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.”