“How did—” Trixie stammered and sweat dripped down her brow as she turned her head slowly to look at Twilight Sparkle, who was holding Trixie by her hair in a gloomy alleyway behind the Green Neigh inn’s private gardens. “How did you know I was—”
“You can thank Fluttershy for that,” Twilight said drolly. “She detected your pitiful attempt at stealth the very first day you started stalking us, and once she showed me how to detect you too, it was just a matter of waiting for the right moment.”
“Well, I guess it doesn’t matter,” Trixie shrugged and scoffed, acting awfully smug for a dragon who Twilight could crush under her paw at any moment if she so chose. “You’re not gonna kill me, and we both know it. So what’s to stop me from just doing whatever I want?”
“Are you so sure I won’t kill you?” Twilight snarled, yanking Trixie back by the hair and putting her fingers— which ever so slightly transformed into dragon claws— up to Trixie’s throat. “After everything you’ve put me and my family through? Are you so sure that you’re willing to bet your life on it?”
“Absolutely,” Trixie whispered, a sneering grin crawling across her face. “You were always a coward, Twilight Sparkle. And if you had any intention of killing me, you would’ve done it already. Either that, or you’re just so stupid that you think you can stop me from hounding you. Doesn’t matter to me any which way.”
“Well-” Twilight breathed in deeply and let out a tense sigh “-you’re right. I can’t kill you. No matter what awful things you’ve done to me and my friends, I can’t bring myself to believe it’s acceptable for a person to take another person’s life.
“However,” Twilight yanked Trixie back a step by the hair, gently scratching a line up from her chin to her cheek, “I still think you may be underestimating me, Trixie. I can’t kill you, no. But what I can do is keep you alive, even without extraneous things like your arms and legs, or even your torso!
“So how do you feel about me cutting off your head and keeping it animated with magic, then sticking it in a bag until we reach the Crystal Empire, and just dumping you on my brother’s doorstep and letting him do whatever he cares to do with you. Maybe he’ll kill you? I dunno, it’s not really my problem at that point.
“What do you say to that,” Twilight pulled Trixie’s hair back and forced Trixie’s head to crane at an awkward angle to look Twilight in the eye, “Trixie?”
“Hm, okay,” Trixie laughed awkwardly, trying to hide her nerves and failing miserably, “I think I see your point.”
“So, anyway,” Twilight sighed and let go of Trixie’s hair, putting her hands on her own hips instead. She swore being around Trixie felt like babysitting. “Instead of trying to show each other up with threats, I have a better idea.”
“Oh yeah?” Trixie ran her hands through her hair to straighten out where Twilight had grabbed it; she didn’t look amused. “And what’s that?”
“Why don’t you just have a drink with me and my friends?” Twilight suggested. “Y’know, instead of going on a meaningless violent rampage that ends with you humiliated and bloodied by me and my friends?”
“Are you serious?” Trixie said flatly, smug grin on her face and a single eyebrow raised, arms crossed to complete the Look.
“I mean, you don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Twilight shrugged. “But I’m gonna go get a bite to eat with a dear friend and my son, and you are welcome to join us. I feel confident that you aren’t going to cause trouble in town. You aren’t the type to waste your life on a suicide attack.
“But I will say this,” Twilight raised a single finger. “I won’t tolerate your stalking forever, Trixie. I’m giving you an opportunity to try and make peace, a little truce, if you will. You should take me up on this.”
“Maybe I will, Twilight Sparkle!” Trixie hissed.
“Great!” Twilight gave a bright beaming smile and locked arms with Trixie. “Let’s go then!”
Applejack and Spike were… less than impressed by Twilight’s surprise guest; Spike cowering under the table with only the top of his face and his hands peeking over, and Applejack putting down her sandwich and standing up, cracking her knuckles.
“Hey, everyone!” Twilight said cheerfully and put her arm around Trixie in a display of attempted camaraderie, though it definitely felt like putting her hand on a hot stove, and judging by the horribly strained smile on Trixie’s face, it wasn’t much easier for her either. “Look who I ran into!”
“Wow it’s that girl who’s tried to kill you twice,” Applejack said drolly. “What a nice surprise. Alright, Spike, you stand back while I—”
“Hold on, Applejack,” Twilight raised her hand and put the other on Trixie’s shoulder, Trixie’s face twisting into a mask of completely disgruntled bemusement weakly trying to pass itself off as cheer. “Trixie and I have agreed to something of a truce. In fact, I invited her to have lunch with us, and she very gratefully said yes.”
“That’s definitely what happened,” Trixie said, her voice dripping with sarcasm like a snake’s fangs dripped with a deadly venom. “You totally didn’t threaten me and then drag me here against my will.”
“I didn’t,” Twilight growled, locking eyes with Trixie. “No one forced you to come, Trixie.”
“Okay, one question though,” Applejack sat back down and folded her arms on the table. “Why?”
“Because,” Twilight sighed and took a seat across from her son, who was sitting next to Applejack, “Rarity and Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash taught me that friendship can change your heart for the better-“ Twilight looked back at Trixie and pulled out a chair next to her with her magic for Trixie to sit down “-and I think Trixie deserves that opportunity.”
“Okay, I have a question!” Spike raised his hand. “Why?” he said, complete disgust written all over his scrunched up face.
Twilight blinked.
She hadn't really thought about that. She just thought—
“It’s the right thing to do,” Twilight said, the words falling out of her mouth and surprising even her. “So what do you say, Trixie? Care to join us?”
“Well, I guess since you’re so desperate,” Trixie scoffed and made a big show of sitting down in the seat Twilight provided her, “I suppose I can grace you with my presence for one meal, just so you can stop pining over me.”
“Great!” Twilight beamed, choosing to ignore all of Trixie’s sass and meet it with complete sincerity instead. “We’re happy to have you! Right, everyone?”
Applejack looked bemusedly at Twilight, propping up her cheek with one hand and tapping a finger against the table. Spike just looked at Trixie with a putrid scowl.
“Yeah, Twi,” Applejack groaned, “we’re ecstatic.”