//------------------------------// // A blindingly obvious trap // Story: A Meeting At The Falls // by PennyDreadful //------------------------------// Twilight stared out the window of the train as it wound through the mountains.  Princess Twilight Sparkle. The sky was gray, with shafts of sunlight slipping through. Light rain fell against the windows. Your presence is required at the Reichenbuck falls. She was having trouble getting comfortable on her seat. No matter how she moved, her legs didn’t seem to sit under her properly. Come alone, on the 12th of the first month of winter. She had been conflicted. Her friends all currently thought she was visiting an aunt. One she had had to visit extremely urgently. Somepony is going to die without you. She knew it was trouble. Frankly, the fact that she was going at all was foolish. Let alone actually going on her own. She knew that she should currently be surrounded by her friends, as well as a complete entourage of royal guards. Whatever the deal was with the letter, it was clearly bad news. What kind of trustworthy letter arrives with no signature, urging someone of great importance to come to the far end of Equestria, completely alone? It was like mailing a card that said “Season’s greetings! Will you let me assassinate you? Yes/no”. It was so comically slapdash that she ought to have just sent a soldier dressed as her to arrest the writer. But she had been… frustrated recently. Her old, comfortable life had been stripped from her piece by piece. After her alicorn ascension, she had spent some degree of effort trying to ignore what it really meant. While she was flattered to be elevated, she didn’t want to abandon any part of the life she had made for herself. And she had succeeded, sort of. With much urging, most of Ponyville had been able to keep treating her like normal. She had talked Rarity out of calling her “Your highness”, she had continually delayed the organization of her first public court, and she had used the friendship journal to help feel as if she were still writing to Celestia. She was still the same scholar and librarian she had always been, but now with wings! But her royal position wouldn’t wait, and it had come to her. She couldn’t help but laugh dryly at how much of a perfect metaphor Tirek had been. A symbol of her growing duty that had destroyed her comfortable shell of humility, and required she take on the full power of her fellow princesses. She missed her library. She missed the way it smelled when it rained. The way the wood creaked on windy nights. The views from the windows that she had gotten so used to. It had fit her perfectly. A place for Twilight Sparkle, bookworm and mage. But her new responsibilities had taken it from her. Those titles she loved felt as if they had been supplanted by ‘princess’. Sure, she was getting used to the castle with the help of her friends, and she supposed that in time, she would connect with it just as much as she had the library, but it was new. New and cold, with every surface made of polished crystal. No humility to it. She didn’t want a throne, but there it was, grown as if it were natural. And it meant that the mood had shifted in Ponyville. Now, despite her best urgings, she was treated as capital R royalty. Ponyville was undergoing an identity shift as the quaint small town came to see itself as a royal hegemony. Her realm. Her property. She hated it. Her friends were understanding, but the normal citizenry wouldn’t stop with the ‘Your majesty’’s. She knew it was something she had to accept and deal with, but she wanted to hide from it. To pretend things were back to being simple and comfortable. And then there was the map. She knew, deep down, that the map wasn’t an interloper. It was a part of her broader purpose and destiny. But right now, she felt so conflicted about it. The idea that her adventures were no longer driven by interaction with her friends or by her scholarly pursuits of the study of magic and friendship, but were now doled out by some mysterious force of harmony… it hurt. She felt as if she was now “The Friendship Map™ presents Princess Twilight Sparkle™”. Going on adventures at the whim of the tree of harmony felt stifling. So, like a teenage filly running off to a rock concert, she was sneaking out. Just for this one little adventure. One that had come organically in the mail. One with danger to it. An adventure where she could just be herself, and solve the problem with her magic and mind. She was throwing herself into the jaws of peril simply because it was something a princess shouldn’t do. Everyone would be cross with her for it, but right now, she had a trap to fall into, and on some level, past the nervousness and fear… she couldn’t be more excited. Reichenbuck falls. Far to the northwest from Ponyville, nestled in the mountains, it was the origin point of the long and winding river that carved through Ghastly Gorge. There wasn’t much in the area, as it had always been felt too much development would sully the view. There was a town a few miles away, but up near the falls, all there was was a rather opulent hotel. It had been a popular destination for honeymoons, but had been shuttered around a year ago after a sordid news story had threatened to bring in the wrong sort of tourist. The air was quiet as she disembarked from the train. She was the only one getting off at this stop. As it pulled away, she was left alone with the elements. The wind, the gentle rain, and the sun, all of them filtered through the bare branches of the tall forest trees that flanked either side of the road. She trotted along the path from the station towards the falls, trying to steady her breathing. Yes, she was doing this because it was dangerous and exciting, but it was still dangerous. In her mind, she was running through the flash cards for a whole suite of defensive spells, ranging from short range teleports to personal shields, and more counterspells than one could shake a stick at. Whatever form of assault her would-be assailant had, she’d be ready. Climbing through the dense forest that surrounded the falls, she passed by the offshoot path that still bore the large and cheerful gilded sign advertising the now defunct hotel, and as she pushed on, the sound of the falls grew louder. The road gave way to neatly built stone steps. Twilight climbed onward. Who would it be, she wondered? Was the hostage someone she knew? Was it an innocent? Was it a trick? Was this the start of some grand conspiracy that would take all her wit and logic to unravel? It was exciting to think about. Perhaps it would be more mundane. A woodsman who lived in the area, sick with some rare disease. Twilight could easily write the story in her mind. She could see the stallion’s young daughter, hastily writing a letter to the first important pony she could think of, unaware of how ominous it sounded… Well, it was easy to write the story, but she doubted it would be anything as innocent as that. At last, taking a final deep breath and with her mind bristling with prepared spells, Twilight stepped up the final set of stairs and arrived at the top of the falls. It was a gorgeous view. Celestia’s sunlight lanced through the clouds all through the view of the mountains. The mist from the falls rose delicately through the air, and the grey, green, and white tones made it all look like a painting. A painting with Trixie in it. The Great and Powerful Trixie. Traveling magician. It had been quite some time since Twilight had seen her. Both times, Trixie had vanished as quickly as she came.  Twilight supposed she wasn’t one to stick around where she didn’t feel wanted. Her ego was larger than the Canterhorn, and Twilight found her rather hard to take seriously as a result. But here she was. Leaning against the railing and gazing out at the view. “Trixie? Is that you?” When the magician heard her, she seemed to jolt out of wherever she had been mentally. Carefully, Trixie took her hooves off the rail and turned to face Twilight. She looked very composed. Posture straight, gaze sharp. Breathing labored. She was silent for a long moment. Twilight could feel the mare's eyes climbing over her. There was an odd tension in the air. Not the sort Twilight had been expecting. It felt almost as if Trixie was afraid to- “So you have come!” Trixie announced, face changing from silent consideration to her trademark arrogant smirk. So much for any tension. “Trixe was starting to think you didn’t have it in you!” “I assume you’re the one who sent the letter?” Twilight sighed. “It said somepony was going to die. If this is your idea of a joke then I’m not laughing Trixie. That kind of thing is serious.” “Oh, but Trixie does not joke, Sparkle! The Great and Powerful Trixie challenges you to a magic duel! A proper one this time, without the interference of the Alicorn amulet! True power against true power!” “What?” Twilight couldn’t hide the fact that she was slightly miffed. This was her special little danger treat? “I was under the impression we had already done that. It didn’t end too well either.” Some part of her almost felt insulted. She always worked to keep her ego in check, but she had spent a lot of time since then improving her magic, and even if Trixie had matched her progress, it would hardly be a fair fight. Trixie was undeterred, clearly focused on her own thoughts. “Do you know what happened here Sparkle? At these falls?” Gritting her teeth, Twilight answered all too easily. “Yes, actually. Which is why I think it’s in poor taste to challenge me to a duel here.” Reichenbuck falls was, to history nerds, noteworthy as the location of the final duel between Starswirl the bearded and his arch-rival, Larmoya, sorceress of grief. The pair had long battled over the position of strongest unicorn in Equestria, each thwarting the others magical endeavors wherever they went. The fight at Reichenbuck had been their last. With both giving it their all, Larmoya had tragically tumbled to her death, leaving Starswirl the victor. As printed collections of his letters and journals proved, it was a victory that always haunted him, and was rumored to be part of his eventual disappearance. “Poor taste? This is a matter of honor! There is nowhere better for Trixie to have this moment!” “What moment? Dredging up something buried and done to satisfy your obnoxious ego?” Twilight felt her temper flare. “If you care about honor, I’d say we were square. You know, after you apologized and we made up after the amulet incident?” “Oh, forgive me, princess!” Trixie feigned a hurt look. “I suppose you don’t pay any attention to the wake you leave in the world, do you? While you were busy being coronated and building a castle made out of diamonds, Trixie has been starving in the street!” Twilight’s frustration faltered. “What? But, what about your shows?” Trixie rolled her eyes and grimaced. “Oh, yes, the shows that Trixie cannot do due to every paper in Equestria eagerly picking up the story about the amazing pupil of Celestia comically using simple stage-magic to pull one over on an insane tyrannical fool! Being painted as King Sombra junior definitely didn’t keep Trixie barred from every inn she found! And Trixie is no buffoon! She would have easily seen through your trick with an unaddled mind! But a stage magician can hardly make a living when seen as too incompetent to do her job! Trixie has been the drinker of a long and loathsome cocktail of hate, fear, and mockery,  all of which lies at your hooves! So now, you will allow her to grasp her long-tattered honor, and duel her!” She panted as she finished her pent up rant, staring Twilight down. Twilight was stunned. “Trixie… I’m sorry. I had no idea what you were going through…” “What?” Trixie herself now looked confused, and almost annoyed. “No!” Twilight balked. “What do you mean no?” “No! Trixie refuses your pity! You’re beyond her, aren’t you?! Admit it! You haven’t wasted a single thought on her since you saw her last!”  Twilight bit her lip. It was uncomfortable to realize but… she hadn’t. Since Trixie had vanished into the night, Twilight had been too busy with so much that she hadn’t considered what the showmare might have been up to. She hadn’t considered the fallout of their duel beyond herself. “I… er… well…” “I knew it!” While trying to keep its bravado, Trixie’s voice sounded hoarse. “Admit it! Your life is perfect!” Twilight tried to speak up, but it died in her throat. Something was wrong. Trixie’s eyes looked wild. The showmare was backing away from her, voice raising louder and louder. “You have everything a pony could ever dream of! You have friends! You have a palace! You have a crown! You have a natural talent for magic itself! You have a diploma! You have family that will speak to you! You have the princess! You have a lover somewhere, who’s counting the moments until you come home! You have more than a shabby caravan or a cardboard box!” Twilight had no idea what to possibly say. Dozens of disparate friendship lessons were fighting in her mind, any of them trying to apply themselves to this situation. Was she above others? Had she always been? All of her anxiety about her position was going to flood her brain, and still, Trixie was glaring. “But do you know what you don’t have, Sparkle?!” Trixie had pulled herself up onto the railing. She took a deep breath, and the fury in her face subsided. There was only the sound of the water as she stared placidly down at twilight. “You have no Larmoya. Goodbye Twilight. It’s been horrible.” Twilight’s eyes went wide. Trixie jumped. Twilight’s heart raced as her wings snapped outward. She still wasn’t used to using them in a situation like this. Rainbow Dash could do things like this. Go from free to fall to flying. Catch a falling target as heavy as herself. Do so at the right angle to lift back up again. Twilight couldn’t. Not easily. But her wings were moving far faster than her brain ever could. It had taken a second or two to fully process what had happened, and when she had, she had thrown herself forward with such force she thought she might accidentally leave her torso behind. That sight would be with her for a long time. The shuddering railing. The hat suspended in midair. The lash of the light blue tail vanishing out of sight over the edge. She couldn’t let it happen. Even if the showmare was an obnoxious braggart who Twilight couldn’t stand, some things weren’t right. And a pony killing themselves in front of Twilight was pretty damn not right. But it wasn’t just that. After everything she had heard, she couldn’t let it end this way. Wings bent as she tried to fall faster. Her horn glowed as she tried to get a grip on the falling shape beneath her. In all the mist from the waterfall, it was so slippery. So difficult to wrap her magic around something she couldn’t see. But she had to. Twilight closed her eyes, and reached for a desperate measure. If she could teleport, it would allow her to catch up. But in this mist she couldn’t see where she was teleporting to. It was a gamble… Feeling a surge of power, she vanished and reappeared, and right as she did, she felt herself impact with something. Opening her eyes back up, she saw Trixie. The pair were now wrapped around each other. She had caught her!  “I’ve got you! Hold on!” she sputtered the first thing that came to mind. “Sparkle!? What are you doing!?” Struggling with the weight, Twilight used her magic to lift herself, wings beating, and only her earth-pony stamina allowing her to breathe through it all. She couldn’t see the ground. She had no idea how far down the falls she was, only that she had achieved step one… Well, now step two was ‘survive’. That would be harder. Wings spread, she flew forward, lost in the mist. Everything was wet. Her mane clung to her head in the damp, her fur felt ice-cold… but she had to keep moving. Blasting out of the waterfall-spray, she had managed to stabilize for a moment. She could see she was only a little bit above the ground. A few more moments of falling and they would have both been in trouble. But now her stabilization was losing itself again. If only she had taken Dash up more frequently on those flying lessons! One wing lost kilter, and she went into a spin, colliding with the ground. Wrapped around Trixie, the two of them skipped across the rocky shore of the river, stones digging into them as they finally crashed to a stop. Then, silence. Only the roar of the waterfall. Her own haggard breathing. Trixie’s heaving gasps. She did it. She actually did it. Fuck did it hurt. Her wings were burning. Her lungs felt like they had exploded. Her horn was numb. Her whole body was cut and bruised from their landing. Underneath her, Trixie had blacked out, and Twilight could feel she wasn’t far behind her. But adrenaline was a hell of a drug. The surging chemicals in Twilight’s brain were too active to let her go, and she knew she couldn’t risk letting Trixie get away from her. Not after that. They needed somewhere to rest, heal, and talk. And Twilight knew just the abandoned hotel for the job.