The town was bustling with activity as the carts rolled in. They set up their stand in record time, according to Applejack. “Now, here’s the deal, when a customer walks up, simply ask them how many apples they would like, then tell them the price. 2 bits per apple, 20 for a dozen. Let them pick out the ones they want, all Apple family quality apples. While they’re picking, make some small talk. Discuss the weather, complement their looks, something small yet noticeable. Think you can handle that?”
“Of course Trixie can handle it! Selling apples sounds easy, much easier than babysitting a few foals.” Trixie backed up her claims with grand gestures and a small firework spell. Bright, flashy things should attract the customers, she reasoned. A pony approached the cart warily.
“Can... can I buy some apples here?” She asked hopefully, her golden blonde hair bouncing as she looked up.
“Certainly, you may buy from Trixie. How many would you like?” Trixie smiled in a way she hoped was kind and trustworthy.
The pony looked a little weirded out by that, simply saying, “Four, please.”
“That will be eight bits, take your pick. Might I say, your cutie mark is quite fascinating, what does it mean?” She looked at said cutie mark, a cloud covering half the sun.
“Oh, staring at my flank are you? You naughty filly. Most ponies would be offended, but luckily I’m not most ponies. Wanna come over to my house later? We’ll bang, okay?” She waggled her eyebrows at Trixie seductively.
Trixie was quite taken aback, blushing first at the accusation of flank staring, then deeper at the mare’s direct approach to asking her out. “N-no that’s quite alright, T-trixie is busy later! Maybe some other time.” She tried to avert eyes, searching for some way out.
The mare pouted, but shrugged it off, “Yeah, some other time. That blush is cute, you remind me of my friend. See you around, stranger.” As she turned, she managed to ‘accidentally’ brush her flank against Trixie’s shoulder area. Trixie shuddered, turning to Applejack, who was laughing so hard she could barely stand.
“Hoo boy, that was great! I can’t believe the look on your face, she was right, that blush is adorable!” Applejack actually fell to the ground when that sparked an even deeper blush in Trixie.
“Oh, stop it! That was the single most awkward moment of Trixie’s life! I’m going on break.” She stormed off in a huff. It took Applejack a few more minutes to compose herself, then she noticed Trixie was gone.
“Shoot, I was supposed to keep an eye on her! Where could she have gone?” She closed up for a while, securing the apples. Then she began the search for Trixie.
Trixie ran, not caring where she was going. Her face was a mask of shame. It wasn’t bad enough that her first customer had been such a weirdo mare, Applejack had to multiply the awkwardness by making fun of her. What had that ‘adorable’ comment meant, anyway?
Suddenly, she ran into what seemed like a wall of white. Her head was lowered slightly, making it the perfect height to run into some pony's side. The two toppled over in a flash of blue and white, rolling over each other and ending up in a heap in the middle of the road. Disentangling herself from this pile, the mare stood up.
“Oh dear, excuse me darling! I wasn’t looking where I was...” She stopped, noticing who she was addressing, “YOU!”
Trixie stood up, eyes widening as she saw who was speaking. “Who, Trixie?”
“Yes, you! You’re the one who sent my baby sister home last night crying up a storm! And you turned my beautiful mane green! It took weeks for me to fix!” She patted it with a hoof while she spoke. Straightening, she continued, “Why are you back here, anyway? You don’t belong in this town.”
“Trixie belongs wherever Trixie wishes to be! She does not need your approval to be anywhere.” Despite these words, she was visibly shaken by Rarity’s words. Their yelling had also attracted a crowd. Normally being the center of attention was no problem, but at this moment Trixie just wanted to disappear.
“Oh please, like I’m the only one who thinks you should just go, leave and never return!” Rarity was red faced with anger, her pupils shrunken to pinpoints.
Trixie looked around, noticing the looks of disapproval on the other ponies’ faces. “Trixie would love to go. She would be elated to never see your face again, and especially that tacky mane you so love!” She ignited her horn, attempting a teleportation spell.
Just before she disappeared, she heard Rarity laugh, “Yes, run away, it’s all you’re good at!”
Suddenly, she was back at the apple cart, crouched low in anticipation of punishment. Receiving none, she cracked an eye and looked around. There was nopony manning the cart, and the apples seemed to be locked up. Trixie sighed, plopping herself down and waiting for Applejack to return.
Soon enough, she heard the clip clop of hooves approaching. “Where in Equestria have you been?!” ‘There she is...’ thought Trixie. “Ah’ve been all over town looking for you, only to find you back at the cart looking all... sad?” All the steam seemed to have gone out of her as she noticed Trixie’s gloomy expression.
“Trixie doesn’t feel like explaining, can we just go back home? Trixie needs to prepare for today's lesson.” She seemed to be avoiding Applejack’s eyes, looking everywhere but at her.
Applejack sighed, “Ah suppose so, but that means Big Mac will have to cover for us, which means we’ll have to do some applebucking. Think you’re up to it?”
Trixie nodded, “Easier than dealing with more crazy ponies.” She began walking and, after a brief look with accompanying sigh, Applejack followed.
A while later, they arrived back at the farm. Trixie went inside to ‘collect herself,’ while Applejack went out in the fields to find Big Mac. She explained the situation, he nodded and ambled off towards town, leaving her to start the task of applebucking.
Trixie came outside and looked around, “Trixie does not like the amount of apple trees around here.”
Applejack rolled her eyes, “Would yeh quit yer complaining? This was yer idea in tha first place!” She kicked a tree, causing a cascade of apples to fall into the carefully placed baskets underneath.
Trixie distanced herself from the frustrated apple farmer, grabbing some saddle bags with her magic. As she walked among the trees, she filled her bags with many apples from various sources. “Much too easy for The Great and Powerful Trixie! Much easier than selling them!”
After a few hours of gathering apples, Applejack called it a day. “It’s just about time for yer community service.”
Trixie wiped her face, sweaty from the amount of magic she had used. After taking a trip to the bathroom for more freshening up, she came downstairs to find a glass of lemonade waiting. She lifted it to her lips, taking a large gulp. She sighed in content, it was really great lemonade!
Applejack entered the room, “You ready to go, Trixie? Are you sure you feel up to it? I’m sure Cheerilee would understand, and we could go visit some of my friends or something.”
At the mention of friends, Trixie shook her head, “No, no! Trixie feels fine, she is more than capable of handling teaching duties!” Her ears drooped as she thought of something, “She just has to be careful about one on one interaction.”
“Just try not to draw attention if one filly isn’t doing as good as the rest. Talk quietly, maybe ask them to meet you after class instead of pointing it out in the moment.” She reached up and patted Trixie’s shoulder with a hoof.
“Trixie will try.” She smiled.
“That’s all Ah’m asking.” She lowered her hoof to the ground and turned, “Now then, ready to teach some magic?”
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Cheerilee liked to think that she was a patient pony, but this was one time when her patience escaped her. “How could you bring her back here right after she showed that she can’t handle this job?!”
“You’re the one who asked for her help in the first place! I don’t think you’re giving her a fair shake!” Applejack fought with the irate schoolmare while Trixie stood awkwardly and the class stared. “If you won’t allow her to teach, I’ll have to bring the Mayor in here, and you know which side she’ll take!”
Cheerilee sighed, defeated, “Fine, she can teach for today. But it will only be a half hour instead of the full hour, and no demonstrations.”
“Trixie accepts these terms.” Applejack nodded. “Before Trixie begins, she must ask you to leave, Applejack and Miss... Cheerilee is it?”
Applejack looked at her with a quizzical look, but nodded and filed out. Cheerilee looked angry, but didn’t want to argue any further and left as well, closing the door behind her.
“Now, what Trixie is about to tell you is a well guarded secret passed down from unicorn to unicorn from the time of the great Star Swirl the Bearded.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Now, in yesterday’s lesson Trixie told you that each unicorn has a magical reservoir that they draw magical power from. Some of you may have been wondering how this is so, when you have seen some unicorns,” She gestured to herself at this, “Displayed more magical ability than would be possible considering this limitation.”
She walked to the board, lifting a piece of chalk. She wrote on the board, ‘Bonded item.’ Underneath she drew a cape emblazoned with stars with matching hat on top of it.
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Outside, Cheerilee was fuming and Applejack was trying to calm her down. “It’s unicorn magic, why would we wanna be in there anyway? We ain’t gonna understand it, no matter how hard we try.”
“I know, but I don’t wanna leave my class with... her.” She peered into the window, trying to read the board. “Bonded item? What the hay is that?” Looking towards Applejack, she noticed they had an eavesdropper.
“Ooh! I know what that is! I know exactly what a bonded item is!” The pink party mare shouted out. Applejack and Cheerilee shushed her. “Oops, sorry.”
“What in tarnation are you talking about?! You know just as much about magic as either of us.” Applejack pointed at Pinkie, then at Cheerilee and herself.
“Well, duh! But if I just keep talking, they’ll see that my words become truth!” She beamed widely, while Cheerilee gave Applejack a quizzical look and Applejack just shook her head. Pinkie continued on, “Now, bonded items are...”
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“Now, class, bonded items are special clothing that a unicorn has imbued with her magic. This creates a link between her and this clothing, which increases their power exponentially.” She drew a rough sketch of a unicorn, drawing a line from the cloak and hat to said pony. “Now, imagine this is the estimation of this unicorns natural reservoir of magic,” She drew a small circle, about the diameter of the end of her horn, “Depending on how strong the bond is, the unicorns magical reservoir could increase to this size,” She drew a circle the diameter of her hoof this time, “Or even this size!” She drew one roughly the diameter of a basketball. “You can also....”
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“...Have a bonded item that isn’t really an item! I guess then it’s not really a bonded item then? I wonder why they call it that?” Pinkie put her hoof up to her chin and thought for a second, then shook her head and continued, “Anyway, this ‘bonded item’ is actually an animal! Or, in Twilight’s case, a dragon.” She smiled, looking from Applejack to Cheerilee.
Applejack stared at her, “So, what yer trying to tell us is that Spike is Twilight’s ‘bonded item’ even though he ain’t an item?” Pinkie nodded vigorously. “That don’t make no sense! He isn’t an item, so why is he called a ‘bonded item’?”
Pinkie shrugged, “I dunno, I’m just here to explain it, not understand it. All I know is that bonded items exist, increase a unicorn’s magic, and Spike is one for Twilight.”
Cheerilee was quite confused, trying to pick apart Pinkie’s logic. She eventually just gave up, “Well, if you know so much about them, why were we kicked from the classroom?”
“Trixie’s all about showing off. If the fillies think that this is some great secret, they’ll pay attention better.” Applejack explained.
“Right. So, back to bonded items that aren’t really bonded items...”
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“A familiar increases a unicorn’s magical ability to a much greater height than a bonded item, normally.” Trixie drew a cat, dog, and dragon on the board, “A familiar could be any sort of animal you can imagine. A family pet, you could adopt one and bond with it.” She moved away from the board, facing the children, “Trixie has heard about some unicorns bonding with special animals, magical in nature. She once even heard of a unicorn bonding with a dragon, of all things! Now, this only happens once in every few generations, so don’t get your hopes up, children.”
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“So yer telling us that not only is Twilight ‘bonded’ magically to Spike, but that it’s so rare it’s never been documented in history before?” Applejack was desperately trying to figure out all this magic talk, but couldn’t.
Cheerilee was having a slightly better time, but she was still lost as well. “How is that different than just bonding with an animal, or an article of clothing?”
“Oh, that’s an easy one! Dragons are magical by themselves, so when a unicorn bonds with one he or she could draw from the dragon’s magic.” She looked at them expectantly, like they were just supposed to know this.
Applejack sighed.
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“Dragons have a vast magic pool, and a unicorn draws from it through the bond they share.” Trixie was really getting into teaching, she enjoyed the look of wonder her words brought to the children’s faces. “This has one drawback, however. The bond is heavily one sided, towards the unicorn. This means that the dragon doesn’t grow as if it was without the bond. The Dragon’s growth is stunted....”
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“...Which is why Spike’s not all big and mean and rawr rawr rawr!!!” Pinkie leaned up on her hind legs and roared with each rawr. Cheerilee and Applejack just stared.
“But what about on his birthday, when he did go all... ‘rawr rawr rawr’ ?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, that’s another easy one! Spike and Twilight’s bond was weakened on that day for whatever reason, so he grew to his normal size!” Pinkie bounced in place. “Come on, give me a challenge!”
Cheerilee rolled her eyes, “We’ve been standing out here for almost an hour, all this magic talk and the way Pinkie explains it is giving me a headache. No offence intended, of course.”
Applejack grinned, “Yeah, Pinkie does tend to get a little over excited.” She looked over at Pinkie, who was beaming at her. “Wait, did you say almost an hour?”
Cheerilee nodded, “Almost time for her to leave, and me to get back control of my classroom.”
Applejack frowned, “Now now, no need to be harsh on her. She’s been through a rough patch, and Ah’m doing my best to help her out.”
Cheerilee snorted, “Been through a rough patch? She sent one of my students home crying yesterday. Not exactly the best way to start off.” Applejack looked ready to defend Trixie some more, but Cheerilee simply stepped towards the schoolhouse and threw open the door. “Alright, miss Trixie, your hour is up.”
Trixie looked startled, had an hour really gone up so quick? She checked, then double checked the clock. Yep, indeed it had. “Alright, Trixie was just finishing up anyway.” The class whined, clearly not wanting Trixie to leave. “I know, my adoring class, but Trixie must go. She has things to do and ponies to see.” She suddenly grinned in a most sly manner, “But, she leaves you with this parting gift!” With a flash of color, Trixie and Applejack were gone, and the class gasped, for written on the board were the words, ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie shall return!’