Scootaloo's Guardian

by Dirty Bit

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Acceptance

Braeburn and Little Strongheart, after saying both hello and goodbye to the Apple Family, set out on their journey to Fillydelphia. They trotted down one of the town's exits and admired the scenery around their route. The two did not have enough money for another ride, nor did the train have the time to take them directly to Fillydelphia. It was actually better for them this way, since they enjoyed a nice walk leading them to their next destination.

The cowpony inhaled deeply, and exhaled with a content sigh "I tell ya, Li'l Strongheart! This ain't much like home, but it's real nice anyways! It's good t' get some exercise while we're on our way!"

Little Strongheart nodded with a small smile, but looked grave and determined "I hope that we reach that strange creature soon...I want to know what has affected my tribe and how dangerous it can be towards others. It would not be good if anypony met the same fate as my family..."

Braeburn looked over at his friend and scooted towards her side as they shared the given path. He did not enjoy it when family or friends of his felt down in the dumps. It disheartened him to know that she had to witness something so grim and mysterious, but at least she had the strength to carry on. She wouldn't be called Little Strongheart if she didn't. He gave the buffalo calf a smile "I'm sure we'll run int' him soon enough! An' if we do, there could be a chance he might be more friendly than last time! All we gotta do is keep movin' forward like always!" If there is anything the cowpony enjoyed, it was cheering anypony up and making sure they stay that way.

He was happy to have succeeded when he spotted a smile on Little Strongheart's lips. The two looked on as they paved their way on the road ahead. It was going to be a long trip before they finally reach their destination.
_____

Darkness...there was nothing but darkness all around Trixie. What did this mean? Was she dead? Was she lost? If anything, she is all alone. Or at least that what she thought when she heard hoofsteps come into her ears. She looked around "Hello??" The hoofsteps only grew louder as she darted her head "Who's there!? Show yourself!" After a moment of waiting, she saw a familiar shade of purple with an evil smirk on her face. What appeared to be her old rival trotted forward and stopped in front of Trixie as she kept her expression. The showmare glared with a scowl "You again! What are you doing here, you insolent foal!? How dare you choose to approach me like this!?"

Twilight Sparkle scoffed "You wanted me to show myself, didn't you? Miss 'Great and Powerful Trixie'?" She added her last sentence in a mocking tone "Sometimes, I wonder if you've even found your way after the time you chose to come into the wrong neighborhood...Tell me, how are you holding up? I'll bet you're doing juuust fine~..." She gave an evil chuckle.

This angered Trixie as she bared her teeth "Silence, you cur! Trixie will not have any of your senseless dribble while she is trapped here! Go back to the depths from whence you came and leave Trixie at once!"

Twilight poked her chin with a hoof as she feigned curiousity "Funny...wasn't that the same thing you said to that demon BEFORE he bucked you sideways? You seem to be out of character to be repeating the same line to somepony else, especially me...Nopony likes a one-trick pony, Trixie." She smirked.

Trixie's anger deepened with her rival's words "You will leave Trixie, or she will punish you with swift and powerful judgement!" Her words dripped venom as she glared daggers at Twilight.

The lavender pony rolled her eyes "Please! You couldn't even best an Ursa Minor let alone a demon! What makes you think you'll do good against me, hm? Give me one good reason and MAYBE I'll leave..." She had a smug expression on her face after her last sentence.

Trixie was silent, but she didn't want this mare to win. She already upstaged her once, and she wasn't going to do it again. Her horn glowed as she focused her magic "Nopony defies the Great and Powerful Trixie and gets away with it! Prepare yourself, Twilight Sparkle, for this is the day that you shall know the pain and suffering you put me through!"

Twilight gave a mock cringe as her face showed false regret "Oh, now I feel real bad~..." She lightly slapped herself across the face with a hoof "Bad Twilight~!" She smirked evilly at Trixie.

The showmare had enough. She channeled her magic and focused it into a beam, where she blasted her rival into oblivion. When the dust settled, there was nothing left of the smart-mouthed unicorn. Trixie smiled to herself, pleased to know that her eyesore of a bookworm was gone, until she heard her voice in the air "Wow~! You really showed me, Trixie! Too bad I'm not even gone yet!" Trixie looked up with an incredulous expression as the voice continued "But hey, you get an E for effort! Hopefully it stays that way...would hate to see you sink any lower than you already are..." The voice gave a cackle, which sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Trixie as she hung her head down and plugged her ears with her forelegs to tune out the absurd laughing.

The laughing slowly ceased as a cooling sensation was felt in Trixie's atmosphere. It relaxed her senses as she gave a satisfied sigh. But then she gasped when she noticed herself being engulfed in the darkness.

Trixie gave a moan while she opened her eyes. Her sight was blurry, and she felt the same cold sensation from her dream being moved across her left cheek. When the bad contrast in her sight lifted, she noticed a familiar figure smiling down at the showmare as she gently streaked Trixie's unscathed cheek.

Amy was happy to know that her new friend had woken up, and she only continued to pet Trixie's cheek while she was laying in a shoddy bed. The two were inside of a worn room. The rays of light shined through the dirty window as they touched the bed's covers and felt warm to the touch. This change of scenery was unsettling, and Trixie already felt uneasy while she was around the young lady in front of her.

The showmare instinctively swatted away Amy's hand and instantly raised herself up to a sitting position on her bed. She ignored the covers on her body as they flew down to reveal her many wounds patched with medical tape. Trixie gave a pained grunt and held herself with her forelegs. When she remembered her situation, she turned and glared up at Amy, who had a sad frown on her face "You! Trixie demands to know where she is at once! What have you done with her!?" She took the time to inspect herself before she continued "And where are her clothes!? Answer me, demon!"

Amy was silent for a moment, and then she held her arms out as she gently took Trixie in her arms and placed her back into a resting position on the bed "You're hurt..." She managed to say her first words to Trixie in her hollow tone as she stared at the showmare in concern "We are in a shack a few miles outside of the city we were once in..."

Trixie squirmed her way out of Amy's grip and went back into her sitting position "Release Trixie, you fiend! She does not know your intentions for holding her captive, but she'll find a way to make sure you receive proper comeuppance! You and your partner shall rue the day you've decided to challenge the Great and Powerful Trixi-" She grunted again as pain shot through her body.

Amy gently rubbed Trixie's stomach, her palm covering most of the patched wounds on her body. Her face was tinted with a mixture of sadness and concern while the showmare clenched her eyes and moaned in pain. When Trixie opened them, she paused for a moment when she stared at Amy's sad expression. Why did she care for her? Her stare turned into a glare "So where is your impudent partner, hm? Did he leave you here to guard Trixie?"

The young lady did not change her face, but she answered the showmare with the same tone as before "Daddy is outside..." She turned to the closed door with a blank stare "He should be back soon..." Her voice was so soft. Amy was not the most talkative type.

So she had to deal with a demon and his daughter holding her captive. This was beneath her standards, even if she did lose her last fight. Trixie scoffed "In that case, Trixie shall be on her way!" She scooted herself out of bed, but then twitched in pain once her body made contact with the wooden floor. She went to leave until she was stopped by Amy standing in front of her. The showmare was irritated "Move out of Trixie's way, creature! She has places to be!"

Amy paused, and then she spoke "But I don't want you to leave...I wanted you to live..." She knelt down in front of Trixie and gave a small smile "I like you..."

Trixie craned her head back when Amy drew close and gave her a hug. This one was definitely the opposite of what she had faced last night. She never thought a strange creature would care so much for her well-being despite the two being complete strangers to one another. She had to know more about this "Trixie is well aware of that with how you've been feeling her recently. But why exactly do you wish to hold Trixie here against her will?"

"Because you are her pet now..."

The two turned to the door to see Raphael standing at the open doorway in his regal armor. He walked over to them and shot a look of disdain upon the showmare "You will show her your gratitude for saving your life by accepting her feelings and reciprocating your own!"

Trixie's jaw was agape as her face held an incredulous expression, but it quickly changed into a piercing glare "The Great and Powerful Trixie is NOT some meager pet! Release her at once or else she shall-" Her eyes went wide when she noticed a blade quickly entered into her sight. The tip of it gave a glint as it hovered closely in front of her eyes.

Raphael held his blade and kept his look of displeasure as he spoke in a commanding tone "Silence, you insufferable quadraped! If it were my decision, I would have killed you where you stood without hesitation! Amy chose to intervene because she cared for your miserable life, and I was willing to oblige for her happiness! SHE is the reason you're alive! SHE is the reason you are here, and SHE is now your owner until she says otherwise!"

Though the blade was pointed at her face, Trixie glared back at Raphael as if his blade were not in front of her "Trixie fails to see the terms of being considered a lowly pet to a couple of malformed demons! The only good thing about this is that your daughter is giving Trixie the proper respect and care that she deserves! She shall not be subjected to your whims, even if her life depended on it!"

Raphael sneered at Trixie's deluded behavior as he drew his blade back "In THAT case!" He went to strike, until Amy held Trixie tightly and buried her face along the side of the showmare's head. Raphael saw this and gave an annoyed sigh at her actions. It would seem he is at an impasse with how Amy feels about Trixie's company, much to his own chagrin. He sheathed his blade and turned to Amy as he spoke in a tone alien to his anger "Get her clothes and be ready, Amy. We are leaving soon..." He turned and walked out the door without another word.

Trixie noticed the sudden shift in Raphael's actions and then turned to Amy "So this one really cares about you very much? You're the reason Trixie is alive?"

Amy brought her face out and nodded to the showmare with a smile "I'm glad to have someone like him watching over me..." She looked down with a frown "Even if our time has been both long and arduous...Many folks in our time could not accept who me and Daddy are, and wanted us both dead. He wanted to make the world a better place for him and myself..." She looked up at Trixie with another smile "My daddy would do anything for me, and I'm thankful for the time we have spent together. I am also thankful that he let you live..." She looked away "You and the other ponies I've seen are so cute..."

Trixie was confused "Other ponies? You mean Trixie wasn't the first one to be held by you and your father?? Explain to her."

Amy looked back to Trixie with a blank stare "Actually...you are the first..." She paused to let her take this in "We've fed on the others we have come across for the longest time..." With that sentence, the showmare went pale as her eyes widened "We feast upon the blood of the living in order to survive...but over the many years that have passed, there were no humans left to feed on. That was why we chose to hide in the shadows and captured ponies as sustenance. We could not feast on other animals alone, even the more dangerous ones..."

Trixie took a step back "Sick...And you wanted Trixie to live so she can be your pet!?" Amy only shook her head, and this made the showmare lower her guard in confusion.

Amy looked sad "I love my dad, I really do..." She then looked down "But it gets very lonely in a world that doesn't accept you for who you are...Especially if they are or are not familiar with you." She looked back up with a hopeful smile "So that's why I wanted you to join us, not as a pet...but as a family member..."

Trixie winced at the words. Family? Why would she want to be around others who aren't ponies, let alone creatures that weren't accepted by them? But then again, she had nowhere else to go unless she wanted to perform a show for another small meal, and Amy really did seem to care about her. She couldn't stand Raphael one bit despite him being her father, however, and she would sooner die than bend to his will. Regardless, the showmare held a small feeling of gratitude towards Amy for letting her live as she gave the young lady a small smile. She had very much left to do in her life.

The two shared a moment, until the sound of a stomach growling broke the silence. Trixie looked down and sighed "It appears Trixie would require sustenance of her own..."

Amy giggled as rose and she went to a corner and grabbed Trixie's hat and cloak along with her own with the shards stashed inside of it. She returned to Trixie and carefully dressed her with a smile "Then we shall find some for you while we're on our journey..."

Trixie raised an eyebrow "A journey, you say? Just where are you two going?" She followed Amy outside as the two joined with Raphael, who waited patiently, though his expression said otherwise. Trixie shot a glare at him for a moment before turning back to Amy "Well? What is the purpose of your journey?"

Amy smiled down at Trixie "My father plans to make a perfect world for us...We're only gathering the tools needed for it." She pulled out one of the glowing shards to show Trixie, who stared at it almost hypnotically "We are looking for more of these...and our next destination is not too far from here."

Trixie never thought she would be accepted by a couple of creatures who desired for a better world for themselves. In a sense it sounded insane, but at the same time she couldn't help but daydream at the possibilities of her pleasure with how she is included into the goal. She looked up and nodded at Amy with a smile "Trixie is grateful for your benevolence...Amy, was it? She will gladly join you on your quest for a better world! Trixie is open to new experiences, especially if they work out in her favor!"

Amy showed a small grin, trembling with joy with how Trixie was acting towards her, and quickly knelt down and hugged Trixie tightly.

Trixie flinched at Amy's gesture, but reluctantly returned the embrace to make sure the young lady was happy. 'If their goal is to make a better world, then Trixie shall be a part of it! And it shall be better for herself!' She gave an evil grin as she thought about a certain unicorn suffering under her power.

The two broke the embrace once Raphael spoke "We've wasted enough time standing around! Come now, the both of you!" Amy and Trixie followed Raphael as the three made their way towards their own destination.

End of Chapter 21

Comments

[suijin228]

When reading this chapter, I can only imagine what Trixie will become as this story continues. Great job, keep goin and stay golden^^
P.S. Currently watching hour long special

[Dirty Bit]

same here, and let me tell you, I'm already sucked into it

[Yasahiro]

I'm baaaaaack!
I'mma happy for ya and I'ma let you finish but Astaroth&Scootaloo chapters are the best chapters of all time!

[Dirty Bit]

480371 img.ponibooru.org/_images/517eeb3f99988d4f6284a23377e333e6/60456%20-%20artist%3Ablimpslap%20Discord%20reaction_face.png

[DavidPony]

evil trixie...........i am now officialy in love with this story i feel kinda bad for putting off reading this fic.

WHY ARE ALL YOUR FICS SOO GOOD!?!?!?