The wagon finally arrived at the peaceful port of Canterbury, the town was abuzz with all manner of traders conducting their business. Windshear, Octavia, and Trixie gazed about in wonder at all the activity, sure big cities were busy, but the population of Canterbury seemed condensed into one small area around the harbor where cargo was being loaded and unloaded at a frantic pace, captains of various ships could be heard haggling prices at the top of their lungs, the activity went about at a dizzying pace for Octavia who was accustomed to high society's much slower pace.
"So who are we looking for Windshear?" inquired Trixie.
"We're looking for a trade ship named the Dawnstrider, Princess Luna told me we'd find it, and something useful at pier thirty nine." came his response.
Trixie nodded and looked around for any sign to point the way, she noted the dock numbers and proceeded up to the specified dock, there Trixie and Octavia looked up in horror at what could only be described as a shipwreck waiting to happen.
"You can't be serious?" moaned Octavia. Trixie nodeed along with her in agreement.
Windshear burried his face in his hoof. "What did you expect? A ride in the royal airship all the way to the Abada's front door? We need to avoid unwanted attention."
"Yes, I understand that Windy, but, shouldn't we at least be trying to arrive safely?" inquired Octavia.
Windshear began to reply, "I'm sure the Guard wouldn't book us passage with an incompo..."
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHOY EVERYPONY!" came a loud obnoxious voice from the bow of the ship.
"Or maybe they would." finished Windshear.
Windshear peered up at the sailor yelling down to them, to describe him as thoroughly unkempt, would be an understatement. He had a large jug in his hoof from which he took generous sips before holding it up to his eye and peering into it before throwing it into the sea.
"The rum is gone! But all hope is not yet lost! We shall resupply the ship! Even if it kills us all! WE SHALL RESUPPLY! All hands on deck! Get our passenger's luggage aboard go fetch supplies! We need food, shade, RUM! You three best go find something fun. It'll be hours before we're ready to depart!"
"Umm, how do you resupply a ship with shade?" inquired Octavia while eyeing the ship nervously.
"Best not to ask I think." came Trixie's response.
The three wandered down the street leaving their wagon behind in the hooves of the crew of the Dawnstrider as they sought out entertainment. The group came upon a port side tavern called 'The Washed up Pony' and proceeded inside, Trixie and Octavia gave Windshear their drink orders before going to get a table.
Octavia and Trixie glared at each other in silence for a long moment before Octavia spoke up. "What?" she inquired.
"You have something on your face dear."
Octavia tried to discreetly rub around her face with her hoof trying to get it off. "What is it?" she inquired.
"Your face." Trixie laughed hysterically.
"What made you into such a cruel being Trixie?"
Trixie pondered the question for a moment, she was looking for a witty insult but her memories quickly overpowered her. A tear gathered in the corner of her eye as her thoughts descended into her deepest and most painful memories. Octavia noted the look on her face and held silent while Trixie thought deeply.
Trixie pondered the question, trying to figure out where it all began. "How does one become a megalomaniac?" Trixie wondered to herself. "Do we all want power for power's sake? I didn't always want that... I just wanted to protect my only friend." Trixie said to herself inside her mind, while bringing a hoof to rest on her bag.
Fifteen years earlier...
Trixie was struggling to learn her first ever magical spell ,every attempt she was making would fizzle out leaving her frustrated. Trixie looked all around at her classmates who were jumping for joy as they had mastered their first spells. She tried, and tried, and tried, her teacher tried to calm her frustrations and help her overcome her difficulty, but she just couldn't do it.
With a sigh and some words of comfort from her teacher, Trixie fell down in a fetal position, cuddling her teddy bear which went everywhere with her. Her best friend in the world, her only friend in the world. She thought back to the day she'd first found him, she didn't understand why she had been brought there or what was going on, she was just a very small filly, she was shaking in fear at the sight of everything and everypony around her. She was taken to a room full of other little fillies and placed down on one of the many bed, the older ponies who brought her there spoke to her, but, though she tried hard, she couldn't hear what they said to her, her memories of that time don't include sound, only flashing images.
After a long while, Trixie got up the courage to explore her surroundings, though, she only managed to have a look at what was immediately around her bed, she decided to have a look under it, and there he was, covered in dust was a white fluffy teddy bear with black buttons for eyes, he even had a little black bow tie around his neck, though it was on its last thread. She wondered how long he'd been under that bed, she even spoke to it, asking him softly how long he'd been hiding there, after a few moment she spoke again reassuring him that it was safe before she reached out to pick him up, she cradled him in her arms, dusting him off gently. She smiled thinking about the white color he was under all that dust, he matched her mane perfectly.
"It's going to be ok, we'll get through this together." she said to him.
Trixie was snapped out of her daydream by the sounds of her class mates heading outside to play. She sighed and got up, figuring she may as well go outside and try to clear her head. She went to her usual spot under a tree in the field outside the orphanage, nopony ever bothered her there, they were always too busy playing on the swings, or whatever other playground contraptions were free. She took in a deep breath of the fresh afternoon air and curled up with her teddy. She started talking to him like she always does, though he couldn't answer, he didn't need to, just talking to him made her feel better, whatever was on her mind, she'd tell him, he was, after all, very good at keeping secrets.
She stubbornly refused to go anywhere or do anything without her teddy bear, he took baths with her, had breakfast, lunch and dinner with her, slept with her, attended classes, even went out on field trips. Trixie once tried to repair Mr. Fluffy's bow tie a few days after they'd first met, but she failed miserably, destroying it utterly, this made her resolve to learn how to make a new one, as a result Mr. Fluffy has a wardrobe for all occasions, and though Trixie didn't have even a single article of clothing, she figured she didn't really need any, the only thing she ever wore was a bag she made to keep Mr. Fluffy in so he'd be safe, the bag even contained all his cloths and accessories.
After a long while content in her day dreams and casual conversation with Mr. Fluffy, Trixie was surrounded by her class mates, this had never happened before, everypony usually ignored her, they started laughing at her, and she didn't understand why, she couldn't make out what they were saying to her as all the voices had blended together into an awful noise which was now hurting her ears, she kept herself curled up with Mr. Fluffy, cradling him tightly as she shivered in fear.
"Haha, Trixie can't do magic! She's not a unicorn!"
"If she's not a Unicorn, she doesn't need her horn!"
The bullies all around her tried using their newly learned levitation magic to pull off Trixie's horn, she cried out in agony, blood was dripping out from the base, but it wouldn't come off.
"Get her teddy! She doesn't need it either!"
Trixie cried out in horror, trying to protect her stuffed toy, as the children came in to try and grab it with their mouths, she quickly managed to stuff him under her, keeping the toy between her belly and the ground where they couldn't reach him. The children tried pushing her away but she held on too tightly.
Trixie felt fear more intensely in that moment than she had ever felt it in her life, her instincts overpowered her reason, taking her into survival mode, her focus became clear. She resolved to protect Mr. Fluffy! Images of what they would do to him flooded into her mind, it caused her tears to flow freely down her face. Her horn began to glow intensely before a bubble of magic exploded from all around her, knocking away all the children who had surrounded her, leaving them on their backs crying out in pain.
Trixie rose to her hooves, she kept her little toy clutched tightly under her hoof against her heart. Her eyes and horn were seething with raw magical fury, the blood dripping from the base of her horn down around her face enhanced her now horrific visage! As her glare fell upon each individual, they couldn't help but cower in fear at the sight of the monster they had just created. With her voice raised to the highest level she could muster, Trixie addressed the band of cowering bullies.
" If anypony ever even thinks about laying a hoof on Mr. Fluffy, I'll make you all suffer for it! Nopony will ever try to hurt him! NOPONY!"
The bullies rushed off, leaving behind pools of foul smelling yellow liquid where they once lay. Trixie remained in her place, cuddling her Teddy tightly to herself as her fury began to subside, being replaced with a new emotion, one she'd never experienced in all her life, the thrill of victory and a surge of pride in power she never knew she had in her.
Trixie clutched onto her bag tightly, Octavia pondered this action carefully, trying to find some clue, any clue to what was happening inside Trixie's mind at that moment. Octavia's eyes caught a glimpse of something under the flap of Trixie's bag, it was a stuffed animal, a little ball of white fluff with black buttons for eyes, Trixie's eyes met Octavia's as she quickly pushed her bag back under her cloak.
"Don't ask, It's none of your business." was all Trixie could say.
Octavia was all the more confused, but she decided against pressing the matter any further, the awkward silence was then broken by Windshear who finally came back with drinks for everypony. At the back of the Tavern there was a small stage, a black stallion wearing black cloths and carrying a black guitar came up to the microphone, behind him were his two band mates.
"Hey Octavia, you wanted to learn about different music, get ready to take notes." said Windshear with a cheerful smile.
Octavia turned her attention to the musicians as the lead stallion introduced himself.
"Hello, I'm Pony Cash." which drew a round of very loud cheering and applause before the music started to play.
I hear the train a comin'
It's rolling round the bend
And I ain't seen the sunshine since I don't know when,
I'm stuck in Foalsom prison, and time keeps draggin' on
The three sat and listened as the band played on before a stranger stepped up to their table.
"Look at this. I haven't seen you in a long time Windshear." he spoke condescendingly.
But that train keeps a rollin' on down to Appleoosa..
"I don't think we've ever met." replied Windshear coldly from behind his mug.
The stranger pounded Windshear's mug with his hoof knocking it straight into Windshear's face getting stuck on his muzzle. Windshear pulled it off and threw it to the ground as he got up.
When I was just a baby, my mama told me. Son,
Always be a good boy, don't ever play with guns.
"What is your problem?" he demanded.
"We met at my brother's funeral! You got him killed!" came the sharp response, along with a hoof to Windshear's face knocking him to the ground.
But I shot a bull in Reno just to watch him die
Trixie was about to cast a spell on the aggressive colt when Octavia got up and blocked her shot, she started trying to reason with the colt. Meanwhile, the tavern was still too busy with Mr. Pony Cash to care what was going on. The colt shoved Octavia aside, sending her crashing into the table, Windshear didn't need any more provocation, but that was the last mistake that colt would ever make as far as he was concerned!
When I hear that whistle blowing, I hang my head and cry..
Windshear kicked himself up and charged the colt, body slamming him into a crowd of people who quickly stepped aside letting them crash into a table, mugs along with the contents spilled out onto the combatants as they wrestled around. Trixie positioned herself in line of sight to the two combatants, but try as she might, she couldn't find a clean shot at the attacking colt as the crowd kept moving around to get a better view.
I bet there's rich ponies eating from a fancy dining car
They're probably drinkin' coffee and smoking big cigars.
Windshear and the colt got up to their hooves and began slamming and kicking at each other the two eventually met with the wall and crashed through it, kicking and slamming into each other in a mess of mud, blood, and beer.
Well I know I had it coming, I know I can't be free
But those people keep a movin'
And that's what tortures me...
Windshear and the colt continued to battle it out, the music still played on rather loudly. Kicking each other with whichever hoof they could get a shot with. After a short time, police ponies came to break them up, they couldn't stop attacking each other, breaking free of the officer's grasps to keep attacking each other.
Well if they freed me from this prison,
If that railroad train was mine
I bet I'd move it on a little farther down the line
Far from Foalsom prison, that's where I want to stay
And I'd let that lonesome whistle blow my blues away.....
The two were eventually locked up in separate police wagons and taken away, leaving Trixie and Octavia looking on in disbelief. Behind them, the crowds were cheering for Mr. Pony Cash, the two looked to them, and then to one-another and shrugged, wondering how all that could happen, and nopony even cared.