Fluttershy sat on her haunches outside of the conference room as she hugged and stroked Angel.
“Mommy’s gonna do great, Angelbunny. Right?” Angel nodded happily and gave her a thumbs up. Fluttershy grinned. “Thanks, Angel,” she said as she slipped him back into her saddlebag. She stood up, took a deep breath, opened the door, and trotted into the conference room.
She noticed four ponies, all mares, sitting at the conference table, which gave her the shivers. She quietly pulled out the chair opposite to them and sat down demurely, then gulped. She put on a weak smile.
“H-hello, I’m Fluttershy. What are your names?”
The pony to her far left, an orange pegasus with a blue mane, said, “I’m High Flyer, speech therapist.”
The pony next to her, a green earth pony with a purple mane, said, “Balance Beam, physical therapist.”
The pony to Balance Beam’s right, a blue pegasus with a pink mane, said, “Ordered Mind, cognitive therapist.”
The final pony, a gray unicorn with a yellow mane, said, “And I’m Galaxy Glow, the doctor on staff. I believe you’re here to discuss a new drug with us?”
Fluttershy uneasily nodded as she pulled out four pamphlets and slid them over the table to the four mares, who picked them up with interest. “I’m offering a new medication called Desoxyn…”
----
Trixie stared on in horror at the scene before her. Nixie stood there as tears streamed from her glowing eyes. Her breaths came out heavy. In front of her was Princess Luna, whom she had flung through a reinforced door like it was nothing. Trixie was at a loss on what to do, so she did what she did best: flim-flam her way out of it.
Trixie gulped, then said, “Nixie, why don’t you check on your toys—”
“MODELS!” Nixie screamed at Trixie.
Trixie shied back a bit. “Er, yes, models. Why don’t you check on your models? I’m sure that they were disturbed by the blast.”
Nixie snorted. “Nixie would never do such a thing!” she said as she turned her head back to her room. To her dismay, her models were strewn across the room. She gasped and ran back into her room. Trixie peeked in to see trains flying all about, Nixie’s crying growing stronger. “Why can’t I control it!?” she wailed.
Luna, upon hearing this, stood up and strode into the room. She then placed a hoof on Nixie’s shoulder. “Let me help you with that,” she said, “now how were these trains ordered?”
“By pony-power, obviously,” Nixie said with derision as the trains kept flying about. They then stopped in midair as Luna smiled. Luna then started ordering the trains on the dresser.
“No! The Appleloosa train goes first! It only has two pony-power!” Nixie commanded, upon which Luna hastily put the train closest to the edge.
“You’re a real chip off of the old block, aren’t you?”
Nixie snorted. “I’m a pony, not a chip.”
Luna smarted as that. “Er, right. What I meant to say is that you remind me of your sister.”
Nixie beamed at Luna. “Really?”
Luna chuckled. “Yes, really.”
Trixie couldn’t help but smile at the obvious hero worship. Maybe this won’t turn out so bad after all.
----
“...and that’s what Desoxyn does in a nutshell,” Fluttershy said, finishing out her presentation, “any questions?”
Balance Beam raised a hoof. “So you’re saying that this will improve physical capabilities as well as mental?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Yes, I am.”
Galaxy Glow raised a hoof. “Aren’t you worried about the addictive nature of the drug?”
Fluttershy gulped. “Well, I’m not aware of what you’re talking about, Dr. Glow. The rate of addiction in Equestria is one percent.”
Galaxy Glow shook her head. “Fluttershy, a good portion of our patients are here because of drug abuse. Are you suggesting that we give this drug to them?”
Fluttershy looked around uneasily. “Well, you administer the medications, so I don’t see the problem.”
High Flyer facehooved. “We’re worried about what happens when they’re discharged from here. Didn’t you hear about that poor pony Vinyl Scratch assaulted in Canterlot?”
Fluttershy froze. “I...may have heard about that.”
High Flyer shook her head. “Well, the papers said that she was strung out on your drug when she committed said act. Do you want to turn our center into a haven for sexual deviants?” The other mares nodded in agreement.
Fluttershy bit her lip. What would Trixie do?
----
Trixie stared on as Luna and Nixie finished sorting her trains on her dresser with a smile on her face. The glow had left Nixie’s eyes and Luna and Nixie were talking about their favorite trains.
“I really like the solid build of the Canterlot Express myself,” Luna said, grinning.
Nixie shook her head. “But you can’t deny the technological superiority of the Crystal Empire train!”
Luna shook her head, still grinning. “I suppose I can’t. So, let’s talk about your admission to the Diarchy’s School for Gifted Unicorns…”
Nixie turned her head away. “No! I’m not going!”
Luna frowned. “Why not?”
Nixie snorted. “Because I like it here!”
Luna rubbed Nixie’s head. “And why won’t you like it at our school?”
“Because it’s not here!” she said.
And?” Luna asked.
“I just...I just...I can’t explain it, but I know it’s going to be terrible!”
“Nixie,” Trixie said while trotting in, “why don’t you hear the Princess out? I’m sure you’ll love it once she tells you all about it.”
Nixie glared at Trixie. “No! I’ll hate it!”
Trixie frowned. What would Fluttershy do?
----
Fluttershy was backed into a corner. Here the staff was convinced that Desoxyn would turn their clients into sex monsters. If this didn’t go through, she wouldn’t get paid, or they might fire her, and the she wouldn’t…
Something in Fluttershy’s mind snapped. She stared down the four mares who instantly stopped talking as they locked eyes with her. Fluttershy slammed her hooves on the table.
“Listen here,” she said resolutely, “Desoxyn is a miracle in chemical form. It’ll improve the brain function of anypony that takes it. Are you telling me you’d give that up on the off-chance that somepony would misuse it?”
Ordered Mind stared nervously at her. “No, but—”
“But nothing!” Fluttershy barked, “Nopony needs to suffer because they’re different! Trust in us, and Transpicuous promises that your clients will be more than they are. We’re selling the future here! Are you with me?”
The four mares nodded nervously. Fluttershy grinned.
“So you’ll prescribe it?”
Galaxy Glow nodded. “I think we will.”
“Good,” Fluttershy said as she stood up, “then I think our business is done here.” With that, she trotted out of the conference room, leaving the poor mares quaking in their horseshoes.
----
“What makes you think you’ll hate it?” Trixie asked, sitting on her haunches and wrapping a foreleg around Nixie, who buried her face into Trixie’s barrel.
“Because it’s not here!” Nixie shouted.
“I think with your raw power, you could be my personal student,” Luna said.
Nixie turned her head to Luna. “Really?” Luna nodded. Nixie then turned her head away and buried it back into Trixie’s barrel. “No! I’ll still hate it!”
Trixie sighed, then pulled her hat and cape out of her saddlebags and put them on Nixie. Nixie lifted her head and look at the new clothes adorning her. “What’s this for?”
Trixie smiled. “I don’t think the Great and Powerful Nixie would turn away from a challenge, do you?”
Nixie looked into Trixie’s eyes. “Me? Great and Powerful?”
Luna nodded. “Anypony that could knock an alicorn through a reinforced door at your age is most certainly Great and Powerful.”
Nixie stared at Luna, then turned back to Trixie. “But can’t I be Great and Powerful without going to the school?”
Trixie shook her head. “No, Nixie. How do you think I became so Great and Powerful?” Luna rolled her eyes.
“How?” Nixie asked.
Trixie chuckled. “By going to the Diarchy’s School for Gifted Unicorns, of course!”
Nixie looked at Trixie, then Luna, then back at Trixie. “But I don’t wanna go alone!” she said, clutching Trixie’s barrel again.
“Arrangements have been made for a Quasar Pulse to accompany you at all times,” Luna said.
Trixie rubbed Nixie’s hat-laden head. “Isn’t that the unicorn stallion you like?”
Nixie blushed. “I don’t like him! He’s just...good company, is all.”
Trixie chuckled. “Of course.”
Nixie then looked into Trixie’s eyes. “Well, alright...but if I have to make a big change, you do, too!”
Trixie smiled at the familiar bargaining. “Name it, and I’ll do it.”
“You have to quit drinking.” Trixie’s eyes widened at that as she bit her lip. Sure, she’d do anything for her sister...but this was a bit much.
“Don’t you think that’s a bit much, Nixie?” Trixie asked.
Nixie shook her head. “You don’t quit drinking, I don’t go to school!”
Luna smiled “I may have a spell that could help with that,” she said as she charged up her horn and enveloped Trixie in a blue glow. Trixie’s stomach lurched as she threw up in her mouth and swallowed it back down. The vomit came up more forcefully as her cheeks bulged out.
Luna chuckled. “You may want to go to the bathroom.” Trixie nodded and galloped towards the bathroom as she ejected copious amounts of alcohol from her system. Luna approached Nixie and wrapped a foreleg around her as they sat there in silence, the splashing of water their only soundtrack.
“You know,” Luna said, “I could teach you that spell.”
Nixie looked up at the Princess in wonder. “You could? Oh, joy!”
----
Fluttershy was sitting happily in the waiting room reading the newspaper that Luna left behind. She saw Trixie limp in as she clutched her stomach.
“So, how are you, Trixie?”
Trixie smiled weakly. “Well, my sister’s going to the Diarchy’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and I’ve quit drinking.”
Fluttershy beamed. “That sounds great!”
Trixie nodded. “So, how did the pitch go?”
Fluttershy blushed. “Well, it was choppy waters at first, but I got them to see things our way.”
Trixie nodded as she plopped down in the seat next to Fluttershy. “Well, I think I’m overdue for some vacation time.”
Fluttershy looked at Trixie. “Where to?”
Trixie smiled. “I hear Ponyville’s nice this time of year...you have an extra bed?”
Fluttershy nodded. “Of course! Anything for a friend!”
Trixie grinned as she eased herself up. “Well,what are we waiting for? Let’s get going!” she said as she limped out the door. Fluttershy stood up and followed.