The Hidden Truth, Prologue

On a grassy hill near the edge of Ponyville sat an azure stallion, but this was no ordinary azure stallion! It was the one and only, Magical Trevor. He wore no hat to protect his mane, as he preferred to feel the wind caress his face. It soothed him, and at the moment that was precisely what the unicorn needed. His black cape flapped in the breeze lazily as well, the silver stars flashing in the sunlight.

He gazed onto the village before him, feeling apprehensive for what he was about to do. Sensing his companion's unease, an amethyst hued pegasus trotted over to Trevor, his onyx mane and tail fluttering in the breeze. He sat down next to his friend, weighing his options, before asking timidly, "T-Trevor, is s-something wrong? You s-seem abnormally... p-pianissimo. What's uh... W-what's wrong?"

Trevor held back a sigh, replying shortly to his soft spoken companion, "One is fine. It is not like one does not get lost in thought. One just isn't sure if one can really trust them. From what one was told, she didn't leave a good impression upon these ponies, so one is apprehensive that they will refuse to help one locate her. That is all. Are you ready for the performance tonight, Nightsong?"

The purple pegasus shifted a little uncomfortably on the grass, before answering, "I'm... I'm ready... As l-long as you a-aren't expecting f-fortissimo, t-then I c-can do it..."

Trevor rolled his eyes before replying, "One will be content with mezzo forte. One can amplify music easily now, so don't worry about that. You have been making good progress on playing louder though, so keep trying. One hopes that you keep growing as you have been. You aren't stuttering nearly as bad as you were when one first met you."

Nightsong opened his mouth to reply, when his stomach spoke for him, causing him to blush and retreat in on himself, his voice dropping in volume. "I-if you s-say so..."

Trevor sighed, standing up, using his magic to deftly levitate a few stray strands of dried grass off of his cape and coat, before saying shortly, "Get into the wagon. One will buy us supplies in town on the way to meet the mayor."

Nightsong nodded, getting into the wagon that held all of their supplies for traveling, which contained everything from musty old spell tomes, to various props for special effects, to a large set of wine glasses. Settling down, Nightsong took the opportunity to take a short nap, as it would take awhile for Trevor to talk to the Mayor and get permission to use the City Hall stage to preform.

Trevor leaned forward, pushing against the yoke of the wagon before it groaned into motion. Trevor always strained for a moment when first starting out, especially with Nightsong riding as well, but he prided himself on staying so well in shape for a unicorn. Not that he was particularly muscular, but he was moderately well-toned. However, that was not enough, as the wagon was resting on the crest of a hill, and needed a levitation spell on the wheels to help get them to move out of the ruts left by resting on the ground for too long. As he began his trek into Ponyville proper, his mind wandered to the task that he was here to accomplish. ~Do not worry, sis. One will find you, no matter where you have gone. One knows now that it wasn't your fault. Trevor swears on one's honor that he will find you, sister, no matter what the cost.~

Walking into town, Trevor wasn't sure whether or not to feel at ease or not. Some of the ponies gave him warm smiles and greetings as he walked along, even though he didn't know them. Others, however, would start out friendly, then suddenly scowl for no reason that Trevor could discern. After awhile, he entered the main market area, and saw a large, red stallion next to an apple stand, starting the task of packing it up. It was a quirk of Trevor's to eat as healthily as possible before a performance, so he headed straight for the stand, hoping to make it before the stallion closed up for the night. Looking around for a moment, he inquired of the stallion, "Pardon, but what apples would you recommend for one to have for dinner? What different varieties do you carry?"

Big Macintosh turned towards Trevor, shifting the wheat stalk in his mouth to the other side, before answering calmly. "Evening. Ah'd say that Pink Ladies are mah favourite, ah suppose. Red Galas are good as well. Overall though, ya won't find better apples anywhere, ah reckon. Sweet Apple Acres has th' best apples in all of Equestria."

Trevor eyed the stallion for a moment, before deciding to trust him. "Alright then. How much for four of Pinks, and two of the Reds?"

"That'll be five bits," Big Mac said evenly, nodding slightly.

Trevor only nodded once as well, opening his bit bag from his saddle, levitating the bits, placing them onto the stand, before putting the apples carefully in another bag. "Trevor thanks you. Could you point one in the direction of the Mayor's residence? One has need to inquire about procuring the city hall stage to preform on."

Big Macintosh took a moment to chew on his sprig of wheat, before pointing a hoof across the street. "It's right there in front of you. Hope that helps ya."

Trevor nodded, walking off. "Very much so, thank you for your assistance. Trevor hopes that you can make it tonight."

Trevor trotted over to the City Hall, unhitching himself outside, giving the apples to Nightsong to eat while he handled the business of talking to the mayor. Heading straight in, he asked the pony at the desk in the main room, "Pardon one, but where is the Mayor? Trevor needs to talk to her about a matter of business."

The cream pony looked up, popped her gum, then said in a slightly bored voice, "Third door on the left, but please knock first. Mayor Mare is quite busy, and may be preoccupied."

Trevor nodded, turning as he finished, "Duly noted. Thank you for your assistance."

Trevor walked over to the polished, oaken door, straightened his cloak for just a moment, before knocking on the door briskly. A weary voice called out, "Yes, who is it?"

Trevor replied curtly, "One's name is Trevor, and one would like to talk to you about procuring the City Hall stage for a performance later."

"Come in please," Trevor heard as he opened the door, opening and closing it quietly but swiftly. As Trevor opened his mouth, however, Mayor Mare continued, cutting him off. "If you want it for tonight, then I'm afraid I have to advise against that. You see, tonight is a new event that we're trying to make an annual tradition, which is why all of the paperwork," she explained, waving her hoof at the piles of paper on her desk. "Everypony is busy preparing for the event, so there wouldn't be anypony to see you perform... Whatever it is you're going to do... Say, do I know you? You look awfully familiar..."

Trevor flashed a grin, answering with a flair, using a small levitation spell to make is cape flap a little in a non-existent wind. "One has many titles, including the Great and Powerful, but one is known throughout the land as Magical Trevor, Minstrel of Equestria! One travels throughout the land, sharing tales of great feats and wondrous occurrences! One is also talented at magical perfomances, performing acts of-"

"Yes, yes, I get the picture," Mayor Mare said absently, rubbing her forehead with her hoof. "But as I said, there would be almost nopony to come to your show. Tomorrow wouldn't be much better, since this is a night-time event. Still, hopefully all of this planning and preparation will make the Story Sharing Competition a succe-"

"Pardon one," Trevor interrupted, suddenly more interested. "A story contest? Is it a true contest with prizes, or just a fun, family carnival type event?"

Mayor Mare blinked, then answered, "Well, more of a carnival, really. There aren't any prizes this year, unfortunately, other than the title of best storyteller in Ponyville..."

Trevor nodded absently, his mind lost in thought for a moment. While Trevor spaced off, the mayor stared at Trevor, trying to remember where she had seen him before, but she couldn't place him. ~I would have remembered a voice like that, that's for sure. He's very charismatic, but...~

She was brought out of her reverie when he spoke again, inquiring, "Do you mind of Trevor takes part in this carnival then? Trevor has a new story to tell, and if he can't perform, then one would like to tell it anyway, so that one can work out all of the kinks in the story, get some feedback and so forth. One and one's friend are journeycolts, he to become a master bard, while one a performer. Since it's a festival, one would perform for free, if needed," Trevor added, sensing he needed to sway the mayor some. "We only want the opportunity to perform to become better, and with so many other performers and storytellers, there would surely be something that we could learn from it as well."

Mayor Mare thought for just a moment, before deciding, "Fine, but on one condition: you perform last. I can not in good consciousness allow you and your... Friend to perform before anypony else, since there will be ponies heading to bed as the night wears on, and I will not have the citizens of Ponyville have t-"

"One knows," Trevor interrupted, nodding. "It would not be fair to have their audience smaller due to others heading to sleep, just because one performed before them. One understands completely, and agrees wholeheartedly. Besides, one prefers to perform last, as it means a smaller crowd." When the mayor gave him an odd look, Trevor continued, "One's companion isn't... Shall we say, the most outgoing of ponies. When one first met him, he was practically afraid of his own shadow! The smaller the crowd, the better he performs, so... Anyway, thank you very much! Where will the event be held, and when does it commence?"

The mayor turned her attention back her work as she replied absently, "I'm not entirely sure. Twilight Sparkle is handling that part, so you'd be best to go talk to her about a time and location to perform. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm terribly busy."

If the mayor had been paying attention, she would have seen Trevor stiffen some, his eyes becoming slightly wild for the briefest of seconds. He recomposed himself hastily, wincing internally. ~Buck... I had hoped not to have to talk to Lady Sparkle until after the performance... Wait, maybe I can just send Nightsong to do it... Yeah...~

Trevor nodded, turning away as he spoke. "Yes, one certainly understands. Thank you for taking time to talk with Trevor, and hopes to see you there later. You look like you could use some relaxing."

As Trevor walked out the door and closed it behind him, the mayor glanced up, surprised, before sighing, putting the papers away. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was right. She was just far too tense to do any work anyway.

Trevor headed back to his wagon, and opened the door to talk to Nightsong. Nightsgin jumped slightly, his head pulling back from the pipes he was playing, leaving them to hang around his neck, resting on his chest. "Y-yes, w-what is it?" Nightsong asked timidly, trying harder to be more assertive.

"One knows you don't like confrontations, but Trevor needs you to go talk to Lady Sparkle about a time and location for our performance. We're joining a festival, so we need to sign up to join." Trevor sighed, turning around to hitch himself back up to his wagon.

Nightsong swallowed hard, his soft voice barely heard by Trevor as he protested, "What? Why me? Y-you know I c-can't t-talk to new p-ponies that w-well!"

"Because you're supposed to be working on talking to new ponies as a part of your exercises to become more assertive! How's that for a reason?" Trevor retorted, heading to an emptier area of Ponyville.

Nightsong swallowed hard, trying to steel himself for the confrontation he was about to have shortly, chanting to himself in an almost sing-song vocie, "I am assertive... I am assertive. I am assertive. I am assertive. I am assertive. I am-" He jumped high into the air, hitting his head on the top of the wagon as Trevor poked his head in. "S-sorry!" Nightsong finished, cowering under his wing, trying to hide.

Trevor's mouth twitched ever so slightly, but didn't say anything for a moment. Nightsong was always apologizing for things that weren't his fault, and it irked Trevor to no end. Then again, that was why he had allowed Nightsong to join him in the first place, wasn't it? While Trevor was constantly being aggravated by Nightsong's timidness, it was helping to increase his patience. After counting 101 by prime numbers, he said evenly, "Just go and take care of it, okay? You can handle this! You're been practicing this for weeks now, so there's no turning back!"

Nightsong swallowed nervously, before nodding meekly. "I k-know..." Closing his eyes as he slowly walked towards the library that Trevor had pointed out to him. He took deep breaths, chanting to himself, "I c-can do this, I can do this. I am as-assertive. I am," he finished, opening his eyes, the door right in front of him. Swallowing hard, he finished in a soft voice, "F-fortissimo when t-talking to others..."

He squeaked in surprise when the door opened, jumping back as a small purple lizard walked outside. "Yeah, yeah, I got it Twilight. Yeash... Oh! Hey, I've never seen you here before. I'd like to stay and chat, but I have to go get some supplies for Twilight..."

"O-oh. O-okay then... Umm... L-later then." Nightsong muttered, swallowing hard as the lizard ran off, his eyes showing the determination to get his job done quickly and properly. After taking a minute to steel himself once more, Nightsong opened the door boldly, walking in, but saw nopony inside. He took a couple of steps, before the door slammed behind him, causing him to squeak in surprise, diving for a table that he saw to the right, hiding underneath it.

"Fluttershy? Is that you? What are you..." A lavender unicorn asked as she came down the stairs, looking around in confusion. "... I thought I heard Fluttershy peep in surprise, but..."

"S-s-sorry..." Nightsong mumbled as he bashfully crawled from under the table, fluttering his wings a couple of times to put the feathers back into place. "A-arrival to i-initiate f-festivities..." He said meekly, starting to sweat.

The librarian blinked a couple of times, thinking, before responding cheerfully, "Oh, you mean you want to sign up for the carnival?"

Nightsong dry-swallowed, stammering, "A-affirmation..."

Her smile faltered for half a second, before levitating a book and quill over to Nightsong. "Okay, please sign your name and what you'll be performing," she said briskly, heading back upstairs.

Nightsong nodded, taking the quill in his mouth, writing while the librarian went upstairs. When she came back down, Nightsong said quietly, "T-thanks for l-letting me j-join at s-such a l-late n-notice."

She smiled at him, nodding as she took the book bask, inquiring, "Do you have a speech impediment? I read about them in a book a few weeks back; maybe I could try a spell to-"

Nightsong shook his head as he backed up, closing his eyes as he tried to speak clearly, but was becoming much more difficult. "D-denial. L-loquacity af-fflicted d-detrimentally by p-proximity..."

Her eyes widened, and peered at him much more closely, but stayed back. "Oh really? I've never heard of anypony being affected by..." Nightsong watched as she spaced out, lost in thought, which oddly enough, helped him to relax a little. After a moment, she started, saying with a slightly blush, "Oh, sorry about that. Anything else you need help with?"

Nightsong looked down, digging at the floor with his front hoof, before inquiring, "C-commencement of festivities?"

"Oh, right! It starts in just ten minutes, actually, so feel free to look around! I'll be looking forward to your performance eagerly! Thanks for stopping by," she finished, waving as Nightsong made his way out of the library as quickly as he could. When the door closed, he bolted for Trevor's wagon, shaking it violently as he dove inside, shaking furiously, his eyes wide.

Trevor flinched as his wagon threatened to tip over, but quickly reinforced it with his magic, keeping it from tipping over. Frowning slightly, he walked around to the door, and opened it, asking, "Well? Did you sign us up?"

Nightsong jerked his head up and down, trying to calm himself down. "I-initiation activates momentarily... L-loquacity lacking..." He finished, eyes watering slightly. "F-failure assignment... S-sorry Trevor..."

Trevor bit his lip, preoccupied, before asking, "What about volume?"

"V-volume?" Nightsong asked, caught off guard. "A-adequate..."

"So she never had to ask you to speak up?" Trevor pressed, leaning forward a little, eyes narrowing.

"N-no, she d-didn't. I-I was loud enough. I-I was almost a-afraid of s-speaking t-too loudly! I-it is a l-library, afterall." Nightsong retorted bravely, trying to be more self-confident.

Trevor kept his glare on the pegasus for another moment, before nodding firmly. "Good then! You're still getting better then, at least! There's still lots left to accomplish, but you're making wonderful progress! Now," Trevor continued, his voice changing form light-hearted to serious. "One wanted to make sure that you are prepared for tonight's performance. Are you sure you're ready to handle this?"

Nightsong nodded, licking his lips nervously. "Y-yes... I-I'm not afraid! I c-can play it j-just fine!"

"One doesn't need it to be fine, one needs it to be stupendous! Now, Trevor will ask again: are you ready?"

Nightsong nodded once, saying with conviction, "Yes! I can do this! I won't let you down!"

Trevor grinned suddenly, his hoof hitting Nightsong solidly on the shoulder, eliciting a wince from the pegasus as he finished, "Excellent! Come then! Onward! To glorious battle!"

Nightsong blinked, then said in a more puzzled voice, "Y-you do uh... R-realize that th-this isn't a b-battle, r-right?"

Trevor, who stood with his front right hoof in the air, held triumphantly, deflated a little, before saying airily, "It's a figure of speech! One was merely trying to set the mood. Come then! We go!"

A/N: Okay, I know it's starting out slowly, but please bare with me, okay? This IS only the prologue, afterall. This chapter was set up so that 'Magical' Trevor is the mane character, but in all of the future chapters, Twilight Sparkle will usually be the center of focus, with less emphasis on Trevor and Nightsong. Usually. Anyhoof, one will be posting this on both Deviant Art AND Fanfiction, so if you're reading this there and you wish to comment, please go here to comment! Trevor accepts ANY and ALL criticism that you have on how to make it better, other than useless comments like something was stupid or dumb. That doesn't help one unless you can tell one HOW or WHY it was dumb, in which case one can try to improve. Don't hesitate to be harsh, so long as it's constructive. Thank you.

Disclaimer: MLP:FiM is owned by Hasbro! One does not claim any rights on MLP in any way, shape or form. This is a fan fiction with the sole purpose of entertainment.