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// Because You're Not A Main Character 
// Story: Bon Bon And Trixie's Puppet Show 
// by Alex Warlorn 
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"Why are you making me do this?" Bon Bon asked in a pained voice. She watched as Trixie ran away from the town. Had her show laughed to death before it had even begun again. Mocked and belittled until she had no choice but to flee before the heckling crowds, again.

'Because Trixie must be pushed to the depths of hate and despair, deep enough that she'll seek out the Alicorn Amulet, become its slave, enslave Ponyville, and force Twilight Sparkle to defeat an enemy who she can not overwhelm magically, thus bringing Twilight Sparkle one step closer to her true destiny.'

"So you're just using her. Just like you're using me."

'Yes.'

Bon Bon grunted. She had rallied the town ponies again, made sure the Ursa Minor incident was on everypony's lips again. She had convinced Carrot Top to tag along and leave her carrot farm, again. They had vandalized Trixie's gypsy cart before (how hard had it been for Trixie to afford a new one after her old one was destroyed?). They had left an uppity and loudmouth mare heart broken, again. They had even gotten Berry Punch to help that one time, it was her house that got wrecked by the Ursa Minor, and Snips and Snails parents weren't exactly rich to sue for a new house, neither was Trixie, but a little revenge never hurt anypony. That Trixie had already lost her house along with everything she owned the same night was swept under the rug.

This time however, Trixie had left her cloak and hat behind as she ran from the town.

"Don't you think karma has paid her back enough already?" Bon Bon asked.

'This was never about karma. She originally was brought to Ponyville so she'd show Twilight Sparkle she didn't need to fear using her magic among the ponies of Ponyville, that taking pride in one's abilities was not the same as boasting, and give Applejack reason to tell Twilight her magic was a part of who she was, and her friends loved who she was. Fate has need of her again, nothing more, nothing less.'

"Like me?"

'Like you.'

"And when it's over?"

'She is of no consequence then, until fate has need of her again, and she is used as another object lesson for Twilight Sparkle, or perhaps one of her friends once Twilight Sparkle has realized her destiny.'

"What about TRIXIE'S destiny?"

'Her destiny is only to serve as a lesson to Twilight and her friends. Like Diamond Tiara and Silver Spoon: any growth, any learning, any enlightenment on her end would contradict her purpose to serve as the foil Twilight Sparkle needs to externalize her inner demons and overcome them.'

"And what about me? Why use me and my friends?!"

'Because you are the unnoticed ones, the ones that can slip in and out of crowds, be accepted as simply belonging there, nopony questions your presence, none question your words. You exist as part of the background, a natural part of the scenery, none think to ask why you are there. You slip in and out of places, and none think the wiser of it. You are like her. An instrument of fate.'

"You mean a pawn."

'Pawn would imply your every move was controlled. Just play your part, then return to your life.'

"This isn't the pony way."

'Twilight's destiny is more important.'

"So because Twilight is 'the Chosen One' you can do whatever you want to anyone else and it's justified? 'The needs of the many outweigh the means of the few?'"

'Yes. It is for the best her destiny is fulfilled. Dark days will follow if it is not.'

Time moved again, and Bon Bon felt a hoof on her shoulder.

"Well, that nag won't get the chance to humiliate any innocent ponies in this town any time soon. Heh. Looks like she even left her costume this time. What do you say? Nightmare Night costume? Donate to a homeless shelter? Naw. No way we could force ponies to wear something that ugly, how about we just use it as a cleaning rag? I bet they're already impounding that cart of hers. Bet they break it up for timber. See how she likes it when it's her house that gets ruined, and she's the one humiliated, and she's the one whose feelings get hurt. I'd say we've done some pretty good tick for tock around here, right Bon Bon?" Carrot Top grinned at her.

Bon Bon shuddered inside. Bon Bon wanted to say 'This isn't retribution, this was persecution.' But those words were not permitted to leave her throat.

"Do you think she was crying this time?" Bon Bon asked.

"Naw! You need to have a heart to cry, and that nag has a big ugly mirror where her heart should be," Carrot Top shrugged.

Bon Bon said, "I guess you're right. I'll take the costume, Lyra can cut it up into gloves or something."

+++

"Please don't hurt me! I know what I did was horrible! I couldn't control myself! I couldn't stop myself! I never meant to do any of that I swear!" Trixie whimpered and pleaded. Her humiliation was now complete. Twilight Sparkle had crushed her with superior arcane power. And once Trixie herself had power, Twilight simply proved herself better than her at Trixie's own special talent. Trixie had lost everything. Her home. Everything she owned. Her reputation.

She thought she had hit rock bottom when she had been reduced to a faceless, nameless grunt on a rock farm. Trixie before had been able to perform at foal's birthday parties (as much as Trixie loathed it), even if their parents only wanted a talking piñata who their foals could unleash all their pent up destructive tendencies on without having to feel one trace of guilt. But even those had dried up when word began to spread like free candy that a liar shouldn't be allowed near foals and given a chance to corrupt them. And that had been that, Trixie hadn't been able to do her special talent to even feed herself. She had nothing, she was nothing.

But she still pathetically clung to her life. Trixie had no idea what Twilight Sparkle had done to delay the crowd of ponies Trixie had oppressed that were no doubt eager to tar and feather their former dictator, or simply lynch her. Trixie didn't believe the world would be merciful on her just because a cursed amulet she had bought and worn of her own free-will had enslaved her.

Trixie had run, it was the trick she had done the most, and the one she had never done right. Now one of them had found her. A beige earth mare with with a three wrapped candies cutie mark. Trixie had nowhere left to run.

And somewhere in her, Trixie truly knew despair.

"I know what it's like, to feel like your fate isn't in your own hooves." The mare gave Trixie a familiar looking cloak and hat.

"W-what?"

"You're not a tool. You're a pony. With a life. With choices. Please, you don't have to be a villain. You don't have to make nothing but enemies. There are other roles you can play. You don't have to put other ponies down. I don't know how you ended up the way you are. But please, you don't have to stay this way."

Trixie felt like a deer in the headlights. All of her vicious retorts and proud proclaims died in her throat at this utterly confusing and bizarre scene. "W-why are you saying all of this? How did you get my costume?!"

"Like I said," the mare getting too close for comfort and gave Trixie a gentle nuzzle like the unicorn paralyzed in shock, "I know what it's like to feel like your fate isn't in your own hooves."

Trixie was left wordless until the mare left.

You're a pony. With a life. With choices.

Trixie discarded her black cloak and put back on her magician's costume. "Then maybe it's time Trixie, I, started living up to them."

~Fin