Trixie's Class Of Theatrical Arts

by Yukito

13 - Performance Reviews, Take Two

Two full weeks had passed since Trixie’s ‘special training’ had helped Scootaloo and Alula with their problem remembering their lines. In the time since then, many more problems had arisen within her class, but one way or another, she had been able to solve each one. Except for the matter of spontaneous combustions. That little mystery still eluded her.

“Here you go,” Twilight said as she levitated a cup of tea down in front of Trixie. “Be careful. It’s hot.”

Trixie held the cup in her magic and focussed on a spell to cool down the tea a little bit. “Not a problem. It wouldn’t be the first time Trixie has burned her tongue.”

“But it’d still be a pain if I had to clean up tea stains from my floor,” Twilight said, giggling at the deadpan stare that the showmare gave her. “I’m just kidding.”

“I wonder about that,” Trixie said as she brought the tea to her mouth and gave it a taste. “It’s not bad. Where’s your assistant? He always makes surprisingly great tea for such a rude little-”

“He’s taking the day off today,” Twilight explained, taking a sip of her own tea and frowning. ‘I was sure I got the taste down this time.’ “Sorry. Tea’s not exactly my specialty.”

“Well, it’s to be expected,” Trixie said simply.

“… What’s that supposed to mean?” Twilight asked, raising an eyebrow.

“That with your magical ability, it’s to be expected you would have very noticeable flaws to balance it all out.”

“And what about you?”

“Oh please,” Trixie laughed. “The Great and Powerful Trixie has no flaws. That’s the difference between you and I.”

“… R-Right.” Twilight took another sip of her tea. “So, how’s the class been going? The performance is in two days now, right?”

“Well,” Trixie began, “It was off to a rocky start. The fillies were completely disobedient and caused such chaos it would make Discord blush.”

“I’ve heard they’ve gotten much better, though,” Twilight said with a reassuring smile.

“Oh, most certainly. Take Sweetie Belle for example. That filly was so shy, she refused to sing if there was so much as a hint of somepony listening to her. Now? She’s actually asking Trixie to listen to her singing and tell her how it is.”

“And she’s good, right?”

Trixie nodded. “She’s a natural. Unfortunately her voice can still be a little soft whenever there’s a big crowd watching her, but Trixie has taught her the art of voice enhancing magic.”

Twilight’s ears drooped to the sides of her head. “Oh no.”

Trixie tilted her head at that. “Is there a problem with that?”

Twilight bit her lip and pictured in her mind an image of Sweetie Belle, waking up in the morning, and waking every last citizen of Ponyville with a voice that could shake the ground beneath their hooves. “Er, no… Nothing at all… Wait, since when could Sweetie Belle use magic?”

“Trixie taught her,” Trixie said, a proud grin on her face. “Well, she’s still an amateur really. Can barely hold her magic for a few seconds, even whilst exerting some effort. But she’s definitely made some progress lately.”

“Wow…”

“And then there’s Silver Spoon. That little egghead has been a delight to work with. So attentive and diligent, though a little bit of a klutz. Still, with Trixie’s wonderful guidance, she has made a fine stagehoof and a competent actress. Babs, too, has proven herself to be far more suited to theatre than you would first think. Though she started out kind of mediocre, her performance suddenly improved a lot one day she has only gotten better since.

“Scootaloo and Alula are still proving to be problems, mostly in that they are just so full of energy it’s hard to control them, but they can at least remember their lines now, and they work well with the others in their scenes. The biggest surprise though, is how far our stars have come along. At first, they couldn’t stand each other, but now-”

Trixie noticed the grin plastered on Twilight’s face and stopped, eyeing the other mare suspiciously. “W-What?”

“Oh, nothing!” Twilight said, not even having noticed that she was staring. “It’s just, I think somepony else has been enjoying these classes, too. Don’t you think?”

“… Well,” Trixie said, a slight hint of red on her face as she turned her gaze away from Twilight, “Trixie must admit, it has certainly been a lot more enjoyable teaching these foals how to perform than she originally thought it would be. And sometimes… it was quite refreshing to just be around those kids and simply laugh after a hard day…”

Twilight simply smiled as she watched Trixie attempting to subtly fiddle with her hooves beneath the table. “It almost sounds like you’ve made some new friends.”

“Hardly,” Trixie scoffed. “They merely serve as a pleasant distraction from everyday life, that is all.”

“Oh really?” Twilight asked. “So when the play is over and their classes come to an end, you won’t miss them at all?”

“… W-Well, there is the cruise coming up. Since they’ve been so well-behaved and all.”

“Right. But after that?”

“… Trixie will simply take on another class of eager students ready to learn her ways,” Trixie said. “And she will simply have fun with them, too.”

“And you won’t miss having Sweetie Belle asking you to teach her more magic?” Twilight asked. “Or Silver Spoon asking you for instructions on how to use the backstage equipment?”

Trixie was silent for a few moments as she thought about all the things that would be ending after the big performance in two days. Scootaloo’s enthusiasm keeping everypony’s spirits up after things look bleak… Alula’s cheering from the sideline whenever somepony was practising their scene… Even the way Diamond Tiara and Apple Bloom would break into a fight over the silliest of reasons.

“What do you want from me?” Trixie asked eventually, directing a glare towards Twilight. “After the cruise, Trixie will have no reason to see them again. She will just get over it, it’s not that big of a deal. There are more ponies out there, after all.”

Twilight’s eyes widened at the response. She had been expecting something along those lines, but not worded quite so brutally. “So that’s it? They’re just there to keep you amused and then can be tossed aside at a moment’s notice?”

“Hey! Don’t twist my words like that! Trixie isn’t tossing them aside, she just has to move on and can’t linger in the past like that!”

“Is that how you dealt with it in the past, when you were a travelling performer?” Twilight asked. The way that Trixie flinched answered her question. “I see.”

“What do you see?” Trixie asked, her glare not faltering.

“You only ever meet ponies when you’re travelling, or in this case, teaching theatre. But outside of that, you really have no idea how to uphold any social interactions with them, so you simply move on to your next performance and wipe them from your memory.” Trixie said nothing. “Is that a flaw that the Great and Powerful Trixie has?”

“… It… might be one,” Trixie said hesitantly. “But only if you view it as such. Trixie’s show is a one-mare performance, so realistically, making friends doesn’t really benefit her in any way.”

“I don’t know,” Twilight said with a gentle smile. “You’d be surprised what a simple chat with a friend can do when you’re feeling down, or how a fresh perspective from somepony else can resolve a problem you’ve failed to wrap your head around for days, or even weeks.”

“Oh? Is that from experience?”

“It is. And not just mine,” Twilight said, drawing a questioning look from Trixie. “Didn’t you say it yourself? How much fun you have with them, and how much light they bring to a day that’s been nothing but bleak?”

“… Not quite worded like that,” Trixie said, “But… Yeah…”

“And you know something?” Twilight asked. “I bet, they wouldn’t mind attending another year at ‘Trixie’s Class of Theatrical Arts’ after they’re done here. And keep in mind that some of them you can always see again through us.”

“… But what would Trixie talk to them about outside of theatre?” Trixie asked.

“You taught Sweetie Belle magic, right?” Twilight said. “Come on, Trixie. It’s not that complicated. You’ve read many novels and plays in your time. You should know what to do. Oh, and just so you know, the same goes for everypony else you’ve spoken to in Ponyville, too. Vinyl Scratch, Cheerilee, Applejack, Rarity, the Cakes… Just make some idle chitchat now and then. It doesn’t have to be anything significant. Just let them know that you’re still around and doing well.”

Trixie was silent again, during which Twilight was considering entering the Equestrian Records Book for ‘longest time keeping Trixie silent’. “… Darn it,” Trixie said after several moments, removing her hat and throwing it into Twilight’s face. “Where’s that assistant of yours?”

Twilight removed the hat from her face and gave Trixie a confused look. “Huh?”

“Trixie… is ready to write that dumb letter now.”

Twilight’s eyes lit up, and she bounced out of her seat with enough energy that one might confuse her for Pinkie Pie. “You stay right here! I’ll go find him right away!”

As Twilight burst out of the library, singing something about how the day had finally come, Trixie simply slouched onto the table beside her and sighed. “That’s three times now. One of these days, Trixie is going to beat her.” Trixie picked up her teacup and sipped the tea inside, only to cringe at the poor quality of the taste it held. ‘… Maybe I should challenge her to a teaoff.’

Comments

[Mooncalf]

Oh, Trixie. You cannot hope to beat Twilight in a friend-off. She's simply the best there is.

No, really. Twilight essentially conned her into being her friend and getting into an elaborate friendship project and she never knew.

I hope Trixie will become a Ponyville resident or at least a regular character in season four. She really livens the place up.

[Mattricole]

Trixie's tea brings all the stallions to the yard.

[Yukito]

3229403

According to the show (Trixie being mentioned in the Foal Free Press) and the cards (her location marked as Ponyville), she /is/ a resident of Ponyville. Also the comics show that as the case, too. Magic Duel was originally planned as a S2 episode, so we can safely assume that it took place before her mention in the Foal Free Press

[Spade_McTrowel]

Oh, Trixie. Never change.

[Mooncalf]

3229635
The comics are admittedly of questionable canonicity (is that even a word?),but I want them to be. Particularly the Big Mac ones. Fun-loving down-to-earth princesses, Mac being a chick magnet, the CMC having far too easy access to explosives, and yes, Trixie having the nerve to reinterpret local events without shame. So awesome.

Hmm, didn't know Duel was slated for season two originally. What could have been? I dunno, Trixie just plays off Twilight so well.

[JetstreamGW]

Trixie picked up her teacup and sipped the tea inside, only to cringe at the poor quality of the taste it held. ‘… Maybe I should challenge her to a teaoff.’

I am now pretending that Trixie is an avid golfer, different spelling be damned!

[Blue_Paladin42]

Hee, tea-off.
Twilight, it's not that hard. Even I can do it!
3229635
Semi-permanent probably. She almost certainly still travels. But I do like to think maybe she has a hometown to come back to.

[Raistlin]

3229403

denver.mylittlefacewhen.com/media/f/img/mlfw1225_let_the_friendship_flow_through_you_1.jpg

[Alen]

That last line!
I can see it "High Tea in Canterlot", but it can be quite...lively. Beware the food Trixie, beware the food!

[Prane]

I only started reading your story today and couldn't stop until I reached the most recent chapter. So yeah, just dropping by to simply say: I love it!

[Effy Mani]

‘… Maybe I should challenge her to a teaoff.’

"Come on! You can't be that lame, Trixie!"

"Hey!"

"C'mon, do a fourth Magic Duel!