A Small Breeze
by Shadowmane PX-41
First published
It was all a pleasant day for Twilight in Ponyville, until a certain breezified unicorn catches her eye...
Things have been rather uneventful for Twilight recently. She slumped into a rut after no friendship problems arose in the past three months.
During a walk around Ponyville, Twilight found that a stray Breezie that had missed the trip home was nestled in one of the kingdom's bushes. After consideration, Twilight decides to take the Breezie home with her, so that her friends can decide what to do with it.
However, this particular Breezie is no ordinary Breezie...
Edited by Prak and Infinity Shade.
This story is being Proofread by Aeluna, Coda Crescendo, Randompig212, and PegasisterTheBrony
The Discovery
Twilight sat in the throne room of her castle, lowering her brows as she focused on the map that showed all of Equestria. It had only been a few months since it had appeared and she tackled her first problem as the "Princess of Friendship," but she was already starting to think that nothing else would arise from it. Even so, she stared at it endlessly, waiting for the chance to fix another problem.
The more she looked into the map, the more she began to question it's very existence. If it had only been for that one problem, then she began to wonder what really was the point of it, besides being a much more accurate version of the ones made of paper that she used to see before she became an alicorn. And even if this new map did alert them to other problems, a whole new world of unexpected possibilities would be waiting for her and her friends. Then, she got the idea that it was all to do with a matter of safeguarding harmony; instead of solving petty little debates and small things that would usually be resolved with a little talk or physical action. The map had only called her to one town because there was something wrong there; but from her memory, she was tasked with saving Cutie Marks from a serene, yet malicious thief.
"Why?" she tapped the map with her hoof, seeing little ripples of light appear and disappear shortly afterwards. "Why aren't there any more problems for me to solve?"
As if fate had heard her, Twilight's friends all walked into the throne room. They all saw her perseverance immediately. A shiver ran down their spines as they watched her current situation. If she continued to stare at the map, then there was a good chance that she would never place a hoof outside of the castle again, as diligence would get the better of her.
As the ponies all began to take their seats, Rarity said, "Oh, come now, Twilight. You really need to lay this map business off for a while..." She knew that she would probably refuse to listen and continue to stare at the projections of Equestria, but she also knew that there was no harm in trying to get through to her. "I know that you've been tasked with spreading friendship to as many places at once, but every now and again, it's just normal to take some time from your work and relax..."
"Ah gotta agree with Rarity here, Twilight," Applejack agreed, getting her to pull her head from the projections and gaze at her. "Ever since this fancy-schmancy map came in, you've been staring at it for months..."
"She's just keeping keeping a watchful eye on Equestria, to see if any more meanies come round to try and cause trouble!" Pinkie Pie jumped onto the map, gazing at each different section of it as closely as she could. In her study of Equestria, she immediately stopped herself from touching the projection of her family's rock farm, wiping sweat off of her forehead as she put her hoof somewhere else.
"Come on, Twilight. You can't just stare at some boring map forever." Rainbow Dash grabbed Pinkie off of the map. Once she had sat her back down, she flew up to Twilight and said, "Tell ya what, you go get some fresh air, and we'll keep an eye on the map for you."
"Girls, this map was given to me for a divine purpose." Twilight's brows furrowed as she tried to explain her work to her friends. "It enables me to see all of Equestria, just like some fortune teller who knows all and tells only the worthy. I have to do this. I can't stop doing this. This is the very reason why I'm a princess, and I can't just shy away from my duties..."
"Twilight, we know what you're going through, and that's perfectly fine." Fluttershy wrapped a hoof around Twilight's shoulders, making her jump with how suddenly she had made it to her chair. "But you have to understand, you need some time off of your work..."
"Listen, girls, I appreciate your help, but this is something that should be left more in my hooves rather than—" Before Twilight could finish, a blue aura of magic lifted her out of her throne. She was then pushed out of the room and into the corridor by her friends "—yours..."
Since she was free from watching her own world, Twilight loosened her shoulders and thought about the things she could do with her time. Though many possibilities ran through her head, she decided not to let her mind become overloaded with choices on what the town of Ponyville could offer her today. In the end, she slowly trotted towards the front door of her castle.
When Twilight was outside, she was hit with warm rays of the morning sun. However, just as she left, she grimaced and began to wonder how her friends would be able to handle staring at the map. It was a job that involved hours and hours of peering at each different area, waiting for the problem to surface so that they could tackle it. Twilight realised that not all of her friends were that devoted to staring at a bunch of projections for the time that she would be out, especially not Rainbow Dash or Pinkie Pie.
Twilight then turned to the town and saw how harmoniously the ponies of Ponyville were living. Sighing in relief about how tranquil the town looked, she decided that it was in her best interest to relax and interact with some of her subjects. Turning her slow walk into a slightly more energetic canter into the town, Twilight began to wonder what potential friends she could meet today, as well as the different outcomes each one would bring. She could discuss with Miss Cheerilee how the fillies and colts were getting along in their studies. Or, she could meet Mayor Mare to talk about politics and discuss upgrades and various other changes to the kingdom. There were so many possibilities running through her head at that moment, that Twilight didn't realize that she was now in the town itself.
Eventually, she could hear her stomach rumbling. Even with how early in the day it was, Twilight knew that she was hungry and needed some food. With no more time to spare, she wandered off to the nearest cafe to get herself something to eat.
Meanwhile, back in the throne room, Twilight's friends were all staring at the many different corners of Equestria. As they gazed at the map, they began to feel like they had been put into the body of the princess. They had all been drained of everything but their diligence as their eyes refused to leave the different corners of the world, just in case another problem came without warning.
Before any of them became too lost in focusing on the map, Rainbow Dash pulled her head up and said, "Geez, how does she put up with this every day?"
"I know..." Fluttershy looked at each different section of Equestria on the map before looking at Rainbow. Even though she constantly blinked to keep her eyes from watering up, the image remained exactly the same. "The more we look at this map, the more and more we notice each time..."
"Yeah. Now that I look at it, there are precisely forty-nine-billion, three-hundred-and-fifty-six-million two-hundred-and-eighty-seven-thousand, nine-hundred-and-fifty-eight rocks on the rock farm." Pinkie Pie stared at her family's land and counted out the rocks with hasty movements of her hooves. "Looks like we made the right thing in getting Twilight some air, right?"
"Yes, though I am curious to know what the poor dear's doing out there whilst we're watching the map..." Rarity looked out at Ponyville and put a hoof on her chin. Twilight had been keeping her eyes solely on the map for a while, making her quiver with how she thought she was coping outside. "I just hope she's not deciding to add some secret entrances to the castle, otherwise we'd never get her to leave this room..."
"Don't worry, Rarity. We've locked the room down from the inside out. Twilight's not getting back in here unless she knocks and asks politely..." Rainbow Dash flew over to the doors, pulling the handle and then pushing the door afterwards. No matter how much force she applied, they were locked tight. "See? Twilight isn't getting back in."
"Yeah, but ah am curious to know what she's doing out there..." Applejack turned her head towards one of the windows, seeing Ponyville was filled with life and active ponies. She mainly pondered about Twilight and what she was doing outside.
Back in Ponyville, Twilight was leisurely sipping on a milkshake, sighing in content as she took intervals in between her drink. Birds were chirping, flowers were growing, the sun was shining, and all of the ponies that she could see were all having a good day. As she looked at the scene, she realized just how right her friends had been.
"Everything's going to be fine, Twilight." She relaxed herself, taking another sip of the milkshake. "The girls are keeping a close eye on the map, and if there's any problems in Ponyville, we'll be able to help out as quickly and efficiently as possible..."
Twilight's train of thought continued, constantly thinking about how the girls were getting along. "Pinkie Pie's probably making some jokes about the map at this moment. Applejack might be looking for the rest of her family's farms. Rainbow Dash is probably napping on the job, as usual..." She then shrugged and looked at the townsponies, getting many ideas of what she could do and who she could meet. "I probably don't need to go back to the castle today. After all, it's such a nice day out, and Celestia's sun is gracing us with its presence..."
Once she finished the milkshake, Twilight walked away from the table and went for another stroll around the town. Every pony that she passed by during her walk was smiling. She then came across three colts playing with a ball, and found that it had rolled to her hooves. She smiled and lightly kicked it back at them, waving before she left their sight.
However, the next sight Twilight saw was in a nearby bush as a tiny glimmer of light had caught her eye. She knew that there was something inside it and that it had reflective properties. With one of her eyebrows cocked, she walked over to the shrub and looked through the leaves to try and find the source.
Inside the bush, something was laying on one of the branches. Upon closer examination, it turned out to be a living creature. The thing that was reflecting the light was sleeping, it's belly slowly moving with each light breath that it took. The body of the sleeping life-form was mostly that of a unicorn, but it's legs were shaped like small twigs instead of regular pony legs, and it's muzzle had been replaced with a large nose. It had two curly blue antennae sticking out next to the horn, and had translucent butterfly wings. This was a Breezie, one of Equestria's rarest and most fragile life-forms, and it had somehow missed the journey back to it's home.
"A Breezie?" Twilight said to herself as she put her hoof to her chin. There was no denying it, this was Breezie, and quite probably the only one who didn't make it back home in time. "But why is it all alone? Shouldn't it be back home with the others?"
After more observation, Twilight remembered something. Breezies usually didn't have Cutie Marks, but this one did. In fact, it was a Cutie Mark of a stream of magic wrapped around a star-tipped wand. When Twilight finally figured out what that meant and who the Breezie was, she leaned her head closer and said, "Trixie? Is that you?"
The Breezie slowly began to stir from it's sleep, rubbing it's eyes as it sat up on the branch. It quietly muttered something in it's native tongue, then looked at Twilight. Once it had at long look at her, it stumbled backwards and blushed. It turned it's head away as it had been discovered. However, it didn't move from the branch, as it was too taken aback to do so. And if it did try and flee from the bush, it would have to face the unpredictable weather of Equestria.
"Trixie, since I'm not good at understanding Breezie, I'm going to ask if that's really you," Twilight said, getting the Breezie to turn back towards her. "Now then, is it really you, Trixie? Nod your head for yes, or shake it for no."
The Breezie responded by nodding slowly. That was a sign that it was Trixie Lulamoon; one of Twilight's old rivals in the magical arts, and the pony who exiled her when she was corrupted by the Alicorn Amulet.
"It is you?" Twilight remained lost for words whilst Trixie nodded her head once more. In all the years she had lived, she had never seen a pony other than her friends turn into a Breezie, let alone one of her old enemies. "But... how did this happen?"
Trixie tried to talk, but all that tumbled out of her lips was the language of the Breezies – one that was nearly impossible to translate for any regular pony.
Hmm... it also took away her ability to speak Equestrian... Twilight thought as she looked at Trixie, who now looked back at her with merciful and pleading eyes. She couldn't leave her alone in the bush, lest she go out and let the wind do whatever it wanted to her fragile little body. First of all, I should probably show her to my friends. They'll know what to do with her... Once she was finished making her mental plan, Twilight turned her attention back to Trixie and said, "Trixie. For the time being, you're going to come back to the castle with me. I know you've been through a lot, but I'm here now. There's nothing you have to worry about..."
Twilight used her magic to levitate Trixie out of the bush as slowly as she could. She didn't want to do it too fast, in case she dazed and shook the poor pony-turned-Breezie. She then moved Trixie into her mane and let her burrow inside it, so that she was safe from the outside world and it's weather.
If she was turned into a Breezie by something other than a talented unicorn, then we might not be able to change her back... Twilight thought to herself as she turned and made her way towards the castle door. And if I just let her go out into the world without anypony to help her, then she might not even survive a day out there... She then shook her head to remove the thought. Then, she remembered something important. Then again, Fluttershy pretty much knows the language off by heart. So she'll be able to communicate with Trixie and relay her thoughts to the rest of us...
Trixie poked her head out of Twilight's mane, seeing the town of Ponyville once more as she rode towards the castle. The more she looked at how big everything else was, the more she wanted to hide again. Anything had the potential to be dangerous to her now. She had to be sure that Twilight and her friends would keep her safe before she could trust any of them. And while a part of her wanted to run away from her whilst she walked, she dared not to face the wind in her current state, as even the slightest breeze would make her feel completely helpless.
Twilight returned to the castle and shut the door once she was inside. Once it closed and the noise echoed across the hallways, she slowly walked back to the throne room, given more and more time to reflect on the irrefutable fact that Trixie Lulamoon was now a Breezie.
At first, she thought about how her friends would feel, especially the ones who weren't particularly fond of Trixie's actions in the past. She could foresee most of the pouts and scoffs from Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity. The three of them weren't really one to accept Trixie instantly, not with all of the bad stuff she'd done to them during her visits to Ponyville. She was somewhat sceptical about Pinkie Pie, but she knew that Fluttershy just wouldn't say no to a Breezie – even if it was Trixie.
Finally, she came to the throne room, but saw that the door was locked tightly. She came to the assumption that her friends would have taken every countermeasure to make it so that she couldn't get back in, even if she had tried to sneak back in. She didn't want to make an improper entrance, so, she used her hoof to knock. Immediately after she had rapped on it a few times, it opened, enabling her to walk back in.
"Hello? I'm back..." Twilight said whilst she walked through the door, being welcomed back by all of her friends as she made her way back to her throne. She relished in the comfort until she made it to her throne and sat back down on the lilac cushion.
"So, how was it, sugarcube?" Applejack asked as soon as Twilight got comfortable on her seat.
"Well, I had a great time out today, girls." Twilight began explaining to her friends in detail what she had done out in Ponyville. "I went over to grab a milkshake, got to see the beauty of the town, met some kids playing a ball game..." She then stopped when she came to the part that involved Trixie. "And I met someone special..."
"Oh? Who did you meet, Twilight?" Rarity asked.
"Hold on a sec, Rarity! Let me guess..." Pinkie Pie put her front hooves on her head, thinking about who Twilight could have possibly met in Ponyville. "Was it Mayor Mare?"
"No." Twilight responded.
"Princess Celestia?" asked Pinkie Pie.
"I wish." Twilight said, "but no."
"Cheesie?" said Pinkie Pie for her next guess. "Come on... I bet you a cake that it's Cheese Sandwich!"
"Well, you'd better start baking, Pinkie, because I didn't see him either..." Twilight said, watching Pinkie Pie face-hoof once she had finished talking.
"Well, I'm out of guesses, Twilight." Pinkie Pie walked back to her chair. Despite her failed attempts to guess, she remained her regular, bubbly self. "If I can't guess it, maybe you can tell us instead..."
"I'll do you one better, girls. I'll show you..." Twilight said, but then paused when she thought about how her friends would react to the situation. She composed herself and continued. "In the town, I ran into Trixie..." Twilight's words were accompanied by loud gasps from her friends. The very mention of Trixie had them on edge. "However, she wasn't a pony like we usually expect her to be..." Twilight then lit up her horn and slowly pulled Trixie out of her mane. Once she was out, she showed them to the rest of the girls. "In fact, she's become a Breezie..."
All of her friends' jaws dropped. They had not been expecting her to come back to Ponyville for a third time, especially not like this. Their gaze shifted back and forth from Twilight and Trixie. There were so many questions that she needed to answer, but for the time being, the girls kept their mouth shut.
The Tiny and Desperate Trixie
"What?!" Rainbow Dash broke the silence and threw her hooves in front of her face, flying up from her seat in a slight fit. Her face tightened in disbelief to see Trixie again, especially after all of the spells she had cast on her during her previous visits in Ponyville. "Why'd you bring her back?!"
"She's changed, Rainbow Dash! She's apologized to me for her misdeeds personally," Twilight tried to calm Rainbow Dash down and put Trixie in a better position. However, the sight of Rainbow Dash's outburst had caused Trixie to hide behind one of the map's projected mountains. "And besides, she's not going to do you any harm now. She's just a Breezie, one of Equestria's most harmless forms of life..."
"Even so, she's should still be reprimanded for her atrocities not only to fashion, but to the ponies of Ponyville as well!" Rarity chided, remembering that Trixie had cast some spells to upset her as well.
"Umm, girls?" Fluttershy tried to speak, seeing that the odds were starting to look unfavourable for Trixie. If she didn't let her voice be heard, then Trixie would most likely get the worst out of the debate.
"Ya seem ta be forgetting that Trixie is also responsible fer causin' widespread chaos, and making ponies seem inferior ta her!" Applejack sided with Rainbow Dash and Rarity, crossing her hooves when the two ponies stood beside her. "Ya see? It's three on one, Twilight. She's gotta go, right now."
"Girls?" Fluttershy's voice was a little louder than before, but it still wasn't enough to break through to her arguing friends. As she watched the four of them sling words and obscenities at each other, she walked over to Trixie and saw that she was about to shed some tears.
Trixie looked over at Fluttershy, who was approaching her with apologetic eyes. She could tell from Fluttershy's smiling face, that she wasn't like Twilight's friends. She quietly muttered something in Breezie as soon as Fluttershy was close enough to her.
"Don't worry, Trixie. I'm not like Applejack, Rarity and Rainbow Dash..." she said as she reached out for Trixie with one of her hooves. Once she felt her legs grasping tightly onto her hoof, Fluttershy said, "Now cover your ears for a second, because I'm gonna get very loud..." Once she had put Trixie into her mane, she took in a big gasp of air and screamed at the top of her voice, "EVERYPONY! STOP ARGUING!"
Fluttershy's loud voice stunned all of the mares. Within seconds, they had forgotten about what they had been arguing about and turned their attention to her. Fluttershy could feel Trixie was now looking out of the top of her mane to see what all the commotion was about.
"Is that really any way to treat Trixie in this state?" Fluttershy scolded each of the ponies in the room. She pulled Trixie out of her mane, watching her curl up once more. "Look at her. She's nothing more than a fragile Breezie now. She wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone any of you..." She then walked over to Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Applejack, who could now see that Trixie was quivering in fear. "You three need to look her in the eyes and say sorry for saying such mean things to her..."
Trixie heard what Fluttershy had said and stopped shaking. She looked up at each of the gigantic ponies who had spoken profanities about her, and almost began to cry again. However, once she watched all three of them say, "We're sorry, Trixie..." in perfect unison, she felt a little bit better.
"See, Trixie? There's nothing to worry about..." Fluttershy smiled as she brought Trixie close to her face. "As long as I'm here, you have nothing to worry about in the slightest..." She heard Trixie mutter again in Breezie. Fluttershy translated it as a compliment and said, "You're welcome. Anything for such a sweet little thing like you..."
Once everyone had settled down, Fluttershy said, "Trixie? Do you think you could tell us how you became a Breezie in the first place?" At first, she looked at Trixie blush and try to turn away once again. Seeing that she wouldn't talk, Fluttershy encouraged her in a rather soft tone of voice, "Don't worry. I'll be sure to tell the girls what you're talking about... I practically know your new language inside and out now."
Trixie saw Fluttershy as the voice of reason and trust, so she looked up at her and cleared her throat to tell the tale. Every word that fell from her lips was the language of the Breezies, and almost counted as gibberish to the other ponies. However, Fluttershy was hanging on every word. When Trixie was finished, she looked at the mare with pleading eyes, and saw her smile before she turned to her friends.
"Alright. She says that she was wandering in the flower gardens of Baltimare, when all of a sudden, she tripped over on a branch and landed face-first into a field of flowers," Fluttershy began telling the story precisely how she had heard it. She watched Trixie nodding as she continued, which meant she was saying the right things. "Trixie was in the gardens because she was trying to get rid of some stress issues, namely to do with her life and the struggles that she had to put up with. When she tripped, she blacked out. And the next thing she knew, she had turned into a Breezie.
"The only things she kept with her was the the story and memory of her being a pony. She doesn't remember Twilight or any of the ponies in Ponyville. In fact, she hasn't seen anypony face-to-face, as she was trying to find somewhere secluded. She wanted to be safe from the dangers of the outside world..." As the story went on, she looked at Rarity who the began to sniffle at how emotional it all was. "Finally, she found her way to Ponyville, but fought against a rather violent windstorm. She'd blacked out, and when she woke up again, Twilight found her in the bush outside."
"She's frightened, girls. She's frightened and alone with nopony to comfort her..." Twilight spoke with authority, seeing all of the girls had had their attitudes almost entirely removed with the story they had heard. After it had sank into their minds, they could no longer see Trixie as a threat. "But I know that she'll make it through this frightening time, especially with the six of us at her side..."
"You might, but I'm still a little bit unsure as to whether or not Trixie really can be trusted..." Rainbow Dash's face loosened up slightly, but not enough for her to feel like Trixie was innocent. Even after what Fluttershy had scolded her for, she was still thinking that Trixie would be scheming on some way to get back at her. "Even though what you've said makes her seem harmless, I'm still keeping some of my anger inside for if it turns out Trixie's really back for revenge..."
"Anyway, while I take Fluttershy to help Trixie get acquainted with the castle, I want the four of you to start gathering the stuff to make her a nice little home." Twilight collected Fluttershy and Trixie from the group. She then turned to Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash. "Remember, Breezies are small. So think of something insect-sized, but not too small so that she can't get her way around..."
Twilight and Fluttershy walked out of the throne room, leaving the other four girls to start discussing among themselves in privacy.
"Still, I can't believe she brought Trixie back..." Rainbow Dash groaned. She would never live down the fact that Trixie was now a Breezie and that she was living with Twilight until answers could be found. "If it weren't for Twilight and Fluttershy, I'd be sending her straight off into the Everfree Forest. Hopefully, that should keep her as far away from me as possible..."
"Calm down, Rainbow Dash." Applejack helped her friend relieve the tension by applying some pressure to her shoulders. Even though Rainbow Dash was right about the fact that Trixie had made them angry, she was still trying to help her avoid throwing the poor thing away. "She might have done some bad things in the past, but what Twi said earlier is the honest truth. She's helpless now, and those cute little things aren't capable of anything mean or nasty..."
"I know you're a little steamed by this whole occurrence, but we just have to grin and bear it for the time being..." Rarity sighed, allowing the thought of Trixie to linger, but not to let it consume her entire mind.
Applejack turned to Pinkie Pie, who had been silent ever since Trixie had been shown to her. Seeing the pink mare's unusual silence, she walked over to her friend and said, "Is somethin' the matter, Pinkie Pie? Yer as silent as an Appleoosa Scorpion right now..."
"Huh?" Pinkie's attention immediately turned to Applejack. She said, "Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just trying to think about what flavour of icing Breezies particularly like..." As soon as she mentioned cake, she watched Applejack's jaw drop. "They're bugs, right? So that does rule out some possibilities... But at the same time, Fluttershy fed them fruit the last time the Breezies were in Ponyville... Ohh, the decision's going to be the end of me!" she tugged on her mane, pulling out some big clumps that she then ate. After she swallowed it, it reappeared on her head as she scrunched her face.
"What?! How can ya be thinking about cake flavours at a time like this?" Applejack threw her hooves out aghast that Pinkie was focused on making cake instead of helping her and Rarity out with making Trixie a house. "We're dealing with the issue that Trixie Lulamoon, the pony who removed your mouth, is now a Breezie and that we need to make a house for her..."
"Oh! That's right! I guess the thought of cake just made it slip my mind," Pinkie Pie finally got an idea on what Applejack, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash were working on for Twilight, Fluttershy, and Trixie. She vanished in a pink blur, then came back a few seconds later carrying what looked like wood, sticks, and large bunches of leaves. "So, should we construct one out of wood? Or should we just resort to old sticks and bushes for a house?"
"Geez, Pinkie. You didn't have to get it all by yerself..." Applejack looked at how quickly it had taken her to collect all the pieces. She first thought that it was inconceivable, but then smiled when she told herself that it was Pinkie Pie who had collected it all. "But, ah guess that this is a good place to start..."
"Well, it does look a bit messy, and it'll probably ruin the hoofwork I put in this morning... but oh well. Anything for Twilight," Rarity used her magic to levitate some of the pieces of wood. "Though, if we're working on the topic of a Breezie house, I would much rather prefer some wood to leaves and sticks. And if I were making the house alone, I'd probably add some miniature furnishings as well. But, this is Trixie we're dealing with here, and she probably has minimalistic tastes now that she also has amnesia..."
"That's three..." Applejack said, counting Rarity and Pinkie Pie into the construction work. She then turned to the final mare and asked, "Now, what about you, Rainbow?"
"Me?! Why would you want me to do this?!" Rainbow jerked upwards. Construction was never really an interest of hers, as she was more into flying and co-ordinating other pegasi most of the time. "I'm no good with building stuff, not even for such tiny things as the Breezies..."
"There ain't no backin' out of this one, Rainbow Dash," Applejack told her, then rolled her eyes towards Rarity. Within seconds, a blue aura engulfed Rainbow Dash, and she didn't feel in control of her body anymore. "And besides, we'd be happy ta teach ya some of the basics if it's yer first try..."
Rainbow Dash let out a huff and said, "Fine..." before she was levitated out of the throne room. "Let's just get this over with..."
Fluttershy and Twilight were showing the breezie around the castle. For most of the time, Trixie stayed in Fluttershy's mane, but every now and again, she would pop out to get a closer look at something. Whenever she entered a room, she let out a large gasp. She had never seen a castle before, let alone the interior of one. However, while she did enjoy looking at each different room, she was finally reminded of the fact that she was tiny, and that she could very easily get lost.
"So, Fluttershy, how exactly would you say is the best way to take care of a Breezie?" Twilight asked.
"Well, they should usually be kept indoors most of the time, to avoid them falling prey to hostile winds. Other than that, their dietary recommendations mainly rely on pieces of fruit, served in itsy-bitsy portions. Next up, Breezies should always be checked on regularly, and should be fed at least four times a day. If they miss any portions of food, then they could begin to forage food on their own. My advice for that part would be to keep a feeding timetable and follow it very well..."
"Wow... you sure seem to know a lot about them, Fluttershy..." Twilight awed at how much Fluttershy knew about the species. She now put all of her trust in her, and could refer to her if she wanted to know if something afflicted Trixie at any time. "I guess helping them gather pollen was quite a learning experience for you..."
"Oh, indeed it was, Twilight. I learned more about them that nopony could ever teach," Fluttershy held out her hoof, watching the breezie grasp onto it. Once she had landed, the mare used another of her hooves to lightly brush Trixie's hair and wings, making her giggle in a high-pitched tone. "But, truth be told, Seabreeze taught me the most of these details. Which brings me to another important detail I want to mention. Breezies love it when ponies brush their hair and wings."
As the two walked down another hallway, they began to discuss which room Trixie should be kept in. They went past room after room, but eventually came to the agreement that she would have a much better living accommodation in Twilight's room, as it was close enough for Twilight to keep an eye on her and keep Trixie from getting lost.
When they arrived outside of Twilight's bedroom, they stopped. Twilight then felt a little surge of interest on the Breezies and how they lived their lives. She needed to know much more about the Breezies that what she'd already been told. She looked at Fluttershy again and said, "Fluttershy? Why exactly do the Breezies collect pollen and turn it into magic?"
"Well, from what I heard from Seabreeze and a couple of his co-workers, pollen in their home-world is converted into a special kind of magic that maintains their planet's ecology and revitalises the air and landscape," Fluttershy began. "Their flowers don't have suitable pollen, despite the fact that they grow the same way as flowers on Equestria. And whilst you could argue and say that they could very well use their flower's pollen in place of ours, it wouldn't be enough to manage the Breezies' ecology. Equestrian pollen is much more refined, and is an overall better candidate due to how fresh it is." She watched as Twilight put a hoof to her chin as she continued the explanation. "Because of this, they're sent in squads every hundred years to gather more pollen to keep their homeworld fresh and healthy. But they only have five days to make it home, otherwise the gateway seals itself for another hundred years..."
"So, the Breezies gather pollen to keep life in their world stable?" Twilight asked.
"Yes. Without the pollen from Equestria, the air in their world becomes unbreathable, and the nature begins to vanish, turning their world into a colourless void," Fluttershy confirmed. "Luckily for them, it doesn't take lots of pollen to keep their world happy and healthy, so they don't send the whole species out every time..."
"What about Trixie? Since she was once a pony, does she also have to rely on this special pollen to keep herself healthy?" Twilight asked, seeing as Trixie wasn't a part of the Breezie Home-world.
"Not exactly." Fluttershy had an idea on how Trixie would be different from other Breezies. "You see, Trixie is very capable of breathing Equestria air to stay healthy. However, she's still affected by it's winds and weather. She can also eat and drink anything that's roughly her size, like crumbs and small pieces of fruit.
"You felt it too. Right, Twilight? When we became Breezies ourselves?" Fluttershy reminded her. "We were perfectly capable of surviving without the Breezies' rules of nature, and were able to turn ourselves back just the same. And, since Trixie has a horn, she could cast spells just like you could..."
"But when do you think she'll start?" Twilight looked up at Trixie, seeing the horn poking out of her forehead. "It could take her days, weeks, maybe even months before she can cast magic as a Breezie. And even then, there haven't been any records of Breezies with the power to use unicorn magic..."
"Which is what makes it such a big discovery, Twilight," Fluttershy smiled as she pulled Trixie out of her hair and petted her gently. "Trixie's a one-of-a-kind Breezie. She's very special because of her horn. Who knows? She could even be able to help the ponies of Ponyville someday..."
"I'd like to see that." Twilight smirked as Fluttershy put the breezie back in her hair.
The girls were about to continue the conversation further, when Trixie wrapped one of her legs around some of the light pink hair and began pulling at it lightly. Once she had heard the conversation stop, she flew out of Fluttershy's hair and spoke in Breezie once more, so that she could tell the mares what her needs were.
"Oh! I'm sorry, Trixie. I guess we got a little carried away with our little conversation..." Fluttershy apologized and used her left hoof to slowly open the door to Twilight's bedroom. It took some force, but she was able to build up suspense as the door revealed the room inside. "We'll get you some food in a second. But first, I want you to see the room you'll be sleeping in..."
Trixie was once again taken aback with the room she would be living in. It bared a resemblance to Twilight's original room from the Golden Oak Library, but the walls were all made of crystal, and there was no hole to a downstairs area, as her last home used to have. However, all of the other details were still there. There was a study for Twilight to read books and write important notes for her studies, some stairs up to a mezzanine that led to the new four-poster bed, and windows to Canterlot and the rest of Ponyville. As she looked at all of the things in the room, Trixie then flew up to the bed and landed next to the stuffed animals.
Twilight giggled, seeing how content Trixie was with the colossal bedroom that she would be that she would be living in. "Looks like she's getting acquainted already... Hopefully the girls'll make her a nice house close to my bed once they get the planning done..."
"Speaking of the girls..." Fluttershy looked out of the bedroom door and saw Rarity, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie approaching them with building tools and planks of wood. They were also wearing hard-hats with ear defenders and safety goggles.
"Make sure you clean up all the shavings once you're done, okay?" Twilight instructed the group as she and Fluttershy took Trixie off of the bed and let her nestle back in their hair.
"Can do." Applejack shot her a little smile as the girls all walked into the room with their tools and planks. "Hopefully we'll be done by the end of the day, just in time fer Trixie's new bedtime..."
"And when's that, Fluttershy?" Twilight asked as soon as she and the pegasus began trotting towards the kitchen. "When exactly should I send Trixie to bed?"
"I'd say at around 8:00 PM at the latest," Fluttershy gave her the rule. She didn't stutter or feel remorse for saying it, as she had handled many different animals before. "If Breezies don't get enough sleep, then they won't be able to eat any of their food the next day..."
Trixie's stomach rumbled, and she began to get a little impatient with Fluttershy. She flew out of the hair again and began asking for food in her new tongue, but this time, it was in a more frantic tone of voice. She hoped that Fluttershy would stop dawdling with Twilight and her friends to prepare her some food, as starvation would make her abandon the ponies and make her look for food herself.
"Sorry about that, Trixie," Fluttershy felt sympathy for making Trixie desperate for food. She put her back in her mane and began to lead Twilight down to the kitchen to chop up some fruits. "We'll get you some food right about now..."
As Twilight and Fluttershy walked out of Twilight's bedroom, the two of them began to think about Trixie. More importantly, how she would cope with living under their care. Though they knew that it wouldn't be hard to take care of her, they were thinking about how Trixie felt when she was first discovered and brought back to the castle. If she remained timid, then they knew that she would begin to hesitate to eat and keep healthy. They would have to do everything in their power to keep her pleased and well-raised until answers were found.
The ponies who were working on the new home were all thinking about her well-being as well. However, they thought about what kind of house she should have. If it was too large and over-furnished, then she probably would be spoiled and go back to her obsessive ways and make the lives of everypony a misery once again. But at the same time, if it was under-furnished and not capable of housing a Breezie like Trixie, then she would believe that the ponies all hated her and would think that she was a bad guest to have around the castle. They needed to think and plan on the perfect house for Trixie, one that she would think was the suitable house to live in.
As the groups parted ways, they all shared the same thoughts. Trixie would be hard to care for, but they would all try to do the best that they could, no matter the challenges.
Twilight's Questions
Author's Notes:
I'm sorry for the long wait, everyone. Either Equestria Daily is really slow at reading my story again for final confirmation, or there's been a terrible error with the publishing system.
Either way, here's a new chapter of A Small Breeze for your pleasure. I hope you enjoy the hard work I poured into it.
Enjoy!
The kitchen was a sight to behold. It was filled with all kinds of regal decorum lining the walls. Each different area of the kitchen was quite expansive. There were different areas for all the different kinds of food preparation, as well as a few pieces of rustic farm decor that Applejack had installed whilst she had been out a few months ago.
Twilight and Fluttershy walked over to the fridge to see if there were any fruits that could be chopped up. Upon the door's opening, the two ponies were instantly affected by how cold it was. Trixie shivered as the temperature around her fell, whilst Twilight and Fluttershy were only feeling a small chill.
When Fluttershy noticed how Trixie was shaking with the change in temperature around her, she put Trixie back into her mane and allowed her to poke out of it to see what was going on. As Fluttershy shot another little smile to Trixie, the two of them then watched as Twilight levitated out what looked like a small bunch of grapes from a large cluster. Once the fruit was set down on one of the counters, Trixie leaned out of Fluttershy's mane even further, and accidentally fell out with how far she had reached for the grapes.
Trixie had a violent landing on the floor of the kitchen. The simple feeling of falling from that height had made her quiver. When she pulled herself up from the floor, she looked at how high everything else was and began to shed tears. From the floor of the kitchen, Trixie began to feel like she was the smallest and most vulnerable thing in Equestria. As she cried, she watched Twilight and Fluttershy approach her, making her seem even more feeble.
"Aww... did you have a bit of a fall, Trixie?" Fluttershy picked her back up and began to comfort her. Once Trixie's tears had been reduced to small sniffles, Fluttershy began to examine her wings to see if they had been hurt from the drop. "Hmm... looks like she bent her wing a little out of shape..." she said as she looked at the slight bend in Trixie's wings. Though it was small, it still looked a little uneven from the other wing, and was most likely damaged. "Just rest it for now. I'll be sure to fix it all up once you're done eating."
Trixie was gently placed onto the counter, right next to the grapes. She looked over at the purple fruit and gently walked over to it. As soon as she got to one of the grapes, she tried to pull it off of the bunch with her tiny legs. However, after trying a gentle pull, she noticed that they would not budge an inch. Trixie's face scrunched up with determination as she put her legs around the grape a second time. This time, she was more forceful in her attempts to yank one off of the bunch. But just like the last time, her efforts were met with no avail. Trixie was pulling so hard that once she had lost her grip, she suddenly flew off and landed on her back.
Once Trixie sat up, she looked back at the grapes and pouted at them. However, she saw that one of the grapes flew off of the bunch and slowly flew over to her. Wondering what had happened, Trixie looked at Twilight, who was using her horn to pick the grapes off one by one.
Trixie thanked Twilight in Breezie, then got back up and ran over to one of the grapes. She put the grape close to her mouth, and as she sank her tiny teeth into it, she was met with a good amount of the grape's juice. The taste was unlike the grapes she had eaten in the past. To her, they felt sweeter and juicier than before.
She enjoyed the taste of the grape, and quickly found herself digging her jaws into another section of it. Eventually, she was consumed with how tasty the fruit was, and devoured the rest of it within seconds. Once it was finished, she flopped onto her back and didn't even notice another grape land right next to her.
Twilight watched as Trixie slowly got back up and ate another grape. Looking at the tiny Breezie tuck in to the small and juicy fruit, a wave of acceptance washed over her. Twilight then let herself return to the realm of thought as she returned a hoof to her chin. There were still so many questions that had been unanswered. She looked up towards the ceiling and stared off blankly, enraptured by her train of thought.
"What are you thinking about, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked, seeing that Twilight was staring up idly..
"I'm just wondering about those flowers that Trixie had fallen into," Twilight said, quickly leaving her mindset to address Fluttershy. "Now I'm no botanist, but I'm pretty sure that there aren't any flowers in Baltimare that can turn a pony into a Breezie," she began to tell Fluttershy what she had been piecing together in her mind. "And while it is true that Poison Joke exists, I'm sure that nopony would be brave enough to venture into the Everfree Forest to bring back a bunch to put on display. So how did Trixie turn into a Breezie by falling into flowers?"
"Maybe a unicorn cast a spell on her in secret?" Fluttershy tried answering Twilight's question. Even though Twilight usually had all of the answers, she was completely lost on an explanation for Trixie turning into a Breezie. "Though, if it was a unicorn, they'd surely be reported to the authorities..."
"Maybe the flower ponies know about these kind of things..." Twilight looked back at Trixie, who was just finishing up a third grape. "Once we finish feeding Trixie, we should pay Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy a small visit. Maybe they know of a flower capable of such magical properties..."
"Good idea. They know much more about this sort of thing than we do," Fluttershy agreed and nodded her head.
After Trixie had eaten a fourth grape, she slowly flopped onto her back and began to fall asleep. It was only natural that she would need the time to sleep it off. She was so relaxed that she didn't even notice that Twilight was using her magic to put her back in Fluttershy's mane.
"So, should we get going?" Twilight cleaned up the grapes and put the rest back in the fridge for later.
"Yes," Fluttershy felt Trixie toss and turn in her hair. With a serious expression on her face, she said, "The sooner we know about Trixie's transformation, the better..."
After they had finished in the kitchen, Twilight and Fluttershy began their walk towards the front door of the castle. Their next stop was the flower shop in Ponyville, where Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy would be working. If the flowers that Trixie fell into had any link to her transformation, then the answer would come from the three flower ponies.
The sun was still out once Twilight and Fluttershy walked out of the castle and into Ponyville. The morning had passed, and now the day was moving into the hours of the afternoon. There was less activity than before, but it was still enough to make the town seem vibrant and alive. Once Twilight and Fluttershy made it to Town Hall, they took a right turn into another part of the town.
As they walked through the street, they saw a variety of shops and stalls, each one of them crowded ponies who were buying and selling stuff. Each one of them had smiles on their faces, a sight that both Twilight and Fluttershy were pleased to see. It gave them both a sense of hope, hope in the possibility that nothing would go wrong from that moment on.
Eventually, the two ponies arrived at a shop that had a bunch of flowers on display. Some of the flowers were bedding, whilst others were in bouquets or were planted into the ground. Each different flower had a little sign that read what kind of flowers that they were, and how much they would cost. The actual building was also quite inviting, with a flower on the door, and a hanging sign with a picture of a flower on it.
Twilight opened the door of the flower shop, hearing a bell ring over her head. Seconds after she had heard the bell, she could see that Rose, Lily, and Daisy were already arriving at the counter, ready to service the two mares in any way they could.
"Welcome to Flower Power! The only florist in Ponyville with the perfect flower for everypony," Roseluck said with glee as Twilight walked over to the counter to try and ask her about the flowers that Trixie had fallen into in Baltimare. "How can I help you today, Your Highness?"
"Rose, I need to ask you, Lily, and Daisy an important question about some flowers." Twilight told Roseluck her question as quickly and as collected as possible. Even though a slight thought ran in the back of her mind thinking that the flower ponies wouldn't have any answers, she was still willing to give them a try.
"Sure, Princess Twilight. What do you want to know?" Lily asked as she stood to the right of Rose, with Daisy standing to the left. "Do you want to know what flowers are popular this season? Or what special offers we have?"
"Well, whatever you want to know, we're the ponies to go to," Daisy said. "So, what's your question?"
"I want to know if there are any flowers capable of transforming a pony into another creature," Twilight told them her question as Fluttershy pulled Trixie out of her mane and put her in front of the flower ponies. She watched the three ponies' jaws drop, but still continued with what she was saying. "I found Trixie like this in one of the town's bushes, and when I took her back to the castle and listened to her explain how she became a Breezie, the only thing we were able to learn was that the last thing she did as a pony was falling into a bed of flowers. We were kind of hoping that you knew something about that..."
Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy were speechless with what they were looking at. From their past experiences, they knew that Trixie had been nothing but trouble for the ponies of Ponyville. But after they had heard that flowers had done this, they began to wonder what had happened.
Finally, Rose broke the silence by saying, "Well, I'm not sure that there are any flowers capable of such a thing like that. The only example of flowers that we know that can change a pony are Poison Joke."
"Did it happen in the Everfree Forest, Twilight?" Lily asked. "If it did happen there, that should wrap this little mystery up nice and—"
"It happened in Baltimare's flower gardens, Lily," Twilight said, immediately making Lily faint. Twilight waited until Lily got back onto her feet then said, "She was stressing over the struggles she was facing, then tripped into one of the beds of flowers. We don't know anything else..."
"Well, if Trixie can tell us something more about how the flowers she fell into looked, then it could give us an idea of what kind of flowers they were..." Daisy said as she looked over at Trixie, who could finally use her wings again.
"Well, she can't speak Equestrian anymore..." Twilight gloomed as Trixie flew up to the eye height of the group. "She can only speak Breezie, meaning that Fluttershy here will have to translate for us..."
"Well? Go on, Trixie..." Fluttershy prompted Trixie with a tiny little brush of her hair. She waited until Trixie stopped giggling, then said, "Do you remember anything else?"
Taking advantage of the conversation, Trixie cleared her throat and began speaking in Breezie once again. Her sentence was long and made no sense, but Fluttershy was listening in on every single word that the small Breezie spewed. The flower ponies and Twilight watched the conversation go on, and swooned with how cute Trixie sounded in her current state.
When Trixie finished talking, Fluttershy said, "Alright. This time, Trixie remembers that the flower was a star shape, had a bright shade of fuchsia with topaz points, and was covered in some golden pollen."
"Golden pollen? That might be something..." Twilight took advantage of that part of the conversation and added it to her mental story. When she had accepted the knowledge, she turned her attention to the flower ponies. "Rose, do you, Lily, and Daisy know about any flowers that have such features?"
"Hold on, let me go up and check our catalogue..." Rose said as she left the counter and cantered upstairs to the housing area of the shop.
"Whilst you wait, be sure to check out all of the different flowers we have on sale today," Daisy stepped out so that she could begin to show Fluttershy and Twilight around the shop. "It'd definitely kill some time, and may even get you interested in sprucing up your castle a bit more..."
Taking Daisy's offer, Twilight, Fluttershy, and Trixie began looking around Flower Power. Each different flower managed to interest them and had a nice scent that accompanied how they looked. The two ponies were even debating on whether or not to get some flowers for the castle.
Trixie looked at each of the different flowers with one of her legs on her chin. Each one of them seemed to grab her attention and keep a hold of it. As she flew closer to each different flower, a small feeling in the back of her mind was urging her to dive into the centre and pull out some pollen for herself. However, she looked at all of the different flowers and began to wonder how it would be physically possible for her to carry pollen from all of the flowers in Flower Power. She wasn't sure about how long the ordeal would take, but believed that it take roughly three weeks for all of the pollen to be transported.
Eventually, Roseluck came back from the upstairs part of the shop, carrying a large book on her back. "Alright, girls. I've got the catalogue. Come over and see," she quickly got the attention of all of the ponies as she put the counter down on the desk. The book's cover didn't have any words on it, but it did have a bouquet of flowers on the front. "Now then, we just need to take a look at the different flower categories..."
"Let's see here... star-shaped, fuchsia with topaz points..." Roseluck quickly turned the pages, seeing so many different flowers appear and then disappear underneath the shifting paper. In the end, she found the flower that Trixie referenced, stopped the pages with her hoof and said, "The only results for a flower precisely matching that description is the Mountain Star, one of the rarest flowers in Equestria. Baltimare must have paid a lot to have those flowers in their garden..."
"But here's the weird thing, Twilight," Daisy pointed towards the centre of the flower, intrigued that it no pollen whatsoever. "If Trixie said that there was golden pollen on the flower, how did that pollen even get there?"
"That raises even more questions!" Twilight's pupils shrunk when she looked at the Mountain Star. "If Mountain Stars don't have any pollen, then how was it that the flowers that Trixie fell into had pollen in the first place? And even so, how is that pollen capable of turning a pony into a Breezie? Something's definitely not right here..."
"You think that maybe the flowers would have cross-pollinated with some of the other flowers in Baltimare?" Rose asked. It was true that flowers could cross-pollinate, and that their combined genes would create a unique new flower. "That would be the case as to why there was golden pollen on the flower..."
"But there's still the question on how Trixie was turned into a Breezie because of this golden pollen..." Lily said. "I'm not sure that there's any pollen in Equestria capable of such a thing..."
"Well, thanks anyway, girls. You've really helped us piece together this story a little bit better," Twilight thanked each one of the flower ponies for their time with her. She then grabbed Trixie with her magic and put her into her mane. "I'm glad we had this talk."
"You're welcome, Twilight. Be sure to stop back soon once you finally figure it out," Roseluck waved them goodbye, seeing that Twilight and Fluttershy were already trotting towards the front door of the establishment. "And when you do get back, you can bet your grandfoals that we'll have a flower that Trixie will love!"
"It's still a mystery to me, Fluttershy..." Twilight stopped in the middle of Town Hall, thinking more and more about what Roseluck, Lily, and Daisy had told her. "Mountain Stars cross-pollinated with one of the flowers in Baltimare. But even then, how was it that the combination of their pollen had a magic capable of turning Trixie into a Breezie?"
"It must have been a very special flower, one that the ponies had to look far and wide to put on display..." Fluttershy said. "If there is such a flower that can turn a pony into a Breezie other than Poison Joke, then there might be even more mysteries that could be left unsolved."
"Or maybe, what if we've got it all wrong about the cross-pollination theory?" an idea popped into Twilight's head when came to an assumption on what her mind could piece together. She took a deep breath, revised the story, then said, "Fluttershy, is it possible that the Breezies might have accidentally spilled some of their pollen on the way home from Baltimare?"
"Not that I know of, Twilight. Breezies are usually quite careful with their pollen," Fluttershy explained after Twilight had finished her question "If a Breezie did drop some pollen, it would be impossible to retrieve it since they have to keep flying in their separate packs. Knowing this, they take extra-special care with the pollen they collect, so that they don't lose it on the trip home."
"Yes, but what if one of them was careless and accidentally dropped some?" Twilight perceived of another string of events from the Breezies' flight over Baltimare. "Can pollen collected by the Breezies become magical after a while?"
"If it ferments in their sacks for long enough, then yes. Seabreeze told me this whilst we were gathering pollen together," Fluttershy said. "Pollen that stays in a Breezie's possession for enough time eventually gains magical properties of varying extents—" she suddenly gasped and put a hoof to her mouth when she thought of what the outcome could have been "—you don't mean that..."
"It's not much, but it's what we have to assume for the time being..." Twilight looked astonished as she said her answer, looking at Trixie poke out of her mane. "One of the Breezies must have had a secret pollen spill, causing it to fall onto the Mountain Stars in Baltimare. Then, when Trixie fell into the flowers, the pollen might have reacted and transformed her..."
"Do you think it's true, Twilight?" Fluttershy wanted confirmation on the story. So far, all that she had been told was only a theory, and possibly a lie. "Is it really possible that it did this to her?"
"As I said, it's what we're assuming from this point on," Twilight said. "Until I get some further answers, the working theory is that the Breezies accidentally spilled some of their collected pollen onto the Mountain Stars of Baltimare. Then, Trixie fell into them and was transformed into one when she woke up."
"Is there a way to change her back?" Fluttershy asked as a sense of dread crept onto her face.
"Probably not, but I'll do my best to research a cure later..." Twilight looked sullenly back at Trixie. "If there's a chance we can turn her back, even if it's a miniscule one, we'll try it..."
Trixie had heard what Twilight had been talking about and started to consider hiding again. She might not have remembered the rest of her life, but she did remember that she used to be a pony. She was rather thunderstruck with how unnatural it was for her to be a Breezie now that she had spent some time with Twilight and her friends, and she was beginning to feel uncertain on whether or not she would be a pony ever again...
"Anyway. We should get back to the castle. We need to see how Applejack, Pinkie, Rarity, and Rainbow Dash are coming along with Trixie's new house..." Twilight said as she and Fluttershy began their slow walk back to the castle.
As they walked back through the streets of Ponyville, Twilight and Fluttershy began to discuss the future for both them and Trixie. If it was true that Trixie was unable to turn back into a pony, then the two mares began to wonder what would happen for the rest of Trixie's life, and whether or not they would be able to protect her.
Meanwhile, Trixie was thinking as well. As the possibility of being a Breezie for the rest of her life clung to the back of her mind, she began to wonder about just how volatile the world would be to her. Everything was dangerous to her now. The slightest gust would send her flying, and separate her from Twilight and her friends. However, when Trixie looked down at Twilight and Fluttershy, she had remembered about all of the kind things that they had done for her. Trixie thought that if they kept up the kind acts to her, then it would be possible that her life wouldn't always be her cowering in the girl's manes for safety and support.
But for the three girls, one thing was clear; they needed more and more answers to the questions that they had been given.
Comfort and Emotions
Twilight, Trixie, and Fluttershy returned to the castle and slowly walked back to Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity. During that time, their thoughts were focused on the theory that they had come up with to explain how Trixie had become a Breezie. It wasn't perfect, but they had managed to find a reasonable explanation for what had happened to her. However, it could have also been proved to be fake without evidence that there was magical pollen to sustain it. Twilight wanted to try and make the story true; but at the same time, she had duties to uphold as the Princess of Friendship.
Twilight sighed heavily, which attracted Fluttershy's attention immediately.
"What's wrong, Twilight?" Fluttershy asked as she brushed some of her hair out of her face.
"Nothing's wrong, Fluttershy," Twilight spoke firmly; despite the fact that her mental series of events on how Trixie was turned into a Breezie could have been false. "I'm just wondering something; our story on how Trixie got this way might be wrong without evidence, right?"
"Y-Yeah..." Fluttershy agreed. "But, surely we can find this pollen someday and clear the rumor, right?"
"Yes. But for the time being, we have Trixie under our care, as well as the map to attend to," Twilight explained. "If might be days; maybe even weeks before we can find the pollen that can reinforce what we've learned. And even then, it could be gone forever by the time we start looking..."
Trixie flew side by side with Twilight and Fluttershy. She too was having trouble thinking about how she became a Breezie. Even though she herself was the victim in this case, all that she could remember was falling into pollen covered flowers. However much it lingered in her mind, though, she remained cautiously optimistic as long as she was with Twilight and Fluttershy. Whispering to herself, Trixie glided slowly through the corridors.
Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie were all working hard on constructing Trixie a house out of the materials they had. However, without Twilight and Fluttershy to oversee them, they were beginning to have doubts on whether or not Trixie was to be trusted in her new state. Though their initial thoughts on her had been all but forgotten, the four working ponies still knew that Trixie had been a pain to deal with during her past encounters, and that she could have very well been faking her new role to ambush Twilight when she least expected it. Even so; they still went over the plans, cut the wood down to an optimal length and height, and carefully did their best to build Trixie a house to rest herself in for the nights ahead.
"Do any of you get the feeling that Trixie's just faking this?" Rainbow Dash asked after she finished shortening another plank of wood.
"Whatever do you mean, darling?" Rarity tilted her head and looked at Rainbow Dash with a raised eyebrow. "Fluttershy said it herself; Trixie wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone any of us..."
"But that's the problem, Rarity. Trixie's a very deceptive pony, capable of using underhanded and sneaky tactics to ensure she gets her way," Rainbow Dash spared no time in letting her thoughts out. "You saw what happened when she had the Alicorn Amulet, right? She used some of the most powerful spells in history without even breaking a sweat! She must have learned to make herself stronger after that. There's no other way she could have turned into a Breezie unless she somehow cast a spell as she fell into those flowers..."
"Trixie's a powerful unicorn, ah'll say; but there's just no way she could've learned a transformation spell like that..." Applejack seemed to be the one siding against Rainbow Dash. "That spell must take an awful lot of power to muster. And even then, there had to have been Breezies in the area for her to use it..." with the knowledge that she had accrued, Applejack's tension mounted. "Dagnabbit! This story's got as much sense as one of Twilight's fancy-schamncy science lessons!"
"So out of the four of us here; there's one who thinks Trixie is scheming to get revenge, another who thinks that she became a Breezie for an unexplained reason, and one who thinks she's just a victim of circumstance..." Rainbow Dash face-hoofed and groaned. "Just great..."
"Who cares how it happened, girls?" Pinkie Pie spoke up as she hammered a nail into multiple pieces of wood with one strike, binding them all together without splitting it. "If anything, it's made Trixie much cuter now!"
"Cuter?" Applejack's voice was raised as she squinted her eyes. "Ya think that a magician who caused so many ponies so much grief is cuter now that she's a Breezie?!"
"Applejack! Calm down, dear..." Rarity threw out one of her hooves in front of Applejack's chest, ready to hold her back if she lashed out at Pinkie Pie. "Don't just jump headlong into something and try to start an argument over miniscule little details. You remember what Twilight taught us when she returned from the Canterlot High a few months back, right?"
Applejack wanted to fight back against Rarity's words, but nothing she could say could be used as artillery to back herself up. Grunting in defeat, she backed down and put her hat over her head.
"Listen, I know these are hard times for all of us, Applejack," Rarity spoke mellifluously as they drilled a large hole into a side of the wood, most likely to serve as Trixie's door to her new house. "But you need to remember that this might not be permanent. These things come and go all the time. Sometimes they take a short while, other times take more than a day, and some things even last for up to a week without a solution," using her magic to clean up the shavings, Rarity turned her gaze towards Rainbow Dash. "This goes for you too, Rainbow Dash. Sometimes, we have to push ourselves to do something, even if it's too hard to manage. But at the same time, we're not being forced to work on this like some paid employees. We're doing this of our own volition, to aid Twilight Sparkle and Fluttershy in fixing this little debacle up and getting Trixie back to the way she used to be."
"Rarity, how can you be so calm in all of this?" Rainbow Dash asked once Rarity had finished her monologue. "Trixie did some pretty awful stuff to you as well..."
"Well yes, I still can't forgive her for her crimes against fashion. But Twilight and Fluttershy can see the goodness in everypony's heart; even for someone as mean and as boastful as Trixie," Rarity's tone remained neutral as if she was talking normally; despite the fact that Trixie had been cruel to her as well. "If anyone can be redeemed, then there's a good chance that Trixie can see the light as well. Even some of the worst ponies we've ever met deserve a shot at redemption. And despite the hardships, I press onwards; knowing fully that there's always a reward at the end of an arduous task. However, if you wish to drop out now, Applejack and Rainbow Dash, the door is right behind me..."
As Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked at the door, they had taken in what Rarity had said. In a way, they had no right to be cruel to Trixie, even if she had become such a despicable unicorn who caused terrible things to happen to other ponies. As much as they wanted to run away and forget about Trixie, they also remembered that Breezies posed absolutely no threat to them; or any other pony in Equestria. They still held the impression that Trixie was still planning to get back at them in some way, but they repressed their anger as they returned to working on the house that they had been working on.
"Fine, Rarity..." Rainbow Dash sighed heavily as she hammered in another nail to the wood. "But I'm doing this under protest..."
"You keep thinking about that, Rarity..." Applejack stubbornly brought over another piece of wood and cut it to make one half of the house's roof. "But don't come crying to Rainbow Dash and me when Trixie stabs you in the back..."
Rarity brushed off the things that Rainbow Dash and Applejack had replied with, raised her head high, and used her magic to get rid of the excess wood shavings and cut pieces that had fallen onto the floor.
After a while, Twilight and Fluttershy walked into the room with Trixie by their sides. They immediately saw the hard work that the ponies had put into building the house. In their sights was a house that was just large enough for Trixie to climb into, but not too big that she became greedy and boastful. With four sides painted blue, a roof that had been coloured white, a hole that was big enough for Trixie to squeeze into, and a perch for her to stand on, Twilight and Fluttershy could not help but be proud of their friends for building the house.
"So, what do you think, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie leaped up in front of the group and came much too close to Twilight's personal space. "I personally think that we could have lined the interior walls with little tiny pieces of fruity candy to make it taste as good as it looks, but then again; it's a house or food, not both..."
"I personally think that it could have been better, girls," Twilight's judgement was quick, but she turned her head afterwards. "But that's just because I've personally never seen a Breezie house from the inside before. What about you, Fluttershy?"
"I think that it looks lovely from the outside, girls," Fluttershy's criticisms were much sweeter, putting smiles on her friends faces. "But it's not up to me to decide. It's up to little Trixie here..." Fluttershy used her wing to gently push Trixie forward towards her house. "Go on now, Trixie. Head inside and tell us what you think when you come out again..."
Trixie nodded, then towards the house. She landed gracefully on the perch, retracted her wings, and walked inside the house gently. Once inside, she noticed that the house only had one room. It was dimly lit to account for the lack of windows, had barely enough space for Trixie to move around in, and had a floor covered in bedding that would usually appeal to birds.
Looking around, Trixie shivered that her own house would be completely pitch-black every time Twilight and Fluttershy went to bed themselves; but at the same time, Trixie remembered that it was her own house, and that she would be protected as long as she remained inside of the thick walls of wood. Trixie flew down onto the bedding, laid herself down, and tested the materials she would be sleeping on. Pulling some over herself, Trixie could immediately feel how soft it felt around her skin. It might have been little strips that acted as lots of miniature blankets for her, but they were surprisingly comfortable, and they made Trixie feel drowsy.
She was about to fall asleep, when the melodious whistle of Fluttershy woke her up just in time. Remembering that she still needed to deliver her verdict on what she thought of the house, Trixie rubbed her eyes, shrugged the bedding off of her, and walked out of the house. Trixie spread her wings when she was outside, and flew over to Fluttershy's side, giving her review in the language of the Breezies.
"Still got no idea what the heck she's saying..." Rainbow Dash spoke up.
"It's a good thing you have me to translate for you, then..." Fluttershy held out her hoof and let Trixie stand on it. "She said that she loves the house for how cosy it is; even though she knows that it'll get darker than most other houses when we go to sleep."
"Ah just wish there was a way to learn the Breezie language, Fluttershy," Applejack jaw fell wide with how well Fluttershy had translated for the group. "Ya make it seem like there's nothing to it..."
"To Fluttershy, it's easy for her; but for the rest of us, it's a difficult chore to understand the language," Twilight pulled out one of the books in her bedroom and opened it up to the page which had the transformation spell she had used in the past. "I've been studying the transformation spell I used to turn us into Breezies before; and I've learned that when the user has a massive concentration focused into using the spell, it becomes powerful enough for us to hear the language of the species we become as if they were speaking our own.
"Sure, it might seem like we're going to be talking Breezie to everypony else we come across if we remain in those forms for extended periods of time; but to Trixie and to us, we'll be speaking proper pony." Twilight smiled as she put the book back.
"Twilight, how do you find the time to learn all this stuff, even when the map could be beckoning you at any given moment?" Rarity asked.
"Well, I usually organize my schedule quite accordingly; with the offset chance that a friendship problem could arise without warning," Twilight conjured up a lengthy schedule which reached the feet of her friends as it rolled out. Everything was also marked with a red asterisk, which was explained at the bottom of the list saying, 'If map reacts, the event is null and void'. "I'm prepared for anything; even if it means we have to leave Ponyville for important business..."
"Anyway, I think it would be nice to take Trixie out for a walk in Ponyville before sunset," Fluttershy made her voice heard. "We've still got some time, and I bet it would be nice for her to see exactly how much Ponyville changed since her last visit..."
"That sounds like a great idea, Fluttershy," Twilight put a hoof around Fluttershy's shoulders. "If you're living in a new place, it's an ideal decision to see exactly the whole town or city with your own eyes, so that you'll be mentally prepared to navigate without a problem..."
Both Applejack and Rainbow Dash's pupils shrunk to pinpricks. Wasting no time, Rainbow Dash flew into the air and landed hastily in front of Twilight.
"Twilight, I think I speak for everyone that I don't think it's a good idea to take Trixie out with you," Rainbow Dash's voice was stern as she locked gazes with Twilight. She unfurled her wings and used them to cut off Twilight's progress. "If the townsponies see that Trixie is with you, they'll start thinking less and less about you..."
"Yes, Twilight," Applejack added. "Ah'm not saying this to try and make you angry. But I am saying that this if for your own protection. If those townsponies recognize Trixie, it could damage your reputation by a considerable amount. And being a princess of Equestria, it would be a terrible thing for your subjects to think of you negatively..."
"I appreciate your concern, Rainbow Dash and Applejack; but Trixie is under our care, and we promised her that nothing would harm her," Twilight stood up for herself. "You and the townsponies might see her as a threat, but I still see her as a troubled pony who always seems to be making the wrong choices in life, but not because she was baited in by them or that she was acting like a jerk."
"It's a pretty big risk, Twilight. Even I'm concerned for you and Trixie..." Rarity added in. "One false move, and it's curtains for both of you..."
"Girls. We're completely sure that Trixie will be safe with us," Fluttershy defended herself and Twilight as she stood next to Twilight. As she spoke, Fluttershy could feel Trixie flying into her mane and scurrying around in it. "Trixie will be spending most of her time in my hair, and occasionally Twilight's. We're not going to risk her going out into the wind, for fear she might be blown away and out of our hands."
"That's your opinion, Twilight. But from where me and Applejack are standing, you could very well be taking a massive risk in taking Trixie for a walk," Rainbow Dash seemed to lose faith in Twilight already. "I'm not about to risk one of my best friends suffer because the townsponies hate her new friend!"
"Rainbow Dash! Why are you siding against me?!" Twilight felt like nothing she said would dissuade Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
"Trixie might be harmless in your eyes, but I still think she's just scheming against us," Rainbow Dash was quick to the point once more. "Look, I'm sorry if I make you and Fluttershy angry, but I still don't think that Trixie is to be fully trusted..."
"Well, that's something that you yourself can worry about," Twilight levitated Rainbow Dash and put her down by Rarity, Applejack, and Pinkie Pie. "If you don't even trust Trixie enough to show her around Ponyville, then by all means, stay in the castle and keep an eye on things," Twilight walked out with a pout. "I'm taking Trixie for a walk. Come on, Fluttershy..."
As Fluttershy and Twilight walked away from their friends, Fluttershy turned back and scolded, "Look at what you've become, girls. Trixie needs our help and you decide to abandon her? Think about what you've said, then come and find us when you decide when you want to say sorry." then she shut the door, failing to notice that Applejack and Pinkie Pie were hanging their heads.
Rainbow Dash and Applejack might have had suspicions about Trixie, but Fluttershy's words were sharper than steel. It was their own fault that they had put themselves in this position, and they fully deserved the blame after what had happened.
"I'm afraid that Twilight and Fluttershy are right, Rainbow Dash and Applejack," Rarity walked towards the door. "You went as far as to overprotect Trixie the wrong way when she's clearly in capable hands? For-shame..." Rarity opened the door and slammed it behind Applejack and Rainbow Dash.
"Applejack, Rainbow Dash," Pinkie Pie's expression was devoid of happiness. "Trixie is a cute little Breezie now. And in all the years I've lived, I've never seen a pony turn down anything as cute as her. Well, maybe because they had other things to do and couldn't be bothered,but never as mean as what I've just seen here today!" Pinkie stormed off. "When next you see Trixie, I expect to see an apology from both of you meanies."
After Pinkie Pie and Rarity had left, Rainbow Dash and Applejack were alone to dwell on the severity of the situation. They had done a terrible thing after being scolded by the rest of their friends for doing it, and they were on the verge of losing them forever if they didn't make up for what had happened. Hanging their heads, they walked out of the room and down another of the castle's corridors.
Author's Notes:
Sorry for leaving you all hanging like that. But I've come up with an interesting sum of how to get this story posted on EQD. I believe that one story cannot stand on just a few chapters to be considered a worthy novel unlike the other big names out there. So with that in mind, I'm putting off publishing it to EQD for a while and waiting until I reach double digits in chapters, so that I have much more stuff to work with and fix.
Anyway. Now that I've been given some time to work, the team at EQD told me what to watch out for when working on my story.
Repetition: If you guys think I'm repeating myself in terms of phrasing or big words, just tell me where and when, and I'll sort it out.
Telly Language: This is another factor; but I'm not exactly sure what counts at Telly Language. If you guys know what it is, be sure to describe it to me.
Oh, and while we're on the subject of commenting, be sure to leave a comment down about your thoughts on this chapter.
A Stroll Through Ponyville
Twilight and Fluttershy walked out of the castle once again with Trixie staying close to their manes. As they walked out, they saw that the sun has passed its peak in the sky and was starting to begin its descent. With the position of the sun in mind, Twilight and Fluttershy knew that they would not have much time to show Trixie around Ponyville, so they needed to act fast.
After the walk from the castle road to Ponyville, Twilight saw that the town was filled with less activity than before. Most of the stalls and shops were still servicing ponies, but there were noticeably less than before. Some fillies and colts were still playing, and there were even a few ponies who were coming out for some later activities or events which would occur in the afternoon or evening.
Trixie pushed the front hairs on Fluttershy's mane aside so that she could see exactly what Ponyville looked like; despite the fact that had past self had claimed Ponyville as her territory in the past. In her observations of the tranquil kingdom, Trixie noticed that there were pegasi in the air moving the positions of multiple clouds to prepare the evening weather. She could also see the majority of earth ponies were tending to the crops by watering them and giving them fertilizer.
"How do you like it, Trixie?" Fluttershy's eyes shifted upwards as she addressed Trixie. "Aside from Twilight's castle, Ponyville is a rather lovely place to live. Despite the fact that it hangs on the edge of the Everfree Forest..." Fluttershy gulped as she brought the name up.
Trixie, unsure of what the Everfree Forest was, questioned Fluttershy on it in Breezie.
"The Everfree Forest is a scary place, Trixie. Not many ponies dare to venture into it..." Fluttershy was already shivering as she described it.
"The animals fend for themselves in there and the clouds move all on their own," Twilight was much calmer, but even she still twitched as she remembered how much grief the Everfree Forest had caused her and her friends. "Frightening things such as Timberwolves, Manticores, Cragadiles, and more await in that dark place..."
"But let's not dwell on that for too long, Trixie..." Fluttershy changed the subject as she turned to face another area of Ponyville. "Personally, I want to show you the schoolhouse before Celestia sets the sun and allows Luna to raise the moon."
"And if anypony asks who you are, I'll just call you Misty," Twilight made a plan to disguise Trixie's identity. "Ponies here know that Trixie was a bad pony. But at the same time, they just adore Breezies. So instead of me telling them your name is Trixie, I'll give you a fake name so that we can prevent any additional tension and discretion. Does that sound OK with you?"
Trixie put one of her legs to her chin and gently rubbed it. As much as she had the desire to be recognized by the citizens of Ponyville, she also didn't want to be known as a pariah. She eventually decided to agree to being called 'Misty' until Twilight could fix the issue. She verbally agreed and flew into Twilight's mane.
"Alright then, Tri—" Twilight's eyes darted around the town looking for anypony within range of her voice. When there was no-one around, she breathed a sigh of relief "I mean Misty...
"That was a close one," Twilight whispered as she cantered towards the schoolhouse with Fluttershy following closely behind her. "At the very least, Trixie and Misty sound similar..."
Rainbow Dash and Applejack looked out of the window. After being given some time to reflect on the things that they had said against Twilight, they were beginning to doubt whether or not Trixie really was planning to get revenge on them.
"I just don't get it, Applejack," Rainbow Dash said as she caught a glimpse of Twilight and Fluttershy travelling towards the schoolhouse with Trixie in their possession. "I just stated how it would be better to protect her in here; why is it that Twilight and Fluttershy would be so rebellious? I mean, sure; Trixie has been a massive jerk; but I was just trying to protect her from Ponyville and the dangerous weather..."
"It's not just how you protect someone that matters, Rainbow Dash," Applejack pulled off her hat and put it to her chest. "It's how often you protect someone that matters."
"What do you mean, Applejack?" Rainbow Dash tilted her head and leaned in.
"When ah was a foal; Granny, Ma, and Pa wouldn't even let me out of the barn. They mostly kept me in my room, but took me downstairs to eat with the rest of the Ponyville Apples," Applejack's eyes opened and closed periodically as she recalled her past. "Ah was babied so much that ah eventually got the idea to try and move out and find my purpose in life.
"The same thing can be said with Applebloom. Ah tried keeping her safe too much when she had a mishap with a bowl of spaghetti, and she lost an awful lot of faith in me," Applejack sighed as she put her hat back on. "Ah was blind back when I was a foal, unaware when I was caring for Applebloom, and even now with Trixie. After the third time, I think I've finally learned that overprotectiveness is a sure-fire way for somepony to lose faith in you. You may think you're keeping them safe; but in the eyes of the pony – or breezie in this case – you're trying to protect; you're treating them like a baby. And they don't take kindly to being treated like something they're not..."
When Applejack stopped, Rainbow Dash sighed heavily and drooped her head. "I think I know what you're talking about, Applejack..." Rainbow Dash was beginning to remember her own childhood. "When I used to be a filly, my Mom and Dad wouldn't even let me fly without supervision. They kept going on about if I flew too fast and couldn't change my trajectory, I'd fly straight through the walls of the house and fall to the ground in fear. I kept saying that it was a bunch of baloney, but they eventually started taking fewer and fewer chances. Eventually, they just tied my wings up with rope until further notice." Rainbow Dash winced at the memory of being restricted to fly. But shaking her head, she continued, "I ran off from the dinner table that night, sobbing and crying that my parents were continuously treating me like a foal, even though I was eight years old.
"But despite all this, sometimes being treated like that can be a good thing," Rainbow Dash's smile returned as she spread her wings, flew towards the map and stood on it with her chest puffed out. "The next day, Mom and Dad signed me up for Flight Camp. I was away from my parents, I met Gilda and Fluttershy, and I learned the Sonic Rainboom which made me the pegasus I am today..."
"Despite the fact that parents do their best to keep their children safe, they do still love them with all of their hearts; even if their methods make their children hate them," Applejack had a warm smile as she walked towards the door. "Ah'm going to apologize to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Trixie," She stopped when she reached the door, turned back to Rainbow Dash and said, "You can join me if you want..."
Rainbow Dash dwelled on it as Applejack opened the door up. She took in the memories that both she and Applejack had had as they were fillies, then thought about Trixie as a Breezie. After careful consideration of what she had been talking with Applejack about, Rainbow Dash's finally decided that Trixie had changed for the better. She followed Applejack out of the throne room, down the corridors, and towards the doors of the castle.
The sun was setting over Ponyville as Twilight, Trixie, and Fluttershy returned from the schoolhouse. As the ponies walked across the dirt road, they were talking about the beauty of the world during a sunset. Trixie didn't do much talking, but she did like hearing the conversation that Twilight and Fluttershy were having.
"It's been nice talking with you, Twilight, but I think that it's time for me to head home," Fluttershy walked ahead of Twilight and eventually spread her wings. "You're not the only pony with a pet. I've gotta make sure that Angel Bunny and the rest of the critters get fed tonight..."
"Alright then. Have a good night, Fluttershy!" Twilight waved as Fluttershy flew back to her cottage. Then when she was gone, Twilight continued her brisk trot towards the castle.
In Ponyville, Rarity was busy shopping at a craft store for a fabric for some dresses. She glanced at the many different shades of blue on the rack and sweated with the indecision. "Ooh... They're all quite elegant. Sapphire, Cobalt, Seablue, Skyblue, I just can't decide!"
"Uhh, Ma'am, you're gonna have to make a decision soon," a salespony addressed Rarity. "The shop's closing in five minutes."
"Five minutes?!" Rarity's pupils shrank to pinpricks. She turned back to the fabrics and was chewing on the tip of her hoof as her eyes darted among the colours. "Let's see... Cobalt would be nice for a vaguer, more accessorizeable option... Amethyst is the in thing right now so I'll need to work fast... Periwinkle could wait until the winter season..." eventually, the pressure was too much for her to bear, so she threw back her head and screamed, "I CAN'T HANDLE THE DeCISION!"
Rarity swiftly snatched up all of the colours she had been looking at before, as well as the ones she had been stretegizing for future dressed. She threw her Bits at the salespony screaming, "KEEP THE CHANGE!" as she ran out of the door with the materials.
After she ran out of the shop, Rarity immediately crashed into Applejack and fell flat on her back. Whilst she was stunned, the dress fabrics flew out of her grip and tumbled down over Rainbow Dash and Applejack's bodies. Rarity shook her head and used her magic to pick up her purchases and put them back in her saddlebags.
"I am ever so sorry for crashing into you like that," Rarity said as she pulled each layer of silk and linen off of Applejack and Rainbow Dash. "I do hope you can forgive me for being suc—"
"It's alright, Rarity," Applejack smiled as she hoofed her the last piece. "If anything, we were just about to apologize to Trixie for being overprotective..."
"Oh? So you've made your decision, have you?" Rarity's brows furrowed as she listened on what Rainbow Dash and Applejack had to say.
"Yes, Rarity," Rainbow Dash moved forward. "It's our fault for trying to protect Trixie that way. We didn't know that we were going too far in keeping her safe and that Twilight and Fluttershy had it all under control..."
"We were much like our own parents; raising somepony in a way that seems unsatisfactory and would make them and their friends lose faith in us," Applejack took her hat off again, sighed, and hung her head. "Can you ever find it in your heart to forgive us?"
"I can, dears," Rarity said, shaking the hooves of Rainbow Dash and Applejack. "But I think that you should rather be saying this apology to Twilight and Fluttershy personally..."
"Yeah..." Pinkie Pie poked her head out one of Rarity's saddlebags.
"Gah!" Rarity stumbled backwards and fell on her flank as Pinkie Pie leapt out of the saddlebag. "Pinkie Pie? What in Equestria were you doing in my bags?!" Rarity demanded as Pinkie landed.
"I was just wondering what you were doing before we all go to sleep," Pinkie Pie explained. "I mean, I knew that Twilight and Fluttershy were gonna be showing Trixie around Ponyville, and that I would have been baking cakes for me to wash down with a glass of milk tonight. So I decided to go fabric shopping with my friend; Rarity!
"After all, since I knew that Dashie and Applejack would be moaning mopey-wopey ponies, I thought it would be best not to check on them," Pinkie Pie's eyes squinted rather violently as she turned to face Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She marched up to them and got right in their faces. "Speaking of which... I just hope the two of you are ready to apologize to Twilight, Fluttershy, and Trixie..."
"They've had some time, Pinkie Pie. Stand down," Twilight used her magic to levitate Pinkie Pie away from the two ponies, enabling them some room to breathe. "Well, Rainbow Dash? Applejack? Have you got anything to say to me and Trixie?"
"Wait? It's not Fluttershy as well?" Pinkie Pie was thunderstruck that Fluttershy was missing.
"Sorry, Pinkie Pie. Fluttershy has to tend to Angel Bunny and the rest of the animals in her house," Twilight explained as her ears fell. "But I'd gladly accept Fluttershy's place in the apology on her behalf..."
"Oh. Okie-dokie-lokie!" Pinkie Pie's smile came back, but it was quickly lost when she glanced back at Rainbow Dash and Applejack.
"Twilight... Trixie..." Rainbow Dash started off as she stepped forward. "It's our fault for getting defensive towards Trixie. We were only trying our best to protect her from the outside world. With all of the townsponies that could have noticed her from her hair, body colour, and Cutie Mark, me and Applejack got the impression that you could have lost her forever by taking her out to Ponyville..."
"In our haste, we had completely forgotten that we had become overprotective and that we were restricting Trixie on the freedoms that she deserves," Applejack took over as she stepped forward as well. "Both of us upset the applecart, and because of that..."
"We're sorry..." Applejack and Rainbow Dash said with a sigh as they hung their heads low.
"I accept your apology, Rainbow Dash and Applejack," Twilight said, allowing her friends to stand back up normally. "I can understand how you feel in keeping Trixie safe from harm; but you need to remember that I found her, and it's primarily my responsibility to care for her. Your input is fine as well, girls; but it's my word that stands in deciding how Trixie is cared for. I know you didn't understand this, but hopefully you'll remember this in the future."
Pinkie Pie's smile came back once again after Twilight had made up with Rainbow Dash and Applejack. She squealed as she tackled Rainbow Dash and Applejack, then stood on her hind legs and gave them a big hug.
"Pinkie... you're... crushing my lungs..." Rainbow Dash said as she struggled to catch her breath whilst in Pinkie's hug.
"Sorry..." Pinkie Pie immediately stopped and let Applejack and Rainbow Dash fall to their knees, gasping heavily for breath.
Trixie flew out of Twilight's mane, approached Rainbow Dash and Applejack, and spoke in Breezie to them. But without Fluttershy to translate, Trixie's praise fell on deaf ears. The two ponies merely raised their eyebrows and tilted their heads; unable to comprehend what she was saying to them.
"What is she saying, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash asked as soon as Trixie was put back in Twilight's mane.
"To be honest, I don't even know..." Twilight's eyes looked skyward as she felt Trixie shuffling around and getting comfortable. "The Breezie language is so complex that I'm not even sure it physically can be translated..."
"So how in the hay are we gonna find out whether or not Trixie was thanking us or insulting us?" said Applejack.
"Like I said; I can use the transformation spell that I used in the past to allow us to become Breezies again. But it's getting awfully late, and I've heard that tonight's got a little bit of a thunderstorm scheduled..." Twilight saw the sun sink into the horizon, prompting the pegasi to strike the darkened clouds. The noise of thunder reverbated throughout the town, and the first few drops of rain began to fall. "You should all get to your homes now. I'll give Trixie her last meal and get her to bed. Then tomorrow, we can get started."
"Despite the fact that it's late, I do need to get one of my latest products ready before amethyst goes out of style..." Rarity already began the walk back to the Carousel Boutique. "Have a good night, everypony..."
"I'd better be getting back as well," Pinkie Pie said, "The Cake Twins usually never sleep through a thunderstorm without me reading them a good bedtime story..."
"I'll be supporting the late night weather team, then a quick read of a Daring Do novel should put me to sleep in a flash," Rainbow Dash's words were accented by a quick bolt of lightning lighting up the sky. "Sleep tight, Twilight..." she said whilst flying through the cloud cover which was beginning to form.
"Ah'll be headin' home as well," Applejack was the last to leave, "Good night, Twilight..."
After all of Twilight's friends went their separate ways for the night, Twilight walked back towards the castle herself. But during her travel, she felt like her hair was being pulled out by something. Looking up, she saw that Trixie was using Twilight's mane as a safehaven for the rain and thunder. She was quivering as she held the hair together, making things uncomfortable for Twilight.
"It's alright, Trixie... I'm here..." Twilight lit up her horn and created a tiny orb around Trixie. The rain dripped down the orb and around it as if Trixie was encased in a glass sphere. "Just relax; there's nothing to fear as long as I'm keeping you safe..."
Trixie heard that the noise of the outside world had been muffled, but Twilight's voice was echoed as she spoke. Taking her words to heart, Trixie snuggled into Twilight's hair and was on the verge of falling asleep.
With Trixie safe from the rain, Twilight sighed in relief as the irritation in her hair died down. She slowly walked into the castle and shut the door quietly. Locking the door tightly, Twilight walked down the hallways towards the kitchen so that she could prepare Trixie her last meal before bed.
Author's Notes:
I'm honestly surprised that I could think of this chapter. I mean, it was a big surprise when my PS4 charger broke today. I was doing the last little scrapes of the Black Ops 3 Beta on my PS4, when all of a sudden, the metal part on my controller charger snapped entirely. I cursed a bit, then calmed down, and then decided to make another chapter of one of my stories.
Now, before you start asking: Yes; the Main Six will become Breezies in this story. Now I know that this scene is what split the fandom wider than a continental drift, but in all honesty, I think that the Main Six Breezies are the cutest things to ever exist. In fact, I'm surprised that most of the fandom thinks that the Breezies episode was a bad thing. If anything, it was one of the more stronger episodes in the whole series. In fact, it's the second best episode of Season 4, just behind Twilight's Kingdom which of course, was the Season 4 Finale.
And as always, be sure to comment on your thoughts about this chapter, comment about any issues I might have missed, and if you just generally want to talk about this story, feel free to do so down below.
Taking Flight Again
"Thank you all for coming, girls," Twilight paced back and forth as she addressed her friends in the library, "I know that this is short notice and that you all have important things to be doing, but this is something that could very well make Trixie's stay in Ponyville much more comfortable," Twilight pulled up the spell that she had acquired from the Castle of the Two Sisters. "I trust that you are all aware on what this spell is, correct?"
"Yes indeed, Twilight. That's the transformation spell that enables us to shapeshift and become a different species," Rarity was the first to answer. "But I'm still unaware as to why turning ourselves into Breezies again will give Trixie a much more suitable lifestyle."
"Shouldn't we be getting her back to the way she was before?" Fluttershy raised a hoof. "Not that I'm having trouble with helping her and us all out, but Trixie is still a pony deep down. She's just been turned into a Breezie by accident."
"It's occurred to me that the Breezie language is getting harder and harder to translate the further I delve into it. There are just so many pronunciations and sentence structures that sound alien to Equestria and its inhabitants," Twilight sighed as she looked back at Trixie. "I can't believe that I'm saying this, but their alphabet is as hard as trying to learn Prench or Japonese..."
"So how do you know that it'll even work with Trixie, Twilight?" Pinkie Pie asked. "I mean, if we used the spell on a Breezie who turned out to be a regular pony, then who knows what would happen?" she threw out her hooves for emphasis. "We could grow twice the size; or freaky double horns; maybe even four extra legs!"
"Pinkie, I'm not sure that that's even possi—"
"And if you took all of those combined into one transformation, we'd be..." Pinkie Pie took in a massive gasp of air. "DOUBLE PONIES!"
"Pinkie Pie!" Twilight's wings unfurled as her voice boomed, silencing Pinkie in an instant. Twilight coughed to regain her composure, then continued with what she was saying. "Anyway. The transformation spell only turns ponies into what the other species happens to be. So in no way would we ever turn into double ponies, Pinkie Pie..."
"Sorry." Pinkie Pie smiled and returned to her position in the line.
"Today is a windless day, and there's not a single rainstorm forecast," Twilight went on. "I was thinking that we take Trixie on a little flight through the plains today, then come back at some time in the afternoon. Now before we begin; for the sake of clarity, I need to ask you all; do you want to become Breezies again?"
"Well... the last time seemed to go off without a hitch," Applejack already had her answer. "Ah'm in. What about the rest of ya'll?"
"I'd love to become a Breezie again, Twilight," Fluttershy was straight to the point, "Not only would it be another good experience to see the world from their eyes, but we'd be doing Trixie a good favor by helping her feel more at ease."
"Well, as much as it does kind of eat into my stunt practice, what the hay? Might as well take another crack at being a Breezie..." Rainbow Dash's leaned back as her wings flapped.
"I do have some dresses that have a deadline of two days..." Rarity was stroking her chin with her hoof. "I should be worried about it, but I feel like it would be rather enriching to learn of beauty within nature," coming to a realization, Rarity gasped. "Idea! I'll gladly come along, Twilight. Seeing as I never got the chance to write down the designs of the Breezie Homeworld, I feel like this little trip will be just the thing to get the perfect inspiration for a dress that embodies the world around us..."
"Alright then. That's four out of five," Twilight turned to Pinkie Pie at last. "Pinkie Pie. Do you want to become a Breezie again?"
"Do you even need to ask?" Pinkie Pie bounced eagerly. "Of course I'd want to become a Breezie again!"
"Perfect," Twilight turned towards Trixie. "Now Trixie. I'm just going to highlight you with a spell. The same thing will go with my friends. You don't mind this at all, do you?"
Trixie chittered in Breezie and nodded her head, giving Twilight to go-ahead to perform the spell.
"Alright then. Now just stay still," Twilight told Trixie, then turned to the rest of her friends. "This goes for you too, girls. This won't hurt a bit..."
Twilight illuminated her horn and took her friends airborne. Taking a breath, she used multiple beams to mark Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity, Rainbow Dash, and Fluttershy. With her friends being the ones to transform, she turned back towards Trixie and fired the last beam of magic at her, surrounding her with archaic markings. With the preparations complete, Twilight closed her eyes and let a bright flash illuminate the room.
The six ponies all noticed a change. First, everone grew curly Breezie antennae; Next, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Twilight's wings all became Breezie wings whilst the others grew theirs freely; And finally, the spell shrunk the Main Six rapidly until they were the same size as Trixie. With another powerful burst of light, the Main Six all examined themselves again. The last features that came with the transformation was that their legs had become thinner, their hair had been extended, and their muzzles had been replaced with Breezie noses.
Trixie was awestruck when the light finally died down to reveal the results of Twilight's spell. As she looked at Twilight and her friends, she could not help but smile with her success.
"Well, here we are again," Twilight's voice had drastically increased in pitch, as had the rest of her friends. "Now just like before, this isn't permanent. But at the same time, there's no limit as to how long we can stay like this." she made the additional rules of the spell clear for the group.
"Check us out..." Rainbow Dash had some time to admire her new body. Despite it being fragile, she was still impressed with how every detail was correct. "It's like we were born and raised as Breezies..."
"I must admit, I too am impressed," Rarity felt how soft her new wings were. "You know, I never really had time to say this before but I actually enjoy this form, Twilight. I can't put my hoof on it, but there's something beautiful about being a Breezie..."
"I'll tell you what it is, Rarity," Pinkie Pie giggled and dived into a nearby cupcake, eating it from the inside out. "It's because we're so tiny that makes it better! Well, that and our voices sound like we've all inhaled helium, but it's definititely how itsy-bitsy and cute we all look!"
"Now then," Twilight and Fluttershy glided over to Trixie with the rest of their friends in tow. "Are you ready to go, Trixie?"
"Yes. Yes I am, Twilight." Trixie spoke normally, despite her voice being pitched-up as well.
"Perfect," Twilight turned and saw that the window was open. "Now since there's no wind today, we should be abl—" she froze and turned her head when she had let Trixie's words sink in "—what? You can talk, Trixie?"
"Yes. In fact, you're all speaking my language now," Trixie explained. "You said it yourself, Twilight. Extra concentration allows the ponies being transformed to speak in the language of the species they become, and understand the exact same species as if they were speaking normally. So in truth, we're really all speaking the Breezie language."
"Oh yeah..." Twilight chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of her head. "I forgot about that."
"No worries. It's just another brick in the wall," Trixie smiled, "Now, shall we get going?"
"Yes. We're burning daylight just by staying in this stuffy castle," Twilight flew over to the window and slipped through the open crack by retracting her wings. Just before she could lose altitude, she spread tem again. "Come on, girls. There's a whole new world to explore..."
All of Twilight's friends followed suit with Fluttershy being the last out of the castle. She stayed back to escort Trixie and help her get through the open window. Holding hooves, the two flew through together and opened their wings out in the radiant sunlight. Smiling at each other, Fluttershy and Trixie had a little hug before following Twilight and the rest of the group.
As the Main Six and Trixie flew high above Ponyville, they could see that the world looked completely different. Height and size aside, it was as if they had just laid eyes on Ponyville for the first time, and that all of the details were awe-inspiring and worth murmurs of interest and gasps of amazement. And that was just the kingdom. Their next sight was the clouds. From their little forms, the clouds all looked like massive fluffy fortresses where each of the group could climb into and rest themselves.
Flying downwards towards the grass, the seven Breezies now got a good view on the natural world around them. Every blade of grass was like a small tree growing from the natural earth. Every flower was like a colossal umbrella for if the rain came pouring down unexpectedly. And each bush that they flew past felt like a forest of leaves, other insects, and the occasional thorn. Every detail was worth observing for the time that Twilight would keep her friends Breezies to ease Trixie into the place she would be calling her home.
Their maneuverability as they moved about was quite controlled as well. By flying as one pack, the seven Breezies found it much easier to control their flight patterns and turn on a whim. And while there were some pegasi soaring in the same airspace, they didn't come close to the group during their travels. But to remain perfectly safe, Twilight and her friends decided that coming into contact with a pegasus wasn't really a good idea.
"So, how are you enjoying the sights, girls?" Twilight asked as they stopped to compose themselves.
"I think it's all simply lovely, Twilight," Fluttershy's answer came first. "I never knew Ponyville had so much beauty..."
"It just goes to show ya; we're all quite lucky to call this kingdom our home." Applejack smiled.
"What about you, Trixie? How do you like Ponyville for what it is on the inside?" Twilight turned towards Trixie.
"After seeing what your town has to offer, I'm actually considering living here once this all finishes," Trixie looked at the light refleting off of the leaves below in the plains. "The nature here goes well with the peacefulness of the town, making it seem like a much more suitable place for a pony to live."
"Well, I'm glad you like it, Trixie," Rarity put one of her tiny legs around Trixie's shoulders to comfort her. "There is so much more to Equestria when you see it from another side. The same thing can be said for many of the other Equestrian cities and towns. Every little one has its charm; be it rustic, modern, or one of utter tranquility."
"I know. Such harmony could never be found among other places here in Equestria," Trixie continued, "There really is no substitute for beauty, isn't there?"
"Exactly," with Trixie starting to enjoy Ponyville more and more, Twilight brought her into a hug. "I'm glad this all happened, Trixie..."
The rest of the group saw Twilight and Trixie hugging and decided to make it a group hug. The happy murmurs as they all embraced each other could be heard all across the skies. When it finally finished, the group all dispersed and allowed Trixie some space.
"Now then, where should we head next?" Trixie asked. "I'm curious to see what else this lovely place has to offer..."
"How 'bout we head down to Sweet Apple Acres for something to eat?" Applejack proposed. "With how small we all are, at least one apple would be the perfect thing to keep us all going on our way..."
As if on cue, Rainbow Dash's stomach rumbled. "Good idea, AJ. Where's the fun in adventuring as a Breezie if you have an empty stomach?"
Everyone giggled, then Twilight said, "OK then. Sweet Apple Acres it is."
And then, they all flew off towards Sweet Apple Acres at their own leisurely paces.
When everyone arrived at Sweet Apple Acres, they were once again taken aback with how everything looked from their points of view. The height of the barn was enough to make the seven Breezies see the farm as a thing of beauty. Coupled with the frames for the doors and windows, it felt like a palace rather than Applejack's home.
"We should probably head over to the Eastern Orchard, girls," Applejack took charge, since it was her orchard. "Big Mac and Applebloom are working hard in the Western Orchard, and they might disturb our lunch with their applebucking."
"Good idea, Applejack," Twilight said, "Lead the way."
The seven Breezies over the foliage of the trees, occasionally skipping across the leaves whilst giggling. With how minuscule each of them was, it was easy to find fun in places they had already been to. When they had had their fun, they flew downwards and saw another breathtaking sight.
There in the distance was a large cluster of trees. Each and everyone of them was bearing massive red apples that would completely fill Twilight and her friends up in an instant. As they daintly hung from the branches, the fruit glistened in the daylight, making them all the more alluring.
"Here we are, girls," Applejack stopped the group when they had reached their destination. "Eastern Orchard.
"Now tuck in, but don't eat too much." Applejack graciously let her friends fly towards the apples that they found to be the plumpest.
Each of Twilight's friends examined an apple. Given their miniature forms, it seemed like they were all looking at perfect copies of the one that Applejack had used to lure Flutterbat in many months ago. Each of them sank their teeth into the giant red fruits, with Trixie being the first one. Just one bite from each of the girls had left tiny bite marks . When they had ripped off their respective chunks of apple, each of the Breezies chewed throughly, tasting that they were much more filling than before. After swallowing, the girls all stopped, then hastily took a bigger bite out of each.
"Sweet Celestia, Applejack. These apples are just heavenly!" Twilight pulled her face out of her apple, wiping the juice out of her face as she did. "I can't stop eating them!"
"My thoughts exactly, Applejack!" Rarity was the next to speak, albeit with her mouth full. She eventually finished the second piece of hers, cleared her throat, then continued. "I'm not sure what, but these are the best apples I've ever tasted!"
"Which is odd..." Applejack examined the apple that she had been eating. "It's no different than a regular apple, and yet it tastes as if it could put the fabled Zap Apples to shame with how good the taste is..."
"I guess Breezies just have different taste buds to ponies then," Trixie said next, poking her head out of the top of the apple she was eating. "There's no way an apple would taste this heavenly without a change in taste buds..."
"Who cares that it tastes different?" Pinkie Pie smiled and buried her face in hers. "It's totally delicious!"
Everyone returned to their lunch of oversized fruit, munching away as if they didn't have a care in the world. The juices were all over their faces, and some crept onto their wings and antennae as they climbed inside the colossal fruits. But they didn't mind a bit. They were eating in peace, and that was all that mattered to them now.
When everyone had finished eating, they had all perched themselves on the branches of the trees. They had eaten a lot, and their bellies were starting to swell. A few burps and peaceful noises of satisfaction came from the girls as they relaxed after their hefty feast. Even Twilight, Fluttershy, and Trixie were completely full.
"Hard to believe that one apple is that filling in this state..." Twilight sighed in peace. "I'm actually thinking about sleeping this meal off now..."
Rainbow Dash yawned and stretched her legs. "Actually, that does sound like a good idea, Twilight..." she flew up towards a leaf in the tree and used it as a makeshift bed. Yawning again, Rainbow Dash felt herself drifting off to sleep already.
"I think we're all tired, aren't we?" Trixie gathered the rest of the group. "Why don't we just take a nap here, then head back towards Ponyville for more adventure when we're well rested?"
Yawning, Twilight said, "I guess the feeling's mutual, Trixie. I haven't eaten like that since I was a filly..."
"Let's try towards the top of the tree, girls," Applejack rounded up the group and flew up. "Leaves are generally much stronger and bigger the higher up the tree they are..."
Rainbow Dash was roused from her drowsiness to follow the rest of the group as they examined the leaves for suitable places for them to sleep.
In the end, each of the seven Breezies had found leaves that they thought were all perfect. Some were spaced away from each other, but they were all very close to each other. Curling their legs as they flopped back onto the soft leaves, Twilight and her friends all let out a chorus of more yawns before letting their eyelids fall.
"Sleep tight, everypony," Twilight said as she pulled off another leaf and used it for a blanket. "Or should I say, everybreezie?"
Murmuring, everyone fell asleep in almost perfect tandem with each other. With their beds and blankets of leaves, their movements slowed down and stopped as their eyes shut, and they were permitted to sleep and dream happy thoughts. Twilight, her friends, and Trixie all felt as if today had been the best day of their lives. And as they snored, they only knew that it was going to get better when they woke up.
Author's Notes:
Truth be told, I'm unsure as to whether or not 'apple' can be considered a word that's okay for repetition. But I have seen moments where repetition is okay for effect. Comment below and tell me whether that's true in this case or not. Or just comment below for the heck of it. Tell me what you all thought about this chapter.
Further, this whole Breezies-transformation thing isn't the main focus of the story from now. It's just a little fun side-arc that'll come in from time and time again. Don't let it distract you from the main focus here; emotions.
By the way, I totally wasn't listening to Satorl Marsh Night whilst writing this chapter...
All Fun and Games Until...
An hour and a half had passed since Twilight and her friends had eaten their apples and went to sleep. Throughout that time, the seven Breezies were relatively motionless in their sleep. They would sometimes turn slowly in their sleep, dreaming pleasant thoughts about what they thought the rest of their time with Trixie would be like until they turned themselves back to normal.
As Twilight was the first to shake herself from slumber, she climbed out of her leaf bed and spread her wings. Quietly flying upwards, she poked through the top of the tree and sat herself down on one of the highest leaves. After she got comfortable, she looked back towards Ponyville. Nothing had changed since she had used the transformation spell. The houses were still intact, the ponies were still happy and healthy, and all of the plantlife and trees flourished in the sunlight. Twilight gazed blankly as she began to process exactly how much Trixie had changed since she had been turned into a Breezie.
"Ever since Trixie was freed from the Alicorn Amulet, she said that she was going to right the wrongs that she had inflicted on others. Ergo, she changed her calling card to the 'Humble and Apologetic Trixie'." Twilight recalled. Despite the fact that her voice was still pitched up due to her form, she was still speaking with the same severity that she always had. "From where it stands, she's been living up to the humble part pretty well. But will it remain the same if we manage to fix her up? Will she return to being a boast buster if we pamper her too much? So many questions to answer, and so little time to contemplate them..." Twilight's smile had faded when she thought about the changed that were to come. "From where it stands, Trixie's still left a negative impression on Ponyville since her last visit. But at the same time, Breezies captured the hearts of the townsponies. I'm still unsure as to whether or not it's alright to show the ponies of Ponyville Trixie now, especially since we're still Breezies until we decide to get back to the castle and get back to normal."
Unbeknownst to Twilight, Trixie had woken up as well and was rubbing her eyes. Trixie looked around and saw that the rest of the Main Six were still fast asleep, nestled underneath makeshift blankets made from the leaves of the apple tree. She smiled momentarily, only to have her pupils shrink when she saw that Twilight was gone. Trixie's breathing became heavy, her face filled with sweat, and she found her eyes darting all through the tree to find where Twilight had gone. Despite her efforts, Trixie could not find Twilight anywhere inside the forest of leaves.
"Girls?" Trixie flew aside each of the leaves, gently shaking each of Twilight's friends in an attempt to wake them up. It took her a while, but at last, the other five Breezies finally pulled themselves off of the leaves and spread their wings.
"Afternoon, Trixie." Applejack was the first to talk. She pushed her chest forward with her tiny legs and sighed in relief. "Man, I ain't had that nice a sleep since ah was a filly."
"I must say, the life of a Breezie sure seems like a pleasant and carefree one." Rarity let out another yawn and chuckled afterwards. When she finally had time to compose herself, she brushed away some of the hair that was beginning to get in her face. "I think I understand why the ones who got stranded in Ponyville didn't want to leave Fluttershy's cottage."
"I know what you mean, Rarity. But I had to eventually tell them they weren't welcome anymore." Fluttershy sympathized as she put one of her legs around Rarity's shoulders. "They were just so cute, though. I couldn't say no to such sweet little faces such as theirs. But in the end, I knew that it had to be done; otherwise, we'd never have gotten them home in time."
"Yeah. If Fluttershy hadn't wised up and said no, Twilight wouldn't have used this spell in the first place, and we'd have been stuck with an awfully big mess on our hooves." Pinkie Pie was the next one to talk. She was standing quite still on her leaf, looking around as if she was missing something. "Well, that and we wouldn't have been able to open the chest which meant that Tirek would have completely eradicated every living thing on Equestria, Twilight wouldn't have gotten her castle and map, and I wouldn't be thinking abou—"
"PINKIE PIE!" everyone shouted together, knowing full well that Pinkie Pie was becoming unsettling in her dialogue. After they had calmed down, Pinkie Pie used one of her legs to imitate her mouth being zipped shut.
"Speaking of Twilight, where is she?" Rainbow Dash asked, checking each and every leaf that she came across. Every one of them was the same; plain and Breezie-free. "She wouldn't have just flown off without a good reason."
"If she had, then we'd still be stuck like this until she came back to find us." Rarity pointed out to enhance the severity of the situation. "And as fun as this is, I do still have an awful lot of designs to work on..."
"Twilight? Where are you?" Trixie called out to every corner of the tree. When it didn't respond back, Trixie's muscled tensed up as her search intensified. "Come on, Twilight. This isn't funny..." Trixie's head hang as she finally realized that her search was proving fruitless.
Twilight heard the commotion from inside of the tree. Snapping out of her thought, she laid down and pulled some of the leaves away, revealing Trixie and her friends. They were frantically trying to find her by pulling other leaves away from one another, and eventually checking inside the bark of the tree itself. Realizing that her absence had caused her friends to be this worked up, she flew back down to try and calm her friends down.
At first, it took Twilight a while to get her friends' attention, mostly due to the fact that they were too wrapped up in trying to find her. In the end, she managed to meet Trixie once more and patiently waited with her until the rest of the group reported back or made eye contact with her. Just like before; it was a lengthy wait until the Main Six saw that Twilight had returned. But eventually, they all found Twilight again and pulled her into a hug.
"Sorry for making you worry like that, girls. I was just sitting on the top of the tree, trying to think about the future." Twilight apologized as she rubbed the back of her head.
"Whatever for, Twilight?" Rarity asked with a raised eyebrow. "What kind of things?"
"Mainly about Trixie, and about what might happen before, during, and even after we turn her back into a pony." Twilight explained, but felt a little discord in her voice. "Secrets can't be kept forever, and it's only a matter of time before the townsponies find out about Trixie's return. How will they react? Will they take a liking to Trixie? Will she be able to build up a better relationship with the ponies? Who's to say whether or not she'll revert to being a jerk? And is there even a way to fix Trixie, seeing as she was made this way by a pollen spillage?!" Twilight's voice got louder and louder with each question, and she threw her legs out for emphasis.
"Twilight. I can understand the stress you're feeling," Trixie broke the silence, "But there's no cause for worry at the moment. At the very least, we just have to keep me hidden from the eyes of the public until the heat dies down. And considering how well you've done so far, I'd say that we're all perfectly fine."
"There's more, Trixie," Twilight took a deep breath. "Ponyville is also the town that is most frequently hit with misfortune," she explained, unable to shake off the past that she and her friends had experienced. "Monsters, supernatural events, and even Dark Magic can strike at any given time. It's been that way ever since I moved here."
"Don't be down on yourself, sugarcube," Applejack did her best to comfort Twilight. She used a hug to reinforce her dialogue. "None of those disasters were your fault. You're not responsible for the hardships Ponyville had to face. Even back when we were first starting out as friends, Nightmare Moon wasn't called to Ponyville because of your actions. It was a million to one chance of that ever happening."
"Applejack is right," Rarity's spoke next. "There were some trials and tribulations that the town had to face, I'll agree. But it was thanks to you that we were able to stop such dilemmas from growing out of hoof and causing complete turmoil for all of Equestria." when she stopped, the rest of the group chattered in agreement.
"Thank you, girls. But this is a problem that can't stay under wraps forever." Twilight pulled herself out of Applejack's hug. "The longer we leave this secret buried, the harder it gets for us to keep it a secret. I mean, it's only a matter of time before the townsponies realize that Trixie's back again. And when the beans are spilled, then who knows what'll happen?"
"We'll weather that storm when we reach it, Twilight," Fluttershy had her turn to speak, "But for now, I think that we need to have one last flight back to the castle. It is starting to turn into the afternoon, and I think that some of my critter friends are getting hungry."
"You're right, Fluttershy. Nothing lasts forever, But I wouldn't mind trying this out again sometime with you all." Twilight accepted the course of action and flew out of the tree first. Her friends followed closely behind her with Trixie and Fluttershy being the last to fly out. "Now come on, we need to get back to the ca—" Twilight bumped into another apple, causing it to shake from the stem and eventually fall. What Twilight didn't see was that Applebloom was directly underneath the tree, and was immediately bonked on the head with the felled fruit.
"What in tarnation?" She looked up to see what had caused the apple to strike her. Upon turning her head skyward, she saw the group of seven Breezies almost immediately. When the group looked back at her, they shared the exact same looks. All of them were flabbergasted that they had been exposed, and Applebloom herself was a bit thunderstruck. "Breezies? What are they doing here?"
"Applebloom? What's she doing here?" Applejack asked the rest of the group. "Ain't she supposed to be with Big Mac?"
"Maybe these poor little Breezies got lost on their way back home and are looking for somepony to keep 'em safe." Applebloom came to the assumption, then plastered a large smile on her face. "Sweetie Belle! Scootaloo! Ah think ah just found what we can earn our Cutie Marks in!" and then, she ran off to tell the other Cutie Mark Crusaders.
Twilight watched Applebloom disappear from sight, then sighed in relief. "That was a close one, girls," she said to the rest of the group. "At least she didn't realize that we were right in front of her."
"You think we should get home before they come back?" Trixie asked.
"Yes. It would raise a lot of activity if the ponies of Ponyville suddenly found seven Breezies out of the blue." Twilight responded. "And as much as they love the Breezies, I think it would be quite a mess trying to explain them the root cause of why they think they've come back only a half a year after the portal closed."
Twilight and the group flew through the orchard together, keeping close by each other to keep their turns sharp and to make sure that no-one got stranded. It was still a long way until they were out of Sweet Apple Acres, and the group of seven wanted to be safe from any other mishaps.
Then, it happened. Out of nowhere, the CMC came back and spotted the group trying to escape. It wasn't a problem for the girls at first. That was until they saw the three fillies carrying nets to catch them.
"Where do ya think you're going, little ones?" Sweetie Belle's voice was innocent as she tried to catch the flying Breezies. She meant no harm, but the way she was swinging the net said otherwise. It came close a few times, but it never fully caught Twilight or her friends. "I just want to earn my Cutie Mark in protecting endangered and exotic species."
"Breezies can fly. So we need to try and get up to their height..." Applebloom's quick thinking gave her an infallible plan. "Scootaloo! Sweetie Belle! Set me up for a jump!"
Applebloom's two friends were quick to comply with her orders. They quickly dropped the nets they were carrying and held out their hooves as a spring. When Applebloom landed on the hooves of her friends, she felt herself being thrown airborne. With her net ready to swing, Applebloom was ready for a winning catch.
The Main Six and Trixie were almost free from the orchard. They were just approaching the arch that exited the farm and led towards the rest of Ponyville. But almost before they swooped under the arch, they were quickly surrounded by a web of netting. They all crashed into each other and groaned in pain.
"Ah caught 'em!" Applebloom bounced in delight as she sealed the top with a jam jar lid. With her prizes caught and unable to escape, Applebloom ran back to Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, who were already rushing over to her to congratulate her. "Look, girls! We did it! These cute little Breezies aren't gonna get hurt anymore so long as we're looking after them."
"What a great catch, Applebloom!" Scootaloo commended Applebloom for her prizes. "Now that they're safe, we can make sure that the Breezies live on forever!"
"And if this works out well, we could get our Cutie Marks for sure!" Sweetie Belle squeaked, "I bet Rarity, Applejack, and even Rainbow Dash would be proud of us!"
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS ENDANGERED SPECIES CONSERVATIONALISTS, YAY!" the CMC all cheered and hoof-bumped before carrying the seven Breezies towards the clubhouse.
From the perspectives of Twilight and her friends, the view of Sweet Apple Acres had changed drastically. Instead of being the once majestic place it had been for their small eyes, it now seemed like they had been captured and were about to be locked up in an unescapable prison. The leaves, trees, and apples were still visible; but they were now blocked off by a wall of wires that when meshed together, proved to be unbreakable.
"What now, Twilight?" Trixie asked, seeing as things had taken a turn for the worst. "Should we just let this happen, or are you going to revert the transformation spell to turn you and your friends back into ponies?"
"It's for the best that we let the Cutie Mark Crusaders have their fun for now," Twilight already had a plan set up. "We'll just sneak off when they're not looking, then turn ourselves back to normal at the castle."
"Trust me. Those kids are too innocent to keep watch of us forever." Rainbow Dash had a confident smile. "Just ride this one out, then wait until they're gone, then we should have a leisurely flight back to the castle."
"Why are you still wanting to keep yourselves as Breezies until we return to Twilight's castle, girls?" Trixie's expression was different from before. It seemed as if she was trying to take charge. "It's a far safer option if you turn back into ponies immediately after we leave their sight."
"Trixie. If ponies recognize that you're still a Breezie when the spell ends, that would attract a lot of attention," Twilight explained. "I know it seems weird that we're still choosing to keep ourselves in this state until we return. But it's the only way we can ensure your safety from the rest of the world."
"These Breezies talk an awful lot. Kind of like how Twilight and her friends would talk." Applebloom noticed as she led the way to the clubhouse, "Come to think of it, these Breezies look an awful lot like Twilight and her friends. Except for this extra one who looks kinda like Trixie..."
"Oh, come on, Applebloom. It's just a coincidence." Scootaloo tried to make Applebloom forget about the similarities.
"Yeah. Lots of ponies in Equestria have the same coats and manes. So it wouldn't be surprising that some Breezies look similar to ponies," Sweetie Belle pointed out matter-of-factly. "After all, I saw a Breezie who looked an awful lot like Babs Seed during their flight back to their home."
"It just seems a little unorthodox, that's all," Trixie continued the conversation inside of the net. "I mean, I'm ok with seeing the beauty in Ponyville on the way back to the castle, but it still confuses me as to why you want to experience it with me."
"Because, Trixie. We're trying to help you feel much more welcome in our kingdom. It's not that we want to stay Breezies forever—we just wanted to have some fun in trying to show you around. That's all," Twilight's words were commanding, and they made Trixie understand at long last. "Furthermore, we could spend a bit more time as Breezies in the castle before reverting. That is, of course, if Fluttershy is willing to manage that with the fact that she brought up her animals earlier."
"As much as I would love to continue, Twilight, my animal friends are quite important as well," Fluttershy's conviction proved to be unshakeable as she addressed Twilight, "It's just not right to leave animal critters alone for so long without anything to eat or drink. All the poor mice, and the beavers, and especially Angel Bunny. He's going to get really steamed if I don't get back to him soon..."
"Well, you can't say I didn't try," Twilight accepted Fluttershy's decision and came up with a new course of action. "So, when we get back to the castle, we'll turn back to normal instantly. I'm still unsure as to whether or not Trixie will revert back with us, but it's worth a shot..."
"By the way, Twilight? Don't ya think it's a little weird to be speaking like this with the Cutie Mark Crusaders literally right in front of us?" Applejack tilted her head.
"We're speaking Breezie. They don't understand a word we're saying," Twilight reminded Applejack, "As long as we remain like this, everything we say will come out in a language that three fillies wouldn't be able to decipher in one day, let alone the rest of the school term," Twilight's logic made the rest of her friends murmur in uncertainty. "I'm sure we'll be fine. What could go wrong?"
Author's Notes:
I swear, the next chapter will be the end of the transformation side-arc for now. As I've mentioned before, it's emotions this story is running on, not the Main Six being Breezies again. And I haven't forgotten about how the world of Equestria is dangerous to a Breezie. I do have a photographic memory of each episode I watched, so I tend to remember an awful lot. And by the way, I'm also planning something big for when the secret does get out, so be sure to keep reading.
And don't forget; if you liked this story, be sure to recommend it to all of your friends and followers. Further, some comments would be appreciated; as with every chapter I write. And by the way, Aeluna? You wanted some excitement? Well here it is. See? I do listen to feedback...
But I'm not a comment-driven-guy in terms of writing. I mean, it is my work, and I decide what happens in it. You would say the same about any of your stories as well. This isn't a choose-your-own-adventure story, but what do I know about those? I'm just a simple brony from England...