//------------------------------// // Chapter 7 - Middle ground (Part 1/2) // Story: Trixie's Threeway Trouble // by crowscrowcrow //------------------------------// “Abandoned!” Trixie couldn’t believe it. “Not only did they just leave her here, but the only other member of their little get-together they’ve left behind is a baby dragon with delusions of grandeur! Were they trying to tell her something? Trixie is nothing like that!” She really was the greatest thing since ground oats! “You realize I can hear you, right?” Spike asked, still donning his faux armor and weaponry. A pot and pan respectively. They looked ridiculous to begin with, but the vague suggestion of a similarity to her lost beloved hat and cloak had Trixie grinding her teeth in fury. She paced small frustrated circles over the floor. “This has to be a mockery of her! They dressed him up in this getup and gallivanted off to do, uh, do whatever it was!” “Rescue Apple Bloom from Zecora,” Spike filled in the blank. “We’re here in case she comes back here before they find her.” Trixie rolled her eyes. “Oh, as if she’s in any actual danger. It’s all nonsense.” “Twilight said so too.” “What?” She paused her dramatic pacing. “Then why in the name of Equestria would she go along with this?” “Are you serious?” He asked in a tone that almost made it seem like she was the idiot. “Because Applejack was scared! Even if Twilight didn’t think Apple Bloom was really in trouble, she’d still want to help Applejack feel better. Because that’s what friends do.” “Nonsense, then why would they all leave?” Trixie would understand Applejack since it was her sister. Maybe Rainbow Dash as she’s the fastest, but the rest of them? “They’d just lag behind!” “So, they should just stay here and ignore a friend in distress?” he cocked his head. “Trixie didn’t say that! Just that maybe not all of them would have had to go.” “What did you want them to do?” he asked while pushing the rim of the pot away from his eyes. “Sit here waiting for you?” “Yes!” Finally. She was beginning to think he’d never get the message. Ironic for the glorified postboy role he apparently fulfilled. “Trixie had an announcement to reiterate!” Spike rolled his eyes at her, then let the pot sink back down. He’d clearly made that preparation in advance for this very purpose. She almost respected the forethought devoted to it. If it hadn’t been aimed at her. “What?” She asked, not entirely certain why she even bothered asking his opinion. Sure, she’d gotten along with him well enough yesterday, but she had only intended to blow off steam to her captive audience of one, not listen to him. “Don’t you think you are being selfish?” he asked. “No! Just moments ago the Great and Selfless Trixie made the ultimate sacrifice, swallowed her pride, and… well, never mind what. The point is that not one of them even noticed!” She folded her forelegs and leaned back against the doorway, making sure not to look at him before she finally put words to the feeling that plagued her, muttering, “why should Trixie bother then?” “Yeah. I bet swallowing something that big was a real sacrifice.” He laughed. Laughed! Of course he would. Why was she trying to share anything anyway? After a forlorn second of hurt at her second betrayal that day, she quickly adopted a scowl. Seeing her face, the little lizard faltered and tried to speak, as if she had any intention of listening anymore! Well, unlike him she wasn’t forced to be here and be berated. “Forget it!” She grabbed her saddlebags, threw the door open and left. F-forget it. Fluttershy set her hoof back down after yet another failed attempt to reach out and tap Rainbow Dash on the shoulder. The best try thus far saw her getting a mere inch off the ground before she’d lost the nerve. They’d already made it back to Sugarcube Corner a while ago, and she’d still made no progress. All she had to do was ask Rainbow Dash to talk later. Or even just see if she wanted to drink something together. How hard was that? They talked and had tea plenty of times before. This wasn’t any different. This was supposed to be the easy part. She’d resolved not to even think about the much, much scarier part that was going to come afterward. She was running out of time. How was that even possible? The gathering had begun in the early morning and yet it was already noon and she had achieved nothing. She wasn’t even sure what had been discussed as her attention constantly drifted back to Rainbow Dash and how she could approach her. Taking a deep breath, she surveyed the room. Perhaps hoping she’d hit upon some kind of opportunity that even she couldn’t fail to take. Everypony else was at ease and having a good time. At least that meant she wasn’t bringing the mood down, nopony must have noticed she was so distracted. Or, perhaps they had, but were too polite to say anything. Apple Bloom had been safely pulled from Zecora’s clutches just in time. From the looks of things she was fine, other than the scolding of a lifetime that Applejack had in store for her. Well, that and the lasso looped around the poor filly to keep her from wandering off again. Fluttershy didn’t really think it was necessary, especially since Zecora had already returned to the forest and nopony was hiding anymore, but it really wasn’t her place to question anypony else’s sibling relationship. Goodness, if she thought a piece of rope could keep her own troublesome little brother in line, she’d have gone for that in a heartbeat as well. Speaking of troublesome…. Trixie never returned. Even if Trixie had stormed off, enough time should have passed for her to cool down and come back. She could only hope nothing had happened. Of course, it was possible that Trixie was just as nervous as Fluttershy was and had opted to distract herself with something. Oh, that was right. Trixie had mentioned that she planned to visit a store or two. Though, she’d assumed that meant the two of them would go together... A tight feeling welled up in her chest. Worry, perhaps? She’d have to go look for her, right after she was done with the one task she’d set herself today. It didn’t matter what Trixie was doing, if this didn’t go well. Rainbow Dash was sitting right beside her, chatting with Applejack about the upcoming Best Young Flyer competition. Apparently it was just a couple of weeks away. She was so excited about her new training regimen that it was hard for Applejack to get a word in edgewise. How was she supposed to cut in on that herself then? Fluttershy shook her head. Who was she kidding? She’d already been perfectly alone with Rainbow Dash when they had secured the upper floor. It had been nice and quiet, and the dim lighting would have helped so much in feeling less exposed… Needless to say, she had utterly failed to broach the topic. She wished she could lay the blame at Pinkie Pie’s hooves for interrupting with that strangely catchy song of hers, but for that to be true there had to have been something to interrupt. What was worse is that Trixie seemed to have recognized it was the perfect opportunity as well and carried such a conflicted expression when she learned nothing came of it. Had she made a mistake in demanding she do this herself? She wasn’t just letting herself down this time. Maybe it really had been too selfish of her to think she could do this without help. “See y’all later!” Applejack called out loud enough to shake Fluttershy from her thoughts. Oh, no. Everypony was getting ready to leave and saying their goodbyes! She absentmindedly stuttered her way through a couple goodbyes while she allowed herself to be ushered outside by the flow of conversation. In no time at all, she found herself standing dazed in the street while her friends fanned out down their respective paths. Another failure. “What’s up, Fluttershy?” Rainbow Dash’s voice came out of nowhere. “You’ve been quiet all morning. Well, I mean, you usually are, but more quiet. I guess?” “Oh!” She had to squint against the bright sky, but she found Rainbow Dash hovering above. “I-I’m sorry.” Rainbow Dash touched down beside her. “That’s alright. It’s not really my thing either.” She stretched her wings as though to illustrate her main complaint. A quick glance around proved they were alone. As alone as one could be in a town, anyhow. A couple of ponies across the street were the nearest potential disruption, but they looked busy themselves. Now was her chance, again. “It, uhm, I…” She started while meeting Rainbow Dash’s vibrant eyes. That was a mistake. It felt entirely too real, too close. She cast her gaze down at the ground. “W-what I mean, is, uhm… oh…” This was so exposed. Her first step should definitely be to invite Rainbow Dash somewhere private, but how could she do so casually? ‘Shall we go somewhere private?’ or worse ‘wanna come back to my place?’ or even an otherwise simple ‘we should talk’. All of them felt as if they had such a heavy implication. There had to be something she could say. The little bit of distance she’d managed to create to make room for that invitation was crossed as Rainbow Dash approached her. Or at least, that’s who she assumed that set of blue hooves belonged to. “It’s about Trixie, isn’t?” Eep! Her gaze darted up just in time to catch Rainbow Dash break into a self-assured grin as she clearly took the reaction as confirmation. “Y-you, oh my goodness,” she mumbled, feeling as though she was about to burn up. For all her wonderful qualities, Rainbow Dash was not the most insightful pony. Perhaps Rarity had already spoken to her while she’d been distracted with how to do so herself. “Y-yes, I… we… I’m s-supposed to…” “Hey, don’t worry about it.” Rainbow Dash gave her an unexpected nudge on the shoulder that nearly knocked her off balance if not for a few stumbling steps. “Trixie can take care of herself.” “Uhm, what?” Just a moment ago she’d been in danger of overheating, but now she felt frozen solid. “You’ve been super quiet ever since she bailed on us,” Dash said with a touch of pride for noticing that much. “Look, I was kinda worried too, but I figure if Trixie got into any trouble we’d have heard a commotion by now, right? She’s not exactly subtle.” Watching Rainbow Dash puff her chest up for making such a great argument, Fluttershy giggled quietly despite herself. She definitely should feel worse, but she found it hard to stay down in the shine of Dash’s attitude. It was so endearingly impressive just how wrong Rainbow Dash could be when she put her mind to it, yet still be so sure of herself. She loved that confidence, even now. “Y-yes. You’re right.” She smiled and took a hesitant step closer. Perhaps Trixie had given her a way forward here. “S-she’ll probably g-go somewhere familiar, uhm… shall we… wait? Y-you know, for her?” “Somewhere familiar, huh?” Rainbow Dash asked as she looked in the direction of the cottage. “Yeah, that’s not a bad idea!” Fluttershy bit her tongue in a desperate attempt not to show too much glee at the suggestion. Yes! “Great! You start heading to your place,” Rainbow Dash said while taking to the sky once more. “I’ll fly around some and if I don’t spot her, I’ll take the weather station. She’s bound to end up at either place eventually, okay?” No! It wasn’t too late. All she had to do was say something! “O-okay...” she heard herself mumble an echoed confirmation, like a foal. No! “See ya!” The next moment, Dash was gone, leaving only a fading rainbow trail. It was as though Dash took all of the energy with her, as Fluttershy sank through her haunches, exhausted. How did this go wrong? She had all morning to figure this out. Why was she so useless? One thing was for sure, she dreaded going home and having to explain how she somehow bungled every chance today. It felt worse, knowing she didn’t just let herself down, but also the trust Trixie was putting in her. Trixie’s not gonna like this. “Trixie’s not gonna like this.” While Trixie could not allow herself to back out of this little arrangement with Rarity, that didn’t mean she had to be enthusiastic about it. The surprisingly large building looming in front of her had to be the Carousel Boutique. It truly was impossible to mistake. Not only was it shaped after its namesake, but it was entirely out of place with the rest of the rustic neighborhood. Trixie supposed she had to admit it had a certain flair to it, though the color scheme surprised her. While some accents did match the stark white and purple of its owner, the majority of the building was checkered in a much softer pink and purple. A business partner, perhaps? If she had any doubt as to whether it was the right place, the obvious cutie mark design on the front door swept that away. Given how much easier than anticipated it had been to find the place, it was a little earlier in the day than they’d agreed upon. There was still time to visit a few more stores. Then again, it wasn’t as though her little shopping trip had been a great success. Over the course of several hours, she’d discovered most of the shops were closed and even the few that opened their doors had proven mostly useless. It might have been a little overly positive to bring the bags, given that they were barely a quarter filled for her efforts. Was there any point to this? Fluttershy must have had time to speak to Rainbow Dash by now. Perhaps the best thing to do would be to just go home and face the music. But… if she really lost everything… she’d rather stall a couple of extra hours where she could at least pretend it was going to be fine. What better way to pretend than to talk to a ‘friend’. She approached the door. Ting-a-ling! A little push proved the establishment was open for business, and a tinkling bell above the door announced Trixie’s presence before she had a chance to herself. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique, where every garment is chic, unique, and magnifique.” Rarity’s voice called out from behind one of the circular curtains that divided the large main floor into smaller sections. “I’ll be with you in just a moment.” Anticipating the most liberal interpretation of ‘a moment,’ Trixie preemptively dropped her bags by the door. A higher-pitched voice followed up. “Maybe I could—” “No, thank you. I’ve got it…” Rarity said in a clear tone of annoyed politeness. “Actually, I could really use your help at the front desk.” “Okay, Rarity!” Trixie noticed movement near the edge of the curtain as a small form ran into it, seemingly intent on slipping under to quickly get to the front. Except, the rim was pulled taut when what looked like the first hoof to reach there stepped on it rather than under it, swiftly followed by the outline of a unicorn filly’s face stretched through the thick fabric like some kind of horrible pink ghost. Trixie just managed to take a quick step back when the very next moment, the entire circular curtain rod came loose from the ceiling and tumbled down with a loud metal ringing and clanking, rolling a semicircle around the platform previously hidden behind it. On the platform stood a half-dressed mannequin and a half-dead Rarity, gaping in horror at the destruction surrounding her before she quickly settled on the lump trapped beneath the curtain. Her eyes impossibly wide as she stood there frozen stiff. After a still moment, the lump started to struggle and inched its way along the fabric with little muffled huffs of effort. The metal ring laying atop the edge of the curtain barred any exit. “I’m stuck!” “Sweetie Belle!” Rarity ran over while snatching up a pair of scissors and swiftly sliced open the fabric. A soft pink- and purple-colored filly popped up out of the cut, looking spooked as she surveyed her surroundings. “I’m sorry!” She called out while wrapping her little hooves around Rarity who hugged her even tighter. Now it was obvious to Trixie where the checkered pattern outside came from. Which, honestly, probably should not have been her first thought when observing this madness, but she was taken so utterly off guard by the whole thing that it was hard to have a sensible reaction. Once that realization hit her, she snapped out of her own frozen state and came trotting up. “Are you two alright?” “She’s fine, just a little shaken up,” Rarity said with relief as she finished examining the filly. She looked up with an apologetic smile. “I’m terribly sorry for the fright, miss—Oh, Trixie! I wasn’t certain you’d come. Even then, you’re earlier than I expected. Ah, pardon, this is Sweetie Belle, my baby sister.” Still clutching to Rarity, this Sweetie Belle didn’t seem to be over the shock of meeting somepony as dazzling as Trixie just yet. Or perhaps it was because of the accident. Either way, the obvious solution was more Trixie. “Why hello there. Sweetie Belle, hm?” Trixie smiled at the filly before looking over the torn curtains. Was it just a family thing where every meeting involved destroying a pair of them? Although, compared to the ones she’d used for her stage, these looked much more expensive. “That was quite the disappearing act! It was almost as good as the Great and Powerful Trixie’s first attempt at such a trick when she was but a foal not much younger than yourself! Did you rehearse?” Sweetie Belle, who by now looked more embarrassed than anything else, gave a meek greeting. “Uh, hello. I… I wasn’t. It wasn’t a trick, I just stumbled.” “Come now, don’t be like that.” As expected, Trixie’s mere presence was enough to inspire even shaken foals. “Just commit and go with it. With the right attitude, every stumble is simply a half step toward greatness!” “While that certainly explains a thing or two...” Rarity hesitantly commented before shifting her gaze back to Sweetie Belle, “It is true you should not get discouraged by a misstep. There is always something to be learned from it if you reflect and be more mindful in the future… but for right now, how does some ice cream sound?” Ah, bribery. A little inelegant, but it seemed to be doing the trick as a bright smile lit up the filly’s face. Foals were so easy. “Can we go to Boulevard of Frozen Creams?” Sweetie Belle asked with such sudden excitement that Trixie had to wonder if she’d forgotten all about the incident already. The benefits of knowing one’s audience really were considerable. “The boulevard? There’s no need to go all the way over there, Sweetie Belle, I’ve got some in the fridge for, uh, ‘emergencies’.” “Pleaaaase?” Sweetie Belle’s pleas had a cute little melodic chime to them that Trixie was glad not to be on the other side of. “I’d love a Filly Clown Surprise from Mrs. Sorbet.” Although Trixie could not see it, by the way Rarity was anxiously avoiding looking directly at Sweetie Belle, it was obvious Rarity was being subjected to one of the oldest tricks in the book. Puppy dog eyes. “I’m sorry, but a client will be here for that dress soon and I don’t want you going alone today while that creepy Z—Besides! I can’t leave the boutique like this,” Rarity briefly motioned to the carnage surrounding her, but seemed to catch herself as she stopped midway and took a little step sideways to obscure the devastation from her sister. However, in doing so, she caught her eye. “Gnnn.” Rarity pranced in place as she accidentally looked her sister’s way and got stuck, quickly melting under the stare. Finally, she managed to break away and met Trixie’s gaze. A bright smile flashed across her face as if she’d struck upon the answer to all of life’s problems. “Oh, Trixie?” Trixie raised an eyebrow, skeptical of Rarity's sudden interest. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is nopony’s courier.” Rarity gasped as though the very idea was abhorrent. “Heavens, no! I merely hoped you would join us for the occasion. Perhaps you would be willing to take Sweetie Belle there? I’ll be along shortly. My treat, of course.” Obviously, she was being asked to babysit. Presumably so that Rarity could clean up and finish her work without the ‘assistance’ of her baby sister slowing her down. Sweetie Belle turned her way, looking excited. She didn’t seem to realize the undercurrent of the conversation at all. The little filly had that distinct look of a foal on the verge of sharing something ‘awesome’ like a gross bug or whatever else thrilled foals to show to somepony new. Trixie clenched her jaw. She was a showmare, not a nursemaid! This would be unacceptable on a good day, let alone the stressful day she was having. Even being here was testing her patience when for all she knew Fluttershy had already spoken to Dash and for better or worse there wasn’t any need for her to play along to coax Rarity into silence. Maybe it wasn’t fair on the filly, but it wasn’t as though Sweetie Belle could not go by herself. Rarity was just afraid because of that silly old pony tale from this morning! Why should she care about Rarity’s imaginary fears? “Because that’s what friends do.” Spike’s voice echoed in the back of her mind. She quickly shooed the unbidden thought away. Awfully presumptuous of the spectral lizard to claim they were friends. What had Rarity done for her? Well, aside from keeping quiet despite having no idea why. And spinning a cover story to excuse their absence… Actually, ice cream didn’t sound so bad right now. Maybe it would even convince her stomach to take a break from twisting itself into new and interesting knots. While getting roped into babysitting was out of the question, she could just go on her own, like she planned to. If somepony happened to follow, well, nopony could be blamed for desiring to be in her magnificent presence. “Trixie is rather busy,” she said, motioning over to the saddlebags. “But she supposes she can make some time… it’s what friends do, right?” Despite her best effort, some uncertainty crept into her voice at the last part. Rarity’s eyes briefly widened when she heard Trixie still call her a friend before giving her a sparkling smile. “How wonderful! Oh dear, with everything going on I almost forgot to finish introducing you.” She wrapped one arm around her sister and extended the other toward Trixie. “Sweetie Belle, this is my friend Trixie, a traveling magician! She’s staying in Ponyville to make preparations for her next show.” While it was nice to get a little recognition for her temporarily waylaid career, the most interesting thing to Trixie in that moment was the sudden emphasis on friends. Rarity’s pleased reaction and the way she listed it first suggested some further significance. Almost as if she’d been worried Trixie had revoked that privilege. A justified worry after this morning, to be fair. “Oh!” Sweetie Belle stared at Trixie for a moment with dawning realization. “I remember now! You are the wi—“ “Ahaha!” Rarity swiftly interrupted and ruffled her sister’s mane fiercely. “Such a little prankster! Now, Sweetie Belle, no matter what you might have heard and no matter from whom, she’s not a witch, understand? We do not repeat such ghastly rumors. It is unbecoming.” Sweetie Belle wormed her way out from under her sister’s hooves. “But I was going to say, ‘wizard’.” “Trixie likes this one.” She smirked and looked toward Rarity. Specifically her remarkably well-recovered mane. “Maybe she’d like to see a dazzling feat of magic?” Red-faced, Rarity glanced down at a watch that obviously wasn’t there then swiftly ushered Sweetie Belle to the front door. “Oh, would you look at the time! Why don’t you show Trixie through town, mhm? Don’t lose her, or these,” she added while slipping the filly a couple of bits. “Okay, Rarity!” Sweetie Belle said before heading out the door. “Good luck with your client, Trixie will take her out of your mane for a while…” Trixie took a long look at Rarity then turned her back on the nervous mare to follow her miniature model out. “Trixie looks forward to continuing our conversation.” It was amazing how much better she felt just by knowing that at least now she wasn’t the only one dreading the future. “This.. this has to be some kind of joke.” Trixie stared down at the thimble sitting upon the table. Inside was a microscopic snowflake in clown makeup. “This is the best ice cream in the shop?” Meanwhile, Sweetie Belle was producing a high-pitched squeaking sound as she stared wide-eyed at her own tiny treat, hooves on her cheeks. “It is so cute! And tiny! And, and look at the lil nose!” It was a little endearing to see her so excited over something so small, literally, but some part inside Trixie couldn’t help but feel upstaged. After all, a tiny clown was getting a better reception than her last three shows combined. Although Trixie knew she was an amazing inspiration for all ages, foals had usually been her most enthusiastic audience members, but even they weren’t as excited about her as this filly was about the silly ice cream. She idly wondered if perhaps her show would be more successful if she donned a ridiculous red nose and some makeup as well. Maybe while she was at it she could wear some big floppy shoes to complete her transformation into a total joke. Like it wasn’t bad enough that she was stalling for time like this. Too scared to go home and learn whether she was beloved like never before, or truly on her own now. “Hey, are you okay?” a slightly more blurry and watery than usual Sweetie Belle asked. “They have normal-sized ones too.” “Mhm? Y-yes, it’s fine.” Trixie forced a smile and, as casually as she could manage, reached up to clear her eyes. What a joke that she couldn’t even keep her nerves steady while she had an audience. She could do better than that. “That’s a great idea, actually, but Trixie is trying to mind her great and powerful figure. She refuses to have two desserts. Whatever would she do with this one?” Sweetie Belle’s eyes sparkled as she looked down at Trixie’s portion of the tiny clown ice cream. She quickly raised a hoof. “Oh, oh! I could help! Rarity is always saying I should enjoy sweets while it lasts! Whatever that means.” “Oh, Trixie just had a great idea.” Trixie snickered as she levitated the thimble over toward Sweetie Belle. The look of undisguised joy on the filly’s face was infectious. “You can have this one.” “Thank you!” When Sweetie Belle retrieved the sweet, Trixie noticed the filly was using her hooves rather than her horn. “It’s barely worth mentioning, rather…” She bit her lip. While she rarely made an effort to watch her tongue, she was also a little more familiar than she’d like to be with the insecurities of a young filly ‘blooming late’ in the magic department. “...Did you start unicorn school, yet?” Sweetie Belle shook her head. “No, we don’t have those here. Rarity promised she’d teach me some when I’m older, though!” she said excitedly. “Ah, yes. Trixie did get to see some of her magical prowess before. Her control would be impressive were she not naturally compared to the greatest magician ever to grace this town.” She chuckled. “You mean Twilight?” Sweetie Belle asked without even looking up from the table, too absorbed in devouring the snow clown with a single lick. Trixie gaped open-mouthed at the clueless filly. The sheer unabashed sincerity with which she said it hurt the most, as though there wasn’t even a question. Trixie just barely recovered enough to reply. “No, uh… Trixie…” She was going to need some ice for that burn. In fact... Trixie turned toward the old mare behind the counter. “You there, Trixie will have a ‘magic sundae’. Extra magic.” “Coming right up.” Just a few moments later, the spry fossil plonked down a tray carrying the much-needed medicine. A proper amount of ice cream drowned in extra chocolate sauce. “Enjoy.” Yes, this would do just the trick for her bruised ego. Trixie worked a few spoonfuls in before she made another attempt to broach the topic with Sweetie Belle. Somehow she was feeling a lot less inclined to be subtle about it. “So, you can’t use magic, huh?” Sweetie Belle frowned. “Not yet. Rarity said I will when I’m older. She says that a lot.” Despite a veneer of acceptance, there was an unmistakable tinge of impatience underlining the words. Sweetie Belle wound her tiny hoof in the air as she droned out a list. “Magic. Cutie mark. Fashion. Boys.” “Gah!” Trixie nearly choked on a spoon of ice cream at the last item. “...She’s probably right. Best not to rush anything.” An adventurous spirit Trixie could understand, but were foals interested in that sort of thing at Sweetie Belle’s age these days? Now that she thought about it, Rarity was the filly’s older sister, that certainly explained where she got the interest from. It probably ran in the family. “How long did it take you?” Sweetie Belle asked. Oh, good. Apparently so did the inbuilt nosiness. At least this time she wasn’t being blackmailed into spilling the beans. “Erm, well… Trixie’s never had much interest in boys. She’s been too busy with her career to afford many ‘distractions’.” If Trixie had time later, she would have to remember to pat herself on the back for such amazing honesty. Both statements were true, they just weren’t related. Hopefully it would keep the filly from pursuing too many questions down that path. “Heh,” Sweetie Belle snickered. “You sound like Rarity.” “Is that so? Well, what if Trixie told you that she always had a fantastic sense of flair, would that help tell us apart?” She smirked as Sweetie Belle rolled her eyes. "Though some ponies foolishly disagreed as to whether it was fashionable or not. Trixie prefers to say she has inherited a style as timeless as the stars themselves!” Sweetie Belle gave Trixie a quick up and down before settling on a questioning look. “Hehe, you’ll have to take her word for it, though…” A small pang pinched her chest as she accidentally reminded herself of the lost costume. “It’s in the wash.” “Okay, Rari—Trixie.” The reply had an automatism to it. “What about the magic or cutie mark?” Trixie soured a little, opting for another scoop while thinking over how much she really wanted to tell. “You’re right on track for those.” “Oh…” Sweetie Belle seemed to muse on that for a time, giving Trixie some much-desired peace. Not for long, though. “So, you were a late bloomer, right?” A metallic crunch sounded as Trixie gritted her teeth on the spoon. She was not expecting to get called out like that. Holding a hoof to her chin, Sweetie Belle was looking thoughtful while she baselessly speculated. “I think… you don’t want to admit you weren’t the best, right? Rarity says it’s nothing to be ashamed of, though. Somepony has to be last place.” “If you must know, Trixie was not the last. She was the fifth! Trixie earned her cutie mark in magic the same week she learned her first spell. A true prodigy!” Trixie hastily corrected. Well, mostly corrected… what she’d said was technically the truth, but certainly a lie by omission. She couldn’t very well admit to being fifth to last, though, could she? It didn’t feel great deceiving a foal, though... “Oh, sorry…” Sweetie Belle sunk in her seat a little and focused her attention on the empty thimbles, awkwardly shuffling them around. “I… I just thought it would be nice to have somepony to talk to about it.” Scratch that, it felt pretty lousy. “Why don’t you just talk to your sister?” Trixie asked. “Rarity is good at everything, I wanna be like that too but… she’s just so good at everything, at literally everything,” said Sweetie Belle with a mixture of pride and annoyance. “She was always first in her class. Cutie mark, magic, you name it. It wasn’t even hard for her. Rarity already knew what she wanted to be when she was half my age and she’s doing it right now!” Rarity was too good to talk to? What did that make Trixie? Rarity’s lesser at the very least! This couldn’t stand. She’d have to demonstrate just how wrong the filly was! A few ideas as to how to do just that were popping up already. No! Trixie shook her head to try and derail that train of thought. What was wrong with her? The little filly just idolized her older sister a little. That was no reason to get anxious. “It’s not a competition...” she muttered to herself. “What?” Sweetie Belle asked. “With Rarity,” Trixie added, unwittingly, then startled upon realizing she was thinking out loud. Gah! Right! She’s still here. Sweetie Belle tilted her head confusedly. “Huh?” “Erm, w-what Trixie means is, uhm...” Trixie fumbled briefly then put on a flashy smile. “You aren’t competing with your sister! Yes, that is exactly it… Of course, it can feel that way when you have to stand next to her, you can’t help but compare her to yourself, right?” “Right,” Sweetie Belle said, looking a little brighter. Trixie took that to mean she was hitting the mark, somehow. “Good. It’s what’ll drive you to be better than anypony else, but Rarity isn’t your rival, Sweetie, she’s your family. If you need help or somepony to talk to, you can always rely on her, even if she can’t understand what you are going through, she’ll still try.” For some reason, this reminded her of that letter she kept meaning to write. “Trixie understands if maybe right now it feels like Rarity is your big rival, but as soon as you set hoof outside you’ll find the whole world is full of ponies to compete with. It’s a lot of pressure. That’s why it is important to have a good home where you don’t need to feel that way and can just be with the ponies you love.” Trixie paused for a moment as she looked around the room. A brief glance around revealed there weren’t too many witnesses. A couple sitting a few tables away and the mare behind the counter who looked old enough to forget her own name anyway. This was acceptable. She leaned in conspiratorially toward Sweetie Belle and whispered, “...Even The Great and Powerful Trixie needs to occasionally be just Trixie.” “Huh,” was all Sweetie Belle had to say at first. She’d lost her frown, but gained a ponderous look as she stared down at the table. Presumably going over what she’d gained from the font of wisdom she’d been fortunate enough to tap into. “...Do you have some place like that in Ponyville?” “Yes. It started off a little, uhm, ‘rocky’, but Trixie feels secure at home.” She decided not to add the part where she really really hoped that home was still going to be there. She didn’t need to bother the filly with her worries. “I see.” Sweetie Belle perked up and raised her gaze to meet Trixie’s. She had a strange, yet vaguely familiar shine to her eyes. “So, who do you love there?” “Errr… Trixie’s sorry, what?” Trixie asked. “It’s not family, right? So, I was thinking there’s only one other thing it could be.” Sweetie Belle’s smile grew with a little squeak as if her pressed-up cheeks were chew toys. “Come on. You already told me about fashion, magic, and cutie marks. All that’s left now is…?” Trixie looked toward the door of the ice cream parlor in quiet desperation. What was taking Rarity so long to get here? She wasn’t equipped for this sort of talk. No rescue seemed to be forthcoming. “Trixie doesn’t want to talk about it.” Sweetie Belle leaned forward while her voice took on an eerily familiar sweet tone. “Pleaaaase?” Oh no. Staring up straight at the ceiling, Trixie did her best not to look over in the siren’s direction. There was no need to look to know that Sweetie Belle was trying to use that same seemingly irresistible power she’d used on Rarity just moments ago. Would it hurt to peek? It had to be pretty cute. Surely somepony of her legendary willpower could withstand just a glance? No! That’s how they get you! “Okay! Okay, look… Will you drop the subject if Trixie teaches you a spell?” “A spell?” Sweetie Belle sounded confused. “But, I’ve never been able to use magic before.” “You’ve never had the greatest magician in Equestria teach you before!” “Twilight?” “Seriously?” Trixie glared at Sweetie Belle, who looked awfully pleased with herself. “Made you look!” Sweetie Belle smiled widely, seemingly satisfied to know she could have gotten her way if she so chose. “Okay, let’s do the spell thing! Maybe I’ll get my cutie mark this week too!” “Nice trick. Trixie will have to remember that.” The disaster averted, she took the time to finish off her sundae before motioning for Sweetie Belle to pay attention. “Very well. We’re going to start with the first spell Trixie ever learned… Sparks!” It was the perfect choice. Any failed spell would generally produce at least a couple of sparks as it fizzled out, so even if the filly messed up, she’d still feel like she was making progress and build up her confidence. As a prodigy of magic, Trixie’s only concern was that she wasn’t quite certain if she could actually teach somepony so far below her level. But really, what could go wrong?