//------------------------------// // Destined Rivals: Part 1 // Story: Pinkie Pie, the Stage Magician // by MemeSurvivor //------------------------------// Trixie anxiously paced outside the wagon, waiting for Pinkie to come out. She felt her spirits plummet as she imagined all the reactions Pinkie might have upon discovering the truth. Maybe it wouldn’t be a big deal, she reasoned to herself. She never exactly set a date on when she would tell Pinkie the truth. That was the flimsy justification she provided for herself as she spent 3 stress-filled days training Pinkie. It became increasingly obvious to her that Pinkie was ready, and it became equally obvious to her that she was now just stalling for time. Her mane was a mess… She heard the telltale signs of a waking pony as items in her wagon began to get shifted around. Some ponies might call her precious wagon cramped, but Trixie called it cozy. At the very least, Pinkie seemed to not mind. Her racing, random thoughts were interrupted when Pinkie emerged from the wagon. Pinkie saw her, smiled, and opened her mouth to speak. “Hey Trix- “ “Pinkie Pie!” Trixie cut in leaving Pinkie looking surprised. “There is something that Trixie must say before she loses her nerve to do so.” Pinkie jumped out of the wagon and landed on the ground in front of her, smiling. “Okie dokie!” Trixie swallowed the lump in her throat and briefly considered making something up on the spot. She shook her head. Dishonesty would gain her nothing now. “You have been traveling with Trixie for a little over a week and your skill has improved considerably. In fact, Trixie believes it is time to join forces and become an amazing duo!” Pinkie gasped and gave a large smile. “Awesome!” But then, her smile faded into a look of confusion. “Hold on. Why would you lose the nerve to tell me that?” Pinkie is more perceptive than she first appears, Trixie reminded herself. “The Great and Dishonest Trixie has been hiding something this whole time,” she admitted. Pinkie’s expression became one that was difficult for her to read. “Trixie did not lose her hat and cape in Ponyville.” Pinkie tilted her head to the side, puzzled. “Why would you lie about that?” Trixie took a deep breath, trying to figure out how to say this. She had spent hours staring at her wagon’s ceiling, thinking of what to say. Now, her words were jumbled in her mind. “Trixie has told you the truth about her situation in passing, though she certainly never gave details. I once said ‘Nopony takes Trixie seriously,’ but that was a bit of an understatement. The thing is-,“ she paused her monologue and readied herself mentally. “-I am the laughingstock of every town I go to. And…I really lost my hat and cape running away from a crowd of jeering ponies.” Pinkie put her hoof over her mouth and gasped again. “But I saw your show! Everypony loved it!” Her chest tightened when she saw tears forming in Trixie’s eyes Trixie looked down ashamedly. “That was just one town. I knew that was a town that would never judge me no matter what they heard. Trixie didn’t save them from a rampaging Ursa as she claimed, but she did help them a lot. They had a…slightly less threatening pest problem.” Pinkie was just glad she was referring to herself in the third person again. She took it as a sign that Trixie had regained some of her confidence. It struck her how difficult this must be. Trixie is such a proud pony, but she was revealing a vulnerable side to herself; and not for the first time. “The point is, Trixie might be…less than well-received at some point. She will try to keep to areas that are not privy to gossip like Mareway. Her extensive knowledge of such things comes from many years of travel,” she said without any of the usual bravado. She glanced at Pinkie uncertainty and then at the ground, repeating this process several times before asking, “So, are you mad at Trixie?” Pinkie was so surprised by this turn of events that she had forgotten to respond. She gave a genuinely warm, understanding, and reassuring smile; putting her hoof on Trixie’s shoulder. She got a tentative smile in return, but then Pinkie gasped melodramatically and sped off faster than Trixie had ever seen a pony move, leaving a pink blur behind her. Trixie stood stunned, mouth agape, watching her friend’s quick retreat with a look of utter bafflement. She had thought she was used to Pinkie’s…quirks by now, but she was obviously wrong. She closed her mouth and deduced that perhaps nopony truly got used to Pinkie Pie. She smiled to herself. “But that is what makes her Pinkie Pie.” She wouldn’t have it any other way. Twilight spent the last few days with her friends in the archives of Canterlot’s most knowledge-filled locations. The Library of Magic didn’t seem to have what she was looking for, so she personally made a request to Princess Celestia to see the Canterlot Archives. Unfortunately, the latter venture was about as successful as the former. The doors to the archive swung open and Twilight knew that could only mean one thing. Her head snapped to the entrance and a smile formed despite her exhaustion. “Princess!” Even the loud acknowledgement of their ruler’s presence did not wake her sleeping friends. Their efforts to stay awake long enough to complete their objective was admirable, especially for the hyper Rainbow Dash whom was the first pony to surrender to mental exhaustion. Twilight stayed awake but she was on the brink of sleep as well. Refusing to submit to sleep, her mane was frizzled, and her eyes had heavy bags under them. She felt as though her eyelids were constantly forcing themselves downward. Celestia walked over to her with a gentle smile. “I’m sorry, Twilight. I wish I could have come sooner. Have you had any luck?” Twilight shook her head sadly. “We’ve looked everywhere. We must have combed this entire archive by now. Is there somewhere else the spell could be?” Celestia thoughtfully glanced around the room. “Perhaps. However, I think that you should consider another approach. It may be that his tracking spell is lost forever. As thorough a collection as this archive is, some of his spells were inevitably lost one way or another.” Twilight was inclined to heed her teacher’s wisdom but shook her head stubbornly, glaring at the ground. “I know that spell is around here somewhere. It has to be!” Celestia merely laid a hoof on Twilight’s head, causing her to look up. “You shouldn’t be so set on one course that you refuse to divert to another when it is necessary,” she lectured. “That was a lesson I once received from Starswirl himself.” Hearing words relayed to her by her mentor from Starswirl himself had the intended effect; Twilight relented. “But, what should I do then?” Celestia removed her hoof from her student’s head. “Tell me, what exactly happened that has you so thoroughly searching for this spell? As I recall, you came to me about Pinkie Pie going on a journey with somepony you don’t approve of.” “It’s not just that!” Twilight corrected quickly. “She’s being manipulated! She’s travelling with a vengeful stage mare named Trixie who’s trying to convince Pinkie that we ruined her life!” The worked-up shouting of Twilight finally managed to wake up her friends. Some of them were awake long enough to catch the end of Twilights tirade and were floored by Twilight’s lack of tact towards her mentor. Her stress built up over not being able to help her friend had finally reached its boiling point. Twilight seemed to realize what she just did herself, but she stopped short of apologizing when she saw the odd look on the Princess’ face. “Trixie…Lulamoon?” Celestia asked hesitantly. Confused, Twilight nodded. Princess Celestia had suddenly been struck with the inability to make eye contact. “I may know where she is, or more specifically, where she was.” Twilight and her friends perked up at this strange turn of events. Twilight, despite being desperate and tired, found this to be strange and couldn’t help but ask a simple, “Why?” Celestia, regaining her composure, responded, “Well, I never said as much, but I used to be quite into the stage arts, one might say. I keep an eye on stage performances of all kinds.” Twilight accepted this explanation immediately, but her friends shot confused glances at each other. This is great news!” Twilight exclaimed. She glanced towards her friends. “Now, we have a real, solid lead!” “Twilight,” Celestia said to capture the full attention of her student once again. “Try to keep in mind that this may all be simple miscommunication.” Twilight looked surprised that her mentor would doubt her. “But Pinkie sent a letter about the lies that Trixie is feeding her!” “Where is this condemning evidence?” Twilight quickly produced the letter, always close at hoof. Celestia skimmed the letter herself for the first time, quickly becoming more concerned. “Did she give you a transcript of their conversation?” Celestia asked rhetorically. “Honestly, this seems ripe for misinterpretation to me.” “B-But it’s obvious what Trixie is doing! What other explanation is there?” Celestia shook her head. “All of you are blinded by your concern. Perhaps Trixie is being genuine, but she simply interpreted the events in a different way. Or maybe, harmony forbid, there really is some manner of doppelganger causing mischief. There are certainly even more possibilities that I did not consider.” Twilight looked unconvinced but still thoughtful, Rainbow rolled her eyes in complete disbelief, and Applejack rubbed her neck; not sure what to think. Rarity and Fluttershy both looked to each other, feeling that they may have misread the situation in their haste. “Just remember,” Celestia said, slipping into the teaching voice she used when imparting her most valuable lessons. “A pony’s intentions are not always as they seem. Try not to assume the worst and go in with an open mind.” Twilight heard the wisdom accrued over a thousand years of experience and nodded. “I’ll try my best princess.” Twilight’s friends all gathered at Twilight’s side and vocalized their agreement. Celestia smiled. Her little student had certainly gathered many wonderful friends. “I will send you letters once I know more about where Trixie is,” she promised. Twilight said gratefully, “Thank you, Princess.” As they all fled the room Celestia called after them. “Don’t forget to get some rest!” she fussed. After Celestia was alone in the archives, her lips thinned, and her brow furrowed. She stared at the letter still in her hoof and sighed.