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Dinner at the Doo residence was a happy affair. By mutual agreement, the three of them had kept quiet about Dinky’s achievement until Ditzy asked if anything interesting had happened on their walk.
Rainbow Dash had casually shrugged and said that they just happened to be passing by Twilight’s house and they decided to stop in. Dinky was all but bouncing in her seat, eager to reveal her big success but Rainbow—being Rainbow—wanting to draw it out, kept the pace of her narrative slow as if describing a boring day at the office. She had JUST gotten to the part about Twilight and Trixie tutoring Dinky when Dinky Doo burst out: “I did magic!” She squeed. “I lifted a feather and it went so high!”
Ditzy was ecstatic. She got up and sped around the table to give Dinky a colossal mom-hug. “Muffin, that’s wonderful! You did it!”
“Was there ever any doubt?” Dinky said, grinning as she repeated what she heard Trixie say at the library.
Ditzy blinked, her left eye rolling sideways. “Um, no?” She was a little confused at her muffin’s uncharacteristic lack of modesty but chalked it up to her excitement as an expression of justifiable pride. “I always knew you could do it! This calls for…” she looked around the room (being Ditzy Doo, she didn’t even need to turn her head to do so) as she prepared to drop the bombshell. “…MUFFINS!”
“Yaay!” Dinky cheered. Trixie rolled her eyes (thought not in the manner in which Ditzy had just done) as Rainbow Dash snorted. As mother and daughter raced into the kitchen, Rainbow got up.
“Ditzy and her muffins…I swear if that ‘you are what you eat’ stuff is actually true, they’d literally turn INTO muffins.” She stretched. “That was a pretty cool thing you did back there for Dinky.”
Trixie levitated her hat back onto her head—Ditzy had insisted she take it off for dinner—and looked at her hoof with practice nonchalance. “Yes, Trixie supposes that it was. But then again, Trixie is the most talented and powerful unicorn in all of Equestria, is she not?” She looked at Rainbow expectantly. Her proud smile fell slightly when she saw her friend rub the back of her head awkwardly.
“You’re really cool, no question.” The pegasus was quick to answer. “But…uh, Twilight was kinda upset when we left. Did anything…ya know, happen?”
Shrugging, Trixie turned away. “Trixie did nothing. Most likely she is simply jealous of the amazing talents of the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
“…Yeah, okay. Fine.” Rainbow sighed. “But do you think you could try to, you know, get along with her? I mean, she’s pretty cool too—in her own way.”
“Surely you’re joking? Twilight Sparkle is the most boring, bookish unicorn Trixie has ever met!”
Rainbow Dash felt the beginning of a headache coming on. “You just met her Trix…c’mon she out-dueled the captain of the royal guard when he was being all possessed and stuff by Nightmare Moon! THAT is pretty hardcore!”
“Trixie could have easily done the same had SOMEpony asked her to come along.” She crossed her hooves and glowered at Rainbow.
“It wasn’t exactly like any of it was planned!” Dash defended herself. “I mean, if I knew that I was going to be fighting an ancient evil that wanted to plunge the world into eternal darkness, I would’ve thought to ask for an army or two while I was at it. But it all just sort of…happened.”
“Whatever.” Trixie grumbled before changing topics. “Still, Trixie is…most interested meeting the rest of your Ponyville friends.” She had to fight to get her face to contort into a shape that vaguely resembled a smile. “I am sure they will be quite…delightful.” She almost choked on that last word.
Rainbow Dash grinned. “Oh, they are the best! Hanging with them is always a blast, you’ll see!”
The next day, Rainbow Dash took Trixie over to meet her friends at Sugarcube Corner. “Everypony!” Rainbow Dash announced as she and Trixie entered. She looked around and was grateful to see that everypony looked to be in spirits than they had been when she first attempted to introduce Trixie. Applejack’s cold looked better, though she sipping some broth while sandwiched between Rarity and Fluttershy. Pinkie Pie was passing out treats to everypony. Twilight just sort of looked at the table top, not really looking at Trixie or Rainbow.
This made Rainbow Dash falter slightly, but she rallied. “Now, er, let’s try this again! Everypony, this is Trixie.”
“The Great and Powerful Trixie.” Corrected the showmare casually, turning to one side to show off her profile.
“Ooooh.” Pinkie Pie said in awe, her eyes wide. “Do svidanya tovarisch Trixie!”
Trixie blinked. “Excuse me?”
Pinkie looked at her as if she were the one acting odd. “What, don’t you speak the language? What kind of Stalliongrad pony are you?” Even her friends were confused.
Rainbow Dash shrugged when Trixie looked to her, hoping she would have some sort of explanation. Befuddled, Trixie turned back to the strange pink earth pony. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is from Neigh Orleans, not Stalliongrad. The Great and Powerful Trixie has never even BEEN to Stalliongrad!”
“Oh.” Pinkie said simply. “Sorry!”
There was a pause. “…would you care to explain why you thought the Great and Power—” Rainbow nudged her, giving her a look. Trixie sighed. “Would you care to explain to TRIXIE why you thought I was from Stalliongrad?” She amended, bending as far as she would go.
Pinkie Pie shrugged. “Oh, it’s just your Cutie Mark.”
“My Cutie Mark?” Trixie turned to look. There it was, same (and wonderful, if she did say so herself) as ever: a light blue crescent moon superimposed on a magic wand.
“Isn’t that the symbol for that party in Stalliongrad? I should know because I know all about parties, even the ones without cakes or balloons and—hmmmhmhmhmm!” Pinkie wriggled her snout, her mouth suddenly sealed shut.
Rarity, her horn glowing with magic, tittered. “Ahaha, Pinkie darling, how you DO go on. I am Rarity dear, welcome to Ponyville. You’ve already met Pinkie Pie.” She nodded to the pink pony as her face contorted into all manner of expressions as she tried to get her mouth open. Trixie made a face of her own, only it wasn’t amused. “Might I say what a…bold statement your outfit makes on you.”
“Trixie delights in being bold.” She replied simply.
Rarity nodded vaguely. “Yes, yes of course. But that hat…” Trixie’s lip curled. She liked her hat. “If you ever were to be in the market for something more chic, I have a number of fashionable chapeaus for you! Why, some of them come with own ensembles, if you’d like to try going for a different look…”
“Ooooh ooooh oooh!” Pinkie waved her hoof in the air like a little filly in school wanting to be called on by the teacher. “If you get a new outfit, can I get your old one? It looks so fun and I love playing dress-up! I mean, I can do it now but it’d look even better with your clothes!” To demonstrate she neatly swiped the table cloth out from underneath everypony’s dishes—without disturbing a single plate—and fashioned it around her neck. Then she grabbed a napkin and with a few deft swipes turned into a peaked hat not unlike Trixie’s own. Affixing it to her poofy mane, Pinkie Pie ran into the rest room.
Silence fell.
“What—?” Trixie began, but never got a chance to complete the thought.
Just then a burst of white powder (most likely flour) heralded the appearance of Pinkie, still wearing her makeshift magician’s garb. “I AM THE GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRIXIE!” She announced grandly, rolling her Rs and spreading her hooves just like the original. “DO NOT BE TOO HASTY IN ENTERING THAT ROOM…I HAD TACO BELL FOR LUNCH!” Rainbow Dash snickered. Trixie’s eye twitched. It had been doing that a lot lately. She feared if she didn’t leave Ponyville soon it would develop into a nervous tic.
But Pinkie Pie marched right up to the sniggering Rainbow Dash and poked her muzzle right in her face. “You dare laugh at the Great and Powerful Trrrixie?! Be careful, for I am no ordinary unicorn! If you are after mere parlor tricks, you will be sorely disappointed. For if I reach behind your ear, it will not be a nickel I pull out, but your very sooooooul!” She waved her hooves in front of her, making a spooking ‘oooooo’ noise as she some how made little green spirals appear in her eyes.
Rainbow Dash was pounding the table with one leg and clutching her belly with another. “Hahaha! Make it stop! Oh Celestia, make it stop! Hahahahaha! It—it hurts too much to laugh!”
Twilight nudged her. “Rainbow Dash!”
“What?” The rainbow mare giggled. “Trixie knows it’s just a joke, right?”
Trixie forced herself to stop scowling and nod. “Oh yes, it was very…amusing.” She coughed. “Twilight Sparkle, you simply must stop being such a wet blanket.” She smiled as the purple pony jerked as if stung, flushing and looking down again. Trixie looked to the next pony.
“Howdy.” Applejack nodded as she held a tissue up to her nose. “Ah’m Applejack. Pleased t’meetcha.”
“Likewise.” Trixie deadpanned flatly. “And what is your name?” She looked to Fluttershy who let out a soft squeak and buried her face behind her mane. “…A huh.”
Rainbow Dash coughed, rubbing the back of her head. This wasn’t going the way she expected…well, no, she took that back. Except for Applejack being sick this is pretty much the way any introduction of her friends would go. “This is Fluttershy—my old pal from flight camp.” She tossed a hoof across Fluttershy’s shoulders, lifting her up to eye-level.
Eeping softly, Fluttershy let out a tiny smile. “Um, hi. Nice to meet you. A-any friend of Rainbow Dash’s is a friend of ours…if you don’t mind, I mean.”
Trixie smiled neutrally. “Well, it was certainly a pleasure meeting you all.” Her eyes flickered to Twilight briefly. “Rainbow Dash, I believe you said that you wanted Trixie to walk Dinky home from school with you?”
Rainbow’s eyes widened. “Oh yeah. We gotta go—we’ll swing by the farm in a bit, okay AJ?”
Applejack nodded. “Sure thing…ah’ll be in the fields. Nothing cures the cold better than a bit of honest work.”
“See you later alligators!” Pinkie waved, Gummy having somehow appeared on the end of her hoof. Trixie didn’t even question it. She beat a hasty retreat, Rainbow Dash flying alongside her.
“Pretty cool, huh?” She performed a barrel roll that left her hovering upside down in front of her friend.
Trixie rolled her eyes. “Cool….” She echoed, making Rainbow’s face light up. “…if you’re a flight school drop out.”
Rainbow Dash groaned. “Come on Trixie…”
“No, you come on!” Trixie retorted, looking up and away. “A farmer, a baker, a vet, a seamstress and a librarian? In Canterlot you and I knew royal guardsponies, famous musicians and the elite of the elite. Now? You’re just slumming it.”
“Hey! Just because they aren’t high-class doesn’t mean they aren’t cool! I don’t see any royal seal on your birth certificate.” The blue pegasus shot back.
“It isn’t about class!” Trixie snapped her head around to glare at her. “Trixie CLIMBED her way up from stages made of soapboxes to Vaudeville productions to having her own show! These ponies…what’ve they ever done?” She made a face. “And don’t bring up Nightmare Moon again—they did ONE thing that was amazing. That doesn’t make them amazing ponies. I am amazing—and so are you.” Her voice lost a touch of its hard edge. “You could be doing so much more than pushing clouds…”
“It’s what I want Trixie.” Rainbow Dash replied firmly. “Now let’s just pick up Dinky and drop her off at home.” She righted herself and continued flying to the school.
Scowling, Trixie kept quiet as she trotted after her. But she was far from letting this drop. “I will help you Rainbow Dash…” Trixie swore. “Whether you like it or not.”
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