Blood is Thicker / The Reluctant Reunion of the Redoubtable Rabble-Rouser

by Ciroton

"Reluctant Reunions" Chapter 4 - Penance of the Pompous Performer

The Reluctant Reunion of the Redoubtable Rabble-Rouser - Chapter 4: Penance of the Pompous Performer

Despite everything that happened so far, nothing made the azure mare quite as livid or as embarrassed as what was going on around her at that moment. Not even spilling her dark secret (her lack of magic) made her feel quite the way she felt at that moment. Sure, it had been awkward, but at least after the initial shock the two other ponies calmed down. That could not be said, however, of the situation at hoof.

Trixie sat in her chair at the kitchen table the next morning, slumped over it with her hooves covering her face. Shimmer Tail had just finished regaling their guests with the tale of how filly Twilight reacted when she and her father first brought Trixie home from the hospital. If there was one eternal constant in the world, Trixie suspected it would be mothers embarrassing their foals, no matter how hard they tried to remain composed.

Ah well, at least she was doing better than Twilight Sparkle, who had become catatonic, her ears pinned to her skull and her mouth hanging open, as though under some terrible spell. Normally, Trixie would be joining in on the fun they would have at the stunned librarian's expense. Unfortunately, they were a sporting bunch and decided to focus on her instead of the purple mare.

A soft groan of frustrated pain filtered through her crossed legs, hiding her beet-red cheeks in a quiet desperation to save face. "Oh, come on, Trixie," giggled Pinkie Pie. "This was your idea on how to make it up to us for last night! I mean, I would have forgiven you anyway, because you seem nice enough, but you insisted!"

"And yet, here I find myself regretting every syllable," the blue pony replied, muffled through her crossed legs. By that time, she had accepted Shimmer as her birth mother as they seemed to have an instant rapport anyway. So, to make up the events of the dinner to Pinkie and Fluttershy, she foolishly suggested that Shimmer tell some stories about her as a young foal.

"So, girls, do you have any requests?" asked the mother happily. "I'm afraid I can only take one or two more stories before Twilight and Trixie have to go. They said something about settling some things that came up at dinner." Silence fell over the kitchen (except for the continued chortles of the baby dragon who laughed at their combined embarrassment), as the two guests considered their options for the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

"Um... I have one," Fluttershy squeaked. "I'd... kind of like to know... what their first words were... that is, um... if you feel like talking about it, I mean." Fluttershy sunk in her chair a little, hoping she had not overstepped her bounds with her request. Although she knew she could trust the older unicorn, she still felt a little timid and introverted around her, without really being able to explain why.

"Oh, don't worry about it," she started, "I'm sure you'll both find this absolutely adorable. I know I did, even if I was a little disappointed at the time, especially for Twilight's. You see, me and my husband had Twilight sitting in her highchair in the kitchen. For the past couple of days, we had been coaxing her into saying either 'mommy' or 'daddy' as her first word. It was a friendly little competition we had, just because we hadn't had a more... um... physical one... not since Trixie was born, at least."

The two friends giggled among themselves at the implications of that last sentence, causing no reaction from the unresponsive librarian, and a slight groan from the showmare as she slid in her chair just a little bit more. Oh creators, Trixie plead in silent prayer, just kill me now and get this over with!

"Anyway, we had Twilight in her little high chair, and we were trying to get her to talk: you know, asking 'Can you say 'mommy,'' and stuff like that. Poor dear had no clue what we were talking about. Oh, the confusion in those purple eyes: it was so sweet. Eventually, Trixie woke up in the other room and started crying. A couple of seconds later, you would never guess, but she said, 'Twixie!' with the most precious smile you could ever see. Oh, I wish I had taken a picture of it! Sadly, the story about Trixie's first word is far less interesting. I offered her some spinach, and she said 'no!' It was cute, but not as cute as her older sister's first word"

"Awwww, that's so sweet!" Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy chimed in unison. The blue unicorn shuddered, feeling herself on the verge of being sick from all the fawning over something that may well had happened in a different life for all she cared. Just when she thought she had enough of the embarrassment, the older mare started on a story about how Trixie had cried at one of Twilight's birthday parties after a clown 'stole her nose.' Having enough of all the stories, she nosily pushed away from the table and made for the door.

"I feel like I'm going to be sick," she muttered as she opened the door.

"Okay, feel better soon... TWIXIE," Pinkie jabbed before erupting into another fit of giggles. Unlike The Great and Powerful Trixie, the Normal Trixie knew that the pink pony was only jesting and that she should not take any offence. The powerless unicorn wandered out into the main room of the library, ignoring the continued mirth from the kitchen. It was late morning, the sun shining in the eastern windows.

Just the night before, she and the two other unicorns stood in that room, discussing how she could have lost her magical powers so completely. Eventually, they settled upon the fact that she was not physically ill, as she had seen a doctor about it shortly after her powers began to short out. That only left one possible cause: a block caused by a lack of emotional stability which in itself was brought on by a lack of social contact. In turn, that left her cut off from the largest and most potent source of magic. In other words, she lost her magic because she had no friends.

Naturally, this gave Twilight the idea of taking her on the town to try and find the three ponies most aggressive towards her and try and make amends. Trixie could see several small... or rather massive holes in that plan, considering her track record, but the lavender librarian replied with, "All I ask is that you have faith in me." Normally, that would not mean squat, but she just HAD to quote her master! She was quickly beginning to regret telling her that story.

Trixie shook her head to remove herself from her musings once more, and trotted over to a book she started reading earlier that morning. The three conscious ponies in the kitchen continued to chatter for several minutes, until the door opened. "You ready to go?" asked the previously catatonic Twilight Sparkle. Somehow, the three mares managed to bring her out of it and send her on her way.

"Yes, Trixie supposes she's ready to face the music," the blue mare answered before reluctantly following her hostess out the door.

~*///*///*///*~

Twilight had a very tactical approach to the events of the day, timed down to the minute of where they had to go and what had to be done. First, they would spend a planned forty-two minutes searching for the first and hardest pony for the blue mare to deal with: Rainbow Dash. Then, with any luck, they would finish in thirty minutes so they could intercept Applejack and Rarity when their paths would cross for all of four minutes. Trixie had doubts the plan would work, never mind go on schedule.

Still, she could not deny that walking around town had become far easier than it was just two days ago. It also did not hurt that she had eaten enough food to feed a small army, filling out her figure considerably since her arrival. Instead of looking ready to collapse into a pile of bones, Trixie merely looked a little too skinny. Plus, there were less hushed whispers surrounding her, but she still could not tell if this was a positive change, or not.

Either way, tracking down the sky blue Pegasus (who Trixie would later learn was the head weathermare of the town) proved to be a magic trick in of itself. Of course, this was a good way to get to know Ponyville. Like most small towns, it felt relaxed, yet busy in its own subtle way.

"Is this really such a good idea?" Trixie asked for the fourth time that morning as they walked down the street, away from the town square. "I mean, you know how I get when a pony challenges me, and Rainbow Dash seems to like nothing better than pushing my buttons: so how do you expect me to get along with her instead of bucking that little blue rump of hers?"

"That's why we're going to see her first," Twilight replied, "If you can handle being around her, then everypony else will be easy as pie. It's important that you make peace with those three so that you can go about making friends without them actively trying to rile you up. I'm not saying you have to make friends with my friends, but it would be a good place to start since... well... they're a forgiving bunch, most of the time."

"Could have fooled me," the azure mare remarked under her breath, recalling the events of the previous night. The two ponies turned down the open main street, filled with vendors and their carts and onto a smaller side-street. "Why are we going down there? Won't that irritating Pegasus be shopping on the main streets today... or does she prefer more back-alley shenanigans?" Trixie could almost smell the rainbow juice wafting off of the athlete.

"Well, she likes to nap and practice her stunts. You see, she aspires to join the Wonderbolts one day and has to keep herself in top physical shape. So, she usually goes to a nice, open spot away from ponies to practice, which means she might be at the park. This is just a shortcut I picked up in my time living here. Hard to believe it has been almost two years since I moved from Canterlot!"

Once more, the irritating purple mare started on another lecture. This time it was about all she had learned since moving to Ponyville. Time with Pinkie Pie had sharpened her skill for tuning out such annoyances, and she was only getting better at it the longer she stuck around. The two ponies trotted down the street, allowing Trixie to get a chance to glimpse another side of the town she had never seen. Beyond the pastel and cheery buildings on the main streets, filled with flower and candy shops and the like, there was another world.

Granted, it was a small town, and ponies did get bored quite easily without any hustle or bustle. However, down the small side-street, peppered between houses, Trixie saw what she assumed to be some sort of rave club, a filly-fooler bar, and a small theatre. Perhaps Ponyville was not exactly the hick town the azure pony first assumed? After all, she only maybe ever saw the road in, the town square, and the small streets she and Twilight walked down to avoid the crowds.

Eventually, Trixie decided to tune back in to the ramblings of the lavender mare, just on an off-hoof chance she decided they should split up. By the time she became aware of the words that spewed forth from her irritating mouth, they had already arrived at the entrance to the park. "...so we should really start scanning the sky for her," the blue mare tuned in to hear. However, casting her gaze skyward, the traveling magician could see nothing but a couple of lazy clouds floating idly.

"I don't see anything," Trixie spat, annoyed by the search for the stupid blue Pegasus.

"Well, we only just started looking," Twilight replied, trying to be patient with the blue pony. "I mean, I didn't figure we would find her for some time, and we only just started searching. Don't get your mane in a knot, we'll find her event---" However, she could not finish her sentence as she suddenly became blindsided by a streak of rainbow in the sky, vanishing from her spot in an instant, only to appear at the base of a tree with the Pegasus they sought jammed into her.

"I said, 'look out,' Twilight," she spoke to her lavender friend, ignoring the other mare for the moment. "But thanks for softening my landing a bit." She chuckled a little before her rosy eyes finally settled upon the blue unicorn, narrowing as she stepped off of her friend. "What the hay are YOU still doing in town? If you've come to push my buttons, then just shove off! You know what? I'm out of here, before you even start. I don't have time for lame-o's like you!" The Pegasus spread her wings, about to take to the skies once more.

"Wait!" Twilight shouted. "Please, Rainbow, just hear her out! We had a chat last night, and I forgave her for what she said. Please, just give her a chance to talk... for me?" Trixie saw the athletic Pegasus visibly shake as she grunted in frustration.

"Fine, only for you, Twilight," she replied, slumping as she folded in her wings. "Well? Out with it, you jerk!"

Trixie took a deep breath to calm down, reminding herself that she should let the comments the rainbow Pegasus made just slide off her back. "Before we go into what happened last night, let's look at the genesis of all this hostility. I can see that my performance all those months ago made the biggest impact on you and your fragile ego, so we'll talk about that first. You see, Rainbow Dash, as a traveling magician I HAVE to overstate my abilities and boast, or else I don't get to eat and this happens," she gestured to her slender form.

"What about that stupid Ursa lie you told everypony!? Sure, making yourself look good is fine, but you don't have to be so obnoxious about it!"

"I didn't expect an Ursa to waltz up the street, I can tell you that much. However, my usual levels of boasting did not seem to impress anypony here, so I fatefully swung wild. I will admit that it was not the best idea, given the over zealousness of those two foolish unicorns. It's called 'selling yourself,' Rainbow: I have to do it in order to make a living. Twilight tells me you want to be a Wonderbolt, right? Well, like all entertainers, you will have to sell yourself to them. Being confident is a big step, but it just isn't enough, understand?"

"So..." the Pegasus trailed, "...you're telling me all the annoying boasting you did was all a part of the act? That you made up the Ursa story just so you could get ponies to pay to see your weak and pitiful magic?"

Trixie bit her lip and simply nodded her head in reply. "Although, once upon a time I did deserve my title, but that is neither here, nor there. As for my behaviour at dinner last night, I get really defensive when a pony insults me. The Great and Powerful Trixie has a sense of honour that is easily threatened, since underneath... Trixie is... Well... I am sorry if I hurt anypony's feelings, but I am willing to start anew if you are willing to give me the chance to do so. Just one chance is all I ask of you."

"Fine," the Pegasus sighed after pausing to think about it for a few minutes. "However, if you put so much as a HOOF out of line, I'll kick your flank so hard that your parents will feel it! See you later, Twi." With that, the pony zoomed off into the sky once more, leaving a trail of rainbow in her wake. Considering the pony, it was about the best response she could ever hope for; which lent some promise that perhaps Twilight knew what she was doing after all.

"One down, two to go," the lavender mare chirped as she walked away from the tree and towards the magician.

~*///*///*///*~

Since they had managed to find Rainbow Dash, and got her to agree to give Trixie a second chance in record time, the purple mare decided that they had a little while to relax. To that end, she took the recovering unicorn to her favourite shop in Ponyville (and second favourite of all time, after Pony Joe's Doughnut Emporium): Mr. Shake's Shake Shop. "Can I get a Vanilla one, please?" she asked of the shopkeeper, producing her bits. "What would you like to order, Trix?"

"'Trix?'" the azure mare quoted with a measure of loathing at the moniker, "TRIXIE would like a Strawberry and Hay Smoothie, with extra hay, please." She glared at the purple mare. The nickname reminded her of a time before she discovered her love of performing and her cutie mark. As a filly, her parents would often have her in ads for the snack company and was even put on a cereal box once. It was more... embarrassing than aggravating to her though, since her folks would often call her that while on the set.

Once their order had arrived, the purple pony levitated both the glasses with her magic, leading the younger unicorn outside to dine on their treats. It only served to remind her just how useless she felt without her powers: almost like she was three years old again. "I'm sorry if that upset you, Trixie," Twilight apologized, "If he called you that before, then I can see why."

"No, you just reminded Trixie of how..." she almost added 'useless' to that sentence, but decided against it before continuing, "... of how her parents called her that when I was little. You know... we've actually met... once before. That was how I knew your name without being properly introduced."

"You did?" the lavender mare asked inquisitively as they drank their drinks. "When was this? I don't remember ever meeting you."

"I'm not surprised. As the protégé to Princess Celestia, I'm sure you have met FAR more ponies than you even CARE to remember."

"Oh... so... you know?" The blue unicorn nodded her head slowly in reply. "I... I didn't want tell you because I thought that would make you madder at me. You know, since I'm so privileged and you've had to struggle. It's not that I don't trust you, but I have to keep a lot of secrets around the princess, so I'm used to it... but not when it means seeing friends suffer, as I found out."

"Oh please," Trixie scoffed, "It would be so foalish to get even madder at you over something beyond my control. Besides, I figured it out MONTHS ago. Yes, I was pissed off at first, just as you said, but I took time to think about it and I realized something: it was better to be bested by the student of a goddess than by just a random pony. Not by a significant amount, mind you. Anyway, can I just tell the story here?"

"I'm sorry. Go right ahead."

"Well, to begin, my full name is Trixie Treats. Yes, as in 'The Treat family who owns Equestria Mills' so don't get your mane in a knot. When I was little... maybe about seven or eight, my parents were invited to the castle for tea with Princess Celestia. I didn't want to go, of course, since it was boring, especially at that age, but I had no choice since my nanny was on vacation. When we arrived, we were seated as soon as the Princess came in and had a little filly of her own trotting behind her." Twilight blushed visibly at that.

"I was excited at first that I didn't have to suffer alone, but instead of interacting, she just... sat at the table and read books the whole time! Even as she snacked and sipped the tea, she kept reading. When the princess tried to introduce us, YOU just gave an automatic answer and left me to fend for myself. Of course, I expected as much as soon as I saw you crack open that book."

"I'm sorry about that, Trixie," the scholar frowned. "I didn't get out much then and... and I had no interest in making friends. I thought I could do just fine with only my books."

"Whatever," she replied with a measure of spite. It was so far back in the past that the pony did not care in the slightest how sorry she said she was. After finishing their drinks and conversing a little further, Twilight returned the glasses to the shop owner before coming back outside to lead her on. Their new target was the small plaza where the farmer would set up an apple stand and sell some surplus produce they had leftover from winter.

Generally speaking, the cart did a fair sum of business, but not as well as after the height of Applebucking Season, or so Twilight droned. Sadly, the distance they needed to travel was so short that she did not have the time to tune her out before they arrived at the stand to find the orange hayse--- farmer and the white bi--- unicorn standing around. "Hey, Applejack! Rarity!" cried out the librarian as they drew close, prompting a small groan form the anxious blue mare.

"Howdy, Twilight," she spoke cheerfully before adding in a deadpan tone, "Trixie." Meanwhile, the other unicorn proceeded to ignore the blue one as she addressed the librarian. She did not pay much attention as the learned pony tried to convince them to at least hear her out. It was a verbal tennis match that she would rather not spectate, or else it might rile her up.

"Well, Trixie, do you have anything to say?" Twilight eventually asked, gaining the performer's attention once more.

"I suppose I do," she answered. "First, let me apologize for that show I did where I humiliated you. What you have to understand is that, as a performer, I HAVE to boast to make myself interesting. I had no intention as coming off as a braggart, but that happened anyway. As for my claim of defeating an Ursa Major, that was just because my normal levels of self-promotion were not cutting it. Now, about last night's dinner, I get rather defens---"

"Trixie," Applejack interrupted, "We figured out as much on our own, didn't we, Rarity?" The white unicorn nodded her head in reply. "Ah mean, we had some time ta think 'bout what you said last night... an' we both realized that ya had a point. Especially when ya said that we were treatin' you like you had done any more than bruise our egos."

"Indeed," continued the white pony. "We have been most unfair to you and we can not apologize enough. All you did was humiliate us just a little bit: it's nothing to start a vendetta over. That point aside, at least you tried to stop that horrible Ursa, even if it might have been only to protect your image. It takes courage to do something like that regardless and we failed to see that until now."

"So, if ya quit bein' such a loudmouthed braggart, ah reckon we can get past all this like it never happened."

"That and all of the useless bickering frazzles my mane to no end and I'm busy enough without having to brush it five times a day. So, do we have an accord, Trixie?" The blue mare had to think on it... for all of two seconds. If it would mean having everypony off of her back, then of course she could shelve the stupid bragging. Around them, at the very least.

"Of course, and to show you I am sincere, I would like to re-introduce myself," she spoke calmly, altering the tone of her voice so that it would not sound as smug as usual. "My name is Trixie. It is a pleasure to make both of your acquaintances." With that, she stepped forward with all the grace and class she could muster and shook both set of hooves, prompting a double wave of shock to wash over the faces of all ponies present. "What?" she continued in her usual smug tone. "I'm just being polite. Did you WANT me to be rude, because I can do that at the drop of a hat, if you'd prefer!"

"Shoot, ya didn' have to be all hoity-toity about it," breathed the farmer.

"Hmm... I just had an idea!" Rarity spoke in delight after surveying the unicorn. "Fluttershy had to cancel our weekly spa visit with me, so you should come, Trixie! I mean, your mane has split ends, you have BAGS under your eyes and your coat looks tattered and unkempt! Not flattering at all, darling. I'm afraid I can't let such a crisis continue unabated!"

"I don't... really think that's the best idea... I'm flattered, but..."

"I won't take no for an answer! Don't worry, Twilight, I'll escort her home so you can have some time alone with your mother. Come along!" Try as she might to escape her alabaster clutches, Trixie was dragged down the street by her tail with a pleading look on her face. However, Twilight just stood there, dumbfounded by the sudden turn of events... before remembering to think nothing less of the Element of Generosity.

~*///*///*///*~

Two hours later, after a marathon session at the Clear Waters Spa, two unicorn mares walked outside of the door, happily chatting back and forth. Trixie had to admit to herself that the spa left her feeling like a million bits. Her blue coat sparkled in the light of the sun and her mane bounced healthily as she gaited down the street. The spa ponies even threw in a free horn sharpening and buff that felt better then she could say in decent company.

Initially, she wrote off Rarity as a shallow fashion sheep. However, that was before she actually got to talk to her one-on-one. As their time inside marched on, she came to realize that she was actually a trend setter in her own right. Not to mention that she was THE Rarity that all of the fashion magazines swooned over, leaving a distinct tinge of red upon her white cheeks when she heard the news.

A lot of misconceptions were banished in that short time frame, allowing the two mares to draw close rather quickly. While Trixie learned just how creative and deep the white mare could be, Rarity learned that her spa buddy was far more meek than she ever thought possible. Even as they walked down the street with the white mare regaling her with a story, a lesson bestowed upon the blue mare came back to her.

"Inner beauty IS the most important thing in the world, darling, but if one doesn't have outer beauty as well and goes around like a tramp, then no pony will ever respect them. I mean, you wouldn't hire a pony if they looked like filth, now would you? Besides, I like to help bring out the inner charm and character of every pony I meet. It makes them feel better about themselves. You can't tell me that you don't feel a little better then when we first stated, now can you, Trixie?"

As well, they talked about Rarity's friends, and the showmare could draw some parallels between herself and each one of them. For example, both she and Applejack were stubborn, but hard workers while both she and Rainbow were confidant as all outdoors. "... and that is how I and Applejack got over our differences when our friendship first budded," she finished her story about Twilight's first sleepover, bringing the azure mare back to the present, although she hung on every word.

"I can just imagine Twilight reading that stupid book while that massive branch sat in the bedroom. I wondered where all the pine needles under the vanity came from," she giggled quietly as the mental image flashed across her mind. It may have been the scented candles, or the full-body massage, or even that strange leaf they made her eat to help her relax, but she felt as if she could sprout wings and fly off at any moment.

"Don't you feel much better by taking my advice now, darling?" The white unicorn smiled as her new friend nodded her head vigorously in reply. "Although, I think they may have given you a bit too much Blueshade since you seem a tad... giddy. Ah well, it will wear off in an hour or two and is thankfully not addictive. I must remember to give Aloe and Lotus a better tip next week."

"Okie doki lokie," she quoted Pinkie, causing a couple of giggles to escape from Rarity as well. Eventually, the two arrived back at the library, separating to go their own ways, since the fashionable mare had put off some orders just to go to the spa. In the back of her mind, Trixie could not help but feel guilty about it all, yet she felt just too good at that moment to really care.

"Hey there, looks like that spa trip did you a world of good, Trixie," Twilight smiled as the younger mare entered the building. She and Shimmer sat at a small table while they sipped on some tea and ate some cupcakes and various light cookies. The blue unicorn practically skipped over to the table and sat down, causing them to glance at each other. "Well, you just missed mom telling me the best work story ever!"

"Oh yes, but I can re-tell it," replied the older mare. "You see, I work as a bodyguard for the Prime Minister. About late November, he was asked to see Princess Celestia. Well, when we arrived at the gate, we saw a whole slew of balloons fly out of the window. We did our best, but Princess Luna still managed to nail him in the face. After that, apparently, she glued Princess Celestia to her office chair while they discussed the situation."

Trixie giggled airily at the story, still under the influence of the herb. If the effects only lasted an hour or two, then she was going to enjoy the endless optimism and mirth while she could. The rest of the afternoon was spent with Shimmer Tail in the library, allowing the two ponies to catch up with the occasional interruption from other friends of the librarian. The azure pony happily greeted each visitor and quickly developed a minor rapport with them, thanks to the plant.

It wore off all too quickly: leaving the azure mare melancholy over her powerlessness as she sat at the dinner table just a few hours later. If Twilight noticed, she probably chalked it up to the possible side-effects since she did not say a word, even as the unicorn picked at her food. Eventually, she gave up on eating and excused herself, slowly walking upstairs and onto the balcony, having to use her muzzle to open the latch: another reminder of how pathetic she was.

The crisp evening air sent a shiver down her spine. She let out a loud sigh, blanketing herself in a fog of her own breath. Looking up into the failing light of the day, Trixie could see the first, brightest stars begin to shine through the deep indigo of the late twilight hour. Why was she still alive? As a unicorn without a speck of magic, she had nothing to live for! She could not entertain; she could not even open most doors since she lacked practice with her hooves or teeth.

Tears began to stream from her eyes as she saw how pitiful, how helpless she was and how she imagined her master would react to seeing her this way. "What a foal," the dark side of her imagination made him speak. "You can't do any magic? None at all? How DARE you call yourself a magician, my heir... or even a unicorn at all! You might as well saw that useless horn off and live as an earth pony!" A soft sob passed her muzzle as her spiral into a fit of depression began. That was the reason she rarely left her Great and Powerful persona: sooner or later, she would become depressed over how she failed him.

"Hey, Trixie!" called out a voice from inside. "I found that tiara I asked you about yesterday! It was... Trixie?" Twilight stepped out onto the balcony, her magic gently gripping the head dress as she heard her sob softly. "Are... are you okay?"

"Leave me alone in my misery, Twilight Sparkle," the failed magician croaked, lying on the deck with her front legs covering her face. Instead, the nosy mare walked out further onto the deck, dropping her Element of Harmony as she went to comfort the sobbing pony.

"No. Tell me what's wrong. I want to help you. If there's anything you want to get off of your back, I promise you have my ear to chew on." She expected Trixie to push her away: to tell her to mind her own business and leave her to sort things out on her own. It came as a great surprise, however, when the blue mare latched onto her and cried hard into her coat. Despite her surprise, the lavender mare wrapped a hoof gently around the sobbing pony and brought her close, to keep her warm from the early night's chill.

"I failed him!" she wailed softly into her shoulder. "I'm no magician! I'm not even a real unicorn anymore! Even if he was alive, he'd never talk to me again! I've hurt ponies instead of making them happy! I've done nothing right ever since he died! I'm just a useless waste of space that shouldn't be alive! I don't deserve kindness, laughter or generosity towards me! I don't deserve any magic at all! I wish I was dead!"

"Shhh," the older mare soothed, gently stroking her mane with a hoof. "I once thought my life was worthless as well. However, a very wise pony told me that if I was meant to die, I would have done so already. Think of all the ponies that would miss you if you died! Surely your mom and dad love you no matter what. Then you have Pinkie and Fluttershy: they like you a lot, you know. I'm sure you also made a splash with Rarity today. Not to mention me. I could never live with myself if I let anything like that happen to you."

Trixie refused to comment; electing to remain affixed to Twilight and sob her aching heart out. It still hurt, his death, even after all those years. "He was my... he was my idol... my role model... my master... my best friend... he thought of me like a daughter... but I failed him! Not just... because I can't do... magic anymore but... because I... because I made everypony hate me... instead of fall in love with my magic!"

"Everypony makes mistakes," Twilight spoke softly, "You, Hoofdini, our mom, me... even Princess Celestia has made horrible, terrible mistakes. The... the trick is... is learning how to put that behind you... and move on. It's never too late to right a wrong. You just need to be given some love, and a chance to prove yourself. I know you refuse to see me as your sister... and I respect that decision... but I love you like a sister anyway, Trixie. Now, let's go back inside, before we catch something."

All she could do was nod at the suggestion, still crying her eyes out even as they walked back inside. She saw a shape of green in the doorway as they turned, Spike spying on them, obviously, but she was in no mood to care. "How about you tell me a story, Trixie? I'd love to learn about folklore of different towns. I've only ever been to Canterlot, here, and Appleloosa."

"Well... Trixie does know a few..."

"Can you please tell me one? It will get your mind off of how sad you are, I promise! I know a good book always does the same for me," she pleaded as they climbed up to the loft, their mom electing to sleep on a fold-out couch she had downstairs.

"Well... okay. It's worth a shot," she replied as she sat herself on the bed by the stairs, wiping the remaining tears from her eyes. "This is a story I heard in the small village of Coltsberg, on the other side of the Everfree Forest. You see... some ponies and little foals started disappearing... and they blamed a pony... a pony taller than Celestia herself... a pony who lacked a face... named Slendermane..." a small, almost invisible, smile crept upon her face as she started telling the scary story to the purple pony.

Over the course of the tale, the mare's coat turned from distinct lavender to the pale shade of her mother's coat. She clutched at the covers of her bed, eyes wide in gut-wrenching horror at her graphic depictions of the protagonist's brutal spiral into insanity. By the end of the story, she whimpered and shook in fright as the azure mare finished, "... and the very next morning, after a frantic search of the village... she was gone. Never to be heard from again. They say that if you go out into those woods, you will see ponies wearing masks just on the edges of your vision... all of them matching the descriptions... of the ponies that were taken. The End. Well, I must admit that really did the trick... good night, Twilight."

Without another word, the smirking mare blew out the candle, casting the room into darkness. She had a point, about how a good story could help her take her mind off the bad things. Trixie just hoped she had not scared her too much; little knowing the purple mare would not sleep that night. Of course, the next morning, she would make fun of the unicorn for being frightened of such a ridiculous story. Storytelling was a magic all its own.

Comments

[EAtrooper]

100th like! LOL!

[Ciroton]

1381269

This was pretty well written before that episode came up and I am not going to dismantle the whole thing just to fit one fact into canon again. >>

[Stoneificaunt]

Awesome saucesome

[RTStephens]

I can't be sure, but I think this was the first story where Trixie's behavior is blamed on her stage persona. At the time I thought it was clever and allowed her to explain away the events in "Boast Busters" but nowadays it just irritates me. I find it a cheap cop-out to make the readers and the cast forgive Trixie quicker. It's like she has a split personality or something. The concept is handled pretty well here, being one of the first Trixie redemption stories I've ever read, but I would rather not see this type of hand-waving anymore. I find Trixie more interesting when that's just the way she really is: a jerk.

Another thing that I find in these types of stories that bug me are the re-introduction scenes, where Trixie has to go to each main character and apologize. I know, this type of thing is necessary to make sure each pony plays nice from no on, but it's a trend that I can probably sing along to now. About the only thing missing is a shipping angle with Twilight, but that's not going to happen here for obvious reasons.

What sets this story apart from other Trixie stories is the addition of her magic loss. That's an extra wrinkle that helps break down Trixie further than other authors are willing to go. So kudos for that!

I guess this turned into a minor rant so I apologize for that. Waiting for the next installment!

[vexel star]

Weird who leaves a note on a tree hmmm*grabs it*
*turns around*huh THE FUK
Vexel was never found again

[MustacheMerlin]

It's a good thing Twilight is a golem then, her need for sleep is purely psychological.

[Discoris]

1383538

I find Trixie more interesting when that's just the way she really is: a jerk.

This aged poorly.

Actually no, she is a jerk, because she's broken and alone. But with Starlight help she starts to work on herself