Maud twitched, coming out of her half-sleep as she heard noises downstairs. It was late at night, and with Lime and Marble out for the next few days, Maud could only imagine it being Pinkie or her friends.
Despite the animosity Maud had for Sunset, Pinkie Pie was her sister, so Maud had said it was fine for her friends to come over tonight to plan out what they would do for the competition.
Maud was, however, in conflict with herself about that. Not a room away slept a band that, come tomorrow, would probably be going against Trixie. A band with Maud's sister in it, supported by Sunset no less. She got out of bed while thinking on whether or not she should intervene.
No. They're Pinkie's friends. And Sunset, Trixie wants to beat her on the stage.
With barely a noise, Maud made her way out of her room and down the stairs. She came to a stop at the bottom of them and peered over at the two girls currently occupying the kitchen.
The kitchen itself was larger than necessary, but that's how their parents preferred it. It was designed with wooden floors and an overabundance of cabinets. One side contained a table the family often sat at and the family refrigerator, the other side contained the stove and cooking area, a small island in the center, and Pinkie's personal party fridge. The fridge quickly became a necessity as Pinkie's party penchant proved problematic, as well as her desire to purchase party foods in bulk.
There she is. Maud thought, watching as Sunset and Twilight talked about something. Sunset opened the fridge and gazed at the bulk order of whipped cream cans Pinkie had bought last week while Twilight stood at the island holding a notebook while she talked.
"We only get one shot at this, it has to be perfect."
Maud quietly disagreed as she rubbed her arm discontentedly. It bothered her more than she cared to admit. Sunset Shimmer, the one who hurt Trixie over and over again, in her house, and she couldn't do anything to her.
Still, a side of her argued, spooking her would be a little fun, right?
Cautiously, Maud made her way over to the two girls, keeping the open fridge door between herself and them. The two girls were smiling at each other, eyes distracted from Maud as she got into position. Sunset closed the fridge, catching the vaguest of movements to her side, and turned towards it. A second later-
"GYAH!"
It wasn't as satisfying as Maud wanted, but it would have to do for now.
Trixie gave out a grunt as Maud shoved a small box into her hands. Without another word, Maud pressed her head against Trixie's shoulder and let out a loud, satisfied sigh.
"Are you okay, Maud?"
Maud breathed in the scent of Trixie's hair slowly before answering. "...Yes..."
Rolling her eyes, Trixie turned her attention to the box. A quick look revealed it to be filled with mouthpieces and guitar picks of various shapes and sizes. Trixie sighed, irritated that Maud's idea of helping was only proving to be a distraction from her main goal. A goal she had been slowly obsessing more and more over as time passed.
"Umm...thanks, Maud. But, first, we don't play any wind instruments. And second, Trixie already has enough picks."
Maud nodded, keeping her head right where it was.
"Yes, you do."
"...What?"
Flash Sentry, lead singer and guitarist, was having a very bad day. Frantically, he looked over his book bag and locker again. He had to go on stage soon.
"Where the hell are they!?"
It was all Trixie could do to stop herself from cackling at the spectacle before her. Rarity, that egotistical jerk, was being thrown around the stage by two magnets connected to the myriad of metal objects adorned on her outfit. The small ropes attached to the magnets were easy to see, and a clear indication of foul play. If that wasn't funny enough, one of the stage lights kept following Fluttershy, no matter how she ran around on the stage. So much chaos and confusion surrounded the Rainbooms as they tried to perform, and Trixie was loving every moment of it.
A quick look over to Principal Celestia and her sister Luna confirmed that they were merely observing and jotting down the occasional note. Not a single eyebrow was raised by either of them as Fluttershy jumped behind Pinkie Pie's drums and hid from the horrifying light that kept searching for her.
To the side, Trixie could see Sunset, confused and concerned, and smirked. Everything Sunset was trying was falling apart, and the whole school was helping to stop her.
Trixie crossed her legs and quietly reveled in the spectacle. It was such a shame that Sunset wasn't up there and being humiliated as well. But, Trixie was fine on waiting for that to happen. Sunset was a powder keg, she'd blow her top sooner than later. Trixie was sure of it.
Besides, the thought of personally humiliating Sunset was growing on her more and more.
She was so close now.
Trixie's body was on fire with energy and confidence as she walked down the empty hallway. She had just wrecked Bon Bon and Lyra. Who brought a piano duet to a competition like this? Idiots.
After being declared the victor, Trixie had separated from the others to use the restroom and was just headed back now. Finally, after all her work and practice, the sleepless nights planning lyrics and going over her parts, she was exactly where she wanted to be. In Sunset's way.
She was the one standing against the Rainbooms in the semifinals. She just had to beat them once, and Sunset's plans would fall apart. They were already on shaky ground, with how nervous and out of place Twilight Sparkle was acting on stage. And that wasn't even mentioning how most of the school was treating them. Sunset must have been counting on those six's reputation to keep them in good graces. Pathetic. The only reason they were liked in the first place was because they destroyed Sunset Shimmer's hold over everyone. Was Sunset really so off her game now that she didn't even realize openly endorsing the band would drag them down?
It didn't matter, after tomorrow, Trixie, would finally take her rightful place on top of Sunset Shimmer.
That thought stopped Trixie in her tracks. ...Huh, glad I didn't say that out loud...gonna have to find a better way to phrase that during my victory speech.
"Trixie!"
No, that was all wrong. Sunset should sound a lot more broken when Trixie speaks to her again.
"...Umm, hey, Trix?"
She shook her head. Better, she should be confused at how she lost, but the last one had more-
Someone put a hand on her shoulder. Trixie looked behind herself and came face to face with Sunset.
"Gah!"
Trixie took a few steps away from her, practically feeling the adrenaline in her body start to skyrocket along with her own heartbeat. Sunset put her outstretched hand behind her own head and gave Trixie a sheepish smile. "Sorry, you were a little out of it. Do you mind if we talk?"
Warily, Trixie looked Sunset over. Something was wrong, but she couldn't quite place it. "About what?"
Sunset closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again as her hands gripped into fists at her sides. "I know you really don't want to see me, and if there was any other way, I wouldn't be here. But I..." She hesitated, looking off to the side. "I need your help."
Trixie's eyes kept moving as sweat started trickling down her face. Half of her was screaming to run right now. But, the other half, the other half was why her eyes kept roaming. Her mind sensed something she never thought to ever find in Sunset. Vulnerability. Fear.
"You tore me apart..." Trixie heard herself say, her fears slowly being pushed away. "Why would I ever help you...?"
Sunset brought her hands up in a placating manner and bit at her own lip in anxiety. "I-I know. I tried apologizing to you, but you never-"
"Apologizing? APOLOGIZING!?" Trixie covered up her own shaking by stepping forward and balling her own hands into fists. "What the hell did you think an apology would do!? You want to apologize!? Then disappear!"
"I...Trixie...look, I..." Hesitation and doubt were all over Sunset's face, causing Trixie to rapidly forget her remaining fears. "I swear, I wouldn't be here if I could help it. It's the sirens. O-or well, the Dazzlings. I know they are making you want to win this, but-"
"Sirens? The Dazzlings?" Before she knew it, Trixie felt her own forehead against Sunset's. The adrenaline rush, the smell of fear, the widening of Sunset's eyes, it all drove Trixie forward. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but I don't give a fuck about this battle! It's not like Trixie cares what the idiots in this school think about her anymore."
"Trixie, i-is that true?" Strangely, some spark of enthusiasm entered Sunset's voice. Quickly, Sunset spoke, trying to get everything out at once. "Look, I'm sorry about how I was. I-I was in a bad place. Please, I know it's a lot to ask, but, I need you to drop out. The Rainbooms have to URK!"
Sunset felt Trixie's fist bury itself in her stomach. For a few seconds, they stared into each other's eyes. Sunset knew Trixie would hate her for what she did in the past, but, seeing that hatred, just inches away like this, made it seem so much more real for some reason.
Trixie pulled her fist back and stared down at Sunset as she fell to her knees, clutching her stomach. Trixie's thoughts swirled maddeningly in her mind, ripping at her. Trixie's fear was consumed by a growing rage. That rage in turn quickly became something far beyond anger. Something darker. Before she even registered doing it, Trixie kicked Sunset in the chest. She wasn't a strong girl, but it was enough to push Sunset several inches into a locker.
Sunset's groan of pain, her squirming on the ground, Trixie wanted more. She couldn't understand why, but she was getting to the point of not caring about anything else but the way Sunset writhed before her.
"You're an idiot." Trixie quietly rasped out. "If this is all you can do now to win, you really are an idiot."
Sunset coughed, refusing to look up as she clutched her hands to her chest. She grit her teeth and tried again. "I know, I know I hurt you, I'm sorry, but, please, you don't understand! We have to go against the Dazzlings! If we don't-"
"Ssssshhh-" Trixie interrupted. Slowly, she put a hand on top of Sunset's head. Her emotions danced in a sick ecstasy at the way Sunset flinched. "You're trying to give Trixie a warning, right?"
"Y-yeah...something like that." Sunset's breathing began to calm down as she rubbed her sore stomach. "Are you feeling be-"
Sunset's cry as Trixie clutched and pulled her hair, it was undefinable, musical even. It probably surpassed sex, despite what others had told her about it. Still, as the seconds passed, something in Trixie's body began to feel off. "Shut up. I'm so sick of your warnings. Your stupid threats. Let Trixie guess." She brought her head down, gazing at the small tears starting to form on Sunset's face as she grasped Trixie's hand. Oddly enough, Sunset didn't actually try to pull away or remove her hair from Trixie's grasp. Trixie's own hand began shaking after noticing this. "Should I expect to be covered in soaked crackers next time I go on stage!?"
"P-please, Trixie, I-"
Trixie slammed the back of Sunset's head into the locker and let go. Awkwardly, as though her own legs were rebelling against her actions, Trixie stumbled a few steps back from Sunset. The feeling of pleasure and what she can only describe as wrongness in her body began overwhelming her. Sunset just sat there, clutching the back of her head and giving out a short sob every so often. Trixie's gaze raked across Sunset's crumpled form and, for a second, Trixie remembered all the times that she had been in this situation.
She deserves this.
The thought echoed in Trixie's mind, soothing her a little. Despite the reprieve, Trixie couldn't continue like this with Sunset. Not right now, at least.
I can't do this.
But you want to.
"I-I don't know what you're up to, Sunset. I don't know what your plan is, and I couldn't care less about Sirens or Dazzlings. All I care about is seeing you fail. I won't let you win. Not this time. Not after...everything. If you want to apologize to Trixie, then struggle. Squirm until Trixie's boot stomps out whatever the hell you are trying to get away with."
Trixie turned away.
"You are going to fail, Trixie swears it."
Walking away set off more emotions. The desire to run, a strange guilt that was quickly swallowed by yet a stronger emotion. And all the while, the urge to do it all over again began to grow.
It wasn't enough. Her mind repeated. She deserves so much more.
Despite the distance, Maud could hear as Flash's doorbell rang for the third time that night. An angry women, Flash's mom Maud assumed, answered. Behind her was a tired and upset Flash Sentry shaking his head back and forth while the delivery man rattled off the order.
A quick glance at her phone revealed to Maud that it was two in the morning. Flash's band would be playing in seven hours.
One more Maud thought, flipping through her phone to find another all night restaurant that delivered. In an hour I'll have one more delivery made. That should do it.
An exhausted rival would only cement Trixie's victory today. Maud didn't resist the small shiver that ran up her spine as she imagined the look on Trixie's face when she won.
Right before the semi-final...
Trixie rubbed her forehead with one of her hands, letting out a small exasperated sigh. "Trixie is facing the Rainbooms today, Maud. Not Flash. Flash was already trounced by the Dazzlings an hour ago..."
"...Oh..."
Celestia and Luna stood on the stage in the gym, dully looking over the crowd for a few seconds. Finally, Celestia brought the microphone up and made the announcement.
"The band that will be joining the Dazzlings in tonight's finals...the Rainbooms!"
Trixie froze up in shock. It felt like something in her mind snapped and her vision was replaced with a red haze. Almost unconsciously, Trixie made an offhand threat to the Rainbooms before storming off, her mind trying to piece together what just happened.
How? HOW!?
It went perfectly, everything went perfectly! Trixie and the Illusions nailed their set to the roar of applause. The Rainbooms had, what any sane mind would consider, their worst set yet. They didn't even complete their song thanks to Sunset Shimmer!
That part still confused Trixie though, why did Sunset tackle Rainbow Dash off the stage? Sure, Trixie taunted Dash earlier, mocking them for bringing in a magic muscle like Twilight. D-did that really bother Dash? Enough for her to go off of Sunset's script and force her to step in?
Either way, it didn't matter. She had lost. Lost! Despite everything she had done! Despite the entire crowd booing and telling the Rainbooms off! Why had Principal Celestia and Luna done that? Did they feel some guilt over seeing Sunset ruin the Rainbooms chances? Did they feel nothing for throwing Trixie aside!? It wasn't fair!
Trixie ground her teeth together as she watched Sunset walk out of the gym. She should have done far worse to her when they were alone! She should have caved her head in and ended this whole thing then and there! But no, Trixie played Sunset's game. Even with that slip up of Sunset's, she had still won!
Trixie saw red.
"This is a travesty, a travesty!"
Someone gripping her shoulder brought Trixie out of her murderous thoughts. With an angry glare, she looked over, meeting the eyes of Adagio.
"It really is," Adagio stated, putting on wide, innocent eyes that quickly turned away from Trixie. "The Rainbooms don't deserve to be in the finals. Not when your band was so much better in the semi's."
"And wanted it so much more," Aria said from Trixie's right side.
Crap acting on both their parts. What the hell do they want?
"Alas," Adagio continued, nettling Trixie with how innocent she was trying to sound. "This is the way it's going to be. Dazzlings versus Rainbooms."
Sonata chimed in, standing to the side of Aria.
"Unless of course the Rainbooms don't manage to make it to their set," At this, Aria and Adagio squeezed Trixie's shoulders encouragingly, a smile like that of a snake's forming on both their faces. "-or are held up for some reason."
It only took a few seconds for Sonata's words to sink in. Trixie knew the Dazzlings were trying to use her, but she really didn't care about their intentions right now. Her mind was already planning what she'd do to the Rainbooms. And then, after the Battle of the bands, to Sunset.
"So, like, what's her deal, Adagio?" Aria quietly asked as Trixie stormed off.
Sonata nodded as they walked out of the gym. "Yeah! What was all that stuff she was whispering about Sunset?"
"Something about her, like, didn't taste right. Is she really under our spell?"
"You two idiots would know why if you ever paid attention when I explained things." Adagio rubbed her forehead. "Do you even remember why we haven't tried controlling more than a dozen people at a time since we landed on this stupid planet?"
"Because you're, like, too scared after what happened in Equestria?"
"Because the bodies are too hard to hide?"
Adagio gave Aria a warning glare, entirely ignoring Sonata. "No, it's because our power is scraping the bottom of the barrel, and we are trying to keep an entire school under control! That's why we tried to focus everyone on the battle of the bands in the first place! Apparently, Trixie was more focused on...something else when she was charmed."
"So, do we need to, like, do anything about it?"
Adagio shook her head. "No, this still works for us. Luckily, she has something against Sunset Shimmer. The charms only magnifying that for now. Once we get our hands on that Equestrian magic, we'll be strong enough to just have everyone focus on us from then on. We just-"
"What were you talking to Trixie about?"
Adagio blinked, staring into the dark blue eyes of the girl who just stepped in front of her. While the gray skin and blue frock barely registered as interesting while Adagio looked her over, the taste she caught from the charm placed on the girl was of some concern.
It felt off, much darker in taste than the rest of the school. It was very similar to Trixie's.
Great, another one. Let's just tread carefully until we find out what she wants.
"Oh? What do we have here?" Adagio cooed, smirking at the girl. "Are you a fan of Trixie's?"
"Psh, that loser has fans?"
Damnit, Aria!
The charm's taste became bitter as the gray girl looked over to Aria.
"...Loser?"
"Well, duh? She lost to those Raintoons, so, like-"
The wall behind Aria suddenly found itself with a new occupant as the gray girl slammed Aria into it and began trying to choke the life out of her.
"She's not a loser..."
"Hey! Stop that! Only I get to pick on her!" Sonata yelled out, grabbing onto one of the girl's arms and trying to pull her off of Aria. Adagio grabbed the other arm, but neither proved a match for the girl's disturbing strength. She didn't let it show, but Adagio was a little freaked out at the way the girl's expression was still unreadable despite her sudden assault on Aria.
"L-let m-me g-go *cough* y-you-" Aria stopped talking as the girl's grip grew tighter.
"Adagio, fix the spell!" Sonata screamed, watching Aria's face starting to turn a deeper purple. "Fix it fix it fix it fix it fix it!"
It doesn't work like that! Adagio yelled in her own head. Okay, think. Mocking Trixie triggered her, and she probably didn't like me talking to Trixie, so it's an obsession of some kind. I can work with that.
Adagio let go of her grip on the girl, and instead, placed a hand on her shoulder. She did her best to ignore the look on Aria's face as she calmly spoke to the stone golem currently squeezing the life out of her sister with disturbing apathy. "What Aria meant was, she's upset that Trixie is going to be thought of as a loser now. That's why we were talking to her after the announcement."
The girl's eyes slowly veered over to Adagio's face. While she hadn't let go of Aria yet, her grip had definitely slackened.
"Why were you talking to Trixie?" The girl's eyes narrowed. "What do you want?"
"Sshhh, relax." Adagio softly cooed out, patting the girl's shoulder. "What's your name?"
"...Why were you talking to Trixie?"
Adagio breathed in deeply, tasting the charm again. It was something akin to ash and sunshine.
Yes, obsession, and a destructive one at that. Okay, keep working with it, no mistakes, we'll get her safely fixated on us instead soon enough.
"We were just giving Trixie some advice on how she could still participate. We felt just awful about how that other band cheated her out of the spotlight."
The girl's head tilted to the side. Adagio was impressed at how Aria's flailing and Sonata's pulling still hadn't budged her an inch.
"I'm Maud. Why do you care about Trixie?" Maud's eyes turned back to glare at Aria. "Aren't you her enemy?"
Crap! New plan!
"Rivals, dear, not enemies. But that is only if she gets to compete. You know-" Adagio looked up into the air thoughtfully, bringing a finger to her own lips. "Trixie said she had a plan. But, if she is going to have any hope of competing, she said she'd need some help."
Maud lowered Aria to the floor.
"She's...looking for help?"
Adagio nodded. "Yes, why, I'm sure she would be very grateful to whoever assisted her. Do you know-"
Before Adagio was finished, Maud was already disappearing behind a corner of the hallway.
Aria dropped to the ground, gasping and gripping her throat. Sonata put a hand on her shoulder, but was quickly shrugged off. "What the hell was that?"
"That, my dear girls, is what happens when an emotion, bad or good, is driven to an extreme through magic. Apparently, that girl, Maud, has a bit of an obsession with Trixie." Adagio shook her head. "Let's go and see what they are up to, but keep your distance, if they get any worse, well, I may not be able to talk her down next time you run your mouth, Aria."
"Tch. Fine."
"See you neverrrr!"
Trixie cackled as the floor shut, sealing the Rainbooms below the stage. Oh, the look on Sunset's face just as the floor closed, It was glorious! This plan was perfect! Sunset could hear Trixie win, and not do a thing about it. Well, so long as Maud had already carried out her side of the plan.
A part of her noted that she'd have to apologize to Pinkie later, but, then again, wasn't it her own fault for still being involved with Sunset? She was warned by both Trixie and Maud already. Really, she only had herself to blame at this point.
She sighed and gave the stage a little kick. Trixie wouldn't see Sunset's pained face for several hours. A part of her longed to forget the competition and find other ways to torment her. But, she couldn't, not with knowing that ruining Sunset's plans by winning the competition would be far more scarring in the long run.
"Well done, you two." Trixie grinned and looked over to Lavender and Fuschia. Both were smiling back at her.
Fuschia let out a laugh. "No problem. Those chuckleheads didn't deserve to be up here anyways."
"Glad to help. We're going to win this!" Lavender whispered out.
"We are." Trixie smiled, looking over to the Dazzlings. The three girls were by one of the entrances to the small outside arena they'd be playing in. Naturally, they watched the entire scene between Trixie and the Rainbooms, and did nothing.
A shame they wouldn't be so easy to fool. Trixie will just have to crush them fair and square tonight.
Interestingly, Adagio suddenly blanched and the three of them walked off just as Maud approached the stage from the other side.
"I did it..." Maud stated as she walked onto the stage and approached Trixie.
"Perfect, and you're sure they won't be getting out anytime soon?"
Maud nodded. Briefly, she entwined one of her hands with Trixie's and squeezed.
"Wonderful, thank you, Maud." Trixie squeezed back briefly, before untangling her hand. Maud's face fell a little at that, to Trixie's irritation.
She's just so needy lately.
It was strange, not a week ago, Trixie was sure that Maud behaving this way, like a dog falling over itself for its master, would have made her ecstatic. The plan had been to make Maud confess first, after all. But, right now? It just didn't interest her. Not like crushing and hurting Sunset did. Still...she did care about Maud. perhaps they could both get what they want?
Yes. It's not like anyone would care if Sunset disappeared after this, right? The thought appealed to Trixie. Perhaps her and Maud could have some fun together after the battle with their new toy.
"So...that happened..."
Maud remained silent as she lightly massaged Trixie's back. To top off how exhausted Trixie was after the charm that kept her body going throughout the competition disappeared, she had also sprained her foot among other injuries by falling off of the bleachers earlier that night. Once everyone finally calmed down after the band battle, the two had retreated back to Trixie's house.
Every part of Trixie burned. She was pretty sure everyone else who competed was in a similar state right now. She had stayed up at all hours obsessing over this, writing and practicing music, dreaming of-
Trixie placed her hand on her stomach in nausea at the images of what she wanted to do to Sunset, let alone what she had actually done to her.
I wanted her gone from my life...I never wanted to be like her!
"...You okay?"
"No..." Trixie groaned. Glancing behind herself at Maud. Looking her over, Maud wasn't in great shape either. Bags could be seen under her eyes, along with many, many bruises encompassing her hands.
"...At least you won, right?"
That was...technically true. The Dazzlings were booed off stage, and the Rainbooms had never made it to their time slot, forfeiting it to Trixie. It helped that none of the Rainbooms had mentioned the whole trapped under the stage incident to the principals. Vice Principal Luna had told Trixie not brag to anyone, though. The entire school was disoriented and tired, with many of the students having forgotten entire sections of the last few days. Celebration was not on the menu after what happened, let alone caring about who won. Trixie had to make due with Luna privately congratulating Trixie in her office and handing over the trophy and prizes.
Trixie looked over to the statue now adorning the top of her dresser. She felt she deserved it for all the crap she had gone through, but it still felt like a hollow victory. Rainbows, magic, a giant horse with a horn and wings, the craziness of the situation just gave her a headache to think about right now.
"I...guess. But, Sunset looked like the good girl this time, not Trixie."
Maud nodded and began massaging Trixie's sprained foot. "...Yeah...sorry..."
Trixie shook her head and hissed under Maud's ministrations. "It's not your fault. I don't know. Maybe this time she was the good girl? I still hate her, though."
One good act doesn't make someone a good person, and one bad act doesn't make them a bad person, right? Trixie and Sunset were still far from even. But, all that hate...Trixie just didn't have the energy to dredge it up. The urge to squash Sunset, the desire to follow through with those...horrible thoughts she had earlier, was gone.
She was just so tired, but her mind refused to stop bringing up images of what she had done over the last few days.
"I...think I remember everything I did...Maud...I-I..."
Maud gently took both of Trixie's hands in her own and laid down next to her. "It's okay...I do too..."
"I-I nearly hurt people."
Maud let out a single, solitary, "heh."
"What's so funny?"
"You're too weak."
Trixie frowned at the remark. "I am not! I could hurt someone if I got serious! I, I beat up Sunset!"
"She looked fine to me."
Trixie shook her head as the images continued coming back to her. The fleeting memories of those dark desires and what they almost drove her to still lingered. A part of her still wanted them, much to her own disgust. "You don't understand. I almost...I wanted to-"
A gray finger stole the tear currently running down Trixie's cheek. "But you didn’t...you're fine..."
“What do you mean I…Oh!” She shook her head again and wrapped her arms around Maud, pulling her close before hiding her head in Maud's chest. "I-I'm sorry, Maud. I wasn't thinking about what you went through; all those things you did, I-"
"Shhhh...I'm fine..." Trixie could feel Maud's fingers gently running through her hair.
"H-how can you be-"
"-Because I was helping you..."
That wasn't entirely true. Maud doubted sending those students to the hospital really helped Trixie in anyway, but she wasn't going to worry about the details right now. Maud was tired, but Trixie was sore, exhausted, and badly upset. Maud could worry about her own state of mind later. The people she sent to the hospital would recover. Maybe it was a little callous, but, she thought she was helping Trixie at the time, and that was enough for her to not lose sleep over it.
If anything, she was thankful for the experience, she just wished Trixie hadn't been forced into it as well. Or, that Trixie at least had managed to lose a good deal of her darker memories like most of the students.
Maud wondered if those out of control emotions were what Lime experienced after what happened to Marble. If so, then she couldn't really blame Lime for how crazy or violent she was in the past. Did Lime, from time to time, still feel that way? She'd have to ask her sister about it. Maud had to marvel at those feelings, though.
The urge to do something, to find anything that could even remotely help Trixie, had been so strong. Trixie's urge to crush Sunset had been as, or, perhaps, even stronger than Maud's desire to help Trixie. It had been a bad time for both of them. Yet, there was a piece there that, just on its own, had made the last few days worth going through.
Trixie, exhausted and battered, no longer under the Dazzling's charm, regretted what she did to Sunset. It was unlikely that Trixie would ever feel so hurt and angry about Sunset again.
But, Maud's desire to be around Trixie was still the same, despite her exhaustion and the charm's destruction. Maud's desire to pound anyone who hurt, or insulted Trixie was still there, just less...caustic. Despite thinking of almost nothing but her for the last few days, Maud was still here, laying in Trixie's bed.
And there was nowhere else she wanted to be right now.
Lying in bed beside Trixie, Maud stared at the statue on the dresser, everything they’d done the past week was just for this. There was something else too, but she’d never asked. It was nagging at her now. "...What did you win...?" Maud mumbled as she poked the blanket-hogging winner, pulling her back from the brink of slumberland.
Grumbling, Trixie squeezed Maud tighter against herself as the two continued to lie in bed under the covers.
"Pfft...I don't know who picked out the prizes for this, but they were idiots. T-Trixie...*yawn* received over two hundred dollars in coupons to, believe it or not, nothing but Mexican restaurants."
Maud froze as Trixie’s head came to rest on her chest and made itself comfortable on the new ‘pillows’.
"...O-Okay...?"
Trixie continued to listen to Maud's heartbeat, letting it silently drag her to unconsciousness.
"I...I know...right? I gave most...*yawn* most of them to F-Fuschia and Lavender...but I kept the...the fancy looking ones...want to go...sometime...?"
Maud shifted and nodded, inadvertently bopping Trixie on the head with her jaw as she did so, eliciting a sleepy grumble. "...Sure...it's a date..."
"...Cool...is'za date zen..." Trixie nodded back, slipping into a warm blackness.