//------------------------------//
// Applebat Season 
// Story: Misadventures of Trixie 
// by Tau22 
//------------------------------//

The gigs at Tall Tale always lasted well into the night. They also paid good bits, so she could hardly complain. With a cheerful tune and a bag full of money, she headed to the city's outskirts to find a place to spend the night. It took a while to finally find a nice, secluded spot, but she did not mind. The moon, her fateful friend, illuminated the path ahead.

But as soon as she wanted to take out her supplies and settle down for the night, a distant tune reached her ears. Two melodic voices, all-too-familiar, sang in perfect, practiced unison:
"We're Appleeeees forever, Apples together! We're family but so much mooooooore!"

She couldn't help but bob her head to the tune as she walked in its direction. In but a few moments, the singers were within sight, different in size if not in singing prowess. Upon spotting the showpony, the little filly's walk turned into a dash. The large cart she was towing did not seem to hinder her in the slightest as she flung herself into a hug, her red mane almost breaking free of a pink bow, its eternal prison. Two golden eyes, not too dissimilar from her coat, gazed up at the entertainer as she shouted:
"Trixie!"
Trixie giggled, before returning the embrace:
"It's good to see you too, Apple Bloom."
"And what about me?"

The other mare stared at them with a smile. Orange coat coupled with a blond, braided mane. Stylish, western-style hat, obviously her favourite judging by the signs of age. She wasn't just anypony, of course. Obviously athletic, the farmpony was gorgeous in her own way. Trixie smiled her way, as well:
"Sorry, Applejack, but you can't beat this cute little face."
Apple Bloom stuck her tongue out as her sister chuckled:
"Is that so? Well, shucks, can't really disagree. What brings ya' to these parts?"
"I had a little performance in Tall Tale. What about you two?"
The little filly hopped excitedly:
"We're making a delivery! A big one!"
"And it conveniently lets me show her the route, so she can run it later if she wants."
"Are you planning to spend the night in Tall Tale, then?"
"Ah, not quite. The delivery spot is not too far from here, and we'll spend the night there."
"Mind if I tag along, then?"

Apple Bloom almost exploded with excitement, while Applejack put on a nervous smile:
"Well, Ah dunno'. Our clients are... not the most normal sort."
"Come on, sis! You told me they were real nice!"
"That's not what Ah," she resigned with a defeated sigh, "aww, hay, sure you can join. The more, the merrier."
Trixie smiled:
"Splendid."

******

The delivery spot seemed a bit... barren. Just a small little clearing overlooked by a nearby mountain. Tiredness was starting to get the best of her and she yawned loudly, before turning to the big sister:
"Applejack, where exactly is this client of yours?"
"Give it one more minute. She's forgetful at times."

More moments passed, before she finally heard something other than the night breeze. The flapping of wings. A blur moved from a nearby treetop and expertly landed on the ground in front of them on all fours. Trixie couldn't quite make out her features due to the dark, but she could hear the constant humming she made. In a cheerful, high-pitched voice, the newcomer shouted:
"Applejack!"
"Good to see ya', sugarcube."
"Wish I could say the same, heheh," that comment immediately put Trixie on edge, though the other two seemed relaxed as ever, "oh, you have company!"

She was not silent for even a second. As soon as she stopped talking, she resumed her humming. The client made its way to Apple Bloom and bowed down to her height:
"Who might you be, little filly?"
"Ah'm Apple Bloom. Pleased to meet ya'."
"She'll be helpin' me run this route sometimes."
"Awesome! Hoofbump!"

The two were different in size, but their demeanours seemed to match. Finally, the pony turned to Trixie. Instead of addressing her immediately, she hummed for a few seconds, tilting her head into several angles. Trixie would have felt awkward, had she not finally noticed some of the newcomer's traits. Elongated, pointy ears. Sharp fangs. Wings that consisted of a few bones connected by thick, leathery membranes. The puzzle pieces fell together.

The bat pony finally stopped humming. Even in the dark, she could tell that a blush appeared under her dark brown fur. What little mane she had was a pearlescent blue, similar to the showpony's own. Finally, the client spoke:
"Wow, you're pretty."
She blushed in response, as well:
"Oh, um. Thank you. My name is Trixie. And yours?"
"Call me Nox," the hybrid stood right in front of her now, fangs on prominent display thanks to a smile, "great to meet you."
Her response took a while longer to form as she finally looked into the other's eyes. They managed to stare right into hers, but they were colourless. Even the iris was faded, going from black to grey. She finally stammered out a response:
"L-likewise."
"Oh, it's the eyes again, isn't it," Nox tried to play it off as something funny, like a bad running gag. But Trixie could discern a bit of sadness in that voice, "yeah, I'm blind as a bat. Accident when I was little."

Trixie remembered enough from her anatomy lessons to try and steer the conversation elsewhere:
"Those pretty ears of yours come in handy, I imagine."
She blushed again, just a little:
"Y-yeah. Not just for show like those on fruit bats. And I can smell an apple from a mile away, too. Speaking of which," she turned back to the Apple sisters, "the batch you brought smells lovely as always. Can I have a bite?"

"Sure thing," the orange sister dug inside of her cart, retrieving a quite delicious-looking apple, "catch!"
It was thrown into the air and Nox darted after it. With a marksman's precision, she snatched it out of the air with her mouth, before curling down on the ground, suckling happily. Slurping sounds filled her vicinity as she slowly drained the fruit of its juices without mercy, leaving behind a dry, shrivelled husk. With a delighted gasp, she turned back to them:
"Oh, my, they are scrumptious! Oh, what am I saying, Sweet Apple Acres never produced any other sort!"
"Heh, we do try. Shall we drop them off, then?"
"Absolutely! Follow me!"

With another playful humming, she made way for the mountain, the three travellers right behind.

******

Upon closer inspection, the mountain was dotted with dozens of small holes. If Nox was to be believed, and she most assuredly was, they all led deep down, into the City of Night. Their own path was a bit wider than most, permitting their carts to pass unhindered. It was illuminated by dimmed, arcane lamps, which were weak enough to not irritate the residents' sensitive eyes.

"Oh, we could travel during the day, but the sun is harsh on our eyes. That's what they tell me, anyway." their guide had said.

It did not take long for them to reach the city itself. In many ways, it was similar to Kost. Buildings carved out of the mountain itself, stretching across the entire mountain. Unlike Kost, however, the locals very much liked being wrapped in shadow. The dim lamps made the place seem almost eerie to a newcomer, used to the comfort of daylight. The citizens still had muscles and fur attached, as well. That was an undeniable plus.

The bat ponies were all quite a civil bunch, all things considered, though she could see that the smell of the apples was almost intoxicating to them. Nox pointed out a few notable buildings. Opera house here, archeology museum there. She noticed that the structures were not overtly decorated in any way, like a similar building would have been on the surface. Instead, they were architecturally bold, often foregoing blocky shapes for smooth, round ones. When presented the question, their guide replied:
"Round things make a different echo. Much nicer than a blocky building. Makes them stand out if your ears are good enough. Oh, there's the warehouse!"

The delivery was made, bags of bits were gratefully given and the trio soon made their way to the only night-time motel in the area. The place wasn't exactly a tourist attraction. The asking price was reasonable and the beds comfortable enough. The only thing that was really different was the commotion outside, as the bat ponies carried on with their nightly lives. Somehow, the hustle and bustle of civilisation was calming. She supposed she was used to it from Canterlot.

******

What Trixie was not used to, however, was waking up to the same dusk she had fallen asleep in. It took her extra time to rise without the sun to annoy her out of bed. With a yawn, she decided to go for a stroll through the City of Night. It was still filled with activity, with mostly young ponies partaking in its daylife. The ever-present shadows did not make it any easier to traverse. That was when she heard it.

A beautiful, yet haunting voice could faintly be heard somewhere in the distance and Trixie found herself drawn to it. She found a familiar half-bat sitting at the entrance to an especially expansive cavern. Her singing consisted of regular, long, sorrowful tones giving way to a sharp intake of air. The showpony listened to the melody as if in a trance, before finally speaking:
"Nox?"
The other finished another tone before replying:
"Your hoofsteps are loud."
"But do they echo as beautifully as your voice?"
The bat chuckled:
"Heh, perhaps not."
"What are you doing here so early? Or, well, it's late for you."
"Oh, not much. I just like 'looking', you know? To try and... remember."

She gazed back into space, but this time, she did not sing, or hum. They just sat in complete silence, gazing out into the darkness, both figuratively and literally. Nox continued:
"I'm sorry. I'm sure you have better things to do than listen to me whine."
"Better than helping a pony out? I don't think so. Don't keep things bottled up inside," she smirked, "worse results than firecrackers in a crystal."
Nox's smile was faint:
"It's just... I feel like I shouldn't complain. I mean, I can still function almost like normal. Sure, I need a special book now and then, but my bat parts keep me productive otherwise. Other ponies have it far worse than me."
"Just because others have it worse doesn't mean you don't have a problem. Don't worry, I'm one big ear."

"Okay, okay. The main thing is, well, I sometimes wish I was just born this way. With no knowledge of how everything looked. I can 'see' shapes, nothing more. That lets me do things, sure," Trixie could see the beginning of tears well up in her eyes, "but then, my mind wants more. It demands colours of a thousand hues. But I find myself having to think. To recall what those colours even were," she sobbed, "like, I hear 'blue' and then have to just stop and think what that means. I have to stand still to even recall the shade of my mother's coat. Something that I once took for granted, now just gone."

As her sobbing intensified, Trixie gently grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. Gradually, sobs turned to sniffles, before disappearing altogether. They sat there for a few moments, before Trixie finally said:
"Better now?"
"A-actually, yes."
"Is there anything I can do for you, Nox?"
"Well, m-maybe. Dunno' if you could make that sort of magic, though."
"I will have you know, my repertoire is varied."
"Heh, okay. Well, it's just I haven't... 'seen' myself in so long. We filter that information out from the echoes. Is there any way you could, maybe?"
"Hmmmm," a challenge, certainly, but one she was sure she could undertake, "let's try and see."

Illusions were simple enough in principle. You used magic to bend light in just the right way and voila, an image. Even those took refinement. Adding sound  was relatively common. But reflecting it in just the right way to mimic an object? Would that even be considered an illusion? One way to find out.

She started first with an image, copying the bat pony so that her mind could more easily grasp what was needed. Carefully, she formed arcane wards that would, in theory, prevent sound from just passing through. Much easier than actually trying to conjure a new object from raw magic, but considering they had to reflect sound in just the right way, still taxing. Her breathing intensified as she spoke:
"I think I've, hah, got it."

Nervously, Nox hummed, only to fall silent, smiling. Her next sounds were more confident, as she slowly flew around the doppelganger, observing it from every conceivable angle. Her smile grew wider with each passing moment:
"Woah, I'm... not too bad in the looks department," without warning, the clone spread its wings, "ooooh, my wings are," instinctivelly, she reached out to feel the texture, but her hoof passed right through, "not really there. Right. This is awesome, Trixie!"
"Well, I did my best, oof. It's surprisingly tiring, though."
"Get some rest, then! I'm already indebted to you enough," she flung herself around the showpony with the ruthlessness of a constrictor snake as the illusion vanished, "thank you so much!"
"Anything for a friend."
"An' that ain't no lie."

Both of them jumped as a certain farmpony's voice reached them. They turned to see not one, but two earth ponies. Apple Bloom hopped excitedly as she commented:
"Ah told ya' Ah saw some funny lights!"
The showpony grinned:
"Eavesdropping is not nice, you know."
"Sugarcube, ya' wound me! Ah would never think of somethin' of that sort!"
"Well, I guess I..."

At that moment, the entire mountain shook in a series of mighty quakes. Nox immediately took to the air, while the two farmers grabbed Trixie before she could fall. It lasted for only a few moments, but already most of the citizens were up and about, looking for signs of damage. Applejack was the first to recover and speak:
"What in tarnation was that?!"

As if in reply, a loud bell started ringing, deeper in the mountain. The bat pony knew its exact nature of an alarm:
"That's from the new dig site! Something must have happened!"
"Dig site?"
"There's lots of neat stuff under the mountain. Archeological stuff. There were ponies down there, if a tunnel or something collapsed..."
"They'll need help," Trixie turned to the sisters, "you coming?"
"Darn right we are!"
"Wait a minute," the filly among them seemed confused, puzzled... confuzzled, "ya' ain't gonna' say somethin' about it bein' dangerous and me stayin' here?"
"Yer implyin' that would stop ya'?"
"Fair point."
"Come on, follow me!"

Nox sped off ahead, while Trixie's horn turned into a potent flashlight. With a nod to each other, the three grounded ponies followed as fast as their legs could carry them. 

******

The tunnels beneath formed a truly terrifying, poorly-lit labyrinth, practically impossible to navigate without a map of some sorts. Nox seemed to have little trouble following the bell's sound, as if she had the route memorised. They reached their destination soon enough, an especially expansive chamber, partially illuminated by arcane lamps.

Bat Ponies were mostly on the ground, groaning in pain. The three mares immediately started helping, trying to find if anypony was buried under rocks or worse. Apple Bloom stood frozen, as she watched some of the distant lights disappear, one by one. A large shadow crept towards them, snuffing out the light as it went. Obviously nervous, she whispered:
"Guys," she went unheard, and tried increasing the volume, "guys," a bit peeved, she almost shouted, "guys!"
"What is it, Apple Bloo-," Trixie's sentence was cut off as her light shined into the chamber and illuminated the beast.

It was easily twice their size, muscular, its hide covered with stone and other minerals. Its proportions were almost comical, with its upper body being much larger than the lower half, like a gorilla taken to extremes. A pair of massive, bat-like wings rested on its back. Finally, there was its monstrous head. It roared as the light reached its crimson eyes, its jaw divided into several separate sections, revealing several rows of razor-sharp teeth.

It seemed to be sensitive to light, much like a bat pony. Unlike them, however, it was fiercely aggressive. With a frightening growl, it rose into the air and dived right at Trixie with incredible speed for something of its size. In that moment, primal fear over came her and tried to flee, only to trip and fall, her magic faltering.

The monster was almost upon her, when a speeding bullet delivered a kick to its side. It impacted the ground with a crash, but rose up in the blink of an eye. With only dim light in the room now, the grounded trio could only see two silhouettes. Bat pony and bat demon stared at each other, before yelling their respective battlecries and charging.

Nox had speed on her side as she flew circles around her large opponent, who seemed to have trouble keeping up. Yet any blow the pony inflicted resulted in little more than a grunt from the brute. The monster struck once, but struck true. With a loud yelp, Nox was sent into one of the chamber's walls. The creature roared in triumph, while Trixie called out:
"Nox! You'll pay for that, you flying monkey!"
"Darn right!"

The three ponies stood proud. Their noses flared as they snorted in an aggressive manner. Their enemy was not particularly impressed and emitted a powerful howl. Without warning, the remaining arcane lights suddenly died, as if their energy had been drained. The sisters panicked, but the showpony stayed resolute:
"To the side. I'll ground him, you do the rest."
"Ah' trust that ya' have a plan."
"I do."

Immediately, she closed her eyes, letting her other senses take over. Applejack and Apple Bloom took several steps away. The creature screeched, its mighty wings flapping, creating a breeze that brushed against her fur. The air shifted suddenly, as it went for the kill, its claws rubbing against each other as it came closer. Magic gathered within her horn and at just the right moment, she released it.
A ray of light shot from her horn, illuminating the entire area and blasting right into the thing's horrific visage. It roared in agony and spiralled off-course, crashing back down onto the ground. Trixie's spell spent for the moment, it was up to the sisters to attack. 

Apple Bloom jumped onto the demon's head, attracting its attention. It swiped at her to no avail, the agile little filly much too fast. As it turned in fury, it met Applejack's oldest friends. Bucky McGillycuddy and Kicks McGee. Catching it square in the jaw, the kick was powerful enough to make the beast topple backwards onto its back. Trixie managed to spot a few teeth flying through the air.
With uncanny agility, however, it rose once more and blew his opponents away with a mighty flap of its wings. Its eyes were on the showpony, who cowered, still tired from her previous offensive spell. It charged right past the Apple sisters on all fours and Trixie closed her eyes.

Her horn tingled, then vibrated in response to magic. She opened her eyes in time to see an azure bolt of lightning strike the monster and send it flying through the air. A voice, strangely familiar, shouted:
"Back, you curr!"

More arcane bolts bombarded the creature and their effect was frightening. Wherever they struck, the creature's apparent flesh crumbled into pebbles. Its wings turned to dust. With a final strike to the head, two perfectly round rubies clinked against the ground, while the rest crumbled. Trixie immediately turned back to thank her saviour. Several elaborate sentences were lost in an instant as her eyes rested upon the newcomer, her mouth wide open.

The mare was larger than even an adult stallion, but her physique was impeccable, no doubt kept as such through rigorous training. Her fur was a dark shade of blue, almost invisible in the dark, but her mane! It flowed in the air on its accord, needing no wind or arcane aid, and was a nearly perfect image of the night sky. Trixie immediately identified several constellations. Her wings were mighty, her horn nearly twice as long as a regular unicorn's, her cutie mark a glowing image of a crescent-moon.

The Princess of the Night allowed herself a sigh of relief and walked forward with calculated, graceful steps. Trixie couldn't help but keep staring. The countless tales of her beauty did not do the alicorn justice. She then noticed the sisters were bowing and she mentally slapped herself, before doing the same. The princess called out, her voice like a sweet lullaby:
"Please, rise, my friends," the trio complied, "had it not been for your bravery, the gargoyle might have hurt so many more."

As soon as she said that, Trixie yelped:
"Nox," she gallopped over to the wounded pony, lying on her side near her point of impact. The ground clearly indicated she had slid several metres before coming to a stop. Carefully, she shook the half-bat with her hooves, "Nox, can you hear me?"
"Y-yeah," it was more grumbling than speech, "I think the bastard broke... a rib."
"We'll get you patched up, don't worry."

"That we will," the voice made the showpony turn. Princess Luna gazed at her with a smile, "Trixie Lulamoon. It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person."
Instead of a hoofshake, the princess offered a royal bow and Trixie mimicked her, before saying:
"It is an honour, Your Highness. If I may ask, how did you know it was me?"
"Twilight Sparkle speaks highly of you whenever we have a chance to converse. Plus, I have more than once gazed into your dreams," she leaned in closer, so that only Trixie could hear, "often, to prevent them from turning to nightmares. Though, such problems seemed to no longer ail you in the present."
"I have a hunch my many friends helped with that."
"Princess Sparkle most of all, I reckon," Luna's knowing, mischievous smile made Trixie blush. She stood upright once more, "in any case, we can perhaps discuss more later. Let's help my children back to the city.”

As one, the trio shouted:
"Yes, princess!"

******

The rays of the afternoon shone upon the three ponies as they walked along the road to Ponyville. The sisters shared a look, before turning to the entertainer:
"Sugarcube, wanna' help us sing?"
"Well, I don't know. I'm not really that good at singing, frankly."
"Oh, horseapples, come off it."
Trixie tried to find another way out:
"But I'm not even an Apple."
Apple Bloom had a mischievous grin as she spoke, with forced child-like innocence and puppy dog eyes:
"Pleaaaase Trixie! It'd be so much fun!"
"And besides, ya' can always be an honorary Apple."
"But, ummm... gah, fine. Let's do this, girls!"

Applejack began the song, known across all of Equestria due to the unnaturally widespread, strong bonds of the Apple family:
"We've travelled the road of generations, joined by a common booooond!"
Trixie continued, her voice not quite fitting in, but with its own charm nonetheless:
"We're singing our song 'cross the pony nation, from Equestria and beyoooond!"

The trio sang cheerfully for quite a while, like a true family.

******

The Everfree forest was always foreboding, but especially so on that night. Was it the fact she galloped through it, the clop of her hooves echoing for quite a distance? Was it the uneasiness she felt in her stomach? Was it the fact she didn't know why exactly she felt compelled to be there? Probably all the above.

The purple pony raced between its gnarled roots, until she finally reached the long, stone stairs. The long, stone stairs that lead down to the Tree of Harmony. Something had changed, she could feel it in her gut.

The cave that housed the Tree of Harmony always gave her the creeps. She could never shake the feeling that some strange creature was waiting, somewhere in the shadows. Nonetheless, she had to get to the bottom of things.

Twilight finally reached the majestic plant. At first glance, nothing seemed wrong. The Elements of Harmony were still within their spots, keeping the power of the Everfree forest in check. A natural balancing mechanism, and an infinitely fascinating one, at that. She dared not study it too deeply, though, in fear of messing something up.

And then, she noticed it. A sixth mighty branch was growing out of the tree. In its grasp was a new symbol, which, as Twilight was sure she knew, corresponded to a cutie mark. The sun and a crescent moon, intertwined into one.