The Third Generation

by Candle Light

The Third Generation Chapter Seven

“…and in the end, we found each other after all! But we were running out of time, so I summoned a carriage with my magic wand, and…”

Trixie groaned inwardly. As a way to encourage the child, she figured she might as well humor her by letting her talk, but half of what she was saying didn’t make any sense, and the filly kept assuming that Trixie already knew about things such as Breezies and Rainbow Berries. Though occasionally, parts of the story did pique her interest, such as the mention of Rainbow Dash as the glamor girl of Ponyville, and how she almost fainted from getting splattered with mud. It certainly didn’t sound like the similarly named pony she had met. In fact, much of the filly’s description of Ponyville didn’t sound like Ponyville at all? Was there another Ponyville that just happened to have a Rainbow Dash and a Rarity in it? It certainly wasn’t outside the realm of possibility, it was quite a coincidence.

“…and the light flew over all of Unicornia, and brought back the colors to everything in the land! It was so cool, the colors flying all around us—”

“Thank you,” Trixie interrupted, reaching her limit. “I think I get the gist of it. Can we have some quiet now… please?” She tried to give her a smile, which she realized must have come off as rather awkward.

“Oh… alright,” obeyed Rarity reluctantly. But Trixie barely had time to breathe out before she opened her mouth again. “Y’know, Trixie, you’ve seemed kinda down this whole time. You got this sour look on your face.”

“Well, I can hardly help it that I don’t find dragging a heavy carriage along very enjoyable,” replied the magician.

“You should try laughing more,” suggested the little one. “I mean, don’t you just get the giggles sometimes? Like you just gotta laugh, or you’re tummy’s gonna bust?”

“Only if there is something to laugh at,” Trixie replied. “Which is a rarity indeed where I come from.”

“Don’t people laugh around here?”

“Oh, they laugh alright. In fact, it doesn’t take much for them to laugh. Once you’ve been around Equestria long enough, you’ll see that ponies are silly creatures that will laugh at anyone and anything, funny or not.”

“I know, right?” agreed Rarity with a giggle, apparently missing the poison in Trixie’s voice. “That’s what makes it fun! I mean, can you imagine living in a world without laughter?”

“Yes, and it would be a world of peace and quiet where ponies would mind their own business and not make fun of something they don’t understand!” Trixie went off, her voice growing in volume.

“What’s wrong with making fun of something?” asked Rarity, looking at Trixie as though her face has turned green. “Fun is fun, right?”

It was a senseless remark that rubbed Trixie the wrong way. “Well, little foal, maybe you haven’t realized yet that oftentimes when ponies laugh, it’s because—” but she stopped herself mid-sentence. Maybe she hadn’t realized. After all, she was still a young filly; maybe she had been sheltered all her life, never knowing what other ponies were capable of. It sent a pang of sympathy through her, mixed with a bit of jealousy. She sighed, calming herself down. “Just forget it.”

“Okay,” agreed the simple-minded filly without question. “You should totally come to Ponyville sometimes; you’ll have tons to laugh at!”

Seeing the happy-go-lucky little pony gave her mixed feelings. She could only imagine what the world must look like through her eyes: a place of fun and games, where everything was sunshine and rainbows. And quite frankly, her innocence irked her. Would Trixie have to be the one to teach her the standards of society? At the same time, part of her didn’t want to take that innocence away from her. No pony should have to grow up the way Trixie had. Rarity would have to learn the truth eventually… but for now, why not let her have her fun?

“Welcome to The Merry Grasshopper,” said the pony behind the counter. “What can I get you?”

At first, earth pony Rainbow Dash could only stare at the slender pony. The darker voice, the hair underneath his nose; this must be one of those ‘colts’ she’d heard about. A male, just like Spike. Of course, it made sense that there would be male ponies as well as female, but she could not for the life of her remember ever meeting one. Before the bar colt could ask why she was looking at him so strangely, she asked, “‘Merry Grasshopper’, darling? I don’t see any grasshopper.”

“It’s the name of the bar, madam,” he told her, using the same tone one would use to explain the concept of walking to a child.

“Oh, my apologies,” she said, a little embarrassed. “It’s just that I’ve never been in an establishment such as this.”

“My sympathies. Do you want my personal recommendation, then? Our Red Hay Punch is quite a treat, if I do say so myself.”

“We’ll take five glasses o’ milk, two Orange Ciders and one Salt Berry Blast,” Applejack came up beside her and placed their order. She added to Rainbow Dash, “Ah don’t think you’re ready for the strong stuff just yet.”

“Well, uh, thanks for the warning, darling,” she replied, not sure what ‘strong’ was referring to. Was it spicy? Who would want to drink something spicy? The bar colt merely nodded and started levitating glasses and bottles from the wall behind him, pouring various liquids into them.

“That would be eighteen bits.”

“Actually,” the other, winged Rainbow Dash said, “we’re here on official business with Princess Luna. You wouldn’t wanna charge a Princess, would you?”

“Of course I wouldn’t,” mused the bar colt. “Next you’re going to show me a remarkably well-crafted forgery of Her Highness' seal. Trust me, I know the trick; tried it a few times myself.”

“Do you mean to tell me there are ponies misusing our name to encourage their drinking habits?” said Luna, appearing from the door, her timing too perfect to be a coincidence. “We shall have to look into such matter. Did you say eighteen bits?”

The colt looked as though he was about to swallow his own mustache. “P-P-Princess Luna! I-I’m sorry, I had no idea you really were visiting our rural little town. It’s on the house, of course.”

“How generous of you,” the Princess said simply. The pegasus Rainbow Dash looked pleased as she grabbed one of the orange drinks with her teeth and poured the contents into her mouth. The sight did not appeal to the other Rainbow Dash, but she supposed it was the only way to get around it. Unless you were a Unicorn; Twilight and Rarity instead grabbed their drinks with magic, holding them afloat within their glowing auras as they took small sips.

The Princess turned to address the ponies. “I’m sorry I had to leave you at such a short notice; Canterlot business does come first, I’m afraid. I take it they haven’t arrived yet?”

“No, they haven’t,” said Twilight. “Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie are on the lookout right now.”

“Is that so? Too bad the surrounding area is cover by rather thick forest; otherwise we could have easily searched from the skies. I suppose our safest bet would be to simply… ah, there you are, Miss Fluttershy.”

As soon as the yellow pegasus walked through the door next to Luna, everypony’s eyes were on her. But she just solemnly shook her head. Twilight sighed. “Oh well, guess it’s my shift, then. I hope she gets here soon.”

“Trust me, she will,” pegasus Rainbow Dash assured. “Unless they get sidetracked or something, which I doubt, I’d say she’ll be here any minute.”

Trixie excused herself from Rarity, telling her to stay by the wagon as she went to ‘do her business’, but that wasn’t the only reason she had parked a ways away from town. It was a habit she had developed throughout her years of traveling: before putting up a performance, she would always size up the town, see what the ponies were like. If there were already magicians or other entertainers around, she tended to avoid those towns.

She made her way through the trees, and soon the entrance to the town of Winecolt came into view. It was a small town surrounded by a wall of wooden pikes, their tops sharpened; a remnant from medieval times. A cozy, rural town, its inhabitants more likely than not consisting mostly of earth ponies. Perfect for putting up a dazzling show that would surely go over their heads.

But the theory was put into question by the fact that there was a unicorn standing right by the gate. A unicorn that she, in fact, seemed to recognize. Lavender coat, a big star for a cutie mark… her eyes widened, heart skipping a beat as she quickly hid herself behind the nearest tree. Curses! Of all the ponies to run into, why did it have to be Twilight Sparkle? What was she doing all the way out here? Had she been following her?! But then, why would she?

Regardless, this put a wrench in her plans. If she was here, chances were her friends were as well, and there was absolutely no way she would subjugate herself to their criticism again. Admittedly, Trixie had been the one to lied about vanquishing an Ursa Major, and she had not plans on making the same mistake this time, but one word from those ponies and her credibility would be down the drain before she would even get a chance to prove them otherwise.

No, this wouldn’t do. Careful not to be seen by the accursed mare, she made her way back to the wagon. But what now? If not here, where could she go? She contemplated the geography in her head; the next town of this size was too far to the south, and it would probably take them a few more days to reach. But, she realized, there was another, smaller town not too far from here, just further down the road past Winecolt. There may not be as many ponies to be awed by her magic, but at least there would be no Twilight Sparkle.

“That took you long enough,” said Rarity upon her return. “Did you get this painful stab in the tummy, and had to get it all out? That’s happened to me sometimes; Cheerilee says it’s because I eat too much sweets.”

Ignoring her somewhat disgusting comment, Trixie put on her best smile. “Actually, it seems like I might have misread the map a little. We weren’t supposed to go to Wintecolt at all; what we’re looking for is Flakesville.”

“Oh, okay,” replied Rarity, looking at her curiously. Was her story convincing enough? “How long’s that gonna take?”

“Just a few more hours,” Trixie promised. “Honest mistake. Now let’s not waste time; we might still make it in time to put up a show.” She put herself through the pulling belt, and motioning for the little filly to follow as she walked away from the main road, through a path that would take them a safe distance around Winecolt.

“Dear… Applebloom… Sw-sneek… Sweetie Belle! And Scooooo… I hooo… thgwa… it’s no use, ah can’t make heads or tails out of this thing.”

When the Crusaders had woken up, they had found themselves all alone in the hall, a note on the floor next to them. Unfortunately, the writing was one of those fancy writing styles rich ponies used, and was harder to read than Granny Smith’s scribbling. “Let me see that,” said Sweetie Belle, pushing Apple Bloom aside. She gave the letter a quick look-through. “You’re right; not even Rarity writes this fancy. Look here: I think the signature says ‘Princess Luna’”

“She was here?” reacted Scootaloo. Then added a gasped. “Wasn’t Luna the Princess that used to be the Mare in the Moon? What if she turned back, and kidnapped the others?”

“You silly filly, why would she leave an official-looking letter if it was a kidnapping?”

“To demand a ransom, of course!”

Sweetie Belle scanned the letter one more time. “I don’t see any numbers. Besides, wouldn’t she want to leave a ransom note that ponies could actually read?”

“Yeah, you got a point,” Scootaloo admitted. “So where did everypony go?”

“Didn’t they say something ‘bout picking somepony up today?” Apple Bloom remembered. “But why would they just leave us here?”

“Who cares,” said Scootaloo. “It’ll probably be a while until they come back; I say we go do some exploring!”

“The only thing Ah wanna explore is some food,” remarked Apple Bloom. “Couldn’t they at least have left us some breakfast?”

“Maybe somepony in town could give us some food,” suggested Sweetie Belle. “I say we go outside and have a look around.”

Many ponies were already up and about, walking down the streets, or talking in groups. As the fillies crossed the drawbridge, a white Unicorn with a pink and purple mane came up to them. “Good morning, girls!” she greeted. Her voice sounded as though she had swallowed a bundle of helium balloons, not unlike Pinkie Pie. “Had a good night’s sleep?” But Sweetie Belle didn’t care about the voice; she was preoccupied by the face, and its likeness to her own.

“Are you Sweetie Belle?!” she asked excitedly.

“That’s me,” the bigger pony confirmed. “And you must be Sweetie Belle too!”

“Yeah! Quick, let me see your cutie mar... a pink heart?”

The grown-up Sweetie Belle chuckled. “Yeah, Scootaloo said she got the same reaction from her filly counterpart. Guess my special talent is being sweet.”

“That’s not a bad talent to have, if ya ask me,” said Apple Bloom.

“But I’m already sweet,” rebutted the white-coated filly. “It’s in my name! Anyway, do you know where the others went?”

“I thought they were still sleeping in there,” said the grown-up unicorn. “They must’ve gone to get Rarity already.”

“But she was right here yesterda—oh,” Sweetie Belle realized, “you’re talking about a second Rarity from around here.”

“Well, from Unicornia, to be exact; though I guess that doesn’t really matter at this point.” She looked up at the looming mountain, where the castle was barely seen from this angle. “It’s funny actually, I moved to Ponyville just a few weeks ago. if I’d have known we’d be neighbors, I wouldn’t have had to go through all that trouble. Speaking of which, see that billboard?” Sure enough, right next to the drawbridge was a billboard, and on it was a picture of the castle of Canterlot. “It says that Princess Celestia is going to send ponies from this place called Canterlot to teach us stuff about Equestria. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it?”

“Sounds like a nice way to say school,” remarked Scootaloo. “We’re so skipping that.”

“Come on Scootaloo,” the filly Sweetie Belle urged, “don’t you wanna meet ponies from Canterlot? Maybe we could even help them teach and stuff.”

“If that sounds like fun to you, knock yourself out,” Scootaloo returned. “I’d rather go do something more exciting.”

“But what if our special talents are teaching?”

The skepticism in Scootaloo’s face vanished. “Why didn’t I think of that? If we were the teachers, we could totally make it fun and awesome!”

“You make it sound like learning is boring,” said the grown-up version of Sweetie Belle. “I’ve never actually been to school; what’s it like?”

“Before we go into that,” halted Apple Bloom, “do you have any food? The others kind of left us without any breakfast.”

About an hour later, the grown-up Sweetie Belle having treated the Crusaders to some delicious cinnamon buns for breakfast, the beds inside the castle had been replaced by long benches. At the far wall, a small stage had been set up, where a light-brown unicorn stallion wearing a silver vest stood watching all the local ponies file into the castle. His cutie mark depicting two smiling faces looking up at stars. He wasn’t alone; on his back rode…

“Spike!” called Apple Bloom, running up to the stage to greet the purple baby dragon. “You’re gonna be the one be the one to teach all these ponies about life in Equestria?”

“Yup,” he replied happily. “Celestia sent me over from Ponyville, along with Doctor Hoofenstein here. Where are the others?”

“Off rescuing somepony, or so we were told,” said Scootaloo. “Leaving us hanging.”

“Weren’t you gonna tend to Fluttershy’s animals?” pointed Apple Bloom. “Who’s doing it now?”

“I asked Granny Smith to do it,” Spike explained. “She has a way with animals, let me tell ya; not even Angel wanted to mess with her.”

“Tell me about it,” the yellow filly said with a laugh. “The pigs always seem to calm down whenever she enters the barn.”

“Are you girls from Ponyville?” asked the Doctor. The Crusaders nodded in response. “Would you like to join us on stage?”

“Would we!” Scootaloo replied for the group, hopping onto the stage. “When do we start?”

“Any moment now,” replied the doctor, gesturing toward the growing crowd, now almost big enough to fill the entire castle floor. Spike climbed on top of a stool at the stage’s center, and watched as the crowd settled down, whispering to one another, pointing at the baby dragon. When the hall had gone completely silent, Spike put on his announcing voice.

“Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen!” called Spike over the crowd. “Or as we like to say these days, Fillies and Gentlecolts! How is everyone doing? Or should I say, how is everypony doing?”

“Yes Spike, there are many different speech patters we use nowadays that may seem unfamiliar to all of you,” Hoofenstein took over, “as well as many customs here in Equestria. That’s why we’re here, to teach you about these things, fill you in on modern Equestrian life…”

For the next few moments, Spike and Dr. Hoofenstein explained what to the fillies was already common knowledge: about how the Princesses controls the Sun and the Moon, when to use words such as ‘everypony’ instead of ‘everyone’, all the different holidays and what they represented, even down to how basic monetary system worked; all the while answering ponies’ raised hooves. Some of the stuff the townsponies said was downright kooky; apparently they never had to ‘earn’ money; it was always there when they needed it, and although they did have something similar to Hearth Warming Eve, they called it Christmas, where a fat bearded man would come and give everypony presents.

“Now, let’s talk about these,” Dr. Hoofenstein turned around to show symbol on his flank. “Can anypony tell me what this is called?”

“A Cutie Mark!” called a pink earth pony with a multi-colored mane of pink and yellow from the audience. “They’re Cutie Marks, aren’t they?”

“Indeed they are,” confirmed the doctor.

“Woo! I totally called it!”

“Then perhaps you also know what they symbolize?”

“Things we like, right? I like to paint, so mine’s a paintbrush!”

“Nuh-uh!” Apple Bloom spoke up. “Ah’m afraid it’s not that easy; those things are supposed to represent your talent, and ya gotta find what that is before it can appear!”

“Yeah!” agreed Scootaloo, jumping onto the stool Spike was on, knocking him down. “If all it took was liking something, I would’ve had my Scooter on my flank a long time ago! No, you need to fight for your Cutie Mark, try everything you can think of to discover who you really! That’s why we are,” the other two jumped up and crowded the stool, joining her in the chant, “The Cutie Mark Crusaders!”

“Or, you could do it the safer way and wait for you talent to come naturally,” added the Doctor, levitating the Crusaders off the stool. “But it seems all of you already have your Cutie Marks. Maybe you actually did get them based on your personal likes, in which case you ponies are very special indeed.”

“Not to mention lucky,” added Apple Bloom quietly.

“Right, any more questions?” asked Spike, back on his stool. Pretty much everypony in the room raised their hooves. “Oh my…” he looked over the crowd, intimidated by the sheer amount of questions. But then his face lit up, and he motioned for the Doctor; he whispered something in his ear, and he too assumed a wide smile.

“That is an excellent idea, Spike,” commended Hoofenstein, then turned to address the crowd. “Who wants to go on a field trip?”

“Come one, come all!” boomed Trixie over the crowd, admittedly a small one, as Flakesville was only a small settlement compared to Winecolt. The wagon had lowered its walls and raised the floor, transforming it into a stage. Rarity was hiding behind the curtain at the back of the stage, enchanted by Trixie so that she could see the crowd but the crowd could not see her. “Come see the most talented, the most traveled magician in all of Equestria: none other than The Great and Powerful Trixie!”

Upon the last word, fireworks erupted from all around the stage, sending a mix of ‘ooh’s and ‘aah’s over the crowd. But it wasn’t Rarity’s doing; Trixie had been very clear she was not to do anything at all before the time was right. “I have wandered far beyond anywhere you have ever ventured, seen things that would feed your nightmares. Now, The Great and Powerful Trixie is here to show you her spectacular feats of sorcery few have ever had the privilege to witness!”

The magician then started waving a hoof in the air, and next moment a bouquet of flowers appeared out of nowhere. She grabbed it with her mouth and threw the flowers up in the air, where it exploded in a white puff of clouds, from which birds appeared. They flew over the crowd… only to explode again, this time turning into glitter. There was an awed noise from the crowd, and if Rarity hadn’t been told rather strictly not to make a sound, she would have done the same. She had never seen anything so spectacular; Trixie wouldn’t show her anything on the road, so she never realized she was this talented.

The stage pony beamed at the crowd. “Thank you, thank you. But you haven’t seen anything yet!” Her hat then started glowing, lifting itself up to reveal the horn beneath. The ground around the spectators then began spinning up dust, which began swirling around the ponies. Higher and higher it went, until it seemed to gather onto a spot right above the crowd. And then, the dust shot out in all direction, turning into ribbons as it did. Rarity, as well as the spectators, only stood wide-eyed, until a loud sheering erupted, accompanied by stomping hooves to the ground.

Trixie had made the right choice to come here instead of Winecolt. The lack of cynical neigh-sayers made it much easier to work her craft, and ponies had already started throwing coins onto the stage. But the biggest number had yet to come. She gathered her thoughts in concentration, hoping Rarity wouldn’t mess up her part in this.

She threw off her hat and began spinning her head round and round, as was necessary to amplify the magic effect. The resulting spell began immediately; more dust flew up from the ground, this time suspending itself in mid-air, surrounding her and the audience. Then, with a last flash from her horn, the dust started glowing, and seconds later, they appeared to be standing on a large field of flowers. A clever illusion spell that had taken months and months to perfect, and it certainly seemed to strike home with the crowd. But the trick wasn’t over; just as the audience was starting to reach out for the flowers, the scenery changed.

They were now floating in the sky, the Equestrian landscape far beneath their hooves. Many gasped, some let out a yell. Trixie amped up the illusion, making it look like they were moving through the air, Equestria speeding by far below. Trixie had spent many late evenings creating the landscapes from the memories of her travels. The flight stopped, and the scenery suddenly changed from fields and mountains in daylight to Canterlot at night. Fireworks were now shooting from everywhere, illuminating the city landscape over which the ponies were floating.

Trixie was starting to get a little bit nervous now; upholding the illusion took all the concentration she got, so it was up to her assistant to pull off the real fireworks, and that time was soon approaching. Inside her illusory world, Trixie’s stage rose above the spectators, placing herself so that the full moon would be her backdrop as the fireworks exploded around her. She magically flashed her horn red, signaling to Rarity that the time was nigh.

“This, Fillies and Gentlecolts,” she announced mightily, “is the life of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” The moment she said her name, she stood up on her hind legs, assuming a dramatic pose, hoping for the best.

A magic force pulled her hind legs upward, making her lose balance and tumble right onto the floor. Only three out of five fireworks went off, two on the left and one on the right. The dust fell to the ground, the spell broken.

It felt as though the world stood still. Her grand finale, the moment that was supposed to have captivated her audience – her biggest success yet, one might say – all ruined. And she knew perfectly well why. As the world slowly started to move again in her brain, she found herself holding back the boiling anger that was starting to surface. “Uh, are you okay?” asked a stallion, a concerned look on his face.

Trixie laughed awkwardly. “Ah, yeah, just a little trip, is all.” She felt her own words stab like daggers into her heart. Just a little trip?! “Nothing to concern yourselves about.”

“Well, except for the last bit, that was amazing!” said a mare next to him. “I can’t believe such skilled magicians would visit our little town!”

The disappointment was mixed with glee from the adoration of the audience, but the fact still remained that she had failed. No, actually, she hadn’t failed...

Rarity…!

The little pony’s heart might as well have been turned into a clump of ice. She had panicked. She had been so engrossed in the fantastic show that she had been caught completely unprepared when the signal came. She must have mistaken the blue spots on the floor that she was supposed to concentrate on with Trixie’s blue legs. And now, Trixie was mad. Even receiving praise from the townspeople, she could see it in her eyes that she wasn’t happy at all. Rarity tried to discreetly slip away, maybe hide for a bit until it blew over – that had worked before – but Trixie quickly thwarted that idea, approaching her with the angriest face anyone had ever shown her.

“You…!” she hissed, jabbing an accusing hoof to her chest. “I gave you a simple task, and you blew it! I thought I made it perfectly clear that the finale was of utmost importance, and that if you had any doubt whatsoever, you would at least have the sensibility of not igniting the fireworks at all!” Every word was like beating to Rarity’s heart. “But you know what frustrates me? You said you wouldn’t fail me! You promised me that you wouldn’t mess this up, that would make me proud! That’s one way of pulling my leg; is this your idea of a joke?!”

“I-i-it was an h-honest mistake!” Rarity tried to counter, but the lump in her throat made it difficult to speak.

“Then it escapes me how utterly incompetent you must be to mistake my legs for blue dots!” she fumed. “No, silly me; my legs for dancing monkeys! Should I perhaps have coached you in colors? Perhaps I should have taught you how to discern ponies from inanimate objects.”

At this point, a new emotion was starting to join Rarity’s shame. A very dark emotion, that she could not remember having felt before. Getting her voice back temporarily, she tried to defend herself. “W-well, what about you? It’s not like you never make mistakes; you thought we were going to Winecolt instead of here, remember?”

“An astute observation, but there is one little detail you forget. That cost us a few hours of extra traveling; this cost me the respect of the villagers! My greatest achievement, gone with the wind! The fact that you don’t seem to realize what you have done to me leaves me angry and disappointed. I hope you’re happy.”

The words struck harder than a fall from a cliff right in the head. She lowered her voice, speaking very quietly, “I’m sorry, Trixie.”

“I’m sure you are, but saying so isn’t going to help me,” Trixie snapped back, not dropping the venom in her voice. A venom that fed the lump in Rarity’s throat, as well as the darkness within. “I’m starting to think it was a mistake bringing you along. But I suppose it was my own fault for thinking I could trust someone I just happened to pick up along the road.”

“W-won’t you give me another chance?” pleaded Rarity, barely holding back sobs.

“I’m surprised I’m still speaking to you as it is!” replied Trixie through gritted teeth. But then she looked away, sighing sourly. “We’ll see how I feel in the morning, but don’t hold your breath. There will be no lodging for you, and no food, got that?!”

“Hey, excuse me, miss?” came another voice, belonging to one of the town’s people that had walked up to Trixie. Rarity only now realized that there was a small crowd of around six or seven ponies gathered around the two. “Now granted, I only listen in half-way through the conversation, but don’t you think you’re being a bit hard on the kid? I take it she’s your assistant? Maybe it was her fault you tripped during that last bit, but everypony makes mistakes, especially when you’re young.”

“You keep out of this!” snapped the magician. “This is between me and her!”

“Easy there,” commented another pony, a bulk-bodied stallion with a black beard. “I mean, we all agree you’re great with illusions and all, but this doesn’t exactly paint you in the best light.”

The others around them only stared at Trixie, who now looked almost frightened. “But I…! She was the one that…!” She then gave Rarity a look. One that bore into the very depth of her soul. A look of absolute loathing, but also sadness, one that clear as day conveyed the message ‘look what you have done!’

At that moment, something snapped inside her head. It felt like all happiness and color just drained from her life. “Oh yeah?!” she shouted back. “Well maybe I wouldn’t have messed up so bad if you would actually teach me things! You’re not Great or Powerful, you’re just a mean old… meanie that’s too stuck-up to think of anyone but herself!” And with that final comment, she couldn’t take it anymore. Any of it. So she ran as fast as her legs could carry her, away from the cluster of houses, further up toward the hills.

For once in her life, Trixie thought things couldn’t get worse. All the respect she had worked so hard to earn, washed away, not to mention having been shouted back to by her incompetent so-called assistance. She was more than eager to let a good glass of salt water sweep her troubles away… but lo and behold, things got worse. It always did. Just as she was about to swing open the door to the bar, a cerulean pegasus pony was suddenly up in her face, giving her an angry look. “So, ‘Great and Powerful Trixie’, we meet again. Remember ol’ Rainbow Dash?”

Trixie, in no mood to put up with any of this, shot her daggers. “Well, if it isn’t one of the neigh-sayers from Ponyville. What, have you been stalking me? What’s the matter, can’t get enough of the show-stopping abilities of The Great and—”

“Cut the act, Trixie, you know you’re nothing special!” the pegasus shot back. A remark that only deepened her wound. “Where is Rarity? I know she was with you!”

She was looking for Rarity? So she was a Ponyvillian. Well, why should The Great and Powerful Trixie be obliged to help this ruffian? “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, if you excuse me, I have some sorrows to drown.”

Rainbow Dash wouldn’t give up, pressing her snout against Trixies. “Where. Is. Rarity?!” Then, almost as though her indignity was answered by the weather itself, the cloud overhead suddenly started swirling in the shape of a cone, in the middle of which a dark figure appeared.

Trixie lost her breath for a moment as a dark-blue pony with both grand wings and a tall horn descended from the skies, hitting the ground with a sound thud. Above her, encapsulated within an aura of magic, was – Trixie’s heart froze – Twilight Sparkle and six of her friends. The aura suddenly burst, throwing the group unceremoniously to the ground. “There you are, Princess,” said Rainbow Dash. “Why didn’t you just teleport like you did before?”

“I cannot relocate to a place I have never been,” explained the dark-blue being. Did she say Princess? With a jolt, Trixie realized that this had to be Princess Luna, Ruler of the Night, only recently returned from her thousand year banishment. “Forgive me for the rather rough landing.”

“No worries,” said Twilight, she and the ponies getting to their hooves. “It was my idea.”

That’s when Trixie noticed that there was another Rainbow Dash in the group, identical in all except the lack of wings, and a less ruffed mane. Suddenly everything that Rarity had told her about Ponyville and Rainbow Dash the fashion pony made sense. Speaking of Rarity, the white Unicorn with the same name looked indeed like an older version of the filly she had just parted with. But before she could think deeper on the matter, Twilight Sparkle approached her. “Hi, Trixie,” she greeted, rather friendly actually. “Remember me?”

“I remember that you made an utter foal out of me last time we met,” Trixie replied bitterly.

Twlight sighed, looking almost dejected. “Look, we just came here to take Rarity off your hooves. Also,” she added, this time affording her a smile, “we wanted to thank you for taking care of her.”

Only now did the obvious question strike her. “And how would you know any of this?”

“I made a Pinkie Squink,” a pink pony stepped forward and explained; another duplicate to one of Twilight’s friends. “It’s a special magic I have that lets us see the solution to a problem. And since we were looking for Rarity, we saw her with you. Though it was pretty blurry, so I guess it could’ve been somepony else.”

Trixie sighed inwardly; she might as well come clean. Get this mess over with. “If you mean a little pink unicorn by the name, then yes, she was with me just a while ago. But we got into a little… argument… and she ran off.” She pointed towards the slope behind the houses.

Rainbow Dash immediately took to the air. “Come on, Fluttershy, help me look!” she called, whereas she sped off, her yellow pegasus friend following suit.

Rarity had stopped running, letting her breath catch up. She wasn’t used to running so fast, or so far. Nor was she used to the bubbling feeling of unease in her heart. She knew that what she felt was anger and sorrow, but she couldn’t remember ever having felt it so strongly before. Why wouldn’t it go away? Why couldn’t she think of Trixie without her blood growing cold? So cold…

She was just about ready to burst into tears, when two pegasi strangers landing right in front of her, making her jump. One was blue – kind of the same color as Rainbow Dash, and a similar mane – and the other yellow. “Wh-who are you?” she managed.

“Uhm… is your name Rarity?” asked the yellow one, giving her a friendly but anxious smile.

Rarity just nodded. Then the other one spoke more quietly to her friend, “Didn’t Trixie say she was a pink unicorn? She’s more white than pink, if you ask me.”

“You’re right,” the yellow one agreed. “She does look exactly like Rarity though.” But then the pegasus’ eyes widened, and she got an expression of fear on her face that almost mirrored what Rarity felt. “Y-you don’t suppose she… she lost her colors?”

“Now why would she—?” but then the rainbow-maned one gave her a look of realization. “Oh no,” she too looked upon the unicorn with concern, “you mean like Discord did to us?”

“Remember what Zecora and Celestia said: there’s a piece of Discord in all of them.”

Discord? Losing colors? What were they talking about? She looked down on her hooves… and realized that sure enough, they were no longer the bright pink color she was used to. She also realized that she didn’t care. All she cared about was getting away from these weirdos. They were probably just going to yell at her.

“I think we’d better let Twilight have a look at her,” suggested the cerulean pony. “She the one who snapped us out of it. Come along kid, we’re here to take you home.”

Taking her home? To Unicornia? But were they really? Maybe they were sent by Trixie to get her to apologize or something. “I-I’m not going anywhere,” Rarity replied defiantly.

“You don’t wanna go home?”

“I can find home all on my own!”

“Good luck with that. Trust me kid, I’ve got experience dragging ponies along with me, and I’m not afraid to use it.”

Her words, for reasons she did not quite understand, send a shockwave of fear through her entire body. It told her to run. These ponies were out to get her! And run she did… but she could go so far until hooves wrapped around her little body, pulling her in. In that moment, fear was replaced by anger, and the little filly started pounding her with all her might. “Let go of me, you big jerk! Let me go!!”

The pegasi return was announced by shrill screaming and hollering, mixed with what sounded to Cheerilee as ‘let go!’ or ‘meanie!’. She watched as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy carried the little filly between them, each holding two legs in their grasp, all trying to free themselves. They let go the moment they landed. Was that bite-marks on their legs?

Despite her new looks, Cheerilee knew right away that this could only be Rarity. She was looking around at the group, a frightened look on her face. “W-who are you people?” When she laid eyes on Trixie, she immediately tried to run away, but was stopped by Rainbow Dash, who had to wrestle her down. Her rash behavior filled Cheerilee with unease; Rarity was young and playful, but she would never hit anyone, let alone bite.

She approached cautiously, and put a hoof on her shoulder, to which the filly turned around. “Rarity? It’s me, Cheerilee! Are you feeling alright?”

At this, Rarity seemed to calm down a bit, as she stared into the unicorn’s eyes. “C-Cheerilee?”

“I know I look different, but it’s really me,” she assured. “What happened to you? Where are your colors? Did this Trixie character do anything bad?”

At the mention of Trixie, the unicorn flared up. “You bet she did! That mean old witch scolded me for no reason, and said I was incompetent! I hate her!” She was positively shouting, her eyes screwed up with rage. It made Cheerilee take a few steps back, staring at the filly in disbelief. It was like Rarity had become a different person altogether.

“You hate me?!” Trixie replied hotly. “How do you think I feel, when the pony I take in as an assistant from the goodness of my heart can’t even perform one measly task without messing everything up? What, did you dye your coat so you could come back and try to impress me? Every foal knows that trick.”

“Don’t talk to me that way! I’m the Rainbow Princess!”

“Well excuse me, Princess! You want me to kneel before your ignorance?”

It was Luna who broke the argument. “It would appear we are disturbing the local peace. Let us continue this conversation back in Ponyville.” And so without warning, stars appeared before Cheerilee’s eyes, and after a short moment of weightlessness, they were once again standing in the royal flower garden of Ponyville.

The change of scenery came so suddenly, Twilight had to take a few moments to adjust her brain. The sudden transportation was certainly enough to distract the filly Rarity from her bitterness, her eyes shooting up as she started to realize where she were. Her gaze went from the flowers, to the buildings, and then to the big mountain. “Is this… really Ponyville?”

“I assure you, darling, it is,” the local Rainbow Dash told her sweetly. “Things have changed around here, but we will explain everything, as soon as you tell us what happened to you.”

“I think I know what happened,” said the pegasus Rainbow Dash. “Look at her color. Didn’t you say she was pink?”

Twilight immediately understood. How could she ever forget? “You mean she’s been… discorded?”

“Yeah, just like what happened to us.”

“But how could that be?” Twilight questioned. “Celestia said the piece of Discord inside them wasn’t substantial enough to do any harm.”

“Unless it was egged on by something,” suggested Rainbow Dash. “Or somepony.” She pointed an accusing hoof at Trixie, who Twilight only now realized had been swept along with Luna’s teleportation.

“Sure, why not drag mean old Trixie to Goddess knows where and start grilling her,” countered the magician fiercely. “If something goes wrong, blame it on Trixie. That’s usually how it goes.”

“Oh cut the coy,” pressed Rainbow Dash. “What did do to her?”

“Only telling her truth, that she is an ungrateful runt who can’t even perform the simplest of tricks.”

“And you’re an ungrateful old witch who can’t say a single nice thing to anyone!”

“And you’re a pest who shouldn’t be pushed on anypony, let alone The Great and Powerful Trixie!”

“You’re not a real magician! Why, I bet you just lied to me about all those places you’ve been to!”

During the whole exchange, Twilight noticed how Pinkie Pie – her Pinkie Pie – seemed unnaturally restless, nervous even. She couldn’t blame her; she probably hated arguments like these more than anything. Eventually, the need to say something grew too great; Pinkie’s face darkened as she exclaimed, “Quit it, Trixie! I know you did something mean! I bet you kidnapped Rarity, and did all sorts of terrible things to her!”

“Now really, darlings,” earth pony Rainbow Dash tried to calm everypony down, “there is no need for such drama.”

“No no, that’s fine,” Trixie conceded. From the expression of pure anger and sorrow on her face, even Twilight had to admit that Pinkie might have gone too far. “If you really want a scapegoat, I suppose I’m happy to comply. I kidnapped her, tortured her, and fed her worms. There, you happy?! Now if you’ll excuse me, I have some other kids to kidnap!” She stomped her hooves fiercely to the ground, then turned around and ran the opposite direction as quickly as she could. No pony felt the need to go after her.

“Good riddance!” Rarity shouted at her. “I hope you trip and fall! I hope you never—”

“Enough!” It was the other, grown-up Rarity’s time to shout. She approached the filly with a strict look on her face. “Now, I don’t know exactly what happened between you two, but from what I’ve seen, you certainly haven’t conducted yourself any better than Trixie!”

“Rarity, wait, she’s—”

Rarity held up a hoof to silence Twilight. “Trust me, Rarity, we’re all on your side, but you have to tell us what happened.” She gave her a friendly smile. “You’re better than that mean ol’ Trixie, aren’t you?”

It worked to the extent that the filly Rarity’s face softened, her expression of rage being replaced by a sorrowful one. “I… she was so…” was all she could get out, before she lowered her head and stared into the ground, sobbing softly. “I-I just don’t k-know anymore…”

“I think it’s best that I take her home,” suggested Cheerilee. “I’ll stay with her as long as she needs.”

“Yeah,” agreed Twilight. “We’ll figure something out. I bet Celestia knows a way… no offense, Luna.”

“None taken; I am just as lost for words as you,” The Princess replied. Cheerilee excused herself, leading the sorrowful child away from the group.

“Well I have a few words for Pinkie Pie,” spoke the grown-up version of Rarity. “I expected such behavior from Rainbow Dash – the pegasus, of course – but I never imagined you of all ponies would blurt out those things! I mean yes, it was what we were all probably thinking, but have you ever heard of such a thing as tact?”

Twilight half-expected Pinkie to give a nonsensical excuse, but instead, she sighed unhappily. “I know. I’m sorry guys; it was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever had to make, but extreme situations calls for extreme measures! And this time, Pinkie Pie style ain’t gonna cut it. I just hope it isn’t too late.”

Rarity was finally home. Reunited with her friends and back in Unicornia, which had magically moved closer to Ponyville while she was gone. She was also more miserable than she had ever been her whole life. The castle was empty, so Cheerilee had tried to talk to her alone, but Rarity didn’t have it in her to reply to anything anymore, as her words would only get stuck in the giant lump in her throat. All she could manage to get out was that she was tired, so Cheerilee left her in her room to sleep.

The thought of Trixie still filled her with loathing. Why did she hate Trixie so much? What did she do again? She only remembered bits and pieces of their conversation after the show, mostly the faces that she made at her. Ones of disappointment and anger. It was so unfair! Anyone makes mistakes, she said so herself!

All the same, that white unicorn was right: Rarity hadn’t been acting much better herself. And that’s what she hated most of all. She never wanted to make her friends sad or worried, never wanted to hate anyone. She just wanted to laugh, have fun! But now she was starting to wonder if she would ever laugh again. Would Cheerilee even want to talk to her anymore? She couldn’t shake the feeling that everything was out to get her, that no one really needed her. She buried her head under her pillow, trying to block everything out.

But fate had other plans. “Hi Rarity!” came a high-pitched voice. Pulling up her head, she was startled to see one of those pink ponies from before just outside the window, which she had opened. “How are you feeling?” Without waiting for a response, she hopped inside.

It was the last thing Rarity needed. Whatever she said next would only make her feel worse. “Go away,” she mumbled.

“Say, what’s this?” asked the pink pony, ignoring Rarity and pointing at something on her desk. “Is this a magic wand?” She then went ahead and picked it up with her mouth.

This awoke a reaction from the downtrodden filly. “Don’t touch that!” she exclaimed. “It’s mine!”

“I know, I’m just gonna borrow it a little.”

“Give it back to me right now!” shouted Rarity, feeling the anger coming on again. She couldn’t stop it, and it tore her up inside. The pink pony didn’t seem to listen; instead she just opened the door and ran down the stairs. Furious, Rarity followed.

The chase led her out of the castle, and down the slope, the pink pony always staying a few pony lengths ahead of her. Rarity didn’t care that her legs were starting to hurt: she needed that wand back! It nothing else, it was all she had left from a happier time. The pony ahead led her away from town, toward a lake she had never seen there before, and then further into the forest. Suddenly she picked up the pace, sprinting away from the little filly, and no amount or screaming, pleading or crying did anything to slow her down. Soon, the pink pony was gone from sight.

But to her immense relief, she found the wand lying on the ground just ahead. Rarity tried to pick it up, but remembered her hooves could no longer bend that way, so instead she used her mouth, and to the best of her abilities tangled it into her hair. Who was that pink pony? Pinkie Pie? But why would she do such a thing? And now she was lost in an unknown forest. This time, all alone.

A sound that temporarily distracted her from the anxiety. Was that sobbing? No, it wasn’t just sobbing; someone was crying. Rarity followed the sound, which led her to a small clearing. There, sitting on the dirty ground, head slumped and mane in a tangle, face distorted with tears and anguish, was Trixie.

The initial reaction was a surge of fear, followed by anger, but then came another feeling into the mix: curiosity. Why was she crying? It was Rarity who was hurt, not her! Was she crying because she ruined her show? But her senses were starting to catch up with her: that couldn’t be it. She had been angry, sure, but that wouldn’t make The Great and Powerful Trixie cry like a baby. There was something else, and new pieces of memory were starting to surface from the depth of Rarity’s mind. ‘If something goes wrong, blame it on Trixie! That’s usually how it goes.’

But it didn’t really matter. Someone was crying right in front of her, and needed comforting, and that overpowered her sense of disgust.

Trixie jumped when she saw the little filly, staring at her with a look of pure horror. “You…!” her tone was neither angry nor frightened, only surprised.

“Hi, Trixie,” Rarity tried meekly. “W-were you crying?”

“Of course I wasn’t,” she shot back. “Why would The Great and Powerful Trixie be crying? It’s not like she’s stuck in the middle of nowhere, lost her wagon… hated by everypony. Again.” Her head sank and her volume diminished as she spoke, as though she didn’t even have the energy to be sarcastic anymore. “Just leave me alone.”

It was like looking at a mirror image of Rarity herself. Except Trixie actually had a good reason for crying. All the things she said to her, the accusing remarks from the others, her show ruined… her life ruined…

Where did that leave Rarity?

“I’m sorry…” said the little pony. “I’m so sorry…” As she said those words, something lifted from her heart, the darkness that was plaguing her soul being pushed away. “You’re not lazy, and you’re not a witch. I’m sorry…!” Her body grew lighter, her voice stronger. “I’m sorry for calling you useless, and… I’m sorry for ruining your show.”

No sooner had she said it did she feel legs wrap around her little body, as Trixie embraced Rarity in a hug, sobbing as she did. It was all it took for the dam in Rarity’s heart open, unleashing her own flood of tears. For a moment, they just cried in each other’s embrace, the tears carrying with it the hatred and anger, freeing her soul.

“And,” Trixie began to speak, “I’m sorry for shouting at you. You’re not incompetent. It was an honest mistake.” She flashed her a smile… and Rarity did the same for her. She felt the happiness return to her body, and the relief was so huge, she couldn’t help but burst out giggling. Even more so when Trixie started laughing with her. As they fell rolling on the ground, she barely took notice of the pink returning to her body.

Pinkie Pie peaked out from behind a tree, watching the two ponies laugh, a smile on her face and a tear in her eye. Mission accomplished.

Special thanks to Tess Tesseract for help with editing.