• Published 2nd Oct 2014
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Celestia's New Student - Art Inspired



Trixie becomes Celestia's new pupil.

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Six: Regally Tasked

A long ways away, the sounds of lively crickets could be detected quite easily. Further off, a waterfall. The walk did him good, even though the darkness of the night was damp with shadows around every bush. Despite Druid Shield’s foreboding appearance, he still had a fear of the nightly hours. It wasn’t the darkness that provoked him so, but rather who and what might lurk behind it.

A drop of sweat lingered on his right temple, but still the stallion walked on. To be honest with himself, being all alone at this hour was a blessing so long as nopony emerged from the corners or shrubs. Compared to handling the passings and goings, enterings and needs of the many civilians found both inside and outside of the city’s walls, the silence was nothing short of golden to him. Less ponies tended to be on the outside, but when someone came to him while he’s on the job, it always seems to take him longer than if they were going. Plus, they always complained when they didn’t get their way.

The northern gate had always been Druid Shield’s personal responsibility ever since the former regulator was promoted, but now, things had changed. He, too, has received a promotion. Time changes all things, including the post of guards. A stallion can work in the same department for years, and in the blink of an eye, he’s switched to another, and back again in a day or two. This was most troubling. It required the most paperwork and reporting, but this time around, things were special.

Kicking a nearby rock, and seeing the familiar, pink and purple lights in the distance just beyond some tree stumps, Druid breathed. He was lost in deep thought. The task was simple enough. Retrieve Trixie’s belongings, and return by morning. There had been just one problem with these orders coming from the princess herself, though.

“Once you’re back at the palace safe and sound, go wake Trixie for me. Your promotion entails humble servitude to her, and a devotion to her well being. Guard her at all possible hours, and do try to enjoy the requests... or the orders she gives you.”

He huffed at those last words. “I’m to be mastered by her. All I really wanted was to see her perform, and that’s it. Now I’ll be seeing her everyday. I’m not sure how I’m supposed to feel about this…”

Finally reaching the camping area, Druid raised his head more, his eyes fixed on Twilight’s well placed shield of magic. As he continued to trot in a roundabout manner, his horn glistened lightly with a darker than normal aura. The beam was fired right at Twilight’s enchantment, but stopped just before touching the surface. In an instant, the ray of black arts dispersed and divided into five other curving points. Each one bombarded the barricade aggressively for well over ten minutes or so.

Once the conjuration finally withered and the caravan had been unbarred, Druid’s magic returned to his horn. “Alicorn properties… Took most of my strength. Watch me be unable to even lift the cursed thing now.”

Just before getting started with the latches, he heard something coming from within. It sounded squeamish at first, like that of a baby’s cry for help from its mother, or perhaps something similar. Not saying a word, he investigated the opposite end with his horn once again dazzling with an unneeded intensity. Upon reaching the door, though, he came to his senses and ended the defensive pose, but that didn’t mean that he wasn’t cautious all in the same.

With a shaky hoof, he cracked open the door, and shortly there after intruded within Trixie’s domain. This single act was already breaking a few unwritten rules, seeing as how it was basically the show mare’s personal living space regardless of how small it was. That crossed his mind by then, but it was too late. He was already beyond the entrance.

Beady black eyes shining in the dark stared up at him. Druid jolted, but calmed down after hearing the thing yipe at him. With the moonlight shining in, the pup leaped forward, into the light, and into the guard’s arms. His mouth hung agape at the cute, energetic yorkie, but soon, he smiled down at what he’d found.

“So, you’re Trixie’s pet then?”

“Arf!”

“Haha! I thought so! Say… you wouldn’t mind assisting me in waking up your master, would you?” Again, Dingo replied with the same, cutely pitched bark. He seemed to be in agreement. “Excellent! Then what’s holding us back? Let’s get out of this neck of the woods.” Sitting him down on the bed, Druid reminded the young dog, “It’s a bumpy, long road to Canterlot from here. Be a good boy for me, and stay.”

Dingo became as still as a photograph after hearing that specific, last word. Were it not for his nostrils breathing in the air around him, and exhaling repetitively, Druid would’ve thought he had become a lifeless doll.

“Good boy…”

While walking out, closing the door and refocusing his attention on the front end again, he suited the restraints up and over his waist. For what it was worth, Dingo didn’t make a sound for the rest of the way there. So quiet was the world, that Druid actually forgot there was another living being technically traveling with him. Not to mention, judging by the dog’s apparent, sophisticated behavior, the guard was able to deduce by the halfway mark that this being was definitely smarter than normal yorkies.

“Wouldn’t be surprised if he could do a backflip…”

All the rest of the way back, things kept smooth and sound. Nopony dared bother Druid even if they had the chance, and even if they did, it wouldn’t be a very wise choice overall. If anything, Druid had enough mana built up by then to whisk him and his cargo the rest of the way there, but decided to walk if only to prolong his inevitable fate. How embarrassing it will be, to awaken Trixie only to inform her of his new task in life, and if it came to it, then death as well. “Surely she will find this amusing more so than I do.”


As the light from the window caught Trixie’s eyes, she returned them to their previously closed state. She then turned towards the darkness again, and fell back to sleep. Inside her own mind, she resumed the most recent and promising prospect of her imagination: the stage and the crowd.

“Tis’ an exhilarating trifle, Trixie assures you all! Changing the very fabric of keen sight is tricky, even nigh impossible one might say! But behold!”

Her horn typically flared, and whatever trick she performed miraculously dazzled even the most stubborn of ponies amongst the banter. They cheered, threw roses at her hooves, and then slowly disappeared. All that in just minute’s time. All that remained was Trixie, the stage she walked on, and a higher, railed seating structure, way up in the sky. It was the kind that traditionally gets reserved for the richer members of the audience, and someone still occupied it.

Trixie soon noticed this, and shouted out, “Trixie’s finished now! You may leave at anytime, you know!” No verbal recognition came from the white masked mare, but she did however nod slightly, or at least, Trixie figured that it must’ve been a nod. Still, she had to make sure she was heard. “So, are you going to stay up there all evening?”

There was a very loud clanking sound, and then, the thing started leveling itself to the ground in a slow pace. Once reaching the bottom, its golden rails opened sideways to let the mare out. This admirer of Trixie seemed familiar, too, but she just couldn’t place a hoof on who this was. “Marvelous performance as always.”

“Oh… well, thank you,” Trixie replied while this mysterious being came up on stage. “You seem awfully familiar to Trixie. What is your name, if Trixie may?”

“You know me…” With gracefulness, the mask was removed and tossed aside, revealing this visitor to be none other than Princess Luna. “Don’t change the focus, though. This is good; the stage, the pure, black background behind us… Tell me, what happens next in this dream?”

Trixie acted predictably surprised by Luna’s surprise entrance, but kept the ball rolling. “Err… next? That’s it… Trixie packs up, and the dream ends. This is a dream, right?”

Luna giggled, “Yes, it is a dream. Honestly, though, there’s nothing else in store for such an imaginative pony like yourself? You don’t see yourself getting discovered, or moving on from these small town shows?”

“Well,” Trixie replied, humoring the princess. “Actually, Trixie has had just one of those pop up recently, as she’s sure you’re aware of. It didn’t play out the way Trixie would’ve liked.”

Luna shook her head. “That’s not a dream, but a misunderstanding of reality itself. Nopony would ever go out of their way to see your fame dashed with press pictures and scandalous lies. The reason for my asking is, I’d like to at least see some ambition within your amazing mind, rather than so much self doubt. Like my sister once asked myself, why remain in the comfort zone?”

At that, Trixie scoffed, “What gives you the right to spy on Trixie’s dreams, or anyone else’s for that matter? It’s just now come to me, that this is basically an invasion of personal privacy!”

“Calm yourself,” Luna warned. “I use this power righteously. Not for personal folly, but merely as a wayfinder. It’s for the best, for you, and everyone else that I come across who might benefit from my possible intervention. Let’s just say, there’s been times where I’ve conceded, and bothered the dreamer no more. Bad things happen, and they almost always could’ve been prevented had I been there to help.”

Trixie backed down, but not to where she seemed feeble. Instead of bowing her head yet again, or saying sorry, she maintained her posture, and simply voiced, “Just don’t tell anyone what’s on Trixie’s mind, especially Celestia, and she supposes she’s alright with this.” While turning, she sighed. “She’ll see what sort of new themes her dreams can create, but there’s nothing for now, so good morning. The Great and Well-rested Trixie shall see you when the sun sets again.”

Distancing herself more and more, Trixie’s vision transitioned from the stage to Luna’s recognizable, mental embrace, and finally, to the curious room she originally began sleeping in. Her body wheeled round and round, trying in vain to escape her oh, so relaxing sleep, but she just couldn’t do it. Not without a little help.

“Go on boy, wake her up!” Trixie suddenly noticed a flop of sorts at the end of the bed, to the left a little. “Go on!”

Obedient as ever, Dingo carried out his orders without delay. The second Trixie began wondering who could possibly be in her caravan of all places, a tongue slick with canine drool lapped her muzzle, shocking her clean out of her luxurious slumber. “Agh! Stop it, you bad boy you!” She smiled, and laughed at Dingo's act of assistance, but soon stopped only to start raising herself up from the sheets that swaddled her whole body. “What… is this place?”

Bigger and much more preferable, the new room she’d been assigned to had nearly everything she could ever want. A make-up table fresh with decorative eyelash extensions, blush, mane care products and much, much more sat on the right side of the room. Next to that was her very own balcony. It resembled Celestia’s greatly, and if that wasn’t enough, to the opposite, she even had her own bathroom. With the door wide open, next to the entrance found at the far wall, all that was left to mention at this time was her grandest of beds.

Of course, there was one last addition to the setting that Trixie noticed, and that was Druid Shield himself. He approached the right side of her bed, and patted Dingo gently while saying, “Must’ve been a nightmare.”

“Who… are you? No, wait! Don’t tell Trixie. She can figure this out on her own.”

“Err…”

She pointed immediately after, exclaiming, “Druid! That’s your first name, and your last name waaas… Shield, right?”

“Yes,” he confirmed boldly. Then, looking straight ahead, he announced, “I have been posted to you, fair Trixie. Princess Celestia requires that I become your servant of protection and service. If there’s…” He gulps. “If there’s anything at all… that you might need, all you need to do is say the word, and I shall uphold my sacred oath, and follow through.”

Trixie stared at him for a moment longer, and then asked in an unsure fashion, “Come again?”