//------------------------------// // Fourth Labor: The Queen (God of Strength) // Story: The Goddess of Empathy // by The Sleepless Beholder //------------------------------// Molorcolts is visible from miles away. The city is surrounded by a 200-meter-tall wall made of polished marble and thicker than a warship. It's the most imposing, impregnable fortress ever created outside of possibly Tartarus itself. It's Rockhoof's signature. The pride of his capital. A show of the might of his followers. And a complete waste of time and effort. The wall could be a fourth of its size and still fulfil its purpose. No army would be able to go through, and any flying enemies would have less of an advantage over your soldiers posted on the walls. Even if there was a land creature so dangerous it needed walls so stupidly big, Rockhoof should be the one protecting the city in that case, not a wall that took entire generations of regular people wasting their entire lives on this insane project so they can flaunt it to others. I haven't even reached the city and I'm already wanting to scream at a god. This is gonna be way harder than I thought. But that isn't my priority at the moment. So, as soon as I cross the massive gates, I follow the directions Tree Hugger gave me until I’m in front of a big establishment – The Pulped Apple. Kinda reminds me of Cherry’s place, though not as big. It also looks… badly maintained. Was business going bad for the Apples here? I quickly make my way to the back of the place, finding the large back doors of the storage area. I get down from the cart and knock to announce my arrival. Seconds later, a large man opens up, looking down at me with gentle eyes that look a bit out of place in his intimidating figure. Well, not really intimidating, just massive. I think only Bulk is larger than this guy. “Uh, you are Big Mac, right?” I ask nervously, and only get a simple nod from him and a slight burrow in his brow, as if asking what I’m doing here. “I came to deliver the apples from the farm,” I say, pointing at the cart. He looks at it, his frow deepening for a moment before nodding and going to close the door, which I stop with my foot, clenching my teeth as it nearly breaks my bones. “I also need to speak with Applejack.” After a long pause, he finally talks. “Not here.” “What do youAHH!” I pull my foot out so I don’t lose it and hop on my other for a moment till the pain passes. Eventually, the large doors of the storage room open and Big Mac comes out and grabs the horses, pulling them and the cart inside. I quickly move in and help unload everything while having a look around. Kind of a simple storage, but I can see some preparation tables deeper in the room. Something I also notice is that most of the shelves are empty. Kinda understandable, since apple products rot comparatively faster than other foods, even with Granny’s help, so keeping a big storage of them would only mean throwing a lot of it away. Once the last of it is settled, Big Mac gives me the reins of the cart as a silent and polite ‘get out of here’. “Sorry, but I’m actually leaving tonight for the north, so either you or Applejack will have to take it back,” I say with a smirk, but the sudden anger in his eyes takes the smile immediately out. He looms over me, and with a threatening touch to his voice, he asks. “Who are you?” I take some air, stand my ground, and answer. “Part of your family. By Granny’s and Bloom’s choice. And I promised them I would figure out why the other half of the Apples have been missing.” I can feel his eyes staring right into my soul, and for a moment I expect to have to defend myself from a punch from this tower of a man. But instead, Big Mac suddenly falls to his knees, and hugs me. "How… How are they? Gods, Bloom must be so grown up by now," He says with such pain in his words that I think the punch would’ve hurt less. I hug back and do my best to be comforting. "Yeah, she looks like an adult, but sometimes she acts like half her age." That brings a chuckle out of him. "She hasn't changed much." Mac pulls back and looks at me with a small smile. "What about Granny?" "She's doing fine too, but worried about you two." I offer a hand for him to stand up, but he does it on his own, towering over me again. But I don’t feel threatened anymore. “Just, what happened? At least an explanation of that will calm them down. Especially for Apple Bloom.” Big Mac, even with his change in attitude, seems against telling me anything. I can see the conflict in his eyes and the way he stands perfectly still. But eventually, he points to a door at the back of the storage room. “I can tell you over some food.” Seems like the apple does fall far from the tree in some cases; Big Mac’s food can’t hold a candle to Granny’s. Though, what is surely not doing him any favours in that regard is that all the ingredients he uses are… cheap. Looking around the small kitchen, I can notice similar things. Half-broken tools are still being used. Lots of empty space in the cupboards. Almost no decorations. They’re being frugal about everything. “You two have problems with money?” I ask, and Big Mac nods as he sits in front of me at the table. "Is that… why you haven't returned to the farm?" "Partially." Big Mac's face tells me he really doesn't want to tell me everything. I see a deep shame in his eyes. But he also knows that his situation won't get better by keeping it to himself. "When we first arrived at Molorcolts, we had already searched for a location where we could start this business. It was small, but affordable. We were meant to arrive with our stuff, pay the owner, and the place was ours." "But this isn't that place," I say, knowing that the dimensions of the warehouse alone weren't considered small by any means. "Eyup. Before we could make the payment, some twins came over to us, asking questions about us. They told us they were also in the business, and that they needed people to work at their establishment while they started another business out of Molorcolts. They showed us this place, all the machinery they were using, and told us that they would give us full ownership of it in exchange for a cut of our profits. Applejack didn’t like it, but the offer was too enticing.” “Too good to be true,” I interject. “Eyup. And we only realized it when we tried using the machinery. It broke apart. It needed a lot of repairs, so we used our money to get everything up and running again. We were planning to complain to the twins when they came for their share of the profits, but instead, some woman came here with a pair of guards demanding that we pay a lot of money we owed her.” My eyes widen. “Don’t tell me they-” “Tricked us. They had an arrangement with the previous owner where they would be the official ‘owners’, but in actuality they were just renting the place. And when they sold it to us, we became the new renters without knowin’ it.” “Motherfu-” “We used what money we had left to pay the debt, but we were expected to keep the payments coming. We still had hopes since the machinery helped make things easier and we were making good profits. It was going to be a few hard months, but doable.” Right at that moment, I realize something. “Wait, where’s the machinery? Is there a separate room for it?” Big Mac shakes his head. “The twins came back one night while we were away and took everything. They left a note saying that the machinery still belonged to them, and that they thanked us for so kindly repairing it.” “Wait. They tricked you, robbed you, and left evidence of everything. Why aren’t they arrested? Haven’t the authorities done anything to help you?” Big Mac sighs. “We tried. But they never broke any laws with the contract, and they left the jurisdiction of the city. If they came back, sure, they would be in jail. But they won’t.” “But there’s plain injustice here! You should be allowed to at least renegotiate the contract!” “Strawberry Sunrise isn’t interested in losing money. And she hates apples anyway. She would be happier if we went bankrupt. As for the law, they won’t do anything since we were the ones dumb enough to fall for it.” I clench my fists furiously. “How have you been able to pay the money?” “Applejack got another job. She spends most of her time there while I handle things here. Later I met Thunderlane and he’s been helping when he can, but he’s just a guard. I don’t want to extend our hard life to him.” I take a moment to rub my temples and calm down. “I get it, that AJ doesn’t want Granny or Bloom knowing about this.” “Nope. She made me promise to never tell them. At least till we manage to find a way to fix all of this.” I give him a nod. “Where does she work?” “At the foundry in the middle of the city. The one that holds Rockhoof's temple.” “Good,” I say as I stand up. “I’ll kill two birds with one stone.” As I walk through the busy streets of Molorcolts, I can't help but feel small among its infrastructure. Everything seems to be specifically designed to be tall and imposing. Just like the wall. Doors tall enough for a dragon to fit through. Streets wide enough for six carts to pass without problem. Taverns so massive entire neighbourhoods could find beds without feeling cramped. Giants would feel at home here. And the fact humans took the time and effort to build it this way was baffling. But the biggest of all was the foundry. The temple. The place Rockhoof thought better represented him. A structure of polished marble and engraved metal. Imposing like a castle and tall enough you could see over the wall of the city from the very top. Black smoke came out of the brick chimneys as the bellows inside worked non-stop, their fires being maintained by the worshipers, blacksmiths, and armourers. And the heat of those fires could be felt even from the outside. Lucky for me, the monolithic gates to this industrial titan were wide open, allowing me easy access to the interior. No one stops or even questions me. There are no guards posted for security, and the people I see are busy working, carrying lumber, coal, ores, and metals towards the different sections of this place. "Any of them could be AJ. Finding her here may be harder than I expected," I say while I delve deeper into the heart of this ant nest. The heat is almost unbearable. I feel like my clothes are gonna combust at any moment, and I hope there's some sort of water around, because I'll need some deep gulps soon. I call out to a couple of workers. They wear leather gloves, aprons and heavy boots that make their step clank against the floor. They seem to ignore me, too busy throwing pieces of ore into a big foundry. I change my strategy and start searching upwards, trying to locate some lookout post where the foreman could be. Certainly, they would be able to tell me where AJ was. Otherwise, I'm searching for a needle in a haystack. Wait… I close my eyes and focus, extending my strings and perception around. I try and push it well past what I've attempted before, but I need to cover a lot of ground. I realize this place is even more alive than I initially thought. There must be hundreds of people working here. Still, I need to find AJ among them, so I try to seek that same magic from the orchard. If all the Apples had it, then it's my best bet. After a few minutes, I get it. It's very faint. Almost… like it's being choked by the magic from the temple. But I can tell from it that she's alone, which should make it easier to talk. I open my eyes and turn in the direction I felt her presence come from. It ends up taking me to a slightly less hot place, which seems to be where the metal is given shape. I hear the heavy hits of a hammer, almost like thunder, and as I turn a corner from one of the large forges, I see someone who definitely must be Applejack. Strong build like her family. Wielding a hammer bigger than her fist like it was nothing. Covered in ash and sweat. And bearing an angry scowl that didn't fit with the freckles on her face. I approach her as she dips the blade she had been hammering into a vat of oil, and gently introduce myself. "Why’d Big Mac send you?" She asks before I can even try to speak. "Family," I answer briefly and sincerely.  "If you care about my family, you're gonna return to the farm and tell them that everything is okay," she orders, and continues to work till I stand in front of her. "I do care about our family. And that's why I've come all the way here to help you." AJ gives me a scorching glare. "I don't need help. Just some more years of hard work and we'll be fine." "A couple of years keeping secrets from your family? Of slaving away in this oppressive environment because of an injustice done to you?" "Yeah, that's life. And I'm not gonna be throwing a tantrum about it." She then grabs the next piece of bright hot metal and starts hammering it. "No, that's not life. It should never be. You should be enjoying your business and not hiding from your own family!" "I could've. Fucked it up. So now I'm fixing my mistakes." She tries to hit the metal again but I grab her hammer arm. Even with the belt, it takes effort to stop her. "But it wasn't a 'mistake'. You got screwed over by shady people. The law. This God. They should be helping you! Not leave you to waste your life away like you're not deserving of it." AJ glares at me again. "Quite hopeful you are. Why don't you go ask Rockhoof to see if he cares?!" "I will-" "What's with all the yelling?" A refined voice shouts over our fight. I turn to look at the newcomer and see a quite beautiful woman, dressed and equipped just like Applejack but somehow not having even the slightest bit of ash, dirt or even a tear in her clothes. She looks pristine, and like she doesn’t belong in this place. "Sorry, boss. Just got some… family visit," Applejack says as she takes advantage of the distraction and frees herself so she can go back to work. "Darling, I told you many times to not call me boss," the woman says as she walks over to us. "Sorry. Rarity." "AJ" she says insistently, causing Applejack to chuckle. "Fine. Rares." "There you go." Rarity turns to me. "You just need to be firm with her and she'll loosen up. Sounds contradicting, but she's just that stubborn." She offers me a hand, and then I notice how jacked she is. She's definitely not just a pretty face. "And you are?" I throw away the first fake name that my mind comes up with. "Sunset Shimmer. Her… adopted sister. Kind of." Rarity smiles. "Oh, here to finally hammer some sense into AJ?"  "Not you too, Rares," Applejack whines as she finally stops hammering. "I've told you a hundred times-" "87, actually. And saying 'the sky is green' a thousand times won't make it happen," Rarity counters immediately. "Why did you give me this bloody job if you don't want me here?!" Applejack shouts in frustration. "I do want you here. But not for the wrong reasons." "Fine! Then show me the solution. What am I supposed to do to fix all of this?!" AJ asks as she crosses her arms. I turn to Rarity. "I wanted to speak to Rockhoof. It's an important matter." She tilts her head. "What kind of important matter?" "I need his help." I turn to AJ. "And I'll see that he helps you too." "Pft. Good luck with that," Applejack says before grabbing her hammer once again. "If it's for Applejack too, I'll prepare something," Rarity takes AJ's hammer from her hands as she walks away. "Ugh!" AJ punches the hot metal instead, which looks not much different than using the hammer, and lays back against her workbench before sighing. "Well, since you're here… how's everyone at the farm?" "They're okay. Worried about you.” I say. “Tree Hugger liked helping me practice her meditation stuff, so she wants to try and teach more people in town. Hopefully she’ll have some volunteers. Granny does her routine every day. Manning the stand. Keeping order at the farm. Handling the money. I sometimes play cards with her to entertain her for a bit.” AJ smiles. “She cheats a lot.” “Oh, absolutely. She’s not as sneaky as she thinks.” We both share a laugh and I let out a small sigh. “Apple Bloom is gonna come here any day. She wanted… she needed to know why you never returned." AJ seems to mull about that for a bit before looking me in the eyes. "You really are part of the family now?" I nod. "They saved me. Showed kindness I didn't deserve and helped me be better." A brief smile appears on her face as she nods. "Besides what I already told you… I fucked up. My fault or not, I made the decision. And… I can't bear showing my face to them and telling them how I ruined things." "AJ…" I say as I move closer to her and offer some comfort. "It's your family. What kind of reaction do you think they'll have?" "Disappointment… shame… anger… hatred…” Applejack grabs her arms as she slowly slides down against the workbench, each word pulling her down a bit more. I quickly grab her into a half hug to keep her up, making sure we are eye to eye. "I thought the same. When I confessed to them who I truly was. And their reaction was of understanding, support, and genuine love. I can assure you, it'll be the same for you." "I guess…" AJ said, looking aside before seemingly catching up to something. "Wait. Were you a criminal or something?" "We can discuss that later," I say firmly to avoid the subject for now. "For now, I want you to focus not on what you want but what you need." AJ pauses. "What I need…" she looks around. At her workplace. The temple surrounding her. Her role in all of it. "I need to see my family." I smile. "And they need it too." AJ lets out a sigh. "It's gonna suck." I chuckle. "Maybe at first. But everything will be better in the end." She looks up at me with a half smile. "I'm starting to understand how you ended up as family." "Sorry to interrupt," Rarity calls out. "But I've got everything ready." I give a nod and help AJ up. "Lead the way." Rarity took me to a small metal platform with the symbol of Rockhoof carved on it. Directly in front of me, at floor level, was a large vat of molten metal, its orange glow illuminating this entire section of the temple. Rarity then passes me an iron ingot, a chisel, and a hammer. "You've to carve your prayer into the ingot and cast it into the vat." I genuinely roll my eyes. "Your god is too dramatic." I sit down on the metal floor and start etching the prayer into the ingot.  "Father of hammers. Digger of rivers. Builder of monuments. Master of Strength.  Please give counsel to those of strong faith." Once I'm done, I chuck the thing in, worried it might overflow, but the piece of iron simply sinks without even disturbing the surface. Seconds later, a figure emerges from the vat of molten metal, slowly taking the form of a large man, only a head shorter than Chrysalis. Muscular like no other. With a beard as long as his hair. A 'perfect' physique, some would say. He carries a belt like mine, but filled with holsters where all manner of tools hang in waiting to be used. The most important one, however, is the one set at the very back. A large, ancient-looking shovel. Rarity bows her head to the god. I do not. Rockhoof, or rather, the molten avatar of him, looks down at me, quickly noticing my belt. He crouches down, getting on my level and offering what I'm guessing is a smile between the liquid metal. "I remember that one. I see it has passed hands once again." He frowns a bit as his sight focuses on my eyes. "I hope you'll respect the legacy of such an item." "I'll use it for good," I say sharply. "Since you appear to neglect doing good in your own city." Rockhoof rises up, crossing his arms. "I guess I should’ve expected such accusations from you. Anything in particular?" "There's a clear example of you doing nothing." I take a step forward, challenging him. "I'm sure you're at least aware of Applejack." The god nods. "I am. What is she to you?" "A sister," I declare firmly. "And I want her to be treated fairly." He raises an eyebrow. "Fairly?" "She slaves away in a place she doesn't belong, while her abusers run free from any punishment!" The god shakes his head. "Such is life." My eye twitches. "Excuse me?!" The god lifts a hand to silence me as he talks. "Struggle. Hardship. And sometimes unfairness. Those are simple events of life. We grow and learn from them. Just like your sister is doing now." "What is there to be learned from this?" I ask angrily. "And why are those that wronged her left without this 'lesson'?" "They're expelled from the city. They won't hurt anyone aga-" "Yes, they will! They'll go somewhere else and do this all over again! The problem isn't solved just because it isn't happening in your city! And that doesn't solve my sister's situation." "Your sister is already solving her situation on her own. With hard work and determination. She'll be stronger at the end of this. Just as things should be." I scoff. "Oh, really? You're gonna ask her to pull herself up by the bootstraps next?" The avatar snorted. "You're ridiculing your sister's honest work." "It's not honest work if it's caused by unfairness!" I point directly at his molten face. "She didn't make a mistake! She was tricked into it! And you should be helping her!" The avatar clenched his fists. "I accepted her into my temple. Gave her a place to build herself up again. That's as much help as one should give." "Why? So she can 'learn'?! I ask again, what is there to learn from senseless suffering?" "Haven't you learned?" Rockhoof counters. "You were- no, actually, you still are a criminal. One that was rotten to the core and intending on committing some of the worst acts possible for a mortal." Feeling like I got a slap to the face, I step back for a moment. "I… I'm paying for my mistakes." "And so is your sister." "She didn't commit a crime!" "That only changes the severity of the labour. Isn't that what you do? How do you learn to be better than who you were before? Would you have changed into who you're now without the challenge and hardship you endured?" I clench my fists. "...no… I wouldn't have." Rockhoof sighs, his avatar visibly relaxing. “And that’s my point. Even if unfair, hardships teach us to be better. It’s how your ancestors built up the world we have today. That’s why one can only-” I lift a hand to silence the god as I talk. “I wouldn’t have, not because I wouldn’t have seen the error of my ways through hardship, but because I didn’t have the support I needed to better myself.” I look him straight in the eyes. “That’s what Applejack’s family, which I’m part of now, gave me. And that’s what you should give. Hardship may sometimes have its merits, but suffering doesn’t make one better. It turns people into what I was. Or breaks them in the process. And I won’t have that for my sister. Or anyone else.” Rockhoof is silent for a few moments, seemingly in thought. “You’re certainly different from what Star Swirl would have me believe.” He lets out a chuckle. “Though, did you summon me just to yell at me in defense of your sister?” I go silent for a bit, remembering my original mission. “I… wanted a blessing from you so I could complete my next labor.” Rockhoof’s avatar doesn’t seem to react for a few seconds, till suddenly it bursts out in raucous laughter. The molten metal around him begins to drain away, down and down until his actual body, somehow looking even more towering and massive than before, stands before me. “Oh, lass,” he says. “It’s been centuries since a mortal threw me for a loop like that. I’m definitely glad your execution got interrupted. The world would be worse without your kind of determination going around in defense of others.” His laughter turns into a giggle. “I won’t bless you. I don’t think you’re mature enough to handle that. But I’ll help ya keep that fire in you from going out.” His massive hand reaches for my head and plucks two of my hairs. One red, and one yellow. He then gestures to the vat, and the molten metal flies out, forming a massive anvil in front of him. Rockhoof places the hair on it, then pulls out his large smithing hammer, raising it high above his head before striking. The force of the impact throws me backwards, but luckily Rarity steps in to catch me. My ears are ringing and my head hurts, but as soon as I regain enough coordination, I get back on my feet and face the god once again. “How do ya like it?” Rockhoof asks as he lifts something up from the now broken anvil. A golden circular shield with a red and gold sun engraved on the center. It is, at least to me, beautiful. I extend my hand to touch it, and I’m surprised when the shield flies off on its own and finds its place on my right arm. It doesn’t have any way to secure it, but it seems to stay in position even as I move into a defensive pose. “It’ll make sure to defend you no matter what. Hope it helps you, lass,” Rockhoof says with a proud smile. I take a moment to gather myself and nod. “I’m sure it will. Thank you.” I then frown. “But-” “If you would allow me,” Rarity intervenes, knowing what I’m about to say. “I can look into solving Applejack’s problem.” The god nods his head. “Very well. But do not abuse the authority I’ve given you.” Rarity makes a small bow. “I would never dare so.” Rockhoof slowly steps back into the molten metal and looks at me, sinking. “Good luck in your labors, lass.” he says before fully submerging, the vat quickly turning cold. I release a deep breath and turn to Rarity. “Okay, that went better than I expected.” “Indeed,” the woman said with a smile. “I was intending on stepping in if you got shut down, but you really have a fierce attitude.” “That’s the nicest way someone has described that part of me,” I admit with a chuckle. Rarity giggles along as we walk away from the vat. "I got a lot of practice with AJ. Speaking of, are you returning with her?" "I would like to, but I need to cover a lot of ground if I want to reach the Thracetral Empire. You wouldn't have some transportation I could borrow?" Rarity shakes her head. "Unless you can somehow get a ship upstream, we don't really wander out of the temple." "I imagined. But don't worry, I'll come up with something." As I say this, AJ approaches us, and I notice she no longer looks as defeated as before. I even sense a bit of hope blossoming deep in her. "So… how did it go?" Rarity quickly steps forward. "Well, darling. I'll be in charge of clearing this debt problem you have with your landlord while you go to reunite with your family." AJ nods. "Sounds fair enough. Thank you. Both of you." I smile and pull her into a big hug, Rarity joining right after, and my new sister returns it warmly. We stay like that for a few long seconds till we finally let go. "By the way, do I just say I quit or is there something else involved?" AJ asks Rarity. "Oh, you're not quitting, darling." "I'm… not?" AJ asks, confused. "No no no. I'm firing you." AJ looks even more confused. "Okay… what's the difference?" "The difference is, since I'm leaving you without a way of paying your debts, it's my responsibility to give you a final pay according to all the time and effort you've invested in us. Enough to sustain you while you search for your next job." "That… would be mighty kind of you," AJ says with a smile. "But… it does feel like I'm taking advantage of our… you know…" "Oh, nonsense, darling. I'm implementing this for everyone. And I also have some ideas you could help me with." "Sure thing. I like hearing you," AJ says with a happy smile as the two walk away, close together and silently holding hands. Leaving the temple behind, I welcome the feel of the slowly-setting sun on me. Taking a deep breath, I set out to fix the next problem. How am I making it all the way to the Thracetral Empire? Walking is definitely out of the question. I need at least a horse. And rations that can last me the entire trip there. A tent and bedroll would be nice too. I check my purse and count my funds. "Maybe I can purchase one half of a horse." I sigh. "The books never mention how unprofitable adventuring is." I place my purse back on my belt and look up at the sky. "Could I get a hand in this?" I ask, but obviously, I get no response. Godhood probably doesn't earn much anyway. I'm suddenly hit by something, and find myself meeting the street along with my attacker. "You okay, Snips?" someone asks before taking the weight off my back.  "Yeah. Sorry, lady," my accidental ambusher says as he’s pulled off of me, before offering a grey hand to help me up. I choose to ignore it and get up on my own, giving the two young boys a light glare as I check that my purse is still there. "Watch where you're going." “Sorry,” the kid says more genuinely. “We're running late." "Late for what?" I ask before I can think better. The two kids look at each other. "Wha, haven't you heard?" "Heard what?" I again ask before thinking. The two look at each other again, giving some sort of knowing look, then suddenly start… dancing?  "Coming to Molorcolts today!" "After completing her tour to the west!" "The one!" "And only!" "The greatest!" "And powerfullest!" Powerfullest isn't a word. "Trixie!!!" Then both shout, and I feel a slight shiver as people around us cheer too. "She's here?" I say, looking at the sky. Not even remotely amused. The two nod. "She's performing at the plaza soon." "We should go." "See you there, miss!" And like that, the two run around me and get lost in the crowd, who now seem in more of a hurry than before. I let out a sigh. "Well, it was on my to-do list." I turn around and follow the crowd, hearing commotion ahead till I reach the plaza. I quickly locate the cart next to a large wooden stage, with large pieces of cloth covering the background. The people have gathered around, either standing at the front or climbing over stuff to watch from the back. I make my way to the front, keeping a hand over my weapon and another over my purse. Right as I reach the cart, a sudden loud bang startles me. Looking up, I see flashing lights flying into the sky, letting out a whistle before a bright explosion occurs. The crowd is mesmerized by the spectacle, and that distraction allows Trixie to appear seemingly from nowhere. “Come one, come all! Come and witness the amazing magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The crowd cheers, clearly knowing Trixie. Maybe even having seen her before. But I thought she was just a hunter or traveler. “Watch in awe as the Great and Powerful Trixie performs the most spectacular feats of magic ever witnessed!” As she said this, more of those loud things shot out from behind her stage, illuminating the now-even-darker sky. I have seen these kinds of shows before. Velvet insisted it was good for your soul to appreciate the wonders the world created thanks to the gods. But I had never seen anything like what Trixie’s displaying. Of course, some sort of divine magic was at play, but a lot of it was thanks to weird apparatus that Trixie pulled seemingly out of nowhere. And she uses them each like she knows them by heart. Was she an inventor on top of everything else? So mesmerized am I by the act that I watch till it’s complete, and once Trixie makes her final bow and disappeared, the spell finally breaks. "Shite! I need to catch her." I run towards her cart, which is already leaving. The stage had already disappeared like every tool the blessed woman uses. I manage to jump in and make my way to the front of the cart, where Trixie offers me a hand. "I saw you in the crowd. Did you enjoy the show?" She asks with that cocky smile of hers. "Yes. Though I still think Great and Powerful is a bit much." Trixie rolls her eyes. "Is that all? Because I'm throwing you out of the cart if so." I nod. "Still mad at me. I don't blame you." "Trixie isn't mad. Just… apprehensive of your attitude." "Regardless of how you put it, I did step out of line the last time we met. And I apologize." Trixie nods. "Apology accepted." I pause. "Just like that?" "Why? You want me to give you labors too? Trixie's horses would definitely like a bath. And one of the wheels in the cart is a bit creaky," she says while making mocking thinking gestures. "I can do those things for you to call it more even. I'm just-" "Still new to forgiveness?" I sigh. "A bit. Also, sorry about interrupting your storytelling." She chuckles. "Thank whoever taught you that for me." "Will do if I see her," I say with a small laugh. "But more seriously, it's alright. Mom told me a bit of what you've been through, and what you've done for others. She's quite impressed. So, Trixie prefers to leave that past you behind for now." "Well thank you." I narrow my eyes. "You straight-up call her mom?" "Yes," she fires back immediately. "Are you jealous?" A bit. "Mostly curious." Trixie nods. "Trixie likes to think that she and I have a closer relationship than normal. She…" Trixie grips the reins a bit tighter. "She saved me from a very bad spot. And cares for me to the point of giving me a blessing." I place a hand on her shoulder, offering some comfort, but my mind can't help wandering back to Celestia accepting me into the temple when I had nothing. Was this how I should've turned out? Thankful? Feeling closer to the goddess of the sun than with anyone else? Looking back, it doesn't seem like it was gonna be that way. But maybe… if I had… Trixie snaps her fingers in front of my face, bringing me back to the present. "Were you having a dramatic flashback or something?" I let out a laugh. "No. Just… we seem to be similar in some ways." "You do have some greatness and powerfulness." "That's not a word." "Language is a social construct." "I'll smack you." "I'll shoot you again." "So it was on purpose!" "In Trixie's defense, she– waaaahhh!" Trixie squeals as I get my arm around her neck and proceed to rub my knuckles on her head. I only last a couple of seconds before she suddenly vanishes and grabs me from behind, locking my arms with hers. "You won't be defeating Trixie. Her Greatness and Powerfulness is superior!" I start laughing and relax my body. "Okay okay! I give." As soon as she releases me, I turn around and give her a playful punch on the arm. "Cheater. Hehehe. Is that your blessing? You can move faster than anyone can see?" "Oh, it's much better than that!" Trixie suddenly disappears, then instantly reappears on top of one of the horses, striking an elaborate pose. "Trixie was blessed by her mother with the blessing of Ubiquity!" "Ubiquity?" "Indeed. Trixie is not constrained by silly concepts like distance! She can be wherever she wants in an instant. If she's needed somewhere, it's like she was always there." "That sounds extremely useful." "Oh, absolutely. Trixie uses it to travel the world and see all of its wonders. Even collecting some of them for her shows." "So that's why I couldn't recognize any of those contraptions you used?" She gives me a proud nod. "Precisely. There's a lot of places in the world that would appear like magic to you." "I'm honestly surprised there's other civilizations out there." "Yeah. That was my first big shock. Sadly, we're located in a bit of a geographical cage. Surrounded by mountains and not a lot of nautical exploration due to monsters. There's a city called Canterlot just a few weeks' travel to the northwest we could contact if one can make a pass through the mountains." I feel like my mind is blown. "Wow… that's… what have you seen there?" "Well… this may blow your mind. But they worship different gods than us." "..." "I'm not lying." "..." "I swear on my mother." My brain finally comes back to work on making words. "Do they know Celestia controls the sun?" "Apparently, they have their own god that controls that." "And what, does Celestia and this god just share ownership of it?" "Well, the sun isn't up all the time. Maybe she only controls it when it goes over this part of the world." We spend what feels like a whole hour theorizing and talking about these other kingdoms and empires around the globe. With me being fascinated by every new thing Trixie reveals. And just like last time, when I finally come back to being aware of my surroundings, I’m no longer in Molorcolts. I’m staring at the gates of the Thracetral Empire’s capital in the distance. “Wait! How did you know I needed to come here?” I ask. “I told you; if Trixie's needed somewhere, it's like she was always there,” Trixie says with a  proud smile as she places a hand on my shoulder. “Good luck in there. I heard security is tight. You might want to cover your face in case they are looking for you.” I don’t know why they would be looking for me, but I nod and give her a hug in return. “Thank you.” Then I jump off the cart, wave her off, and set myself towards the entrance, using my old cover as a makeshift cloak. Time to find out what happened to Cadence's daughters.