//------------------------------// // Second Verse // Story: A Concert for Ponyville // by GrassAndClouds2 //------------------------------// Trixie was in an oversized courtroom, kneeling in front of the judge’s bench. “Trixie Lulamoon!” roared Luna Equestris. “You have been charged with being a bad friend!” “I’m not guilty!” cried out Trixie. “I’m a great friend! I try really hard!” “The evidence will show,” said Blueblood the prosecutor, “That Trixie continually hurts anypony who has the misfortune of meeting her. She leaves all those she touches worse than she found them. In fact, the only ponies who can still stand her are the Bearers of the Elements!” “That’s not true!" Trixie cried. "I have other friends!” “Name one,” challenged Luna. “Uh…” but it was hard for Trixie to remember. All she could think of was the ponies she had driven away in Neigh Orleans, Canterlot, and Ponyville. “I do! I swear!” “From the Longest Night celebration, when Trixie manipulated an entire town because she was angry at our Princess, to when she turned her friend into a hairless bear with no thought for her own welfare…” Blueblood began to rattle off events. “Stop it!” yelled Trixie. “I made mistakes, but I’m trying! I really am!” “…and lastly,” said Blueblood, after an impossibly fast and impossibly long list of Trixie’s crimes against friendship, “When she infuriated Octavia Philharmonica and traumatized Fluttershy, a perfectly innocent pegasus!” He paused dramatically. “Fluttershy!” The crowd booed. It seemed that Fluttershy, moreso than any other, was the one pony that it was impermissible to hurt. In fact, Rarity even cried out, "Hurting Fluttershy is the Worst! Possible! Thing!" “But I—“ began Trixie. “The evidence is clear. Trixie Lulamoon, you are guilty of being the Worst Friend in Equestria!” roared Luna. The crowd, which seemed to include everypony she had ever interacted with, cheered like they were at a sports game. "And you will be given the maximum sentence!" "I'll pay the fine! I'll try to be better!" "Fine?" Luna laughed, a deep, mirthless blast of sound that sent Trixie tumbling backwards. "Under Vicereine Pinkie Pie's 'Everypony Must Be Friends' act, being a bad friend is the highest crime in Equestria! Trixie Lulamoon, I sentence you to being locked in a small dark room a million miles away from everypony so your mendacity and cupidity cannot drag them down!” “But—but--,” Trixie paused. “If I’m a million miles away, where will I get food?” “Food will be teleported in with magic.” Luna’s horn glowed. “And let Equestria rejoice, as you will no longer be around to harm other ponies with your selfish depravity!” Trixie screamed, and— Trixie cried out as she fell out of the bed, cracking her horn again. Ow! Stupid dream with oddly specific logistics! She looked at her bed, then her clock, then sighed. It was still-predawn, but Trixie was too wound-up to go back to bed. She wasn't sure what else to do, though. She could reread Don Rocinante, or she could stare at the wall, or... She paused, then nodded to herself. She could find a real friend to talk to. *** The front door swung open and Carrot Top gave Trixie a strange look. "Trixie, are you okay? You never visit me this early." "I didn't wake you, did I?" asked Trixie as she walked into Carrot Top's house. Overhead, the night sky was just starting to fade. "Nope. Getting up early for the harvest." Carrot Top smiled as she poured Trixie a steaming mug of tea. "There's something magical about the first carrot of the fall harvest. If you'd like, I can send down a bunch to your Residency later. Didn't Pokey say you were trying to eat more vegetables?" "Mmmm." Carrot Top set the tea down and then sat next to Trixie. "What's wrong?" "Everything." "...is it the concert?" "Yeah." Trixie sighed and let her head fall with a 'thump' to the table. "Octavia and Fluttershy got in a fight. Now Fluttershy's locking herself in her cottage for all eternity and Octavia is going back to Canterlot in disgrace. I'm a terrible pony." "No--" "I am!" Trixie said. "I tried really hard to do something good for Fluttershy, and all I did was make Fluttershy cry and make Octavia feel like a failure. And both of them hate me now." She rose her head up and then dropped it down again. "I really screwed up." "We all make mistakes, Trixie. It's not just you." Trixie managed to raise her head enough to glare at Carrot Top. "Oh yeah? When have you ever make a mistake like this? When have you done something bad enough to really hurt your friends?" "Um. What about last week?" *** "Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help! Help!" Trixie stared as a mob of Carrot Tops ran down the main street of Ponyville, grinning like fools and repeating the same word over and over again. Ponies broke and scattered as they trampled everything before them, leaving destruction in their wake. "I... think we might need to cancel our weekend plans," Trixie told Ditzy as the dozens of Carrot Tops bore down on them. *** "You had one bad day," muttered Trixie. "But when I look at Raindrops--" "Who told us all we were terrible ponies, and brought Snails to tears, after the Neighsure Crane thing?" "...well, then there's Ditzy--" "Who lied to Dinky about Sharpwhinny? And who knocked you unconscious so she could fight the Manehattan mafia ponies herself?" "Cheerilee--" "Went nuts with that whole drill sergeant thing." "Lyra--" "Almost broke your hoof when you told her Octavia was a traitor the first time she came to town. You told me about it later." Carrot Top shook her head. "We all make mistakes, Trixie. You. Me. Even Princess Luna. Just because you made a mistake doesn't mean you're a bad pony." Trixie drank her tea, feeling a little stronger. "You're just saying that... you're a good friend and you don't want to hurt me--" "No." Carrot Top frowned. "Trixie, you know that I care about Fluttershy, right? And Lyra really cares about Octavia -- you know that too. Do you think we'd have let you handle this if we thought you were a bad friend?" She draped a hoof over Trixie's shoulder. Trixie felt better at that. "Thanks..." Carrot Top poured another mug of tea for Trixie, and they drank in silence for a moment. "I'm sorry," said Trixie at last. "I didn't listen to you and Lyra. I just wanted to get the concert going, to show what a good friend I was, and then move on to something else. I made it all about me, and so I didn't pay attention, and... well, it fell apart." "You should apologize to Octavia and Fluttershy, not me." Carrot Top hesitated. "Can I ask you something?" "Shoot." "Do you want me and Lyra to try to help you out? I can talk to Fluttershy. I think I can get her to give it another shot. And Lyra knows how to get Octavia to be more... agreeable." It was tempting, Trixie thought. She could give up on this and go home. Let the competent friends handle things, and not worry about hurting anypony. But... But I want to be a good friend! I want to be a pony that does good things, that helps others... I don't just want to take up space. I want to live up to the standards Luna expects of me, and that my friends almost always meet. I just don't know if I can... "Carrot Top?" she asked. "Be honest -- do you think I can fix this? Me?" Carrot Top smiled. "I know you can," she said. "I have complete trust in you. When the chips are down -- when I bet my farm, when Lyra was a hominoid, when Dinky was abducted, every other time -- you always come through. If you learn from your mistakes and try again, I am absolutely certain you can save the day. And I know every other Element feels the same way." "Then..." She took a shuddering breath. "I want to fix this, then. I want to help Fluttershy, and I want to make sure Octavia doesn't have to tell Luna she's failed Her." She paused. "I know it's not about me, it's about Fluttershy, but she deserves to have this go well, and it'd be so good for her, and maybe I can help her get through this and pull off the show. And Octavia too, and..." She sighed. "I want to do something good for them." The next thing she felt was a hug, and she smiled and nuzzled against Carrot Top's head. Carrot Top murmured, "Like I said. We believe in you." "Thanks. And... thanks for listening to me." "No problem. You'd do the same for me." Carrot Top broke off the hug and trotted over to pick up her farming equipment. "Any idea on how you're going to start?" "I think so." Trixie rose. "Yeah. I know what to do." *** The easiest option for talking with Fluttershy, would be casting an illusion on herself to look like Carrot Top or Ditzy, then talking Fluttershy into practicing with Octavia again. But pretending to be one pony in order to manipulate another was considered unfriendly in some circles. Still, Fluttershy wouldn’t let Trixie into her house, so that wasn’t an option either. Fortunately, Trixie had a third plan. She lurked around Fluttershy’s house until she heard sounds – Fluttershy was in the kitchen in the back, probably preparing breakfast for her animals. Trixie crept over and quietly knocked on the back door. There was silence for a moment and then, very quietly, Fluttershy managed, “Who is it?” “Trixie,” said the showmare. “Can I talk to you?” There was no response. “I’ll stay out here, okay? I won’t come in. You’ve got these big thick walls between me and you. And… uh…” Trixie looked up and saw a large-ish window overhead on the second floor. “And if I’m being mean or annoying, you can dump hot water or something on me from the window and chase me away.” “Oh, I would never!” was Fluttershy’s instantaneous reaction. “Then Angel can do it.” “Angel wouldn’t do that either! He’s a sweet, innocent little bunny, and… and… Angel, where are you going?” There was a pause. “Angel, why are you taking the teakettle?” A few moments later, “Angel, stop!” Trixie glanced up at the window, worried that Angel might have preemptively decided that Trixie was being annoying. Fortunately, a few moments later, she heard Fluttershy dragging Angel downstairs. “Bad Angel. If you do that again, I’ll be forced to not give you a dessert at lunch.” There was a pause. “I mean, uh, only half a dessert.” Trixie rolled her eyes. The dessert negotiations concluded with Fluttershy promising Angel an extra cookie, and then Fluttershy began to speak to Trixie again. “Um… what do you want to talk about?” Trixie smiled. “The concert in a few days. I—“ “I can’t do it! I won’t! I can’t face Octavia!” Trixie said, “What if I convince her to be nicer?” “You can’t, I tried but she said that she wouldn’t let any mistakes pass her by, and then at the end she said she wouldn’t help me anymore anyway.” “If I can get her to change her mind, help you, and be as kind as possible, will you try again?” There was no response. Trixie reflected on what she knew of the butter-colored pegasus. “I know you love animals, Fluttershy. They're your special passion.” “Yes,” said Fluttershy. “That’s a very special ability. A lot of the ponies who want to help animals don’t have it.” Trixie paused for a moment. “The concert’s to benefit a veterinary clinic.” “I know,” said Fluttershy. “And I know they probably really need the money, but I just can’t… I’m not able to do it… I’m sorry. I’m not brave enough.” “Carrot Top told me once that you once chased one of your chickens into the Everfree to make sure that she wasn’t hurt by a monster.” “Oh! Uh… yes, I suppose…” “That was really brave,” said Trixie. “I never go into the Everfree unless I’ve got my friends with me, but you went all by yourself. You must really love animals.” “Well, yes…” She heard a scrunch, and guessed that Fluttershy was hugging an animal – probably Angel. “I just want to take care of as many as I can.” “If you’re brave enough to face Everfree monsters to help an animal, can’t you be brave enough to face Octavia? I promise, she doesn’t bite nearly as hard.” Fluttershy giggled. “I thought I could, but then last night Octavia began to be really mean.” “If I can stop her from being mean again – I mean, she’ll correct your mistakes, but she won’t be mean – will you try again? For the animals? Please?” “I… can you do that?” “Yes,” Trixie said. “And – if I can’t, if she won’t agree, I’ll cancel the concert myself, okay? I promise you, she will only see you again if she promises me that she’ll be kind to you.” There was a long silence, but then, Trixie heard: “…okay. For the animals.” And Fluttershy sounded happy. Trixie grinned. “Thanks, Fluttershy. I promise, this’ll go well.” “And I – Angel? Where’d you go?” Trixie jumped to her hooves and rolle to the side just before the water splashed down. She looked up at Angel, who was frowning at having missed. “Hah!” said Trixie, sticking out her tongue. “Nice try!” Angel kicked another bucket out of the window, and this time Trixie couldn’t dodge in time. Something grainy fell all over her. “Huh?” Trixie sniffed it. It smelled kind of like that stuff that Dinky used to feed Fluttershy’s chickens. “Chicken feed? Why would Angel dump chicken feed on me?” “BAWK!” Trixie turned to see a dozen chickens surrounding her. “Okay,” she said to herself. “They’re just chickens. How bad could they be?” Then she found out. *** “Now, Angel,” said Fluttershy. “It’s time for your bath, and... what’s that?” Outside, it sounded like somepony was yelling, “Stupid birds! Why do you know how to flank?!” Angel shut the window and then raised his ears and widened his eyes to look as adorable as he could. “Ooh… I can’t resist that face. Time for a nice warm bath!” chirped the yellow pegasus. *** Trixie was back in town, having cast an illusion and somehow manage to slip past the evil chickens and their beaks of terror, and checked the sky again. The sun was just about up. Octavia would likely be done with her daily sunrise performance soon, and once she finished she would begin preparing to leave. Trixie had to stop her first. As she reached the motel, she heard the faint sounds of a cello piece ending. She looked up in time to see Octavia slowly lowering the cello down on the balcony. "Hey, Octavia!" she called. "Can we talk?" Octavia shook her head. "There is nothing to say--" And then a mare jumped out of a chimney on a neighboring building. "Octavia!" cried Pinkie, clad in a black ninja outfit. "My old arch-nemesis!" "...what?" "You are the enemy of eclairs! The monster of mousse! The antithesis to apple pie!" Pinkie swept a hoof across her heart. "You journey across the land, convincing innocent and friendly ponies to live bland, tasteless lives, without a dollop of whipped cream or a single gumdrop to liven up their days!" "No I don't!" said a flustered Octavia. "That is absurd!" "But it ends here! With one bite of a Sugar Cube Corner chocolate-carmel crunchy croissant, you'll never diss desserts again!" Octavia stared. "Get ready! Here comes my PASTRY POWER!" Pinkie brought up what looked like another short cannon, then jumped back down the chimney and was gone. Octavia looked down at Trixie. "...how much sugar does she eat, exactly?" "I can't measure that high--" Pinkie leapt out from the window of another neighboring building, blasting with her cannon. Croissants flew out towards Octavia, who had only a moment to dodge. Her hearing, though, seemed to save her once again, as she was able to throw herself backwards without even having to look at Pinkie. The desserts splattered against the balcony door. Pinkie shook her cannon. "Aw, I'm out of deliciousness! Well... I'll be back! Back with the best kind of pastries there are! Pastries that are really fast and hard to dodge!" And she ran off. Octavia could only watch her go. "...is this legal?" "It's Pinkie. So probably." Trixie sighed. "But anyway. Can I come up, please? I really want to talk to you." "There is nothing to say--" "From one pony who doesn't want to disappoint Princess Luna to another. I just want a few minutes of your time." Octavia paused and looked at her. "What?" "She brought me up as her apprentice. She means the world to me. I don't want to fail her either." Trixie locked eyes with Octavia. "So can we talk?" And Octavia gave a slow nod. *** “Fluttershy agreed to try again," said Trixie, as she stepped into the room. Octavia scanned Trixie’s face. “And? What will her reaction be if I note that one of her birds is off-key?” “Look... you know what she’s like." Trixie waved a hoof in the air. "She’s not good with, uh, hostility.” “I wasn’t hostile. I corrected her, and she couldn’t handle it. Trixie, if I am to help somepony, they need to be able to acknowledge criticism. Otherwise, I might as well speak at a wall.” “Maybe there’s a nicer way to correct her.” “That isn’t my concern.” Octavia frowned. "My teachers were strict with me. I was strict with those I mentored, and the results are clear -- just look at Lyra, the greatest of those I taught, whose music has stunned all of Canterlot. That is how I teach, and it works... when the student is willing." “She’s not one of your music students, though. She barely deals with other ponies. I know you don’t like changing your teaching style, but I promise you, if you be as nice as possible when correcting her, you’ll get much better results.” “I won’t get any. She canceled, Trixie. It is obvious she does not really care about the music.” “She does, but no, the music isn't her main concern,” Trixie agreed. “She cares about the animals.” “Evidently, not all that much.” “Hey!” said Trixie, sharply. “Do you know about the Everfree forest?” “Yes. Uncontrollable and full of monsters. What…” “She went into it. Alone. To rescue one of her pet animals,” said Trixie. “She can’t fight. She doesn’t have any useful magic. She’s not good at flying. But she went anyway, because one of her stupid chickens needed her and she wasn’t going to let it get eaten by a siren or something. She cares about those animals as much as you care about your music.” Octavia was silent for a long moment. “You know what I did out of my love for my music,” she said. "You know to what lengths I went, with that Symphony, with my career on the line..." “Yes. And I know, from Lyra, that there were times during your preparation of the Symphony that you drove away your friends. You did some things you regretted later.” She locked eyes with Octavia, and the two stared at each other for several seconds. Finally, Octavia said, “That is true enough.” “I’m not asking you to compromise your principles. I’m not asking you to get Fluttershy to play even if she isn't any good. I’m telling you that she wants to do this. She wants the animals in Manehattan to have somewhere they can go to have a bone set, or a cold medicated, or a warm bowl of soup if it’s really cold outside. She wants to play, but she needs your help.” Octavia was silent for a long moment. And then she said, “I will speak to her again. I need to confirm this.” Trixie didn’t complain about Octavia not trusting her. “Thank you.” “Do not thank me yet. If I determine that Fluttershy believes what you say she does, I will try again. But… Trixie, if she interprets any correction as hostile, I honestly cannot help her. It isn't a question of my willingness, then. All I can do is offer advice, and if it is rejected, even I can do nothing.” “She won’t. Just… instead of saying, ‘this is wrong and bad, play it this other way,’ say ‘this could be improved if you played it this other way.’ Those are both true statements, right?” “Yes…” “Just try it. Say what's good as well as what's bad. Be as kind as you can be, and then you’ll both get what you want. You want a beautiful concert, right? If phrasing your teaching in a certain way achieves that, isn’t that the right thing to do?” Octavia thought about it for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. Very well, Trixie. If I determine that she sincerely wants to aid her animal friends, and will work as hard as needed for that task, I will be as kind as I can when I teach her.” “This is going to be a great concert.” Trixie smiled. “You won’t regret this.” Octavia nodded again. “I hope not.” And she walked over to her cello, closing its case. “There is no time to waste if the concert is to continue as scheduled -- we have lost much time. Is she willing to meet now?" Trixie smiled to herself. "I think that she is." *** The walk back to Fluttershy's was uneventful, and they were soon back inside the cottage living room. Trixie took up a quiet position in the corner of the room as the two other mares talked. “I am sorry,” said Octavia. “For my…temper last night.” “It’s okay,” whispered Fluttershy. “Trixie tells me that you wish to perform at the concert.” Fluttershy steeled herself, then said, "Yes." “Out of concern for Equestrian animals. She said you cared about them very much.” “I do,” said Fluttershy. And then, before she knew it, she was talking more. “Fillydelphia has four times as many animals per block as Ponyville, but only twice as much veterinary capacity. Sometimes when animals get hurt in that city, if their owners can’t take them to veternarians in other cities, they have to wait days for treatment. I really want Soft Hoof’s clinic to be a success and to be big enough to help all the animals that need it.” Octavia inclined her head. “And I’m sorry I wasn’t any good last night, I was really trying hard and so were all my birds, but we just…” Fluttershy seemed to shrink into herself. “I’m sorry,” she repeated. “I forgive you.” Octavia rose from the couch. “I will help you prepare, Fluttershy. And I will… be as polite as I know how to be. I will not let any mistakes pass by, but I will strive to treat you with compassion and grace. So long as you remain willing, I will work with you night and day to get you ready for the concert.” Fluttershy smiled slightly. “But there is something I need you to promise me.” “What?” “You must understand. For me, music retains an almost sacred quality. A musician who performs before a crowd is implicitly promising to play the best music they can, to justify the time and expense that the audience contributed. Fluttershy, I need you to promise me that you will work as hard as I do, and that you will ensure that your birds do the same. Otherwise...” Octavia paused. “Imagine if you funded the clinic, and then learned that they were giving the animals substandard, lazy care. I think you would be hurt and offended.” Fluttershy nodded. “That happened once.” “It did?” “My investments… uh… I had some extra money, and I asked my bank manager to invest in three veterinary clinics. Two of them were great, but in one, they were letting the animals eat all the junk food they wanted, they weren’t heating the rooms enough… it hurt.” Fluttershy frowned. “I felt like it was partially my fault.” She looked at Octavia. “I won’t make you feel like that,” she promised. “I’ll work as hard as I need to so that everything is perfect.” “And I will do the same.” Octavia smiled. “Alright. Gather your birds, please. We’ll start from the top.” *** "It's going well?" asked Lyra. "Yes," said Trixie, taking a long swig of bourbon. "Thank Luna." Trixie had checked up on the mares at three more points during the day. For two of them, things had been going fine. For one, things had slipped -- Fluttershy was shrinking a little, Octavia growing frustrated -- but Trixie had reminded them of their goals and had gotten them back on track. And, when she passed by one final time, she heard sweet and lively birdsong coming from inside the cottage. They were making progress. Carrot Top grinned. "We knew you could do it." "Thanks." Trixie kicked back in her living room chair. "And now I know I can do it too." "How long will they be practicing?" asked Lyra after a few moments. "Octavia made it sound like they'll have a long night ahead of them. But she also said she'd try to stop by and give me an update at dinner time. Which..." Trixie looked at her clock. "She should be coming along soon." "There she is!" said Carrot Top. Octavia was approaching the front of Trixie's house, looking tired but happy. Unfortunately, just as Trixie saw her, Octavia's ears twitched and she began to fling herself down. "Oh no," said Trixie. "No, no, no..." But Pinkie was already jumping out of a mailbox with a shoulder-mounted cannon emblazoned with the words "CUPCAKE CANNON." She shouted something and pulled the trigger, and the biggest cupcake Trixie had ever seen came hurling right where Octavia had been standing. And through that spot. And at Trixie's window. "No!" cried Trixie as the cupcake smashed through it and spattered all over her floor. "Nuts!" cried Pinkie. "Well, I'll--" "Pinkie!" Trixie used her telekinesis to haul Pinkie Pie over, past the crouching Octavia and onto her porch. "Look at this mess!" "I'm sorry, Trixie... I'm just trying to help Octavia." Pinkie's face grew horrified. "Imagine if she lives her whole life without even one itty bitty candy bar. Wouldn't that be horrifying?" "...Horrifying or not, you can't just go around blasting projectiles in town." Trixie sighed. "Look... I know you mean well, but it's not working. Please, just accept that Octavia doesn't eat sweets--" "I can't accept such a horrible thing!" cried Pinkie Pie. "I won't! Anything but that!" She clutched at her heart. "Say it isn't so, Trixie! Say it isn't so!" "Then at least stop shooting them at her. You wouldn't like it if somepony shot broccoli at you, would you?" PInkie wrinkled her muzzle. "I guess not..." Her ears flopped. "Alright, Trixie. I won't shoot any more pastry projectiles, no matter how yummylicious they are... and I'll clean this mess up." She smiled weakly. "Sorry again." "Don't worry about it. And thanks." As Pinkie walked into the residency to begin cleaning, Lyra and Carrot Top trotted out to look at Octavia. The cellist looked stunned. "Is this normal?" "No, not really," said Lyra. "That's a relief--" "Usually we take a lot more damage than this by this point in the month." Lyra smiled. "I mean, it's been three weeks, and nothing's caught on fire, blown up, or been eaten by monsters." "Yeah, we're getting off easy," said Trixie. Octavia looked between the trio. "Life here seems very... interesting." "Oh," said Trixie. "You have no idea." *** "Think they'll be okay?" asked Carrot Top. Octavia had returned to Fluttershy's, Pinkie had finished cleaning, and Windowpane had already gotten a new window installed. The three were once again in the Residency's living room. "I think so," said Trixie. "But I'll keep an eye on them. Don't worry." "Good." Lyra sipped her daffodil wine. "And... I think it's going to be a great concert, Trixie. Really." The showmare smiled. "With those two working together, I'm sure it'll be wonderful."