Boast Builders
It may have been a gorgeous day outside, but that did not deter Twilight from working tirelessly to organize the library. Spike, though he had been dragged reluctantly along to help, was loyally dusting the empty shelves as Twilight cleared them off to move the books around. Yes, it was a chore, but the town of Ponyville paid decent money for the work, and Twilight was glad that she had been able to find such job stability in an unsure Equestria economy.
Whenever Twilight found some free time for herself, she would read the Ponyville Express, particularly the business section of late, as it frequently reported the waning economy not only in Ponyville, but in all of Equestria. Recently, inflation had taken its toll on the value of the bit, and many businesses were shutting their doors all over the kingdom. Twilight immediately thought of the three friends of hers that either worked in or owned their own businesses. Pinkie Pie and Applejack, who were both excellent bakers whose food was famous in Equestria, seemed to be doing okay in these unstable times. Rarity, on the other hand, did not seem to be faring as well. Twilight recalled a conversation she had made with Rarity as they had passed on the street just a few short days ago.
“How are things, Rarity?” Twilight had asked.
“Fine, just fine,” Rarity had lied, and Twilight had caught the tone of desperation in her voice.
“Are you sure everything's okay?” Twilight had responded.
“Why, of course it is. Why wouldn't it be?” Rarity had said. The nervous smile on her face had betrayed her true feeling, which had seemed to be one of worry.
“How is your sister doing?” Twilight had asked.
“Oh, Sweetie Belle is doing marvelous,” Rarity had said, this time with a sincere tone of happiness. “She's faring excellent in school, and I daresay her cutie mark will be coming in any day now.”
“That's good to hear,” Twilight had said. “How about Carousel Boutique? How's business going?”
“Very well,” Rarity had said, but that false tone had registered with Twilight, who had surmised that this was the real issue.
“Are you sure?” Twilight had asked. “I've been reading the papers recently, and a lot of businesses around Equestria have had to close their doors due to the poor state of the economy. I just want to make sure everything's okay.”
“Oh, don't worry about a thing, Twilight. I assure you my doors will certainly not be closing anytime soon.”
“Okay,” Twilight had said skeptically, “but just remember that if you ever need any help, all you have to do is ask.”
“Twilight, my dear, thank you for offering, but as you can see I'm doing just fine and certainly don't need any help at the moment. Now, I have to get going, I'm very busy.”
Twilight was certain that Rarity had been hiding something, but she hadn't wanted to accuse her of lying, so the only thing she had been able to do was to let her go. Now Twilight regretted not pushing her friend to ask for help, because she would surely have been happy to do whatever she could for her friend. Twilight's thoughts were interrupted when she heard a knocking at her door. Twilight looked at Spike with pleading eyes, and the dragon sighed in exasperation.
“I'll get it...” he said, climbing down the ladder he had been standing on and opening the door.
“What are you doing here?” Spike asked, and Twilight galloped toward the door, wondering what was amiss. She was shocked to see who was standing in the threshold.
There she was, the Great and Powerful Trixie, with dirt matted in her coat and covering her cape and hat. She had large bags under her eyes, which told Twilight that she hadn't slept well lately. But what was the most disturbing was how underweight the magician appeared. Trixie had lost a lot of weight since she had run out of Ponyville many moons ago; if she lost any more, her ribs would surely be showing in her chest. Without a second thought, Twilight let Trixie inside and sat her down in the kitchen.
“Spike,” she ordered, “make Trixie a large daffodil sandwich, and be liberal with the daffodils.”
“Do I have to?” Spike asked, regretting opening the door without looking through the window to see who it was first.
“Yes, you have to,” Twilight said. “We're not going to let the poor mare starve any longer.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie is not hungry,” Trixie said, which surprised Twilight and made Spike grumble.
“See?” Spike asked. “She said she wasn't hungry, so why do I have to-?”
“Do it, Spike!” Twilight shouted.
“Fine,” Spike moaned, opening the kitchen cupboard in search of bread. Twilight sat down opposite the magician and tried to talk to her.
“What happened to you?” Twilight asked, but the Great and Powerful Trixie shook her head.
“Nothing's happened to the Great and Powerful Trixie,” she said. “Trixie is doing just fine. Trixie was merely wondering if she could borrow a book from the library.”
“Uh-huh,” Twilight said, as disbelieving of Trixie as she had been with Rarity a few days ago. Twilight decided to play along. “So, Trixie, what kind of book did you have in mind?”
“Trixie is performing a very important show in Canterlot for the annual tribute to Starswirl the Bearded and was wondering if she could brush up on her history before the show,” she said. In all the years Twilight had lived in Canterlot, she had never heard of such a tribute, but Twilight was not about to say this.
“That sounds exciting!” Twilight said. “I have plenty of books about Starswirl the Bearded. He even has his own spot in the History section of the library. In fact, I just sorted the History section before you arrived, so I know exactly where all the Starswirl books are located.”
“Trixie is...amused,” she said, unwilling to admit how impressed she was at Twilight's wide-spanning knowledge of her library. “Tell Trixie what the best Starswirl book would be for this very important tribute.”
“Well, that depends,” Twilight said. “If you want to know the general history of Starswirl the Bearded, I would recommend An Equestrian History. If you're looking for the inspiration for all his work with magic spells, I'd consider checking out The Amazing Starswirl the Bearded. For a more detailed account of-”
“Trixie likes the second book you mentioned,” Trixie said. Spike huffed at her interruption as he laid the daffodils on the bread, but Twilight wasn't insulted.
“That's great!” Twilight said. “I only have one copy, but it's a fascinating read and it really helped me with my own magical research when I read it in Canterlot.”
“Trixie...was not aware you were from Canterlot,” Trixie said, beginning to blush.
“Oh, I just travel there from time to time,” Twilight said, explicitly lying to Trixie in order to help her save face. Apparently, it wasn't working, as Trixie rose from the table.
“Trixie appreciates your hospitality,” she said, “but Trixie has a very busy performance schedule and must be leaving now. Trixie will check out your book about Starswirl the Bearded before she goes.”
“So I'm making this sandwich for nothing?” Spike asked, very annoyed.
“Of course you're not,” Twilight said. “Trixie is going to take it on the go, right, Trixie?”
“Trixie already told you she's not hungry,” Trixie said. “If Trixie has to repeat herself, Trixie will become very annoyed. Where is this Starswirl the Bearded book you mentioned?”
“Oh, it's right here,” Twilight said, following Trixie into the library proper and levitating the book down from the shelf. Trixie levitated the book in front of her and magically flipped through the pages, looking impressed.
“Trixie likes this book. Trixie will check this out of the library. Good day,” Trixie said as Twilight stamped the book's due date on the inside cover and sent her off. Spike came into the room, eating the sandwich he had made for Trixie.
“What's up with her?” Spike asked, hoping Twilight knew the answer better than he did.
“I don't know, Spike,” Twilight said, “but whatever it is, it looks bad.”
***
Later on that day, Twilight gathered all of her friends in the library for an emergency group meeting, as she had put it. Rainbow Dash looked a little put out, especially since Twilight had interrupted her while she was napping, but the other ponies had been perfectly willing to come, even though they had no idea what the meeting was about. Rarity looked as though she could use a nap herself, but nopony else looked worse for wear as they sat in the library, waiting to find out why Twilight had wanted them all there.
“Just what exactly are we doing here?” Rainbow Dash asked.
“What crawled up yer hiney and died?” Applejack asked her friend.
“Nothing, I just don't get what the emergency is,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Be patient, Rainbow Dash,” Twilight said. “I'm going to explain it right now.”
“All right,” Rainbow Dash said, crossing her front hooves in anticipation.
“Okay,” Twilight said, now addressing the group. “I had a very strange encounter this morning, as Spike already knows.”
“So what am I doing here?” Spike asked.
“Be patient, Spike, I'm about to explain,” Twilight said. Spike glared at her but fell silent.
“Anyway, where was I?” Twilight asked. “Oh, right, the strange encounter this morning. You'll never guess who showed up at my door.”
“The Flim Flam Brothers?” Applejack asked.
“Photo Finish?” Rarity asked a bit desperately.
“Iron Will?” Fluttershy mumbled nervously.
“All wrong,” Twilight said. “It was no less than the Great and Powerful Trixie.”
“What?” Rainbow Dash asked, looking disgusted. “What is she doing here?”
“Yeah, didn't she learn from last time not to show her face around these parts?” Applejack asked rather cruelly, but the memory of Trixie tying her up like a hog was still fresh in her mind after all this time.
“Not exactly, Applejack,” Twilight said.
“Well, she should have,” Rainbow Dash said, remembering how Trixie had zapped her with a lightning bolt. “I mean, really. She totally embarrassed herself.”
“It was an Ursa Minor,” Twilight said. “Most ponies can't handle that kind of creature.”
“Yeah, but you could!” Pinkie Pie said. “You showed that scary beary what was up!”
“Wait, I think we're getting sidetracked...” Fluttershy said. “Why was Trixie here?”
“She said she wanted a library book,” Twilight said, “but that's not the point. She was filthy and malnourished! She looked like she hadn't eaten or slept properly in months.”
“Months?” Applejack asked. “You sure, Sugarcube?”
“I'm positive, Applejack,” Twilight said. “She was in really bad shape.”
“So what?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I mean, yeah, it's bad that she isn't doing so well, but why should we care? Didn't she bring it upon herself?”
“No, Rainbow Dash, she didn't,” Twilight said. “I actually feel like part of this is all my fault.” The other ponies gasped.
“Your fault?” Applejack asked. “Don't start blamin' yerself fer somethin' you can't control.”
“But I did control it,” Twilight said, which made Applejack stop and stare at her for a while.
“How?” Applejack asked.
“I revealed her for the fraud she was,” Twilight said. “After doing that, the Ponyville Express ran a piece on her that ruined her reputation. I think she hasn't done well ever since then. I've felt terribly guilty about the whole thing, and I wished there was something I could do to help her.”
“So why didn't you?” Fluttershy asked.
“I was never able to find out where she went,” Twilight said, “and eventually I got caught up with my other work. Seeing her just now was really jarring.”
“I imagine you're right,” Rarity said. “It must be hard for her, struggling to perform with that embarrassment hanging over your head...”
“Don't tell me you feel sorry for her!” Rainbow Dash said. “The mare deserved what she got, lying to everypony like that!”
“You know, Rainbow Dash,” Rarity said, “just because she made a fool of you doesn't give you the right to speak so vehemently.”
“Like you don't remember when she turned your hair green,” Rainbow Dash said.
“Of course I remember,” Rarity said, “but I've long since gotten over it. You're still reacting like you just got humiliated by her yesterday.”
“Well, ah don't blame her,” Applejack said. “What she did was unfair!”
“And you,” Rarity said, turning to Applejack in disbelief. “I expected more from you. I know Rainbow Dash can be an oaf-”
“Hey!” Rainbow Dash called.
“-but I thought you'd behave in a kinder manner,” Rarity finished, ignoring Rainbow Dash's outburst. Applejack looked at the floor and bit her lip.
“Yer probably right, Rarity. Ah reckon ah ain't bein' all that fair. But what exactly happened when she showed up at yer door, Twilight?”
“I tried to feed her,” Twilight said, “but she refused to eat and only wanted a library book. I lent her The Amazing Starswirl the Bearded and she went on her way.”
“Wow, really?” Rainbow Dash asked. “Forget her, then. Why bother to help her if she doesn't want any help?”
“Ah'm wonderin' the same thing,” Applejack said. “Ya can drag a pony to water, but ya can't make him drink. If Trixie ain't willin' to accept yer help, it seems kinda pointless to keep tryin', as generous as you are, Twilight.”
“Um, if I could say something,” Fluttershy said, “I think it would be really mean just to let Trixie go hungry because she's too proud to ask for help. I sometimes have to force my sick animals to keep eating because it's good for them, not because they want to. We might have to do the same thing here.”
“I agree with Fluttershy!” Pinkie Pie said. “It's really lame not to help a pony in need.”
“I think so, too, Pinkie,” Twilight said. Everypony turned to Spike, who had been listening intently all this time.
“Whatever,” Spike said. “She refused to eat what I make her, so I don't want to keep trying.”
“I guess then that's three in favor and three against,” Twilight said. “That makes you the tiebreaker, Rarity.”
“Me?” Rarity asked. “Why do I have to decide?”
“Because you're the seventh vote,” Twilight said.
“Since when were we voting on anything?” Rarity asked.
“Look, do you want to help the mare or not?” Rainbow Dash asked impatiently.
“Okay, let me think about it. You don't have to give me an attitude,” Rarity said to Rainbow Dash. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes and let out a sigh.
“What's there to think about?” Pinkie Pie asked. “She's in trouble and we've got to help her. It's that simple.”
“I appreciate your concern, Pinkie Pie,” Rarity said, “but I don't think it's quite as simple as you make it out to be.”
“What's complicated about it then?” Pinkie Pie asked.
“Look, the mare isn't exactly willing to accept our help,” Rarity said. “It's as Spike said, she wouldn't even eat the food in front of her. Trying to help her is going to take a lot of time and energy that I personally do not have.”
“You have been awful busy lately,” Spike said, hurt that his favorite pony hadn't been able to spend any time with him.
“That is true,” Twilight said, agreeing with Spike. “You barely talked to me when we ran into each other the other day. Are you sure you don't need help with anything?”
“Twilight,” Rarity said, sticking up her nose, “I am a sole proprietor. That means my reputation is at the whim of my clients and depends on whether they like my designs or are repulsed by them. Therefore, I don't trust just anyone to help me-no, Fluttershy, not even my closest friends,” Rarity said, as Fluttershy looked ready to interrupt.
“Not even me?” Fluttershy asked.
“While your knowledge of sewing is indeed admirable,” Rarity said, “it takes far more than that to understand the flowing trends of fashion. I'm afraid I trust no one above myself in that regard.”
“I didn't mean that kind of help,” Twilight said. Rarity looked at her inquisitively.
“Then whatever did you mean, dear?” Rarity asked. Twilight swallowed nervously, knowing that this would be a touchy subject to bring up.
“I know this is a bit personal,” Twilight said, “but how has business been for you lately?”
“As in money?” Rarity asked.
“Well...yeah,” Twilight said before taking a hurried breath. “I mean, I've been reading all about the tough times Equestria has seen lately; it's all over the Ponyville Express and it's evident here with so many stores closing down. I mean, the Quill and Sofa shop just shut its doors for good last week. Sugarcube Corner and Sweet Apple Acres seem to be doing fine, right girls?”
“You bet!” Applejack said.
“Abso-super-duper-positutely!” Pinkie Pie said. Twilight grimaced at the grammatical abomination but decided to make no comment about it.
“So we know they're doing fine,” Twilight continued, “but what about you? You didn't seem so upbeat the other day and you look like you haven't slept well in days.”
“That's...why, that's utter nonsense!” Rarity said. “I haven't been sleeping because the orders have been pouring in and I've had to work night and day to keep up with demand! Why, I can't believe you'd accuse my store of hurting for business! The audacity of it all is quite unlike you, Twilight.”
“No need to get so defensive,” Spike muttered.
“Hush up, Spike,” Rarity said, and Spike cringed under the sudden tirade.
“Whoa now, Sugarcube, take it easy on the poor fella,” Applejack said. “He's only tryin' to help.”
“Oh, of course that's all he was doing,” Rarity said. “No way was he trying to question my conversational approach!”
“Well, to be fair,” Applejack said, “he does have a point. You seem awful angry all of a sudden.”
“Why, I never...” Rarity muttered.
“Rarity...” Fluttershy whispered hesitantly, “is something wrong?”
“Well, I,” Rarity sputtered. She glanced around at her friends, who all looked at her with worry. She finally started to tear up and opened her heart.
“Yes, there's something terribly wrong!” she cried. “The numbers for my boutique this month are the worst they've ever been! I'm operating in the red and I can't afford to pay my bills! Business has been slowing down for months because of the economic downturn. Yes, Twilight, I've been reading the Ponyville Express, too! I pay attention to what the papers are saying. If I have another bad month, I'm afraid I'll have to sell off the business and move out of Ponyville. My reputation won't survive the hits I've taken, so I'll have to start business elsewhere. I've been afraid to ask for help because, frankly, it's an embarrassment to admit my business isn't doing well. It's my pride and joy, my life's work! To see it fail like this makes me feel like, well, a failure myself.” Rarity's sobbing took over her voice as she wailed. Twilight went over to her and gave her a hug.
“It's all right, Rarity,” Twilight said. “If you need a few bits to tide you over, I'm sure we'd all be happy to give you some.”
“Absolutely,” Rainbow Dash said. “I can cut back on my expenses to help you out.”
“Me, too!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed.
“I think we're all willin' to help you out, Sugarcube,” Applejack said.
“Th-thank you,” Rarity stuttered. “You have n-no idea what this m-means to me...”
“I think we do,” Twilight said. “So, do you want to help Trixie?”
“Absolutely,” Rarity said. “Absolutely.”
***
Trixie was in her traveling carriage, which was falling apart and looked worse for wear. The axles were about to fall off the wheels, and if things continued to deteriorate her stage wouldn't be in enough shape to perform upon. Trixie tried to ignore her growling stomach as she wished she could have accepted the daffodil sandwich from Twilight.
No, Trixie thought. It was bad enough that Trixie had been hungry. To go to the mare who had humiliated her and beg for food would have been too much. Just the spell book, that would do. Trixie had been reading the book Twilight had lent her, and she had marked the pages with spells that could be useful in her show by folding the corner of the page. She had already chosen five spells that she could incorporate, and was continuing to read when she heard a screech outside the carriage. Trixie ran outside and saw Rarity shrieking and fleeing for her life.
“Help!” Rarity cried. “Oh, somepony, please help! It's dreadful!” Without thinking, Trixie ran over to Rarity to find out what was wrong.
“What's happening?” Trixie asked Rarity.
“It's simply terrible!” Rarity said. “There's a large dragon outside of Ponyville, and he'll tear up the village if nopony stops him. You have to help me!”
“A d-dragon?” Trixie stuttered.
“Yes, please, you must help me!” Rarity cried. In the distance roared what certainly sounded to Trixie like a dragon's cry.
“I d-don't think I c-can do that...” Trixie mumbled.
“Are you going to let that monster destroy Ponyville, destroy my boutique?” Rarity asked.
“Well of course not, but...” Another roar echoed in the distance. Ponies were now taking to the streets to discover what all the noise was about. Trixie was visibly shaking now.
“Then help me!” Rarity pleaded.
“I can't do it...” she said sadly. “I'm sorry.”
“You don't have a choice,” Rarity said. “Here he is.”
The dragon came into view, and Trixie saw that it was a purple dragon with green spikes running down his back. Though not winged, the dragon was larger than the house he was climbing over, his tail whipping back and forth. Trixie nearly fainted when she saw the dragon, and quivered in fear as he gave another bellowing cry.
“Do something!” Rarity cried after the dragon had ceased roaring.
“What do you expect me to do?” Trixie asked.
“Vanquish it!” Rarity said.
“I couldn't vanquish the Ursa Minor! What makes you think I can vanquish this?”
“But...but you're the Great and Powerful Trixie! Sure you couldn't vanquish the Ursa Minor, but a dragon is a totally different animal.”
“You're kidding, right? A dragon is worse than an Ursa Minor!”
“But what will happen to the poor citizens of Ponyville if you don't defeat this creature?”
“I don't know...I guess they'll...”
“You'll be their hero if you can save them.”
Realization dawned on Trixie amidst the screaming crowds of ponies as the dragon came closer to the village square. If she could somehow stop this...monster, surely her reputation would be restored! Her dreams for sell-out shows outweighed her fears of the dragon. Trixie stood firm and turned to the dragon, ready to take him on.
“You big beast!” Trixie cried. “You'll rue the day you dared challenge the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie cast a spell, a magical burst of light towards the dragon. Reacting almost as if on cue, the dragon staggered as he was hit with the blast. Gaining confidence, Trixie continued to fire bursts of magic at the beast, and he continued to stagger as he was hit. Suddenly, the blasts suddenly seemed to stop being effective, as the dragon recovered and sent a blast of fire in Trixie's direction. Trixie dove out of the way but still felt the searing heat of the fire as it passed over her head. Thinking fast, Trixie cast a spell around the fire and sent it back at the dragon. The move surprised him enough to get pummeled by a powerful magical blast that knocked him to the ground.
The dragon rose, now becoming angry. Trixie continued to fire bursts at the dragon, which stunned him but did not damage him. Suddenly, the dragon whipped his tail at Trixie, which knocked her to the ground. The crowd of ponies nearby gasped in shock as they watched the fight, transfixed as they quivered in their houses. Guess I'm putting on quite the show, Trixie thought to herself.
The dragon roared again, snapping her back to reality. Another swing of the tail almost knocked Trixie off her feet, but she ducked underneath it and sent a magical blast at the tail. The dragon howled in pain, as its tail was sensitive. Trixie took the opportunity to continue to hit the tail, and the dragon grew angrier as his cries heightened. Finally, the dragon decided it was best to stampede out of the village, which he did, holding his tail all the while.
Trixie stood in shock as Rarity started to stomp her hooves. The other ponies stepped tentatively outside as the coast was clear, and they soon joined Rarity in raucous applause. Trixie beamed as the support from the crowd elevated her spirits. The triumphant besting of the dragon had done wonders for her; her eyes glowed brightly for the first time in months, and she had no further excuse to ignore her growling stomach. She asked a nearby pony where she could find some food, and the pony immediately invited her over to her house for a delicious meal.
It looked like the Great and Powerful Trixie was back.
***
The dragon, still sore from the battle, shrank as he left the village, eventually turning to a diminutive form. Once this had occurred, Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie walked over to him.
“That was quite the show you put on, Spike,” Twilight said.
“Super!” Pinkie Pie added. The other ponies nodded their approval.
“Thanks, guys,” Spike said. “I tried to make it tough on her.”
“Consarn it, you scared the bejeebers outta me when you nearly set her on fire!” Applejack said.
“Well, I didn't want it to be a walk in the park!” Spike said.
“No, but you didn't want to kill the mare, either!” Rainbow Dash cried.
“Well, I didn't. Is that okay?” Spike asked.
“It's perfectly fine,” Rarity said, approaching from the village. Spike beamed foolishly.
“That was a really good idea, Rarity,” Twilight said. “Lending Spike your gems brought out his hoarding nature faster than I would have thought possible.”
“Well, kissing him on the cheek a few times certainly didn't hurt, either...” Rarity said with a wink. Spike almost collapsed on the ground.
“Well, Trixie is off!” they heard from the distance. The six ponies and Spike turned to see Trixie waving to a throng of ponies as she left the village. The dirt in her coat had been properly washed, and the mare had picked up all the swagger she had lost when she had visited Twilight this morning.
“Do you think she'll know it was Spike the whole time?” Fluttershy asked.
“Doubt it,” Rainbow Dash said. Indeed, when Trixie came upon the ponies and Spike, she didn't seem to even notice the dragon.
“Here's that book back,” Trixie told Twilight as she handed her the book. “His offensive spells turned out to be more useful than Trixie would have thought.”
“That's...great,” Twilight said.
“Oh, what is Trixie doing hanging around such common pony-folk? She has shows to prepare!” Trixie marched off, feeling smug as ever as she looked down on the ponies. Rainbow Dash glared after her.
“I'm starting to think feeding her ego was a bad idea,” she said.
“Well, maybe,” Twilight said, “but it sure is better than what I saw this morning.”
“Feel free to keep talking about Trixie after she's gone!” Trixie called from the distance, strutting as she continued on her way.
“Are you sure about that?” Rarity asked.
“Almost,” Twilight said. “Almost.”