Young Clara finds herself in a world vastly different from her own--and now all she'd like is to return back to it.
Clara is a sweet, young girl. She's barely old enough to be separated from her mother. One night during her routine to sleep, she finds something odd with her mirror.
Suddenly, she's been teleported to a land of ponies. And now all she wants to do is go back home to her mother and everything familiar to her. But it's not as simple as stepping back through the glass.
My attempt at a HiE fic. I'm taking it as a challenge to write a good story in this genre. Cover Art belongs to MurphyLaw4Me I would like to point out that this takes place between Magic Duel and Twilight's Kingdom. Please, feel free to comment and review!
"And now, the Great and Powerful Trixie will amaze her audience with a spell that only the highest-level unicorns can master!"
A light pink magical aura held a book in its grip as the caster quickly flipped through to confirm she had the spell correctly. Once she was sure of herself, the book was placed on a nearby table as the unicorn turned to face her audience: a full-length mirror. Staring back at her was a mare, sky blue fur and a mane with alternating shades of light blue.
The caravan was smaller than the one she had nearly a year or so prior, she only had so many bits after being run out of Ponyville not once, but twice. And while working on the rock farm had been an experience, she longed to return to her true calling of being a showmare. A good portion of her funds had been used to build a new home for herself, a small bit for restoring several of her props, and the rest was for her to live on. While at first she missed her old caravan, with the built-in stage, comfortable living space, and memories, Trixie had grown accustom to the smaller, stage-less one she was currently living in.
Trixie's horn was surrounded in a pink aura once more, as she concentrated on the mirror before her. The spell, while complicated, she figured she could cast with efficiency if she practiced hard enough. Practice made perfect, after all. As the mirror became enveloped in her magic, she mentally envisioned a copy of herself stepping out of the mirror. If she succeeded, the duplicate mare would step out and be nothing but an extended part of the mirror itself. It wouldn't speak, but it would copy her movements until she did the secondary spell of sending it back within the reflective surface.
After several minutes of concentration, she was exhausted, being built for quick bursts of magic as opposed to long, drawn-out spells. She canceled her magic and slumped onto the wooden floor. Trixie was trying--oh how she was trying--yet even with the hours of practice each night she couldn't do many spells outside of her repertoire, even if her magic ability itself had grown. Yet, she had the confidence that she could do it. It was for the good of her show, after all.
Lavender eyes glanced at her bed and, deciding she was done for the night, retreated to the small futon. She crawled onto the mattress and lifted the blanket over her body, sighing as she let sleep take over.
The door opened to a bedroom, and through it stepped a young child clutching the arm of a brown bear in her small hands. She gently set the small stuffed animal on her bed, then proceeded to go through her drawers to pull out her pajamas out of the bottom shelf. At seven years old, Clara was small for her age, with hair a deep brown that reached the small of her back. Strands of hair covered her face as she dug through her clothes for her favorite set of pajamas--a yellow and white stripped dress, with frills along the top and bottom--and she stubbornly brushed them aside. She smiled as she found her prize, and quickly discarded of her dirty clothes to change into the night dress. She went to a small chest and grabbed a similar dress for her bear, dressing the toy to match.
Clara walked to her full-length mirror with her bear in one hand and a brush in the other. Like a good daughter, she brushed and braided her hair before she slept. She knew her mother would throw a fit if she woke up, her hair a tangled mess for her to fix. Clara sat in front of the mirror, bear in her lap and brush in hand, as she did her final routine for the night. She smiled to her reflection that smiled back, with her freckles and green eyes she loved so much about herself.
She blinked in confusion as the mirror's surface glowed for a split second. Curiosity taking over, she moved to her knees and leaned closer to the mirror. Seeing nothing strange, Clara pressed her palm against the mirror. While she expected for her hand to simply press against it, instead it sunk into the mirror, her fingers within the mirror itself. She let out a gasp and jerked her hand back, jumping to her feet. Her green eyes stared hard at her reflection, her hands balled into fists at her sides.
She glanced down at her feet where her teddy bear lied and she picked him up, never turning away from the mirror. Taking a tentative step froward, she pressed her hand against the surface again to meet with the same result. Slowly, Clara moved her arm forward until her entire forearm was on the other side.
Clara let out a gasp as she was forcibly sucked inside. Tried as she might to resist the mirror's pull, she was no match. Before her head was inside, she let out a cry in hopes of being saved.
The world warped around her as she left the safety of her bedroom and was sucked into a tunnel that burst with every color of the rainbow. Clara screamed for her mother to save her from the seemingly endless void that only her and her stuffed bear occupied. She felt like she had been floating for hours, her screams changed to sobs she clutched her teddy bear to her chest. Just when she thought she would be in the tunnel forever--it ended.
A bright light blinded her. Next thing Clara knew, she was laying on a wooden floor in pain. She lifted her head to look at her new surroundings. While she was no longer in the rainbow tunnel, she was in a room. A small room, with a desk to her right, a pile of books in front of her, and a chest tucked in the corner.
"Where...?"
Clara shakily got on her feet, and she noticed that the ceiling was just tall enough that she could brush it with her fingertips. She surveyed the room once again, and pondered how she even arrived in such a place. That's when she saw it: the mirror, nearly identical to the one that was displayed in her own bedroom down to the last detail. Soft footsteps as she walked over to the mirror and hesitantly pressed her hand against the surface. She expected her fingers to once again sink inside. She expected to be taken back home if she went back through.
She did not expect her palm to lay flat on the surface like a normal mirror.
Green eyes stared intently at their reflection as she frantically padded the mirror, hoping for a sweet spot where she could return home. In her search, she glanced behind her reflection to see the leg of her beloved toy sticking out behind a small stack of books. Clara, ashamed that she forgot her friend for even a moment, ran across the small space to the bear. In her haste, however, her foot caught the cover of a book and she fell on the floor with a thud.
A soft whine escaping her lips, she grabbed her stuffed friend with one hand and the book she tripped over with the other. It was relatively large, a thick brown tome with a title she couldn't understand. The letters were foreign to her, looking more like alien language than the English she knew. Setting the teddy bear on her lap, she silently thumbed through the book in hopes of figuring out where she was, with only the light of the moon through a window to see by. However, she only found more of the strange language, charts she could not comprehend, and pictures that she couldn't understand what they were. More and more she flipped through the pages as confusion and fear gripped at her. Clara was so engrossed in the tome, she did not hear stirring and quiet groans emanating from behind her.
Trixie's slumber had been disturbed by a magical presence that had appeared and disappeared within a matter of seconds. Low sounds of steps on wood, a tap of something tapping against glass, and then a thud had fully roused the sleeping unicorn. Annoyed by her sleep being interrupted, she laid on her futon hoping to quickly return to her dreams. But when her ear twitched with the sound of shuffling papers, she knew something was wrong. Slowly and silently Trixie sat up on the futon and rubbed one eye with her hoof.
What is disturbing Trixie's sleep so much? She thought as she rolled off the mattress and onto her hooves. The moment she lifted her head, she was met with the back of a strange figure with long fur originating from what she could only assume was its head. She could only see its vague shape and colors--brown, yellow, and white--and nothing more. Trixie, confused as to what this strange creature was, screamed.
"What are you doing in Trixie's caravan, creature?!" She stomped her hoof and lowered her head, preparing her horn in case the stranger decided to go on the offense.
Clara, startled by the scream, turned her head to look behind her. Her eyes widened when she was met face to face with who it was that spoke: A blue pony. Not just any pony, a unicorn, something that only existed in her fairy tales. She returned with a scream of her own as she scrambled to her feet with her bear in hand as she once again ran to the mirror, slamming her palms against the surface of the mirror more frantically than before. When that endeavor failed, she turned so she was completely facing Trixie, her green eyes wide with fear.
Trixie watched as the strange creature furiously hit her mirror as it screamed. While wary of what this creature was, since she deemed it was more scared of her, she slowly walked towards it and her mirror, her violet eyes never once glancing away. Now that Trixie had a better look, she saw it was something completely hairless, saving for the fur sprouting from its head.
No, not fur, a mane. In braids...
She saw the creature was small, roughly around her height, and covered in some sort of cloth around her body. Once there was but a couple of feet between the two of them, they did nothing but stare silently at each other. Trixie, in cautious curiosity and Clara, in fear. Her knees shook as she wondered what the unicorn would do to her. Was it mad at her for touching her books? Thinking this to be the most logical reason, Clara mumbled out an apology.
"I-I-I'm sorry, M-m-miss unicorn..." She squeaked, flinching when Trixie's head suddenly shot up.
"You speak?" She asked, slowly. Clara nodded once. "Then you must tell me how you got into my caravan! The window and doors are locked!" Trixie straightened herself fully, now completely sure that herself and Clara were around the same height.
"T-The...mirror..." Clara mumbled as she glanced over her shoulder to the mirror.
At this, Trixie's ears folded back and she rose a brow at her. "That mirror is just a mirror. Something for Trixie to practice illusion magic on herself and to groom Trixie's perfect mane. Now tell the truth!"
Clara squeaked again, her quaking knees making her collapse to the floor when she could no longer support her weight. "It's true! I...I came through the mirror. Please, Miss Unicorn, it's true! I promise!" Her shoulders shook as tears ran down her face. She wondered how she ended up in this situation. She wanted to go home and curl up in bed with her mom. At the thought of her mother, her eyes widened and more tears fell from her eyes.
Trixie did nothing but stare at the creature as it sobbed to itself. Once she grew uncomfortable with hearing the cries, she quietly walked over to Clara and nuzzled the young girl's head. "There, don't cry. I believe you. Shh."
The two stayed like that for a moment, until Clara had tired herself from everything that had happened. Taking a step back, Trixie stared down at her for a moment before speaking.
"What are you? And do you have a name?"
Clara rubbed her eyes and nodded. "Clara. My name is Clara...And...I'm a human."
Trixie's head cocked to the side. Human? While she would have liked to ponder the thought further, her need for sleep caught up with her. For a moment she wondered what to do with the 'human' Clara. A quick glance out of her window told her that the sun would not be rising for at least another five hours. As much that she didn't want to keep a strange creature with her, Clara's size and obvious fear would've made her a fine midnight snack for any predators. With a reluctant sigh, she crawled back to her futon. A pink glow surrounding her hat, she balled up and stuffed several of her showmare caps inside it until it was a suitable pillow. She laid the full hat and another cape down on the floor next to her.
"Come on then...Clara. I suppose you can stay here for the night. When the sun rises I will figure out what to do with you."
Clara, glancing up at the unicorn, nodded and grabbed her bear, and crawled across the floor to the makeshift bed. Her head rested against Trixie's head, and she pulled the cape over her like a blanket. Clutching the bear close to her, she drifted off to sleep.
Trixie, watching to make sure the human was fully in slumber, sighed. When she was sure the girl was asleep, she curled up on the futon and let the sleep take over.
A woman walked towards the room at the top of a set of stairs. She had sent her daughter to bed several minutes earlier, and had gone to check up on her. She shook her head as she noticed the bedroom light had still been on. She gently knocked on the cracked door and she slowly opened it, as to not wake her possibly sleeping child.
"Clara...Clara...?"
The door opened fully to reveal the completely empty room. The woman searched the room, to find the bed had been lain in, and the brush in front of the mirror. Her heart pounded with panic at the thought of her missing daughter.
"Clara? Clara!"
She ran throughout the house, checking every room and every place her daughter could have been hiding. To no avail, she once again went back to the young girl's bedroom. Her window was locked, and there wasn't a logical way anyone could have gone through the home with the grown woman just a few rooms from the door downstairs. Clara had simply...vanished.
In a panicked state, the woman ran to the nearest phone and made a frightening phone call.
Celestia's sun slowly rose over the land. It washed Equestria in a warm light that woke animals and ponies alike. Early-risers dutifully shook the slumber from their eyes, while the late-sleepers fought their hardest to get several more hours of sleep. Trixie let out a soft yawn as she rubbed a hoof over her eyes. While she would have loved to stay in bed to her beauty sleep, she also acknowledged that she had to keep moving. With another yawn, Trixie sat up and rolled off of the futon...and bumped her hoof against something that was breathing.
"Eek!" She gasped, flinching in surprise. She looked down to see what she had hit, to see Clara, sleeping peacefully with her arms wrapped around a stuffed bear. She blinked a few times, before remembering the bizarre encounter she had in the middle of the night. She let out a groan and brought a hoof to her face before carefully stepping over the girl. "And here I thought that was just a dream."
Trixie unlocked a large chest with her magic and rummaged through it. In her magical grip she floated a loaf of bread, a knife, and a book of pressed flowers onto the desk. She huffed as she prepared her meal of a simple Daisy-Pansy sandwich. While it was far from her idea of a good breakfast, it was better then scavenging the forest for edible grass and berries.
Just as Trixie was about to take a bite of her breakfast, she heard soft groans from the other side of the caravan. Glancing in Clara's direction, she watched as the girl roused out of her slumber. Clara mumbled in her half-sleep, her half-lidded eyes scanning the room she was in.
"Mom...my...?" Clara spoke as she slowly rose to her feet. "I had a strange dream. I--" She locked eyes with the blue unicorn sitting at the desk with a sandwich held up in the air by a pink aura. There was silence. Clara's lips folded to a frown as she once again looked around the room. "It wasn't...then..." She walked over the mirror and pressed her palm against it. The lack of reaction from the mirror confirmed her suspicions: She wasn't dreaming, and everything that happened the previous night was real.
Trixie shook her head and let out a deep sigh. "What was your name again?"
Clara piped up and turned to face the one addressing her, grabbing the bottom of her night dress as she spoke. "Clara...My name is Clara. Are you nice, Miss Unicorn?"
The unicorn waved her hoof at the question. "My name is Trixie. The Great and Powerful Trixie to be specific. However..." She eyed the young girl. "You may simply call me Trixie." Her stomach growled, and she turned her attention back to her lackluster breakfast. "Now, Trixie is eating. I will talk to you when I finish."
Clara simply nodded and slumped on the floor. She had so many questions to ask; How did it happen? How was she going to get home? What happened to her mother? What's going to happen to her? She hugged her knees to her chest and watched the blue showmare as she ate. She couldn't believe a real unicorn was in front of her, right at that moment. Studying the mare, she couldn't help her curiosity.
"Why aren't you white?"
At this, Trixie tensed up. She chewed the last bit of her meal and swallowed before slowly turning to face the girl. Her face showed a mix of offense and curiosity. "What do you mean, 'Why aren't you white' ?"
Clara bit her lip. "Well...it's just that unicorns in fairy tales are always white," She smiled as she continued her description, "And they're big! With pretty long hair and as graceful as a swan! They're beautiful! But...you're blue. And as big as me. And--"
Trixie shot her a glare, causing Clara to cut off before she could say anything further. The unicorn rose off her haunches and huffed as she pulled out a brush from the chest, grooming her mane.
"Trixie is an incredibly beautiful mare, I'll have you know! And my coat is an exquisite shade of blue." She faced Clara, who suddenly regretted saying anything. "In Equestria, ponies come in all colors, not just white."
"E..ques..tria...?" She questioned.
"Yes, Equestria! You are in the land of Equestria."
Clara took a moment to process the new bit of information, finally putting a name to the area she found herself in. She grabbed one of her long braids and played with it as she thought. So I'm in a world of ponies... She took to her feet again and walked to the other side of the small caravan, where her makeshift bed and bear were on the floor. However, she ignored those for the moment and grabbed the book she had been thumbing through the night before. While the previous night she had been trying to decipher the language, she instead looked at the drawings that occupied the pages under the paragraphs. A pegasus! There are pegasi here! And some without wings...
Clara slowly set the book down, her earlier fears bubbling back to the surface. "Miss Trixie! Can you send me home? I need to see my mommy, and I need to get ready for school, and and and I can't be here! Please can you send me home?"
Trixie's ears folded against her head as she shook it. "Trixie, while a most powerful unicorn, cannot." Clara's shoulders sagged at this. She quickly spoke again as she levitated a purple magician's hat and matching cape onto her body. "However! Trixie does have her connections! But we must set a few ground rules."
Clara twisted a braid in her small fingers. Her expression showed excitement, yet nervousness. "Ground rules?"
With a curt nod, Trixie made one last check of herself in her mirror, and pulled out a scroll. "First, you must stay in the caravan at all times, unless I tell you otherwise. Sometimes ponies will make a big deal out of nothing. As long as you are truly harmless you shall not earn Trixie's wrath, but other ponies may not be the same way. Second, Trixie will not tolerate whining and foalish questions. Third, you are not to go through Trixie's belongings. Is that clear?" The unicorn craned her neck to see Clara nodding in understanding at her rules. "Good!" Trixie gave a half-smile to the girl before opening the door. She lowered a set of steps, and used her magic to fold them up again to close the door behind her.
Clara watched as the door shut her inside the small caravan. She knelt down and picked up the bear and stared down into its button eyes. "What do we do now, teddy?" She climbed back onto her feet...only to be caught off balance once the room started moving. With a gasp, she scrambled to the window to see a forest slowly passing her by.
Now that I have some alone time to think...just what am I going to do? Will I really be able to ask her for help? And what about the girl...though she seemed like a harmless foal, who knows just what a 'human' can do? Trixie let out a groan of frustration and glanced down at the unfurled scroll--a map of Equestria--as she walked. "Alright...I'm right here in Unicorn Range... The closest town is Tall Tale..."
She made a face. While a nice, budding metropolis, the last time Trixie had visited had been shortly after the Ursa Minor incident in Ponyville. Although she had been reduced to a laughing stock all over Equestria, Tall Tale had especially left a bad taste in her mouth.
Manehatten-wannabe ponies. While I do admit, I wasn't the nicest of ponies, they had no reason to treat me like that!
She huffed and rolled up the scroll and placed it on a small basket that had been attached to the outside of her caravan. The lack of a permanent residence made it harder for her to receive mail, yet she felt that when she was in a town--for a week at the least--that she needed a place for the mailponies to deliver to.
Trixie trotted at a deliberate, slow pace. Though certainly the most boring aspect of a traveling showpony, she couldn't help but feel it was a much better solution as opposed to riding the train between towns. Having to spend bits for travel and for lodging--bits she didn't have--didn't sound appealing in the slightest. Neither was having to share a space with countless other ponies. She belonged to the public, but she needed her space.
She groaned again as the realization hit her that she would have to be sharing her home for an undetermined amount of time. Just going to have to suck it up, I suppose...
The scene of Unicorn Range passed Trixie by at her slow pace. Though it was still early morning, the animals were fully awake and basking in the warm rays of the sun. Birds chirped and sang as she trotted past. The breeze cooled her fur, something she was thankful for as she was sure it would only get hotter as the day progressed.
Trixie couldn't help but turn her thoughts back to the girl inside the caravan. I need to get answers the next time I speak to her...If I am going to be traveling with the creature all across Equestria, I better know what I'm getting into.
With an annoyed flick of her tail, the unicorn continued on her long journey towards the town of Tall Tale.
The sun had reached its peak in the afternoon sky. Clara could see it if she leaned against the glass window and tilted her head up. It had been several hours since she and Trixie had begun moving, and in that time Clara had done all she could within the enclosed space. She gone through the rest of the books Trixie had piled near the futon. She sat in front of the mirror and, using Trixie's brush, unbraided and straightened out her hair. She spoke her fears to her stuffed friend as if it would respond to her. She hoped Trixie would be able to send her home soon.
When the caravan stopped, she looked out the window to see that they were near a stream. Quietly, she opened the door and lowered the steps. As Clara stepped out the door, the bright light from the sun had blinded her and she raised her arm to shield herself from it. Once her eyes had adjusted to the change in lighting, she got a good look of the world she had been thrown in to for the first time. She let out a gasp.
It was beautiful.
She saw a forest directly in front of her. For miles were thick, strong trees with leaves in every shade of green. Clara tilted her head back and she could see the top of the gigantic trees touch the sky itself. She turned, and behind her she saw a flowing stream with water so clear she could see the rocks at the bottom. On the other side of it, a large plain, colored by thousands of wildflowers in every hue she could imagine.
Her stomach snapped her out of her awe with a low growl. A quick scan along the stream and she saw Trixie, with her head low as she drunk from the stream. Clara jogged up to the unicorn, who only gave her a look of annoyance. She blushed from embarrassment and put her hands behind her back.
"I though I told you that you had to stay in the caravan," Trixie stated as she floated a canteen and filled it up with stream water.
"Oh! Yes, well..." Clara pressed her hand against her stomach as it let out another growl. "I'm hungry. Can I have something to eat?"
Trixie stared at her for a moment before motioning towards the caravan, "Trixie's chest has a loaf of bread and some pressed flowers. You can make a sandwich. Do not take all of it!" She grunted as she screwed the cap onto the canteen. "Trixie does not have a lot of bits to spend. I have to stretch out what I have for as long as possible."
Clara looked at Trixie as if she had grown a second head. "But...I can't eat flowers!"
"You can't eat flowers?" Clara nodded. "Well what do you eat?"
The question rattled in Clara's mind. "Well, I can eat a lot of things...umm, chicken, fries, cookies...Oh! I like berry jelly!"
Trixie let out a soft hmm as she listened to Clara list her favorite foods. She held up a hoof to silence her. "I suppose I could...help you find some berries to eat." With a flick of her tail, she turned and trotted into the woods, with Clara following close behind.
The young girl was amazed at the plants and critters that were around as Trixie used what little knowledge she had to point out edible berries. Rabbits, squirrels, birds, lizards...Clara grinned wide at every one. When Trixie stopped to inspect a bush, she knelt down next to a tiny brown squirrel. It blinked, puzzled at the strange creature, and scurried up a nearby tree. Clara was about to try to find another animal to look at when--
"Girl! Trixie has found these berries safe to eat."
She jumped, and quickly joined Trixie. The berry bush was rather small, but the bright red and yellow fruits were plump, round, and plentiful, and just perfect for picking. Clara's eyes flicked between the bush and Trixie before she plucked one off the branch. Hesitantly, she ate the berry. Her eyes went wide. It was a burst of flavor--like lemons and strawberries.
"Mm!" Clara hummed excitedly as she plucked several more off their respective branches and ate them as well.
Trixie watched her, amused. When Clara seemed to have her fill, she spoke up. "Grab as many berries as you can carry. We are not stopping again until nightfall." She turned and started walking towards the caravan, while she kept an eye on the girl.
Clara smiled and plucked several dozens of berries off the bush. When her makeshift basket out of the bottom of her dress was full, she carefully followed, making sure not to spill any of the delicious fruit onto the forest floor. Trixie rolled her eyes as she held the door open in her magical grip as she impatiently waited for the human to waddle over to her.
"There is a small bowl on the desk inside. You can put the berries there."
"Okay Miss Trixie," Clara said as she carefully climbed into the caravan.
Once Clara had been inside, Trixie shut the door behind her. She huffed as she shimmied back into the harness attached to the caravan's front.
"This whole trip is going to be a nuisance," she muttered to herself as she started to trot the caravan along behind her, "Hopefully this girl will be able to return 'home' soon and not cut in so much into my performances. I belong to Equestria, after all! It is a shame to deny my public my magic."
A cocky smile spread across her lips. She held her head up high. She giggled to herself.
"Oh, what would ponies do without me? Equestria is lucky Trixie is so nice."
Trixie rolled up the map of Equestria and slowed to a stop. She had followed the stream to its trickling point, and continued on for several miles more. She had determined she was about half a day's journey from Tall Tale. Proud of what progress she made, she stopped for the night.
Clara, feeling that the caravan had stopped moving, opened the door a crack. She watched as Trixie shrugged off the harness and stretched out. When the unicorn turned to open the door, she let out a gasp and quickly closed it. She hurried away from the door and sat on the floor where her bear and the bowl of berries were placed. Over the course of the afternoon, Clara ate, slept, and watched as the world went by. She wished she had something to do. While Trixie was walking outside to take them to their destination, Clara was stuck inside with nothing to do.
Trixie unceremoniously opened then slammed the door, letting out a loud yawn as she did so. "Augh, Trixie is so tired!"
She trotted over to the chest and levitated out the pressed flowers, knife, and bread. When the loaf of bread floated past her head, she couldn't help but notice how much smaller the loaf had gotten since she ate earlier in the day. She whipped her head around to Clara, who was desperately trying to make herself as small as possible in the corner, even though they were the only two in the room.
"You ate most of my bread. You ate most of Trixie's bread!"
Clara whimpered. "I-I'm sorry, Miss Trixie! I was just hungry and I wanted to see what the berries and the bread tasted like and--eep!"
Trixie's eye twitched. The two had an uncomfortable silence between them. The unicorn broke that silence with a grunt as she stomped over to Clara. The young girl cowered under the unicorn, in fear of her wrath. Her eyes closed, awaiting a punishment that never came.
Clara cracked open one of her eyes to see that the unicorn was no longer towering above her. Instead, Trixie had merely stepped over the girl to crash angrily on her futon.
"Not another word tonight. Trixie is going to sleep." She snapped, pulling the covers over her head.
Clara frowned and stared at the floor before following suit. She curled up on the floor, rubbing her bear against her face.
I'm sorry, Miss Trixie...I'll be good from now on.
Trixie's hoof steps slowed from a brisk trot to a walk as she entered the city limits of Tall Tale. The cobbled streets of the mini-metropolis were littered with ponies of every type going to and fro, too busy to get to their destinations than to pay any attention to the traveling magician. The sun was just beginning to dip below the horizon, and streetlamps were due to brighten the streets when the sun fully disappeared from the sky. Her eyes swept across the town as she tried to find the perfect place to stop: not too in the way, yet able to be seen easily by anyone. She finally settled on under a large tree in Tall Tale's park, stopping under it and undoing the caravan's harness.
Clara, feeling the caravan finally stop, got on her knees and crawled up to see out of the window. Her eyes widened in amazement; Ponies of every type and color, age and size, male and female were everywhere. She watched as a mare and stallion earth pony spoke on a bench. She watched two foals scurry after their mother. She watched a pegasus as he lazily floated by on a low cloud.
"Wow..." Clara muttered under her breath. Upon hearing the door creak open behind her, she looked over her shoulder at an annoyed Trixie.
She frowned, moved away from the window, and looked down at her feet. While Clara had apologized many times over the course of the day for making the unicorn angry, Trixie only seemed to ignore her. They had barely said a word over their breakfast, and immediately after set off towards the city. Half a day's trip with short breaks, and they barely made it before nightfall.
Trixie let out a sigh as she too off her cape and hat. She stole a glance at her roommate before sighing again. "Trixie is...sorry for snapping at you last night. It was...wrong of me." She turned and moved towards Clara. After a moment's hesitation, she nuzzled the girl's cheek as a sign of apology.
Clara's body stiffened at the sudden contact. Then she relaxed, her lips forming a smile as she wrapped her arms around the unicorn's neck. Trixie pulled away and nodded her head towards the chest on the other side of the room.
"I need to do some shopping. I'll be back soon. Do not let anyone see you, alright?" She floated out a pair of saddlebags with her wand cutiemark and a small bag of bits.
Her smile widened. "Yes, Miss Trixie!"
With a nod, Trixie walked right back out the door into the night. She took off in a run towards the city's small shopping district. She hoped she would make it before the stores closed.
Clara watched as Trixie once again left her alone. She huffed, walking around the small space, swinging her teddy bear as she paced. Two days and two nights since she had been forced into the strange world, and she was restricted to the caravan. Never being grounded, she's never had to stay in one space for too long--certainly not for several days. Clara slumped to the floor against Trixie's futon and sighed.
"I'm so bored..." She said to her bear, "I already looked at all the pictures in Miss Trixie's books. What do I do while she talks to her friends to send me home?"
Her mouth stretched into a yawn. Maybe I can talk to her about it when she comes back...
A movement at the window caught her attention and she ran up to it. Directly under the caravan's window was a cream-colored Earth pony mare with a light green mane. She skipped happily past the window, not having a care in the world. Clara watched as the mare continued on her way, towards the street, until she was out of sight. She thought the pony was beautiful. Clara found herself wishing she could interact with the many different ponies of Equestria while she could. But her thoughts returned back to what Trixie had told her the previous day.
"You must stay in the caravan at all times."
Clara sighed and and sank to the floor, holding her knees to her chest. Her head rested against her knees. All she could do was sit and stare at the door until Trixie returned.
"That's outrageous! You're trying to cheat me!"
Trixie slammed her front hooves on the shop counter, glaring at the gruff-looking stallion before her. Between the two of them was a variety of items: a canteen, bread, an assortment of fruits and vegetables, and a bundle of hay. She floated her bag of bits towards him, shaking the bag in front of his face. The stallion glanced between the bag and its owner, grunting under his breath. Slowly, he started to put the items back in their respective places in the area behind him. Trixie pulled him back by the apron with her aura and stared directly into his eyes. The stallion didn't look phased by the unicorn's rough-housing.
"Look, Trixie, after what you did to my family's shop the last time you were here, you deserve to pay triple!"
Trixie simply rolled her eyes. "They mocked Trixie's show! The Ursa Minor incident was not...one of my proudest moments, but my show is top notch!"
"You turned our fruits into jumping beans! It took forever to find them all, and even longer to make sure that they were still sell-able! Do you have any idea how much product and bits we lost because of you?!"
There was an uncomfortable silence between them. Trixie's eyes glanced around the room--everywhere but directly at the stallion--before her ears folded back against her head. She let out a sigh and let him go, staring down at the counter while she spoke.
"Okay...Okay, I'm sorry I lost you business. But I really do need this stuff. I barely have enough bits to pay for it, and I still need quills and paper to write a very, very important letter to someone. You have to understand."
Trixie looked up to see the stallion staring down at her. Her shoulders were slumped, ears still folded, and all around she looked like she was genuine in her troubles. No faking sadness or looking for pity, she just looked defeated--and most of all, sorry. With a groan as he rubbed a hoof against his face, he took her bag of bits and counted out her price.
"Twenty bits." Trixie perked her head up and opened her mouth to speak, but he silenced her. "But you have to work at the shop for a couple days."
"What?! No, I can't do that! I have a hu--" She cut herself off, earning strange looks from the stallion as she coughed into her hoof. "I mean, I have a foal with me now. And I have to take her home soon. Yes, her home is very far away."
He raised a brow at her story, "A foal? That you have to take home? Why don't you just take the train?"
She hoof-waved the question away, "I don't have the bits for a train ride to her home. Besides, Trixie now has a caravan to travel with."
While the stallion didn't believe the story, he didn't know the showmare well enough to call her out on it. He thought of what she could do to pay him back as he bagged her groceries, when an idea suddenly hit him. Placing the bags onto the counter, he gave Trixie a sly grin.
"Okay. You have a 'foal' now. How about this then: You perform your little show tomorrow, a real show, and eighty percent of the bits you make, you give to me." Trixie tensed up. While she needed those bits herself, she knew that she had to repay the stallion and his family somehow. "Do we have a deal?"
Reluctantly, as she took her bags and placed them carefully into her saddlebags, Trixie muttered under her breath.
"Deal."
The sun's rays shined through the small window and onto Clara's face, waking her from her sleep. She didn't remember talking to Trixie when she returned, and she guessed she had fallen asleep while waiting. She mumbled under her breath and sat up, her hair a frizzy mess from not braiding up her hair the previous night. Taking a quick look around for any sign of Trixie, she picked up the discarded brush to fix her hair. As Clara sat in front of the mirror and brushed her hair, she heard a commotion nearby. She pushed herself off the floor and stumbled towards the window, covering up a yawn. Just on the edge of the window's line of sight were several ponies facing in one direction where Clara couldn't see. She pressed her ear against the glass to try and hear what was going on.
She heard Trixie's voice in the distance. "You, ponies of Tall Tale, have seen nothing yet! The Great and Powerful Trixie has many more tricks to amaze you with!"
"She seems to have really improved over the past year."
"Of course, there's only up when you're at the bottom."
The ponies just under the caravan's window laughed at Trixie's expense. Clara felt her stomach drop to the floor as she continued to listen to their mean-spirited conversation. The ponies laughed at her, made fun of her, and continued to refer to something about an 'Ursa Minor' and 'Twilight Sparkle'. While Clara didn't know what Trixie had done in the past, she knew Trixie now, and to her the unicorn had only been sweet--though strict. She wanted to throw open the door and tell the mean ponies to stop picking on the showmare, but she didn't want to risk getting Trixie in trouble with anyone.
Over the course of what Clara guessed to be forty-five minutes, she listened to Trixie boast about her magic, various sounds like whistles and poppers, and ponies talking about her; both in awe and in scorn. The crowd, as far as Clara could tell, dispersed, but Trixie still didn't return. Several minutes later, she heard voices getting closer to the caravan, and she ducked down from the window to avoid being seen.
"I have to say, Trixie, that was quite a show. Something like that must have gotten you a lot of bits." A male voice said. Clara could almost hear the grin in it.
"Yeah, whatever." She heard Trixie grumble bitterly. There was a sound like jingling of several coins in a bag that followed, "Trixie counted seventy-five bits in total. Here is your eighty-percent. And now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to take my fifteen bits and return to my caravan."
There was a chuckle, and then the sound of heavy steps walking further away. A moment later, Trixie opened the door to the caravan. She glanced at Clara, sitting under the window and quickly gave her a big, cocky smile.
"Oh, did you hear Trixie's amazing performance? It was quite the spectacle!"
Clara bit her lip, not wanting to tell the unicorn what she overheard. Instead, she brought up another topic. "Miss Trixie, I get bored when you go out. Is there anything I can do while you're out?"
Trixie stared at the girl, and then brought a hoof up to her chin as she thought. She never considered that the girl would ever get bored, and she certainly didn't want her wandering around when she couldn't keep an eye on her. Noticing that Clara was staring at her, waiting for an answer, she giggled nervously.
"Well, Clara...just what do you like to do? Reading? Playing with toys?" She motioned to the small bear that was laying on the floor next to her.
"I like to draw. Mommy says my drawings are really pretty!" She grinned, hoping that Trixie would get her something to draw with. Her hopes where dashed when she saw the unicorn's uncertainty.
"Oh I don't know... I'll... I'll see what I can do, alright?"
Clara nodded and gave a reassuring smile. Trixie returned the smile and turned her back to the girl. Two apples floated in the air, one levitating towards Clara. Her eyes widened. She was going to eat something other than bread and berries! She happily grabbed the apple from the air and took a bite. She smiled as she ate the fruit, looking to Trixie who was eating the other apple.
"It's past noon, you had been asleep all morning. I figured you were hungry. But after this I need to go out and buy a few more things. I'll also contact my...friend...about sending you home, alright?"
Clara nodded, and another apple was handed to her. She dropped the core into her lap, taking a bite out of the second. Trixie fidgeted in the silence, wondering what to say.
"So, Clara..." She trailed off, wondering what exactly to ask, "Why don't you tell me about yourself? We will be together for a while, after all."
Clara swallowed her apple before answering. "Well, I'm seven years old. I live with my mommy, and I go to visit my daddy every other weekend. I love my parents very much. I also have a dog, Pepper! She's a big, big dog but she's so sweet and..." She frowned and stared at her half-eaten apple, "I miss my family very much...and my friends...and my school..." Tears welled up in her eyes and she let out a sniffle, covering her eyes with her arm.
Trixie felt like she had been kicked in the stomach. Seeing the girl cry made her feel bad, even moreso knowing that her question was what caused it. Slowly, she walked over to Clara and put a hoof on her shoulder. Clara looked up, and she gave her a small smile.
"Don't worry Clara, I'll make sure you get home."
Trixie walked inside Tall Tale's post office, more determined than ever. She pulled out a scroll from her saddlebags, rereading it as she stood in line.
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
I know the two of us ended on good terms, and I thank you for that. And perhaps you feel like that you shouldn't do anything for me, after all that I've done to you, your friends, and the citizens of Ponyville, but I really need this favor.
You see, it's a long story, but... I have a girl with me. But she's not a pony. She says she's a human. Just appeared in my caravan one night, and she says she can't return "home", wherever that is. This is where I need your help, Twilight. If anyone has the magical powers--besides Princess Celestia and Princess Luna--that can do this, it's you. Please, Twilight, I would like to send her home.
If you need me to do anything, just tell me and I will. I am staying in Tall Tale, and I will wait here until I receive a correspondence from you. Since she is not a pony, and I don't have a ton of bits, we will be traveling by hoof towards Ponyville once you respond and we work out a plan.
I hope you are able to get this soon, the girl really doesn't belong here. She needs to go home.
Signed,
The Great and Powerful Trixie
Once she was next in line, she placed the scroll on the counter. She paid the necessary bits for an emergency delivery, and watched as the mail mare put it in a separate pile from the normal letters. Trixie left the post office, feeling the pressure of a sketchbook and a box of crayons against her sides in her saddlebags.
Several days later, one of the pegasi that had been tasked with delivering rushed mail across Equestria finally landed in the small town of Ponyville. The light brown mare stretched out her sore wings, mumbling under her breath about how it would have been easier to take the train.
"No no, that costs bits! It's cheaper for the pegasi team to deliver it!" She rolled her eyes as she mimicked her boss' voice.
The mare reached under her Tall Tale Postal Service cap and pulled out a list of where she was supposed to deliver to. Several of the items on the paper were already crossed out. Near the bottom of the list was Twilight Sparkle - Ponyville, and she took a quick glance around, hoping that she would already be out-and-about so she could finish deliveries. Like most of Equestria, the mailmare had a basic idea of who Twilight Sparkle was, but had never seen the mare with her own eyes. She assumed--being Princess Celestia's personal protege--that she would be treated like royalty, with guards and a line of ponies following her and catering to her every whim. Yet no one fitting such a description was around the town square she landed in. The mailmare trotted up to a couple--a teal unicorn mare and a cream-colored earth pony mare--and cleared her throat until they noticed her standing over them.
"Hey, do you know where Twilight Sparkle lives?" She asked, hoping that it wasn't too far away.
It was the cream-colored mare who spoke first. She moved her curly pink-and-blue mane from her face with her hoof so she could see who she was speaking to. "Yeah, she lives in Ponyville's library."
Her companion pointed a hoof behind the mailmare, "You see that big tree? That's it right there. Can't miss it."
With a tip of her uniform cap, she thanked the two mares and turned to rush to the giant tree. I can't believe the Princess' personal student...would live in a library, of all places. She stopped at the giant oak's front door, straightened her posture and knocked on the door. On the other side she heard what sounded like a colt's voice.
"You don't have to knock! It's a public library! Why don't ponies get that..."
The door opened, and the mailmare was frozen in place from what she saw. A small, purple-and-green dragon was staring at her expectantly, waiting for some kind of response. She blinked and took a step back.
"You're a...a..."
"Dragon. The name's Spike." He grinned, pointing a claw at the bag that was across her body, "You have mail?"
The pegasus shook her head and regained her composure. "Oh, yeah! A letter of importance for Twilight Sparkle?"
On the other side of the library, she saw a purple unicorn mare walking down the stairs, levitating several books with the intent of returning them to the shelf. After placing the books to their rightful place, she walked up to the door with her head cocked to the side after glancing at the uniform's cap.
"Tall Tale? I don't think we know anypony there. Do we?" She asked her small dragon, who simply shrugged.
With a nod, the mailmare dug in her bag and pulled out the scroll. Twilight's violet aura surrounded the scroll and unraveled it. Her expression changed from confusion to worry as she read.
"Spike, take a letter please. And miss, would you mind staying for a bit? I know you must be awfully busy but I believe this has to be returned post-haste."
Spike immediately grabbed a nearby quill and parchment, ready to write down whatever Twilight would say. The mailmare resisted the urge to let out a groan, and instead stepped inside the library, wearily looking around the library's first floor. Twilight was just about to convey her letter to Spike, when her mouth just hung open with no words coming out. She turned to her assistant and grabbed the items from Spike's hands. The dragon, confused, looked to the unicorn for an explanation.
"Actually, I believe what's written here is private, and so I should write it myself. Do you mind getting the rest of the books upstairs and organizing them?" She watched as Spike grumbled to himself and walked up the stairs. She gave the mailmare an apologetic look before focusing on the task at hand:
Dear Trixie,
I have never heard of a 'human' before. What does she look like? Does she look like she's from Equestria? If that's so, then all it would take to send her home is to find out where that "home" is. I'm sure I have several books about Equestria's species, and I'm sure there are even more books in the Canterlot Royal Archives.
I'd like you to find out as much as you can about this human and where she comes from, it would certainly make finding where she needs to go much easier. Ask her about where she comes from, and if it's near any of our cities.
How did she just 'appear' in your caravan, anyway? Unless she has magic, or your door and windows were unlocked, I don't understand how she could just be there. All of these things could be extremely important with getting her back home.
I'm also including a Direct Message spell. It's similar to the one Princess Celestia and I use to communicate through Spike. But this spell will make letters appear directly in our respective mailboxes. All you have to do is enchant your mailbox and the letter you want to send with me. I will do the same to my mailbox, and they will be linked. But remember--only the letters we also enchant will be transferred.
You've really changed since you were last in Ponyville. The old Trixie wouldn't have gone out of her way to help a stranger. I'm glad that you've changed for the better.
Sincerely,
Twilight Sparkle
Twilight lifted another piece of parchment and quickly wrote down the specifics to the Direct Message spell. Once she was finished, she placed the two together, rolled them up, and handed the scroll to the mailmare. Taking the scroll, she put it in a separate section of her bag, reserved for return-letters. She tipped her cap in thanks and quickly took off out the door.
Twilight immediately went to the shelves and started pulling out as many books on Equestrian Wildlife as she could find. Seeing the new mess as he descended the stairs, Spike let out a groan.
"Not again, Twilight!"
Trixie's eyes scanned the letter she had received from Twilight earlier that morning. Every day since she had sent the original letter, she had been going back and forth from the park to the post office, asking if she had gotten a response. And while she had gotten short with the employees and other patrons, she tried to not fall back into her old routine of humiliation to those who cross her. She reread the letter again, then glanced at Clara, who was laying on the floor drawing.
Clara had been excited--elated, even--when Trixie returned to the caravan with not just paper and pencils, but a whole sketchbook and a box of crayons that reminded her of her own set of crayons. When she wrapped her arms around Trixie's neck in an embrace, thanking her repeatedly as she did so, she could feel Trixie tense up less than she did when they first met. And that made her even happier. Clara, while she wanted to return home more than anything, also wanted to be Trixie's friend--if not for a little while.
Feeling the unicorn's gaze, she looked up from the sketchbook and smiled. Trixie smiled in return, rolling up the scroll and placing it on the desk. Slowly, she stood on her hooves and crossed the space between them. She laid down next to the human child on her stomach, and she took a deep breath before she spoke.
"Trixie got a response from her friend. She says that in order to get you to return home, you have to give me some answers about it. Otherwise, we won't know where to send you off too. You understand?"
Clara nodded and adjusted her position so that she was facing the unicorn, her knees hugged against her chest. "Just ask me anything, Miss Trixie. I'll try to answer the best I can."
Trixie asked as many question she could come up with: What was her world like? Did she live in any cities? What was that like? How did she travel? How different was her world compared to Equestria? As Clara answered every question the best way she could for a seven year-old, Trixie was jotting down notes for her next letter to Twilight. She realized that Clara really wasn't from anywhere near Equestria, much less Equestria itself. She almost considered that Clara had, somehow, dimension-jumped from "Earth" as she called it to Equestria.
She did say she came through the mirror...but that's just foalish, there's nothing special about the mirror!
Yet Trixie couldn't shake the feeling that Clara had been right. All her questions answered, she left Clara to return to her drawing and started writing the letter to Twilight. She referenced her notes, provided her own theories, and asked what the next step should be. After rereading the letter for the third time, she concentrated and cast the spell Twilight had given her. The paper had a yellow glow around it, confirming the spell at worked.
Trixie opened the caravan door and, after enchanting the basket for a mailbox, dropped the scroll inside. She watched it disappear in a puff of yellow smoke.
When Twilight gave the go-ahead to start their journey to Ponyville, Trixie wasted no time. She wanted to get out of Tall Tale as fast as possible. For days, nearly a week, she and Twilight had been exchanging letters and information. The plan that was decided and agreed upon was fairly simple: Trixie would send a daily update on their journey, and of Clara, and the next morning Twilight would return anything she's found out. In the time she and Twilight were exchanging letters, Trixie performed more shows for the citizens of Tall Tale, and bought the necessary items with her hard-earned bits before they left. Food that she and Clara could eat, pans and pots, and paper and quill, were among several other items now occupying the chest in the caravan. She was glad that for the duration of the trip that there wouldn't be a point that they had to forage for food.
Clara, for her part, was both sad about leaving the town of talking ponies yet excited that she would be returning home. Trixie had assured her that her friend would get everything sorted to send her home when they arrived in the other town. Soon, she would see her mother, her dog, her friends--everything familiar to her--again. The day she and Trixie trotted on the cobblestone streets out of the city, Clara watched as the buildings and the ponies slowly disappeared from view.
Once she could see the forest in view, Clara decided that it was safe enough that she could get some much-needed fresh air. Due to the fact that Trixie was moving at a steady speed--not too slow, not too fast--she was easily able to open the door and sit in the frame without threat of falling off. Her small legs dangled over the edge, swaying as the caravan moved. Stuffed bear in hand, Clara simply watched the trees as they passed by. After several minutes of admiring the world around her, Clara finally spoke up.
"How long do you think it will take before we get to your friend, Miss Trixie?"
Suddenly hearing the child's voice behind her caused Trixie to yelp in surprise, and she stopped with a lurch that caused Clara to fall off the caravan and onto the dirt path. The unicorn glanced over her shoulder to see Clara, face-down, slowly sit up and rub her face while she moaned in pain. She saw this as an opportunity to take a break, and she levitated the harness off her back before stretching out her legs.
"Come on, Clara. We might as well eat now. We're not going to stop until night comes, and Trixie refuses to miss out on a meal."
The caravan's stairs were lowered, Trixie's only destination being the chest where the food was kept. When she didn't hear the soft footsteps behind her, the unicorn glanced over her shoulder at Clara. She stood, head lowered, arms behind her back and looking as if she wanted to say something.
Trixie let out an exasperated sigh. "Aren't you going to eat, Clara?"
Clara looked up at Trixie, then around at her surroundings. She gave a small smile as she played with her braids as she did when she was nervous. "Do you think we can eat outside today, Miss Trixie? I've been inside the entire time and..."
Trixie held a hoof up to her chin as she thought. It was a beautiful day, mid-afternoon with the breeze cooling against the warm sun. While Trixie was able to be out-and-about, to walk in the open without fear that anyone would see her, Clara was not given that luxury. She was something new to Equestria, and thus she could not afford to be seen. Lest other ponies do something drastic in fear, or take the girl away to be researched, or even simply make the child fend for herself. While Trixie didn't really like the company of others, she wasn't so heartless that she wouldn't help anyone in need.
The recent events of the Alicorn Amulet had hammered that home. She did not like that she had simply gone for a grudge match, and ended up enslaving all of Ponyville. She wasn't even sure if she would be welcome... It wasn't something she wanted to think about.
Trixie shook her head to erase the tangent her thoughts had followed, and gave a nod to the girl. "Alright, we'll eat outside."
The chest opened, and out floated everything they needed: Bread, flowers, cheese, lettuce, two canteens, and a blanket. She hesitated as the blanket passed by her head. She had really bought it for Clara--along with a pillow--so the girl could at least be more comfortable during their journey. It was small and cheap, but no one deserved to sleep with a blanket covered in dirt. The blanket returned to its place, instead bringing out several purple starred capes to take its place.
I only really wear them for shows, getting them dirty won't hurt anypony.
Setting everything down, she and Clara sat down between and caravan and the stream and began their meal. The two ate their sandwiches in silence. Trixie was glad for a break, and Clara, to be outside. She happily munched on her substance-less sandwich. While Clara would normally have some sort of meat in her sandwich, Trixie explained that ponies don't normally stock meat unless they had a pet that called for it. So she had to make due with a cheese and lettuce sandwich.
"You didn't answer my question, Miss Trixie."
"Mm?" Trixie glanced at Clara as she sipped from her canteen.
"How long do you think it'll be before I see my mommy?"
She didn't know how to respond. Sure, she could tell her how long it would take from their present location to Ponyville, but once they reached the town limits it depended on another unicorn's capabilities. Trixie, as much as she would hate to admit it, was not powerful enough to handle the task. Twilight was the only other pony she knew--barring the Princessess--that could handle the task. All in all, the trip to Ponyville could take around a month if they moved fast, and perhaps even longer if the solution wasn't ready by their arrival.
Trixie gave Clara an unsteady smile. "Soon."
The two had gone another fifteen miles before they stopped. Five hours with little breaks, and Trixie's legs were aching. There were times that Clara walked along side the caravan, excitedly talking about her home life. Trixie occasionally answered questions about Equestria during these times, though it was mostly dominated by Clara's stories. She needed more things to tell Twilight in her next letter. She hoped the more-powerful unicorn would be able to pin point the dimension--if it was indeed another dimension--where Clara came from, and send her back based on what she's been told.
"Ugh, Trixie's legs are so sore!" She whined as she stretched out her fore and hind legs.
Clara hopped down from her perch on the caravan and moved in front of Trixie. Taking a hoof in her hands, she gently rubbed the unicorn's sore leg. "Mommy used to rub my arms or legs when they hurt. Same with my tummy and my head. She says it helps the pain, does it feel better Miss Trixie?"
Surprisingly, the gentle pressure against her hooves did make the pain feel a million times better. When Trixie smiled, Clara returned the smile, and lifted the other foreleg to give it the same treatment. When all her legs no longer felt as though she would fall over when she stood, Trixie lowered the stairs to the caravan.
"We're gonna have something different to eat, I'm sure you're tired of having sandwiches. Trixie needs a change every few days."
There was a sound like several items being pushed around in an enclosed space, when Trixie called Clara into the caravan. She saw Trixie, grinning, holding a pan, two bowls, two spoons, and a can of beans in her telekinetic grip. The girl frowned. She was never a fan of beans. Yet her grumbling stomach told her that she had to eat them anyway.
"You stay here," Trixie told Clara as she set the things down onto the desk, "Trixie is going to get firewood. If you think you hear somepony coming, you hide under the blanket and don't move. Got it?"
Clara nodded and watched Trixie leave, the door closing behind her. Minutes later when she heard the shuffling of feet outside, she quickly hid under the covers and held her breath. A second later the door flew open, and Trixie trotted into the caravan. She couldn't hide the smirk on her face when she saw a large lump under the blanket, far too large for anything less than a living being to make. In one motion Trixie threw the blanket off Clara's head, getting a sharp gasp from the girl since she was exposed. She couldn't help but laugh at the shocked expression on Clara's face, which was quickly replaced with annoyance.
Clara's arms folded against her chest as she huffed. "That was mean, Miss Trixie!"
The unicorn's laughter died down to a low chuckle as she levitated the items off the desk. "Trixie meant no harm, but you were just too easy. Now come on, I'll go ahead and get this started. Bring out the capes we used earlier."
The girl complied as she grabbed the dirty, balled-up capes and joined Trixie outside. The pot was held over the fire with pink magic with Trixie simultaneously opening and pouring the can of beans onto it. The capes were spread out, and the two sat, warming themselves from the cold while they waited for their dinner to cook.
"Hey, you know what you're supposed to do when you go camping?" Clara grinned as she sat down next to the unicorn.
"And just what would that be?"
"You sing camping songs! You also roast marshmallows but we don't have any, so singing would have to do!"
Clara's green eyes widened in excitement, but Trixie could only roll eyes. While she was a performer, she did not sing. She let out a scoff.
"Anypony can sing, but I put my talents elsewhere. No one can top The Great and Powerful Trixie's magic shows!"
Trixie couldn't help but puff out her chest like she always did when she performed. When she noticed Clara hadn't said anything, she opened an eye to glance next to her. She had visibly deflated at the notion that Trixie not only didn't want to sing, but that she didn't like singing in general. The unicorn internally groaned.
I hate that sad face of hers. It's like a foal making puppy-dog eyes, I can't resist it... Augh!
"Trixie...does not mind if you sing, Clara."
At this Clara seemed to brighten up. She racked her brain for a song to sing, but was having difficulties. Never having gone camping before--only getting what she knew from television shows and books--she didn't know what exactly what appropriate for a camping song. When she noticed Trixie looking at her expectantly, she quickly made something up:
'Camping by a fire with my best best friend
I hope that this moment never ends.
We roast marshmallows til they're good and brown
And we talk and talk til the sun goes down.
Play me a song on your pretty guitar
And I'll sing all night with you...'
Clara trailed off, her face scrunched up in concentration as she tried to find a word that rhymed with 'guitar'. Several words came to mind, 'car', 'tar', 'jar', but none that she thought could relate to camping. Her shoulders sagged. I bet my friends could make up a better song... she thought. They're better at it than I am.
A hoof wrapped around Clara's shoulders, and she was pulled against Trixie's body. Trixie did not look at her, but instead poured half of the pan of beans into one of the bowls and floated it in front of Clara's face. She grabbed the bowl, pulled it out of the magic grip, and began to eat. Trixie took a few bites of her meal herself before she spoke.
"Why were you upset? Trixie thought your song was...nice."
Clara swallowed before she spoke. "But it wasn't good! I've never even gone camping... I just know from TV and books."
Her ear twitched as she tried to figure out what 'TV' stood for, but she decided to dismiss it. "Well, everypony has to have a first time for everything right? Just think of this as your first camping experience. And you get to have it with The Great and Powerful Trixie! I can't think of a more memorable moment!"
Trixie let out a hearty laugh, and before long Clara was laughing with her. The forest that ran alongside Unicorn Range was silent, except for crickets, the fire, and the sound of a pony and a human laughing.
Over a week. It's been over a week since Clara had disappeared from her bedroom that night. The house felt so lonely without her constant presence. The police, close friends, and family were doing everything in their power to find the small, brown-haired girl.
As she spoke to several policemen in the house's living area, a woman burst into tears once again, begging the higher powers for her little girl to return home.
Days seemed to be on repeat. Wake up, eat with Clara, read Twilight's response, spend hours walking. Trixie, however, was used to monotony during her travels to new cities. She traded the fast and comfort-ability of train travel for the solitude of traveling by hoof. With trains she had to be around other ponies--ponies who would sometimes openly mock her--and she couldn't bring everything she needed nor could she practice her magic on her own terms. Yet with Clara, the hours that she used to tick by in agonizing pain flew by. There had even been a point where Clara had to point out that they had gone longer than normal without taking a break. Trixie didn't even notice.
The sun slowly dipped into west and the two had seemed to develop a routine. Clara would get the food to eat, while Trixie gathered firewood. When the two sat down to eat, Trixie would ask questions about Clara's home, and Clara would respond in kind with excitement and hope of soon returning. It had been no different, but Trixie noticed something under the smell of eggs.
"What is that--" She sniffed the air, her ear twitching until she finally turned to Clara and pressed her nose against the girl's skin. She pulled back with a frown. "Clara, when was the last time you bathed?"
Clara's cheeks turned a deep red. She looked down at her yellow-and-white nightgown that was now covered in dirt. "Um... before I came here, I guess. How long ago was that?"
Trixie shook her head and got up on her hooves. "Come on, you're gonna take a bath."
The girl crossed her arms as she let out a huff. "You haven't bathed either, Miss Trixie!"
She could only roll her eyes. While it was true that she hasn't bathed in awhile, it was different for equines. Ponies only needed to really bathe every two months or so, just as long as they groomed daily. Which Trixie did in spades. She flicked her tail in slight annoyance, seeing as Clara refused to budge from her spot by the campfire. Her lips curled into a smirk, and Clara was enveloped in a pink aura that lifted her into the air.
"H-hey! Wait! Miss Trixie! Put me down!" She screamed as she punched and kicked the air. Her attempts were in vain, and she watched Trixie carry her away from the caravan and the campfire. "Where are we going? Put me down! Put me down! I don't wanna take a bath!"
Clara continued to fuss and scream as Trixie carried her deeper into the woods. Violet eyes scanned the area for familiar landmarks until she found just what she was looking for; a large boulder that had five dents that fashioned a star on its surface. She continued on while ignoring Clara's tantrum until she reached a small natural hot spring. It formed in the shape of a peanut, with rocks surrounding the outer edge and several that separated the two halves. When Clara realized this was their destination, she could only stare in awe.
Gently, Trixie lowered Clara to the ground. She couldn't help but smile at the hot spring. "I found this years ago when I had been soaked and caked with mud after a particularly heavy rainfall." She dipped a hoof in the warm water and let out a sigh before quickly turning to Clara. "Now, get in the water."
"No!"
"What do I have to do to get you to take a bath?"
Clara frowned and crossed her arms as she thought. Though she didn't want to take a bath, she could almost hear her own mother's voice in Trixie's words. She thought about how her mother would tell her to take a bath before dinner. She thought about how her mother would call her 'squeaky clean' when she finished. She thought about how her mother would help her wash her hair when it got really dirty.
She thought about her mother.
With a sigh, Clara's arms dropped to her sides. She bit her lip to keep herself from crying at how much she missed her mother, her old life. She looked up to Trixie, who had a worried expression, and tried to put on a brave face.
"Fine. But...but you can't look! Mommy says no one should see me without my clothes!"
Trixie was taken back by her sudden boldness, and she tried not to laugh. "Alright, alright. I'll turn around and when you're clean, you just tell me and we'll head back and sleep, alright?" Her smirk never left her face as she turned around away from the hot spring.
Clara hesitated a bit before she approached the water. With one final glance to Trixie to make sure she wasn't looking, she shimmied out of her pajamas and undergarments and slipped into the warm water of the spring. She hissed at the sting of the temperature, then let out a soft sigh as she got used to it. Ripples covered the water's surface as she washed her skin of the dirt. For a moment she considered asking if Trixie had any soap, but decided against it with the rationale that if there was any, it would have been offered.
Trixie tapped a hoof against the earth to fill the otherwise silence. The only sounds were bugs, wind, water, and the sound of her breathing. In order to focus on something, Trixie lit her horn and began to do small spells with rocks and sticks that were before her. They spun in various shapes in patterns. She made it appear as though they had disappeared, only to reappear a moment later. They changed colors in a rapid, flashing manner. Tricks that she had known since she was a filly.
Her ear twitched as she heard water moving as though something had moved out of it. She couldn't help but roll her eyes and smirk when she heard the tell-tale sign of someone meeting a large temperature shift when Clara inhaled sharply. When the ruffling of clothes ceased, Trixie figured it was safe to turn around. Clara wrapped her arms around her body and she shivered violently, leaving the warm feeling of the hot spring to the harsh cold of the open air.
"I-it's f-f-freezing!" She stuttered.
Trixie held a hoof to her mouth as she giggled. "Come on, let's get you back to the caravan." Her pink aura enveloped Clara once again, and she was levitated onto the unicorn's back. She buckled slightly under the weight. She's heavier than she looks!
The two returned to the caravan, where the fire was dying down due to a combination of low maintenance and the night wind. Trixie used her hooves to stamp out the rest of the campfire and led Clara inside, who instantly wrapped herself up in her blanket in an effort to get warm. The unicorn let out a yawn and she crawled into the futon and under her own covers.
"Goodnight, Clara."
When she didn't receive a response, Trixie sat up and squinted in the darkness. "Clara?" She could see the girl right next to her, struggling to brush her hair with Trixie's brush while at the same time trying to keep warm with the blanket. She grit her teeth at seeing someone else use her brush, but with a deep breath Trixie decided to let it go.
The brush was taken from Clara's hand in a magical grip. "Hey, what--"
"Just be still."
Clara obeyed once she found Trixie's intentions: she was brushing her hair for her. She smiled and pulled the blanket tighter around her before she moved closer to futon. The only things poking out of it were her head and the head of her stuffed bear. She let out a hum of happiness as she felt the bristles of the brush against her scalp.
"This is the only time Trixie is doing this." She huffed.
Clara couldn't help but let out a giggle. "Thank you, Miss Trixie."
Trixie only responded with an 'mhm' as she continued to straighten Clara's long brown hair. After she mentally counted one hundred strokes of the brush, she placed it down and laid back down on her pillow. "Now, goodnight Clara."
"Goodnight, Miss Trixie." She smiled as she put her hair into two large braids, and laid down to rest.
Trixie stared at the basket on the outside of the caravan in confusion. There was no letter. Twilight had been consistent in her responses, which were expected right after breakfast. Her ears folded against her head, then she shook the thoughts of what could have possibly happened away.
"No... no. Maybe she's busy. I'll give until lunch before I figure something's wrong."
Lunch came and went, with nothing from the unicorn in Ponyville. Trixie played it off that maybe the Princess had assigned her and her friends to some important task. She chuckled to herself and continued on her way down the path.
In the heart of Ponyville, the sky is checkered with clouds, animals cannot control themselves, ponies aren't laughing, horrible dresses are being sold, chores aren't getting done, and in the middle of it all is a purple unicorn trying to make sense of the situation.
"And in other news: The case of the missing child Clara Wilkes still has investigators stumped. The seven year old disappeared from her home just before she was to be in bed, according to her mother. She has been missing for nearly a month, with no new leads on where she might be. If anyone has any information about her whereabouts, please contact the police station at the number displayed on the screen--"
The screen clicked black. A woman sat on a couch with her head in her hands, next to her a man holding the television remote. He gently rubbed the woman's back to console her.
"We'll find her." He muttered. "I promise we'll bring Clara home."
The woman slowly straightened herself up, and he could see that her eyes were red and her cheeks were stained with tears. She let out a soft sniffle as she wiped the remaining tears away with the heel of her hand. The man could see just how much the woman was like her missing daughter--their missing daughter--in how big their hearts were.
"It's been nearly a month! And there have been no leads whatsoever. It's as if she just...vanished. I--" She hiccuped as more tears began to form. "I just don't understand. Nothing out of the ordinary happened. We ate dinner, and then I sent her to bed. I heard her scream and...and she was just gone."
Tears started flowing again as her ex-husband held her close. He didn't say anything, but just held her until she cried herself to sleep. He started at the blank TV screen, wondering just what happened to his little girl.
The next morning, Clara's mother was sitting in a white investigation room at the police station. She had been called in once or twice to be investigated, but most of the time she had been there to be the investigator. She wanted to know what happened to her little girl, even if it meant going to the station to get information from the police.
Two investigators filed into the room. She knew them well since she first filed a missing child report. Detective Long, small and petite, but able to hold her own just as well as any other officer. Detective Dumont, the complete opposite of his partner, in terms of looks and personality. The first time the three met they played an excellent victim's rendition of "Good Cop, Bad Cop"--Dumont comforting the distraught mother, and Long asking repeatedly if she remembered anything vital.
But that morning the tables had turned. She was there to get information from them. She demanded to be part of every step of the investigation process for her daughter. Gone were the tears that rolled down her cheeks the previous night, and there sat a Momma Bear with unmatched determination to bring her cub home.
"Detective Dumont, Detective Long," She greeted as the two of them sat opposite, looking rather exhausted. "Have there been any updates to where my little girl is?"
Dumont couldn't help but sigh. "Ms. Wilkes, it's the same as every other time. We are trying to find your daughter, but coming to us every few days isn't helping us at all. In fact, it's halting the investigation quite a bit. Besides, it's been nearly a month and we haven't found anything..." He trailed off, avoiding the mother's eyes by looking down at the table.
"What my partner means..." Long said, picking up the conversation. "Is that-- Unfortunately, your daughter-- ...Might have passed away. We are, and shall continue, to try and turn up any clues. But it's been nearly a month, and there have been no clues, no suspects, nothing out of the ordinary. Your daughter's bedroom is spotless. If someone had been in and out of that bedroom, they did a very good job or hiding their trail. We are going to do everything we can to bring her home, but like my partner says, it's been nearly a month. In these Child Abduction cases, they don't survive past a few days."
There was dead silence in the room. Three sets of eyes met each other in silent horror as to what might have become of the seven-year-old girl. The two policemen didn't mean to be so blunt, they were trained to break bad news as delicately as possible. Yet they spoke to a mother of her possibly-deceased daughter in the worst way possible.
Once she was over the initial shock, tears once again started to roll down Clara's mother's cheeks. One, then two, then several continued to drip onto the wooden table. She let out a choked sob. "It...it can't be true. Clara is alive, she has to be. I... I refuse to believe that she...she's..." The grown woman choked out another sob and hit her face with her hands.
The two officers glanced sadly at each other and stood. "We'll give you a few minutes alone, Ms. Wilkes."
The door clicked softly behind them, leaving the poor mother alone with the thought that her only child might be dead.
It was a beautiful morning, but there was nothing but sadness in one of the many classrooms at the elementary school. The time before first bell was always chaotic. It was the time to get all the rowdiness out of one's system before they were forced to sit and learn for the next couple hours, as the next break they had to go crazy was lunch then recess. But that morning, the classroom that was normally filled with noise was strangely quiet.
When Clara had first been absent, nothing had been thought of it. Every child missed school a couple days out of the semester. When she had missed a week, the other children assumed some sort of emergency happened within her family. When she missed two and a half weeks, they assumed she had been sick. When she missed nearly a month, they knew something happened to their friend and classmate.
It was especially hard on Clara's close friends. As time passed and they grew more worried, they withdrew from the other classmates. The teacher saw how Clara's absence was affecting the rest of her students and, against the curriculum, tried to band the students together to somewhat fill the void the seven-year-old left. It had worked for a time, but there was only so much a teacher could do.
Even with contacting the principal and Clara's mother, the teacher didn't receive any information about why Clara wasn't at school. There were always excuses, a lot of "She will be back in a few days, I know it" from her mother, but nothing concrete. Nearly a month passed, and the teacher had nothing to tell the other children about where their classmate was.
And it was tearing the poor children apart. All the teacher could do was hope and pray that Clara was alright, and that she would return soon to bring everything back to normal.
Clara ran ahead towards the cliff that was just on the other side of the forest they were emerging from. Stopping just short of the steep drop, she put a hand to her forehead to block the slowly setting sun from her eyes. Nestled in the valley was a small town. She could see lots of little, colorful buildings. If she extended her vision, she could even see a grove of trees on the far side, accompanied by a single red dot.
The young girl jumped excitedly as Trixie approached the cliff-side. In contrast to the tall, sturdy buildings of Tall Tale--which vaguely resembled her own hometown--the tiny town below her was made in many vibrant colors. To her, it almost looked like it came straight from a children's book.
Trixie smiled at the sight. "That's it! Ponyville, where Trixie's friend lives." She squinted as she leaned forward--though not too much as to send herself and the caravan falling off the cliff-- and pointed to a moderately large green dot in the distance. "You see that giant tree there? That's the Ponyville Library. She lives there."
Clara tilted her head in confusion. "She lives in a library? How can anyone live in a library? There's just books and tables!"
"I'm sure she makes it work. Trixie has never personally gone inside her home, but it is a somewhat well-known fact that that's where she resides." The unicorn craned her neck upwards to see the sun slowly lower itself over the horizon. "Clara, go ahead and go inside. Trixie will hurry and find a good place to camp for the night. We should be able to get you home by tomorrow afternoon.
The thought that she was merely less than a day from seeing her mother again made Clara's stomach flutter with excitement. There was another feeling there, however, one she couldn't put into words. As much as she wished to return to normality, she would miss Trixie. She'd miss the unicorn's boastfulness when she was confident, and her kindness when her travel mate was scared. She gave Trixie a smile before stepping into the caravan and closing the door behind her.
Trixie stared at the closed wooden door, then down at the town below her. With a moment's hesitation, she stepped away from the cliff and back towards the forest to find a safe path to settle for the night.
Trixie laid in her futon, staring at the wooden ceiling in the dark. The only light came from the bright glow of a full moon that shined through the caravan's tiny window. If she had to guess, it was well past when she should have been asleep, and yet she couldn't.
I did a good thing. She's just a little girl--she can't be older than a school-age filly. She needs to go home. And she'll be able to do that with Twilight's help. I did a good thing.
So why am I suddenly uneasy about taking her to Ponyville?
The unicorn grunted and rolled onto her side. She could see Clara, sleeping on the floor next to her, with a smile on her face and clutching her teddy bear close to her chest. The sketchbook and crayons were just on the other side of her, open to a blank page and the yellow, orange, and green crayons rolled on top of it. Trixie sighed.
Okay, think about it. Clara has been nothing but a thorn in my side. I spent valuable bits for things she could eat, and that expensive drawing set. And I am taking time out of my life to take a side-trip back to Ponyville. And she's so annoying! Non-stop talking, in awe about everything, and just basically a big headache.
Trixie cringed inwardly at the thoughts. She knew she couldn't lie to herself no matter how much she tried. In the short month she had known the girl, Trixie had grown to love her. She almost felt like Clara--even if she was a different species, from a different dimension altogether--was her own foal. She loved the girl to pieces, and she would be sad to see her go. She'd never see her again.
She rolled over in a huff and closed her eyes in an attempt to get some sleep. After several minutes of silence, and Trixie could feel her consciousness slipping. That's when she heard it. Her eyes shot open, her ears pointed and turned towards the sound. She held her breath to try and listen better.
It sounded like steps. Large steps. Far off, but slowly getting closer. Trixie sat up in alarm as she heard the sound of dozens of trees hitting the ground at once. Without waking Clara, she jumped up and ran outside and away from the caravan to see just what was causing such sounds. She stood on top a large gathering of rocks for the best view. Her breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened in fear.
Just above the treetops she could make out a large creature's head. Multiple closed eyes and large fangs protruding from it mouth, it was nothing Trixie had ever seen before. It seemed to be sleepwalking--and the caravan was right in its path.
The large monster was approaching the caravan, and Trixie knew she couldn't get there fast enough to move it out of harm's way. Her heart beating fast, she ran as fast as she could to save what she was able to.
The door swung open--the monster was closing in. So close that she jumped every time the massive beast took a step. Without a moment's hesitation, a pink aura wrapped around Clara's sleeping form, and she was levitated out of the caravan. Trixie made a run for safe ground. She was just barely out of harm's way when she heard the crunch of solid wood being destroyed.
Clara woke up with a start, and the first thing she saw was a large, scaly foot coming down onto the caravan. She broke out in a sweat, "Miss Trixie!" She shouted, fear rising and tears welling up. It was then that she noticed that she had been floating off the ground and carried off at a fast pace. She glanced over to see Trixie running as fast as she could, panting heavily as though she had been running for hours.
Her legs ached, and she slowed her run, then she finally stopped. Trixie panted, her heart still pumping with adrenaline. She set the young girl down--who seemed to be shaking with fear--and just stared at her. To Clara's surprise, the unicorn suddenly had her hooves wrapped around her.
"Clara! I-- That thing. It was just walking toward the caravan! I couldn't--I didn't have time to move it. I grabbed you and ran as fast as I could! Oh, thank Celestia. Thank Celestia."
Clara, now faced with the gravity of what almost became of her and Trixie, collapsed to her knees and cried softly into the unicorn's shoulder. The two of them stayed that way for a while, just glad that neither of them were harmed. It was Clara that pulled away from the embrace.
"T-Thank you, M-Miss Trixie..." She hiccuped and wiped her face of the excess tears. Trixie nuzzled her neck, communicating words that couldn't be said.
"Trixie should... We should check on the caravan. Hopefully that sleepwalking beast didn't completely crush everything." Trixie's ears lowered against her head, but she tried to put on a brave face for Clara's sake. Levitating Clara onto her back, she made her way towards the wreckage of her home.
The unicorn's legs buckled at the sight of her caravan. It had been completely destroyed, reduced to nothing but a giant pile of broken wood. Clara slid off from Trixie's back and started walking towards it, but she was held back by Trixie's aura. Catching her meaning, she sat down on the cold grass and watched as she sifted through the rubble. Pieces of wood--large and small--were being moved of to the side in Trixie's magic, unveiling anything that might be salvageable. Neither of them spoke a word during this process.
Clara had managed to nod off, but awoke to the feeling that someone had been standing over her. She rubbed her eyes as she yawned, and looked up at Trixie's exhausted face. She looked around her to see that the wood had been placed in several piles, and sh could vaguely see what had been inside the caravan--Trixie's futon, books, and something she could only assume used to be the chest.
Trixie let out a sigh. "Pretty much everything in Trixie's chest is ruined. Only the saddlebags and a few books managed to be saved. Most of my hats and capes are either torn or ruined by cans exploding against them. We won't be having breakfast tomorrow, and we're gonna have to sneak you into the town somehow..."
Clara pulled her knees up to her chest and hugged them close. She wanted to cry, on some level she felt it had been her fault. If she hadn't been so nice, she thought, she would still have her house.
Trixie sat down next to her and rested her head on the girl's shoulders. Her horn lit up, and something floated over towards her face. "I did find this. He has a few tears, but I do think he'll be alright." She couldn't help but smile a little as she watched Clara's eyes widen.
Her beloved teddy bear was floating just inches from her face. It was dirty, the tiny doll pajamas torn, and some cotton peaking out from its limbs, but it was her bear all the same. Clara plucked it out of the air and held onto it tight, soaking it with her tears. Trixie rubbed a hoof up and down her back to console her.
"We should sleep. It's been a long night, and you don't want to look tired when you reunite with your mother, right?" Trixie chuckled under her breath and held Clara close. Within minutes, Clara was fast asleep once again.
Trixie's heart jumped. Now that Clara was asleep, she didn't have to pretend to be strong anymore. Tears rolled down her cheeks. Not for her caravan, or for her belongings, but for Clara, whom she almost lost. She knew she couldn't live with herself had something happened to her.
She cried herself to sleep with tears of happiness that everything was alright, and with tears of sadness that come that time the next day, Clara would be gone forever.
Without the cover of a roof to shield them, the sun's rays bared down onto the bodies of Trixie and Clara. They stirred and whined, trying to sleep as long as possible. Yet the combination of the sun and the birds chirping did not give them that luxury. With a yawn, Trixie straightened herself and gently nudged the sleeping girl next to her.
"Come on, Clara. It's time to wake up..." She craned her neck to look up at the skies above her. The sun was just in the middle of the sky, indicating just how long they had slept in. Trixie frowned but decided that there was nothing else she could do but get Clara awake as soon as possible. "Come on now! Trixie demands you wake up!"
When Clara groaned and rolled on her side with her back facing her, Trixie's lips curled into a devilish smirk. She lit her horn, several magic tendrils forming. They menacingly moved towards their target...
...and proceeded to tickle her sides. Clara couldn't help but giggle and squirm as Trixie tickled her. "I'm up! I'm up!" She cried for mercy, and her laugh made Trixie's heart melt.
I'm going to miss her...
Trixie cancelled the spell and climbed onto her hooves to stretch. She watched as Clara did the same, while also patting the dirt off her clothes. The unicorn trotted over to the remains of her caravan. Off to the side were the things that managed to still be in decent and usable condition after the previous night's tragedy. She picked up her saddlebags and placed them on her back, and then slid the few books remaining into the pouches. After that, she put on the one set of her hat and cape that wasn't too badly damaged--only a few tears and dirt. She did not reveal herself to the public without her signature items.
With the first obstacle of the day over with, there was another major one that needed to be dealt with: Getting Clara inside Ponyville without the citizens causing a panic.
"A teleport spell? No, the discharge would alert anypony nearby, and I'm not that skilled in long-range teleporting to begin with..." Trixie muttered under her breath as she started to lead Clara down towards the town. "I'd have to keep up an invisibility spell...and still, the magic shift in the air would be of notice, hm..."
Clara frowned at Trixie's escalating frustrations. She wished she could offer up some suggestions of her own, but even living within the world for a month was nowhere near long enough to know about anything about the world, especially in such isolation. Trixie let out a groan, and Clara wrapped an arm around the unicorn's neck.
"You'll figure something out, Miss Trixie."
Trixie couldn't help but lean into the one-arm hug. A part of her wanted to drag this out as long as possible, but she knew she couldn't. The little girl didn't belong in Equestria, she belonged wherever she came from. And Trixie, as egotistical and selfish as she was, was not willing to separate Clara from her true home.
After a couple hours of walking, Clara could see the edge of the town. Her lips curled into a wide smile as she could see that there was some sort of celebration going on. She could hear music, see multitudes of banners and confetti, and hear the distant sounds of laughter and cheer. She bounced on the heels of her feet in excitement.
"Oh! Miss Trixie! It looks like a party! What kind of parties do ponies have?"
Trixie, however, frowned in thought.
It looks like a big celebration. The entire town could be out and about! I knew sneaking Clara in would be difficult, but--
A hand suddenly flew in front of her, breaking her out of her thoughts. Clara smiled to Trixie. She tugged at the end of her pajama dress and rocked on her heels.
"Can we go see the party?"
Trixie really didn't want to disappoint her. She bit the inside of her cheek and took a quick look at her surroundings before nodding. "Alright. But you have to follow me, alright? And be very, very quiet."
Clara let out an excited squeal, then made motions as if she were zipping her lips and placing the key in an imaginary pocket. Trixie was amused at such a gesture, but decided not to comment on it, leading Clara towards the heart of Ponyville through the backstreets.
As they neared Ponyville Square, Clara could hardly contain her excitement. She wanted to run and join in on the fun, play games, and eat lots of sweets that were the norm at the parties she usually attended. She let out high-pitched squeaks and gasps whenever she would get a clear glimpse of the party.
Trixie, on the other hand, was less amused. She could make out some banners that read "CONGRATS ---- TWILIGHT!" with various things like balloon bouquets or a mountainous cake blocking the center word. She wondered just what Twilight Sparkle did, and if that was the reason for her less-than-professional behavior regarding their letters. She briefly wondered if Twilight even had the solution for getting Clara home, but decided that it was just best if she found out herself.
The two of them reached a point where they would have to cross through the public area in order to continue forwards. Trixie stopped and turned to Clara.
"Just stay here, and remember not to say anything." Clara nodded, and watched Trixie disappear into the sea of multicolor ponies.
Trixie joined the crowd, idly thinking that the size of Ponyville had grown considerably since she last visited with that accursed Alicorn Amulet, something she hoped that would not be brought up again; she just wanted to have the entire event behind her. Unfortunately, the townsponies of Ponyville couldn't help but noticed her presence, and began whispering rumors as she walked past.
'Isn't that Trixie?'
'What's she doing here?'
'She doesn't look like she's trying to cause trouble.'
'The nerve of her returning!'
'I don't understand how Twilight could forgive her.'
She held her head up high and tried to tune out the whispers among the laughter as best as she could. After several minutes of walking, she had yet to find Twilight Sparkle, and even worse she was sure that everypony knew she was in town. She let out a soft groan under her breath and trotted up as casually as she could to a random pony.
It was a tall, gangly yellow stallion who looked at home by the treats table. He slid a tray of freshly baked goods off his back and onto the table, and started to arrange them in a more pleasing-to-look-at manner. He didn't even notice that someone was walking up behind him until he heard a throat-clearing noise. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the showmare.
"What can I help ya with?" He smiled and turned his full attention to her.
For a moment Trixie was stunned. She had expected resentment, not friendliness. She cleared her throat again. "Trixie needs to locate Twilight Sparkle. Do you know where she is?"
The stallion raised a hoof and scratched at his tuft of a beard. "I think I saw her and her friends go over to Carousel Boutique. Rarity made something extremely special for the occasion. You see, Twilight--"
Trixie didn't wait for the stallion to continue speaking before sprinting off towards the fashion boutique. She paid little mind to those she bumped into, and before she knew it she was standing before the door. When she strained her ears, she could hear multiple voices just on the other side, and she took a shaky breath. While Twilight had forgiven her for her wrongdoings, she wasn't exactly sure if the others had. But that didn't matter. What mattered was that she got Clara home safe and sound, and a protective instinct rose whenever she thought about how long she had left the girl alone in the alleyway.
Without further hesitation, Trixie knocked at the door.
The voices paused, then started up again for a moment. Hoofsteps grew louder as they approached the door, and flew open a moment later. Rarity stood speechless and her eyes widened in surprise. She stumbled over her words, then coughed into her hoof to regain her composure.
"Trixie. Just what are you doing here?" The white unicorn started at the other with equal parts contempt and curiosity.
Trixie stood her ground, her expression serious and her demeanor showing that she would not back down or be turned away. "Trixie is here to see Twilight Sparkle. Let me talk to her, it's urgent."
Rarity raised a brow and cocked her head to the side. "And why should I do that? Last time you were here you took over the town and forced her out. Twilight says you've changed, but well...old habits die hard, darling."
She huffed and opened her mouth to rebut, when a voice was heard further inside.
"Rarity! Who is it? Are you alright?"
"Just fine, darlings! Just...give me a moment." Rarity turned to Trixie and let out a sigh. "Wait here. I'll bring Twilight out. But the other girls and I will be right inside in case Twilight needs us."
She watched as Rarity trotted inside, then return a moment later with another pony in her stead. Once her companion was outside, Rarity closed the door to give them their privacy. Trixie gaped as she saw Twilight Sparkle. She was different--she had wings. They were folded against her side but Trixie was unmistakable in what she was seeing.
Twilight Sparkle was an alicorn.
When she realized she had just been staring at her, she sputtered. "You...wings...how?"
The purple alicorn blushed and rubbed her foreleg with her other hoof. "It's a long story. I've just been so busy after, ah....ascending, as Princess Celestia calls it."
"Are you--"
"A princess? Yes, I suppose so. However my official coronation is a few days from now. I just can't believe it...anyway, why are you here. Trixie?"
The showmare just blinked as she processed the new information. Twilight Sparkle was an alicorn. Nopony had ever heard of any normal pony becoming one--even Princess Cadence's rise to princess status was shrouded in mystery. But here was one, one Trixie knew and considered her rival no less, that now sported wings and a promise of a throne.
Old feelings of jealousy and resentment started to bubble up from within, but Trixie tried her best to push them down and remain calm. "Do you now remember, Twilight? The letters we talked about? You had stopped responding after a while. Did you find a solution for her?"
It was Twilight's turn to blink. When realization hit, she smacked her forehead. "Oh! You mean the human girl! Right, right. I'm sorry Trixie. I did get your letters, but I was kind of preoccupied with..." She opened her wings for a brief moment. "...you know. But! Good news is I think I did find something to do with dimensional travel. I'm not sure if it will help, because it was mostly a theory and the author of the book was regarded as, well, crazy for it... but it's better than nothing."
Trixie let out a small sigh. It was small, but it was a chance.
"So where is she?"
She lifted her head and motioned behind her. "She had to hide. Trixie's caravan got destroyed just outside of town, so I couldn't just walk her inside as I had originally planned. Just...follow me."
With a nod, and a quick message to her friends inside that she would take Trixie to the library, the two of them went off to retrieve Clara from her hiding place, and take her to the Ponyville Library.
Clara rested her head on her knees as she sat in the alley behind a trash can. The sounds of the party only kept her interested for so long before she started to get sleepy. It was the same as watching the other kinds play a game while she was too sick to join in; it just left her with a feeling of isolation and boredom.
After Trixie had left her in hiding for five minutes, she started to wonder if something happened. When it approached ten minutes, she started to wonder if Trixie had simply left her. She frowned and closed her eyes, trying to banish the negative thoughts by drifting off to sleep.
Next thing she knew, she was shaken awake. Clara let out a soft noise as she looked up to see Trixie and another pony standing above her. Blinking and letting out a yawn, she crawled to her feet and leaned against the showmare as she slowly woke up.
"Am I going home now, Miss Trixie?" She mumbled her the blue fur.
There was a moment's silence before there was a response. "Yeah. Let's get you home, Clara."
A tingling sensation covered Clara's skin, and when she looked up she was in a room that where the walls were covered with shelves of books. As she looked at her new surroundings, the other pony that had joined Trixie stepped into her field of vision.
"Hello! My name is Twilight Sparkle. Trixie told me so much about you." The alicorn smiled as she spoke, but also studied the girl. Clara was nothing like Twilight had ever seen. If it wasn't for Trixie's insistence--and the girl's obvious young age--she would have liked to sit her down and learned more about her world and her species.
Unfortunately she did not have that luxury, so instead of questioning she levitated a rather thick book from a pile near the stairs over to her. Clara gasped when she could see Twilight in her entirety.
"You have wings!"
Twilight couldn't help but chuckle. "Yeah, I'm just getting used to them myself."
"Are you a pegasus or a unicorn?"
"Hmm. I guess I'm both now, aren't I?"
That seemed like a good enough answer for Clara, and stared at Twilight as though she had just discovered something new and exciting.
Jealousy once again bubbled up within Trixie, and she stomped her hoof impatiently. "Twilight. Do you think you can help or not?"
The book that floated before Twilight opened and was turned to a page in the middle of the book. "Space Searcher was a great scientist of his time. He was the one that discovered many facts about stars and space that we rely on today. He took a page from Starswirl's book and started to research time and with the knowledge he had, theorized that there may be other dimensions other than our own.
Sadly, he was seen as insane and taken to an asylum and well... With the help of Princess Celestia I was able to get some of his workings. If Space Searcher is correct, then all I'd need to access a dimension without a known portal is something from that dimension as a sort of link."
Clara and Trixie stood in confused silence. Both were incredibly lost by Twilight's explanation, and didn't know what to say. When the alicorn picked up on this, she smiled sheepishly and turned to Clara.
"Do you have anything from your world, Clara?"
She nodded. "I have my bear!" She glanced at Trixie. "Do you still have him?"
Trixie nodded and floated out the small stuffed bear from the hidden saddlebags, and handed it to Twilight. She looked it over with a worried expression.
"Is something wrong, Twilight?" Trixie asked.
"Well...It's possible that whatever is used to establish the link can be...destroyed. Are you alright with that?"
Clara felt her stomach drop. She always had her stuffed bear, it was one of her best friends. But she had to return home as well. Tears started to well up as she nodded slowly. Trixie pulled her close and comforted her.
"Alright...here we go."
Twilight levitated the bear before her and closed her eyes in concentration. Under her breath she recited an incantation, and her horn shined brighter with magic energy.
The fur all over Trixie's body stood on end as the magical atmosphere in the room changed. She knew all to well that the stronger the spell, the bigger the explosion should it backfire. And they were doing something that had never been tested before.
In a show of motherly instinct, Trixie grabbed Clara and moved her to the opposite side of the room, as far away from Twilight as possible. She wanted her to be shielded from the potential blast, even if it meant that she would take the brunt of it.
Hair whipped around Twilight's face as the beam from her horn grew in size. A blue circle appeared around the bear, and slowly expanded in size with each passing second. It grew to a large size until it nearly touched both the floor and the ceiling, and then stopped as Twilight collapsed from the exertion. The stuffed bear fell in front of her.
She panted heavily with sweat rolling down her forehead, but she had done it. She had successfully opened a portal, and deep down she hoped it led to wherever Clara was from. She turned and gave a weak smile to the two.
"That...should take you home, Clara..." She paused as she caught her breath. "And even your friend survived the endeavor!"
Trixie cautiously guided Clara over to the portal, and pressed a hoof against it. It took it in, but did not suck her through entirely. Her ears pressed flatly against her head. The time had come for Clara to return home to her real mother, in her real world. She didn't belong in Equestria.
She pushed the feelings deep down and turned to the girl, who was hugging her bear close against her chest and thanking Twilight. Her words died in her throat. She didn't want her to leave. This past month she had come to think of Clara as her foal, and she didn't want to let her go.
But she wasn't, and she had to.
"Are you ready to go home?"
Clara turned on her heel and faced Trixie. She gave a small smile and a nod. Trixie halfheartedly returned them. Trixie's horn shimmered under her stage hat, and--along with her cape--levitated off her and onto Clara.
She blinked. "But, these are the only ones that didn't--" She was cut off by a wave of Trixie's hoof.
"I will get more. They were already a bit torn anyway, and Trixie needs fresh ones when she does a show. So, you can keep them."
Clara wrapped the cape around her as she thought. And then she smiled. She reached out her arms and offered the stuffed bear to her.
Trixie was taken back. She wasn't expecting that she would try to offer her something in return, especially not the bear that she had a bit of a hard time giving up. But Clara just nodded with the bright smile, and Trixie took the bear in her hooves.
"I...Thank you, Clara."
The two of them stood in silence, and Trixie was finding it harder each passing moment to allow her to go through the portal. "Go on, Clara. I'm sure your mother is waiting for you..."
Clara hesitated, then wrapped her arms around the unicorn's neck in one last embrace.
"Thank you, Miss Trixie...thank you for everything."
Before Trixie could formulate a response, Clara pulled away from her and stepped into the blue portal. Once the portal had taken something, it swallowed closed for no chance of returning. It was just Trixie and Twilight, standing in silence and staring at the spot where Clara had just been standing.
Twilight slowly approached Trixie. "Are you alright...?" She whispered.
She didn't respond. Tears welled up and overflowed from her eyes, hitting the library floor with a soft plink. They came harder and harder in larger and larger droplets, and soon Trixie was sobbing on the floor.
Twilight sat next to her and gently rubbed the unicorn's back. Once Trixie had calmed down, she managed to choke out a few words.
"I..I'll never see her again."
Twilight gave her a sad smile. "But you helped her get home. And I don't think she'll ever forget you. And you have something you can always treasure."
She was met with sniffles as Trixie hugged the bear close to her chest. Though that didn't satisfy the aching feeling she had in her heart, she knew on some level that Clara would be home safe and sound. And that was all that mattered to her.
But she would never forget her, as long as she lived.
Clara held on close to the hat and cape as she traveled down the portal's path. She didn't want to lose the gifts she had been given, she wanted to keep them forever.
After what felt like a lifetime, Clara was spat out of the other side.
She let out a painful groan as she slowly pushed herself up to see where she was. It was her bedroom, just as she had left it when she disappeared into the mirror a month earlier.
"Mommy?"
She walked out of her room, looking to see any signs of her mother. From the top of the stairs she could hear noise from the dining room.
"Mommy?"
Clara ran down the stairs, holding tight to Trixie's hat so it wouldn't fall off, and towards the source of the noise. She nearly slipped on the hardwood floor as she turned the corner.
She could see her mother turn in shock as she ran in, along with her father that sat opposite of her. She didn't know why her father had been there, since she only got to see him on weekends, but was glad nonetheless.
"Clara!"
The two adults shouted as the jumped out of their chairs and grabbed Clara in an embrace. They cried, talked over each other, and thanked the heavens that their daughter had been home safe and sound.
Clara's mother had a million things to ask, but decided it would be better if the three of them just sat down and enjoyed each other's company. There would be time for questions later.
Clara smiled to herself and a thanks of her own under her breath. She knew that she would never forget the time she spent in the land of ponies, with a unicorn named Trixie.
Many students shifted uncomfortably in their seats. Twenty-six pairs of eyes were glued to the clock as it ticked away the seconds until their freedom from the proverbial prison that was school. Whispers could be heard throughout the class; though all of the students had finished their final, the teacher still wanted absolute silence, and the students were starting to get restless.
Clara rested her cheek on her hand and doodled absentmindedly on the black-topped science desk as she waited for the bell to ring. The graphite of the pencil stood out wonderfully, the words 'GREAT AND POWERFUL' in block letters and a drawing of a tiny magician hat hanging off the L taking over her half of the table. She smiled at the memory, and almost didn't notice the faint tug at one of her braids.
"Hm?" She mumbled, glancing over her shoulder. She gave the tugger a smile as she raised her brow. "What, Rosie?"
"What are you gonna do this summer?" The girl leaned forward to whisper to her friend, "Our first summer as High Schoolers! We should do something special!"
She couldn't help but roll her eyes, though her playful smile never left her lips. "Rosie, it's the same exact thing we've done before, it's not like it's going to feel different just because we're Freshman now."
Rosie couldn't help but pout and cross her arms. She huffed, blowing a strand of stray, dyed-purple hair from her face. "Maybe I can convince you tonight. Your mom did say I can sleep over, right?"
Clara nodded just as the bell rang, signaling the end of the school year and total freedom for the next three months. Chair legs scrapped the floor--and in some cases, tipped over--as students ran into the hall to get to their bus as fast as possible. She could only giggle and shake her head as she and her friend joined the rest of the students into the hall.
Rosie dug into her jean pockets and pulled out a yellow slip. "My mom's just going to bring over my clothes later, so I can ride the bus with you."
The two of them grinned at each other before quickening their pace towards the outside doors, and onto Clara's bus for the ride home.
"Clara, Rosie, what do you want to eat tonight?" Clara's mother shouted from downstairs.
"Pizza!" The two teenagers responded, never taking their eyes off the television screen. The room was dark, save for the light from the hall and the television, which flashed in unison with Rosie's furious button taps.
"Go, go! He's almost dead!"
"Don't you think I know that?!"
Clara sat on the edge of her bed while Rosie sat on the ground, holding a game controller in her hands. Both were silent as the character on screen the repeatedly attacked a large monster. Two bars on the top screen showed each character's health, which were both at critical levels.
They took a sharp inhale.
And suddenly the character on the screen got knocked back, and the words 'YOU DIED' in bright, red letters flashed on the screen.
"NO!"
Rosie shouted and threw down the controller in a fit of rage. "I almost had him! AUGH! I was so close!"
Clara leaned over as far as she could without leaving the comfort of her bed. "Let me try!"
The purple-haired girl let out a growl and picked up the controller protectively. "No way! I can do it! Let me try again!"
"You already had three tries! I wanna play!"
"One more time!"
Clara groaned, but knew she wasn't going to get through to her friend, who took games very seriously. "Fine, fine..." Rosie paid her no mind, already reloading a previous save point. She couldn't help but smile at her friend's stubbornness.
As her friend played, she rolled on her side and reached for a sketchbook that was laying next to her bed. She flipped to a page she had been working on for the past several weeks, and smiled at what she had already done.
On the page was a minimalist-style cartoon pony, sitting on large, Vegas-styled letters spelling 'TRIXIE'. All around it were stars, moons, and wands--not unlike a certain hat and cape set that still had a place in her closet, even after all these years.
Clara, in the weeks, months, and years following her return from Equestria, found herself missing the magical land of ponies. She missed seeing how lively everything was, how unicorns and pegasi actually existed and were real. But most of all, she missed the one who took care of her and became a close friend in that short month they were together--the showmare Trixie.
When she discovered that she had a talent or the graphic arts, she decided to honor the time spent by adding a little bit of Equestria to each piece she did. Small things, things that looked normal to anyone else but that she alone knew the meaning of. Her favorite pieces, however, were the ones she dedicated wholly and completely to Trixie. She hoped that one day, she might be able to show them to her.
The night was winding down. Rosie managed to beat the monster she had been stuck on, and Clara added to her sketches. They ate pizza, played more video games, and watched a few movies. Now, with it being well past dark and Clara's mother already in bed, they decided to just sit and watch whatever was on until they fell asleep.
Rosie emerged from the bathroom in her skull-print pajamas, then flopped on the bed with a running start. She grinned playfully as Clara glared down at her friend.
"You're gonna break my bed if you keep doing that."
"We'll cross that bridge when we get there."
Clara let out a huff. As much as she loved being around Rosie, there were times when her reckless, carefree attitude annoyed her. Yet she takes it all in stride, because she cared about Rosie just as much as Rosie cared about her.
Rosie rolled onto her back and tilted her head so she was looking at her friend upside down. "You know, you never answered my question earlier."
Clara knew this was coming. She smiled and played innocent. "Hm? What question?"
"What are we gonna do this summer?"
"I don't know, Rosie."
The purple-haired girl rolled again so that she was resting on her stomach. "Maybe we can go somewhere! My brother just said he was gonna spend the summer on the beach. We should ask him if we can go."
"Mm." Clara had to admit, it was a tempting idea. To go down and have fun on the beach with her best friend, while her older, 23-year-old brother watched over them. He was pretty cool, and if they played things right, the two of them wouldn't see much of him.
She smiled and nodded to her friend, who smiled in return. They had a plan for their first High School summer vacation.
"Now are you sure about this?"
A clearly worried mother checked--and double-checked--the suitcases as they were loaded out of the car. Clara just smiled and took a bag from her mother. Ever since she had lost her daughter for that one month when she was seven, her mother had been more protective of her. Yet, even she knew that children needed her space, and so with some reluctance, gave Clara the go ahead to travel with her friend and her friend's older brother.
"I assure you, Ms. Wilkes, Clara is going to be perfectly safe with me. Both our rooms are right next to eachother, and they know that they aren't going to go anywhere without telling me," The older brother wrapped his arm around his younger sister's head, pulling her in close. "It'll be fun for all of us."
Ms. Wilkes still didn't seem too convinced, but decided that it would, ultimately, be safe. She leaned down and took Clara in her arms for an embrace.
"Moooom..." Clara acted embarrassed, though she in turn returned the gesture.
Her mother kissed her forehead and pulled away. "Have fun, you three! Call me when you get there, alright?"
"We will!" Rosie shouted, if not a bit impatiently, as she struggled to get out of her brother's hold. "Let's go! The plane isn't going to wait for us!"
Her brother chuckled good-naturedly and guided the two girls into the airport.
As they went through security, waited at their gate, then finally loaded onto the plane, the two teenage girls couldn't help but feel that they were going to have the best vacation ever.
