//------------------------------// // How Did Trixie Even... // Story: How Trixie (Somehow) Saved Hearth's Warming // by Godzillawolf //------------------------------// How Trixie (Somehow) Saved Hearth's Warming Chapter 1 By Godzillawolf [=The Fires of Friendship- MLP:FIM Hearth's Warming Eve=] The wind blew loudly and the snow poured down. It was Hearth's Warming Eve and most ponies were either enjoying time with family or simply preparing for Santa Hoove's visit later. Well, those who were certain they had something besides coal waiting for them from that jolly old reindeer. As for the Great and Powerful Trixie, she sat in her new cart, nestled warmly in a blanket. Truthfully at the start of this year, Trixie had wondered if she'd spend the holiday warm with a roof over her head at all after her previous home was left in ruins by the Ursa Minor. Let alone that she'd have gifts from anypony. The blanket had been a gift sent by Twilight Sparkle and had came with a letter telling her to open it and not wait for Hearth's Warming. Five others gifts under a small Hearth's Warming tree. Pinkie's had come with a letter wishing Trixie was in Ponyville with them...and also some strange comment about wondering 'if this story will be in a stopmotion.' Rarity's card had came with a rather expensive jewel and the words 'do not dare consider this a hoof out, darling. I know how you are. This is a gift, spend it on whatever you please and enjoy the holiday'. Rainbow Dash's had primarily been 'Merry Hearth's Warming' and recounting that 'totally awesome' time Trixie became Queen of the Diamond Dogs and the two got her out of that mess. Fluttershy's was about how 'no pony should feel alone at Hearth's Warming' and Trixie shouldn't either. Applejack's had been wondering if Trixie was all alone and saying she shouldn't be, and also that Babs Seed wished her a Merry Hearth's Warming as well. Trixie...honestly had no idea how she felt about all of this. Hearth's Warming Eve for her normally wasn't a big deal for her unless she'd been hired for a show during that time. She'd never had friends, or family, to celebrate it with. In fact, she normally just stayed inside her cart and read fan mail. Except that one year she got visited by the Ghosts of Hearth's Warming, but that was an odd year. The idea of actually having presents under the tree that weren't either something she'd bought for herself or coal from Santa Hooves (Trixie would now admit it: she was indeed quite naughty), or receiving any cards that were accompanied by genuine friendship and love. It was an...alien feeling. Not entirely unpleasant, mind you, just...strange. Warm, inviting, but...strange...” “Once upon a time I was ignored Even if I thought myself adored...” Trixie sung, her song slow and thoughtful as her eyes wondered the room. “On this very special time of year Alone without knowing was this mare. For all those years, something was missing I wonder now, was it this feeling?” Trixie got up and looked at her various letters from her friends. “For so very long, I did believe All that mattered was what you achieved. Whether it was truth or just a lie. But looking back I think I see why I always felt bitter in the end ...Is it because I never had friends?” Trixie asked aloud, looking at the blanket around her thoughtfully. “I could have ruled wherever I went But it would not have made me content. Fame and admiration I knew well But no matter how great it did swell I just could not be truly happy And yes, I know this song is sappy” Trixie continued, giving a blink and a chuckle to herself as she realized how thankful she was nopony was hearing her sing. That would be incredibly incredibly embarrassing. “But now that kindness ponies show me I think I'm happy as I can be... But yet, I'm confused I do admit,” Trixie looked uncertain as she took one of the letters in her telekinesis and read over it. Confused. “I ask myself how to return it? I don't know with what I am dealing When it comes down to this strange feeling... Oh great, I have my brain reeling Just to make sense of this strange feeling...” Trixie finished setting down the letter and giving a sad sigh. “...I suppose if everything were easy, we'd all be Alicorns by now...” Trixie's eyes wondered from the letter looked to a map nearby. Specifically one little town in Canterlot's shadow. "Should Trixie…" she thought, entertaining the idea of paying a visit to Ponyville, it wasn't like she was uninvited. "No...Trixie enjoys spending Hearth's Warming Eve by herself. Solitude is how she celebrates!" Trixie trotted over to her 'kitchen' and beginning to prepare some hot coco. "All she needs to enjoy the holiday is some hot coco and warmth...even if she appreciates the gifts...and the well wishes...and actually having friends who hope she's enjoying it…" Trixie looked down. "...Besides, Trixie doesn't know where she'd begin…she's not used to being...kind..." The azure unicorn got out some marshmallows. "So she'll just enjoy a nice quiet, uneventful Hearth's Warming Eve by herself. What could possibly go wrong?" Trixie jumped about a foot in the air when a loud impact rattled her cart. "...When will Trixie learn it is unwise to tempt fate?" The showmare poked her head out of the window. "Who dares hit the Great and Powerful Trixie's cart! If it is you again, Bon Bon, Trixie will-" Trixie blinked, looking around to find no pony. Just snow gently falling to the already white ground. She cautiously stepped out of her cart. "Hello? Is anypony out here?" She remained on guard. She didn't want to get ambushed and foalnapped by a fanatical fans...again. That was unpleasant. The mare circled the cart that served as her home until finally her hoof caught on something and she went muzzle first into a snowbank. "What the Tartarus did Trixie...trip...over…?" Trixie's eyes went wide. Her hooves had been tripped not by a rock or a stone...but by a living being. Namely the antlers of a reindeer, one with bells around her neck and what looked like a sleigh harness on. Said reindeer was currently unconscious in the snow, her hind legs frozen solid. Trixie jumped as she swore she heard the wind literally howl and the snow fall pick up rapidly. Trixie's first instinct was to flee to the relative safety of her cart...but she stopped mid-gallop and looked back at the reindeer as snow continued to accumulate around her. Trixie gave an annoyed sigh. "Trixie had to grow a conscience, didn't she?" The showmare used her telekinesis to pick up the reindeer and hightailed it into her cart, locking the door and all the windows. Icy blue eyes gazed down from the sky, scouring the area below and finding no signs its quarry. “Rotten little doe should be glad I don't have time for her...” the entity muttered in a voice like a wind through a graveyard. “...Still, with frozen legs in this weather, I doubt she'll last very long...But just in case, I should probably prepare a few little surprises...” The presence vanished into the snow and night. Trixie had covered her 'house guest' in an older blanket after using a few spells to melt the ice encasing her back legs. The showmare may have grown a sense of compassion thanks to the efforts of her friends, but Twilight's blanket was still a gift. And it was also Trixie's best blanket. Still, giving anything to a helpless creature she found laying around helpless in the snow was something the old Trixie would decidedly not have done...unless it benefited her in some faction. The azure mare got another cup of coco for herself (the old cup had gotten cold while she'd been helping the reindeer) and set down with a sigh. “Trixie just wanted a quiet Hearth's Warming alone...” she muttered. “Well...it could be worse, some world ending calamity could be happening...” “Ugh...” Trixie perked up, as the reindeer blinked awake and looked about in panic. “Where am...” “You somehow crashed into the Great and Powerful Trixie's cart, but she heroically rescued you,” Trixie replied with a somewhat smug look. “Your hind legs were also frozen, Trixie has no idea how that happened...” The deer blinked in some confusion, looking down at her now thawed hind legs. “...Oh...thanks...I would've been done for.” “Yes, yes you would've been. The storm is getting bad. And Trixie is just a heroic pony who enjoys saving ponies so much,” Trixie 'explained' in her most 'humble' fashion. The reindeer raised an eyebrow. “Uh...I'm a Reindeer.” “Oh, sorry.” “How many creatures have you saved exactly?” “Trixie kept an Ursa Minor occupied during a rampage once! And she also assisted in the apprehending of the master jewel thief Rough Diamonds!” Trixie announced with pride. “...Really?” Trixie grabbed a newspaper clipping off the wall in her magic and showed it to her. It read 'Stage Magician and Bearers of Harmony assist in capture of notorious thief Rough Diamonds.' Stage magician was circled in red with 'That's me!' written above it. “Oh...That's impressive...” “Yes, it most certainly is!” Trixie replied, giving a proud smile and pose. “...Also, you hit Trixie's cart. Trixie hopes it's not damaged.” Vixen rubbed the back of her head. “Yeah, sorry about that...” “There was no damage, Trixie is simply protective of her cart...she has reasons.” “Gotcha...Well, glad you saved my flank. Name's Vixen.” The showmare gave a blink of confusion. 'Vixen?...No, it can't be. Why would she...' Both creatures jumped as the wind howled outside again. “What were those Pegasi thinking with this storm? Trixie likes a white Hearth's Warming as much as anypony, but this seems a tad excessive! No wonder you ended up half frozen!” Vixen's eyes widened. “Oh no! I forgot!” “Forgot what?” Trixie asked, lifting her coco in her telekinesis. “Oh no this isn't good!” the deer trotted back and forth in a panic. “Uh...oh! You said you've got experience with heroics?!” Trixie put a bragging leg to her chest. “Yes, Trixie has a lot of experience with heroism. She is Trixie after all.” She took a sip of her coco. “Good! Because Hearth's Warming Eve is in trouble and I need your help!” And said sip of hot coco was promptly spat on the wall of her cart. Trixie then spent a few minutes catching her breath. “Come again?” “I'm Vixen, you know one of the reindeer that pulls Santa Hoove's sleigh? But that's besides the point!! Hearth's Warming Eve is in trouble and I need help to save it!” Trixie stared in blank shock for a few seconds. “...If you're one of his reindeer, what did Trixie want for Hearth's Warming when she was twelve and why did she not get it?” Vixen raised an eyebrow. “Uh...I said I pull his sleigh, Santa does the list stuff.” “Oh...” “Now come on! Hearth Warming's Eve is at stake! Will you help me or not?!” The mare chose to play along. “Well, Trixie has always wanted to save Hearth's Warming...Though she assumed it'd involve fighting vampires...But what wou-” “Good! Thank you! Come on! Time's a wasting!” “Wait, wha-” [=”Dancing On Air” Rescue At Midnight Castle=] Vixen promptly got Trixie on her back, opened a window and took off. Trixie looked down and noticed they were rapidly gaining altitude. Her reaction was the natural one somepony would have to this particular situation. “AHHHHH! We're flying! You're flying! We're in the air! You don't have wings!” “Uh, yeah, I'm Vixen, one of Santa's reindeer remember?” the reindeer asked, looking back and raising an eyebrow. “Trixie thought you were joking or something!” Trixie yelled, hugging Vixen's neck out of fear of falling off. “I thought you were a hero or something!” “Heroes can be afraid of falling to their doom! Trixie believes that is a perfectly reasonable thing for heroes to be afraid of!” “...Good point.” Trixie was tempted to demand to be taken back. After all, saving the world was Twilight's thing, not hers. Whenever she tried to be the hero it...rarely turned out well...but of course, she'd spoke herself up so much, she had flashbacks to the Ursa Incident just imagining it. Trixie was many things, but above all she had her pride. And said pride had an aversion to being bruised...and what if she actually did it? If she actually did save Hearth's Warming?...Trixie had to admit, the thought of it made a part of her giddy. That and her mind was still trying to comprehend the whole 'I've been foalnapped by one of Santa Hooves' reindeer because she needs help to save Hearth's Warming and I'm now several hundred hooves in the air on the back of a flying magical reindeer' thing. That was not something that happened to her everyday. That said, she did have one question clear in her mind. “...Will we actually be saving Hearth's Warming from vampires?” “...Not vampires...” Trixie inwardly gave a sigh of relief. 'Good, it will probably just be restoring somepony's faith in the holidays, nothing more. Maybe having to stop some sort of evil toy company. Trixie can handle that. She's Trixie, of course she can handle it! What could possibly go wrong?' “AHH! Things are going wrong! Very wrong!” Trixie screamed as Vixen struggled against a massive, blizzard-like wind fighting against her. It stung their eyes and made Trixie shiver despite her natural fur coat. “Yeah, should have guessed it wouldn't be that easy!” Vixen yelled. “Leidr must be making the storm worse to keep me from getting back!” “Leidr?!” Trixie asked, blinking as she put a hoof over her eyes to shield them from the wind. “He's the one trying to ruin Hearth's Warming and the reason I crashed into your cart!” the Reindeer replied. “He's kicked up such a blizzard the North Pole is buried! If we don't stop him there's no way Santa's sleigh won't be able to launch period! So he sent me to find somecreature who can help stop him!” Trixie gulped. “Trixie sees...” Trixie tried to imagine the least horrifying thing she could, which ended up being a rogue pegasi manipulating the weather. 'Trixie can still handle that. No problem. No reason to panic.' She knew she probably should have asked for more information, but she honestly didn't want to know what she'd gotten herself into. Not because she was scared or anything. Why would the Great and Powerful Trixie be scared of anything? The azure mare used a spell to quickly get her hat and cape on and pulled two scarves out of her hat. She put one on and put the other on Vixen. After all, if Vixen got too cold to fly, Trixie would get hurt too. “Here you go.” “Thanks,” Vixen looked forwards. “Once we get in walking distance we'll have to land and get going on hoof, I can't keep flying to long in this.” Trixie nodded. “And just where are we heading?” “The frozen north.” “Oh, is that all? That's not-WAIT, WHAT?!” The entity that had been searching for Vixen, Leidr, hovered at the edge of a forest, north of the area any who sought to reach his lair on hoof would have to traverse. Leidr moved through the air like a ghost, placing himself behind a clearing where a large white wolf was sleeping. The mysterious entity gave a haunting, fearsome howl, sending the creature running in panic towards the path. After the wind got too intense, Vixen had landed gracefully. “AHHHHHHH!” “Hold on tight! This will be a bumpy landing!” “OOF!” Trixie poked her head out the snow bank the two were in and glared at Vixen, who simply smiled nervously. The two then continued traveling onward by hoof. Trixie could hear the wind roaring in her ears and was grateful she'd learned that scarf prestidigitation spell for her acts. She'd admittedly learned it because at the time she'd thought the word 'prestidigitation' sounded cool. She'd been a foal at the time. Vixen blinked, looking back at Trixie as the two marched forwards through the snow and the wind. “Wow, most ponies who aren't used to this would be having a lot of trouble...” Trixie panted a little but put a hoof to her chest proudly. “Trixie has spent all her life traveling Equestria. She even pulled her own cart all over the land in any kind of weather!” Vixen looked impressed. “Must have been hard, especially in the winter.” “Tell me about it! Trixie likely gets more hoof work in a year than most unicorns get in a life time!” Trixie was admittedly proud of her physical ability. When you had show magic as your special talent, being underestimated was common. Having something that made you stand out was something Trixie always strove for. Perhaps that was why she hadn't already demanded to go home and tell Vixen to go find Twilight like her mind was screaming at her to. Which brought a thought to her mind. “Vixen...may Trixie ask you something? Why Trixie? Trixie gets the feeling you weren't looking for her specifically?” Vixen looked taken off guard by the question. “Oh...well, Santa sent me to go get help, you helped me, and seemed to have what it took, so you felt like the right choice to me.” “...So you took the first pony that showed you any indication they were heroic in the slightest, and whisked them off on a big adventure?” “Yeah, it worked for Firefly!” “Firefly...General Firefly?” “Yeah, her! Or her ancestor...” “...You knew her?! That was centuries ago!” Vixen gave chuckle. “Yeah, I'm a lot older than I look. Comes with the territory when you work for Santa Hooves!” “...Trixie is now officially jealous of you...” The azure mare then jumped as a howl ripped through the air. “What was that?!” Her companion's eyes went wide. “Amarok!” Trixie blinked. “What's an Ama-” Vixen tackled Trixie out of the way of a large stampeding white wolf that had just tried to pounce at her. “Oh, that's an Amarok,” Trixie said...then her mind caught up with her body. “...It's trying to kill us, isn't it?” “Probably, it is my species' natural predator...” the reindeer admitted, Trixie noting fear in her voice as she spoke about it. Meanwhile, Trixie was mentally asking herself 'what the Tartarus have I gotten myself into?!' “Can't Trixie just get on your back and we fly away?!” Trixie asked, the two having to evade. “No!” Vixen replied, leapfrogging the Amarok. “The storm's too strong!” Trixie was tempted to scream her head off in blind terror...but the showpony remembered that she was with somecreature that actually had respect and admiration towards her (or at least that's how Trixie perceived it). Trixie's pride fought her fear and managed to just barely win out. 'Okay, Trixie, it's not an Ursa. You can probably handle this. It's just a big dog after all,' Trixie thought. 'This should be simple.' Trixie charged up her horn and fired a basic beam spell at the creature. “Ha! Take that foul beast! You dare assault the Great and Powerful Trixie and her companion!” Trixie instantly realized she'd only succeeded in singeing it's fur and making it mad as it stared at her in rage. “Uh oh...” Trixie leapt out of the way of it's charge and bite. Vixen flew across the ground (low enough to avoid the wind) and kicked it in the face, but didn't do much more than make it angrier and force her to dodge a snap of its jaws. Trixie yelped as the creature leapt at her, causing her to fire a beam right into it's face and temporarily blind it, allowing her to dodge. The azure mare kept firing beams at it, but it barely annoyed it at all. Vixen kept doing run by kicks at it, with similar results. Trixie finally took a hit and was knocked a good distance, Vixen following suit. Both had just barely avoided the pointy bits and merely took the blunt force impact of it's foreleg or head. 'Alright, so it's isn't easy to damage and hits hard...come on Trixie, you're smarter than this! Do you have a bigger gun?!...AH!' “To your knowledge, do Amarok's like lightning?” Trixie asked the shaken Reindeer. “Huh? No! Why?!” “Behold the might of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie announced, focusing and forming a small lightning cloud overhead and bringing a lightning bolt down on the wolf creature's head with a loud clap of thunder. Vixen's eyes went wide. “You can use weather magic?! I thought only Pegasi could do that!” Trixie gave a proud smirk. “One of Trixie's personal favorites!” While the Amarok didn't seem to get more than a mild burn, it had another effect. It yelped loudly and rolled on the ground, trying to cover it's ears like it was in agony. Vixen gave a loud gasp. “I get it! It's a wolf so the thunder hurt its ears! That's brilliant!” Trixie blinked in confusion. “Yes...Trixie knew that!...And that means...” Trixie gave a smug grin. The azure mare brought down several lightning bolts around the beast, the loud cracks of thunder making it yelp wildly and force it's ears shut with its paws until it finally ran for the hills with it's tail between it's legs. “That's it! Flee from the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie announced, rearing up on her hind legs and letting her cape billow dramatically in the wind. Vixen watched in amazement. “You did it! That was amazing! I knew my gut was right about you!” Trixie just stared blankly for a moment. She waited for the creature to come charging back, teeth bared to ruin her moment in the spotlight. For something to go wrong and snatch the glory from her as things seemed to often go when she tried to be the hero without Twilight and her friends around. But nothing happened. The snow just continued to fall. “...Yes...Trixie did...” The showmare gave a proud smile. “Was there ever any doubt?” “This is great! With a hero like you, stopping Leidr will be a breeze!” Vixen shouted with glee. Trixie couldn't help but feel Vixen sounded like she'd just had a massive weight taken off of her shoulders. Or maybe that was just Trixie's freshly inflated ego talking. Hard to tell. Truthfully...Trixie couldn't believe it. She'd tried to be the hero on her own...and actually succeeded?! It was a completely alien feeling. She felt...overwhelmed. Like she'd just broken a law of physics or something. “Certainly! Let us continue on to victory!” Trixie announced, pointing in a random direction. “Uh...Leidr's lair is that way,” the reindeer replied, pointing in another direction. “...Okay, then, that way to victory!”