//------------------------------//
// Chapter VI - The Wayward Priestess 
// Story: Ballad of the Dawn 
// by Takarashi282 
//------------------------------//

“So, you remember her after all.”
Trixie walked down a descending staircase, torches speckling the walls on either side of her. She didn’t want to admit her shock. It’d been almost thirteen years since they saw her last. How on earth could they recognize her.
“Indeed,” the gatekeeper said, her old voice croaking. “She is one of the greatest we have.”
“Is?” Discord asked, floating closer to her. “You mean, she’s still alive?”
“Not in this world, unfortunately,” she answered. “Frontotemporal dementia, I believe. It’s so rare to see it in someone so young.”
“I was gone before it even started,” Trixie said before she’d thought about it, and she bit her tongue. Knowing that she couldn’t take back her words, she continued, “But I came back and she didn’t even know who I was, or who she was.”
“Trixie…” Discord said, his voice faltering. “So, where is she now?” he asked the gatekeeper.
“Nowhere, but everywhere at once,” the gatekeeper explained simply. “Teaching other souls the way of Mirenum, so they can have eternal rest.
“As I understand, you’ve been deified by the old residents of the Everfree,” she continued. “The Discordians as I understand. What did they believe?”
Trixie could see Discord tense, and she felt a pit in her stomach. “... They worshipped me, that I was what they called a ‘God Eater’. I was to bring about the end of the pony era in Equestria, and bring about freedom of the mind. Free from the rules of the universe.”
The gatekeeper nodded. “Tell me then, why have you captured the daughter of a revered priestess? Is it to pervert our religion like that of the Zebras, to bring more under your rule?”
“It’s not like that!” Trixie snapped. “We’re here to find the culprit behind the attacks in Ponyville.”
“What of the Discordians, Trixie Lulamoon?” the gatekeeper snapped. “You’ve teamed up with the wrong entity.”
“He undid what he’s done!” the unicorn argued. “The Zebras aren’t under his spell anymore. I was there.”
Trixie didn’t even notice that they’d reached the bottom landing, where another set of gargantuan doors stood in front of them, made out of a thick lumber that looked like oak. Lighting her horn, the gatekeeper undid a series of locks running down between its two halves, unlocking out of sequence and in different ways.
There was a loud click, and the gate naturally fell open, revealing a great hall behind it. By the looks of it, it was ancient; the rugged architecture mirrored that of what would be in the Castle of the Two Princesses. A lush red carpet ran up to a plain altar, countless pews lining the walls facing it. The structure of the room was funnelesque, with the ceiling above them appearing twice as tall as the ceiling on the opposite side of the room.
“Excuse me for asking,” Discord said, his voice echoing down the hall and back. “But why do both of the religions we’ve seen so far live underground?”
“The Celestial Purge,” the gatekeeper spat, the words laced with poison. “Of course you wouldn’t know about it, you never paid enough attention. Early into Celestia’s rule, she grew jealous of the religions, that they weren’t giving enough attention to her. So she knocked them out, one by one.”
Discord narrowed his eyes. “That… that can’t be true,” he stammered. “Celestia wouldn’t do that.”
“She did,” Trixie confirmed, her chest feeling heavy. “Before she was ever benevolent, she was the opposite.” She glanced at Discord. “I’m surprised you don’t remember. It was allegedly you that forced her change of heart.”
The gatekeeper gave a low chuckle. “I suppose being in stone for a millenium will do that to you,” she scoffed.
From a side hall, a figure robed in white entered the chapel. Trixie’s heart jumped, stirring in remembrance. It was the same clothing her mother wore when she did her priestess duties. The priest walked in front of them, flipping the robe of his head. From the looks of it, he was an earth pony, with a dark coat and greying mane. One eye was grey and dead, the other a deep blue.
The priest eyed the magician up and down, a stern, yet unbelieving look in his eyes. “Welcome, Trixie Lulamoon, daughter of Priestess Stargazer.” His eyes shot to the draconequus. “And Discord.”
“Actually, it’s Discord, son of—ow!”
The gatekeeper withdrew her hoof after smacking his suspended leg. “Do not blaspheme our Priest. You are on thin enough ice as is.” She turned her gaze to Trixie. “Both of you.”
“Now, now, Quicksilver,” the priest soothed, gesturing with a hoof. “No need to be brash.” He managed a smile, his whole demeanor changing. “Forgive her, she is pretty judging.”
She scoffed. “Maybe I’ll be less judgemental if you finally get someone else to be the gatekeeper. Making an old woman ascend and descend that blasted staircase…”
“You can rest, Quicksilver,” the priest said, his words laced with a breathy sigh. “I’ll be in charge of the gatekeeping for tonight.”
“Finally…” she mumbled as she left where the priest came.
The priest’s eyes followed her as she left the room, but quickly returned to them. “You two must be hungry. I will call for the cook, but we’re out of the good vintage. We can press it fresh for you if you’d like.”
Trixie didn’t know how dry her mouth was until the priest mentioned the wine. “Anything to drink would be wonderful,” she responded.
“Very well,” the priest said. “I will be sure the necessary preparations are made. Meanwhile, feel free to have a seat in the mess hall, and we’ll have that out for you shortly. Melondrop!”
A head popped up from one of the pews. It scampered to the center aisle, and the colt’s full body was in view. His hooves were much bigger than the rest of his body, and his breast pointed awkwardly outward. He cantered to the priest’s side. “What is it, Priest Galant?” he asked, his voice squeaking almost uncontrollably.
“Would you please show our guests to the mess hall?”
“Absolutely,” he responded. He looked between the two of them. “Follow me.”
They headed down the left side hall, torches lining the walls just like they did in the stairwell. Melondrop took a sharp right, and the tone of the underground church changed. Inside the next room, cavern walls surrounded them, and luminescent crystals poked through, giving the room a cool light. Beneath her hooves, Trixie saw the remaining crystal speckling the ground like stars. Four long benches ran perpendicular to them.
“This is the mess hall,” Melondrop announced, gesturing outward with his awkwardly proportioned hoof. “Go ahead and take a seat. I’ll be helping the cooks.”
“Thank you,” Discord mumbled, a wide grin spreading on the kid’s face before he quickly turned around and left.
“Cute kid,” Trixie remarked, sitting down at the bench nearest to her. “Reminds me of Snails, except less… y’know… Snails-y.”
The draconequus shrugged. “Never went through puberty,” he admitted, sitting down next to her. “But even so I feel for him.” He cracked his knuckles. “Now, time to make this place a little more like home…”
“I know what you’re going to do,” the unicorn sighed, and he froze right before snapping. “Please don’t do it. Trixie’s not in the mood.”
Discord slumped his shoulders. “Fine,” he sighed as well. He looked around at the room. “It looks like this is a natural cave,” he started, his reaching for conversation becoming all too apparent. “Maud’s really missing out.”
“Yeah, she’d easily spend hours upon hours here,” Trixie said, her words falling flat. “I wouldn’t want to hang around for that.” Her eyes fell to her hooves, a gross reluctance oozing in her gut. The underground church was just too much.
“... You okay?” the draconequus asked, pitching his head down to look in her eyes.
She puffed air out her nose in a half-laugh. “No. No, I’m not. This whole place just reminds me of her. This’d be her paradise.”
“Hmm…” Discord flipped his leg over the seat, facing her. “What was your mother like?” Silence. “I mean, I don’t want to dig up any bad memories…”
“She was one of the sweetest ponies you could’ve met,” Trixie said finally, lifting her head out and taking a deep breath. “A bit delusional, thinking that my biological dad would ever come back. But she managed to take care of me.”
“So your dad just dashed?” Discord asked.
She shook her head. “Not necessarily. Dad wanted to marry her, he really did, but the faith forbids priests and priestesses to marry.” She glanced over to him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “It’s true. They devote their souls to Mirenum, and nothing comes in the way of it.”
“So they had you out of wedlock?”
Trixie nodded, then sighed. “Every May, when the priestesses are ‘ripe’, they are... bred by a pool of suitors, to try to get the best child out of them. This continues until another potential priestess is born, and then breeding ceases.
“My mom told me that dad wasn’t really into the sex at the time, believe it or not. He was just the right person, in the right place and at the right time. He apparently had the biggest crush on her, and instead of using that as an excuse to sex her right away, he just talked the whole night away, wanting to know her.
“So after that, she started meeting him in secret, and they fell in love. But the priests found out, and my father was disciplined, and cast out. It was about this time that she had me, her only child.”
Discord’s eyebrows deepened to a scowl. “That’s a load of bull,” he grunted.
Trixie nodded once more. “Yeah.” She fiddled with her hooves. “I wouldn’t doubt that’s the reason why she encouraged me to go to Canterlot at such a young age.” Her eyes fell to her lap. “I will never forgive them for what they did to her. Effectively forcing her to have sex with suitors, and taking my dad away from her, forcing her to raise me on her own.”
“Yeah, I wouldn’t forgive them either.” The draconequus frowned, hesitating for a moment. “But they let you go?”
“Not without trying to persuade me to stay. They said that I’d never know Mirenum, that my soul would be tormented for the rest of my days… but I went anyway.” She clenched her hooves together. “And when I came back to visit mom…”
“... The dementia manifested itself,” Discord finished.
“I-it hurt to see her that way,” she managed, her eyes stinging with tears. “She w-was an entirely different pony, and couldn’t even remember me…” She stifled a sob. “She stopped eating and was… skin and bone… The last time I saw her… sh-she was nothing more than a breathing corpse!”
She couldn’t hold it back anymore. Ice penetrated through her as she sobbed, her face wet with tears. “I don’t… want to be here!”
She felt a heavy paw on her shoulder. “I’m sorry,” Discord’s voice cooed, as a claw caressed her.
“Dinner’s ready!” Melondrop’s pubescent voice proclaimed. “... Oh.”
As Trixie’s sobs subsided, she lifted her head, her head swimming in congestion. Discord had turned as well, and through her blurry vision, Melondrop had frozen in place.
The teenager walked forward. “I’m just going to put these right here.” He reached behind his back and laid two bowls out in front of them, then setting two wine glasses on the table. “E-enjoy.”
“Thanks, kid,” the draconequus uttered. Melondrop nodded once or twice more than he needed to, and he scurried out of the mess hall.
Exhaling a puff of air, he shifted and gave Trixie a light pat on the shoulder. “We’ll be out of here tomorrow morning. We just need a place to bunk for tonight.”
Trixie nodded, taking as deep a breath as she could possibly, and Discord slid a bowl to her. He eyed the contents. “Ooh, polenta,” he mumbled.
She studied the bowl’s contents. It was a yellowish grain that reminded her of malt, a sprinkle of what appeared to be kale on the top for garnish. She lit her horn and hoisted the spoon to eye level before taking a bite. It tasted of corn and butter. It was a basic, but pure taste. She downed a couple bites of the polenta with a sip of the wine, although unfermented was just straight grape juice.
She glanced at Discord, who surprisingly already vacuumed up half the bowl. “Discord,” she giggled, gesturing to the side of her mouth. “You got a little somethin’...”
Raising an eyebrow, the draconequus raised his paw, rubbing the side of his mouth. “Oh,” he mumbled, putting the side of a claw in his mouth.
While he’d finished his bowl in absolutely no time whatsoever, Trixie savored the taste for a bit longer, though not much. Once they finished, Melondrop returned, taking their dishes and, afterwards, showing them to their rooms. It was a lot farther down than she’d anticipated, the high ceilings now half the height, inches away from Discord’s scalp.
Melondrop knocked on a door to the left, waited for a second, then opened the door with a slight creak. “This will be your bedroom for tonight,” he stated. “Unfortunately, the only ones we have available are single beds.”
“We’ll make do,” Trixie said, nodding to him. “Thanks for you hospitality.”
The teenager bowed his head. “It’s my pleasure. Goodnight!”
The unicorn and the draconequus walked into the bedroom, shutting the door behind them. Sighing, she strapped off her saddlebags, the weight suddenly disappearing. She stretched, a sudden rush of relaxation flooding her body.
“Well,” Discord said, clapping his claws together. “I’ll go ahead and sleep in the air. You can take the bed.”
Trixie shrugged. “We can share the bed, if you want,” she said nonchalantly. “I’m no stranger of sleeping in the same bed with the opposite sex.” She hesitated, seeing the draconequus’ concerned look. “Platonically,” she added.
Discord’s cheeks reddened, and he crossed his legs. “... I am… well… big, y’know. I’d take up all the space on the bed.”
“Discord,” the unicorn said flatly. “Do you want to or not?”
The draconequus folded up, holding his chin and baring his teeth, the redness on his face growing ever wider. “Yyyyesss…?” he answered finally, his voice breathy in falsetto.
“Okay.” Trixie attempted a small smile. He’s thinking about it too much, she thought. She opened the covers gesturing to the opposite side. “You first.”
He pursed his lips, letting out a puff of air. She could see the wheels turning in his head as he went as far to the side of the bed as possible. “Ooookay,” he said, his body noticeably quivering. “You next.”
Resisting the urge to facehoof, she climbed into the bed with much more ease than Discord did. They were close together, but even so, there was a couple inches of safe space between them, hopefully big enough for Trixie to avoid being prodded.
She turned to the draconequus, who held the blanket near his face. “There, not that bad, right?”
“Y-yeah,” he responded, stiff as a board. “I-it’s just that, y-y’know… ponies d-don’t really sh-sh-share beds when they’re not really… i-into each other!”
The unicorn sighed. “The Great and Powerful Trixie trusts you enough to share a bed with her. Just as long as you don’t touch anywhere sensitive, you’re fine.” Then something clicked in her mind, and an evil smile appeared on her face. “Speaking of touching somewhere sensitive…”
She lit her horn, and Discord immediately shot up, grabbing at his crotch. He winced in pain. “What was that?”
Her evil smirk grew bigger. “A small urethral abrasion. Not big enough to draw blood, but it’s enough to sting for a little bit.” She flipped on her back, putting her hooves back behind her head. “Always works on the guys.”
“You’re not nice,” Discord groaned, shifting back down to the covers.
“That’s what you get for spanking me,” Trixie said simply. “Goodnight.”
The draconequus sighed, flipping away from her. “Goodnight.”





Trixie inhaled sharply, her eyes slowly opening to the dim lamplight to her side. The blanket dangled off her flank, leaving her upper body exposed. She looked down again and saw brown fur, displaced and wild from her sleeping there.
“I was wondering when our dear Trixie would wake up,” Discord’s voice teased, its low timbre vibrating deep inside her. She looked up at his face, which was bright red, but he seemed a lot calmer.
The unicorn rolled off of him, his warmth abruptly leaving her. Small regret echoed in her belly as she sat up. “H-how long was I… y’know…”
The draconequus gave a big shrug. “I don’t know. I woke up a couple minutes ago and, well, you were there.”
She smoothed down her coat with a hoof. A humid, male musk hung heavily in the air. “We need to get you a bath,” she commanded, crinkling her nose.
Discord frowned, scooting off the mattress. “You don’t exactly smell like roses yourself,” he retorted.
“Oh, I know,” Trixie responded. Even two days without showering, her coat reeked of her own odor, and trace amounts of the sewer still lingered. It was, altogether, just gross. She wished deep down that there was a bathhouse nearby.
She glanced at Discord. He raised his arms up and stretched, and the glance turned into a stare. There were a plethora of odd yet toned muscles on him, mismatching extremities besides. His hips were unbelievably square. Was his jawline always that solid?
She shook the thought out of her head. “Hey,” she said, her mind foggy. “You know what day it is?”
Discord frowned, lifting his eyes in thought. “It was the twentieth of September when we left… it’s the twenty-third. Or twenty-second. Why?”
She afforded herself a little sigh. She knew it. “I’m in heat,” she groaned.
His frown deeped, as some of the color drained from his face. “Oh. I-I mean, isn’t it a little late for you to start? It’s been a couple of months since the peak of the season.”
“A thousand years ago, maybe,” she granted. She squared up to him. “It’s a weird evolutionary thing. Ever since we started making settlements, heat sorta… expanded. It’s still really low in the winter, sure, but it still exists.”
The draconequus halted, arm behind his head, then slowly nodded. “So, you’re in heat. Just warning me to stay off your bad side?”
“Can’t really control my mood when my body’s craving sex,” she huffed. She took a deep breath. “Just… don’t touch me anywhere unless you have to, or you may just lose your dick.”
His eyes widening, he put both claws up. “Okay, okay,” he whimpered. “I like my body the way it is, thanks.”
Trixie smirked. “How’s the cut?”
“Burns like Tartarus, but I guess that was the point.”
She swung the door open, the hallway seeming much brighter than the night before. She stepped out, and just barely turned the corner when she crashed into Melondrop, staggering backwards as he fell flat on his flank. “Sorry!” she yelped, backing up into Discord and flinching. She stopped before she knocked him down as well.
“Y-you’re fine,” the teenager squeaked, scrambling to his awkwardly proportioned hooves. “I stopped by earlier, but you were snuggling and stuff. So I thought I’d come back later!”
Trixie’s heart stuttered, her cheeks baking in heat. “Th-that wasn’t what it looked like. The Chaste and Virtuous Trixie didn’t do anything!” She clamped her eyes shut, the corners of her mouth twitching as she pulled it into a tight line.
Squinting out of one eye, she saw Melondrop cock his head to the side. “I… wasn’t accusing you of anything.” He straightened up. “Besides, it isn’t like we prohibit sex in the living quarters. We’re not that strict.”
The unicorn relaxed a little, her cheeks still smoldering red. She could stand keeping that knowledge to herself, but someone else pointing it out put her on edge.
They followed Melondrop to the end of the hall, Trixie tagging a little farther behind than before. The path to the mess hall clicked as she walked through the halls again. As they neared it, the buzz of a hundred voices resonated off the walls, getting louder and louder until they eventually arrived. The mess hall was filled with a kaleidoscope of ponies, some griffons and a couple yaks. She winced as the beginnings of a headache exploded from behind her eye.
Melondrop gestured to a table, but the noise was so impermeable that she only saw his mouth move. Discord nodded beside her, taking the lead and she followed. They sat down, and almost immediately afterward, more ponies packed in on the table on either side of them. They smooshed together, her heart skipping a beat when her hoof landed somewhere soft on Discord. “Sorrysorrysorry!” she apologized profusely, her pulse pounding in her throat, anxiety stinging in her belly. She never thought that she’d feel this claustrophobic. Not even the branch she grew up in was this large.
Somehow, three sharp dings pierced through the noise, and the whole hall went silent. The air froze like thin glass. She turned to find Priest Galant far down the hall. How had she heard the wine glass he was holding.
“Brothers and sisters,” he projected. “We awake this morning with good news.” He gestured to his right on the long bench he sat at toward a mare who looked like she was glowing. “Priestess Cloudspinner has conceived!”
Gentle applause echoed in the hall, and Trixie frowned. She remembered the conception announcements, but it always left a bitter taste in her mouth. That was her business, not the priest’s.
Galant hoovered his hoof out in front of him, and the applause stopped as abruptly as it began. “Let us now bestow the blessings of Mirenum upon her and her child.”
The hall went silent again, and the natural light emanating from the crystals seemed to dim. The creatures around them bowed their heads and uttered,


“Caelum,


Benedictio sacerdos in mitto.


Benedictio infans in mitto.


Mirenum et pax, idem semper,


In sacerdos et infans mitto. 


Semper et semper.”


Discord tapped on Trixie’s shoulder as they repeated the prayer. “What’re they saying?”
She sighed. On the one end, the prayer filled her with nostalgia, but on the other, reluctance  oozed in her belly like a ball of slime. She closed her eyes and uttered a phrase that she never thought she’d say again.


“Heaven,


Send a blessing to the priestess.


Send a blessing to the foal.


Mirenum and peace, forever the same,


Send upon them,


Forever and ever.”


Discord nodded slowly. “So, Mirenum is a state of peace.”
Trixie nodded. “Apparently, it’s unachievable in this life. All they can do is strive for it, and it takes another thousand years in the afterlife for them to finally get it.”
“Jeez,” the draconequus said, taken aback. “Then, how could you teach it if you don’t know it?”
The unicorn flinched, her eyes falling to her lap. She remembered Quicksilver bringing that up when they arrived with her mom. “It’s all bull,” she muttered. “Just something to help them feel better after raping the priestesses.”
Discord’s face went pale. “What in Tartarus…”
After a third repetition, the prayer concluded, the mess hall returning to silence. “Thank you,” Galant uttered. “Onto other news, we have two new guests in our wake. Trixie Lulamoon, daughter of Priestess Stargazer, and Discord, son of Ruin.”
The priest’s voice perished under a sea of mumbling. The ponies who were once shoulder-to-shoulder with them backed away in shock.
“That Lulamoon?”
“With Discord, too?”
“Why on earth would Galant allow those two into our sanctuary?”
Another ding rang out among the murmuring, and the room fell silent once again. “Yes, I am fully aware of the controversial presence of both of these creatures. But after Celestia’s decree of quarantine, we could not have them fall into her clutches.”
“Although, it would be all the better for it!” an older voice rang out from the crowd. Quicksilver backed away from the table opposite theirs, and irritation kindled in Trixie’s chest. “Galant, you’ve gone soft. Had it not been for your decree to let in guests, especially those wearing the pendent, we wouldn’t have this husk of a mare in our presence!”
Trixie’s cheeks baked in fury. She jolted upward, but Discord’s talon held her down. “She isn’t worth it,” he growled, and she glanced at him in surprise. Why was he getting angry all of a sudden?
“We welcome all visitors to partake in our hospitality,” Galant responded, his voice oddly calm. “We want to spread the word of Mirenum. It’d be sin if we kept it to ourselves.”
“But what of the Purge?” Quicksilver snapped, jabbing a hoof at him. “There are likely many who wish to bring us down, and who better than a former priestess to report our activity to the Princess? We will all surely die if that is the case.”
“That was more than a thousand years ago,” Galant soothed. “Ever since then, there have been princesses in addition to Celestia that have spread the message of friendship and love. The climate then is much different than the one now.”
“And you would know?” she screamed. “My family was wiped out because of that monster!” She flung a hoof toward Trixie. “Haven’t you even considered that it was Celestia that triggered the illness in her mother? That she tempted her father who tried to rip her away from the faith, and seeded her with this bitch?”
“Enough!”
Trixie’s shrill voice echoed from wall to wall, her throat in shreds. She grit her teeth, standing up. “You want to know the truth about my mom?” she said, her voice gritty. “She was the one who encouraged me to leave the faith. She didn’t want me to live as a priestess, to be bred every year by random stallions, to have to raise a child on my own.”
She pointed to Quicksilver. “Do you think that’s Mirenum? Do you think that’s peace? To have to live knowing that your sexuality isn’t yours, that your body isn’t yours? To become a sex slave to the countless males just wanting to get some pussy?”
She fought against the stinging in her eyes. “I was lucky enough to have a mom to look out for me. To love me and take care of me, even through the trauma of what happened with her, the church and dad.” She sniffed. “If anybody’s responsible for her death, it’s all of you.
“You’re right, I will report you guys to the princesses,” Trixie confirmed. “Not because you’re a religion, but because you institutionalize rape. And all of you stallions are perpetrators!”
The unicorn looked toward Discord, whose jaw was dropped. She grabbed him by the arm. “C’mon, let’s go,” she commanded, yanking him to his feet.
“I’ll go with!” a soprano voice projected from the back. Cloudspinner stood, her fluffy white mane bobbing as she did. “I’m so glad somepony came to voice their opinion. I was beginning to think I was the only one.”
“Me too!” another priestess stood. “Screw this place. Really.”
All the priestesses on the back table stood, all uttering their agreeances. Then, a multitude of mares in the audience stood, as well as a few stallions. The entire mess hall bustled with concerned and angry voices.
Trixie nodded to herself. “All right,” she projected. “Let’s go!”
They walked through the halls, passerby stopping when they saw the crowd pass by. They ascended the stairs, and it seemed like time slowed to a crawl. Trixie looked backwards at the crowds that followed her. She was finally leaving the place behind, finally letting go of her past. She couldn’t help a smile from appearing on her face.
They finally reached the top, the door opening to a pinkish dawn. Trixie relished the fresh air on her face, and the beginnings of sunlight over the east horizon. The crowd fanned out to either side of her and Discord, watching the sunrise as the first beams of the sun penetrated over the horizon, lighting the city up in golden light.
Trixie opened her saddlebags, taking the necklace out. The four-pointed star seemed to absorb the sunlight, bouncing around the inside, making a rainbow of colors on the surface.
“For all my life,” she began, “I wasn’t able to even look at this thing.” Out of the corner of her eye, Discord turned to her. “At least, not without feeling horrible about what happened to her. Honestly, I’m glad that she’s free from this place. It’s a weird feeling, to be glad someone so close to you is dead. Even though she had to go so horribly.”
“Trixie…”
She turned and smiled at Discord, involuntary tears running down her face. “I know what I need to do. There should be a river around here, right?”
“A little north of here,” the draconequus confirmed. He raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
She smiled once more. “You’ll see.”
They took off toward the river, leaving the now applauding group of mares behind. The sun rose fully over the horizon when they reached the river. It continued out west, the sunlight skipping over the waves on the surface. Dewy grass wet their hooves as they traveled to the bank, only to stop short.
“My mom and I loved to visit the river in my hometown,” she continued. “We’d wade in it almost every morning. It was some of the clearest water you’d ever see. And the stones on the bottom would look like rainbows.”
Trixie held out the necklace in front of her, dangling over the water below. “I’ve held onto the past for far too long. Even though I love my mom dearly, I know she wouldn’t want me to do that.”
She unlit her horn, letting the necklace fall to the water below. It was whisked away by the current, heading downstream and out of sight. Relief flooded her body, and she fell to her haunches. Tears streamed down her face as she let out soft sobs. She felt Discord’s talon on her shoulders, and she let her head fall on his. She didn’t know how a bony shoulder could be so comfortable, but she felt herself melt into him, savoring the embrace.
“Y’know, Discord,” Trixie said, sitting up after a moment. “Remember how you asked me if I ever wanted to change myself for one person?”
“Yeah,” he answered.
“I wanna apply myself again,” she continued as Discord’s talon drifted off her shoulder. “I wanna be who my mom, Starlight… heck, even Twilight knew I can be.”
“Oh?” Discord asked, folding one leg over the other. “And who is that?”
“A magician that brings smiles to everypony’s faces,” she answered. “And a pony that can bring a brighter dawn.”
She glanced at the draconequus, and saw a rare, pure smile from him. “You got this, Trixie,” he said, giving a thumbs-up.
She let out a small laugh, her heart finally at ease. “Thank you, Discord.”





Opal,
I know this is the first time I’ve written you, and I’m sorry about the wait.
But we’re one step closer to finding the culprit. We know that there were two recent orders for black boxes, coming from a the blacksmith that made them. One is in Vanhoover, where we’re at now, and the other is up in the Crystal Empire. Things have been perilous as of late, though, because of the royal guard. But I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, won’t be deterred. Not anymore.
Sincerely,
Trixie Lulamoon
“This is what she wrote me,” Opal said, tapping the bar in front of her. “It seems like she’s making good progress.”
Princess Celestia nodded. “I can’t believe that they found this out in only three day’s time.” She took a sip out of her mug. “It’s a little… odd.”
“Odd, how?” Opal asked, wiping down a bowl with her hooves.
She shook her head. “Nothing. Just me overthinking things.” She downed the rest of her mug and stood. “Anyways, duty calls. But before I go, I have a favor to ask of you.”
Opal shrugged, putting down the bowl with a small clack. “What do you need?”
She sighed. “The path that they’re on will eventually lead to the terrorist. If Trixie is in any trouble, I need you to go in the princess’s stead.” She gestured to the paper. “I trust that the envelope has a tracking spell?”
The innkeeper nodded. “Yes. I do that with all of my affiliates.”
“Good.” Celestia walked toward the door, opening it with magic. She turned her head to glance at her. “I trust that you’ll do your best.”
Opal nodded. “Of course.”
The princess nodded. “Goodnight,” she said, closing the door behind her with a soft click.