Trixie Lulamoon laid under her threadbare blanket on her lumpy mattress in her cold drafty caravan. Her silver mane pooled down her back, hiding the mare’s malnourished ribcage from view. She sat with her chin laid upon her crossed forelegs, her dark violet eyes resting unseeingly on the moon visible through the cracked window of her wagon.
She sighed quietly to herself, mumbling as she forced herself to her hooves. She stood, a hoof rubbing her belly as her stomach grumbled loudly. She walked across the tiny interior of her wagon, pulling a rickety cabinet open with her hooves. She reached into the cabinet, running her hoof around the inside of the cabinet with practiced ease.
A moment later she stood, a curse on the tip of her tongue as she peered into the empty cabinet. Her horn flared as she levitated her cape and hat across the caravan, depositing her hat into her hooves. She ran a hoof over the worn hat, poking at a small hole that was wearing through the sateen fabric. She closed her eyes, levitating the hat atop her head before snapping the clasp on her cape around her neck. A small bag of bits levitated to her side, slipping into a hidden pocket in her cape.
Trixie stood outside her caravan, her eyes lowered to the ground as she passed through the alleyways of Canterlot. She passed through thick shadows from one of Canterlot’s large towers, her gaze drifting to the alleyway around her. Even in the alleyways, the shadows from Canterlot’s wealthy were rubbed in the muzzles of the less fortunate. A mess of boxes sat against the wall of a local business, a single hoof sticking out of the refuse. She passed the boxes, turning her head away as the pony inside coughed quietly.
She gazed towards the palace, easily visible from just about anywhere in Canterlot. She used to think she would live on one of the large estates flanking the palace… Now, she was lucky if she could even keep her wagon in one dead end alleyway for a few nights. She had been shunted from a life leading upwards to a life going nowhere off the main street of Canterlot.
Trixie walked forward, exiting the alleyway onto one of Canterlots numerous side streets. Even this late at night, vendors off the main street sold their wares to the poorer ponies of the city. She wandered from stall to stall, sighing as she turned her sights on the few diners still open closer to the main street. She tucked her tail closer to her side as a filly went running past, bumping against her.
Trixie opened her mouth to yell at the filly, but stopped when the filly glanced back at her with fear in her eyes.
“Are you okay?” Trixie said, stepping closer to the young filly. The filly stepped back, breathing hard as she peered over Trixie’s shoulders. She yelped, her hooves scrabbling for purchase on the cobblestone as she tried to flee. “W-what is wrong with you?” Trixie asked, stomping her hoof as the filly took off.
She paused as the sound of galloping hooves filling the air. She looked over her shoulder slowly, yelping as three large stallions rammed into her, throwing her to the ground. The stallions didn’t even spare a glance in her direction as they chased the filly into a dark alleyway.
Trixie stood, dusting herself off as she glanced down the alley the trio had vanished. “You better run! The Great and Powerful Trixie would hate to have to… teach you a lesson…” She muttered, trailing off slowly. She started to walk toward the main street when a loud scream echoed out of the alleyway behind her, drawing her attention in a heartbeat.
She slipped to the side of the alley, peering into the shadowy alleyway silently. About halfway down the alley, Trixie could make out the three stallions standing in a tight circle around the filly from a moment before. The stallion in the center stepped forward, pushing the filly roughly against the wall. Trixie narrowed her eyes, pressing herself against the wall as she sucked in a deep breath.
She took a moment to gaze up at the moon as her horn flared brightly. Magic wrapped around her body, swirling and twisting around her body, slowly creeping up her legs, pass her belly and creeping up her neck.
“Princess Luna if you can hear this… please don’t let me mess this up.”
Cross Bar stepped forward, shoving the filly against the wall roughly. He towered over the filly, his bulky shoulders blocking any chance the filly had at escaping to either side. Beside him, Brass and Iron hoof stood guard, their thin and lanky bodies better suited for being watchouts. The Hoof brothers laughed as the filly tucked herself into a ball, her hooves over her head in fear.
“I saw you steal that piece of bread from me…” Cross said, his voice booming like gravel crunching. He grabbed the filly by the chin and forced her to look at him, glaring at her as he did.
“I-I’m sorry! I was sta-starving! It was old and I di-didn’t know it was yours!” The filly said, tears running down her cheeks as she pulled away from the larger pony.
“Well now you do.” Cross Bar said, glancing at the ponies beside him with a menacing grin. “But, I’m gonna have to teach you to respect other’s property.” He lifted a large hoof into the air, and started to swing it at the filly.
“Stop right there, criminal scum!” A deep voice called out, drawing the trio’s attention. Two large ponies stood at the end of the alley, golden armor pressing down against their white fur. Cross Bar lowered his hoof as the two guards stepped out of the moonlight, their armor clanking against their sides as they approached the trio of ponies.
The guard who spoke stepped closer to Cross Bar while the other attended to the filly, who was still sniffling against the wall. The guard spoke to the filly in a low tone, reassuring her and checking her for wounds. The guard met eyes with his partner, waiting for a nod before speaking again.
“I’ll have you know I can take you in for this. Assault is no laughing matter.” The guard barked, poking Cross in his chest. Behind him, the Hoof brothers glanced at each other, hooves nervously kicking at the stone below them. Cross Bar glared at the two guards for a moment before turning, his tail flicking to hit the guard behind him.
“Come on. I think she got the message already.” Cross and his companions trotted out of the alleyway, not even sparing a glance behind them as they trotted into the night. The guard still whispering to the filly grew silent as they left, his armor clanking as he stepped closer to his partner. The filly cocked her head as the pair grew silent, freezing in place for a moment.Suddenly, they seemed to be blown away by the wind, revealing a single azure mare in their place. The mare swayed from side to side, steadying herself against the alley wall.
The filly stepped away from the unicorn, her instincts screaming for her to run away. Just as she took a few steps down the alley, the mare called out to her.
“Wait kid! Trixie wants to make sure you’re okay before you go.” Trixie said, relaxing onto her haunches as she forced a smile onto her face.
The filly eyed the alleyway behind her, before nodding slowly and trotting closer to Trixie and sitting down across from her.
“What happen to those guards?” The filly asked, eyeing the mare’s horn.
“There never was any guards. The... Trixie made them with her horn. It’s called an illusion.” She said, scrunching her face up as she tapped into her magic once again, causing a bright green spark to dance in the air around the filly. She giggled as she followed the spark with her eyes.
“So kid… Umm… What’s your name?” Trixie asked after a moment, sparking several different colors to flow around her. The colors lit up the dark shadows, casting light on the small filly. At her side, Trixie could just make out wings tucked into her side on her blue steel coat, her peach tinted mane spilling over her shoulder as the pegasus twisted her head to follow the sparks.
“Silver Star.” The filly said, smiling at Trixie for the first time. “Thank you. Fo-for saving me I mean.”
Trixie smiled, a genuine smile this time as she nodded toward Silver Star. “Well… Trixie was... in the neighborhood.” Silver Star put a hoof to her belly as it grumbled loudly, her cheeks blushing wildly as she looked down at herself. Trixie closed her eyes, silently arguing with herself before she levitated her bag of bits out of her cape pocket. She opened the bag and turned it upside down, frowning at the 5 bits that fell into her outstretched hooves. She tossed the bits back into her bag and tossed it into the fillies lap.
Silver Star looked up in shock, her head already starting to shake as she tried pushing the bag back. “I-I can’t take this Miss Trixie.”
Trixie smiled, levitating a bulging bit bag out of her cape as she mimicked for Silver Star to keep that bag.
“Calm down. Trixie has a lot more bits where those came from. That’ll be enough for you to get a hot meal for the night.” Silver Star dropped her blue eyed gaze to the bag in her lap. She lowered her head and picked the bag up by her teeth, smiling at Trixie as she mumbled her thanks around the small bag.
Trixie stood, stretching her rear legs out as she trotted beside the filly to the mouth of the alleyway. Silver Star looked up at her with a large smile, the small bit bag hanging between her teeth. Trixie patted the filly on her head, a smile tugging at the corners of her lips as the filly turned, her smaller form vanishing between two mares walking down the street.
Trixie’s smile slipped from her face as she pulled the bulging bit bag out of her cape. She sucked in a deep breath as she blew on the bag, her eyes following the magic as it dispersed into the air, leaving her empty hoofed.
She sighed, her shoulders slumping as she ignored the growling in her stomach. She turned, her tail dragging on the floor lifelessly as she trudged back to her wagon.
Luna smiled as she watched the mysterious blue mare walk away. Unbeknownst to the unicorn, the Lunar Princess had arrived moments after Trixie cast her illusion magic. Princess Luna had spent a peaceful night resting atop of one of Canterlot's taller towers, one that gave her an amazing view of the night sky without the lights of the castle diminishing the beauty of her stars. The calm night was broken when a filly's scream broke the silence, drawing her attention away from the stars sky above her.
The princess had launched herself off the tower, gliding to the top of a building just below her. She trotted to the edge of the building, gazing into the alleyway opposite her only to find two guards had already beat her to the scene. She settled down, watching curiously as one guard settled down beside a small filly huddled against the wall, while the other confronted the large stallion before her.
She stood, stretching her wings out at her sides as she prepared to head back to her tower for the night, when a flash of light drew her attention back to the alleyway. To her surprise, the guards were blowing away in the wind, revealing a unicorn unsteadily standing in their place.
“That has to be some of the most impressive Illusion magic I have ever witnessed… She managed to combine not only a physical illusion, but also auditory! ”
Luna crouched down, peering over the edge of the building as the Trixie talked to the young filly, entertaining her with a small show of illusion magic. A moment later, the azure unicorn threw the filly her bit bag and revealed a large bulging bag of bits from a hidden pocket in her cape.
Luna nodded, the pieces finally clicking in her mind. “The mare is obviously of noble blood. I should ask ‘Tia if she recognizes that mare’s parents.”
The mare walked out of the alleyway, patting the filly on the head as she walked away. Luna narrowed her eyes as the mare pulled out the large bit bag, balancing it on her hoof.
“Why would she pull out such a large bag in such a… shady part of Canterlot.”
Her eyes widened as the bag copied the guards, blowing away in the wind a moment later. She shook her head, disbelievingly staring at the mare’s empty hoof.
“She lied to that filly. She convinced her she had more money so the filly wouldn’t feel bad about taking the bits…”
Luna stood, following Trixie as the mare traveled down dark alleys and side streets until she came to a rickety wagon in a dead end alley. Luna watched as the mare entered the wagon, a light flickering across the threadbare curtains on the windows of the caravan. A moment passed, and the light went out, leaving the alleyway shrouded in darkness. Luna turned, her wings flapping behind her as she headed back to her tower in the palace.
Luna stood in her bed chambers, her mind once again drifting to the blue unicorn she had seen earlier that night. She sighed, glancing out at the moon over Canterlot before smiling slyly. She strode across the room to her bed, tucking her legs underneath her as she laid herself upon her covers.
She closed her eyes, breathing evenly as her horn began glowing a low deep blue that slowly wrapped around her body, until she felt herself floating into the air. She rolled over in the air, backflipping slowly as she stared down at her body, a faint blue light visible beneath her closed eyelids. She gently ran an astral hoof over her mane, smiling as her hoof passed through it like it didn’t exist.
She turned her eyes on the city outside her window, willing herself forward. She soared through her window, smiling as she floated above the cityscape silently. Luna loved the feeling of floating in the aether; the sheer bliss of leaving her physical body behind her was amazing. At times like this, she felt like she could easily let centuries pass her by.
However, tonight Princess Luna had someone to visit. She turned, suddenly appearing outside the caravan belonging to her mystery unicorn. She stepped forward, her head sliding through the door as if it was non existent.
Luna stepped into the room, glancing around the small caravan. The mare’s hat and cape hung from a small hook beside the door, next to a wrecked set of cabinets. One door hung by a single screw, and the other had a small hole clear through the door. Beside the bed lay a few scarce books, one open and dog eared. The floor had what was once a cushy red carpet, but had worn down to the wooden floor below it in many places.
Luna crossed the floor, stepping around a loose floorboard as she stepped to Trixie’s side. She lowered her horn, resting the tip against Trixie’s head, her eyes closed as she entered the mare’s dream.
Luna found herself in Ponyville, in the center of a large group of ponies. Trixie stood beside her, her cape torn and hat missing as the ponies around her taunted her.
“All your fault! All your fault!” They yelled, chanting together as Trixie shrunk away from the crowd, backpedaling in fear from the frenzied ponies. A tomato soared through the air, smacking against her side with a sickening squelch. Luna watched sadly as the mare fell to the ground, scrabbling to her hooves in the dirt.
Trixie bit her lip, forcing back tears as she forced herself to her hooves. She trotted forward, attempting to work her way out the crowd. A deep roar filled the air, drawing a scream from the startled unicorn. She ran, shoving her way past the ponies around her, ignoring their angry yells.
She glanced over her shoulder, eyes wide with her pupils dilated at the sight of a massive Ursa Minor. The beast towered over the tallest buildings in the village, easily crushing a cottage between its claws. It stepped forward, its eyes locked on the terrified mare.
Trixie galloped as fast as she could, her hooves kicking up dirt clouds behind her as she ran. Luna took to the skies as Trixie passed the outer rim of Ponyville, making a beeline for the relative safety of the Everfree forest. The earth shook as she passed into the tree line, trees collapsing all around her. Luna soared closer, watching in amazement as a tree nearly flattened the mare, trapping her in a small clearing. All around her trees fell, leaving a flat plane all around her.
A deep laugh echoed through the air, followed by a distorted voice that the unicorn obviously recognized.
“Well, well, well. If It isn’t The Great and Pathetic Trixie.” The voice taunted, ground shaking with every word.
Trixie shivered as a massive azure hoof came down before her. She slowly lifted her head, following the limb to the sneering face of a giant cloaked Trixie. The giant’s eyes glowed a disturbing red, glinting nastily as it laughed.
“Even now, you are as pathetic as ever. Even the almighty power of the Alicorn amulet could not help you!” The giant screamed, horn flaring a bright red as Trixie was pulled into the air. She squirmed in the creature’s grasp, her own horn flaring a weak blue before sparking out entirely.
“You will never be able to surpass me, and without the amulet, you will never be somepony. Give up Trixie. You are nothing!” The giant roared, horn sparking one last time as it released its hold on Trixie. Trixie screamed, eyes closed tightly as she fell, only to be caught by a very angry Alicorn.
“She is more than you will ever be you decrepit beast. You are nothing more than a mare wrestling with her past, and like every other challenge in life, she will overcome you.” Luna said, her voice low and cold. Her voice penetrated every inch of the dream, easily heard over the giant’s furious yells. “She may need help, but she will have it if she should ever ask for it.” Her horn flared, the light flooding the dream like a million suns.
Luna stood, gazing at the now peacefully sleeping unicorn. She turned around, her body suddenly appearing in her tower halfway across Canterlot. She glanced at the small table beside her bed, smiling as she took notice of the small tea cup, steam curling above it listlessly.
“It seems ‘Tia paid me a visit while I was out.” She stepped forward, her horn merging with the horn of her physical body. She opened her eyes, blinking rapidly before standing. She stretched her limbs out, glancing once more at the teacup beside her bed.
A small scroll lay beside the cup, tied with a simple red ribbon. Luna smiled to herself, levitating the scroll before her. She unfurled the scroll, eyes scanning the friendship report from her sisters student. She snagged the cup in her magical grip, bringing it to her lips as sudden inspiration hit her.
She dropped the tea cup, completely ignoring the shattering of porcelain as she strode to her writing desk. She laid down a fresh scroll, eagerly dipping a quill into a full ink well as she scribbled at the paper like a mad pony. She re-read her letter, eagerly sealing the scroll in fresh blue wax before directing her magic at her fireplace.
A fire popped into existence, a crackling flame of deep reds and bright yellows. She concentrated, recalling spells that had last been cast hundreds of years ago. With a spark, a beam of magic shot into the fire, turning the flames a sickly green. She grinned as she threw the scroll into the fire, watching as it turned into whisp of smoke and vanished up her chimney.
Tomorrow would start a grand new chapter in Luna’s life, and all she had to do was wait.
Luna hated waiting.