Chapter 12:
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
Not a word was spoken in the short journey back to the library. After the loss, Trixie had trudged back to the carriage, eyes fixed forward to avoid Twilight and the words of consolation she was more than likely to give. Back at Twilight’s place, Trixie hurried to get inside, hoping to keep her distance. She moved hastily up the stairs, retrieving the books left on the table in a dim, telekinetic grasp. A few books fell from her hold onto the floor, but she didn’t care to get them, moving quickly back downstairs. Reaching the main floor, she caught Twilight standing in the middle of the room; her gaze was heavy on the distressed mare. Neither of them spoke as Trixie moved into the basement, slamming the door in hopes to make the message of isolation clear.
She moved down the steps into the dark room, dropping the books into a pile atop a small wooden desk. Her breathing was heavy as she glared at the books almost menacingly so. At last there was a long sigh, her face and body loosening altogether. Turning on a small lantern found at the edge of the desk, she slowly reorganizing the books to what they once were. Eventually they were returned to their place in the two piles, her last unfinished book once again set before her. Sitting down, she opening the book and flipping through the pages with her snout until she came to where she had left off. With another sigh, she continued to read.
It wasn’t more than a few minutes before her concentration was tested. Three loud knocks -or more like bangs- resonated from the door. “Hey! Come out! It was only a friendly duel!” said Quill, following with three more rattling knocks. Trixie groaned, bringing a hoof to her head, dreading to have to go up the stairs and yell at the aggravating mare to leave her alone. Ready to get up, she was halted by the sound of Twilight’s voice, audible but hardly coherent. A few words were spoken between the two mares upstairs, but then, surprisingly so, it was silent. Waiting a minute just in case, a smile came to Trixie’s face, glad to be left alone and able to continue her studies.
She had to thank Twilight for that, Trixie thought. It was something she never really had considered doing before. The thought hit her, clearer than ever before. After all of this, not once has she uttered any words of gratitude, or even acknowledgment, to Twilight. The altruistic manners of this mare weighed heavily in Trixie’s mind ever since they once again encountered in Canterlot not so long ago. Yet, never has the prospect to utter a simple thank you crossed her mind. For days this has carried on, Trixie’s stern and litigious mannerisms, yet her host has never seemed fazed. Never truly angry at her exaggerated grievances or her selfish requests and demands. If Twilight truly ever was cross then she held the best facade Trixie has ever witnessed. Otherwise, her patience was outstanding.
Trixie’s mind regressed, wandering thoughts forced back into the depths of her mind as she looked back to the text before her. Her eyes were unfocused in the dim light; along with her pestering contemplations, it was difficult to focus on the tiny words. With a slight shake of her head she winced her eyes, at last getting through the first few sentences of the page. After a few more minutes, her eyes at last adjusted, and her thoughts began to settle, fixated to her desires. Time passed with no interruption: an hour, then another, and time continued to do so until Trixie no longer cared to know. Her mind was lost within the text until a gentle rapping snapped her out of her concentrated stupor.
Trixie looked up towards the door in silence. A few more seconds before another pair of soft knocks landed on the wooden door. It was obvious who was at the other end. Quill would more than likely never be so courteous, and she was certain Spike would never bother with her. Trixie stared with indifferent, almost lazy eyes before turning back to her book. If something was really so important, Twilight could just come in. There was no way for the door to lock in the first place.
The click of the door was heard, but Trixie ignored it. It opened and closed before a few steps were heard coming down, moving towards her. They stopped, leaving only a silence for a few more seconds.
“Trixie,” said Twilight in a soft and gentle tone that drew the apathetic mare’s attention. Trixie continued to stare with unseeing eyes away from Twilight, waiting for her to continue. “You dropped these books upstairs… I was just thinking that you’d want them down here.” A few books were set on the table to her side; Trixie only took a sideways glance. It was a few more seconds of silence before Twilight let out a low breath and turned to head back up the stairs. She took slow and quiet steps, still wary of the situation.
Trixie continued to stare at nothing, her mind once again beginning to stir. She wanted to turn around and say something. But she couldn’t. She couldn’t seem to bring herself to turn around and say even the simplest thing. At this point, anything would be better than nothing. Her mind needed some sort of solace, and this was more than likely the only way. She swung her body around, catching Twilight already looking back at her and halting her ascent. Their wide eyes met, both of them allowing the awkward and silent air to settle.
“Umm…,” at last Trixie let out, a hoof rubbing the back of her head. “I wanted to say... thank you.” Twilight’s eyes widened just a bit more. “I mean, for the books.” Twilight blinked in response before letting her eyes soften together with a smile. Trixie quickly turned away, not wanting the situation to carry on any further. Staring at the book, it was impossible to continue reading; instead she only waited to hear the door open and close with Twilight’s departure. But it wasn’t happening. Trixie continued to feel the other mare’s presence, her eyes still watching. Trixie was just about to turn around before Twilight spoke.
“You shouldn’t read that book,” she said, moving back down the steps. Trixie grimaced slightly before turning to meet her.
“What?”
"That book you have there,” Twilight said, pointing a hoof at the open book. “I think you’ve read enough of those.” A violet aura shut the book, moving it back into the pile.
“Hey, I was reading that,” Trixie said, still uncertain as to what the other mare was doing. Twilight sighed, looking down and away.
“Look… I’m not going to say you were right about how I initially approached this. Study is still an important factor in excelling at magic.” There was a pause, and Trixie only returned a quizzical expression. “But after I witnessed your duel with Quill… I realized something. Several things, actually!” she said matter-a-factly, a smile back to her face.
A slight scowl came to Trixie’s face at the mention of the duel. “I still do not follow.”
“Let me explain. I made you study a wide range of different texts that covered a variety of subjects, right?” Twilight leaned forward, taking a step towards Trixie. “However, what I should have done was examined your present magical skills a bit more closely. With that, I could have been more precise on what areas you needed to focus on!” A few more steps were taken, forcing Trixie to lean back and away. “And what I saw today gave me a pretty good idea of what we have to do!” Twilight wore a broad grin, nearly atop of Trixie in such close proximity. It was only a second before she took a few steps back, a bashful smile on her face. “Sorry… I was thinking about this for some time.”
“Right,” was Trixie’s only response. “So…” she led on for Twilight to continue.
“So! I know exactly what you should be reading instead.”
“So you want me to stop reading… to read even more,” Trixie quipped.
“No… well, yes. But this time I’ll have you read more effectively, directly targeting your faults and areas where you…” her words began to trail off at Trixie’s glare, “need improvement.” Twilight cleared her throat. “Let me start over. Did you realize anything while dueling Quill?”
“Aside from her winning?” Trixie remarked with a furrowed brow. She was nearing the point to tell Twilight to leave.
“No, listen. Did she use any actual spells? Was she very mobile? No. She stood there and released a barrage of pure, concentrated magic attacks. Now, for most unicorns this would be a very ineffective means to go about a duel. However, it made me suspect Quill to have unusually high magical endurance, allowing her to exert an excessive amount of magic with minimal repercussion! She has all this magic, but she doesn’t seem to have the best affinity towards spells and control.”
Trixie sighed. “So… what?” She had, indeed, realized Quill to be seemingly unfazed by the duel once it was over, very much unlike herself, but hadn’t thought too much on the matter. Forgetting the duel had ever happened was something she felt more inclined to do.
“Now you, on the over hoof, are almost the complete opposite.” Trixie’s brow raised at the remark. “Your quick thinking and diverse use of spells was almost inspiring! You were light on your hooves and cunning, similar to how you performed in the preliminaries. You were even able to utilize techniques you learned the day prior! That duel, Trixie, was quite impressive,” She concluded in a softer tone, smiling at the mare that couldn’t break her puzzled expression. “However, stamina seems to be the biggest fault in your technique. There isn’t enough of a magical push, you can say, behind your spells to be as effective as you can be. If not for that, the outcome of your duel would have been completely unpredictable! And luckily, we can work on that.” Twilight grinned in confidence.
Twilight turned to the pile of books, horn already shimmering at the ready. “We’ll just have to work carefully. This isn’t something one excels at overnight.” She sorted through the texts hastily yet carefully, bringing them up to her face and placing them either back on the table or at her side. Trixie had moved back a bit, watching the mare without question. It was only a few minutes until Twilight’s horn settled, leaving only four of the previous large pile of books on the table. The content mare turned back to face Trixie, the other stack at her side nearly as tall as her.
“These here,” Twilight began anew, “are what you should focus on for now.” She pointed a hoof at the four books left on the table. “I feel you’d probably get the most out of them than reading all these other ones. They hold a heavier emphasis on magic concentration and manipulation of energy and the like. There’s also some helpful insight on efficient means of improving your magical endurance!”
Twilight smiled at Trixie’s apathetic, nearly unreadable expression. The unresponsive mare looked towards the books for a few seconds, then back at Twilight.
“Well… anything else to add?” Trixie said, Twilight’s happy expression fading in response.
“Oh, right. You must want to get back to work. Sorry, it’s just… I thought you wanted to discuss the duel or maybe something you’ve read.” Twilight looked away bashfully. Trixie was less bothered by the mention of the duel on this occasion, but it certainly didn’t make her feel any better. Even so, her expression remained aloof. “Nevermind. I know, you need your space.” She spun around, picking up the other books with her magic.
“Wait,” Trixie said, stopping Twilight in her tracks. Again, Trixie spoke without thinking, an involuntary act she couldn’t herself explain. “Maybe… later. After I read some of these books.” She spoke softly, but her feelings were ambivalent to her own words. Twilight’s smile returned, but a bit more sincere this time. Quickly, Trixie moved to the desk, magically grabbing a random text and flipping it open to the first page. She tried to ignore the other mare’s presence, and soon enough, Twilight ascended up the stairs and out the door, not another word exchanged between them.
Time was forgotten as Trixie once again lost herself within the texts of the magical tomes. She sat and read, ignoring all else to keep her mind focused on the lessons and teachings before her. Once again, even with so few, they seemed to vary widely in age: one being relatively new, while the oldest dated back way before many of the books she had already read since her arrival in the library. The first book she pulled, in particular, was the latter. It was faded, motheaten, and nearly falling apart. It probably would have if Twilight Sparkle hadn’t taken such care of it, Trixie thought. Each page was wrinkled and stiff, tinted yellow with age. Trixie took care in flipping through the pages, even she was well aware of something being this old having some sort of worth.
It was a few more hours of reading before a rapping at the door would distract Trixie’s mind. It opened, Trixie turned to see Twilight standing at the entrance, the light from the main room casting a silhouetted light around her frame that made Trixie wince slightly.
“Sorry,” Twilight said, “I had completely forgotten to mention this. Spike and I will be going out of the library to the Winter Moon Celebration. I’d ask you to come but…” Twilight hesitated and frowned slightly.
Trixie’s expression was unchanged as she turned back to her book. “I would not have wanted to go anyway,” she said. “I have more important matters.”
“Oh. Well, I’ll probably be back in the morning. We’ll talk about studies then, OK?” Trixie waved her hoof in response. There was a click of the closing door, dimming the room once again.
Trixie could hear them talking indistinctly upstairs. Quill had not left yet; her voice was the clearest of them all. It was only a few more minutes before the noises fell completely silent with the closing of the front door. Trixie listened for a bit longer, but there was nothing. The simple mention of an invitation had made Trixie uneasy. She didn’t lie to Twilight with what she said before, but the idea of leaving the library in peace was something only accentuated by her outing earlier in the day. Trixie had never been enclosed in a single place for such a duration of time, and the duel had only strengthened her cravings to go outdoors.
There was a small window at the other end of the room where the wall and ceiling met, letting in the faintest light of whatever remained of the day. Too engrossed by her studies, Trixie hadn’t noticed the time escaping her. She looked out from where she sat, seeing the slightest sliver of dusk taking over the sky. The stars had been something else she missed, having just remembered again to wanting to see them before the winter storms came and concealed them from view.
The books once again drew her attention, wanting something else to preoccupy her thoughts. She kept reading, every now and then looking out the window and seeing the outside darken until dim moonlight shone. Everything was silent, until there came a tapping, the distinct clink of glass. Trixie looked up and to the window, initially taken aback at the sight. Quill waved happily on the other side, a wide grin just visible in the darkness. She gestured to the window, mouthing words Trixie couldn’t comprehend.
“What?” Trixie said to Quill’s hints. “The window?” It was obvious what she wanted now, but it still took a few seconds before Trixie decided on unlatch the lock. The window was pushed in, Quill was soon to follow, falling unceremoniously to the ground with a thump.
Quill groaned as she stood up, rubbing her forehead with a hoof. “That was higher than I thought.”
“Even so, you decided to come in face first. What are you doing here?” Trixie said, not bothering to move from where she sat.
“I was thinking is was kinda weird that everypony in town’s gone to some party while you’re cooped up here all by yourself.” She walked closer to Trixie. “What are you, a prisoner or something?”
“It is complicated. But that does not matter. I have to keep reading.” Trixie turned away, back to her book, but not beginning to read yet. Trixie had to admit she didn’t seem to mind Quill’s company all that much, being somepony aside from Twilight who didn’t hold any sort of past grudge against her. Quill was more talkative than most, and at times downright odd, but her carefree mannerisms seemed to rub off on Trixie. It was sort of de-stressing, something Trixie didn’t have much of lately. She could have told the uninvited visitor to leave, but instead, she kinda hoped she wouldn’t.
“Aww, come on. What are you, still mad? I had fun.” Quill had moved close to Trixie’s side, now sitting and putting a hoof over the mare’s neck. Trixie tried to retract at the unexpected contact, but Quill held strong, making her strain under the weight. “Why don’t we do something else for tonight, huh? We don’t even have to leave this danky ‘ol basement.”
Trixie was at last able to push herself away, standing and taking a step back. “I... appreciate it, but I am not really in the mood.”
Quill stood up, a smile still on her face. “Oh, we’ll see about that. Give me a sec.” She turned back to the window, jumping for the ledge and pulling herself up and out. Trixie could only wonder why she didn’t just teleport. Outside, Trixie could hear her rummaging about in her carriage. Luggage shifted and bottles clacked for a few minutes before Quill returned, carefully falling through the window again with two bottles in her magical grasp behind her. At least she didn’t fall on her face on this occasion.
“Here we go!” Quill said, proudly displaying the bottles to Trixie. The brown, somewhat transparent liquid glowed in the dim light of the lantern, swashing slightly within the dark bottles.
“Cheap alcohol?”
“Hey, I’m not about share my good stuff. Now, one for you, and one for me.” She put one of the bottles on the table, letting it land with a thud. The top of her own bottle came off easily. “Cheers,” she said, pushing it forward and waiting for Trixie to return the gesture.
“Wait, I never agreed to this.”
“Aww, don’t drink? That’s all right,” Quill said, not entirely disappointed.
“No, that is not it. I’ve drank before…”
“Then what’s the problem?” She nudged her bottle forward again. “Shy, maybe? Or nervous? C’mon, we’ll take care of each other! No problem.” Quill smiled broadly
Trixie looked between Quill and her bottle before slowly taking it in her magic. She hadn’t drank anything of the sort in some time, it being a luxury she had to do away with some time ago. Back then she would at times indulge herself in a couple of drinks in the privacy of her own place, never being one wanting to let others see her reach anything near tipsy. It wasn’t the most difficult thing to give up, better drinks being quite costly. She was not exactly in the mood, but it would be rude to refuse.
Her bottle opened with an audible pop, the scent was potent enough to make Trixie scrunch her nose. She pushed it away, giving it another stare before looking back to Quill. A light smile came to Trixie’s face as their bottles met with a high pitched sound.
“Bottoms up!” Quill said before they brought the bottles to their mouths, bringing them up to take a single heavy swig.
The taste was foul, burning her throat and even her nose as it went down to bring the feeling all the way to her stomach. It was bitter and strong, almost painfully so. Her body shivered as the unpleasant warmth overcame her. Trixie put the bottle down with a gasp and two coughs, looking up to see Quill still taking another gulp before setting her own bottle down with a satisfied sigh.
“What is this stuff?” Trixie said, inspecting the bottle and the brand she had never heard of before. “It tastes like poison!”
“Just some cheap stuff I picked up along the way. Should have expected it not being that great.” Quill moved a bit closer, taking a seat next to the table.
“You seem to have an affinity for this,” Trixie said, taking another sip of her bottle.
“Booze? Yeah, it helps when I write. It’s pretty good on its own, too.” She took another drink. “I like going around and tasting the different flavors from different places in Equestria. It’s great to experience the diversity of it all.”
“I see... So you write?”
“Mostly, yes. Poems, novels, some plays. Whatever I’m in the mood for. It’s a living, I guess. So, what do you do? I feel we should share a bit more over drink.”
Trixie paused, taking a few seconds to think. “I do jobs here and there. I worked at a rock farm for some time. I have been doing what I can to get by.” She took another drink, taking a bit more this time.
“Rock farm, huh? That’s odd. Is that how you got so good at magic?” Quill enquired in return.
“No. I used to be a showpony. Traveling across Equestria as well.”
“That makes more sense.” They each took a heavy drink from their bottles; Trixie grimaced at the unpleasant flavor.
It wasn’t much longer into the night before the bottles were emptied, the two left shaking the last drops onto their tongues. Trixie let her bottle drop to the floor, the hard glass hitting with a thud before rolling away. She watched it closely as it disappeared into the darkness of the room. A frown came to her face.
“Well,” Trixie slurred, “Trixie guesses that’s… that.” She looked back to her drinking partner, swaying ever so slightly as she sat. A hoof was brought to her mouth in an effort to hold back another persistent burp.
Quill laughed. “Hey, h-hey… hey. Do you doubt me? There’s way, way, way more where that came from!” she said, finishing with a drawl. Her own bottle had just been completely consumed and left on the table, faint light reflecting off of its dark brown surface. “C-c’mon. To the carriage!” She got up on her hooves, taking a wobbling step before straightening herself for the next.
“Hey, wait. Like, out-outside? Trixie can-not go outside…” she paused for another small burp, “like this! They… those ponies will mock Trixie. And then what? Twilight won't allow Trixie to -to smite them!” Her words were nearly stumbling over each other. The rising and lowering of her voice’s pitch made it difficult to decipher her mood.
Quill laughed, “What are you... you even talking… about?” she said, persistent hiccups now adding to the burden of speech.
“This town... despises Trixie,” she said, talking slow and lingering on her emphases, “and Trixie feels the same way about them!” Standing quickly to her hooves, nearly stumbling but somehow keeping stable, she flicking her mane in disdain.
“Then what are you… even doing... here? Sounds like… like you-you’re an idiot.” Trixie’s anger subsided, her face falling as she looked away from Quill’s inquisitive eyes. “What? Is it… is it because of Twilight?” Trixie looked back with a glare. Quill only laughed again, “I mean… yeah… she-she’s cute, I guess.”
“Shut… up,” Trixie said, attempting to hold back another burp. Quill only giggled to herself.
“H-hey, I’m just... sayin’. But whatever. C’mon, this… talk makes, like, no sense. Everypony’s at that party anyway.” Quill began to pull herself out the window, struggling much more than before as her back hooves flailed.
“You are… are right, Trixie does not care… and she-she is not that cute,” she said to herself. “The Great and Powerful Trixie… shall ac-accompany you!”
“Pfft, what?” Quill said, hanging halfway through the window. “Is that, like… your, like, stage name?” Her persistent giggling was becoming more intrusive as she spoke. “If… you say so.” Trixie helped Quill through with a push, then taking a second to stand back and preparing herself. Her horn sparked, then weakly shown as she squinted her eyes in concentration, and, at last, she disappeared in a flash.
She reappeared in a burst of magic, which was immediately followed by a thud of a hard hit on the ground. “Ow…,” Trixie said, shakily returning to her hooves.
“Ha, you… missed!” exclaimed quill, pointing a mocking hoof.
“At least I used… magic!”
Quill ignored the remark, making her way to the carriage as she continued to laugh to herself. She dragged herself up from the back, disappearing through the divider. The rummaging of things and the clacking of bottles was heard from within. It was only a minute before she emerged. With two more bottles in her magical grasp, she leaned over the edge of the carriage’s back, resting her head on her hooves. Trixie took one of the bottles, not hesitating to removing the cork and taking a drink. She sighed in delight, the flavor of such drinks no longer being a factor. Quill slowly sipped away at her own bottle.
They were this way for a few more minutes, in silence and relishing in the cool nighttime air. Neither of them spoke, too preoccupied with their drinks and the random thoughts that would spontaneously occur to them in such a state. It was an odd time of silence, as if between two rational ponies pondering on what to do for the rest of the night.
“Hey,” said Quill with a long slur and pointing a hoof, “Y’know what... we should do?”
“What?” said Trixie, unseeing eyes transfixed towards the sky.
“If… if everypony in town is over there... partying and having fun and doing this and that and-and that,” she imitated in a mocking, lively manner, “W-who’s to say... we’re not invited?”
“Trixie does… does not believe there were any invitations... in the-”
“Then there’s no problem!” Quill said. “Also, wha-why do you keep… doing that?”
“What?” Trixie looked over with a quizzical expression.
“The Trixie thing.”
“What Trixie thing? Trixie is Trixie…” Trixie said, both mares now only more perplexed than before.
“Whatever,” Quill said, “What I… What I am saying is,” her voice fell to a near whisper, but still clearly audible, “we could be having a lot more fun over there!”
“Where?” Trixie said, looking as her mind was wandering elsewhere. Quill groaned in exasperation. The other mare, much more lost in her drink, only giggled on as she was at least aware of her nuisance. “Trixie… Trixie only jests…” she manage to say between stifled laughter.
“Sh… Shut up. And get… get in the carriage.”
“N-No pony tells the Great and Powerful Trixie what to do!” she slurred every other word, taking a drink and moving to join Quill at the front of the carriage. This time she avoided using magic, simply pulling herself up in a rather unceremonious fashion, grunting and flailing all the while. Quill, already seated, watched Trixie struggle and made no attempt to help.
“Ready?” Quill said as the other mare tried straightening herself, but was unable to cease her slow, almost rhythmic swaying.
“Y-yeah… Trixie is… O-K.”
Quill mushed the bull forward; his presence as of yet being largely ignored seemed to be of no bother to him. They rode through the empty town with only a vague and blurry sense of direction to guide them. They continued to chat away as they went, boisterous and vulgar, and what seemed like an endless stream of senseless conversation, only taking breaks for a frequent drink. Quill knew where the party was held -at the apple farm- but neither of them were in any rush to get there. They did have all night, and quite virtually the entire town to themselves. They rode in directionless circles between the houses, shops, and anything else the little town held. There wasn’t much to see, or much to do, but the simple sensation of riding around, nearly carefree, was all they needed.
Trixie took some of this time to elucidate on her story of when she seized control of Ponyville. Perhaps not every detail she gave was true, and some aspects were a bit more exaggerated than others, but Quill got the point; Trixie herself made sure to make explicitly clear that much of her memory of that time was quite unclear.
“Y’know… it w-wasn’t so bad,” Trixie said, fighting through belches. “I had… Trixie had a throne. It was gold, too...! You know? It had no wheels, of course.” Her bottle was swung back and forth through the air in her magic as her hooves gestured aimlessly. Quill listened intently, watching with wide eyes. “Trixie… had flags, statues, and... other stuff made for her. Like-like, everything Trixie wanted was there!” She paused, her face contorted as she thought. “But… y’know, it was fun… but at the s-same time not… fun? Trixie cannot explain it.” Quill gestured with her hoof, urging her to carry on. Trixie took another drink and grimaced.
“Trixie… did that because of the amulet,” she said, lingering on the final word. “But-but still. It felt so-so right. The power and attention. You can’t… you can’t just blame the thing for everything, y’know?” There was another short pause. Then she let out a loud sigh. “I-I am to blame too. I bought the thing… w-with my own bits! Not like… like I was gonna befriend them!” The volume of her banter had risen considerably as she carried on in an effort to explain the feelings she endured after departing from Ponyville. Even though she left with no physical repercussion, the impact to her pride and mind lingered for longer than she cared to admit. Fumbling with her words, there were none to express those feelings in her new depleted vocabulary. Her drinking buddy found it all quite fascinating nonetheless. It allowing Trixie a small moment of solace in her past wrongdoings, but those feelings were quickly thwarted by Quill’s sheer bluntness of the situation, made clear by her laughter and teasing. From then on, Trixie did not wish to carry on discussing what led to her staying in the Ponyville Library.
Quill, on the other hoof, was quite open on her situation initially, or what was left to say of it after their last road trip together. Trixie had already heard of where she had come from, and a little less of a vague idea of her origins. Born and raised on the west coast, in one of the larger cities of Equestria, her parents were quite wealthy for being writers themselves, living a rather luxurious lifestyle.
“Y-yeah… home was pretty great,” Quill said, a broad smile on her face. “I… just waved my hoof! And-and anything I asked for… was there!” Trixie glared slightly, but Quill paid no notice. “I-I had all sorts of crap… I didn’t even know what to do with! Is funny, you-y’know? I didn’t even… didn’t even care. It’s all still there! I can go whenever I want… but… I don’t!”
“What... why? Why would anypony do that!” Trixie said, her drink sloshing in its bottle as she swung in across the air. Trixie questioned her leaving, undoubtedly so, as to why one would leave such a life, one herself could only fantasize of. Yet her answer was one as questionable as whatever they had been drinking that past evening. There was a hunch, she had said, that compelled her to move on. She just wanted to do it. Trixie laughed, yet Quill was unexpectedly silent.
“What… what I-I would do with all that!” Trixie said, her laughter subsiding. “You… you’re an idiot. Why… why would anypony do that?”
“Oh yeah?” Quill said. “Well… well, it’s-it’s just what I wanted, OK!” She frowned and looked away, Trixie continued to laugh, but not for much longer. They were both silent now, slouching and facing away, taking an occasional drink from their respective bottles.
It was another minute until either of them said anything. Quill spoke first, already putting their past conversation behind them, remembered their original destination in a loud and eager tone. The two, now once again returned to their joyous eccentricity, made towards the party, the bull now ushered to move at a hurried pace.
Lights from the barn windows and cracks between the wooden boards were seen from far off in the darkness, music and other festive noises grew louder as they neared. The giddiness of the two mares grew with every passing minute. Quill was excited for the prospect of more fun, and Trixie was only eager to make her presence known. It was only a few more minutes until they arrived, stopping short of the barn entrance. The two leaped off the carriage, Quill stumbling slightly with her landing.
“C’mon!” Quill said, heading straight for the front doors.
“W-wait,” Trixie said, using her magic to pull a thin blanket from the back of the carriage, turning it over her and tying two of its corners around her neck.
“Hey… I sleep with that.” Quill gave an accusing glare.
“I’ll give… I will give it back,” Trixie said, all the while fumbling with the knot, at last securing the blanket and giving a confident expression. “Trixie! The G-Great and Powerfullest needs a cape.” Quill had already stopped paying attention to the other mare as she started towards the barn doors. Trixie hurried to catch up, makeshift cape dragging on the ground behind her.
“Ready?” Quill said excitedly, hooves against the door. However, Trixie paid her no mind as she barged and stumbled through the door. She slowly regained her balance, rising on her back hooves with difficulty.
“The Great and Powerful… T-Trixie has arrived!” she slurred through her announcement, raising a hoof high in the air. Now, everypony had turned towards her, the bustling parting settling down to a fraction of what it was.
“And Quill! Yeah!” Quill said, joining the mare that was somehow still standing high.
Trixie looked around, everypony’s eyes now on her. It felt just like a show. A great feeling overcame her, a large grin coming to her face. But then, suddenly, the feeling was gone, replaced by another. It was at the pit of her stomach, an uncomfortable heaviness that slowly began to rise. Her prior expression faded, now replaced by one of displeasure as she came down on all four hooves. The feeling continued to rise as she looked up and saw Twilight not far in the crowd; her eyes were wide and mouth gaped. Trixie smiled, and waved, opening her mouth to greet Twilight, but instead the feeling was expunged before her, all over the floor.