Hand in Hand: Chapter Two - A Cup of Tea
The two mares sat across from each other at a round table in Twilight's kitchen in silence, sipping away at their cups of tea that Spike had made from them only minutes ago. Twilight had a thin brown blanket draped across the backside of her body while Trixie just had her cape on. Twilight felt physically warm, but yet, she felt like she was ice cold, like nothing could ever thaw her frozen heart and mind.
The two mares stared at the table. They didn't know what to say to each other. Spike watched them from afar, grimacing at the sight. The silence went on for a few more minutes until Trixie began to speak.
"Twilight Sparkle," she said softly and gently, which took Twilight by surprise. The librarian looked up, and her eyes met the showmare's. "What... are you going to do from now on?" Twilight's eyes shot wide open. Although she knew that her life would be different, she hadn't ever once thought her future plans through. Feeling her eyes welling up with tears once more, she looked down at the table again, which made Trixie frown.
"I-I don't know..." Twilight mumbled almost incoherently. "What does it mean when one loses their cutie mark? Does that mean they can no longer regain the special talent they had before?" Trixie stayed still in her seat. Twilight peered up, and saw Trixie staring at the skylight. Suddenly, she saw a tender smile creep onto the azure pony's face.
"Maybe..." Trixie paused for a moment. She leaned over the table and stared at Twilight. "Maybe it means you have to find a new special talent-- or even try to regain your old one." Twilight looked up once more, and found that her face was less than two feet away from Trixie's. She could feel her face blushing a little bit.
"What do you mean?" Twilight asked, puzzled by Trixie's words. The showpony's smile turned into a big grin, and she began spouting out words like Pinkie Pie during parties.
"Think about it, Twilight Sparkle! Just because somepony loses their cutie mark doesn't mean they can't get a new one. All you have to do is find a new special talent, but you can't do that by staying in your library all day, now can you? Trixie suggests for you to go out and find what other things you may be good at. See the world, open a one-mare magic show act like The Great and Powerful Trixie does, do anything! Twilight Sparkle, you should even try to practice magic again! You've still got a horn, don't you?"
Twilight pondered about Trixie's ideas for a moment. She had to admit, they were not half bad, but they seemed too hard for Twilight to handle.
"Trixie, I dunno... I don't know if I'm ready for all of that yet." Twilight confessed. Trixie stared at Twilight quizzically.
"Why not?" she asked.
"Well," Twilight replied. "Magic was pretty much all I had. It was that one special piece of string that roped me and my friends together. Magic was what brought me to Ponyville. Magic was my life. I spent years and years studying about it, learning and practicing spells. There was not one day where I've lived without magic."
"... Well, you're still alive now, aren't you?"
"I guess, but--"
"But nothing! Just what makes you think that you can't regain your magical abilities anyway?!"
"I tried reading through books and asking other ponies."
"Twilight Sparkle, books can't teach you everything, and it's not like any other pony has ever lost their cutie mark either. This is a problem that nopony has ever encountered before and you, Twilight Sparkle, are the only pony who can find a solution to it. Forget reading books, make your own book."
Twilight was taken by surprise. "Trixie, you can't possibly expect me to--"
"Trixie expects a lot of great things from you, Twilight Sparkle." Trixie replied sternly. It was made obvious to Twilight that Trixie would not take 'no' for an answer. "Maybe you think you can't do it, but Trixie knows that you are more than capable of accomplishing it. You just have to put your mind to it."
Twilight sighed. "I-I'm sorry Trixie. I can't..." Twilight said, now turning her back towards Trixie. The showpony raised an eyebrow.
"And why not?" she asked.
"It's hard, Trixie. I've lost my magical abilities. Now all I'm left with is information from books that I've read before, and that's it. Haven't you seen the other ponies, Trixie? Imagine my friends without their cutie marks. Applejack would still have strong legs useful for other tasks besides apple bucking, Rainbow would still be as fast as she is now because of her determination to win, Pinkie Pie would still be the best at partying, Fluttershy would still be kind to others and Rarity would be still great at sewing, but there's me. What am I good for now?"
"Twilight Sparkle, your friends all have secondary skills because they get out a lot, unlike you, trapping yourself in your room all day reading books-- but you know what? You say knowledge is all you have left, but that should be enough to help you find your secondary skill." said Trixie, still trying to convince Twilight to not give up.
"Trixie, like I said, it's not that easy--" Twilight found herself being cut off by a familiar voice.
"Nothing is easy, Twilight." said Spike as he walked into the kitchen.
"Oh Spike, not you too..." Twilight frowned. The lavender mare looked over at Trixie. "Why do you want me to do this so badly anyway? I thought you didn't like me." she asked. Trixie rolled her eyes.
"Do you think The Great and Powerful Trixie is going to sit around with no rival to defeat? It's boring if you automatically forfeit, you know." Trixie said with a scoff. Twilight giggled. Trixie just seemed so innocent that her unbelievable excuse was enough to take off a bit of weight from Twilight's chest. However, Twilight was still reluctant to take the showmare's advice. Almost as if Trixie knew exactly what Twilight was thinking, she began to speak again.
"Twilight Sparkle, Trixie will help you." she said. Twilight gaped at Trixie.
"Why?" the librarian asked.
"B-because... Trixie wants to be your friend." Trixie replied, sticking out a hoof, fully expecting Twilight to shake it. Twilight simply stared at the hoof and the pony standing right before her. Then suddenly, she thought back to what the Princess had said to her.
"You'll never know which one of your friends may be able to help you." the words repeated themselves over and over in Twilight's head. Did Trixie plan this...? Twilight thought to herself. She stared skeptically at the azure mare. She hesitated for a moment before shaking her hoof. Well, I suppose there's nothing wrong with being her friend.
"So?" Trixie asked.
"Huh?" Twilight replied intelligently.
"Are you going to let Trixie help you?" Twilight thought about it for a moment.
There's really nothing to lose... Yeah, but I don't even think it's possible to regain a special talent... But she does have a point. Books can't teach me everything... Twilight argued with herself. Trixie cocked her head in confusion and stared at a dazed Twilight.
Finally, once Twilight broke out of her trance, she slowly nodded her head. There were more pros than cons, after all.
"Sure, Trixie. I'll do it. Please take care of me from now on." Trixie blushed a deep red colour. It took Twilight a moment before she realized what she had just said. "No, wait, that's not--!" she was speechless. Frankly, she meant exactly what she said. The two mares turned away from each other, both blushing furiously. Twilight began thinking of ways to reword her sentence, but little did she know, the showpony had taken her seriously. Trixie's heart skipped a beat.