CHAPTER 1: A light in the Sky
As the lights dimmed around her, the last tomato still splattered on her face, The blue unicorn with a silver mane cursed the audience with a loud booming voice.
"Foals! You wouldn't know a good show if it came along and bit you in the flank! The great and powerful Trixie has never been so insulted!" She could hear them laughing at her and she turned her snout up with a huff before storming off the stage. She began to head out to her carriage when the manager of the theatre stopped her.
"I'm sorry Trixie, but I'm going to have ask you to pack up your things and leave."
"What?! But I, the great and powerful Trixie, am booked here for the next two weeks! You can't just fire Trixie!"
"I'm afraid I just did. " The large and rather portly green stallion in front of her said with a rather frank tone. "I'm Ssorry Trixie but you're too much of a liability. You almost set the whole place on fire in the last show."
"That… was one mistake." Trixie a lifted a hoof in defense, a look of regret on her face.
"You made four families walk out because their foals were crying over that poor dove you set on fire." Trixie pondered this for a moment, but said nothing. "And on top of that, I had to refund over a hundred tickets, I'm sorry but you're fired."
"But I… Trixie is beloved by all, there must be some mistake?" She tried to look innocent but instead just looked a mess.
"Beloved by all huh? You still have some tomato in your mane....' He sighed a moment as he tossed Trixie a towel, who promptly used it to wipe off her mane. "Look… You can still camp here for the night but I want you gone by morning…." Trixie was insulted, it was as if this stallion was feeling sorry for her.
"Trixie does not need your pity!" She exclaimed loudly before trotting off in a huff.
As she walked she stopped out side the theatre, using her magic to pull a small carton out from under her cape and pulling a cigarette from it, placing it in her mouth she used her magic to light the tip and took a long drag from it. She let out a long sigh as she exhaled the soothing smoke.
"Hey lady, you can't smoke out here." She turned her attention to a rather obese looking stallion who was dressed as a custodian and glared at him. He decided it was wise not to bother her any further and went about his business. Trixie sighed loudly, taking another long drag, as she watched him rip her poster down from the wall of the theatre and simply toss it into a garbage can. He than replaced it with one of two brothers showing off some product, which made her glare more. "Wonderful. Trixie has been replaced by sales-ponies selling useless garbage..." She took one last drag before putting the cigarette out in one of their eyes and trotted off to her carriage.
Upon noticing that the stallion she had hired to pull her carriage was gone again, no doubt off at a pub getting drunk again she sighed in annoyance and decided to go for a walk under the stars to clear her head. She walked for what felt like hours before stopping a moment, her eyes starting to fill with tears as she looked up at the stars, reflecting on her life. The good... The bad... But there was one memory that always haunted her the most.
Her father….
She closed her eyes as she remembered the last night she'd ever seen the bastard alive.
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"How dare you bring that…that… filth into my home!" Her father yelled at her, flinging a bottle of booze at a poster on the wall of the than very young Trixie's room.
"But… but daddy!"
"Don't you, 'but daddy' me, young lady!" He ripped the poster of 'The Great and Powerful Magica's Amazing Extravaganza!' off his daughter's wall in complete rage.
"I've told you a thousand times! No daughter of mine is EVER going to use her magic for something as… as stupid as cheap parlor tricks!" Filly Trixie's eyes swelled up with tears at the word 'stupid'
"But… But Daddy it's my dream to be just like her! It's what I want more than anything." She dodged another bottle as he flung it at her head.
"NO! You worthless ungrateful little brat! You'll never amount to anything more than a laughing stock if you keep down this road. You'll never amount to anything period! Do you hear me? You're no better than your worthless mother!" He smacked her hard across the face with his hoof. "You hear me, you little shit? You're trash, just like her!"
The little blue filly cried harder as her dad continued to beat her. But finally something snapped in her. Before she knew it she was lifting her father up with her magic and flinging him across the room against the wall where the poster of her idol once hung.
"You're wrong!" She screamed. "I'm not trash you are! All you ever do is beat me and my sisters, that's why mommy left!" She blinked as she looked at the heap that was her father, coming back to her senses.
"Get out." Trixie looked at her father as he said those words. "Get out you ungrateful little shit. You want to follow in the hooves of some two-bit whore of a magician, than fine, Get out of my house."
"Daddy I'm…"
"OUT!!" He screamed at her.
"But I…"
"OUUUUUUT! " With that Trixie ran out of the door, her little sisters watching with sadness as their big sister ran away. Trixie cried harder than she ever had, she imagined harder than any filly ever had.
"I'll show him… I'll show all of them, one day, I will be be the Great and Powerful Trixie! The greatest unicorn magician who ever lived! People will come from miles just to see my show… And I'll be the most beloved unicorn in all of Equestria! Just like... Just like she said I would..." Her eyes filled with tears.
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As the memory faded, Trixie looked back up the stars once more. "Are you happy now, you bastard?!" She yelled. "Are you up there laughing your flank off knowing you were right? That your daughter is trash! That she's worthless!" Her tears flowed like waterfalls now, unable to contain them. She hadn't even noticed that it had started to rain, even as her mane and coat became soaked. She looked down at the ground and slopped down in the mud.
"I'm worthless… just like you said. Every night it's the same thing… I get booed off the stage." She threw her hat and cape off, after tonight she wouldn't need them, this would be her last show ever. "All because of… her! That Twilight Sparkle!" She said gritting her teeth. "If that… Show-off hadn't have made me look like a foal I would still be loved, still be admired!" She slammed a hoof down in anger.
"None of it matters now though." She got back up and trotted slowly back to her carriage. "None of it matters." She opened the door and went to the cupboard, pulling out a bottle of "Sweet Apple Acres Hard Apple Cider" and began to down it from the bottle, not bothering with a glass. once it was empty she hurled it against the wall. She looked up at a new poster of 'The Great and Powerful Magica' that she had next to one of her own. She ripped her's off the wall and cried again, ripping it to shreds with he magic.
"I'm so sorry…" She looked up at the poster of Magica. She placed a hoof on the mare in the poster and cried a little harder.
"I'm so sorry I couldn't be like you… Mom…." With that she plopped down on the bed, downing some sleeping pills, before falling into a deep, tearful slumber.
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Any normal night in Canterlot would be silent and peaceful. But not tonight! Tonight was the night of the Katy Pony ft. Snoop Diamond Dogg concert! And Twilight, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie were there with the Cutie Mark Crusaders having the time of their lives. Rainbow Dash was hopping and hollering with the rest of the crowd, where as Twilight was simply nodding along quietly.
Pinkie on the other hoof, despite sporting more fan-girl swag than anyone else there, did not seem amused as the showponies on stage drew the current song to a close.
Katy Pony was singing as loud as she could, hoof pumping along with the crowd.
"Equestria girls, we're kinda magical (Equestria!)
Boots on hooves, bikinis on top
Furry coats, so cute
We'll blow your mind
Aoaoah oh, aoaoaoh!
Equestria girls, we're pony-fabulous (Equestria!)
Fast, fine, fierce, we trot till we drop
Cutie marks represent (Cutie marks!)
Now put your hooves up (Put yo' hooves in the air)
Aoaoah oh, aoaoaoh!"
Snoop Diamond Dogg, a stocky looking but somehow handsome Diamon Dog, took up his part in the song pointing to the DJ who was helping mix up their music.
"Break it down, DJ-PON3!
There are the ponies I love the most!
I wish you all could be Equestria Girls"
He winked at a few mares in the front row, who swooned and fainted. The crowd roared with applause as Katy Pony spoke.
"Thank you! Thank you all so much for coming, that's our show for the night! We love you Canterlot!" She and Snoop took their bows as they exited the stage.
"Man! They were so Awesome! At first I didn't think Snoop would actually join her on stage but than he totally did!" Rainbow Dash was having a fan-girlgasm of some kind, the kind only usually seen when she was attending a Wonderbolts race.
The three young fillies were hopping excited as well.
"She's, like, the second coolest pony who ever lived!" Scootaloo squealed. "The first of course being Rainbow Dash." Rainbow tried to hide her blushing.
"Yes. She does put on quite the show." Twilight giggled. She turned to Pinkie. "What's wrong with you?"
"Are you kidding?! She totally stole my song at the end!" Her 5 friends all just stared at her blankly.
"Oh come on! That was totally the song I sang for the Hub Commercial. Though I suppose it was originally written by as a parody to her alternate universe's self's song…" Pinkie went into a deep thought. Rainbow just shook her head as they all started trotting away from the theatre.
"Pinkie Pie, you are so random. It's a shame AppleJack, Rarity and Fluttershy had to miss this."
"Oh ya know mah sister. AppleJack don't really listen tah music, save fer maybe country." Applebloom spoke up before yawning.
"Yeah, and good luck getting Rarity to listen to anything that isn't classical." Sweetie rolled her eyes. "She hates 'the noise'" She added with a yawn. Scootaloo soon followed suit.
"And Fluttershy doesn't do crowds." Twilight said, she than chuckled at the girls yawning. "Well, I see three little fillies who are up past their bedtimes." She said matter-of--factly. "We should find a hotel for the night. I'm feeling exhausted myself." She yawned.
"Couldn't you have asked the princess to let us stay in the castle for the night?" Rainbow asked
"We may be close, but I could never ask her that for one night, Rainbow. Especially not this late at night" Twilight responded as she approached a nice looking one
"True." Rainbow said trotting into the lobby of the building, the fillies and a still pondering Pinkie Pie trailing after her.
"But then, I suppose I shouldn't really be upset about it, as the rest of the concert was amazing and I did get all these cool clothes, which is weird as I'll probably never wear them again seeing as I'm a pony, and ponies don't really wear clothes. Well Except AppleJack, she always wears that hat..." Pinkie Pie was still talking, although no one was really listening. She than gasped as she saw Katy Pony and Snoop Diamond Dogg were in the lobby, surrounded by screaming fans. "OH MY GOSH!!!" She dashed over to them, along with the three tuckered out fillies.
"I am you guy's biggest fan! Well maybe not biggest, but I am certainly a huge one, well not huge since I am clearly a skinny pony but you get the idea!" The two Showponies exchanged glances at each other before shrugging off the pony before them's enthusiasm and proceeded to sign autographs for the ponies. Twilight chuckled and just walked up to the counter.
"We need three rooms please. All in the same area if possible." She smiled at the clerk who seemed to eye her up and down as if judging her.
"Yes… Of course you do. That will be nine hundred bits for one night." The clerk said, taking 3 room keys down and setting them on the counter.
"Nine Hundred Bits? That seems a little… Pricey." Rainbow shook her head.
"Yes. I'm sure it does for Ponyville folk." The Clerk said in a rather snooty manner.
"And what the hay is that supposed to mean?!" Rainbow looked ready for a fight.
Twilight calmed her friend down before pouring a pouch of bits out onto the counter. "Nine Hundred bits will be fine sir thank you." She used her magic to lift the keys off the counter. "Come along girls!" She shouted to Pinkie and the Fillies who were still gushing over the celebrities before them.
No Pony would really be getting any sleep that night….
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Applejack wiped her brow of some sweat as she and Big Mac finished up in the fields, bucking the last of the trees for the night. She looked up at the starry sky and smiled.
"Woo-wee… That there was a good day's work, ay Big Mac?"
The large red stallion just nodded and gave his usual response to anything. "Eeyup." He than proceeded to trot towards the barn. "You comin' AJ?"
"Yeah inna minute, Ah jus' gotta finish up right quick…"
The stallion just nodded. After he was out of sight, AppleJack sighed and looked up at a tree. "Ya'all kin come out now he's gone." She said to the tree, a pair of cyan eyes appeared in it for a moment.
"Are… are you sure?" The eyes spoke.
"O' course ah'm sure, would ah lie ta ya, Fluttershy…" Applejack said shaking her head. She'd known the pegasus had been there for quite sometime, having watched her fly up there about an hour ago. This had been going on for a few days now, Fluttershy would show up to talk to AJ or get some apples for the cottage, only to hide at the sight of Big Mac.
"Honestly Sugercube, ya'all need ta git over this here fear ya have of Big Mac. Ah swear, ever since ya found out he'd broken things off wit Cherilee ya been hiddin' at the sight of him." She watched as the pegasus came down from the tree.
"I'm sorry AppleJack. It's just that he's so… big.. and muscular… and handsome… and that fla…"She was stopped by a hoof meeting her mouth.
"Fluttershy, Ah love ya'all, but that is mah brother and Ah'd rather not hear ya talk 'bout him like that." She smiled as the timid pegasus looked down in shame. "Aw come on now brighten' up will ya?"
"Sorry…"
"Dun Be SugarCube. Ya just have a crush on mah brother that's all. Nuttin' ta be ashamed of." She smiled and she tilted the pegasus's head up to see she was blushing. "Just Talk to him."
"Oh…no… I couldn't do that… What if… What if he doesn't like me… What if he said no and never wanted to see me again?"
"What if the moon were made of cheese? What if cows were purple? Honestly, Fluttershy, ya'all need ta just ask him. So what if he rejects ya? Ain't gonna know until ya do and iffin he does it won't be the end o' the world."
At that very moment a very bright flash of light streaked across the sky, an almost deafening sound following it.
"What in tarnation?" AppleJack yelled loudly, She barely noticed Fluttershy darting back into the tree for cover.
"Um… a comet?" The ever nervous pegasus said shaking in the tree.
"Weren't like no comet ah ever saw. Sides, it's headin' straight for the edge of Everfree Forest!! Come on Fluttershy, we gotta make sure no-pony gets hurt!"
"Um… Do we? I mean, It's much nicer here. In this tree… where it's safe…"
"Fine, be mah guest and stay iffin ya want, Big Mac has ta come out and gather these bushels up after supper anyway, maybe he'd like the company." With that the pegasus flew on ahead of Applejack. "Funny, Ah didn't rightly think that would work that well…" She smirked as she chased after her friend and the "comet".
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Scootaloo was way too hyper to sleep. She was bouncing up and down on her bed, not only still hyped from the concert, but she was also sharing a room with Rainbow Dash! This was the best night of her life. For Rainbow Dash however, it meant sleep wouldn't be coming anytime soon.
"I can't believe it! Rainbow Dash is my roommate! Rainbow Dash is my Roommate!" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes for a second.
"Ok kiddo, calm down. I know you're excited, but we should really get some sleep." She yawned.
"Sleep? Who could sleep after a night like this?! First seeing Katy Pony and Snoop Diamond Dogg in concert and than we got to meet them in the lobby with Pinkie Pie! And they signed autographs for us and than…" Scootaloo turned her attention to the window. "Whoa! Check that out Rainbow Dash!" She pointed a hoof up in the sky. Rainbow couldn't help but chuckle a the filly's energy as she dragged herself to the window. "It's a shooting star! Sure is a loud one though..."
Rainbow blinked a minute as she watched the light streak across the sky. She yawned a moment "Yeah that is pretty neat. Well make a wish Scootaloo, than off to bed." She glided away from the window and landed on her bed. "It's getting really late."
Scootaloo smiled at her idol than looked back up at the star in the sky. She closed her eyes and whispered a small wish before hopping into her bed. She pretended to fall asleep, still so giddy with energy.
Neither pony noticed as the "star" crashed to the ground.
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"Thanks again for helping me today, Spike." The beautiful white Unicorn spoke as she and her dragon friend walked back towards the boutique. Spike was trailing behind her, pulling a wagon full of gemstones. She levitated a sapphire over to him. "This is for you, for all your hard work."
"Aww… Thanks Rarity, you're the best." Spike blushed "It was a pleasure to help you."
"No no no no, my dear, the pleasure is all mine. You have a real knack for digging up gems that I find. Pity you live with Twilight, or I'd probably hire you on as my personal assistant." this only made Spike blush deeper red. Rarity smiled at this before looking up at the stars. "My, what an lovely and calm night."
Spike didn't really hear anything but lovely as he stared at Rarity. "Yeah…Lovely."
"What on earth is that?" The unicorn watched as a light traveled it's way across the sky, making a loud shrieking noise that broke Spike from his trance.
"What the…" The dragon watched it zoom right past them. "It's heading for EverFree Forest! Oh… Where's Twilight when you need her?!"
"Now now Spike, she's off having fun with the girls and my sister, no need to bother her with something as trifling as a falling light… though it is getting close to…" Both watched as it hit the ground off in the distance, the ground beneath her hooves trembling a little. "Oh my…"
"Rarity, what ya'all jus' standin' around gawking fer, somepony could be hurt!" AppleJack yelled at them as she and Fluttershy zoomed by.
"Right! Spike, wait here until we return, and be a dear and put the gems away for me, ok sweetie." The dragon saluted her as she raced off after her friends. "And no eating any of them." She called after him as she got further away. Spike just sighed in annoyance.
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Sweetie Belle had actually managed to fall asleep long before Twilight, whom was up reading a book entitled "Legendary Creatures You Might Have Never Knew Existed". she closed it for a moment as she got up to look at the stars. She smiled as she looked up at them, She loved ponyville, but she'd forgotten how beautiful the view was at night in Canterlot. She looked down at streets, all lit up and beautiful, just as she remembered it. She looked back up at the stars with a content smile.
It had been an exciting night, she'd never really been to a concert before and was more than happy to go when Rainbow Dash said she had an extra ticket. Sure the music had been a little louder than she would have liked but she hadn't minded too much as she had been able to go with her friends.
Her eyes settled on a streak of light making it's way across the sky. It was the single most beautiful thing she's ever seen. Her eyes widened at it's majesty. "Wow… is that? Is that a comet?!" She exclaimed. She looked over at Sweetie Belle excitedly, but the filly barely stirred in her sleep. Twilight giggled to herself quietly and looked back at the light in the sky. "Wow. I must be the only pony in all of Equestria seeing this." She smiled and turned away from the window. She plopped down on her bed and went back to her book, Her ears perking up only for a moment as she thought she heard a crash of some sort in the distance and the ground shake for a moment. She shook it off however and went back to reading.
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Puller wasn't a smart stallion, but he wasn't really stupid either. When he took the job as Trixie's carriage puller he knew he was getting himself into a rough spot. She was mean and cruel and often insulted him for no real reason other than what he did. He'd quit but the pay was pretty good, as he got 1000 bits for every gig he pulled her to.
He trotted his way back to the carriage and strapped himself back in, ready to pull it first thing in the morning. it. It had been raining in the area, and the ground was muddy. He sighed as he once again found himself laying down in mud because the stuck up mare inside the carriage refused to let him sleep anywhere else.
"I have got to find a better job. Where's a shooting star when you need one?" He glanced up at the stars. He watched as a light shot across the sky. "Sure are pretty tonight, " He sighed. He remembered when he was a colt he'd told every pony he was going to be an astronaut. That was of course before the red wagon appeared on his yellow flank. He glared at the mark that doomed him to a life of pulling that drunken bi… Wait a minute….
Shooting light across the sky?! His eyes shot back up as they followed the light screaming it's away across the stars. A big smile formed across his muzzle. "Wow…." He followed the comet as it streaked all the way to the ground and crashed. The ground beneath his feet trembled a little and his ears flattened on top of his head. "Shooting stars.… don't normally crash…" Without thinking he darted after where he saw the star crash, completely forgetting he was chained to Trixie's cart.
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Applebloom groaned into her pillow as she tried to sleep. Tragically for her her roommate was Pinkie Pie, and the pink earth pony had been talking for 2 hours straight.
"And than she sang ET! ET! That is so totally my favorite Katy Pony song! No wait, I kissed a Mare! No no! Waking up in Las Pegas! No no! Hot n Cold! no… Oh I can't decide! What's your favorite song by her Applebloom?"
"The one where she let's meh sleep?" The poor little filly said into her pillow.
"I don't recall that one." Applebloom groaned that Pinkie had actually heard her. "But I bet if I did, it would be my favorite too! Ooh I'm so excited that we got to actually meet her that I just can't sleep!" The pink ball of energy and sugar was now bouncing up and down on her bed
"Neither can ah…" Applebloom said almost crying. She got up and trotted over to the window, looking out it. She wondered if that if she broke through the window and darted for the ranch if she'd make it there before morning. She looked up at the sky and noticed a beautiful shooting star. Closing her eyes she made a wish. "Please… Please just let meh git some sleep…." She trotted back into bed and laid down. It was going to be a long night for her.
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Trixie jolted awake as she noticed she was on the floor of her carriage and not her bed. She sighed as she got up and went to the bathroom. She looked into the mirror and saw that she had been sick from the mixture of alcohol and sleeping pills.
"Oh Trixie darling you have got to stop doing this to your self. You are an awful mess." She shook her head and trotted back out into her room. she hopped into bed and looked out the window. Yep. The trees were zooming by nicely as was the road. She laid her head down, it was pounding with a headache. She was just about to close her eyes when a thought struck her.
"Trees don't move."
just than she was slammed into the wall as Puller took a rather hard right turn. She rubbed her head and opened the window to her door and looked around. She noticed puller seemed to be hauling flank after something.
"Puller, you idiot Would you mind telling Trixie what the rush is?"
"No time ma'am, Just saw something crash nearby." Puller came to a stop in the area near where the light had crashed. He looked around, sniffing at the ground like a dog. "Near here, somepony could be hurt." Trixie groaned and let out a yawn, still not 100% awake yet. She opened the door to he carriage and hopped down, looking around for a second.
"Facinating, but again, why couldn't this wait till morning? Trixie was trying to catch up on her beauty sleep." She trotted over to where Puller was now standing, staring at something wide eyed. She waved a hoof in his face. "Hello? Trixie is talking to you. What on earth couldn't wait till morning that you had to wake Trixie with your rather rude driving?"
Puller simply pointed a hoof forward. Trixie rolled her eyes as she looked where he was pointing. Her eyes immediately shot open wider than his were. There, in a large crater in the ground before them, was a very large metal 'carriage' that certainly didn't look like anything in Equestria that Trixie had ever seen…..
Trixie wasn't sure what to make of the sight before her. Her mind wanted to pass it off as a delusion brought on by her drowsiness and drinking from earlier, but the fact that Puller was seeing it disproved this.
The two made there way into the crater slowly, taking in how huge the large metal craft in front of them.
"What… What is it?" Trixie spoke up, breaking the silence. Puller simply shook his head.
"Can't say I really know. I've never seen anything like it, Miss Trixie." He walked around it , eying it closely, as if expecting it to eat him at any moment. "I'm not even sure it's from this planet."
"Well of course it's from this planet, Puller, where the hay else would it be from?" Trixie growled. Puller just shook his head and pointed up at the stars.
"Out there miss."
Trixie looked up and only blinked. Her glance fell back down to the large metal carriage and this only added to her confusion. "Out there? You mean the stars? Please. How could this thing possible have come from the stars?"
"Aliens, Miss. As educated a pony you claim to be, you've ever heard of aliens?" Puller asked, staring at Trixie for a moment before a loud hum brought the attention of both ponies back to the ship. Before either could speak another word, a small entrance to the ship opened before them, forming a ramp. After a few moments of staring in silence at this new entrance, Puller started to trot forward inside.
"Wait! You're not actually going into that thing? Have you lost your mind?! What if this… alien... eats ponies? What if going in there is exactly what it wants you to do?!"
"Oh come on, how often do you get to explore a space carriage?" Puller said. Unable to argue with that logic Trixie growled and followed him in.
"Fine, but if Trixie gets eaten, she's blaming you!"
The inside of the carriage was huge. as they first entered they found themselves in a large dome shaped room that seemed to be filled with cells. Trixie shivered at the sight of them but Puller kept pressing on.
"Why would anyone need so many cells… " He muttered to himself. "Seems rather weird… Even more so that it seems like nopony's home. This place is emptier than that theatre you performed in 2 months ago." He ignored Trixie's scoff and glare.
"Well Somepony just lost a show's Pay!" she yelled at him, but he continued to ignore her as he examined one of the open cells.
"Trixie, doesn't it strike you as weird that nopony is here? At all?"
"No not really, maybe whatever was using this thing abandoned ship?" She asked
"Hmmm, Perhaps... we should look around some more. " Puller trotted on ahead, Trixie trailed behind rather slowly, still taking in the sight of how huge this place was. She was still trying to convince herself that this wasn't real and that any moment she would wake up in her bed and start another day.
"Trixie! Come here quick!" Trixie was snapped out of her train of thought as she heard puller yelling from another room. She ran to him as quickly as she could to see what the matter was.
She couldn't believe the sight before her. They were in a large room with several magical moving picture frames that all showed different places all over Equestria. Even more baffling is a few seemed to loop the same scenes over and over. In the middle of the room was a console of some kind with blinking lights. Trixie gulped loudly. She looked at one of the picture frames that showed Canterlot castle and another that showed Ponyvile.
"Puller, let's get out of here, Trixie does not feel safe in this thing…." Puller ignored her still as he trotted up to the console.
"I wonder what these buttons do…" He pushed a rather large one in the middle and jumped back as the ship seemed to jump to life. "Oops." Puller backed up more.
"What did you do?!" Trixie yelled as a large metal eye came down from the center of the room. It floated there for a moment, staring at the ponies for a moment before speaking in a metallic and monotone voice.
"Halt. State your name an business."
Puller swallowed before speaking up. "I… I am Puller sir, or ma'am, Puller Wagon. A Humble pony sir, or ma'am, nothing else. This is Trixie, my colleague and I were merely investigating the crash site of your vessel. I…"
"Silence…. Did you say pony?" The eye looked him up and down. "Yes you are defiantly Equine… as is your mate."
Trixie huffed in anger. "Trixie is NOT his mate! We can assure you of that."
"Well there was that one time in Las Pegas…."
"Shut up Puller! Trixie was drunk and we agreed never to speak of it…"
"ENOUGH!" The eye yelled. A gun slid out of the ceiling and fired what looked like a magic bolt at Puller, who swiftly dodged it. Looking down he saw a large scorch mark where he had been standing. "I do not care about your life stories, I only care about where i am! Tell me now, ponies. Is this Equestria?"
Both ponies could only nod slowly, eyes filled with fright.
"Excellent, I have returned at last." The eye shifted it's focus to the moving pictures. Puller walked up behind the eye cautiously and glanced at the pictures as he worked up the courage to speak.
"Um, Excuse me. But what do you mean 'returned'? I don't believe I've ever seen anything like all this before."
A large metal claw came out of the the eye and began to push buttons with slow and deliberate precision. "I ruled this world over a thousand years ago…. and now that I have returned I shall rule it again!"
"Not likely, Princess Celestia and the Elements of Harmony would stop you before you could try." Puller said with a laugh. At that moment the claw stopped its typing. As the silence grew the eye turned on him, glowing a deep red.
"The Elements of Harmony?! They still exist?!" The eye roared.
Puller swallowed hard, regretting those words, he none the less stood up proudly. He was proud to live as a pony under their protection and he wouldn't let any talking metal eyeball tell him otherwise.
"Yes… Yes sir, they do, and they are dedicated to eliminating anything that threatens Equestria!"
These were the poor stallion's last words. Without warning the gun fired at him, reducing Puller into a smoking pile of ash. Trixie watched the scene in shock and horror and cowered as the gun and eye turned on her. Trixie began to cower magnificently, but then heard the voice speaking to her.
"You! You will swear your allegiance to me and not those damned Elements of Harmony or this Celestia, or you will suffer the same fate as your friend! Is that understood?!"
"Crystal." Trixie squeaked out. Any thought of tears or even betrayal were gone.
"Good." The eye and claw went back to work.
"Your…Highness, May Trixie ask… What is Trixie to call you?" She trotted up to it cautiously keeping an eye on the gun that had just recently reduced her companion to a smoldering pile of what was once a pony.
"You will refer to me as…. The Dark One. Now I require you assistance, more of your kind approach."
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Applejack looked around at the sight before her with her jaw hanging open. Never in her life had she seen anything quite like the large metal Carriage that stood before her and her friends.
"Ya'all are seein' this, right?" She spoke up, breaking what had been a very long silence.
"I most certainly am. What in Equestria is it?" Rarity said, her mouth hanging open as well.
"Ah don't reckon ah rightly know. Tain't like nothin' ah've ever seen before." The orange pony looked up to the sky. "Came from up there, what ever it is." She looked behind them to see Fluttershy cowering behind a tree.
"Maybe… Maybe if we leave it alone it will go away?" The pegasus spoke up in what could barely be interpreted as a whimper.
"Not likely. Oh, if only Twilight were here, this spacey stuff is more her plate of oats than ours…" Rarity said, thinking out loud. "We should investigate, It's what she would do." She started trotting ahead of the others and disappeared inside the carriage. Applejack started to follow before turning to Fluttershy.
"Come along Fluttershy, tain't nothin' gonna getcha while ah'm here."
"Um… no thanks, I think I'll just stay out here and… keep watch … out here. Where it's safe and not in there…outside." Applejack rolled her eyes and trotted over to her friend, pushing her in by her flank.
"Come on now, Tain't nothin' to be scared of." Applejack wasn't sure herself if she was lying or not. Once inside, Applejack whistled loudly as she gazed at all the technology before them.
"Wouldya look at all these fancy do dads… This place must be years ahead of us…."
"Could use a serious redecoration though, It's so… dank…." Rarity said with a look of disgust on her face. "And has nopony aboard ever heard of cleaning or dusting? This place is absolutely filthy." She said as she stepped into a pile of ash, some of it getting in her fur. She groaned in disgust as she used her magic to sweep it away.
Fluttershy was trotting slowly behind her friends, her head hung low as she looked around cautiously. "Oh… We shouldn't be here… We shouldn't be here…." She plowed into AppleJack's flank not noticing her friends had stopped. In front of them was a pony, blue with a silver mane, she was laying on the ground, seemingly injured and unconscious.
"Is that… It can't be…."
"Trixie!" Rarity ran up to the unicorn on the ground and placed a hoof on her chest. "She's alive, but barely breathing. Trixie, can you hear me Trixie?"
The blue unicorn groaned in response. "Wha… Where am I?" he eyes opened wide a the sight of the white unicorn that was standing over her. "You?! What on earth are you doing to Trixie?!"
"It's called helping you dear, you look as though you've had a rather nasty argument with a manticore, whatever happened?"
"I… Trixie was investigating this metal carriage with her companion when we were ambushed by something… not of this world."
"Not of this world, Sugercube? Iffin ya don't mind me sayin' that sounds mighty fishy." Applejack trotted up to the console as Rarity was helping Trixie to her hooves. "Than again, nothin bout this place seems rightly proper." She mad her way over to the console and looked at it. "Hmmmm…." She was about to push a button when Trixie yelled at her to stop.
"NO DON'T! That's what Puller did before that.. thing up there shot him!" She pointed up at the gun.
The 3 ponies looked up to where she was pointing. "Well we can't just leave this thing here." Applejack said looking back at the console, ignoring Fluttershy muttering something along the lines of yes we can. "Iffin it's goin' 'round shootin' ponies we need ta figure out how to get rid of it. Girls see if ya'all can help me with this contraption." Rarity trotted up to the console and looked it over as well. Fluttershy reluctantly followed suit. Applejack pushed a button that caused everything to flicker to life.
"Trixie will… keep watch, in case something decides to attack."
"Yeah yeah whatever Trixie, kinda busy here." Applejack looked up at the screens around her, they showed Ponyville, Canterlot, Las Pegas, Cloudsdale, everywhere.
"This thing has been watchin' us… But why…" Before Applejack could get her answer, something hit her hard in the back of her head, with a loud crack.
"APPLEJACK!" Rarity jumped over to her friends side, only to be clonked hard upside the head by a large metal pole. Fluttershy gasped and turned quickly, shocked to see Trixie levitating the pole with her magic.
"Nighty Night, Fluttershy." Is all Trixie said before knocking the pegasus unconscious. Using her magic she lifted the three unconscious ponies out into the hall and threw each into the nearest cell. "It is done, master." She said, wiping a tear from her eye hoping The Dark One didn't see. "3 of the elements have been captured for study as you requested."
"Excellent, you have done well, my pet." The eye drone came down from the celling in the hall and it's claw ran through her mane, as if trying to pet her. "With their three friends missing no doubt the other 3 will come looking for them. But Our work is not done." It floated over to the console room and looked at the monitors. Trixie trotted behind it and listened to her new master's words.
"We must send out a message, to this… Ponyville. It will lure any pony who hears it to me. You will await in the hall to greet them to their… accommodations. In the meantime I will will begin reformatting our new guests."
"Re….Formatting sir?" Trixie was unsure of what this word meant.
"Yes. Reformatting." It noted her confusion and continued. "Brainwash them?" Trixie only blinked. "Make their memories go bye bye and make new ones?"
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Trixie knows what brainwashing is, she just doesn't understand why you need to."
"All in due time, my pet, All in due time, Now go watch over the cells. I have work to do."
With that Trixie turned and trotted out into the hall of cells. She let out a loud sigh. She looked around and made sure nopony (or metal eyes) could hear her before speaking. "Oh Trixie… What have you gotten yourself into…." She stepped outside of the ship for a moment and peered up at Luna's beautiful night sky. She wished she had a cigarette handy, but her packs were still in the carriage and she didn't dare go for them at this time. She sighed and smiled for a moment, she'd always admired the stars that Luna provided. They often made her mind wander as she got lost in their beauty.
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"Wha… What to you mean I can't join Celestia's school for gifted unicorns!" Filly Trixie asked looking up at the registration desk.
"I'm sorry kid, but the rules clearly state that you must have a parent or guardian present with you for the entrance exam, and as you can present neither there's just no place for you." The large pony behind the desk said to the little filly before her with little to no remorse.
"But… But I'm an orphan! I have no one TO be there with me. Can't you make an exception? Please?" The little filly tried her best to look extra cute.
"Security, there's a rather annoying pest out here that needs to be removed." The desk pony said pushing a button.
"Don't bother, I know when I'm not wanted… believe me…." She hoped down off the chair she was on and headed for the door. She watched as a family of unicorns were saying their goodbyes to their daughter, a purple filly, who was no doubt starting her first year at the school.
"We are so proud of you, Twilight. Now you behave yourself and mind everything Miss Celestia tells you."
"I will mommy." The purple filly said, nuzzling her mother.
"And don't forget to write, young lady." The father nuzzled her as well.
"I won't daddy." The filly began to get tears in her eyes as she said the last of her goodbyes to her parents before trotting off in Trixie's direction. The filly quickly wiped her tears and smiled "Hi! I'm Twilight Sparkle. Are you a student here too?"
Trixie shook her head. "No. They wouldn't let me in. I'm Trixie."
"Nice to meet you Trixie. Sorry you couldn't get in. But don't let that discourage you, Celestia told me not all unicorns get accepted in on their first attempt, I'm sure you'll be great and powerful someday."
"Yes. I'm sure I will. Well… good luck I guess." She trotted out the door as the purple filly went bounding off into the halls of the school. Trixie turned and watched her disappear. A tear rolling down her eyes. That could have ben her first friend in the world if she'd gotten in….
"Who needs friends?" Trixie told herself as she left the school grounds. Never to return.
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Trixie looked away from the stars as her eyes swelled up with tears. "Who needs friends?" She asked herself. She turned and trotted into the chip and looked around at everything around her, than to the cell that held the unconscious form of AppleJack, Fluttershy and Rarity. Her mouth formed into an evil grin, looking at the two ponies she'd humiliated back in Ponyville and their pegasus friend. "When you can make a deal with a devil, and gain power that way?" Laughing she trotted off to begin her duties as she heard the arrival of more ponies.
