THUMP.
The sound made Trixie jump, and she almost fell out of her hammock. Who dared interrupt her great and powerful sleep this early in the morning? Rubbing her eyes, she sat up and looked around.
It was early twilight, the sun having yet to rise but still somewhat lighting up the room through her window. Her caravan was messy, as always. Magician supplies lay everywhere, in boxes piled high, in her sink, and on the floor. Her signature blue robe was being used as a blanket, and her hat lay on the ground next to her hammock. It might have given Twilight a heart attack, but it was much better than when she and Starlight had gone on a road trip; at least all the boxes were closed.
She sat up and tried climbing off the hammock, but her leg caught on something and she tumbled out instead, falling face-first on the wooden floor. After some curses that surely would get her fired as counselor if Twilight ever heard her, she finally stood up.
With the money she’d gotten from the school, she was able to get some much needed upgrades to her caravan. While she’d never sell it, she could admit it was a fixer upper, and now that she had a more constant flow of bits she’d been able to add a much needed coffee machine and a slightly less needed countertop and sink. Priorities.
She headed to the door to see what the noise was, and all she found was the usual daily newspaper rolls. She frowned. It must have been a newbie trying to speed up his rounds by throwing the papers. And sure enough, looking farther out, a pegasus in what looked like a blue uniform was speeding away, leaving a trail of blue and yellow behind them as they flew.
Another one of Rainbow’s fan-colts, she thought to herself. They showed up every now and then, attempting to show their speed on her “home turf”, as she called it. They’d move on sooner or later, but she’d be having a serious conversation with the mail ponies about him after work. Trixie was only great and powerful after her morning coffee.
Floating the articles with her magic, she headed back inside and laid them on the countertop next to the coffee machine. Though she didn't like reading nearly as much as Starlight — not even close — she had a deal with the mail ponies to have them deliver her newspaper to her caravan. Before she started living in Ponyville, back when she used to roam around, she always found it helpful to check the newspaper for some gossip and to figure out when was the best time to plan a show. She’d changed a lot since then, but still kept reading the news daily for anything juicy that happened.
She levitated out a mug that Starlight had given her. It said “Great and Powerful Friend” in light blue letters like her coat. After pouring herself some coffee and about 5 cubes of sugar, she levitated the newspapers to a table and took a sip from the mug. The caffeine instantly powered her up, and she could feel the new energy in her magic as opened the first roll: “Canterlot Times”. Taking another sip, she began to read.
Breaking News: Princess Twilight Found Dead
The unicorn spit out her coffee, then began to laugh.
“They must be getting really desperate if they think they can trick Trixie!”
She knew first-hoof just how far someone could go when they were desperate, but saying Twilight was dead? That took the cake. Alicorns can’t die, everyone knows that! And even if they could, there was no way it would happen before she herself did.
She pushed Canterlot Times to the side and reached for the next one, but she paused. Just how far had they gone to prove the death of an Alicorn? Putting her coffee down, she reached back to the article and unfolded it with her hooves. Giving it a good shake, she began to read.
Alicorn Princess of Equestria and Element of Friendship Twilight Sparkle was found dead earlier last morning. The cause of death is still unknown, but royal guards state no one attempted to enter the castle at any point throughout the night. We attempted to reach out to the current head of the guard, Captain Gallus, who was guarding the princess’ room, but he chose not to comment on the matter.
Really? She thought to herself, unsurprised. The old “they chose not to comment” trick? I bet he doesn't even know they wrote this.
She knew things in Canterlot had changed a lot since Twilight became princess, and a lot of the rich high class unicorns hadn’t been able to play their usual scams and schemes. Probably some aristocratic unicorn trying to get back at Twilight; from what she’d seen of Blueblood she wouldn’t be surprised.
Rolling up the paper once again, she placed it off to the side and pulled out the next one. This one had a slightly purplish tint to it, with the words “Equestria’s Daily” stamped in the front. It was a mostly underrated newspaper company, and it was more like a written blog than anything. Still, with it being operated by several creatures, it had to be one of the most widespread networks of news out there. And they covered everything; from how many parties Pinkie Pie hosted that year to Celestia’s taste in cake. Their newspaper often came in handy whenever she wanted information on a certain city or town. And being an official newspaper company, they also posted the obligated information like the weekly weather forecast the pegasi had planned.
Levitating the mug back up, she picked up the paper and unrolled it, ready to read the actual news.
For several years now, some have wondered about the Alicorns. No creature doubts their rule, but many can't help but wonder how far their limits go, especially when it comes to immortality. It’s always been a very difficult topic, but yesterday morning we received news that will shake Equestria. Ladies and gentlecolts, I'm sorry to say we might have new information when it comes to Alicorn immortality. Our very own Princess Twilight was confirmed dead this past morning. We don't have much information on the details, but we at ED will do our best to deliver every detail straight to you. We’ll follow up whenever we get more info, but until then, be safe everypony.
Trixie looked up. Canterlot Times she’d expected, but Equestria’s Daily? They were rarely ever wrong! Though there were some instances where they’d received wrong information on projects… but they usually posted about it being wrong a few days later. Maybe they’d received the news from another company?
This scheme might be deeper than I thought…
She shook her head. It wasn't the time to go overboard, it was still early in the morning, after all. It was all some aristocratic plot, and she’d be proven right in a few days. Right now, she had other things to worry about. Like the weather. And hopefully the Foal Free Press was accurate.
Reaching for the next roll, she expected to find the usual images of the school, but was instead met with a block of text.
A Memoriam of Twilight Sparkle.
Hello every-pony, it’s me, Ms Cheerilee. I know this isn’t quite who you expected to see, but due to recent events that I’ll soon explain I thought it would be best for me to take the reins of the newspaper today instead of the children.
A few years ago, our lives were very different than they are today. We were nothing but a small town built around a zap apple farm. We slowly grew, and our town expanded in both size and money. Even still, we stayed quiet in our little peaceful corner of Equestria. But nothing could have prepared us for the changes that were about to come.
Soon, a pony from Canterlot, her royal highness Celestia’s own pupil came, and soon she decided to stay. Many things changed after Twilight arrived; friendships grew, people were happier, and we managed to get our first on-time Winter Wrap Up. Our little town grew once again, and we were recognized. Once Twilight became an alicorn, things once again changed for the better. Sure, we suffered monster attacks very often, but it was nothing we couldn’t handle. Soon, every pony knew about us, and our little town wasn’t so little anymore.
So much has happened since then, we have the first-of-its-kind Friendship School, the most well known animal sanctuary, even our own castle! And none of that could have been achieved without Twilight’s help. But all good things come to an end. There’s no way around it, so I'll simply rip off the bandaid: Twilight Sparkle is dead.
She dropped the article and stood up, taking a step back from the table. One company was weird enough, and two was a believable stretch. But three? Her head began to spin.
They’re not joking, are they? She thought to herself. She really is… gone.
How did this happen? There’s no way an alicorn could die that early! Buck, Granny Smith lived longer than that! None of this made any sense.
As confusion overwhelmed her, a small part of her that had remained hidden in the back of her mind for years finally spoke.
Does that mean I won?
She stomped her foot. No. That was in the past. She wasn’t that pony anymore. Starlight had shown her that-
She froze.
Starlight.
She knew for a fact her friend was too busy to read the newspaper. There was no way she would know.
Her magic faltered and she charged out towards the castle.
To Starlight, Twilight wasn’t just the Princess, she was her mentor, and a close friend.
The dark part of her told her Trixie was better, but she pushed it back. Now wasn’t the time.
Starlight had spent her new life trying her best to be like her, trying to stand up to Twilight’s legacy. If there was anyone who needed to know about this, it was her. It was the right thing to do.
It was the right thing to do… right?
She stood in front of the castle doors, breathing heavily. Despite its size, only Starlight and Sunburst lived there; when he wasn’t visiting the Crystal Empire, that is. She thought back to what she knew of Starlight’s past. She’d never been one to handle emotions that well. The first time she thought she lost someone, she handled it by creating an equalist cult. Even after she became Twilight’s apprentice she wasn’t much better. She had a habit of dealing with things by not dealing with them. Though Trixie had seen her full power when she banned Discord from the school that one time. Her reactions were always extreme. If that’s how she acted before….
Why me? She thought. Why does Trixie have to do this?
Maybe this wasn’t the right thing to do.
Letting out a shaky breath, she walked back down the stairs and away from the castle.
Her mug broke.
She’d left her caravan in such a hurry she hadn’t realized she was still holding it. And when her magic faltered at the last moment, her mug had come crashing down. She’d found it when she came back from the castle, and she certainly didn’t have the magic skills to fix it. Plus, she had other things to worry about. Even now, as she sat in her student counselor office, she couldn’t take Twilight out of her head. She’d brought the articles with her. She wanted to find out as much as possible about what happened, and since her office was closed during class time she had plenty of time. She was nearly done with Equestria’s Daily’s article when a knock made her jump. Was it lunchtime already?
“Miss Counselor Lulamoon? Can I talk to you?”
She quickly stuffed the newspapers into her cabinet. The School of Friendship had an open door policy ever since the Cozy Glow incident, so no doors were ever kept locked while in use. The students were still required to knock before coming in, but all teachers and staff could walk in at any point, though they too mostly knocked. Lucky for her, there was only one creature in the school who called her that.
“Come in, Pebble.”
The door opened and a griffin popped its head in. Pebble was one of the youngest students at the school, and by far the shortest creature there. He was only about Spike’s height back when he first got his wings, and he was extremely shy. He had light sandy brown fur, with a much darker patch around his neck and up to his eyes, like a lion’s mane mixed with an owl mask. Two single feathers poked out of the top of his head around a few lightly colored spots on his forehead. Despite his small size and shy character, he could be extremely dedicated when he wanted to, and his deep red eyes glowed with enthusiasm when he found something he liked to do.
“Trixie has told you, Pebble, just Trixie is fine.”
The short griffin sat down on the couch in front of her, crossing his front legs shyly.
“Sorry Miss Lula- I mean, Miss Trixie. Sorry Miss Trixie.”
She sighed. He’d never give up the “Miss” no matter what she tried.
“So how can the Great and Helpful Trixie be of assistance today?”
Pebble looked down at his claws.
“I… I wanted to talk about loss.”
Trixie froze. Did he know? She stole a glance at her cabinet, where the three articles lay hidden. There was no way the students read the newspaper this early in the day, did they? Did any of them have time?
She blinked nervously. “Wh- why do you come to Trixie? It’s not like I’ve dealt with anything recently, or like anything huge has happened…”
Pebble gave her a strange look, but shook it off.
“Well, you’re the student counselor,” he said matter-of-factly. “Plus, I remember Miss Applejack saying that honesty should always be told, even if it sometimes might hurt other creatures' feelings.”
The words made her pause. Applejack had always said that… but then again, this was Starlight she was talking about. It was a completely different thing.
“Which is why I came to say…” he bowed his head low. “I forgot Miss Smolder’s homework again.”
She almost fell off her chair. All this because of some homework? Though she was relieved to know he wasn’t talking about the news.
“Are you trying to give your counselor a heart attack, Pebble? You made it sound like someone died! As if that would happen.” She chuckled nervously.
The little griff looked down in shame, and Trixie bit her tongue. Sometimes she forgot some of them were still children. She mentally took a step back.
“Trixie is sorry, Pebble,” she started. She’d learned that apologies usually worked in situations like these. “Now, what has Trixie told you about things being late?”
“I know, I know, the greatest showpony is always prepared”. He said. “But Miss Smolder scares me!”
Trixie sighed, making a mental note to talk to the dragon about not being so tough on her students. She was a good teacher, but at the end of the day she had grown up in a place where lava wrestling was a thing.
“Smolder might look scary sometimes, but you can always ask a great and powerful friend to help you talk to her. Or to get answers from, but Starlight said I’m not allowed to encourage cheating…”
That made Pebble’s smile come back.
“Yeah, I guess I can do that. Thanks Miss Trixie!”
“Just Trixie is fine!” she called, but he was already out the door.
She let out a deep, relieved breath she hadn’t even realized she was holding. That has been a close call. Though she should have expected it, Pebble was known to make things sound bigger than they really were. But her mind kept being brought back to what he’d said at the beginning about honesty. Did it really apply with something like this?
She left the thought floating as she pulled out the articles once again.
She was still reading when the final dismissal bell rang through the halls, the thought of another student walking in now long lost within the ocean of information inside her head. She was rarely this concentrated on anything, even her magic shows, but this time she was so focused she missed the sound of hoof steps stopping by her door. So focused she wasn’t ready when her door slid open.
“Trixie?”
She immediately stuffed the newspaper into her lap, no magic needed. She’s never been the best at magic, and even with Starlight’s lessons old habits tended to die hard.
“Hey… Sunburst,” her voice came in a squeak, and she cleared her throat. “Have you come to seek counsel from the Great and Totally-not-surprised Trixie?”
The orange buck shifted his glasses. His beard had grown much longer throughout the years, and no matter how hard he tried there were always a few loose strands here or there. Not that he paid much attention to it, anyways, always busy with setting things up for the school or teaching ancient history. He’s even started up a Pony Magic Club after a few students noticed how much he knew. Though Trixie was pretty sure Starlight pushed him as well.
“Actually, I wanted to talk to you about a, erm… decision.”
“Well, that is my job, so...” She said, pointing to the couch.
Sunburst walked in and closed the door behind him. As he took in the room, his eyes stopped at the foot of her desk. He let out a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank Celestia, I see you’ve read the newspaper as well. I was afraid I'd have this really awkward moment trying to explain the situation.”
Trixie stiffened, glancing over to the side. A page of her Foal Free Press had floated off her lap and into clear view. Panicking, she did the first thing that came to mind. Channeling energy to her horn, she shot a beam at the paper, turning it into a small pink teacup.
“What newspaper? Trixie doesn't read the newspaper.” she said, smiling nervously.
He raised an eyebrow, opening a cabinet with his magic and causing a pile of newspaper rolls to slide onto the floor. Trixie just chuckled awkwardly, shifting her uniform tie. Sunburst sighed.
“Look Trixie,” he said, levitating the teacup and transforming it back to the news article. “I know how shocking it was when I first read it this morning, but something needs to be done.”
“So you haven't told Starlight yet?” Trixie asked.
“No, I-”
“Oh, thank Celestia,” Trixie interrupted, letting out a sigh of relief. “Trixie has been killing herself over this. Could you imagine how Starlight would react if she found out?”
Sunburst tilted his head. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, she would panic. She’ll either do something drastic with her magic or spend moons searching for a way to bring her back. You know how she is,” she said.
“Yes, I do know how she is, and that's exactly why I think we should tell her.”
“What, so she can go full mind-control again? You heard what happened when she lost you, imagine what she’ll do when she finds out her mentor is dead!”
“Yes, but you also know that Starlight will find out eventually. And when she does, how do you think she’ll act when she finds out her two best friends kept her in the dark?”
Trixie opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it and sighed. “You’re right… that would be bad.”
“And it’s not just her,” Sunburst continued. “I’m vice-headstallion, I feel as if it’s my job to let the students know too. She founded this school in the first place, it only feels right.”
Sunburst kept talking, but Trixie became lost in her thoughts. Pebble’s words kept coming back to her. Honesty should always be told, even if it sometimes might hurt other creatures' feelings. Maybe it did apply for this. Starlight had always been there to help her through things, and if she decides to brainwash Ponyville then Trixie would be there for her too. Though she’d have to figure out how to free everyone first.
“Trixie?” Sunburst called. “Are you listening?”
“I’ll do it.”
“What? You’ll run Pony Magic club while I’m gone to the Crystal Empire?”
“What? No! No offense, but teaching is not my thing. I mean I’ll tell Starlight.”
Sunburst's ears perked up. “You will? I thought you were killing yourself about how you shouldn’t.”
“I was,” she said. “But I need to tell her. She helped me deal with things, now it’s time for Trixie to do the same. Plus, I am the counselor.”
“Oh… alright. And while you’re doing that I’ll call the teachers here and tell them, and when you’re done with Starlight I can make the announcement to the students.”
“Sounds like a plan,” Trixie said, standing up and putting the articles on her table. “After that, come to Starlight’s office, I have a feeling she’ll need both of her great and powerful friends with her.”
“I’ll be there. You’re not the only one she helped.”
And with that both unicorns left the counselor’s office and each went their own ways. When she got to the headmare’s office she stopped. Trotting on was hard to do, but it needed to be done. It was the right thing to do. She knocked on the door and Starlight answered almost immediately, courtesy of her teleportation skills.
“Hey Trixie! Sorry I couldn’t talk to you earlier, what’s up?”
She took a deep breath. “Trixie- I have something to tell you.”