The Kind and Modest Trixie

by Arctic Inferno

(Prologue) A Powerful Realisation

The Apple Family farm was doing well this year; each individual tree burst with its own selection of plump, juicy apples waiting to be harvested and sold, baked into pies or squeezed into cider. No matter how rough life on the farm managed to get- like when it had been raining and the mud was slick and wet like a swamp, or when bats descended onto the trees every three years or so and ate all the apples- the Apple Family always found a way to make it fun, or at the very least bearable. The weather was not just hot this year but also dizzyingly humid, which meant that all of the farm workers were sweating very badly, working hard in weather that was already very difficult to ignore.

And as if that wasn't bad enough, a certain familiar unicorn had just entered through the main gates. Applejack murmured to her siblings to try and avoid swelling this particular pony's ego any further- however impossible that may prove to be- because Applejack really did not want a repeat of the Alicorn-amulet-almost-exiled-Twilight-and-took-over-Ponyville incident. The siblings quickly elected it best to try and ignore her until she was finished shouting, but quickly hushed there whispering when she wandered over and stopped a few feet away from them.

"BEHOLD!" The aqua blue unicorn shouted, her white mane flowing through the wind, tickling the blue streaks. "The Great and Powerful Trixie has graced your farm with her presence!"

Nopony was listening, of course. Life on the farm was just continuing on as normal; Applejack and her younger sister Apple Bloom were bucking apple trees and stockpiling the barrels, which were swiftly taken one at a time by Big Macintosh to the barn some distance away. Granny Smith was asleep on her rocking chair, a half-finished knitted blue scarf on her lap. The sun's rays continued to beat down on the fields and made work no easy task for the Apple siblings, but as always they were undeterred and refused to stop working, not for the heat or a persistent unicorn. Trixie waited for a couple of seconds for an adoring response- any response would do, but with her magic abilities she honestly expected no less- before stomping a hoof in frustration.

"UGH! Didn't any of you hear me?!" Trixie shouted louder in an effort to attract the Apple Family's attention. Applejack nodded, Apple Bloom made an 'mm-hmm' sound and Big Mac responded with a simple 'Eeyup'. Granny Smith remained in her dream about apple pies. Trixie sighed, irritated with her adoring fans.
"Then WHY did I not receive a shower of adoration and presents?" Trixie whined unhappily.
"To tell you the truth, sugarcube," Applejack said after a few moments of awkward silence, "I don't see why we needed to do that. Ya'll are being a bit... y'know... demanding."

Trixie took this as an insult. She had just returned from a long trip back to her adoring fans in Ponyville and on the walk through town nopony had said anything to her; Applejack was the only other pony Trixie had talked to all week! Trixie knew that she was only being the idol she was so that the other ponies could look up to her and shower her with much-needed attention.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie is modest! She deserves everything she requests and asks for nothing more than that!" Trixie responded unhappily.
Applejack sighed, partly in frustration, partly in patience. "Look, sugarcube, I don't mean to sound mean but you really should try harder not to come across as... well, arrogant."
Trixie gasped, "Are you saying that the Great and Powerful Trixie is arrogant or selfish?!"
"Well," Applejack responded as she returned to the apple tree to keep filling the barrels, "If ya'll are so selfless, what have you ever done to help other ponies?"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie provides children with a role model to love and adore!"
"Something more... y'know... helpful." Applejack said with a modest laugh.

Trixie, once again, was very much offended. She stomped her hoof once more, a beam of angry sweat appearing on her brow.
"I... well, I, um... I once did... um... ah..." She stuttered, fading to a quiet murmur.
"Ya'll have never done anything helpful in your life, have you?"
Trixie remained silent for a few moments, a wave of emotions washing over her, before quietly muttering a response.
"No... N-No, I guess I haven't."
"Well, then, there you go. You still think you deserve those presents?"
Trixie took a moment to collect herself, but she felt uneasy inside. A long time passed before she spoke up.
"... Applejack?"
"Yes, sugarcube?"
"What... have you done to help others?"
Applejack paused her bucking for a moment to push a filled apple barrel onto the stockpile before returning her attention to Trixie.
"Last year I took part in a horserace in Applesweet Town near Manehatten," Applejack said simply, "And gave the prize money to charity."
"How much prize money?"
"Well over a thousand bits. A lot, is what ahm tryin' to say, sugarcube."

Trixie thought about this. Applejack won some money purely to help other ponies who could never return the favour, and she herself had never even considered doing such a kind thing. The mere idea of helping someone who couldn't help her was a little alien in her mind, and she didn't know what to think of it; her conscience and her arrogance were fighting inside her. Eventually she couldn't take both the strain of this battle and standing at the same time, so she slumped to the ground, unsure of whether to cry at her mistakes or laugh at Applejack's. Trixie simply couldn't comprehend that Applejack could do something better than anything she could do and not even gain anything from it; he idea of doing something that takes a lot of effort and not even requesting a prize or reward had never even crossed her mind.
There was a very long silence before Applejack said something.
"Listen, sugarcube," Applejack began, "I didn't mean to offend ya'll-"
"No, no!" Trixie interrupted, standing up quickly, "I'm not offended at all, I just needed to think. About my... choices in life, you know?"
"Oh?" Applejack said with a chuckle, "My little speech really made you think about things that much?"
"Well, yeah." Trixie responded simply, thinking about what little time she had spent on thinking about anything before. She snapped out of her normal tone of voice, building her infamous pride up a little, "The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to go for a walk!" She turned and marched out of the gates to the Apple Farm, levitating her cape and hat back onto herself as she strode. Applejack simply stood there for a few moments, then shook her head and, with a knowing laugh to herself, returned to work.

'Helping other ponies that can't help you!' The Great and Stubborn Trixie thought to herself as she strode through town, her chin held high above the pony townsfolk. 'I wouldn't do that, it's weird and unnecessary.' Trixie stopped for a while to admire the fountain in the middle of town, sitting on a bench and allowing a small bird to land on the hoofrest. She sat there for a while, taking in the crisp air, before she spotted a stallion walking along the path nearest to her- the one which she walked to her seat on. At the path's side was a small, frail-looking pony sat on a scruffy towel with a beat-up hat upturned in front of them. Trixie had only glanced at the homeless pony momentarily to question to herself why the hat was on the floor and not on his head, but as she watched on the stallion that was walking stopped and turned to face the roadside pony. He reached into the pocket of his shirt and pulled out a number of bits, put them in the upturned hat, smiled and nodded at the nod and 'thank you' he received from the homeless pony and continued walking. Just like that, as quickly as it had started, it was over.

Trixie couldn't quite grasp what had just happened, so she stopped the stallion as he walked past.
"U-Um, excuse me?" She spoke up as he trotted by. The stallion slowed to a stop and turned to face her.
"Yes, can I help?"
"Um, the Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to know why you gave that strange pony money!"
"Well," The stallion said a little awkwardly, "The money helps him out, right?"
"Yes, but can he not repay you?"
"No, of course he couldn't. If he could he wouldn't be there."
"So, why spend time and money helping him?" Trixie inquired.
"It's... just a nice thing to do, you know? We should always try to help other ponies in need." The stallion replied simply, then turned and continued walking in the opposite direction from which he came.

Trixie looked at the ground for exactly three seconds before bolting from her standing place down the path, back past the homeless pony, then past the stallion and all the way through town straight back to the apple farm. She skidded to a halt at the door of the large barn.
"Applejack!" She cried through her panting. Applejack looked up from her lunch, surprised.
"Uh, yes, sugarcube?"
Trixie looked up, still panting.
"Teach me how to be like you."

Comments

[OmniFox]

This is a Mane 6 intervention alert!!!

[Hesitant Brony]

Criticism time!
First off, let me say that I like the concept, and even though its been done to death, it's always good to see another take on it.
Additionally, the backdrop details are quite nice. I felt like I was at the farm, I could see Trixie sitting by the fountain. The scenery writing is good.
However (you knew this was coming), I felt the heel turn from Trixie was rather sudden. Either she didn't learn anything from the Magic Duel episode, or she doesn't show it. The fact that she is so ridiculously quick to pull a 180 in attitude from is a little jarring. Even before her leaving the farm to reflect on never helping, I felt she went from boastful to somber in like two seconds.
I do like her leaving to go think about it, but she left already referring to herself in the first person, as opposed to her 3rd person speech. It feels like she was genuinely brought down, and while it is the point, it was so fast and such a shift from how she entered that I can't help but feel off-put. Perhaps if she showed some lingering doubts about herself before Applejack told her the hard truth, and have that be the straw that broke the camel's back, it might work more. Or maybe if she was still arrogant when she left, but AJ's words stewed in her until seeing the acts of charity brought on the revelation and THEN she changed attitude. Just something to give her more reason or more time to change her attitude I think would make it read better. But that's just my opinion.
Aside from the sudden 180 from Trixie, I still like the writing. The backgrounds and set-ups are nicely written, but the plot set-up feels a bit rushed.
You did a much better 1st story than I did, and I will keep an eye on this to see how it develops. Good luck, and happy writing.

[Arctic Inferno]

5016534 Thank you, it means a lot to me to get some nice constructive feedback.

Although, I've seen Magic Duel and I'm aware that she likely must've had a change of heart since then, but I imagine since that boasting is effectively her job she must've picked up the pace. I'm sure she has stopped trying to force her ground on other ponies now and is probably a lot more considerate, but I don't really believe that she has stopped boasting and she wasn't exactly raised to know how to be modest or generous.

Not sure she was raised at all, actually. She's never brought up a childhood, has she?

[Hesitant Brony]

5039980
The only time I've heard her childhood backstory is in the Mentally Advanced Series, but I'm not sure if you want to use the Batman backstory an canon.

[Arctic Inferno]

5042082 It depends. I try to steer clear of anything non-canon, but when it really makes sense...

[Frankie2]

I usually don't read stories like this unless there is a potential ship being built. I think I will keep an eye on it, for now. The fact that Trixie showed up on the farm out of nowhere does puzzle me though. Why would she think she even has fans (other than Snips and Snails...maybe) in Ponyville after the Amulet incident?