Two Moons

by TheGreatEater

Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

Over the next few weeks, things settled into a comfortable schedule. They would wake up around sunset, ate breakfast as Celestia ate dinner, while every few days switching her schedule to get her used to being up during the day or night as needed. Without messing with her circadian rhythm to much. While standing with the Princesses as a royal secretary taking notes on the various ponies that came by during the day.

Which usually revolved around the same four or mix of the four subjects. Either trying to pull a fast one of the princess to eek out more bits out of those under them, petty disputes that quickly descended into even petty bickering, telling the Princess that she should fire and banish Trixie, and when talking about Luna how she would be better served elsewhere for the publics own good [in legalese, and dressed up all fancy with rhetoric], or when talking to her making subtle hints that Equestria only needed two Princesses and Luna wasn’t one of them.

It was the later ones that angered Trixie the most, she didn’t care about others unnecessary bickering and their powerplays were as obvious as the the mane on her head. As well as it was evident that the Princess knew that they were doing, the only ones who thought they were being clever or were being taken seriously where those who were doing the complaining. Verbal assaults toward her, as well as the various insults, and demands that she be fired, banished, or even at a few points sent to the moon like Celestia’s Sister were things that she was used to. So it was no fur off her back, she had a place to stay, warm food, ponies who trusted her, and more importantly wasn’t made to feel like she had to hide who she was to everypony around her. But it was the later that always riled her up.

But it was her time training with Luna that really made her day complete. Everyday she learned more about the moon and how do more than tap into the moon to empower her, but to shape it’s energies. Although she liked training while the moon was rising and building it’s power over the earth. Rather than setting and getting ready to welcome the suns energy. Although she learned that by learning to deal with both parts of the night was training her to get used to manipulating the moons power regardless of where it lay during the night.

Her most treasured memory so far during these times was after a rather excruciating evening of training. As Trixie and Luna sat side by side in the center of the Royal Gardens. Having learned not even a day prior had started to learn how to magically augment her body by pumping magic into the hollow parts of the muscle, while reinforcing ligaments. Resulting in the body temporarily beefing up while magically boosting hoof to hoof attacks.

The reasoning behind it being that Luna was known for her knowledge of many types of magic, but had in her earlier years when Equestria was a much wilder place, put heavy training into martial magics, and more arcane medical magics. Each of which would act as a great primer for her later lessons. Reasoning that if you are going to be able to harm another you must be able to heal what you cause. As well as to prepare her for if the relatively flimsy peace of Equestria should ever fall that she could take care of herself and those around her.

With Luna’s training to see where she stood mentally, physically, and magically. She determined that her magical centers unlike Twilight’s weren’t fully open, thus cutting her off from a large reserve of what she could do. But at her age forcing it open herself wasn’t safe, rather Luna planned and told her that she was going to prepare her for it. Her magic that she was able to use was as artistic, flexible, and amorphous in its use just like Luna wanted from a personal Protege’. But while her magic was good, and with training would be better.

Trixies body, while malnourished still showed tight, raw muscle from living a life on the outdoors with little in the realm of pampering or a sedentary lifestyle. Although there were multiple knots on the bone from it healing oddly from the numerous times she took injuries from thrown wheels, wooden balls, stones, or other solid projectiles that were aimed her way. Luckily for Trixie, the medical staff of a Princess, and Luna’s stubborn insistence would make sure that the damage wouldn’t turn into something past cosmetic when she got older.

But even with all those strenghts. Trixie failed on the mental aspect of her tests. Before she was broken by circumstance. She was egotistical, stubborn, and detached from the world around her. Speaking about herself in the third person to ignore the lies she had to live in order to hide the truth about herself. As well as to get her name out so that she wouldn’t be forgotten unlike the rest of her family, whom she still had great loyalty towards. Even if they weren’t able to acknowledge her exitance yet if they wanted to keep what little business they had.

And with her name know being infamous, she no longer wanted to be remembered, but she still held onto her familial loyalty. But her biggest failing was that she didn’t know how to work with others. Feeling the need that if she couldn’t do it alone that she was a failure. It took was taking a lot of work but slowly but surly Luna was showing her how important it was to rely on others from time to time.

None of this mattered at that moment to Trixie. She had used her magic to augment her body, and had given a rather fun race with Luna through the maze, racing to the center. All 1 mile of running that it took to get through all the twists and bends to the center. Luna had rested a wing unconsciously over her back and looking at Luna gazing at the moon, was at a loss on what to do. But upon resting into Luna, Trixie was happy with how great if felt. The softness of Luna’s coat was softer than Saddle Arabian Cotton, and her wings were the most luxurious downy softness that Trixie had ever felt.

What really made it great was that there was no demand to the embrace, no implied threat if the contact wasn’t returned. Just an offered kindness, that Trixie was welcome to accept or ignore. And that kindness was just what she needed. Resting her head upon Luna she looked at the moon and decided that she was going to show her Princess something to hopefully know how much she appreciated her teachings, as well as her presence.

She softly reached up to the moon, touching it softly and allowing the gentle pulse of it’s aura to flow around her horn. Focusing her magic into numerous bends and folds she formed a silver rose made out of moonlight and bringing into Luna’s vision transformed the rose into a beautiful Catherine’s Wheel of silver, indigo, blue, and turquoise. But rather than fast, flashy display, let it happen at a slower level. Bending the explosive bursts into a seashell like circular pattern forming and ever expanding sacred circle out of moonlight, magic, and explosions.

Luna released her wing hold and with a face splitting grin clapped at her students initiative and creativity. As the fireworks died down but not before forming a copy of Luna’s Cutie Mark over head. That moment, the praise she received and the happiness of Luna’s face was the one of the most treasured moments of Trixie’s life. A part of her wanted things to go further than student teacher, but she was a lowly Unicorn who was more trouble than she was worth, at least in her eyes, and she doubted such a kind and loving Alicorn would want anything to do with her in romantic setting.

So it was two months after her arrival when Luna told her that she had important guests that wanted to talk to her after the Night Court. The second to last visitor was a one of the rare nobles who came to the night court. Black Marble came trotting up the the throne his ebony mane in stark contrast to his white coat. His beady sky blue eyes stuck in the perpetual scowl that was plastered on his face. “Hello Princess,” he said with a small bow, “Have you thought about the proposition that us Nobles sent to you not to long ago?”

Luna put on a confused look, “Do you mean the proposition that I move to the Everfree and get “closer to ponies more like myself”, or the one where I send Trixie, my student, to the moon where she wouldn’t be a bother to the goodly ponies of Equestria, or what are we talking about the proposition where I abdicate from the throne and allow Twilight to take her rigthful place as diarach, rather than the Triumvirate we currently have? I am curious to what proposition you and the nobility have given me over these last two months.”

Black Marble said with utter sincerity, “All of the above actually. You see this city has tons of culture, and many traditions that have been for a hundred centuries. And as much as it saddens us you need to be somewhere, where you can connect with the ponies of Equestria and build your own traditons that don’t ... conflict with those here in Canterlot. As for Trixie, you can see it from our stand point. She’s a walking disaster. First she brings an Ursa Minor to do major damage to Ponyville. Then she goes enslaves a town, preventing the apples from leaving Ponyville causing an over all loss of three point seven five billion bits.

Her actions shut down numerous businesses, crashed numerous stock markets, and had caused a national food shortage that we are still suffering from. And Are you seriously saying that the pony behind the greatest financial disaster in Equestrian History. Yet here you are not only is her punishment nowhere near enough to make restitution to the damage she’s done by being alive. But you have taken a commoner, with a questionable background, and one who was never even worthy of acceptance into Celestia’s School For Gifted Unicorns. And took her as a student. It speaks volumes to the ponies of Equestria, but would speak even more volumes in the right direction if you were to punish her as she deserves.”

“That’s what I thought you said, and my reply is no. Now it’s best that you leave.” Luna said with a calmness that any pony with any shard of common sense and self preservation would have seen as the calm before the storm. Unfortunately for Black Marble, nobles weren’t known for either common sense or having the self preservation without twenty guards and a check book between them and a threat. Neither of which he had on him at that moment.

So it should come to no ponies surprise what happened next, “But Luna I’m only telling you this for your own good. The Nobles have the power in Equestria, without our bits, that she cost us by the way. You have no standing other than as a symbol, a rather bad one at that. So me coming here is a kindness, if you don’t work with us than it will only go bad for you.”

But before Luna could react, Trixie had him wrapped up in a curtain and was slamming him into the walls with reckless abandon, “Don’t! You! Ever! Speak! To! Her! Like! That! Again!” Each word punctuated by a hearty, meaty thwack.

“Yes! I am a horrible pony that doesn’t deserve forgiveness, but her and Princess Celestia have not only forgiven me publicly and personally. But even without that, if I ever hear you or those self centered snobs insult Princess Luna again, or my family” She unwrapped him gluing his rear legs to the ceiling with a gravity spell, “I will hurt you more than words can describe. Now I think she asked you to get out, and I think the gentlecoltish thing to do is to move your hide out of the way.”

With that she removed him from the ceiling and threw him out with a huff. Luna looked at her for a few seconds, before breaking out in a hearty, window shaking gafaw. Tears coming out in waterfalls, “Oh Sweet Faust! That was the most hilarious thing I have seen since me and Celestia got drunk off of Space Rum. I suspect that there will be some fall out, that me and Celestia will have to smooth out but it was so worth it. Thank you.” Luna said between breaths, before lifting Trixie up in a hug similar to the one she gave Fluttershy years ago, but with the a feathery embrace of her wings as well.

After settling her down and wiping her tears out of her eyes. She looked at a furiously blushing Trixie. Which prompted an embarrassed wing-boner from Luna that she quickly moved to hide. Trixie only had a hoof full of seconds to ponder what Luna’s abrupt opening and closing of her wings meant when she heard a voice that shut her brain down from the flood of emotions that were flowing through her. Followed by the body that filled her with an indescribable torrent of emotions, as well as the friends that were the cause of all that had gone wrong in her life.

“No! No! No Princess, I ... I can’t talk to them! Everything will just become ruined again if they are near me! I ... I ... I just, I have to go!” Trixie basically cried, and stuttered as she looked for an exit that she knew logically was non-existent.

“Wait!” Twilight shouted, “I, I mean we, have something that we need to say. Please give us a moment to talk?”

“Why should I?!” Trixie all but screamed.

“Because we came here to apologize.” Rainbow Dash said from the back of the group, rather than being airborne as was her usual she was on the ground looking like she got caught kicking a puppy ... that was in a full body cast ... on Fluttershy’s property.

Hearing that they came to apologize, especially from a Mare that she had gathered info as one who rarely, if ever admitted if she was in the wrong. Was enough to wind Trixie causing her to fall on her haunches. Luna seeing that she was now open to talking whispered softly in her ear, “Trust me, let them talk. My sister and I gave them a good talking to not to long ago. Someday you might even hear the story behind it, but give them a chance to seek forgiveness. Weather you give it or not is up to you.”

Giving a curt nod, she let them initiate the conversation. Even as tears threatened to escape her eyes as seeing them was an open reminder of all that had happened since she made the mistake of going to Ponyville.

“Well Ah suppose that’d be best for the Element of Honesty ta get this here conversation a rollin’. We never had the opportunity ta get properly acquainted. Ah’m Apple Jack of the Apple family that runs Sweet Apple Acre’s. Now Ah’ll admit that what ya did ta our farm on yer last visit got everypony mighty riled. But seein’ as how that was a bunch of magical, possession, hocus pocus. Ah guess that can be over looked,” At Twilight saying her name rather sternly. Apple Jack pawed the floor and looked sheepishly at everything but Trixie for a moment before resuming her talk,

“But Ah can think that ya not being yerself makes it not really yer fault. And me and mah family would never condone mob justice against a pony who was forgiven by the Princesses. If Princess Celestia in all her knowledge, no offense Princess Luna, can forgive ya. Than that’s good enough for us. But for all these other ponies to be hatin’ on ya, and we over heard what was said by that uppity, mamby-pamby, elitist. That just don’t sit right by me, and what Ah guess Ah’m tryin’ ta say is the Apples don’t hold nothin’ against ya, and Ah’m sorry that Ah didn’t do anything ta make sure that ya weren’t targeted by other ponies. Yes Ah can understand where they’re comin’ from but that don’t give no pony the right ta treat ya how ya’ve been treated.

As for the whole Ursa Minor thing Ah guess, well ... that ain’t true. After our little talk Ah know that Ah went ta far with things and should’ve handled things a lot more differently than Ah did, and Ah’m sorry that Ah let myself get caught up in the firestorm that was yer visit and fanned the flames.” Apple Jack brought her hat to her chest and gave a little bow before stepping back.

“Hi ... well I guess that all this mess was because I over reacted, you know what you girls know much I hate at this kind of stuff,” Rainbow Dash said looking over at the other Element Bearers. To whom she was met by a wall of hoof waves pointing her into the direction Trixie. Giving a sigh she continued, “well anyways. I was shown that what you did was basically what any entertainer whose worth their salt does and played the crowd. I ... arg I hate this talking stuff. I’m a mare of action, not this emotional gunk.I messed up alright?! Is that what I was supposed to say?! I’m the one who couldn’t accept that a show is just a show. Which got you doing what any entertainer does to a heckler, which I was! Then it snowballed from there! Now you are a pariah, beaten out of towns, and due to what I started Equestria is in the worst financial crisis it’s ever seen. I get that! Happy?!” Rainbow Dash said her wings flaring aggressively. The last part directed at her friends before she rocketed out through the doors. Apple Jack taking off after her.

Trixie looked at the ground, and taking a deep breath said, “Listen I don’t know if I can accept any of your apologies. From what I can gather from Apple Jack, if it wasn’t for the fact that Princess Celestia forgave me, she would have probably rounded up a posy herself to come after me. Rainbow Dash ... Luna forgive me, but I actually understand where she’s coming from.”

“Why would I need to forgive you?” Luna asked. If it was anyother time she would have laughed at her protege’s slip of the tongue, but not today.

“Sorry slip of the tongue. What I meant is that it almost feels like a horrible thing, but I can understand her. Both of us being Mares who are more into speaking with our actions rather than our words. Although I’m getting more into being more wordy than doing something that’ll blow up in my face. But at least she tried to apologize but I don’t know if she was sincere or not. But,” sighing again Trixie looked at the rest gathered, “I can’t accept an apology if it was guilted out of you. But Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy there are something that I need to get off my chest as it were.”

After they gave a nod that they were listening. Trixie leaned on Luna slightly for moral strength before beginning, “Rarity, when your friends were talking you into challenging me I was angry at them and unfairly took it out on you. Me assaulting your mane, which really looks nice by the way, I’m actually rather jealous of it, was uncalled for. It was literally the only thing I could think of attacking that would get you on stage, and worse of all it wasn’t even about you.”

“It wasn’t?” Rarity asked. Her features attentive, but not letting anypony knowing which way she was leaning towards.

“No. It was about Rainbow Dash. Apple Jack and her were the most vocal hecklers in what was mostly a show to entertain others and inspire. But you were there and I wanted to humiliate them further so I went after you. And I’m sorry. As for the whole Alicorn Amulet thing. It was a part of me responsible for it. And not just my body, but it ... it fed off of my anger and pain, and whispered things to me. But I chose to act on the things it told me, and showed me. What I did to all of you during that time was unforgivable so I won’t even try to ask for it. But I’m still sorry for what I did to you.

“Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. While we didn’t meet until after the Amulet had started to effect me under it’s influence. I did some very horrible things to both of you. Well mostly you Pinkie Pie. It was mostly your comment about me working on the Rock Farm, and a reminder of the ponies who were responsible for me loosing four of the most important things in my life up. But torturing you is something that until ... a certain dream took over. I had nightmares about for months after the fact. I still don’t know how you survived without a mouth or a nose. But I’m haunted by dreams of what would have happened if you didn’t survive.

Fluttershy, while I didn’t hurt you directly. I know how much your animals mean to you, and how much a week of being separated was probably more than a little detrimental to them. I honestly don’t know why you, Pinkie Pie and Rarity are here. Even my anger at Twilight is something about which she has no control over. But you three. I hope someday you can forgive me for what I put you through. But I know that right now is not when you are going to be able to forgive me.”

Looking down at the ground, the weight that was lifted off her chest made her woozy and she slumped to the ground before being hugged by the three mares she had just finished talking to. “Listen Darling, I’ll admit that the fashion you did was well. Atrocious, but it was only a month later and Green Manes were all the rage, I must say you actually made me fashionable before it was popular. As for that other incident. Well we all make mistakes, what matters is that you are sincere about making amends. So with that. I forgive you, it’s all water under the bridge.”

Pinkie was in a state between being visibly deflated as only Pinkie can be, and her normal Pinkie self, “Well I guess I was a little out of line too. After all nopony likes to be insulted, and I did kind of forget that the whole Ursa thing wasn’t your fault, and hearing about the other side of the story. I can see how you weren’t a Meany McMeanypants, but just sad at being picked on. You just needed a pony to help you smile, and next time you get to Ponyville I need to throw you a party because I throw everypony who goes to Ponyville the first time a welcoming party. But You got to Ponyville twice and mrrphh mmmph mrphadrph...” Pinkie said just as Twilight put a hoof in her mouth to get her to stop talking, before Twilight told her that she thought that Trixie got the point.

“As for me ... well my animal friends were alright, and you were really scary. But it wasn’t really you, and well if ... it’s ok with you. I could try being friends with you ... if you don’t mind that is. And if you do mind well that’s ok to.” Fluttershy said hiding behind her mane her voice going quieter as she progressed until it eneded in a soft whisper. If Trixie wasn’t almost face to face with her she wouldn’t be able to have heard everything. As it was Trixie was godsmacked.

“Why would you want to be my friend? After all I did to all of you?” She asked her face just as perplexed as the tone of the question.

“Because everyone needs a sign of kindness every now and then.” Was all that Fluttershy said.

Looking at Twilight who had just removed her hoof from Pinkie Pie, “Listen we can talk tomorrow. I’m ... this was more draining than I ever thought this day would be like.”

She got an affirmative response before Luna gave her a nod, “I’m proud of you. You were honest, listened to them without interrupting, and were open to communication. You can go to sleep, and we can get everything dealt with tomorrow.”

Comments

[Frankie2]

I like how this story is progressing. Trixie likes Luna and Luna likes Trixie. It will probably be awhile before they connect as something other than student/teacher.

[Authora97]

like she got caught kicking a puppy ... that was in a full body cast ... on Fluttershy’s property.

I don't want to be near Fluttershy when that happens.

[Mooncalf]

Wow. That noble really got off easy. I mean, I'm not entirely sure of the actual legal specifics, but you do not, not, openly insult the ruler of your country like that. That's political suicide. Not only has he made an enemy of Luna, Celestia, Twilight and every noble supporting them, but she should be within her rights to rescind his title right away, turning him into one of those commoners he clearly despises so.

[Gremory]

"us nobles"

Sounds weird.

[HeartfireFirebrand]

“Because we came here to apologize.” Rainbow Dash said from the back of the group, rather than being airborne as was her usual she was on the ground looking like she got caught kicking a puppy ... that was in a full body cast ... on Fluttershy’s property.

Who would do such a thing?! I am unsure of any one, even if you took King Sombra and took all his evil and combined him with the Discord from 1000 years ago even that being with that much evil wouldn't do that.

[Prince Leviathan]

You know, I could state the obvious, but I'm sure everyone here already knows that that Noble was a dick and deserved that beating from Trixie. Which was awesome btw.

3254143
Oh deer god, now that'd be scary!

[The Real McCoy]

8204689

Oh deer god, now that'd be scary!

deer god

Heh. Nice pun. It made me chuckle.

[Yubella]

Apologies are lies and bullshit. I don't want apologies, I want actions!

[Yubella]

8110405
I would do that.......
To another person or pony. I love animals. To be more specific I would do it to Celestia, Cadence and Twilight