Ursa Minor(or)
A flash of white in the sky and suddenly her vision was bathed in a dark blue.
“Princess Luna?” the azure unicorn removed her hoof from her eyes, expecting the regal princess to be standing in front of her.
But nopony was there.
Trixie sat back down from where she had leapt up a few moments ago. The cold wet grass gently tickled her legs as she let out a heavy sigh. Miracles didn’t happen to everypony. At least not twice. She looked down at the gleaming blue sapphire pendant interlaid within the intricate design of the sterling silver necklace draped around her neck. There weren’t very many things that she would consider herself grateful for, but she knew that this was more than she deserved.
The full moon reflected shimmering rays of light off of the show mare’s glittering silver mane as she looked back up at the stars before reaching for the dark lavender book she had been reading. Its purple hue seemed to indescribably stir something inside of her but she let it pass as she rolled the tome back and forth in front of her with her magic.
“The Magic of Night,” she breathed the title. “Constellations.”
A warm breeze rustled her mane and filled her body with a sense of warmth. Suddenly something stirred in the grass behind her, startling her and causing her to leap up yet again. The hair all along her back stood on end. How could something sneak up on her so silently? Trixie gasped as she turned around. It didn’t seem possible but there, crouched and poised ready to pounce, was the creature of her nightmares. The monster that had haunted her memories ever since that fateful day in Ponyville. The giant silver star on its forehead sparkled as it stared her down. It was horrifying… except for the fact that it was tiny.
“Hey there little guy.” Trixie cooed with a delighted smile.
The tiny creature looked up at her with big red eyes, its single pointed tooth poking out of one side of its mouth. Its beady black nose twitched in unison with its scruffy ears as it surveyed its surroundings. It probably had no more of an idea of how it got there than she did. The faint twinkling of the stars that made up its semitransparent body reminded her of the princess of the night’s mane that night when she had found her.
~
“Trixie,” she remembered the alicorn calling her name as she alighted down next to her. The princess had been nearly invisible in the night even when she was no more than a hoof’s length away.
“How do you know my name?” Trixie had asked nervously, not sure why such an important mare would visit her.
“How would you like a second chance to prove yourself?” Luna had asked without hesitation, already knowing the answer.
“Why would you pick me?” Trixie wondered out loud.
“You’re dedicated,” the princess began, “you don’t mind bending the rules a little to have your way.”
Trixie opened her mouth to interject but the alicorn cut her off.
“Plus you know what it’s like to be an outcast.” Luna looked at the show mare with an understanding smile. “Not many ponies will ever truly realize that feeling of being completely and utterly alone.”
The unicorn nodded slowly, the knowledge of the alicorn’s plight swimming in her mind. The princess had given her the beautiful silver necklace and the lavender book on constellations that night with the promise that she would forever be her esteemed student. She still didn’t realize the importance of the necklace but it was pretty all the same.
The small bear continued to stare at the reminiscing unicorn before squeaking sharply to break her line of thought. Trixie jumped a little before smiling down at the spectral cub. “Loud little thing, aren’t you?” she gazed back up at the stars. “What are you anyway? Some sort of Ursa Minor. Or Ursa Minor-or maybe?”
The cub high stepped awkwardly over the tall grass towards the unicorn before collapsing at her side. Trixie smiled again as she looked down at the little creature propped up against her. Its big red eyes were unblinking as it looked up at her while nestling its cheek against her leg. “What am I supposed to do with you?” she asked gingerly. It remained silent before leaning away from her. Without warning, the small cub suddenly lost its balance and ended up tumbling gracelessly down the small incline.
“Aww!” Trixie couldn’t help but beam at the adorableness of the spectacle as she rushed down to make sure it was alright. It squeaked and chirped relentlessly at her as she tried to stifle her giggles, as if the whole thing had been her fault. “Well I didn’t do it!” she pleaded lightheartedly with the tiny creature despite its continued outbursts at her. Finally she gave up arguing and turned her back to the ethereal figure, a hushed silence filling the air. As she made her way back up the slope she could hear the playful padding of the creature hopping behind her to catch up. A light breeze rustled the grass as the azure unicorn levitated a sheet of parchment and a quill from her wagon with her light pink magic.
Dear Princess Luna,
I wanted to thank you for giving me the chance to be a new unicorn and allowing me to be your student. I just read the whole book you gave me some days ago and it taught me an important lesson about constellations. I learned a spell to duplicate an Ursa Minor…
She paused to look back at the creature sitting patiently behind her with its head tilted to one side curiously. Levitating her old wizard hat from her wagon, she softly placed it down on top of the cub with a soft giggle before turning back to her letter.
Well in small size. Now she'll be my best friend! I hope we can meet again.
Your faithful student,
Trixie