Seperate Worlds
Canterlot – 16 Years ago:
Twilight Sparkle, age five, woke up to the sound of her alarm clock, and reached over to shut it off. She looked at the calendar on the wall next to her bed, and quickly hid under the covers.
“Twilight! Shining! Time to get up!”
When neither Twilight nor her brother responded, the door to their room opened, and in walked a white mare with a striped white and pink mane. Twilight Velvet – Twilight Sparkle’s mother – approached the bunk bed where the two siblings slept, and started with the top bunk.
“Come on, lazy-bones. Time to wake up,” she said, nudging Shining Armour, who stirred in his sleep for a bit, before finally waking up, and letting out a loud yawn. “It’s your first day back to school. Can’t have you being late, now can we?”
“Mm…” Shining responded, too tired to respond any other way. He lazily slipped out of his bed, and slowly made his way out of the room.
“You too, Twilight,” Velvet said, moving down to the bottom bunk. She pulled the covers out of the way, revealing Twilight, who was pretending to be asleep. “Now, Twilight, I know you’re nervous about going back to school, but trust me, you’ll be fine.”
Twilight didn’t listen. As much as she had enjoyed the few months of school she had experienced so far, in her mind, it wasn’t worth it, if it meant she had to spend the day around a bunch of ponies that she didn’t know, without Shining or Cadance to be there for her.
“Twilight,” Velvet said, more sternly this time, as she was starting to lose her patience. “I’m going to count to three, and if you’re not up by the time I’m done, then your father and I will not be taking you to the library this weekend.”
Twilight yelped, and shot out of bed, well before her mother could even begin counting. “I’m up, I’m up!”
Velvet smiled, and began to leave the room. “Good. Now, come on down for breakfast, and then go and brush your teeth. And I promise you: you’ll be fine.”
Twilight frowned, but nodded anyway. She followed her mother out of the room, and passed her brother on the way downstairs. He had fallen asleep, and was swaying on one of the steps, just one nudge away from an accident.
Trixie Lulamoon, age five, awoke to the sounds of approaching hoofsteps. She poked her head out from her hiding place in between two dumpsters, allowing her eyes to adjust to the morning light before looking for the source of the hoofsteps.
It was a stallion that she recognised from a few days ago. She caught him stealing from a fruit stand in the marketplace, and he offered her two apples if she didn’t report him. Naturally, she accepted. After all, all she’d get for reporting him would be a little praise from the guards, if even that.
She ate both of the apples immediately, having not eaten anything for days. Right now, she felt that she was fine for food, but there was a bigger problem at hoof: she hadn’t had a drink in days, either.
She knew that, if she didn’t find some water soon, she wouldn’t last much longer. So she decided that today, she would do something she’d only ever seen done before. She was going to mug somepony. She’d waited too long for a free hand out, and now, this was the last option available to her.
“Hey,” a voice called out to her as she left her hiding spot. She turned to see the stallion speaking to her, and readied what little magic she could into her horn. Being so young, she couldn’t do much, but hopefully this stallion wasn’t aware of that. He was an Earth Pony, after all. “You don’t… Have any food on ya, do ya?”
Trixie shook her head. “If I did, I wouldn’t share any with you,” she said, not personally attacking him, but simply stating that she herself needed whatever she could find.
“I understand. Sorry,” he said, sighing dejectedly, and walking over to the dumpsters. Being much taller than Trixie, he could do something that she couldn’t: he could climb up into the dumpsters, in order to search for anything that might be edible.
Trixie didn’t let this distract her, and made her way towards a nearby alleyway. She passed by many ponies on her way through. Some were sleeping (or pretending to sleep, Trixie couldn’t be sure), some were too weak to move or speak properly… Two were in the state that Trixie referred to as ‘stopped’. Before leaving the orphanage, she was taught by one of the older foals there that ponies ‘stop’ after they lose all of their strength, and that that’s what had happened to her parents.
Trixie growled angrily as she remembered the moment when her parents ‘stopped’. It was the earliest memory that she had, and the only thing that made her keep going. The memory of her parents burning alive, at the hooves of somepony with a sadistic grin on his face. In her final moment, Trixie’s mother said something to her:
“Don’t give in. Continue living, free from despair.”
It was thanks to those words that Trixie hadn’t given up already, and why she had left the orphanage a few weeks ago; if she had stayed, she just knew that the older colts would have ‘stopped’ her. After all, she was the only one brave enough to stand up to them, and they made it perfectly clear that they didn’t like that, at one point bringing a knife into the fight.
Trixie continued with one clear goal in mind: to rid herself of this life of poverty, and find a life where she could be happy, and where she was her own boss. To do that, she would do whatever it took… Well, almost whatever it took. She still couldn’t bring herself to make somepony ‘stop’, but she was sure that one day, she could. ‘Maybe it’s something I just have to grow into,’ she thought to herself.
She reached the end of the alleyway, and looked at all of the foals of various ages passing by. She was surprised at first. A few months ago, the streets were just like this, almost every day. But then, all of a sudden, they had stopped. She was told that this was ‘school’, and that privileged ponies do this to get smarter. How that worked, she had no idea. She tried joining in one or two times before, but found that it had no effect whatsoever.
She saw a purple filly, who looked no older than herself, passing by, with a somewhat taller white colt walking next to her. She saw the bag being carried by the filly, and had an idea. She used her magic to levitate the lid of a nearby dustbin, though her grip on it was a little shaky, and she almost dropped it one or two times.
And then, with some major concentration and a deep breath to ready herself, she jumped out into the street, and threw the bin lid at the purple filly. The startled filly had no time to dodge, and was knocked down onto her back, screaming in pain. Wasting no time, Trixie ran up to the filly, snatched the bag in her magic, and ripped it off of her saddle.
“TWILEY!” Trixie heard from behind her as she dove back into the alleyway. “Why you! Get back here!”
Trixie turned around, only to have her fears confirmed: the white colt from earlier was chasing her. She used whatever magic she had left to topple a few bins and knock a few unconscious ponies into the colt’s path.
After ducking behind a few corners, she had to stop to catch her breath. She turned around once more, and smiled when she found that she was no longer being followed. ‘Yes! My first mugging went well!’ she thought to herself, before she opened the bag to check its contents.
She pulled out a few books, and stared at them blankly for a little bit, wondering what they were, and if they held any value. She tried biting into one, thinking that they may be food, but found that they were too hard to bite through. She put them back inside the saddlebag, deciding that if she couldn’t figure out what they were, then she would just have to try and sell them later.
She then pulled out a pink box, with an image on the front of a green unicorn, wearing a cloak and a pointy hat. She saw some words underneath it, and tried to read them. “St… Stah… Stahswir… El? Stahswirel?”
She gave up when her brain started to hurt, and opened up the box to see what was inside. She almost jumped up and began dancing with joy, before remembering where she was. She quickly slammed the box shut, hiding its contents from view.
She put the box back into the bag, picked it up into her mouth, and started to walk down the alleyway. ‘Food! Food and juice!’ Trixie shouted in her head, overwhelmed with happiness. ‘And so much of it! That filly must have been rich or something.’
She proceeded cautiously down the alleyway, determined to protect the two sandwiches, one bag of potato chips, and one juice box that she was hoping to enjoy later.
Twilight groaned as she sat up in bed, her head still hurting from earlier. Her mother was beside her, as she had been for the past hour, asking if there was anything that she could do for her. “… You said I’d be fine,” Twilight said, turning her head away and trying not to cry.
“I… I didn’t think… Come on, Twi. It was just one unfortunate incident. It won’t happen again, honestly.”
“How can you be so sure?” Twilight asked, with a hint of bitterness in her voice. “All of my books were in that bag. And my Starswirl lunchbox…”
“Well, at least she didn’t get your other bag,” Shining pointed out, picking up Twilight’s ‘Smarty Pants’ doll from the floor and giving it to his sister. Twilight immediately grabbed it, and hugged it tightly.
“Shining, dear, what did the officer say when you reported the pony who did this?”
“He said he’d keep an eye out for her, and pass her description along to other officers in the area.”
“They haven’t found her, then?”
“No, not yet,” Shining said, before stamping his hoof on the floor in a fit of anger. “Honestly, what is this?! That filly looked no older than Twiley! I swear, if I were in charge of the Royal Guard, nothing like this would ever happen again!”
Velvet sighed, and rose to her hooves. “Shining, I’m going to go prepare some lunch for Twilight. Could you keep an eye on her for me?”
Shining nodded, and sat down by Twilight’s bed. “Oh, what about school?”
“Don’t worry about that. I contacted your headmaster after you brought Twilight home. Twilight won’t be missing much… But you, he said that one of your friends will be sent to give you some notes and the homework from your classes.”
Shining moaned, heartbroken that his apparent day off was not to be.
“B.B.B.F.F.?” Twilight asked, getting her brother’s attention. “Why did that pony do that? Are my books really that important?” Shining shook his head. “Then, she was jealous of my lunchbox?”
Shining thought for a moment. Now that he had a chance to think calmly and rationally about the situation, he could recall that the filly from earlier was… Filthy, to put it bluntly. And pale. And she had bags under her eyes, her hair was a mess, he could see her ribs, and from the way she was panting, it was clear that she was parched.
The only conclusion that Shining Armour could come to was that the filly was desperate. He knew that there were homeless ponies in Canterlot, who were too poor to afford any food or drinks, but he never even imagined that a foal would be among them. How many more foals were in her situation? And how many were willing to attack somepony in order to take their stuff?
His thoughts snapped back to Twilight, who was still waiting for an answer… But he couldn’t do it. He couldn’t bring himself to tell his sister, who he knew was very emotional, that there were ponies as young as her, suffering right outside her front door. Not only would that just upset her even more, but with Twilight, you could never tell what she would do after hearing such news. He wouldn’t put it past her to sell every item in the house, just so she could buy food and water for each of these unfortunate ponies, or to offer them a place to sleep in her room.
“I… I’m sure she had a good reason,” Shining said, roughing up Twilight’s mane a little bit, eliciting a squeal and a slight giggle from the filly. “But no matter what her reason was, what she did was wrong. I’m sure her parents will have a good chat with her when she gets home.”
“… Yeah, I’m sure you’re right,” Twilight said, laying down on her back, holding Smarty Pants close to her body. “Well, I guess the books I lost weren’t too important. I mean, I already know how to read, and how to add and subtract, so I don’t even need them anymore, really.”
Shining Armour laughed. “Wow, you’re really ahead of your class, aren’t you? What do you do when the teacher’s talking, then?”
“She lets me read something in the ‘Reading Corner’, but I’m almost out of books there… That’s why I wanted to take my own… I hope whoever that filly was will at least treat them well…”
“A book?” Trixie asked, holding the strange, and apparently valueless item up in front of her. “What’s it do?”
“Ya read it,” one of the mares in front of her explained. “If ya can, that is. Also great for keepin’ fires alive.”
“Read? Oh! I think I remember Matron using something that looked like this… So she was ‘reading’ a ‘book?’”
“Hey, if you’re not usin’ ‘em, ya mind chuckin’ ‘em in this fire?” the stallion in front of her asked, starting to look panicked as the fire began to die out.
Trixie looked at the four books in the purple filly’s bag. She picked up one of them, which had a bunch of letters all over the cover. The next had a bunch of numbers, the third had a picture of a Pegasus fighting some purple… Thing, and the final one had just a blank cover. She opened the final one up, curious as to why it was different from the other three by having no picture on the front, and saw more words than she had ever seen in her entire life.
“What’s it say?” she asked the mare from before, holding the book up to her.
“Hmm… ‘Dear Diary, today I went to the park with Cadance. I fell and hurt myself on the way, but she put a plaster over my cut and made it better. I…’… Well, it looks like somepony’s diary to me.”
“What’s a diary?”
“It’s what ponies write their daily lives into, so that if they forget, they can just read it and remember.”
“… So it’s useless to me, right?”
The mare shrugged. “I guess.”
Trixie closed the diary, and turned to the stallion.
“If I throw this into the fire, can you guys let me sleep here?”
“J-Just keep the fire alive, and I-I’ll fight a pack of t-timberwolves f-for you!” the stallion answered, really starting to panic over how short the fire had become now. “H-Hurry!” he shouted, not taking his eyes off of the fire.
The mare sighed, and took the book from Trixie, throwing it into the fire. “Don’t worry. Me and my girls here,” she waved a hoof over the other mares sitting behind her, “Will let you sleep here for tonight. But only tonight. After that, you buzz of.”
Trixie scowled at the mare. “Why?”
“You don’t know? The Royal Guard’s out looking for a ‘blue unicorn filly with grey hair’. Sounds an awful lot like you, don’t ya think?”
“My hair’s silver, not grey.”
The mare facehooved, and turned to face the fire, ignoring Trixie now. Trixie harrumphed, and turned her back on the older ponies. She picked up the first book that she looked at moments earlier, and opened it up.
“… This is… The letter ‘A,’ right?” she asked herself. “A is for ah… Ah…”
“Apple,” the mare said, looking over Trixie’s shoulder. “What, you don’t even know how to read?”
Trixie’s face turned red, and her ears drooped. “Nopony ever taught me…”
The mare sighed, and reached a foreleg over Trixie’s shoulder, and towards the book. Trixie flinched at first, but then watched as the mare pressed a button on the page that Trixie was on.
“A is for apple,” a voice called out from the book.
Trixie’s eyes widened, and she dropped the book and backed off. “W-What?! Who was that?!”
“Calm down,” one of the other mares said. “It’s just a recording. No need ta freak out over it.”
The mare behind Trixie turned her attention back to the fire. “Press those buttons. They’ll teach you how to read.”
Trixie stared at the book for a few moments, and then cautiously approached it. She tapped the button again, and heard the same voice, saying the same thing.
“A is for apple…” she repeated to herself, before turning the page, this time finding a symbol that she didn’t recognise at all. She pressed the button.
“B is for barn.”
“Bee? Those things that fly around and give you owies?” Trixie heard laughter behind her, but ignored it and pressed the button again. “B… So B is a letter and a minion of evil? This is confusing…”
“What a moron,” the mare behind her said, before laying back and letting herself drift into sleep, despite the constant noises being made by Trixie and her book.
Two months later:
Twilight ran frantically towards the school building, no longer caring that her brother was having trouble keeping up with her. “Twiley! Please… Slow… Down…”
“We’re gonna be late! We’re gonna be late and it’s all your fault!” Twilight shouted back. “I told you that we didn’t have enough time to stop for doughnuts!”
“I’m sorry, alright?! But could you just… Slow down… Please?”
Twilight slowed down once she reached the school gates, and allowed her brother to catch up to her. Though not for long, when she glanced up and saw the clock tower in the distance. “AH! We’re gonna be late!”
“Twiley!”
“Not good! Not good not good not good!” Trixie muttered frantically to herself, as she ran down one of Canterlot’s many alleyways. “I’m gonna be late! I’m gonna be late, then I’m gonna be ‘stopped’!”
Trixie made her way into a suspiciously empty alleyway. Well, suspicious to anypony else. But to Trixie, it was to be expected. Having not heard the ‘ding’s that she hears every day, she knew that she was on time, and let out a relieved sigh… Before being startled by said ‘ding’s, and jumping up into the air.
She turned around to the sound of incoming hoofsteps, and saw three ponies dressed in black suits moving towards her. “You were almost late, little filly,” the stallion in the middle said, grinning menacingly at her.
“But I wasn’t late,” Trixie spat back, glaring at the three ponies. One of them, a slim mare, took a step forward, but was stopped by the one in the middle. “I did the job you asked for.”
“Then where’s the money?” the fat stallion on the right asked. Trixie recognised him as the pony whose leg she ‘accidentally’ broke when he tripped over her whilst she was sleeping in the middle of an alleyway. In her mind, Trixie was thanking her blessings that sleeping in a place like that hadn’t resulted in something much worse, and she cursed herself for her stupidity.
“I buried it in a safe spot. Too many other ponies fighting for survival out here.”
“Smarty filly,” the one in the middle said. “It’s amazing. You’re so young, yet you really understand the way of the world.”
“If I didn’t, I’d have ‘stopped’ by now,” Trixie said back.
“‘Stopped’?” the mare asked, out of curiosity.
“Just take us to the money already!” the one on the right shouted.
“Hold it,” the one in the middle said. “How do we know you’re not setting us up?”
Trixie saw the stallion on the right levitating a knife into the air, clearly ready to ‘stop’ her at any second. She shook with fear, unable to think of anything to say.
“I know,” the mare said, taking out her own knife and approaching the filly. Trixie was unable to run, which was probably a good thing, since running now would only prompt them into ‘stopping’ her. “I’ll go get the money, and I’ll use her as my bargaining tool, in case the Royal Guard gets involved.”
“Good plan,” the one on the right said, putting his knife away. “We’ll stay in the shadows behind you, to back you up if necessary.”
“Right,” the one in the middle said as the mare lifted Trixie with her magic, and pressed her knife against Trixie’s neck. “Lead the way, filly.”
Twilight skipped cheerfully down the school corridor, carrying a stack of papers which her teacher asked her to take to the staff room for her. “Sunshine, sunshine, ladybugs awake,” she sang as she passed through the seemingly empty corridor.
Not paying attention to what was in front of her, she accidentally bumped into somepony, and fell back onto her flanks. The papers around her were scattered all over the floor, and she rubbed the front of her head, which was a little sore from the impact. “Ow…”
“Oh, terribly sorry,” the other pony said. Twilight looked up to see a brown Pegasus colt, who looked about the same age as her brother, looking down at her with concern. “Are you ok?”
Twilight nodded, bravely trying to hold back her tears. “I’m fine… Sorry I bumped into you, mister.”
“No, no. It’s my fault. I was too caught up in our conversation.” Twilight then noticed the other two Pegasi behind him. “Oh, and you dropped all of these papers, too. I’ll help you pick them up.”
“Oh, no, you don’t have to-”
“Hey, we’re gonna be late if you do that,” one of the Pegasi said.
“Then go on ahead and tell the teacher that I’ll be a little late,” the brown Pegasus said back, before leaning down and helping Twilight collect the papers. The two Pegasi moved past the pair, and walked further down the corridor. “So, were you running an errand for your teacher?”
Twilight nodded, smiling nervously at the Pegasus. “Yeah, she asked me to take these papers to the staff room.”
“I see… You must be a pretty reliable student, to be trusted with such an important task,” he said, trying to cheer the filly up. It seemed to work, as Twilight’s expression changed from a nervous smile to a happy one. “Well, that seems to be everything.”
Twilight took one last look around her, and nodded in confirmation. She levitated the stacks of papers onto her back, surprising the Pegasus. “Wow, you can levitate all of that at your age? Impressive.”
Twilight blushed, and looked away bashfully. “It’s… Not that great, really.”
“But it is. Clearly, you’re going to be somepony great in the future.” The Pegasus opened his bag with his wing, and reached inside. He pulled a piece of candy out, and offered it to the filly. “Here, as an apology for bumping into you like that.”
Twilight’s smile grew, and she happily took the treat from the older colt before her. “Thank you, mister!”
The two said their goodbyes, and headed off in opposite directions down the corridor.
Trixie let out a loud yelp when her face collided with the floor. She rose to her hooves slowly, growling as she rubbed her nose with a foreleg. “Hey! Watch it!” she shouted to the Pegasus behind her, who was slouching down on the ground, with his hind legs sticking out.
“You’re the one who tripped, filly, so watch yer mouth.” He turned his attention to the filly, and a grin grew on his face. “Actually, now that I get a good look at ya, you could probably use that mouth quite well.”
Trixie raised an eyebrow, not sure what he meant. “Huh?”
“You want food, right?” Trixie nodded. “Well, I got a little ta spare… If ya do a little favour for me.”
Trixie was used to this. In this world, one must either do favours, or steal, in order to survive. Such was the world as she knew it. “What d’you want me to do?”
“Y’ever heard of a blowjob?” Trixie shook her head, and the stallion motioned her to come closer. When she was near, he whispered into her ear what he wanted her to do.
“… Why?” she asked, slightly blushing at what he told her.
“Just do it, and I’ll give ya some food.”
Trixie thought about it for a second, and her eyes moved to the part of the stallion that he described to her earlier. A foul odour reached her nose, and she backed off in disgust, both from the odour, and the very idea that he mouth would go… There.
“No way! I’m not doing that!”
The Pegasus shrugged, and turned away. “Your call. But a cute filly like you, y’could probably make a killing, if ya just sell yourself out ta the right ponies.” He let out a soft chuckle which sent shivers down Trixie’s spine. “Ye’re new on the streets, aren’t ya?”
Trixie nodded her head slowly, still keeping her distance from the stallion. “What’s your point?”
“Winter’s on its way, and the streets are a lot meaner when the snow starts ta fall… Ya better think about what’s more important: your pride, or your survival.”
Trixie didn’t say anything, but instead simply turned away and continued down the alleyway. ‘My pride’s all I’ve got left. I’m not going to give that up.’
Twilight watched in awe along with many other ponies in the street as a float carrying a regal white Alicorn passed by. She was on her way home with her brother, when he took a detour and brought her here.
“This is the ruler of our country,” he told her. “She maintains harmony in our land, and brings us the day and night. It’s thanks to her that we’re all able to live our happy lives.”
Twilight was captivated by the Princess, and was unable to take her eyes off of her. The Princess smiled and waved to all of the ponies around her, and at one point, looked in Twilight’s direction.
Twilight ducked out of the way, hiding behind her brother, who simply laughed at his sister’s shyness.
“She’s amazing…” Twilight said, still admiring the majestic Alicorn before her, even when hiding behind her brother’s legs.
Trixie sat at the edge of an alleyway, waiting for the marketplace to open so that she could steal some food. To pass the time, she read through one of the books that she had stolen two months ago. Daring Do and the Terror of the Smooze was the title, and although some words were too big for her to read, she still enjoyed the parts that she could, all thanks to one of the other books that she had stolen.
The third book taught her a little math, and by now, she could add, subtract, and even multiply small numbers. She still found division difficult, but she was getting the hang of it.
She heard cheering beside her, and turned to see a crowd on the street. How long had that been there? “What’s going on?” she asked nopony in particular.
The pony sitting opposite her in the alleyway raised her head, and looked out into the street.
“Oh, was that today?” she asked, her voice raspy and her throat clearly dry. “The Princess is being honoured today, for making peace with the Griffin Kingdom.”
“Princess?” Trixie asked.
“Princess Celestia. She rules this entire country. Some call her the Sun Goddess, while others just refer to her as the Princess. She’s loved by many, because she brings peace to this land.”
“Is that so?” Trixie asked, not really all that interested.
“They say she can do anything, and many ponies thank her for making their lives so great.”
Trixie felt something inside of her snap, and she turned her attention back to the crowd.
“… If she’s so great, then why are we suffering?”
“Maybe she’s not as great as everypony thinks,” the mare suggested, before letting out a series of coughs. “Or maybe… Maybe we’re her entertainment. Maybe she derives joy out of watching us suffer.”
Trixie saw the float carrying the Princess passing by, and her eyes widened at what she saw. The Princess was wearing a golden tiara, a golden necklace, and on the one hoof that Trixie could see, thanks to it being raised in the air as the Princess waved it, there was a golden shoe.
The float had some of the most beautiful gems embedded in it, along with beautiful flowers, and even if Trixie didn’t know the value of such things, she could tell it couldn’t have been cheap. Then she remembered the few times that she had seen the castle off in the distance. She had been told that the Princess lives there, but the thought was absurd to Trixie. After all, it was at least ten times the size of other houses.
“… Those clothes she wears… And that float… If she sold that, she could easily feed all of us who are starving. And that castle must have room for all of us to stay.”
“Not to mention how much she eats,” a voice behind Trixie said. Trixie turned around to see a grey stallion, wearing a cloak with a hood covering his face. “She eats enough to feed five ponies, each and every day, and then still has more food in case she’s not full. Meanwhile, we’re out here eating just enough to last us each day, if we’re lucky.”
Trixie looked confused, and turned back to the Princess, who was still waving at the ponies around her. “But why? If she’s our ruler… If she’s supposed to make sure we’re all happy, why is she keeping all of that stuff to herself?”
“‘Cause she’s not our ruler!” the stallion behind her shouted, startling her and momentarily drawing the attention of some ponies out in the streets. “That bitch doesn’t deserve to wear that crown! All she does is make enough ponies happy that us unfortunates don’t even matter to her. She keeps all the riches of this land to herself, to feed that fat muzzle of hers and pretty herself up with jewellery and expensive makeup!”
Trixie’s confused look now turned into a glare that could frighten other ponies, if she didn’t look so weak. She gritted her teeth, and ran this new information through her mind. “So that’s why… That’s why we suffer. Because our ‘ruler’ has abandoned us!”
“Exactly. Somepony like that doesn’t deserve to be our ruler!”
“That’s right!” Trixie rose to her hooves, and turned to the stallion behind her. “If I were in charge, I would never let anypony suffer like this! Everypony would be treated equally! We’d all live in same-size houses, we’d all eat the same amounts of food, and anypony caught hurting other ponies for their own amusement or greed would be punished!”
“That’s the spirit, kid!” the stallion shouted. “If you survive the winter, I’ll be rooting for ya. You look like somepony who could actually do some good for this forsaken country of ours!”
“… What this country needs,” Trixie started, turning back to face the float once more, “Is a hero, to save everypony. A hero to shed some light on this fake Princess! I will… I will become that hero!” Trixie stood up straight, puffing her chest out as a look a determination crossed her face. “I will become far greater, and more powerful, than even this ‘Celestia’, and I will save our land from her evil!”
“Big brother, one day, I wanna be just like Princess Celestia!”
“I, Trixie Lulamoon, will destroy Celestia, and take her throne from her!”
Fillydelphia – Present day:
Trixie woke up with a start, panting heavily as she looked at the ceiling above her. She calmed down, and steadied her breathing. She heard somepony mumbling next to her, and turned her head to see Twilight, still asleep, and apparently dreaming about having tea with Starswirl the Bearded.
Trixie let out a soft laugh, and then reached over to read the time on her clock. 05:14. Trixie sighed, and lay back down on her bed. “Honestly, Trixie. What are you doing, dreaming about the past?”
Trixie thought back to her dream, and shuddered as her final words ran through her mind. “Man, I’m glad that phase didn’t last long. Thank Celestia I was only five, otherwise I may have seriously done something that could lead to my banishment. And then…”
She turned to her side, and watched Twilight as she slowly breathed in and out. A smile came to her face, and she cuddled close to Twilight, who responded by moving closer to Trixie. “… Then, I wouldn’t have been able to enjoy this. Though, I suppose I should also thank Boss and the others, for taking me in.”
Trixie let out a loud yawn, and nodded off to sleep once more, holding Twilight close to her, not wanting to let go.
Canterlot – 12 Years ago:
Trixie Lulamoon, age nine, strolled down the street casually, her head lifted her head high as she exuded confidence, if only to hide her fear from any nearby muggers.
The marketplace was open, which meant it was time for poor ponies to start stealing. It was first come, first served, because once the Royal Guard got involved, it would become hard to steal anything. After that, you’d have to target those lucky enough to have grabbed some food. It was sort of like a game, really, but one where your life was the wager.
Things would pan out differently today, however. Trixie stopped and turned around when she heard a crashing sound behind her, and she wasn’t alone in her curiosity; many onlookers were now watching the Canterlot Bank 2nd Branch, when three ponies, each one wearing some kind of mask to hide their faces, ran out and jumped into a nearby chariot.
Trixie knew what this was: a robbery. She had little doubt that the Royal Guard would catch them, but she didn’t care whether they did or not. All that mattered was that this was a distraction.
Whilst all eyes were plastered on the scene, Trixie quickly trotted over to a nearby fruit stand, and levitated as much fruit as she could into her bag. As she did so, inside her head, she thanked the little filly who she stole this bag from, four years ago. This bag had seen her through some tough times, and it had been very helpful to her survival these past four years.
“HEY! THIEF!”
Trixie turned around, and saw who she assumed to be this stand’s owner charging towards her. Wasting no time, Trixie galloped down the street, and ducked into the first alleyway that she passed by. Her bag still open, she reached in and pulled out thirty-three bits. It wasn’t much, but it was all that she had.
She stopped for a moment, and her face lit up when she saw just the type of pony she was looking for – a pony wearing a black bandana, with a dark-blue polka dot pattern on it. She lowered the bits onto the ground in front of this pony. “I don’t want anypony following me,” she said.
The pony, who she noticed was colt, reached out and counted the bits. “Understood. But this much, we won’t kill anypony.”
Trixie nodded, and continued running off down the alleyway. She didn’t want them to kill her pursuer anyway, just make sure he didn’t catch her. After all, this was a once-in-a-lifetime thing for the filly. With all the food she had with her right now, it was like a feast!
Obviously, she would savour each and every fruit, but now, she might actually make it through a winter without having to fight for food.
As she exited the alleyway, she collided with another pony. She stumbled a few steps, but managed to keep her balance. “Watch it!” she shouted.
“That’s my line!” was the other pony’s response. The pony – a colt, who looked just a little older than Trixie – gasped in surprise when he saw who he had bumped into. “Trixie Lulamoon?”
Trixie flinched, as she also recognised the colt… As well as the two colts behind him. They were the three who, at the orphanage, were referred to as the ‘older colts’. At the orphanage, it was rumoured that the saying ‘I would kill for X’ rang true for these colts, and Trixie didn’t doubt those rumours for a second.
“Well, well… You’re still alive?” the colt said, closing in on Trixie as his friends approached her from either side, cutting off any chance of escape. “I still have that scar you gave me back then… I gotta tell ya, it was humiliating, waking up each day knowing that a brat like you did this to my face!”
The colt raised a forehoof, and kicked Trixie’s face, sending her back a bit and causing her to drop her bag from her magical hold. Its contents spilled out, and drew the colts’ attention.
“Wow. Nice spread,” one of the colts said, leaning down to examine the fruits.
The colt that had just kicked Trixie pulled out a knife, and pressed it against the underside of Trixie’s chin. “Eheheh… This is turning out to be quite a good day. Not only do I get ta kill the bitch who ruined my face, but I also get all this.”
“… You wanna try?” Trixie asked, glaring at the colt in front of her, which took him by surprise. “I’m not the same weak little filly I was back then. Tell me, are you still at that orphanage?”
“Heh, yeah right. We left one year ago.”
Trixie smirked, and her horn started to light up. “Then you still have a lot to learn about living on the streets. How about I give you a free lesson?”
The colt, threatened by the magic that Trixie was clearly summoning up, pushed his knife forward, piercing her throat. However, she didn’t fall… Or even bleed. Instead, a few seconds later, she started to evaporate into mist.
“That won’t do.” The three colts turned around to see Trixie approaching them from behind, along with an assortment of weapons being carried by magic. Swords, daggers, crossbows, maces… There were even a few sticks of dynamite in there, with the fuses already lit!
“Now, here’s what’s going to happen,” Trixie said, her voice cold and unforgiving. “You’re going to leave, now! And then, you get to keep your lives!”
The three colts screamed, and ran off down the thankfully-empty street. Once Trixie was sure that they were gone, she dropped her illusion spell, and then fell to her knees, breathing heavily. “Well… That certainly felt good.”
She heard clapping behind her, and quickly shot up and turned around. A tan stallion stood behind her, clapping slowly. She couldn’t tell if it was meant to be sarcastic or not. “Wow, that was certainly impressive,” he said, stopping his clapping and lowering his forehooves down to the ground. “And from a filly so young… Say, are you by any chance homeless?”
“… What’s it to ya?” she asked, keeping her eyes on him closely.
“Well, I was thinking that, maybe you’d like a job?” Trixie’s ears twitched, and the stallion continued. “Y’see, I’m part of a small group that does a few things to earn a little money. And we could certainly use somepony like you.”
“Somepony like me?” Trixie asked, wondering what he meant. “You want a young, cute filly… That means…” Trixie glared at the stallion, and shook her head. “No way! I’m not doing anything perverted!”
The stallion stared blankly at her for a few seconds, and then scratched the back of his head nervously.
“Uh, I think you’ve got the wrong idea. I was referring to your ability to create illusions.”
“… Oh,” Trixie said, turning red when she realised that she had completely misunderstood. “Why?”
“Well, some of our jobs are kinda… Illegal, basically. We could really use a pony like you, and I can pay ya too. Money, food, drink, and shelter! What d’ya say? It’s a good deal.”
As he spoke, he approached Trixie, and offered his hoof to her. Trixie responded by reaching out, and chomping down on the stallion’s hoof, causing him to push her off as he yelped in pain. “What that hell?!” he shouted out.
“How can I trust you?!” she asked, still glaring at him.
The pony grinned, and let out a small laugh. “Good! You’re quite smart for a filly! Not the least bit naïve!”
“Answer my question!”
“Well, trust me or don’t! It’s up to you.” The stallion point behind her, and she turned around to see her bag, with the fruit still on the ground next to it. “But if you don’t want to live like that anymore, then I’d suggest you take me up on my offer.”
“Hey, Boss!” The two ponies turned to see a purple Pegasus filly, who looked about the same age as Trixie, approaching. “It’s all clear! We should head back now, while we still… Who’s this?” The filly gasped, and practically jumped with joy as an idea crossed her mind. “A new recruit?! Finally! Somepony my age!”
Boss chuckled, and approached the purple filly. “Well, Feathermay, that’s all up to her, really.”
Feathermay turned to Trixie, and smiled warmly at her. Trixie glared at the two ponies, and then turned back to her bag. She let out a defeated sigh, and began levitating the fruit back into her bag. “… Why me?” Trixie asked.
“I told you. Your abilities could help me.”
“But surely there are others more skilled than me. Why not recruit some of them?”
“Because their lives aren’t in danger,” Boss answered. Trixie turned back to him, and placed her bag onto her side, using a old strap that she had found in the trash a few years ago. “In this business, I need ponies who are loyal. And loyalty is easier to find in ponies who you save from death.”
“… So you save me, and I repay the favour. That’s basically it?”
“Yes.”
Trixie stared at Boss and Feathermay for a few moments, and then began to walk towards them. “Well, at least you’re honest.”
Boss smiled at Trixie. “So you’re in?”
Trixie nodded. “I knew that, sooner or later, I’d end up being used by somepony. It’s how the world works, after all… I’d at least like to be used by somepony who tells you when they’re using you.”
Boss turned around, and began leading the two fillies down the street. “What’s yer name, kid?”
“Trixie Lulamoon.”
“And I’m Feathermay!” Feathermay shouted, hovering beside Trixie. “Hey, c’mon now! Stop frowning! I’m sure you look much cuter when you’re happy!”
Trixie was about to respond, but was stopped when Feathermay began waving her wing in front of Trixie, tickling her with her feathers. It didn’t take long for Trixie to erupt into a series of laughs, trying to demand that she stop, but it sounded more like begging.
“There, see? You look great when you smile!” Feathermay said as she stopped tickling Trixie.
Trixie stopped laughing, and soon returned to her usual frown, much to Feathermay’s disappointment. She tried to think back to the last time she had ever laughed so hard… Or laughed at all, for that matter. And there was nothing. She couldn’t remember a single time in her entire life when she had laughed.
“Thank you,” she said quietly, and then quickly turned her head away, acting as if she hadn’t said anything.
Fillydelphia – Present day:
“Come on, Trixie. Wake up,” Twilight said, nudging Trixie.
Trixie woke up with a loud yawn, and reached up to rub her eyes, before she felt her hooves being held in place by something. “Hm?”
“Careful, Trixie!” Trixie turned to see Twilight, and realised that she was using her magic to prevent Trixie from raising her forehooves any further. “Your eye! It’s still damaged, remember?”
Trixie suddenly remembered her injured eye, and nodded to Twilight. “Right… Sorry.”
Twilight smiled, and released her magical hold on Trixie’s hooves. “Well, now that you’re up, we should get ready.” Twilight turned to the clock to double-check the time. “Our trip was cut short, but we can still make the most of this last day together. But first, we need to take you to the doctor so that he can check your eye.”
Trixie thought about her dream, and then remembered her incident on the cruise ship. When she thought about it, she was amazed how many times she had danced with death, only to somehow make it out alive. If it wasn’t for Boss, Trixie would never have been able to go to school, and Celestia only knows what she’d be doing now.
‘It’s strange. Even though we’re from two completely different worlds, we’re still here, together.’ She laughed as a thought ran through her mind. ‘It’s like one of those cheesy fairytales, where a Princess marries a street rat… Only, it’s real.’
“Come on, Trixie. Let’s-”
Twilight was cut off by Trixie reaching forward and embracing her. “Just a few minutes,” Trixie said, holding Twilight as if the two were being pulled apart by some unseen force. “Let’s just stay like this… For a few minutes.”
“Trixie?” Twilight asked, not so sure what was going on. “W-What brought this on all of a sudden?”
“… I love you, Twilight,” Trixie said, surprised Twilight with her lack of third pony. “I love you, and I’m so happy that we met. I’m happy that we met, that we got over that big fight we had, that we got to know each other better… I’m just so happy… To be with you right now…”
Twilight could have sworn that Trixie was crying, but was too moved by what Trixie was saying to question why. Instead, she simply returned Trixie’s embrace, and the two shared this blissful moment together for a few minutes.
Once Twilight was sure that Trixie was done, she parted from the hug, and gave Trixie a quick peck on the cheek. “I’m going to go buy some breakfast from the nearby café. I’ll be right back, okay?”
Trixie nodded, and carefully – very carefully – wiped the tears off of her face, avoiding the area around her left eye, and the eye itself, as much as possible.
Not long after Twilight had left, Trixie’s horn lit up, and shot a beam forward. She jumped up in surprise, and was even more surprised when she saw a scroll materialise before her. Her face quickly became serious, however, as she realised what this meant.
‘Shining Armour would only use this method of contacting me if…’
Trixie unrolled the scroll, and read the contents:
Honorary Royal Guard, Trixie Lulamoon:
Regarding the stallion you assisted us in capturing on the cruise ship – we have uncovered something from investigating his belongings. A lead, to him.
As per our arrangement, you are free to join us on any mission regarding that stallion, and so, it is my obligation to inform you that a strategy meeting will be held three weeks from now, at Canterlot castle. If you would like to attend, drop by with your Honorary Royal Guard pass.
Sincerely,
Shining Armour – Captain of the Royal Guard
P.S. On a personal note, I really hope you don’t come… You have a marefriend now, right? Please… Just think about what you really want out of life, before making any rash decisions.
Trixie stared at the scroll for a few minutes, running the message through her head over and over again. Finally, she smiled, and rolled it back up.
“So… They finally found a lead, huh?” Trixie scoffed, and set the scroll on fire with her magic. “Well, it’s a little late for that… You don’t need to tell me, Shining Armour. I’m not going to let my past drive me anymore.”
Trixie climbed off of her bed, and made her way towards her desk. She looked into the mirror mounted on the wall, and giggled at how ridiculous she looked with her bed mane. “That’s right… All I want now, is to focus on my future. A future that I want to spend with Twilight Sparkle.”
A few minutes later, Twilight walked in with two plates of pancakes, and two cups of tea. The two mares sat down on the floor of Trixie’s trailer, and began eating together, discussing what they would do today. ‘Of course, I still won’t forgive him… And I still would like nothing more than to kill him, but…’
Trixie quickly shook the thought from her mind, and continued eating her pancakes. ‘No! Forget him! Forget revenge! None of it would make Twilight happy! I finally have a life… I’m finally happy, and I’m not going to ruin it!’
“Ready to go?” Twilight asked as she moved the plates and cups aside.
Trixie nodded, and followed Twilight out of the trailer, and into the streets of Fillydelphia.
A/N: Thanks to TimeTravInDEMON and Campisi for pre-reading and editing this chapter.
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Nice!
This was a nicely setup chapter. The comparison views of their childhoods and how they still affected each other. Good stuff.
Yay, update! I'm loving the backstory you've made for trixie, can't wait for the next chapter!
Wow... well this is a new kettle of fish right there. This should be interesting. *waits for the next chapter patiently. For about five seconds then grabs hold of Yukito and starts shaking him like a ragdoll* GIMME MORE!!
YAY! That was GREAT! Loved the backstory in-depthness (depthness... Is that a word? Meh, Chocobo dun care!) that you had. Helped make the backstory we 'knew' come alive! Though I wonder if Twilight will ever figure out it was Trixie who mugged her. XD (Trixie doesn't get the connection yet because she doesn't know that they're siblings, right? Wonder how Trixie will react/think when/if she figures out she mugged poor Twilight as a foal! XD)
Aww man my heart was wrenching for trixe some more. Now we need backstory with boss
Good on you, Trixie. Good on you. Also, thank you so much for averting Trixie being obsessed with revenge a lot of other fics fall into with her. And damn, harsh parallels there.
Especially Trixie seeing Celestia there in the parade.
Yay Trixie
Woo, update! Woo, past stuff! Woo, no revenge(yet)! Woo, this story!
That was an interesting side dish of backstory. Greatly enjoyed.
Nicely done backstory.
I really enjoyed the backstory, but, if you want to make me feel bad for Trixie, having her assault and mug filly Twilight won't help.
I don't want to be one of those guys who points out spelling errors, but come on, man. It's "Separate".
Anyway. Good chapter/backstory. I wonder when Trixie let go of her designs on overthrowing Celestia, since her discovering that Twilight was Celestia's personal student would likely have been a Twixie deal-breaker.
1581905
Possibly, but if there are there won't be as much focus on them as Twixie.
1583255 Well i really hope one of those pairing IS NOT appledash
This is such an amazing story. The character development is perfectly paced, the characters are completely in character, emotional at times, funny at others. I really hope you update this as soon as possible!
Great chapter! Do I detect a hint of inspiration from The Diamond Age?
I think I smell hints of inspiration from Oliver Twist and the entire goddamn industrialization, complete with the birth of communism.
This needs to be canon.
love it
Quick question; what IS a blowjob?
well once again I have to tell ya that you're doing such a darn good job
Well that was darker than I most of the story so far, 5 year old Trixie thinking about ponies 'stopping' was heart-breaking.
2263446 NOPONY ANSWER HIM! You do not want to know...
Adorkable Filly Twilight = Win
Really, she said that as she was burning to death? I'd have been screaming like a little filly.
Also, Trixie LulaLenin = Awesome
This fic needs a sex tag