Chapter 8:
Twilight's Overture
“I am sorry. You must leave now.” There stood the Princess of the Night, tall and elegant before a broken-down and defeated mare. Trixie lay at Luna’s feet, forehooves wrapped around her head and ears. Shaking her head in silence, the mare refused to abide by what the Princess ordered. “You did not get through the preliminaries, thus you are disqualified from the tournament,” she explained in a monotone voice, her heavy, overbearing stare not straying for a moment. Trixie could not respond, and even if she had wanted to her voice was gone. All she could do was continue to shake her head beneath her hooves.
“You failed us,” came a different voice, as a mare walked up out of the nothingness to the Princess’ side. Trixie at last dared to look up, seeing Twilight Sparkle standing before her. She wore a face of anger and disappointment, intense eyes piercing into Trixie’s own, fear-filled ones. “To think that we actually thought you capable of something.”
Trixie shook her head again, her wide eyes beginning sting with the moisture of oncoming tears. “No... I can,” she mumbled through quivering lips.
“You can what?” retorted Twilight harshly. “It’s too late now.” The Princess was silent, her stoic expression never changing as she regarded the trembling mare at her hooves. She turned away without a word; only the sounds of her hoofsteps on the hard ground were heard as she slowly disappeared from Trixie’s view. Twilight lingered behind, watching the mare that looked up to her with pleading, teary eyes. But she, too, turned away in silence.
“Twilight, wait!” Trixie cried, trying to stand but held down by an inexplicable weight upon her. She reached out with a hoof for the mare that had come to a halt not too far off. Twilight stood still for only a few seconds before carrying on into nothingness.
“Wait... Wait!”
“Wait!” Trixie cried, her eyes opening wide to see plain whiteness before her. A foreign ceiling once again. She was lying on her back atop a sort of cot or thin mattress raised slightly off the ground. It wasn’t very comfortable - or at least, nowhere near as comfortable as her recent amenities in the castle. Looking around, she noticed other cots occupied by sleeping ponies, all contained within what looked like a large tent. Ponies were hurrying in and out though flaps at each end of the tent; most of them looked like nurse ponies, clearly identifiable by their white hats adorned with red crosses. They walked quietly by so as not to disturb the resting ponies.
Trixie tried to sit up, but a heavy weight on her body held her down against the cot. She grimaced as her entire body ached with every attempt to move more than a few inches. Lifting a hoof above her face, she saw it visibly shake before she let it limply fall back to her side. It didn’t take many attempts before she realized she wasn’t going to be moving for some time. Letting her body lie motionless, she stared unseeing at the white, creased ceiling. She lay that way for nearly a minute before a thought finally hit her.
The tournament! She sat up quickly; eyes went wide open once again before shutting forcefully from the aching pain that shot up her back and sides. With an audible grunt, she flopped back onto the cot, squirming uncomfortably. A passing nurse looked in worried awe before trotting over to Trixie’s side.
“Are you all right, miss?” she asked a bit frantically. With eyes still shut tightly, Trixie gestured the nurse away, making urgent little shooing motions with her hoof. A forced grin on her lips betrayed her body's feeling.
“You don’t look so good,” said the nurse, getting closer to examine the uncomfortable looking pony.
“I am fine,” Trixie stressed. She didn’t want or need help from a nurse. She was fine. All she needed was a bit more rest, is all.
“O-oh, okay,” the nurse said tentatively, before carrying on with her rounds. With a sigh, Trixie settled down once again, her eyes slowly opening halfway.
I can’t remember what happened at the end... did I win? She bit her lip and scrunched up her snout, trying to remember what had happened before everything went dark. I got one of those silver balls... and then... ugh! Shaking her head in frustration only resulted in making her neck ache even more. Wait... the dream. Maybe... maybe it wasn’t a dream. Maybe... I really did lose. Her brow contorted with worry, and her mouth began to curve into a frown.
No... it was only a dream. This can’t be the end! Once again she tried getting up, but to little avail, only managing to lift her forehooves into the air. She swung them frantically, hoping to gain enough momentum to sit up. Trixie bared her teeth in determined anger, but her efforts proved fruitless.
“Trixie?” Trixie immediately froze at the sound of her name. With hooves still in the air, she turned her head to see Twilight Sparkle, head cocked to the side and one eyebrow raised, her face a picture of confused worry. Trixie assumed a blank expression in return; both mares silently watched each other for a few seconds. “Are you okay?” Twilight asked, finally breaking the silence.
“Umm... yes, of course. I’m just stretching, is all,” she replied, letting her hooves fall to the bed once again. What is Twilight doing here? Trixie gave her an accusing glare, to which Twilight could only return a nervous smile.
“How are you feeling? Is everything all right?” Twilight asked as she moved a little closer to Trixie’s bedside. Her smile was quickly replaced by a look of thoughtful worry once again, inducing Trixie’s own glare to fade away. There was a bit of a pause before Trixie replied, weighing the thought of lying versus telling the truth. She looked away, back to the ceiling.
“Just a little sore... I can’t really move much yet,” she said softly, a bit embarrassed at her situation. “But I am fine... what happened?”
“Good,” Twilight replied with genuine relief. “You were brought to one of the medical tents after you collapsed. You’ve been asleep for a few hours now... though you seemed rather restless. You kept moving and mumbling in your sleep.”
“You watched me sleep?”
“N-no!” Twilight retorted quickly, “I was checking on you...” Another awkward silence befell the two ponies, who now refused to make eye contact.
“Did I win?” Trixie whispered, more to herself than to Twilight.
“What?”
Trixie fixed Twilight with an intense, almost angry gaze. “Did I make it past the preliminaries?”
Twilight was silent for a second before the corners of her lips lifted upwards. “Yes. You did.” Trixie grinned, closing her eyes and relaxing back into the pillow as she let out a muted and tired laugh of victory.
“Was there ever any doubt?” Trixie said, giddy with relief but quickly settling down.
“Congratulations, Trixie. You have officially been admitted into the Lunar Tournament,” Twilight formally congratulated her, smiling broadly. “That artifact you won - the little silver ball - is your pass. All contestant have one registered to them. Inside it are some rules and information for later use. But don’t worry about that now; you’ve got three months to look over it.”
“Three months?” Trixie questioned, still unaware of what came after such arduous preliminaries.
“Right! Basically, there’s a break period starting a week from today - the first day of winter. It ends in about three months, on the last day of winter. You’ll know more once you look through the information in your artifact.”
“But... why so long?” Trixie thought aloud, wondering what could possibly be done to fill the span of time.
“Well, for one, there are many things that must be prepared for the tournament - construction, organization and the like. Secondly, it gives all contestants an opportunity to get ready for what’s to come. It won’t be easy,” Twilight finished a little ominously, but still cheerily.
Trixie remained silent, pondering over Twilight’s words. Get ready for what’s to come. It won’t be easy. If the preliminaries were any indication, she wasn’t ready. Trixie gave a loud sigh, unable to think clearly.
“So… what is going to happen now?”
“Oh, right. Your personal effects were sent back to the castle with the rest of your belongings. So once you’re all rested up, we can go back.”
“And then…”
“Well… I don’t know. But you’re in no shape to be up now. Just take your time and rest for as long as you’d like. Let’s worry about this later.” Trixie nodded in response; she couldn’t deny how tired she was, which put her in no mood to refuse Twilight’s suggestion. There was too much on her mind already. “I’ll be back to check on you every now and then. And don’t be shy to ask if you need anything. If I’m not here you can ask one of the nurses. Oh, and- ”
“I’ve got it, all right!” Trixie interrupted. “I’m not a little foal. I can take care of myself,” she sneered, rolling over on her cot to face away from Twilight.
“Right,” Twilight said bashfully. “We’ll head back to the castle when you’re ready.” Trixie answered with a lazy grunt, already dozing off again. Twilight smiled before turning and leaving the tent, heading back to the Princess.
~*~*~*~
Finished, Luna thought with a satisfied, tight-lipped smile, looking out over her quickly-emptying course from atop her watch tower. The sun had begun to set, casting a warm, orange glow over the fields. The crowds and contestants - winners and losers alike - were heading home now that the preliminary rounds were finally completed. Nearly five hundred contestants over the two weeks of trials had been chosen to move on to the tournament rounds. A great success, Luna deemed.
The distinct sound of a burst of teleportation magic came from behind Luna, announcing the return of her companion. “Hello, Twilight,” she said, still looking out into the distance. “Welcome back.”
“Thank you, Princess.” Twilight moved close to Luna’s side, and together they sat silently for a few minutes. A pleasing feeling of relief came to the two ponies as they watched the day finally near its end.
“How is Trixie?” Luna felt she had to ask. The condition of that mare had been on Luna’s mind since she completed the last trial. Any injured pony was naturally a concern for her, her top priority being after all their safety. There hadn’t been any serious injuries throughout the entire preliminaries, for which she was grateful, but exhaustion on the other hoof was to be expected. Dozens of ponies every round had been unable to complete the course, often resulting from an overexertion of magic, which would eventually lead to physical debilitation. Even if they did succeed in passing the entire test, no pony was immune to the extreme exhaustion that the tests were created to induce.
“She's, well... she’s Trixie...” Twilight said with a sigh. Luna’s eyes shifted to Twilight, noticing her thoughtful expression as she looked off into the distance.
“I am pleased to hear that, I believe,” Luna smirked. “Has she returned to the castle?”
“No, she’s still resting in a medical tent at the moment. The course took a lot out of her.”
“As it did on everypony, one can safely say.”
“I know... but I can’t help but worry a little bit, Princess,” Twilight said, looking up to Luna with wide, uncertain eyes. “I won’t hide my feelings when I say I want Trixie to go far. I have high hopes for her. But...”
“But you are dubious of her chances in the upcoming tournament rounds,” Luna finished. She had felt the same way as she watched Trixie make her way through the preliminary. Trixie was certainly skilled in some aspects of magic, but so were many others that had passed. “I agree, but I also feel she has not yet discovered her true potential. The same goes for many of the other participants. With proper study and training, anypony can be great. Trixie needs direction. She needs help. It falls to her to seek out and accept whatever aid she can acquire; to admit her shortcomings and strive to overcome them.”
“This is Trixie we’re talking about,” Twilight said doubtfully. “She’s one of the most stubborn and bull-headed ponies I’ve ever met. From what we know, she has nopony to turn to. And even if she did, she wouldn’t dare ask them for help.”
“And that is one of her many shortcomings. But one that she cannot overcome alone.” Luna turned her head to give Twilight a knowing look, which Twilight responded to by tilting her head in confusion.
“But... then with whom?”
Luna smiled at Twilight’s obliviousness. “You do not know?” Twilight shook her head, her bewildered look remaining. “I may have an idea... though, it is up to you to decide.” Twilight nodded tentatively, curious as to the Princess’ plan.
“Of everypony you know, who is Trixie most acquainted with - or, perhaps even, closest to?”
“Well... I don’t know much of Trixie’s travels and relations. But I guess I might as well fall under that.”
“I’d say you two seem fairly well accustomed to each other. Now, who is exceptionally skilled in both magic and focused study?”
“I am...? Wait, are you suggesting what I think you are?”
“Why, whatever am I suggesting, Twilight? All I am saying is that Trixie will certainly require some help if she wishes to make any progress with her skills,” Luna said coyly.
“Princess, I don’t know if I can do this... I mean, I myself am still under Princess Celestia’s tutelage. There’s still so much I don’t know about magic.”
“Do not look at this simply as a teacher and student scenario, Twilight. Both you and Trixie may be well versed in distinctive fields of magic, spells, and techniques. This might not only be a learning experience for Trixie, but for you as well.”
“That may be true...”
“And another thing,” the Princess began anew, “Trixie seems to be in dire need of something other than magical training.”
“She needs to be less reclusive, and learn how to interact with others. For another thing, it’s also good to observe other styles of magic and how to counter them,” Twilight said in quick response.
“Precisely,” Luna said happily. “Now, I must return to the castle and prepare to bring forth the moon. Do you wish to accompany me?”
“I’ll wait here until Trixie comes to,” Twilight smiled. “See you at the castle, Princess.”
“Very well. And remember what we discussed, Twilight. Ultimately, this is your decision to make,” Luna said with a quick nod and smile. Twilight nodded back, a blank expression on her face. With a flash of magic Luna disappeared, leaving Twilight to ponder her words.
~*~*~*~
Trixie’s eyes fluttered open, once again finding herself in the eerily quiet tent. Dim lights arrayed along the roof’s central support beam gave it a warm glow, which also revealed its current vacancy. When she sat up it became apparent that she was all alone; the other sleeping ponies must have left, and not even the nurses seemed to be present. Trixie also came to quickly realize that she could actually move with only a minor amount of difficulty. Stretching her forelegs resulted in satisfying and audible cracks. A slow twist of her back gave way to a few more tingling snaps. Slouching forward, Trixie gave off a loud sigh, breathing slowly and steadily.
It was a few minutes before Trixie rolled off the cot and landed onto her shaky hooves. She stood still for a few seconds, unsure whether her sore legs could support her weight. With another heavy sigh, she took a few slow steps, relieved to still be standing. Perhaps her magic was faring a little better as well? She scrunched up her snout, steadily focusing her magic at the tip of her horn. With a little spark and sizzle, her magic was quickly dispelled, making her wince in agitation. Gently rubbing her horn with a hoof, she didn’t notice the pony who walked in.
“Oh! You’re awake. Are you feeling well enough to be out of bed?” the nurse asked in a cheerful tone, walking over to Trixie.
“I am fine... where is everypony?” Trixie asked groggily.
“There are still ponies resting in a few other tents. I’m keeping an eye on them until they can be discharged. Oh, there’s somepony waiting for you here as well. She’s right outside,” the nurse said, pointing with a hoof to one of the open flaps of the tent. “I have to finish my rounds. Have a good night!” Trixie nodded in thanks, slowly heading towards the exit that revealed the darkness outside.
When she emerged, the twinkling stars and full moon were bright in the pristine and cloudless sky, causing Trixie to cast a dull shadow on the ground before her. Walking out into the night, Trixie was easily guided by the soft light from above. Not too far off, she noticed the silhouette of a pony sitting on a gentle hill. She approached slowly until she got close enough to identify the individual.
“Twilight?” Trixie said curiously, walking closer to the mare’s side. Twilight looked over with wide eyes.
“Oh, Trixie, you’re awake.” She gave Trixie a warm smile, inviting her with a hoof gesture to come and sit by her side. Twilight’s gaze followed her closely as she took a seat, holding the cheery look. Trixie tried to keep a serious facade, but knew she was clearly fatigued and disheveled, and no longer tried to hide it.
“How are you feeling?” Twilight asked gingerly.
Trixie sighed, keeping silent for a few seconds before speaking in a tired voice. “Better.” She was looking away towards the moonlit emptiness, but was able to feel Twilight’s focus on her. There was silence between the two mares, both sitting alone in the beautiful tranquility of the night.
Looking up at the stars, Trixie returned to her habit of identifying them, subconsciously locating and naming the constellations of the season. Doing this was always a calming distraction for her, and, at the moment, there seemed to be nothing better to do. The silence lingered, making Trixie wonder what they were really waiting for. It also gave her a little time to ponder over her situation. She had already passed the preliminaries, but why wasn’t she feeling any better? Now, the stars were only reminding her of the countless lonely, cold nights spent on her futile travels after losing everything. Getting through the preliminaries meant nothing. She was still in the same place she was before. The realization came heavily and suddenly.
Trixie looked over to Twilight, who was gazing up at the stars in wonder. Trixie also discerned that Twilight had been waiting late into the night for her. A pony she had only treated poorly in the past was still making an effort to help. Trixie wondered why, but couldn’t understand it. There was no reason for Twilight to have let her go and forgiven her after all the wrongs she’d committed. She didn’t have to speak up for Trixie to the Princess. And now, why had she waited all this time for her?
Twilight looked over, catching Trixie’s stare. Trixie’s eyes widened slightly, body recoiling just a small bit. Twilight held a soft expression of wonder, their gazes locked in silence for a few seconds, before she spoke.
“I spoke to the Princess about... your situation.”
“My ‘situation’?”
“This tournament isn’t going to be easy-”
“I know that,” Trixie interrupted, face becoming stern with a brow raised in query.
“Yes, but... you need help,” Twilight said calmly.
“What makes you say that?” Trixie’s voice began to rise, quickly becoming defensive. Her brow furrowed and her features hardened.
“Trixie, listen to me-”
“No, I do not want to hear you lecture me!” she broke in once again in a shaky voice, standing on her weary hooves and taking a step back. Twilight’s smile faded slightly, but she kept her patience, still sitting in the same spot. “I do not need you to tell me this... why are you doing this?”
“Because I’m trying to help you.”
“It is not helping!”
“Trixie, let me train you!” Twilight finally let her voice rise, startling the argumentative mare.
“What?” she said after a few seconds of silence. Her features began to soften, shifting more towards bewilderment.
“I would like you to come back to Ponyville with me... so I can help you,” Twilight said, returning to her composed state. She finally got up and turned to face Trixie, who still stood silent.
Trixie shook her head in disbelief, refusing to comprehend the offer. “You... want to train me?” Twilight only nodded in silence, well aware of the precarious path she was treading. “N-no! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“Trixie! I am not patronizing you... nor am I questioning your skills. But if this tournament is truly important to you, and you really want to go far, then you must do everything possible to win.”
“I do not need you to win!” Trixie cried in a trembling voice. A frown came to Twilight’s face as she stared earnestly into the exasperated mare’s eyes. Trixie averted her gaze, scowling to herself. What was she supposed to do? How could she once again place herself in a position of inferiority to Twilight Sparkle? How could she show her face in Ponyville? So many questions and possibilities swirled wildly in her mind.
“... Trixie, just listen-”
“No! I don’t need anypony else! Especially not you!” She still looked away, no longer wanting to see Twilight Sparkle. It was difficult to say those words, but she did not know why. Why couldn’t she simply accept what was being offered to her? Nothing felt right anymore. Her chest tightened and her nerves left her control. She needed more time to think. More time to rest. Her mind was hazy and her entire body still ached.
“Why won’t you let me help you?” Twilight asked in a meek tone, taking a step closer to Trixie.
“I-I just cannot, all right! Why can’t I do anything on my own anymore!?” Trixie spat through her quickened breaths.
“But-”
“I can take care of myself!” the distressed mare yelled, watching Twilight back away with an expression of startled sadness on her features. Trixie quickly looked away, bringing forth another moment of silence. It lasted nearly a minute, allowing both mares to compose themselves.
“I’m sorry,” was all Twilight said, trying to mask the bleakness of her voice to little avail. Trixie didn’t reply, trying to settle her agitated feelings.
“I need my things..., ” she finally said, voice almost at a whisper. Twilight understood, only nodding in acquiescence.