//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: Dissonance // Story: Return Of The Showmare // by Horizon Spark //------------------------------// Chapter 11: Dissonance Over a year has passed since Trixie and her mother had their meaningful conversation that changed how she acted. Slowly but surely, she started to focus more on her studies and talents as a student and magician respectively, bringing her grades right back up. This however did led her to distance herself from other students, especially Twilight Sparkle. Of course she did occasionally talked to her small group of friends. She also gain an adoration towards her hat and cape, promising her mother that she’ll wear it for her first real performance after she graduates. To be blunt, Trixie felt glad that her concerns with how others felt about her were disappearing. She felt that she can get through her last year at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns without another hitch… When school got out, Trixie sat on the front steps as other students left to find their parents. Looking through her notes, she ignored the laughter and loud chatter of ponies as she tried to figure out a rather difficult variation of teleportation that prevents the loud ‘pop’ noise whenever used. She sighed rubbing her head, the recent homework she’s been receiving has been getting harder by the day, she noticed that while other students has been struggling, her and Twilight has been performing them with flying colors. Trixie did a low hum as she threw the thought away and went back to her studies. Her mother said she be picked up a little later than usual, and that she needed to talk to her when she see her. Trixie didn’t quite know what she meant by that, but it did worry her. Her mother had been rather out of it for a while. She stopped putting on shows all together, canceling future appearances much to the disappointment of her fans and clients. She also wasn’t able to help with homework or even play with her as often as before. Trixie tried to ask her what was wrong, but the only answer she got was: ‘I’m just getting old my apprentice.’ It started to worry her more and more each day. “Excuse me young lady.” Trixie looked up from her book to see a middle-aged unicorn stallion with a golden colored mane and coat. By the looks of what he was wearing, Trixie could see that he was a doctor of some sort. “Are you Trixie Lulamoon?” He asked. Trixie looked at the stranger with hesitation. “Yes, that is me.” “Well it’s good to meet you Ms. Lulamoon, I am Doctor Remedy of the Canterlot Hospital.” He said with a calm smile. “Your mother, Silver Wand has instructed me to pick you up and take you to see her.” Trixie suddenly felt a pit in her stomach as she heard this. The hospital was never a place she liked to visit, always hating how uncomfortable it made her feel even though she knew how important it was to go. But to suddenly hear that her mother is there was what worried her most. “Why? What is mother doing there?” “I’ll explain when we get there, but right now we must…” “NO!” Trixie shouted. “Tell me what’s happening with my mother now!” Remedy sighed as he rubbed the back of his head. “Alright, let’s make this quick. Oh that reminds me, she wanted me to give you this.” The doctor suddenly reached into his side pocket and fished out a packet of peanut butter crackers. “Miss Silver Wand told me that these are your favorite snacks, calms your nerves she said.” Trixie gave out the most audible gulp she could muster. --- BEEP…BEEP…BEEP… Silver Wand always hated the hospital, it was always a depressing setting to her and the annoying beeps of the heart monitor didn’t help either. She sighed as she tried her best to ignore it, opening another envelope she read the card inside: You are an inspiration to us all. It is a shame to see somepony as great as you leave us, but rest assured your accomplishments will live on forever. You have my humblest gratitude. Sincerely, Fancypants “Been awhile since I’ve heard from you, shame I never got the chance to tell you how dumb your moustache looked.” Silver said silently. She placed it with the other hundreds of cards she’s gotten throughout the day, from fans, friends, acquaintances and co-workers. She was just about to open the last one, a golden colored envelope, when she suddenly heard a panicked sounding knock at the door, making her sigh once more. “Come in.” The door slammed opened to reveal a sobbing young mare trying to rub the tears out of her eyes. Her mane was ragged and she look as if she ran the entire way. “M…m...other?” Silver Wand could see the despair in her daughter’s eyes, the utter feeling of sadness resonating from her. Her daughter got a full look at the way she looked, the color of her mane and coat faded, and she looked as if she hasn’t slept in days. It shattered her heart into a million pieces. “My little apprentice…” Silver parted her hooves apart to as a silent cue for a hug. Trixie trotted as she got on top to close the gap between them, her sobbing starting to get hysterical. “It’s going to be alright.” “Why didn’t you tell me mother?” Trixie tried to calm down as she kept crying. “Why didn’t you tell me that you were so sick?” “I’m so sorry my apprentice. I guess I just didn’t want you to be so sad, knowing that I was going to die soon, before I would be able to see you at your full potential.” “You’re not gonna die mother!” Trixie cried as she held on tighter. “You’ll be fine, maybe it’s just a mistake. Maybe they’re making a cure right now, you just need to…” “Trixie…please.” Silver pleaded. “This is no mistake, and there are no known cure for this, not even the Princess herself can fix this. There is no need for all this denial.” “What’s going to happen to me without you? I need you mother, you can’t just leave me like this.” “You have nothing to worry about. Some friends of mine owed me a favor. They’ll be able to take care of you when I’m gone.” “But you can’t die mother! Who’s gonna be there for my graduation, for my first real show? Who will teach me any new spells, or tell me stories about her performances? I need you mother, I can’t do any of this without you.” Trixie stated to cry more as the thought what will happen to her when her mother is gone dawned on her. But just then she heard a soft chuckle that slowly grew into hysterical laughter. “Apparently you’ve forgotten who you are.” Trixie looked up to see her mother, who looked as if she wasn’t sick at all. She was smiling. “What?” Silver lifted up her daughter slowly and stared right in her eyes. “You are Beatrix Lulamoon, The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon! You are an amazing magician, a charismatic performer, and an amazing pony. You can do anything you put your mind to because you are the most determined pony I’ve ever met.” Trixie rubbed her eyes with both hooves. “Really mother?” “Of course my dear daughter. You can’t depend on me forever, and I’m not saying that now just because I’m going to…you know. And you won’t need to because you still got your magic by your side. All my teachings will always be with you, and if you remember everything I have taught you then…well…I know you’ll be alright.” “Mother…” Silver Wand rubbed her hoof lovingly through her daughter’s mane. “My show may have unfortunately stopped prematurely, but your show has just begun. And it needs to continue for the sake of me, your father, and your future fans. Promise me that, and I can rest peacefully knowing that you will one day surpass me and become the greatest magician Equestria has ever known!” Trixie sadly smiled as more tears fell albeit at a slower rate. “I promise mother. I promise that I’ll become the greatest magician you want me to become.” Trixie hugged Silver once more, for the last time. “I love you mother!” Silver returned the favor. “I love you too Trixie. My little apprentice, my little daughter.” For the first time since she got to the hospital she started to cry almost uncontrollably. If there was anything she believed in it was that no matter what, the show must always go on. And while her death may have closed the curtains for her, it won’t be stopping Trixie anytime soon. “Now if you don’t mind, could…I have a moment…by myself please?” Reluctantly, Trixie nodded and broke the embrace. She quietly left the room leaving her mother by herself. Silver Wand sighed as she finally got a chance to opened the golden envelope and read it. After she read it she placed it next to her with the rest of the letters she’s gotten. She smiled contently. “I know you’ll become…the most amazing magician in Equestria. No matter what…happens, no matter how many setbacks you come across, you will rise above them all and will…surpass me by miles. I know you will make me very proud…my little apprentice.” Silver Wand closed her eyes blissfully. “Hey…Bright Lights, you ready…for that romantic dinner date you…promised?” The only thing that can be heard in the vicinity of the room, was the single constant beep of a heart monitor’s flat line, and the loud sad wails of despair. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It had been over a week since the fiasco at the Ponyville Dam, and Trixie started to gain the respect and appreciation she desired for months. Both coming from five ponies she once couldn’t care less for, and an Alicorn she once hated with a passion. But after a while she started to think of them as friends, ponies she could actually rely on. News slowly spread about the magician in the small town, and while some were still adamant about her previous visits, others welcomed her with opened arms. Snips and Snails once being huge fans of her, are now back to showing her the adoration they’ve shown before, much to her appreciation and annoyance. The Crusaders were very grateful of the lesson she taught them, promised to make up for what they’ve done, as soon as they’re not grounded. Even Cheerilee who met with her after the fact, was happy to see her ever since she last saw her at her old school. For the first time ever since she left Ponyville on her second visit, Trixie felt as if she belonged. She felt happy to be here. “Trixie darling, is everything alright?” Trixie and Rarity were both enjoying a serene afternoon walk as they left the Ponyville Spa after a long day of relaxation. “Oh, sorry Rarity. I was just lost in thought, nothing important.” “Well I sure hope it wasn’t anything important. Clearing our minds and relaxing was the entire point of our full day spa treatment.” Trixie smiled brightly. “That was an amazing time Rarity, I never knew Ponyville had a spa, let alone one as luxurious and relaxing as that one.” “Well just because Aloe and Lotus aren’t as grand as the masseuses in Canterlot, does not mean that they’re any slouch when it comes to presentation and performance. And next time I’ll show you the wonders of their sauna.” “Ooh, sounds tempting.” Trixie said smilingly brightly. The two Unicorns finally reached their destination of Carousel Boutique. As they entered, Trixie gained another thought. “So Rarity, you said you had something to show me right?” “Why yes, I have something I’ve been dying to show you. But first, I have a rather important question to ask you.” Trixie raised an eyebrow. “What is it?” Rarity sat down at a nearby table and prompted Trixie to do the same. “It’s been a while since you started staying at Twilight’s Castle, and I was just wondering if your opinions has changed about my friend.” “My opinions?” “I’m asking if you’ve started to consider Twilight a friend after all this time. Surly after all these magic lessons you’ve started to warm up to her.” Trixie groaned at the statement she was not prepared to respond to. Realizing immediately what this was, she decided to answer truthfully. “It is true that I’ve started to “warm up” to Sparkle, but I refuse to label her as anything more than an acquaintance at best.” Rarity sighed defeatedly. “Oh for goodness sakes Trixie, Twilight has showed you nothing but kindness ever since you came here. Whatever form of malice you have against her, you can’t just hold it in forever.” “Well I can!” Trixie almost shouted. “I’m sorry Rarity, but I will never forgive her for what she did to me all those years ago!” Rarity looked at her guest with a concerned look. Just by listening to the tone of her voice, she could easily sense the hate coming from her. “If you don’t mind me asking darling, what exactly did she do to you that was so detrimental? Trixie winced. “I don’t really want to say. It’s a bit personal to me.” “Well then, if you can’t talk to me about it why not talk to Twilight about it?” “What…?” Rarity smiled as she approached the magician. “Tell me, instead of bottling all these emotions up, ever thought about telling her how you feel about her?” “Why should I?” Trixie asked rolling her eyes. “She’ll just play innocent and tell me that she didn’t do anything. That I’m just acting like some childish fool trying to put the blame on others.” “That’s an interesting thing to say. But is that coming from the old Trixie, or the new Trixie?” “It’s coming from…from…” Trixie couldn’t finish the sentence, not because she didn’t what to say, but because she didn’t want to. “In that case, this would be a perfect opportunity to do so. Tonight I want you to finally talk to Twilight about why you dislike her. Hopefully you two can finally bury the hatchet when this is over. “I don’t know…even as a filly I’ve never been good at expressing feelings to others in this kind of manner.” “In that case maybe you need some motivation.” Before Trixie could respond, Rarity levitated a mannequin covered by a large sheet. She lifted the cover to give Trixie a good look at the sight before her that made her jaw drop in awe. Before her was a new outfit Rarity made for her, it was like her old outfit, but it was silver with a turquoise outline, with brighter colored stars on it. She could even see that it was covered with bright sequins, and the gem clasp was even different. “You like it?” Rarity asked getting the blue unicorns attention. “I’ll admit, it was rather difficult to create. I wanted to make something different yet still retaining the original design. Something flashy so your audience will always have their eyes on you, yet simple enough that’ll you can perform well without distractions. In the end I was able to whip this up, using the finest fabrics I could find. So Trixie, what do you think?” Trixie stared more deeply at her new outfit. She touched her cape feeling how soft and nice it felt. “It’s flawless Rarity! I never even thought my outfit could be improved on.” A tear started to trickle down her cheek. “Thank you so much Rarity.” “You are very much welcome my friend.” Rarity said smiling at her own work. She then immediately covered it back up with the sheet. “Unfortunately, I’m afraid I can’t let you have it wear it until after you talk with Twilight.” Trixie groaned as she felt cheated, but nodded hesitantly. “If it means I’ll be wearing that to my great comeback debut, then I’ll take upon your offer.” “That’s marvelous to hear from you. Now how about some tea before you go?” “Green tea please.” --- “Hey Twilight, you in here?” Spike made his way through the hallways trying to make sure Twilight was ready for tonight’s session. Lately he’s been warming up to Trixie, talking to her more often and even learning about her work. He’s even got to see some of her tricks which he thought were amazing. In return he convinced her to read one of his Power Ponies comics. To his surprise Trixie took a liking to them. After a few more minutes of searching, he was able to find Twilight in the room Trixie has been staying in. “Twilight?” Twilight turned to see Spike at the door. “Oh hello Spike. What are you doing here?” “Well I wanted to tell you that everything is ready for tonight, but I should be asking you the same question. And what’s with the book?” Twilight chuckled as she glanced back at the book she was holding. “Well I just thought I would do some cleaning around Trixie’s room while she was gone. While I was cleaning I found this amazing book on her dresser, The History of Magicians.” Curious, Spike looked at the book, seeing many powerful magicians and spell casters that been around as early as the beginning reign of the Two Princesses. “Cool, I never knew all these Unicorns existed! There’s even some Earth Ponies and Pegasi too. Looks like Trixie is a bigger fan of magic than we thought.” “It looks like it. Although this one in particular caught my eye.” Twilight flipped through the pages until she stopped at one that was bookmarked. It featured a Unicorn mare with a silver coat and mane. “Her name is Silver Wand, I remembered Celestia mentioning her awhile back. She said that she was one the greatest magicians at the time, even being best friends with her. She even told me that her daughter attended her School!” “Wow, she would’ve been awesome to see. Too bad it says here that she and her husband, an actor named Bright Lights died years ago due to an incurable sickness and prop accident respectively.” Spike suddenly stiffened as a bad thought came to him. “Twilight, you think Trixie is related to that Silver Wand pony?” “What makes you say that?” “I’m not sure, but Trixie did told me a while ago that she attended the school. And I just got this strange hunch that she might be Trixie’s mom. And a sinking feeling that we should not be here right now.” Twilight raised an eyebrow. “I don’t know about that Spike, seems a little farfetched. Many Unicorn mares attended the school, anyone of them could be her daughter.” “That’s right, but isn’t it a bit weird that Silver happens to be a magician too?” Twilight nearly did a double take as she heard this. After looking back at the book once more, a chilling revelation came to her mind. She quickly closed the book preparing to set it down. “Spike, we should be going now. I don’t want know want would happen if…” “SPARKLE!!!” “WOAH!” The sudden noise made Twilight jump as she lost control of her magic, sending the book flying in the opposite direction. Before she could react, she heard a loud thud and turned to see a small sack fall onto the floor. “Oh no!” Twilight quickly rushed to check if something happened to the bag’s contents, but an old memory came to her mind. “Hey, what’s that,” Twilight asked pointing a hoof at the rather dusty bag. “N...nothing Sparkle! Absolutely nothing! And you better not even attempt to find out what it is if you know what’s good for you. Let’s just say that it’s something close to me and leave it at that.” “Oh...alright Trixie, I promise I won’t see what it is.” Twilight flinched as she was reminded of the warning given to her. She knew that whatever was in there it must be important to Trixie, and something broke inside it. Wanting to fix whatever was inside; she grabbed the bag with her magic. “Spike, we need to get this fixed before Trixie comes and sees it.” “Why? It’s just an ordinary…” “No it’s not Spike! We can’t let Trixie see that we broke whatever was…her…bag.” Twilight stood stiffly as she saw Trixie standing right in front of her at the doorway. “Trixie!” Twilight said stumbling backwards. “This isn’t what it looks like. I was just cleaning and I accidently bumped the book into your bag, and you know that I would never look into the bag without your permission. You believe me right?” Twilight stared back at the wide-eyed Unicorn, trying her best not to falter. “No…” Trixie said silently as she levitated the bag towards her. She placed it in front of her and opened it to see the contents inside that utterly shocked the Unicorn and Dragon. Trinkets, jewelry, and books were taken out by the distressed mare until she finally pulled out a rectangular shaped object wrapped in a soft sheet. She quickly unwrapped it to reveal a broken picture frame. “This can’t be…” “Trixie I’m so sorry. I really didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” Twilight slowly waked towards the now crying mare. “Please, you got to believe me.” “Don’t you dare come any closer Sparkle!” Trixie said between seethed teeth. “There is nothing you can do to fix this. Just stay away and leave me be.” Twilight took a step closer. “Please let me help you. We’re… “SHUT UP YOU FREAK!” Trixie suddenly shouted, scaring the two in front of her. Her eyes were filled with a mix of anger and sadness “How dare you come into Trixie’s room and ruin what she loves. You’ve always done this since the very beginning. Why do you always have to take things away from me, why are you always so better than me, WHY CAN’T YOU JUST LEAVE ME ALONE!” “I don’t know what you’re talking about. I never tried to take anything away from you. But whatever I did back then, I’m sorry.” “Sorry?” Trixie yelled glaring daggers at Twilight. “If you were truly sorry then Trixie wouldn’t be in this state. I would never have to spend another time with you or this pathetic town, and more importantly, SHE would’ve still been alive!” “Trixie I…” As Trixie got angrier, her horned started to glow more violently. “Just stuff it Sparkle! You and your friends can just burn in Tartarus for all I care. I hate you Sparkle and I always will!” The room was suddenly filled with a blinding light that blinded Twilight and Spike for a moment. When the room cleared, Trixie was nowhere to be seen. “Oh no,” Twilight said panicking. She must’ve teleported somewhere out of the castle! I need to go after her, there’s no telling where she went.” “Twilight, you might want to take a look at this. Twilight stopped her own thoughts as she saw Spike picking up the broken picture frame. Twilight nearly fainted as she saw who was in it. A photo of Trixie, and Silver Wand; her mother. “Oh no…what have I done?” --- Trixie slowly opened her eyes as she rubbed her aching head. The fit of pure magic blurred her vision and made her horn sore. She looked around seeing nothing but brown and dark green, but when she took a second to clear her mind, she realized that she was in the middle of the Everfree Forrest. Not that she cared, just as long as she was away from her. She slowly trudged her way towards some random direction trying to recollect her thoughts. She could tell that she teleported out of Twilight’s Castle, her sheer anger fueling a powerful teleportation. She tried her best to repress what just happened but couldn’t shake them away. “The nerve of her, going through Trixie’s items and breaking my picture of mother. I should’ve known she was never Trixie’s friend, she’s my enemy, a force made to always hinder me and keep me from my goals.” During her rant, she noticed that the sun was setting, making her surroundings darker by the second. She was also starting to tire herself out, the teleportation taking up a lot of her energy but enough that she might be able to make it back to Ponyville. “Perhaps Rarity could let me stay for the night and avoid Sparkle for the rest of the night.” But just as she was about to head there, a violet flash of light resonated behind her. She turned and scowled at the last pony she wanted to see right now. “I don’t know how you found me so quickly, but you shouldn’t have followed me Sparkle.” Twilight sighed as she took a step forward. “I know what I did was wrong and I can’t blame you if you don’t want to see me again. But you need to come back to the castle so I can…” “ENOUGH OF THIS!” Trixie yelled as she stomped forward. “The Great and Powerful Trixie do not need your friendship, and I especially don’t need you. You already ruined my life and my career, so just stay away from me!” Twilight took another step forward as she tried to take another step forward. “I’m not going to leave you like this. Even if you are angry at me, I can’t just leave you in the Everfree Forest, it’s not safe.” Trixie growled menacingly as her horn glowed brightly. “Trixie has grown weary of hearing you paint yourself as some innocent little student who would never ruin a pony’s life. If you refuse to leave me alone, I’LL MAKE YOU LEAVE!” Before Twilight could react, Trixie launched a beam of magic directly at her hooves scaring her. Twilight casted a shield spell as Trixie blasted her with more beams that were probably meant to harm and not just scare. “What are you doing?” “What does it look like Sparkle? I’ll be rid of you no matter what needs to be done!” Another volley of magic was blasted at the Alicorn that caused her to stumble back due to the sheer force. “Stop this Trixie, you need to calm down!” “I’ll be calm when you get out of here!” Before she could fire one final large blast of energy, a loud roar that startled both ponies. It was then followed by loud crushing sounds and a ravenous growl. “What...was that?” Suddenly the owner of the roar made his appearance by crashing through the trees and into the opening; an Ursa Minor. The ticked off creature roared again making both ponies jump out of the way out of pure fear. It looked at the two angrily, but it shifted its focus on the blue magician obviously agitated at her spouts of magic. Trixie saw the Ursa was ready to attack and immediately panicked. Memories of the Ursa Minor that attacked Ponyville and crushed her old caravan flooded her mind, keeping her from moving. The Ursa got closer and closer until it raised its paw ready to strike. Trixie instinctively closed her eyes as she prepared for the worst. … But it never came. Trixie opened one eye and saw that the Ursa’s paw was being suspended in the air by Twilight’s magic. She struggled to keep the monster from taking a large swipe at the magician. “Trixie…get out of here…I’ll take care of this!” Trixie was about to say something back until she noticed that the other paw of the Ursa was still free. The Ursa also noticed this, then swiftly used it to forcibly knock Twilight from her position causing her to crash violently into a nearby bush. Trixie looked in horror as Twilight was flung like a ragdoll, then she took off on a running dash the moment she saw the Ursa Minor starting to charge at her. Trixie galloped as fast as her hooves could carry her, jumping over logs and ducking under tree branches. Her pursuer was steadily gaining on her crushing everything in its way to get her but the many days and nights of pulling a whole caravan did pay off as Trixie was able to keep up her own pace. But even after all she did to outrun the creature she soon ran into the base of a Cliffside, a dead end. Trixie desperately used her magic in hopes of teleporting to safety, but she couldn’t concentrate enough to cast the spell. “There has to be a way out of here, there needs to be a way out!” Trixie’s panicked thoughts were soon interrupted by the thunderous roar of the Ursa. Trixie turned to see the large creature right behind her as it slowly stomped menacingly towards her. Looking around Trixie saw that she was finally cornered. She got onto the ground as she closed her eyes and wept. ‘This is it then,’ she thought to herself. ‘Done in by the same creature that helped in ruining my career. No, not the Ursa or anypony else.’ Trixie lowered her head even further preparing for her fate as a revelation finally came to her. ‘Everything that led up to this, everything I have done since I first left Ponyville. It’s always been my fault. I’ve failed you mother.’ The tears started to cloud her vision, but she was somehow able to see a faint purple glow that surrounded the monster before her. She heard the Ursa give out a confused growl ceased its slow movements, before it started to levitate off the ground. Still on the ground, Trixie wiped her eyes when she saw that the Ursa Minor was then flung across the forest, yelping in fear as it soared in the sky until it landed with an earthshaking thud. Trixie looked up to see a battered Twilight breathing heavily as she glanced back into the forest. “Next time I won’t be so lenient!” She yelled in a deep threatening voice. Trixie felt mixed feelings about what just happened. A mixture of sadness, utter joy, relief, and confusion was all she could feel at the moment. Thoughts about what Twilight just did flooded her mind. “Twilight saved my life.” She said to herself. “After all I’ve done, she came back and saved my life.” Her thoughts were interrupted as she saw Twilight staggering to the ground from exhaustion. She quickly galloped up to her side. “Sparkle!” “I’m fine Trixie,” She responded with a grunt as she slowly got up. “But I’m more concerned about you. You must be banged up from all that running and…ow!” Twilight placed a hoof on her chest as she almost fell to the ground. She lifted her hoof back up to see small traces of red liquid on it. Along with some cuts and bruises, a large gash on her side was slowly dripping blood. Trixie nearly gagged as she saw the condition the Alicorn was in. “You’re b…b…bleeding Sparkle!” “Don’t worry about me.” Twilight said as she clung closely to her side. She winced a little, but did her best to brush off the pain. “Let’s just get ourselves home and patch ourselves up when we get there.” “But you need to…” Twilight hushed Trixie with a hoof, and a reassuring smile. “It’s going to be alright.” Trixie nodded slowly as the Alicorn used her magic to teleport themselves out of the forest.