//------------------------------// // Chapter 04: Trail Blazer // Story: Falling Stars // by Ar0k //------------------------------// Loose dirt kicked up into the air as a light blue unicorn mare trotted down the streets of early morning Appaloosa. The streets were quiet. If any other pony passed through this particular frontier town that morning, they would have assumed it deserted. Frontier towns such as Appaloosa never really slept, there was always something that needed doing; new fences to fix, new resource issues to address, but now it looked as if everypony had abandoned it to the wild tumbleweeds. In other words Appaloosa had turned into a ghost town. This strangeness did not bother Trixie. There was only one pony she was interested in seeing. The pony called Grey, who dared to challenge her and her mission. If all went well, the duel would not last long and she would be hot on the tail of the Trail Blazer before the royal guests would arrive to claim him. She heard the fluttering of wings above her. It was her companion Philomena flying ahead, probably to see for herself if the grey colt had kept his promise. Sure enough as Trixie entered the town square, she saw the dark grey colt with white mane standing there expectantly. His appearance was only slightly different from the night before. The bandages were still applied around his hooves and he still wore the torn up saddlebags. The only difference was that he wore a dirty train engineers hat along with the x shaped bandage applied above his nose. “Nice bird.” He commented, following Philomena with his gaze. “She yours?” The great and powerful Trixie stopped a safe distance from him, but not too far, in case he decided to run. “That bird is a Phoenix! And she is not mine. She belongs to her royal highness Princess Celestia. She is also my partner!” “Is that so?” Grey replied finally taking his eyes off the bird and turning his attention to the unicorn mare in front of him. “Now do you understand who you’re dealing with? I am on a royal mission to find Trot Steamer. You say you know where he is. If you tell me now, I will spare you the humiliation of losing to me.” Her brows furrowed. “Not to mention a lot of pain...” Grey, examined Trixie with curious eyes. He knew the look of wanting to prove oneself well, and this particular pony was nearly bursting at the seems with the desire to do just that. But there had to be more to it. What could have possibly made this mare so bitter? He mentally shook himself. Now was not the time for such thoughts. He had more pressing concerns on his mind such as; why are the streets deserted? He wondered if yesterday Malt had spread the word of their little encounter and people left to avoid trouble. But that would be impossible, sheriff Silver Star would never allow such a conflict to take place at all, which in all honesty, he was counting on. Now it seemed he had no choice but to continue with the duel. Or he could just tell her about Trot Steamer, but what would he risk if he did? Jail time? An auditing? Trixie watched the wheels turn in his head, gauging how much her intimidation act worked, if at all, but she quickly lost patience. “Well?” She nearly shouted. “A deal is a deal. If you beat me in our duel, I will lead you to him.” Grey didn't even finish his sentence before, Trixie’s horn started to glow, but the grey colt raised his hoof and waved it frantically. “Woah, Woah! Not here. If you’re as great and powerful as you say you are, I don’t want any damage done to this place. Follow me.” Trixie raised an eyebrow and lessened her magic output but she didn’t lower her guard. She nodded up at Philomena. The phoenix understood and flew ahead of the dark grey colt, looking to see if this colt was leading her into any kind of danger. They moved passed the sheriff's office and through an apple orchard. Eventually they came to a clearing. What they found there, caused their mouths to drop. The clearing was lined with rope, and makeshift bleachers had been built. Filling these bleachers, was every resident of Appaloosa. In the center of the ring was a yellow pony dressed in a brown vest and a cowboy hat. “Ladies and Gentlecolts! The main event has arrived! Yeeeeehhaaawww!”” The crowd went wild. Ponies jumped, cheered and waved their hats in the air. Even the little foals were getting into it. The two ponies were dumbstruck. Grey spotted Malt by the edge of the clearing leaning on the ropes. Malt shrugged his shoulders. “Whatcha lookin’ at me for? It's Breyburn’s idea...” Breyburn continued to yell out to the crowd. “Remember ya’ll! This ere entertainments sponsored by Malt’s Salt Bar! Don’t forget to support our local waterin hole ya here!” The crowd cheered again and Grey shot Malt a dangerous look. Malt returned the look with an awkward grin through his mustache. Grey turned to apologize to the light blue mare, but Trixie was nowhere behind him. Trixie had already stepped into the wide ring, leaving her cape hanging over the rope. She looked over her shoulder at him. “Are you going to duel, or run away?” Grey took note of the subtle excitement in her voice. It was well hidden, but it was still there, the look in her eyes was undeniable. Long had Trixie decided to leave her life of show business behind. But she could not deny the effects of the crowd. Her spirits soared when the crowd cheer. Sparks flew from her horn, and the crowd edged her on. Grey sighed and crouched under the ropes. As he walked to the other end of the ring Breyburn walked over to him. “Ya’ll put on a good show now ya hear?” “Breyburn...” Grey replied, his voice low and dangerous. Breyburn only laughed. “Oh come on now... The town’s itchin for some excitement! Ever since mah cousin Applejack and her friends helped us with the buffalo situation, things have been getting a tad bit quiet around here.” Grey said nothing. “By the way do you wanna be called by somethin else? Grey is just so...” Breyburn said placing a hoof on his friends shoulders. "No!" "Awright! No need ta get testy! Sherriff Silver Star’s watchin so I wouldn’t get to scared about that mare tearin ya a new one. “I'm not scared...” Grey muttered under his breath, while trying hard to believe it. Trixie pawed the ground in anticipation. Breyburn shrugged and ducked out of the ring. Grey resigned himself to dueling this unicorn. As he saw the look of fire in Trixie’s eyes, he couldn’t help but feel his own fire growing. Whatever it was that this unicorn was keeping bundled up, it was about to be released in the following moments. It inspired him to take some of his own baggage and bring them to bear. He stomped the ground and pawed it, lowering his head to signal that he was ready. Trixie was a little taken aback by Grey’s sudden display of gusto, but it didn’t bother her much, the advantage still lay with her. She was a unicorn and he was a bellow average sized earth pony stallion. Still, she would not underestimate him. The two duelers stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, before Breyburn yelled at the top of his lungs. "BEGIN!” ***** “Heeeellooooooo? Anypony Hoooooome?” Pinkie Pie was hopping around the train station of deserted Appaloosa, looking everywhere for a single mare, colt, filly or foal. She checked under the train, in the outhouse and even inside some tool crates, but no pony could be found. The rest of her friends had spread out through the town, trying to find any clue as to the whereabouts of the Appaloosa citizens. “I don’t get it. Where did everypony go?” Rainbow Dash exclaimed coming back from flying through the town. Applejack met up with her at the town square. “Ah don’t know. But this can’t be a good sign. Maybe we should check the Apple Orchard?” Applejack replied, suddenly feeling worried about her cousin Breyburn, not to mention the apple tree Bloomberg she loved so much. “That might be a good idea. If we can find any animals. Maybe they can tell us where everpony went.” Said Fluttershy coming out of the sheriff's office, followed closely by Rarity. “Certainly not the best start to our expedition, but I think we should wait and see what the others have found first.” Princess Luna and Twilight were walking the perimeter of the town. Both Gene and Garret flanked the two on either side, their wings outstretched, alert for anything that might happen. “This isn’t good. First those crazy dreams, and now Appaloosa has turned into a ghost town?” “It certainly is strange isn’t it.” Luna said, observing a ball of tumbleweed blow across the desert. She noticed Twilight looking around nervously, and decided to calm her nerves. “We shouldn’t jump to conclusions just yet. Perhaps the citizens are at some sort of event, like an outing?” “You’re right princess. I shouldn’t get all paranoid just because of a few coincidences.” “I thought I ordered you to call me Luna.” The princess declared in a mock tone of command. Twilight couldn’t help but giggle. “Sorry Luna, old habits.” They met up with everyone in the center of town, and just as Twilight and Luna were about to share that they had found nothing at all... *FWAKOOOM!* The ground shook from a massive explosion. A mushroom cloud of dirt and debris formed in the direction of the apple orchard. ***** “HOLY TAP DANCING FILLIES!” Yelled Grey as he emerged from a large newly formed crater. He was covered by so much dirt and debris that it looked like his coat had turned completely brown. Breyburn sat at the edge of the roped clearing with his hat missing and his jaw wide open. Malt came out from behind an apple tree, dusting himself off. “Ahm beginning to think this wasn’t such a good idea.” Grey stumbled a bit as he tried to get his bearings, looking around for any sign of his opponent. The faint glow of a horn alerted him. He squinted and was able to make out a dark silhouette moving through the cloud of dust towards him. Trixie was closing the distance between them slowly, the intent to kill fully apparent on her expression. “Do...you...yield?” She asked. Grey felt his courage falter. His legs shook. What kind of mare was this? It was the first time he met a unicorn with this much power and killer intent. But then he reminded himself that there was a first time for everything…except quitting. Grey steeled himself against the unicorn and stood in defiance. The crowd watching in the bleachers took this time to recover from their shock. They started clapping at first, then cheering at the spectacle before them. “He..Heh...Heh...” Grey laughed as he watched Trixie suppress her enjoyment. “You like that don’t you?” He said mockingly. “You enjoy the attention the crowd is giving you. Admit it.” Trixie stared at him, and replied with the same intensity as before. “Do, you, yield?” Suddenly a brown blur entered her vision. It turned out to be Grey's ruined saddlebags, thrown at her with remarkable speed. She swatted it away with a blast of telekinesis, but just as she did Grey was upon her. Trixie only had time to widen her eyes in surprise as he struck her with the full force of his body. They tumbled and rolled down the crater. As they landed. Grey found himself on top of the unicorn breathing heavily. “ADMIT IT!” He yelled with a fire that burned in his lungs. It was Trixie’s turn to feel fear. She limped up and away from him. Grey let her go. She repositioned herself a few feet in front of him. “No pony can move that fast...” She thought. “There ...must be some sort of trick to his method. There has to be.” She focused on her magic once more. Hundreds of apples rose from their trees and lingered in the skies. Grey looked up and realized what she was planning. Like rain, the fruit fell down with dangerous velocity. Grey bent, rolled, sidestepped, even ran around the slope of the crater. By the time the last apple fell. Grey had managed to dodge all but four apples, each leaving significant bruise marks on his flank and back. Grey managed to catch one of the last falling apples with his engineer hat. Using it as a sling he redirected the projectile back at Trixie. The apple broke on her forehead, casing the unicorn to stumble backwards in pain. Trixie was panting by now. The amount of magic she was using was beginning to take its toll. The crowd cheered again, this time for Grey. In fact they started chanting. But it wasn't Grey's name they were chanting... It started quiet at first but it grew to a loud and pulsating chorus. “Steamer! Steamer! Steamer! Steamer! Steamer!” The words suddenly registered in Trixie’s mind. She had been deceived. Looking up she saw Trot Steamer the Trail Blazer struggling to climb out of the crater. He finally reached the top and stood amidst the cloud of dirt that had yet to completely settle. “YOU!” She yelled angrily. Realizing that the colt she was looking for had been him all along. “Yeah.” Trot Steamer said panting “Me.” “The deal still stands. Want me? COME AND GET ME!” **** Everypony moved as quickly as they could towards the enormous cloud of dust forming over the apple orchard. Twilight gave Rainbow Dash a look. Dash understood and nodded. She zoomed ahead of the group to scout. They had just entered the apple orchard when they spotted Rainbow Dash flying back to them, followed by what looked like a flaming ball with wings. Applejack was in the lead, and stopped by the apple tree named Bloomberg to catch her breath, Everypony else followed suit. Luna and the guards landed behind all of them. Luna perked up her ears and listened intently. She heard the sound of battle mingled with... cheering? When Rainbow Dash returned, Twilight called out to her in between heaves of breathing. “What did you find? What’s going on?” Rainbow Dash stayed in the air as she yelled out what she saw. “There’s some sort of contest going on!” “Oooo a contest! I love contests! Are they bobbing for apples?” Another explosion rocked the orchard and everypony turned their heads to look at her. “What? That game can be so intense sometimes!” Rainbow Dash shook her head. “It’s not that kind of contest Pinkie Pie! It looks serious!” She turned to her side. “But look who I found!” What was originally thought of as a streak of flame manifested itself into a beautiful red bird. Everypony recognized her immediately. “Oh Philomena!” Fluttershy squealed happily. “It’s soooo good to see you!” The bird touched down on her hoof and greeted her with a happy “squawk.” “My sister sent her out to contact our expedition team. If she’s here, that means our team is!” Luna exclaimed walking in front of Fluttershy to greet and possibly have a word with the phoenix. But she wouldn’t get the chance, the phoenix took off into the air again and zoomed around all of them. With a burst of fire she streaked above the tree line and back towards the commotion. “Well we’re not making any progress standing here. Lets go!” Twilight said and ran at full speed. Everypony followed. **** Trot rolled back up to a standing position, just barely dodging Trixie’s latest attack. He looked at her and noticed the signs of fatigue his opponent was showing. He gathered himself, before calling out in a loud voice. “Do YOU yield?” The question caused Trixie to visibly twitch in anger. How dare he... How dare he! She thought to herself shaking sweat from her head and mane. Her third and final thought was expressed loud and directed towards the source of all her frustration. “HOW DARE YOU!” She took a step forward but it was difficult. Trixie knew she was at her limit. The beginning signs of magic strain were setting into her body. She looked at her opponent, staring him down. Trot Steamer stood at the opposite end of the ring, breathing hard but not looking anywhere near the end of his rope as she was. Though her face was defiant, her heart had already sunk. She was going to lose and she knew it. She could feel tears well up in her eyes. But she closed them, and shook them off, stomping the ground in determination. Not this time...No, not this time... She pleaded with herself remembering the night she ran away in shame and tears. A night she had never truly recovered from. The lie of the Great and Powerful Trixie had been revealed. Then it was known for all to see that the great and powerful Trixie wasn’t so great and powerful after all. She tried to fight the wounds from opening again by remembering her vow after the defeat. She would work hard and truly become a great and powerful unicorn, then the lie would become reality, thus wiping away her shame. But today all her studying and training wasn’t enough. Trot Steamer had indeed lived up to the title of Trail Blazer. She was going to lose, and not only let herself down, but the princess as well and in turn all of Equestria.” She could not bear the thought. "Please yield, please yield, please yield." Trot said repeatedly in his mind, not knowing if he could fully dodge another of Trixie’s explosions. He watched as the mare shook her head and realized that she was fighting another enemy this time. Herself. He frowned, but didn’t want to insult her pride by feeling sorry for her. A sudden cry erupted from the crowd. It was a young brown foal wearing an overly large cowboy hat. “Not yet Trixie! You can do it!” His father next to him pounded his hoof on the makeshift railing. “Come on now girl! You ain’t beat yet!” Several more members in the crowd cheered and waved their hats in the air. Trixie opened up her eyes in disbelief. Feeling the joy she once shunned fill her up again. Trot was taken aback by the crowd’s cheering. He looked down at Trixie and was surprised to see her smiling. He thought he saw a single tear run down her cheek. He smiled as well. Maybe this fight was needed. Maybe she needed an opportunity to rediscover what she loved? “Show business.” He grinned. “Looks like they love you Trixie!” He called out grinning widely. “Sh...Shut up!” was her response. He noticed something warm in her voice, confirming his suspicion. It was time to tear down the wall. “Well lets give em a show and end it already!” He yelled preparing to advance, but jumped away as he felt an odd sensation. He could feel rope snaking around him. He dove away just in time to prevent being tied up, and was shocked at what he saw. The rope that once surrounded the clearing had all come to bear upon him. He rolled, dove and ducked, urging all of his muscles to work overtime and prevent himself from being caught up in her trap. “You sly mare.” He yelled, feeling irritated about letting his guard down. “Come on.” Trixie said loudly to herself straining the glowing light around her horn. “Just a little more.” She could feel herself slipping. The ropes managed to coil themselves around one of Trot’s hooves. He shook it off but another rope took its place. He knew that if he kept this up defeat would be inevitable. There was only one option left for him. The effects of magic strain was beginning to affect her hearing. The world around her grew silent. Her vision was the next thing to fail. It only started to fade when she saw Trot galloping to her at full speed. Her magic rope wrapping around him, trying to restrict his movements. Trixie saw him a mere inches away before her vision went dark. Finally she felt something hit her. The two duelers tumbled onto the ground and slid into one of the many craters that now littered the clearing. **** “Woah...” Twilight and her friends stood in awe, at the devastation before them. There were craters everywhere. Smashed apples littered the scene. “See!” Pinkie Pie declared, pointing at all the smashed apples. “I told you bobbing for apples could be intense!” But everyone ignored her. What caught their intention instead was at the far end of the devastation, a grey blur had just knocked another light blue pony over and into a crater, followed by a swarm of sparkling rope. The crowd was silent, peering into the crater watching who would emerge. “This ain’t a contest.” Applejack said realizing what was going on. “This is a duel!” Twilight turned to her eyes wide. “But dueling is illegal in Equestria! Some pony could get seriously hurt!” Applejack shook her head. “Maybe in the main lands of Canterlot and Ponyville people would care...but out here...mah cousin says they happen often. Kinda like a sport.” “How barbaric!” Rarity put a hoof to her mouth, aghast. Applejack snorted. Rarity noticed movement around the crater. “Hey Twilight? Isn’t that?” Twilight and the rest of her friends each drew a deep breath. “IT IS!” She yelled. “That’s Trixie!” The crowd murmured. Emerging from the crater was a blue horn followed by hooves and then a head of mane. The poor pony seemed to have trouble climbing out, many in the crowd were worried. The pony fell limply over the side. She was unconscious. Pushing her out of the crater was Trot. He used his head to push her out with all of his might, digging his front hooves into the dirt to gain traction. He would use his back hooves to help but they were tied together tightly by rounds of rope, a lot of which still lay at the bottom of the crater. With one last effort, He was able to get her all the way out. With a little more effort, he got himself out as well and collapsed next to her breathing heavily. “Nice try miss great and powerful... Nice try...” He did it. He beat a unicorn as powerful as the mare next to him. Just one more adventure underneath his Trail Blazer belt. He felt accomplished and extremely relieved, who knew what that mare had in store for him had he lost. He heard the approach of several hooves. Looking up he saw two powerfully built Royal Guard Pegusi standing over him. “Well....Buck...Me...”