//------------------------------// // Prologue // Story: Something to be Proud of // by Eighth //------------------------------// The words 'blank flank' echo in poor little Trixie's mind as she angrily wanders through the shrubbery of school's forest. She leaps over roots, stamps in muddy puddles, and shoves through foliage without a care or reason to her wandering. Too many of the students, it's called 'The Witching Thicket' but to Trixie, it's a getaway. A small little adventure she can go on to escape from... Well, to escape from being Trixie. And each adventure somehow ends up being just as unique as the last with the help of a little imagination. As she pushes through a few bushes, muddying her hooves in willful ignorance of all her teacher's warnings from last time she did this, she comes to a cliff edge. Now blissfully unaware of how far into the woods she has gone, Trixie takes in the majesty of the view before her. The sunset seems to morph the colours of the plains and hills that roll into one another as sparsely dotted by trees as they race into the horizon. "Woah, what is that?" the curious filly thunders as her echoes fall to certain doom. Just a little bit away, between two hills, lies a little tower. At the right angle and the right level of maturity, the sight looks rather humorous. The kind of sight one would never bring up in polite company. Trixie snickers as she finds a steady slope to slide down so she can get a closer look. After that, it doesn't take too long to arrive at the towering hovel, and it looks well looked after. It looks like the house that has recently gone through some patchwork maintenance, the straw roof looks newish, and around back a few animals can be heard lazily going about their day. Ever more curious than before, Trixie knocks, eager to see who or what could live here. Footsteps on the other side of the door get closer and closer filling the filly with giddy excitement. It doesn't dawn on Trixie that this stranger could be dangerous until the door handle begins to turn. Then her heart leaps into her throat causing her to second guess her position. She looks sideways for a bush but then finds her eyes leading upwards when the door swings open. "Who in Equestria," says the strange creature that opens the door. Whatever it is, it's tall. And stands on two rear legs. At closer inspection, it's bipedal like a shaved monkey but this one kept all the fur on its face. The creature is rather old and boney, unnaturally so. His grey fur is long in some places and nonexistent in other places. Like there's nothing on the top of its head save for the chin, where the hair reaches all the way to his knees. "What are you?" asks Trixie in a kind of rude bewilderment. Amazingly, the creature stands even taller from the offence. Despite a few painful sounding cracks, pops, and whistles groan from its back, it rises to stand in what would be intimidating if it had a more stoutly build. "You come all this way to my abode and ask me who I am?" The creature angrily retorts, his mildly amused grin masked by his beard. "Yes," Trixie nods plainly. "I like you... But first, what are you?" "Nuh-uh," Trixie says with a shake of the head, "I asked you a question first." The creature crosses his arms and seems to think things over for a bit. Then nods in agreement. "Fair point. I'm a human." "I asked WHO not WHAT," beams Trixie, eager to try and get more answers out of the creature before it catches on. "Did you? My memory must really be shot," the human says as its eyes glaze over into a faraway land. It smacks it's lips a few times as it thinks then looks down at Trixie as if for the first time, "Oh, who am I? Hmm... Actually, who am I? Flaming good question that." The odd creature begins to scratch its face in deep contemplation. A few flakes of indeterminate origin fly out. "How do you not know who you are?" It shrugs. "It's been a while since anyone asked, so I guess I stopped telling myself. I'm sure I had it written down here somewhere." The creature heads back inside, leaving the door ajar. Trixie peers in a little, she takes care not to peer too far in so she doesn't track mud inside. That and it'd be rude to enter uninvited. She was raised with some manners after all, they just rarely useful as far as Trixie has been concerned. But whatever this thing is, Trixie finds herself in a strange position to believe that being on its good side is the way to go. "Well, don't just stand there. Come in. Come in." "I've got mud on me." The creature pops its head around the corner, gives it a shake, and then waves his hand about in some mystical fashion. His dexterous little fingers dancing about as they glow. "Fuddle-de-go-lud, remove-all-that-mud. Now where is that book?"