A large crescent moon hung over Equestria. Directed by Luna, its soft light filled the night and illuminated the darkness. The moonlight did not help the unicorn that was currently muttering curses to herself. Then again, not much moonlight could pierce through the thick trees of the Everfree forest.When the moonlight did poke through the dense forest canopy, it shined on the unicorn’s mane and accentuating its silver hue.

Somewhere close by, a branch snapped, causing the unicorn to twist her blue muzzle back and forth in fright. Whether it was a tree blowing in the wind, a random pebble tumbling down a hill, or even the sound of her own hooves; the slightest provocation sent her darting away from whatever had alarmed her. The constant creaking of the cart she pulled didn’t help her paranoia.

“Trixie should have never bought a secondhoof cart,” she huffed. “The noise it makes is displeasing and doesn’t attract customers!” Trixie grunted and continued pulling the cart.

“That stupid sign has clearly lied to Trixie! It said the way to Trottingham was on the right and the Everfree was on the left! Oh!” Trixie let out a snort. “If I ever find that sign again, it will rue the day it dared defy the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie reared up on her hind legs and swatted the air with her front ones in frustration.

A crow cawed in response to Trixie’s ranting. Trixie fell back onto four hooves and shivered. She pulled herself closer to her cart. “T-trixie is not scared of a tiny forest. She is j-just not accustomed to being away from her adoring fans.” Another branch snapped. “T-trixie is n-not afraid of anything in this forest. S-she has managed to tame an Ursa M-major. She can h-handle herself!” Her whole body involuntarily shivered.

“O-obviously, the s-sign is to blame. It has c-clearly misled me, uh, her, er!” Trixie stomped her hooves in frustration. “This is that sign’s fault!” Trixie lurched her cart to the left and turned it around. “T-trixie will s-simply go back the way she ca—”

The forest was filled with small paths. The path she was currently on forked in multiple directions. Following tracks was useless as well. The undergrowth covered up any signs a path had been visited. Trixie stared at the vast maze the forest had now become. Her ears drooped and her eyes widened in both horror and panic. “I d-don’t want to b-be here anymore.”

The night would not end. Whenever Trixie caught of glimpse of the moon through the trees, she saw that the moon had moved, and yet the black night remained. Her azure coat was a mess and parts of it were completely frayed off due to her attempts to gallop while pulling the cart. Her breathing was almost as fast as her heartbeat now. Every noise sent her into a mad gallop.

There was a far-off howl and Trixie sprinted. She galloped until a root stopped her in her tracks. The cart, in turn, knocked the wind out of her.

She pulled herself up. Mud covered both the inside and outside of her muzzle. She spat out the wet earth and looked at herself to assess the damage. Her cape and hat had become further dirtied, her mane covered in more leaves, and new cuts and scrapes accompanied the injuries that dotted her legs. She had lost count of how many times she’d fallen tonight.

She sighed and continued trotting onward, desperate to find an exit from the nightmare the forest had become. However, when she moved forward, the cart wouldn’t budge. She looked back and saw her fall had been a double whammy. Not only had she tripped on a root, but the cart had gotten stuck in the undergrowth as well. Her horn lit up for a brief second, but then she stopped her magic and fell to the ground. She curled into a small ball.

“What’s the point?” she sobbed. “Ever since Ponyville, it’s been one failure after another! Nopony wants to see Trixie anymore, I…I’m just yesterday’s news!” She peaked out at the forest. To her, it looked like it was closing in on her. “Now I’m going to die here, alone and forgotten! Nopony will care or even know!” Hot tears rained down Trixie’s cheeks. “I-I never even h-had any friends w-who cared!”

Then, in the darkness, Trixie saw a glint of light. It was much larger than the simple moonbeams that popped up throughout the forest. “The exit!” Trixie unhitched herself from the stuck cart and dashed toward the moonlight. “Trixie knew she could do it!” The trees started fading away. “Trixie just got a little lost is all. Now she can go and… and…”

The light had not led to the exit of the forest, but rather a large meadow. Trixie fell to her haunches. “T-there’s no way out. No way out.” Trixie gave up and lied down in the meadow.

Where had it gone so wrong? Had it been the show? The foals? That stupid purple unicorn? Trixie shuddered and let out a small cry. Was it always going to end this way? A broken star?

Trixie gazed up at the vast expanse that made up the night sky. At least Princess Luna made the night beautiful. Trixie began to close her eyes. If the creatures of the forest didn’t get her, then she would just lie there until exposure did her in. This was always how it would end. “I just wish I could have done one last show with some friends.” Her voice was as soft and as quiet as the wind that blew through the meadow.

Something flickered in the sky and caught Trixie’s closing eyes. “Huh?” she asked weakly. Whatever it was wasn’t a star. It didn’t just twinkle in space and then become a dot of light, it kept shimmering and it continued to grow larger.

Trixie weakly shuffled to her hooves and looked at the strange object “W-what?” Is it a phoenix? Trixie squinted her eyes to look at it. No, it’s too big to be a phoenix. What… “A meteor.” The object kept getting closer.

A shooting star. “I… I wish I had a friend!” Trixie yelled to the heavens. “I just don’t want to be here alone anymore! Please!” Trixie gazed up at the object as tears ran down her face. “Please…” she repeated.

In response, the object kept getting bigger. “Eh?” Now Trixie could see it wasn’t a meteor, but some weird bubble. “Eh?” A bubble that was zooming right for the meadow. “Eh?!” Trixie darted for the trees as the bubble came crashing into the forest. The blast knocked her back a few feet and into a tree.

Trixie coughed as she recovered from the hit. “I should have known a wish would go wrong.” Anger crept into her voice. “So even the stars are against me? Fine!” Trixie got to her hooves and glared up at the moon. That stupid darn moon! “Screw you Princess Luna! I always ha—” Trixie stopped her rant when she saw the impact crater was smoking and shaped like a paw. “That wasn’t a normal… whatever it was.” Trixie trotted closer. The crater looked just like the paw that had destroyed her last cart. “It was a sign. But then, what does it…”

As the smoke cleared away, Trixie saw that in the center of the crater was a pony. His coat was black and his mane a dark seaweed green. A green scarf was wrapped around his neck and sticking out of it were three full scabbards. A horn stuck out of his head and three blades graced his flank. Trixie’s mouth dropped.

“This… this is…” A huge smile slowly grew on Trixie’s face. “A friend!” Trixie scooped up the unicorn and gave him a hug. She didn’t notice his head flop back. She happily looked up to the moon. “Oh thank you Princess Luna! Trixie should have never doubted you! Thank you so mu—”

Trixie noticed her coat was wet now. “Huh?” She looked at the unicorn. Now she saw that his eyes weren’t open and he was barely breathing. A large scar across his chest was bleeding onto Trixie’s coat.

“No!” Trixie instantly picked up the unicorn with her magic and started performing all the first aid procedures she know. “Oh, I can’t lose you! I just met you!” Trixie rushed back to where she’d left her cart. The cart! It has medical supplies in it! She reached the cart at record speed. She threw it open with magic and laid the unicorn down on the small bed inside. Then she rifled through all cabinets.

“Where is it? Where is it? Ha!” Trixie grasped what she was looking for with her hooves and held it high in victory. It was a roll of bandages. “Mom always said these were the best magic in Equestria!” Trixie looked at the unicorn. “Don’t worry. Bandages make everything better!” Trixie went to work on “healing” the unicorn.

The black unicorn’s left eye twitched a little. He swatted an ear at it. “Huh? Ugh, that’s right, that damn bear sent me…” There was a blue horse sleeping right next to him. “Ahhh!”

Trixie opened her eyes and saw the unicorn was up. “Ahhhh!” She jumped up and braced herself against her dresser. Makeup and other cosmetics crashed to the floor. “Oh. I mean, you’re up! I’m was worried, it’s been a whole two da—”

“Shut up!” he yelled. “Alright.” He winced a little as he moved a hoof to his side. “You’ve got three seconds to tell me…” He moved his hoof over his side as if he was trying to grasp something. Then he grimaced. He drew up the hoof to his face. “What the hell? My hand!” He glared at Trixie. “Okay, horse thing, give me back my hands now or I…” He twitched a little as the scabbards shifted around his neck. “Ha!” He grabbed the white one with his teeth and unsheathed the sword within. “Giff me baph ma hafs now!”

Trixie had never seen a pony brandish a sword before. Certainly nopony had ever pulled one on her, not even in the rougher areas of Equestria. “I-I d-did not take away whatever hands are. I o-only tried to h-help. P-please don’t hurt me!” She fell to her haunches and cowered.

The unicorn looked over the situation and re-sheathed his sword. “Tch, what a pain.” He looked down. He was literally covered in bandages for hoof to head. Did it think bandages helped that much?

He slowly got to his hooves. His wobbled and would have fallen had it not been for the small confines of the cart.

“Damn it!” He braced himself against a side. “Bastard blasts me off and then makes me whatever the hell this thing is.” He kept pushing forward to the door that led outside.

Trixie galloped over to him. “Wait! Y-you can’t! You shouldn’t even be moving! Y-you need to rest. Please!” She raised her hoof to him.

He turned around to face Trixie. “Look talking horned horse thing. I got places to go. Thanks for fixing me up, but I gotta go.” He faced the door and slumped over to it. He extended a hoof, but the knob wouldn’t turn

Trixie stood, watching the scene in front of her. But… but he’s a friend right? I wished and he came here. He fumbled more with the door. She clenched her teeth. Stupid unicorn! He can’t even use his magic! And he has the gall to say he’s fine to the Great and Powerful Trixie? “Now listen here, foal!” Trixie mustered up her courage. “Trixie has taken good care of you, now she demands you fulfill her wish and be a good friend!”

“Huh?” The unicorn glared back at her with a look that sent shivers down her spine. “Sorry, your door is annoying.” He slid the sword out again and swiftly swung his head around. A second later, the door split into multiple pieces. Trixie’s jaw dropped.

“My cart!”

“What? I apologized,” he said nonchalantly. The unicorn hopped out of cart and into the forest. “I’d give you some cash, but I haven’t got anything on me.”

Trixie still gaped at the new hole in her cart. Then she scowled. How dare he! I heal him and he breaks Trixie’s cart! Why Trixie will… will…” Her eyes fell on the three scabbards. Her horn lit up.

Great, a forest. The unicorn sighed and continued trotting forward. Oh well, at least there’ll be stuff to eat here. Still, what the hell? Why am I a horse now? Ugh, doesn’t matter, need to get back to th — His swords wiggled out of his sash and flew into the air, covered in a blue aura. “What?!”

The swords bobbed up and down in the air around Trixie. “T-trixie demands that you be her friend or… or you do not get your weapons back!”

The unicorn was upon her in an instant. His hot breath was in Trixie’s face. “You’d better drop them right now,” he growled.

“N-no, Trixie made her wish and she will have it fulfil—” One of the swords crackled. Lightning sizzled around it. “What?! What is that weapon?” More lightning emanated from the sword. Trixie fell to her hocks. “Eep! Get it off! Get it off!” The blue aura surrounding the swords darkened.

The unicorn glanced up at the sword and then back at Trixie. “Stop floating them then!”

Trixie closed her eyes and tried to push through the pain the sword was causing. “I’m trying! But it… Ahhh!” Trixie was suddenly engulfed in the dark blue aura. “Ahh! Get it away!” Trixie and the swords flew away from the unicorn and zoomed through the forest.

“My swords!” The unicorn galloped after Trixie. He pounded through the forest, trampling over the undergrowth and snapping countless branches. His eyes, like a hungry wolf, were focused on the glow. Then the forest darkened and the glow was lost. “Damn it!” He pounded his hooves into the ground in frustration. “Er, I’ll just have to guess where she went.”

A nearby twig snapped. The unicorn turned his head to see a wolf like creature emerge from the bushes. It advanced and more twigs cracked. Only it wasn’t stepping on any twigs. The creature’s own body was making the snapping noises.

“Great, monsters,” the unicorn sighed. He twisted to grab a sword, but grasped at nothing. “Crap! If I ever find that thing again I’m gonna…” Wait, it had a horn than I should…

He glared up at his head. Unfortunately, that meant taking his eyes off of the timber wolf. It lunged for him. “Crap!” It opened its jaws for the kill and fell on the unicorn.

For a second, the forest was still. The unicorn and the wolf stood unmoving. The wolf let out a yelp and fell to the ground. There was now a small crack in its wooden body. The unicorn looked down on his defeated foe and then up at his horn. “Tch, can’t even cut with this thing.”

Suddenly, a scream resonated throughout the forest. The unicorn craned his head to where he thought the scream was coming from. “Great, now that thing is in trouble. Oh well, at least now I know where it is!” He barreled into the forest towards the scream. However, there was another scream, this time from behind him. “Huh?”

He looked back and forth between where the scream had come from and where he was headed. “Wasn’t it screaming coming from this direction?”

He darted off in a different direction, only for the scream to once more come from the opposite side of the forest. “Darn it! This forest must be playing tricks on me!”

Another scream. He didn’t bother to pinpoint its source this time. “Er, this is get— “ More screaming. He gritted his teeth and galloped forward. He saw a fleck of blue in the green forest and darted for it. “Would you shut up!”

“M-mr. sword pony!” Trixie cried out. “Help!”

“Fine! But will you stop…” He looked around the forest they were in. “Screaming.” Dozens of the wolves surrounded them. “Crap.”

He rapidly twisted his head around looking for his swords. “Horse-thing! Where are my swords?!”

“I-I’m not a horse-t-thing, I’m a p—“

“Swords! Now!” The wolves started to advance.

Trixie held out a shaky hoof over to a bundle nearby. “O-over there!”

“Good!” The unicorn jumped for them and unsheathed one. Crap! I can only hold one right now! He turned to look back at Trixie. “Gif ouffa here!” He growled.

“I’m not just g-going to leave y—“ The unicorn dashed at her with his sword held high. “I’m sorry! I’m really really sorry!” He swung his sword.

A timber wolf fell behind her, a large gash running across its chest. The unicorn glared up at her. “I canf profef you and taf care oph teess guys af ta swam time!”

“I… Trixie will help you then.” Her horn glowed and a shield materialized around them. “There! That should keep us safe while we re—“ A wolf smacked into the shield and shattered it into bits. The rest of the pack advanced on them. Trixie’s pupils turned to pinpricks. She turned around and galloped away. “Please be safe Mr. sword pony!”

The unicorn watched as Trixie disappeared into the forest. “Well, that’s one problem out of the way.” He brought his attention back to the wolf pack. “Now pher you.” They bared their fangs at him. “I neef some phipherwood!” Five darted forward and lunged at him. He moved his sword and in one motion sent them back down to the ground with new chest wounds. “Stuphid wophes.” The rest of the pack looked at each other and their injured brethren and snarled at the unicorn. “Gueff, that didst scare you oph?”

Hundreds of teeth raced toward him. He brought up his sword and slashed at the wolves. Wave after wave came at him, a mess of wood, teeth, and golden eyes. Some managed to reach him with their claws and created red streaks across his body. Sometimes he used his horn to knock them back with blunt force. The wolves kept coming, their supply never waning.

The unicorn started to breath heavily. Damn it! This isn’t good! He looked at the two swords right by his hooves. If only I could use all three! Something flashed in the corner of his right eye. A set of teeth were launching themselves at him. “You want some too?”

He raised his sword to block the attack, but suddenly his knees gave out. His whole body burned. The image of a giant paw flashed into his mind. Damn it! Not now! The jaws moved in to close on him. No!

Klang!

A sword was stuck in the wolf’s chest. A green glow surrounded its handle. The wolf fell to the ground with a thud. Both the unicorn and the wolves looked at the still-floating sword in bemusement.

What’s going on? Thought the unicorn. Why is my sword floating? Maybe if I got a better look at it… In response, the sword flew over to him. In its reflection he saw that his horn was covered in the same glow as the sword’s handle. “Am I doing this?”

He looked over at his other sword, which was still on the ground. Come here! He felt a weight tug on him, but the sword didn’t move. Damn! Shusui’s too heavy! He glared back at the wolves. He spat out his other sword and managed to levitate it at his side. “Oh well, two swords is better than one!” He charged straight into the pack.

Trixie galloped through the forest with a million thoughts blasting around in her head. Why did the sword do that? Where am I? Are the wolves chasing me? Where’s the exit? Where/s the exit?!

The sound of the nearby battle filled the forest. Barks, howls, and the sound of wood being chopped assaulted Trixie’s ears. She continued to race forward, unsure where to go.

Her shield easily shattering from one hit burned in her memory. Am I really that useless? Trixie stopped galloping. “I… I couldn’t do anything. It was my fault the wolves came… because I took his swords.” She looked down to the ground as tears fell from her mud stained face. “My fault.”

A howl rang throughout the forest and then everything went silent. “Oh no!” Trixie raced back to the battlefield.

The forest was littered with wolves. A few were still twitching, but most were still. They all had large cuts running along their bodies. A few had had their limbs chopped right off. Trixie shivered a little as she made her way past them. He didn’t do this all alone did he?

She came upon a large pile of the wolves. The fading moonlight fell on them and highlighted their wounds. Trixie turned a shade of green and was about to look away, when something near the pile moved. “H-hello? M-mr. s-sword pony?”

The figure stopped and advanced on her. Sweat gathered on her brow as it got closer. She readied her horn for battle. Oh who am I kidding? I should have kept running and never looked ba—“

“I thought I told you to run,” the unicorn said, his voice was raspy and strained. All three of his swords were back in his scarf now.

“I-I was w-worried.”

“Whatever,” he sighed and turned around. He went back to the pile and draped a wolf carcass over his shoulder. “Help me carry one of these.”

“What? Why?”

“I’m hungry and if I can’t eat them I can at least make a fire.” He trotted forward with the wolf on his back but winced.

Trixie rushed forward and saw large splinters sticking out of his right foreleg. “You’re hurt! Let me help!” Her horn lit up.

He reared back a little.“Keep that crazy thing away from me! It’ll send me flying like it did my sw… huh?” A cooling sensation wrapped around his leg as the splinters removed themselves and the wounds they had caused partially closed. “How did you do that?”

Trixie looked up from his wounds at his eyes and blinked. “I… Trixie, like all unicorns, learned basic first aid at a young age. Didn’t you?”

He let out a sigh. “Look uni-whatever, until I woke up, I didn’t have a horn, or hooves, or any of this crap!” He flung his tail down in frustration. “Don’t even know where I am.”

“Trixie thinks we are in the Everfree, she doesn’t particularly like it.”

“Sheesh, it’s always forests that are a big pain. Where’s the exit?”

“Trixie doesn’t…” She pawed the ground. “I don’t know.”

“Super.” He glanced up at the sky and the falling moon. “Well, the moon sets in the west, right? So lets just follow that. It’s gotta lead somewhere.”

“Trixie doesn't disagr— where are you going?” Rather than heading in the direction of the moon, the unicorn was heading north.

“In the direction the moon is.”

Trixie jabbed up at the moon. “It’s that way!”

“So this forest really does play tricks on you.”

Trixie rubbed her chin with a hoof. “Perhaps you are right. Trixie got lost here because signs were wrong.”

“You probably just have a bad sense of direction,” he said bluntly and kept trotting northward.

“At least Trixie can see the moon!” she guffawed. “We should go this way!” She jabbed in the direction of the setting moon.

“Do whatever you want. I’m sure you can survive the forest alone.” He continued going north.

Trixie closed her mouth and walked by the pony. For a long time they were silent. The dead wolf on the unicorn’s back didn’t help the atmosphere. Finally, Trixie spoke up. “What enchantment did you put on your weapon?”

“Huh?”

“Trixie has never seen an anti-theft spell like it.”

The unicorn glanced at his swords. “What do you mean spells?”

Trixie peered closer at the unicorn and his swords. She lit up her horn for a second and was blasted away the next.

The unicorn trotted over to her, but didn’t help her up. “You okay?”

“Trixie is not okay! She doesn’t know what spell you used, but that thing…” She pointed at the sword in a red scabbard, “is dangerous!”

“Oh you mean Kitetsu, it’s cursed,” he said with a wicked grin.

“Why in Equestria would you keep something cursed? I wouldn’t even meddle with those sorts of things!”

“I tamed it.”

Trixie deadpanned as she pushed herself to her hooves. “What?”

“I broke its curse.” He looked down at the swords again, his eyes not focused on the red scabbard, but the black one. “If only Shusui was a bit lighter…”

He’s crazy! I summoned a monster! Trixie moved a few steps away, afraid he was going to transform into a raging beast. Wait, why does he have three swords anyway? Her eyes then traced their way to his cutie mark and her eyes widened in realization. “Oh! Now Trixie gets it!”

“Gets what?”

“You’re a performer too! Why else carry three swords around? Trixie’s wish is making much more sense now!” Trixie looked about ready to jump in joy.

“Weirdo…” he sighed and continued trotting forward. Trixie got a little closer now and looked at his face. “What?”

“Trixie would like to know your name, ‘Mr. Sword pony’ sounds rude.”

“Zoro.”

“Hmm.” Trixie tilted her head a little. “Trixie was expecting something more like ‘Three Slice.’ What does ‘Zoro me-oof!” Trixie tripped over something and was instantly looking down a crevasse. “Ahhhh!”

“Stophh screaming!” Zoro yelled as he bit into her tail to keep her from falling.

“Ow ow ow! Help!” she continued to scream. Zoro jumped back and pulled her away. They flew back into a trip and landed in a clump.

He got up and spat out a few silver threads of hair. “Ugh! Great, there goes my appetite.” He looked down at the shivering ball Trixie had become.

“T-thank you! Thank y-you!” she whimpered.

“Get up.” Zoro looked forward. “I found something.”

Trixie peaked an eye out from under her hooves. “W-what is…” Trixie stopped when she saw what Zoro was looking at. Across the gorge was a building of some sort. It was made of stone that had been weathered down and broken in places.

“C’mon.” Zoro trotted forward.

“But how are we going to cross this gap?”

Zoro didn’t say anything, but instead pointed to his right. Trixie looked over and saw a bridge in the loosest sense of the word. It was just a rotting collection of wood and rope. The rope looked especially worn and not even fully tied to the wooden poles at either end of the bridge.

“Trixie is not getting on that!”

“Fine, I’m not keeping you. You enjoy the forest now.” He then nonchalantly stepped on the bridge, which squeaked under his hooves.

Trixie watched as Zoro walked further away from her and then looked back at the forest. The bushes close by rustled in response. “Trixie hates stupid wishes.” She raced after Zoro.

A pair of sharp eyes looked at the edge of the forest, noting the large amounts of birds rising into the air. “Strange, the birds only move if someone is in the forest. Probably an idiot.”