Here is chapter eight for you all. FYI, college will be starting again for me in three weeks and I may not be as constant with uploading new chapters as I was before.
Chapter Eight: The Crescent Moon Plan
Present Time: Moonglow Forest
In all fairness, Trixie should have seen this one coming. She knew that Twilight had been in the forefront of her thoughts for the past few days so it should have been natural that she would have been the cause of all the internal turmoil. Still, the fact that the lake was able to make such a near perfect replica of her was nothing short of astounding. Even giving her the ability to communicate only seemed to convince Trixie that this lake was more powerful then she had previously thought.
Slowly, the water-Twilight made her way towards the lake edge where Trixie and Luna were still sitting. The real Trixie took this moment to take a glance at her two water clones and saw that the first one appeared to be on the verge of an explosive rage while the second was looking on in blissful joy. They reactions towards the water-Twilight were so opposite from one another that it served as another reason behind Twilight being the center of Trixie’s conflict.
Eventually, the water-Twilight stopped at about a few feet from the water edge. She gave Trixie a rather curious look and a playful smile before saying “So…now that you know what…or should I say who…the source of your internal conflict is; do you know the identities of your two water clones?” The question was fired at Trixie so fast that she appeared to physically recoil in surprise.
Trixie took a glance at her two water clones that up until this point had remained silent. Trixie knew that they represented a certain trait that she had and it was those two traits that were conflicting with each other. Yet, as hard as she tried, she was unable to figure out what each of the two water-Trixies represented. However, before she had a chance to ask Luna for assistance, the three water-clones started submerging into the water. Trixie let out another gasp of surprise before she turned her head to the sky and saw, to a somewhat ironic horror, that the sun was starting to rise.
Quickly, Trixie shouted at the water-Twilight “I…I don’t know! Please, tell me what to do? I can’t stand dealing with this for much longer.” The water-Twilight gave a gentile smile before saying “You already know what to do Trixie.” Before Trixie could inquire further, the water-Twilight was completely submerged into the lake water in addition to the two water Trixies. All that was left was the smooth clear surface of the lake.
Feeling the emotional weight now present within her, Trixie collapsed on the ground and started to cry. It had been a long time since Trixie had felt the need to cry, usually masking her emotions with her stage identity. Yet, she had never felt so scared or hopeless in her life. As much as she wanted to believe that the lake was helping her, she felt as if she was getting nowhere. Vaguely, she felt something soft and warm enveloping her body and it took her a moment before her mind registered that it was from one of Princess Luna’s wings. The Princess said nothing, preferring to offer quiet comfort for the distress unicorn. It wasn’t easy figuring out what your true desires were, but Luna was slightly impressed by Trixie’s willpower.
Eventually, the tears in Trixie’s eyes stopped flowing and she managed to get back onto her hooves. She gave a thankful smile to Luna and said, “Thanks for being here Luna.” Luna returned the smile and replied “It is no trouble at all, dear Trixie.” Luna paused for a moment before inquiring, “So what will you do now?”
That question was an enigma to Trixie. She wanted to stay for one more night at the lake, but she had a strange feeling that it would accomplish little. She dismissed that thought which only left the option of travel. The new question was where? She could go to some of the smaller villages that dotted Equestria, try to restore her reputation and lifestyle. However, she remembered what happened when she let her boastful nature get the better of her and she didn’t want a repeat of what happened in Ponyville.
Ponyville…the town where Trixie was sure Twilight was living and the place where she witnessed real magic. The more she thought about it, the more she felt like she had to return to that place. But, what reason could she have to going back there. Most likely they would have already cleaned and disposed of her wreaked trailer. Besides, there was probably nothing worth salvaging. The only other reason for returning to that place would be to meet with Twilight again. Yet, what would Trixie do once she was face to face with that mare. It was the only part of her train of thought that was causing her somewhat of a headache.
Slowly, Trixie took a deep breath and said in a slow tone so as to make sure her thoughts were keep in line “I think…or rather feel like…I have to return to Ponyville and see Twilight.” Luna’s face remained passive, as far as Trixie could tell, as she asked “And once you meet Twilight, what then?” Despite Trixie’s best efforts, she couldn’t come up with a reasonable answer so she merely replied “I…I don’t know. I just…I just feel like I need to see her at least one more time.” Luna gave a tender almost motherly smile before saying “I understand Trixie. However, you might encounter problems if you decided to enter town. What do you think might happen if ponies recognized you?”
The thought hadn’t occurred to Trixie and she realized that if Ponyville was still miffed about the Ursa Minor attack, then Trixie would be as wanted as a parasprite. It would make matters worse if the orange earth pony, the blue pegasus, or the white unicorn became aware of Trixie being in town. Before she could have a chance to come up with something, Luna said “We might have an idea to get you into Ponyville and close to Twilight Sparkle. Can you wait here for a few hours while we check to make sure it will work?” Trixie nodded her head and watched as Luna raised her majestic wings before lifting herself off the ground and into the air, making her way back to Canterlot.
While the Princess of the Night was gone, Trixie attending to her morning rituals, including eating a rather meager breakfast and washing in the lake. As she was going about her business, her mind returned to trying to figure out the identity of the two water Trixie’s that had appeared in the lake. The first one reminded her of what she was like back before the Ursa Minor incident and whenever she talked there was a note of pride in her voice. Pride…that was the word that Trixie believed represented the first water-Trixie and she felt in her heart that she was corrected. The first water-Trixie was the representation of her pride.
The second water-Trixie was much harder, mostly because it remained quiet most of the time, refusing to either speak or act. The one time it did was when Pride had made that comment about Twilight being ‘worthless’. Trixie was somewhat distracted by the arrival of Princess Luna but she thought, for one brief moment, that she felt the second water-Trixie’s reason behind her outburst. Thinking back on it, the water-Trixie only spoke whenever Twilight was brought up in the conversation. Slowly, her mind drifted back towards the vision that the second water-Trixie represented. She remembered feeling a sense of comfort and security while watching that vision. However, she now became aware of a newer, unknown feeling in her chest. This feeling was making her feel slightly light-headed and she felt like there were butterflies in her stomach. The only emotion that Trixie could identify with these strange feeling was love.
The moment that word entered her train of thought, she stopped dead in her tracks and her eyes widen in shock. Love…an emotion that Trixie had never once associated with anypony before. Sure she had a love of the stage and she loved hearing the cheers of the crowd but never once has she ever thought of being in love with somepony. In fact, for the longest time she had believed herself to be more attracted to stallion but due to her constant travels, she had never been able to form any kind of lasting relationship. Was it even possible to fall in love with another mare? More importantly, was she, Trixie, actually in love with Twilight?” These thoughts continued to spin inside Trixie’s mind but she knew that there was at least some part of her that had fallen in love with that purple unicorn. That part must have been what the second water-Trixie represented.
Trixie now realized that it was her Pride and her Love that were in conflict with each other. Upon realizing that, Trixie felt somewhat content that she was able to identify the problem and she could now figure out a solution. However, as much as she tried, she was unable to figure out an alternative other than going to Ponyville and seeing Twilight again. Trixie said in a quiet tone “Maybe…once I get there…I just have to let fate decide the outcome.” Trixie would have pondered on this further if not for the fact that she heard the familiar sound of flapping pegasus wings.
Trixie looked up to the sky and saw Princess Luna returning. However, she noticed that the Princess was carrying a rather unusual chest in her magical aura. Gently, the Princess landed on the ground and placed the chest on the ground next to her. Trixie examined the chest and saw that it appeared to be very old and worn out, the wood looking old and brittle. Trixie had no time to examine it further as Luna said “What I am about to suggest is going to require a lot out of you, dear Trixie. In order to find the truth you seek, you may have to make a heavy sacrifice. Are you willing to make that sacrifice?”
Trixie felt a new wave of fear wash over her as she stared at the chest. She felt as if there was some kind of dark force lurking inside, waiting to be unleashed upon Equestria. Trixie looked up at Luna and saw her not as the Luna anymore, but rather as Princess Luna, co-ruler of Equestria. Yet, there was a sense of trust in her eyes that Trixie took some mind comfort in. So far, the Princess of the Night had done what she could to help Trixie without giving her the answers and she felt no reason to doubt her now. She gathered up her courage and said in an equal tone “I understand Luna. I will do what is necessary.” Luna gave a small smile and said “I know you will Trixie Lulamoon. Now, here is what you have to do…”
Sorry, I couldn’t resist stopping on such a nice cliffhanger. I wonder what could be in that chest. Find out in the next chapter.