Nightmares and Memories
In Her Hooves
Author’s note: I had a rule about reading and writing Fanfiction. DON’T. Then I discovered MLP: Friendship is Magic, the greatest cartoon in the history of cartoons despite the fact it is made up of a cast of multicoloured ponies. (why has my manliness forsaken meeee) I fell in love with the characters, the world itself, the stories, the animation, and more importantly, its fan base of extremely talented people. 80% of the fanfics I’ve read for this fandom, have been well written and effective and so, screw it. I’m bucking my trend like AJ bucks apples and joining the herd!
Also this is not a shipping fic nor is it grimdark (thank Celestia for the latter).
Chapter One
'Oh not this dream again...'
The stage was set, and ready for one of the most important performances in the young Unicorn’s life. She could hear the murmurs of the crowd from behind the thick purple curtains, which were holding the warmth of her nervous breath. She wasn’t sure that she liked what she was hearing; various mixes of “What’s she doing here,” “ How dare she show her face around here again.” “Talentless hack!” “Ah think that lyin’, o’erglorified, show-boater should try another town to scam!” and her personal favourite; “Twilight can do so much better.”
That last one made her shake, but she couldn’t figure out what was making her do it. Nerves? Rage? Sorrow?
Fear?
Last time she had heard that pony’s name was while she was galloping away from this town at full speed trying to escape what she had just seen. She had heard stories saying the Ursa’s (minor or… otherwise.) could not be defeated, by anything, they were a force of more than nature. Massive bears, the size of mansions, or bigger that glowed as if they were made of starlight. They were impossible to face, no matter how Great or Powerful she thought she was.
The unicorn mage, Trixie held an impressive glower that could burn holes through the curtain she was concealed behind. “It was supposed to be impossible,” the words replayed bitterly through her head.
Clearly it was not.
The unicorn who’s name was on the audience’s tongue almost as much as hers, Twilight Sparkle, a violet unicorn of close to the same age as the mare ready to perform today, two streaks through her mane, one pinkish and one a lighter violet than the rest of her dark purple hair. She knew very little of this… this usurper, but she knew one thing. Twilight was greater and more powerful than Trixie could ever be. For Twilight had done the impossible, broken the unbreakable. She fought the un-fightable Ursa Minor, and through her incomprehensible magic, she had won. Despite all of her bravado, the Great and Powerful Trixie, was nothing but a lie, in comparison to this magical mare. But today that was going to change. She was going to prove her ability this time, with none of her audience‘s patience to waste, no time to squander, she was going to split those purple curtains open and blast out her entire magical arsenal right away. No boasting, no stories of things that never happened. It was her job as a performer to show off all that she could show, and Celestia damn it, she was going to do just that. She had to be the best. She had to be. Failure was not an option, she couldn’t go back a weakling. She couldn’t.
She magically pushed the purple curtains aside, imaging that they were her fears of the lavender, magical powerhouse, being set to her sides. She was done being afraid of what Twilight Sparkle could do. She would make this happen. She let a barrage of illusionary fireworks come out from all directions, even exploding at the heart of her. She had spent so many bits to repair her traveling abode, and to restore her costume in her possession, she couldn’t afford real fireworks anymore. “This is way more impressive anyway, THIS is pure magic, and if they can’t appreciate this than they aren’t worth my time in the first place,” Trixie, trying to comfort herself with her thoughts, her stage fright beginning to become apparent to herself.
She proceeded to perform more and more impressive tricks, using herself as the test subject of many of them instead of humiliating others. She even included some minor transformation and teleportation, adding something to her own physique, and then teleporting and appearing in almost the same location, completely restored of any magical abnormality she might have created for herself. This was exhausting, because both transformation and teleportation were two of the most tasking things a mage could perform, and even though the changes were miniscule; colour changes, special hooves like Princess Celestia‘s, changing her cutie mark, making her eyes look like that of a fierce dragon, even humiliating changes, like facial hair and a stubby pigs tail, and it was all to get a reaction out of this audience. She had to slow to a halt, to regain her lost energy, this was too much for her.
As she stood on the stage, trying to catch her breath, she noticed that it was the only thing she heard. No applause, no “ooohs” or “aaaahhs,” and no laughs at her own expense after she had embarrassed herself like she had. Just a silence, that chilled her to the bone. She started to console herself internally again, “maybe they expect more, or maybe they’re just in shock of it all. Yes that must be it. I the Great and Powerful Trixie have shaken them to their core!”
Still after what felt like hours to Trixie (which was only twenty seconds of real time) there was no reaction, of any kind from the audience. The Great and Powerful Trixie was starting to feel less Great and Powerful by the second, and she wished she could disappear or that the quiet would just vanish and be vanquished by noise of any kind. However, a small idea formed in her crafty mind, and she began to realize she had forgotten something. She had never apologised for her previous actions. While she herself felt there was nothing to be sorry for, she read the accusing glares of the audience well. They expected it, and as much as Trixie didn’t want to give it to them, it was her duty as a performer to give the audience what they wanted. After all, lying to her viewers wasn’t uncommon in her performances, and this one had to be no exception. Besides, she was lying to make them feel better (though it was really more for herself) so it was a good lie. It was acting.
“To all those out there who I have humiliated, or angered with my recent actions, and deceits, I, THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE…” she began, breaking away from her sorrowful tone to put emphasis on her stage name, “would like to apo-”
She was interrupted by a cyan pegasus with a multicoloured mane. Trixie remembered the pony as one of her bold, intrepid challengers last time she came here. “I’m sorry! I think I might have misheard you!” Her tone was mocking, “The Great and Powerful who? I think you got Twilight’s name wrong!”
Laughter filled the once silent air, and Trixie immediately regretted wishing the silence away. She looked through the audience, colts and mares of all different colours and sizes, laughed at her, cruelly, loudly, and without mercy. Her eyes scanned for anypony who wasn’t joining in with the twisted festivities, and as soon as she found one she found that she wished she hadn’t. Twilight Sparkle, glared menacingly at the blue unicorn, a glowing horn and look of dead seriousness on her face. Trixie gulped. What had she done to create that kind of a reaction from the magical scholar? More importantly what was this reaction going to lead to?
The Great and Powerful Trixie, who was cowering and looking quite weak, wanted to flee, but she found that she couldn’t muster up the strength, magically or physically. Her legs felt like jelly, and her horn felt like it was being forced downward with enormous pressure. In fact, was it shrinking? It seemed to be pushed down inside her skull, by an intense magical force, which she could do less and less against with each passing second that her magic was being repressed. Once her horn was completely gone, she felt the magic was effecting her body. She started to grow, larger and thicker by the minute, her fur becoming more shaggy, her hooves being replaced by paws with sharp claws on them, her tail becoming a stubby little poof of hair and… was she translucent? Once she looked down at the ponies below her, miniscule in comparison, like insects, all backing up from the stage that had been crushed by Trixie’s sitting rump, with the exception of the unicorn who seemed to glow with magic, she realized what she had become. She at this moment was the Ursa minor that was vanquished by Twilight’s power not so long ago. She shot a pleading gaze at her purple tormenter, hoping that this nightmare would end. Her response was a vicious glare, accentuated by glowing white eyes that flashed with even more intense magic, a shockwave bursting at her horn, knocking everypony off their hooves. This was followed by the ponies crying, while getting back up; “Defeat the Ursa!” “Give it a good flank-kicking!!” “Make it rue the day it ever came to Ponyville!”
Trixie started to cry, no doubt only being heard as a bloodthirsty roar by the masses who hungered for her demise. “What is going on here?” Her terrified mind went at a mile a minute trying to come up with answers for the possibilities of her helpless situation, but she came up empty, “why is Twilight doing this?!”
She felt the magic take hold of her gargantuan body, this time letting it control her as she felt there was no point in resisting anymore, and slowly experienced the sensation of the transformation as the spell shrank her down again. Trixie’s hopes were momentarily raised as she felt she might be returning to her original form. But as she shrank and shrank, she noticed that any physical changes that were occurring did not seem to be indicating turning back into her old self. In fact, she was keeping the same body shape as the Ursa! Her hooves-turned-paws dulled their claws and mutated, becoming flat, with what seemed to be ornamental stitching being the only thing to determine claw from claw, her fur stopped glowing, it proceeded to turn from blue to brown, and it became fluffy, as opposed to sleek and shaggy. She continued to shrink down and down, and down, smaller than the smallest filly in the audience. She heard the laughter and the cheers as the magician, the now Great and Powerful Twilight Sparkle, levitated the former performer - turned Ursa - turned teddy bear, off the crushed remains of the stage and magically catapulted the newly created Trixie-Teddy out into the audience. She was caught by somepony, though she did not see who.
Her vision swam, as suddenly she found herself in a whole different place, in a whole other time, in a completely point of view. Familiar blue hooves; her own, but much smaller, held the toy bear that she had just been forcefully transformed into. Trixie, in spite of the traumatic experience she had just felt, seemed to forget all of it, and put her undivided attention upon the stuffed creature. Her youthful innocence that was lost so long ago came back and flooded through her very essence. She started to play with the teddy bear, with her hooves, happiness came to her with every shake and spin she gave it. The serious adult inside of her gave in to the tide of this flood of youthful exuberance and playfulness. Trixie let the inner child take over.
She had an idea! The most super fantastic idea that had ever come to her optimistic, little filly mind! She should use her magic to play with it! Holding the bear telekinetically, she started to make it dance in the air, controlling its arms and its legs, she made seem lifelike. She danced with it, all the while keeping her concentration on the bear, her magical connection to it fragile due to her youth. She didn’t care how loud her hooves were on the floorboards, nor did she hear another set of hooves stomp up the staircase to greet her…
The teddy bear was yanked from her magical grip, and in that one second which it took for that to happen, Trixie went from feeling a symphony of joy, to a cacophonous spiral of fear and confusion. She looked up at the figure, an earth pony with an icy blue mane, and a tan-furred body stood, a giant to her, his large hoof situated on the stuffed animal‘s belly. The smell of alcohol lingered on him, and his eyes had dark rings underneath them, only accentuating the look of anger upon his face.
“What… did I tell you about usin’ magic, you stupid kid…” His deep voice, slurring from intoxication and filled with venom reverberated throughout the walls. It’s echo’s all seemed to bounce back straight to Trixie.
He shifted his hoof, so that it was situated upon the bear’s legs, and bent down to grasp the head of it with his teeth. He reared his head up and with a ripping of fabric, and a grunt, Trixie’s teddy’s head was torn off its shoulders. That was just too much for the little blue filly to handle, and she let out a piercing wail. She tried to yell at him, but the words were incomprehensible due to her heavy sobs. The earth pony, with a swift flick of his head, tossed the decapitated head of the plush toy into a nearby wastebasket.
“SHUT IT” He screamed raising his front hoof.
Trixie, terrified by the noise, and by the stallion’s actions, fell silent, hoping to not receive anymore of his wrath. It didn’t help. The hoof swung down at her, and she was struck across the room, landing in a heap of unread books, and discarded toys. The earth pony walked away, gutturally muttering something inaudible, leaving her to sob.
Trixie woke up, drenched in cold sweat and shaking with fear (although she’d never admit it.) A small cry escaped her normally bravado filled mouth, and it echoed through the stone chambers of her current location. Trixie, while knowing where she was, still looked around to confirm her whereabouts. No wagon, no home, no possesions; those had been destroyed by the Ursa. It was a dark gloomy ruins within an ancient forest. There were very little carvings, or statues, with the exception of the six short pillars (one in the center being larger and thicker than the other five) that waited at the more ruined part, the entrance. Trixie was situated in the more, intact part of the ancient castle, luckily for her, as the Everfree forest was not exactly the safest place to be. Even she was aware of the great dangers within it’s green walls, despite not being the most personally in tune pony in existence, and she knew that as great and powerful as she might be, she might not be safe. However, despite how frightening the creatures might be, there was nothing that scared her more than the unfathomable power of Twilight Sparkle.
With the exception of that earth pony from her dreams.
This was why she was here, in the most dangerous place in all of Equestria. The Everfree forest was the perfect place to defeat one’s fears. The Great and Powerful Trixie surveyed her current living quarters. Targets were drawn on the wall, logs were chopped, and evidence of fires and extremely accurate burns were strewn across the floors and walls of the ruins. This and the forest around her, was her training grounds. For she planned to defeat Twilight Sparkle, on the one year anniversary of her subsequent shame, but she knew, as much as she did not want to admit it, that she had to be stronger. She was supposed to be the best. And while she wasn’t at this moment, today she would be. Her reunion with Twilight, was today.
She began her training regiment, leaving the protection of the ruins, to go outside, practicing her magic on various trees shrubbery, slicing and burning, and shooting, and throwing. She needed to master everything related to combat. While the Great and Powerful Trixie found her dream degrading and humiliating, it motivated her. She had to be the best. She had to be. She had to be. She had to be the best.
She had to be. She could never let that stallion…
“Gah, what should I tell them about first? Should I talk about the defeat of Nightmare Moon? No, that’s not a very good indicator of what my life in Ponyville has been like.” The purple unicorn, thought aloud, pacing through her wooden library, levitating objects and organizing them into bags. She was panicking, trying to think of what to say. “Ah! What about that one time with Pinkie’s birthd- no, they have to get to know her better for that story to have any effect. I could tell them about the Rainboom, but I don’t want to paint Rarity in a bad light. Ooh maybe I can tell them about Fluttershy’s experience with the dragon! That’s a good…”
“What on earth are you talking about Twilight?” A raspy male voice came from an adjacent room, sounding strained. A small purple dragon, with green spines on his back, was carrying books and materials, that were much to heavy for him.
“I want to tell my family about my adventures in Ponyville since I left them in Canterlot, but I’m not sure what to one to start with. I’m so excited to see them again! Ah! I can’t even think straight, and that’s saying something for me.” Twilight was positively giddy, yet worried at the same time.
“Right,” Spike responded, putting the items on a table with a minor bit of difficulty. “So your parents are moving to the town nearby, Hoofington?”
“Yeah” Twilight said with a small smile. They could be so considerate. The only reason they weren’t moving into Ponyville was to give their daughter some space. They wanted her to become her own mare. “They’ve done a lot of work for Celestia, and the city of Canterlot for most of their lives, but, now it’s time to retire. Oh, I haven’t been this excited since the Gala!” She clapped her hooves together, brandishing a huge smile.
Spike couldn’t help but laugh. Twilight might be a reserved, self-controlled, bookworm most of the time, but when she got excited, it was like she was a whole other pony. She was all over the place right now, and most of the time, she was a very organized, focused creature. Twilight continued to pace, beginning another long ramble. “Now, I know I’m not supposed to visit yet, I still have two days to wait, but its never too early to be prepared, right Spike? Gah! I need more time to think of what to tell them. Will they like my friends? Oh I hope they don’t find Pinkie to be a bit much. No wait, of course they will! She’s Pinkie, even I find it hard to deal with her, at times, but I can’t tell her to tone it down for them, she might be offended, and I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I said that. Oh I hope that Rarity (at the mention of the white unicorn’s name, Spike almost seemed to melt, a dreamy expression on his face.) doesn’t find any fault in my parent’s fashion sense, it would be terrible if she dragged them for another one of her makeovers! I cou… I’m over-analysing this, aren’t I Spike? …Spike?”
She looked toward the dragon, who was proceeding to look at himself in the mirror mumbling things like “well hellooo, Rarity!” “So, I was thinking, you me, dinner, tonight?” and the disappointed; “no that‘ll never work.” He was styling his scales, with worry that it wouldn‘t be good enough for his crush. He tried to walk smoothly in front of the mirror, a swagger in his step, but he tripped over his own tail.
“Rats. Rarity will never go for me like this.”
It was Twilight’s turn to laugh now, with a small giggle. she knew of his crush on her friend for a long time, but she didn’t realize that simply mentioning Rarity’s name would make Spike act this way. Spike shot her a glare. “Oh, I’m sorry, I didn’t know my feelings were a joke. Anything else about me you want to laugh at?” His voice was accusing, and filled with anger.
“Whoa now Spike! I didn’t mean to laugh, and even if I did, your feelings for her are nothing to laugh at.” Twilight began sincerely, “You just have to admit that, THAT was really funny to watch.”
Spike crossed his arms, and snorted, a bit of smoke coming from his nostrils. Twilight sighed. He could be so stubborn at times. “You know Spike. I don’t think I need you right now. If you wanted to go and see Rarity, now would be the time.” Her voice spoke of the obvious hint.
“Whoa, I could never-, I mean I’m not ready yet! What do I say, should I wear that tie she made me? I don’t think it’s a good idea, what if she says no?! Oh that’s a bad idea, I can’t do it Twi, I CAN’T DO IT!” He yelled, surprising Twilight with his sudden outburst.
“Alright, if that’s the way you feel Spike.” Twilight replied, trying not to smile at how similarly he was reacting in comparison to her when faced with a social dilemma. “But you know how busy she gets at times. I bet she’d appreciate it if she had a pair of dexterous claws right now.”
“Dexter-what? And no she wouldn’t, they’d look terrible on…” Twilight gave him a look that said, “Really?”
“Ohhhhhhhhhh, you mean she’d appreciate my help.” A nod. “That might help me to get on her good side, and then maybe… maybe she’d say yes if I asked her! That’s a great idea Twi! Much better than that moustache idea you had.”
“Uhhhh wasn’t that your…”
“Can’t talk, gotta go woo Rarity!” And just like that, Spike was gone.
Twilight looked at the door, a little flabbergasted. She made a note to research romantic relationships later on, they seemed confusing to her. Everypony seemed to act so irrationally when it came to them. “Oh well,” she said, dismissing the idea, “Packing comes first.” She seemed to be a bit more focused on what she needed to concentrate on now, her conversation with Spike had distracted her enough that her overly active mind had forgotten her worst case scenarios. Twilight hummed a little taking things in and out of the suitcase, occasionally mumbling something to the extent of, “Oh I’m definitely going to need this,” “No this takes up to much space, I need to find something better,” and in the case of a black book with a red apple in sompony‘s hooves, “Ugh what was I thinking reading this garbage?” Her door opened again. Absentmindedly, Twilight gave a small, “I’m sorry I’ll be ready to help you in a second, please browse the library to see if we have what you need.”
No response. That was weird. Twilight looked up from her packing, and gasped. An azure unicorn, with an icy blue mane was standing in the doorway. A cutie mark of a waving wand, with a blue crescent of sparkles trailing behind it was on this pony’s flank. She looked ragged, and bruised, her mane was unkempt, and a bit longer then Twilight remembered. She looked exhausted, but her the look on her face said otherwise. Twilight was taken aback by the look of pure hatred in the street performer’s eyes. After a while of silence, other than the door slamming behind the angry blue unicorn, Twilight tried to break the silence by saying, “T-Trixie! Its certainly… been a while. How… uhhh, how are you?”
Trixie’s stare answered the question. It only got more intense. Twilight stepped back a bit. The look on the librarian’s face gave it away. She was wondering what she had done to deserve such a look. Such hatred.
Trixie’s temper flared. “How dare she act so innocent?!” the magician wondered. More silence. She finally got the will to speak, the words just dripping, loudly, from her mouth, like poison from a snake’s fang. And like that fang, venom was all that these words contained.
“You. Ruined. Trixie’s. Life.”