//------------------------------// // Four: Root Personality Trouble // Story: Celestia's New Student // by Art Inspired //------------------------------// Celestia’s mind traced back to Sunset Shimmer time and time again, and all throughout her day, she found it difficult to focus on her most meaningful of tasks. What Luna and she talked about before brought with it a flood of memories. Still, having little to do didn’t mean she was without responsibility, and even reading the newspapers she could scavenge brought her back to the many instances involving her once cherished student. Trixie was truly like Sunset in many ways, but not anymore. After finding out about the alicorn amulet, Celestia came to understand Trixie’s true disposition. To know what it’s like to wield such incredible, and magical power can give anypony a sense of restraint towards alicorns, and even before that, Trixie had a history with showing off. There was one detail Celestia noticed, though. She was never seen with a princess in question of any kind. Rather, it was always regular ponies, pegasi and unicorns, and not of royal blood she worked on impressing so much. Perhaps this shy behavior she acted upon when near alicorns was in fact always within her from the very start, but the princess would never really know for sure. “Aaand thus, Your Highness, you’ve got the problem with this “Canterlot High” phenomenon,” a reporter said while she signed away a few documents for her assistant. Celestia blinked, feeling colder now that this particular subject arose. “Hmm?” He looked up at her where she sat at her throne, stopped trotting back and forth, and repeated, “Seeing as how our world is supposedly intertwined with this newly discovered, or however you want to put it… What did you call it? A human world?” His high pitched voice cracked upon finishing his question. “Yes,” Celestia confirmed, but raising a hoof to stop him. “It is where the sirens now dwell, to answer your upcoming question.” “Great, hehe,” he mused with a sly grin, as if he’d juiced the information out of her. “Aaand, Sunset Shimmer? How’s she doing? Heard any word from her yet?” “Not… really, sadly.” He looked up from his notes. The pen he was holding lowered a little, tapping the wooden board that held all his jotted findings. “She… hasn’t spoken to you yet? About anything?” “No, she hasn’t.” “But, Twilight returned just recently from that very world! Aren’t you the least bit curious to know if she’s making progress? From the tales alone, it sounds as if she’s gotten much better at being friendly towards others. Maybe she could come back?” Celestia kept a level head, and stated quite bluntly, “If these rumors, which I have heard of by the way, are to be true, then I wish she’d come back.” Her eyes averted towards a picture of Trixie which sat on her small side table. “It would be of a most ill timing to return, but she’d be welcomed if only to be granted access to the castle. Per her previous actions, you understand.” “Yes, just before her disappearance, you ended her availability on the palace itself, didn’t you?” Celestia nodded. “And then, she was gone. I found my guards had been countered, and ripples in the mirror you now know of. It hurt my heart dearly to know she’d stoop to such lengths just to get what she wanted. If I’d known the obsession that mirror would cause… but I’ve said too much.” “But, maybe she’s just unsure of your acceptance! She,” he began, but stopped himself. “Well… Okay, Your Highness, but really, the stories I’ve heard are indifferent. It makes her sound nothing like the way you just described her. I guess that’s all I’ll be needing for my article, then.” He turned, but had his attention caught one last time by Celestia asking, “What… did Twilight say about Sunset Shimmer this time around, exactly?” She smiled a little, almost unnoticeable. “I guess I am a bit curious.” He turned for a moment, but only rubbed his chin. It wasn’t until after he placed his hoof back down on the cold floor that he answered, “She helped defeat the sirens, and with all the others, as Twilight described it, turned them into regular, “teenage” girls.” Celestia became that much more animated, and said, “Thank you, you may leave.” It was in no way impolite, either. If anything, she seemed grateful to hear this. After he left, she stood, all alone in the throne room. “This is almost an impossibility… Sunset Shimmer was a prodigy gone wrong, or so I thought. I’ll never forget that night… and all the times she’d gotten herself into trouble. Breaking into the dark magic wing, learning all those spells that in no way helps one develop harmony…” She trotted forth a little, if only to think. “Could there be a motive for doing this?” Celestia asked herself this over and over again. “Why would she assist Twilight in fending off the sirens? Not too long ago, I’d expect her to instead side with those three creatures, if only to become a siren herself!” She tried her best to deny the possibility of Sunset Shimmer simply trying to plot her way into more mischief, but found it incredibly hard to do so. That’s when a letter came floating to her. She spoke as she wrote, “Dear Princess Twilight, I’ve been hearing these rumors of Sunset Shimmer, and would like…” She stopped writing, and lowered the parchment. “No,” she said sternly. “Don’t get involved… I have more important things to look after, like Trixie… Where was I with that?” While she turned around, the note returned to its shelf found high above the roof, next to the chandelier, and she walked back to her throne only to resume reading the article she’d yet to finish. “With the help of Zecora, a local zebra dwelling in the Everfree Forest, Twilight and friends were able to…” Still, she felt like doing something. Perhaps a test to see just how much Sunset Shimmer had changed. The sorting of the test would have to be done much later on, though. For the time being, Princess Celestia still wished to venture down the path she thought Trixie traveled upon, and would take off for her in due time. Little did she know, Trixie was coming to her instead. It would undeniably prove to be a warming surprise. Meanwhile, Twilight and Trixie wandered the spry outskirts of the palace together, Trixie following not too closely behind as to avoid being lost in such a big place. It was difficult for her, however, thanks to all the distractions the town had to offer. Although she felt fairly confident in memorizing the streets and patterns of the many winding back alleys, Trixie knew good and well that Twilight would have to be her guide. It didn’t help much that Twilight felt the need to repeat, “Don’t stray too far from me. Canterlot’s a big place.” She turned around to check on Trixie, but found herself to be utterly alone. There were some ponies passing by, but no sign of the mare she was just with not a minute ago. In a panic, Twilight quickly scrambled to the former street they’d recently turned on only to bump right into Trixie. She faced a group of admirers, and heeded Twilight little attention. “Yes, Trixie will sign. Of course, of course.” Her magic held a quill, and before Twilight could speak, Trixie began scrawling away at a book, a picture of herself, and a filly’s right hoof. “I know that’s just gonna wash off,” the fan said gleefully. “I don’t care, though! I gotta get something signed by you. I might not have a chance like this ever again!” Trixie smirked smugly. “Fans often do become quite paranoid about never meeting with the Great and Powerful Trixie again. No need to fret. Trixie supposes that before she leaves this place, she’ll put on just one last act just for you three.” “You mean, you’re not staying?” Twilight asked, coming up to Trixie’s side. “Oh, right… Trixie, uh, will give staying some thought,” she told the small group. “She is unsure on where to go and what to do about… You know.” The one who’d gotten her book signed said, “You’ll become Celestia’s student!” Another cheered her on. “Yeah! You’ll be even more greater, and way more powerful! We have faith in you, y’know!” Trixie blushed even more, and looked at Twilight. “Can you believe this, Twilight?” “They’re right,” the princess responded. “It’s exactly what you should do, is have faith. We all believe in you; everypony but yourself.” The group bantered at that remark. “Hey! She’s the Great and Powerful Trixie! She can do anything!” “Yeah!” Trixie hoofed them to calm down, and turned towards the main road. “Thank you for the support…” She walked off shortly after with mixed feelings. Twilight followed along, and directed her to take a left. “You see? It’s not just me that thinks you should do this. It’s your supporters, too! Think about this before reacting so rashly, and I’m sure you’ll come to the right decision.” Trixie simply slowed her pace. “You’re probably right, Twilight. I’ve been a bit lacking in faith for myself. I don’t know what’s gotten into me.” “That’s another thing!” Twilight and Trixie reached the palace gates, where the clearing was. With Twilight’s hooves echoing as she circled around to face her follower, she asked forwardly, “What’s with the constant third-perspective to first-perspective way of speaking?” Trixie blinked. “What do you mean?” “Ugh…” Twilight shook her head while looking down. “I’ve been meaning to bring that up ever since the diner. It seems that while near me, you speak like I do. You use “me,” and “I,” something you’ve hardly ever done before. Why?” Trixie gulped. “Uhh… I just-” “See?!” Twilight pointed to Trixie’s mouth as if to accuse it of some heinous crime. “There it is again!” “Well, it’s just… you’re a princess now!” Twilight huffed, “Wh-what’s that got to do with the price of hay in Appleloosa?!” “Don’t you remember?” Trixie backed up against one of the large, stone pots that held a prospering shrub. “I just so happen to know how it feels to have such power. The alicorn amulet gave me a glimpse of what an alicorn is capable of. To insult, or disrespect an alicorn like you is just foolish, Twilight! That’s why…” Twilight didn’t let her finish. Instead, her hoof touched Trixie’s lips to silence her for the moment. Once all was quiet save for the residual background noise coming from the outside surroundings, Twilight explained, “Alicorns are powerful, yes. I won’t deny that. You must understand, though, that princesses aren’t to be feared. Respected, yes,but acting this way is just absurd, and it’s not you. Princess Celestia would rather you be yourself, and so do I, Trixie.” “But, Twilight!” “Promise me,” Twilight continued with little regard towards Trixie’s defensive nature, “that you’ll at least try to be yourself whenever near me, and Celestia… and any alicorn! To be honest, when you act like this, you might as well be pretending to be Fluttershy. I like you better when you’re at least a little bit egotistical, but not so much that it becomes annoying. You know how to balance it out properly now, right?” Trixie opened her mouth to argue some more, but closed it before any sound was made. She nodded there after, now making eye contact. “Yes, Twilight. Trixie will be less timid towards royalty like you in the future.” Twilight smiled, and turned towards the gates. “That’s good. Now come on, it’s getting late. We need to catch Celestia before she heads off for bed.” Trixie obeyed Twilight’s advice, that is until she remembered a vital item she needed to even be allowed access to the palace. “Oh no!” She gasped while checking her sides, but it was useless. Her belongings were miles away. “What’s wrong?” “M-my pass,” Trixie stuttered. “I can’t believe I forgot my pass! Without it…” Twilight giggled while her friend became more frantic with each passing second. “What’s so funny?! Stop laughing at the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Twilight indeed stopped, but only because of the sudden personality change. “You and she will have to walk all the way back to the caravan just to retrieve that stupid thing! Either that, or teleport…” Twilight put a hoof around Trixie’s neck to yank her forward. In the back of her mind, she now knew of something that might be of some use for Celestia’s later tutorings. Coming up to the guard positioned just next to the entryway, Twilight merely smiled his way, and he bowed with blushing cheeks. With a tap on the door, it opened for the two, and Twilight walked Trixie in without a single problem to speak about. “Being a princess does have its advantages, I must admit.” “But… how?” Twilight smirked. “He’s a friend of mine, but let’s leave it at that.” Trixie was naturally curious to find out more about the blue maned pegasus that had let them in without a word, but knew not to press the matter any further. There were more crucial things to pay attention to, like finding out just which way they were supposed to go from here. There were four paths to choose from. On either side of Twilight and Trixie were halls stretching as far as the eyes could see, and then in front were stairs that split down the middle. They reared off into what looked like even more halls, but they wouldn’t need to contemplate on the directions long. Twilight quickly recognized the shadow of her former mentor leaving the path found up the stairway and to the left. Her timing couldn’t be more perfect.