Trixie was having doubts about this whole 'being honest' thing.
Oh sure, it seemed like it had been panning out, what with Sugar Belle telling her how glad she was that Trixie was being honest with her. Nopony seemed especially upset with her, just sort of upset in a general sense, so that was good. Ponies not blaming the showpony for their mistakes in life was always sort of a plus in Trixie's book.
But Trixie was really starting to feel confused and put-off by this place.
Ponies acting oddly paranoid, pink ponies with little respect for personal boundaries, terrible muffins, strange towns in the middle-of-nowhere. It was all kinda weirding her out, if she was being perfectly honest with herself. The only thing that made sense to Trixie was being surrounded by adoring fans, and even then the eccentric townsponies were kind of ruining that for her.
Sure, she had vowed to try to be a better, more understanding Trixie, but all of this compassion and honesty she was putting out seemed to be having an odd effect. Plus, it was turning out to be just a little bit exhausting for Trixie, being so delightfully pleasant all the time.
Every rule has to have some exceptions to it, right?
Surely, Twilight would understand if she, just this once, brushed off these strange ponies and left for the open road...
…
…
...
...darn it.
Trixie was going to have to give Twilight a piece of her mind over all of these guilt-trips she was putting her through. Yes, the purple mare wasn't physically present, but that was hardly an excuse, as far as Trixie was concerned. If Twilight wasn't so admirable and morally upstanding, the showmare would have far fewer problems with this whole...conscience idea.
And that was exactly how she found herself in her current predicament, trotting through town to go talk a creepy fan into letting a few village ponies leave with her...Stupid conscience, telling her what to do. Acting like it's in-charge all the time...
Why she needed to be the one to talk to-...Starbright Slimmer?...That didn't sound right. But, whatever, why did Trixie need to be the one to talk to the pink mare? Why was she the one that had to ask permission? And since when did ponies need permission to up-and-leave? Couldn't Sugar Belle and the others just leave?
Trixie had to let out a sigh at that, pining for the old days, when she didn't have to care about problems that weren't hers. Back then she made the world a better place by reminding ponies how marvelous she was, instead of getting involved with others and subsequently having to run pointless errands for them.
At the least, it was easy to navigate the small town. All she really had to do was walk from one end of the town's single thoroughfare and stop at the building with the broken window and she was there.
It was kind of annoying, she noted, wishing she could just use the idea of getting lost on the way to get out of this task.
Trixie could even see the townsponies performing their repairs on her caravan, apparently putting in the last finishing touches of their work, from where she was standing.
Just the act of her not walking over there, hitching herself to her wagon, and leaving, should win her a lot of points on her whole Being-a-Better-Pony idea. If she'd thought to keep track of that sort of thing before now, it'd have to be worth at least a thousand points or something like that.
Coming to a halt at the door to the-...was that pink mare like the mayor of this town or something? She seemed like she was sort of in-charge and all the other ponies seemed to defer to her. To an almost ridiculous degree, all the ponies around here seemed to only really be concerned with what Something-Light Whatever-Her-Name-Was decided. It was almost like...
…
…
...
...Pfft. Why was she even wasting her time thinking about this?
Deeming that line of thought boring, by virtue of not being very much about Trixie, she turned her thoughts back to that whole keeping-track-of-her-good-deeds idea. Trixie'd have to come up with a scoring system for it, so that would be a hassle. But the thought of having indisputable proof that she was working at becoming a better pony could be useful.
The next time somebody heckled her, she could just rub their noses in that to shut them up. You couldn't get away with heckling someone that was objectively kinder, more honest, and all-around a morally better pony than you and not feel like a jerk afterwards.
There were rules about that, right?
Granted, Twilight might not like the idea of Trixie doing that with those other ponies she, incredibly enough, decided to spend time around. Those supposed friends of hers, that had been so ready to give Trixie a hard time during her first visit to Ponyville. She probably wouldn't be able to rub much of anything in their faces without upsetting Twilight...
On the other hoof, Twilight would probably be just gushing with well-deserved praise for all of Trixie's hard work. Trixie could imagine it now...
“Trixie, you've made so much progress at being a better pony!”
“Well, The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't like to brag, Twilight, but she has already earned over one hundred thousand Better-Pony points.”
“It really does show, Trixie. Despite the point-system being arbitrarily determined by you, I don't think anypony could have earned as many Better-Pony points as quickly as you did.”
“That's probably true. But there's no need to go telling everypony about it.”
“Oh my gosh! Trixie! You just earned another thousand Better-Pony points for being so humble!”
“Oh, Trixie knows. Humility really does come all too easily to Trixie these days.”
“I certainly can't argue with that, Trixie. It almost seems like I should be the one learning how to be a good pony from you.”
“Oh, no. Trixie couldn't possibly see that happening. You've been such a good friend to the Great and Powerful Trixie, you don't even really need any Better-Pony points.”
“That's so nice of you to say Trixie...I just wish I could be there all the time to see you being such a wonderful pony...”
“Oh, sweet Twilight, you already have too much here to possibly give it all up, that I could never ask that of you.”
“Awwwwww...”
“...although, the Great and Powerful Trixie could use a beautiful, magically-gifted assistant to help her with some of the more technically difficult tricks...”
“Really?! You'd really let me come with you and help you with your shows, Trixie?”
“Oh, I couldn't possibly ask that of you...but if you really insist, Twilight...”
“Please, please let me travel with you across Equestria and help with your shows. You've got to let me help you, Trixie.”
“I suppose I can't turn away someone that's so obviously interested-”
“Oh, can I help you, Trixie?”
“Of course, it would be my great pleasure to-”
“I said, can I help you?”
Trixie had to blink, as she was shaken back into reality at the sound of somepony loudly clearing their throat. Glancing around to see herself standing on the dusty step of a bland building in an equally bland town, the showmare let loose the first words that came to mind.
“Uh, what?”
Looking up once more, would reveal the smiling face of a certain pink mare looking back at Trixie from the open doorway “I said...can I help you?”
“Oh...Trixie sees that you fixed your eyebrows.” The showmare unthinkingly blurted out, looking for anything to say while she re-aligned her thoughts with reality.
Fortunately, the sound of Starlight's teeth grinding together went largely unheard by the self-obsessed, blue unicorn. Her smile straining just a bit more, the pink magician found her head tilting just a little to the side “...Is that all?”
“Hm? Oh, no. Trixie actually wanted to talk with you about something.” Trixie replied, finally recalling the reason for her little visit.
“Is that so?” Starlight responded, her eyes widening just the slightest bit.
To which Trixie gave an easy nod “Uh, yes...Trixie was speaking with some of the other ponies around here. And, somehow, we kinda got onto the topic of how everypony gave up their Cutie Marks and-”
“You're interested in the Staff of Sameness?”
Briefly blinking at the interruption, Trixie had to give a moment of thought to that before shrugging “I guess you could say that.”
That was quite the pleasant surprise for Starlight Glimmer, the first that she had had in the last couple of days. Up till this point, she hadn't thought she had made any sort of progress with 'welcoming' Trixie to their town, so it was hardly unexpected when her face lit with something comparable to genuine pleasure.
“That's simply marvelous!”
Trixie could merely raise an eyebrow at that exclamation “Is it?”
“But, of course! The Staff of Sameness truly does represent the core of our little community, so to know that you're interest has been piqued comes as no small relief.” Starlight happily explained, refusing to be stymied by the azure unicorn's lacking enthusiasm.
“Uhm, just to be clear, Trixie only has a few very specific questions about the whole thing with the Cutie Marks and-”
Starlight waved away those concerns with her hoof, sporting a knowing smile “No worries, everypony has a few questions going in. But, as anyone in our little town can attest, I have never failed in assuaging away any lingering concerns that might be troubling anypony.”
“Trixie really doesn't think it would be entirely appropriate to engage in any sort of 'assuaging' while she's here. The Great and Powerful Trixie would rather keep this professional-”
Starlight's expression briefly tensed, as she picked up on what Trixie was saying. Though still vexed, she kept the continued misunderstandings about her intentions from bothering her “Not. Massaging...Assuaging. I am going to assuage your concerns.”
“Massaging or assuaging, Trixie just isn't too comfortable with the idea of somepony she barely knows rubbing her with their hooves.” Trixie countered, not quite grasping the distinction the pink mare was trying to make.
Starlight struggled to find a response for that, but could only settle for letting her smile fade away just a bit.
“While Trixie isn't the sort to judge, ponies tend to do things a little differently elsewhere. Offering to assuage another pony in Equestria isn't really something you do outside of a spa or with somepony you're in a relationship with.” Trixie explained with a gesture of her hoof behind her towards the rest of the town. Turning back, she briefly cleared her throat, before awkwardly gesturing towards Starlight “And...Trixie understands how some of her fans might think they have a special relationship with the Great and Powerful Trixie-”
“Stop.”
Blinking at the abrupt response from the town leader, Trixie found herself pausing to rub the back of her head with her hoof, adjusting her star-spangled hat in the process “Trixie certainly doesn't want to hurt anypony's feelings, she's just not in the sort of emotional place that she can-”
“Please, stop.”
There followed a long pause between the two mares, as Trixie found herself awkwardly trying not to look away or become too discomforted by the silence.
Fortunately, Starlight was no more inclined to let the silence linger for too long herself, and soon took in a calming breath before releasing it in a puff of air. Reaffirming to herself that she was finally making progress, she smiled once more for Trixie before gesturing inside her home “Please, let me welcome you into my home, so that we can discuss any questions you might have...Specifically, questions you might have about the Staff of Sameness or our proud community.”
Trixie found herself tapping her foreleg with one of her hooves, as she cast her gaze back towards where her wagon was still waiting for her. Weighing her options in her mind, she had to remind herself that up-and-leaving the moment things became uncomfortable was something the Old Trixie did.
Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, as she turned back towards the waiting doorway, the showmare gave a heavy shrug before muttering “Trixie can't think of a good reason why she shouldn't.”
That was definitely a lie, but Trixie was trying to be a nicer pony and she still had doubts about being more honest.
The pink unicorn let out a chuckle at that, as she stepped to the side to allow her newest guest access to her home “Excellent. You can trust me when I say, that I have no doubts that you will find this to be as enlightening an experience as I-”
“Okay.” Trixie came to a sudden halt, before raising a hoof towards Starlight “But just to be clear...there's not going to be any touching or rubbing or assuaging of any sort, while Trixie is here, right?”
Once more, Starlight Glimmer had to keep herself from grinding her teeth together, as her jaw strained from her growing vexation. Unable to entirely force the tension from her body, Starlight settled for giving a small nod “Of course.”
Trixie pursed her lips at that response for a moment, before turning to go inside once more, something which helped release some of Starlight Glimmer's own built-up stress. Taking in another deep breath, as the blue magician made her way in, the pink mare started to close the door to her-
“We don't have any sort of special relationship.” Trixie suddenly spoke-up once more, pausing to turn back towards Starlight “We're just two ponies, each with a healthy respect for the other's personal boundaries, right?”
“...Yes.” Starlight Glimmer almost hissed out, her smile now all but gone.
Once more Trixie considered the answer, before finally nodding and heading inside without further comment.
Unseen by Trixie, Starlight had to take a moment to engage in the heaviest roll-of-her-eyes she'd ever given in her life, before barely resisting the urge to slam her door closed.
“Alright now, how about you get settled in. I'll just be fetching some water for us, but is there anything I can get you to make you more comfortable?” Starlight asked with a smile towards her reluctant guest.
Trixie, still awkwardly glancing around the interior of the pink pony's home, spared a moment to consider the question. Raising a hoof to her chin for a moment, the showmare tilted her head before replying “You don't happen to have anymore of those muffins, do you?”
Starlight beamed at that “Certainly. Sugar Belle was kind enough to drop by with-”
“Then, no.”
“...Okay. Just water then, I suppose.” The pink mare replied with a nod, choosing to disregard the rather mild slight “How about you take a seat and I'll be right back.”
Starlight Glimmer didn't wait for a response before moving to her small kitchen, her face assuming a more honest look of bland annoyance. Going through the motions of filling up a small pitcher of water and setting it on a platter along with two cups, she had to stop and look down into her reflection in the water. Once again, her countenance was the very picture of symmetrical perfection, though she couldn't help sending a glare down at herself. How weak was Starlight being in letting one foolish pony frustrate her so heavily, when it so completely fell upon her to...correct the paths of other ponies.
She had a responsibility to demonstrate just how miserably this pony had been living her life. And now that it seemed she was finally getting that opportunity she couldn't fritter it away.
Besides, there was no way she could suffer any further public humiliations in her own home. Starlight could address Trixie directly, without any of her dear friends getting in the way.
Letting a confident smile creep across her face once more and holding her head high, she took the platter in her magic and started back through the doors to her front room.
“Here we go! Some nice, refreshing water for my ever so special guest.” Starlight exclaimed in a chipper tone, maneuvering the platter through the air before setting it on a nearby table. Giving a nod towards the now sitting Trixie “I see you took up my offer to make yourself comfortable.”
“Mm-hmm...” Trixie distractedly replied, shifting about on the pink mare's couch, before turning a scrutinizing eye towards the piece of furniture.
“Is something wrong?” Starlight asked with a tilt of her head.
Glancing up briefly, the showmare focused back upon the couch cushion she was sitting upon, before rubbing a hoof across the fabric. Holding up her hoof to her own gaze, Trixie gave her own tilt of her head “Not that the Great and Powerful Trixie is an expert on this sort of thing...but your couch seems sort of messy. It's just covered in some sort of dust or dirt or-”
“Soot.”
Glancing up at that, Trixie turned a confused look towards Starlight “I'm sorry?”
Starlight pointedly cleared her throat, before replying “I believe that would be soot.”
“Why is there soot on your-...” Trixie found herself trailing off, as she considered all the details in front of her. It was only when noticed that one of Starlight's windows was still boarded up, having gone without being properly repaired since it had been broken by one of Trixie's own-...
Trixie quietly rubbed her hoof clean on the back of the couch, before turning back towards Starlight “It really doesn't seem all that important, now that Trixie thinks about it.”
“Oh?”
Trixie gave a quiet, somewhat guilty, nod at that.
“Are you sure? I could stand to dust up a bit, if it really is bothering you.” Starlight offered in a saccharine tone, finally enjoying the sight of the showmare being rendered uncomfortable. She certainly wasn't going to enjoy it too much, but it's not like Starlight indulged too often in this sort of thing.
“Trixie is sure.”
“Excellent.” Starlight chimed, trotting over to take her own seat, as she casually used her magic to pour some water into a waiting cup. Plopping herself down, she floated the cup over and took a sip, before focusing back upon Trixie “Now, I'm sure you have many questions that you would like to ask...?”
“Right...” Trixie replied, pointedly glancing towards the waiting pitcher and the unfilled cup sitting at its side.
“Something wrong?”
Trixie just gave a shake of her head at that, before putting the thought of receiving her own drink from her mind “Nope. Trixie is just fine.”
“Alright...Now what was it you wanted to talk about?” Starlight inquired before taking another sip of her water.
“Well...Trixie needed to ask about what it is you do with everypony's Cutie Marks.” The azure mare began a bit haltingly.
“Oh, somepony mentioned the Cutie Mark vault to you?”
Trixie raised an eyebrow at that “You have a vault?”
“Well, of course, all those Cutie Marks need to go somewhere, now don't they? I do believe I intended on showing it to you before, but you were too busy to take the time...” Starlight explained a bit mournfully, letting Trixie understand just how disappointed that she was, having not been able to show her their ever so impressive vault earlier.
“...Are you talking about yesterday?”
Starlight gave a chuckle at that “No worries though, there'll be plenty of time to get into that later.”
“Really? Cause Trixie is thinking that's what she's here to ask about. Some of the ponies around here-” Trixie began, seizing upon what seemed to be her goal.
She was brought to an awkward pause, as Starlight raised a hoof to stop her “Tut, tut. There will be plenty of time for that later. I'm sure there are some far more important details we need to cover first.”
Trixie had to wrinkle her nose at that, before pursing her lips at how Starlight was treating her “Uhm, no...The Great and Powerful Trixie is fairly sure that's what she wants to know about.”
“I had no idea you were so eager.” Starlight noted with a bit of a chuckle, before giving a bit of a shrug “Not that I mind, of course. But normally we like to arrange for a bit more ceremony for something like this.”
“What like a Going-Away Party or something?” Trixie asked with a raised eyebrow.
“...What.”
“Trixe doesn't really care what kind of party you want to throw her, but-” The showmare blithely continued along.
“You still want to leave.” Starlight blurted out, only keeping enough of her wits about her to set the cup down with her magic.
Trixie was given some pause at this, before giving into the urge to roll her eyes and letting out a puff of air “Yes. I still fully intend on leaving. I'm pretty sure I made that clear earlier, but let me just-”
Starlight rather forcefully held up her hoof to forestall what was coming. Twisting and turning her head for a moment, the pink mare felt her jaw tightening once more, as she tried to find her words “I'm not sure I'm understanding you. You still want to leave?...After seeing everything we have to offer?”
Trixie had to sigh “No offense, but I've seen- That is to say, that the Great and Powerful Trixie has seen what a lot of different places have offered. Trixie just can't afford to-”
“Perhaps- perhaps you just don't understand how welcome you are here. Everypony here is just looking for the opportunity to be your friend.”
“Everypony's been very friendly, but-”
Starlight suddenly found herself standing up to pace briefly in front of the couch, before gesturing a hoof towards Trixie “I really don't think you understand what you are giving up. Just how selfish you're being.”
“Trixie would like to point out that she has been working on that sort of thing.”
Gritting her teeth, Starlight briefly wished she had a better way of dealing with her tension. Letting out a slightly choked laugh, she forced out a light laugh “I'm afraid that I'm having a hard time believing you, Trixie.”
“Well, she has. And frankly, you could hardly even call the Great and Powerful Trixie selfish anymore.” Trixie rather firmly declared, before standing up herself. Turning her nose up a bit, feeling somewhat annoyed herself now “Trixie even came up with a scoring system for herself. And if her estimates are correct, she already has earned several thousand points today alone. So there.”
“But you don't need points here!” Starlight exclaimed, leaning in as she implored the egotistical pony to listen. The pink pony couldn't bring herself to cover up her emotions with her usual smile anymore, letting just a hint of desperation show through now “You don't need to be graded on every little thing you do, judged on whether or not you deserve to have friends here. You can just be and everypony here will love you, I promise.”
The showmare was obviously caught off-guard by this uncharacteristic outpouring, suddenly not so sure of just what kind of conversation this was “I-...Trixie is sure that most everypony here is very happy and all, but-”
“Just think about it. Would somepony like you be so content to constantly travel, to constantly leave ponies behind, if you were really happy?”
Trixie clicked her tongue at that “It's not like Trixie has never enjoyed any of her stops, if that's what-”
“And did any of them ever make you happy?”
“I-...” Trixie was given some pause at that, glancing to the side as she considered the question “...-it's not like Trixie wouldn't want to re-visit a few places to-”
“And if those places made you happy when you were there, why did you leave them behind?” Starlight pressed, seeing the blue pony's defenses starting to come down.
“Well, Trixie-...couldn't exactly stay at some of those places.” Trixie admitted.
“But you could stay here. Where you know everypony already loves you, where everyone will do their very best to make you and everypony else here happy.” The townsleader pointed out, gesturing her hoof to her still good window and the waiting community outside.
“...Like Trixie said, this isn't really about-”
“Of course it's about you. It's about all the times ponies refused to accept you, because you weren't like them. Because they thought they were better than you. All the times-...” Starlight was given some pause, as she saw how her words seemed to be causing the blue mare to shutdown, which was far from what she needed. Looking at the showpony gazing down upon her own hooves, Starlight knew she had to seal this now. She was not going to let all the frustration, embarrassment, and suffering this mare had put through, be all for-
And, in that moment, Starlight could see it.
And she smiled to herself.
Stepping a bit closer now, Starlight lowered her voice before giving voice to her recently gained insight into the pony in front of her.
“You'll never have to worry about us running you out of our town.”
“Uh...what?” Trixie blurted out, clearly surprised.
“We don't reject anypony here. Not anypony that accepts what we want to offer them. We will never turn you out.”
“...Okay?” Trixie replied in apparent confusion.
Starlight gave an understanding, compassionate smile “That is why you're here, right? The reason you've come to our little community? Because everypony else chased you away?”
The traveling magician gave a crooked frown at that “...Yeah?”
“So, tell me, Trixie...do you really need to give them another chance to hurt you? When there are ponies right here that are ready to accept you?” The townsleader finally asked, sensing that she had finally gotten through to this wayward pony.
She could see it in the way Trixie shuffled about on her hooves and in how she didn't seem to want meet Starlight's gaze, to let Starlight know that she was right.
Finally Trixie seemed ready to speak up, looking back towards the pink pony once more “Uhm...Trixie really appreciates all of that...”
“Yes?” Starlight knowingly prodded.
“...but the Great and Powerful Trixie is never going to get a chance to rub it in those ponies' faces if she stays here.”
“Excuse me?”
“Nopony is going to find out how wrong they were about Trixie if Trixie never goes back and shows them just how marvelous her new show is. Or just how much better a pony she's become than all of her hecklers and harassers.” Trixie explained, as she swept a hoof through her silvery hair and gave a flourish of her cloak.
“You-...You would rather go show-up other ponies rather than accept the friendship and trust we're offering?” Starlight haltingly asked, completely incredulous at this turn of events.
“Well, it's not just a matter of showing a bunch of ponies up.” Trixie pointed out, with a wave of her hoof “It's really more about showing ponies that they were being a bunch of big, dumb jerks to Trixie.”
“...Are you kidding me?”
“Oh, Trixie does fully intend on forgiving them, obviously.” Trixie elaborated, with a somewhat self-satisfied smile “It's just the sort of thing Trixie does these days, being more understanding about how terribly some ponies have treated Trixie in the past.”
The pink mare gave a vigorous shake of her head at that “If they were treating you terribly, then how could you possibly-”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't just give up. She understands how that might work for some ponies, but it's just not in Trixie's character to do that sort of thing.” Trixie blithely explained, still quite pleased with herself, as she usually was when talking about herself. Struck by a sudden thought, her pleasure did fade a bit to be replaced with the apologetic look she sent Starlight's way “No offense intended, of course. Like Trixie said, there's nothing wrong with ponies giving up when-”
“I DID NOT GIVE UP!!!” Starlight Glimmer exploded at the self-absorbed magician, feeling something briefly snap in her at the accusation being leveled her way.
To Trixie's credit, she did seem to realize that she had upset her host, almost reflexively taking a step back. Once she got over her initial surprise, it was no great challenge displaying her own awkward embarrassment for whatever it was that she had said.
Realizing herself just how badly she had reacted and how very much it ran counter to who she was supposed to be, Starlight worked at regaining her composure. Letting out a light chuckle that failed to put anyone at ease, the pink pony raised a hoof to her chest as she brought her breathing under control “That- that was impolite of me.”
“Uh-huh.” Trixie uncomfortably agreed.
“I'm terribly sorry about that, but you do need to understand that I did not...give up. I was not the one that gave up. I came here because I wasn't going to give up.” Starlight explained in a strained tone.
“...Whatever you want to call it.” Trixie again didn't see much point in putting up an argument. Tapping a hoof for a moment, she started sidling towards the exit “Well, Trixie really enjoyed-...Trixie should probably be going now.”
Starlight couldn't really believe this. She couldn't believe this insufferable, self-obsessed, misguided pony. Starlight couldn't believe how completely unfit this Trixie was for her town and how much this this pony didn't deserve to stay here. She couldn't believe how much she didn't want this pony to stay.
Her smile dropping away entirely, the pink unicorn's expression became one of apparent discontent and exhaustion.
“You probably should just go.”
“Trixie was thinking the same-”
“Because you obviously don't want what we offer here, nor do you care about how many ponies you're hurting by doing so. So...go.”
Trixie was given some brief pause at this, pursing her lips in consideration for this abrupt turn in Starlight's apparent goals. It was only after a few moments thought that Trixie began to understand what was happening “Oh...Trixie understands.”
“What?” On some level the pink pony knew she shouldn't have asked, but she couldn't help but let it slip out.
“This is the part where you break off your imaginary relationship with Trixie to spare your own pride. This sort of thing has happened to Trixie before.” The showmare sagely noted aloud. Beginning to head towards the door now, Trixie gave a nod to herself “And while there was never anything really there, Trixie understands if you need to-”
“Just leave! I want you gone!”
Again startled by the townsleader's outburst, Trixie gave a slight frown at that response. It's not like she had never disappointed any of her fans before; she hadn't been lying about the whole imaginary break-up thing. Even so, she didn't particularly care for the sharp words, and gave a shake of her head as she left “Well...nopony can say that Trixie ever overstayed her welcome.”
“Thank you.” Starlight bit out, relieved to finally be seeing Trixie heading towards her door.
“Trixie's sure it shouldn't be too great a challenge for someone like her to pick-up a few Cutie Marks on her own...” The showmare flippantly noted as she approached the closed door.
“What do you mean by that?” The pink pony immediately demanded, her eyes widening just a bit.
Not picking up on Starlight's severe reaction to her off-hoofed remark, the showmare gave a roll of her eyes “Trixie means, that it can't possibly be that difficult for her to find this Cutie Mark vault. Trixie is actually pretty-”
Starlight trotted in front of Trixie, blocking her from the door before pressing her inquiry, her teeth grinding a bit, as the blue unicorn unintentionally dodged her question “Why do you need to go to the Cutie Mark vault?”
“...Because that's apparently where one keeps Cutie Marks?” Trixie responded with apparent confusion.
Starlight could almost feel her jaw straining to the breaking point, as if her bones might give in at any moment, as her tension mounted “Tell me why you need to pick-up any Cutie Marks.”
Trixie blinked at that, before making a gesture with her hoof towards the door “Because, apparently nopony is capable of picking up their own Cutie Marks? And they don't want to leave them behind when they depart with the Great and Powerful Trixie?"
Starlight Glimmer found herself staring, dumbstruck by what she'd just heard. She truly couldn't respond with anything but an intense stare, as her whole body tensed up even further.
“Uhm...Trixie is thinking that she meant to mention that to you earlier.” Trixie noted out loud, before gesturing her own hoof towards the pink mare “You kinda of distracted the Great and Powerful Trixie earlier with your-”
The traveling magician was cut-off by a light cracking sound echoing between herself and Starlight. For the pink pony's part, it took a moment to overcome her already great tension and realize just what that sound was.
With a mixture of worry and mortification, Starlight slapped a hoof over her mouth, as she realized where the noise came from. Hesitantly, she pulled her hoof back and opened her jaw a bit, before prodding around with her tongue.
Something definitely didn't feel right.
Slightly panicked now, Starlight darted over to the nearest mirror. Opening her mouth, she quickly started tilting her head back and forth as she tried to visually confirm the problem.
She'd cracked a tooth.
Starlight Glimmer has been so infuriated and ground her teeth so hard, that there was now a big crack splitting one of her back teeth.
“Trixie's no expert, but she's pretty sure you're going to need a dentist.”
Starlight didn't even turn away from the mirror as she closed her eyes and had to remind herself that there were more important things happening than were in the mirror.
“You can't.” The pink mare bluntly stated.
“Pardon?”
“You can't make them leave.” Starlight said more forcefully, as she turned to face the interloper once more. This proved a bit unwise, as pain shot through her jaw, causing her to wince and raise a hoof to her cheek.
“What? Trixie isn't making anyone go with her, she-”
“You don't even understand what it's like do you?!” Starlight exclaimed, before once more wincing at the pain this caused her. Forcing herself to ignore the discomfort, she forced her hoof back to the ground before advancing on the blue mare “You don't know how much it hurts ponies when their friends leave, do you?”
“Not really, no.”
“Because you are just so much better than everypony around you, right? Who cares if they just cut you out of their life? Right? You don't need them, right?” Starlight demanded, stepping directly in front of the show mare before leaning in even closer.
“Uhm...Trixie wouldn't really know.” Trixie pointed out, leaning back a bit from the agitated mare that was once again invading her space.
Loosing a glare at that remark, Starlight took a step back, before throwing her head back and loosing a bark of a laugh “Oh...That's right. I forgot, you're the pony that abandons their friends. You are the one that doesn't care who they hurt when you-”
“Okay. Trixie has never hurt anypony.” Trixie abruptly interjected, a bit offended by this latest rant that was being launched her way. Though after a moment of thought, Trixie did stop to clear her throat and add something “Well, Trixie's never hurt anypony badly...on purpose.”
“You really expect-”
“There was this time with an amulet, but Trixie-”
“Shut it!” Starlight shouted, before turning back on the bemused showpony “I don't care if you think you hurt anypony. I know what it's like to be abandoned by your only friend, to watch them go off to Celestia's stupid school and do great things!”
“...Trixie thinks this is getting kinda personal.” Trixie uncomfortably pointed out. Bringing a hoof to the back of her head, the blue mare tried to look to the side before continuing “Trixie understands how you might-”
“You are exactly like him! You probably didn't give a second thought to leaving to go off to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, no matter who you left behind, did you?!”
Trixie had to stare for a few moments, at the apparently emotional pink mare in front of her, initially unsure if she was actually supposed to respond to that question. Finally realizing that an answer was expected, she briefly raised an azure hoof to her chin in thought “Uhm...Trixie didn't really leave anypony behind, when she attended the Canterlot Academy.”
“...Excuse me?”
“Well, nopony that was going to miss Trixie anyway. Orphans can be pretty self-involved in Trixie's experience and-”
“Orphans?” Starlight blurted out.
Trixie gave an easy nod, before continuing with a shrug “I mean, the caretakers were pretty nice. But it's kind of hard to standout when there's so many other ponies that need attention.”
“You were an...orphan?” Starlight unthinkingly asked, her eyes wide and her mind suddenly plagued with mortification at this news. Trying to regain her ground, even as she felt her fury slip through her hooves, the townsleader attempted to shift her position “I-...well. No doubt you made plenty of friends at the academy. Friends you didn't even hesitate to-”
“Not really.”
Starlight slumped forward at that, the wind being taken out of her sails by that admission.
Seeing the look her host was sending her now, Trixie gave a shake of her head before waving a hoof through the air “It's not as terrible as Trixie is sure you're thinking. Some ponies were obviously jealous of Trixie's natural talent, which really isn't all that surprising.”
“I-I don't think I understand.”
Trixie thought about that for a moment, tilting her head in consideration “Uhm...Trixie mentioned that special program to you earlier, didn't she?”
The traveling magician gave Starlight a few moments to respond, before shrugging and taking her silence as an affirmative.
“Well, it was very prestigious, obviously. Anyway, Trixie blew past all the expectations of her teachers, and naturally some ponies can't handle it when certain other ponies do better than them. So-” Trixie elaborated.
“You didn't have any friends.” Starlight more stated than asked, still trying to process all of this.
The showmare briefly paused at that, before tilting her head in agreement “Well...it's not like Trixie didn't give them plenty of chances to befriend her. But if some ponies can't realize when you're offering them a golden opportunity, you can't-”
“You've never had any friends have you? You really don't know what it's like to lose someone like that...” Starlight said aloud, more to herself than anyone, as she began to realize just what was wrong with the pony in front of her.
Trixie wasn't particularly privy to the epiphany that the pink mare was in the middle of, and was more irritated by the first part of what Starlight had just said. The blue unicorn pursed her lips a touch defensively, before responding “That's not entirely fair to say. Trixie does to have a-...well, you could call her a pen-pal. Actually, Trixie needs to get around to writing her again, before-”
Starlight wasn't listening to what she was saying, something that might have been obvious to a less self-involved pony. The pink pony was deeply caught in the midst of her thoughts, as everything about this pony came together in a clear picture for her finally. This nattering nincompoop standing in front of her was more in need than anypony, so much so that she didn't even understand how much she needed Starlight's help.
And Starlight now realized that she had to help this pony. As frustrating as Trixie had been, as much embarrassment as she had suffered, as undeserving as she seemed to be, Starlight needed to be Trixie's friend.
Starlight was being selfish before, trying to turnout this vexing pony.
That was the whole point of what she was trying to do. Create a place where everyone could trust in their friends to never leave them, to never abandon them.
Starlight had to frown to herself, even as Trixie continued to obliviously talk about her own concerns; Starlight had been so ready to write this pony off. In retrospect, Starlight found that she was a bit disappointed in herself. If she only tried to help others take part in her vision when it was easy, how could she say that she had done her part...?
But if Starlight could get through to Trixie, this pony that clearly didn't even understand the meaning of friendship, then she could get through to anypony.
Someone like Trixie could even help her spread the message beyond her little town. If she could reach through to this pony, then what a fine example she could be to others.
For the first time in the last couple of days, Starlight could feel a genuine smile creeping across her face, as she remembered just how important what she was trying to do was.
It was too important for her to let Trixie slip through her hooves, too important for Starlight to not fail her. She had to make this work...for Trixie's sake.
Trixie needed to be Starlight's friend, even if she didn't realize it yet.
'And she will be...'
“-and now that I think about it, do you ponies even get mail? This place seems pretty-...” Trixie found herself drawing to a pause as she saw the kinda creepy smile the pink mare was sending her way. The blue mare blinked once, before turning to the side and raising a hoof to her mouth, as she cleared her throat “Ahem...Soooo, obviously, the Great and Powerful Trixie has a lot on her mind and-”
Starlight interrupted, holding up a hoof as a call for silence on Trixie's part “I'd like to apologize for earlier, Trixie.”
“You would?”
“For my earlier outbursts. I- well, as I'm sure you can understand, I can become a bit emotional at times.” Starlight continued, as she gestured her hoof towards herself.
“...Uh-huh.” Was Trixie's skeptical reply.
The townsleader gave a light chuckle at that, knowing full well that Trixie was incapable of understanding where she was coming from. She wouldn't let that stop her though “In all seriousness, I'm willing to admit that I misjudged you, Trixie.”
The showmare blinked again, still a bit thrown by the sudden shift the conversation had taken. Shrugging that confusion away, she gave a self-satisfied smile as she processed what Starlight had just said “Oh. Well, Trixie does get that a lot. There are so few ponies that-”
“And what's more, I would like to thank you. For helping me to realize some important things about myself. And you for that matter.” Starlight added, taking a step forward as she did so. She pointedly refused to wince, as her speaking disturbed her sensitive tooth; pain was something that could easily be focused to an end.
Trixie was slightly annoyed at being interrupted, but was more pleased by Starlight's words than anything else “Well, I- Trixie does try to make a point of helping with that sort of things these days. Trixie has been trying to be more honest than maybe she once was, and ponies really do seem to be taking to it.”
“Oh, most certainly. You have really opened my eyes.” The pink mare agreed with a nod.
“And Trixie's sure you'll find somepony else eventually. It just won't be Trixie.”
Starlight gave a nod at that and, for once, truly not letting that kind of misconception bother her “Mm-hmm. I suppose I'll just have to accept that.”
“...And maybe work on not being so crazy, but one thing at a time. Maybe just work on the clinginess-thing first and before you know-”
“Right. I'll be sure to-”
“Oh! And that's not particularly charming either. The whole interrupting ponies thing all the time when their speaking can really be annoying.” Trixie added, perhaps a bit too willing to share her thoughts, now that she'd seen how effective being honest could be.
Starlight found herself closing her eyes and taking a breath, as she felt her earlier enthusiasm dampened once more by the showmare.
Bringing a hoof to her chin, Trixie visibly seemed to be trying to think of anything else she could add. Raising her hoof up, before pointing it towards Starlight, Trixie gave a tilt of her head towards the other mare “And maybe work on not getting into the personal spaces of others so much. Some ponies, not just Trixie, can find it kind of creepy.”
“...Thank you. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.”
“Huh. Trixie's getting pretty good at this.” The blue unicorn noted aloud. Turning to one side, before casting her gaze upward, she continued to think aloud “Now what else can Trixie be honest about...? Oh! Trixie was just thinking that you could probably change your mane up and-”
“I think that might be enough of that for now.”
“Really? Cause Trixie is sure that she can think of plenty more to be honest about...like how you-”
“I'm sorry, but wasn't there something about needing to pay a visit to our Cutie Mark vault?” Starlight asked, intent on leading the conversation towards a more productive avenue.
“The what now?” Trixie blurted out. It took her a moment to remember why she had even paid this visit in the first place “Oh, right. That thing...If you can just give Trixie some directions, she's sure she can find it on her own.”
“Nonsense. Let me show you to it myself, as way of an apology for my earlier outbursts. I never did get to take you on our little tour, so it's the least I could do.” Starlight countered, with a big smile, as she started past Trixie on her way to the door. The jarring of her trot sent a few shots of pain into her jaw, but she didn't let that hamper her.
Trixie frowned at this, recalling Starlight's earlier reactions to the topic of the Cutie Mark vault “...Now that Trixie thinks about it, Trixie could probably just go there with the ponies that wanted their Cutie Marks back..”
“Well...how about we go find those ponies and have them go with us. The more the merrier, I always say.” Starlight proposed, admittedly hoping for the chance to speak with the ponies in question.
There was a long pause from Trixie, as she considered the offer and found herself questioning it. Sure, she was pleased as a peach that she'd managed to bury the hatchet with the pink mare and it probably would save Trixie a bit of time doing it that way. But some part of her felt like...maybe it wouldn't be the best if Starlight was around the ponies that wanted to go with her. The pink unicorn seemed kind of unstable...
In fact, there was something kind of wrong about all of this in the first place. The more Trixie thought about it, it almost seemed like this wasn't the safest place in the world to be. That Starlight Glimmer might be something more than just a star-struck fan, that took it poorly when Trixie turned down her advances. All of these ponies seemed so isolated out here, it almost seemed intentional. And this strange townsleader did have this odd thing where it seemed like she was constantly trying to slip under Trixie's skin.
Perhaps it would be best if Trixie just left now with-
“And I know just what we could do! You could tell me how you managed to come up with your amazing show, while we walk. I'd love to hear all about it.” Starlight happily chimed, before clapping her forehooves together excitedly. Leaning in with a tilt of her head, Starlight batted her eyes a bit before adding “I mean, surely you weren't able to come up with it all by yourself, right?”
...On the other hoof, this pony really seemed to like Trixie's show and she was paying Trixie a lot of compliments.
Loosing a large grin, as the flattery once more chased her concerns away, Trixie gave a look of false modesty “Well...Trixie can't claim all of the credit for her newest show, as she admittedly had plenty of inspiring sources to draw from. Granted, she drew many of them from her own life experiences and adventures.”
“You don't say? I'm sure a pony as accomplished as yourself has so many interesting stories to tell.” Starlight added with a smirk, as she opened the front door and ushered Trixie through with a hoof. The townsleader could do without knowing just which ponies wanted to leave for now.
Once she'd gotten through to Trixie, it wouldn't matter anyway.
A little while later...
“And here we are!”
“Uh-huh...Trixie couldn't help but notice that we didn't spend that much time talking about Trixie on our way here.” The showmare glumly noted to her guide, casting an appraising gaze about the sparse cave.
“Is that a problem? I thought you were just trying to be humble about your accomplishments.” Starlight pointedly replied, as she trotted ahead, not glancing back.
Trixie couldn't help but frown at that, being reminded of her loose goal of trying to show more humility. It's not as if she needed to talk about herself constantly, but promises-...well, not promises, but Trixie had been led to believe that she'd at least get to talk a little about herself. Mostly, the whole walk had turned into an exercise in Starlight apologizing for earlier and paying Trixie compliments. Which wasn't exactly a bad thing, but...
Whatever.
The showmare let out a sigh, as she followed after her host, idly casting her gaze about the cavern “So...you ponies just put all of your Cutie Marks in a cave?”
“No. We put the Cutie Mark vault in this cave. We keep our Cutie Marks in the vault.” Starlight patiently replied, too eager about what was coming to be put-off by the question. Catching sight of her goal, she came to a pause, before flourishing a hoof forward “Right alongside...this!”
“...Uh-huh. And what is this?” Trixie blandly noted as she trotted up alongside Starlight. Looking about the cavern for a moment, it was easy for her to spot the large glass wall at the far end “Huh...I guess that's the vault. It's kinda bright.”
Starlight, a bit disappointed by the lack of reaction from her guest, closed her eyes for a moment, before continuing. Gesturing a hoof once more in the direction of the vault, she gave a tilt of her head to Trixie “And what do we have here in front of the vault?”
“..A stick?”
The mare couldn't help but let out a puff of air in surprise at that, letting her composure slip away once more. Abruptly turning towards the mare at her side, Starlight couldn't help but vigorously gesture a hoof towards the staff “It's not just a stick.”
“Looks like a stick.” Trixie replied with a tilt of her head.
“That...is the Staff of Sameness.” Starlight declared in a grandiose manner.
“...The what?"
“Wha- the Staff of Sameness! The very center of our town! The artifact that makes this all possible! That Staff of Sameness!” Starlight exclaimed, once more bewildered and upset by Trixie's blithe attitude about all of this. Stopping herself for a moment, the pink mare brought her hooves up, closed her eyes, and took in a deep breath “I- I just...I am fairly sure I explained all of this to you before.”
Trixie found herself staring for a moment, not quite sure how to respond. After a moment though, she shrugged to herself,deciding that this honesty-thing seemed to be working out pretty well “Trixie must not have been paying attention.”
Rather than getting upset again, Starlight seemed to just take in another breath before letting it out in a sigh “Alright...well, that's fine. It's not as if that's why you came here, after all.”
“Oh, that worked?” Trixie blurted out, genuinely surprised by how well her host had taken that admission.
Starlight elected against responding to that, and instead started trotting forward, evidently expecting Trixie to follow after.
“The Staff of Sameness aside...here we are. The Cutie Mark vault.” Starlight once more declared, if in a less grand tone, as she drew closer to the edifice. Smiling to herself a bit as she looked upon what she accomplished, Starlight soon turned back towards Trixie “Here is where we have safely ensconced every Cutie Mark that our little town has chosen to part with. Kept securely out-of-sight, so that no one need be burdened by memories of who they were before joining us.”
“Neat. So everypony in town has their Cutie Mark here?” Trixie easily asked, trotting forward and gazing upwards at the large, magical collection.
“That's right. It really puts things in perspective, doesn't it? Seeing how many ponies were ready to be rid of them.” Starlight noted, as she too looked back up at the vault.
Trixie gave a nod at that, before tilting her head “So, which one's yours?”
“...What?”
“If everypony in town has their Cutie Marks up there, then yours must be up there too, right?” The showmare calmly elaborated, moving her gaze across the strange collection without much thought.
“Uh...yes. It would have to be up there.” Starlight blankly responded, not unlike a deer caught looking into a bright light.
“So...which one's yours?” Trixie reiterated, turning to look back at the stumped Starlight.
“I-...well, it's been such a long time...” The pink mare hedged, trying to stall for time to think.
At that, Trixie had to let an eyebrow creep upwards in skepticism, before looking back to the wall of Cutie Marks “You do remember, right? I mean, nopony could forget their own-”
“It's that one!” Starlight abruptly blurted out, quickly raising a hoof to point at a random Cutie Mark.
Trixie had to blink in surprise at the sudden response, before trying to put together what she was being told “Which one?”
“The one I'm pointing to, that's my-...” Starlight found herself trailing off, as she realized what she was pointing at.
“...Your Cutie Mark was a wedge of cheese?” Trixie asked.
“...Yes.” Was the only answer Starlight could muster, as she realized that she was pointing directly towards a Cutie Mark that took the form of a wedge of hole-filled cheese. Letting her hoof lower, she found herself rolling her eyes to herself “My special talent was...cheese.”
“...Like making cheese or knowing about cheese or what?”
Starlight gave a shake of her head, to dismiss the topic, before circling Trixie “That's not really what's important. I gave up my special talent for...cheese a long time go. And you can be assured that I don't miss it in the least.”
“Alright...so, how exactly does Trixie grab the Cutie Marks?” The showmare easily acquiesced to the notion of getting back to the matter at hoof.
Starlight started to step away from the wall, moving over towards the suspended staff before answering “I wouldn't be too concerned about that. You'll find that the Cutie Mark Vault is quite secure.”
“Looks like it's just made of glass.” Trixie noted aloud.
Starlight pursed her lips at that, before shaking it off “Yes...well, nonetheless, you'll find that without knowing the proper method-”
“Trixie's pretty sure she could just use a rock.”
The pink mare was disappointed to find that she was once more scowling to herself. She quickly turned back towards her guest to derail this line of thinking “Okay...you cannot just grab a rock and use it to-”
“Found one.” Trixie easily chimed, before displaying the hefty looking rock being held in her magic to the townsleader. Bringing the rock closer, Trixie started looking from one side of the vault to the other “Now Trixie just needs to find the right Cutie Marks...”
Starlight couldn't help but raise a hoof to the bridge between her eyes, in an attempt to rub her growing headache away. Deciding that things were starting to become just a touch farcical, she reached out with her magic to lift up her waiting staff.
“Trixie?”
“Mm-hmm?” Trixie replied, not looking up from her scrutiny of the collected Cutie Marks.
Starlight smiled to herself, as she reminded herself of what she was trying to do, before gathering up her magical energies. Watching the light from her magic take hold of the staff, she turned towards the oblivious Trixie “I'd just like you to know...you'll thank me for this one day.”
“Thank you for wha-”