile on her frame falters for a moment as they reach the large doors dividing her and the throne room where her meeting with the princess will take place in just a little while. Loud and clear the guard purposefully knocks a hoof in the door several times to signal their arrival. Standing in one place for more than minutes is a tough task for an exited filly such as herself. Knowing she shouldn’t Twilight approach the door, stealing glances back towards the guard who made no apparent moves to catch her.

Placing an ear to one half of the large double doors she strained her hearing in an attempt to catch the reply to the knocking. Muffled and barely hearable through the thick door Twilight could make out at least two different voices speaking to one another.

“… filly found in a town to the south. She doesn’t show up in any record we could find.”

“I see. Send a unit to the orphanage to bring her in. I would like to ask her some questions.”

A loud noise interrupted further listening as the guard next to her cleared his throat. Twisting her head around to look at him, Twilight grinned sheepishly.

“I assume your parents have taught you the value of privacy, kid? You would make good to remember those lessons; a cute smile won’t always save you.” It was the only thing the guard said to her during the entire trip from the castle gates and up until this door. Everything else had been directed by directing and following. Slowly backing away from the door Twilight took up place next to the door and waited for the meeting to end.

She didn’t have to wait long, as just a few minutes later the door opened to reveal yet another guard exiting the room in his regular armour. With only a passing glance the guard moved past her and turned down a different corridor than the one she had taken here. All thoughts of the guard were lost a moment later when her new teacher for the first time spoke to her that day.

“Twilight Sparkle, it’s good to see you. If you would come this way we can begin.” And the filly filled with impossible amount of energy at the thought of learning magic with the princess happily bounced after her new mentor.

Trixie was greeted by the same roof as yesterday as she opened her eyes after the first good night’s sleep in a long while. The coverless bed under her bending around her body as she simply laid there and stared at the boring wooden roof. Thinking back and reflecting over the dream she experienced just the same night.

“I remember that day, it was my first lesson with the Princess and we went over the basic theory behind levitation if I remember correctly. I wonder why I suddenly remember that of all things. Do the things the guard said to the Princess while I was listening mean something?”

“I know it was around this time, and if I kept track correctly I’ve been in here for five or six days. If you take into account how far south I am, and the average traveling speed they could have made it here and back again if they set of the day after I came here at the latest. But that’s ridiculous, they wouldn’t be looking for me would they? But if they are I should expect them here in around two days at the most.

“Assuming the dream means something and this was just a dream and nothing more. Dreams aren’t really a reliable source of information and I cannot trust anything they say. But it is my memory too, right? It has to be, it just has to. Not much I can do but wait and see, but I should prepare just in case.”

Finishing that last train of thought Trixie finally took the effort to get out of bed. The wooden bed loudly protesting as she jumped off accompanied the sound of hooves meeting the floor. The nausea and lack of energy from the night before gone, and Trixie felt better than she had over the last few days.

Right next to her, sitting on the same table as before was another bowl. Just like the last one this was filled with the same unappetizing-looking stew of greens and bread. Steaming up from the bowl the stench reminded her just how that same stew had tasted yesterday. Taking a deep breath she picked up the bowl and gulped down all of the contents in one go. With the bowl firmly held in place she sat on the floor and forced herself not to throw any of it back up, after which she placed the bowl back down on the table.

Making her way over to the cracked window decorating the wall opposite to the door she took a moment to look out across the landscape. The road she got here on stretched out towards the city proper, a city that hid behind the hills around the house. The hills showing more and more signs of growth since she last saw them. Catching a glimpse of her own reflection and some of her good mood from the view left her.

Trixie was in no way a vain pony, but the state of her mane made even her uneasy and longing for a brush to get it straight again. Sadly for her there was no brush in sight so she did the second best thing. Reaching up with one hoof she gently straightened out her mane into a somewhat presentable manner, but still in dire need of a brushing.

Satisfied she had done what she could with her mane by what she saw from the reflection in the window she turned around towards the door and with no hesitation made her way towards it. Upon reaching the door and, following the trend that the last few days had shown her, finding it locked. Neither pushing nor pulling in the door seemed to make any difference and the door refused to budge even a little. Falling back down on her haunches she quietly contemplated her current situation.

“What do I do now? I should be grateful she leaves me alone, but I’m on the third floor and no way down. Escaping is impossible, especially without magic. …Magic! That’s it. I just have to relearn the basics and I can be out of here in no time. Opening the doors and sneaking out at night would be easy with just levitation.”

Moving away from the door and sitting down right next to the bed she tried to recall that same lesson she just had dreamt about with her mentor. Closing her eyes and focusing more and more details of that day came back to her, although none of them early enough to confirm the dream. Unconsciously she began to mumble parts of their lesson out loud, almost as if reciting a paragraph from a book.

“…all kinds of ponies have magic, but only unicorns have the ability to manipulate it at will. Using the horn as focus unicorns expel their magic to the surrounding through will or in some cases through habitual use. The magic is stored throughout the body as a container for the unicorn to release at will to manipulate his or her surroundings.”

“Often unicorns are more attuned to their surroundings and most unicorns can ‘feel’ the flow of magic around them in familiar places. Any disruptions to the regular field will stand out if a unicorn knows how the ambient magic around them feels like.”

With eyes still closed Trixie stopped mumbling completely, and sat in complete silence as she searched through her own body in search of that special point where the most energy was gathered. As Twilight Sparkle her own energy had been focused around her heart, but once she found it she noticed the focus was a fair bit lower down on her body near the liver.

Guiding the magic up through her body as her mentor once taught her, it slowly made its way past her heart, up her throat and finally reaching the base of her horn. With much more force of will she mentally pushed the magic out towards the tip of her horn, magic soaking up every pore of the horn as it travelled towards the tip. Reaching the tip of her horn after completely filling the horn to the brim with her new latent magic it simply rested there and awaited instructions.

A dim pink light spread across the room as the waiting magic made itself known as it surrounded her horn. In the morning light the pink light gave much less knowledge that anything was there than it should, but she knew anyway. The distinct feeling of magic she hadn’t felt in days finally passed through her once more.

Turning her head towards the table she locked her eyes in on the now empty bowl of breakfast. With a mere thought she gave the magic that final push and sent it across the room invisibly to engulf the bowl and gently push it up through the air. The effort required was minimal, even to her as she was now in the body of a child.

Experimenting a little with the bowl, she made it fly up, down, circle around her and even more intricate patterns she made up on the spot. All while a happy smile spread across her face.

Lost in concentration she didn’t hear as the lock on the door unlocked, but the door slamming open broke her focus and the magic surrounding the bowl lost its hold enough to drop it. Turning her head around Trixie came face to face with a less-than-happy Winter Heart. Winter quietly entered the room until she stood directly in front of the still sitting Trixie.

“Miss Lulamoon, I know you are new here and don’t know the rules around here. But if I catch you casting any magic at all there will be consequences. If you think you can sneak in any training like you did today, I will know of it.” The worst part about Winter at that point wasn’t her words, but the eerie calm she had as she spoke.

With a carefully measured nod Trixie replied with exactly what she wanted to hear, even if she had no real intention of following it. Seemingly satisfied with her reply Winter took a few steps next to her and picked up the forgotten bowl that she had dropped in surprise. With bowl in her mouth and one final glance back at Trixie she left the room and locked the door behind her again.

Left without an object to train her levitation on she was forced to let the magic training come to a halt until something movable had returned to her room. With nothing else to do she attempted to push the bed towards the window so she could sit in it while looking out. With moderate success she managed to move the bed a fair bit closer, but still not close enough to comfortably sit on the bed before she finally gave up.

Looking behind her she saw the marks in the floor that the bed had made. On closer inspection she saw that the floor was undamaged and that the bed had torn streaks in the dirt, uncovering the real floor underneath. Scraping a bit with her hooves yielded similar results but to a lesser extent.

Getting back up on the bed that now stood in more light than before she laid down and tucked her hooves underneath her and rested, fairly tried from pushing a full grown bed.

Much of the day passed in a similar manner. Trixie would every now and then get off the bed and get the bed ever closer to its target next to the window, before getting back up and rest on it from the effort. She only saw Winter two more times that day, once when she brought the lunch in another bowl and the second time when dinner was served. Both times the bowl greeted her with more of that same stew from before and both times she forced it down in one go.

Regardless of the taste she felt fairly full after eating dinner and returning the bowl to Winter. And as the sun slowly descended below the horizon she finally put the bed in its new proper spot just beside the window. Sitting in the bed she watched as the final beams of the sun slowly vanished below the earth and made way for the night.

And for the first time since that morning a whisper passes her lips as she slowly lay down on the bed to rest after the physical effort over the day.

“Good night Princess.”

Author's Note

Random question, who like Winter?

7: Known places

”You can’t have her locked up in there forever. She needs to get out sometime.”

Being awaken by shouting wasn’t exactly how Trixie imagined her day would begin when she went to bed the previous day. Regardless she couldn’t get back to sleep with the heated debate going on seemingly just outside her door. One of the voices was immediately recognizable as Winter, but not the other one. Straining her ears as much as possible she could vaguely make out the voice as male. She was sure she had heard the voice somewhere before but she didn’t know where.

“Of course I can. I signed the papers that made me her guardian and that means I know what’s best for her. And I say she can stay where she is.”

The argument seemed to have gone on for a while, but most likely had only just recently gotten heated enough for her to overhear through the door.

“How can it be healthy for her to stay locked up after her time downstairs? She should be moving about and exercise, not stay cooped up in a small room.”

“I know best and I say it is. Every foal I have taken care of has been down there and none of them took any harm from it. I don’t see why you all of a sudden care about this one when you looked away with all the others.”

“None of them was locked in that room for four days.” The statement was followed by a small thud, as if a hoof hit to floor as the sentence ended. “It’s because she’s a unicorn isn’t it?”

“How dare you accuse me of that? I will have you know I left that behind me long ago. I want to hear nothing more of this right now mister. Either you leave peacefully or I will personally see that you’re thrown out of here sooner than you can say ‘good bye’.”

What began as whispers through the door slowly rose in volume so after a while Trixie didn’t even have to try to listen in on the argument going on outside the door. The voices clearly passed through the walls already. Even still she took care not to make any sounds as she ate more of that rubbish they called food at this place, just in case she would accidentally disturb them or miss what they said.

“So it is, isn’t it? She’s the only unicorn in here and you treat none of the other kids like you treat her do you? Wait! Wait, I know. No more of this. Just give me an hour or two to talk to her and I’ll leave? Deal?”

The silence that followed that question was fairly surprising to Trixie, she never expected the offer to even get a second thought, not if you accounted for how she’d been treated this far. Not that she knew how this mysterious pony was but compared to Winter she’d take him any day.

“You get one hour. Then you take your sorry behind out of here and don’t come back.”

“Fine, fine. One hour then I go back home to my own place. Now can you please unlock the door so she can get out, or do I have to take the keys from you?”

No verbal reply came but a few moments later the sound of a lock turning could be heard and before she knew it the door swung open to reveal a less-than-happy Winter standing in the middle of the door facing straight at her. Staring at the spot where Trixie was seated on the floor Winter narrowed her eyes before opening her mouth.

“You have a visitor. I don’t know why you know him, but he’s out of here in an hour. Celestia knows how you two met.” That was the only thing she said before she turned around and left, leaving the door open for the first time ever.

The door didn’t stay empty for long, for moments after she had left the other pony stepped through. Standing in the doorway was a very familiar pegasus, blue both to coat and mane. For a moment he just stood there and looked at her while she stared open-eyed at him. The first smile in days slowly crept up on her and before she knew it both of them just smiled at each other.

“Mister Soarin’ what are you doing here? I thought you said you were going to the auditions?” The question broke the comfortable silence between the two.

“Hey kid, been there done that. They accepted me of course. I was just around to pack up so I can move to Cloudsdale, can’t live here and be a part of them it seems. So I figured while I was around I could come say hi to my one and only fan. That, and I want to apologize.”

“Apologize?” Trixie asked, clearly confused. She couldn’t remember anything he had done near her that could possibly require him to ask for forgiveness. They barely knew each other either.

“Yeah well, you remember what I said about believing in yourself and stuff?” He continued after she gave a clear nod of her head. “Good. You see kid, it was unfair to you. I was finally going somewhere with my life and here you come, from nowhere and know my name. It’s a big deal for me to have a fan. So I tried too hard to be a role model, and I feel bad for that.”

“It’s fine Mister, I took no offense for it. Really it’s fine.” She enforced her point by flashing him an ever greater smile than before, which seemingly sealed the deal for Soarin’.

“That’s great kid. Now I know you’ve been sitting around for way too long, so let’s go for a walk,” Soarin’ warmly responded, before moving out of the way so the exit was left clear. “After you, kid.”

The conversation halted during the moments that Trixie jumped down from the bed and got up beside the much larger stallion. Without exchanging a word the duo left the room behind and stepped out into the hallway. The planks underneath their hooves ominously creaked as they moved towards the stairway.

“You know kid, I used to live here once. Then I grew up and moved someplace I could call my own.” The faraway look in Soarin’s eyes appeared as he spoke, as if he stared at something only he saw.

“Really?” Trixie was surprised. She knew very little of the Wonderbolt, but the things she remembered about him never said he was raised in an orphanage. Then again she couldn’t recall her Trixie ever mentioning something like that either, so it was possible.

“Oh yes, I used to spend every second awake outside in the skies, practicing. Sometimes I didn’t come back for days at a time, but they never really worried after the first few times. By the end of it nopony even knew where I was if somepony would ask.” With a smile he added, “But don’t think I never ate, I always came on time for lunch and dinner. Free food after all.”

As they talked they made their way down the second set of stairs and turned the other way from the entrance down another hallway. The hallway looked much like the others in the same run-down state that was the norm for the house at this point. At the end the hallway spread out in a small reception room with a couch and a dresser you could put clothes in, if you had any. On top of the dresser sat a couple of picture frames, but from Trixie’s angle she couldn’t see exactly what pictures they contained.

“But, how did you know where I was? I never had time to say anything when we met last time.” The awkward look on Soarin’s face either meant she asked something uncomfortable or that he thought something embarrassing.

“To be honest, kid I had no idea. I came here to visit and when she told me of you things sort of just happened. Not anything more to it.” His grin showed no signs of lying so Trixie assumed he had to be telling the truth. Why would he be looking for her in the first place? She just happened to be in the same place as he lived in when he was young.

Leaving the subject she turned her attention back to the photo frames up on the dresser once more. Standing on her hind legs and stretching she got her head up over the edge, but only just. What met her on top were several pictures of Winter with the foals of the orphanage. Foals of both genders stared back at her, and of seemingly every colour combination possible. There was one thing that stood out to her in all of the pictures, none of the foals were unicorns.

More pegasi and earth ponies than she could count and not a single unicorn among them. Quickly scanning over all the group pictures once more confirmed her earlier discovery. With a puzzled expression she turned away from the group shots towards the only frame of a different size, placed away from the rest of them. The picture showed a group of two adults and a child around Trixie’s current age, maybe a year younger.

The young unicorn filly looked very happy and Trixie could only assume the adults were her parents. Finding nothing more interesting than the smiling white filly and her two parents she moved away from the dresser to get back down on all fours.

“I take it you noticed?” Soarin’ asked, motioning his head back towards the pictures. He had apparently been quite all throughout her examination of the photos.

“That there are no unicorns in any of the group shots? Yes I did.” She wondered about that, but asking didn’t seem appropriate.

“That too, but you missed something. Go look at the last picture again and tell me what you see.”
Giving in to his prompting she moved back to the dresser and stood up in the same uncomfortable position as before. Focusing on the smaller picture again she started just describing it to him.

“I see two ponies and their foal. Possibly the parents. The male is an earth pony and the female is a unicorn, as is the child. Both unicorns have some shade of white in their coat, the child brighter than both adults. With her mane the filly could almost be Miss Heart if not for the fact she’s not a unicorn.” Trixie attempted to continue but Soarin’ cut her off before she could.

“Hate to ruin it for you kid, but that’s Winter all right.” Surprised Trixie turns her head to look towards Soarin’. “Don’t look at me like that, she’s really good at hiding it.”

“How is that possible? She doesn’t have a horn now.” Trixie is visibly upset at this fact. She could barely stand not having magic at the moment, much less forever.

“Do you really want to hear it?” A nod quickly came as a reply. “Are you really sure? I can’t imagine it being good for fillies your age.”

“I won’t mind I promise.”

“Well, if you insist but don’t say I never warned you. Now let’s see. Winter lived here when she was just a kid, even younger than you are now. She was born here. Her parents used to run this place like she does now, until they passed away a couple of years ago. The most energetic filly I’ve ever laid my eyes on. Winter couldn’t sit still for ten minutes if she wasn’t eating, and I can count the times I saw her without a smile easily.”

“So you see kid, she was a real sunshine to be around. Everypony in the house love her and she loved all of them. Then one day it all changed, as you probably noticed. I can’t remember when, but I hadn’t been here long yet I felt like I had known her my entire life. When she was only a year older than you are now, that day came. I had been out practicing like usual, but I decided to take a different way home.”

“Winter’s parents had this ladder of sorts placed against the backside of a shed. The shed is broken now by the way. Anyways, I usually took the fast way back that didn’t pass the shed but I had some extra time so I figured I’d take the longer route back.”

“So as I got up to the shed I saw all these fillies playing around it, that wasn’t unusual. The shed was so run-down nopony cared if we broke it some more. Normally only the pegasi like me used the roof, but for some reason Winter had decided she should sneak up and scare them down. She did those kinds of things.”

Taking a break from the story Soarin’ looked down on Trixie again. With an equally parts frightened, curious and knowing expression she looked back up at him, urging him to go on.

“She jumped at them, laughing loud enough for them to hear it and with enough time to move away. That was her definition of ‘scare’: that was nopony really got scared and she could have fun. For some reason this day was different. She slipped on the floor and went off the edge of the roof.”

“I was so far away I didn’t make it in time and the others never noticed until it was too late. She hit the ground, head first. Her horn shattered against a rock that shouldn’t have been there and small pieces laid everywhere, soaked in blood. I rushed back with her to the house and got her to hospital not twenty minutes later.”

“She screamed the entire time. You see, that was the first time I heard her really upset. She was always so happy, and to see the hurt in those eyes did nothing to calm me down. The doctors could do nothing to help her, but they promised the horn would grow back in time, if she let it be.”

“But something inside her broke that day. Despite all our attempts to help her she stayed locked up for a lot of the times. I barely saw her over the next two weeks after that, but the next time I saw I wish I didn’t.”

“She had broken her horn clean off and filed down every hint of it ever being there. If you look close enough you could see the base, but by now that’s most likely gone too. She grew cold, distant and alone fast. She shunned all her friends, spent more and more time staring out windows for hours on end.”

“Eventually I moved out, free to pursue my dreams. By then she had no friends left who stood out with her, and the pony you met had started to show up even then. I never got a real explanation for what happened, but don’t talk to her about this. She doesn’t want to hear it.”

Trixie can only nod in response, still processing everything that had just been told to her. Winter lost her horn in the early stages of magic, one of the most crucial points in a unicorn’s life. To lose her magic just as she got it must have been soul crushing for her. Still that was not a reason to treat her the way she had.

Frowning slightly Trixie looked back up to Soarin’, about to thank her for telling her the story. But before she had a chance to do so, she got interrupted by a loud knock on the front door. As it turned out the front door was just around the corner from where she stood right now, so she had an easy time spotting the visitor. And what she saw made her blood freeze.

Standing outside the door, clad in golden armour was none other than the royal Canterlot guard, politely knocking on the door.

8: Escaping old places

”This isn’t good, not good at all. The dream was true and now they’re looking for me. I haven’t had time to prepare anything. I need a distraction, anything so I can escape.” Eyeing the window she currently looked out through a plan began to form in her head. “This window looks like it’s easy to open. I just need something to get the guard away from the door, preferably inside so I can jump out.”

“What is the royal guard doing all the way out here?” The voice from Soarin’ briefly interrupted her thoughts as he gave voice to a question she already knew the answer to. Keeping her mouth shut Trixie kept on studying the guard for anything that would help in her escape. “Wait here kid, while I go find out what this all is about.”

All Trixie could do to contain her glee was a quiet nod. The distraction she needed came by itself, she didn’t even need to think about it. She watched as Soarin’ made his way out of the room and carefully listened as the sound of his hooves moved further and further away from her and towards the door.

Looking back through the window she saw as the door opened, but instead of Soarin’ showing up on the other side Winter Heart greeted the guard. From her vantage point and with the distance their voices were barely more than a whisper, and only fractions of the conversation registered.

“…Looking for Lulamoon...”

“…Did she do now?”

What little she could her confirmed what she already thought, however. They were looking for her. Celestia and the royal guard tried to find her, and the dream was true. She kept her gaze steady on the duo at the door as Winter motioned for the guard to come inside, most likely so she could bring her to him.

The moment the guard got his head through the door Trixie slammed the window open as quietly as possible with her hooves. She couldn’t risk using magic at the moment and the window wasn’t outside of her strength anyway.

With less grace than a stone she crawled through the open window and firmly planted her hooves on the soft grass below. With no way to close the window she opted to simply leave it open even if it would alert the adults inside to her location as soon as they entered the room. With a final glance back up at the window Trixie whispered a single word before turning around.

“Goodbye.”

And then she was gone. She ran towards the large forest in the distance, away from Hoofing ton and the orphanage. The first shouts of her name reached her ears as she passed the top of the hills surrounding the area and down on the other side. Panting she forced herself to run as fast as possible so she could get to the forest before they caught wind of her location. A blue filly running across green fields aren’t the most invisible things from the air after all.

As the first shadows from the forest reached her legs she stole a glance backwards, looking for any sign of their progress. Seeing nothing more than Soarin’ circling around the orphanage a fair bit away from her she smiled. Weaving between the trees her pace slowed down significantly but she still kept an acceptable pace.

Blindly running through the forest her ears found no sign of her hunters at all. With no sense of direction left she kept going forward, putting as much distance behind her as possible. And with no apparent danger of being caught left she allowed herself to slow down to catch her breath.

For the better part of an hour this patter continued. Trixie would make her way through the forest, jumping over fallen trees as they came and crawled under the ones she couldn’t get over. The lack of smaller plants made the journey as painless as possible and relatively pleasant. Eventually she came across a dirt road stretching straight ahead in both directions. Taking directions with the sun she opted to move east, away from Canterlot and the princess.

“The further away the better,” she reasoned and set off down the path. With no trees to avoid her overall speed increased and she put more and more distance behind her. Hooves falling down on the gravel made more noise than she wanted, but she saw no way to fix this without slowing down.

Eventually the dirt path opened up into a clearing in the forest. Panting loudly she took several deep breaths, before deciding a five minute break wouldn’t hurt. The clearing was by no means large, but much to Trixie’s surprise it was already occupied. Standing in the small clearing was a large wagon much in the same fashion her Trixie had. Made out of wood and painted in bright colours, the entire thing screamed traveler.

Seemingly empty at the moment she carefully moved closer. The closer she came the higher the wagon got and by the time she had moved up next to it she noticed there was enough space underneath for her to comfortably lay down if she wanted to.

“Can I help you, child?” a voice behind her suddenly asked. Twisting her head around she came face to face with a most unusual sight. Looking back down at her was the face of grey earth pony, who had her prime come and go. Her eyes spoke of immense knowledge and mystery, which both were currently locked in on Trixie.

“I was just looking. I came down the path and needed a break, and your wagon caught my eye.” She pointed with one hoof towards the way she just came from as a clarification. The silence that stretched after her reply stretched out much longer than she liked. Shifting her weight around on her legs she waited for whatever would come next. After what seemed like forever the mare in front of her finally relented, a small smile creeping up on her.

“So you say, child.” The tone of her voice could almost be mistaken for sarcastic, if you couldn’t see her face. “You’re resting you say. Would you humor an old lady to join me for a cup of tea?”

“I… um… I should get going soon. I need to get somewhere soon, how long will it take?” Laughter followed the question and Trixie looked up on the unknown mare in confusion.

“Always on the move, child? I can assure you no time will be lost, the tea is ready and the cups are clean. All you need to do is come in and you can soon be on your way.”

Trixie thought for another moment before giving a short nod as a reply, agreeing to the offer of tea. When the old mare turned around she gave Trixie a perfect view of the crystal ball on her flank, before she too made her way towards the only door of the wagon.

Stepping through the door put her in an entirely different world. Across every imaginable surface were items of all kinds. Flasks of water placed on a shelf, souvenirs and trinkets spread across every open surface and wherever she turned her head there was something that didn’t quite match up with the items around it.

Navigating her way through the inside, carefully checking every step she took to avoid any stray items on the floor. She soon came up to the only table in the room and with absolute care she sat down in an unoccupied space next to it. Not long after a steaming cup of tea came into view in front of her. Sniffing some of the steam a pleasant minty smell took over and after a moment she took the cup and took a small sip of the drink.

“Enjoying yourself, child?” The questions snaps Trixie’s attention back to the mare now sitting in front of her and she gives a small nod in response.

“The tea is very good, miss...?”

“Mystery, child. From my mother, you see? Now, what is a filly like you doing all the way out here?”

Hesitating for a moment, Trixie goes over exactly what happened and what information that could be harmful to say. Everything about her past goes straight out of the window, so she ponders how much of the orphanage she can talk about. “Well, here goes nothing.”

“Trixie, and I was out…” but before she could come any further a loud knock stopped her cold. Without thinking she quickly looked around in search of a place to hide, and found the side of the counter to work out perfectly. Slipping away from the table with her tea cup in magic she positioned herself behind the counter, out of sight from anyone by the door where she placed the cup on the floor and cut off her magic.

“Hide me, please. I can’t let them find me.” She looked back up at Mystery, who had until now sat quietly and watched her move.

Without uttering a word she rose from her seat and moved with practiced ease through the piles on the floor, calling out to whoever was on the other side. Trixie could only listen as Mystery unlocked and opened the door. To her surprise the newcomers voice wasn’t that of the royal guard as she expected.

“Hello ma’am, I’m sorry to bother you but I’m looking for a filly who should be somewhere around here.” The unmistakable sound of Soarin’ came from the door to where she hid. Unwilling to look out from her cover she could only guess his expression.

“A filly you say? It’s not safe for a child to be running around out here all on their own is there?” A sigh of relief washed over Trixie as the notion the old lady would cover for her at the moment. And while she technically hadn’t answered Soarin’s question yet at least there was a chance to get out of the situation unharmed.

“My point exactly ma’am. So can you tell me anything?”

“Would I hide her if I did? Most likely not, but I wonder did you check around her home? Fillies love their homes and family.”

“Yes we did. I’m sorry to have taken a moment of your time ma’am, I will leave you to your day then.” A court reply before what sounded like wings unfurling and flapping came to her ears, before the door slammed shut again.

Peeking out from her cover she watched as Mystery walked back towards the table and sat down once again. Motioning for her to come out Trixie took the cup in her magic and sat down on the opposite side of the table. Shifting in her place the silence stretched out endlessly with the same curious stare from before. A stray lock of Mystery’s black mane fell in her eyes that she blew away was a puff.

“You’re a strange one child, you know that? Running? Hiding? Things never worked out the way you wanted them to did they?” How she managed to sound so caring without being condescending Trixie didn’t know, but it helped her clam down at least a little.

“I’m sorry. This past week has been horrible for me, and I needed to get away. I should just leave you to your own, I don’t need to inconvenience you any longer. Thank you for the tea too.” Trixie made an attempt to get up that was hurriedly motioned away with a hoof from the elder in front of her.

“Now, now, did I say you had to leave child? But if you would like to humor an old soul like me, could you answer a question?”

“What question?” Trixie asked confused. Didn’t this lady speak in questions already? What could she possibly want to know about her?

“Tell me little child, why are you here?”

9: Hallucinating about places

”What do you mean ’why are you here?’?” Trixie looked confusedly back at the mare in front of her. “She can’t know, can she?”

“Will you humor an old lady, child? The question I asked was straight-forward wasn’t it? But now that I know can I thank you for ending my search?” As the few sentences ran along decades of hardships and tests dropped from the face of Mystery, showing a much less wrinkled face and more luster than before.

“I don’t understand, have you been looking for me a long time?” A confused expression grew on Trixie’s face as she asked the question that instantly showed up in her mind.

“No you exactly child. Did you know I’m a gypsy by trade, and by my own code I am not to look at myself for a reason? It’s because I saw your impact on this world and on my own life. By the look on your face you do not believe me child? Could a stranger like me do nothing to earn your trust?”

She had to admit it was hard to trust this stranger who said she had seen her in a vision change the world. She had no plans to do anything of the sort. Beside the way things had turned out, Trixie had only wanted to hide somewhere safe and wait out the events that took place into the future.

Yet now this Mystery claimed she would throw that away and change the things she knew would happen? Who knows what consequences that could have with the future? She had already changed too much with Soarin’, the police, the orphanage and now with this pony in front of her. No, she couldn’t risk it.

“I understand you’re still hesitating child? Look in the topmost shelf after a small bag of white powder, can you see it?” Trixie looked towards the shelf the hoof pointed at and saw the little blue bag resting neatly in a corner. “Would you kindly pick it up and bring it here?”

Curious Trixie picked up the bag in her magic and gently lifted it off the shelf and deposited in right in front of her on the table.

“Good, can you listen carefully now? Inside this bag is a memory drug illegal in Equestria, so not a word of this to anypony you understand?”–A nod–“This will show you what I saw in the vision and it is safe, would you trust me to use a little dose?”–Trixie shook her head a few times in answer–“I would’ve been a fool to expect different wouldn’t I?”

“How about this, you give this one small test and in return you can stay here for as long as you like? I assume you know sometime?”

“A decade.” The reply came a fair bit more quiet than she had liked, but the offer was all of a sudden tempting. She had no idea if the dose did what she said it would, but if she took it the troubles of finding somewhere to stay were gone in an instant.

“So you test this one time, and I let you stay here for at least nine year? Is that a fair deal to you?” Leaning over the table Mystery took the bag in one hoof and scooped out a minimal amount of white dust. Putting the bag back down she shifted around the small pile until it lay in a straight line between Trixie and herself.

“Okay, but give me your word this isn’t something else entirely.” The request seemingly didn’t surprise Mystery in the slightest as she quickly gave her own confirmation and promise that it did.

“Did you know you’re bright child? I promise that it’s exactly as I said, do you trust that? If you’re ready just put your tongue and hold it all still there, very important not to swallow you see?”

Trixie leaned in on top of the table and positioned her in line with the short stream of powder. Carefully she put her tongue directly on top of the powder. Immediately the first thing she noticed was the sweet taste, almost like sugar mixed with just a hint of vanilla. Joining the sweet smell was the odd numbness spreading from her mouth and towards the rest of her body.

The numbness spread down her neck and out in her forelegs, before quickly filling every last corner of her body. Eyes drooping and head hanging low she fell down on the floor, head resting on the still tea cup decorated table. The last thing Trixie saw before closing her eyes was the look of happiness that came from Mystery.

Trixie found herself standing in the exact same room she had just fallen out from. The décor looked exactly the same, but without most of the trinkets she had studied on her first and brief walk through the wagon. Looking around she found herself at her previous height, before this all started. Most surprisingly she found a mirror and what she didn’t expect startled her.

In the mirror was a far younger Mystery looking back out from it. That would mean at the moment Trixie had once more changed bodies, but this time she would probably be back in her second soon enough. Pushing the matter of her body-swap to the side Trixie did another once over of the room in the hopes of finding anything at all that would clue her in to the current events.

The shelves looked the same, the door and workspaces looked the same and as far as she could see nothing that would make this moment memorable stood out. Even a small blue tea cup sat atop the table, empty of any liquid just like hers had been.

Picking up the cup in her hooves she studied a bit closer. It was an exact replica of the one she had used minutes earlier, except blue. Finding another dead end she stretched her hooves to put the cup back down on the table, only to meet thin air. Confused Trixie looked down in front of her and what she saw stopped her in her tracks.

The table was gone.

No table anywhere to be seen, and now she had a cup with nowhere to put. She looked around only to grow more worried by the second.

Most of the shelves were gone, the kitchen had disappeared and none of the trinkets she had seen just minutes earlier was there. She watched as the last two shelves simply faded out of existence, leaving her in a completely empty room save for the tea cup in her hooves.

She blinked, and the room was gone. Floating in a complete darkness she saw nothing in any direction, only her own body. Floating for what seemed like eternity she finally saw a glimpse of colour in the distance slowly moving closer.

She watched as the ball moved closer and closer by the minute, and as it did it grew. Starting out the size of a pea it ended up far larger than her and she couldn’t look at it entirely without moving her head. Studying the globe in front of her closely she noticed a familiarity with the globe.

That is Equestria. But why is it tinted purple?

Across the entire surface continents were placed exactly where they should, oceans and seas separating them seamlessly. And all of it covered in a purple tint.

She was so captivated she never noticed her grip on the cup slowly slipping, and by the time she did the cup had already left her hooves. Tumbling down through the air at unimaginable speeds the cup plummeted towards the continent where her mentor, Princess Celestia, ruled. She watched as the cup entered the atmosphere and caught on fire, expecting it to disintegrate momentarily.

To her surprise the cup continued unhindered before crashing down in what looked like a smaller city. Blue ripples emerged from the point of impact and spread like rings on water across the red world. The places where the ripples had passed slowly turned from the monotone purple to a clear blue, much like the colour of the cup. At first the ripples stopped at the borders, but before long the entire world was engulfed in blue waves. Not long after Trixie looked out across an entirely blue world with not a hint of purple still in it.

With a barely noticeable speed Trixie started moving again, towards the globe once more. With a clear goal in mind she moved towards the place where the cup landed just minutes ago and turned the world into a different tint. As she got closer she could see the impact hadn’t scorched the world in the slightest, even though the cup had been on fire. The only sign of the cup ever existing was the blue patch of grass directly beneath her.

Touching down she studied her surroundings but the lonely plain gave no details she hadn’t already seen from the sky. She stood alone in a park, much like the ones you would find in almost any city. Nothing stood out to her and yet she kept looking around expectantly.

Hanging from a building was a small poster advertising something, but the details were very blurred and impossible to make out. The graffiti directly underneath the poster read clear as day however. Written in pitch black paint the letters made out the only words in the entire world that wasn’t blurred beyond legibility.

“So fragile yet our future rests upon its shoulders.”

And then the world collapsed. She stared as houses faded away and the ground beneath her hooves vanished just like the last time. Moments later she found herself back in the wagon where it all began, with the table once more in the center of the room. Sitting back down in the same place where she earlier found the cup, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Exhaling she opened her eyes and found herself looking back up at a smiling Mystery.

“Did you see it child? The cup? The world? The message? Do you understand what it means?” The questions came one after another without giving Trixie a chance to respond to any of them.

“In order, yes, yes, yes, maybe, not a clue. What was that?” Answering all those questions really in order felt right to her, even if it would’ve been enough to just give one response.

“A memory child, I told you I would show you my memory did I not? I can only guess, but you are the cup and you did something to the world that spread, would that make sense to you?”

Trixie didn’t respond for a moment, lost in thought. If the cup was her and that was her world, it would mean the purple world was her as Twilight and the blue when she was Trixie. But the woman in front of her couldn’t know about how she got here. None of this made any sense to her, so where to from here?

“The deal, does it still stand?” That was the first question that came to her mind. If she had taken this illegal and highly experimental drug for a deal, at least she wanted to know she didn’t get shafted now.

“Do you want it to, child? I cannot force you to do anything, you know that?”

“Can I ask one more thing from you as part of the deal” She waited for Mystery to nod before continuing. “Could you help me with my magic as well, if I’m doing this which I still haven’t decided, I need my magic.”

“Of course child, how could I say no? So does this mean you accept my offer and stay here?” Trixie didn’t know how much magic the earth pony could teach her, but she knew that accepting she would have somewhere to hide until she figured things out properly.

“Yes, it does.”

Author's Note

My entire body hurts. When people say exercise is good for you, don't listen. I did and now I hurt all over.

10: Letters from various places

Dear Mister Soarin’.

I’m sorry for running away like I did. I really hope you don’t take it personal but I didn’t’ run away because of you. I can’t say why but understand I would have loved to stay if I could, but I couldn’t. Too much happened already and I had to get away.

It says on the sender address I sent this from Hoofington, but by the time you read this I’m long gone. I know you have a new job and all so please don’t look for me either. It’s better that you concentrate on the Wonderbolts than a random filly like me. It seems weird, but I have someone to take care of me so I’ll be fine, you don’t have to worry.

I would like if you didn’t forward this to the guard either. Not because of me, but I’m sure you already are under their supervision from knowing me. If you aren’t giving them this letter surely will give you more problems. So for your own sake please keep this to yourself. It’s the only favor I’ll ever ask of you.

On a closing note, I hope I remembered your address right. I only read it a few times before I lost the newspaper you gave me. Sorry about that too. But assuming this got forwarded to the right place, and that you don’t mind me writing letter to you of my progress the paper is enchanted. I left the bottom half blank, so if you don’t mind getting more letters and the letter got to you please tear the paper in half and write Yes/No on it. Afterwards just burn it and I should get it.

With apologies
Trixie

“Child, do you really believe he will respond? It sounds like you didn’t leave the best of impressions to him, am I wrong?”

Trixie looked thoughtful at that. “I don’t know, but I hope so. It doesn’t hurt to try, at the very least.”

“Of course not child, now shall we start your training?”

Dear Mister Soarin’.

Thank you for your response. I’m sorry it took so long to respond to you, but we were nowhere near a post office before now. I hope you didn’t think I forgot you, because I didn’t. I hop life is treating you well, now that you’re in the Wonderbolts and all. I guess I’m not your only fan anymore am I? I don’t even know if you even will find this one among your other letters, but I hope you do. I guess if you’re reading this you did, so thank you for reading my letter.

I’m rambling aren’t I? The pony that’s looking after me say I ramble too much, and I guess I do. Speaking of her, she asked me not to name her in these letters to you. I guess she doesn’t trust you not to give them to the guard so they can find you. We’re also leaving town after I leave this at the post office for you, another safety measure I’m sure.

She’s a great teacher though. Not as good as my old one but great in a different way. I learn so much every lesson, both about magic, travelling and mysteries in general. I can’t believe how large the world is outside of our Equestria.

I’m running out of paper to write on, so I guess I have to go soon. Don’t know when, but I hope your life treats you as well as mine does until next time.

Sincerely
Trixie

Dear Soarin’.

Do you know what day it is today? It’s out one year anniversary. One year ago on the day you get this we met. I bet you didn’t even remember it, with all your obligations and the pressure they put on you. Most likely you waited for the one year in the Wonderbolts next week, so I guess it’s fine. They’re around the same time anyway.

I’m sorry that I haven’t sent any letters recently, but I thought you wouldn’t mind getting them less frequently now that you have so much fan-mail to read already. I’m sorry if that’s the wrong assumption of me.

I want to thank you as well. I saw the last missing poster get taken down several months ago, and I haven’t seen one since. That I haven’t had to hide as much really makes everything more enjoyable for me, and I hope they didn’t bug you too much about it before letting go.

There was something else, but I can’t remember Oh, Oh! I got my cutie mark too. I guess it’s old news now, but it was a few months ago. We had this intriguing lesson in illusions and the different kinds. I tried out some old spells from a spell book I found in a shelf, and I got it. Not the most exciting tale, but it’s mine, so it’s fine. I bet most ponies say so about theirs.

With joy
Trixie

Sighing, Trixie looked down at the letter in front of her. “I wish I could just tell the truth, but I can’t. Not ever.”

“Remind me child, didn’t you just last week hide from the guards once again searching for you?”

Turning her head around, Trixie looked at her companion and teacher before responding. “I know I know, Mystery. It just doesn’t feel right to burden him with things he can’t do anything about anyway.”

“Very well then, now that you’re ready shall we depart?”

Dear Soarin’.

I know it’s been a long time since last time, but I spent the last year abroad. We travelled through the Zebra country and even to the Gryphons. They live so different to us, it’s amazing. I wish I could stay longer but we have to keep moving. My teacher say its due time I get a diploma from some school she knows.

Apparently I can just register for the tests on their own instead of taking the entire courses. I hope can pass them with nothing but her help. Not that I’m complaining, she’s great. I just hope it’ll be enough. After that next letter probably won’t be for a while again. I’ll try to write one directly after I get the results but chances are some are still looking for us so we have to leave shortly after.

Nervously
Trixie

Dear Soarin’.

Guess you figured I never got that letter away didn’t you? We had to leave sooner than I anticipated so I couldn’t write you my results. Well, you get them now instead. I passed, isn’t it great?

I had a perfect score, even after the guards told me I had the wrong room. Apparently there was a beginner’s level and an intermediate level, and I took the latter one with ponies’ way older than me. My teacher was proud of me.

Enough about that, I saw your performance in Manehattan last year. I never paid for a ticket but the hills overlooking the stadium are great to sneak a peek from. You should really tell them to do something about it, or soon everypony is there instead. I don’t think you saw me, we were a bit out of sight under all those trees.

You looked great by the way, really smooth up there in the air.

Your fan
Trixie

“Okay, letter done. Can we go back to the illusions now?”

“What is it with you and illusion child? Are you that sure illusions are your answer to everything?”

“I told you I still haven’t decided yet. But if I do this can’t be done without them, it’s too dangerous.”

Dear Soarin’

This might be one of my last letters to you. I know they haven’t been the most frequent, but I really hope you have liked to read them all. At least the first time. Anyway, I’m leaving Equestria again. This time on a longer trip to the far north. Rumors have it there’s a frozen empire somewhere out there, and we intend to locate it, at least to know where it is.

If Iwe find anything you will be the first to know, but don’t hold your breath. All the books on it say it disappeared a thousand years ago, not that we let that discourage us. It’s a shame it’s so cold up there.

Sorry to cut this so short, but unless we want to miss the summer we have to go now. I’ll try and get in contact soon.

Hopeful
Trixie

“Mystery, do you have some more of that memory powder we used when I first got here?”

“Child, what would you do with a drug like that?”

Trixie looked up thoughtful. “If I’m going to do this, I need dates. Dates I can only find in my most vivid memories. Memories that dulled over these years.”

“On one condition child, if you agree that never use it again?”

“I can agree to that.”

Soarin’.

I need to make this short. I’m going. This will be the last letter from me. I’m sorry they were infrequent at best and rare mostly, but it can’t be helped now.

I’m glad I got to know you, even if you never could respond back to me. I just hope the things I do doesn’t turn bad. I can’t let that happen.

Farwell
Trixie

Looking out across the plains in front of her Trixie watched as the sun rose on the first day of year nine since her own death. The sun bathed the plain in light and shadows as the night reluctantly made way for the day. Ear twitching she listened as her companion, Mystery, made her way up on the same hill as her.

“I have to leave soon. If I’m doing this I have to get going or I will miss the first date.” The statement came without turning her head. She kept on looking towards the sunrise, and Canterlot as she waited for a response.

“Have you made up your mind then?”

She sighed. “I hoped not to, but nothing you have shown me over these years has told me otherwise. I have looked for her throughout Equestria and otherwise but she doesn’t exist. So if I don’t do it won’t happen.”

“Is there anything you will need my help with?” The question was an honest attempt to be considerate, knowing that Trixie had kept a lot from Mystery on her own request.

“I know you wanted no part in the events, but on my desk is a letter. You don’t have to, and shouldn’t read it. It’s addressed to the captain of the royal guard, and all I ask is that you wait a few weeks after his wedding before you post it.”

“Will I know when the wedding is?” The only response to that was a nod from Trixie, and the conversation ended by that.

Together they stood a looked towards Canterlot, the sun, Celestia and by default towards the small village firmly planted in the shadows of Canterlot Mountain.

She looked over her shoulder, back towards the place that had been her home for the past nine years. A pair of saddlebags firmly planted on her back containing purple cloth, various fruits and a decent sum of bits in a small bag greeted her in the bottom of her view. Further down the road stood Mystery, close to her wagon and waving with a hoof. Trixie only gave an encouraging smile in reply as the two of them grew further and further apart from each other. The gravel underneath her hooves made no noise as she passed, determined steps carrying her away.

She stepped through the woods and out on the open grasslands marking the entrance to Equestria, and her final destination. She stopped at the edge of the woods, sticking in the shadows to avoid the scorching sun. A quick sip from the only water she had, and a determined expression on her face before she began.

After a quick look around to confirm she was alone she opened the small pouch around her neck with magic and took out a special piece of enchanted paper. The paper contained little more than a list of dates, followed by a sentence of code. With another quick look around she carefully pushed magic into the letter to reveal the hidden message within.

On every row accompanied by the corresponding date now stood events. Events that her double would have experienced already but even half a dozen dates that had yet to happen.

“Five weeks remaining. Next week is the Summer Sun Celebration, and after that four more weeks. Cape and hat, check. Performance and script, check. Only missing the stage then. There should be one to hire on the way there. Probably.”

With one final glance back Trixie once more set out into the world, en route to the most important location in her former life.

Author's Note

Or, the chapter where I skip nine years of her life to get where you all wanted from the start.

There is things that happened during these years that are relevant later, but we'll come to that.

11: Familiar faces

At the very edge of the cliff overlooking the town the silhouette of a unicorn stood. Bathed in the waning moonlight of the full moon Trixie watched as the village below bathed in its celebrating night. She watched as the foals played games in the street and the adults mingled in the crowds.

The Summer Sun Celebration, a nationwide event honoring Princess Celestia. Ponies of all ages paying their respects in their own way and Celestia responding by moving throughout the country and raising the sun in a different city every year. For the villagers below her, unknowing of the events she knew would take place tonight none of that mattered. For them there was an excuse to party and they took it in stride, accepted and embraced it.

She watched as the villages partied as she stood silently in the night, her only companion a pair of saddlebags and a dirty cloak she had gotten as a gift from a mare at the market just a week ago. At the moment the cloak was packed in her bags, forgotten.

A glance at the moon told her there was at most half an hour left until the Princess should have raised the sun for the morning, but she knew it wouldn’t come. She sat down and waited alone on the hill, the only sounds keeping her company came from the streets below.

With only minutes left until the moment of truth the music and shouts quieted down and an eerily silence took its place. Trixie looked out through the village and watched the ponies stare towards the horizon where the sun would raise from. Trixie herself guided her eyes elsewhere.

Shifting her eyes towards the moon, and more specifically the image of and alicorn visible in the white background. She watched as the four stars closest to the moon slowly moved towards it and momentarily blinked before disappearing completely, taking the image with them. She looked towards the mountain in the distance that had grown closer every day and she knew that on the other side, in a small unknown town much like the one next to her a purple unicorn watched the event that took place in the sky with her.

She knew that in a few scant hours, the sun would rise again and make way for a new era in pony history. An event would take place, binding the unicorn and five friends together in the history book for eternity and giving back the second ruler of the land. She knew friendships would be forged in the morning hours of the new day and they would be the most treasured of things to a select few.

The things she alone had knowledge of, the future. She lay there alone and waited, waited for the sun to rise and show her the truth.

“You can’t let me down, not now.” The thought unbidden entered her mind, and she fought hard to suppress it. At a time like this doubt was unacceptable. She watched the ponies below realize something was wrong when the sun never rose and the panic grew from a few to all as time passed.

Trixie watched the villagers, she studied the skies and she waited for the moment of truth. An hour after the scheduled sunrise ponies ran wild on the streets below, they shut themselves indoors to protect their beloved from harm. Yet she waited. Two, three hours passed and the muscles in her legs begged for a change so she stood up.

As soon as she did, the first bright rays of the morning sun made its way through the sky. Her ears picked up on the cheering from below and the joy the villagers showed when their morning sun came.

The first tear came as soon as the second ray broke the horizon on more followed in the minutes that passed. Through teary eyes Trixie looked at the sunrise that marked the day of a new age, of the return of a princess, of the creation of heroes and the final sign she would have to break her friends in the future. With a final teary-eyed glance towards the dooming sunrise Trixie turned around and continued her travel towards Canterlot and Ponyville.

Pulling the borrowed carriage behind her Trixie emerged from underneath the leafy roof that made up the Whitetail woods. Wheels squeaked from the movement and she ever so slowly neared the final destination on her journey. The sun still stood high in the sky, with some odd hours left until the sunset she desperately needed for her tricks.

She followed the road with her eyes before they came to rest on the small village in the not-so-distance. She looked at the familiar houses from a different time came into her view. Regular cottages and houses spreading everywhere but giving way for roads and plazas. Stretching above all other were the sights of the Town hall, the round building being the nearest of the four tops that could be seen. The red spire so woefully plain in comparison to the others made it stand out just as much as its height.

Sugarcube Corner and the Boutique became clear to her at almost the same time, each of them with their own unique details that made them special. She looked at the white and purple top of Carousel Boutique as she moved ever so slowly towards it, the wagon she pulled behind her following along loudly.

Before sundown Trixie stood before the entrance to Ponyville proper, facing down the street where both the town hall and the library were located. Wiping away the final tear from her eye she took a deep breath before quietly moving forward. Head held high she marched through the town with no doubt inn her step. All around her ponies milled about, some giving her a distracted glance but most simply ignoring her. Without many problems she got to the center of the plaza directly outside of town hall, where she quickly dislodged herself from the yellow carriage.

As she turned around she came face to face with two remotely familiar young colts, the exact two she had hoped to run in to somewhere on her way here. She looked down at the two and mentally steeled herself for what would come next.

“Come on, you can do this. You haven’t spoken a complete truth in years, what are a few more months. No one will notice if you mess up, it’s fine.”

“Have you come to admire the Great and Powerful Trixie, the most magical unicorn in Equestria already? Have you come to hear about the time Trixie took down an Ursa Major single-hoofedly?” For emphasis she threw her fore hooves up in the air. She had perfected the straining movement during the lonely nights since the Summer Sun, four weeks being more than enough to build the muscle strength necessary for the act.

“Uhh, no? We wondered why you pull a carriage through town all on your own,” the shorter chubby colt spoke. Though they hadn’t spoken at all, Trixie was fairly sure his name was Snails.

“But can we do that anyway?”

“No! The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t do private performances. Trixie only do stage shows, showing off magic you could never hope to have and tell stories of her adventures. But Trixie would love to give you the ability to help her. If you want.”

“Yes… No… maybe?” Trixie had to smirk at that, it wouldn’t fit her character otherwise. A fabricated character, but one she had to play.

“Trixie offers you the ability advertise for her. The Great and Powerful Trixie does not have time to find a crowd in the backwater town of yours. So help Trixie find the crowd she deserves. Run around, shout Trixie’s accomplishments and you will be rewarded.” She fell back down on all fours, her back fitfully screaming to her just how uncomfortable the position had been. Hiding any signs of pain she regarded the two children in front of her.

“Do you have a fan club?” The squeaky voice wasn’t annoying her much, but time was running out and at the speed these two understood things it would take forever. Better to play the card any foal wouldn’t hesitate to bite on.

“Yes, the Great and Powerful Trixie does indeed have a fan club. Help Trixie and you two will become honorary members.”

“Okay! Don’t worry the Great and Powerful Trixie, we’ll do our best.” And with that they might as well have teleported out of existence judging by the speed they held.

Doing a last routine check of the carriage to make sure it stood in place and with no probability for it to move she finally entered through the back door. Inside stood little in form of furniture thanks to the fact one side of the walls could be pushed down to reveal a large stage, only separated from the inside by a curtain.

Trixie took the wrinkled curtain lying in a coffin on her side and slid it on the bar securely placed on either side of the collapsible wall, making sure it wouldn’t come off anytime soon. Sighing she turned her head towards the only real piece of furniture in the room, a bed. On top of the red cover lay the same saddlebags as she had started out with, worn from traveling but no less usable.

Unclasping the right side she opened it up to reveal a set of purple attire. The pointed hat was lifted up in her magic and restored to its original pointy state with a few forceful smacks against the nearby wall. Placing it to the side she took up the second object within, a blanket or cape as they would soon call it. In truth she saw no difference between a regular blanket and this cape as such, but she knew she needed it.

“You can do this, I know you can. You didn’t spend two lifetimes studying magic only to fail some basic levitation and illusions. There’s no one to convince but yourself. They don’t know anything about you. If you believe it they will. Go out, brag and get it over with, it’s not that hard is it. You can do this.”

The minutes flew by and as time went on more and more ponies appeared outside the appropriate side of her temporary home. What started out as a few curious ponies eventually grew to cover most of the main square as far as she could see. Looking out over the crowd from her spot hidden behind the curtain she set up the hour before.

Among the crowd stood several familiar faces, all of which she had known before but wouldn’t dare to speak to again. Faces she had seen around but never spoken to at all.

The crowd started to grow restless, but she couldn’t go out just yet. She knew there were several ponies missing, Twilight and Spike most importantly. They would push their way to the front as soon as the show started, but they weren’t even her yet. Looking out over the mass she saw the first of four move closer to her.

Applejack moved purposefully though the mass of ponies and skillfully navigated her way to the front. Trixie dared a short glance at the mare and she looked years younger than she remembered. Mostly because she was, by Trixie’s reasoning. Averting her gaze before tears started to show she left the curtains completely. If one of them came then most likely the others would too.

Picking up the cape and hat in her magic she quickly put the hat on her head and made sure it covered her horn. Fastening the cape with a fake diamond pin she finalized her look for the evening. In the corner where the only mirror she had hung, she went over herself.

“Cape and hat in place. Mane and tail brushed. Act mastered and last but not least, audience in place. No turning back now.” A deep inhale and exhale to calm her nerves a little before she walked over to the curtains once more.

The stage was already folded down, just in case some overly enthusiastic ponies came too close when it dropped down. A check outside the curtains showed several more of her old friends in exactly the places she remembered and had seen from the drug. “Let’s do this. Crash and burn and everything will be fine, right?”

And with that, she lit up her horn and started the first and only performance she had planned. Fireworks sparked through the air and lit up the evening lights in the colours of the rainbow. Instantly the murmur from the crowd quieted down and they looked expectantly up at the stage. Out on the stage a small smoke grenade rolled, hidden from view from the audience by the elevated stage.

The explosion came and those few that weren’t paying attention before found their faces drawn towards the stage like all the others around them. While the smoke still lingered think enough on stage Trixie quietly trotted out on stage and stood silently in the middle of it all, unseen by everyone. And then, through the smoke came a clear and loud voice that dripped of confidence.

“Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”

12: Angry faces

There she was, standing center stage on the first row. In a moment of silence while her first shout echoed out across the masses Trixie looked down at her. Eyes open and clearly paying attention she and everyone else stared up at her, waiting for what would come next. The mare she once was stood there, right in front of her without a single smidge of knowledge of her own greatness.

Trixie knew what would happen to her, or at least she had an extremely well-grounded guess. She would most likely have to handle everything she had and today would be the final confirmation. Hiding the frown that threatened to show behind an even firmer smirk she once more addressed her crowd.

“Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie preforms the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed by pony eyes!” She could hear the mumbling begin in the background as the scream quieted down by the second.

Trixie started the first part of her act, the warm-up. Minor spells such as levitating a dozen balls and creating and the illusion of a bouquet of flowers followed one another and she could tell they didn’t buy it. Bickering on the front row made its way to her ears as she listened to her former friends reassure this timelines Twilight that being talented wasn’t something bad.

“They aren’t buying it, as planned. Now just to wait for my cue.” She didn’t have to wait long as Rainbow Dash started booing her out for the magic act. Leveling down on all fours she moved towards the edge of the stage before responding to the obvious insult.

“Well, well, well, it seems we have some neighsayers in the audience. Who is so ignorant as to challenge the magical ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie? Do they not know that they’re in the presence of the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria?” How she pushed her head forward on neightsayers really made her feel silly, but she reasoned it was all for a good cause. Now though, she had to dance a dance with the rest of the gang and she could only hope they would play their parts.

With a raspberry Rarity was the first of the five to respond, although not directed straight at her. “Just who does she think she is?” Followed by the amusing display of Spike defending Twilight and she insisting that she’s nothing special. As the two of them left the scene to speak in private to themselves she counted to ten before unleashing another round of fireworks and a fanfare on top of that.

In an instant Rainbow Dash was up in her face, staring down at her from the air. “So, ‘Great and Powerful Trixie’. What makes you think you’re so awesome anyway?”

“Heh, why, only the Great and Powerful Trixie has magic strong enough to vanquish the dreaded Ursa Major!” The reply came out in the most haughty and arrogant tone she could muster, with the fanfares and fireworks really laying it on thick. Most of the crowd seemed impressed with the Ursa illusion created from blue light, so she left it hanging.

After giving the least believable story ever Trixie simply sat back as the two younglings enthusiastically defended her of their own free will. As she challenged the citizens of Ponyville to the most outrageous competition ever she forced herself not to show any signs of her actual feelings and focused as much as possible on the role. When absolute silence stretched across the area and crickets could be heard in the background, Trixie made her first move.

“Please Applejack don’t fail me now.” Glancing over at the earth pony in question as she exaggerated the looking motion with her head she settled in on the real target, Twilight. “Hmm, how about you!” She really was uncomfortable there. Twilight recoiled as soon as the hoof pointed at her and all the attention came onto her.

Luckily Applejack didn’t disappoint and as soon as the pushing started she snapped and joined Trixie on the stage.

The minutes that followed became some of the worst minutes of her life. She watched as each one of her doubles friends give their own stage performance that she had to one up. She watched Applejack give a fairly impressive performance with her lasso that most likely had taken her ages to learn, before Trixie with a heavy heart and a sour taste in her mouth hog tie her and unceremoniously dump her back down on the stage. Trixie heard as the crowd laughed at the expense of her friends failure and had to stop herself before snapping back at them.

Rainbow followed shortly after Applejack and gave an equally impressive, though less surprising, act around her flying skills that ended with a small rainbow of her own on stage. Without missing a beat from before Trixie picked up Rainbow in her magic and spun her around until a miniature hurricane formed on stage and threw her away, all while Trixie had to stand there on stage smiling and berating them.

And finally Rairty got up on stage and created a dress in front of their very eyes with magic. Trixie had to admit it wasn’t a spell she knew or could replicate, but that didn’t matter. All she had to do was humiliate them, even if the pit in her stomach grew deeper and deeper with every hurtful word she spoke. Seeing Rarity galloping away in tears from the green colour in her mane almost broke herm but somehow she pulled it together in the end.

Twilight now stood alone after three of her friends had challenged her and lost and the other two disappeared somewhere during the ordeal. With a last act of willpower Trixie put on her smug smile and walked over to the edge of the stage once more and resumed pushing Twilight over the edge. Knowing what would come each word became harder and harder to speak, but before long Twilight had already ran away almost in tears.

On that remarkably sour note the crowd gave a rather unmotivated cheer before dispersing in every direction, leaving the viewing area in front of her empty. The only two left in the area were the two colts from before. For all the things that had taken place during the performance, the both of them still looked as star struck as they did earlier when they first ran into her and agreed to spread the news.

“Guh! Trixie is far too exhausted from preforming feats beyond imagination. Begone with you until morning.” Frustration from speaking in third person started showing on her face, but it could be misinterpreted as sleep deprivation and the two colts left backing with their heads held low.

Trixie promptly entered the wagon next to her and crept into the bed and wept.

Being awoken by something slamming on your door wasn’t one of the more pleasant experiences for Trixie, but at least she had seen it coming. A final look around in the room to make sure nothing she needed still was stored anywhere she took the three steps required to get to the door and opened it. After a moment to compose herself and getting back into character she finally responded to the two colts at her door.

“Trixie thought she said the Great and Powerful Trixie did not want to be disturbed! What is so important that you cannot wait until morning to disturb Trixie?” The question was only for their sake. She had seen this play out twice before, once as a part of it and once as a vivid memory and now she would live it from a third perspective.

Watching as the Ursa rip down trees without a care as it moved down the path towards her gave her more than the view she had hope for. Not missing a beat she bolted from the wagon entirely, checking back once or twice to make sure the other two had gotten away from their in time. The second time she turned around the Ursa’s paw down and crushed the rented wagon to shreds, ruining everything inside it.

“At least I didn’t own it, but I bet I will have to pay for it if they catch me.” She knew the next part all too well. She stopped when she came to the end of the alley, sadly trapped between buildings and a cranky Ursa. She took the little rope from the urn she placed there before the show and pointlessly bound together two claws of one paw. A pitiful expression of magic even to her, she just needed to wait now.

Pushing the colts in front of her she forced them away from the monster in the rough direction of the Everfree forest. Trixie galloped down the path and counted the seconds until the real show would start. Then from the shadows she showed up from seemingly nowhere. “Don’t mess this up now Trixie, you’re soon out of the water again.”

Twilight came from a corner and started running directly into the street, seemingly unaware of anything around her. She quietly joined the trio of unicorns and stood paralyzed as the Ursa came ever so slowly closer. The first question from Twilight mouth didn’t come as a surprise to Trixie, though she held her face unreadable.

“What’s going on?”

“We brought an Ursa to town,” Snips, the not-so-bright genius replied followed by Snails shortly afterwards. “Don’t worry, the Great and Powerful Trixie will vanquish it.”

“Well, first hope to be crushed by me coming right up.” The depressing thought didn’t want to leave her mind, but she pushed it away for the moment. “I can’t. I never have. No one can vanquish and Ursa Major. I just made the whole story up to make me look better.”

The next part she couldn’t have hoped turned out better. She watched as Spike pushed Twilight to take center stage, forgetting all about Trixie for the moment as the Ursa proved to be the bigger issue. She had done it herself once, but nothing could prepare her for experiencing it as part of the audience.

Twilight summoned an ethereal wind that blew across the street and calmed the Ursa down enough to give it something and levitate it away. Regardless of how strained Twilight looked Trixie could do little else but stare at the triple over-glow of her horn as it lit up the night with its purple light.

The Ursa floated gently across the town and exited above the rooftops before slipping into the Everfree and out of sight. For a while longer Trixie stood in place and watched as Twilight’s horn kept on glowing, most likely to put the Ursa down in its proper spot in a cave.

As the light finally dimmed and Twilight started panting Trixie steeled herself for the last words she had to get out of her. Walking up to her double she put on the act one last time. “Huh. You might have vanquished an Ursa Minor, but you will never have the amazing, show-stopped ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie.” Before she threw down the second and last smoke bomb she prepared and ran out of town.

She could hear as their voices carried with the wind as they prepared to follow her but got stopped in time by Twilight. She said something and the sound of wing beats quieted down and disappeared entirely soon afterwards. The hoof beneath her thundered on as she moved further and further away from the town.

She paid little to no attention to her surrounding as she moved, focusing intently on getting as far away in as little time as possible so when something unexpectedly crashed into her she had no warning at all before blacking out.

Trixie couldn’t move an inch, her legs were tied to one another and by the feeling of it she was lying on something that moved. She opened one eye to assess the situation, but the sight that awaited her forced both eyes open.

She stared at metal bars going from the floor and up into the ceiling. Wooden planks both above and below her greeted her as she moved her head and somewhere close by a pony dragged something, judging by the sound of wheels. Unable to move she laid there on the uncomfortable planks and waited for whatever had captured her to show up.

Interrupted in her waiting by an irritated wind pipe she coughed a few times trying to clear it, apparently also notifying her captor that she was awake. The feeling of moving stopped and the sound from wheels quieted down as a lone pony made its way into her field of vision.

“So you’re finally awake huh? Glad you awoke so soon so we didn’t have to present to you unconscious. It would look bad,” the pony in front of her spoke but she couldn’t make out any details in the dark and the pony gave away little more.

“Present where?” She had to force the question out, her throat was dry from the coughing and the dust flying around certainly didn’t help.

“To the Princesses of course.”

13: Royal faces

Getting to Canterlot in an enclosed cage didn’t rank among Trixie’s most comfortable travels. The uneven ground and uncaring guard made for a bumpy and rushed journey, excluding the face she barely could move in her bonds. Magic made inaccessible through a damper she could only watch as the landscape and ponies passed her by.

After the initial exchange with the only guard he kept silent even as they got closer and closer to their goal, Canterlot. The guard pulled her cage with determination but not in a hurry, giving her more than enough time to gather her thoughts and discard them again.

This is bad, very bad. I didn’t plan on getting caught. I wonder if they got me through the carriage, even if I was so careful. Doesn’t matter anyway, I am where I am. Have to do what I can now and not dwell on the past.

The gates to Canterlot moved closer by the minute and as she passed the threshold between landscape and city limits the atmosphere changed in an instant.

Where she had previously been seen with idle curiosity from random passersby, ponies now flocked onto the streets trying to catch a glimpse of her. She watched as ponies of all colours fought among themselves for a glance at her before turning away after they had it. As she and her captor moved closer to the castle the larger streets gave more and more ponies the ability to steal glances at her.

Yet not a single one of them dared to slow the progression down even the slightest and moved out of the way as soon as the guard got close to them. For a reason unknown to Trixie barely any sound could be heard from the crowds as they held their silence throughout her city crossing.

Entering the palace grounds brought yet another change in atmosphere for Trixie as none of the previous onlookers made it past the guards positioned at the gates. Now alone Trixie moved through the white palace hallways with only the occasional servant looking her way before moving along with whatever task occupied them at the moment.

The clapping of hooves echoed through the halls as the guard moved closer and closer to where Trixie remembered the throne room to be. The guard wordlessly passed several ground positioned in various places, none of them questioning or wondering about the unicorn in custody.

Unable to sit up and unwilling to speak Trixie laid on her side and waited as the notification of her capture made its way through the castle and to the princess, interrupting any task she would be doing in the middle of the day. Only able to guess the time she guessed the princess had her lunch around now, or would have in a moment. Not that it would matter to her, the princess had ordered her capture a decade before.

After something close to fifteen minutes had passed a guard came from the hallway directly next to the door, and shouted the affirmative that they could enter and that the princess would greet them.

A moment later both the massive golden doors slammed open with magic and the two of them could move in.

Through the hallways the room instantly brightened and assaulted her eyes after the comparatively dim hallways. Banners in Celestias colours hung upon the walls and the few sparsely placed decorations followed the same colour scheme. The red carpet underneath muffled both the sound of hooves and what little creaking the carriage would give away as they moved towards the throne.

Trixie looked towards the throne and came face to face with her old mentor. Princess Celestia sat high up in the golden throne, towering above all others in the room. The frown in her face present as she silently held her gaze on Trixie as they came closer. Feeling the stare on her Trixie moved her head away as long as she could.

The only other ponies in the room were guards and a lot of them. Flanking the walls stood guards, beside the throne even more and behind the door she came into too. She was completely surrounded by guards, bound in a cage and magic removed from her. They can do anything to me and I won’t be able to fight back except with words. I better make this count.

“Trixie Lulamoon, at long last you are here. You have proven to be a most evasive pony. Do you know why you are here?” Celestia didn’t sound happy, nor did she move from her spot perched atop her throne for a moment as she spoke.

“This has nothing to do with the Ursa does it? Because that wasn’t my fault.” Trixie hoped the princess would take the bait, it could be her only chance.

“I have already received a report on the incident and while you are at fault you cannot be held responsible on your own. What I want from you is different, but not unrelated.”

Here it comes.

“Ten years ago three highly magical surges registered through experimental devices. Two of these surges immediately got identified as my student’s outburst and a pegasus preforming a sonic rainboom. The third is still under investigation. However, during our search you showed up out of nowhere. Do you know what we know about you, Miss Lulamoon?” The princess still sitting in her throne Trixie slowly shook her head as answer.

“Scribe, list please.”

From somewhere beside the throne a grey unicorn showed up from nowhere with what must have been the shortest scroll Trixie had ever seen. It barely reached from his eyes down to the neck.

“Certainly Princess. Trixie Lulamoon: race unicorn, gender female, age unknown, parents unknown, social status unknown, occupation unknown. List ends her, Princess.”

Princess Celestia nods in the direction of the unicorn, who returns to his place somewhere behind the throne. “As you heard Miss Lulamoon, we know nothing of you. An adult unicorn as yourself and the only information we know of you can be found in a picture. Furthermore you have under the last decade evaded my guard on countless occasions.”

“Princess I am sorry but I have no idea what you are talking about. I have not been involved in any form of experimental magic and especially not when I was just a child.” Trixie could hear a sigh escape the Princess’ lips, so hoping for a quick exit she added one more line. “Unless it’s illegal to not speak with your guards I have done nothing wrong and wish to be set free once more.”

“That cannot happen I am afraid. You see, there is one much more important detail.” She turned her head away from Trixie and addressed every single guard in the room instead. “Guards, leave us.”

Unsurprisingly to Trixie, they objected. “But Princess…”

“She is bound, in a cage with a magic dampening ring. She is harmless. Leave us.”

“…yes your highness.” And with that every single guard left the room in two long lines. Trixie could even see the scribe following them out, even though he hadn’t been told to leave. In a matter of minutes the Trixie laid in a cage alone with only Princess Celestia to look at her.

“Now that we are alone, I need you to understand this. Throughout this chamber is a scan spell that scans everypony that goes through these doors. The spell generally tells me the age and intent of those who come through. Miss Lulamoon, what do you think the spell said about yourself?”

Trixie had never heard of the spell Celestia spoke about, not even from her days roaming the halls as her student. Even so she assumed the Princess spoke the truth, since the damper cut her off from checking herself.

“That I’m young and have no hostile intent?” She hoped that would be true, at least then one thing would work for her.

“Forty years. When I clearly see you as young the spell insists time after time that you are more than twice your age. You are partly correct regarding the intent. I get no ill intent towards me or the ponies in Equestria, but you have something which you wish ill towards. So unless you can provide ample evidence that refute what my spell tells me, you will not leave this castle.”

Seeing the last way out quickly closing for her Trixie risked the chance to ask. “Evidence such as, Princess?”

“Family members for instance. Long term friends as alternative.” And Trixie saw the last door slam shut in her face. She had neither of those that she could turn to for this. Mystery couldn’t and wouldn’t get involved, Winter hated her already and she had no idea where Soarin’ was at the moment. She doubted he would come either way, they had barely kept in contact at all.

“I can’t…” Trixie began but quickly got interrupted by the commotion right outside the throne room door. It did sound a bit like a struggle was taking place. Armor was clattering and banging against each other while a lot of shouting could be heard.

Moments later the large doors to the room slams open and a familiar blue pegasus crashes through the door before crashing into the ground. Not long after several guards had restrained the pegasus, who laid still under all the pressure they put on him.

“Soarin’? What are you doing here?” Trixie half-shouted, half-asked the now firmly restrained pegasus in front of her.

“I got your letter and do you know how much that sounded like a suicide note kid? I had to find you before you did something stupid, but I guess the joke’s on me isn’t it?” A smile showed up on his lips as he spoke, as if the situation couldn’t be more hilarious than this.

Unnoticed up until now Princess Celestia had moved down from her throne and now stood directly between the two captives. “Do you know this unicorn, Soarin’ the Wonderbolt?”

“Yes, your highness. I met her when she was just a little filly and we’ve kept some contact over the past years. She’s my first fan!”

“So it seems, though nothing we have found confirms that.”

Finally Soarin’s smile faltered a little. “Have you been spying on her, Princess? She hasn’t done anything wrong I hope?”

Celestia spoke before she answered. “No she hasn’t. We needed her to get her to confirm she existed, as there are no papers anywhere on her. She will be retained here until somepony from her family or friends vouch for her.”

“I’ll do it.” Heads turned towards Soarin’ when he said that. “I can vouch for her, I hope I’m trusted enough for that at least, your highness?”

“Indeed you are, however on one condition.” Celestia turned towards Trixie before continuing. “Trixie Lulamoon, if I were to release you, where would you go?”

Trixie had silently watched the conversation taking place up until now, so it took a moment for her before responding. “Out of Equestria, Princess. My mentor is meeting me on the borders to the Badlands, hopefully as agreed.”

“Very well. Soarin’ if you promise to follow Miss Lulamoon until the border of Equestria, I cannot stop you. However the inhibitor ring has to stay on until then, as punishment for the Ursa.” The princess moments later returned to her throne, once more perched far above all others in the throne room.

“Guards, free them. Then escort them out of here.”

The minutes from the order was given until the chains were some of the longest moments in her life. As the cage door opened and she was levitated out of there the chains fell away and she could once more move her legs. Dumped on the ground by an uncaring guard she quickly got up on shaky legs that hadn’t seen movement in the last twenty hours or so.

Without further verbal communication the two of them bowed to the princess before quickly moving out through the still open doors. Left in the throne room stood the guards and a still frowning Celestia.

“Trail them, but remain out of sight.”

The silence continued through the entire castle and even through the entirety of Canterlot. Trixie tried once or twice to ask something from Soarin’, but got shushed and asked to keep quiet almost instantly afterwards. As they exited Canterlot Soarin’ visibly relaxed a little and even cracked a small smile at Trixie.

“Sorry about that kid. Had to make sure we got out of there before speaking, who knows who’s listening in on you, right?”

“I guess. But stop calling me a kid, I’m not that young anymore you know,” Trixie huffed, annoyed that the old nickname had stuck with her for so long.

“Okay I get it, not a kid anymore right? Either way, Badlands you said? That’s not a place most ponies would ever go to.” It was an innocent question, Trixie knew that. Still she couldn’t trust him with the truth, that would be dangerous.

“I won’t be alone. I have a friend waiting just outside the border, remember? I’ll be fine.”

“I know I know, I heard what you said in the throne room. It’s better to be careful now than sorry later. Still don’t know what a mare like you could do out there.”

Perhaps a half-truth will shut him up, that would work. “I’m studying.”

“Studying?”

She skipped a few steps in front of him so she could look him directly in the eyes as she spoke.

“There are monsters and beasts out there, more dangerous than an Ursa Major. All undiscovered and unknown to ponies everywhere. What if they attack? I can’t let that happen. So I need to find and study them or I can never win against them.” She felt pretty good about herself. That was barely a lie, she needed to find them. They were the only target she had left after all.

“Alright, I get it. Miss little hero wants to show who’s boss. I won’t butt in any more. Just get going so we reach the border this week please, I have a show early next week I can’t miss.”

Trixie just smiled before spinning around and trotting away. She looked back over her shoulder and shouted towards him. “Let’s get going then, mister savior.”

Author's Note

Had to add Soarin' as one of the characters in the story. It wasn't in the original plan but he's constantly getting himself into the story at all the wrong places so I had to add him, since to be fair he's more in the story than Celestia and she's tagged.

On an unrelated note, this chapter marks the beginning of the end. We passed the halfway mark and it's all downhill from here. If you're insane enough, you can now guess where this story will end.

14: Faces in the desert

”So I guess this is it then? This is where we go our separate ways?” Trixie turned to look back at Soarin’ as the two of them stood at the very edge of Equestria’s border. A border only marked by a danger sign advising ponies to keep away.

Soarin’ takes a moment to read the sign next to him before responding. “Are you sure you’ll be fine? You said you had a friend waiting for you, but I can’t see her anywhere.”

“I’ll be fine. I’ll meet my friend if I just walk in that direction.” Trixie pointed a hoof out in some arbitrary direction, not really looking but making sure it wasn’t towards Equestria.

He still looked unsure and at one point it seemed as he would say something, but in the end didn’t. Instead he turned around and opened his wings. “Okay then, I’m not to question a lady and you seem to know what you’re doing. You know where you can find me, so don’t be a stranger anymore.”

After saying their respective farewells Soarin’ did one large flap with his wings that sent him flying into the air. Trixie only stood and watched as the pegasus slowly made his way back towards Equestria, the lingering feeling she had forgotten something pressing on her mind. A moment later, before he could move ot of earshot it hit her.

“Soarin’ wait!” The shout stops him dead in his tracks and he turns around midair to face her.

“What?”

“You forgot to take off the inhibitor ring.” From the distance Trixie couldn’t see his face, but the body spoke of his embarrassment. She watched as he flew back to her in much the same speed as he left, though wing beats becoming louder and louder now. He landed safely just a little bit ahead of her, wearing a sheepish grin.

On his prompting she lowered her head to a more comfortable height for him to pluck the ring off her horn. As the ring came off he gave her another smile.

“Should’ve though about that one myself, huh?”

“Yes, you should. Now get going or you’ll be late.” He needed no more encouraging and swiftly took flight again. Before she knew it he had moved out of her sight and she was alone again.

She stood alone among the gravels and stones representing the southern border of Equestria, not a pony or otherwise in sight in any direction. She glanced out towards the rocky desert where her eventual destination lay and sighed.

“First things first, now where did I put that bag?” She began walking away from the sign, occasionally lighting her horn up and sending out a blue pulse before scanning the area for hits. She came upon a large rock formation stretching up over her head more than twice her height.

She sent out another pulse, this time more focused towards the formation. Faintly but unmistakably a signal returned to her and her face lit up with a smile. Pushing away the rocks in front of her she revealed a small hidden groove in the cliff, large enough to hold a decently sized bag. Which in this case it did.

Without hesitation she picked up the pouch from the hole and replaced the discarded rocks with different ones. Giving all her attention towards the pouch she shook it firmly in her grasp and heard the distinctive sound of coins hitting each other. Smiling she placed the sack on her back and happily trotted away from Equestria’s border towards the mountain in the horizon.

A much younger Trixie skipped out from the wagon that she now called her home. On the ground outside sat Mystery wrapped in a thick felt to repel some of the cold. Trixie walked up to the mare and placed herself directly in front of her before speaking.

“Hey Mystery, do you mind if we stop by the south Equestrian border sometime?” She had practiced her begging tone, which she used now in the hopes it would work.

“Why do you need to go to that border, child? And why just there?” Trixie had expected this question, Mystery always questioned when she asked to go somewhere. It became a game of sorts for them. This time she couldn’t play, she needed to go there.

“I need to hide something and that’s the best place to do it. I’ll pass by later to pick it up.”

Mystery sighed, giving in to the filly’s demands. “Fine little filly, we can go.”

“You’re hiding all the bits you saved up over the years?” Mystery asked, wearing a very confused expression.

“Six hundred and twelve bits to be exact. I counted. Besides I might need them later and not now, so why not.”

The only reply Trixie got from that was another sigh.

The wind tore into her sides, relentlessly pummeling Trixie from the side as she walked. With the pouch in a firm magical grip she pressed on through the raging sandstorm. Pressing her eyes shut against the strongest currents she held her head low as yet another gust of wind threatened to blow her away.

The storm came in yesterday evening, one week after her separation with Soarin’ and Equsestria in general. With no shelter in sight all she could do was press on, hoping and praying that her destination was near. Through sleepy eyes she squinted in hopes of seeing anything that could be used as a shelter, but no such luck. The rocks that covered the land around Equestria had grown fewer and fewer as she came further south. She hadn’t seen a single rock for the past two days, and hoping to find one now was wishful thinking.

Lighting up her horn for the sixth time that morning she scanned the surrounding area for any sign of life. The spell was a modified version of the spell she used to find her money, but targeted heart beats instead. Getting no response from the spell she discarded her current count and once more began counting a thousand steps before the next time.

A particularly strong gust pushed her to her knees as it passed, nearly knocking her pouch away from her in her surprise. She took a firmer grasp on the pouch as she laid there and waited for the wind to die down a little so she could continue.

As the wind died down again she got up on her hooves and quickly resumed her trek, hoping to put as much distance behind her as possible before the next time. Diligently counting every single step she took she moved forward through the desert, shaking away the sand as it built up on her back.

Reaching another thousand steps she lit up her horn once again, sending out a blue pulse of magic into the storm and waited. As the return feed from the spell came she studied the response with a hopeful mind.

“Found you.”

Almost straight in front of her, slightly to the left came her first response. The spell stretched over a distance, so she slightly altered her course and set off.

Using the spell much more frequently now, she used it to navigate with. If she moved off course she turned back and as she grew nearer and nearer the scan picked up more and more signals, all from the same general area. Pushing through the storm she squinted as the first sign of a mountain came up in her eyes, barely visible through the sand.

Forcing her way towards the mountain she only once or twice used her spell as a mean to confirm her directing, but gave up on it as a navigating tool. She watched as the mountain grew larger and larger as she got nearer, blocking out more and more of the horizon in front of her but at the same time shielding her from the wind.

As Trixie reached the foot of the mountain she realized just how small it actually was. Barely reaching three times her height it could barely be classed as one, more likely called a large rock formation. In the barren desert even this rock became a mountain to Trixie, and all it stood for.

In the cover of the rock and out of the wind she studied the formation, searching for any kind of abnormality. Beginning in the bottom she worked her way towards the middle when she found it.

Sitting just in the center of the rock was a small hole, barely larger than a unicorn’s horn at the base. Frowning she stepped towards the hole, still too short to reach it in her current position. Standing up on her hind legs she reached just far enough to reach it, and without further reason pushed her horn into the hole.

From somewhere within the stone came a click and the portion of the wall she had leaned against fell away. Stumbling and falling to the ground she fell through the hole opened by the click, forcing her body onto cold hard stone.

Pushing herself up again Trixie studied her surroundings. The hole she came through went straight out into the desert again while the other end led straight into the cold darkness. Checking the exit a short time she found another hole, much like the one on the outside but this time further into the tunnel. “For opening the door from this side I hope.”

As she finished her thought she heard another click and an instant later the door stood firmly in place once more, dumping her into pitch black darkness on all sides. Gathering some magic in her horn she lit up the immediate surroundings she took two moments before moving deeper into the tunnel.

The tunnel seemed to stretch on forever, only slowly declining as it went further and further into the desert ground. The cold hard stone replaced by dirt in places but more often than not she had all four hooves firmly moving on stone. The echoing of her steps could be heard from both directions and Trixie silently wished she could remove it, in fear of an ambush.

Deeper and deeper the tunnel went and she followed it effortlessly compared to the thundering storm outside. Occasionally a buzzing sound made itself known to Trixie but it never stayed long enough for her to find the source, let alone capture whatever made it. Suddenly the first turn came, abruptly stopping her in her tracks as she expected the path to continue longer.

With no other direction she turned and continued on. The side tunnel declined sharper and Trixie could feel a slight turn throughout the decline, as if the entire tunnel was a large spiral downwards. As the time passed and she got further and further down the tunnel a slight green tint started showing up in her light.

The tint grew more defined as time passed and minutes after she first noticed it her blue light had become a sickly mix between the two. Pressing on further she reached the bottom of the spiral as it flattened out underneath her and transformed into a straight tunnel that ended in a hole.

Seeing the end of the tunnel she quickened her pace a little, passing outcrops and side tunnels as she went. The opening grew brighter and brighter until she found her horn useless and provided no extra light, at which point she killed the energy transfer to it. Trixie slowed down as the exit came just a short few paces in front of her and took a careful quiet approach to the hole.

As silently as she could she crossed the threshold from the tunnel out into the dimly lit room. At once a thundering buzzing noise could be heard from all over the walls, the tunnel she came from and even the ceiling. Black forms moved in the shadows behind her and where the light failed to reach and the sickly green light wasn’t functional.

Pressed along the walls sat green orbs of varying sizes, providing ample light to travel in but not enough to see details with. The black forms moved across these from time to time and darkened the immediate area for a moment before they moved away and let the light shine forth once more.

Taking a deep breath she let out a deafening shout that echoed throughout the entire cavern, almost reaching up to the surface but fell short.

“Queen Chrysalis, I’m here with an offer.”

Author's Note

I'm spoiling you guys, but I don't care. I know where the story is going entirely now so all I have to do is write it out. Plus I got a lot of free time at the moment to write during (as long as no stories update then I'm distracted :ajsleepy: ).

Wonder how weird this is for Soarin'. I mean he find a random filly on the street, then find out she's orphaned. Then she runs away from the orphanage and disappear for a decade. But she send him creepy letters with things she did, but then he gets a letter that looks like a suicide note. Just to track her down at the time she have an audience with Celestia, then get forced to escort her out of Equestria.

Don't expect an update in the next few days,but I'll try to quicken the pace a little bit at least.

15: Non-Equestrian Faces

A wind blew through the leaves above Trixie’s head, cooling the warm summer air around her. In the distance the sun slowly made its way towards the horizon, giving way for the night. She sat closely leaned to the tree next to her, basking in the warmth from the waning sun. Mystery sat just next her, positioned in a similar fashion with the same genuine smile upon her face.

Trixie’s smile faltered slightly when the subject of her question came to the front of her mind, not giving up its struggle to get heard. Sighing she gave in to the demands of her curiosity, knowing the question had to be asked sooner or later. Taking a deep breath she took a moment to think of how she was going to ask.

“Hey Mystery, is there any unbreakable deals you can make?” She tried to hide some of her curiosity, but didn’t succeed. Mystrey turned her head to regard the small filly next to her before she answered.

“I will assume it’s not a deal with the devil you mean?” to which Trixie gave a nod, before motioning for her to continue. “Then do you search for a deal between two under consent? Or a more forced deal only you have the ability to set up?”

Trixie had given a small, almost unnoticeable nod as the first suggestion came up, but decided to voice her answer too. “The first one, where you need two to come to an agreement. I don’t like the second one. Not one bit.”

Mystery just smiled at her answer. “Do you know how happy that answer makes me? I wouldn’t have giving you the second deal even if you asked, but since you only asked for the first how can I say no?”

The hive around her ceased their actions immediately. An eerie silence filled the air as neither the ones on the wall or Trixie dared to move. Trixie stared out into the green-tinted tunnels ahead of her, anticipating the answer that would come to her.

As one the creatures on the walls started moving their wings, creating a deafening buzzing noise that overpowered all Trixie’s attempts at silencing it. Slowly the dark creatures moved off away from the walls and landed in union onto the ground, creating a narrow path through the chamber that lead down the middle tunnel. Without further prompting Trixie set off down the path created for her by the changelings, keeping a brisk pace in worry of angering the one who most likely waited for her.

The tunnel looked much like the previous one, albeit with a fair bit more lighting to keep her eyes happy. Rocky formations stuck from some places but the walls remained mostly flat and devoid of decorations. The lights never stuck to the same places in a row, hanging both from the walls, ceiling and laying on the floor, some so in the way she had to navigate around them.

During her relatively short walk through the path the changelings followed closely behind her, leaving no possible escape route open. Both in the air and on the ground they followed, guided and in a way herded her towards her goal.

A moment later the tunnel opened up in a large chamber in much the same fashion as everything else, with no decorations and only the green orbs of light anywhere in sight. In the ground there had been cut a small path, almost like a road that Trixie now walked upon. She soon came to her destination, a large stone slab placed directly on the ground. Unbroken the flat stone surface looked remotely similar to an old table, without legs and with many more imperfections.

Trixie stopped at the table and waited. Alone she stood among the hundreds of changelings who had followed her into the chamber as well as those that had come from other areas. As the sound of hooves on the ground reached her ears the quiet buzzing died down entirely, giving way for a silence only shattered by the echoes from the hooves. Trixie patiently stood in place as the sound came closer and closer from somewhere in the crowd.

Then, seemingly appearing out of nowhere Queen Chrysalis stepped up to the table, wearing an annoyed frown. The Queen stood far higher than Trixie, both in figure and presence. Not a single bone in her body betrayed any sign of worry for the meeting ahead of them.

The queen looked down on Trixie as she spoke. “What do we have here? The little pony far from Equestria again?”

“Again?” Trixie tried to hide her surprise. She hadn’t expected that to be the first thing to come out of Chrysalis mouth.

“Hmm? Oh you’re not. All you ponies look so similar, you two even have the same colour. So if you’re not him, what do you want?” Chrysalis looked a bit more interested after the first few sentences, almost curious. “It’s not every day a pony like you barge into my hive with an offer.”

With the most confident expression she could manage, Trixie replied. “All the love you could ever need, if you let me use and train a changeling for a mission.”

“And how can you offer all the love we could ever use? Do not take me for a fool, pony, I have lived long enough to know that the only place to find that much love is Equestria. You do not expect me to believe you betray your country and princess to borrow a changeling?” The insulted tone of her voice told Trixie exactly how Chrysalis felt about her offer.

Trixie sighed. “Do you know who Princess Mi Amore Cadenza is?” after a confirmation from the Changeling Queen she continued. “She’s not an important princess at the moment. The general public barely sees her at all, but that going to change. In a few months’ time she’ll be getting married to…” She didn’t get any further before Chrysalis cut her off.

“Pony, don’t think that you will get away with things we already know. I already know of this wedding you speak of. I told you to make it worth it, and so far you have disappointed me,” Chrysalis spoke in a low, threatening tone as she studied the unicorn in front of her with a critical glare.

“So are you going to attack during it?”

Chrysalis scoffed. “Of course. Hide in the crowds admitted into the wedding, strike at the right time to take them down. For a pony who knows so much about us, you seem oblivious to our methods.”

Finally seeing her chance to get through to the queen Trixie pushes forward. “But why? Shouldn’t you focus on the princess instead? Nopony knows about her, so she should be easy to get rid of and impersonate.” Trixie could see the thought process going on in Chrysalis head after she put forth her suggestion,

“Pony, your kind always brings me the most interesting of suggestions. First him and now you? Very well, I can agree to this deal. You always want the same thing in return too, but why you would need one of my drones is of no concern to me,” Chrysalis replied after several minutes of silent thinking, during which the entire room was dead quiet.

Trixie wasn’t entirely convinced. “How can I trust you? You could be perfectly fine with locking me up somewhere as soon as I turn my back to you and nopony would know.” And Chrysalis laughed. Not a mocking or hurtful laugh but an entirely sincere laugh from hearing something amusing or funny.

“Whatever happened to the trusting ponies in Equestria, pony? I agree with you, but how can a pony such as yourself be so untrusting?”

“Bad experiences in the past.” It wasn’t an answer and they both knew it. Trixie hoped the partial explanation would be enough for the queen, without revealing anything more. Knowing her moment could be short-lived if she didn’t on with it, the question formed in her head. “So how about it, will you agree to do a deal and bind it with blood?”

The queen looked a bit hesitant for a moment but before Trixie had time to confirm what she saw it was gone. “Pony you are just as amusing as he was. Very well I will agree, but only on the condition that you tell me why you need a changeling.”

Trixie smirked. “Impersonate me of course.”

“Yourself?”

“Of course. I cannot be in several locations at once.” She could see how the queen tried to come up with a way for a changeling to help in any way, but soon the expression on Chrysalis told her she’d given up for the moment.

“None of my business I hear. Not that it matters much, the drone is yours to use after you complete your end of the deal.” Chrysalis was visibly impatient, a hint of annoyance creeping into her voice.

Trixie gave her another smile, this less taunting than the last. “Fine. Just repeat after me, but your own half of the deal.”

Before Trixie began the ritual her horn lit up in a pale blue light, giving every changeling in the room a warning she was about to cast magic. Half the changelings tensed as they waited for a result. From Trixie’s horn a short blue shard of magic came forth, no thicker than a piece of paper. Holding onto the shard with her magic she lifted a foreleg up from the ground and showed the underside to the queen.

Then, in a single fluid motion she slashed the shard straight across the bottom of her hoof. Blood came through the gash in droplets, as tiny as the smallest drop of water. Expectantly Trixie looked up at Chrysalis and motioned with her head towards the shard still floating in her magic. The queen gave her agreement after a moment and soon an equally deep gash showed itself on the bottom of a black hoof too.

Dismissing the shard with her magic again she returned her focus to Chrysalis. “I, Trixie Lulamoon, promise to supply Queen Chrysalis with all the information she asks for regarding the wedding with Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.” She had practiced the words several times so there wouldn’t be any falter or hesitation in the words as she spoke.

“I, Chrysalis, promise to provide one drone to Lulamoon in return for the information she provides.” Chrysalis finished her part and Trixie motioned with her bloodied hoof for her to put up her own.

With both hooves up in the air Trixie wasted no time bumping them together, mixing the red and green blood with each other. “This deal will not be broken before both of us have completed our deal. If either of us deliberately hinders the other the deal is nulled and we both lose our lives,” Trixie explained as she quickly sealed both their wounds.

The face of Chrysalis became just a little bit paler after hearing that. “Are you insane pony? We could both die here.”

“Consider it incentive to follow the deal then. You can’t void it.” She had to stop herself from shaking. The calm exterior she showed to the queen betrayed none of the worry she felt for this agreement. “Your part of the deal comes first either way. I don’t need the changeling until afterwards.”

Chrysalis left her side of the table and instead moved to stand in front of Trixie as she spoke. “It does. So pony, explain to me everything I would ever want to know about the wedding.”

Trixie and Chrysalis spoke for many hours, Trixie giving the queen all the information she asked for. Dates, names, important moments and the likes. A detailed introduction to the princess came somewhere towards the end, when Chrysalis became interested in exactly how the pony in front of her expected her to defeat a princess and take her place. As the hours passed less and less information revealed the Chrysalis had any importance to her.

When the final such time came and she barely had more to give, Trixie asked Chrysalis if that would be enough. Confirming it would Chrysalis called on a random drone. Coming from seemingly nowhere the drone was then tasked to lead Trixie out of the hive entirely.

“Come back in five months pony, directly after the wedding. You will receive your end of the deal then.” Without giving Trixie a chance to respond Chrysalis was gone, seemingly swallowed by the darkness behind her.

The tunnels twisted around her and slowly the crossed familiar paths she had taken to get down. She recognized several passages lined with glowing green orbs as they passed and eventually they came upon the original chamber where she had spoken her first words in the hive. Lining the chamber walls were still countless changelings, all stopping to stare for a moment as she passed before continuing with their designated task. Through the first sloped tunnel she passed under total silence, her guide mute and she lost in thought.

Perhaps twenty minutes later she once more came upon the wall that had first led her into the chamber, looking exactly the same as last time she saw it. Her guide chirped one time and pointed towards the hole she had previously found before turning around and returning to the depths.

Sighing Trixie lit her horn up brighter than before and moved towards the hole and then gently inserting it. A similar clicking noise could be heard and soon the wall again fell down and revealed the desert hidden behind it.

A rush of fresh air reached her lungs and she realized just how damp the air had been around her until that moment. Quickly stepping out into the darkness of the desert before the wall could return and block the hole, she was greeted by the sight of a brightly lit moon.

Illuminating her surrounding enough that her horn wasn’t required the moon hung in the sky and displayed the world in its midnight glory to Trixie. Her eyes adjusting to the half-darkness after a moment a thought sprung to her mind that she decided to voice.

“Now, if I were a rare powerful artifact of doom, where would I be?”

Author's Note

This guy >>2697579 guessed right on one point, but he guessed so many things it doesn't count. Also I hope you're reasonably happy with what I did for the Magic Duel. It's been the plan all along, since the amulet is dangerous why risk it?

Bonus points if you know who dies in five chapters and who the murderer is.

16: Various faces

Shining Armour was a morning pony. Getting up in the morning didn’t as much as faze him. Countless mornings in guard training rising at the crack of dawn before the sun rose had made him used to it and rarely minded at all.

Being awoken in the middle of the night by an intense pounding on the door wasn’t included in his regular sleeping schedule. Rubbing a white hoof over his eyes removed some traces of sleepiness from them but some still lingered as he exited the large bed. Passing stacks of papers neatly placed in their respective places on the floor he navigated through his room towards the door.

The barely furnished room had little more than the bed and a desk in it so Shining could easily move through the room even in his less than stellar condition. The insistent knocking on the door continued even as he moved towards the door and even as he moved to open it never stopped. Calling out did nothing to dampen the noise either, as much as Shining tried.

Composing himself to the best of his ability he forcefully opened the door just before another knock could be delivered. Standing right outside his door with hoof raised was one of his regulars, an ordinary guard adorned in the traditional golden armour and helmet.

Through his still sleep-clouded mind Shining could only manage a single semi-coherent sentence.

“What?”

Seemingly unfazed by his superior’s words the guard politely responded. “Princess Celestia and Princess Luna request your immediate presence in the throne room, sir:”

In an instant most of Shining Armors previous sleep induced come was repelled, replaced with a flat frown. Quickly picking up his own armour from the stand next to the door he easily slipped into the chest plate but opted to go without helmet for the occasion, speed being important.

Moments later he was outside his own door and making his way towards the throne room, where the two princesses where most certainly waiting for him to arrive.

Entering the throne room greeted him with the sight of the two rulers of Equestria leaning close together and reading a single piece of paper. Both so intently focused on the paper neither noticed his entrance.

Clearing his throat when he stood directly beneath the thrones finally caught their attention and the two of them simultaneously lifted their heads towards the interrupting noise. In their expressions both concern, worry and a hint of confusion could be read. Being the first to gather her thoughts again, Celestia spoke to the captain.

“Shining Armour we have received another message from him.”

“Him? You mean the pony who gave us the location of Trixie a few months ago?” Shining replied, a hint of confusing in his voice.

Celestia nodded “Yes, and it seems he have sent us another of these letters, this more troubling than before.”

The throne room stood silent for a moment as Shining went over the fact in his head. “Can I see the letter, Princess?”

Luna, who currently held the letter in her magic responded by levitating the note directly to him and just waited for him to pick it up in his own magic. When he did she let go of her own hold of it and sat silently and regarded the expression of the captain as he read. Shining himself tuned out any distractions as he quickly read through the impressively short letter.

Princess,
Somepony is plotting to take over Canterlot during the wedding between Shining Armour and Princess Mi Amore Cadenza.

-A helper and a friend

“This is all there is to it? A single sentence and nothing more?” asked a confused Shining Armour.

This time Luna responded instead of Celestia. “Nay, the details of your wedding still remains unknown to the public.”

“So how did he know?” The facts Shining just had gotten refused to make sense for him, even as he tried his best.

“We do not know this. Only that somehow he knows things he should have no possibility of knowing.” Celestia lowered her head at this and uttered a quiet sigh that both other ponies in the room heard, but made no intention of mentioning. Moments later Shining spoke up with a curious tone nonetheless.

“Did the ponies you tasked with examining the letter find out anything else about him?”

Celestia looked thoughtful as she gathered her thoughts to respond. “After a careful and thorough examination they could agree the author of the letters is, in their words: a non-unicorn male most likely old. They had nothing else to add.” A moment later she added. “Do you have any thoughts on the matter, captain?”

Shining thought over the information he had just gotten before responding. “He clearly knows more than he should know, but doesn’t seem willing to act on it. He knew where Trixie was and instead of capturing her himself he sent us a latter instead, meaning he doesn’t want to be identified. Possibly meaning he’s important or already wanted. With no possibility to know more I’d advice to leave it for more pressing issues.”

Both Celestia and Luna nodded their heads respectively, which would have been more impressive had they been in sync. “I agree captain. Perhaps you have a suggested plan of action for your wedding in two weeks?” Celestia replied and the question sounded both like an order and a question at once.

Shining grinned. “Force fields.”

Trixie looked out across the dimly lit bar she currently used as her home. The brown cloak hanging over her shoulders hiding both her face and most of her features while barely restricting her movement at all. She sat at her stool as the other half a dozen patrons ordered their various drinks in the opening minutes. Most of them then retreated to their own table to consume whatever brewage they had bought, much like Trixie had done just as the bar opened.

In front of her on the counter sat a lonely glass of water almost forgotten as she watched the patrons move around the bar. The bartender took one last glance at Trixie after serving the last of the customers before stepping out into what Trixie assumed was the kitchen or something similar. Picking up her own glass with her magic Trixie took a large sip of the water inside before placing it back down on the counter. A moment later a sigh could be heard escaping her lips.

The bar stopped filling up by the time it was half-full, most patrons taking places by another pony that had a table or filled the small bar desk like Trixie had. She guessed the bar could safely handle at least forty maybe fifty ponies but that was still far away at the moment. None of them seemed interested in her at least, even as she looked around the room.

“Hey girl, something on your mind.” The voice came from somewhere in front of her and Trixie’s head snapped around in an instant, only to come face to face with the bartender. He deliberately had placed himself straight in front of her and held a curious expression on his face.

Trixie scowled. “Nothing important.”

He just laughed. Not a condescending or hurtful laugh but a gentle genuine one, one that meant no harm at all. “Haven’t you heard? I’m a bartender, I get paid for listening to your troubles.” He clearly meant that last part as a joke, but neither of them laughed, though his face betrayed a soft smile that encouraged her to talk.

Trixie sighed again. “Fine. It’s a friend. He’s the most scatter-brained, bipolar pegasus I have ever met. One day he barely know what day it is and the next he apparently knows everything about everything in Equestria.” She threw her hooves up in the air for emphasis, not caring for the odd stares she got from a few of the bar-goers around her.

The bartender in front of her hummed. “So what’d he do? Forget your birthday? Won a pop-quiz over you?”

Before responding the female took a moment to formulate her answer, making sure to take out any specific mentions of the amulet currently resting in her saddlebags next to her. “I was looking for this piece of jewellery over the last few months, then all of a sudden he comes up to me and gives me perfect directions to where I can find it.” Trixie’s voice raised more and more as she spoke and was almost screaming when she finished talking. “And his reason for knowing was laughable. He had connections that told him.”

“So why does it matter?” the bartender asked. “You found what you were looking for didn’t you? He just gave you a push in the right direction.”

“Because I never told anyone what I was looking for. There is no way he could have known.” Another sip from the glass in front of her slid down her throat, cooling her down a little.

“So maybe he really does have contacts? I guess you asked ponies about this ornament, yes?” A nod in reply was all he needed to continue. “They could probably piece together what you were looking after by asking one of them then. Girl stop taking this so serious, ponies do have connections everywhere, especially if they travel a lot.”

Trixie’s reply came in an unsure tone. “I guess. It just doesn’t seem like him.”

“I’m sure he only meant to help. Not everypony out there focus on themselves, most of us wouldn’t hesitate to help a friend out if we could.” Trixie’s response to the comment got interrupted as a patron came up to the bar and asked for a drink, which forced the bartender to leave Trixie alone for a few minutes. She watched the bartender mix a drink with his magic before handing it over to the customer in exchange for a couple of bits.

She held her words in until she knew his attention wouldn’t be disrupted for a while again. “Thanks I guess. For talking I mean. I think it really helped to just voice my concerns to somepony.” She gave him a smile as she spoke, punctuating the sentiment with a minimal bow in his direction.

“Don’t worry about it girl. I’m here to be spoken with if you need me. But now if you’re feeling better you’ll have to excuse me, my pal over here is really down.” He winked and left her immediate presence. She saw him a minute later strike up conversation with another customer sitting at the bar with a lowered head. As the patron lifted his head the same surprised expression she saw now probably was the same as she had before their little talk.

“Another stranger to him then.” She eyed the almost empty glass in front of her for a moment before downing the rest of the liquid in a single gulp. Putting down the now empty glass on the counter she pushed herself off her chair down on the floor again, All four hooves firmly planted on the ground moments later.

She walked around the fixed chairs next to the bar as she made her way towards the door, careful to avoid any ponies moving to or from the bar. Still being early in the evening the bar still only held half its maximum number but it was enough for Trixie to doubt her choice to occupy the innermost corner for the past hour.

Then, moments before she herself could open the door it slammed open right in front of her. Startled by the sudden appearance of the door Trixie stumbled backwards a couple of steps before gathering herself again and calming down. Focusing on the door again she prepared to tell off the pony opening the door for being so careless, but the words got caught in her throat.

Standing in the open door was none other than the former unicorn Winter Heart. Wearing the same irritated frown she always had seen the caretaker wear Winter stared down Trixie as she occupied the entire door for herself. She opened her mouth and uttered a single word that broke Trixie out of her stunned silence.

“Come.”

Shaking her head both to clear it and as a response to Winter Trixie speaks up instead. “Why should I come with you, the last time we interacted you tormented me then locked me in a room all on my own?” The accusations from Trixie appeared to have no effect at all on the white mare in front of her.

“We were not involved. Queen demands your presence,” Winter spoke without moving a muscle, not even her expression changed. This as much as the words that came out of her mouth confused Trixie.

Trixie shook her head slowly. “We? Queen? Do you mean Queen Chrysalis?” she asked, dumbfounded.

The not-Winter in front of her nodded. “Yes. Come.” Giving no further chance for Trixie to refute the statement the pony turned around and left the bar in an instant.

“Chrysalis wants to speak with me? This can’t be good. But do I have any other option? I need to get back there sooner or later and apparently this something will take me there.” Her internal debate quickly resolved Trixie exited the bar and looked around a moment before finding the pony she thought was Winter moments ago walk down the road leading south.

Catching up to the pony the two of them carried on in silence.

Author's Note

Plot twist #2! None of you expected this to happen did you? Thought you at least got rid of the filly-torturing monster in the first third? Wrong! She's back. Completely out of the blue I hope, it should be at least. It'll make sense in the end, but yes there's a reason for her to come back from the dead.

Also still no one even tried to guess where this ends, I'd be interested to know what you think will happen. If you feel like sharing, please do.

17: Enraged faces

Returning back through Equestria and the desert took the duo less than half the time it had taken Trixie alone the first time around. Trixie gave all the credit to their method of travelling, although she detested it.

She had followed the pony looking like Winter out from that bar less than a week ago, and she had kept a relentless pace. Trixie hadn’t complained the first or second day but soon ever her reserves were running dry. She had collapsed on the ground exhausted, but Winter would have none of it. She had literally lifted her up and carried from there. She had objected of course. Dignity really didn’t give room for getting carried because you didn’t have the stamina to go on.

Eventually when none of her complaints or whining had succeeded she gave up, accepted it and rested instead. To Trixie it seemed Winter never had to rest, at least she hadn’t during the entire time they had travelled together. She even carried Trixie to boot, yet never rested. The only stops were to eat and even those became shorter and shorter the closer they came.

Which lead Trixie to her current situation. Without a sandstorm raging around her and with a guide who seemingly instinctively knew where they were going she could really take in the surroundings this time. Following alongside not-Winter and wrapped in her cloak they got ever closer to the rock far off in the distance.

Like last time her surroundings consisted of nothing but sand and gravel, no larger stones to speak of at all. The sands shifted around her hooves as they walked and left clear imprints of their route behind them for all to see. Looking back she saw two sets of prints trailing towards the horizon before hiding behind some hill in the distance.

As the large entrance stone finally loomed above the two of them both came to a halt, Winter standing several steps ahead of Trixie. Seeing no movement from Winter she started to move ahead, looking for the same hole that she had put her horn into before. As she moved next to Winter green fire erupted across the body of the white mare.

Jumping several paces to the side, Trixie watched as Winter got consumed by the unearthly green fire. As the fire regressed black chitin covered the pony next to her. Transparent wings had formed alongside a jagged horn and dozens of holes in various places. Staring at the changeling in front of her Trixie only gathered her senses to see its wings beating before it took off up into the air.

Stopping mid-air on just the height for the hole the changeling slid in the horn with ease, demonstrating the exactly who the door was made for. The door rumbled and opened for the two of them and the changeling hovering just above her head pointed a hoof down the tunnel, telling her to enter.

Soon Trixie was once more led through the tunnels that sloped downwards by a changeling, though this time into the hive instead of out.

The tunnel flattened out and led Trixie into the first large chamber she five months ago first entered. The chamber still had the green orbs glowing everywhere illuminating the room. The changeling in front of her stepped out into the cavern without batting an eye, leaving little room for her to think before following.

As soon as she entered a pain erupted from her neck. Before she could reach Trixie found herself flying through the air, the dull throbbing in her neck hinting towards why. For a scant few weightless seconds the only thing she felt were the air rushing past her as she tumbled through it and the pain from the blow.

She hit the far wall of the chamber and had the wind knocked out of her. Ribs cracked upon impact and she fell to the ground as her momentum bled away. Lying gasping on the ground, trying to force as much air as possible back into her lungs she never noticed the figure step up in front of her.

A hoof came down on her head crushing it on the floor, blood dripping from her right ear. Through the ringing in her ears a voice pushed through, filled with hate and a promise of more pain. “Do you take me for a foal, pony? We had a deal and you broke it. You broke it, now you pay the price.” Each sentence was punctuated with another bashing with her head into the stony floor, flooding more and more of her mind with pain.

When the banging stopped she twisted her head underneath the hoof in an attempt to find the face of her attacker. Trixie twisted her head around until she came eye to eye with Queen Chrysalis, anger burning in the green eyes. The moment their eyes connected the hoof on her head was removed for an instant but before Trixie could wonder about its departure something came down right on her left eye, temporarily blinding her. “Did you say something, pony?”

“…didn’t… break… deal…” Trixie had to force the words out through gasping and a swelling in her mouth. Sometime during the pounding she had most likely bit her tongue without her noticing. Glancing up at the Queen through her swollen eye she faced the unchanged look of anger.

For a moment the relentless assault halted and Trixie felt her head lifted up in magic, pulling her neck and body along as much as the force lifting her allowed. A fanged mouth came close enough to her ear she felt each breath as it passed through, speaking loudly into it. “Why should I believe you, pony? You already lied to me once.”

“…would… die.” She only managed to press out those two words through her swollen and magic sealed mouth, but as soon as the last word left her mouth Chrysalis let go of her head and it almost impacted on the floor again before Trixie could react and hold it up herself. She laid there gasping for air on the floor and barely noticed anything that happened around her, the intense headache not helping a bit.

As such she never noticed the tiny amount of magic wrapping itself around her back left hoof until it was too late. Left hoof risen high up into the air left Trixie dangling underneath with her head and horn aimed towards the floor, the other three limbs flailing wildly for any form of traction. She felt herself getting lifted higher up into the air and turned around, only to come face to face with the changeling queen. “Would be dead, pony? You make a deal with your life. Stupid but gutsy.” She snorted. “You do well to remember that deal is the sole reason you’re alive.”

Trixie hung still upside-down for several more minutes while the queen regarded her every motion, most of which consisted of heavy breathing and rubbing her head. Blood rushed to her head as she hung and she could feel some of it pooling around her swollen eye, ready to break out if it got the chance. Suddenly Chrysalis tsked and Trixie felt the grip around her hoof let go.

For a brief second she hung in the air before the ground came rushing up to meet her. Crashing hard against the stone floor she felt several bones bend in places they shouldn’t, but nothing broke.

Sore, bruised and with a overwhelming headache Trixie forced herself back up on her legs. Swaying mildly from side to side she turned around to face Chrysalis. “Only need changeling. Then I’ll leave forever.” She could only hope the queen was in the mood to grant her the request straight away, so she didn’t have to spend more time around the hive.

The queen who had just moments ago looked elsewhere with disinterest now returned her eyes to regard the blue unicorn in front of her. “Two weeks.” At Trixie’s confused expression she clarified. “That’s the time you get. Two weeks from now I’m calling it back.”

“Oh, okay.” Trixie wasn’t completely sure it was enough, but Chrysalis most likely wouldn’t budge if she tried to complain. She was more likely to receive more bruises for the effort.

After the confirmation that she had understood Chrysalis took her attention away from the unicorn and instead focused on the swarming changelings around her. Half-heartedly studying them as they moved she soon singled out her target. “You. Come over here.” A hoof pointed in the direction of the addressed changeling, who instantly complied and fluttered over.

Landing next to the queen and in front of Trixie the changeling stood completely mute and waited for the queen to continue. “Here’s your changeling. I want you out in an hour, with or without it following you. Then you never come back here again, or I’ll personally see that you don’t. Got it?” Chrysalis took that moment to stare down at the shorter pony in front of her.

Said pony nodded in response, worried making any kind of sound would anger the already unstable changeling queen. As soon as the queen got her positive response she left the two of them alone, moving further into the caves. Alone the two of them stood as even most of the gathered changelings left the surrounding area for more important tasks.

Trixie regarded the changeling in front of her and at first glance she couldn’t tell any discernible difference between it and the rest of its kind. Blue pupil less eyes stared back at her, the rest of the body completely immobile just as it had been since it touched down. She gulped. “Do you have a name? Or something to call you by?”

“No.”

The single worded reply unnerved Trixie. Even without the presence of their queen the changelings were cold, distant and overall uncomfortable to be around. “Anything else I need to know then?”

“Don’t like wheels.” At that Trixie frowned. It didn’t make sense to her but she quickly dismissed the notion. It wouldn’t matter in the grand scheme of things either way.

“Well, you heard the queen. We’re leaving.” The changeling stood stock still until Trixie began moving at which it immediately followed close behind her. She sighed in defeat.

“Louder, make yourself heard.”

“Third person, not first. Call yourself by name.”

“No, put more feeling into it. You need to mean it.”

“Perfect, exactly the expression I was looking for.”

“Yes, exactly like that. You’re finally getting it. One more time!”

Two identical blue unicorns stood at the entrance to the Whitetail woods, alongside the path that would take any who travelled on it to Ponyville. One of them wearing a dark brown cloak while the other had none. The two of them regarded each other, one nervously and the other with a determined frown underneath her hood. “I can’t prepare you more. You need to get in there and just do it.” The more confident of the two spoke, still not breaking eye contact with the other.

“I… uh, Trixie knows. She has been prepared for this moment after all. Trixie know things will go to plan,” the other said, her voice not betraying anything of her body’s obvious nervousness. Nodding the cloaked Trixie unclasped the cloak she currently wore and levitated it over to the other.

“Take it. They aren’t fond of Trixie, so hide your face until you find her.” The cloak was accepted in the others magical grip before quickly finding its place adorned on the nervous unicorn. Seeing the cloak correctly placed the uncloaked Trixie turned her attention elsewhere.

Concentrating she opened one of her saddlebags and levitated out a small trinket, not any larger than the clasp currently holding the cloak together. The red stone in the centre shone with an eerie glow, sending a shiver down her back.

Once more regarding the unicorn in front of her she levitated the amulet over so it floated right in front of her. “One more thing, take this. It’ll help.” The clone in front of her studied the floating object for a moment before replacing her previous clasp with the new more ornate one.

The pony in cloak briefly looked up in the air with a thoughtful expression on her face. “There’s only four days left. Trixie know you won’t follow further, so she will go now. Trixie doubt she will see you again.”

“Good luck.”

The cloaked pony in front of her huffed before lowering her head down to a more normal level. “Trixie does not need good luck. The Great and Powerful Trixie have no equals and she will prove it to you, doubter.” She immediately turned around and set off down the part that led to Ponyville, a determined frown filling her face.

Author's Note

I had the Smile Song playing the entire time I wrote this chapter. And no this chapter wasn't in response to the comment that Winter was for my own sadistic tendencies, everything is there for a reason.

The wheels thing was too good to pass up on, and since it doesn't really change anything it may as well be there.

Sorry to say, but the story is drawing to a close. Two more chapters before you all down vote this to oblivion and three chapters + epilogue for me to write. If any of you are still left to read them that is.

18: Surprised faces

The sun shone down on Trixie as she stood perched atop the highest hill she could find in the area surrounding Ponyville. Bright rays warmed her fur and skin underneath in the pleasant afternoon, not a cloud in the sky to see. Almost.

Atop her little haven of sun and warmth she had a perfect view of the entire Ponyville area, city and all. On a bright day like this her vision reached as far as Sweet Apple Acers in the distance, obscured by apple tree fields. She should be able to see the town hall, filled with ponies working and keeping the small town in the shadow of Canterlot running or the library with its librarian willing to help out anypony who came inside.

But she couldn’t. There were clouds in the sky where it shouldn’t be, she couldn’t see the town hall or the library, everything was hidden from sight. Covering the village, trapping the clouds in was a large, fish-bowl shaped dome. Blue tinted and only partly see through Trixie had to strain her eyes to see into the town proper.

Head lowered down to the ground she sighed. She knew they would be okay, they had to. It had all matched up until now so she saw no reason why it shouldn’t continue. She switched her vision from the unsightly dome trapping the city towards the Everfree, where a unicorn librarian currently studied under a zebra, learning everything she had to know to remove the shield.

Allowing herself a smile Trixie left the hill she had sat on for the past hour and trotted over to the pond nearby. No bigger than two foals at most could enjoy it she took a bit of the still water and splashed across her face, waking herself up from the day dreaming.

The sound of hoof-steps interrupted her impromptu showering and an ear moved towards the sound the moment she noticed it. Dropping the water she still held in her magic she froze in her tracks as a much more familiar sound made its way to her focused ears. Following in the wake of the walking the soft sound of a laughter she hadn’t heard in almost a year could be heard and she instantly turned around.

Standing just a few paces away in all her grey glory was none other than Mystery, the smile plastered over her entire face. In the brief span of time it took Trixie to blink one, two, three times her mouth did fall open at the sight, a gasp escaping her lips.

“Mystery? But you said you would leave, almost a year ago! What happened?” The questions felt harsh, as she had been lied to but Trixie couldn’t help the smile that had grown on her face at the sight of her friend. “Is she a friend? I hope so. I would like her as a friend.” Mystery herself waited just a short while before replying.

“Life never go as you plan, didn’t I tell you? I had plans, as did you. We both had commitments, as you probably know they like to connect to each other?” She waved a hoof in the air, both as a gesture for Trixie to move closer and afterwards to emphasise on her point. Moving in closer she whispered in Trixie’s ear. “You remember that letter you asked me to send?”

Trixie nodded. “I asked you to send it a date which should have been a few weeks ago. You didn’t?” At the question Mystery confirmed that she did indeed send the letter as she had promised. “So what is so important?”

A frown appeared on Mystery’s lips, completely removing the cheerful mood around the two of them. “Remember you told me about this pony, Winter Heart? The one who took care of you?”

“Yes of course. How could I forget? But what does she have to do with anything?” Trixie’s smile had also been replaced with a frown. She didn’t like where this was going.

Mystery took a deep breath and steeled herself. “She’s dead. Wait, please let me explain? You said you lived at her house less than a decade ago, correct? According to the record I had sent back to me, they say she died a little over twelve years ago.”

If Trixie had any water she could at that moment give a perfect demonstration of a spit-take. As she didn’t she instead managed to push the small amount of saliva down in her lungs. Doubling over in a coughing fit the conversation ground to a halt as she desperately tried to get the fluid out and Mystery standing to the side looking not a little worried.

When the worst of it was over and Trixie had managed to find her breath again she felt ready to resume their earlier subject. “You’re telling me she was dead before I met her?” Whatever she had expected to it wasn’t that one of the ponies she disliked had never been alive in the first place.

“Would you believe I asked for her file to see for myself? Guess if I was surprised when it did?” Mystery nodded alongside her words, as if it would make them any less unbelievable to Trixie. Her jaw had started working again so at least she didn’t stand in broad daylight with her mouth wide open, although the situation still could use it.

An idea soon popped into Trixie’s head, remembering back to a day not two weeks ago in a bar far from here. As soon as the memory entered her mind a single word escaped her lips. “Changelings.” Looking towards Trixie from her place the grey earth pony held a confused and expectant expression. “She was impersonated by changelings when I met her. But why? Who would gain anything from that?”

All Mystery did in response was shaking her head. Neither of them held the answer she so desperately wanted. All she could do was wait and hope something would come sooner or later. On a whim her eyes returned to the top of the hills where the blue-tinted dome still stood strong, holding an entire town captive.

A realisation hit Trixie square in the face and she twisted her head over to stare at Mystery, who also had taken a distinct notice of the fish-bowl-shaped shield. “How did you know where I was? I never told you anything about where I was going.”

Mystery’s head turned around at the question, a small smile tugging at her lips. “You do know you’re not the only one allowed to send letters? How hard was it to write to an address I’ve posted mail to a dozen times but forward a reply address and ask for your location? Wouldn’t you figure a pony you tell that much to could guess your location?”

Trixie frowned. “You asked Soarin’ where I was?” An annoyed sigh could be heard by the two ponies in the area. “That pony knows too much. I want to give him a piece of my mind about minding his own business, if I knew where he was.”

Mystery cleared her throat to catch Trixie’s attention. When she was sure she had it she spoke. “Have you heard of a place called the Cloudsdale stadium? The letter I had he would be there for the next week, practicing with his group. “

Trixie eyed Mystery for any signs of a lie. When she didn’t find any she voiced her one concern for the location. “Cloudsdale? I couldn’t get up there, I’m no pegasus.” Trixie watched as her former mentor nodded slowly, head going up and down several times in silence.

“Cloudsdale stadium have a ground segment for earth ponies and unicorns, but you have never been there have you?” It was the sort of thing you just couldn’t be embarrassed to be asked, yet Trixie felt like she had missed something. She had been pretty busy in the past year, so with a huff she told Mystery as much.

In response to the have been busy card Mystery hummed. “Have you considered going? He’s there now so get going and you won’t miss him, we’ve spoken long enough don’t you think?”

Mildly surprised it took a few seconds of mutters before Trixie responded. “Of course I should go, but we’ve barely seen each other. We need to spend more time together, I wouldn’t dare drifting away from you.” There came no reply to that statement only a smile that didn’t quite reach all the way across from Mystery.

The two of them glanced a final time towards the still present bowl before saying their respective goodbyes. For a moment Trixie thought she saw sadness in her friend’s eyes but when she looked back it was gone. Shrugging it off as her imagination they wrapped up their farewells and went their respective ways. Trixie made her way towards the stadium underneath the floating city of clouds, Cloudsdale while Mystery steered into the Everfree forest saying something about a zebra.

Stepping into the Everfree the mood instantly changed. What had once been a sunny carefree day switched places with the sombre and somewhat threatening atmosphere of a hunters territory. Tall trees obscured the warming rays of the sun giving the undergrowth a sense of dusk, half-day half-night.

Mystery carefully stepped through the bushes along the marked trail that would lead her out on the other side, in the far corners of Equestria where few ponies had been before. Trained ears and eyes followed her surroundings searching for even the smallest sign of a predator nearby.

Rustling in the leaves above her warned for an impact moments later. With practiced ease she side-stepped the falling object and slipped into the edge of the trees, hiding her from sight. She allowed herself a small smile. “You should know you cannot sneak up on me, shouldn’t you?”

An obstructed voice replied from the trail, colours and face hidden by the shadows she sat in. “I guess. Didn’t really try for it though. Did you tell her?” From the shadows of her hiding place Mystery frowned.

A frown that lasted well into her response to the question she had been expecting. “Yes I told her, though I can’t imagine why you wouldn’t?” She tried to not get her sadness into her voice but as the fact settled in it became harder and harder not to.

From the path the voice could be heard sighing. “I have too much to say already, I didn’t need to say that too. Besides you got to see her one more time. That has to could for something doesn’t it?”

Mystery nodded, momentarily forgetting that the pony she talked to couldn’t see her behind a tree in the shadows. “Yes. Is that all you will need to say to me? I would like to get going, if you wouldn’t mind?”

A laugh echoed throughout the forest, the first one in a long while. “Get going you old nag, I’m sure she’ll remember you.” The voice took on a more serious, saddened tone. “For what it’s worth, I’m sorry okay? I wish I didn’t have to do this, but I have to.” She couldn’t see it but she imagined the pony the voice belonged to had its head hung low and ears splayed back.

Taking a few steps deeper into the forest before turning and walking alongside the main path. A heartfelt “Goodbye.” Was called back over her shoulder but the voice gave no reply to it if it even heard it.

Ten minutes later she emerged from the shadows of the forest out on the path again, not a single pony in sight. Sighing she laid her own head as close to the ground as she managed and said two words before pushing her head up high and continued her trek out of Equestria again.

“Goodbye Trixie.”

Author's Note

Can't imagine you guessed this would happen. I promise there's hints that point towards this, some more obvious than others. Regardless this is the first chapter I've given away free plot points.

Any bets on who spoke with Mystery? It's not hard to guess if you paid attention to details.

Only two chapters to go.

Random link of the day!

19: Truthful faces

The Cloudsdale cloud coliseum was the second most widely recognized building in Equestria, only beaten by the Canterlot Castle itself. Every pony in all of Equestria you asked would have some idea, and being home to the Wonderbolts meant it was well-used beyond belief.

Knowing this Trixie still stood slack-jawed at the sight of the stadium in front of her. Sharing its name with one of the most famous buildings in the land she had reasoned the ground stadium would at least be well-maintained and used. To her utter surprise and disbelief it wasn’t.

In front of her stood a horrible abomination to all things related to the wonderful stadium up in the air directly above her. Broken doors lying to the side of bleach-painted walls missing entire segments here and there. The windows had lost their glass at some point –all of them– but nopony seemed interested enough to replace them so currently wind blew straight through, ripping the place apart more and more each time.

From her distance to the stadium she could see entire sections of the audience area’s had collapsed on themselves and lay in shambles. Shaking her head at the run-down building she resumed her focus on the original reason for her being there. Carefully walking closer to the building in-between fallen debris she soon found herself inside the front entrance.

The hall held much of the same state as the outside and without a single pony in sight. Sighing to herself Trixie kept her pace up, unwilling to slow down except to avoid running into things. The entire place held a ghost-like quality, as if ghosts could pop up at any moment. Regardless how she felt about the ghosts, Trixie didn’t want to stay inside for long for the fear of the building collapsing on top of her.

Finding a light in the door-less corridor she currently moved in she eventually exited out onto the main field. From her position centre stage the collapsed sections were really obvious and not as easily avoided.

None of that mattered a moment later, however. Standing in the middle of the area under the open roof was none other than her target for the visit, Soarin’.

He stood there with a gentle half-smile, waving a hoof as she neared. “I thought you’d show up. When I got that letter asking for your location I couldn’t help but wonder. Why would somepony I never met ask for directions where to find you? Turns out she needed to tell you something, huh?” He still had his awkward half smile plastered on his face but the hoof had since long returned to the ground as she got close.

Trixie snorted, barely contained annoyance in her voice. “You’re the one to talk. It seems wherever I am you know anyway. I would ask but knowing you I wouldn’t get a straight answer so I won’t.”

He nodded at that. “So what did you want either way?”

She regarded the stallion in front of her, judging how he would react to the information. He had seemed calm enough around Winter in her house, but that would be expected. “Did he know?” She couldn’t answer that question, only he could. Taking another deep breath she steeled herself. “Did you know Winter died twelve years ago? Two years before we met the first time?” What Soarin’ did next no amount of preparation could have ever prepared Trixie.

He laughed. A snicker sounding laugh for sure, but a laugh nonetheless. For several seconds his snickering was the only sound moving through the stadium as Trixie simply stared at him. “So the cat’s out of the bag finally? I always knew this day would come.” That confused Trixie even more.

“You knew? So why did you act so normal when you came to visit?! You should have known she was dead and started suspecting something the moment you saw her.” Her final sentence ended somewhere between speaking loudly and outright shouting, not that either of them seemed to take notice of her volume.

In fact Soarin’ barely seemed to pay attention at all, but proved Trixie wrong seconds later. “Of course I knew. It was all over the Equestria news. Suicide isn’t something that happens a lot around here. I personally went and found a changeling to replace her,” he said while taking a few steps back, leaving some room between them just in case. Being near an enraged unicorn was something he rather would have avoided.

Instead of blowing up even more, Trixie took several deep breaths and calmed down slightly before speaking. “I should’ve known when Chrysalis mistook me for somepony else. She isn’t colour-blind at least. But why?” The rage in Trixie’s expression had mostly been replaced with curiosity, finally getting some straightforward information.

In return she got a smile, broader and more sincere than before. “I needed to get you out, didn’t I?” At her confused expression he explained. “The police don’t like any random stallion bailing out little fillies, especially if they have no connection to each other and he’s leaving for the Wonderbolts days later. So I found a changeling to bust you out.”

“That seems awfully complicated. Why not ask for help from somepony on the street?”
He rubbed the back of his neck while grinning a little. “I needed somewhere to let you live too and that house was where I grew up, so I hoped it’d work for you too.” The grin faltered a little. “But the way she acted wasn’t okay. I was going to get you out of there, find someplace else but then you bust out on you own. I just left you alone after that, you seemed to be doing fine.”

Anger flared up in Trixie’s face for a moment but she quickly supressed most of it, letting the rest out with her words. “So what about the cellar, the bath and the cell I was placed in for almost a week?”

Some real sorrow came into his voice as he replied to the questions. “I’m sorry okay. I tried to do my best, what more do you want?”

She couldn’t answer that, because she didn’t know. She was angry, sure. But both Chrysalis and the changeling had already had their punishment, in some roundabout way. Deciding to leave the issue alone she opted for a shrug, leaving the interpretation over to him alone.

Something else that had been bugging her lately came to her. “How did you know?”

“Know what?”

Unsure how to fix the question for him to understand she started waving a hoof around the stadium as she spoke. “This, everything. You’ve been with me every step of the way: the orphanage, the princess and even now. How do you know it?” She looked to him hoping it would be enough for him to understand.

For Soarin’ it seemed the question still made no sense to him, but gave the best answer he could. “I can’t answer that,” he said with a shake of his head. “I promise one day you’ll know, hopefully.” Seeing Trixie accept his not-really-an-answer he decided to change the subject. “Do you have time now, I have something I’d like you to check out?”

She looked around the area for a time, searching for something out of place he could be referring to. “Here?”

He pointed a hoof towards the exit. “Outside by the lake, it’s not far from here.” With a nod in confirmation from Trixie the two of them left the run-down arena and instead started towards the only real lake in the area.

The two of them finally neared the lake. Soarin’ had somehow gotten lost on their way there and the two of them had spent the better part of an hour finding the right direction again. In the dimming light of the twilight the two of them finally reached the shore of the lake, hooves planted in the sand.

“How do you miss an entire lake? I wonder why they let you into the Wonderbolts if that’s your sense of direction.” Trixie’s voice could be heard all over the lake, she was rightfully upsat on her guide.

But Soarin’ had nothing to say to her. He gave a normal, “I’m sorry,” and kept walking. Across the shore they walked in silence like they had ever since Soarin’ admitted he was lost.

Before long the two ponies stood directly in front of a rather medium-sized black stone. Trixie estimated the stone could weight maybe a third of her, more than enough to be exceedingly heavy in any case. Next to the rock laid two coils of rope, one messily tossed to the side and the other neatly placed there.

Confused to exactly why Trixie was there she asked. With the tone of Soarin’s response you could think somepony had died there. “This rock resists magic and I can’t move it myself.” –He pointed to the messy pile of rope– “So I thought maybe the two of us manage to pull it back for someone to pick it up.”

She scoffed at the idea. “You just wanted me to pull a rock? Couldn’t you ask some of your friends to do that for you?” Feeling her stare on him he lazily pawed a hoof into the ground, digging a small hole. Sighing at the pitiful display from the stallion Trixie gave up. “Fine I’ll help you.”

Only getting a weak “Okay” in response she trotted up to the stone and stared at intently. Lighting up her horn she tried tugging on it, only to feel nothing. It confirmed Soarin’s earlier statement but made her frown. This wouldn’t be easy for them.

Focusing on the ropes she took the neatly coiled string and tied several sturdy knots around her middle, making sure they had no possible way to untie themselves. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Soarin’ watch her every move, not once moving to help her. Trying to tie the rope around the stone gave no result however.

As soon as the rope came into contact with the rock her magic fizzled out and dropped the rope to the ground. Grunting in disapproval she turned to her less than ecstatic friend. “Could you help me? This was your idea after all.”

It seemed to help get him out of his sudden depression and soon Trixie found herself securely tied to the stone, two massive knots holding her end and another two holding the stone. Giving the rope a few experimental tugs she felt the heavy stone budge a little, but not enough to dare pull it herself. “Aren’t you going to help?”

“Um…” Trixie couldn’t see his face, but what she could see were the few drops of something falling from it. Startled she stopped what she was doing and just stood there.

“Soarin’? Something wrong?” The words had barely left her mouth before he moved. Time slowed down almost to a standstill as she watched him fly towards her, wings pumping the air furiously to keep the speed up. The closer he came the slower time seemed to go, and just moments before he touched her the world froze.

He touched her and the moment was broken. Lifting her up in his forelegs he pushed out across the water, going higher and higher with the speed he built up before. On unsteady wings he hovered in the middle of the lake, desperately trying to hold on despite her struggling. “I’m sorry okay. I never wanted to do this,” he said through heavy gasps, the weight of two ponies and a rock above his usual load.

“Then don’t do it, just let me down. Please?” Through tear-stained eyes Trixie tried to plead, anything just so he wouldn’t drop her. She had been careful in her struggling, she didn’t dare to risk hitting a leg and making him drop her completely.

Through equally teary eyes he looked back down at her, their eyes meeting for a second. Little more than a whisper his final words reached her ears. “I can’t.”
Then he let go and she fell.

Barely hanging half a second in the air she slammed into the water, the stone forcefully dragging her downwards to the bottom. Light slowly disappeared from her eyes as the murky waters closed in from all sides, crushing her with the pressure.

Knowing her magic useless she struggled against the bonds tying her to the stone, without success. The struggling only served to deplete her already low air supply and eventually even that stopped. The instinctive reflexes slowly became increasingly difficult to ignore. Before long she couldn’t supress them any longer and what little air she had in her lungs left her.

Author's Note

Spoiler: Trixie died. Expecting loads of downvotes from this, but really I had something like this in mind when I set off to write chapter one. There is a perfectly reasonable explanation for this, don't worry. Next chapter will go a bit more in detail of exactly what the heck just happened.

If you're still here, there's a dog on a unicycle doing a backflip for you.

20: Sorrowful faces

Two brightly coloured blue ears twitched to the sound of bird chirping nearby. Together with the sound the twitching slowly roused the sleeping pony from its sleep. Blinking furiously as it laid there in the grass a single word was the only thing that came to mind when all the sounds and sights was taken in.

“What? Bolting upright a moment later the blue pony took in its surroundings. Standing in a small clearing, brightly glowing sun overhead a warm summer morning. Bird’s calling out to each other in the trees accompanied the wind and a stream in their combined chorus. For the lone pony in the clearing nothing of this mattered at the moment.

“But I died! Don’t tell me this is happening again. Wait…” The pony who had been Trixie before paused in her subconscious debate for a while, noting several things wrong with herself. Things didn’t feel exactly the same as last time. Legs felt just a little bit off, movements didn’t feel right and everything had a sudden feeling of off to them.

Stretching every part of her body she can think of she shudders when a sudden crack runs through her spine, fixing a sore spot she didn’t know she had. Relaxing slightly in delight an unfamiliar strain on her shoulders becomes more noticeable than before. Twisting her head around in search for the wrongness she freezes mid-turn.

Resting on her shoulders is a pair of very much not-unicorn pair of wings, feathers and all attached just as they should be. She watches as they twitch under her gaze before settling in nicely along her body again.

“Wings, well that explains it. I’m a pegasus. Does that mean I know how to fly? I don’t think so, feels like I’m young again. Still don’t feel exactly right.”

Noticing for the first time the sound of a stream coming to her ears she decides in an instant to take the opportunity to check her own appearance. She knew of the blue coat, surprisingly similar to Trixie’s and she thought she saw a strand of dark blue mane but it was so short she couldn’t be sure. It was also the best moment to find out why everything felt a little off.

The stream was little more than a string running through the forest, but it had enough calm spots she could look at herself in. Stepping up to the closest such spot she focused her eyes on the reflection. A second passed and then a definitively not-female voice called out through the forest. “You can’t be serious!”

The Ponyville weather team had made an impeccable performance this morning. Clouds could be found scattered all across the sky, as the weather schedule called for. Every so often a pegasus would move a few clouds to shift where the sun shone and not. A completely banal task any pegasus could do in their sleep.

Even so there was a single cloud overlooking the Ponyville Lake that had sat there for the past four hours. Ever since before the sunrise and now three hours later the same could still sat unmoved in place. The reason for the unmoving could sat perched on top of it.

A bloodshot Soarin’ had been fending off any pegasi attempting to move the cloud until they had given up two hours ago, telling him to move it a little by himself in an hour. In a better mood he would have mused over the fact none of them seemed to recognize him without his suit, but at the moment he couldn’t care less.

Yesterday he had moved the cloud here from outside town and settled down in a restless sleep, nightmares clouding his sleep until he gave up on it and just sat there. Tears had run dry a long time ago and the only thing left was fierce determination to finish what he started. I can’t back down now –she would hate me for it. I know I would have.

So he sat there, waiting for the purple unicorn that had almost twenty five years earlier started this entire mess. The day carefully mapped out in two lives so it wouldn’t be forgotten. He didn’t have time to quadruple check the date, but he made sure the week before he set out to meet Trixie.

Blinking his tired eyes as rarely as possible in case he missed something he counted the details in his head. “So she comes from that direction, finds the rock by the shore. Tries to levitate it but fails, get some rope and falls in. Simple enough, just stop her before she bind herself to the stone.” The thought process got interrupted seconds later when an important section of that story failed to show up. Flapping his wings to move his resting place around the lake he franticly searched the entire area.

Panic started to well up in his mind, threatening to consume him. “There’s no rock here. Why isn’t the rock here, I thought I checked this before.” He almost leapt off the cloud to search closer to the ground when somepony cleared their throat behind him, making him turn around to face his visitor.

Flapping her wings in front of him was none other than his friend, superior, captain and most importantly at all comforting shoulder Spitfire. Her orange wings easily making her hoover steadily at his height, bobbing up and down with each stroke. Brushing a strand of her mane out of her eyes she gave Soarin’ a grin full of embarrassment. The moment she saw the downcast expression on his face she soon showed more concern than anything.

“Hey, Soarin’. How are you? You look like crap.” Teasing him was part of her deal, she had known him long enough to know which things cheered him up and not. Joking and teasing did that most of the time.

True to her expectations, Soarin’ snorted holding back a snicker since she knew those words were truer than ever. “I feel like it too. Friend of mine died yesterday, we were pretty close.” Close is an understatement, but she can’t learn that. As the words registered in Spitfire’s mind the concerned expression shifted slightly into one more focused on comforting her friend.

“Sucks to hear that. I guess you two were pretty close if this is how you look a day later?”

“Like siblings, I watched her grow up.”

Spitfire nodded. “But you know what? No don’t answer that, if you knew you wouldn’t sit here and sulk like this. You should remember her? from all the fun times you had, not the sad moments.” She ended up poking him in the chest twice before she was done speaking. “Life moves on chump, you can’t live in the past. Remember her but don’t dwell on it.”

Wiping his snout with a foreleg to clean it from the last traces of snot he replied. “I guess you’re right. It helped a bit I guess.” Thinking a little he added. “Why are you here anyway? I thought I wasn’t going back for another two days.”

The female regained her embarrassed that she had initially and awkwardly laughed a forced laugh. “About that… You told me about that important date that was soon right, how I should remind you if you forgot?” Soarin’ knew that date, it was today. You didn’t take so many drug induced trips into the past and then got it wrong.

She couldn’t know about those trips, but just in case he lost himself in the training again he had asked her to remind him of something the day before. It would mean he still had time. He rubbed his head in confusion. “Of course. That date was today, I remembered it.”

Most surprisingly Spits just sighed even harder than she had done before, all while shaking her head. “That date you wanted to remind you of was yesterday Soarin’. I’m sorry I forgot, okay? You weren’t there and I just kinda missed it when you didn’t remind me.”

In that moment the world around Soarin’ crashed down completely. He had missed the date. She was supposed to come to the lake yesterday, not today. But yesterday he hadn’t been here, he was busy with Trixie at the Cloudsdale lake. He couldn’t have been in two places at once. He had failed, she had died again. Thirty five years of waiting for this moment and the one time it mattered he failed.

He was shaken out of his out of control thoughts by Spitfire who again held that expression of concern he had seen so much of today. “Hey, Soarin’ you there? I know I promised to tell you, and you know I’m sorry right?”

Sounding so worried that she had upset him he decided to assure her that she hadn’t at all. “Spits, don’t worry about it. You didn’t mean anything by it, and I’m sure it’ll work out anyway.” I hope, he added mentally. He wasn’t at all convinced it would work out, but what was the point in worrying her about it. Yesterday was the last day he knew what would happen after all, so the future was just as hidden for him now.

Figuring there was one easy solution to find out if she survived or not he needed to leave Spitfire alone for a little while. “Hey Spits I just need to check something then I can come back with you. No, don’t worry about it I got nothing left to do now.” Dismissing her concerns he needed his break she eventually agreed to him coming back with her, as soon as he was done that is.

Dropping off the cloud he left Spitfire alone looking after him as he soared out across the landscape towards Ponyville and a very specific library in the distance.

The library came closer and closer by the second, but as he entered the town proper he decided walking would attract less attention. And attention was the last thing he needed at the moment, place right around a heart attack. He guessed it wouldn’t matter since none of the pegasi had known him, but he didn’t want to take any chances.

Coming to stand right outside the tree library raised a whole lot of insecurities that had previously been hidden. Not knowing what would happen was unnerving after all this time. Sure he hadn’t known in detail but he had known who was alive or not. This would be first for him. Fidgeting in place for an entire minute he found some resolve, he wanted to know.

Pushing down the last of his fears he put a hoof on the door in front of him and knocked two times before letting it fall back to the ground. Not more than a minute after the first knock had sounded through the tree house in front of him he could head the sound of hooves nearing the door. The doorknob lit up in a lavender magic aura before the door swung open.

Standing on the other side of the wooden door was the same lavender unicorn he had waited for earlier that day by the lake, alive no less. Currently she was looking at him with a curious gaze, saying something.

Realizing his mistake he instant turned his attention to her words. “… is Twilight Sparkle. How can I help you?”

Unable to form a coherent reply after seeing the very much alive Twilight that he moments ago thought had died the most that came out of his mouth was: “Uhhh…” before he immediately turned around and bolted from the door as fast as his wings could carry him.

Settling down on the cloud ground right in front of his house for the first time in days Soarin’ took note of the overflowing mail that laid spread across the ground. Sighing he took up a bunch at random only to confirm it was all fans who had mailed him. Dropping the letters he had picked up he moved around the large pile of papers spread on the ground to get his sack, as always.

Wading through the last few letters he came upon the door of his home, the one he used when he wasn’t out and preforming somewhere. The door looked just like any other, a regular cloud slightly shaped as a door without any lock. It was pointless anyway, pegasi could just enter through the windows so why bother locking his door? Not that anypony had ever entered his home.

Pushing the door open the first thing he noticed he had just been proven wrong. Somepony had entered his home while he was away. Sure they had only stepped four steps through the door and placed a letter in his hallway, but it still counted.

Picking up the offending letter he instantly noted the lack of address and sender, the curiosity got the better of him. Only one kind of letter he had received before didn’t have a sender address added. Ripping up the letter he found only a single sentence printed in ornate looking letters.

Soarin’

The price has been paid. Remember to forget at the end.

~L

Author's Note

That's it. I'm done. It's not the ending anyone of you expected, I've kept track. Last chapters a lot of you figured Soarin' was Trixie before, but here's the fact. I've placed a surprising amount of hints through the chapters so it was expected. If there is something you're unhappy about I can't change that fact.

I would like to say though, everything I've said have been hinted before except the identity of L. There is a few minor things that will come in the epilogue, like the meaning of the note, if you can't figure it out by yourselves. I will possibly give a blog post explaining more in detail how the time traveling/body swapping worked, but that's still a spoiler.

I hope at least some of you enjoyed the ride, it's been a strange one for sure.

Epilogue: Leaving places and forgiving faces

Loud coughing echoed through the dark room. The only sound accompanying the coughs where quiet beeps that often got drowned out. Inside the room only a single bed stood in which a pony currently rested peacefully aside from the coughs. Beside his bed the sound of the beeps stood, a monitor keeping track of all the vitals.

The blue stallion turned his head towards the only window in the room in a futile attempt to see anything on the outside. In the middle of the night the few things he could see outside were the lights from other houses, most of them holding a family preparing to go to bed themselves.

Angling his head upwards to the window he got the best look of the night sky he could, seeing less than a tenth of the stars. Not that he minded much, the stars were his only companions on these lonely final nights.

Sighing he turned his head away and let it come to a rest looking straight up into the plain white roof. Hidden by the darkness of the night he could barely make out the tiles in the roof, all twenty eight of them. He had counted them twice just to make sure.

Losing himself to the roof he began to drift away, but before that could happen a voice interrupted his sleep. “Can’t sleep on a beautiful night like this? One could think you have issues.”

Shifting his head towards the familiar voice he gave the biggest bow he could manage at the moment, which wasn’t more than tilting his head down. “You can’t fault an old pony to think back over the years, Princess. Dying has a strange way to make you think.”

The silhouette hummed a little, still holding itself to the corner where the moon couldn’t reach and effectively concealing every detail. “I am impressed you recognize me, but” –putting up a hoof in the air she continued– “I am not your princess so Luna will suffice.”

Stepping out of the shadow came a very much alive and real Luna, looking exactly as one would expect her. Blue mane waving in a non-existent wind and the dark coat perfectly hiding her if she wanted to. An unreadable expression somewhere between deadly serious and overjoyed sat on her face, giving nothing of her mood away.

Soarin’ resting in the bed shook his head as she saw her near. “You look like Princess Luna to me. How are you not Luna?” A long time ago Soarin’ would be at this pony’s throat when she implied she was an imposter, but time had taken that ability from him so all he could do was watch as she grinned.

“My name is indeed Luna, steward of the moon and the one who guide it through the night. However I am not the Luna you are familiar with, just as you are not the Soarin’ you knew. Am I wrong?”

“I…”

She interrupted before much else could be said, shaking her head. “Did you ever what had happened if you didn’t do what you did?”

Hearing the nature of the question a very different expression of confusion came upon him. “If I did what different? I don’t understand.” The Luna at the end of his bed nodded once before continuing to speak.

“Indeed. You have made several choices at very specific moments in time that eventually led you up to this moment, have you not? No don’t answer, I know you have. This world and you are the result of all those choices you made so very long ago.”

Interrupting the princess either way, he asked, “So what about you? You said you weren’t my princes so who are you?”

“An excellent question.” She looked like she was about to poke him, but thought better of it and put the hoof down again. “I happened because you didn’t make your choices.”

He tried sitting straighter up in bed to get a better look at her but that wasn’t possible. Instead he motioned for her to come over to his side where he could see her clearer, both from the moonlight and because she was nearer in general. “I don’t get it, I didn’t do what I did and that’s because you’re here?”

She Shook her head slowly and gave a thoughtful look before answering. “Not exactly. You are the only Soarin’ you know of, correct?” She got a nod in reply so she continued with barely any pause. “There was a point in time where Trixie had been caught by the guards and you barged into the throne room while Celestia and she had a talk one-on-one, correct? Good.”

“You see, in almost every single case the two of you leave that room on your own, saying nothing of your issue. Yes?” She was about to continue her explanation, but Soarin’s expression spoke volumes about his wish to ask something.

“You know about that?”

Luna nodded. “It’s why I am here after all. You see where I come from Trixie told us everything. A minimal detail, she asked for help and everything changed. All of you survived by a simple act of trust. I have watched you ever since I traced our Soarin’ back here. Quite the impressive time difference I might add.”

Comprehension slowly came to Soarin’ as the explanation progressed and when it ended you could think he had died by how little he moved. Shaking his head to clear it after he realized his thoughts had drifted he returned his gaze to the princess. “Cause and effect? She did something I didn’t and changed the way the events unfolded, leading to a different conclusion. Minor changes maybe, but large enough to matter?”

Smiling the Princess returned her eyes to him. “Indeed. He gave us quite the detailed report of the events in this world, from his point of view of course. Which brings me to the second question for you. Do you remember the colour of your world?”

“The colour?”

Eyeing him curiously the princess explained. “You all have seen a pony named Mystery I never seem to find. Either way she showed you a memory with a drug, yes? Thought so. Each of you have seen this vision of hers but one thing always changes. What was the colour of the world before the ripples spread across it?”

Soarin’ tried to think back to the moment that happened so infuriatingly long ago. Knocking his head with the only fore hoof strong enough he eventually remembered the minimal detail. “Green. It was green and turned into purple I think. Does it matter?”

Giving another cryptic smile the lunar princess nodded. “Our Soarin’s world was purple but became blue, while Trixie’s vision turned from blue to a dull grey. Do you see the pattern?”

It all came to him in an instant. “It’s not the same. We switch around all the time?” Finding another nod the pegasus continued. “But you said neither of them died. How does that work?”

Removing all traces of expression the princess gave Soarin’ a stern look. “Didn’t you understand? Through all this you all cannot live. There are worlds where both of you lose your life. You are all shared where you are needed, there won’t be any missing ponies because you’re all everywhere.”

Starting a response he got interrupted by another coughing fit, this one lasting slightly longer than the previous. Reaching for the glass of water on the bedside table Luna helps him out by levitating the water over, letting him take a few deep gulps before placing it back on the table again.

Seeing the coughing mostly let up Luna gave another moment of silence before speaking. “Which brings us to this final moment. Since you do not have long left…” A waving hoof interrupted her and through a decidedly weaker voice than before Soarin’ spoke.

“Please princess I have no delusions of my condition. If I live until morning it will be a miracle, don’t sugar-coat it for my sake.”

“Fine, since you have no time left I have to ask this of you: Do you remember the note I gave to you years ago?”

Nodding Soarin’ gave another attempt at speaking, which only mostly succeeded. “Remember to forget, am I right? I still don’t know what you mean, Luna.” The princess left his side and moved to the window and looked out through it.

Neither of them spoke for a moment, Soarin’ focused on breathing and Luna staring out through the window. “I want to erase your memories. Not just of this meeting but all of them.” She hadn’t turned around when she spoke but the tone of her voice didn’t sound all that excited.

A very hoarse “Why?” came from Soarin’, followed by another coughing fit.

Waiting until the coughs had stopped echoing through the room Luna watched him with a sorrowful expression. “You have too much knowledge of the world as it is. If you were to happen upon another crossing, could you handle a fourth set of memories? The pony brain was never expected to hold the amount of knowledge you all hold, so this is my offer to you. Will you accept it?”

A profound expression graced Soarin’s face for an instant before being replaced with something that seemed more amused. “A wise pony once said to me ‘too much of a good thing’. That count for memories too? Princess I can’t possibly deny such an offer.”

Without responding the princess lit up her horn, a dark midnight blue aura surrounding it. Returning to her side by the bed she placed her horn directly on his forehead. “This won’t hurt, I promise.” Seeing not a single trace of fear in his eyes she continued with the spell, letting her magic flow into his mind. Standing immobile for several minutes while the spell worked she barely noticed him falling asleep during it.

As she noticed the spell had completed its work she peeked into his dreams, finding it entirely blank with not a single notion of a dream she confirmed it had worked as intended. Pulling out of the dream she prepared to leave. “Farewell friend.” Luna cast one last glance towards the sleeping pony on the bed, whose breaths became increasingly shallow for each one, before stepping into the shadows and fading out of existence.

Author's Note

Three months and almost 50,000 words later I'm done. It was planned to never jump over 20, but that obviously didn't happen. Still it's been an interesting time writing something, which to be honest I've never written anything of this scale before. It wasn't supposed to be this scale but that don't bother me much.

I know some of you will have issues with this last revelation since it's not really an important part of the story, but it's been time traveling all along. Luna could have been any of the ponies, but dreams and everything seemed to make sense a lot of the time.

Could I have done it better? Sure I could, everything can always be done better. Am I happy with the way it turned out? Why shouldn't I, most of it turned out in the general manner I wanted. My biggest regret is actually the fact all the foreshadowing is so obscure by the time it's relevant no one remember it ever happening. It's my mistake for sure.

Still I hope you didn't hate it too much, and if you enjoyed it I've apparently done something right.

1: Friends in high places

Slowly backing down from the mirror with the shocked child in it, Twilight slowly loses her expression of shock and fear. Replaced with one of determination and purpose she turns her head away from the mirror and towards the open door.

”My name is Twilight Sparkle, personal student of Princess Celestia. I have been in worse situations than this. This is nothing I cannot handle on my own. But not here, and not now. I need information, as much as possible. I have to ask around, find out where I am and how to get away from here. I need a library,” she reaffirms to herself as she sits there on the dirty ground, all alone.

Slowly getting back up, she easily turns around in the cramped room. Making her way out of the bathroom again, Twilight once again find herself in the middle of the giant river of ponies. Carefully navigating down one side of the road a quiet yelling makes itself heard over the crowd. Turning one ear towards the sound Twilight waits for the sound to once again make itself known.

“Extra news! Princess Celestia taking on a new student! Read all about it,” a voice from somewhere on the other side of the road yelled. The voice sounding much like a colt several summers older than Twilight.

“New student? Can it be possible?” With the old goal of finding information momentarily forgotten, the journey across the road to find the source of the voice begins. Sliding, dodging, jumping and side-stepping the oblivious adults the trek across the road take much out of Twilight and by the end of it she’s panting from slight exhaustion. When she’s just a few meters away from the newspaper selling pony, Twilight abruptly stops to outright stare at the pony in front of her.

Standing there, selling newspapers at the side of the road is none other than the Wonderbolt Soarin’. His unmistakable light blue coat with a darker blue mane and tail, messily fixed to some resemblance to order adorning his head. The scene completed by the paper in a fore hoof, saddlebags overflowing with the same on his flanks and the high volume of his advertising.

“Soarin’?” Twilight asks confused before she’s able to stop herself. The pegasus in front of her stops his screaming for a moment before looking down at a fairly worried you filly at his hooves

“Huh? Oh, hey kid. Have we met before?” Soarin’ asks surprised and Twilight very hesitantly shakes her head. “Then why do you know my name?”

“I…um, heard you were pretty good at flying from some ponies talking around town.” While feeling horrible for lying, Twilight worried telling the truth would be even worse. And trying to sneak away would be nearly impossible in this crowd anyway. “I’m sorry, I should just go.”

“Wait up, kid. I didn’t mean it like that. I don’t mind at all, in fact just a few days from now I have tryout for the Wonderbolts themselves. On their request of course.” Pride oozed out of him the longer he took that sentence and by the end of it you could almost cut it with a knife. “In fact you could almost say you’re my first fan if you know my name on sight. What’s your name kid?”

“Tw… Trixie. Trixie Lulamoon,” she replies, correcting herself in what she hopes is in time. “I can’t use my real name now, not if I look like this. Ponies will start asking questions, and I can’t afford that.”

“Trixie huh? I bet it suits you just fine. Now for my first fan, take this newspaper. It’s not a lot, but I bet it have some stuff you care about.”

“But I can’t just take it, you have to sell those. Won’t they miss it?”

“Nah kid, it’s fine. I can pay for this one myself. I don’t really need the money anyway.”
Nodding once, Trixie gathers her magic in her horn and reaches out to take the newspaper and, nothing. Not even the tiniest of sparks leave her horn in the now futile attempt at using magic. Sighing loudly she grabs the newspaper with both her fore hooves instead.

“Hey, kid”–waiting for her head to turn up to him again–“still bummed about not being able to use magic?” he asks and Trixie nods. “Don’t worry so much about it. It comes to you when it’s supposed to, no sooner and no later. Focusing on what you can’t do will make you lose track of what you can do already. They told me I could never join the Wonderbolts you know, but I’m about to prove them wrong. All my life ponies have told me to give up the Wonderbolts because I’m not fast and agile enough.

“I never listened to them, and neither should you kid. Now I don’t know who would tease of make fun of you for not being able to use magic but if you ever need somewhere to turn, why don’t you write me a letter?” Soarin’ grabbed a quill he apparently had stored somewhere on him and quickly scribbls down an address to Cloudsdale in a corner of the newspaper’s front page. Trixie stared wide-eyes at him, mouth hanging open. This pony had given her his address out of nowhere, a filly he’d never even met before.

“Hey kid, stop staring. It won’t go away you know. Now as I said, if you ever need somewhere to turn I’ll be there. Just write me a letter.”

Trixie finally managed to tear her eyes away from the address to reply with another nod. Slowly putting the paper on the ground, she got back up on her hooves after sitting down to accept the newspaper.

“Thank you so much, Soarin’. I’ll remember that,” she exclaimed and put her hooves around his neck in something resembling a hug but thanks to her size didn’t quite make it all around his neck.

“Don’t mention it, kid. Now if you’ll excuse me I need to get back to my job for the day. I’m not in the Wonderbolts yet, so I have papers to sell. So see you around kid, and cheer up. Life is only as fun as you make it.” And with that he turned away from her and resumed his, very loud, advertising of newspapers. Picking up the paper in her mouth, Trixie gives him one last look before moving back along the walls towards what looks like a clearing in the rooftops in the distance.

“Soarin’ not in the Wonderbolts selling newspapers at the side of the road? The princess got a new student already? Things aren’t adding up. He joined the Wonderbolts several years ago from what I recall and how did the Princess find a new student already, I died just yesterday,” she thought to herself as she absentmindedly followed the buildings with a days’ worth of practiced reflexes.

Finally making it to the gap in buildings she finds herself in the outskirts of a smaller park, barely more than three or four trees and some hedges in a single corner. Elsewhere all there is to be found is a well-tended to lawn without any form of weed or other unwanted growth.

Unceremoniously collapsing down onto her belly Trixie folds her legs under her and paces the newspaper in front of her where she can read it all. Before anything, she studies the address a bit closer but without knowing much about Cloudsdale’s layout it doesn’t really mean anything to her. Giving up on the address, Trixie moves her attention to the news on the page instead and begins to read out loud to herself.

“Princess Celestia takes on a new student. In the events following a normal entry exam to Celectia’s School for Gifted Unicorns (henceforth referred to as CSGU) the school sustained severe property damage as one of the students succeeded in the entry test and more. During a magical surge, the filly hatched the dragon egg and grew the hatching so large it went through the roof. The incident was stopped by none other than the Princess herself who said, and I quote ‘I don’t think I have ever come across a unicorn with your raw abilities.’ Now for the first time in centuries, Twilight Sparkle…”

“What?!” Trixie exclaims as she rereads the passage a few more times just in case it changes after the first time. “But that was over a decade ago, how is this possible?”

Closing the page she had moved on to Trixie examines the front of the paper once more. This time looking more closely in the header, looking for today’s date.

'April 5 2001 AD.’

“Today is that day? I’m in the past as well?” a confused and severely freaked Trixie ask herself. “It would explain Soarin’ selling newspapers and no mention of Luna anywhere. I still have no idea where I am and this newspaper apparently doesn’t tell me that.”

Looking around to make sure nopony is overhearing her, Trixie find the park just as deserted as when she entered it. Sighing in relief she turns her attention back to her predicament.

“But if I’m there, yet here too then what happened to Trixie? I need more information, but I don’t think libraries have this kind written down. But assuming this date is true and I am a decade into the past, I need to be careful. The slightest alterations I do could have horrible consequences in the future. Oh I hope my talk with Soarin’ didn’t break anything.”

Trixie is very rudely interrupted in her musings by a very insistent rumbling from her belly, reminding her that she in fact had nothing to eat today. Looking over the top of a nearby house, Trixie catches the last glimmer of light from the fading sun as it descends down the horizon to make way for the moon. A moon very rudely blocked by the weather pegasi setting up clouds for what appears to be a midnight shower.

“That can wait until tomorrow I hope, I need to find shelter and food.”

In a narrow, nearly deserted alley a small blue shape is lying curled to a ball under the largest cardboard around. The cardboard is drenched from the rain, and the wind whipping around makes an already harsh night even worse. Curled tightly into a ball in an attempt to protect the now precious newspaper from the rain, the small filly shivers as a particularly cold wind blows through the alley and find its way under her cover.

With a muddy coat and tangled mane the small filly does its very best to fall asleep. But sleep is far away for the kid tonight. Somewhere off in the distance a bell chimes, signaling for another hour of restless sleep. Yawning deeply Trixie scoots as far back into the corner as she can, in a desperate attempt to block out as much of the weather as possible.

“I wish I had a blanket, and food. Food before blanket really.”

Author's Note

Surprise! Update that isn't long after the first one. You guys really motivated me to actually write something, so keep it up and I'll try and get them out a bit faster than "infrequent" as it is now. Only one more chapter of mostly setup to go, then the fun begins.

AD means After Discord, just to clarify.

On a closing note, does anyone know if there are any art of Twilight/Trixie that isn't fighting or shipping art? I looked but couldn't find any of it.