Author’s Note:
This story was done mostly as an experiment. Since I had never done a comedy/slice of life fic before, I wanted to see how I would do with writing one. While the reaction from the first chapter was better than expected – which made me very happy – I’m sad to say that, frankly, this doesn’t really seem to be my cup of tea. I’m just not really enjoying writing the chapters as much as my other fics, and I’m not entirely happy with how they turn out. In fact, to be honest, I’m not even sure if it can fit into the category of comedy at all. Hence I’m removing that tag from this story.
All that being said, I’m not gonna end it after I’ve already planned out a general storyline, but it’s not gonna be as long as I originally planned. Probably a few more chapters, and then I’m gonna bring in the climax.
For any Trixie fans out there, don’t fret. I do have another Trixie fic planned in my mind that I’ll do after this one, which I think I’ll be more motivated to work on. It’ll be a cross between MLP:FiM and Detective Conan, which I’ve grown super addicted to lately, and the first chapter will involve Twilight and Trixie working together (albeit through much bickering and arguing) to solve a murder case in Manehatten. Hopefully this one’ll go much better.
Anywhom, without further delay, here’s the third chapter.
“Big…Red…Ball…” Trixie finished reading the sentence in her book, and turned to Twilight with a hopeful look on her face, awaiting her verdict.
Twilight smiled and clapped her hooves together. “Good! You’re making fast progress, Trixie.”
Trixie smiled at Twilight, happy to hear that she got it right. “Thank.You.” She said, taking a moment to remember what to say when someone praises you.
For the past 5 days, Trixie had been picking up a few more words from Twilight and her friends. At first she wasn’t sure when to use each word, confusing everypony when she addressed them as Twilight, or saying goodbye when she should have been thanking them. But Twilight and her friends helped Trixie understand what to say in what situation, and eventually, were able to have partial conversations with her.
Now, Twilight was trying to help Trixie learn how to read and write. Trixie was once again showing that she was a fast learner, making quick progress through the book that Twilight received from Celestia two days ago. She still had much learning to do, but Twilight wasn’t too worried. With how much progress she had made already, she was sure that it wouldn’t be long until Trixie was back on her own hooves.
Dr. Stable had visited Twilight that week to check on Trixie’s health. She seemed to be just fine. Her injuries had more-or-less healed, and there were no problems with her eyesight or hearing. She had also grown more accustomed to living in Ponyville. Being surrounded by Twilight’s friends must have helped a lot. She was nowhere near as shy as she was during her first week in Ponyville, and she had stopped clinging to Twilight so much when more of her speaking abilities returned to her.
Trixie spent much of the morning practicing her reading, whilst Twilight and Spike made preparations for an upcoming trip to Canterlot, which involved packing, and writing a schedule of things to do when there. After that, they began creating the schedule for tomorrow. Twilight happily hummed a tune as she fit tomorrow’s events into her checklist without any trouble, while Spike was bored out of his skull, wishing her were helping Rarity right now instead.
Twilight’s head suddenly perked up when she heard a knock at the door, and was about to go and answer it, when Trixie stood up and rushed over to it instead. Trixie recently started assisting Twilight a lot more now, and was more than happy to perform certain tasks, like retrieving books for her, or answering the door whenever Twilight was busy.
She pulled the door open quickly, cheerfully greeting the pony on the other side. “Hell-o!” The pony on the other side was a grey Pegasus pony called Derpy Hooves. She was floating in front of Trixie, carrying a saddlebag filled with letters and packages. “Deepy!” Trixie exclaimed.
Derpy laughed and took out a package from her saddlebag. “Close. It’s “Derpy”.” She corrected as she handed the package to Trixie. “Is Twilight in? I need her to sign for this.” She said, dropping taking out a clipboard and dropping it to the ground. “Oops.” She said as she landed on the ground to pick it up. She dropped it again, groaning as she again reached down to pick it up. The clipboard was wrapped in purple magic, and levitated up into the air. “Thanks, Twilight.” Derpy said as Twilight appeared beside Trixie, signing the board with a quill pen.
“No problem. Have a good day, Derpy.” Twilight said, handing the board back to Derpy and waving as Derpy saluted and sped off to her next delivery. “Ah! Watch out for that-” Her warning came too late, as Derpy crashed into a house on the opposite side of the street. She somehow managed to stay in the air, and continued flying away in the same direction.
“So what’s in the package?” Spike asked as he took the package from Trixie and shook it a little bit, placing an ear next to it to try and hear what was inside.
Twilight snatched the package from Spike with her magic, and placed it on her desk, setting it aside for later. “It’s a few books I ordered from Manehatten. I’ve been waiting for them for a while.” She looked over to a letter that was sitting next to the package, and gasped suddenly. “Oh no…I forgot to ask Derpy to deliver this letter to Fluttershy…” She levitated the letter with her magic, and started pacing back and forth, mumbling about how if she didn’t deliver the letter, it would be bad, but if she went to deliver it, she wouldn’t have enough time to finish her schedule.
Spike offered to deliver it for her, but Twilight said that she needed him to help her, or she wouldn’t be able to meet today’s schedule. Trixie ran up to Twilight, and started bouncing up and down excitedly, grinning widely as she tried to find the right words, but she wasn’t sure what to say.
Twilight ventured a guess. “You…Wanna deliver this for me?” Trixie responded by nodding quickly, and ran up to the closet where her saddlebag was stored. “But…Will you be able to find your way to Fluttershy’s on your own?”
Trixie nodded again, and opened the closet, rummaging through it for her saddlebag and vest. Twilight wasn’t sure whether to accept Trixie’s offer or not, but she couldn’t think of any other way to tackle the situation. Eventually, she decided it couldn’t hurt to let her try. After all, a lot of Ponyville had already seemed to ease off around her, and she had learned some self-control over herself when in public, so she couldn’t imagine her getting into any trouble at this point. She had been to Fluttershy’s house in the past, so she knew where to go.
She gave in and decided to let Trixie deliver the letter for her. Twilight levitated Trixie’s saddlebag up into the air, and placed the letter inside. She started to levitate Trixie’s vest – which was the same purple colour as her hat and cape, and had the same star pattern – and attempted to put it on her, but Trixie backed away and shook her head.
Trixie lowered her head and closed her eyes tight. She started to make groaning sounds, and Twilight watched carefully. Trixie realised from watching other ponies that Unicorns – like herself and Twilight – were capable of using magic. She had attempted numerous times to try and use her own magic, but she never succeeded, since she simply couldn’t remember how to use magic.
Just like her previous attempts, Trixie eventually gave up when she realised that her magic wasn’t forming. She looked at her vest, that was still being held by Twilight’s levitation, and then looked down at the floor, a frown on her face as she shuffled one of her front hooves on the floor.
Twilight walked over to Trixie and gave her a comforting pat on her head. Trixie looked up at Twilight, and forced a small smile onto her face. She then stood up, and allowed Twilight to telekinetically put the vest on her, followed by the saddle bags.
“Alright Trixie, just go straight there, give her the letter, then come straight back. Understand?” Twilight asked, still concerned about sending Trixie on her first chore by herself.
“Yes!” Trixie responded cheerfully, making her way to the door of the library, and leaving on her errand.
Twilight watched her leave until she was out of view, and then closed the door, hoping that everything would be alright.
Trixie strolled through Ponyville with a cheerful look, humming a tune that she’d heard Pinkie Pie humming a few times before. She greeted a few ponies along the way, some of which greeted her back, and came to the first crossroad on her journey. She stopped to remember which direction she had to take, and then remembered that she had to go right. She turned right, but didn’t move.
Her mouth hung open when she saw a familiar blue Unicorn stallion walking towards her. She hadn’t seen him around before, but for some reason, she recognised him. He was a little taller than her, and wore an indigo cape on his back. He walked straight past Trixie, and started to move in the opposite direction. Trixie turned around and stared at him, trying desperately to remember where she knew him from.
“Daddy, I got accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns!”
“Of course. I expect nothing less of a Lulamoon. But don’t think that the hard part is over.”
“Yeah! I’m gonna work real hard to make you proud of me!”
Trixie’s eyes widened, and she started to follow the blue Unicorn stallion, who was now moving further into Ponyville. “Daddy?” She said in a silent whisper, picking up her pace to try and catch up with him.
She followed the stallion around a corner, and saw him talking to an Earth Pony that she recognised. Her name was Bon Bon, and she was one of the first few in Ponyville to warm up to her. She had a very kind and friendly personality.
Trixie focused on the stallion, and caught a glimpse of his Cutie Mark when the wind blew up his cape. It was a slice of cake with a strawberry on top. She thought about it for a few seconds, and saw a brief image of her father in her head. His Cutie Mark…It was different. She couldn’t completely remember it, but she was sure her father’s Cutie Mark was different. This stallion wasn’t her father, just somepony who looked like him.
She sighed, and hung her head low, walking back the way she came. Her spirits were suddenly lowered. She had come to realise that she was once somepony else, through her dreams. She would see bits and pieces of her previous life, but whenever she woke up, she couldn’t remember them so well.
Here, Trixie thought that she had found somepony from her past, and was excited at the thought of talking with him. She wanted to know who she was, and what kind of life she once lived. But, it wasn’t to be. She dwelled on the vague memory that she had of her father, trying to engrave his image into her mind.
She was so lost in thought that she didn’t see the pony in front of her until it was too late. “Ow!” She rubbed her head, and then opened her eyes to see who she had bumped into. She tried to remember the phrase Twilight had told her to use in this kind of situation…“S-Sor…ry?”
Pinkie Pie bounced up to her hooves, and helped Trixie up. “Oh, it’s fine! I should’ve been watching where I was going!” She noticed that Trixie was frowning, and she looked at her with concern. “What’s wrong? You look upset. Did something happen?”
Trixie wanted to explain to Pinkie Pie what was troubling her, but her vocabulary wasn’t quite at that level yet. She instead just latched onto Pinkie Pie and started crying, trying to find the right words to explain her sadness. “Who…” She let out a few more tears, Pinkie Pie wrapping her hooves around Trixie in a comforting hug. “Who am…I?”
Pinkie Pie laughed, and parted the hug. “Well that’s a silly question. You’re Trixie, of course! Who else would you be?”
“But…” She once again struggled to find the right words.
Pinkie seemed to understand Trixie’s concerns, and continued. “You’re Trixie. You live in Ponyville, and have a whole bunch of friends! You have fun everyday with me and Twilight and Rarity and Rainbow Dash and Applejack and Fluttershy! Who cares who you used to be? The important thing is who you are now!” She looked at Trixie, who seemed to have stopped crying. “Did you…Get all that?” She asked, just now realising that maybe Trixie couldn’t understand what she was saying.
Trixie stared blankly at the pink pony for a few seconds, and then smiled. “Thank.You!”
Pinkie Pie smiled back. “You’re welcome!” She responded cheerfully. “So, you feel better now, right?”
“Yes!”
“Well that’s good, ‘cause I hate to see my friends all sad! Nothing makes me happier than when my friends are smiling!”
Trixie remembered the errand that she had to run, and wanted to get back on her way to Fluttershy’s. She ran past Pinkie Pie, who was still talking (almost singing) about how she wanted her friends to be happy, and started to run back to the crossroad from earlier.
She must have really been distracted by the stallion who looked like her father, because apparently she had travelled quite far from the crossroad, and couldn’t seem to find her way back. She wasn’t even sure where she was at this point. She started to panic, worrying about how she was going to find her way to Fluttershy’s home. Or Twilight’s, for that matter.
She heard a bunch of cheering and laughter behind her, and turned around to see a bunch of colts and fillies playing next to a building that she didn’t recognise. She looked around for any familiar landmarks, but was unable to recognise any of the buildings. Although it was a small town, Trixie had only ever visited a few places, when she was assisting Twilight with something, or going with her to visit her friends.
“Ok, class. Recess is over.” Trixie turned towards the familiar voice, which was at the building where all the young foals were. The pony’s name escaped her, but it was one that Twilight had stopped to talk to a few times, and to Trixie, she seemed like a warm and caring mare. In fact, she was the only mare who Trixie opened up to immediately.
She suddenly felt a lot better at seeing the familiar friendly face, and started walking over to her. She slowed down when some of the foals noticed her approaching. She had yet to interact with any children, and she wasn’t sure how to deal with them. If they were different from grown up ponies.
She was startled when two young colts addressed her. One was short, and had a pair of scissors for a Cutie Mark. The other was slightly taller, and had a snail for a Cutie Mark. It was the taller one who spoke first. “Uh, hey Trixie! When’d you get back in town?”
The shorter one spoke next. “You got any more stories for us? We’ve been really bored lately.”
A third foal approached the two. It was a young pink filly wearing a tiara, with a tiara shaped Cutie Mark. She talked to the two foals with a high and mighty attitude, as if she were on a pedestal high above them. “Why are you two acting all friendly with her? Don’t you remember how she lied about defeating an Ursa Major, and how you two got in so much trouble because of her?”
“Yeah…” The shorter one responded. “But her stories were still awesome, and her magic totally rocked, too!”
“She couldn’t even do anything against that Ursa Minor. What exactly about her magic “rocks”?”
The purple mare that Trixie recognised walked towards the three foals to break up the argument. “Ok, you three, class is in session.”
The three lowered their heads and walked towards the building, mumbling “yes, Miss Cheerilee”.
Cheerilee turned to Trixie, and her stern look turned into a warm smile. “Hello there, Trixie. Where’s Twilight? Did you get separated from her?” Her look turned into a look of concern as she asked that last question.
Trixie shook her head, and reached into her saddlebag to pull out the letter to Fluttershy. She showed it to Cheerilee, who looked at it with a puzzled expression.
“Trixie…This is addressed to Fluttershy.” Trixie nodded her head, and it became obvious to Cheerilee that Trixie was struggling to find the right words. “Do you…Want me to deliver it to her?” Trixie shook her head, and Cheerilee ventured another guess. “Are you lost?”
Trixie nodded her head quickly at this. “Lost! Yes!”
Cheerilee gave the letter back to Trixie. “I see…Then, would you like some directions?” Cheerilee didn’t wait for an answer before she pointed her hoof in the direction behind Trixie. “If you just keep going straight that way until you reach a signpost, you’ll find a road that’ll lead straight to Fluttershy’s cottage. It will be the same road with the café on it.”
Trixie stared blankly at Cheerilee, and then nodded slowly. Cheerilee explained again, but more slowly this time. Trixie seemed to have understood it better the second time, as she nodded more enthusiastically. “Thank.You.” She started to make her way in the direction that Cheerilee pointed, and stopped for a second to wave and shout: “Goodbye!”.
Cheerilee also waved towards Trixie, and then watched her walk off for a few seconds, worrying about whether she’ll be ok. She then made her way towards the class when she realised that she should be teaching them right now.
Trixie continued to walk until she reached the sign post that Cheerilee had mentioned earlier. She looked around for the café, finding it rather easily. She also spotted Applejack near the café, speaking with Rarity, and decided to say hello, since that’s what Twilight would do whenever she met her friends. She walked over to the two ponies, and, without waiting for their conversation to finish, shouted: “Hell-o!”
Rarity and Applejack were startled by Trixie’s sudden appearance, and Rarity was somewhat annoyed with her suddenly interrupting their conversation. “Trixie, you shouldn’t interrupt somepony when they’re having a conversation.” She said with a stern look on her face.
Trixie’s face dropped when she realised that she did something she wasn’t supposed to do, and Rarity sighed and told her that she would let it slide this time. Applejack stepped forward to talk to Trixie. “Howdy there, Trixie. Where’s Twilight today?” She asked when she realised that Twilight wasn’t with her like she usually was.
Rarity noticed this as well, and commented on it. “How strange. I don’t think I’ve ever seen you without Twilight since she took you in a few weeks ago.”
Trixie pulled out the letter to Fluttershy from her saddlebag, and held it up to Applejack and Rarity. “Errand!” She shouted, her face once again lit up with a huge smile.
“Ah, goin’ out on yer first errand, eh?” Applejack said. “Ah can remember when Applebloom went out on her first errand. She was so excited, though mostly ‘cause she wanted tah earn her Cutie Mark.”
“Sweetie Belle was excited about her first errand, too.” Rarity said. “I think most ponies are, to be honest. It’s a big step, after all. It means you don’t need to be carried by your family anymore, and that you’re starting to become more independent.”
“Well, it’s a start, but I still wouldn’t trust Applebloom to start living on her own, away from me and Big Mac and Granny Smith.”
“Oh heavens no. Even if they were capable of living on her own, I don’t think either Applebloom or Sweetie Belle would be willing to. Little fillies like them need to be with their families until they’ve finished school.”
“Eeyup! Family’s one of the best things in this world! That’s why I couldn’t bear to be apart from mine!”
Trixie stared blankly at the two as she listened to them. “Fam…Ily?” She thought back to the image of her father in her head, and suddenly, her head started to hurt. “Family…” Another headache as she tried to remember her own family. “Ah…AAAAHHHH!”
Everypony in the area turned to Trixie as she collapsed to the floor, screaming at the top of her lungs. Applejack and Rarity immediately knelt down to ask her what was wrong, but she couldn’t even hear them. There was a loud storm raging through her head, and eventually, she lost consciousness, lying asleep in the middle of the street.
“Trixie, you came in second in Magic class, didn’t you?” Trixie’s father asked her as the two ate their dinner. “What happened? Such a result is unacceptable.”
“Now now, Black Cat.” A white Unicorn stallion entered the room, levitating a bottle of wine towards the table. “I’m sure she’s doing her best. Isn’t that right, Trixie?”
Trixie nodded slowly to the white stallion, and Trixie’s father, Black Cat, grabbed the bottle with his own magic. “Her best obviously isn’t good enough then. But I’m willing to give you another chance, since there’s still the rest of the year left.” Black Cat poured some wine into his glass, and passed the bottle back to the white stallion. “Brother, you’re just as much an embarrassment as Trixie is. So it’s obvious you’d take her side. But the very fate of our clan rest on her shoulders. Second place means ruining the reputation that we’ve work so hard to build up.”
Trixie took a bite out of her food, sinking lower into her seat. Her uncle placed a comforting hoof onto her shoulder, and let out a soft chuckle. “So the Lulamoon clan’s having a bad generation. But there’s not much we can do about that. It’s undeniable that you’ve been a great leader, but now, you need to help Trixie. It won’t be long before she’s our new leader.”
Black Cat slammed his glass on the table, and stood up. “Is that a joke? Leave things to her?” Black Cat started to leave the room, but stopped to say one final thing to Trixie. “Do not disappoint me yet again. Even my patience has its limits.”
Trixie woke up in an unfamiliar room. She waited for her eyes to adjust, and noticed that there were flames all around her, and smoke in the air. “What? Where am I?” She turned around to see two silhouettes looking at her, laughing menacingly. “W-Who are you?”
“Trixie…Trixie…TRIXIE!”
Trixie woke up once again, this time in a more familiar room. She was still sweating and breathing heavily from her nightmare. “What?” She turned her head to see Twilight looking at her with a relieved look on her face. “Where is Trixie?” She asked, and then immediately corrected herself. “Where am I?”
Twilight was shocked by Trixie’s sudden use of third person. Had she regained her memories? She took a moment to consider, and then thought that, if Trixie had regained her memories, her reaction surely would have been a lot worse. “You’re at the library. You passed out on the street, and Rarity and Applejack brought you here. What happened? Are you feeling ill?”
Trixie tried to remember what had happened, when something struck her in the back of her mind. “Twilight…Have we…Met before?” Trixie noticed the look of confusion on Twilight’s face, and continued. “I feel like we have, but I’m not sure…I can’t remember…”
Twilight looked at Trixie wide-eyed. “Trixie…You’re speaking in full sentences.”
“…Yes…I am, aren’t I?” Trixie placed her hoof to her forehead, feeling a headache coming along. “I feel strange…So dizzy…I feel…” At that, she tilted her head to the side and fell asleep.