//------------------------------// // Chapter Six: OOC is Serious Business // Story: Hero Antagonist // by dungeonguy88 //------------------------------// “Fnnh...Mmrnuh?” Trixie's face was distinctly scratchy, that was the first thing she realized. Which was peculiar enough on its own, without considering the fact that she had unexpectedly been unconscious till just now. Sudden bouts of unconsciousness were almost never a good sign, in her experience. It was, admittedly, something of a relief to find that she wasn't hungover; that usually suggested that she hadn't done anything too...great and powerful. She had to give out a groan though, at that thought, one that wasn't quite of discomfort or displeasure. Just a strange feeling of ennui, of confusion as to why-...getting drunk wasn't great and powerful. Why would she think of it like that? Trixie had to shake her head a bit, causing her face to brush against whatever scitchy-scratchy substance had been irritating her before. This had the unfortunate side-effect of having something thin and pointy jabbing its way into one of Trixie's nostrils. “Snnrrrktt! Ahh...Ughhh...” Trixie groaned to herself as she sat herself up, before quickly swiping at her nose with a forehoof. Blinking at the offending bit of hay that fell, her gaze soon fell upon the trough of hay that she'd apparently been resting her head in. Briefly blowing her nose to clear away the sensation from before, she let her gaze finally wander across her surroundings. “...Did I pass out?” She muttered to herself, as she looked across the sparsely appointed room. There was the trough of hay, a tub of water just to the side, a few books scattered around, some raggedy curtains. It was altogether a very dreary, very bland room, with even the little bits of art hanging from the walls dragging the mood down. Unsurprisingly, as it just seemed to be same image of an equal sign in every frame. Closing her eyes for a moment, Trixie again brought a hoof up, swiping her disheveled mane to the side and- Her hat was gone. Eyes going wide for a moment, she reflexively tried to look up, before patting around the top of her head with her hoof. A bit panicked she glanced around on the ground and in the trough before starting to turn and- Her cloak was gone too. This was very upsetting for a number of reasons. Not the least of which, was for the concern of some random somepony disrobing Trixie while she was unconscious. Yes, most ponies walked around fully in the buff, but that was really beside the point. Frowning mightily at that, Trixie rubbed her brow, as she tried to ponder just what had happened. She didn't feel like she'd done any heavy drinking recently. But, at the same time, random bouts of unrecalled events were usually only explained by her becoming too inebriated and... “Uggghhh...I probably let somepony assuage me...” Trixie lamented, wondering what hijinks she surely must have gotten into to arrive at her current circumstances “...And who knows what else...” Did the locals-...Oh, right. She had been hanging around a bunch of weirdos, as of late... “Somepony must have brought me here.” Trixie said to herself, giving a shake of her head. Had they thrown her some sort of party perhaps? That-...they probably shouldn't have done that. What had she really done to deserve a party? Trixie blinked at that, briefly confused by the thought. But...that had to be true, right? There was certainly no reason for the little town to be throwing her a party. She wasn't much to speak of...She frowned at the feelings of tension and tiredness that seemed to wash over her, as she kept trying to ponder over whatever it was she had missed. “Uggh...Maybe I am hungover...” Trixie lamented, grimacing as she trotted over towards the tub of water. Scrutinizing it only briefly she leaned in to take a few sip, before dipping in a hoof. Dabbing away at her face for a few moments, she briefly considered just dunking her whole face into the water, before deciding against it. It seemed a bit immature. Letting out a sigh, Trixie poured over what she remembered last, in the hopes that some clarity might strike her. She had been preparing to head out again, pondering the possibility of returning to Equestria proper. Just as soon as her wagon was ready, she had been planning on setting out again. “Oh, right.” Trixie said to herself, as she recalled Sugar Belle and the others. They had wanted to come with her when she left for the open road again. Something about needing to get their Cutie Marks back and... Starlight Glimmer. Trixie had gone to speak with her about that, letting the pink pony know what was going on and asking if she might show her where they kept the Cutie Marks. Thinking back to the conversations they had, she had to grimace. “Uggghh...Did I really make that much an ass out of myself?...Wait. Is that racist? Asses aren't that- They're certainly no worse than mules or-...I really need to think about what I'm saying in the future.” Trixie found herself lamenting, flabbergasted by how rude she'd been last night. If it even was the next day. Whenever it was she'd had her chat with Starlight, she was rather surprised that the pink unicorn hadn't decked her. “I can't believe I accused Starlight of-...How conceited would someone have to be to just assume that somepony was madly in love with...” 'Me.' Trixie shook her head at that self-deprecating line of thought. It wasn't like her to put herself down like that, not anymore. She was a worldly, well-traveled mare, who'd been to points and places all across the map. And while she might not be the most powerful magician in all of Equestria, she undeniably ranked pretty highly. She'd built herself up from nothing. Twice. Of course, there would be plenty of ponies and non-ponies out there that would want to fawn over the Great and Powerful- “Urrgghh-mmph...” Trixie groaned at the shooting pain that went through her skull, derailing her thoughts. Grimacing once more, she started trying to rub at her brow in an attempt to ease the waves of discomfort “Stupid hangover...” She'd been getting ahead of herself again. Nopony would want to spend time with somepony like that, that went around showboating all of the time. It was embarrassing. All of her mistakes and the times she'd rebuffed others. She'd been so vain and- Opening one eye as the headache faded a bit, Trixie couldn't help but have her eye caught by her reflection in the now still water. Something seemed off. All the pieces of the picture seemed to be in the right places. The same eyes, the carefully kept eyebrows. The cut of her jaw and shape of her nose. All of it framed by her mane and crowned with a rather lov-...adequate horn. It was definitely her, Trixie noted as she stared down at her reflection. But at the same time it just seemed so unrecognizable, as if it was somepony entirely different that just seemed to be wearing her face. “...Maybe I'm a changeling?” Trixe said aloud, utterly bemused by this strange feeling coming over her. Frowning at that thought, she found herself blinking and furrowing her brow at those thoughts “That's ridiculous. I'd know if I was a changeling...changelings know that they're changelings, right? Wait, maybe it's just when they look like changelings...Why am I talking to myself?” Looking back down at her reflection, she brushed her mane to the side, hoping to make sense of her own face. Sparing a look to the room, Trixie didn't see any sort of lamps or candles set out. With the distinct lack of any light pouring in through the windows, she sighed at the dimness of her surroundings. “Well, that's easy enough to-...” Trixie trailed off, as she gazed down into the water, having expected a spark of light to erupt from her horn. Briefly confused, as the minor cantrip apparently fizzled, she leaned forward a bit “I said, that's easy enough to-...” Nothing. Going cross-eyed, as she tried to look up at her unresponsive horn, Trixie raised a hoof up to give it a light tap “...Hello? Come on, there's no way you can be hungover too...” Still nothing. “...Light...Light-up...Lumière. Que la lumière soit...Why won't you-” Trixie scrunched up her face in concentration. She hadn't needed to use guide phrases for her magic since...ever. Not since before she'd gotten her Cutie-Mark had she ever needed any help with magic this simple. This wasn't normal. Swallowing down a bit of anxiousness now, Trixie found herself finally starting to worry now. Sure, she'd been in tons of harrowing situations before, but she'd always had the advantage of being able to rely on her magic. Without it, she was just... Something was definitely wrong. Shifting about on her hooves nervously, Trixie looked around the dark room before settling her eyes upon the door leading out. She quickly trotted over, scarcely giving a thought to the flickering of light and shadow shining in through the windows. “Maybe I can find somepony and get some-myeennh!” Trixie grunted out, as she found herself walking face first into the door. Letting out a groan as she stepped back, realizing she had reflexively expected her magic to open the door for her “Owww...Stupid hungover horn...or whatever...” Looking up to glare at the offending door, she was given some pause, as her ears flicked about towards the exit. “Oh! What marvelous timing. Let me get that for you...” A muffled voice came from the other side of the door. Trixie blinked as the door steadily opened itself for her, before slowly stepping forward. 'Starting to feel a bit more anxious...' Trixie furrowed her brow as she walked outside, her gaze wandering across the large crowd of townsponies, each of which was beaming a smile towards her. It was already well into the evening now, she found, with the townsponies having apparently set up torches outside. Their flickering light being cast over the gathered group of ponies did nothing to put Trixie at ease, as they all stared at her expectantly. Shrinking back, unexpectedly being discomforted by the number of eyes that were on her, Trixie found herself oddly unsure of how to respond. She was normally so good with crowds... Trixie almost jumped out of her skin, at the sound of the door slamming shut behind her, letting an uncharacteristically timid yelp at the sound. Ducking her head down, as she recomposed herself, Trixie quickly turned back to where the sound came from to find... “I'm so glad to see you awake, Trixie. I was starting to worry about you, just a bit.” Starlight Glimmer said in what probably seemed like a compassionate tone. Letting her faux concern give away to a very pleased smile, Starlight trotted forward “After all, it would hardly do to gather-” “Why would you do that?!” Trixie tersely demanded with a frown. “Errg- I'm sorry?” Starlight blurted out, thrown by the question. “You should be. That was a really creepy thing to do!” Trixie admonished. Glancing back to the gathered crowd, before pointing a hoof in their direction “I mean, did all of you know she was hiding there? Who just sets somepony up like-” “Please, please...Calm yourself, Trixie. I didn't mean to startle you like that.” Starlight interceded, as some of the other ponies started murmuring quietly at Trixie's accusations. Clearing her throat to gather their attention and quiet them down, she came up alongside the azure unicorn “And you can be certain that nopony here wants anything other than for you to be happy. I promise.” “Well...it was still kind of creepy...” Trixie trailed off, her momentary ire once more being replaced by discomfort at being the center of attention. Glancing down, to not have to acknowledge all of the ponies staring at her for a moment “Uhm...is this the Going-Away Party they wanted to throw me? Because it seems kind of...” That actually elicited a bit more murmuring from the closest townsponies, some of their smiles fading. Before that line of question could take root for long, Starlight let off a chuckle “Oh my, Trixie. That's so very amusing. Don't tell me you've forgotten already?” “...Forgotten what?” “Oh...it can be a bit a shocking at first, I admit. Not everypony has an easy time adapting...” Starlight said in a very understanding tone, resting a hoof on Trixie's whithers in a calming gesture “But, Trixie...surely you recall your decision to join our little community, don't you?” “Not at all.” “Well, rest-assured I certainly haven't forgotten how you-” “Where's my wagon?” “...You're not going to need your wagon, I'm afraid. You see-” “How could I possibly not need a wagon?” “If you would-” “I can't carry all of my things. That's ridiculous.” “Alright. You're not listening to-” “And my wagon is my stage. I need my wagon.” "I understand that and-" "Is that it over there? Starlight Glimmer found her smile fading a fraction, as she stared at the stubborn mare in front of her. Giving a light chuckle and letting out a sigh, her smile easily returned this time though. Giving a tilt of her head towards Trixie, she removed her hoof to gesture towards the group of waiting ponies in front of them “Please, Trixie...Let me just show you what I'm talking about.” “...Alright.” Trixie hesitantly replied, after looking the pink mare up-and-down briefly. “I know how scary change can be, Trixie.” Starlight said, as she guided the uncertain Trixie forward, the townsponies steadily clearing a path for them to walk into the crowd. Pausing to gesture towards Trixie with a hoof “But, you can trust me, Trixie. Everything is going to be alright.” Nope. Definitely didn't feel alright. “I-...I'm pretty sure that's my wagon over there. I can just-” “You're surrounded by friends, Trixie.” Starlight told her, as she once more settled a hoof around Trixie's shoulders. Leaning in more closely, she shared the kindest smile she could “Believe me, Trixie...Just look all around you, look at all the ponies that are here for you...And tell me, what do you see?” Trixie furrowed her brow, sparing an uncomfortable glance for the hoof draped over her, before looking up at the crowd of ponies “I see a bunch of ponies smiling...really, really hard.” “And do you know why they're all smiling?” “...Going-Away Party?” Starlight gave a hearty chuckle at that “No, no...I'll give you a hint...Take a look at their Cutie Marks, Trixie.” “...Okay. Now what?” “What did you see?” “...Everyone's Cutie Mark is the same?” Trixie asked with an upraised eyebrow. “You're right.” Starlight replied with a grin, before leaning in closer “Everyone's Cutie Mark is the same...now.” “...Okay. Can I go now?” “N-no. You need to look at your Cutie Mark.” “Why?” “Just do it.” “This is all becoming very-...” “You see, Trixie? You're a part of our little-” Starlight didn't get to finish her thought, as Trixie finally turned her attention to her own flanks, spotting Starlight's earlier handiwork. “Aaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhh!!!” Starlight had to let out her own discontented yelp of pain, at the piercing scream Trixie loosed right into her upright ears. This was followed by another, louder yelp of pain, as this jostled around her cracked tooth. Closing her eyes, the pink pony couldn't help but bring a hoof up to her cheek, distracted for a moment by the pain. “What did you do?!?!” Starlight grimaced through the pain, before opening her eyes to see the almost comical sight of Trixie trying to whip her head from side-to-side to gaze upon her own flanks. The showpony was clearly in a panic, as she almost started darting in a tight circle trying to ascertain what had been done to her. The whole scene was very clearly disturbing and upsetting the rest of her townsponies, which wasn't something that she could just let happen for long though. “Trixie. If you would just- I need you to-...Trixie!!” Swallowing down her own discomfort, Starlight cleared her throat before putting on her smile again. Having briefly gotten the attention of the mare, she tried to take hold of the situation again “Trixie...Don't tell me you've forgotten our earlier conversation, did you?” “Wh-what?” “Oh, yes. Our long, heartfelt conversation in front of the Cutie Mark vault? I can only imagine that seeing it finally inspired you to start seeing things-” Starlight began. “You! You did this!” Starlight was briefly taken aback by the intense tone coming from Trixie. Shaking off the accusation, with a smile for her followers, Starlight nodded “Well, of course. Who else would have done it for you? We were the only ones there, remember?” “I never said I wanted this to happen!” “Oh, but you did...It's alright. I'm sure your memories are just a bit foggy. Being rid of your Cutie Mark can be quite the intense experience.” Starlight continued smoothly. Smiling to herself for a moment, as a thought occurred to her, the pink mare gestured to the rest of the ponies gathered here “You can ask anypony here, if you want. Everyone of these many ponies is entirely ready to share their own experiences with you, I'm sure.” “We're here for you Trixie!” “Everyone's just so happy to have you.” “You'll get used to it, I promise!” “If you have any questions, I'd be-” Trixie found herself stumbling back, as the many townsponies crowded around her, each of them bombarding her with their offers of friendship and reassurance. For a scant few moments she tried to remind herself that she was a strong, confident performer that shouldn't have any troubles with being at the center of a crowd. But all too soon, feelings of self-doubt and nervousness started washing over her. This wasn't Trixie. This was some nobody that just happened to be wearing Trixie's face, a nobody that was all alone in the world. All of these ponies clamoring around her, it would have been so easy to just let herself be carried off in this wave of acceptance. Far easier than speaking out and disappointing so many. She couldn't do that. 'This isn't right...' Nothing was right. But it could be. She might not have chosen any of this, but it could be nice. She could be just another face in the crowd here, with none of her past mistakes lingering over her head. She could blend in here so easily. And if it was that easy, maybe Starlight was right. She seemed so confident, standing there in the center of the crowd, completely unbothered by all of the tumult that she felt swamped in. Starlight Glimmer was like a rock in the sea, or a lighthouse guiding her to safe harbor. She wasn't anything special. Who was she to turn these ponies down? Why should she leave? She could just keep quiet and let herself be accepted into this group and... “You can come stay with me!” “Just until we expand the town a bit.” “We're just so happy- “GET AWAY FROM ME!!!” The screamed words seemed to echo over the small village, as everypony abruptly found themselves snapping their mouths shut. Shocked looks were shared between formerly excited and eager ponies, as they all quietly wondered what was wrong. “Get away!!” Starlight Glimmer herself had to stumble back in confusion, as the rest of her townsponies quickly backed away from the azure mare. Confused and worried murmurs quickly started springing up amongst her ponies, though Starlight herself was too distracted to try to settle them. One hesitant stallion looked back to his fellow townsponies, before again approaching the blue unicorn with an outstretched hoof “...Miss Trixie? Are you-” He quickly retreated, when Trixie abruptly stomped her hooves at him without meeting his gaze. Her head was pounding and her body just felt so heavy, she barely even noticed the stares she was receiving now. Everything was so hazy, like she felt like she wasn't even in her own skin now. But at the same time, her chest was pounding. It felt like she was having a panic attack. Just so much anxiety and worry was pouring over her, like nothing she had ever felt in any of her shows. Even when things were going so wrong for her, she had never felt this afraid in front of a crowd before. It felt like her many great shows and amazing performances were so far away right now, like they had never even happened. Which was a lie. They had happened. Every applause. Every accolade. Every heckler. Every thrown piece of vegetable or fruit. Every pony that had ever wanted her to fail. The pony she was supposed to be had stood up to them all, never flinching. She was having trouble breathing. She barely even noticed the pink form of a mare waving away the townsponies, giving out fake reassurances to them. She didn't even hear it when the pink mare turned towards her, cooing empty words at her... It was so clear in her mind. The image that had replaced her Cutie Mark. It was almost mocking her... “I-...” She gasped out, and suddenly she felt every eye on her once again and her heart suddenly clenched again. “I- You can't-...Trixie...” “Come now, Trixie. You're safe. You're with friends. Just let me-” “The-...The Great and Powerful Trixie won't be bullied!!!” What few murmurs that had taken the crowd had been once more silenced by Trixie's outburst, everypony looking aghast and hurt by the words that they'd just heard. That great wave of discomfort and self-doubt had been thrown outwards, gripping the many townsponies here with new feelings of doubt. “B-bullied? No ones bullying you, Trixie. No one here would ever bully anyone.” Starlight stuttered out haltingly, taken aback by the terrible accusation that had been leveled against her town. Giving a laugh that sounded slightly hysterical, the pink mare gave a shake of her head “Come now, Trixie. You're not making any sense. You just need to-” “I- Trixie isn't staying here!” Trixie once more declared, giving a stomp of her hoof to punctuate the point. Trixie's face was burning with uncharacteristic embarrassment at the scene she was making and her flanks felt like they were taken with a dull soreness. The weight that had been pressing down on her heart was still as strong as ever. And the seemingly countless looks that were being sent her way felt like they were revealing her every failure. But Trixie didn't care. “Trixie is getting her Cutie Mark back and there's nothing-” “Trixie. You're hysterical.” Starlight sternly told the azure magician. Trotting closer, she raised a hoof towards the clearly distraught pony “You just need to take in a deep-breath...and calm down.” “You calm down!” “I am perfectly-” “You calm down!” “Just-” “You calm down!” “Stop being immature!” Starlight snapped. “You're immature!” This was pretty far from Trixie's most impressive showing, she knew. Trixie knew it was childish, but at this point she was ready to say anything she could to contradict the pink mare in front of her. It was a life-line for her, something that helped cut through the haze in her mind. It was the most simple-minded of ways Trixie could think of to rebuff Starlight. The best part was that it seemed to be working. “And I- And The Great and Powerful Trixie said you need to get away!” Trixie sharply announced before using a hoof to give Starlight a shove away from her. To which the pink mare gave no resistance to, not so much being pushed back by the hoof, as she was stumbling back in shock. Starlight couldn't help but stare at the red-faced, disheveled pony that was still rejecting her, after everything she had done for her. It didn't make sense. Never before had somepony been so ready to utterly spite her, so completely tossed everything she was offering to them in her face. It was bewildering. Even the most stubborn ponies had been ready to give-in just a little bit before now. Even the most hardened of hearts had been softened by her magic, enough that her friendship could take root. It was wrong... It was hurtful. “S-Starlight? I-...are you really sure that Trixie wants to stay?” “I don't want to stay here!” Trixie suddenly snapped, before Starlight could even start to respond to the question. Stomping her hooves again, Trixie sent a glare to the group of staring townsponies “Nopony wants to stay here! Even-...” Trixie found the wind suddenly leave her sails, as she looked into the crowd of ponies, her gaze meeting that of Sugar Belle's. She looked scared. She seemed so worried and fretful, shrinking away from her friends as she sent a pleading look towards Trixie. Sugar Belle wasn't Trixie, she didn't know how to reject and be rejected like Trixie did; Trixie herself was having trouble hanging on to that part of herself. Sugar Belle was miserable staying here, but in that moment she was terrified of losing her friends too and Trixie could see it so clearly on her face. Trixie was Trixie. But she didn't need to be a Trixie that didn't care about others... '...Why, Twilight? Why now, of all times?' Trixie was broken from her lamentations, as her hooves abruptly slid out from under her. Trixie barely even caught sight of the glow of magic leaving Starlight Glimmer's horn, before she was coughing at the dust her fall kicked up. She had to shake her head, as the haze that had been plaguing her earlier seemed to thicken, her earlier show of willpower interrupted now. “Everypony, everypony! Please calm yourselves!” Starlight quickly gathered the attention of the crowd of bemused and worried ponies, holding her hoof up to forestall any chatter. Settling once she had everypony's attention, she shared as comforting a smile as there ever could be with them “Now, now everypony. We need to remember...Nopony ever said this was going to be easy.” Trixie wasn't listening though, as she tried to clear her thoughts once more. “It's not always going to be easy, sharing the true path to happiness with somepony. Surely we all know that, don't we? We all had our doubts when we got here.” Starlight continued on, with a gesture of her hoof towards the disoriented Trixie. Turning back she brought that hoof to her chest “But we all just need to remember what we've built in here, in our hearts. And what we've built out here.” Trixie struggled to force her thoughts back into order, trying to remember how she could have done something so brazen. “We wouldn't be here though, without the Staff of Sameness. We were all meant to find it. To use it! It couldn't have been anything else but destiny for us all.” She told her onlooking townsponies, extending her hoof out to gently pat the shoulders of those she passed. Standing up straight again, Starlight beamed down at her gathered ponies “We'll get thought to Miss Trixie, I promise. That's the only possibility before us.” It had all seemed so clear a few moments ago, thought Trixie. She had been focused, she had known what the problem was. But now as she looked upon all of these ponies, all of them bound by the same Cutie Mark... “Miss Trixie will see the light, I'm sure. And we'll have all the more to celebrate when that day comes.” Starlight declared, before looking back towards Trixie. All of the townsponies followed her gaze back to the wandering magician with her “She'll be one of us...She just needs a little time to come around to the idea...” Trixie needed to get her Cutie Mark back. That was it. That was all she needed to know. Giving another shake of her head, she forced her hooves back under her, before standing up fully. Briefly scowling at the symbol that had replaced her Cutie Mark, Trixie let out a huff, as she recognized it as her true enemy in all of this. If she just got her Cutie Mark back, then everything else would fall into place. It had to. It had always been that way for Trixie when she was...Trixie. “So, let's all wish a 'Goodnight' to our newest arrival, before we let her have her some much needed alone time.” “What? I'm not- I mean, Trixie's not- Gyaaaah!” Trixie began, not getting the opportunity to finish her thought before being swept up in the glow of Starlight's magic. Flailing about in a brief panic, before finally getting a grasp of her situation, Trixie pointed an accusing hoof towards the pink townsleader “Gya! What-...It's incredibly rude to use your magic on other ponies, you know! Especially without their permission!” “Oh, I'm terribly sorry, Trixie. I-” Starlight began with a smile and a nod for the pony held aloft in her magic. “No you're not! I would know if someone was sorry about that, cause I never-...nevermind.” The azure unicorn abruptly snapped her mouth shut and lowered her outstretched hoof. “What was that?” Starlight said, tilting an ear in her direction. “Nothing.” “What is it?” “I- Trixie certainly-...nothing.” It certainly wouldn't help Trixie's case, bringing up all the times that she'd done similar things to ponies for her shows. Or for revenge, that one time. Even if she still had her Cutie Mark, she was rather doubtful that she would be able to spin that into not being hypocritical... 'Ugh...Even when I get my Cutie Mark back, I gotta work on that...' “Well, don't worry about it. You'll have plenty of time to think about what you want to say for next time.” Starlight replied with a flippant shrug. Turning fully towards Trixie now, she rose a hoof before giving a wave with an accompanying and overly chipper smile “Goodnight, Trixie.” “I actually just woke up, so-” “Goodnight, Trixie!” The rest of the townsponies called out in unison, following Starlight's lead. For Trixie's part, she was rather embarrassed by her own cringing at the attention being sent her way and didn't have much of an opportunity to respond. Mostly, because she found herself zipping through the air, courtesy of the light-blue magic engulfing her. “Wait! What are you- I think- Ahhhh!” Flailing her hooves through the air, Trixie ducked her head reflexively, as she passed through the threshold of the building she had woken up in earlier. Fwump! “Ugggh...” Dazed by her landing, Trixie barely had the wherewithal to be relieved by her relatively soft landing in the hay trough. Lifting her head up, before using a hoof to brush away some straw from her mane, she just noticed Starlight standing in the doorway with her usual overly saccharine smile. “You rest up now, you have a big day tomorrow!” Starlight told her, with a menacingly upbeat tone and no regard for Trixie's apparent disorientation. Turning away, the pink mare only managed a couple steps, before coming to a pause “Oh, I almost forgot.” The glow from Starlight's horn soon drew Trixie's gaze up to the speaker mounted at the top of one the corner's of the small building. “I've gone ahead and prepared some...listening material for the evening. Something to help you get orientated. I do hope you enjoy it.” Starlight explained, as a small burst of static emerged from the speaker, only to be replaced by a stream of dryly delivered dogma. "...Free yourself from your cutie mark. Choose equality as your special talent..." “Sleep tight.” And with that, Starlight slammed the door behind her, leaving her newest friend to rest for the evening. Giving a hearty, surprisingly genuine smile to herself, Starlight had to resist the urge to start chuckling, recalling that she still had a whole town of ponies to set an example for. “Alright everypony. I'd like to thank all of you for your-” “Crazy-pony!” Came the muffled cry and a dull thud from the door she'd just closed behind her, likely the sound of a certain somepony trying to kick the door down. Resisting the urge to roll her eyes, and knowing it might take a bit of time to get through to her, Starlight focused back upon what she was saying “...I know it's all very odd to ask all of you to stay up this late, but I'm terribly happy that we all got to share in welcoming our new-” Thud! “Welcoming our new-” Thud! “...Welcoming our newest arrival to our town.” At this Starlight paused, before turning to look back at the door expectantly. After several moments of silence, wherein the whole town patiently waited for Starlight to continue, the pink unicorn finally gave a nod of satisfaction. Smiling back to her followers once more “And while it is a bit late, I'd like to encourage everypony to get plenty of-” Thud! Starlight gave a stomp of her hoof, before sending a glare at the door, willing the occupant on the other side to refrain from anymore petulant noisemaking. While she certainly didn't expect Trixie to immediately come over to her way of thinking, it wouldn't hurt for her to show a little gratitude. All the headaches she had put up with so far, and here she was still ready to extend a hoof out in friendship. 'And it's not like it's the worst-' Thud! “Arrggg!” Starlight suddenly yelped out, before slapping her hoof to her cheek again. “Starlight?! What's wrong?” Came the call from her followers, as several trotted over, each tilting their heads in concern. “I-...It's nothing. Just a bit of dental trouble...” Starlight assured everypony with a wave of her hoof and a forced smile. Which turned out to be unwise, as the act of smiling exacerbated the aching of her tooth. Letting out a groan, she had to resist the urge of stomping her hoof or trying to rub at her cheek, hoping that not moving at all would alleviate the pain. “Oh, oh, Starlight you need to see a dentist about that if you're in pain.” One pony called out. Closing her eyes at the rather obvious observation, she gave a nod “That...That would probably be prudent. Thank you...I don't suppose anypony here-” “I'm a dentist!” One mare from the back enthusiastically called out, waving a hoof as she approached the front of the crowd. “Ah, marvelous. Anytime you could set-” Starlight began, genuinely relieved by the news, until she saw the mare's enthusiastic expression suddenly drop. Wincing a bit, she gave a tilt of her head towards the pony “What? What is it?” “Errrr. It's just...I used to be a dentist. Before. Back before I came here...and gave up my Cutie Mark...” The mare eventually trailed off. Swallowing and giving her a tilt of her head in thought "I mean...I suppose I'd be as good a dentist as anypony else here..." “...Of course.” “I'm terribly sorry about that.” “No, no, it's alright.” “I really wish I could help.” “I'm sure.” “I could still take a look and-” “Really, it's fine. I'm sure-...I'm sure it will heal on its own.” Starlight eventually assured her follower with a comforting smile. Comforting for the former dentist. It was torturous for Starlight to smile like that. “Oh, OK...That might be alright. Maybe. I mean, as long as its not something serious. Like a cracked tooth or something, you'll probably be fine...I can't really remember though.” The mare eventually mused. Raising a hoof to her brow and shaking her head a bit, Starlight decided it was best to just focus on other things “Alright. Well, everypony, once more I would like to thank you all for showing up to support Miss Trixie. We can all turn-in just as soon as we get everything cleaned up.” With that, everypony went about the fairly minimal task of cleaning up after their little gathering. To Starlight's relief, they didn't need much direction, meaning she would be saved from having to use her words... “Uhmmm...Starlight?” Called over a stallion from one group. “...Yes?” The pink unicorn replied tiredly. “What do we do with Miss Trixie's wagon? Do you think she'll be needing it anymore?” “Oh, of course not. What could she possibly need that we-...” Starlight had to stop herself from going into one of her typically grandiose speeches, as she felt another pang from her tooth. Resisting the urge to grit her teeth at the pain, she gave a sigh before waving them away with her hoof “Just-...Just move it to the edge of town. We'll deal with it later.” “Right-O, Starlight. We'll get right on that.” The stallion declared with an enthusiastic salute for her. Watching as the group of ponies quickly congregated around the wagon, Starlight took in another deep-breath as they started pushing the wagon along. “Well...I think that settles just about-” Gwa-Thump! Crack! Starlight had to duck her head in surprise, while thankfully not jostling her tooth, as the showmare's wagon came to an abrupt stop. “Sorry! Sorry, just hit a hole in the road. Shouldn't be a-...Oh.” The same stallion as before called over. “What is it?” Starlight groused a bit, as she trotted over to see the problem. “Well...it seems the wheel has come a bit loose. Somepony probably forgot to affix it properly when we were working on it earlier. Should be an easy fix.” The stallion quickly explained. “How easy?” “Just a few minutes, just as soon as we get it up out of this hole here.” The stallion assured before turning back to the other ponies that had been helping move the wagon “Alright, if we can all just give her a good shove we can get to the problem. Ready?...And heave!” Everypony quickly came together to the task of moving the wagon, which was rather pleasing for Starlight, seeing them all working together so easily. Crack! It was rather less pleasing, when the sound of wood snapping met their efforts, which was soon followed by the caravan sagging to one side. This quickly lead to the ponies backing off from their efforts, leading to the whole thing dropping down onto the road even harder than before. “Oh! Think we broke the-” Click! Starlight was very distressed by how easily she recognized the sound. Screeee! Which meant the pink unicorn was the first pony to dive to the ground, her tooth be damned, as a firework abruptly launched itself from the lurching caravan. Perhaps fortunately, most everypony else had already dispersed, while the ponies around Starlight likewise had the good sense to duck their own heads. “Sorry! Sorry! We can fix this!” The stallion quickly called out, as the firework kept whizzing around overhead in circles and loop-the-loops. Peaking up just a bit to watch as it circled over and over again, he called over to Starlight “I think if we give it a minute, it'll just- Screeeeeeee! Crash! It was almost maddening, watching as the pyrotechnic had unerringly aimed itself towards her home, knowing she could do nothing about it. Seeing it zip all the way down the street of her town, seemingly drawn to it, Starlight had no words for when it smashed its way through one of her two remaining windows. Pop! Screeee! Nor did she have any words for the shower of sparks erupting from said window. “...That's- That's some bad luck right there, Starlight.” The stallion noted at her side, bringing a hoof up to his chin in consideration “That's two-for-three now...I mean, it shouldn't be any trouble fixing it up, of course.” Watching the shower of sparks finally sputter out, Starlight blinked a couple of times before shaking her head “Of course...” “We'll just get this wagon out of here and-” “Leave it. Just...leave it.”