The following day, Trixie and Thorax hit the road with Starlight still out cold from her previous battle. The pair trotted as they pulled the cart through the thick snow banks. Fortunately, they could at least see what was in front of them and follow the map to the best of their ability.
The wagon's back door creaked open as something heavy fell out, the pair stopping to investigate. Starlight groaned as she climbed out of the snow and lumbered toward the 'team,' looking worse for wear.
She'd limp, blinking groggily, "Where are we... what happened? Did I win...?"
Thorax quickly trotted over to Starlight as he helped her stay on her hooves, "You blacked out after flying us to the mountain. Now we're following the map to Yakyakistan."
"Did you touch my things...?"
Thorax lowered his head, "No, not much survived the launch, I'm afraid..."
"No one touched your precious things, Glimmer. Unlike you, who had the fantastic idea of lighting my fireworks up! Two thousand bits, down the drain! So sure, you quote unquote won." Trixie couldn't help the venom in her tone. Now that they were out in the light and she could see, the wagon looked even worse. It was a miracle it had stayed together at all.
Starlight rolled her eyes, "Not now, Trixie, my head is spinning, and my ears ri–" she'd quickly rush over to a nearby snow bank and hurled up chucking whatever food she had in the last twenty-four hours into the powdery snow, now staining the pristine whiteness.
Trixie and Thorax winced as the lilac unicorn retched. Trixie trying not to become nauseous herself.
Starlight would attempt to use her magic as her horn sparked pathetically, the unicorn quickly holding her head in agony, her ears ringing as for a moment all sounds became muffled, "Ow ow ow ow….." she'd slowly kneel down and wash her mouth out with snow before turning to Trixie and Thorax.
Spitting the acidic taste from her mouth, she'd continue, "You can take my bits and start a new life in Yakyakistan, but I promise that if you just work with me and put your faith into me, We, all of us, will make it. But now, since I can't use magic and can barely stand on my own four hooves… I have to trust you two to make it through the peaks..."
The showpony couldn't help but laugh, "Well, it's not exactly like any of us can go wandering off. How exactly old is this map anyways? And I'll be taking those bits, by the way. My wagon needs repairs... and if not that, then a new wagon altogether. Plus more for emotional damage."
Starlight rolled her eyes at Trixie's whining, "It's fairly recent, I guess… I copied it from Twilight's Cutie Map. It's extremely accurate compared to any map I have ever bought…." she'd sniffle before climbing to the top of the wagon, sitting down as the roof creaked loudly before it finally settled.
"If you break anything else, I'm adding to what you owe me!" Trixie grumbled as she trotted forward.
Starlight slowly laid on top of the roof as she began coughing, "Just keep following the map, and I'll make sure we aren't followed…."
Thorax rubbed his front leg awkwardly, "Uh… is this part of using too much of your magic?"
Starlight hissed, "I'm fine… I don't do magic overloads…."
The showpony turned around and stomped her hoof, "Oh please, as if. Since I actually went to a school, I'm clearly educated in more departments than you, obviously. When magical overload occurs, the pony's immune system generally weakens due to the magical field around our cells that protect our antibodies... or something like that. You're sick because you strained yourself."
Trixie glanced up at the lilac mare, "Probably best you don't stay out in the cold for too long... unless you have a fever, then we should stop and get shelter soon."
Starlight snorted as she hocked a wad of mucus off the side of the mountain before adjusting herself, "Somebody needs to supervise… somebody needs to watch for Twilight Sparkle…."
Thorax piped up as he attempted to mediate, "Look, I don't know anything about pony illness, but this looks exactly like molt fever. Nausea, vomiting, headaches, earache, you really need to rest, Starlight. Besides, we're safe! You launched us at least a day's walk away from them…."
Starlight wobbled as she attempted to sit up before falling off the cart and into the snow; Thorax hissed as he quickly rushed over to help her, "Trixie, help me get her inside the cart…."
Trixie heaved a dramatic sigh and turned around, slowly trotting up to the sickly mare before using her levitation to pick her up. Opening up the wagon, she laid the lilac mare down on the floor and grabbed a thin sheet that managed to avoid the fire, bundling the unicorn up in it.
"Believe me, Glimmer, I've been very aware of the danger you put us in. If Twilight shows up, you'll hear me running and screaming in the opposite direction."
Starlight hunched over as she wrapped herself up tightly, letting out a sickly cough, "Just take us to Yakyakistan…."
"Yeah yeah, whatever." Trixie rolled her eyes.
Thorax trotted from the far corner of the cart as he placed Starlight's saddlebags next to her, the mare quickly digging into them as she pulled out a large water canteen and chugged it down. Letting out a small sigh of relief, she put the canteen away.
Tearing through her bags once more, Starlight slowly looked up at Trixie, "... we have a few days of food for both of us. I need you to push yourself to the brink if you want to make it to Yakyakistan before we starve."
Trixie released an indignant gasp, "Oh, so you're actually planning on sharing? That's a shock. Well, at least one of us can't eat regular food." the showpony would glance at Thorax, "So, what exactly is your plan for us anyways? I doubt the Yaks are looking to take in three fugitives."
Starlight shot daggers at Trixie, "I need you alive if I have any chance of not freezing to death...."
"As for a plan…." she'd slowly sat up as she stroked her chin with her left hoof, "... We're traveling performers and refugees from the Crystal Empire, and we're here to warn the Yaks about an invasion."
"Invasion?" Trixie cocked her head questioningly, "Who's invading the Yaks?"
"Twilight Sparkle." Starlight stated in a matter-of-fact tone.
She'd elaborate further, "Think about it; she'll come with the royal guard to protect her and her friends, right? We'll tell the Yaks that her expedition is here to subjugate the Yaks and that we are but humble performers who were persecuted for being anti-war. We personally undertook this noble cause of warning the Yaks. When Twilight arrives, she won't fight them, obviously, and will be forced to leave. You get your bits, and we lay low in Yakyakistan for a while, and we go off from there."
"Sounds great, except I don't want to live with a bunch of savages in the cold!" Trixie spat out, "Do you really think Twilight wouldn't try to find some other way of smoking us out? Frankly, I'm surprised she didn't teleport here herself, although I suppose she must have burnt herself out too..."
"They're not savages, Trixie; they are simply different from us. Twilight wouldn't have any way to get in Yakyakistan besides sending the army she brings with her back home– and then we'd be on an equal playing field," Starlight sniffled as she slowly looked over to Thorax, "Besides, it'll do us good to intermingle with new cultures and creatures. I mean, we have Thorax, after all."
"Please, I doubt they even have running water," Trixie scoffed, "Besides, I think we both know you don't care about their culture."
Starlight pressed her hoof to her chest, "I am insulted that you think I don't care about my own vision for a better world, right Thorax?"
Thorax shrugged as he lamely agreed, "I guess, hey uh maybe we should uh… since we're all part of this together," the changeling quickly pulled Trixie close to him, "We should all pursue the goal of unity between creatures… peacefully, right?"
Trixie snorted and slowly smiled at Starlight, a smug glint in her eye she knew only the unicorn could read.
"Well, of course, Thorax, I'm not looking for a fight, and we both know our friend Starlight here isn't capable of hurting a fly in her condition, now, isn't she?" she'd give the changeling a firm nod in agreement.
Starlight would've erupted in a fiery rage if it hadn't been for her deplorable condition, entangled in her own web of lies and flowery words like a fly in a spider's web, "... Yes… all for the good of the cause..."
Trixie did her best not to burst out laughing, quickly hiding her grin away from the changeling.
Thorax smiled to himself, "Besides, Trixie, it won't be so bad. Maybe you can amaze the yaks with your magic. After all, they don't have magic of their own."
The blue unicorn sighed, "Perhaps I could entertain them, so long as the payment is appropriate. Maybe one of them can actually do some repairs on my wagon..."
"So it's settled then! We all agree as friends and visionaries for a better world, as you put it. To be peaceful, I'm sure we can… eventually talk to the Crystal Ponies after… uh… a little while..." Thorax said as he tapped his front hooves nervously.
"A little while? Pfft, it might be years before we could return to Equestria or the Empire. Well, you could shapeshift back any time, but... you know what I mean." the showpony rambled.
Starlight fought off the scowl threatening to form on her face as she rested her head on the wooden floor, "Yes, yes… now leave me to rest."
Thorax beamed brightly as his heart fluttered with joy, "Great! I'll figure out a way to get everyone to be friends while I pull the cart!" The changeling quickly leaped out of the backdoors and began dragging the cart, leaving the two unicorns alone for a moment.
Watching as the changeling walked away, Trixie slowly turned to face Starlight and began to trot alongside the wagon.
"See? You're not the puppet master you think you are," Trixie smirked, "I told you, I have tricks up my sleeve."
Starlight scowled as she hissed, "What did you put in that naïve foal's head? Now he's going to hurt himself or be sorely disappointed when he can't just talk his way into changing these fools' minds about how we see harmony and other creatures..."
She'd slowly smirk as she weakly chuckled before erupting into a coughing fit, "... I can already see how he'll turn out just like me."
"Geez, sad backstory much? Why don't you just get it out of the way while we're talking about it." Trixie chortled, waving a hoof in the air, "Listen, he's naïve, not stupid. Even if I hadn't said anything, he would have eventually discovered you were bad news. Don't be mad that I was the one who helped him get to that conclusion a little faster than he would on his own."
"I was attempting to prepare him for the harsh reality that ponies and other creatures would reject him," Starlight snapped back, "Because of your meddling, I have to put him down, gently, of course..."
"Please, what harsh realities have you had to face? Chipped hooficure? Somepony cut in line at the store, and now you think the world is out to get you?" the showpony sighed, rolling her eyes, "Honestly, you're more dramatic than I am."
"The world isn't out to get me; I'm not so self-absorbed to think that Trixie, but the world is unfair, unequal, imbalanced, and I found that balance through my village. But then she took it away..."
Starlight sighed, "I realized that I can't simply isolate the issue and live in harmony with my ponies without this corrupt and unjust world interfering. So I have to be the one to correct it, or at the very least start a movement to fix it."
"Why are you so keen on living in this corrupted state when ponies like you would've flourished with me? You could've been something more than a lying, thieving charlatan. You could've had a community of friends and ponies who were just like you, who wanted to be with you. I know you're lonely, Trixie Lulamoon… the traveling showpony is a very lonely road to take, and why is it you choose to take that path? Is it because you're inadequate? Untalented? Unequipped for advanced magic? Do you think it's fair that Twilight Sparkle gets to be one of the most powerful beings in our world while you have to perform for the dregs of society?"
Trixie shivered, feeling the totalitarian undertones of the unicorn's words,"That sounds like Tartarus. An entire place filled with ponies who are exactly like you and do the same things every day? But of course, you'd be immune to that, right? You'd be their almighty shepherd leading the flock? Please."
"Yes, I might despise Twilight Sparkle, and yes, I might not be capable of great feats of magic, but do you really think that makes me desperate enough to go along with the likes of you? How pathetic," Trixie stuck her nose in the air.
Starlight quickly shot up as she stamped toward Trixie, pressing her hoof against the mare's chest, "And what have you ever done for yourself besides lie and cheat!? I created something, I had something, I had friends, family I–"
The unicorn quickly erupted in a coughing fit before stumbling backward and unto her rump, taking a deep wheezing breath, "Hngh… Thorax has the potential to be something truly great, and I admit… you do too, but you squander it with… street magic..."
Trixie backed up in a hurry, Starlight might be tired, but she might still have a little charge in that horn. Relaxing now that she wasn't in immediate danger, she sighed.
"Magic is magic, so long as other ponies believe in it. If your town was so great, then why did your so-called friends leave if they had a choice to stay with you?"
"Because a Princess told them what to believe… that our community was wrong because six ponies waltzed in and declared it immoral. They turned them against me and chased me out of my own town....."
"Or maybe, and I'm just spit-balling here, the ponies in your town realized there was another way of life, and you didn't like it. And I doubt you were willing to give them a choice of leaving either." Trixie snorted quietly.
Starlight slowly rested her head on the floor as she sighed, "Are you quite finished now? You're clearly unconvinced, and I doubt you'll convince me of anything either."
Trixie smirked to herself. Starlight... three, Trixie, one.
"I guess so; I can see I tired out your poor brain, so you might as well get some more rest. I should get to the front to... make sure we haven't gone in the wrong direction while you distracted me." the blue showpony tossed her mane before trotting forward with a self-satisfied smile.
Thorax trotted along through the snow, now adorning a black hair across his body, similar to a moth. The changeling turned to Trixie, smiling softly, "Hey, there you are; how's Starlight?"
"She's resting. The poor thing is just tuckered out," Trixie couldn't help the playful, mischievous tone in her voice, "Nice fluff. Wish I could grow fur like that on command."
Thorax flashed a sizeable toothy smile at Trixie, "Thank you! I copied it from a magazine I found in the storm drain once."
"Teh, All I know is, I wish my winter coat would grow in about now..." Trixie murmured softly.
The changeling scanned the endless white horizon as he turned to Trixie, "Do you have any clue where we are?"
"Oh! Right." the showpony pulled the map out from her cape, unraveling it before scanning their surroundings and the map itself.
"I'm... not quite sure." she spun the map around in her field of levitation, trying to discern which direction to go in.
Thorax shuffled over as he scanned the map, "... You don't know how to read a map, do you?"
"Of course, I know how to read a map, but we're in the mountains, and we have no landmarks to get our bearings!" the blue unicorn spat out, "But if you think you can do better, be my guest. If not, then try to find something recognizable that I can find on here!"
Thorax quickly freed himself before opening his wings, quickly taking flight as he buzzed through the air, attempting to find something of note. Facing what felt like endless miles of mountains that dipped into canyons and peaks that soared into the heavens.
The changeling attempted to fly higher before being caught by a strong gust of wind and flung rightward toward a cliff; he yelped as he used all of his strength to maintain control before flying into the nearby snowbank.
The changeling climbed out of the snow before shaking the snow off his coat, "I saw a bunch of mountains! … Hope that helps."
"Oh yeah, gee, like we aren't surrounded by those!" Trixie grumbled to herself as she scanned what little she could see past the fog.
After a moment, she sighed and folded the map back up, "Let's just keep moving forward. I think we should find a path... eventually. If not, well, we gotta run into something at some point."