Chapter Eighty: Cold Council
HEART OF STONE
Chapter Eighty: Cold Council
Written by TheCrimsonDm
“It’s been two weeks,” Twilight said sadly.
Trixie tried to move to see better but was unable to control her own body. From what she could see though, she was lying on Pinkie’s bed, the cloak that Maud had made for her was wrapped around her like a blanket. Her eyes also hurt and tears were running down the side of her face, although she couldn’t figure out why she was crying.
“Yeah, so what if it’s been two weeks. She’s out there and were going to find her,” Rainbow Dash stated.
“Usually when a pony goes missing you only have forty eight hours to find them before-“
“SHUT IT!” Rainbow Dash shouted, interrupting Twilight. “Trixie is just fine. I know it.”
“Sugarcube, no one is telling you to give up hope… we just want to make sure that you realize there’s a chance we won’t find her. That’s all,” Applejack said calmly.
“Thinking she’s dead is the same as giving up. I’m Rainbow Dash, I don’t give up.”
Trixie’s head moved of its own accord and looked at the pegasus flying in the air and talking down to Twilight and Applejack. Trixie closed her eyes and didn’t open them for a long moment, when she finally did she saw Twilight staring at her with a heart broken look.
“We will find her. I promise you,” Twilight said.
Trixie shook her head slowly.
“You… don’t want us to find her?”
Trixie opened her mouth and a sudden pain hit her heart. She closed her mouth, and then looked away. Her body was quivering and she lay on Pinkie’s bed with her eyes closed.
“She doesn’t want to worry us,” Pinkie Pie said. “Um, you should stay in the hallway.”
“Oh… okay,” Fluttershy squeaked back.
Trixie took a peek at the doorway and saw Pinkie along Fluttershy hiding behind just behind her. Fluttershy looked disheveled. Twilight approached Pinkie Pie and asked, “What did you find?”
“Nothing. The forest was as empty as usual,” Pinkie pie explained.
“Um, we actually found something… but maybe Pinkie should explain,” Fluttershy said.
Twilight looked sternly at Pinkie. “What did you find?”
“We found some old buildings. Deer buildings. Inside we found a bunch of… bones, and a coat.”
“Bones?”
“Deer bones.”
“That’s bad, what was so special about the coat?”
Pinkie Pie opened her mouth but was interrupted by Fluttershy. “It was the same coat that your friend was wearing… Moon Dancer, right?”
“Moon Dancer wasn’t here, we found out it was actually Trixie in disguise, remember?” Twilight said. Twilight paused for a moment and then added, “Oh… I see. That’s a sign. What else?”
“She wasn’t there, but we found a clue. So maybe we’ll see her soon?” Fluttershy suggested meekly.
Fluttershy looked over at Trixie and said, “I’m sorry for what I did…”
Trixie looked up at Fluttershy, and with Maud’s voice she replied, “I just want her back. I want my Lulu.”
***
Trixie opened her eyes and stared at the wooden wall ahead of her. It was dark, and there was no sign of the morning sun. Carefully Trixie stood up from the bed and the flower bulb came to life at her movement. Deer homes were very strange.
As she made her way outside to stare at the night sky she thought about the dream she just woke from. It was strange, she’d remote viewed before, she’d been inside a ponies mind, heck she had even implanted thoughts into a pony once. But actually being another pony was a different experience altogether. The strange thing was that she found herself smiling despite how hollow she felt inside.
Hearing, and feeling how much Maud missed her was very revealing to a truth that Trixie hadn’t even considered being possible. A truth that said, despite her screw ups, she was still loved. Sure it hurt knowing just how poorly she had treated Maud, more so now than ever before. But the fact that Maud still loved her, still missed her, made Trixie feel as though maybe she could work towards making up for her sins in some way.
Trixie looked over the edge and admired the deer village for its quiet life. There really wasn’t anything going on this time at night, but she did feel like she was safe here. The stars shined magnificently, but something about the way they were shaped stuck out to her. For a long moment Trixie just stared at them, and then she felt a cold whisper at the back of her neck.
With great speed Trixie swung around to see a pony standing before her. A dark shadowy figure that made her very bones chill to the core. The pony took a few steps forward and Trixie stepped back, her rear bumped into the railing.
“Trixie Lulamoon, you have seen our message?” it asked.
“What message? Who are you?” Trixie asked, her heart racing.
The pony moved into the light and revealed it’s true self to Trixie. Princess Luna stood before her with her wings spread wide apart. Trixie couldn’t believe this.
“We left a message for you, the message is a simple one but please take it too heart,” Luna said while pointing a wing back at the stars.
Again Trixie looked to the stars and suddenly the shapes she was making out made sense. There were words written in the stars, and the message was truly simple, but very powerful. The stars read “Come home.”
A familiar warmth filled Trixie’s chest and she looked back at Luna. “Please tell them, that I’m coming home soon. I’m healed now, so I’ll be there sometime tomorrow.”
Luna smiled and began fading into the shadows from whence she came. “I will.”
After that, Trixie stared at the stars for a few more minutes before heading back to bed. She needed sleep, and now that she was reminded about how much everypony loved her, she could sleep easily. Her dreams that night were still hollow, but she didn’t feel as lonely as she had before.
***
Morning came and after breakfast Trixie got dressed in her father’s cloak, with sword at her side and saddlebags ready, she followed Mystic Soul out to the edge of town. Dark Leaf stood at the edge of town along with a new buck. This new buck was wearing red armor that complemented his dark brown fur. Upon seeing the new deer’s armored legs it dawned on Trixie just how thin deer legs were in comparison to ponies.
A small frown formed upon the new buck’s lips as he stared at Trixie’s horn. The new buck looked back towards the woods as he said, “I am Blackthorn, and it is my duty to take you to meet with The Hart of The Forest, King Aspen. He will be meeting us on our way to the nearest Pony village, Ponyville.”
Trixie looked down at her hooves and said, “My name is Trixie… and thanks for taking me home.”
Mystic Soul then added, “We are most grateful for your protection, and the chance to meet with King Aspen is an honor indeed.”
Blackthorn smiled at him. “The honor is mine.”
“You did not look too happy to be guiding us,” Mystic Soul pointed out.
Blackthorn looked back towards the woods. “You know how my last meeting with a unicorn went. Ponies are strange creatures, no offense, Trixie.”
Trixie shuffled her hooves. “It’s okay, I know we must seem really strange to you.”
“We should get a move on, I’m not sure the roc will want to wait around too much longer.”
A sudden panic filled Trixie’s heart. “Wait you came here on a roc?”
***
The roc in question was the single largest bird that Trixie had ever seen. Rocs resembled eagles usually, only they were about the size of houses, and ate ponies. The bird looked at the miniscule Trixie with a pricing gaze that reminded Trixie of what it was like to stare death in the eyes.
“The little one is afraid of me,” the roc said in a powerful voice. “You wish me to give this creature a ride?”
Blackthorn stared the roc in the eyes and spoke without fear. “Yes I do. King Aspen wishes to speak with her as soon as he can.”
“I hate the stench of fear,” the roc replied. “But I serve the King. Get on little one, and don’t you dare piss yourself. If you do, I can’t be responsible for what happens to you.”
That threat sent chills down Trixie’s spine, and tightened her bladder. It was a little awkward getting up on the roc’s massive back, but with the help of the two deer she found herself sitting timidly on the back of a giant eagle. The deer sat on either side of Trixie, and as the roc spread its wings Trixie’s heart rose into her throat. With a few powerful flaps of its wings the roc leapt into the air and over the trees. The wind pressed violently against Trixie’s front, causing her to lower into a crouch.
“Do not worry,” Mystic offered happily. “The roc will not let you fall, and neither will we.”
“Easy for you to say, I’ve never ridden one before.”
“Me neither, but this is rather exciting.”
Trixie stared at him angrily. “This is not amusing, it is scary.”
Blackthorn interrupted, “My friend here has only ever thrown off one passenger. And that was because he was disrespectful. I’m sure that you’ll be just fine… just don’t flirt with him.”
“With who, the giant bird?” Trixie exclaimed. “Why in Equestria would I do that?”
“The last unicorn I met had no problems flirting with other species,” He replied.
“Oh she was just interested in you because you were powerful. It is rumored that unicorns are attracted to such things,” Mystic Soul said.
“Ha, I think that applies to all women my friend,” Blackthorn replied jokingly.
Mystic Soul laughed as well.
Trixie scowled. Sexist males, this is why I go for mares.
***
The ride only lasted a couple of hours, but it felt like it had lasted much longer for the fear ridden unicorn. When they finally landed in a wide open meadow, Trixie was more than happy to jump off the roc and hug the earth. The idea of flying was bad enough, but flying on the back of a giant monster was even worse.
Blackthorn and Mystic Soul both got off at their own pace and thanked the roc. Trixie watched as the roc left them and flew off to Celestia knows where. Finally Trixie stood up and alongside the two bucks she walked with them to the edge of the meadow. There they found a small campsite where they waited for King Aspen.
Things were quiet for a little while until a new deer walked out of the woods. This deer had mostly white fur with blonde fur along his back, and under his eyes. He stood taller than even Blackthorn and wore gold armor around his neck, his horn, and his hooves. With his powerful green eyes he stared down at Trixie with a small smile.
Blackthorn and Mystic Soul bowed their heads slightly and in unison said, “King Aspen.”
King Aspen nodded at them and they raised their heads. He then looked at Trixie and said, “I am King Aspen, The Hart of the Forest. May I ask for your name little one?”
Trixie tried to stand taller, but no matter what she did, she couldn’t hope of getting anywhere near eye level with the king. She smiled and introduced herself, “I am Trixie Lulamoon.” For a moment she paused and then added, “Also known as The Great and Powerful Trixie. You may just call me Trixie though.”
This brought a larger smile from the deer king. He joined the ground around the campsite and laid down by the fire. His eyes were finally at level with Trixie’s and this made her feel a little more assured about her position here.
“I have heard rumor that you survived an encounter with The Crimson Tide. Is this true?” he asked, there was some measure of doubt in his voice.
Trixie looked back at the white cloak covering her back and frowned. Using her magic she undid the clasp and carefully lifted the cloak off in order to reveal the scars to the deer king. She looked back at him and said, “Barely.”
His eyes betrayed the pity he held for Trixie’s condition. “You have suffered much at her hooves I imagine. I’m sorry if it’s painful to talk about but I must ask, what exactly did she do to you?”
Trixie replaced the cloak and hid her back from the world once again. “She tried to turn me into a monster. She succeeded, and then I fixed it… I think. A lot of my memory is simply gone.”
“It was speculated that she had such power, but to imagine it was true… I apologize for the torment that you have suffered,” King Aspen said gently.
Trixie looked away, she didn’t like being pitied. Somewhere deep inside she told herself that she didn’t deserve any pity. “I will live.”
Suddenly Blackthorn stood and his ears twitched. Mystic Soul and King Aspen followed him. Trixie looked around, she couldn’t figure out what was wrong. Blackthorn and the others took guarding positions around Trixie while facing the woods around them.
“This isn’t good,” Blackthorn said.
“How did they find us so soon?” King Aspen asked.
Mystic Soul glanced back at Trixie and said, “They might have sensed her magic.”
“That’s preposterous, she is but a lowly unicorn. These creatures barely even feel King Aspen’s magic, how could they sense hers?” Blackthorn said.
A chilling wind blew by the woods. It stunned Trixie for a moment to feel such a cold wind, to her knowledge the forest was always warm. Bright blue eyes illuminated the woods and the very edges of the forest began freezing over. Something inside Trixie screamed that this was too familiar, and she just wanted to run.
The creature that stepped out of the woods was as tall as Princess Celestia if not taller. A pony made completely of ice, two eyes of brilliant blue shone brightly, rows of razor sharp teeth, and through its icy body a red gem like heart was clearly visible. The ground around its hooves froze at its touch.
“Windigo,” King Aspen cursed.
The windigo charged the group and all three deer attempted to intercept. Trixie backpedaled away from the fight as she watched the deer valiantly tangle with the monster. King Aspen dodged, Blackthorn attacked, and Mystic Soul attempted to regroup with Trixie.
Things looked good for the deer as the windigo failed to land any blows against the king. Time and time again the monster would attack, and the king despite his size dogged as though it was nothing. Finally Blackthorn got a lucky blow in and with his two front hooves he managed to kick the windigo’s rear leg clean off.
The windigo’s leg shattered and the monster fell back. This was when the king finally took his time to strike and using his horns he charged into the windigo’s torso and flung the monster into the air. The creature came back down, slamming into the earth hard and shattering on impact. The deer were victorious.
King Aspen and Blackthorn turned to face Trixie with smiles upon their lips. “These things are nothing compared to us, the true rulers of the forest.”
Trixie was not smiling though, because her eyes were still focused on the windigo’s remains. The ice chunks that had once comprised the windigo rolled over and fused into a brand new windigo. Blackthorn and King Aspen’s smiles faded as they stared into Trixie’s wide terrified eyes. They tried to turn but were too late.
The windigo now back in its original shape struck the earth with its forelegs and sent a shockwave of ice towards the two warriors. The ice quickly covered their legs and kept them in place as it slowly advanced for the kill.
“It’s going to kill them,” Mystic Soul gasped.
Despite her fear, Trixie knew that something had to be done. Using her magic she pulled the sword free from its sheath and smiled at the dim blue light it cast. Using all the courage she had she called out, “Windigo, you might think this battle won, but you have forgotten who the real threat here is.”
The windigo looked over at Trixie with a cold stare.
“You left me, The Great and Powerful Trixie! That will be your last mistake,” Trixie cried as she pumped magic into her horn.
The creature began walking towards her, freezing the earth with each step. Trixie released the magic from her horn, summoning a fireball and sending it into the monster. The windigo swatted the fireball away with a hoof, and even though it exploded on contact, the windigo was left unharmed.
“That’s… not good,” Trixie muttered to herself.
The windigo charged forward and without an actual plan Trixie swung the sword at the air, attempting to imitate her father’s technique. The blade lashed out with a bright light and the windigo continued running. The windigo’s hoof sunk into the earth and it toppled forward and rolled a few times.
Trixie charged her magic for a second time, if a fireball wouldn’t do it she would have to try for something flashier. She stared at the windigo, and its gem like heart. She hadn’t seen one like that on the windigo from Ponyville, actually it looked like Red Velvet had blasted a whole clean through its chest… Trixie had an idea.
It didn’t take long to charge up enough energy for a simple beam, but much to her surprise she was able to continue charging energy into her horn. The windigo began to rise, and she continued pumping energy without stopping. Her shoulders began to burn and something inside her moved, she ignored it and continued pushing as much energy into her horn as she possibly could. The windigo stood fearsomely before her, and charged. Trixie didn’t stop.
With her back screaming in pain, and her horn drawing in more magic then she thought possible, the monster arrived. It raised its hooves to the sky and Trixie unleashed all of her built up magic into a single beam of blue energy. Just as the beam left her horn her back exploded and two dark blue wings painfully sprouted from her shoulders and the beam grew several times in size.
The beam collided with the windigo’s chest and lifted it up into the air before penetrating its chest and striking the creature’s cold heart. The heart vanished from sight and the windigo fell to the earth unmoving. The area quickly surrounding he windigo froze in an instant and the windigo shattered into hundreds of tiny pieces. Its heart gem was nowhere to be seen.
Trixie smiled, her vision darkened and she fell over. With Mystic Soul attempting to free the other deer of their frozen hooves, Trixie was left to lie on the ground; at least her back wasn’t in any more pain. She saw the dark wing lying limply next to her and her smile faded. She was still a monster.
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Poor Trixie, looks like she is stuck with wings for life, at least they come in handy with saving her life and all. I also really liked the Roc he seemed like a 'mess with me and i will end you' type of bird it seems to work for him.
Once again, nice chapter it was a fun read and now i wounder what was the last unicorn Blackthorn was around. Also what type of wings dose Trixie have, my head keeps giving me an image of her with one Bat and one Feathered wing, and I'm wondering if i missed where you described it in the chapter they showed up.
6072128 I'm fairly certain that I described them as being feathered wings only with a much darker shade of blue then her own fur.
Also Poor Blackthorn had to deal with this for two whole comics
40.media.tumblr.com/56f14c14749aa32d4167a730ce260730/tumblr_nokz9hSfwm1sqok2zo1_500.png
6072263 Ah so it was just me misreading and missing it, that's what I get for trying to power thought the chapters in the mornings before I have to go to work... I feel like i should go back and reread the last 5ish chapters to see if i missed anything else.
Also Poor Blackthorn looks like he fears Rarity is about to rape him.
More remote viewing, interesting.
I like the idea that Maud is in Pinkie's bed. Maybe Maud is uncomfortable with sleeping in her own bed without Trixie there. It does make sense that Pinkie wouldn't want Maud to be home alone and sad after all this.
The strange thing though, why is Maud not out looking for Trixie? I hope this gets addressed at some point since it doesn't feel like Maud would just outsource the search entirely.
Amusing coincidence that Maud is incredibly powerful.
Oh good. I was a little sad we didn't see any more of the wings before Trixie (?) amputated them.