Chapter 6
"Unlikely Allies"
Trixie magically levitated the blue flower toward herself, as her "audience" looked on.
"Now!" She began with confidence, "The Great and Powerful Trixie will recite..."
Suddenly, her horn began to lose its glow. The flower dropped and her horn grew limp.
Twilight knew she shouldn't laugh, but she couldn't help but snicker at Trixie's inexperience with poison joke, Twilight had seen its effects firsthand.
Trixie's "audience" consisted of only about five ponies and Trixie's stage was also in a state of disarray. Boards hastily nailed together, torn curtains and broken lights made up the now embarassing display.
"Um...." Trixie said, desperately trying to make her horn return to normal, "Just a minor setback, The Great and Powerful Trixie will..."
"Boo!" yelled an unhappy crowd member, "This isn't worth five bits!"
Popcorn and other concessions began to hit Trixie from numerous directions, soiling her cape and mane as the small crowd became more and more unruly.
Trixie began to yell back. "Well fine! I don't need you! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! I am the most magical pony in Equestria!"
"More like the most powerful screwup!" Yelled another pony, "I'm outta here."
"GO THEN!" she replied, "YOU DON'T DESERVE TRIXIE'S MAGIC!"
Twilight should have been overwhelmed with joy at the sight of her rival suffering such a fate, but she couldn't bring herself to be. She felt guilty, after all, in a way she was responsible for her downfall. She felt compelled to help, but couldn't find the words to say.
Once all of the ponies that had made up Trixie's "audience" had left, Applejack spoke up.
"Well, that was uh...interestin'," She whispered, "ain't that the pony that ran once the Ursa Major came to town?"
"Yes." Twilight replied, in thought.
"Well shouldn't you be happy?" Applejack asked, "She got what she deserved, after all. Now let's get goin' we got ground to cover."
"Hold on AJ," Twilight said, grabbing AJ,s back "We came here to get help, and I think..."
She thought for a moment.
"I think she can help."
"Her!? Are you sure about this Twi? I mean, you saw how she ran..."
"I know AJ, but we're going to need all the help we can get. And besides, I think I may be able to reason with her." Twilight said, getting up from behind the bush they'd been using for cover.
"Wait Twi I-" Applejack shook her head, "This ain't gonna end well..."
"Trixie!"
"Gah, what is it!? I don't sign autographs after sh-" Trixie froze. "You!? What are you doing here!?"
"Wait Trixie I-"
"You ruined MY LIFE!" Trixie yelled, slowly approaching Twilight, "The day you brought that Ursa Minor to town was the day you RUINED ME! After that, not a single town in Equestria would accept me! And I had to resort to THIS!"
Her face was hot with rage, and had it not been for the poison joke, Twilight knew she would have tried to hurt her.
"Now hold on you," Applejack said, standing between the two unicorns, "Twilight didn't send that monster to town, yer' two little fans did that! And If you wouldn't have bragged so much, maybe it wouldn't have happened!"
"How dare you!" Trixie replied angrily, "Come to my home, rub salt in my wounds, and then accuse it of being MY FAULT!?"
"Trixie, i'm not here to hurt you, I-" Twilight began.
"Get out."
"What?"
"Get out, I don't want to see your face." Trixie turned around and began cleaning the food from her cape.
"Well, fine," Applejack replied, "C'mon Twi, she's not worth it."
"Trixie, I'm sorry." Twilight spoke.
"Excuse me?"
"I'm sorry for what's happened to you, I never wanted any of this. I only wanted to protect everyone, I...I still do."
Trixie was confused. An apology? That was the last thing she had expected. Deep down she knew that she had been selfish, narcassistic, and overconfident, it WAS her fault, but she couldn't let anybody know that, she was supposed to be Great and Powerful...
"What do you mean, 'still are'?" Trixie asked, turning around.
"Pinkie," Twilight spoke, "She's...she's changed and-"
Trixie's blood ran cold at the mention of that name.
"I know about your friend" Trixie managed to choke out. "I...I know what she does."
"How?' Asked Applejack.
Trixie sighed. "I had bought a batch of cupcakes from Sugarcube Corner the last time I was in Ponyville and I found...a bone in my food, a pony's bone. I tried to convince myself I was seeing things, but after watching so many ponies enter her shop and not leave, I just couldn't anymore. I never came back after that."
"Trixie, we need your help" Twilight said bluntly.
"My help? With what?"
"We're going to stop her." Said Twilight.
"You're going to what!? You'll get yourselves killed, or worse! And why would you want MY help?" Trixie replied, panicked.
"Listen," Interjected Applejack, "If we work together, we can do this, but we need as much help as we can get."
"Well I..." Trixie began, looking away, "I can't help you. I mean look at me, I can't even sell a show anymore, and my horn..."
"Listen Trixie..." Twilight said looking at the blue unicorn, "You have to trust me, I know it sounds crazy, and I know you have every right to hate me, but listen. If you can let go of the past and fight to make things right now, we can do this. We're on our way to Canterlot now, hopefully the princess can help us."
"But...my horn"
"I got somethin' for that right here." Applejack said, pointing to her saddlebag.
"Please come with us," Twilight pleaded, "Help us make things right."
Twilight extended her hoof toward Trixie, but she only stared.
"I...Can't" She finally said.
"I'm sorry, but I just..." She turned away, "I just can't. Now please just...leave."
Twilight and Applejack looked at each other for a moment, and then tossed a bag in Trixie's direction.
"What is this?" She asked.
"It should help fix yer' horn." Applejack spoke.
"Th...thank you." She replied, not turning around.
"Just remember Trixie, we're here for you." Twilight said.
She never turned around.
And they were down the path again.