In Somepony's Shadow

by Whammy

Mischief Revealed

Everything seemed like it had been going good so far. Sure she might have “cheated”, but it was all to just prove to Luna she had talent, right? Well, potential talent at least. Someday she would be able to pull of this trick for real, so there really wasn’t any harm if she faked it a little. Just fake it till you make it, right?. She’d just have to be a little careful from now on though as it seemed like they were a little suspicious that something was up. Overall, though, a good night. Now she just had to get rid of the disguise and –

She froze, her mind utterly stopped as she tried to process the sight before her. Instead of the beautifully blue coat of a pony leg was the scraggly, shimmering paw of an Ursa Minor. There wasn’t a need to take a second look. Considering how the sight of that creature was burned into her memory, one look was all she needed. Even now she could feel a tightness in her chest, every breath becoming harder and harder to take yet her body desperately wanted air.

Once she got that air, though, all she could do was scream.

“Trixie, could you explain why you have an Ursa Minor’s leg?”

Her mind was so focused on that leg that she wasn’t sure if that was Luna or Celestia talking to her. Why did that accursed bear still haunt her now?! Why was it her leg?!

Discord.

He had to be involved in this somehow! That was the only explanation she could think of at the moment. She needed to get out of here, now.

“Calm down, Trixie. Relax and –”

Again, she didn’t know who was talking, and it didn’t matter.

“SMOKEBOMB!”

She didn’t have her cape, and therefore no bombs, but that was no problem. Her horn began to glow, surging with magic, but the usual pink hue was gone, instead replacing by a dark purple aura, interspersed with brightly colored shapes. Again, it didn’t matter, her thoughts pre-occupied with filling the room with as much smoke as possible. Her eyes stung as smoke exploded out of her horn, but the sound of princesses coughing was all she needed to know that now was her chance to go.

Running with a bear paw was a little difficult. At first she stumbled, flopping to the ground sporadically. Panic, though, is a surprisingly good motivator for learning quickly. Soon she was running like it was always a part of her. That was not a comforting thought.

She didn’t know how long she ran or where in the castle she ended up in, the stone hallways looking all the same to her. Just as she felt ready to collapse, however, she spotted a door. She quickly ducked in and shut it, finding herself in almost total darkness. The only source of light was the crack at the bottom of the door. Once her vision adjusted to the dark though, she recognized what the room was: a broom closet.

It would do for now.

She flopped down, back against the wall, just trying to relax and catch her breath. In the darkness of the closet that cursed foreleg taunted her, twinkling like the night sky. It was almost a relief, then, that the sight began to blur as she started to cry. Part of her still registered she was supposed to be trying to find Discord right now, but as the tears kept coming, she lost the desire to. All that fear, all that anxiety, it was just bursting out and there was nothing she could do to stop it.

On the bright side, if she got it all out now, at least she wouldn’t cry when Luna expelled her.

--

It had all happened so fast. The foreleg, the chaos magic streaming from Trixie’s horn, the smokebomb. Even now Luna found herself coughing so much she was having some trouble concentrating on a spell to push away the smoke. Before she regained her composure, however, she felt a gust of wind blowing the smoke out towards an open window and the feeling of a hoof on her back.

“Are you alright, Luna?”

Right, her sister was still there, fortunately.

“I’m” – she coughed – “fine.”

After a few more coughs she began to catch her breath, and Trixie was long gone. She was worried, of course, but the sight of that magic from Trixie’s horn had awoken another emotion: anger. A tiny smidge of that was aimed at Trixie, who she had thought would have known better than to do what she thought she did. The brunt of it, though, was reserved for another.

“DISCORD!” she shouted, the full power of the Royal Canterlot voice causing the entire hallway to shake and rattle.

“I think I’ll go and try to find Trixie,” Celestia said, gently backing away from Luna. “Just, don’t try and turn him to back to stone. I understand your anger, but I don’t believe Fluttershy would appreciate it”

“He has tempted my apprentice into a deal!” Luna said, snapping back at Celestia.

“Which is why I simply said to not entomb him,” Celestia said, a coy grin as she began to walk away. “Anything else, however, I will leave to your discretion.”

It was weird to be smiling while angry, but that was the contradiction of righteous fury.

“Thank you, sister.”

As Celestia left, she took a moment to take a calming breath. While she would enjoy lashing out at Discord with the full force of an alicorn, her sister was right. They were technically trying to help the chaotic being reform and become a better being. As such, they had an obligation to not completely tear into him whenever he crossed a line. Still, she had an apprentice to protect, and to threaten that which a princess has promised to defend – whether an individual or a nation – was to cross the most stringent of lines. It would not be taken lightly.

“Discord, I know you would not stray far from the sight of your mischief. Save yourself the trouble and reveal yourself, now,” she commanded, maintaining the firmness of her authority without resorting to shaking the halls with the Royal Canterlot Voice.

The giggling of the draconequus echoed throughout the room as he spiraled into existence, for that was about the only way to describe the swirling manifestation that appeared in front of before taking on his form.

“I guess the jig is up,” he said with a shrug. Luna simply glared at him, analyzing that smarmy grin on his face. He simply looked back at her, unphased, as he crossed his claw and paws in front of him.

“I guess you’re not in a happy mood?”

“No, I’m not.”

She watched as Discord leaned up against the wall, filing his claw.

“Listen, we both know that it was only a matter of time till she tried something.”

“Relax, it’s only temporary. Like I’d actually permanently give some random two-bit stage pony the gift of chaos magic,” he said, chuckling. “That apple will work through her system, and after a few days she’ll be back to normal.”

Luna took a deep breath. She already sensed that she was going to need something to drink after all this was done.

“And what of the fact her leg is an Ursa Minor paw now?”

Discord laughed again, and Luna felt particularly angered at just how casual he was.

“Oh, that was the best part, wasn’t it? It’s kind of like the whole alicorn thing, really. A pony gets access to alicorn magic, they get the whole horn and wing deal,” he said, summoning up a pair of horns and wings. Seeing them unattached to a pony was slightly unnerving.

“A different pony gets chaos magic and, well, chaos magic does not like being contained in something so ordinary looking. Instead” – he poofed away the body parts and put a spotlight on himself as he posed – “it prefers something a bit more mis-matched.”

The spotlight disappeared as he once again leaned up against the wall.

“Not that that’s my backstory, of course, but point is the more she uses it, the more she’ll take on the appearance of a draconequus. Just have her refrain from using it for a few days and she’ll be fine.”

“But why a Ursa Minor paw in particular?”

“Chaos magic has a sense of humor,” he said with a grin.

That this whole affair was temporary was of some relief, but she still felt like she was going to need a strong drink after all this was over to cover up the headache she was developing.

“Okay, fine, the magic is temporary and Trixie will be normal soon. That’s good. Now, explain to me why you decided to make such an offer to my apprentice.”

“Well, one, because it was fun,” he said, a giant red one appearing next to him. “Seriously, the way that mare flips emotions is so entertaining. Anyway, two" – a two appeared next to him – “I wanted to test your new apprentice.”

“Test her? What do you mean ‘test her’.”

Discord rolled his eyes at her, but she felt a shiver go up her spine as he grinned.

“Oh please, did you see how desperate she was to please you? Considering she already sought out a cursed artifact in order to one up a pony for bruising her ego, I simply wanted to see if she had changed at all. I’m just as surprised as you are she took me up on the offer so quickly. If anything, you should be thankful I saved you the trouble of taking in such an obviously dangerous pony.”

At that Luna began to walk forward, her horn beginning to glow as a ball of energy formed at the tip of her horn.

“How DARE you talk about my apprentice like that!”

While she had no plans on actually blasting him with magic, a part of her enjoyed watching Discord squirm as she approached him. Seeing that grin wiped off his face gave her the small bit of schadenfreude she needed to get through this.

“I chose Trixie as an apprentice because she has had trouble with temptation in the past. I wanted to help her overcome it, to learn how to deal with that pain, and to become a better pony for it. It was not your place to take advantage of her trauma for your pleasure,” she said, punctuating her statement with a small blast of magic, leaving a small burn mark on the stone next to him. “You were given a second chance, despite my own objections, and you have no right to deny Trixie of her own.”

She could see those yellow eyes looking at her wide in surprise, but she was confused that he was once again starting to grin.

“It sounds to me this more about confirming your second chance, Princess Luna.”

She glared at him.

“And what do you mean by that?”

“Isn’t it obvious? You’re still feeling guilty about that Nightmare Moon thing, aren’t you?” he said, poofing away so he was no longer trapped between her and the wall, reappearing on the other side of the room. “I can’t believe I’m just realizing this, but you think if you can help Trixie you’ll absolve yourself, don’t you.”

Luna took a moment, another deep breath. This draconequus tested her every nerve, but he had said something with some truth to it. She stood firm, locking eyes with him as she spoke.

“Yes, part of my desire for helping her is because I see much of myself in her. The desire to be loved by others, the feeling of being in somepony’s shadow, the feeling of such despair that the only way out is to fall for the temptation of power instead of the magic of friendship. You are mistaken, however, in thinking this is simply to resolve my own guilt. It is because I have been through such things that I am obligated to reach out and help her, so that hopefully my knowledge can help another.”

Discord rolled his eyes.

“Obligation? Bleh, almost wished you had said it was just to make you feel better. ‘Obligation’ just sounds so cold,” he said.

“How is it cold? The obligation to help one another is the highest calling expected of ponies. It is the very foundation of this nation!”

“But still, obligation? It makes sound like work, like you’re doing it just because you have to,” Discord replied. “It comes off as so…impersonal.”

Luna backed off for a second, thinking about what Discord was saying. She doubted that he really cared that much and was just trying to shift blame onto her, but maybe there was some truth to it? Even with all her experience dream-walking, Trixie’s anxiety about how others saw her seemed particularly harsh. She had thought she was doing a good job addressing them, trying to be gentle and casual yet firm and supportive. That was what a mentor was supposed to be like, right? Yet, as she thought about it, very few of their interactions to this point had really involved them discussing more than magic or Trixie’s failures. It was obvious, at least, that her own attempts to convince Trixie she was alright had failed in making the impact she had desired.

“…you may have, in your need to excuse yourself, stumbled on a valid point, Discord,” Luna said. Still, she remained defiant. “But that still does not excuse what you have done. I know, of course, you ultimately won’t listen to us, but I do know of a mare you will listen to.”

She enjoyed the satisfaction of watching Discord’s smug grin be wiped off his face.

“You wouldn’t?”

Instead, it was her turn to grin.

“You manipulated the emotions of a vulnerable mare in order to convince her to take on dangerous and unstable magic. I believe that is something that Fluttershy deserves to be aware of. Or would you rather take a shift as an attraction in the gardens, again?”

Discord raised a paw, but hesitated to say anything. A second later he just crossed his arms and huffed, further cementing Luna’s sense of victory.

“Fine, you win. I’ll leave your precious apprentice alone.”

“You will apologize to her,” she scolded.

“Really?”

“You might as well, for I suspect that Fluttershy will demand you do so anyway,” she replied, feeling rather coy as Discord once again grumbled.

“Fine, I’ll apologize to her. Anything else?”

“I think a temporary banishment from the castle would also suffice,” she added. “Now let us find Trixie so you can apologize and leave.”

“Oh, she’s currently in a broom closet.”

Luna blinked.

“How did you know that?”

“Luna, dear, I am the embodiment of chaos itself. It’s not that hard for me to know where a big bundle of bouncing baby chaos magic is located.”

“Fine. Let us be off, then.”

---

Trixie didn’t know how long she had been in the closet by this point, but it was enough that when the door finally opened she had to squeeze them shut to protect them from the sudden burst of light.

“Trixie! Are you alright?”

That was Luna’s voice, right? She opened her eyes slowly to give them time to adjust to the light of the hallway again. The familiar dark blues of Luna greeted her, looking down at her with worry. Behind her, however, was that messed up looking noodlehead, and soon her face began to feel flushed with anger-induced adrenaline

“WHAT IN TARTARUS IS THIS, DISCORD?!” she said, lifting up the Ursa Paw, her yelling also opening her mouth wide enough to show the fanged tooth that had formed as well.

Discord, of course, snickered.

“Let me guess, you tried to magic the leg away?”

Trixie stood up, pointing an accusatory hoof at him, her normal tail having been replaced with a twitchy little bunny’s tail.

“Well of course I tried! I tried and tried and…and you didn’t say anything about this happening!”

It was then she remembered Luna was there, and she really wished she could just shut the door again. Just close off the world and act like it didn’t exist. Unfortunately she was already out of it, so she had no choice

“Princess Luna, I-I—”

“Trixie, I am aware of what has happened. Discord is here to apologize to you, and then we shall have a talk.”

Trixie looked down at the ground, the definitiveness of the statement not sounding good for her. Though, if Discord was supposed to be apologizing…

“Well, Discord?” she said, enjoying what would probably be her last chance in a while to at least feel a little bit superior to another. Discord summoned up a piece of paper, his own eyes simply reading over it.

“I’m sorry for manipulating your emotions in order to convince you to make a deal with me. It should wear off in a few days and you will be back to normal. I hope you are willing to forgive me for my transgressions against you,” he said, completely and utterly flat-toned.

“Geeh, that was such a good apology,” Trixie replied, with the same sarcastic flatness.

“Well, you were still the one who accepted OOF.”

Trixie smiled as Luna bumped into Discord, who simply rolled his eyes.

“Look, I said sorry. Can I go now? I got a night of swing dancing to get out of the way before Fluttershy puts me on lockdown.”

“Might as well just let him leave. I don’t think he’s going to give me a better apology than that,” Trixie said. Discord obviously wasn’t that regretful and, well, he did have a point she had chosen this. Still, the fact the whole mixed-up monstrosity thing meant she wouldn’t be looking like a freak the rest of her life. At least that little bit of anxiety she could let go of.

Luna, meanwhile, simply sighed. “Fine, you can go, Discord.”

“Ta-ta, ladies,” he said, disappearing in a puff of smoke, leaving the two of them alone.

“So…should I go and pack my stuff now?” Trixie said, looking up at Princess Luna.

When the princess lifted a foreleg, Trixie closed her eyes and braced herself for…well, she wasn’t sure exactly, but it was not for the Princess gently laying a leg on her shoulder. Opening an eye, she saw Luna was simply smiling at her. Cautiously, Trixie let herself relax, the slight twitching of the bunny tail still signaling her anxiety.

“Trixie, take an hour to calm yourself down in your room, then come meet me in the gardens. There is, as you can imagine, quite a lot for us to talk about. For now, however, do know that I do not plan on expelling you, so that is one less thing for you to be worried about.”

“O-oh, okay then,” Trixie said, rather confused about this turn of events but believing it better to take it and not question it for now.

As she walked in what she believed was the direction her room was in, she tried to push back more growing anxiety by holding onto the hope that Luna’s statement hadn’t just a euphemism for “I’m going to throw you in the dungeon.” Because there was no way that was what she meant, right?

Comments

[A.P.O.N.I.]

the beautifully blue coat of a pony lag

leg?

her change to go

chance

I am very interesting in the pending heart-to-heart talk.

[Frankie2]

Discord isn't sorry now, but when Fluttershy finds out, he will be.

[Superanon74]

Getting interesting....