> The Amazing Adventures of the Great and Powerful Trixie!! > by Azure_Shadow > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- > The adventure begins! > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a beautiful day in the kingdom of New Canterlot, there were hardly any clouds in the bright blue sky on this day. The birds were singing, colts and fillies were playing in the streets, and the whole city was thriving under the warmth and protection of Celestia's sun. On this day, a mare with a brilliant azure mane walked to the gates of this proud kingdom. She was wearing a lavender witch's hat and cape, both with matching stars all over them. As she walked towards the gate, two pegasus guards noticed the young mare and started to chuckle to each other, which the young unicorn heard and turned to them. "And what is so funny?" asked the mare who raised her eyebrow to the two guards. "Oh, its..its nothing Trixie." said one of the guards, still trying to hold in his laughter. "That's MISS Trixie to you two." "Oh, my apologies MISS Trixie." said the other guard, trying his best to hold back his laughter as well. "We just wanted to wish you good luck on your "mission" from the Princess." "Thank you, but I don't need luck, you seem to forget that I'm Trixie Lulamoon, the great and powerful student to Princess Celestia!" Trixie shouted with pride as she lifted her front hooves into the air in a very showman-esque manner. "Oh we haven't forgotten." said the guard as he playfully elbowed his partner. "I'm just surprised that Celestia is sending you on such a dangerous mission." "I'm not surprised at all, this is a perfect chance to show off the fruits of my training to all of the land! Finding and defeating one of the most notoriously powerful villains in the history of our kingdom, what better way to show how great and powerful the Great and Powerful Trixie is!" Trixie triumphantly replied. "Well be safe Ms. Trixie, the castle will be a lot more quiet without you there." "What's that supposed to mean?" "Oh nothing, just that we'll miss you here in New Canterlot." quickly replied the guard. "Well you won't have to miss Trixie for long. Trixie should have this whole Nightmare Moon fiasco finished and triumphantly return to the Princess's side in three months tops!" Trixie assured them. "Until that day, farewell New Canterlot! We shall meet again!" shouted Trixie back towards the kingdom. The two guards watched as Trixie slowly turned into a small blue dot on the road. "Thank Celestia Almighty! She's finally gone!" said one of the guards, lifting his hooves in the air in happiness. "No more random explosions in the castle! No more annoying requests at her beck and call! No more monologs that go into the late hours of the night!" cheered his partner. " We finally get a nice long break from the Great and Powerful Trixie!" said the other guard in an impression of Trixie's voice. "Party in the Barracks!" yelled the two guards in unison as they returned to their posts by the gate for the day. > Of Pies and Diamond Dogs: Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- It's been three days, approaching four since Trixie's "mission" began in New Canterlot. She was walking on a dirt path, a forest on one side, and a large valley on the other side. It was currently sunset, the sky a divide between day and night.Trixie looked ahead of her only to see a long stretch of road , with not an inn or town or hot spring in site. She sighed, as she rubbed her belly, which has begun to growl loudly. "Please silence yourself empty and grumbling belly." said Trixie to her stomach as she gritted her teeth. "If Trixie ever sees that stupid mare again, I'll cast a spell that turns her into a toad! Oh, don't worry partner, the next town is only half a day's walk from here, you'll make it before sunset!" said Trixie trying to imitate a country accent. "Curse that mare and her apples to Tartarus!" shouted Trixie to nopony in particular. "Can things get any worse!?". As if on cue, Trixie suddenly heard what sounded like a cry for help, followed by some laughter. Trixie looked through the bushes that were on the road next to her. She saw, in a small clearing, a pink earth pony with a mane and tail that resembled cotton candy, being surrounded by two large beasts that both had collars around their necks, and were giving the pony evil grins. Trixie recognized these creatures from one of the many bestiaries that the princess assigned for her to read as homework. These creatures were Diamond Dogs, greedy creatures who'll do anything for gems. They were incredibly strong, but not very bright. (and not very appealing to the eye Trixie added) Trixie watched as they threatened the pink pony. "So, little one, where are our precious gems?" asked a large chocolate brown dog who was at least three mares tall. "I don't have and gems, and if I did, why would I give them to you bunch of meanies?" replied the pink pony. "Well, I think you do." said a small dark grey dog standing next to the pony as he reached for the saddlebag that she had on her back. "STOP!, that's not gems! It's food for my family!" shouted the pink pony. "Oh really?" replied the dark grey dog. "Well then, I'm sure you wouldn't mind if we had a little nibble then?" That's when the diamond dogs started to walk closer towards the pink pony who was up against a tree at this point. Just then, the pink pony's eyes turned away from the three dogs coming closer, and immediately locked gaze with Trixie. In that moment, Trixie thought to herself " Oh buck, I'm gonna need to get involved aren't I?" "Hey you!" shouted the pink pony. "Can you help me out here? I'm in a bit of a pickle, or is it a jam? a fix?" The two grotesque dogs turned around to see Trixie's face sticking out of the bushes. "Ooh, look Clay, another mare with gems for us." said the brown Diamond Dog. Trixie came out of the bushes, and in her best hero voice said "Stop tormenting that defenseless mare right now, you ugly excuses for canines, lest you feel the wrath of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" shouted Trixie as her horn was suddenly covered with a pink aura. "HA HA HA! And what if we don't little mare? " asked the blue dog as he came in within inches of Trixie's face. Trixie gave a smug grin to the dog. as she replied "Or else, THIS!" as she finished shouting, a bright light came from her horn, which caused the blue dog clutch his eyes in agony. "Damn It!" shouted the dog as he fell back to his friends, still clutching his eyes. He slowly got up, and pointed in the opposite direction of Trixie. "Kill her!" he shouted angrily. "Um, Clay, she's over there." said the big brown dog as he pointed to Trixie. "Over where? I've been blinded you idiot!" shouted Clay. The dog next to Clay grabbed him gently, and shifted him, so that his finger now pointed at Trixie. Clay grunted "Fine, kill her now you idiot!" Immediately, the other dog ran towards Trixie, one ready to slam her into the nearest tree. The chocolate brown dog tried to grab Trixie, but she was much faster than the big dog, as she kept dodging grab after grab, until she did an impressive roll under one of the dog's arms. "Would you look at that, slow and stupid, what a combination." said Trixie as she gave a little clap with her hooves. "Shut up!" yelled the large dog, as he tried taking swings at Trixie while she kept dodging them. Eventually, Trixie stopped dodging the swings, and stood in front of the now tired dog who was gasping for breath."Well, that was fun, but the great and powerful Trixie grows bored with you." said Trixie as her horn started to glow again, this time summoning a large fireball to hit the dog which caused him to go flying back towards his blind friend, with a now soot black coat. "What was that sound Grant?" asked Clay as he was still rubbing his eyes. His sight was just starting to return, only to see his associate laying in front of him, nearly burnt to a crisp, and the azure mare with a big grin on her face, readying a large orb of pink energy at the tip of her horn. Trixie released the orb of energy at breakneck speed. The large orb hit the two incapacitated Diamond Dogs, sending them back farther into the woods, and making both hit a large oak tree further behind them. Both dogs slowly got up, and ran away on all fours, yelping all the way. Trixie watched as they disappeared into the forest, while chuckling to herself. "It looks like Trixie wins again, not that there was ever any doubt." she chuckled as she turned to face the pink pony picking herself up from the ground. "Are you alright?" asked Trixie, with not an ounce of concern in her voice. "Woooow! That was amazing!" shouted the pony as she ran up to Trixie, and gave her a back breaking hug." Those dogs were all big and scary, but you were all super and awesome! You're like a hero!" "Too...hard...can't...breath." "Oops, sorry missus hero!" said the pink mare as she released Trixie from her grip. As Trixie caught her breath, she slowly stood up, to see the pony grinning at her. "Thank you for not chocking me, but you didn't answer Trixie's question." "OH! sorry, I'm just fine, It's a good thing you showed up! Those Diamond Dogs almost got me! They had me up against that tree, and I was really scared, but then, I felt my Pinkie Sense, and saw you! And you saved me! like a hero!" replied the pink mare. as she started to jump up and down in excitement. "Pinkie what?" asked a confused Trixie. "You look like you need a place to stay right!?" "Why yes, wait.. how did you know the great and powerful Trixie needed a place to stay?" "My family doesn't live near any towns, the next one is almost five hours away." replied the pink mare. Hearing this made Trixie even angrier with the mare who gave her poor directions earlier that day. "When I return from my mission, the first thing I'm going to do is find that country hick, and toss her into the royal dungeon!" Thought Trixie."But first, things first." she said as she turned to the pink mare. "You said you have a house near here right?" "Yeppers! We live on a road tucked away at the end of this forest, since you saved me from those big Dummy Dogs, I'm sure my parents would let you stay the night!" said the pink mare. "Anything would be better than sleeping in the woods, some food would also be appreciated." said Trixie. "Oh sure! I was just bringing some food back home! until I was stopped by those nasty dogs, Well, let's get going! It's going to be really really dark soon!" said the pink mare as she motioned for Trixie to follow her, "Oh, I almost forgot! My name's Pinkie Pie! What's yours?" asked Pinkie Pie. "Trixie Lulamoon" answered Trixie. "Okey Dokey Trixie! Let's go home!" ------ To be continued.... > Of Pies and Diamond Dogs: Part 2 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trixie and Pinkie reached the house just as dusk fell over them. Trixie wasn't sure what to make of Pinkie's residence, it was a large farm house, painted dark green, with black shudders, and a black roof. It was a very nice house sure, but when Trixie looked around, she saw a barren patch of land all around them, nothing but dust, dirt, and more dirt. "So Pinkie, this is a very.....unique property you call home." said Trixie. "You think so? Thanks Trixie! I think it's awesome, but it could still use some jazzing up! I'm thinking maybe some bluebells, or daisies, or roses, wait, what am I doing? It's nighttime, and we're not inside! My parents are probable worried sick!" Pinkie suddenly realized, Then, quicker than Trixie could blink, Pinkie ran through the front door of her house. (literally, ran THROUGH the door) Trixie climbed into the house through the Pinkie shaped hole in the door, she looked into the house. It had a very rustic appearance, with wooden furniture, quilts, and old photographs hung up on the walls. Trixie walked into what she believed to be the living room to see Pinkie being embraced by two older ponies she assumed were Pinkie's parents. Both of them had tears in their eyes, and were hugging Pinkie as hard as Pinkie had hugged Trixie in the forest. "Oh Pinkie, thank heavens you made it home safely!" said Pinkie's mother in between sobs. "We were starting to fear the worst, we thought you got captured by the Diamond Dogs!" said Pinkie's dad. "I almost did get taken by the Diamond Dogs! But then I met this really nice pony named Trixie, and she beat 'em up! and she's right there!" said Pinkie, as her parents turned their attention towards the unicorn wearing a hat and cape. "Um, hello, my name is Trixie Lula-" is all Trixie could say before the two older earth ponies suddenly reached out and pulled her into the group hug. "Why thank you so much for saving our daughter! How can we ever hope to repay you!?" asked Pinkie's father. "Oh yes, please let us know how we can repay your kindness miss Trixie!" said Pinkie's mother. "Please....can't.....breathe...again." said Trixie as she was gasping for air like a fish out of water. The Pie family saw this, and let go of the poor azure Unicorn. "Trixie really really REALLY needs a place to stay for the night, can she stay here? PLEAASSSE?" asked Pinkie who was now giving her parents the puppy dog eyes. "Of course! The pony who saved our little Pinkie Pie is always welcome here!" said Pinkie's dad. "YAY!!" yelled Pinkie as she hugged Trixie again. "This will be just like a sleepover! and with a new friend, that's even better!" Pinkie said in excitement. "Why, that's very generous of you ponies, the great and powerful Trixie thanks you." Trixie said as she removed her hat and cape. After some introductions, the family and Trixie sat around large oak table to have dinner, It wasn't anything special, Just some pasta with parmesan cheese and sauce , with a small side salad, and a mug of milk. After all Trixie had been through in the past few hours, toasting a Diamond Dog, throwing two Diamond Dogs at a tree, nearly getting chocked to death (twice) all made Trixie forget how hungry she was, until now that was. She tried keeping table etiquette as best as she could, while tearing through the meal that laid before her. "You must have been very hungry Miss Trixie." said Pinkie's mother. "Don't forget to breath now dear." said Pinkie's father as he gave a small chuckle while looking at Trixie. " Pardon Trixie, I've had a very long day, and this is the first decent meal that I've had in two days." replied Trixie, trying to hide the blush in her face. "Yeah, and you need to get your energy back, after taking out those ugly dog meanies." said Pinkie. Pinkie recalled the event as her eyes suddenly lit up, and she gave a small gasp. "Hey, if you were able to take out those big meanies, than maybe you could also help us-" Mr. Pie immediately swallowed his bite of food, and said "Pinkie NO! absolutely out of the question! Don't talk about it!" "But daddy." "NO! I'm sorry Pinkie, but this isn't her problem, we don't need to bring any other innocent ponies into this!" "But.." "Your father's right Pinkie, It's too dangerous." replied Pinkie's mother. "But, what other choice do we have!? what else can we do!?" "We'll handle it." said Pinkie's father. "YOU SAY THAT ABOUT EVERYTHING! EVEN WHEN WE CAN'T!" yelled Pinkie as she got out of her seat angrily, and ran out of the kitchen. "What was that all about?" asked a dumbfounded Trixie who just watched a drama unfold in front of her. "It's a family matter, we don't really want to talk about it." said Pinkie's mother. "But what's going on?" "Let me show you to your room." said Pinkie's father, who was clearly avoiding the question. Trixie thought it was useless to try to get any information out of the two earth ponies at this point, and followed Pinkie's dad upstairs to a room on the far left of the only hallway on the second floor. Her room wasn't a small room, but it wasn't big either. It had a lovely blue carpet, a single bed, and an armoire in the corner of the room. The lights weren't on, but the room was illuminated by the light of the spotless, pure white light of the moon from a window next to the bed. Trixie used the washroom at the opposite end of the hallway to get ready for bed. She set her hat and cape on the nightstand next to her bed she was about to turn in for the night, when she heard a quiet knock knock knock on her door. "Come in" said Trixie. The door quietly opened, and Pinkie slowly poked her head into the doorway, and then the rest of her body. She was wearing a long lavender nightgown, and her mane and tail were now strait. "Um Hi, can we talk please?" said Pinkie in a very quiet voice. "Sure what is it?" asked Trixie. Pinkie slowly tip-toed to Trixie's bed, and sat on the end opposite to Trixie. "I'm sorry for what happened at dinner. I'm usually not that mad." said Pinkie who's face was looking down to the sheets of the bed. "Trixie forgives you, but please, tell Trixie what that was all about." "Well, my parents are really upset, it's about the Diamond Dogs." "I thought that might have something to do with it, so what's wrong?" "Well, our family farms rocks for a living, I;m not sure what their used for, but it puts food on the table, so everyone is glad to work to help the family. Just recently, while we were mining, we struck gemstones in our mines, and we were all super happy! happier than we've been in a long time! The gems we found were able to pay for a bunch of things we needed, but couldn't afford with just farming rocks. Everything was great! but eventually, I guess Diamond Dogs heard the sudden appearance of gems in our mine, and they all came, and started mining all the gems for themselves!" said Pinkie who was now clutching her tail as tears started running from here eyes. "Well, the dogs taking over the mine was one thing, but eventually, they thought we still had gems, so they took my two sisters, and made them their slaves in the mine." said Pinkie who was now giving soft sobbing noises. Trixie wasn't sure what to do. She had never seen a mare get this sad about anything before. After a short time of thinking, Trixie crawled up to Pinkie and brought her hooves around Pinkie, and pulled her in for a soft hug. At this point, Pinkie grabbed Trixie's waist, and started crying harder into her shoulder. "Uh, there there," assured Trixie. "Everything is ok." "No...(sniff) everything's not ok, my parents are sad, I may never see my sisters again, and I might be taken to work in the mine next, or worse!" Pinkie said in between sniffles and sobs. "Why doesn't your parents ask for help?" asked Trixie. "We tried asking for help in the villages around here, but noone wants to try to fight those Diamond Dogs, saying there's too many of them, or that they won't get enough money for it." said Pinkie. This made Trixie angry, how could anypony with a beating heart turn away this family's desperate cry for help? The thought just burned her up inside. She pushed Pinkie back a bit so she could look her in the eyes. "Pinkie, listen to me, everything will be ok, because the great and powerful Trixie will get your siblings back!" "Real- (sniff) really? You'd do that Trixie?" asked Pinkie. "Of course! as the mighty student of Princess Celestia herself, I promise to get your family back!" exclaimed Trixie. "P-Pinkie Promise?" asked Pinkie Pie who had now almost stopped crying. "Pinkie Promise" Trixie repeated. Pinkie Pie suddenly brought Trixie in for another hug. "Thank you Trixie, I knew my Pinkie Sense was right about you." "What was it right about?" asked Trixie "How you'd be a true friend." Pinkie replied. " A friend?" asked Trixie with a great deal of shock in her voice. "Yeppers, and it was right on the money!" Pinkie said as she gave Trixie a big grin. "Well, If I'm getting your sisters back, I'll need some shut eye" said Trixie as she let out a yawn. "Oh, right, well goodnight Trixie." said Pinkie as she slowly left the room and closed the door. Trixie sighed, and looked out her window to see the perfectly white sphere that was the full moon illuminate the valley the farm stood on. "A true friend huh?" Trixie thought before going to sleep. -End of Part 3 > Of Pies and Diamond Dogs: Part 3 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- When Trixie woke up the next day, she had to think of a plan to save Pinkie's sisters. She put on her cape and hat, and quickly said her "goodbyes" to Pinkie and her parents. She quickly left the farm, and sneaked over to the entrance to the valley where Pinkie said the mine was located. She walked down the path to the mine, as she heard somepony following her down the path. Trixie stopped and quickly turned around and readied her horn. She kept staring down the path, but nopony came from the direction that she was coming from. "What are you looking at Trixie?" asked a voice from barely a few inches from her ear. "GAH!!" shouted Trixie as she quickly leaped forward and turned to face the owner of the voice. She immediately dropped her guard when she realized the voice was Pinkie Pie's. "Pinkie! Don't do that! You nearly gave the Great and Powerful Trixie a great and powerful heart attack!" said Trixie as she held her hoof close to her chest. "Sorry about that Trixie, I just wanted to help!" "What!? NO! Trixie does not need help taking care of a few mangy mutts that have overrun a mine." "I have no doubts about that Trixie, but my family's mine is HUGE! there are tons of tunnels and passageways, and dead ends, and other bad stuff! I've been going through these mines since I was a little filly! So please let me help! please please please please PLEEAAASSSEEE? Trixie sighed, "Well, I guess having someone to navigate for me would help prevent from getting lost. Fine, you may stay and help Trixie, but I want you behind me at all times, and at the first sign of danger, I want you to run away." "Okey Dokey Trixie!" said Pinkie "I've got your back!" The two ponies walked down to the valley where the mine was located. After seeing it, Trixie surveyed the situation. She saw how there were Diamond Dogs walking all around the valley. Trixie was able to count thirteen dogs, but she knew that there were probably more inside the mine. She saw that there were two large Diamond Dogs guarding the entrance to the mine. Trixie looked at the entrance to the mine from behind a large rock close to it. After some surveying of the surrounding area, Trixie saw that there were a few boulders piled up on the side of the mine away from the dogs. Pinkie saw this pile of rocks, and looked as if something clicked in her mind. Pinkie tapped Trixie on the shoulder, and pointed to the pile. Pinkie made a quick dash over to the rocks, with Trixie following closely behind her. Trixie kept lookout for Diamond Dogs, while Pinkie started quickly removing the pile of rocks from the side of the mine. After a short time, Pinkie had uncovered all of the rocks, unveiling a small hole withing the side of the mine. Both ponies climbed into the hole that led to an end of a mineshaft. This mine was very dimly lit, it was hard to see in, even in the middle of the day, the only major source of light, being the lanterns that lined the walls of the mine. "Pinkie, how did you know about that other entrance?" Trixie whispered. "Well, there was this one time me and my sisters had a contest who could keep mining for the longest, and in the fun, I accindentally made that big hole in the wall in the side of the mine, dad was really mad, but mainly because it was dangerous, and thought I'd get hurt." replied Pinkie. The two mares continued down further into the mineshaft, which was very cold, dark, and , the thing that Trixie found the most unsettling, quiet. They walked down a series of shafts, into a large circular room in the mine. This room had mine carts and barrels filled with different gems within them. This room had a few Diamond Dogs as well, so the two mares hid behind an overturned minecart. After waiting for the right time to move on, Trixie and Pinkie both heard two Diamond Dogs walk by the mine cart, as the two began to speak. "Hey, fresh meat, take this gruel to that pony in the cell down the rightmost path got it?" said an older, gruff voice "Why do I have to feed those ugly ponies?" asked a younger sounding voice. "Because I told you, and If you don't, Pack Leader Onyx will really let you have it for letting the slaves starve." "Fine, fine just give me the stupid gruel." "Did you hear that Trixie? there's a pony in the rightmost path!" whispered Pinkie. "Yes, I have ears Pinkie, now let's follow this oaf quietly." said Trixie. The ponies followed closely behind the small Diamond Dog carrying a bowl of gruel. They tried their best to keep their distance, while at the same time, not allerting the dog to their presence. The two followed as the dog went through turn after turn within the shaft, grumbling to himself the whole way through. They eventually came to a more brightly lit room, with two large torches at opposite ends of the small cave- like room. There was a very crude jail cell in this room, made of wood tied together with cloth. Inside of the crudely constructed cell, was a female earth pony, but Trixie couldn't make much more of it from the distance she saw her. The dog stopped in front of the door, and almost dropped the bowl to the floor of the cell spilling some of its contents. and kicking it over to the mare, making her jump in fear. "Go on, little pony, eat up." said the Diamond Dog in a devilish manner, "You'll need your energy for labor at the mines." The mare whimpered slightly, slowly turning her head to face the bowl of gruel. She took a brief gulp, and then put her muzzle into it, drinking or eating the gruel like she was a puppy, eating from Its food bowl. Once the Diamond Dog saw this, he started laughing at the poor mare, amused at how she was eating the food like a house hold pet. "Look at how stupid you look!" said the dog while still laughing. " Eating like a caged animal who hasn't been fed in weeks, your only job in life is to carry carts of gems to and from the pack leader all day, every day. A sad existence if you ask me." said the Diamond Dog as he kept laughing at the poor mare. This act made Pinkie nearly boil with rage, she was about to run up to the dog and slam into him if Trixie hadn't stopped her yet. The two mares lied in wait until the dog finished his laughs, and left the room. With the dog gone, Pinkie and Trixie slowly made their way to the cell that the other earth pony was being held in. She was now done with the gruel, but her face had a look of desperation, to it. As she looked up, Trixie was able to see more about the mare. She a long dark grey mane, wild and unkempt. She had a greyish green coat, What Trixie really noticed about her, was that she had a very tired and scared look in her eyes. "Who's there?" asked the mare. "Inkie! you're ok!" said Pinkie in an excited whisper. "Pinkie, Is that you? Dear Celestia, did the Diamond Dogs get you too?" "Nope, we snuck in to rescue you!" "We?" "Oh yeah! I brought a friend! Inkie, this is my new friend Trixie! She said she can help us get you and Blinkie home!" Pinkie said as Trixie moved to the front of the cell's door and used her magic to unlatch the door. "You can save us?" asked Inkie. "Trixie can get you and your sisters away from the Diamond Dogs, that's what Trixie promised, but we need to get to your sister and get out quickly, those mutts will realize eventually that you're gone, and if we're not out by the time that will make it much harder for Trixie to get you all to safety, now hurry! Time is of the essence." Trixie said as she turned around to see the Diamond Dog from before re-enter the room. Before the dog could act, Trixie grabbed him with her magic and threw him into the cell that Inkie was kept in. Pinkie ran into the cell and grabbed the dog by the collar, and brought him closer, so the two were now muzzle to muzzle. "Where's Blinky you big meanie!? said Pinkie who was now interrogating the small dog. "Who?" Pinkie immediately smacked the dog hard across the face twice, and brought him close enough so he could feel the air expel from her nose. "Don't Who? me mister! You know who I'm talking about!" Pinkie said as she delivered another slap to the dog's face. "I really don't!" said the dog in between slaps. "Oh, for the love of Starswirl, she's talking about your other prisoner!" said Trixie. "Oh, the other pony, sorry, can't tell you, my pack leader would tear my head off If I did." the dog said, as Pinkie immediately started smacking him quicker and harder than before."I..SMACK...won't...SMACK..tell...SMACK..you....SMACK...anything." "This isn't getting us anywhere." said Trixie as she walked up to the dog who's cheeks were now red. "Alright you inane pup, tell us what we want to know, or you will feel the wrath of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" said Trixie who also got her face close to the dog's as Trixie's magic aura enveloped her horn. The magic aura from Trixie's horn provided enough light for the dog to see her face in the dimly lit cell, after seeing her face for a moment, the dog's eyes suddenly widened with fear. "Wait, a blue unicorn... are you the one that burned Clay yesterday!?" "If you're referring to that brute that tried to to take Pinkie yesterday, than yes, I fried him like an egg, now, If you don't want me to do the same to you, I suggest you tell us what we need to know. So Trixie will ask again, where is Pinkie's other sister?" "Alright, I'll tell you! She's in the mines, we're having her pull carts with gems!" the dog yelled before Pinkie smacked him again. "Why do you keep smacking me? I told you where your sister is! "Because I don't like you!" said Pinkie as she smacked the dog one final time. Pinkie hit the dog with enough force this time, to knock out the dog. Pinkie laid down the dog on the floor and turned to look at Trixie and her sister who were giving her surprised stares. "What?" "N-Nothing, let's just find your sister and leave" said Trixie. The three mares snuck back through the mines, with Pinkie leading the way through the long splitting, dark passageways with Trixie and Inkie following closely behind. As they went deeper into the mine, it became slightly brighter as the ponies started to see beautiful gems lining the walls of the mineshaft they were walking down, there were multiple colors of gems, purple, emerald green, red, blue, and yellow, all illuminating the path the ponies walked down. "I forgot how beautiful this part of the mine was" said Pinkie as she was looking at the gems. "I'm sure many of these gems would do wonders with enchantment." said Trixie. "After all the work those Diamond Dogs had me do, I never want to see another gem as long as I live." said Inkie. The three made it down to the lowest floor of the mine, a large room, with hundreds of gems of all sizes and colors, lining the walls. There were multiple Diamond Dogs, each mining gems. the three ponies looked around the large room, as best as they could without being seen. After a while, Trixie saw a mare emerge from the far back of the cavern. She was a mare, about the size of Pinkie, she had short grey hair, a greyish-purple coat, and an opal as a cutie mark. Trixie motioned for Pinkie and Inkie to look in the direction of the mare. "That's her! That's Blinkie Pie!" said Inkie. "But how can we get to her? She's at the end of this big room, and there are like, twenty dogs! How can we get by without being seen?" asked Pinkie. Trixie looked around the room to see if there was anything she could use to help get to Blinkie, she didn't see much she could work with, there was only a large rock she and the others were hiding, a few minecarts that were too far apart, and too close to the dogs. Trixie wasn't sure what she could do, until a voice caught her attention. "Hey guys! look at this! We've struck the motherload!" shouted an old very dark red Diamond Dog, as he pointed to an absolutely humongous diamond. Every dog in the room looked towards the old dog, and all gasped in amazement. Many of them walked over to the diamond and just stared at it, admiring its . While looking at these dogs look at the diamond, Trixie got an idea. "Okay you two, listen up, I have a plan!" said Trixie. "Oh boy! What's the plan Trixie?" asked Pinkie. "Trixie is going to use a spell to distract the dogs, when I use it, I'll need you two to immediately run to your sister, and release her, and then we need to get out of the mine, got it?" "You can count on us Trixie!" said Pinkie who did an army solute. "What she said." said Inkie who shrugged her arms. When she was sure all of the dogs were staring at the large diamond Trixie started to focus magical energy into her horn. She used the same light spell that she had used on that small dog the day before. When she was sure she had a clear shot, she fired a beam of light at the diamond. the beam hit, and a brilliant flash of light suddenly came from the diamond, blinding all of the dogs who stared at the large gem. The dogs all grabbed their eyes, while howling and moaning in pain. During this, Pinkie and Inkie immediately ran towards their sister, who was unfortunately, also staring at the rock and was blinded. Pinkie and Inkie released their incapacitated sister from the cart she was connected to, picked her up, and ran back to the entrance of the room where Trixie was waiting. They all immediately ran through the exit to the room, each of them, as fast as their legs could carry them, the two earth ponies were running fast, even while holding their blinded sister, they were still running at a pace faster than Trixie was, earth pony stamina and speed as she believed. they ran through the maze of mineshafts, trying to get back to the hole they had originally snuck into. They reached the large room with multiple pathways again, and thought they were home free, but before they could get to the exit to the room, their mad dash was halted by a large presence that entered through that way. This large force quickly dropped its arm, the four ponies just barely able to jump back and dodge it. "Well well well, what do we have here? Some escapees and two intruders in my mine?" said the large body. "Intruders!? You and your Diamond Dog meanies are the intruders, this mine belongs to my family!" yelled an angry Pinkie. The large presence chuckled, and then spoke. "Well little filly, this IS my mine now, I saw it, I wanted it, and I took it, not that your family did much to stand up to me and my pack, so since no one is stopping me, I guess I now own this mine." This large presence stepped further into the room, under the light of the lanterns, his true form came into focus. It was a Diamond Dog no doubt, but this one TOWERED over the four mares, Trixie herself just barely reaching its knee with her hat on. This dog had a black coat, although the tips of its claws and fingers were stained red with dried blood. He was wearing a jeweled black collar, a brown leather vest, barely clinging to his large physique, and black wrist bands. He whole body was covered in scars, including his face, which had a devilish grin. "But there's no need to be mad, you should be happy! Because now, all four of you get to work here in the mine! you won't have to worry about your siblings safety, because you'll all share a nice cozy cell." "Over my dead body." said Trixie as she stepped in front of Pinkie and her sisters. The large dog gave a deep laugh as he looked down at Trixie. "Oh, THAT my little pony, can be arranged." said the dog as he brought his head down low enough to meet eyes with Trixie. "Then what say we make a little wager?" asked Trixie. "Hahahaha, and what would that be little one?" "We have a duel, If I win, you and your dirty pack of mutts get out of here." "And If I win?" asked the dog as he lifted his eye in suspicion to Trixie. "You and your pack get the mine, and us." "TRIXIE! What are you, mad?" asked Pinkie. "Don't worry Pinkie, I'm not the Great and Powerful Trixie for nothing." said Trixie as she winked to Pinkie. The pack leader laughed, and stood up again. "Well then, you have a deal, just know that nopony, or any other creature, has ever been able to defeat Pack Leader Onyx!." he said as he jumped to the opposite side of the room. Trixie walked to the middle of the room, and stood her ground. Onyx was first to move, quickly punching the ground where Trixie was standing with his gigantic fist, Trixie was quick, as she jumped on top of Onyx's fist, and ran up his arm to fire a series of fireballs to hit the dog in the face. Onyx grunted in pain as he swatted his other arm at Trixie, who jumped over that arm, and hit Onyx with another barrage of fireballs. This made Onyx angry, as he quickly made windmill motion with his arms, which caused Trixie to fall to the ground. Onyx then tried madly to stomp on Trixie. Trixie side stepped each of his stomps, she eventually got behind Onyx when he was trying to stomp on her. Trixie then used a spell to unleash a small flamethrower from the tip of her horn, and singed Onyx's tail. This made Onyx yelp in pain, as he jumped away from Trixie while clutching his tail. This was rather funny looking, as Trixie chuckled. This served to make Onyx even angrier, as he gave a loud shout of his anger. This caused other Diamond Dogs to enter the room, many of them, after seeing the pony fight their leader, started gritting their teeth, and walking towards Trixie. "Don't any of you maggots interfere!" yelled Onyx, to which the dogs backed off and made a ring around the two combatants. Onyx once again, tried to punch Trixie multiple times, nut to no avail, as Trixie kept dodging blow after blow by Onyx. After multiple failed attempts to hit Trixie, the large dog started to kick at her. she kept dodging as eventually, she was able to jump and climb his body, this time, on his back, where she assaulted the back of his head with more fireballs. Trixie got too cocky with this move, as Onyx was able to grab her, and throw her to the ground in front of him. This stunned Trixie, but not for long, as she was able to roll away from Onyx's incoming stomp attack. After that, Onyx turned his head towards Pinkie and her sisters, he suddenly , in a quicj burst of speed, bade a swiping motion towards them, Trixie saw what was going to happen, and ran towards the sisters, and pushed them out of the way of the swipe. Trixie got hit by the full force of the attack, as she was sent rolling away, with the wind knocked out of her, and coughing, "You dirty dog, that was a cheap move." said Trixie as she attempted to stand up from the previous attack. "Well, the secret to any fight is to exploit your enemies weaknesses, you seem to use your superior speed to out maneuver me, and attack me, so I have used the weakness of you wanting to protect those three. "Well then, I'm sure you won't mind if I do the same." said Trixie as she suddenly used her flamethrower spell to blast away some of the Diamond Dogs standing in front of the room's exit. "Pinkie, Inkie, take your sister and get out off here!" said Trixie. "But Trixie? What about you!?" asked Pinkie. "Trixie will be just fine, now go!" "But-" "THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE COMMANDS YOU TO GO NOW!" Inkie Pie put her hoof on Pinkie's shoulder. "She's got a point Pinkie, let's go!" With a great deal of hesitation, Pinkie reluctantly left with her sisters through the exit. Onyx chuckled, as the other dogs growled. "Well, this seems to be a tad unfair to our wager, I thought this would've been a nice clean fight, too bad you had to be such a little bitch about protecting your friends." If Trixie was listening, she didn't show it. She had here eyes closed as she was mouthing words that Onyx couldn't make out. "We went through a lot of trouble getting those ponies to work in the mine, but now they're leaving. No matter! once I take care of you, I'll just have my dogs round them up again, and while I'm at it, let's take the parents too, I'm sure each of them has a few years worth of work left in them!" Trixie still did not acknowledge the large dog speaking, as she kept mouthing words, as she was doing this, sweat was forming on her face, as a very faint glow of magic enveloped her horn. "What's wrong? Cat got your tongue? Or are you saying your last prayers? It doesn't matter, It'll all be over soon." said Onyx as he made a motion for other dogs to move towards Trixie, who was still mouthing words, as she was sweating even harder than before. Any last words my little pony? or are you just gonna stand their?" After those words left Onyx's mouth, Trixie's eyes shot open, as she shouted, what to many of the Diamond Dogs, would be the last words they'd ever hear. CELESTIAL INFERNO!" with the shout of those words, a bright light flashed from Trixie's horn, and faster than any dog could realize, the whole room was enveloped in a mighty blaze surrounding Trixie. The flames spread all over the room, as a large whirlpool of flames enveloped the room. No living creature was safe from this attack, as every Diamond Dog that was in the room was slowly incinerated. Even Onyx, the largest of the Diamond Dogs, couldn't take the hellfire- like heat of the spell, as he too could only howl in pain, as his claws dug into his face, with his last sight being the bright orange dancing flames of Trixie's spell. The spell lasted for only a minute more, as the flames slowly died, and the mine returned to its quiet state. Anything that wasn't stone was burnt to black. The Diamond Dogs that were still in the room, were now mummified husks of their former selves, many of them burnt beyond all recognition. Onyx was the same color as he was before, black, his vest was no more, and the collar was fused with the neck of his corpse. Trixie looked around the room, to see her handiwork. She immediately felt an unbearable throbbing in her head, and a horribly queasy stomach, slowly fell to her hooves, and passed out. ------- "Hey, Trixie, Hey Trixie! Wakey Wakey Eggs and Bakey!!" Trixie woke up to this voice assaulting her ears. She slowly oened her eyes to see that she was in her room at Pinkie's house, under the covers. She looked at Pinkie, who had a large grin on her face. "YAY! You're finally awake!" she said as she gave Trixie a hug. "Pinkie Pie? What happened?" asked a confused Trixie. "That's what I want to know! After we escaped the mine, we heard screaming coming from it, and we saw a bunch of Diamond Dogs running out of the mine! When we went in to investigate, we found you in that room where you fought that big dog, we were really worried! So we brought you back home, where my mom patched you up!" Trixie took a look at herself, she noticed she had a few bandages on her body, as well as her head being wrapped with bandages. Trixie looked next to her to see her hat and cape on the nightstand next to her bed. "I used a spell..a very powerful spell, to defeat those Diamond Dogs, and that spell took care of them." Trixie said. "That's really cool Trixie! but wait, you're up now, my family really wants to see you!" Pinkie immediately took Trixie by the hoof, and led her down the stairs, to the living room of the house where the other Pies were sitting in talking. "Dear Celestia, there she is! our hero!" said Pinkie's dad as he got up out oh his chair and walked over to Trixie. "Oh my, thank you Trixie!" said Pinkie's mother who also walked up to Trixie and gave her a hug. "Thank you so much Miss Trixie! Our family owes you a dept we can't ever hope to repay!" said Pinkie's father. "Oh, it was nothing." said Trixie, but to this the Pies shook their heads. "Oh no, not only did you save our daughters like you promised Pinkie, but you saved our livelihood too! You really are a wonderful mare Trixie. said Pinkie's dad. "It's thanks to you, our family is whole again, and we can continue on with our lives!" said Pinkie's mom. "Yeah, thanks for saving us, we really owe you big time!" said Blinkie. "Thanks for keeping your Pinkie Promise Trixie!" said Pinkie. Trixie made a small chuckle "Was there ever any doubt?" "Nope! I knew you could do it! My Pinkie Sense told me so! And you know what my Pinkie sense is telling me now?" "What?" "It's telling me it's time for a paarrrtyyyyy!" And party they did, Trixie and the Pie family celebrated all night long, it was a fun night filled with laughter, smiles, and of course, balloons, and cake! Trixie stayed with the Pies for a few more days after that in order to make sure she had regained her strength, but after four days, it was time for Trixie to return to her previous quest. Trixie had her hat and cape on, along with a cyan saddlebag underneath the cape. She was on the road outside the farm, as she was saying her goodbyes to the Pie family. "Thanks again for saving our family." said Mr. Pie "You'll always be welcome here Miss Trixie." said Mrs. Pie. "You ever need anything, don't be afraid to ask for help." said Blinkie Pie. "If you're in the area, don't be a stranger!" said Inkie Pie. "Thank you all for everything." said Trixie, "It means a lot to me on how much you helped me." "Do you think that's enough food and water for your trip to the next town?" asked Mr. Pie. "Yes, I believe so, thank you." replied Trixie. That was the point all eyes turned to Pinkie Pie, as it was her turn to say goodbye. "Trixie, thanks a bunch for helping me and my family, I don't know what we would've done if you hadn't come along, I can't thank you enough for helping us! Are you sure you can't stay?" "Yes, I'm sorry, but I have an important mission from the princess, and it needs my attention." "Well when you complete your mission, we're gonna have to throw a mondo big super welcome back, good job, mission accomplished party!" said Pinkie with a big grin on her face. "You will come back, promise?" "Promise." "No, that won't do, you gotta Pinkie Promise!" "Alright, I, The Great and Powerful Trixie Lulamoon hereby Pinkie Promise to return when my mission is complete, so Pinkie can throw me a welcome back party." Trixie said as she made the motions of the Pinkie Promise that Pinkie taut her a few days before. "Awesome! No going back now! you Pinkie Promised, gotta keep it!" said Pinkie. Her eyes lit up as she pulled something out from who knows where (its Pinkie) and put it on Trixie's wrist, Trixie looked at it to see a small bracelet, that had gems to match Pinkie's cutie mark on it. "What is this Pinkie?" asked Trixie. "It's a friendship bracelet silly! It's for being such an amazing friend. So even if you get sad and lonely on your trip, you just need to look at it, and remember all the friends you have here!" said Pinkie. Trixie looked at the bracelet for a while, and hid her face behind her cape, mainly so that the Pies wouldn't see her shed a tear. Trixie then walked up to Pinkie, and gave her a big hug. "Thank you Pinkie, I'll treasure It forever." said Trixie. "Your welcome Trixie! well, you better get a move on if you wanna reach the next town before dark!" "Yes, well thank you all again, and goodbye." said Trixie as she walked away from the Pie residence. A minutes later, when she was walking down the path to the next town, she stopped to get one last good look at the Pie residence, before looking at the bracelet Pinkie gave her. After looking at it, some lyrics to a song she remembered hearing as a filly popped into her head as she was walking. I used to wonder what friendship could be ------To be continued > A dark night of dreams > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----14 days since departure from New Canterlot It had been another long, tedious day of traveling for Trixie, she had been walking for what she believed to be a good fourteen hours at least since she departed from the last town. At this point, Celestia lowered the sun for the day, and put a half moon in its place. Trixie was dog tired at this point, she had eaten the last of the peanut butter crackers she had stockpiled and rationed since her departure from New Canterlot almost two weeks ago, and her water bottle she was carrying with her was as dry as a bone. Trixie walked up a large hill, to see a town a few yards away from her. This town had a very rustic appearance as Trixie noticed when she entered. The streets were cobblestone, the houses were made of stone brick, and there was lots of trees and vegetation spread through parts of the town. After walking through town for a few minutes, she looked at a two floor building. She could see the light from inside the building, which illuminated the sign that was hanging above the door. The sign said The Drunken Draconequus inn and bar. Trixie thought that this was an odd name for an inn, but she decided that It'd have to do. Trixie walked into the small opening room, on the immediate left of her, was a wooden statue of the inn's namesake, a draconequus with a sly smile on his face, extending his lion-like paw, which had multiple hats hung on it. Trixie walked to the front desk and rung the bell for service, not two seconds after, an earth pony with a cream colored coat, lighter brown hair, and a green plaid vest came up behind the counter. "Good evening, and welcome to the Drunken Draconequus, how may I help you miss?" the earth pony asked in a polite manner. "One room please, any will do." said Trixie. "Very well Miss." said the pony as he turned behind him to the cabinet behind him, and took a small bronze key and gave it to Trixie. "That'll be fifteen bits Miss..." "Trixie Lulamoon." said Trixie just before she yawned and reached into her bag, and gave the earth pony the payment. After that, Trixie signed into the guest book, and went up stairs to her room. It was a very modest room, simple stone brick walls, an oak wood floor, a small table facing a window, and a queen sized bed in the corner. Trixie removed her hat, cape, and saddlebag, and put it next to her bed. She sat on her bed, as she took out two pieces of paper, and lit a candle on the nightstand next to her, as she looked at the pieces of paper in the candlelight. Trixie opened the smaller of the two papers first, it was pure white, and was written in the most elegant calligraphy anypony has ever seen. It was the letter that Celestia had given to her, that described the basics of her mission she was sent on. My dear student Trixie, Over the years since I have taken you under my wing, I have watched you grow from a small, timid filly, barley able to use the simplest light spell, to a strong mare, capable of learning my greatest pyromancy spells. After seeing your stellar rate of growth, I believe It to be time you expanded your horizons, and test yourself against the challenges of the real world. So, I believed, what better chance to test yourself, than completing a quest that nopony has ever completed! Your mission is to defeat the evil Nightmare Moon. After our fierce battle almost two thousand years ago, My arch enemy, Nightmare Moon, escaped her demise at the expense of most of her remaining magical energy. I fear that she is trying to regain her energy, so she can try again to usurp my throne, and plunge the world into eternal night. I know this to be a daunting task, and I know it to sound impossible, but I believe in you my faithful student, to help protect Equestria, and grow to be the most powerful unicorn you can be. I suggest that you first try looking into the city of Equinox Falls, that is where the leading authority on Nightmare Moon resides, I believe that that pony can help you in figuring out Nightmare Moon's location. As my student, I expect you to leave no stone unturned, and you shouldn't because if you wish to ever return to New Canterot, you won't come back until you have defeated Nightmare Moon, think of this as an exam! I hope you can pass the trials that leap ahead of you Trixie, best of luck to you! Your loving mentor, Princess Celestia Trixie sighed as she put the letter back in the pack, opening up the other piece of paper that she took out of her saddlebag, was a map of Equestria. She found the town she was in now, the town of Starshire. A weird name Trixie thought, but she didn't think much of it, she looked for Equinox Falls on her map, which was north of Starshire, the problem was that Equinox Falls was still far away from Starshire, Trixie estimated that it would take her at least two months to get there if she traveled on hoof. Trixie let out a grunt of frustration as she threw the map against the wall of her room. "This is absolutely dreadful! I'm going to a place way out in the beyond of Equestria, and that's only for a slim hope, that I'll get some sort of clue to find out where that blasted Nightmare Moon is!" Trixie angrily explained to nopony in particular as she threw her head down onto her pillow. "Why did Celestia send me on this mission?" asked Trixie before she went to sleep. -------- That Princess Celestia is quite the interesting teacher, isn't she? Trixie looked around her, to see that she was no longer in her room, but, what appeared to be..space? But that was impossible, Trixie looked down to see that she was standing on some sort of invisible platform, overlooking what she believed to be multiple celestial bodies. Trixie then looked around for the source of the voice she thought she heard. "Where are you? Show yourself to Trixie!" shouted Trixie into the vastness of the void around her, I'm terribly sorry, little one, did I frighten you? asked the voice in a surprisingly concerned tone. "No! the Great and Powerful Trixie fears no mare!" The voice gave a soft chuckle, Oh, of course dear! It would take a lot more than just a disembodied voice to scare a unicorn of your calibur. "Trixie will ask again, who or what are you!?" yelled Trixie into the void once more. Oh, me? that's not important, what's important is that I've finally found you! said the voice in an upbeat tone. "Found Trixie? Trixie hadn't even realized she was being searched for." said Trixie with some bit of smugness in her voice. Oh yes! I've been hoping to find you for quite some time! but you were lost to me for so long, I was starting to give up hope, but here you are! "Why were you looking for Trixie? And again, who are you?" asked Trixie. Well, as for looking for you, I believe you're a very....special unicorn Trixie, as for who I am, The voice suddenly stopped, as the void around Trixie, slowly turned from a pitch black, to a sea foam green, and eventually white. Damn her! said the voice, which suddenly changed tone to a very angry one. The owner of this voice realized this, and quickly switched back to her former calm demeanor. Well, Trixie, it was lovely having a chat with you, unfortunately, I fear our conversation must come to an end for now. "Wait! You didn't tell Trixie who you are!" Oh don't worry my dear Trixie, we will speak again soon! Until then! That was the last sentence the voice uttered, as the white light had devoured the dark void surrounding Trixie, and quickly enveloped her as well. Trixie's eyes shot open, as she quickly sprung up, she had a cold sweat from the dream she had. Trixie looked around to see that she was in her bed at the inn, and that now, sunlight was coming through the window of her room. Trixie looked all around her room to see nopony was in there with her, and all of her possessions were still there. "What was that all about?" said Trixie as she tried to process the memories of what had occurred the previous night. "It was a dream, but..... why did it feel so real?" > Soarin' through adventure! : Part 1 > -------------------------------------------------------------------------- Trixie walked down the steps to the ground floor of the Drunken Draconequus, her gave never leaving the floor. The pony from the night before was about to exit the building, when he heard Trixie coming down the old wooden stairs to the ground floor. "Good morning Ms.Lulamoon, did you have a nice rest?" "Huh? Oh, hello, yes Trixie had a fine rest last night" "Well I'm glad to hear that." said the earth pony as he gave Trixie a grin. "Thank you." said Trixie as she gave her room key back to the pony. Trixie walked out of the inn, to see the town during the day, for the first time. It was just as beautiful during the day as it was during the night; only now, there were a lot of ponies walking the streets. Trixie was walking on the cobblestone streets in town, she was still lost in thought about the dream that she had last night. "What was that dream about? Who was that voice that was talking to me? And why did it say it was looking for me?" Those were just a few of the many questions that were running through Trixie's mind as she continued down the path that led to Equinox Falls, but because she was so engrossed in her own thoughts, Trixie failed to notice that an object had suddenly came down a path connected to the one she was walking on. Trixie's thoughts were interrupted by a heavy weight suddenly making contact with her. The momentum of the unknown object was enough to fling Trixie to her left a few feet, as she landed in a conveniently placed pile of dirt next to an empty flower bed. Trixie was momentarily dazed, as she was trying to process what just happened. She got up to realize that her coat, cape, and hat were covered in dirt, but when she checked her hoof, her friendship bracelet that Pinkie had given her had been spared getting instantly covered with dirt. As Trixie was wiping away the dirt from her hat and cape, she looked up to see what had hit her earlier. In front of her, sitting down and rubbing his head, was a pegasus. The pegasus was a stallion, a little taller than Trixie was; he had a wild dark blue mane, a very pale cornflower coat, and was wearing goggles. His cutie mark appeared to be a lightning bolt pierciing a storm cloud. "Ow....what hit me?" asked the pegasus as he slowly opened his eyes. "That's what Trixie would like to know." said Trixie, who's mind was now out of the gutter. The pegasus looked up to see that Trixie, while she had gotten most of the dirt off, still had a fair bit of dust on her, she was looking at him with piercing dark violet eyes. "Oh man, did I fly into you!?" asked the pegasus who got up and walked up to Trixie. "I'm sorry, are you hurt?" the pegasus asked as he was looking closely at Trixie. Trixie felt a slight twinge of embarassmrent as the pegasus stared at her for a bit, checking her body for any sort of visible wounds, but she quickly composed herself."The Great and Powerful Trixie is fine, no thanks to you." said Trixie with no attempt to hide the irritation in her voice. "You need to watch where you're going!" "Yeah, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention to what I was doing." said the pegasus as he used his hoof to rub the back of his head. Trixie felt a small feeling of guilt, knowing that she too, was not looking where she was going. "Look, It's fine, but be more careful, you could've really hurt somepony." said Trixie as she began to continue down the path she was walking down, until the pegasus spoke up. "Wait!" said the pegasus. Trixie turned her head towards him, as she slightly raised her eyebrow. "What is it?" asked Trixie, with irritation still in her voice. "I'm really sorry for crashing into you! Please, let me make it up to you somehow." said the pegasus as he searched for an idea on what to do. "Um, there's a cafe right near here, please, let me buy you something to eat." "No, that's alright, Trixie doesn't need-" Trixie's sentence was cut off by a loud gurgling sound coming from her stomach. The stallion chuckled "You don't need what now?" Trixie grunted slightly, as her azure cheeks turned a shade closer to pink. "C'mon you're hungry, I crashed into you, and I'm buying." said the pegasus. Since she was hungry, and the pegasus was buying, she decided to go with him. The cafe was only a short walk away from the intersection of road where the two first met. It was a small building, with white brick, and an outside terrace where a few ponies were sitting and eating. They walked into the cafe and sat at a table for two in front of a small window. A waiter came shortly after the two were done looking at the menu. "Good morning! And how are we today?" asked the waiter. "Fine" said Trixie and the pegasus in unison, to which both slightly blushed and looked away from each other. "And what can I get you two today?" asked the waiter as he took out a notepad and pen. "I'll have a dandelion sandwich with some orange juice please." said the pegasus. "Trixie will have the french toast with powdered sugar, and a coffee with cream and sugar." The waiter nodded as he put his notepad away and took the menus from the two ponies. The two of them sat in awkward silence for a few minutes as the pegasus alternated looking out the window, and looking at Trixie, who was looking away from the pegasus. "So, where are you from?" asked the pegasus, finally breaking the silence. "New Canterlot." replied Trixie who was now looking at the pegasus. "New Canterlot? Wow! I hear that place is HUGE!" said the pegasus with a huge amount of surprise in his voice. "It is a very large city, and for good reason, it's the capital of Equestria, and where the Princess herself resides!" "Oh yeah! I forgot about that! That's really cool, living in the same city as the Princess." Trixie had a growing grin on her face, this pegasus was awed by the fact Trixie came from the same place that the Princess was ruling from. A thought suddenly crossed Trixie's mind. Should I tell him? It's not like It's uncommon knowledge, and after I defeat Nightmare Moon, my work is sure to be publicly celebrated, plus, I want to see how he'll react. "Well Mr....."Trixie said as she realized she never got the pegasus' name. "Oh, uum, Soarin'!" said the pegasus who had a small speck of panic and uncertainty in his voice, but Trixie didn't pick it up due to the swelling of her ego. "Well Mr.Soarin', If you think that it's impressive to live in the same city as her highness, what would you say if Trixie told you that she not only studies under the princess, but also lives under the same roof as her?" The reaction Trixie got was not one she expected. Instead of total awe, she got a chuckle of mild amusement out of Soarin'. "I'd say you're pulling my leg!" said Soarin' as he let out a laugh. It took him a minute of noticing that Trixie wasn't saying anything, but still not taking her eyes off of him, to make his eyes open wide. "Wait, you're NOT joking!?" asked Soarin' with a voice more to that which Trixie was expecting before as she gave him a nod. "Dear Celestia that's awesome!" said Soarin' as he slammed his front hooves on the table, which caused several of the other patrons and waiters to look his way as he slouched back into his chair in embarrassment. "Still, the student of the Princess herself! That's pretty cool! you must be like, really smart and strong if the princess is teaching you stuff." "Well, Trixie doesn't like to brag." said Trixie, which was quite possibly the biggest lie that she had ever told. Trixie was a great and powerful unicorn, and she wanted everypony in Equestria to know it. "BUT, Trixie just happens to be Princess Celestia's one and only pupil, and is currently on an important mission to defeat Nightmare Moon, and bring everlasting peace to Equestria!" Trixie shouted in one breath, which again caused the other patrons and waiters to look in the direction of Soarin' and Trixie. "Wow, that's.....something Trixie." said Soarin' with with a hint of shock in his voice at Trixie's outburst. "Trixie knows, the princess would leave such a daunting task only with her greatest pupil" said Trixie as she lifted her arms in the air. "Hey Trixie, I have a question." "What is it?" "I think it may be a stupid question." "Princess Celestia believes there are no stupid questions Soarin'." said Trixie as she gave Soarin' a warm smile. "Who's Nightmare Moon?" In that moment, Trixie warm smile turned to a dumbfounded look. "But Trixie is not the princess, HOW DO YOU NOT KNOW ABOUT NIGHTMARE MOON!?" yelled Trixie. The rest of the patrons once again all shot angry glances at the two ponies. "Oops, Trixie apologizes." said Trixie as she slightly bowed to the other patrons before turning back to Soarin' and putting here angry face back on. "How do you not know about Nightmare Moon!?" asked Trixie again in a harsh whisper. "I don't know, I just never did!" replied Soarin' "It's history 101! Little fillies and colts learn about it in the third grade! It's in every history book!" "Well, I never heard of her!" defended Soarin'. Trixie sighed, at last, the waiter brought Soarin's orange juice, and Trixie's coffee. Trixie took a long sip of hers, and spoke again. "Well, Trixie guess a little history lesson wouldn't hurt as we wait for our food, but I'm only going to explain this once, so listen up." Soarin' nodded his head as Trixie administered the lesson. "Well, two thousand years ago, back when Equestria was just starting to become peaceful after the defeat of the Lord of Chaos, there were not one, but two princesses, Princess Celestia of the sun, and Princess Luna of the moon. Under their watchful rule, Equestria thrived. there were no major wars, settlements were springing up all over Equestria, and all seemed right with the world. However, that does not mean all was at peace, the Lord of Chaos's influence could still be seen all over Equestria, monstrous species such as Diamond Dogs, Chimeras, Hydras, Hell hounds,Changelings, and all other sorts of monsters were running amok through the world, byproducts of the Lord of Chaos's magic. Many of these creatures would attack settlements, burn down buildings, spread chaos, and end lives. The princesses were at a stalemate, as they didn't know how to counteract these massive swarms of monsters, as they were attempting to destroy Canterlot." "The princesses and the royal guard did the best they could to defeat these swarms of chaos, but even with the power of two alicorns, they couldn't keep fighting day and night without rest. Things looked grim, but one day, the court mage and personal adviser to the princesses; Starswirl the Bearded, found a solution in the ancient texts of the Age of Antiquity. The texts spoke of a powerful collection of relics, relics with powers that rivaled the magic of the Lord of Chaos himself. These relics were known as the Elements of Harmony, and they possessed the power to save Equestria from the swarms of monsters that plagued the land. Starswirl, after much time, was able to recover each relic, and with their great power, the princesses were able to seal away the monsters to the same plain of existence as their mad father. After using the elements, while not all monsters were sent away, many went to find sanctuary in the darkest areas of Equestria and beyond, and Equestria was at peace once again." Soarin' Interrupted; "Wait, what does any of this have to do with Nightmare Moon?" "I'm getting to that part!" said Trixie as she took another sip of her coffee to wet her dry throat. "After that, there was a falling out between the princesses, and their followers. Princess Luna, and her followers, believed that they should use the elements to expand Equestria, and make it thrive into a new golden age. But Celestia and her followers didn't agree with them, they thought relying on the influence of the elements was a grave mistake, and that using the elements to grow all across the world, would be grievously irresponsible. These conflicting beliefs sparked opposition, and hatred between the followers of the two princesses boiled fiercely, until the followers of Luna were caught trying to steal the elements from their vault. After this great act, the tension finally resulted in violence, and as such, the Equestrian Civil War, broke out. The war raged all over Equestria, only instead of Equestrians fighting the hordes of the Lord of Chaos, they fought each other. This war took its toll on those involved. Not even Princess Luna herself was able to stop anger and hatred from entering her heart. The war had transformed the once kind, and wise Princess Luna into Nightmare Moon, a warped shadow of her former self who's focus was to crush her sister. After Luna's fall from grace, A fierce battle erupted between the Princesses directly. The battle lasted for days, each princess fighting for just a small leg up against the other. As the princesses of the celestial bodies themselves, the power of the fight between them and their followers tore apart Equestria, even more so than the swarms of chaos attempted. Eventually however, after many days of battling without rest, Celestia was able to gain an advantage over Nightmare Moon by using the elements they fought over to attack her. The elements did not kill Nightmare Moon, but it did severely wound her, and she was no longer able to fight the war. After the struggle, the former Princess Luna was somehow able to escape the grasp of the now victorious Celestia, and her and her followers escaped far away from Equestria. This war completely destroyed Equestria, and left Canterlot in ruins. Only through hard work, time, and working together, Equestria was rebuilt, and has since then continued to thrive under Princess Celestia's reign." "Wow, that's a lot of history, how did you learn it all?" asked Soarin' who was now captivated in Trixie's story. "Like Trixie said before, she learned it in grade school!" replied Trixie. The two realized that they were starving after that little lesson, and just in time, their food finally came. After eating and paying for their food, the two left the cafe, and walked down the road that Trixie was originally going down before Soarin' crashed into her. "So, that your job is to find and defeat a near demi-god that Celestia herself just defeated by a last resort attack?" asked Soarin'. "Yes, that's correct." answered Trixie "Wow, that's quite the mission, think you can do it on your own?" "Of course! Trixie isn't called The Great and Powerful Trixie for nothing, you know." "I guess, but still, what if she still has followers, ponies who don't want you anywhere near her?" "Well then, they'll have to be quite formidable if they wish to face Trixie." "Yeah, they must be." said Soarin' before he was lost in though once more, before turning his head towards Trixie once more. "Hey Trixie, I have another question." "Is it as stupid as the last one?" asked Trixie who raised her eyebrow to Soarin'. "NO! I want to know, where was that Starswirl guy during that 'Equestrian Civil War' thing? He sounded like a big deal." "Oh, Starswirl, Oh, Trixie apologizes, she forgot to mention that there was a sixty year gap between the battle against the swarms of chaos, and the Civil War." "Oh, so by this point Starswirl was-" "Dead, he was old and bedridden during the events of the war, he died close to the time Luna became Nightmare Moon." "Oh, I guess that answers that question." Trixie and Soarin' eventually reached the gate that led to to the long stretch north to Equinox Falls. "So , I guess this is goodbye huh?" asked Soarin' with a slightly sad tone in his voice. "Trixie is afraid so, she has a job to do. But don't worry, Trixie will soon return to New Canterlot, and be praised as a hero through Equestria!" said Trixie as she triumphantly raised her arms into the air. "Hah, well alright, I guess I'll see you around." said Soarin' as he gave a Trixie a grin. Trixie walked down the path, knowing that the trek to Equinox Falls would be a long one. Soarin' watched her until she was out of sight. A thought occurred to him as he was remembering what Trixie told him, a sly grin slowly crept across his face. "Being praised as a hero huh?" -------End of part one