Edge of Reason

by Prane

First published 6th of March, 2012

Mysterious fire devours the Everfree Forest. But it is no ordinary fire and no ordinary mare is sent to investigate! Join Trixie, agent of the Conclave - congregation of unicorns sworn to protect ponies from magic and... magic from ponies, sometimes.

Mysterious fire devours the Everfree Forest, threatening a local settlement of Ponyville. But it is no ordinary fire and no ordinary mare is sent to investigate! Join Trixie, agent of the Conclave - an elite and covert congregation of unicorns sworn to protect ponies from magic and... magic from ponies, sometimes.

Will Trixie discover the cause of the fire?
Will she survive the hazards of the Everfree Forest?
Will she endure Twilight's Sparkle pestering presence?

It remains to be seen, but one thing is certain: if she does, she will not be the same...

Chapter 1 (One-shot, original version)

Author's Notes:

Hello! It seems that you desire to read Edge of Reason. This, however, is its old version, with lot of gramatical and spelling mistakes. It remains here due to my sentimentality (as it is the first story of mine, ever). To enjoy this story in HD 1080p, would you kindly follow this link to the revised version. Enjoy!

The Edge of Reason
by Prane

Prologue

There it was – an edge of the Everfree Forest. The entrance to the probably most unsettling place in all of Equestria. Rumor has it, once you crossed the border of the forest, it was very unlikely that you would ever come out. Or, provided you’re very lucky, you will come out… but changed, somehow. While those rumors were usually exaggerated and told by those too afraid to even think about the forest, one thing was sure: it was a dangerous place for everyone, no matter if you were a small parasprite or a colossal hydra.

Or a pony.

Yet on this very edge of the Everfree Forest stood a hooded mare in a long, elegant cape wrapped around her neck with a fancy brooch – one of those things you could get only in Canterlot. She slowly walked into the woods, confidently putting hoof by hoof.

The forest had a certain beauty, the mare had to admit it. Variety of strange, colorful flowers and overgrown plants made the evening atmosphere truly magical. Although it was past sunset, coming here on high noon would not help much, as the density of trees’ crowns successfully prevent most of the sunlight from reaching the ground. Still, anypony venturing into the woods after the sun went down the horizon was either terribly uninformed, very brave or very stupid.

The mare was neither too brave nor too stupid, but definitely not scared by the forest.

She was, after all, member of the Conclave – the elite and covert congregation of unicorns sworn to protect ponies form magic and… magic from ponies, sometimes. It was founded many years ago by Star Swirl the Bearded, after he had prevented a terrible disaster from taking place. Today nopony knew about the exact event, but it must have been something capable of causing irreparable damage to Equestria. Indeed, magic was wild and untamed in its nature. Star Swirl and his fellow unicorn magic users all agreed that any use of magic beyond ordinary bag carrying or helping in ponies’ everyday activities must be watched and controlled. If necessary, the Conclave was on the job to make sure every ordinary day in Equestria stays that way. Initially it was Princess Celestia who oversaw the organization. But shortly after Princess Luna returned from the Moon, she gladly took this duty due to the secretive nature of the group, as she was less into the official affairs than her royal sister.

The mare decided to rest near a stream. It was high time to regain strength and drink some refreshing water. She was on her hooves for a few hours now. She put her bag on a pile of flat rocks nearby, then gazed upon her reflection in the clear water. Yes, her face was showing that she was tired. Obviously she didn’t come her all by herself from Canterlot, no. She took a train, but decided to get off at the station before Ponyville, to avoid crowd and detection. She actually didn’t like this town. She didn’t like it at all. Besides, her cover there was already blown during her last mission. It was…

Suddenly, a noise from behind pulled her out of consideration. Her bag was slightly bigger and it was moving – something must have got inside! She quickly jumped to the pile of rocks, ready to use magic if necessary…

A raccoon emerged from her bag and stood at the top of the rock pile.

‘Shoo!’, the mare tried to chase the furry animal off, waving her hoof.

It didn’t move, but only stared at her.

‘Ignorant creature. Don’t you know in whose presence you are?’

She shook her head to remove the hood.

‘I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!’

Chapter 1

‘I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!’, she said making one of her most spectacular stage poses.

She was the azure unicorn with a long, bluish-grayish mane. An expression on her face was the expression of a proud mare, thinking to be better than anypony else. Her eyes looked as if she was constantly judging everything around and relating to herself. With herself being superior, to be exact.

The raccoon was clearly unimpressed and simply went back to looting the bag.

‘Oh, just what am I doing…’, Trixie frowned. ‘Give me this!’

She pulled her bag angrily and the poor animal had no choice but to capitulate. It ran away into bushes.

‘Where was I…? Ah yes, Ponyville.’, the mare pondered, then took an apple out of her bag and started chewing it.

Trixie didn’t like Ponyville. One visit there was more than enough. What has come to be known as the Ursa Minor incident was actually a covert mission to evaluate magic skills of a particular unicorn, Twilight Sparkle. The Conclave had learned that her power was growing and sent the agent to investigate. She took the cover of a travelling entertainer – which was by the way easy, because of Trixie’s bragging nature and an ego with the size of Canterlot Gardens – and tried to challenge Twilight for a duel on stage.

Unfortunately, it were purple unicorn’s friends who stood up for the challenge and no Twilight’s magic power was observed. If it weren’t for two small colts, Trixie would never had a chance to accomplish her mission. They had drawn the Ursa Minor from its cave and made it rampage through the town. And then it happened. Reluctantly, Trixie had to admit she saw some excellent magic. Twilight Sparkle was indeed very powerful. Although the azure mare was humiliated – from a certain point of view, of course – the mission was completed. Whether or not Twilight’s magic was to be controlled was entirely the Council’s worry now.

That Sparkle! After Trixie had reported about her success, she locket herself in her Canterlot apartment, fighting with the helplessness and blaming herself for being pathetic and weak. She actually couldn’t stand the feeling that there might be another unicorn more powerful than her. Only recently she discovered that she isn’t the worse magic user than Twilight. She is just different. Same power but different style, different abilities.

So much for the past. Trixie had to focus on the present now. She stood up, took her bag and aligned her cape.

The Conclave sent her, the Great and Powerful Trixie to investigate the case of a mysterious fire the middle of the Everfree Forest. Of course, fires were nothing extraordinary. There was a routine for those rare accidents. Call on the Weather Patrol – the pegasi would move heavy clouds and if necessary, jump atop of them to bring the rain. Fire extinguished, problem solved, job well done.

But this was not the ordinary fire.

‘Let’s go over the gathered information.’, Trixie thought to assure nothing was missed.

‘First: size of the phenomenon. Although it had been reported as relatively small, it has capabilities of devastating large areas as if it was at least ten times bigger.’

‘Second: spreading pattern is irregular. Sometimes it stands in one place for a long time, other time it runs a crazy random route.’

‘Third: it is green.’, she ended, giving no further comment about the unusual color.

That was more than enough for anypony, yet the Conclave, to see the magical nature of the fire.

Trixie was wandering through the forest for another hour, carefully studying each ashen field she encountered. She found many incinerated plants and even whole trees burnt to the ground. It was a sad and terrible sight. Good news were that because of the fire, there were hardly any creatures in the area. Probably got scared and ran away. Indeed, Trixie felt much safer knowing she was getting closer to whatever everything else was running away from.

Finally, she found it. Mysterious pillar of green fire, standing on the edge of a ravine, just as it was wondering how to cross the wide waterfall. It was very hot, but Trixie decided to come closer to study it. She chose a branch lying nearby and tossed in into the fire.

Suddenly, the green pillar… jumped?

‘It is not the fire… it’s a creature!’, the azure mare realized.

It was not clearly visible because of smoke and green lashes of fire covering the creature, but Trixie was able to see the shape of it. The beast was tall for at least two hundred hooves, or – like a Manehattan pony would say – about four meters. It had long, strong forearms and giant tusks. Big monkey, perhaps? It was difficult to say. It had also a jeweled collar around its neck.

The beast looked upon Trixie with its burning, orange eyes and raised the arm, gathering flames to target the unicorn.

It was not Trixie’s first combat situation. She regained her focus and immediately raised a magic shield, just in time to block the first few arrows of green fire.

‘Is that the best you got?’, she yelled. ‘Trixie is not impressed!’

She dodged another fiery bolt and attacked. Conjuring three water foxes out of the nearby river, she sent them to distract the beast, then quickly ran to the other side of the monster and hurled bolts of telekinetic energy at her enemy. The beast was hurt, still, it tried to grab the foxes which vaporized in close contact with its hot skin. The enraged monster roared, releasing a large cloud of smoke over the area. Trixie could barely breath and didn’t see anything further than her own hooves. Oddly, the rampaging beast went into silence.

Trixie didn’t like this.

Only months of training and incredible luck saved her from a sudden, powerful green flame cone that came out of nowhere. Trying to counter the blast with her magic, the two powers met in the middle of a scorched field. The azure mare was being pushed towards the edge of the ravine. The green fire was getting closer and closer, and it became hotter. The beast pressed on Trixie one more time and the wave of heat pushed her away from solid ground. She tumbled on a rock shelf, tattering her cape and getting some bruises. The beast roared in triumph, then ran away.

‘Well, that wasn’t so baaaAAAD!’, Trixie screamed as the shelf began to move.

First thing she felt was the gravity pulling her down the ravine.

Then it was pain that came to her head.

Chapter 2

The next thing was someone’s voice.

‘She’s waking up Twilight, come on!’

Then a blurred vision of violet and green.

‘I’m coming Spike, I’m coming…’

Then she saw a purple unicorn and all her memories were back in their places.

‘That Sparkle!’, Trixie shouted, suddenly standing up.

She looked around. It was no longer the Everfree Forest. She was in a place that looked like the inside of a giant tree. Judging by the décor and books lying everywhere – it must be some sort of library or a bookstore. Two pairs of eyes were watching her – one belonged to a small dragon, other to the purple unicorn.

‘Well yes, my name is Twilight Sparkle. It is… unexpected to see you again, Trixie.’

‘Would you mind explaining how did Trixie get here?’

‘Not at all.’, Twilight answered. ‘I was staying up late to watch the sky and make notes about the stars visible at this time of the year, when your little friend came here and made a terrible mess, waking up Spike and alarming me.’

She pointed at the small, gray-black animal sitting behind Trixie on a bookshelf. The raccoon jumped on the bed to try its softness.

‘This furry pest? Trixie thought she made herself clear: I don’t like you!’

The raccoon didn’t care and just dashed under the bed, searching for something worth stealing.

‘So I suggested that Twilight should check it out.’, Spike said.

‘I believe your exact words were: just get this stupid thing out as I want to sleep.’, Twilight supplemented. ‘Anyway, he led me to the Everfree Forest and I brought you here.’

Trixie looked through the window. It was around midday, she must have been unconscious for at least few hours.

‘Please, eat.’, Twilight said, giving Trixie a plate with deliciously looking crispy hay sandwich. ‘Spike had recently been doing well with cooking. I also fixed your cape. I don’t have skills like Rarity, but it should do for now.’

As this situation of unexpected kindness was getting too awkward for Trixie to say anything, she just started eating the sandwich. Indeed, that was a decent meal. After she finished, she grabbed her cape and walked down the stairs.

‘Well thank you, for those unnecessary acts of enormous generosity of yours, but it is time for Trixie to leave. Goodbye.’

Twilight jumped in front of her.

‘Are you going back into the forest?’, she asked.

‘Excuse me, but this is my concern.’, Trixie replied and went out of the house.

‘Wait!’, Twilight said, following her. ‘While you were asleep I’ve received a letter from Princess Celestia, informing that something bad is happening in the Everfree Forest. She asked me to investigate and since you were there, I thought you might know something… about the fire.’

Celestia sent her a letter? Ah yes, they were close friends since Twilight enrolled to Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. The Princess should have known that the Conclave was on the job. Maybe Princess Luna didn’t tell her… no, impossible.

This was tough. Although Trixie wanted to do this on her own, she knew that Celestia’s favored student will stay loyal to her mentor’s wish and there was not a chance of her staying.

‘All right, if there is no other way…’, Trixie moaned.

Twilight seemed content.

‘Spike, Trixie and I are going to the Everfree Forest. Should we not come back within two hours, please inform my friends.’

‘Come on, we don’t have all day!’, Trixie said. She was already delayed. Every second could mean another acre of the forest burnt to ashes, not to mention the risk of the monster running wild into a populated area.

The two unicorns left the Ponyville library and headed towards the Everfree Forest.

It was a second time over the last twenty-four hours for Trixie to enter the woods. More than most ponies did during their lifetime.

‘This time I will do it right.’, she thought. ‘Just keep out of my way, Sparkle.’

The purple unicorn looked focused and determined. Just as Trixie on her missions.

‘What are we dealing with?’, Twilight asked.

‘It is difficult to say. At first we thought it was just a fire…’

Trixie halted. She just referred to the Conclave by saying ‘we’. Twilight was not stupid enough to miss it… quickly, explanation is needed!

‘You know, Trixie, I think you should try using ‘I’ instead of ‘Trixie’ or ‘we’, while reffering to yourself.’

That was close. Saved by her own ego, unbelievable.

‘You’re right. I thought it was just a fire, but it turned out it is a creature of some kind.’

‘A creature? How did it look like?’

As they were wandering through the forest, searching for ashen fields, Trixie described the beast to Twilight. She decided not to mention her not so amazing fight, but told everything about the monster’s constitution and form.

A few moments later, the two mares entered the incinerated field. It was still warm and there were fires around, which meant the beast couldn’t be much further.

‘No book I read mentioned anything capable of doing that kind of damage. Besides dragons. Yet you described something that isn’t a dragon, which might mean…’

Trixie wasn’t listening. She was wondering about Celestia’s letter. Did the Conclave think Trixie is not capable of performing the task on her own? Then why bother sending her in the first place? Some kind of punishment? It just didn’t make sense.

‘Trixie, look!’, Twilight said. ‘I think I got something!’

She pointed her hoof at the entrance to a large cave. The bushed around were still burning, so the beast must have been here.

‘It must be in the cave. Shall we?’, Twilight asked politely.

‘Well, I thought it was obvious.’, Trixie replied.

As the unicorns went inside, they were able to hear roaring from the cave tunnels. The stomping was becoming louder and louder. The beast was getting closer…

‘Let’s do this together.’, Twilight proposed.

‘Well thank you, but I rather do this on my own.’, Trixie rejected.

Suddenly, the darkness of the cave was illuminated by a glowing green light. It also became hotter and the mares began to sweat.

The beast jumped out of the tunnel and immediately tossed a ball of emerald fire at the ponies. They jumped away and ended on the different sides of the cave, with Trixie being closer to the exit. Twilight tried her best to shield herself and toss nearby rocks at the monster, but she couldn’t perform both tasks at the same time. The beast quickly seized her in a fire ring, locking her down and preventing escape. It turned around and renewed the attack at a new target.

Trixie slashed the beast with a vacuum arch she conjured. It hit hard, but unfortunately this complex attack left her vulnerable for the monster’s flame arrows which zapped her and made her hide behind the rocks.

The beast his the cave’s walls with its powerful fists, resulting in the ceiling’s collapse. Then it jumped outside. Trixie was just about to stop it with a spell when…

‘Trixie! Help! I… can’t hold on much… longer!’

Although she escaped the beast’s fire trap, an avalanche of rocks would have entombed Twilight if it weren’t for her magic. She was now struggling to hold them, but could hardly move.

Trixie had less than a blink of an eye to decide. If she starts running now, she might catch up with the beast. It was what she knew was right. But it was not what she felt was right. She turned away and transfigured the rocks into sand, giving Twilight chance to escape.

‘Th- thank you. You saved my life.’

It was a new feeling for Trixie. Feeling that she made something good for somebody. Most of her live she only did what was best for her. It was nice to finally…

‘Oh come on, just get moving or we’re going to lose it!’, she shaken off this new experience.

‘It’s coming towards Ponyville!’, Twilight shouted as she realized why the beast chose linear path after escaping the cave.

‘We need to hurry!’

Chapter 3

They were galloping as fast as they could, but even at their fastest pace might not be enough to make it on time. Luckily, all they need to do was to follow the burnt trail. Trixie noted to herself, that the beast, now enraged, was setting the fire with much more efficiency than before. It was making a scar on the beauty of the Everfree Forest.

‘Where did it go?’, Trixie asked as they entered the devastated meadow. They slowly walked forward, carefully looking around.

‘We lost it! Again!’

‘I… wouldn’t be so sure on this one…’, Trixie pointed behind Twilight’s back.

The mares turned around. The beast was there, spreading its arms. Walls of green fire instantly formed a blazing circle in the area.

‘We’re trapped!’

The beast was getting closer.

‘Uhm… together, right?’, Trixie asked.

‘Let’s do this!’, Twilight replied.

The fight continued. Trixie desperately searched for something to confront the monster. Sadly, there was no water source nearby and using those rare remaining plants against the pure fire was not a good idea. At the same time Twilight was firing spears of light at the beast. Huge fist hit the ground and both mares were knocked away. It could have been the reappear of what happened in the cave, but this time they were fighting like a team. When Trixie was in danger it was Twilight who shielded her, and while Twilight was pinned down it was Trixie who gave her the chance to move away.

However, the beast was not easy adversary. It was using its full arsenal this time and it was extra difficult to dodge its attacks. If the fight doesn’t end soon, the mares will run out of tricks and surely loose…

‘The collar! Look at the collar!’, Twilight shouted.

Most of the jewels in the beast’s collar were colorless diamonds, but one was a green emerald, glowing stronger each time the beast attacked.

‘Sparkle! I will keep him distracted, you destroy that gem!’, Trixie shouted.

She aligned her cape once more and the spirit of the stage got into her.

‘Hey, you big ugly monster! Yes, it is the Great and Powerful Trixie who is addressing you! You’d better remember that name as it will be the last thing for you!’

The distraction worked. The beast left Twilight alone and furiously attacked Trixie with green waves of fire. She saw Twilight focusing the energy in her horn, waiting to release it as she might got a clear shot.

The beast straightened up to unleash its final assault on Trixie. Her shields might not be enough to withhold it.

‘Now, Sparkle! Now is our chance!’

Trixie was not sure if it was real or just the hot air blurred her sight. She’d sworn she saw Twilight hovering over the ground, with her eyes filled with white energy. Then she released a powerful beam from her horn, hitting right on time to save Trixie from the beast’s devastating attack. It roared with pain as the green emerald exploded in a blinding flash of light, leaving its splinters around the area.

The green fire was gone and so was the beast. When the cloud of smoke settled down, Twilight saw something in the place where the beast stood.

It was a dog-like creature with long, strong forearms and flat head, wearing a grey vest.

‘Hey, I know you! You’re… one of the Diamond Dogs!’

He slowly regained consciousness and looked around.

‘Where… what… ah! Purple pony saved us again!’, he exclaimed cheerfully.

‘Again? You know him?’, Trixie asked.

‘Purple pony saved us from awful noises coming from white pony’s mouth… I mean, lady Rarity’s mouth.’, the Diamond Dog said with a strange accent.

‘Can you tell us what happened?’, Twilight inquired.

‘We were digging for gems. We found shiny gem. Glowing. Green. Liked it very much, so I put it on my collar!’

‘What happened next?’

‘Not sure, not sure. Gem whispered things! Make me feel angry, make me want smash things!’

‘Aren’t Diamond Dogs underground species? Shouldn’t you stay in its cave?’

‘Gem, shiny gem told me to go out! Told me to destroy trees, trees weak!’

‘Talking gem… I don’t get it.’, Twilight said.

‘Of course!’, Trixie reacted. ‘The gem must have been magical. Cursed, probably. The power inside it manifested as the giant, armor-like field around the dog’

Clearly the Diamond Dog couldn’t understand a word of Trixie’s theory, but Twilight agreed. They all looked around. Scorched earth, burned bushes, trees set on fire, ashen flowers… It was truly the scar on the face of the Everfree Forest. It made Trixie… sad, as she always enjoyed experiencing the nature full of life.

‘Can I go?’, the Diamond Dog asked.

‘Wait! Most of the forest will take care of itself, but you might help.’, Trixie said.

‘I think I know what you mean, Trixie. Diamond Dog: you must repay for your deeds. Plant some seeds around, dig watering canals, extinguish fires…’, Twilight added.

‘Me? Planting flowers?’

‘Yes. Do you want me to send Rarity to help you?’

Twilight didn’t even finished her question when the dog started waving his paws.

‘No please no! I rather do this on my own!’, he screamed and ran away.

‘Mission accomplished.’, Trixie murmured.

Epilogue

The two mares left what was once a beautiful meadow and soon they crossed the edge of the Everfree Forest. The coolness of the afternoon breeze was a great feeling after the constant heat. They were both looking at Ponyville, knowing that the town was unaware of the danger. They were both too tired to talk, so they just strolled forward, glad that their adventure was finally over.

At the crossroads, near a bridge leading to Ponyville they were about to separate. Twilight was going back into the town, Trixie wanted to go around it. Just as she was about to leave, she realized there was one thing she was unsure of.

‘There was never any letter, was it?’, Trixie asked.

‘There wasn’t.’, Twilight confirmed.

‘So why all this effort of helping me as if Princess Celestia ordered you?’

‘If I had only offered my help, you’d surely refuse it. It was the only way to experience those amazing events.’

‘You mean, fighting the monster. ’

‘No. Getting to know you better.’

Now that was unexpected.

‘I just want you to know that I really enjoyed your companionship.’

Not waiting for a response, Twilight walked through the bridge and headed home. Trixie could probably turned away and depart without a word, but something pushed her not to.

‘Hey, Sparkle!’, Trixie shouted. ‘I also enjoyed… erm… working with you!’

Twilight looked back and just smiled.

‘Oh, great,’, the azure mare thought. ‘When I was doing nice with the words, now she’s smiling.’

Then she walked away towards the train station.

Few minutes later, Trixie couldn’t shaken off the impression that something was not right, as if something was watching her. She slowed down, turned around and stood in amazement.

‘You again!?’, Trixie yelled as she saw the raccoon following her.

She rolled her eyes. Stubborn pet was clearly not letting her go alone.

‘Oh, jump on!’, the azure mare smiled and let the raccoon sit on her back.

And both Trixie and the cunning pet began their journey back to Canterlot to report of another successfully completed assignment.

But even with all her amazing power, the Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t know two things. She didn’t realize that she made her first step into the world of friendship. She was also unaware that the small part of the cursed emerald somehow landed inside her bag.

And was waiting…

Chapter 1 (One-shot, revised version)

She had to do something!

Emerald flames persisted in devouring a now-scorched land, gradually cutting off every potential escape route and effectively trapping the mare within the clearing. On the bright side, a massive boulder behind which she was hiding was still intact, and the magical phenomenon had apparently moved away.

She wasn’t, however, the only pony in peril around, so she had to do something... even if that would completely defy all common sense and reason. Taking a deep breath – and immediately regretting it after inhaling ash and smoke that had arisen from burnt bushes – the mare aligned her purple cloak and trotted out of the cover.

Once again, the spirit of the stage got into her.

"Hey, you big ugly monster!" she shouted challengingly, to which the beast turned around, baring its sharp fangs. "Yes, you! You think you’re better than me!? Then think twice, for I am the Great... and Powerful... TRIXIE!"

There it was: the edge of the Everfree Forest.

Entrance to the most unsettling of all weird places across Equestria. Rumor has it that once you’ve crossed its threshold, it was very unlikely you’ll ever come out. And even if you had, with a dose of stupendous luck, you would not be the same...

While those rumors were mostly exaggerated and spread by those too fearful to even think about the forest, one thing was certain: it was a dangerous place for everyone, no matter if you were a tiny parasprite or a colossal hydra.

Or a pony.

Yet, on this very edge of the Everfree Forest stood a hooded figure in an elegant, purple cloak wrapped around her neck with a fancy brooch – one of those things a pony with expensive taste could only get in Canterlot. The mare threw a quick glance back to make sure that no pony would follow her, and stepped forward, immersing herself in the forest’s flora.

That creepy place had a certain charm, the mare had to admit it. The variety of colorful flowers with mesmerizing scents and strange, overgrown plants of unknown species made the evening atmosphere truly magical. Although it was already past the sunset, coming here at high noon would not make much difference, as the density of trees’ crowns successfully prevented sunlight from reaching the ground. Still, anypony venturing into the woods after the Sun went down the horizon was either very brave or very stupid.

Anypony but the mare, who was neither too brave nor too stupid, but definitely not scared by the forest. She was, after all, a member of the Conclave – an elite and covert congregation of unicorns sworn to protect ponies from magic... and magic from ponies, sometimes. Founded many years ago by Star Swirl the Bearded, the organization knew that any use of magic beyond ordinary bag carrying or helping in ponies’ everyday activities must be watched upon and, if necessary, controlled. The Conclave was there to make sure every mundane day in Equestria would stay that way.

The mare decided to rest by a nearby stream. It was high time to take a break, drink some refreshing water and regain strength, as she was on her hooves for several hours by now. She put away her bag on a pile of flat, moss-covered rocks, then gazed upon her reflection in the crystal clear water. Indeed, she was a little weary.

Of course, she didn’t come here from the city of Canterlot by herself. Travelling by train was an obvious choice, as was leaving it at a station just before Ponyville. Partly to avoid crowd and detection, partly because she didn’t really like the town. She didn’t like it, at all...

Suddenly she heard a noise from behind that snatched her out of her reverie. Her bag seemed slightly bigger and was moving away – something must have got inside! The mare quickly jumped to the pile of rocks, ready to use combat spells in necessary...

A raccoon emerged from the bag and climbed onto it.

"Shoo! Be gone!" Trixie waved her hoof, trying to chase the furry animal off.

He didn’t move, only curiously stared at her.

"Ignorant creature. Aren’t you aware in whose presence you are!?" she said and shook her head, removing the hood. "I am the Great and Powerful Trixie!"

And she made one of her most spectacular stage poses.

Trixie, in all of her greatness and powerfulness, was an azure unicorn with a long, pale cornflower mane. Her dark violet eyes, along with the expression of a proud mare on her face, seemed to be constantly judging everything around and relating it to herself. With herself being superior in that comparison, to be exact.

Despite her undeniable glamor, the raccoon was clearly unimpressed and simply went back to looting the bag. He found an apple, which he immediately tried to pull out.

"Oh, just what am I doing..." Trixie frowned. "Give me that!"

Her horn shimmered as she enveloped both her bag and the fruit in a light magenta mist, and pulled them up angrily. The poor animal had no choice but to capitulate. He ran away into the forest.

"Where was I? Ah, yes, Ponyville," Trixie pondered, then sat by the stream and enjoyed the apple.

Trixie didn’t like Ponyville. One visit there was more than enough! What had come to be known as the ‘Ursa Minor Incident’ was actually a covert mission to evaluate talent in magic of a particular unicorn, Twilight Sparkle.

That Sparkle!

One day the Conclave learned that Twilight’s power was growing amazingly fast, so they dispatched Trixie to investigate. She disguised herself as a traveling entertainer – which was, by the way, pretty easy considering her life before joining the Conclave and natural talent to perform – and tried to challenge Twilight for a duel on stage.

Unfortunately, the lavender unicorn’s ridiculous friends stood up for the challenge instead, and Twilight’s magic power could not be observed. If it weren’t for two foolish colts, who made Ursa Minor rampage through the streets of Ponyville, Trixie would never had a chance to finish her assignment.

And then it happened.

Reluctantly, Trixie had to admit she saw some excellent magic that night. Twilight Sparkle was indeed very powerful. Though Trixie was left humiliated, from a certain point of view, and the entertainment wagon funded by the Conclave was smashed into pieces, her mission was accomplished. Whether or not Twilight’s magic was to be controlled was entirely the Conclave Council’s worry now.

So much for the past. Trixie had to focus on the present now. She stood up, took her bag and aligned her star-embroidered cloak. She was ready to go.

The Conclave sent her, the Great and Powerful Trixie to investigate the case of a mysterious fire that broke in the middle of the Everfree Forest. Fires were rare, but nothing extraordinary in Equestria, so there was a routine for those accidents. Call the Weather Patrol, some pegasi arrive with heavy clouds and, if necessary, jump atop of them to bring the rain. Fire extinguished, problem solved, job well done.

But that fire was anything but ordinary.

"Let’s go over the gathered information," Trixie thought on her way through the forest to ensure she didn’t miss anything. "First: size of the phenomenon. Although it has been reported as relatively small, it is capable of devastating large areas as if it was at least ten times bigger."

"Second: its spreading pattern is irregular. Sometimes it remains in one place for a long time, only to move like crazy shortly afterwards."

"Third: it is green," Trixie ended, giving no further comment about the unusual color.

That was more than enough for anypony, yet the Conclave, to see the fire’s magical nature.

Trixie wandered through the Everfree Forest for another hour, carefully studying each ashen field she encountered. She found many incinerated plants and even whole trees burnt to the ground. It was a sad and terrible sight. Good news were that, because of the fire, there were hardly any creatures in the area. Probably got scared and ran away.

Indeed, Trixie felt much safer knowing that she was getting closer to whatever everything else was running from.

Finally, she found it.

A mysterious pillar of emerald fire, burning on the edge of a wide waterfall, just as if it wondered how to cross it. Trixie moved closer to the phenomenon. It was no surprise that the air was getting warmer the closer she approached. She needed to examine the fire, and by that she meant choosing a nearby branch and poking it.

Just before she reached it, the emerald pillar... jumped?

"That’s no fire!" Trixie realized. "It’s a creature!"

Although it wasn’t clearly visible due to smoke and green lashes covering the creature, Trixie was able to see its general shape. The beast was tall for at least two hundred hooves, or – like a Manehatten pony would say – about for meters, had long, muscular forearms and giant tusks. Not unlike... a monkey, perhaps? It was difficult to say. The creature was also wearing a jeweled neckband.

It looked upon Trixie with its blazing, orange eyes and raised the arm, gathering flames from its body to target the unicorn.

It wasn’t Trixie’s first combat situation. She quickly regained her focus and immediately raised a magic shield, just in time to make the first few arrows of green fire glance off the violet disk.

"Is that the best you can do!?" she yelled. "Trixie is not impressed!"

She dodged another fire bolt and attacked. Conjuring three water foxes out of the nearby river, she sent them to distract the beast, then quickly hastily moved to the other side and hurled bolts of telekinetic energy at the enemy. The beast was hurt, still, it reached to grab the foxes which evaporated in close contact with its hot skin. The enraged monster roared, releasing a large cloud of black, dense smoke over the area. Trixie could barely breath and didn’t see anything further than her own hooves.

Oddly, the rampaging beast went into silence.

Quite a calm before the storm.

Trixie didn’t like this.

Only months of training and incredible luck saved her from a sudden, powerful green flaming cone that came out of nowhere. Trixie tried to counter the blast with her own magic, and the two powers met in the middle of a scorched field. The azure mare was pushed back towards the edge of the waterfall. The emerald fire pressed on, it became hotter and the wave of heat ultimately blasted Trixie away from the solid ground. She tumbled down onto a rock shelf, tattering her cloak and getting struck several times.

The beast roared in triumph, then ran away.

"Well, that wasn’t so baaaAAAD!" Trixie screamed as the shelf moved.

First she felt the gravity pulling her down the waterfall. Then it was pain that came to her head.

The next thing was someone’s voice.

"She’s waking up! Twilight, come on!"

A blurred vision of purple and green.

"I’m coming, Spike, I’m coming..."

Then she saw a lavender unicorn and all her memories were back in their places.

"That Sparkle!", Trixie shouted, grabbing a nearby pillow to cover herself.

She looked around. It was no longer the Everfree Forest, though the place resembled the inside of a giant tree. But what tree had beds, pillows and professional telescopes inside? Judging by the decor and books lying everywhere, it must have been some sort of a library, or a bookstore. Two pairs of eyes were watching here: one belonged to a small dragon, the other to the lavender unicorn.

"Well, yes, my name is Twilight Sparkle," she spoke. "It is... unexpected to see you again, Trixie. Are you okay?"

"Would you mind explaining Trixie," she repeatedly hit the pillow to manifest her confusion, "how the Great and Powerful Trixie ended up... in here!?"

Twilight sat at the other side of the bed.

"No, not at all," she replied, using magic to straighten the creased pillow, then put it exactly in the middle behind Trixie’s back. The aura surrounding her horn was the color of a raspberry. "I’ve been staying up late to watch the night sky and make some notes about constellations visible this time of year," she nodded at the telescope, "when your little friend came and made a terrible mess downstairs, alarming me and waking up Spike."

Twilight pointed at the small, black-gray animal sitting behind Trixie on a bookshelf. The raccoon jumped on the bed to try its softness.

"This furry pest isn’t mine!" Trixie protested and glared upon the pet. "Trixie thought she made herself clear: I don’t like you!"

The raccoon ignored the insult as if he didn’t care – or understood – at all, then dashed under the bed to search for something worth stealing.

"So I suggested that Twilight should check it out," Spike the dragon said.

"I believe your exact words were: just get this stupid thing out as I want to sleep," Twilight supplemented. "Anyway, he lead me to the Everfree Forest, where I found you near the river... and I brought you here."

Trixie looked through a window. It was around midday, she had to be unconscious for several hours.

"Please, eat," Twilight said, levitating a plate with deliciously looking crispy hay sandwich to Trixie. "Spike has been doing really well with cooking recently. I’ve also patched your cloak," she blushed. "I don’t have skills like Rarity, of course, but... well, I’ve patched your cloak."

As situations of unexpected kindness were too awkward for the bragging pony with the ego size of the Canterlot Gardens to handle, she just started chewing the sandwich. A decent meal. Not like that one restaurant in Los Pegasus, but fair enough.

After she finished, she grabbed her bag, her cloak and trotted down the stairs, guessing that the exit of this bizarre place would be somewhere there. Ah, there it is.

"Trixie thanks you for these unnecessary acts of enormous charity of yours," she stormed out of the library-tree-house-thing without even looking back, "but it is time for Trixie to leave. Goodbye."

Twilight dashed in front of her.

"Are you going back into the Everfree Forest?"

"Excuse me, but that is my concern," Trixie replied. She didn’t want to bear with that Sparkle any longer.

"Wait!", Twilight kept following her. "While you were asleep, I’ve received a letter from Princess Celestia, informing that something ominous is happening in the Everfree Forest. She asked me to investigate and, since you were there, I thought you might know something... about the fire."

Trixie halted.

Princess Celestia herself sent her a letter? Another reason to despise Twilight Sparkle!

But, she should have known that the Conclave was on the job! Though Princess Celestia did no longer oversee the organization, as Princess Luna took that duty shortly after she returned from the Moon – mostly due to its secretive nature and because she was less into official affairs than her royal sister – she should still have been informed! Perhaps Luna didn’t tell her? No, impossible.

That was though. Although Trixie desired to do it on her own, she was well aware that Celestia’s most favored student would do anything to meet her mentor’s demand... and there was no way to make her stay idle.

"All right, if there’s no other way..." Trixie moaned.

Twilight seemed satisfied, in contrast to the azure mare’s discontent.

"Spike, Trixie and I are going to the Everfree Forest," she said.

"Yeah, yeah, have fun!" Spike shivered and waved. "I will... stay here, just in case!"

Twilight gave him a meaningful stare.

"Should we not come back within... two hours, please inform my friends."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn’t have all day, Twilight!"

She was already delayed. Every second could mean another acre of the forest burnt to ashes, not to mention the risk of the monster running wild into a populated area. On the other hoof...

No. As much as she disliked Ponyville, she had to stay professional.

The two unicorn mares left the library and headed into the Everfree Forest. It was the second time within the last twenty-four hours for Trixie to enter the woods. More than others did throughout their lives.

"This time, I will do it right," she thought, observing the other mare. Twilight looked focused and determined, just like Trixie on her missions. "Just stay out of my way, Sparkle!"

"What are we dealing with, exactly?" the lavender pony asked.

"It was difficult to say. At first we thought it was just a fire..."

Trixie froze. She just so unprofessionally referred to the Conclave by saying ‘we’! Twilight was not stupid enough to miss it! Quick, find a suitable explanation!

"You know, Trixie, I think you should try using ‘I’ instead of ‘Trixie’ or ‘we’ while referring to yourself," Twilight obliviously stated. "It’s not necessary a bad thing, only little confusing."

Phew, that was close. Saved by her own ego, unbelievable.

"You’re right," Trixie replied, deciding to play along. "I thought it was just a fire, but it turned out it was a creature of some kind."

"A creature? How did it look like?"

As they strolled through the forest, following the trail of ashen fields, Trixie did her best to describe the beast to Twilight. She chose not to mention her no-so-amazing skirmish, but told everything about the monster’s constitution, form and abilities.

Moments later, they entered another incinerated field. Still warm, with broken branches and with lots of embers around – that meant the beast couldn’t be much further.

"No book I’ve read mentions anything capable of doing such damage," Twilight whispered. "Besides dragons, perhaps. But since you said it wasn’t a dragon, that might mean..."

Trixie did not listen. She was wondering about Celestia’s letter. Did the Conclave think Trixie was not capable of performing the task on her own? Then why bother sending her in the first place? Some kind of punishment? It just didn’t make sense.

"Trixie, look!" Twilight said, pointing her hoof at the entrance to a large cave. Bushes around were still burning, so the beast had to be inside. "Shall we?", she asked politely.

"Well, it’s obvious," Trixie replied bluntly.

The cave was apparently an abandoned mine. There were mining tools scattered by the walls, partly rusted railroad tracks and a few carts, which were once used to transport whatever was extracted on the other end of the numerous dark tunnels.

As they went inside, the mares heard a roar, then stomping which got louder and louder. The beast was getting closer...

"Let’s do this together," Twilight proposed, but Trixie rejected the idea due to its absurdity.

"I work better on my own."

Suddenly, the darkness of the cave become illuminated be a green, glowing light. It got hotter, making breathing more difficult and causing the mares to sweat.

The beast jumped out of the tunnel and immediately tossed a ball of emerald fire at the unicorns. They jumped away and ended on the opposite sides of the cave, with Trixie being closer to the exit. Twilight tried her best to shield herself and toss nearby mining equipment at the monster, but she couldn’t perform both tasks at the same time effectively. The beast quickly seized her in a fiery ring, locking her down and preventing escape. It turned around and renewed the attack on the new target.

Trixie slashed the beast with a vacuum arch she conjured. It hit pretty hard, but this complex attack left her vulnerable for flame arrows which zapped her and forced to hide inside a mining cart.

The beast punched the cave’s walls with its powerful fists, causing the ceiling to collapse. Then it jumped outside. Trixie got a clear shot on the beast’s back and was just about to stop it with a spell when...

"Trixie! Help! I... can’t hold on... much longer!"

Although Twilight escaped the fire trap, an avalanche of rocks would have entombed her if it weren’t for her magic. She was now struggling to hold them, but could hardly move.

Trixie had less than a blink of an eye to decide.

If she started running know, she might catch up with the beast. It was what she knew was right thing to do. But it wasn’t what she felt was right. She dashed to Twilight and transfigured the rocks onto sand, giving her a chance to escape the cave. If she had known that the ceiling was so unstable, she’d blow the entrance in the first place!

"Th- thank you! You saved my life!"

It was a new feeling for Trixie, a feeling that she actually made something good for somepony else. Most of her life she’d been only doing what was best for her. It was nice to finally...

"Oh, come on!" she shook off the new, unfamiliar experience. "Just get moving or we’re going to lose it!"

Twilight realized that after escaping the mine, the beast chose a straight path. Straight to...

"It’s coming towards Ponyville!" she shouted. "We need to hurry!"

They galloped as fast as they could, but even their fastest pace might not be enough to make it on time. Luckily, all they needed was to follow a burnt trail through the woods. Trixie noted to herself that the beast, now enraged, was setting fire with much more efficiency than before, making a furrow on the beauty of the Everfree Forest.

"Where did it go!?" Trixie asked as they entered a devastated meadow. "Argh! We’ve lost it! Again!"

"Oh, I wouldn’t be so sure on this one..." Twilight pointed behind Trixie’s back.

She turned around.

The beast was right there. It spread its arms and walls of green fire appeared, instantly forming a blazing ring around the area.

"Uhm... together, right?" Trixie asked.

"Let’s do this!"

The fight continued. It could have been the repeat of what had happened in the cave, but this time the mares fought like a team – whenever Trixie was in danger it was Twilight who shielded her, and while Twilight was pinned down, Trixie gave her a chance to move aside.

The beast, however, was not an easy adversary. It used the full arsenal of fires, flames and blazes this time, it was extra difficult to dodge its attacks and the omnipresent smoke became annoying. If the fight did not end soon, the mares would run out of tricks and surely loose...

Trixie desperately searched for something to confront the monster with, but there was no water source nearby, and using those rare remaining plants against pure fire was not a good idea.

"The collar! Look at the collar!" Twilight shouted.

Most of the jewels on the beast’s neckband were colorless diamonds, but one was a green emerald, glowing stronger with each shot fire bolt. That was it – the source of beast’s power!

Emerald flames persisted in devouring a now-scorched land, gradually cutting off every potential escape route and effectively trapping the mare within the clearing. On the bright side, a massive boulder behind which she was hiding was still intact, and the magical phenomenon had apparently moved away.

She wasn’t, however, the only pony in peril around, so she had to do something... even if that would completely defy all common sense and reason. Taking a deep breath – and immediately regretting it after inhaling ash and smoke that had arisen from burnt bushes – the mare aligned her purple cloak and trotted out of the cover.

Once again, the spirit of the stage got into her.

"Hey, you big ugly monster!" she shouted challengingly, to which the beast turned around, baring its sharp fangs. "Yes, you! You think you’re better than me!? Then think twice, for I am the Great... and Powerful... TRIXIE!"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"

"I will keep him distracted, you destroy that gem!" Trixie shouted. "You thing! Remember my name, as it will be the last thing you’ve heard!"

The distraction worked. The beast left Twilight alone and furiously attacked Trixie with waves of green fire. Between dodging, rolling and protecting herself with magic, she spotted Twilight gathering the arcane energy in her horn, preparing to release it in a single attack.

The beast straightened up to unleash an apocalyptic assault on Trixie. Her shields might not be enough to withstand it...

"Now or never, Sparkle! That’s our chance!"

Trixie wasn’t sure if it was real, or if the hot air blurred her sight. She could have sworn she saw Twilight hovering over the ground, her eyes filled with white energy, releasing a powerful beam and hitting the beast right on time to save Trixie from its devastating attack.

It roared in pain as the green emerald exploded in a blinding flash of light, scattering its splinters around the area. They were sharp, but Trixie managed to cover her face with the bag. Unfortunately, her purple cloak was now pretty torn up.

The green fire was gone, and so was the beast. When the cloud of smoke settled down, the mares saw a shape in the place where the monster stood.

It was a dog-like creature with long, strong forearms and flat head, wearing a grey vest.

"Hey, I know you!" Twilight said. "You’re one of the Diamond Dogs!"

He slowly regained consciousness and looked around.

"Where? What? Ah, purple pony saves us again!", he exclaimed cheerfully and embraced her.

"Again?" Trixie raised an eyebrow. "Are you two close?"

Twilight gave her a serious look.

"Just asking..."

"Purple pony saved us from awful noises coming from white pony’s mouth... I mean, lady Rarity’s mouth," the Diamond Dog bowed a little.

"Can you tell us what happened?" Twilight inquired.

"Digging for gems, yes. We found shiiiiny gem. Glowing. Greeeen," his eyes got wider. "Liked it, liked it very much, so I put it on my collar!"

"What happened next?"

"Not sure, not sure," the Diamond Dog leaned conspiratorially. "Gem whispered things! Make me feel angry, make me want smash things!"

"Aren’t Diamond Dogs underground species?" Trixie asked, but spotted his indifferent face. "I mean, shouldn’t you stay in your cave?"

"Gem, shiny gem told me to go out! Told me to destroy trees, trees weak!"

"Talking gem... I'm not buying it," Twilight shook her head.

"Of course!" Trixie realized. "The gem must have been magical. Cursed, probably. The power inside it manifested as a giant, armor-like field around the dog."

Clearly the Diamond Dog didn’t understand a word of Trixie’s theory, but Twilight nodded.

They all looked around. Scorched earth, burnt bushes, trees still on fire... it was truly the scar on the face of the Everfree Forest. It made Trixie... sad.

"Can I go?" the dog asked.

"Wait! Most of the woods will take care for itself, but you might help..." Trixie said.

"I think I know what you mean, Trixie. Diamond Dog: you must repay for your deeds. Plant some seeds around, dig watering canals, extinguish fires..." Twilight enumerated.

The Diamond Dog blinked. Twice for every task he got.

"Me? Planting flowers?"

"Yes!" Twilight grinned. "Do you want me to tell Rarity-"

She didn’t even finish her question, because the dog started waving his paws.

"No, please no! I rather work on my own!" he screamed and ran away, pulling his ears in desperation.

"Mission accomplished," Trixie murmured.

The two mares left what was once a beautiful meadow and soon crossed the edge of the Everfree forest. The coolness of the afternoon breeze was a great feeling after the constant heat. They were both looking at Ponyville, knowing that the town was unaware of the danger. Too tired to talk, they strolled forward, glad that their adventure was finally over.

At the crossroads, near a bridge leading to Ponyville they were about to go their separate ways. Twilight back into the town, Trixie around it. Just as she was about to leave, she realized there was one thing she was unsure of.

"There was never any letter, was it?" she asked.

"There wasn’t," Twilight confirmed with a gentle smile.

"So why all this effort in helping me as if the princess ordered you to do so?"

"If I had only offered my help, you’d surely refuse. It was the only way to experience those amazing events."

"You mean, fighting the monster," Trixie clarified.

"No. Getting to know you better," Twilight corrected.

Now THAT was unexpected.

"I didn’t have a chance the last time you were here and... well, I just want you to know that I enjoyed your companionship."

Without waiting for a reply, Twilight walked through the bridge and headed home. Trixie could probably turn away and depart without a word, but something pushed her not to.

"Hey, Sparkle!" she shouted. "I also enjoyed... erm... working with you!"

Twilight looked back and smiled.

"Great," the azure mare thought. "Once I was doing good with words, she’s all smiling."

Then she walked away toward a train station.

Few minutes later, Trixie couldn’t shake off the impression that something wasn’t quite right, as if something was watching her. She slowed down, turned around and stood in amazement.

"You again!?" Trixie yelled as she saw... the raccoon following her.

She tried to walk a few steps away, but the pet was still by her side. She rolled her eyes. The stubborn creature was clearly not letting her go alone.

"Oh, jump on!" she smiled and let the raccoon sit on her back.

And both Trixie and the cunning pet began their journey back to Canterlot to report of another successfully completed assignment.

But event with all her amazing power, the Great and Powerful Trixie was not aware of two things. She didn’t realized that she made her first step into the world of friendship. She also didn’t know that a small part of the cursed emerald had somehow landed inside her bag.

And was waiting...

Author's Notes:

THE STORY COMMENCES
IN PART ONE OF THE CONCLAVE TRILOGY
SHADOWS OF CANTERLOT

Thanks for reading!