//------------------------------// // A New Apprentice // Story: Trixie's New Life in the Crystal Empire // by Yukito //------------------------------// “Please?” Persistent. “No.” “Please?” Very persistent. “No.” “Please?” I wonder if it would be okay to zip his mouth shut? He’d probably like it, considering he’s clearly such a fan of magic. “No.” “Please?” Just concentrate on setting the plates and cutlery. I’m about halfway do- Darn it, I put two forks down by mistake! Just swap that with a knife… “Please?” Okay, so ignoring him doesn’t work. It was worth a shot. “Don’t you have classes you should be getting to?” “Please?” He doesn’t even answer my question! What is with this kid? “Go away.” “Please?” There’s only so much I can take… Why is he being so insistent? “Look, kid-” “Astra.” Oh, he said something different. Perhaps there’s hope after all. “Look, Astral, I have no intention of taking on an apprentice right now.” “… Please?” GAAAAAAAH! What will it take to get this child to back off?! I mean, besides saying ‘yes’, of course. “What makes you think I can even teach you magic, anyway?” … A part of me feels betrayed for asking such a question, but if it makes him just go away already… “You’re the only one who can!” I stop and give him a curious look. “Nopony else in this district specialises in magic! Well, except Mist, but she’s the same age as me! You’re the only one who can teach me magic!” “… Even so, I really don’t think I can right now. Sorry kid, but I have my own problems to deal with.” “Pleeeeeeease?” Oh, this again? I would be more frustrated, and probably be on the verge of telling him to shut up right now… except, he seems to be running off on his own. Huh. “I know! I’ll show you what I can do?” … From inside a closet? What is he planning? “So?” AH! What the?! I turn around quickly, and find… A-Astral?! But, how?! Did he teleport? At his age? No, that’s not it… “An illusion?” “Yup!” he responds cheerfully with a nod. Right, that would explain how he’s floating in the air right now. “Pretty neat, huh? But without somepony to properly teach me, I can-” … “I can’t maintain it for very long,” he finishes as he exits the closet behind me, his illusionary image now just mist hanging in the air. “… Well, that’s certainly impressive, for a self-taught colt of your age. Reminds me of myself, when I was young.” Wait, now that I think about it. “Well, I guess you are over one thousand years old.” I thought it was pretty clever, but apparently he didn’t agree. Not by the confused look on his face. “Well, yeah, but… aren’t you, too?” … Oops. “Uh, y-yeah! Of course I am! I was just… S-So, illusionary magic, huh? I warn you, it’s not an easy lifestyle!” Astral shakes his head, his long bangs flying left and right as he does so. “From what I saw yesterday, it sure looks pretty awesome! And besides, I love illusions!” Awww, I think he’s starting to grow on me. “They’re great for pulling pranks, and peeking in the fillies’ changing room!” … Aaand, it’s gone. “Well, what you just used was certainly an interesting form of illusionary magic. Astral projection, through a solid surface… Not many ponies can do that.” I don’t think he needs to know that it’s one of the skills I myself lack. “You certainly live up to your name, and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t interested in seeing where you go with some training.” Great, now he’s looking at me with the most hopeful smile on his face. I didn’t mean to lead him on… I should probably just break his heart now, and be done with it. Quick and painful, like ripping off a bandage. “But unfortunately, there’s just no way I can be your tutor.” “Why nooooot?” “It’s complicated! I have my reasons, okay?!” “Isn’t there anything I can do? I’ll pay you, if you want! Or I could do some chores for you! Or I could-” For the love of… Wait, I think I have an idea. “Say, kid. What are your current test scores in… let’s say, English and Math?” “Huh? What does that have to-” “Just answer the question.” “… Thirty-five in Math, and… twenty in English…” … Yeah, this should work. “Okay, here’s what I propose. You double those scores of yours when your next test comes along, and I’ll make you my apprentice.” “What?!” Yeah, I think this’ll work. “What does that have to do with magic?!” “A good magician needs to train all aspects of their mind to succeed.” Well, not exactly. Math and English really have nothing to do with being a good magician. I just want him to leave me alone! “But, the next test is tomorrow! You can’t expect me to-” Oh, this is perfect. “Well then, you’d better get off to class and take some notes, shouldn’t you?” He gives me a pleading look. As if to tell him that this is all a joke. Or as if I’ll change my mind if I just look into his big puppy dog eyes. Sorry, kid, but those eyes don’t work on me. Not since I learned the truth about ponies. You may look all cute and innocent, but I know better than to judge from external appearances… Still, damn. He’s pretty freaking adorable. But then, so was the filly that threw a pie at me a little over a month ago. “You’re losing precious time,” I tell him, to let him know that I’m quite serious. He quickly turns around, and starts to dash off down the hallway. And with that, that nuisance is gone. Now I can finally get back to this boring job that Appletini asked me to do, whilst time completely slows down around me… At least I don’t have to talk to anypony. That’s always a nice bonus… “Hey.” AH! What is it with ponies in this Country, always sneaking up on others?! Wait, Appletini? Shouldn’t she be in the kitchen right about now? “I just finished up in the kitchen. Well, for now, at least.” What are you, a mind reader? “No, I can’t read minds. You’re just a easy to read, once you get to know you. Anyway, I thought I’d come and give you a hoof.” “That’s really not necessary. I’m getting along just fine on my own.” “Really? Five broken plates, and you’re just barely half done.” Blame that stupid brat, not me! “Besides, I bet you’re bored. We can talk to each other while we work. What d’ya say?” … Well, I guess, it wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world. “Sure, why not? If you’re fine with boring yourself stupid.” “Hey, no worries there,” she answers, laughing light-heartedly as I pass some of the plates to her. Okay, so maybe this won’t be so bad after all… Thanks, Appletini. Yawwwwwnw… If there’s one thing I can say for sure since I started living here, it’s that my sleep schedule has made drastic improvements. I’m no longer being woken up in the middle of the night by terrible nightmares, and I’ve not been trying to keep myself up at night anymore. It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep can do for somepony. There are times when I wake up in the morning wanting to break into song. And I never realised that my magic had actually been suppressed these past two years. It’s been four days now since that whole, nasty incident with the vase, and I have to admit, they have been the best days of my life, as far as I can recall. I performed another show just a few days ago, and the ponies loved it! Or, they seemed to, at least. The ponies in Equestria seemed to love my shows at first, too, but that changed rather drastically. … No! This isn’t Equestria! This is the Crystal Empire, and the ponies here aren’t- Knock knock! An early morning visitor? Is it Azure again? I never really thanked him, for taking part in hiding me from the Royal Guard. Though, to be fair, I haven’t really seen that much of him, either. That guy must be busy, being in charge of an entire district. Now that I think about it, there was that other stallion, ‘Crimson’, who was looking for me, right? Could he be trying to keep Crimson from finding me? Would he honestly go to such lengths for me? Well, if what Appletini says about him is accurate, it could just be an attempt to get into bed with me. That’s certainly a new one. Usually, ponies are desperate to drive me away, not lure me in. “Trixie?” I look up towards the guestroom door, where Appletini is currently standing, looking down at me. “There’s a visitor here for you. Would you like to talk to him?” “… Who is it?” If it was Azure, surely she could just bring him up here. But, who else would be here to see me? “It’s a colt name ‘Astral Projection’.” … What? “He says he’s here to become your apprentice.” What? “He seemed very enthusiastic about it. What’s this all about, exactly?” “… Nothing. I’ll take care of it.” This kid really is persistent. I need to deal with this right now, before he continues being a problem. “But, why is here so early in the morning?” Appletini giggles. Why? Did my mane look dis-shelved or something? I mean, more so than it usually does in the morning? “Actually, it’s afternoon.” It’s what?! And she didn’t think to wake me earlier. “Sorry, but you looked like you were having such a nice dream. I didn’t want to wake you.” I was having a nice dream? I can’t really remember it, but… “Anyway, tell him I’ll be right there.” Appletini nods, and leaves the room. I sigh and turn towards my dresser, where my hat is laying atop my neatly folded-up cape. I just need my hat, to hide my horn. It’s pretty warm this morn- … This afternoon, so I won’t really be needing my cape right now. “Alright, time to just get it through this kid’s head, that he can’t be my apprentice.” But first, I’d better brush my mane. Even if it’s just a child, I should still tidy myself up a bit. Especially if it’s one of my fans… Hmmm, maybe I could give him an autograph or something, so he doesn’t feel like he came all this way for nothing? … Wait, how did he even find this place?! Is he a stalker or something? Now that I think about it, he did say something about using his magic to peek on fillies… Well, he’s just a colt. Just as long as he stops bothering me after today, I don’t really care what he does in his spare time. I quickly tidy my mane up, and put on my hat. Horn successfully hidden. Now to have a little chat with this colt. I leave the guestroom and make my way downstairs. The colt is standing there at the door, waiting patiently for me, with a huge grin on his face. It almost breaks my heart to have to turn him away. Almost. “You really don’t know how to take no for an answer, do you?” Rather than looking upset, or pleading for me to accept him, like I expected he would, he looks confused instead. “But, I thought you said you would take me on as your apprentice, if I doubled my test scores.” … Oh yeah. I did say that. Wait, he couldn’t possibly mean- “Well, read ‘em and weep!” His hooves light up, and his saddlebag opens. Out of it, comes two pieces of paper, which he presents to me. An English test paper: ‘67%’. And, a Math test paper: ‘76%’. … Oh. Well, that plan certainly blew up in my face. Time for plan B: gotta dissuade him from wanting to be my apprentice in the first place. “So, I can be your apprentice now, right? What you gonna teach me first? Teleportation? Enchantments? Summoning demons from Tartarus?” Which may prove to be a challenge. And summoning? I’m an illusionist, not a conjurer! At best, I can summon flowers from a short distance away. “Astral, isn’t there anypony else in the Crystal Empire who you’d rather-” “You said you’d teach me if I doubled my test scores!” he shouts, cutting me off. “And I did that, so now you have to teach me!” Okay, so he’s clearly not going to back down, no matter what I say. And, I did make a deal with him… “I guess I have no choice,” I say with a sigh. “But, you must first get your parents’ permission, so that I can’t be held accountable if anything happens to you.” Should’ve thought of that earlier. Better late than never, I guess. “I have that!” He pulls out another piece of paper, and shows it to me. It’s… written consent from his parents to let ‘Will-o-Wisp’ teach their son, and that said mare will not be held accountable for any injuries their son might endure in his training, signed by both parents. “See? No problem!” I guess, but… who the hay entrusts their son’s safety to a complete stranger so easily?! “Well, I guess there’s no harm in teaching you some magic… Alright, fine. Come back here tomorrow afternoon, and we’ll get started.” I’ll just find some complicated spell for him to practice on his own. Something that’ll take him at least a couple of weeks to do. After that… it’s future Trixie’s problem. “Awww, can’t we start right now?” Again with the puppy dog eyes. Like I said, that won’t work on me! “Oh, you’re taking on a pupil?” a voice behind me asks. “Neat! Mind if I watch your class? I haven’t really got anything to do today, anyway.” Appletini… don’t make things more complicated than they already are! “Pleeeeeease! I brought a boxed lunch so that I could stay for a while!” “Why don’t you? You were just planning on snoozing the day away anyway, weren’t you?” “Oh please oh please oh please oh PLEEEEEASE!” “How could you say ‘no’ to that face?” This is ridiculous. This whole situation is just ridiculous! And why is Appletini suddenly on this colt’s side?! Argh, fine! It seems there’s really no other way out of this. “Alright, alright! I’ll teach him some basic stage magic for today… but after lunch! Trixie is starving right now.” … Why is everything suddenly so silent. “Who?” Astral asks… D-Did I just- “M-My cat!” Appletini quickly exclaims. “My pet cat. I call her Trixie. And Will-o-Wisp is right; Trixie can get might agitated when she’s hungry.” … I’m not sure if that was part of the act, or if she actually was talking about me when she said that. “Right, so why don’t you go outside and warm yourself up, whilst we have our lunch in here?” I say to Astral, who seems to have bought the whole cat story. “About one hundred push-ups should do the trick.” As expected, Astral groans and complains. It’s to be expected; magicians are, for the most part, lazy, and not very good at physical exercise. “Do I have to?” “Who is your tutor?” “… You are, Ms. Will-o-Wisp.” I shoot him a smile, and pat him on the head. I think I could actually get used to this. “Good. Now, one hundred push-ups, whilst your tutor has her lunch. And then, we’ll get started on your training.” That seems to have perked him up, as he quickly jumps to attention and salutes me. “Yes, ma’am!” he shouts. He runs outside of the house, leaving me and Appletini alone. “What was that all about?” Appletini asks. I assume she means Astral. “Remember that kid I was telling you about three days ago? The one that wanted to be my apprentice?” Appletini shakes her head. “No, not that. I kind of figured that the kid you met was Astra. I was actually talking about your third-pony. You’ve never done that before.” Oh. That. “Yeah, I actually used to do that all of the time. It’s just how I liked to speak, and I guess it kinda… slipped out?” Appletini giggles. At what, I’m not sure of. “Oh, sorry. I just pictured you speaking like that in casual conversation, and it sounded pretty cute.” “Cute?” That’s not quite the ‘Great and Powerful’ image I was going for… but at least it’s not a negative comment. “Well, I’m gonna have to be careful about that, huh? Can’t just go around revealing my true name like that.” “Well, on the plus side, it certainly sounds like you’re doing a lot better now.” ‘Doing a lot better’? … Yeah, I guess I am. But, it’s only because of you being there for me. Because you accepted me, as if I were one you Crystal Ponies. Because you didn’t throw me aside, no matter what. Because you… never knew of my past. You never knew of my humiliation at the Unicorn’s hooves. Or how I succumbed to that dark amulet, and enslaved an entire town… And I intend on keeping it that way. “So, what’s for lunch today?” “Well, since you skipped breakfast…” Totally not my fault. “… Appletini thought she’d make you something big for lunch today.” “… Are you mocking me?” I ask, and Appletini tilts her head, looking confused. “Appletini isn’t sure what you mean.” Okay, I’ll play along. “Trixie doesn’t appreciate that. Stop that now, or you shall face her wrath.” “Ooh, Appletini is so scared! She’s practically shaking in her boots.” “You’re not even wearing boots, and you should be scared of the Great and Powerful Trixie’s power!” “‘Great and Powerful’? Well, the, uh…” She hesitates for a moment. “… Charming, and Generous Appletini, begs to differ!” “Then Trixie will show you just what kind of power you are messing with!” “Then Appletini won’t make you any lunch!” My stomach growls before I can say anything in response. Stupid internal organs. How dare you betray me?! “I thought so. Now be a dear and set the table for me, and Appletini will have your lunch ready before you can say ‘crystal’.” “‘Crystal’.” As expected, no lunch. I smile triumphantly. It’s only a small victory, but it’s still a victory, nonetheless. Appletini wasn’t kidding about it being a big lunch. After I had finished eating, I felt like I had enough energy to do just about anything! Even put up with this annoying like colt, still begging me to teach him some ‘awesome magic’. Well, I’m in a good mood right now, so I think I’ll oblige. And the first thing I’ll do is teach him the very first spell that I ever learned: illusionary fireworks. Not quite as enchanting or as loud as real fireworks, unless you specifically tune them to be so, at the risk of going too far and harming your audience. Overdoing you illusionary spells can cause damage to a pony’s brain, so it’s important to know when not to go too far with them, and how to control your magic at all times. They may be as good as real fireworks, but on the plus side, they can be used indoors, since there is no risk of causing a fire. It’s also a good way to save money. So, here I am, giving my very first lesson to somepony. My own apprentice. My own personal student. Somepony who actually looks up to me, and admires me, and doesn’t bring giant, rampaging beasts to a populated area… Maybe I should give him a lecture on that later, just to be safe. “Like this, Ms. Will-o-Wisp?” he asks, charging magic into his hooves and pointing them at the ground. A few sparks of light form from the grass, but that’s all. “Not quite the same, is it?” Appletini asks. She decided to tag along and watch us, just like she said. I don’t really mind… In fact, if I slip up again, it may prove useful to have her around. “Try just with one hoof for now. The result will be less than satisfactory, but it will be easier to get a hang of the spell, before you move on to both hooves.” Astral nods, and lowers one of his hooves down to his side. Appletini approaches me, and leans towards me to whisper: “How d’you know that? I thought you Unicorns used your horns for magic.” A good question. “When I do magic here, I have to charge some of it into my hooves, to produce a glowing aura. It’s easier to produce that aura in just one hoof than two, so I figured the same principle would apply here. At the very least, I can test my theory.” “So he’s a lab rat?” “Of course not. Rats are cute.” Appletini facehooves, but laughs anyway. That stops when a familiar pony approaches us. “Hey there, you guys.” Azure? Was he looking for us? “Will-o-Wisp, nice show you put on the other day.” “You were there?” “Sure was, though I didn’t get a chance to speak to you afterwards, what with all of the ponies swarming you. Most ponies are wondering if you’ll be performing something special during the next Crystal Fair.” The Crystal Fair… an event that happens four times a year in the Crystal Empire, once a season. The premise is simple enough: the ponies have fun at the fair, take part in activities, and then use their ‘love’ to power the Crystal Heart. Almost like some video-game side-quest sort of thing. “Well, I may consider it,” I answer nonchalantly. I’ll do more than consider it, though. If these ponies want, want, me to perform, then of course I’m not going to say no! I’ll be the talk of the tow- District! Ponies from other districts will be crowding my stage, begging for autographs, and asking me to move my show into their districts! I won’t be able to, of course, because of the Royal Guard, but it’ll be great! I’ll be the centre of attention! I’ll be loved by the masses once more! I’ll have an audience that will never want me to leave! “Hey,” Azure says, breaking me out of my thoughts. “You, uh… know that you’re drooling, right?” I am? … Oh crap, I am! I quickly wipe the drool away from my mouth, and turn to face Appletini as she giggles. “I imagine she was picturing herself making it big at the Crystal Fair. I believe I was the same way, when I set up my own stall for the first time during a fair.” Azure joins her in laughing. “Yes, a lot of ponies get excited for their first time taking part in a Crystal Fair. Though, I feel I should warn you, the first time doesn’t always go so well.” “Yeah, my first time was terrible. Completely messed up my fritters, burned the cookies, spilled the cocktails everywhere… not to mention how many orders I got wrong.” Azure nods. “My first time wasn’t exactly something to brag about, either. I made a complete mess of the scheduling, and as a result, the entire district was in a state of complete and utter chaos.” “Your first times?” a voice behind me asks. I turn around to find Astral looking up at us, with a curious look on his face. “Yes. Everypony’s first time is-” Azure stops, and also looks down at the colt, who is now grinning and obviously resisting the urge to burst out laughing. “Oooh, you’re talking about firsts? Let me in! I need to take notes!” I can’t help but grin as I see the blushes on Azure and Appletini’s faces. Hey, this colt isn’t so bad after all. “N-No!” Azure quickly says. “Not that kind of ‘first time’! We’re talking about the Crystal Fairs.” Astral looks disappointed. “Well, that’s no fun. What’s the point of the Crystal Fairs? I’m not in ‘em yet, after all.” Appletini kneels down, and looks Astral in the eyes. “You could always, I dunno, join your class performances?” Astral shakes his head. “Too many ponies. I hate working with others. Things get too complicated, and I like to do things according to my own schedule.” He looks up at me. “On the other hoof, I wouldn’t mind helping Ms. Will-o-Wisp during her performance!” Awww, well ain’t that cute? The kid thinks he’s worthy of sharing the stage with me, and it’s only his first day of training. “We’ll see, Astral,” I tell him, patting him on the head, and roughing up his mane a little bit. “For now, how are you doing with that spell?” “Oh, the fireworks? I think I got it.” He holds up one hoof, and it begins to glow with a yellow aura. Sparks of light begin to emerge from the ground, followed by two tiny, very slow fireworks. Now, whilst such a thing would utterly fail to impress an audience… such progress, from such a short amount of time training, was very good. The kid definitely showed promise. Perhaps I won’t regret this after all. “Not bad. Perhaps you will be sharing the stage with me someday soon.” He gives me a proud grin. “But not by the next Crystal Fair,” I clarify, instantly shattering his grin, and prompting him to immediately move on to using two hooves for the fireworks spell. It took me three days to learn this spell. And by learn it, I mean doing it to a standard that would be deemed passable in your average Magic School. Let’s see how long it take Astral… I’ll give him five days. If he can learn it by then, then I think I’ll give him a little reward. Something to show him that I’m willing to take him seriously as my apparent- !!! I turn around quickly, and scan the area around me. What was that? I felt a malicious intent just now… But, it felt different than what I’ve felt in the past. I’m not sure how to describe it… It was unmistakably the eyes of a pony, watching and studying its prey, but… “What’s wrong?” Azure asks. “Shouldn’t you be watching your ‘pupil’?” … Well, whatever it was, it’s gone now. And, with Appletini and Azure here, I don’t think I have anything to worry… about… “Will-o-Wisp?” Appletini asks. I quickly shake my head. “It’s nothing. I’m just… I was just thinking, I’m so glad to have met you both.” Appletini blushes, and turns her head away. I think that’s a good sign. Azure simply laughs, and pulls me into a headlock. Not a violent one, but a playful one. As if I were his kid sister. Though, a week ago, I would not have known the difference, and would have reacted violently. But I know now. He’s my friend, too, just like Appletini is. “You moron, don’t go getting all sappy on us! Alright, let’s get it all out of the way! You’re our friend, Trix, and we’ll always be here to help you when you need it!” “That’s right,” Appletini says, pushing Azure away to free me from his hold. “And, we’re glad to have met you, too. Even if you do have trouble following your hoofsteps, we’ll gladly take it on with you.” “Me too, me too!” Astral shouts, tugging at my tail from behind. I turn around quickly, to make him stop. “I wanna be your friend too! Can I?” I’m not sure how to answer, but it turns out I don’t need to. Azure leans down, and lift Astral up onto his back. “There ya are, Trixie! Three friends right here for ya! And an apprentice!” “Yaaaaay!” … You jerks… You’re making me smile against my will! You’re making me feel something I haven’t felt since what feels like forever! Something that I thought had died within me, and would never come back… But, Azure’s right. This is getting way too sappy now. I should probably end this moment, before it drags on, and starts to make somepony – definitely not me – shed a tear. “Alright, alright. I was merely trying to be friendly, that’s all.” I turn back to Astral, who is now standing on the ground once again. “Well then, you’d better get back to work. My record for learning that spell was three days. Can you do better?” “Watch me!” he shouts back, very enthusiastically. This kid… is gonna go far. “Just one question: why did Mr. Azure call you ‘Trixie’?” … AAAAAAZUUUUUUUURE!