• Published 23rd Jul 2013
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Tricks, cloaks and wands: The Lost Tales of a Traveling Magician - divinearcadia



Trixie, fleeing Ponyville after her disastrous attempts at besting Twilight Sparkle with the Alicorn Amulet, Trixie begins down the path that nopony could have predicted and will lead her to places both wondrous and dangerous

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The Way Forward

To get this out of the way, I have no control over the characters of and related to My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic. This is a piece of literary fiction, the events of this story are not intended to reflect the actions or incriminate anypony.

Chapter One: The Difference Between Dreams and Reality

Trixie was dreaming again. She knew it because the old stallion sitting on a small stool beside the small form of a sleeping light blue filly had been gone for several years. She felt a burning feeling tighten in her chest, tears gathering in her eyes, refusing to fall. The pony before her was... “Mmmm...” the little filly stirred on the spare bunk, breaking her thoughts.

“Come on now little one, it's time for you to wake up and have something to eat,” the older pony says as the filly twists, pulling the thin pillow over her ears, “If you don't get up now, I'll just have to eat all these juicy carrots myself...” he says with a small smirk turning up the corner of his mouth.

With a small groan flavored with such conflicting emotions that only such a small youth could produce, she cracks an eye open and looks at the elder with a neutral appraisal. “You better not be lying about the carrots old man.” She says with the sheer audacity of a fearless youth.

“Of course not little one, they're right over there,” he said pointing a forehoof in the direction of a small table build into the side of a wall only a short distance from the bed, “But you mustn't call me 'old man,' little one, you must call me......

Olive Branch....”

The name fades in her ears as Trixie opens her eyes. Beneath her is an incredibly soft bed, with warm blankets pulled up to her neck. Trixie props herself up in the bed to have a looks around her, as she does so, a cool line traces itself down her right cheek, her vision bright from unshed tears. Dashing a hoof across her eyes, she looks around the room to see it lavishly appointed, bright sunlight streaming through a pair of tall windows to her left. As she goes to get up, she feels a roughness as she emerges from under the covers. Her right hind leg had been cleaned and dressed in linen bandages by somepony. Easing the stiffness from herself, she gets out of bed gently, careful of her leg and calls out a tentative “Hello...?”

From the set of doors across the room from the windows, she hears the sound of muffled conversation. The door is slightly ajar and she sees a dark shape beyond the door moving slightly. She tries calling out again, a little louder this time. “Hello?”

The shape moves in response to her call and opens the door. In walks a rather nondescript earth pony, slightly taller than Trixie with a light brown coat and a mane and tail that is various shades of brown. “Good morning Miss Lulamoon, you may call me Whetstone. Our gracious Mistress has placed your training and care in my capable hooves. If you would follow me?” He has a dry, clipped way of talking that brooks nothing of defiance.

“How did I get here? Where am I?” Trixie asks as she follows Whetstone out the door. The pony he had been talking with is nowhere in evidence as she scans the pristine alabaster hallway in both directions.

“Why Mistress Luna brought you here, to Canterlot Castle. Your wounds weren't too severe, so we decided to let you heal on your own. Magical healing tends to take much out of a pony, and we need you on your hooves as soon as possible to begin your training.”

“My training?”

“Yes, Miss Lulamoon, your training. Mistress Luna has decided upon a course of action for your foreseeable future to include some rather specific and intensive training. You're a sharp young mare, so after several months, if you haven't figured out what it is you'll be doing, either you're blind, which I can see you're not, or purposely lying to yourself, which won't, can't be tolerated. We seek certain individuals with particular inclinations, both magical and mundane. Those that possess the magical talent will be given extensive training in the mundane to compliment their repertoire as they go about their duties. Any questions Miss Lulamoon?”

“What do you mean training? I've gone through school and my talent has been established. I'm as fit as any pony who isn't a laborer.”

“Yes, your talent has been established, but what one knows it is isn't everything it is either. There is a specific wing here in Canterlot Castle that deals in a form of discovery about alternate meanings of cutie marks. Have you noticed how some ponies have certain traits about themselves that don't necessarily reflect upon their special talent? That's where they come in, the Symbologists that is. They are able to use certain spells to allow them to discern your full potential and all of your talents. I was much like yourself, thinking that my talent was to be that of a blade sharpener. Lets just say that's not all I'm good at Miss.” He says with a crooked smile over his shoulder.

“So we're going to visit these Symbologists to discover my other talents? What if it turns out I'm only good at doing simple magic tricks and nothing of real value?”

“We'll see Miss, but I doubt that's all you're good at. Most unicorns tend to have several aspects to their selves that they're not even aware of until they search their hearts to find the truth. If you'll follow me closely Miss, we'll be going through the center of the castle in a moment and I wouldn't want you to get lost on your first day.”

Trixie nods while still not quite sure if Whetstone is to be believed. Sure, he's another pony in Luna's service, but this seems outlandish.


After a journey that would have had her lost even with Whetstone's assistance, Trixie and Whetstone stand before a door. It seems almost anticlimactic that the door they stand before is only big enough for a single pony to walk through at a time, not to mention it's not even in the best of condition with it being age darkened to the point of it being almost black and dry enough that a careless brush would leave ones flank bristling with painful splinters.

“This is where I leave you Miss,” Whetstone says as they stand before the door, “Star Wanderer will be with you shortly.” With that, he turns and begins walking down the hallway.

“Aren't you supposed to stay with me and see me through everything?” Trixie says slightly shocked that she'd been passed from hoof to hoof like a package.

“I'm to see to your proper training, not to be your foalsitter Miss Lulamoon. Surely you're competent enough that I don't have to walk you everywhere by the hoof?” He says over his shoulder in that dry tone without any hint of scorn.

Cheeks stinging from the rebuke, Trixie simply shakes her head and Whetstone continues down the hallway. Watching until he turns down a side hallway, Trixie then turns to face the door before her. Taking a deep breath, she knocks on the door lightly at first. Nothing. She tries again, harder this time. Nothing. Taking a deep breath, she puts hoof to door handle... and it opens without a sound. A little nervous now, she walks through the doorway and the door shuts itself behind her, eliciting a small squeak of fright as she turns to the noise. A loud thump makes her whirl around again as a large cloud of dust rises from a dark, narrow row of book shelves as well as a large cacophony of muttered curses and sneezes. From the darkness of the middle row of three aisles comes a young mare unicorn in a light gray, hooded cloak along with a rather thick, leather bound book balanced on her withers. With teary eyes, she turns herself expertly in a gracefully executed twist, depositing the book on a small, heavily laden desk with a deep thump.

Coughing a bit and wiping tears from squinting eyes, she turns her ice blue eyes to Trixie. “You must be Miss Lulamoon I take it?” Her voice is soft and light, like moonlight dancing across the surface of water. “You may call me Rime Ice, I'm the leader of the Symbology wing of Canterlot Castle. I see Whetstone isn't one to waste your time or his to bring you here so quickly.”

Remaining silent, Trixie takes the measure of the other pony. Under the gray cloak, the pony is a shade of gray blue, providing a startling contrast to her eyes, her mane is a platinum blond in color. She is very slight of frame but holds an almost ethereal aura of power about her entire being. “If it's not much of a bother to your schedule, would you like to take a small break Miss? I've been up for hours and I've barely had a bite to eat.”

Startled into speaking by the casual tone Trixie hastily replies, “Trixie has nothing planned for the foreseeable future, so she will gladly accept your kind offer.” She falls back into her way of 3rd person speaking out of habit as she knows she's in the presence of a pony far more powerful than herself. She doesn't know when she started talking this way, but it became a habit when she was in front of crowds or amongst ponies she knew she couldn't handle on her own. It was a mark of insecurity, she knew, but she couldn't help it. By talking in this way, she was able to give her the courage she knew she didn't have, the audacity to go in front of a crowd and demand they put forth their best talents so she could simply humiliate ponies in front of their community.

“I see you're quite sure of yourself Miss Lulamoon, but first let me send for something for us to freshen up with,” she smiles as a faint, cold light pulses from her horn. “But you must stop speaking of yourself in such a manner. It lessens the deeds and importance of both yourself and your deeds, even in your own mind. There have been a few to enter my through my door who spoke in such a manner that have come to two ends. The first kind are those who continue to speak in the 3rd person, and they succumb to despair and unending sadness as they fall to the mental strain of forcing their selves to continue down a path that they cannot handle. Then there are others who correct themselves and become whole. These ponies are stronger for it, for they are no longer slaves to their own minds, being pushed by not only others but by their own unforgiving selves either. Which are you?”

Her quiet manner of speaking made makes Trixie stop herself, almost daring not to breath, to hear each word that leaves her lips. Shock at being spoken to makes her hesitate in replying, but not before she mentally digests the speech. When did I become so weak willed that I needed to become my own task master? Have I always been so weak that I needed to make myself into some mare out of a story in my own mind? “Tri-...” she stammers, catching herself, “I am stronger than you think Rime Ice.” She finishes, looking her in the eye with a defiant stare, daring her to suggest otherwise.

Rime Ice nods, “Good Miss Lulamoon, very good. In that case, I welcome you to the Symbology wing, I hope that you are ready to discover all that you are here.” Following her words, there is a knock on the door followed by two earth pony servants bearing a tray between them as they come through the door and Trixies mouth drops open. The tray is laden with enough food for five royal guards who were denied food for a week. Trixie looks scandalously from the tray to Rime Ice, not comprehending how such a slight pony could eat so much. “You of all ponies should know how hard constant magic use is on a pony Miss Lulamoon. You have made enough bits from your performances and hand outs from fans that you never really noticed how much you actually need to eat, but think about the kinds of magic we do here. The scale and complexity of the magic used to truly understand a pony and their talents is simply astounding. This is ancient magic, wrought by Princess Luna before her fall. It was originally intended to be made of use in aiding ponies who seek a deeper understanding of their talent. Some know instinctively what it is they can do and how to do it, but think of those ponies who do their tasks dutifully, yet fail to feel complete at what they do.”

Trixie had never thought of everything in quite that way before. Sure, she had never known how hungry she could have been after a long day of performances, but she had known of those ponies who had been left incomplete despite knowing their true talents. Her father had been one such pony. “I see,” she says quietly, simply.

“I am glad that you do Miss. Now, let us take a break and have a light snack.” Rime Ice says with a sadly knowing smile as she turns to walk over to the heavily laden tray. The ponies who brought it having quietly departed. She brings a spindly chair with her as she sits between a ceiling high bookshelf along the wall and the tray. Trixie levitates a similar chair from in front of the desk with her over and sits across from the other unicorn. As she sits, she notices with a small shock that Rime ice has a steady stream of food traveling from hoof to mouth. Barely making a noise, Trixie tries to take a carrot from a tray, only for it to be snatched as Rime Ice leans over and takes it from her hoof. Jerking in shock, Trixie watches Rime Ice continues to eat as though she hadn't simply snatched food from her hoof. Keeping her eye on Rime Ice this time, she takes another carrot, careful to avoid the hoof she sends to snatch her choice carrot again. She quickly moves the carrot out of range as she knew Rime would attempt to steal her food, earning a small smile from Rime Ice as she casually makes it look like she wasn't attempting to steal the food right from her hoof, grabbing a different carrot from the large tray. They continue this little dance of keep away until there's little more than crumbs and small nibbled bits as Trixie had become full before even half the tray had been emptied, Rime Ice had continued on at a steady pace, not even slowing until she had the last apple in hoof.

“What a delightful breakfast. I thank you for the company Miss Lulamoon, but now onto the business at hoof. It is time for me to help you rediscover yourself, from beginning to present. I, of course shall witness this as well, but as an outsider.”

“What? You're going to watch my past be laid out before you like a picture show?” Trixie says in shock.

“Of course, Miss Lulamoon. Who else would be able to divine the talents and abilities you possess without the abject training I possess? I will be clear and honest with you from the forefront, though I will witness all that you have lived, I will hold the knowledge close to my heart. I would no sooner betray your secrets than my own. This is something you must go through if you wish to continue in the duties Princess Luna has lain before you. Did you not promise yourself to do as she commands unquestioningly?”

Trixie looks at the floor under the quiet rebuke, heat rising in her cheeks. She had wanted redemption through service, hadn't she? So what if somepony looks through her past? So why did she feel so ashamed about opening up to a complete stranger, it's not like she even knew who this pony was aside that she served her Mistress as well. If I'm so ashamed of my past, she thought, I'll make my future one to be proud of. Looking up, determination to not let this get in her way, Trixie looks Rime Ice in the eye and nods, “Lead on then, I'm determined to do anything to prove Mistress Luna that her trust isn't misplaced.”

Rime Ice nods and says “Follow me.”

Trixie is led down the right most aisle, to the very back where there is a small door is set, recessed into the back corner of the musty library. Rime Ice stops before the door and touches her horn to the door, a flare of cold blue light flashes in the pattern of a intricate ward against trespassers. Trixie suppresses a shiver at the cold light, not wanting to think what would happen if somepony were to accidentally trigger such a powerful ward. The door opens without a sound, and a faint cold light escapes into the gloom as Rime Ice walks through, Trixie hurries behind her as the door begins to close. The light comes from a lantern containing magelight, likely made by Rime Ice herself. Trixie looks around to see a steep and narrow staircase winding down from a small landing they share. Taking the lantern in mouth, Rime ice begins to trot down the steps, leaving Trixie to follow. Nervously excited, Trixie almost slips and falls after a couple steps. Bringing herself into check, she slows her pace with her heart beating a furious pace in the back of her throat. The pair continue their descent into the depths of the mountain below Canterlot Castle. As they descend, Trixie imagines the weight overhead, worrying about how she'll get back up since her legs were furiously burning from the effort of going down the staircase. Rime Ice suddenly stops, putting the lantern on the step and says, “How about we take a short break Miss Lulamoon. Everypony always has trouble with the descent.”

“That sounds wonderful. I didn't know the Castle had such depths.”

“Oh yes, this is a very special place we're going to Miss Lulamoon. It's one of the reasons the Princesses decided to build on this location.”

There wasn't anything Trixie could say to that, so she simply sat on one of the steps and leaned against the wall and closed her eyes. Her mind drifts for a while as her sore muscles find relief in inactivity but she starts back to full alertness as Rime Ice tells her that it's time to continue on their way. After what seems, and likely was, two hours of going down the stairs, Trixie was both physically and mentally exhausted. Wanting nothing else to do but lay down and do nothing, Trixie was brought back from her mental exhaustion by the sight before her. She was standing on the shore of a exceedingly shallow lake whose far shore became lost in the darkness, warm mists curling lazily across its surface. As she looks closer, the lake bed is made of a rich black sand punctuated sporadically by glowing pieces of crystal resting atop the sand, the ceiling above spread out expansively, giving the illusion that they were in a wide-open area.

“Miss Lulamoon, if you would go fill a bucket with water and return here to me?” Rime Ice says, startling Trixie in the deep silence. She looks over to where Rime Ice is pointing with a hoof and does as asked. “Now, drink, please.”

“The whole thing?”

Rime Ice nods, appearing lost in the labyrinthine corridors that must compose her mind. Trixie looks skeptically at the clear, slightly warm water and begins to drink. As she begins to drink, it begins to suffuse her mind in the same lazily swirling mists that dance above the waters surface. She begins to loose track of herself, her mind becoming flaccid, but continues to drink from the bucket. Nothing matters to her anymore except to finish the task at hoof. Finally, she takes the bucket between her hooves and drains the last drops, her mind completely diffuse, not a single thought swirls in her mind now.

Rime Ice now stands before her, her body completely transparent as a cold blue light, almost painful to behold, comprises her being. Find your way to the center of the lake, float on your back, and Remember...

Without a thought, Trixie does as commanded , instinctively knowing where to go. She walks into water barely deep enough to reach her chest, at a steady pace, with our hurrying, but not dallying either. Behind her, the glowing pony collapses into a energetic cloud of cold blue mist, moving with purpose to the edge of the lake. The lazy mists of the lake rush to meet its glowing counterpart, becoming one with it, expanding its size as it spreads in both directions along the shoreline. The mists now move like something alive around Trixie as she walks through the water, moving against her, but not impeding her, showing that her direction to the center is true. In the darkness, the crystals glow like stars in the sky, slowly a dim and cold light creeps from behind her to both sides. It means nothing to her. Center of the lake... Float on back... Remember....

After an indeterminable amount of time, Trixie stands before a hole in the lake bottom several times her length in diameter. Its depths lost in the darkness, a cold light now shines from all directions. She takes one last step forward, turning onto her back as she floats, gliding over the depths. She slows, the light glows like a sun about to over the horizon. The cold light flares, rushing to meet the pony, the pony stops, the mist touches her, and she remembers.....

Author's Note:

What a chapter, huh? I had a lot of fun speculating and weaving this chapter from the threads of my thoughts. I hope you enjoyed reading this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it :3

Olive Branch, Whetstone and Rime Ice are ponies that I've created of my own volition. Each are very unique and special in their own way, I plan on creating even more ponies, and possibly even short stories about each of the ponies I've created so far and those possibly in the future. I look forward to it, and I hope you do too. Suggestions on who to write about first would be appreciated, and I hope you like what I come up with :3