It was Friday, the day Trixie had told Rarity that she’d come to check on the dress. She was anxious to get to it all throughout the school day, but kept her nerves in check. Once it was over, she went straight to Rarity’s Place, and knocked on the door. She heard Rarity call out “Come in!”, so she obliged. As Trixie entered, Rarity turned towards her, and smiled. “Ah, Trixie! Come to check on your dress?” She stopped what she was doing, and went up to Trixie. “I think you’ll like what I’ve done with your suggestions. Come, this way!” Rarity gently guided Trixie to her back room, where a sheet was draped over a mannequin. Rarity went up to the sheet, and grabbed it. “Are you ready to see it?” At Trixie’s nod, Rarity pulled away the sheet, and Trixie’s jaw dropped. Smiling, Rarity spoke up. “I hope it is to your liking?”
Trixie was rendered speechless by the sheer gorgeousness of the dress! How could she not love it? It was a gentle lavender, and seemed to smell of it too. It was accentuated with tiny, white stars spread periodically about, in a imitation of her cape and hat. She ran her hand along the dress, surprised at how the fabric felt; soft and light. The shoes that went with it were quite something as well, soft like satin to the touch. Trixie looked back at Rarity, tears in her eyes. “It’s beautiful! I’d like to try it on, and make sure it fits.” Nodding at that, Rarity took the dress off the mannequin. She handed it to Trixie, who took it into the dressing room.
*Roughly 2 minutes later*
After putting on the dress, Trixie admired herself in the mirror. The dress fit perfectly, and she had to admit that it looked quite good on her. She exited the dressing room, and turned in place slowly. “So? Is there any doubt that I look stunning?”
Analyzing for a moment before responding, Rarity then nodded. “You look marvelous! Of course, there are a few little tweaks I’ll be making, as the dress isn’t quite finished. I promise you’ll love the final look even more!”
Trixie went back into the dressing room, and changed back into her casual clothes. She came out, and handed the dress back to Rarity. “I’ll be here tomorrow to pick it up at 4 PM. I’ll be going!” Trixie then left the store.
When the group arrived that day, Xavier and Maestro were already there, along with a dragon that Trixie recognized, Prism, Maestro’s now adoptive daughter. Twilight spoke out. “Maestro? I thought you said that you’d convinced Discord to find you some help. Where is it? Is that dragon part of it?”
Maestro blinked a bit, but then grinned. “Oh, Prism? She wanted to see this, help out a bit. Plus, as my adoptive daughter, she hasn’t really interacted with you guys much, and I decided that needed to be rectified. As for my other help…” He looked to Discord. “You found her yet?”
Discord apparated onto the scene, and spoke. “Of course! You are a good friend, after all.” He then tore at the fabric of reality, causing a hole to appear. Out of it came an anthro that looked a lot like Maestro- save for the fact that she was a girl.
She spoke first, looking at Maestro. “Oh? So now you’ve called on me, instead of the other way around? This just got interesting!” She then looked at the group, who seemed confused. “For those of you who don’t know, I’m called Vibrant Serenade Star. If you hadn’t guessed, I’m Maestro’s female counterpart in the ‘63verse.’”
Maestro straightened up. “All right! So, who wants to go first? Or, shall I?”
Prism twiddled with her claws a bit, uncertain of how to start. Vibrant put a hand lightly to her chest. “I’ll go first.” She took a deep breath as she looked towards Xavier, and then began. “Alright Xavier, let’s start with inspiration. There was a time in my life that I had to deal with a friend that just didn’t think that they were worth much of anyone’s time. So, I had a sit-down with them, and I told them that if they felt like that, they could always do something to change that feeling. Maybe, perhaps they could actively seek out somebody to lift up, to inspire. I told them to change their situation, and they did. Now they are a consultant for people with suicidal thoughts, and have arguably kept many people from taking that dark exit from this world. Do you see how just a few inspiring words can change somebody’s life, along with many others down the road?”
Xavier scoffed audibly. “So? That proves only that people are gullible. Deep down, they are all monsters. Inspiration? Please! That cannot change one’s nature.”
Taking the hint, Prism spoke up. “You may be surprised by the power of empowerment. I may not have much experience, but l have quite the example for you. I recently came in contact with a person that had no confidence in their work. I asked them to show me their work, and they decided to ‘humor me.’ I took a look at it, and gave them some advice on how to improve, seeing that I had some experience with art. It took some doing to convince them, but once they followed my advice, I convinced them to show it off to some people. They were surprised at the positive reception, and thanked me for not giving up on them, when they had given up on themselves. To see things in others that they don’t see in themselves takes great dedication. If you put your mind to it, I’m certain that you could pull it off!”
Xavier pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation. “So you pushed somebody to follow their dream? What kind of proof is that? Do you even know if they kept at it? How do you know they didn’t just throw in the towel soon after? People are fickle, rotten creatures. They will always default back to what is comfortable.” He looked to Maestro. “So what’re you going to say? Rehash of your girl-self? If so, don’t even bother!”
Lastly, Maestro shook his head. “Of course I wouldn’t do something that stupid, Xavier. I’ve got a special example for you.” He then locked eyes with Xavier, and lambasted him. “Listen up, Xavier. I wasn’t always the hopeful guy that I am today. In fact, there was a point in my life where I thought a lot like you do now. I was cynical and alone, pushing everything away. I even went so far as to cause a lot of ruckus back in school, far worse than the pranks we used to pull. I didn’t see the point of connecting to others, if they would only hurt me in the end. However, the death of my father changed all of that.
“It was four-and-a-half years ago, to the day. I won’t go into detail, but his death shook me the most out of my family. I’d lost a lot since I’d broken ties with you, and frankly, I’d grown sick of it. I couldn’t stand the dark nature of the world. I wanted no part of it anymore. It would have been easy, to just give up on hope, and let go. But, something prevented me as I was drawn to my computer. I reasoned with myself, saying I’d take one last look before I left. Then, I saw it. The email from Mr. Dion. I read it.
“‘Hello there, Josephus.
Having dark thoughts, are we? Not to worry. Your old life might not be reason enough to stay, but how about this? I give you a new life, a new look. You can even choose one! Go on, and pick wisely.
-Mr. Dion’
“I thought it was a hoax at first, but as I looked down the list, I moved almost in a trance as I reached one that seemed to be calling me. It promised me power. It promised me wealth. It promised me vengeance, if I were to but choose it. The offer was quite tempting, but just as I was about to make the click, I heard another call out to me. It told me it could help me move on. It told me it could help me be happy again. It told me it could help me change the fate of my family, if I were to but let go of my hate and anger. Ultimately, I chose the one that soothed and assured me, and I found that after anthrofication, I had a new, brighter hope swell through my being. I knew it wouldn’t be easy, seeing as I’d been burned before, but I made a promise to myself that I would try and reach out, and bring people a reason to believe in a better tomorrow.
“Do you see now, Xavier? I almost lost myself that day. But with the right push, I found myself where I am today.” Maestro paused as he looked deep into Xavier’s being. “So you still don’t accept it… Ah, well. Go along now. I won’t stop you from leaving. I’ve done what I can, for now.”
Xavier backed away slowly, and then started to run. As he ran he tuned them out as they probably went over what to do next. After awhile, he stopped running, and caught his breath. The mere thought that Maestro could’ve ever been in such a position seemed ludicrous! And yet… Why did he sound so dead serious? Why had he told that story, if to not try and rattle him? Xavier shook his head. He couldn’t let Maestro win. He had to prove them wrong, somehow! But what was he supposed to do? He stewed over that thought alone, unsure of how he was to even counter the next “lesson.” He took out the crystal gravestone again, sliding his thumb across it a few times as he tried to think. Maybe he could use it…? It had been calling to him for some time, and yet… he hesitated. What would it even do when used? Destroy them? Turn them insane? He had no idea. He put it away, shaking his head. Best to use something I can depend on, rather than an unknown variable. He walked to his apartment, deep in thought.
Maestro had separated from the others to tail Xavier a bit after he resolved to do better next time. He pulled out his cell phone, and dialed a number. “Hey, Natalie? I was wondering if you could help me with something.... Mm-hm. Yeah, I gotcha. Hey, do you think you could stop over in Russia and pick up Erin and Eric? It’s been a while since I’ve seen them… You will? Great! See ya!” As he closed his phone, he noticed Sarah nearby. “Sarah! I was hoping to run into you! Listen, we need to talk…”
Terrified at what might happen, Sarah tried to leave. “UmI’vegottagobye!” However, she was stopped by a dome of turquoise magic. She turned to see Maestro, a hurt look on his face.
“Why are you scared? Have I given you reason to be? If so, tell me! Please. I won’t hurt you.”
Sarah took out a stone, one enchanted to break shields. “Ijustgottago!” She struck the barrier hard with the stone, breaking it. She ran away as Maestro crumpled to the ground.
Breathing heavily, he tried going after her, but was in no condition to do so, because of how draining shield spells were for him. He looked on as she ran. He sighed. Why had she run? He just wanted to speak with her. Maybe it was the way he’d said it…? He shook his head. He’d try again tomorrow, he supposed. After all, he could wait.