Equestria's Mirage

by Alchemystudent

Lonely Loyalty

Chapter 4: Lonely loyalty.

Applejack’s green eyes lowered down to the showmare, burning with rage, “Why is she here? What does she think she is doing with you?

“The Great and powerful Trixie was busy helping your friend saving your little flank, you little redneck.” Trixie said, smiling.

“REDNECK? Oh, you are askin for this!” Applejack said, coming in close to kick Trixie in the face, only to be stopped by Twilight.

“Applejack, STOP!” Stepping in between the two ponies, Twilight used some magic to stop them both, “ She’s telling the truth, she’s helping me save you guys.”

“Helpin? How can she help?”

“Trixie is helping all of you by allowing Sparkle into your dreams with Trixie’s magic.” Trixie said, with a little flourish to empathize her words.

Applejack raised an eyebrow in disbelief, “You can use dream magic?”

“Of course! Trixie’s specialty is illusion magic and what are dreams, but the illusion of the mind?”

“And if it wasn’t for her, I wouldn’t have been able to get into your dreams and save you.” Twilight looked into Applejack’s eyes pleading, “So please, trust her.”

Applejack looked at Twilight and then back to Trixie and then back to Twilight, “All right, but only because of you. If she tries anything funny and I will hit her so hard…she’s gonna start doing all of her shows from a bed.”

Twilight nodded in agreement and turned to face the void. Closing her eyes, she began to concentrate on her spell once more. Applejack watched in amazement and wonder as the strings of magical light began to flow from Twilight horn. She watched as an orange string began to wrap itself around her own hoof and then a blue one around Trixie’s. Her eyes then followed a few more lights flow out of Twilight’s horn and into the darkness, “Twilight, what is this spell?” Applejack asked.

“It’s a spell that I had created earlier for a presentation that I was going to show the academy. I was going to introduce it you guys tomorrow morning before everything had happened.” Twilight finished the spell and looked in the direction of the light blue energy string, “It allows me to connect to the mana of everypony who is close to me. I can then find them no matter where they are.”

“Uh Twi…not all of us have magic.” Applejack said as she watch Twilight move the large stones around to form a path.

“Well, actually you and Pinkie sort of do. The basic Earth pony magic of strength and agriculture,” She began to explain as she walked to where the string led to Rainbow Dash, “and of Course, Pinkie’s…randomness.”

Applejack looked down at her hoof, the orange string glowing brightly as it laid entwined and then took a look at the other strings, “So why is Fluttershy’s a little bit dimmer than the others?”

“I think its because she is so shy and quiet. The strings seem to reflect the holders personality, like how Dash’s is a little brighter because she is loud,” Twilight said as she led the two ponies ahead.

“So, just who is this she-devil that kidnapped us and is putting us through hell?”

“Her name is Mirage, apparently she is an embodiment much like Discord is. She found out about us and wants to break us so badly that it will end up breaking the rest of Equestria.”

“Well, if she wanted to do that, then why didn't she try to do that to our faces instead of kidnapping us in our sleep?”

Trixie walked up to Applejack, “Because, didn't that dragoniquis try and do that to you when you were awake? She probably realizes that you are very powerful together, but alone and without one another to back the other one up...easy pickings. So she locked you away in the one place you cant reach each other, the dreamland, “ Trixie then began to look around her, “Is anypony else afraid of how the fearcats have seemed to given up following us.”

“I think there are two reasons why, and both are very bad,” Twilight said.

“ What are they?” Applejack asked.

“First, its because she thinks has this in the bag, which can only mean that she has an ace up her sleeve that’ll pop up in the end,” Twilight looked ahead, trying to see how much farther Rainbow was, “Second, she is just playing with us and has something worse planned.”

At this, Trixie and Applejack looked at each other, worry on both of their faces.

---

Mirage watched the discussion taking place between the three mares, her claw running along the arm of her chair as she layed over the arms, “Why my dear little pet, don't you know about us cats,” a little mouse crawled onto the arm of her chair and looked up at her, her cat eyes hypnotizing, “When we play our little games, we like to give the poor little creatures a feeling of hope. Then when they think they have it and are free” In a flash she grabs the mouse in her hand and kills it, swallowing it whole, “WE KILL IT! Ha ha ha ha, oh you are going to be my favorite little toy aren't you Twilight Sparkle?”

---

The three continued their walk through the void, trying their best to find any type of noise or life within that could stave off the cold atmosphere. There was none, no signs of life, no joy, just the sound of silence and the soft breathing of the three mares. Applejack walked next to Trixie, “ Why are you walking next to Trixie, do not trust her that much?”

“Quite frankly, I don't trust you about as far as I can throw this here stone,” Applejack said, a scowl on her face, “But, Twilight seems to think y’all are on the up and up. So I am gonna take her word for it.”

“But why not trust the Great and powerful Trixie?”

“Well, lets see- y’all are a boastful, arrogant, lying, hack”

“First, the Suicidal rainbow is more boastful than Trixie is. Second, the crowd seemed to enjoy themselves until Trixie was heckled and needed to prove herself.”

“Trixie seems to remember that the crowd loved it. It is not Trixie’s fault that,” Trixie pointed a hoof to her chest, “moi was and still is a master of illusions and tricks.”

Applejack growled a little in frustration at Trixie’s defense, “Second and most importantly- You banished my best friend from Ponyville and took the place over!”

“Possessed by over powerful amulet, turned evil, and on the bright side it was what allowed Trixie to meet her teacher.”

“Just who is that teacher of yours anyhow?”

“Glad you ask, why it is none other than...” Trixie was interrupted by Twilight’s yell before she could say anything.

“Hey girls, I see her!” With a smile on her face, Twilight ran for a few more minutes to where Rainbow Dash was entombed. Much like Applejack before her, Rainbow was also in a fetal position, twitching a little from the effects of the bad dream. Walking a little closer to the egg shaped cell, they could see her looking a little weaker and thinner as well.

“My gosh...is that what ah looked like in there,” AJ asked, putting her hoof onto the glass-like membrane, “Rainbow! Hang on, we’re coming fer ya! Ok Trixie, what do Ah have to do?”

“Oh, you trust Trixie now?”

“I would trust Tirac himself if it meant saving mah friends.”

“Fine then. Redneck, you and Sparkle stand next to each other. Sparkle you put your horn onto the case while Trixie makes a connection,” Trixie watched as Applejack and Twilight followed Trixie’s orders, “Now then, same rules apply. You can only indirectly talk to her, or as much as her dream allows.” With that, Trixie’s horn glowed a bright blue as she activated her spell. Unknown to the two mares, Trixie had begun to sweat and pant this time.

---

“Oh Trixie, you are so prideful and so trusting. You will not bring yourself to tell the others that this spell is hard to pull off and to use it so many times in so sort of a time is draining you harder than you admit. But why do you do it? ahhh,” A smile comes across Mirage’s face as she caresses the image in front of her, “that's something you’ll never admit, even to yourself. You are trusting in the skills of others and you know that your greatest rival will succeed, long before you reach magical overload,” a sinister smile creeped across her face, “ Trust is such a weak bond.”

---

The two mares found themselves in Ponyville, its normally bright and happy feel now feeling barren and dark. Another feeling abounded in the small town, loneliness and abandonment. The town was silent, with barely a sound to be heard, so much different from the street full of life that were there before. The two began to walk through the streets, hoping for any sign of life or their friend. It wasn’t long, until they found the signs of life, “ Hey, did any of your girls see Dash today?” A white unicorn asked, looking at the four mares in front.

“Nope, and thank goodness,” A Pinkie Pie said.

“Wait a minute...that’s us,” Applejack looked towards where the voices were coming from, paying attention to the 5 mares in front of her.

“Oh I agree,” Fluttershy nodded in agreement, “She was so annoying with her arrogance and boasting and selfishness. It was like the only pony she knew to be loyal to was herself.”

“I can't believe any of us were ever friends,” Twilight said.

“ I don't even think she was half as good as she said she was. Who would believe all of her lies? What a pathetic pegasus,” Applejack said, rolling her eyes, “so which one of us finally told her off?”

Rarity held up her hoof, chuckling about her deed. This set Applejack off in a rage as she stomped towards the fake versions of herself, “NOW JUST HOLD ON A MINUTE!!!!! YOU...”

“Applejack, stop,” Twilight said, holding onto Applejack with her magic, “ They’re just illusions, we can't harm them.”

“But they...”

“Are just Mirage’s way of hurting Rainbow by us, like she used her parents on you.”

Applejack nodded solemnly. She knew that her friend had a better grasp on knowledge than her, but it still hurt her on the inside to see her insulting somepony who was close to her. Especially when it was her that did the insulting. The two girls walked more through the deserted streets of their home. Trying their best to ignore the cold feeling of loneliness that permeated the small town. Their long walk led them up to a tall hill with one lonely little cloud on it, “AHHH! How hard is it to find one Rainbow maned pegasus in this town,” Applejack yelled, looking around.

“What I want to know is, how is this supposed to break Dash? Its trying to make her think she could be abandoned or forgotten. We both know that isn’t true, she is the most popular pegasus around here, the fastest, and one of the most well known. There’s no way she could be lonely.” Twilight said, walking around the hill, looking around for Dash, not noticing the tuff of a rainbow mane peeking from the cloud overhead.

“Twilight, I don't think ya understand Dash at all,” Applejack looked at Twilight, a little down.

“What do you mean?”

“ I mean the reason as to why she is so boastful, arrogant, and always trying to prove that she is the best,” Applejack said, looking up at the cloud and noticing something blue in it, “Its because she is afraid, sugarcube. She is afraid that she isn’t as good as she thinks she is and that if she doesn’t prove herself to be the best, we’ll leave her. She hates the very idea of being alone without anypony to help her and so...”

“That’s why I am saying that this shouldn’t affect her at all!” Twilight yelled, “I know she is the best, you know she is the best, we all know it. Sure she’s arrogant and loud, but thats because she can actually prove it. She...she helps lift us up, with the way she acts and make us feel like we need to push ourselves, because she is doing the same. She should never have to worry about us abandoning her, because we know just how strong she is. We know what she is like deep inside, a loyal pony who would never let us down no matter what.”

“Oh, I know that Twi. I know that, when I am in trouble, there is no one I would rather have at my side,” Applejack looked up to the cloud, “and I hope she realizes it too.”

Almost on cue, a blue blur passes by the two ponies and grabs them up in a big hug.

---

Trixie was blown back by the shattering of the eggshell, as Rainbow Dash flew out of the case and held her friends tight, “Guys, I am so glad to see you,” Dash said smiling.

Author's Note:

Major thanks to Opuscon789, for being a good editor and putting up with this

Comments

[Mike the Red]

This deserves more upvotes than it has.

[IceQB]

O.o huh? Kindly explain to me how dashy woke up? O.o....

P.s. Fix your grammatical and spelling mistakes pleeeeeeease. Not to mention punctuation

[jszellmer]

Trixie’s specialty is illusion magic and what are dreams, but the illusion of the mind?”

That is a very interesting concept I had not considered before.