Trixie sat next to Dinky, noticing the filly’s tense muscles. She then noticed her eyes seem to glaze over and the expression on her face. Dinky was actively cutting herself off from her own emotions.
“Dinky, I understand how hard it must be for you to have to talk about what happened,” Trixie said in a comforting tone, “But the only way to start the healing process is to address it head on.”
“I’m fine,” Dinky said. Trixie and Ditzy cringed at the tone of her voice. It wasn’t harsh or lashing out or anything like that. Though considering what it was, they probably would’ve preferred if it was. Her voice was no longer that of the excitable fan filly from before. It was a cold, mechanical, emotionless voice.
“If you were okay, you wouldn’t be building a wall around your emotions like this,” Trixie said, “I may not have known you for long. But I can tell that the filly sitting next to me right now is not the same filly that I saw when I first came here. But it is the filly that I came here to help.”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Dinky said coldly, inching slightly closer to her mother.
Trixie took notice of this, an idea coming to mind. She took note of the one thing that the filly she saw when she arrived and filly she saw now had in common. They both are relying on her mother for comfort… no, not just comfort. For strength.
Trixie went over to Ditzy to whisper something in her ear, using her magic to make sure Dinky didn’t overhear. Ditzy then turned to the showmare sceptically, “Are you sure?”
“To be honest, no, I’m not sure,” Trixie admitted, “But I feel that it’s the best way to break through to her true emotions.”
It was apparent that Ditzy didn’t like Trixie’s idea. And Trixie’s lack of confidence didn’t help. But considering how Trixie was able to get through to Dinky before, it may just work.
“Can you excuse me?” Ditzy asked with a sigh. Trixie nodded with a knowing smile, letting the pegasus walk away. Dinky then got up to follow.
Just as Trixie had anticipated.
Dinky was stopped when a blue barrier formed in front of her. For a moment, Dinky just stood there as she watched her mother walk away without her.
Trixie on the other hand could tell that though Dinky was still in her emotionless shell, that shell was starting to crack, “Momma?” Dinky mumbled as she watched the distance between her and her mother grow. Trixie, however, had made the barrier sound proof, making sure that Ditzy wouldn’t hear her daughter and choose to scrap the plan. But anticipating that the plan will work, Trixie felt a wrenching pain in her heart. Trixie could practically hear Dinky’s metaphorical shell cracking more. Either that, or it was her own heart breaking that she heard.
Ditzy finally had moved into the hallway and out of site of Dinky. Dinky got up onto her hind legs and put her front hooves against the barrier as if trying to push against it, “Momma, come back,” Dinky said, Trixie stealing herself against the panic growing in the filly’s voice, and the pain in her heart that came with it, “Momma, come back. Momma? Momma, don’t leave me!”
For a moment, Trixie clutched her chest as her eyes began to tear up. But she forced herself to continue the plan, “You can’t always rely on your mother to be there for you. You’re gonna have to learn to stand on your own four hooves eventually,” Trixie said as she walked towards Dinky and sat next to her. Dinky’s shell was cracked enough that she showing her emotions. But she was still resisting, “You’ll always have ponies who will love and protect you. So even if your mother can’t be there for you, just know that you’re not alone,” Trixie continued. Dinky looked towards her idol, tears welling up in her eyes. Dinky then latched onto Trixie in a hug, which Trixie returned. But the filly’s trembling indicated that she was still trying to resist.
“It’s okay to feel sad or scared. But you need to let yourself feel your emotions. It’s okay. I’ll be here for you if you ever need me,” with that said, the floodgates broke, her metaphorical shell shattering simultaneously with Trixie’s heart. Loud wailing. Tears streaming down the filly’s cheeks and staining both of their coats. Certainly not a pretty picture. But it was an emotional release that needed to happen.
Down the hall, Ditzy was waiting for any sign that the plan worked. Suddenly, she heard her daughter’s wails, and her maternal instincts kicked in. She rushed to see what was wrong. Remembering that the sound barrier should be up, however, curiosity got the better of her. She slowed down and just peeked out of the hallway.
“That’s right. Let it all out,” the pegasus heard Trixie say as she stroked the filly’s mane comfortingly.
A part of Ditzy felt jealous that she, as Dinky’s mother, wasn’t the one comforting her. But she couldn’t deny that Trixie was doing a good job, and kept herself from interrupting. She wasn’t even sure if Trixie knew that she had let the sound barrier down.
Ditzy just sat there, letting the scene unfold, “Trixie would make a good mother,” she said to herself, smiling inwardly.
A half hour has passed since Dinky had cried herself to sleep, her emotional exhaustion overtaking her. As much as Trixie wanted to make sure Dinky was okay when she woke up, Ditzy insisted that it was okay for her to go.
“Are you sure she’ll be alright?” Trixie asked, “I mean, an emotional release like that is a good thing. But I just want to be sure she’s okay.”
“I appreciate that you’re concerned for her. But keep in mind that I am her mother,” Ditzy said insistently, “I’ll still be here for her when she wakes up. If there are any problems, I promise I’ll come to you to let you know. And I’ll even bring her by tomorrow so you can be updated.”
Trixie’s ears folded back as a blush of embarrassment formed on her face, “Right, I guess a part of me forgot she still has her mother to take care of her,” Trixie said bashfully, Ditzy taking a mental note of that comment, “And I hope you can forgive me for putting her through what she did.”
“I understand. It was hard for me to witness my little Dinky in that much pain. But as you said, she needed that emotional release,” Ditzy said, “Out of curiosity, at what point did you lower the sound barrier?”
“To be honest, I’m not entirely sure,” Trixie said, “It’s just that when she started crying how she did, I just ceased to be aware of what was going on around me. All that mattered was that I was there for Dinky to release her emotions onto.”
Ditzy smiled at that, “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to replace me as her mother.”
This comment took Trixie by surprise, “What?! I would never…” Trixie then saw the gentle knowing look in Ditzy’s eyes, specifically the fact that they were both focused on her. Trixie’s expression softened, “The situation wasn’t the same, but the emotion is. Trixie can sympathize with her, feeling like she’s never see her mother again, and bottling up those feelings.”
Ditzy’s maternal instincts once again told her that Trixie needs comforting. But she remembered how she reacted when she tried the first time. ‘Just give her time, and I’m sure she’ll come around.’ Ditzy thought to herself. She then smiled before beginning to shove Trixie towards the door, “Alright, Trixie. I think it’s about time you be on your way.”
Trixie resisted being forced out, but only because of being physically pushed resulted in that reaction, “Okay, okay! I get it! I can move on my own, you know,” Trixie said in a strained voice. Once Ditzy stopped shoving, Trixie regained her composure, “So, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“That’s the plan!”
“Well, bye then,” Trixie said as she headed out the door. But before she left, she wanted to say one more thing, “And make sure to tell Dinky I said bye to her too, okay?”
“Will do!” Ditzy saluted, “Bye!”
Trixie was on her way back home feeling emotionally drained… and perhaps a little too much ice cream in her stomach. But as she headed back home, she ran into Surprise. Or to be more accurate, Surprise ran into her.
CRASH
Surprise quickly got back to her feet, “Oh sorry, Trixie. I guess I got a little excited,” Surprise said as they continued, her tone of voice properly indicating the honesty in her claim, “That little filly is a real hoofful. But in a good way. As we were flying, the look in her eyes was that of pure glee… at least I assume that’s what her eyes looked like. She was on my back, so I was facing away from her. But from the tone of voice in her squee of glee, I figured that her eyes matched. After a few laps around Ponyville, she asked if I wanted to see her scooter tricks. At first I was just humoring her. But when I saw her on her scooter, I thought it was disappointing that the Lunarbolts were exclusively an aerial team and couldn’t include stunts on the ground. Because with practice, her skills on a scooter could rival that of the Lunarbolts! Well, not me of course, because I’m just that awesome. But she’d be a close second!”
Trixie couldn’t help but laugh to herself at her friend’s self-inflating ego. But listening to her story was putting her in a good mood.
“I then told her that her parents must be proud of her with how skilled she was,” Surprise continued, causing Trixie to cringe, “I was confused at first. Her sudden shift in tone was like a switch had been flipped. I didn’t realize that she’s an orphan. After getting her to talk about it, she mentioned how she’s independent because she has to be. I asked about Cheerilee. But she said that she just doesn’t understand her. I explained that just because she doesn’t understand her, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to help. I told her that she should talk to her sister about how she feels. Because even if she can’t help in any other way, I’m sure she’s willing to listen.”
“I actually gave Cheerilee similar advice,” Trixie said, “I told her that she shouldn’t have to wait for Scootaloo to come to her with her problems, but that she should take the initiative and talk to her. In a way, we kind of did a tag team there without even knowing it.”
“Yeah, I guess so!” Surprise exclaimed before she noticed Trixie’s bloodshot eyes, “Trixie, have you been crying?”
“Don’t worry about it. I had a long day that ended up being an emotional rollercoaster,” Trixie explained, “But how I had to get Dinky to face her issues was heartbreaking to do. I’ll tell you about it later. But I will say now that I will now be training Dinky to be my Great and Powerful Assistant!”
This got Surprise’s attention, “So… you’re training someone else to share the spotlight with you?” Surprise said before standing in front of Trixie accusingly, “Who are you, and what have you done with the real Trixie?”
“I just had a good bonding experience, that’s all,” Trixie explained with a smug grin, “Besides, if I train her as my apprentice, then I won’t have to worry about her becoming a master magician who could potentially be my rival.”
Surprise smiled, “So you’re protecting your own brand by making her part of it, rather than her potentially becoming her own brand.”
Trixie sighed. She may have been friends with Surprise for awhile. But she just never gets it through her head that Trixie isn’t self centered like that. In Trixie’s mind, it was more along the lines of giving Dinky brand recognition. She was doing this for Dinky, not herself… mostly.
Dear Princess Luna,
Well, I checked up on the children as you suggested. You were right, they all were dealing with their own issues. Surprise primarily took care of Scootaloo, seeing as they have bonded quite well. And I talked to her older sister, Cheerilee. Together, we encouraged them to talk with each other rather than just waiting for the other to come to them. All in all, the issue was easy enough. Scootaloo’s issue however isn’t related to the foalnapping, but is instead relating to the fact that she’s actually an orphan. But as a side note, Surprise had taken the filly under her wing. Although I don’t think her ego will fit into our apartment.
Silver Spoon is a fascinating case. She’s in good spirits, but is extremely jumpy at any unexpected sound, me knocking on the door as one of them. I hope I wasn’t mistaken in assuming she’d be over it in about a month. But something caught my attention about her. She likes to sing, which does seem to calm her down. But as I viewed the magic as she sang, it seemed like the ambient magic was dancing to the music. I know that some musicians can affect the arcane magic around them with their music, even if they aren’t unicorns. But I thought only alicorns could manipulate ambient magic. Could you provide some insight into this phenomena?
Dinky’s case… it was emotionally draining for both of us. She’s been acting extremely clingy to her mother since the incident. But it seems that my presence there helped to distract her from her issues. She’s that much of a fan of mine. She then took a deep breath and asked several questions in a single breath paragraph. Most of the questions were the general stuff I’d expect. But there were two that stuck out to me. One was asking if I could train her. I agreed. And to sum it up, the Great and Powerful Trixie will probably have a Great and Powerful Assistant during my performance at the Winter Moon Gala. She even had made her own magic trick. It’s a simple trick in application. But for a filly her age to make a trick at that level, even if it was made from cardboard boxes and plastic, is quite impressive. The second question was when she asked about my family. That was difficult for me for obvious reasons, but I answered without going into… specific details.
This is where things got rough. Dinky seemed to be recovering well in the short time I was there. But it came to my attention that she wasn’t recovering, she was just being distracted from the primary issue. So I turned things around and made her face her problems head on. It broke my heart seeing her break down like that. But she had to address her feelings. Bottling them up will only cause more harm than good. I hope she’ll forgive me for doing that to her. But she had to let herself feel those emotions. But I believe she had a good cry and will be feeling much better afterwards.
I admit that I had bonded with the filly in a way I hadn’t anticipated. And I think I was making Ditzy jealous. But I believe things will turn out for the better.
Sincerely,
Your Prestigious Protege, Trixie Lulamoon, the Great and Powerful, Mentor To Be
“I miss you, mom.”