//------------------------------// // Chapter Five // Story: A Great And Powerful Secret // by Drunk Luna //------------------------------// Trixie brushed her teeth and hopped into bed, satisfied with her day. Excitement bubbled inside her; she couldn’t wait to tell Luna her news. As she drifted off, a clear but disembodied voice filled her ears: “Come to me now, little one.” Luna appeared in front of her, and Trixie ran to hug the beautiful alicorn. The note of urgency in Luna’s voice did not go unnoticed, but Trixie would not allow herself to be afraid; she trusted Luna to protect her. “Luna!” Trixie cried excitedly, bouncing in front of the princess. “Look, Trixie’s cutie mark looks like yours!” Luna beamed with pride. “Congratulations, my little moonbeam,” the alicorn said. “I could not be prouder of you.” The unexpected term of endearment sent a wave of surprise and happiness through Trixie. “Where’s your crown, Luna? And where’s your necklace?” Trixie asked as Luna nuzzled her lovingly. A shadow of sadness crossed Luna’s lovely, regal face, but it was so brief that Trixie wondered if she had imagined it. “There is no time to explain, sweetheart,” the alicorn said, levitating Trixie onto her back. “I will tell you everything when we are in a safe place. Hold on tightly, now.” With one powerful flap of her wings, Luna took to the sky and caught the gentle evening breeze, her horn glinting in the moonlight. Luna revealed the truth to Trixie as they flew through the night until they saw the sun rising over a huge city that sparkled like a million diamonds in the morning’s scarlet light. Snow covered the ground, and Luna nearly lost her footing in the icy, muddy slush as they landed. “What is this place, mommy?” Trixie breathed, shivering in the freezing air. Luna felt her stomach twist into a knot at Trixie’s last word and tucked the foal under her wing as she walked towards the huge castle in the city’s center. Trixie poked her head out from under Luna’s feathers, her eyes wide. “This, my dear,” the alicorn said, “is the Crystal Empire, our new home. Their ruler, Princess Cadance, is my niece; she will take good care of us. She and her husband, Shining Armor, have a daughter who’s about your age; her name is Flurry Heart. We’ll be safe here.” “So,” Trixie said slowly as she processed everything Luna had just revealed to her, “you’re Trixie’s real mommy? Does that make Trixie a princess?” “Yes, sweetheart, I am your mommy, but no, you will never be an alicorn princess.” Luna shook her head sadly. “Because your father and I were not married when you came into the picture, my sister would never have allowed you to be a true princess—she never would have agreed to make you an alicorn like us.” “Why did you get rid of Trixie?” Trixie asked. “Did Trixie make you angry? Did Trixie do something really bad?” Luna stopped in her tracks and levitated Trixie down in front of her, then lowered herself into the snow so that she was at eye level with the filly. “No, sweetheart,” the alicorn said firmly. “No, you have done absolutely nothing wrong. I gave you to the orphanage to protect you; I didn’t have any other choice. I would have done anything to keep you; I shouldn’t have waited so long to do what I just did,” she realized, sighing. “I should have just given up my crown and kept you.” “It’s okay, mom,” Trixie said softly. “Trixie understands.” Luna’s heart nearly broke at her daughter’s sweetness. As they walked into the castle, Luna and Trixie stopped in front of Cadance’s throne. For the first time in her adult life, Luna bent down into a deep curtsy. Trixie tried to imitate her mother and instead fell on her face. The filly was so adorable that Luna had to fight the strong urge to cuddle her. Instead, she helped Trixie to her hooves and gave her daughter an encouraging nuzzle. “Trixie,” Luna said, “this is Princess Cadance, Captain Shining Armor, and Princess Flurry Heart.” “Hi, Trixie,” Cadance said gently. “We’re so glad to have you here. Flurry, come say hello.” “Hi!” the filly squealed. “I’m Flurry Heart. I’m so glad to have another pony my age around here! We’re gonna be best friends! Come on, I’ll show you my room.” Before Trixie could protest, the alicorn filly teleported herself and Trixie to her bedroom. Cadance and Luna chuckled at the two fillies as the adults walked into the sitting room. “So, what happened?” Cadance asked, sitting down on the couch. “I only heard that Auntie Tia wants to kill you and Trixie? Why would she want to do that?” “Because Trixie is illegitimate, she has no claim to the throne,” Luna explained with a sad sigh. “In Tia’s mind, it was either her niece or her reputation…” “And of course, she chose her reputation.” Every syllable was saturated with Cadance’s obvious disgust. “What has happened to her? Auntie Tia has never made such heartless decisions before.” “She has become more volatile in recent years,” Luna sighed. “I have never once questioned her legitimacy as a ruler, but after what she has just done, our relationship has been severed; she is dead to me. Nopony who threatens my foal’s life will ever be allowed in my presence.” “I know you must feel guilty for giving her away,” Cadance said, “but I completely understand and respect your decision. You did what you thought was best for your baby, and to be honest, I think I probably would have done the exact same thing if I were in your position.” “Celestia is little more than a tyrant,” Luna said. “While I was pregnant and taking my sabbatical, she disassembled parliament, began to execute ponies simply to show her power and scare everypony into submission. She had unwed mothers killed, but not before their foals were cut from their wombs and had their throats slit in front of them. Something inside my sister has snapped. She has no desire to kill me; she only wishes to take my daughter’s life and leave me to suffer an eternity of misery, which is a far worse fate than death.” “Why do you think she’s doing this?” Cadance asked. “Get comfortable; you’ll be here for a while,” Luna said drily. “Celestia will never tell you this, but she has been through the same situation in which I found myself; the only difference is that she miscarried before any rumors could spread.” She took a tired breath. “There was already so much tension between us that I think the news that I gave birth to a beautiful, perfectly healthy foal was too much for her after she lost the foal that she had wanted for so long. If she hadn’t made such stupid, antiquated rules regarding the legitimacy of our heirs, none of this would be happening right now. Our royal lineage does not depend on the fathers of our foals; since we were the sovereign rulers of Equestria, my blood and her blood were the only factors that should have guaranteed an heir’s claim to the throne. She was too shortsighted to think those rules through. Equestria has lost the protector of its dreamers because of my sister’s utter stupidity.” Luna snorted. “Mommy,” a small voice wailed, “Flurry hit Trixieeeeee!” Trixie stood in the doorway, sobbing. Flurry Heart followed her closely. “Mom, it was an accident!” Flurry said. “I didn’t see her!” Luna picked Trixie up and examined the filly’s head. “It’s all right, Flurry. I know you didn’t mean to hurt her. Oof, there’s a big knot right next to your horn, Trixie,” Luna said, gently feeling the bump. Trixie whimpered and buried her face in the crook of Luna’s neck. “You’ll be fine. Your mommy’s tough little filly, aren’t you? Come here, let mommy kiss your boo-boo and make it feel better,” the princess of the night cooed, kissing the bump. “There. Now let’s put some ice on it, all right?” Trixie sniffled and looked up at Luna, then she slowly nodded. Luna wiped the filly’s tears with her wing, then kissed Trixie’s forehead. The rest of the day passed at a slow, relaxed pace. The adults chatted and drank, and the two fillies played until long after dinner. “Trixie,” Luna said, “why don’t you go take a bath and get ready for bed? I’ll be up in a minute to tuck you in.” “Okay, mama,” Trixie said with a little yawn. Luna smiled as her daughter made her way upstairs. In the castle’s massive bathtub, Trixie ducked beneath the bubbles and splashed, swimming around in circles until she was drenched. As she watched her daughter’s antics, Luna chuckled and peered over the side of the tub, only to be sprayed in the face by a jet of water, which made her laugh more. “All right, my silly filly,” Luna said, still laughing. “It’s past your bedtime, and we’ve got a big day tomorrow.” Trixie exited the tub obediently and dried off, then crawled into bed. “Mommy,” Trixie said as she snuggled under the duvet, “will Trixie get to study magic with you?” “Of course, sweetie,” Luna promised her daughter. “Why don’t we continue our lessons in the morning?” Trixie nodded, yawned, then promptly fell asleep. Luna kissed the filly’s temple and rejoined Cadance and Shining Armor.