• Published 3rd Feb 2012
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A Great and Powerful Heart - Deep Pond



Trixie is coerced into searching for a missing foal and finds out what kind of pony she is at heart.

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Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The river wound and twisted, and the woods crept closer to the bank as the two mares continued on their quest. Trixie found herself wondering exactly how big Dusky Dale was; the shadows of late afternoon were lengthening, and she saw no sign of it ending. Here and there the terrain forced them to detour away from the river, to avoid areas of tumbled boulders or snarled heaps of dead trees, cast up by some recent flood. At one point they were forced far back into the woods by a massive tangle of blackberry bushes. Trixie half expected Derpy to try flying over the obstacles, injured wing or no, but she followed the unicorn's lead without complaint.

“Hush!” Trixie hissed, ears perking up. “Trixie hears something.”

Derpy fell silent and she and Trixie crept forwards through the trees as quietly as they were able. Ahead,
the river turned in a large bend, creating a long peninsula of land. At the far end of the peninsula, near the river, were two small, equine figures.

Trixie held up a foreleg, blocking Derpy as the pegasus started to move forward. “Stop!” she ordered sharply. “Don't you see? Look!”

Curled around the jutting bit of land, looking at first glance like a row of stones in the fading light, was a serpent. Trixie, experienced at the art of misdirection, had noted it immediately, as much by the posture of the two foals as by anything else: they had their backs to the river, their hind hooves actually in the shallows, and were focused tensely on the creature.

Trixie's eyes narrowed. It was a maned serpent, a snakelike beast of a breed that inhabited Equestria's larger lakes and rivers. She had heard tales of the creatures. They rivaled dragons in size, and were said to possess elemental powers over water. This specimen was dull blue in color, with a mane of charcoal-colored hair and a long, trailing mustache of the same hue. It had to be at least thirty yards long.

If the stories Trixie had heard were true, this serpent was small – downright tiny – compared to most of them. That didn't mean it couldn't easily handle four ponies, though.

The serpent moved, slithering forward with the aid of a pair of clawed forelimbs, advancing on the foals. Trixie and Derpy tensed, but it moved only a short distance before stopping, a third of its length still in the water. The two foals moved uneasily to one side, slightly farther from the serpent's head.

It's toying with them, Trixie realized. That's the only explanation – it could catch them in a second if it wanted to. It's playing, like a cat with a mouse. She wondered briefly how long it had been playing with the hapless foals.

“We have to get them out of there!” exclaimed Derpy.

But how? Trixie can't fight a maned serpent! It would just eat Trixie as well. Trixie looked down at her fore-hooves, aware that her legs were quivering with terror.

Trixie has to look out for Trixie. Brass was right; the foals are lost. It's hopeless. Trixie should just turn away. Trixie should just get out of here now.

She clenched her eyes shut, gritting her teeth.

And abandon two foals to die.

And hate myself forever for that.

Abruptly, she turned to Derpy, who was practically dancing with anxiety. “Listen to Trixie,” she snapped, staring into Derpy's peculiar eyes. “Stay here. Do not follow Trixie. Trixie can handle this.”

“But –”

No. Trixie can do this. I can save them, but you have to stay back.”

Biting her lip, Derpy finally nodded, though she did not look comfortable about it. Trixie held her gaze, nodded once, then turned and marched boldly towards the tableau on the peninsula without a backward glance, tugging her star-spangled hat down firmly onto her head.

The foals stirred as she emerged from the woods, and a ripple ran down the length of the serpent. What is Trixie doing? she thought to herself, but there was no time for doubts now.

It was time for the Great and Powerful Trixie.

“You there! Serpent!” she called in a loud voice. The gray-maned head lifted, turning to regard her, the slit-pupiled eyes narrowing. Trixie continued forward at a confident pace, regarding the river-snake coolly.

“The Great and Powerful Trixie, the most magical unicorn in all of Equestria, demands to know what you think you are doing!”

She was conscious of the foals staring at her in what was surely disbelief, but she ignored them. She was also acutely conscious of the serpent's sheer size, the fangs visible on his lower lip, the curved claws at the end of his arms. She did not slow, striding boldly towards him. Never let them see you sweat.

“Those foals are under Trixie's protection!” she told the serpent, gesturing towards the two young ones. “Trixie advises you not to interfere. The Great and Powerful Trixie once bested an Ursa Major; a tiny river serpent would not even be a challenge.” With that, she stepped arrogantly through the gap – four or five yards wide, if that – between the serpent and the edge of the river, the only path onto the peninsula. This brought her perilously close to the serpent, but it seemed taken aback by her claims – or perhaps by her sheer boldness – and did not hinder her. With her head at an arrogant angle, Trixie marched to the center of the peninsula and glanced at the two foals.

They stared back at her with huge eyes, a gray unicorn filly with blonde hair, and a red-brown earth pony colt with an enormous swatch of purple hair. Wait; a unicorn? Derpy is a pegasus; how can . . . never mind. Later.

She turned with a swirl of her muddy cape, having placed herself directly between the river serpent and the foals, and gave the serpent a direct look. “Well?” she demanded, one hoof slipping under her cape and hoofing a bit of glitter powder. “Are you going to slither aside an allow us to pass? Or do you dare to challenge –”

She raised herself onto her hind hooves, and her other fore-hoof caught a pouch full of poppers.

“– the Great and Powerful –”

Her horn flared to light as she swept glitter and poppers in the air around her.

“–Trixie?”

The poppers burst, a myriad of tiny explosions filling the air; the glitter powder shimmered in the multicolored light; and Trixie's magic amplified the whole effect to a dazzling display. The serpent reared back in startlement, eyes widening, mustache fluttering. Trixie allowed herself a confident smirk.

Then the reptilian eyes narrowed, and a hiss escaped those fanged jaws.

Trixie realized she had made a serious mistake in assuming the river serpent could speak.

In a rush, the dull blue serpent came at her. Trixie leaped aside with an undignified squeak, but the attack had been a feint; the creature now loomed above her like some monstrous cobra. Slowly it turned, and Trixie realized that the serpent was turning towards the foals.

She acted without conscious thought, sending a lightning bolt hammering into the scaled bulk. The serpent hissed when it struck, turning to face her again, and the foals bolted for safety. Quick as a whip the serpent doubled back, snapping at the young ponies; they leaped apart, the gray filly dashing madly for the woods while the earth pony colt hesitated for an instant, then tried to run between Trixie and the serpent. The beast dove for the colt, jaws agape.

The blue glow of Trixie's magic enveloped those trailing mustaches and jerked hard. Startled, the serpent found its strike diverted, and it drove its snout hard into the gravel. With a hiss that was almost a roar it reared back, easily shrugging off Trixie's grip, maddened eyes fixed on her.

Got to keep its attention . . . get it away from Jasper. . .

The colt was still again, paralyzed with fear, but the serpent wasn't looking at him. Trixie intended to keep it that way. “Is that your best?” she demanded mockingly, in the tone of voice she usually reserved for particularly troublesome hecklers. “Trixie is not impressed. Trixie has seen inchworms more dangerous than you!”

Past the serpent, Trixie caught sight of the gray filly sprinting for the trees, and Derpy dashing towards her, the scarf come loose from her injured wing. There's one safe, she thought. She pulled loose an extra-large popper from under her cape and, as the serpent advanced on her, threw it full in its face.

The popper burst with a loud report, and the blue snake shied away instinctively. Trixie ran to the colt, but the serpent was quicker than she expected. She had never learned the spell of teleportation, but she had her own ways of getting out of danger. She hoofed a packet of smoke-powder from another pocket of her cape as it reared to strike.

As she threw the smoke-powder to the ground at her hooves, the thought flashed through Trixie's mind that the creature would surely see them as the fled, and would inevitably give chase. There was only one way to ensure Jasper's safety.

Gray smoke billowed around them, and Trixie slapped Jasper on the flank. “Run!” she said in a hissing whisper, her every nerve screaming terror in her mind.

And stood her ground.

Jasper disappeared as if shot from a cannon, but Trixie only edged a step to one side. The serpent's head burst into the cloud of smoke, jaws clashing inches away from Trixie. Unable to suppress a neigh of terror, she turned and bucked the creature's face, then galloped toward the river – away from the direction Jasper had taken.

The serpent pursued with a furious hissing. Trixie turned at the river's edge and flung more poppers, but the serpent ignored them. It was done playing; it was hurt and angry and going for the kill. Beyond it, Trixie saw Jasper meet Dinky, who had stopped at the treeline. At least there's that, she thought. But where did Derpy . .

“Derpy delivery!”

For the second time that day, gray hooves grasped Trixie and snatched her off the ground. Shocked, Trixie could only hang limp in the mailmare's grip as she flapped heavily over the water in a wide curve. Behind, the river serpent hissed in frustrated rage, but Derpy Hooves was faster on the wing that it was in the water.

Trixie twisted her head around to stare up at her rescuer. Derpy's face was a mask of determination, somewhat undermined by her eyes. Drops of blood trailed from her injured wing, but Derpy did not relent. Not until they were well up the riverbank, almost to the trees and the watching foals, did she falter.

Trixie felt her hooves brush the ground and had just enough time to roll herself into a ball before they crashed into the ground, tumbling among the trees. For a few moments everything was dirt and leaves and bruises and dizziness.

Staggering to her hooves, Trixie glanced wildly about. The river serpent was coming for them, slower on the ground than in the water, eyes filled with fury. She seized her hat with magic and used it to smack Derpy, whose eyes were rolling in opposite directions.

“Get up! We are leaving!” she said as the two foals drew near. Derpy surged to her hooves and the four turned and galloped into the woods without a backward glance.