The Element of Balance

by Luminous Lapis

3: Trixie

"We're reporting live here on the world-famous Summer Sun celebration scene. Festivities are well underway and we are soon approaching the long-awaited moment of the night. Every year I think, 'Ponyville can't possibly gain more popularity.' And yet here we are more ponies than I've ever seen." A light blue earth pony mare with a brown mane stood before a camera, holding a microphone. "Well, Mint it's good to hear that Ponyville and the celebrations are doing well. I heard that even Princess Cadance herself came this year is that true?" A yellow unicorn stallion in a black suit sat behind a desk, looking forward into a camera. "Yes, Nimble she is up on the stage with the other-"

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!"

Mint faltered for a moment, she and almost everypony else around looked up, trying to figure out what they had just heard. Even the princesses, clad in their usual royal attire, hesitated as they too looked around. "Mint? What was that?" The blue mare slowly turned around, facing the camera. "I-I don't know... it sounded like somepony in pain. Lots of pain." Everything fell silent for a minute before Princess Twilight suddenly spoke. "Everypony please remain calm. We'll figure out who that was and what happened."

Seemingly on cue, there came another yell from the edge of town. "It came from over there! Quick zoom in with the camera!" Mint shook her partner wielding the camera and he quickly turned where she was directing. For a minute nothing happened but there was a sudden yell and it slowly became louder until everypony could hear it. "LAPIS!! STOP!! LAPIS!!" The camera zoomed in on a grey mare flying between the buildings, trying to keep pace with something. "Lapis!!" A large part of the crowd suddenly fell down and in the middle of them stood a dark blue unicorn stallion looking extremely angry.

"Lapis!" The grey mare suddenly landed in front of the stallion, holding out her hooves placatingly. "Hey, easy Lapis. Easy. I know you're in pain-"
"Don't you dare try to understand!! You could never understand my pain!! She was everything to me!!! And she abandoned me like I was nothing!!!" Lapis stood still, noticing the crowd and what he had stumbled into. His horn produced pitch-black sparks and his eyes flashed red. He suddenly noticed the camera but before he could do anything a purple barrier suddenly appeared around him. "Lapis! Lapis take it easy you're not thinking straight! You need to talk this out!" The grey mare stood outside the barrier frantically looking in and trying to speak to Lapis. Twilight teleported off the stage and next to the mare.

"I don't know who you are Lapis but I need you to calm down. She's right you're obviously not thinking straight." Lapis suddenly let out a loud yell. "I don't want to talk about it! Let me go!" His horn glowed a dark blue and he seemed to be focusing on something. Twilight dug in her hooves and focused as well. "Stop Lapis! I'm just trying to help!" For a moment, nothing happened as the two silently battled, and then Twilight suddenly spoke. "Help!!" The barrier suddenly grew thicker as the other three princesses added their power and Lapis fell to his knees, groaning. "LET. ME. GO!!!" He stood back up, yelling and there was a sudden flash of light, a loud boom, and a shockwave that pushed everypony back.

---

Twilight groaned, standing up as her ears rang. She fought to keep her balance and through smoke saw Lapis stand up and immediately fall, clutching his head. He... He just broke a shield spell from four allicorns. How? She stepped closer to Lapis, swaying for a moment but managing to keep her balance. Lapis was now leaning against the edge of the stage, looking like he was about to pass out. He suddenly vomited and let out an audible groan. Twilight decided to take action and teleported right next to Lapis. "Lapis!"

He turned, cheeks flushed red, and his face a pale white. His eyes suddenly widened as he recognized Twilight and his horn glowed blue for a moment before backfiring and causing him to recoil. He tried to crawl away but seemed completely exhausted and couldn't fight as Twilight gripped his tail and slowly dragged him backward. Twilight watched tears and fear filling the stallion's grey and blue eyes as she pulled him closer. "Hey easy I'm not going to hurt you. I just want to help." He shook his head. "Please. Just leave m-me alone." When she didn't leave Lapis seemed to grow angry. "Leave me alone!" There was little conviction in his voice.

Twilight felt terrible for this stallion. He looked upset and hurt about something she didn't know but somepony else might. She turned to look at the grey mare who had first tried to calm the stallion and beckoned her closer. She sat down next to Twilight and looking worried, glanced back and forth between the two. "What's your name?"
"It's Silver, Princess." Twilight nodded, then turned to the stallion sat with his hind legs pulled close to his chest.
"Your name was Lapis, right?" He looked up, a mixture of anger and sorrow on his face before looking away.

"Listen, Lapis, I could help a little better if you let me know what's happening. Please?" Lapis shook his head. "You don't care. Nopony has ever cared about me." He spoke in a small voice.
"That's not true-"
"Yes, it is!" Lapis looked up, caught himself, and continued in a lower tone. "Yes, it is."
"Then why are you in such pain right now? If whoever it is doesn't care about you then you wouldn't have reacted the way you did, right?" He refused to answer, staring anywhere but the two mares.
"Look Lapis I don't mean to sound rude but you kind of crashed one of the most important and revered celebrations of the year and won't even explain to me why. I am expected right now as a princess to solve this problem in the best way possible and you aren't helping me out here."

His face glowed red with shame and his ears drooped in shame. "I'm sorry." He looked around for a moment at the crowd before staring straight down. "Ok, here's what's going to happen. I'm going to teleport us to my castle, you're going to wait there and figure out what you'll tell me, I'll teleport back and quell the situation here and then you'll tell me what happened ok?" Lapis didn't react for a moment before giving a small nod.

"...Sure. Whatever you say, Princess." As Silver stepped closer Twilight's eyes narrowed and her horn glowed purple before they were suddenly at the castle. Her voice hardened as she looked directly at Lapis. "I'll be back. Stay here and calm down." With a flash of purple light, the two were alone.

---

"..."
"..."
I stared at my hooves before clenching them tightly as a wave of anger overtook me.
“Lapis-“
“No! No, I don't want to hear it!! I don’t want to hear how it’ll all be better or how much worse it could be!! I don’t!” I suddenly stood, pacing back and forth, unable to stop the emotions coursing through my mind.

“Lapis, would you just listen at least?” My hoof stamped against the ground. “No!! I just, I-“
“Want to stay angry? What’s that going to accomplish? Huh?” I hesitated, glancing towards Silver, then away. “Exactly! Nothing!
“…”
“Lapis-”

"NO! I don't want to talk about it! Ahhh!" I clutched my head, feeling a flash of pain course through my body. My vision swam and I dimly heard Silver's voice. "Lapis!" After a few minutes of everything moving violently past me, I realized I was leaning against the wall and felt Silver beside me, desperately trying to bring me back. "Lapis what happened?! You look like you're about to pass out!"

After struggling for a moment, everything slowly stopped moving and though my stomach still felt upset I wasn't in any immediate danger of throwing up. “Silver… please don’t make me talk about it… I can’t.”

I turned to look at her and saw Silver hesitating. “I don’t think you have to worry about me making you talk. Twilight’s going to anyway. I’m the lesser of the two evils really.” I could barely comprehend what she was saying but managed to understand.

Silver released me and I sighed, closing my eyes and trying to calm my stomach. “Why do you care? What am I to you?”

“I’m sorry?”
I looked up. “You heard me. What am I to you? Why do you care about me so much? I mean seriously! You let me hang off the edge of a roof but you still seem to care about me and I can’t figure out why for the life of me!” Silver stared at me, confused.

“Have you had friends before Lapis?” I was caught completely off guard by her question and was extremely hesitant to answer but I felt too emotionally drained to argue with her.
“I… have…”
“Were they real friends?”
“...I don’t remember..”
Silver sighed. “You don’t trust me, do you? You just keep on lying to me and giving me vague answers and I don’t understand why. Is it a defense mechanism? Do you not want to trust me? What is it?” I let out a groan of irritation. “Why me? This kind of thing always happens to me! I'm sorry…” After letting my body go limp I felt Silver embrace me, and I froze unable to think.

“Why can’t you believe I want to care about you? I can see you're in pain and I just want to help you.” Her wings curled around me and I about broke down then and there. Tears filled my eyes and I shut them tightly. “I don’t know what has happened to you in your life but, Lapis I promise you can trust me. I won't hurt you.” I was so close to breaking, but I didn't want to, I couldn’t trust her, I couldn’t.

“N-No… you’ll hurt me… I can’t…” My hooves pressed against her chest as I tried unsuccessfully to push her away.
“Shhhhh… you don’t have to trust me completely. But can you trust me for just a moment? Ok? That’s all I ask.” She pulled me closer, her hooves clutching my shoulders. Tears dripped down my face as I finally gave in.

“Easy, easy Lapis. Everything is going to be ok.” My head sadly shook from side to side. “No... it won't...” I uttered in a pained voice. Silver’s hooves gently gripped the back of my head and pulled it against her chest. “Yes, it will Lapis. Yes, it will.” I just kept crying unable to stop even if I wanted to. “I never should've come here. I ruined everything.”

“We’ll get it sorted out Lapis, I promise. You don't have to be scared.” Every time I said something along the lines of ‘Something bad will happen’ Silver shot it down immediately, hardly letting me get more than a few words in.

You can't trust her!!
But she trusts us!
She shouldn’t!!!

I couldn’t quell the voices, I didn't have the strength.
“I never should've made that deal.”
“What? What did you just say Lapis? Tell me everything.”
“I-I made a deal with… oh buck I can’t even say her name.” I found it became increasingly harder to speak as my throat tightened. “We made a deal that I would try to stay in Ponyville for a week and if I enjoyed it I would stay. But… she left… she’s… she’s just gone…”

“Well, that explains your actions.” I saw Silver turn and we both stared at Twilight Sparkle.