Cozy, warm, and safely tucked inside the House of Lulamoon were a pair of student unicorns. The cold windows on the small house were hazed over with a pounding rain that thundered in the black night. A tiny fire burned quietly in the corner fireplace as loud, continuous snoring echoed throughout the blue bedroom within the manor. One student was hard at work, finishing her homework for the school day while the source of the snoring was coming from the other. Twilight was a perfect student; she did her work at the earliest possible time.
Her sleeping adoptive sister, however, didn’t have the same interest in doing homework like she did. Twilight had a great work ethic and went the extra mile for everything. Trixie, the azure mare snoring on a desk, had dozed off having just opened up her textbook for the first time in weeks. Twilight’s homework had been done hours ago and was stacked neatly inside her saddle bag while Trixie slightly drooled on her own.
The studious mare lay on her belly, reading her usual nighttime story and listening to the pouring rain combined with the obnoxious snores of her sister. For the first time in months the terrible snoring was enough to tear away the Twilight's immersion in her book as she stole a look at her sister. A light giggle at her sister's laziness escaped as she got up from the cushion she sat on.
“Oh Trixie, you never change, do you?” chuckled Twilight. She lazily walked to her sleeping sister with nothing but amusement. She had gotten used to Trixie’s snoring ever since the first night they had slept together, or rather, she usually just used soundproofing spells.
Trixie was fast asleep on her textbook. Scrolls were piled high on the desk with late dates all imprinted on them. The lavender unicorn quietly came up behind Trixie, using her magic to levitate a warm blanket from the bed as well as a soft pillow. Whether or not Trixie had disliked sleeping on the hard surface of a textbook, she didn’t seem to notice when Twilight replaced it. The warm covers hung loosely on Trixie as her sister gently pulled away the unattempted homework.
Twilight made a sour face as she looked at the blank parchment with nothing scribbled on it but her sister’s name and the date it was due. Examining the document more closely, she noticed it was assigned several months ago and had attached to it a threatening note from the teacher that Trixie was going to fail her class. Twilight let out a frustrated sigh for her sister’s procrastination at everything related to school.
“What am I going to do with you, Trixie? You either don’t do your homework on time or you just don’t do it at all,” scowled Twilight. Her sister continued to ignore the complaint and slept without bother. A flicker of magic and a magenta aura grabbed the dusty textbook her sister was previously sleeping on.
Signs of exhaustion showed on the sleep-deprived Twilight as the wee hours of the night drew into the wee hours of the morning. Luckily for the bookworm, the schoolwork was easily doable with her superb intellect. Unluckily, sleep was going to have to wait for Twilight as she stuffed the finished scroll into her sister’s saddle bag. A giant, unorganized pile of late work assigned to Trixie from months past was littered and packed loosely inside. The violet sister facehoofed, leaving a giant red mark left on her forehead. If it was possible, she would have facehoofed mentally as well.
“I value sleep as much as you, Trixie, but it seems I don’t have much of a choice. How you are doing in class appalls me. You sleep while doing homework, then you sleep during class. Just once I want to sleep when I’m supposed to, Trixie,” ranted the tired mare. Her eyes drooped as more hours continued to pass. Twilight had gotten used to sleepless nights doing her lazy sister’s work for her as well as studying herself.
If there was one word to describe how Twilight felt when the homework was complete, it was enervated. Doing a single assignment wasn’t too tasking, but doing a month’s worth of it when you’re sleep deprived was a bit much. It was a neat trick Twilight had mastered, but she regretted ever learning the skill.
At last, there were several dozen scrolls wasted, over twenty pieces of parchment still wet with ink, and one tired Twilight. It was a normal sight within Lulamoon manor, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. For the first time in hours, Twilight tore her bloodshot eyes away from her work and shot a grim stare at her sister.
Trixie was still happily sound asleep, wrapped warmly in a blanket and pillow. If Twilight was ever given the chance, she would gladly trade her intellect for a chance to sleep as much as Trixie did. “I... am so... going to... get...you back... for this...” she grumbled. Her hooves ached terribly as well as her mind. Twilight could easily shut her eyes, but if she could do the same with her mind it would save a lot of trouble.
The exhausted mare sluggishly walked to her sleeping sister with an annoyed expression on her face. She magicked the blanket off roughly along with the pillow. Trixie’s head thumped onto the hard oakwood desk, but still she barely stirred. Twilight facehoofed again as she remembered how her lazy sister could practically sleep through a stampede and still not budge an inch.
She levitated her sleeping sister towards the nearby bed. Twilight felt like she was walking on puffy clouds as her hooves lazily spread themselves on the warm sheets. It smelled immaculately clean and fresh, and it felt comforting to know that sleep wouldn’t be far behind. Trixie continued to snooze as Twilight magicked the blanket back onto them. Both mares were happily in bed as the thunderstorm continued on. It was a cold night even with the fireplace still burning in the room. The only other thing Twilight could use to warm herself up was her sister - which wasn’t a bad idea at the moment. The fatigued mare moved closer, pulling Trixie into a tight snuggle to share their body heat. She shifted herself continuously as she got into a more comfortable position for both mares. The movement was just enough to partially wake her sister, who moaned groggily.
“Twilight... stop moving... can’t you see I’m trying to sleep here?” groaned the half-asleep mare as she relented and finally accepted her sister’s snuggling. Trixie was as warm as always when Twilight crept closer to her. She finally felt heat enter her body again as she refuted her sister’s complaints.
“A ‘thanks for doing all my homework, Twilight’ would be appreciated, Sis,” retorted Twilight. She playfully hoofed her sister, which Trixie was too asleep to return. A deep fuchsia aura grabbed the cool blanket and covered both mares: Twilight completely, Trixie to her chest. The lavender mare rested peacefully in her sister’s embrace gaining the warmth she sought desperately.
“I could have finished my work...” Trixie argued weakly. All she got in return was a coughed ‘yea right’ from her loving sister. Trixie just smiled at her sister’s playful nature. “Alright, maybe not. Thank you, Twilight. There, now may I get some sleep?” she asked. All she got in response was a snore. Twilight had dozed off mid-sentence of the gratitude the azure mare offered. She couldn’t help but feel bad for making her sister stay up all night and finish the late work that she forgot to do. “Don’t worry, Twi I’ll make it up to you,” promised Trixie.
She looked to the nearby clock; it was well past one. Another look to the calendar and she saw a special date circled madly on it. Twilight’s birthday was in a week and Trixie had completely forgotten about it. ‘Some sister you are, forgetting about the birthday of the mare who does your homework for you every night,’ she thought, scowling to herself. ‘Oh wait, tomorrow is a Saturday, I can look for a gift while Twilight goes to the library like usual.’
An idea blossomed in her mind as sleep gave way again. At the earliest possible time, Trixie was going to take her sister to a bar for Twilight’s first drink. Both mares were on winter break, so why not live a little? If it would finally mean showing her smart sister the world, Trixie was going to have fun with it. An excuse to get drunk and spend time with her sister would be a double win - all she had to do was surprise the perfect student.
“Maybe I’ll buy her a book instead. Twi does read more than she goes outside,” mumbled Trixie quietly. She facehoofed for even thinking about taking Twilight to a bar. ‘Of course she wants a book! What else could Twi possibly want?’ she pondered. ‘Ugg, I’ll think about this more in the morning.’
~~~
Streaks of sunshine and cheerful light shone brightly into Trixie’s shared room. She moaned helplessly as the sun woke her from a late sleep and silently cursed the Sun Goddess for raising her celestial body so early in the day. She rustled the bed sheets frantically, noticing something was missing. She pawed the left side of the bed, searching for her absent sister. It was barely six in the morning - way too early to get out of the comforting confines of the warm bed - but if the lavender mare had already awoken then Trixie might as well. It took more effort than usual as she reluctantly left the bed and headed to the bathroom.
Twilight had taken the shower first, leaving the latecomer to brush her teeth and mane. It didn’t take long for a devious plan to form inside Trixie’s mind. Igniting her horn in a magenta aura, she turned all the faucets within the house to hot, diverting the flow of warm water from the shower Twilight had been using. It only took a second for her to notice her sister’s prank.
“AHHH! TRIXIE!” screamed Twilight as she ran out of the cold shower and gave her sister the evil eye. She burned with anger on the inside but was shivering cold on the outside. “Don’t you dare run! Come back here!”
Ignoring the distressed unicorn, Trixie flashed herself into the kitchen. She casually went to the pantry and took out two dishes and laid them on the table. Not a second later, an enraged Twilight, still cold and soaking wet, stared down her sister. Trixie continued to do her morning schedule of starting breakfast as her sister continued to drip. “I suggest you dry yourself, Twi, you might catch a cold.” said Trixie casually as she levitated a towel over to her sister.
Twilight gladly accepted it as her anger died down. It was just another typical morning for both students. The studious mare sometimes cursed her good habit of waking up early for a shower as it usually gave Trixie too many chances to play pranks on her. “I can’t believe you did that to me. Again!” said Twilight playfully.
“It’s not my fault you let me do it to you. Again. If you would just let me have the shower first every morning, I wouldn’t have to. You always take half an hour with your showers and it’s cutting into my me time. Now what would you like to have: a daisy sandwich or some eggs and toast?” asked Trixie. She finished setting up the tables and headed towards the fridge and got everything she needed.
Twilight finished her drying and threw the towel to the dirty hamper with her telekinesis as she took a seat at the table. As much as it hurt for her to admit it, Twilight was horrible at cooking. If she ever laid hooves on anything edible, it would either soon be lethally poisonous or turned to charcoal. “I’ll just have a daisy sandwich. I have a busy schedule today, so I won’t be home for a while. The library opens in about twenty minutes,” answered the lavender mare as she pulled a checklist out of thin air.
“Daisy sandwich it is. You really need to pull your head out of those books one of these day, Twi,” retorted Trixie. Her horn lit as two slices of bread were laid out. A few ingredients flew in the air as she continued on, “Your birthday is in a week; do you know what you want?”
Twilight just continued to add to her checklist of things to do, somewhat ignoring the question. “Sure... Trixie...” she answered, completely unaware of the date of her birth.
“Twilight, are you even listening to me? Twi?!” shouted Trixie. Still nothing from her distracted sister. The inattentive mare just continued to read her checklist as Trixie completed the daisy sandwich. She just sighed at Twilight’s ability to just lose her thoughts in everything else. Her magic wrapped around two glasses from the pantry as the refrigerator opened for a bottle of orange juice.
“Yea Trixie, my birthday is in a week. I heard you, no need to shout. And I don’t know what I want. Maybe a book?” answered Twilight. She rolled the checklist back up and in a puff it was gone again. Her eyes rolled down to the daisy sandwich that Trixie had made for her and took a bite. Even with something so simple, it tasted delicious in Twilight's mouth.
Trixie just sighed on the inside again and looked at her sister worriedly. “Alright, Twi, I’ll see what I can do. Just, stop reading for once in awhile and have a little fun. You only live once, you know. Moondancer would agree with me.” retorted Trixie. The studious unicorn was very much like Twilight, just with a white coat, but at least she got out once in awhile.
“Yea, yea, yea. Get out of the books and meet new ponies, I know,” mocked Twilight sarcastically. “I just think it’s more important to be studying than to meet unknown ponies. I could learn so much more if you didn’t always drag me to your parties, Trixie.” She magicked the other half of the sandwich into her mouth and washed it down with the glass of orange juice that Trixie had poured for her. Now that breakfast was off the list of things she had to get done, she could finally start her day of studying.
“Just remember, your birthday is in a week! I’ll be getting you a gift, book or not!” shouted Trixie as her sister left the dining table. “I’ll see you tonight then; I still have biology homework to do.”
The perfect student just looked back at her sister as Twilight neared the door. Trixie would never do her homework unless she made her do it. Hearing that her sister would do her schoolwork willingly was surprising. “I already did it for you, and next month’s homework as well,” she called back into the kitchens. “Do your homework on time, Trixie. You have to learn some of this stuff if you’re gonna pass the exams.”
Twilight was gone before Trixie could answer back. No doubt the she was hopping happily to the royal library and was going to spend the entire day there. Even if she didn’t like her sister shutting herself off from the world, it sometimes gave Trixie some alone time to do things for her. Right now, it was finding the right gift. Even if all she wanted was a book, Trixie was sure her sister had a surplus of those already. Over a hundred volumes of Starswirl the Bearded novels were stacked neatly on a bookshelf next to the bed, already read over a dozen times each, never gathering dust.
“Come on Trixie, this is your own sister here! You gotta know what she wants besides a stack of books. Well...” Her sister would always get uncomfortably close to seek warmth during the winter seasons. Usually it didn’t bother Trixie, but when in the middle of the night your sister snuggles up to you freezing cold and wakes you from your much needed sleep, it gets tiresome. Then the idea popped instantly into her mind. “I got it! I’ll get Twilight some socks and a sweater!” cheered Trixie triumphantly. The only problem: she didn’t know where to buy special wool for socks and a sweater.
Her magenta aura wrapped the newspaper and looked through, searching for an ad. She didn’t have to look long as the second page had a private story about a rising fashionista. “... youngest fashion designer and seamstress to come out of a little town known as Ponyville...” read Trixie. “Well that solves one of my problems, just where is this Ponyville exactly?” She put down the papers and opened her textbooks to an atlas. It seemed that the talented unicorn must be great at what she does to be recognized at the capital from such a small town. The little village was over several hundred miles away and in country land. It would mean taking several hours just riding the Pony Express to get there and several days wait for the socks and sweaters to be made. It was time Trixie didn’t want to waste. “Guess I’ll just have to learn how to knit when I get there,” she said. It was for her sister after all, so why not learn to do the task herself?
She put down her textbook and looked at the finished homework piled neatly beside the table. She unrolled each work and reviewed what her sister had done for her. Each parchment was written in the same style she used, completely different from Twilight’s own homework, but still reached the points the teachers assigned. “Great Twi, you just had to go and make me feel guilty, didn’t you?” cursed Trixie. She had the perfect sister. Twilight did everything for her, from household chores to school work and tests.
Now that Trixie thought back, if it weren’t for her sister, she wouldn’t even be in Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. Originally, only one of them was accepted into the world-renowned academy. It was a day Trixie would never forget as they were only fillies when it happened. Twilight had declined the offer from Princess Celestia, herself, just because only one of them was accepted.
Trixie was just throwing away the gift her sister had provided, never taking any classes seriously. It was a waste, but that didn’t stop the lavender mare. She did everything to make sure her sister passed every test, exam, grade, and class with above proficient levels. On occasion, Twilight would even lock the two of them inside their bedroom and wouldn’t let her out until she could recite all facts needed for their test. It was annoying, but it was just a way that her sister was showing she cared. It just made Trixie feel terrible - her sister got Trixie into the best school in Equestria and all she could do was give Twilight a pair of socks.
“I have got to be the worst sister ever,” announced the azure mare to the world. Then her thoughts wandered back to the Dark Ages of Equestria. The Sun Princess banished her own sister to the moon for a thousand years over sibling rivalry. “Ok, maybe I’m not the worst sister ever, but I’m so ungrateful to Twi. I hope she likes socks,” grumbled Trixie as she got out her personal piggy bank. She had managed to keep the thing from Twilight for quite awhile, saving it for a rainy day or special occasion.
The clay jar broke easily and spewed out its golden guts. Over a thousand bits were saved inside and Trixie was going to need a small amount to get herself to Ponyville. She stuffed all the bits into her saddlebags and cleaned the mess away with her magic. She walked to the front door, and took one last look at the small house she and her sister shared. It wasn’t much, but it was home. So many memories over the years, both good and ugly. Not everything in life was sunshine with the two mares, but that was just part of being sisters. At the end of the day, they could count on each other to be there.
“Well, I hope Twilight likes knee socks,” muttered Trixie to herself again. It was a bad habit both sisters shared growing up. If they weren’t with each other, they would just talk out loud instead of just thinking it.
Once she was outside, Trixie instantly regretted getting out of the soft bed that morning. The sun shined deathly bright today, sparkling off the rainwater and reflecting the light in every direction. She stumbled outside as her stormy violet eyes dilated to adjust to the brightness.
Her pace quickened as the cold got to her. The rain not only dampened the mood but chilled the surroundings. She could see her own breath as she walked the white streets of Canterlot. The old buildings glistened and stood tall with their marble foundation; one of the few facts that the lavender mare had drilled into Trixie’s head for a quiz was the composition of each of the foundation levels of Canterlot. “Twilight is right. I really should study more,” she mused. She continued to recite the facts that her sister had rammed into her head as she neared the train station. A loud whistle roared in the background as herds of ponies boarded. Having woken up so late, Trixie had only just made it. The train was five minutes from departure and thankfully the lines to buy tickets had shortened. She crept to the end of the waiting line as the pony in front of her finished the exchange.
“Hello, where would you like to go today: one way trip or round?” asked the nice desk mare.
“There and back for Ponyville. One ticket,” she answered. She magicked four bits out to pay the desk mare - who sounded surprised to hear such a rare request.
“Enjoy your time in Ponyville; I hear it’s nice and quiet,” commented the desk mare as she passed Trixie her ticket. “Don’t lose that - another train back to Canterlot won’t leave for two days.”
Trixie gave her thanks and boarded the old train leading away from her hometown. She searched for an open seat on the train and found one left. It was unfortunately already occupied by a white-coated unicorn. Her mane and tail were curled beautifully and glistened with specks of sparkles magicked onto them. The natural color of her mane was unbelievable as it almost glowed with a persian indigo and her flank showed three diamonds. The seat was filled with bags and pouches of fabric and silk, expensive and eye-catching yarn, all hanging opening as the material overflowed from each bag. If there was one word to describe the mare, it was fabulous. Not only did she look beautiful, but she did it naturally. Trixie snapped out of her trance as she was reminded of manners.
“It’s rude to stare at someone and not pay them a compliment, darling,” spoke the white mare. She had a voice like she had been born into the higher class and specially bred from the best. Her horn lit a cornflower blue and lifted the huge bags from the other cushion, giving Trixie room to sit.
Trixie tore away her unwanted stare and took the seat across from the well-appointed traveler. A closer look at the bags revealed that not only was the mare into fashion, but she was also evidently good with sewing as well. “My apologies, Miss...”
“Rarity, and no need for formalities. As much of a lady as I am, a ‘Miss’ just makes me feel older than I actually am. I believe I didn’t have the pleasure of catching your name...?” answered the other unicorn.
“Trixie. Just what is with all the...” she looked around the compartment, eyeing the different fabrics and jewels, “...shopping?” asked Trixie.
“Oh, this isn’t my shopping. I just came back from restocking, and as you can clearly see, I had to get my hooves on every fabric I could get. You never know when someone will walk into your boutique and ask for a custom-made diamond dress laced with gold silk and a pearl studded collar. Believe me, I had the same look you have on your face right now,” Rarity answered. She was shocked and jaw-dropped the first time someone requested something so random and expensive she had to catch the midnight train just to complete it within the week. She looked through several of her bags to make sure everything that was bought that day was on board with her.
“You own a shop? Is it anywhere near Ponyville? I was hoping I could find some special fabric for a pair of socks I’m knitting,” Trixie admitted. She heard a distant whistle outside as the train surged and screeched out of the station. Her gaze shot to the window as the city of Canterlot grew smaller and smaller.
“Why, yes, my shop is in Ponyville, and it’s called Carousel Boutique if you want to drop by. And if it’s socks you are knitting, I suggest wool, preferably from alpacas. Their coats are durable and silky smooth - guaranteed to keep anyone warm during the winter season. May I ask whom they are for?” asked Rarity with devious curiosity in her eyes.
Trixie tore her stare away from the shrinking city and looked to the elegant mare. It seemed that along with sewing, she knew a thing or two about knitting. “It’s for my sister. Her birthday is next week and I was hoping to learn when I got there. I was hoping to also make her a sweater as well. Twilight always shivers in the middle of night and I don’t want her getting cold anymore. By any chance are you the same fashionista that today’s news talked about?” asked Trixie. It could still just be a coincidence that she had met a seamstress with great taste in fashion and a shop at her destination.
“The one and only. Although, I’m not quite sure what they made me out to be was exactly accurate. If you want to learn how to knit, I can teach you. These train rides are always so boring. Oh! Where are my manners? I have been blabbing just about myself, so what about you, darling? You must be a good sister to this Twilight, to go all the way from Canterlot to Ponyville just to find the right fabric for a pair of socks. Not to mention you haven’t the slightest idea how to knit! You must love your sister very much,” noticed Rarity. Her horn lit up and levitated a pair of dull needles out of a saddle bag next to her. Several balls of yarn followed suit as well as another pair of needles for the new student.
The auras switched from a cornflower to magenta as Trixie took control and positioned the needles like Rarity showed her. “Yes, I do. I’m a student at Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. If it weren’t for her I wouldn’t have gotten into the school, and I have been kind of ungrateful to her lately. I just wish I could do more for her. Twilight rarely goes outside and sticks her head in books most of the time. I worry about her constantly, but Twi is just being Twi, a bookworm and a perfect student,” explained Trixie, a touch of envy creeping into her voice.
“Well, it is a rather long way until we arrive at Ponyville. Your parents must be proud to have two of their own children attend such a private school. How about a fair trade: I teach you how to knit, and you tell me your story?” offered the fashionista.
Her gaze returned back outside to the background. The bright city had just barely disappeared from view. It was indeed going to be a long trip, and the only one interested in the lazy student was willing to teach her to knit in exchange for a story. “Well, first of all, my sister and I aren’t blood related,” she began.
“But you still love her like one, nonetheless,” deduced the white unicorn. Her new acquaintance did not have to say it, but her actions did enough. “Would you mind if I ask what your sister’s favorite color is?”
“She likes astronomy so her favorite colors are an imperial blue, combined with an air superiority, bleu de france, and persian,” Trixie rattled off easily. Even if the colors barely had any difference between them, she respected her sister’s ideals in detail.
“My, my. Your sister sure does have an exacting color specification. I am glad I had decided to restock on every color of blue known to ponykind, you know, to celebrate the millennium anniversary of Nightmare Moon’s banishment. I know it’s just an old pony’s tale but I just have a strange feeling this year is going to be different,” said the fashionista as she carefully picked the right shades of blue for the socks. After three bags were shuffled through, a silver silk yarn ball combined with three other shades of blue and gently floated over to the azure mare.
“Her name is Princess Luna; she wasn’t always Nightmare Moon. The real history of how the banishment went is far worse than the public knows. Another story for a different time. Anyways, I met Twilight when I was around four years old. I had just gotten my cutie mark, my parents were happy for me, but I didn’t have anyone to share it with. Like a few families left, I am from a private family line directly connected with Princess Luna’s own court. We of the Lulamoon had been one of the highest ranking advisers that the Moon Princess had trusted. After her banishment, my family was one of three still kept in power by her sister, Princess Celestia. Long story short, my family has been very important in the making of nocturnal Equestria,” Trixie explained as she wrapped the string of yarn around the pair of needles, following Rarity’s example closely.
“As I was saying, I was secluded from other ponies. I was home schooled by scholars all across Equestria and around the world, but being an only foal, I got lonely. I asked my parents for a brother or sister and they said the Lulamoon line was only allowed to birth one child per family, to keep the bloodline pure. At first, I was devastated to grow up without another foal my own age to make friends with. Either fate interfered or my parents got tired of my begging, but they decided to adopt a child. Being the parents they were, they dropped me off at an orphanage in the lower parts of Canterlot. They told me that they would pick me up at the end of the day and to choose my new sibling.”
Rarity just raised an eyebrow at the story. It was already shocking to hear parents treat their foal without any love and care, but to just drop off their only child and tell them to pick out their sibling was really rather unorthodox. “So they just left you at the orphanage?!” she exclaimed. “They just left you and said to pick out your new sibling?”
“Yup,” answered Trixie casually. She said it like it was an everyday normal for their parents to leave them at a strange place for hours on end and return later. Those were the kind of parents Trixie had: loving her not for being their daughter, but for her accomplishments.
A food cart loudly passed by pushed by an earth pony with a worn-out attire. She spoke with a hoarse voice and a Trottingham accent, “Would you two like anything?”
“Give me a bottle of Gold Symphony, extra strong, ninety-five percent. Would you like anything Rarity? It’s on me,” offered Trixie as she magicked a few bits out from her saddle bag. She just got a “No, thank you,” from the the other mare and paid the earth pony. The drink wasn’t cheap as it cost her nearly twenty bits, but it was worth it.
Nearly a third of the bottle was drained in one gulp and Rarity voiced her concern. “Darling, please, it’s too early in the morning to be drinking something so thick in alcohol. How will you learn to knit if your mind is half gone, as well as your liver?” She forced the bottle away and set it off to a corner hidden from the azure mare’s view.
“Sorry, but I kind of need to dull my mind right now. This story doesn’t exactly start out that happily, you see. When I first arrived at the orphanage, I saw three older ponies bullying a young filly with a lavender coat and a blank flank. They were throwing around her doll and calling her names. I couldn’t help but feel my blood boil at seeing another pony overpowered and outnumbered like that. So I did what I did best, and that was illusion magic. The look on the colt’s face when a giant manticore appeared out of nowhere and attacked him!” laughed the magician. It was one of the funniest moments she had dealt with after discovering her mastery in the hallucination magics.
“I say, those ruffians got what was coming to them, even if they were scared witless. What exactly happened next?” interrupted Rarity.
“Well first, I recovered her doll. It was ripped on one of the arms and slightly burned, so I repaired it for her, but that isn’t the sad part. When I faced her, all I saw was a broken mare. Everything about her just shouted unloved and unwanted. She was bruised pretty badly as well as crying when I approached her. I gave her back the doll and smiled, and all I got was a frightened scream when she grabbed her doll back and cried into a corner. I followed her, asked if she was ok and for her name,” continued Trixie. If telling the story was bothering the mare, she was trying her best not to show it. She just continued to knit with the needles and develop a new addiction to staring at the ground.
“That sounds just horrible! Didn’t the caretakers do anything?!” asked the worried white unicorn, breaking her usual manner of calmness.
“Like I said, she was unwanted. The orphanage was overcrowded and not enough adults ran the place,” answered Trixie as she continue to stare at the ground. Her gaze returned back to the mare in front of her, who was dying to know what happened next.
“When I caught up to her, I asked for her name, she said she didn’t know. She just kept crying and pushing me away. It was like she never thought anyone would be nice to her. Her body was shaking, and she held onto her doll for dear life. I didn’t learn until years later that the doll was one of the only things Twilight had left from her old family. When I tried to comfort her and ask what was wrong, she just kept screaming for me to go away and she kept begging me not to hurt her. The worst part was when she answered my question. She didn’t even know her own name...”
Author’s note: Well, my second fanfiction, not half bad if I say so myself. I want to start off by personally dedicating this to my editor. Thanks for stickin’ with me, through the thick and thin, bad with the ugly, and laughs and cries. Now, for the new note, I give my thanks to my uhh.... 3rd? 4th editor? I lost count. Oh well, I’ll just let her tell you about it. DerpyMuffins signing off.
Editor’s note: That was so sweet, Derpy, thank you. I hope all of you liked this and continue to read it and Has Anyone Ever Loved Me. That’s pretty much all I have to say, soooo... bye. TwiLunaLover out.
Second Editor’s note: Hoorah! The editing has been doubled!! We hope you enjoy the newly-revised version of “It’s the Thought That Counts” and stick with us for more exciting chapters! Celelorien, saying TTFN! Ta ta for now!