Trixie is used to picking herself up again, although the Ponyville incident hit her especially hard. Facing starvation and exposure to the elements, is there any hope for rehabilitation?
The Great and Powerful Trixie isn't feeling so "Great and Powerful" after the events in ponyville. Left to wander aimlessly, and dealing with an entirely foreign experience, she struggles to come to terms with where she stands in the world.
Princess Luna let out a bored sigh. She may have returned from the moon to rule Equestria by her sister’s side, but night time was still majorly uneventful, apart from the occasional animal here or there. Although she had once embraced silence, she had come to loathe it from being trapped on the moon for a thousand years. Luna decided to lay back and let her mind wander to pass the time. She started humming a song she had heard earlier that night, but she couldn’t place which band had played it. She attempted to recreate it as best she could, but knew she hit the wrong notes at times. She was playing it over for the third time in her head when she was interrupted by what sounded like crying, and, Sensing that she might get to do something interesting, bolted upright and immediately started searching for the source.
Trixie sat beneath a tree, head between her hooves, and wallowed in pity. “How could I have let this happen? How did I let my ego get so out of hand?” She had lost everything, and she knew it. Her mobile home, along with all of her possessions had been crushed by an Ursa Minor, forcing her to leave Ponyville with nothing but her hat and cape, both of which she sold so she could buy something to eat. Food! She bawled at the thought that this poor, sleep deprived pony on the brink of starvation had once been a rich travelling magician, widely known for her spectacular abilities. She could think of nothing else to do besides weep, and weep, and weep.
“Hey, I know you! You’re the Great and Powerful Trixie! ”
Trixie’s head shot up to see who had addressed her. She was about to tell the stranger to leave her alone; before her, however, stood Princess Luna staring at her. “No… I’m sorry; you have me confused with someone else…” Trixie stood up, eyes red and puffy, and started walking away when she felt her hat start to slip down over her head.
Her hat! Trixie couldn’t believe it! Her hat was back! She looked at her flank, only to be greeted by a purple/blue cape with stars concealing it from view. Luna stepped forward nonchalantly and said “One should not lie to a princess. If I weren’t in such a good mood, I could have you banished!” She meant this purely as a joke, but Trixie winced in pain when she mentioned “banished”. “It’s too late for that” She chuckled with a weak fake laugh. Luna stared at her with a look of sincere concern, asking why she was so sad. Trixie had assumed that everypony in Equestria had heard about her incident in Ponyville, but was evidently incorrect. “Don’t worry about it” she mumbled half-heartedly, trotting off into the nearby forest, and was not surprised when she discovered her hat and cape had disappeared. “You can tell me what’s wrong, or you can sit out here and starve. Your choice.”
Luna couldn’t understand why The Great and Powerful Trixie could be anything besides rightfully haughty. Last time she had checked, Trixie had not only vanquished an Ursa Major with her powers, she had been performing amazing magical feats on stage, being cheered on by hundreds of fans, many of which waited on her hand and foot. In many ways, Luna was jealous of her. Of course, this was a long time ago, and Luna was shocked when Trixie explained the events in the past week.
Stunned at the princess’s matter-of-fact cruelty, she realized she didn’t have much of a choice. “I was doing a show in a nearby town called Ponyville, like I do every year, you know, card tricks, illusions, magic, all that good stuff, until an obnoxious dragon claimed I was nothing to strut about. Obviously, The Great and Powerful-no,” she sighed, her disappointment palpable, “no, just Trixie, was deeply offended. I foolishly challenged any Pony to top my tricks, and when anypony offered, I humiliated them instead of actually performing… all except the strongest mare challenged me, and it was this mare that saved me, as well as the whole town from an Ursa Minor.”
“But you’ve vanquished Ursa MAJORS! How could-“ But Trixie just shook her head “No I haven’t, I made that all up… I was humiliated, and after the beast destroyed my cart, I ran away from Ponyville, and sold the clothes off my back for even the tiniest morsel of food!” At this point, she was speaking through waterfalls of tears; undignified, weak, and pathetic, Trixie screwed her eyes shut and let the tears fall, and was startled when Luna sat down beside her, put her hoof on her shoulder and started… Comforting her!
Luna wasn't sure how to deal with the information. Trixie had been a legend, this spectacular performer, capable of performing impossible acts, when, in reality, she had been a lie, a fake! Yet Luna felt sympathy for the young mare. She offered Trixie a stay at her palace for a few nights, a few meals, and a bath. Trixie, throat sore from crying, accepted Luna’s offer, and thanked her in a sore raspy voice.
Once they had arrived at the palace, Luna showed Trixie to her private chambers where she could freshen up in every sense of the word. Trixie would have gladly accepted a hose and some soap, never would she have thought she would be bathing in a royal bath! And what a bath it was, she had the water comfortably boiling, and laid back and allowed every muscle in her body to relax. It was only a matter of time before she was consumed by her exhaustion and fell asleep.
***
Trixie awoke to Princess Luna standing over her, holding back chuckles. It took Trixie a moment to remember where she was. She sputtered an apology to Princess Luna, quickly washed her body and hair in the now frigid water, dried herself off and exited the bathroom, only to be greeted by Princess Celestia herself, who was, at first pleased to have a guest, but upon recognition, a shrill cry was heard throughout the castle, and within minutes Trixie was surrounded by Castle Guards.
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EDIT: An old story I was writing, but I decided to revamp it. Feel free to leave comments, suggestions, criticisms or all three! Thanks for reading, and expect new chapters in the future!
Trixie’s mind was racing. What had she done to upset Celestia enough to call the guards on her? She was beginning to hyperventilate when she noticed Luna leaning back on the bed laughing hysterically. Had she not been surrounded by guards, she would’ve given her a piece of her mind. She turned her attention back to Celestia and noticed that, in the corner of her harsh scorn, there was a hint of a smile.
She had to admit, even though Celestia had imprisoned her for a thousand years, this was still hilarious. “My stars, she’s good at this! I wonder how long she’ll keep it up.” Luna couldn’t help but laugh and laugh and laugh, in spite of Trixie’s harsh gaze. She noticed her sister was beginning to cave, so she stepped over and lightly poked Celestia in the sides and whispered “Tia, you’re scaring her! I didn’t want you to scare her this badly, she looks as though she’s about to cry!” Celestia conceded that this was true and called off her guards.
Trixie was dumbfounded. A few seconds ago, Luna had been laughing harder than Trixie had ever seen anyone laugh, but now she stood up to the mightiest Pony in all of Equestria to save her! “That’s 2 times in 24 hours,” Trixie remarked “best not to question it, I suppose.” Trixie was handed a pair of warm, clean clothes to change in to, which she politely refused; from what she’d seen, Canterlot clothing looked dreadfully uncomfortable. She was then escorted along with Princess Luna to the dining hall for breakfast. Upon entering, she noticed the incredible contrast in the regal granite table, with antique wooden chairs (3 set out for the occasion) and an intricately designed ornate rug, when all that was on the table was 3 plates of plain old toast with a glass of orange juice to eat and drink. She sat awkwardly, intimidated by the presence around her, quietly sipping her orange juice between bites.
“This is certainly an odd breakfast… I wonder what’s gotten into our guest. Perhaps the prank was a little much…” Luna began to feel a pang of guilt, fearing that her prank was the cause of the lack of conversation. She attempted to start a conversation about the weather schedule, but Celestia excused herself to raise the sun and begin the necessary routines to begin the day. Luna’s face lit up all of a sudden. “Trixie!” She said enthusiastically, “You’ve travelled all around Equestria, correct?” a feeble “yes” was the only response she received. “Well, perhaps you could show me around? I hear you were quite popular in Ponyville, and my sister has taken such a fascination with the place!” She noticed Trixie light up at the mention of Ponyville, and assumed this was a welcomed idea.
Trixie’s face became a mixture of both shock and realization; “That purple pony! She must be responsible for the atrocious welcome the Great and Po-“ She stopped mid-thought, “perhaps she has something to do with the inappropriate greeting I received…” She had started realizing that she had to stop talking in 3rd person; it was just too painful to think about. “Perhaps her highness would simply like to entertain ourselves in the castle? I would very much enjoy a tour!” But her words fell upon deaf ears as Luna called a servant over to alert Princess Celestia of her plans for an expedition to Ponyville.
Luna was overjoyed, her ideas were rarely heard, and even less commonly agreed with! She had heard Trixie say something about a tour, and assumed she offered a tour of Ponyville. She ordered a nearby Servant to deliver a note post haste, and another to pack 2 day packs with the necessary items needed for a picnic. “Wait a minute…” She thought to herself. “Weren’t those ponies that saved me from… her… in Ponyville? They WERE! Perhaps they’d like to attend the picnic as well!” She couldn’t contain her excitement, although she did order 2 pairs of over coats and sun glasses so that she (and her guest, if she pleased) could go and maintain a low profile, which Trixie accepted, much to her surprise. The hot air balloon was readied, and the two took off with no further delay.
***
The balloon ride was majorly uneventful, for Luna had already seen the ground from above, and Trixie seemed to be trembling with excitement, which made Luna even more impatient. She had arranged to have the balloon stop about a mile away from the village to avoid too much attention.
Trixie was shaking with fearful anxiety. Surely the ponies had not forgotten about their little mishap already! She appreciated the fact that she had an overcoat to conceal her identity, but had Luna forgotten what she had told her? After little contemplation, she decided to express her concerns. “Luna, are you sure this is a good-“ but the look she got was too much. Luna had the look of a young filly, giddy about a new doll. It was both disarming and reassuring at the same time. Trixie found herself almost sympathizing with the Princess, but she didn’t know why. The look she was giving the show-pony was so naïve and hopeful that she simply didn’t have the nerve to disappoint her. She let out a quiet sigh, smiled and said, with a combination of resignation and relief “Do you have a bottle of water?” Luna eagerly reached into her saddle pack and offered her a bottle.
“Oh, this is going to be so much fun! It’s been so long since I was around anypony besides Tia, and now I not only get to spend time with the Great and Powerful Trixie, I also get to… ‘hang’? Yes, ‘hang’ with the 6 ponies that saved me!” She felt a tinge of pain as she remembered the things Nightmare moon had whispered to her during those awful days on the moon, of the long nights she spent alone, yearning for company… She suddenly felt the urge to open up to somepony, and Trixie was right there, so…
Trixie was completely blindsided by the Princess’ sudden confessions, and listened in both fascination and pity. “I… I don’t have many, neigh, any friends, fair Trixie. I want to thank you. You’re the first pony I’ve trusted in quite awhile. It’s hard, not being able to trust those around you, or even yourself. Being trapped on the moon taught me to loathe the one pony in this world I could trust. Even though I purged myself through the aid of 6 young mares, I still find it difficult to trust others. I know you must be humbled by this, but I am no different than you, or anypony else. I too have 4 legs, and 4 hooves. I have a special talent, and a horn, and a mane. The only thing that sets us apart is my sister, bless her heart. I know she’s only looking out for me, but she rarely let’s me leave the castle. Part of- I think,” she quickly corrected herself “She does it because she is over protective of me, but I also think she fears I’ll become lost again… I don’t know why, Trixie, but I trust you.” She smiled over at Trixie, who looked away for fear of beginning to cry. She hadn’t even gotten to Ponyville, and she had already found a use for the glasses she wore. “Thank you…” she whispered, although she didn’t think Luna could hear her.
“Oh, Luna, what were you thinking? Simply because she stayed at your castle over night does not make her your best friend!” She thought to herself, thinking Trixie had turned away out of discomfort. “I apologize for putting you in such an awkward position, Trixie; I am just unaccustomed to having a friend.” She heard her whisper something, but could not quite make out what it was. She was shocked when Trixie stared at her through her sunglasses. “Thank you” she said shakily. “Thank you so much…” Luna could see a single tear starting to roll down her cheek from under her shades. The two sat in silence for a moment so Trixie could regain her composure, when she suddenly blurted out “Oh, and Pr… Luna? What did you tell Princess Celestia this morning to save me?”
Luna looked over with a shy smile and said “All I said was that the joke had gone on far enough!” She was surprised to see Trixie start laughing; she had thought she would be furious. Soon, she found herself laughing, and the pair rolled on the floor of the balloon’s carriage, laughing harder than they ever had, Ponyville a mere half-hour away.
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A gentle wind blew through Ponyville that morning, and the Purple Pony felt today was going to be great. Spike made her a wonderful breakfast of Pancakes and French toast with a fresh glass of orange juice to make up for his absence that evening for undisclosed reasons. Twilight daintily ate her breakfast as spike waved her a good bye and all but skipped out the door. “Today is going to be wonderful.” She resolved.
Trixie, uplifted by the princess’ confessions, created an artificial wind, stronger than she was used to, to make the hot air balloon arrive sooner, as she was sure it was noticeable in Ponyville. She noticed Luna had taken to arranging her saddle pack, blanket on bottom and the edibles beneath for “Maximum picnic efficiency!” as she phrased it, and felt she wouldn’t notice the subtle change in windspeed. The more she thought about it, the more that pony- Starlight? Something like that- seemed to resemble the Princess of the night. Trixie found herself looking on at the princess in the same way a parent looks upon her young filly pretending to play Mare with her own filly doll. Perhaps it was the way she seemed to fret over every detail, perhaps it was the constant “…and if I put this here…,” or “no, no, that should go on bottom!” she found it almost adorable. She hid a bashful smile from the princess, although she did not know why she felt the need to.
Oh my, I am SUCH a klutz! This picnic’s going to be a complete disaster if the sandwiches are crushed! Luna was on the brink of a panic attack, but did her best to hide it from the Great magician she shared the balloon with. What if the blanket’s all wrinkled up? Surely they’ll think I didn’t take enough care! Is the wind blowing harder now? Luna suddenly became painfully aware of the howling wind’s blowing the balloon, and couldn’t help but think somepony was causing this to happen, and then she noticed a faint glow from Trixie’s horn. She groaned, too polite to ask her guest to stop, surely she thought she was doing her a favor! She decided to attempt to take Trixie’s mind off the subject, knowing elemental magic’s require ones entire attention. “Trixie, perhaps you’d be willing to tell me a story of your travels about Equestria? I’d ever so love to hear one!”
Trixie didn’t know if the Princess could tell that she was creating the wind, but she welcomed the chance to take a break, she was almost working up a sweat with the spell. “Well, there’s a plethora for you to choose from, dear friend, perhaps The Great and Powerful Trix-“ Trixie silently cursed herself for falling back into such habits. She had to turn a new leaf, and fast! “I have one or two… I’d prefer to hear about you though” She turned to Luna with an innocent smile on her face. “What’s it like being Queen of the Night?”
“Oh… oh no oh no oh no oh no oh no… No. NO! I am a Princess, not a “Queen of the night” I am “Princess Luna!” She was suddenly breathing very hard, and her vision was clouding over. She saw that she was scaring Trixie, but she didn’t care. “Don’t you DARE call me that EVER AGAIN! DO YOU HEAR ME?!” She was practically yelling at the ex-show pony by now, but she was hurt! Why would Trixie want to hurt Luna like that?
“L… Luna, I’m sorry…” True, Trixie didn’t know what she had to be sorry about, but she had just witnessed Princess Luna go from a mildly content pony to a psychotic monster on the verge of throwing her off of the hot-air balloon. She decided it’d be best to wait for a decent amount of time before bothering her about it again, which is why she was slightly shocked when Luna apologized.
“I’m sorry, Trixie, perhaps you did not mean to hurt me so badly” Well, I didn’t mean to hurt you at all… Trixie thought to herself. Luna continued, “But surely you have heard of…” She took a deep breath and continued. “Surely you’ve heard the horrid tales of Nightmare Moon, Queen of the night? I apologize if you have not, I refuse to go into any detail, but please, for me, never say that EVER again… It hurts too much.”
Well that solves THAT mystery Trixie thought to herself. She trotted over to Luna and sat down beside her. “Hey.” She said holding a hoof under Luna’s chin and holding her head up. “Let’s get this saddle bag all packed up, we’re due to land any second, and I KNOW you didn’t finish arranging our food items” She said with a playful smirk. She could see that Luna appreciated the gesture, and the two worked in silence (save Luna’s murmurs) for the rest of the ride.
***
Twilight plodded along silently, her mind buzzing ever since she got a surprise letter from Princess Celestia informing her that her baby sister was coming to visit. “Princess Luna is coming here? And she’s preparing a picnic! Hopefully she’s arranged the contents so the sandwiches don’t get crushed, although I’m more than certain that Pinkie would be delighted to make some snacks.” She got to the drop off zone moments before a hot air balloon came into sight. She could see two ponies looking over the side, and she could only assume one was Luna, although they were both wearing over coats and shades. “An undercover guard, perhaps? No, it appears to be two mares… maybe it’s a servant or a cook?” Twilight patiently waited for the balloon to float gently down. The two passengers didn’t move for a second, and Twilight could make out Luna’s Aqua-blue eyes, although the familiarity of the strangers’ deep purple eyes seemed to elude her.
Luna glanced uneasily at Trixie. They hadn’t been expecting a visitor, had they? No, certainly THAT is not something she’d forget. Maybe it was just a coincidence, they were, after all, outside a very popular location in Equestria… right? It was not until the lone pony called out “Princess? Is that you?”This caused Luna to blush. Normally, she was just called Luna or (on very rare occasions) Lulu. She had felt only slightly less embarrassed when Trixie had addressed her as such, although she didn’t know why. She opened the door and lead herself and Trixie over to meet the mare.
Trixie was feeling a mix of anger and anxiety. “This was the pony that ruined my career! Oh, if the Princess weren’t here, I’d give her what-for!” But she held her tongue, for Luna’s sake. As they approached the greeter, Trixie’s anger quickly vanished, leaving behind only apprehensive feelings. What if she recognizes me? What if she rats out my horrible behavior to the Princess? Oh, I think she recognizes me! Act cool, you got this! Oh, is this what insane people feel like? Trixie watched Luna light up with joy as she met the ring leader of the group of mares who had saved her. “Twilight, how good to see you again!” She heard Luna say. “Twilight!” How could I forget such a dramatic name? Ugh. She scorned herself and hung back, hoping Twilight would mistake her for a guard.
Luna was overjoyed, to her front was the Lead pony who saved her from herself, and to her back was her new friend. Why is she back there? she thought. Surely, she is eager to meet my savior! She pushed Trixie up to Twilight, eliciting whispered complaints from the blue pony.
Twilight extended a hoof, as was custom greetings in Canterlot, although the stranger merely looked at it. “You’re supposed to shake it, ya know!” She said. The stranger let out a strained laugh, both nervous and phony. Twilight did not trust this mare, and felt no reason to do so. She saw a glimmer of white hair on the pony and she felt like she was going through déjà vu, although she chose to ignore it. Why upset a guest, she’s done nothing to harm you, perhaps she’s just shy! Twilight ignored the fact that shy ponies are not often seen with royalty, and led them back towards the village.
Trixie’s heart was pounding. Surely she recognizes me! Oh, could this day get any worse? Her fears were confirmed when she heard an over eager princess say “Twilight, this is my friend, perhaps you’ve heard of her?” Trixie started shaking her head and motioning no, but it was too late, for Luna said, in what would be later known as her “Royal Canterlot voice”, I am travelling with none other, than the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRRIXIEEEEEEE!!!” The only sounds heard in the silence to come was a frustrated groan, followed by a furious shriek, and a spell that Trixie recognized as “spell 25.”
***
Ok, so a recent review told me to take more time in my details, so I believe I did that here. Tell me what you think, comment, review, PM, anything! Again, thank you for reading this!
