Lulamoon's Legacy

by Crowborn

Chapter 1: Bitter Defeat

Trixie panted as she struggled in the mud. She was a good fifty miles from the closest town, and her wagon had gotten stuck. The rain wasn't much help either. Trixie could feel a shiver seep deep into her bones from the cold and wet. "Come on, you stupid wagon!" she cried, but it refused to budge.
"Stupid mud. Stupid Twilight...Stupid Princess..." she mumbled to herself bitterly. Then, finally she sighed, "Stupid me...."

You can do it. You're destined for greatness....

"Shut up! I am not! How can I be when Twilight Sparkle is better than me at everything?!" she yelled at no one in particular.

She sighed, whatever that feeling and thought was, it wasn't like she could actually talk to it. It wasn't like it was a person or anything, at least, not that she could tell, anyways. It always seemed to come from deep within her, but from where exactly, she could never tell.

Trixie took another glance at her wagon and the mud. "Guess I'm sleeping here tonight."

She removed the harness she used to pull the wagon and then made her way inside. She was muddy and wet, and her nose was staring to get the sniffles. With a sigh, she grabbed a nearby rag and grabbed a bucket of water. With a quick spell from her horn, she heated the water until it was warm, and then dipped rag into it and used it to clean the mud off of her. She was glad she wasn't wearing her hat or cape, as she hated getting those dirty.

After she was sure she'd clean off the last of the mud, she grabbed a towel and wrapped it around herself to help dry off.
She then set the bucket down and put the rag away, to be cleaned later.

Then she sneezed.

"Stupid cold..." She muttered with a sour expression on her face, wiping her nose to keep it from dripping.

The wagon was cool, no thanks to the weather outside. And the sound of a thunder clap did little to improve her mood. She made her way over to a very pristine crystal ball that she kept and infused her magic within it.

She had used in a couple of shows, pretending she could predict the future with it, and talk with the dead. The audience used to love it. Until they didn't. No thanks to that Twilight Sparkle, she was sure.

However, little did they know what it's actual purpose was.

Living in a wagon made of wood did have its ups and downs. While very adaptable and cozy enough for life on the road, some nights did tend to get cold, especially in the winter. It wasn't like she could make a fire while inside the wagon, or when it rained. So she had the next best thing, her own personal crystal ball heater which did wonders for keeping the wagon and herself warm at night.

But even as the warmth of the crystal ball began to wrap itself around her, Trixie couldn't help but reminisce what had happened over the last few days.

------

About three days ago, she was in the city of Hoofington, going over her plans for getting ready for her show that she'd be performing tomorrow. Despite what others might think, Trixie always took such care and careful planning when setting up for one of her shows. And despite what other would see as a cluttered mess, she was actually quite organized. Another downside of living on the road was that her wagon only had so much space within it and only so many bags it could carry. But still, she made meticulously sure that everything had a place and was easily accessible when she needed it. After all, disorganization was the death of any show pony. Especially one as Great and Powerful as her.

"So, Trixie, let's see... The inn is already paid for, check. Restock on food and supplies...check. Pay for any necessary wagon repairs? Check..." Luckily, there hadn't been that many this time around, something that had helped elevate her mood.

"Still have enough bits for the road?" She counted the coins in the small bag that she usually kept hidden under the cabinet that held her mirror. She frowned, "Check...though I really wish there was more. Hopefully this show goes well, or this will be a really rough week..." she said to herself with a sigh of resignation.

All shall be well. You are destined for Power and Greatness...

"I sure hope so..." She said with a worried sigh, before pushing those thoughts aside.
"No. You are the Great and Powerful Trixie! You can do this!"
She gave a determined look to her reflection in the mirror. "Now back to the checklist....Act routine prepared and planned? Check. Scout the town for a good location of the show? Well...."

It seemed that was what was next on her to do list. She examined herself in the mirror and brushed a few rebellious hairs back into place before setting out to find a good spot for show. She also took a grey hooded cloak as to not be recognized whilst searching. Her shows did better when they were a surprise, after all.

Hoofington was by no means the largest town she had been in. It was definitely smaller than Manehattan, but larger than Canterlot. Though it still somehow had that small town charm to it. Mainly because the buildings here rarely had more than two or three stories, and there were a lot more open areas than in a place like Manhattan, which made it seem less crowded than it actually was. It was also the Art Capital of Equestria, home to many art museums and play writes. Statues and fountains littered the streets and walkways, adding to its intrinsic charm.

It was not her first time performing here, but it had been a while since she had last visited. That was before she met that accursed Twilight Sparkle....

Trixie shook her head. It was best if she not jinx herself with such negative thoughts. She took a deep breath before beginning her search for a good spot to set up shop.

There were a lot good open spaces, which was good, but she needed to find a good spot that would draw the most amount of people. She thought of using the same spot she did last time, but that was a no go due to a new shop having been opened in said location.

The center of town could sometimes be a good call, but it usually wasn't in bigger cities like this, where the roads would much busier than in a smaller one.

Trixie felt a rather strong breeze blow past her, and she pulled her hood cloak tighter so that they wouldn't be blown off. Couldn't have her presence revealed just yet, after all. As she finished fastening her cloak on a bit tighter, Trixie noticed a young filly sitting on the side walk, playing a flute for some coin.

Trixie could tell the poor thing was homeless. It was a sad sight, but there were always a few of them in bigger towns like this.

She could see the signs of malnourishment on the poor filly, though she was thankfully not in the worst of conditions that Trixie had seen before. The filly's music was not half bad, but she kept petering out or squeaking a note too high every now again. Though dirty, the filly was still kind of adorable with her red and white speckled coat and brownish mane.

Trixie gave a sad look when she noticed the hat with only two bits in it. The filly then noticed her and continued to play her tune, a surprisingly happy tune that contrasted the almost sorrowful look in her eyes.

Trixie kept her hood up, keeping all but her muzzle hidden in shadow as she approaches the young filly. She pulled out her bag of bits and frowned at the small quantity within. Still, it was more than what the filly had.

She pulled eight bits from the bag, literally half of what she had left, and tossed them into the filly's hat.

The filly's eyes widened in giddy surprise. "Thank you, stranger! I'll be able to eat real good tonight with this!" She exclaimed giddily.

"It is no problem for the Mysterious and Humble....Stranger! And if you want to make more coin, I could offer you some advice..." Trixie said in her naturally extravagant manner.

"Um...sure!" replied the little earth pony filly.

"When you play a wind instrument like the flute, how you breathe is everything. You are doing well, but I notice you run out of breath a bit too quickly. The trick is to take breaths during the small pauses between notes. It doesn't seem like much, but it can be very helpful."

The filly gave it a try, and sure enough her playing did improve, though she still squeaked on occasion.

"Thank you!" the filly said with a delighted smile. Trixie nodded before carrying on. Trixie was glad she was able to help. It seems those snake charming acts she had practiced for were useful something after all. She absolutely would not work with snakes ever again, though.

Trixie continued her search and finally found an ideal spot next to a fountain that was nearby several popular shops and restaurants. Happy to have completed her checklist for the day, Trixie headed home.

The next day, Trixie moved her wagon into place, drawing the attention of the crowd as she pulled a lever that unfolded it into the stage. Using her magic, she positioned the lights in place.

Once she was sure she had the audience's attention, she began.

"Mares and Gentlecolts, Fillies and Foals of all ages! Behold! The Great and Powerful Trixie!" She announced. Then, with a puff of smoke and an array of fireworks, she appeared upon the stage with her signature hat and cloak. She took a moment to bathe in the curiosity of her audience, but no more than that. "Watch as The Great and Powerful Trixie bends the realms of Logic and Mystery!"

It was undeniable that when it came to illusion magic, Trixie was one of the best in the field. She studied the techniques of all the greats before her, like Harry Hoofdini and David CopperFilly and even made up a few of her own.

For the first seven minutes or so, everything was going well. The audience was loving it, and even a few were throwing a few bits her way. That was until one pony, she didn't see who, suddenly spoke up.

"Wait! Did she say her name was Trixie? Isn't that the name of that mare who sacked Ponyville?"

"Well, excuse me sir, but I'll have you know Ponyville was NOT sacked, though...I...may have toppled the local government, but it was only for a day, and I was under the influence of a dark magical item!" Trixie protested.

"What a hack!" cried another stallion.

"Well, I heard she lured a gigantic monster to attack the town, and a poor couple of foals would have been hurt if it wasn't for Princess Twilight!" exclaimed a mare.

"That's not what happened! Trixie had nothing to do with that Ursa Minor! That was a couple of foals fault, not mine!" Trixie protested, but the crowd began to boo.

"Princess Twilight says she forgives me! Why can't you?!"

"Get out of here, you hack!" A stallion replied, throwing a half eaten apple her way. The apple hit her square in the muzzle, and pain immediately flared up from the impact. The other ponies cheered and joined in, pelting her with various food items, only some of which were soft.

"I'm not a hack!" Trixie cried back, fighting the swelling tears in her eyes. She ducked as a rock soared past her head. Trixie turned to the crowd to see a familiar young filly, the one she helped yesterday, lobbing stones that she could find at her, booing with the crowd.

The dam broke and Trixie's heart shattered as tears flowed from her eyes. She quickly packed up her things and fled town, taking the money they had thrown at her before any of them began demanding a refund.

And all she could do was move along to the next town....

------

Trixie collapsed onto her little hammock bed, wiping her nose as another wave of stuffiness hit her. Though her wagon had warmed, the cold, wet rain had instilled a chill in her bones, and so she shivered.

She quickly pulled a blanket over her. She buried her face in her pillow, in vain attempt to hide her tears.

"I'll never be Great...or Powerful!" she sobbed. And she continued to do so until sleep finally took her.

Your Destiny is greater than you know, little one.....

Author's Note:

So yeah, new story. Trixie has always been one of my favorites, and so I decided to weave this story for her.

I'll admit, it takes me longer to write these chapters, but rest assured, I'll keep 'em coming!

I hope you enjoyed this first chapter and are interested in watching this story unfold. TTFN!

Comments

[General Sparky]

Nice story! I would like to see how this story progresses. :)

[WUBZ-_-Vinyl]

I have not read this yet but just the description alone.... Holy crap, this story is going to be epic!