Chapter 28: The Dazzling Glitter Shine
Chapter 28
The Dazzling Glitter Shine
Wind was rushing by my ears. My heart pounded. My wings were being lashed every which way, depending on how the wind caught them as I tumbled down, down, down. I couldn’t have cared less. I had bigger problems. I happened to look back over my shoulder in time to see the treetops getting uncomfortably close.
“GAH!” I bellowed my frustrations to no one in particular, pulling up at the last second. I elegantly swooped through the canopy to glide a foot above the ground before finding another opening and returning to the sky. Rather than performing another hundred foot drop, I found a perch on a puffy white cloud and sat down. Free falls had always cleared my mind before, since they made it hard to focus on anything but recovery, or you’d crash. That had been my fifth dive, and the closest call. I just couldn’t get the morning’s previous events out of my head.
I was mostly mad at myself. I had been acting out of character lately, snapping at ponies like that. Poor Twilight had been receiving it worst, it seemed. But this time things had gone too far. Blaze... he didn’t deserve this. I should never have snapped to begin with, but seeing the terror I’d plastered on his face was almost too much to bear. I sagged further into the cloud, as though burying myself in its consoling, plush surface could bury my pain along with it.
The light flutter of feathery wings sounded from just above me, and I looked up expecting Rainbow coming to see what was wrong. Instead, my alicorn friend had returned.
“Hi.”
“Hey.”
“Can I sit here?”
“Sure.” So we just peered over the edge of the cloud, watching the world in silence for a while. “You know I didn’t mean what I said, right, Twi?”
“Of course not. I’m sorry for snapping back, too. I guess we’ve both been a little out of it lately.”
“So you’ve noticed, too,” I nodded, flopping on my back. “Still, I never expected you of all ponies to attack Trixie like that.”
“I know,” she sighed. “I was just trying to protect you.”
“That’s sweet, Twi, but I really don’t need protecting.”
“If you say so.” We sat in silence a moment longer, and I was trying to form a question about her strange behavior without starting another fight when she went on.
“You know,” Twilight giggled, “it’s actually kind of funny if you think about it. Somehow we went from arguing over Trixie to insulting each other. In fact, I don’t even remember what I was mad about in the first place!”
“Not worth fighting over,” I agreed. “Not worth scaring Blaze.”
“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” she tried to console. “He knows that’s not like you. Just go talk to him.”
“You think that’s all it’ll take?”
“It’s a start, anyway. Go on. Torchwood’s already put in a word with him. It’s your turn now.”
“Thanks, Twi.” I fondly brushed a wingtip over her, and she returned the gesture. That was one down. One to go.
“Blaze? Can I come in?”
“Okay.” He was perched on the table in his room, A.K.A the recently converted laundry room. He didn’t even look at me when I strode in, instead he just kept looking out the window.
“Are you okay?”
“I guess.”
“What kind of an answer is that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Come on, Blaze. You know you can talk to me, right?”
“Sure.”
“Look Blaze, I didn’t mean to scare you. I don’t know what got into me... I was just mad. But you know I would never do that to you on purpose.”
“Yeah. It was just scary.”
“I know, baby. I didn’t mean it.” I wrapped my wings around him to pull him into a hug. He finally returned the embrace, finding comfort in it. “And I promise, no more yelling from now on, okay?”
“Promise?”
“Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.”
“Okay. Then I forgive you.”
“Thanks, Blaze.” I nuzzled him closer.
“Hey, Acrylic?”
“Hmm?”
“Can we go see Trixie’s show tonight, too?”
“You want to see Trixie’s show?”
“Well, I really just want to hang out with Glitter and her friends. She convinced all the Crusaders to go. Spike will probably be there, too.”
“Well, in that case, absolutely.” He beamed up at me. “And afterwards, we might just have to stop at Sugar Cube Corner for ice cream.”
“Really?”
“My treat.”
“With gemstone sprinkles?”
“You got it.”
“I’ll write Spike and tell him!”
“Make sure to invite him for the ice cream. He’ll come for that, if nothing else.”
“What are we doing here, Blaze? Trixie’s show isn’t worth it; it’s just her boasting about how ‘great’ and ‘powerful’ she is and performing a couple of cheap tricks.”
“So I’ve been told. But the Cutie Mark Crusaders are gonna be there, and remember? We’re in it for the ice cream.”
“Oh yeah,” he licked his lips. Torchwood drew his wing closer around me as we both chuckled. Twilight would also be attending Trixie’s show, but not until later, so we’d stopped by early to pick up Spike. There we could meet up with the Cutie Mark Crusaders, who would be arriving together. Glitter had already informed the others of tonight’s plans. Considering their feelings towards Trixie, they were probably all in it for the ice cream, too.
The show had been scheduled for late evening, and the light was growing dim. I assumed it was probably to add to the effect of Trixie’s famous fireworks. The square was sparse when we arrived, mostly because of Trixie’s poor reputation, but perhaps also due to the late hour. Most in attendance were thestrals who either hadn’t heard her story, just wanted to see what all the fuss was about or were still on a nocturnal sleep schedule and had nothing better to do. Because of the meager audience, front row seats weren’t in high demand. Still, Glitter, who’d arrived ahead of us with the rest of her crew, had already parked herself right in front of the wagon to claim a seat. Her eyes were fixated on the stage in anticipation, but the hoofsteps of new arrivals finally attracted her attention.
“Hurry! Hurry! The show’s going to start any minute!” she beckoned, bouncing on the spot.
“We’re still early, Glitter,” Apple Bloom yawned. She was sprawled on the ground, drawing pictures in the dirt to entertain herself. Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were obviously just as bored.
“Why can’t it just start already?” Sweetie Belle groaned.
“It’s not like anypony else is coming,” Scootaloo agreed.
“You don’t know that,” Torchwood scolded.
“Twilight said she’d be here later,” Spike put in.
“What’s Princess Twilight coming for?” Scootaloo wrinkled her nose.
“It’s more a question of why she’d be late,” Glitter corrected. “Trixie’s show is going to be amazing!”
“How do you know? You’ve never seen it before.”
“Neither have you. She told me that she’s completely changed it. I don’t know what the last one was like, but this one must be even better! And besides, Trixie’s a really nice pony. It has to be good!”
“Trixie is not a nice pony,” Apple Bloom insisted.
“Is too!”
“Is not!”
“Is TOO!”
“Girls!” I had to break them up. I’d never seen Glitter join in the arguing before, but things looked like they were about to get ugly. As soon as it’d begun, it was over, and Glitter’s enthusiasm resumed as though it had never faltered.
“I still say it’s going to be good.” Suddenly, all the torches in the square blew out, and the stage lights shone from Trixie’s wagon. “It’s starting, it’s starting!” Glitter quietly shrieked.
“Mares and gentlecolts,” a loud voice spoke. I knew that it was Trixie from backstage, but she must’ve cast some sort of spell to add a mysterious echoing effect. Glitter was already wide-eyed. “Come one, come all, to witness the magic of the Great and Powerful Trixie!” Fire crackers exploded from hidden cannons on her fold-out stage, waking the audience up from the long and tedious wait. Now that the show was starting, a couple more standers-by trotted over to watch. Trixie finally emerged from the back, splendidly whisking aside the curtains and causing a gentle wind to ruffle her cape and hat.
“My, what a... charming... audience we have tonight.” Trixie managed to conceal her disappointment at the small turnout quite well. “You are all in for a special treat, because the Great and Powerful Trixie has an exclusive show for her favorite townsponies. That’s right, my dear Ponyville-ians. Trixie has completely and entirely reworked her whole show just for you!” Glitter’s eyes grew ever wider with wonder, but nopony else in the audience seemed to be too terribly impressed.
“Witness, my beloved spectators, as the Great and Powerful Trixie summons her minions...” she paused for dramatic effect, finally having caught the attention of her dead-eyed audience. We all leaned in a little closer, wondering whether she had returned to her old ways after all and now sought vengeance upon Ponyville. “...the pansies!” Some audible groans could be heard in the background from their disappointment. I actually found the letdown rather funny, and quietly chuckled. Glitter wasn’t dismayed in the least, and continued to stare intently forward. With this dramatic introduction, Trixie performed a teleport, and from beneath a cloud of purple dust, two rows of potted pansy plants lined either end of the stage.
“You call that magic?” somepony booed from the back.
“Watch and observe,” she continued with far less confidence than before. The flowers radiated with the pink aura of her magic, and soon shot up to the sky, growing by foot until they towered well over the height of Trixie’s wagon and were practically bursting from the pots. The one nearest to us sprouted another, smaller stem, which continued to unfurl and uncoil. Most of the girls, myself included, backed away from the approaching stem, but Glitter was transfixed. The stem loosely wound around her a few times, landing her at the center of a springy coil. The entire coil then bloomed into a vortex of small blossoms around the filly. She excitedly squealed and delicately smelled one. Trixie smiled before plucking one in her levitation magic and settling it behind Glitter’s ear.
“Big deal,” another naysayer called. “It’s just a standard growth spell.”
“Maybe so,” Trixie uneasily shuffled, teleporting the flowers off stage, “but can they tie a bone into a knot?” She pulled an average-looking dog bone from her hat. Within her levitational magic, the bone began to rotate, faster and faster until it was but a blur. Gradually, light welled up from the invisible axis on which the bone spun, and grew brighter until it finally pulsed in a blinding flash. When we opened our eyes again, a very evident knot had been tied at the center of the bone. This she tossed far out into the crowd, where Applejack’s pet dog Winona sat. She eagerly jumped up to catch her prize, and settled down with it a ways off. Glitter fervently clapped, but her applause was the only sound to be heard throughout the square.
“Tacky.”
“What if I turned a cup of coffee into a cup of bits?”
“That you defrauded other ponies of with this sorry excuse for a show?”
“Yeah! What did you do, take these ‘tricks’ from a cheap how-to book?”
“Why don’t you show a little respect for the lady?” Torchwood stood from his seat beside me, searching for the disrespectful cynic. “Trixie works just as hard for her pay as the rest of us.”
“By if ‘working hard,’ you mean getting up in front of a minuscule audience, pulling off a couple slight-of-hoof tricks and and then demanding what little money we have, then yes, she’s the most diligent pony I know.”
“Just because you had a bad day is no reason to ruin the show for the rest of us,” I coolly retorted, nodding to the unsettled fillies ahead of me. Sweetie Belle, Scootaloo and Apple Bloom had probably expected such repugnant remarks, but Glitter hadn’t, and quivered nervously.
“If you have such a passionate disregard for Trixie’s show, then what are you doing here?” Torch furthered.
“I was beginning to ask myself the same thing,” the stallion spitefully hissed, standing himself and boldly sauntering off. When the rest of us turned back to the stage, we found Trixie hunched over in a defeated lump, hiding behind her hat. A single tear splashed to the wooden planks, and with that, the show was over. I sighed and bowed my head in sympathy when the rest of the audience began to depart.
Spike and Blaze looked to one another, unsure what to do. The other three fillies looked to one another, then back to me, wondering when we’d be leaving for ice cream. Glitter, though, shambled back up to the edge of the stage and flattened her ears at the sight of her rejected friend.
“Miss Trixie?” she tried. Trixie only shrank back further into her cape in shame.
“Glitter, I think we should leave,” Torchwood gently tried to pry her away. The last thing Trixie needed was for her only remaining admirer to see her in tears. My husband gently curled a wing around his pupil and nudged her to follow him to rejoin our ensemble. But she wasn’t moving. Instead, she was intently focused, eyes tightly shut and brow furrowed.
A small spark ignited on Trixie’s stage, but it was perfectly controlled and didn’t so much as singe the wood. The little light didn’t catch the unicorn’s attention until it had grown to the size of a small lantern. Then her flow of tears paused, and she slowly righted herself. I didn’t recognize this pale violet flame. It certaintly didn’t belong to Torch, and I wasn’t doing it. That eliminated everypony but Glitter Shine, the only other remaining thestral. It was obviously taking a lot of physical effort on her part, but she coaxed it larger and larger.
Not only had the show caught Trixie’s attention, but also that of the departed audience. Now a few returned to see what was going on. After a bit of straining and grunting, the fire turned into a lightly twirling vortex. It gradually picked up speed, and began spitting sparks. By now it had grown to the size of a soccer ball, and had retrieved most of Trixie’s audience. With one last grunt of exertion, the flame was extinguished, but left a small bouquet of roses behind. They dropped to the wood floor when Trixie made no move to catch them. She just sat and stared at them, dumbfounded.
“Thanks for the show, Miss Trixie,” Glitter quietly praised. “I still liked it., even if everypony else left.” Glitter then turned and trotted back to Torchwood, finally ready to leave for ice cream. From her platform, Trixie slowly scooped up the bouquet, cradling it like a priceless treasure. To her, that’s exactly what it was.
“Glitter, I...” her eyes welled up with tears yet again, but these were happy tears. Her horn lit up, and Glitter Shine was surrounded in pink aura before being levitated up to the stage. She was a little surprised at first, but made no objection. Trixie exchanged one levitational hold for another, for after she set Glitter down at her side, she removed her pointy magic hat and gently set it atop the filly’s head. “Thank you.” Glitter pushed the oversized hat out of her eyes so it wouldn’t throw off her aim when she pounced Trixie in a hug.
At that, the audience couldn’t contain themselves, and burst into thunderous applause. The Cutie Mark Crusaders who had been so negative about the whole idea to begin with now cheered louder than anypony else. Well, perhaps excepting Torchwood, who practically radiated with pride for his apprentice.
The praise from the audience must have torn Trixie back to reality, because she instantly regained her confidence. Now she stood, chest puffed out and one hoof still wrapped around Glitter.
“Mares and Gentlecolts, prepare to be astounded by marvelous feats of magic!” A couple bystanders shifted, hoping she wasn’t going to try her show again. “You’ll be mesmerized by what you see! I dare say, you won’t believe your eyes! Please, put your hooves together for the Dazzling Glitter Shine!” The masses roared for the new act.
“Me?” Glitter gasped.
“Go on,” Trixie beamed. “Show them how Glitter shines.”
“Come on, Glitter, you can do it!” Sweetie Belle cheered.
“You go, girl!” Apple Bloom called.
“Knock ‘em dead!” Scootaloo contributed. At first I thought she would get stage fright, given how shy she was, and was going to suggest that maybe it wasn’t such a good idea. But I was glad I kept my mouth shut, because Glitter stepped right up to the challenge.
“Okay.” She stood up in front of the expectant faces below, the number of which had greatly multiplied since she appeared onstage. Though she took a gulp to steady herself, she didn’t seem too terribly nervous. It took her a moment, but in no time at all, the show was back on. Threads of sparks tore through the crowd, weaving through the audiences’ hooves until they reached an empty spot at the back. Then an especially large spray erupted like a geyser, dazzling all with impressed ‘oohs’ and ‘ahhs.’ When the sparkles finally died down, a baffled Twilight Sparkle stood in their wake, causing the audience to recoil in shock.
“Um... hi, everypony,” Twilight casually waved, unsure of what was going on. She wasn’t expecting a wild applause at her appearance, and jumped in surprise. But when she saw Glitter standing up beside Trixie on the stage, Twilight wasted no time in joining in with the rest of us.
“What’d I miss?” she asked upon finally pushing to the front through the crowd.
“Only the best trick Equestria’s ever seen.”
“Bummer.”
Glitter performed one dazzling display after the other, accompanied by Trixie’s world-class fireworks, and a rather sizable crowd had formed. It wasn’t long before all of our friends were squished together at the front. Word must’ve spread like wild fire, because most of the town was out by now. This included Glitter’s parents, whom I tried to beckon to the front with us. There was no more room by now, though, so they just hung around the back to watch their pride and joy perform.
“Miss Trixie?” Glitter began, summoning another array of sparks and fire to resemble a spinning blossom. She cast it out to join the many others already twirling above the audience.
“Yes, Glitter?”
“When I grow up, I wanna be just like you.” Trixie smiled a happy smile, and peered past her.
“I think there’s a pretty good chance you might.”
“Really?” Trixie nodded behind her, and Glitter turned to look at what she indicated. A squeal of excitement extinguished all the spinning lights above us. “My cutie mark!”
The whole square hushed. With the dizzying light display all around us, nopony had noticed the flash of light from Glitter’s flank. A spectacular vortex of purple fire was tinged with red at the top as it morphed into a blooming rose, accented with sparks that almost glittered.
“Glitter...” Sweetie Belle cooed.
“It’s beautiful!” Apple Bloom breathed.
“It’s AWESOME!” Scootaloo chirped. The entire assembly roared to offer their congratulations. My hooves were sore from so much applause; I couldn’t imagine what blissful agony Torch must be experiencing.
Two shadows swooped over the audience as Glitter’s parents arrived, which only made everypony more excited. I thought I’d go deaf from the encore when they hugged, mostly from Pinkie’s extraneous whoops. She couldn’t decide whether it was more appropriate to sob or cheer, so she compromised and met somewhere in the middle, which only made her noisier. By the time she concluded with a loud snort into her hankie, all attention had been diverted to her.
Trixie wrapped a hoof around Glitter and led them in a final stage bow. Lastly, a veil of smoke gave her time to teleport them all offstage.
Our circle of friends bolted for the wagon while the audience gave their last round of praise. Glitter was still dancing in circles, ecstatic upon having finally earned her mark.
“I did it! I did it! I got my cutie mark!” she squealed.
“We’re so proud of you,” her father beamed.
“Lemme see!” Apple Bloom demanded, pushing through our legs to get to the filly. Sweetie and Scoot crawled along in her wake. Glitter finally settled down long enough for her friends to scrutinize the mark.
“It’s so perfect!” Sweetie cried, examining it closely.
“It’s so rad! You totally deserve it!”
“Congratulations, Glitter,” Spike displayed a toothy grin as he dismounted Twilight.
“You were amazing,” Blaze added.
“A flaming flower earned during a magic show. Does that make you a fire dancer or a magician?” Torchwood jokingly mused.
“Both!” Glitter declared, happily pouncing his leg. “Thanks for everything, Mr. Torchwood. I just did what you taught me.”
“It’s my honor,” he proudly glowed. “You’ve earned that mark.”
“Wait.” Glitter let go of his leg, and looked back at her not-so-blank flank. “I finally got it.”
“Yeah? So?”
“Isn’t that a good thing?” Scootaloo asked.
“Well yeah. It’s just... what happens now? I mean... I got it. I’m not a crusader anymore. And Miss Trixie’s show will move on to the next town soon, so... what do I do?”
“Glitter, ya might’ve gotten your cutie mark,” Apple Bloom wrapped a hoof around her shoulder.
“But you’ll always be a crusader,” Scootaloo finished.
“Once a crusader, always a crusader,” Sweetie definitively nodded.
“Uh, guys? You might want to take a look at this,” Rainbow called from outside. Since space inside the wagon was so limited, she hovered out in the open. Trixie, Glitter and her parents crowded around the small window overlooking the stage, so the rest of us circled around.
“Whoa!”
“I think Glitter really stole the show!” Twilight exclaimed.
“I’d say!” Rainbow exclaimed. “Look at all those bits!” The stage had been absolutely littered with coins and gems from the generous onlookers. Again struck speechless by Ponyville’s changed view of her, Trixie just stared in awe.
“I’m sorry Miss Trixie!” Glitter whimpered. “I didn’t mean to steal anything! Stealing’s bad. I’ll give it back!” The rest of us laughed at her confusion, and even Trixie giggled.
“Tell you what,” Trixie proposed, bending to her level. “Why don’t we share the show? I think I could use a partner up on stage with me.”
“Partner?” Glitter breathed. “You mean it?”
“If it’s okay with your parents.”
“Can I? Can I? Please, please, please?” Her parents took one look at each other and smiled.
“If this is who you’re meant to be, then we want you to enjoy every second of it.”
“YES!” the filly whooped.
“Whoa! Hold your horses, everypony,” Applejack interrupted. “Aren’t y’all forgettin’ that this here’s a travelin’ show? What’s gonna happen when Trixie moves on to the next town?”
“I suppose we go with her,” her mother shrugged.
“You’re just going to pack up and leave everything behind?” Rarity exclaimed.
“Leave what?” her mother dryly chuckled.
“We’ve already left home in the Everfree,” the father explained. “We haven’t exactly had time to dig very deep roots here.”
“Where will you live? This wagon isn’t very big.”
“We’ve spent our whole life in tents. I don’t think that’s going to be a problem.”
“What about school?” Twilight inquired.
“She can homeschool.”
“Ooh! My turn, my turn! What about...” Pinkie rubbed her chin as she thought up a new roadblock. Then her eyes widened, finding the perfect response. “What about Sugar Cube Corner? If you leave, you won’t get any more yummy sweets!”
“I know, Pinkie,” Glitter giggled. “That’s special to Ponyville. But I promise to always stop by when we come.”
“What about us?” Apple Bloom sadly spoke, eyes damp. Seeing her tearful friends made Glitter’s enthusiasm falter for a moment.
“You aren’t really leaving, are you?”
“We’ll still see each other,” Glitter tried to convince herself.
“Yeah, like once a year,” Scootaloo sorely sniffed.
“You guys are amazing- you’re my best friends,” she went on. “And nopony could ever replace you. But this... this is who I am now. I wanna do this.”
“We’re happy for ya, Glitter. We’re just gonna miss ya is all,” Apple Bloom wept, hugging their friend. One by one, the other girls pressed in to do the same.
“Crusaders forever?”
“Crusaders forever.” They all touched hooftips in a team gesture.
“Don’t you girls worry; we’ll make sure that you see each other far more often than once a year,” Glitter’s mother assured.
“Really?” Scoot perked back up.
“Even from Vanhoover, Ponyville’s only a flight away for thestrals like us.”
“You hear that?”
“I can still come visit!”
“Alright!”
“Come on, everypony! This calls for a celebration!” Pinkie declared.
“Ice cream’s on us!” Torch announced.
“Finally!”
“I’ll see you tomorrow!” Glitter waved. She was leaving Sugar Cube Corner with her parents, and despite the late hour, she was as energetic as ever. I had a feeling she wouldn’t be going to bed anytime soon.
“See you!” the other CMC members called.
“Alright, Apple Bloom. Tonight was fun and all, but it’s way past your bedtime.”
“Aw, but sis-”
“No but’s! We got chores early in the mornin’.”
“Oh, alright. See ya, girls.”
“Bye, Apple Bloom!”
“We should head back as well, Sweetie. It’s quite late.”
“Okay,” the unicorn filly pouted.
“I have to take you back, too,” Rainbow informed Scoot.
“But I’m not tired,” the orange pegasus yawned.
“Come on,” Dash chuckled, hoisting Scoot onto her back.
“You too, young dragon,” I said, swinging my young friend between my wings.
“Bye, Spike,” he mumbled, already half asleep.
“See ya, Blaze,” Spike drowsily bid.
Torch and I walked side by side under the dim glow of Luna’s stars. They were exceptionally beautiful on this night. Everything seemed perfect, but I knew Torch carried a heavy heart.
“I’m sorry you lost your apprentice,” I apologized.
“I’ll miss her,” he admitted. “But she’s where she wants to be. The thing about teaching is that eventually, they graduate.”
“But you did a marvelous job in what time you did have together.”
“I wonder if that’s what parenthood feels like,” he mused, lost in his own thoughts. The comment jolted me at first, but I quickly warmed up to the idea.
“Maybe we’ll find out one day.” He turned back to me, beaming.
“I think I’d like that.”
Journal Entry #1
xx/xx/xx
I knew that the first step to forgiveness is forgiving yourself, but I didn’t realize how hard that can be. Sometimes, you just need someone else to believe in you. That little bit of faith can give a pony the burst of confidence they need to move on. I never would have imagined that two ponies as different as Trixie and Glitter Shine would get along, let alone become best friends. It doesn’t matter how young or old you are, what you look like or what kind of pony you are, so long as you’re there for each other.
-Acrylic
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PREDICTION COMFIRMED YAY MY PREDICTION IS MOST LIKELY RIGHT
possible spoiler if the prediction right
that acryilic is pregnant. well 90% sure she is anyway
5375351
Twilight sorta revealed that in the last chapter
Trixy and Glitter, now there's a show
hoping to hear more from them.
Ah, I was going to say. I was wondering when the kids in the cover would come in.
5381124 hey i don't pick up on things easiler unless they are grammar mistakes
Acrylic is pregnant. I knew that from the first time Twilight's spell lingered on her stomach