//------------------------------// // A Lesson in Forgiveness and Honesty // Story: The Power of Pride // by artimus //------------------------------// Twilight spent the evening reading a book in the middle of the library. Spike had spent the day helping Twilight reorganize the library, so the sleepy baby dragon was splayed on her back, snoozing as his arms hung off of her. Twilight smiled at his content snoring, turning her neck around to peck his forehead, causing Spike to mutter and squirm in his sleep. She thought she noticed him flush, "…No problem, Rarity…Glad to help…out…" He drifted back into silence. A knock came at the door. It had been two weeks since Trixie had left, so Twilight expected her back sometime soon. Therefore, Twilight found herself waiting for Trixie, not entirely sure why she was so excited but giving herself over to it anyway. She didn't want to struggle with her feelings alone, anyway. So, whenever a knock came at the door for a week, Twilight had followed the same routine. She would leap from where she currently was, even if she was standing, dashing toward it as she opened the door with her magic. Invariably, however, the visitor was someone else, causing Twilight to skid to a stop dejectedly and mutter, "Oh…" More often than not this led to the offense of the visitor, causing Twilight to apologize profusely, especially in the case of Princess Celestia's visit six days ago. On that day, the Princess had gone to Twilight to discuss the events of the past weeks. Twilight had enthused about her magical prowess while Celestia updated her on Canterlot. During their conversation, Winniana had come up and Celestia told Twilight about the progress and how it had increased dramatically since Trixie's arrival. She expected reconstruction to be complete by that night. Twilight had asked Celestia what she planned to do with Trixie. Of course, being the benevolent guardian she was, she planned to release Trixie on her own cognizance, believing that the pony she met in town had changed a great deal from the one Twilight described last year. Twilight told the princess about her idea to teach Trixie, to which she smiled knowingly. "I see. I think that's a wonderful idea, Twilight." So, as Twilight heard the door, she sprang into action, not having lost her enthusiasm despite the numerous disappointments. Spike flew up and crashed to the ground in response, but remained undisturbed aside from a light, "Ow, not so hard…" Twilight galloped toward the door a final time as her horn lit up and the door flew open. Trixie arrived at the library that evening, tired from having used her magic so much that day. Not only did it take quite a few teleportation spells to make it back, she had been exhausted from performing what had become her daily duty for the last time. The town had actually been rebuilt five days ago but Trixie had stayed behind. There were still many ponies in the town hospital, whose injuries Trixie felt responsible for. While weeks ago, she might not have spared them much of a thought, now seeing them laid up in their beds caused an overwhelming sense of guilt in her. She decided then to see the ponies' recovery through and help them along. And the best idea she had was to grant them a special performance every day. The earth ponies were amazed by all of her tricks as they were gathered outside of the hospital. For an hour each day, they watched her bedazzle them, Trixie neither expecting nor accepting compensation for her efforts. When her audience of injured ponies changed from 20 injured ponies to a full crowd of healthy ponies, Trixie announced her exit as the crowd cheered her, following the pony out of town and yelling their goodbyes. Trixie walked away happier than she had been in months. The self-loathing and guilt she had previously felt when she performed vanished and was replaced by a sublime feeling of warmth and generosity. This feeling gave her strength, carrying her spell after spell back to Ponyville. When she finally arrived, she was tired but in a very good way. Besides that, she was very excited to see the lavender librarian no doubt waiting inside. Because of this, when the door slammed open 2 seconds after she knocked and a purple blur crashed into her, knocking Trixie to the ground in a joyful embrace, she didn't mind as much as she normally would have. Instead, Trixie returned the favor, wrapping her front hooves around her friend who was smiling into and nuzzling her chest. "Welcome home, Trixie!" \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Later in the day, Twilight and Trixie went to the café to have lunch. Twilight had asked Pinkie Pie to gather every pony in Ponyville an hour, so they were killing time until the crowd appeared. The two found themselves in town square, seeing that Pinkie had done her job in record time as dozens and dozens of Ponies stood waiting for the show a strange pink pony had promised them. The sight gave Trixie pause at the sheer number. "Um, Twilight, that's a lot of ponies. And they probably still hate me. Is that not a problem?" Twilight chuckled, "Don't worry, you're not going to get up there only to have some pony yell, 'you're a liar!’ Or anything like that” Twilight's eyes trailed off as she mimicked a particularly obnoxious voice. "It'll be fine, just speak from the heart. Oh, and try not to brag about anything," She winked trying to lighten the mood with a joke. It appeared to work as Trixie gave her a smile and walked up to the podium as Twilight joined her friends in the center of the crowd. As she opened her mouth, Trixie thought she heard several whispers throughout the crowd. The voices gave her pause, causing her to stall as a few more voices began. Focus. I can do this. It's just like a show. And what am I better at than showing off? Trixie closed her eyes as she imagined the crowd in a new light. Rather than seeing ponies that had been unceremoniously called to the town square for a pony that mocked them long ago, see saw them as a curious audience dazzled by the beautiful pony, demonstrating a magical prowess to match Celestia herself. A bit exaggerated, but for once in a long time Trixie allowed herself to take confidence and pride in her abilities. She kept this image in mind as she spoke. Now her words would be her spells. "Citizens of Ponyville! I came to you one year ago with promises of incredible feats of magical skill and stories to rival the ancient legends of the Goddesses themselves. Instead, I brought lies and parlor tricks. I embarrassed this town with my own arrogance and even harmed and shamed its citizens. I was the cause of influencing young minds to believe my words without question, resulting in what could have been disastrous consequences, save for the intervention of a single pony." Trixie found Twilight in the crowd, attentively watching her with some other familiar ponies. She shot her a grateful grin before continuing. "I was once the Great and Powerful Trixie. But today, I'm no more great or powerful than I was then, and even then I didn't deserve that title. A pony doesn't earn respect or power with worthless boasting or lies. This is something I was taught by someone much more powerful than myself, who earned their respect and loyalty. They had that much to offer me, but I can only offer my sincerest apologies to both that pony and all of you. I am truly sorry for my shameful behavior and my failure to admit when I was bested and wrong. These are the words of a new pony, please accept them." Trixie had spent the entirety of her speech casting a confidant, but remorseful look over the audience. Now, her gaze turned downward, afraid of either the impending silence or the unforgiving disapproval from the audience. Trixie lifted her back hoof to step away from the podium and make her exit, before a voice Trixie had heard before rang out. "Well, shoot, I suppose if we held a grudge 'gainst every pony that acted too big for 'er britches, Rainbow Dash 'ere would'a been kicked outta Ponyville years ago!" "Hey!" A louder, raspier voice shot out. "I deserve to brag! I'm too awesome not to!" The blue pony that Trixie took to be Rainbow Dash blinked at her sentiment. "But, maybe she's right, I guess, that it's not that cool." She relented quietly. A calmer, more refined voice offered its opinion. "Well, I simply can't stay angry at a pony with such impeccable taste." The white pony seemed to be eyeing Trixie’s hat and cape with a nearly lustful eye. "Um, I forgive you…" Trixie barely heard a gentle voice that didn't seem to want to be heard. "Fluttershy, you never met Trixie." Rainbow Dash corrected the pony who now looked regretful at having spoken up at all as she hid behind her pink mane. "Oh, well, I mean…I know, but she said she's sorry, so…you know, I just wanted to say that it's okay," said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but four other ponies around her giggled at the pink-haired pony's sincerity. "Oooh! I know! We can have an ‘It’s Okay, We Totally Forgive You, Trixie’ party! Every pony's invited! I'm not sure how everypony's gonna fit in Sugarcube Corner though…Oh! It can be an outside party! I love those! There was this one party that was outside this one ti—" The pink pony continued rambling about parties of days gone by as Trixie felt her chest tighten. Throughout the speech and while preparing to talk, Trixie had been ready to high-tail it out of Ponyville as quickly as possible again if need be. Instead, she was met with ponies nodding in approval, smiling their unspoken words of forgiveness. Her voice was slightly shaky as Trixie approached the podium again. "Thank you, everypony. Thank you for your kindness and for teaching this showmare about her pride. Thank you for accepting my apology even if I don't deserve this second chance." Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, past her friends and close to the stage. "It's okay, Trixie. That's what friends are for!" Once again, the orange mare spoke up. "And any friend'a Twilight's a friend'a mine, right girls?" The other ponies again nodded and spoke their approval. Twilight and Trixie exchanged an appreciative glance. Trixie had passed her new teacher's entrance exam. She celebrated with all of Ponyville that night at the party Pinkie Pie managed to set up in less than an hour. Specifically, in the time it took for Trixie to thank Twilight for supporting her in her efforts to make up for her rudeness to the town. After the party was over and everypony had returned to their homes, save for Pinkie Pie, Spike, and a grey, blonde mare who stayed behind to share a pan of muffins, Twilight and her new student headed back to the library. The party had drained both of them, but the cool night air was keeping them awake enough to chat about Trixie's time in Winniana. "…and so he was in the hospital with a broken leg. I swear, when my first firework spell went off, he was so startled that he jumped right up on that leg and didn't even notice until his teeth stopped chattering!" Trixie and Twilight shared a hearty laugh at her story. "It sounds like you had a good time, Trixie," said Twilight. "You were there long enough." Twilight didn't mean this disdainfully or bitterly in any way, but Trixie's smile faded all the same. "Yeah, I'm sorry…We finished about a week early, but I just wanted to…" "Trixie, I understand. I think it's amazing you stayed!" Twilight quickly assured her, grinning at Trixie. "I'm glad you helped all those ponies recover." Her grin faded slightly as she looked ahead now. "I just…well, I kinda…" Twilight let a few seconds pass before opening her mouth again, but was interrupted. "I missed you too, Twilight Sparkle." As the pair entered Twilight's library home, Trixie started to head down to her room in the basement. Twilight had agreed to let her stay there indefinitely. Until Trixie picked herself up, at least. As she reached the steps, Twilight's voice stopped her. "Hey, Trixie…” She stopped as Trixie turned to face Twilight. “Is something wrong?” “I just wanted to tell you…” Twilight bit her lip, a bead of sweat beginning to form on her head. Trixie moved forward. “…that I hate you. Bye!” Twilight waved happily. "What? Noooooooo!" "Um, Trixie, what are you doing?" Trixie snapped back into reality, noticing that she had fallen to the floor with her hooves in the air. “Oh, just…tripped! Sorry." She quickly recovered back to her standing position. "O-Okay, as I was saying…I wanted to tell you something. Look, Trixie…" Twilight began but Trixie, spurred by her momentary daydream, interrupted. "Twilight, I told you the reasons I came here. I wanted to learn from you and I wanted somewhere to hide. But even that's not…not the whole story. Twilight, I'm not sure how you feel about me. But the truth is, after I left Ponyville the first time I hated you. I wanted to see you embarrassed and ruined the same way I was. But when I thought about you, really thought about you, I realized I wasn't angry with you. I didn't hate you; I hated what you had done to me. And when I realized how powerless I was, I realized that what you had done was only because of me. I wasn't strong enough to fight that…beast and, in fact, my own arrogance caused those two little ponies to bring it in the first place! So, after leaving Ponyville, I worked so hard…” \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Trixie levitated the boulder in the air, so focused on it she hardly noticed the pain wracking her body or the freezing rain. Instead she concentrated on the heavy object, gritting her teeth as it slowly rose. Three feet, four feet, five feet, CRASH! Both the rock and Trixie collapsed. Why? I get it! It was me, it was my fault! Why won't she leave me alone? The purple pony once again appeared brightly in Trixie's mind. But she wasn't judging her anymore. Twilight's face no longer displayed a mistrustful or corrective air, but one of comfort. One of friendship, maybe even a hint of admiration. The thought of her face made Trixie's lips contort into an uneasy smile, hindered by her own pride. Why is she doing this to me? Was it not enough to judge me, now she has to comfort me? Why her? Why always her? But despite her thoughts of anger and despair, her smile remained slowly becoming more comfortable as she, unable to control her thoughts, imagined the purple mare's face become a full pony as Twilight stood before her. The unicorn approached Trixie as the showmare backed away, Trixie’s smile quickly turning into a sneer. She tried to give the approaching unicorn the most fearsome look she could. She wanted to let Twilight know she was dealing with an angry Great and Powerful Trixie and she was unwelcome, but Twilight was unflappable, continuing forward as if Trixie weren’t looking at her so disdainfully. Trixie's scowl turned into a look of fear as she watched Twilight come closer. Finally, she looked away as Twilight stood before her. Trixie shut her eyes, only to feel a warm breath and a soft nose brushing up against her frightened features. Trixie's heart jumped. No! She opened her eyes and jerked her face upward. Nothing was in sight. Twilight was gone. Trixie's heart sank. Twilight…Trixie spent the rest of that night barely noticing the rain dripping onto her, too distracted by her confusion of the fantasy she had inadvertently conjured. \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ "…Since then, I nearly gave up fighting it. That was several weeks before Winniana. Since that point, every time I thought of you, even when shame wrought me during a show, you just smiled in that same way. Comforting, affectionate…Loving." Trixie didn't let her gaze falter this time. She kept her eyes focused on Twilight. During her recounting, the ponies had moved to the center of the library, lying down on the carpet. Twilight's expression was unreadable, though she seemed to be following Trixie. "When I…messed up in Winniana, I couldn't think of anything else I would rather see than you.” Trixie's head sank down on top of her hooves which lay crossed in front of her. "I'm still not sure how I feel about you, but I know that I wanted to be your friend more than anything and I wanted to hear your voice and see your face." Finally, Trixie closed her eyes, not able to look at Twilight's expression anymore. She had a hard enough time saying all of this while not turning away from the lavender pony, but she finally gave in. A minute after Trixie stopped talking and shut her eyes, she heard a shuffle. Then soft hoofsteps that grew louder ever so slightly by the second. Finally, a warm breath came across Trixie's face, followed by a soft muzzle running over her left cheek. Again, Trixie's eyes darted open at the feeling as her head shot up. But this time, Twilight remained, her smile not necessarily beaming at Trixie, but radiating a gentle warmth, enveloping the blue pony in its embrace. Finally, as Trixie stared up at her, eyelids fluttering and becoming heavier, Twilight's face grew larger as it came closer. Closer, closer still until only Twilight's beautiful face was all Trixie could see. The last thing Trixie saw before her eyes fell closed were Twilight's lips part slowly. What came next was more than Trixie could have hoped for as the unicorn's lips were even softer than the cheek that had hovered over her own. Trixie felt her lips against her own. Too stunned to respond, Trixie simply stood completely still as she felt Twilight's pressed lips for what felt like several minutes but only lasted about two seconds. When Twilight moved back, her smile came back. Trixie managed to meet it, with quivering lips. "Twilight…" "That's 'Miss' Twilight to you," teased the purple mare.