To get this out of the way, I have no control over the characters of and related to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This is a piece of literary fiction, the events of this story are not intended to reflect the actions or incriminate anypony.
Chapter Seven: A New Life in a New Place
Trixie lay in her bed sleeping, but it was the same kind of sleep a butterfly possesses when it's about to emerge from a cocoon. She is conscious of her sleeping body and is afraid to bring herself out of this state for she knows she'll have to close herself to the world. Right now, she was the world and wanted to explore everything she was and what she has to offer to herself. Old memories fresh and vibrant as well as this new intensity of emotion. Her body lays there under comfortable covers until she feels her pulse quicken. Anxiety jolts through her as she doesn't want to loose this clarity of pure introspection. But her eyes open regardless of her will. She breaths deeply one more time with a feeling of peevish regret.
“Good to see you're awake Miss Lulamoon.” A dry voice says from the direction of her door. “I had just come from breakfast to check on your condition.”
“Good morning to you too Whetstone.” Trixie responds feebly. “I don't know what I went through exactly, but I am glad to be back.”
“We're glad you're back too. I'm sure you must be absolutely famished so we should get you up and about. Miss Ice may give me an earful about taking you out of your room so early after waking up, but I feel you should have some contact with other ponies.”
She sighs, her stomach rumbles like rolling thunder and she looks over to the light brown pony and simply nods. When she tries to get up, she finds herself surprisingly weak despite feeling renewed. Whetstone smiles and helps her gently to get to her hooves, keeping one of her forelegs across his shoulder for support. They make slow time to the kitchens. By the time she sits down on a low bench her legs are fiercely burning. Surrounded by dozens of ponies bustling about, she finds herself the sudden attention of a matronly earth pony chef. Barking out a few commands unintelligible in the bustle of the kitchen but quickly has a few bowl placed in front of her. The chef nods smugly and strides off to be about her business. Whetstone smiles wryly tells her that he'll be back in ten minutes.
She looks at her meal shortly before quickly loosing herself in trying to sate her bossy stomach. Sweet Celestia that was good. She thinks to herself as she finishes the last swallow of her meal. She looks around for somepony to give her thanks to the chef, but they're all too busy to notice her. They must never have a moment of peace here, but everypony just seems so happy. I wonder if it's like this everyday. She thinks observing the ponies as she sits there. With nothing left to do she gets off her stool and exits the kitchens on pleasantly achy legs, the short rest and food restoring her greatly. The boisterous activity she leaves behind suddenly disorients her in the relative quietness of the hallway.
“Enjoy your meal?” Whetstone says from her left, causing her to start. He walks around her and they slowly begin walking back the way they came. Trixie moving on her own without any aid from Whetstone.
“Yes, I did. It was like she knew what and how much to give me.”
“It's her talent.” He says with a wry smile. “Our beloved head chef can give you exactly what you need to perk you up or get you on your hooves. No pony knows how she does it, but she truly is special to everypony here.”
She doesn't know how to respond to that, so she smiles and shakes her head ruefully. “So what do we do from here? What am I doing and how do I do it? I don't mean right now and the immediate future, I'm sure I'll be a long time recovering. I mean what will happen once I'm recovered?” Trixie asks as a feeling of resolution and a directed kind of wanderlust comes over her.
“Well, there will be advanced physical training for you. A specialist tutor will be arranged for you since Miss Ice has abilities and spells that do not translate into your future line of work so very well. You will be seeing her on a regular basis though. I recommend eating before your visits in case they last for more than an hour. You may have noticed the size of her appetite.” He says with a chuckle.
“Is that all? I mean, I know I'll going to bed every night completely exhausted, but is that all I'll be doing?” She responds slightly skeptical.
“Yes. That will indeed be all. Perhaps something will come up that will require some specialized training, but you will not be leaving Canterlot for over a year, unless it is with an instructor. It may seem restricting, but it is for your own safety as much as ours.”
“Your safety? What could you be teaching me that could be that dangerous.”
“Many, many things Miss Lulamoon. We have a need for certain ponies who have capacities and talents similar to yours. Sadly, recruiting them has been strictly limited. You are a special case though as Mistress Luna took you on in a public capacity upon the conclusion of your session with Miss Ice.”
Public capacity? Trixie thinks as they turn a corner. Down the hall is a pony who makes Trixie stop suddenly. Oh nonononono. She thinks suddenly. What're my chances of running into her? Walking their way is none other than Twilight Sparkle. She is speaking to a tall white stallion with a cobalt blue mane. The stallion looks up and his face has trouble trying to contain the sheer amount of joy he expresses.
“Twili! This is the pony I wanted you to meet.” He stops and turns when he notices Twilight had stopped moving. “Twili?” She was standing there looking like she was struck by lightning. He looks back and forth for a moment in a state of confusion for a moment before Twilight finally responds.
“Trixie?! What in the name of Celestia are you doing here?” She says out of sheer shock.
“I'm trying to figure that out myself. Look... Can we not talk about this in the hallway? I'm very sore and I'm recovering still.” Trixie says with more confidence than she thought she had. A swirl of confusing emotions seemed to be making her feel light headed and causes her to sway slightly. Her vision begins to get a little fuzzy around the edges.
“I would have to agree with Miss Lulamoon here. We really do have to get her back to her room.” Whetstone says advocating for his charge.
“Recovering? How far is your room from here Trixie?” The white stallion asks.
“She currently resides in room 57-E.”
“We're going there. Now. Then you're going to explain everything that's going on.” With that, a blinding flash of light and all four of them stood in her room. A maid that was making the bed startles at their sudden appearance and bolts out of the door. “So. Explain.”
“Trixie, you go to your bed and rest. I'll explain everything.” Whetstone says taking charge with a no nonsense expression. She nods and trusts Whetstone to do whatever it is he does. No sooner than she lies down, sleep quickly takes her under.
“So why is Trixie here in the castle? Why aren't you calling me Princess like every other crazy pony here, and what is Trixie recovering from?” Twilight says with the slight huffiness of long suffered annoyance at being made to wait.
“Princess Sparkle, I apologize for leaving off your title, but Trixie needs to stabilize. She has been through a lot since she had first arrived. There is more the princesses have to teach you for you to understand fully, but there is some I can tell you. First and foremost, Mistress Luna has officially taken Trixie Lulamoon on in a public capacity.”
“Public capacity?” She interrupts suddenly with a completely flat voice. “You're telling me that Trixie is Princess Luna's student. Seriously? I swear if Discord's behind this...”
“Princess, I assure you he's not. But Trixie has been the recent victim of a soul fracture.”
At this Twilight and Shining Armor both adopt looks of not only surprise and shock but true concern as well. Shining Armor who had been silent for a time finally speaks up. “When did it happen?”
“Three days ago. She finished going through something very special, and in the resulting aftermath... She emerged... broken.”
“So she's unaware of my ascension. I guess I'm just lucky my wings didn't draw her attention and you had the discretion to leave off my title. I had no idea she had gone through so much since leaving Ponyville. But you're really not kidding, are you? About Princess Luna taking her on in a 'public capacity?'”
“Not at all. Mistress Luna has great faith in her.”
“Do you have faith in her Whetstone?” Shining Armor asks seriously.
“Strangely enough, I do. I have faith that she won't be letting any of us down.” He says, startled by his emphatic response and even more so by how much he believed his own words.
“Twili, if Whetstone has that much faith in her, we don't have to worry.” He nudges his sister with a smile. “After all, what was it you said about me when I became Captain of the Royal Guard? Something along the lines of 'I have faith that you won't make a bungle of this like your first date with Cadence.'”
“Ok, I never heard that story Brother.” Twilight responds with a little laughter in her voice. “I will get that one later too by the way. But still... Trixie? A protege under the direct tutelage of Princess Luna. What strange roads she must have traveled to end up here.”
“So how about we three to find another room to ourselves. I don't want Miss Lulamoon to be disturbed by our conversation. I do believe I know a nice place not too far away.” Says Whetstone as he leads the siblings out of the room.
It was almost an hour later when the three had their visitor. They had moved two rooms down and apologized to the flustered maid who hovered around nearby, asking her to leave Trixie be for the time being. Whetstone asked her to have some tea and snacks brought up to the room as well as deliver a message to Rime Ice and ask her to meet them. They had been talking of inconsequential things at a small round table as they waited for the mare in question to make her appearance. When she came in wearing a dark cloak, Twilight almost lost her tea cup when she looked at her. She was also followed shortly by a small caravan of trays laden heavily with food and drink. They didn't say anything until the last of the ponies had left.
“Rime Ice, it is always a sight to see you after one of your special 'sessions.'” Whetstone says as he gets up to pull another chair over for her.
“I can imagine I make for quite the sight.” Rime Ice says with a voice like the tinkling of a shattered crystal and a sly smile as she takes her cloak off. She appeared to be glowing slightly, even in the mid morning light. A cold light blue light slowly pulsed from her chest throughout her entire body, fracturing similarly to the Crystal ponies. A brilliant flare of her horn and she has the carts make a line beside her chair before she moves over to sit down and began a steady flow of food from hoof to mouth. “Twilight Sparkle! It's a pleasure to finally meet you. You must have many questions for me, my current state being the foremost I take it?”
“Yes.” Was all the Alicorn could say.
“My past is one that has many twists and turns, one that only the Royal Alicorns may know. While I know we could ask your brother and Whetstone to leave, I will not.” She settles herself on her chair and begins to eat and talk in a practiced manner as unthinkable amounts of food pass her lips. “I will say that even you can attain a similar state, for I shall be teaching you in these matters in the near future. I have had Princess Celestia's blessing in talking to you about some things today, but we shall ease you into others at a later time. What Trixie went through was something similar to a full depth memory delve. Instead of just her mind being delved, her body and soul was delved as well. By the end of the process, she effectively has been reborn. I was the caster, my current state can tell you the magnitude of the magic needed. At the completion of the spell, Trixies talent fractured itself from her.
“I have seen exceptionally strong talents take over a unicorn when their lives were in danger or under extreme duress as you may know," eliciting a nod from Twilight, "but Trixie had been living under the influence of her talent for years. She was never truly herself but for a few times over the past five years, hence the diss-associative manner in which she used to refer to herself. She has mended her fracture and is now whole, if a bit fragile at the moment. At the conclusion, I have taken what I know of Trixie, her talent and her past to discover the other talents she possesses. As requested, I informed Princess Luna and she made her decision a day later to take her on as a student. She may not have your raw abilities Twilight Sparkle, but she is a very special pony none the less.”
Twilight had been paying close attention to the pony across the table. The words coming out of her mouth seemingly as outlandish as the amount of food she has been eating the whole time. But once she began to think about it, her natural instincts began to kick in. The Trixie I knew wasn't the Trixie she is. Twilight thinks to herself after a short time. But slowly she understands. The life ahead of Trixie will not be one of leisure, but she was willing to help her.
“She's gonna have it rough, Twili.” Shining Armor says mirroring her thoughts. “Maybe she could use a friend rather than a rival.”
She sighs and looks at her Brother who always seems to be a thought too late. She is a different mare now. And now that I know she wasn't even herself, I want to help her make amends to all my friends. We'll all be the better for it, I think.
“You're right, and I think it's a great idea. I'll have to get the girls to come to Canterlot sometime. Once I explain the things I can to them, I'm sure they'll be more than happy enough to come meet the real Trixie.”
“They will be a good stabilizing force for her.” Whetstone says talking for the first time in the conversation. “From what I've heard, she has been alone for a very long time with no real friends. She hasn't even had a chance to visit her family since the passing of her mentor.”
“We should inform them of what has happened then and invite them for a celebratory get together.” Rime Ice says. “If I remember correctly, one of your friends excels in parties. I'm sure she can tone down her usual vibrancy for something a little more special.”
“I'm sure she can too. It'll be as good chance a chance as any to get my friends all up here again.” Twilight responds. “It truly was a pleasure meeting you Rime Ice and you as well Whetstone, but it's not often my Brother is able to come down to visit from the Crystal Empire. Plus he has to tell me about his first date with Cadence now.” Twilight finishes with a wicked grin.
Her Brother just groans and rolls his eyes dramatically with a grin giving away the lie. The siblings make their farewells and leave the odd pair together. They sit in a companionable silence for a while as Whetstone nurses his tea and Rime Ice continues her mass consumption of food. After some time Whetstone looks to Rime Ice.
“Are you sure you should keep that pair in the dark for any longer than you should? They are royalty now and should learn the truth sooner rather than later.”
“You know my reasons more than well enough. You never should have been told in the first place Whetstone, but that was Celestia's prerogative. My place is here now, being a service to everypony until my time comes, if it comes. I willingly gave up my place to the sun and the moon.”
“But nature itself should still hold a place of reverence.” Whetstone counters.
“We are friends, Whetstone and as such I shall spare you my ire though you tempt me so at times. But no more talk of me taking my 'rightful' place. I'm happy right now, and I don't want to hear anymore of this from you. I think I've made myself clear.” She says, tone brooking no nonsense.
“Of course, Princess Titania.” He says finally conceding to her wishes after eight years of friendship. “I shall never bring the topic up again.” A ghost of a smile flashes across her face at his words. They fall back into a companionable silence, sitting there for hours. As the day progresses and the light falls through the shaded window. Whetstone walks over to open it so they don't have to light a lamp and sudden golden light strikes Rime Ice. The light flares against her crystalline body, briefly blazing spectacularly into a pair of ephemeral wings that slowly fade away. Rime Ice looks at Whetstone with a smile that speaks volumes and he closes the shades again and goes to light a lantern. He waits until she finishes all of her food before they make the most basic of farewells as the silences they share bearing more meaning for the two than any words they may pass between them and they leave each others company to do what they can with the rest of the day.