The Past Always Catches Up.
What the hell is going on? Trixie is a shoe-in for Princess, right? Right!?
Nervously, Trixie paced in a meandering circle at the quarry, kicking stones out of her way as she came across them. Keeping up her 'good' attitude around the school stressed her out badly enough without the dark mood everyone was now in. The closer the Spring Fling came, the worse things at Canterlot High seemed to be getting. The worse things at Canterlot High seemed to be getting, the more Trixie found herself venting her frustrations out here, alone. Well, alone enough. If Maud was out here when Trixie was, there might be a little interaction between them. But for the most part, they left each other alone.
The latest reason Trixie had for coming out here was finding out that Snips and Snails were now following Sunset around. She had lost others before this, but hadn't expected to lose them. They had seemed to love her shows so much.
Or was that a lie too? Why is everyone Trixie spent all this time impressing leaving her?
Well, they weren't 'leaving' her. If only it was that simple. Yes, they spent less time with her, and they seemed...different around her now. But, none of them had truly broken off contact. They all just seemed so nervous lately. Like they were hiding something from her. And it was driving her crazy! The only thing that kept her together was that everyone Trixie asked assured her that they had voted for her for Princess of the Spring Fling. If they were telling the truth, then Trixie had won by a landslide. If so, then next week would be the pivotal moment of her entire existence up to this point.
Yet she couldn't shake off the feeling of dread. Not with how off everyone was acting. It was like the entire school body was in on something and Trixie had missed the text about it.
Trixie was taken out of her gloomy thoughts by the sound of a chisel hitting stone. She rolled her eyes and looked up the ridge to where the likely culprit was. With nothing better to do, she made her way around the small boxed canyon she had more or less claimed as her own and went up the ridge overlooking it.
Along the way, she passed multiple different stones of various sizes carved into squares. For some reason that was the easiest starting point for sculpting. Or so Maud claimed. However, as she made her way up the ridge, the carvings changed dramatically. Many of them were simply various shapes like triangles and hexagons, but there were a few stand outs like a heart, and a strange, yet well done, palm-sized stone horse.
The sound of the chisel rang louder as Trixie approached, and stopped all together once she was just a few yards away.
"...Hello..."
Maud didn't stand up from her place on the ground. In front of her was the stump of a tree with a rock resting on top of it. She had her chisel and hammer in hand, though she placed them down beside her as she looked lethargically over her shoulder at Trixie.
Ignoring the look, Trixie walked up behind Maud and peered over her shoulder. "So...what's it today?"
"...A rock..."
Trixie sighed. "Trixie knows what it is, Maud. She-"
"-Then why did you ask...?"
"Don't interrupt me!"
Trixie glared down at Maud. Maud, for her part, looked up at Trixie unimpressed. She barely suppressed the growl that threatened to come out of her as she walked around Maud and kicked the stump to empathize her point.
"Look, Maud. I won't expect you to get it. Heck, I somehow doubt you've ever aspired to anything beyond this dung hill of a quarry you come to all the time, but-"
"-You come here too..."
"I said don't interrupt me! Just why do you keep doing that anyways? No one in school besides Pinkie gets more than two words out of you, yet I show up, and you can't help but keep cutting me off!?"
Trixie waited for a few seconds, her foot still against where she last kicked the stump. When no further comments seemed forthcoming from Maud, she continued with her rant.
"Do you really think I'd come here if there was anywhere else? You're the only other person from school I've seen out here so it's the safest place to screaaaa-get some alone time. Trixie is NOT here because she wants to be, you know. She has tons of friends at school she'd rather be with than out here in the boonies with you."
Trixie wanted to think Maud was annoyed, but it was impossible to tell. Still, she was sure some emotion was behind Maud's next words.
"...You're doing it again..."
Yes. Maud's eyes narrowed a little when she was speaking this time, Trixie was sure of it.
"Hmph, it?" Trixie sat down on the stump, carelessly knocking the stone off of it. "And just what 'it' is Trixie doing?"
As calm and careful as always, Maud stood up. Then, she grabbed Trixie by the waist. Naturally, Trixie acted as calm and in control as she always was.
"Get your hands off me you, you rock carving freak! Just what do you thin-eeep!"
Maud picked Trixie up like she was nothing, then, gently, deposited her on the ground in a similar manner. Once done, Maud picked up her stone, and placed it back on the stump.
"...You were pretending again..."
She then sat back down in front of the stump and dully looked at Trixie, who was currently shooting her an angry look.
"Just who do you think you are? Tossing Trixie around like some rag doll, it's no wonder you're always out here alone."
"...I'm not alone..."
Trixie harrumphed and turned around, leaning her back against the stump as Maud picked up her chisel and started to work again.
After a few minutes, Trixie spoke up. "I'm not pretending..."
"...Sounds like you are..."
"What? When I-when Trixie speaks like this? Did you ever think that maybe this is how she wants to speak? She doesn't complain about the way you speak."
"...You didn't always speak like that...not really..."
"And how would you know?" Trixie glared at Maud suspiciously. "You're not digging through my past, are you?"
"...No, I just know..."
Trixie just continued to glare at her for another minute before giving up.
"...You asked what I was making this stone into..."
"...Right...?"
"...This stone is a great example of a felsic intrusive igneous rock. It is made up of twenty, maybe thirty percent quartz, and about fifty percent alkali feldspar."
Trixie just stared at Maud confusedly. Maud continued, undeterred.
"...I'm not making this granite into anything it isn't already... unless I really want to, which I don't."
"...What?"
"W-well, it usually involves a hydraulic press...a vacuum..a-"
Trixie looked at her blankly. The sound of the chisel against the stone became louder.
"I meant... this granite will always be granite. Regardless of how I shape it..."
"Wait, is this one of those stupid 'can I use the bathroom' 'I assume you can' things? Was this all a round about way of being sarcastic to Trixie?"
Less than a second later, Maud hit the stone a little too hard, causing it to crack and crumble into a pile of small rocks in front of Trixie. Maud gave out the smallest of sighs.
"...Sorry... I'm not as good at this as my sister... I was trying to say, that no matter how much you try to change who you are, you can't. Granite is granite... I just don't like you when you're pretending..."
"...hmph...well...you'd be the first then, outside of my parents, anyways. Still-" Trixie grabbed one of the small rocks from the pile, and placed it in her pocket. "I'll keep this as a small reminder of this...little bonding time of ours. She-I'll try not to be so...pretend around you, since you're keeping Trixie's secret from your sister. And sorry that I have to say this, but, I've spent close to half a year getting to this point, and I'm not going back to what I was."
Maud tilted her head slightly at Trixie. "What you were...?"
Trixie looked away nervously and stood up. "W-well, okay, so I am still me, like your whole granite is still granite thing. So I suppose it's more that I'm not going back to how others thought of me then? Y-yeah, that works. Anyways...Trixie has homework she needs to get done. She-er..I'll see you later, Maud."
The following week...
Well, this is it.
Trixie took a deep breath as she approached the double doors to the gym. She could hear the music blasting behind them, along with sharp flashes of light under the door. She hadn't chosen to be a few minutes late, but she needed to look perfect for this. That perfection had just taken a bit longer than she had expected. It wasn't due to anything stupid like nerves. Still, despite her lateness, Trixie found herself lingering a moment before the doors, and giving herself one last look over.
Her dress's red and purple colors shimmered in the light, assuring that she would catch the eye of anyone looking in her direction. Her makeup, the part that took her the longest, gave a light blush to her cheeks while her eyelashes were shiny, long, and alluring. At least, she thought they were alluring. Were they alluring?
Trixie had just taken out a make-up mirror to check when she felt an arm slither over her shoulders and give her a tight squeeze.
"Well, well, well. Look who decided to show up."
Trixie flailed for a few seconds in shock before realizing it was Sunset who had an arm around her. Much to Trixie's surprise, Sunset was dressed in a plain white dress along with some simple matching heels and a gold sash around her waist. With a flat look, Trixie calmly unwrapped herself from Sunset's grip and faced her 'rival'.
"Of course Trixie would show up, this is her night after all." She grinned. "Or would you rather she call it her coronation?"
Sunset rolled her eyes before placing her hand on Trixie's shoulder again. "Well, at least you look the part. Though it's such a shame. You dressed up so nice, yet you have no chance now, hun."
Trixie quirked an eyebrow at Sunset in disbelief. "You're still saying things like that? Trixie actually wasn't sure if you would show up at all. Especially not with something so...simple on. Isn't a princess suppose to be dressed up for a coronation, not down?"
The grip on Trixie's arm tightened a little. Sunset smiled, though it was a bit crooked, like the smile of someone about to snap. "I'll work harder on the dress next year. You're right though, I just didn't quite have the time to find what I deserved to be wearing for this. I had so many students to talk to and find out more about that the dress almost slipped my mind."
"...Whatever, could you please step aside? You're in the way of Trixie's grand entrance."
Sunset's expression changed, though Trixie couldn't quite understand what the new look was. It came off to her as a look of pity, or maybe, regret? The grip on Trixie's shoulder loosened as Sunset almost whispered. "Are you really sure you want to do this? It's not too late to get out of my way, you know."
It was Trixie's turn to smile while shaking her head. "Trixie's already won, Sunset. You're not going to stop her. Trixie's friends have told her nothing significant about you, meaning you're hardly known in the school. Why would Trixie drop out when success is guaranteed?"
Sunset looked Trixie over carefully. "...You're not too good at the whole friends thing, are you?"
"What are you talking about?"
Sunset shook her head. "You didn't add up at all to me until I had Snips and Snails do some digging. Now though? It's no wonder you still think of everyone here as your friends." She chuckled again. "Really, you're as cut out for this friendship crap as I am. So-"
With that, Sunset shoved Trixie against the door, causing her to gasp at the impact. She quickly found Sunset's elbow pressed against her chest. With a sinister smirk, she continued. "I'm going to be nice, one last time. Back. Off. I get why you want this, even if your reasons are more...simple than mine, I get it. Just go home, and, tartarus, maybe I'll even throw you a bone in a few days. You're resourceful enough, and it's not like Snips and Snails aren't replaceable."
Trixie glared as she placed both arms on top of the one against her chest. "Get off. Trixie plays second fiddle to no one! You wanted this so bad? What a load of bull! Trixie put in the time and effort. She never saw YOU burning your free time tutoring. Did you spend WEEKS organizing a club that couldn't take care of itself?! No? Well, Trixie did! Trixie also never saw YOU helping to pass out fliers for that traitorous canary girl or saw you helping her idiotic friends!" She shoved Sunset's arm away, forcing her to take a few steps back. Trixie took a step forward and pointed at Sunset. "Have you even SEEN how others are around you, Sunset? Even mentioning your name causes them to turn rigid. You, Princess of the Spring Fling? With how you treat others? With how they almost tremble at hearing your name whenever Trixie mentions it!? Don't make her laugh! You're not cut out to be the princess of anything!"
Sunset's anger was blindingly obvious now, and Trixie could see the effort she was making to not let it completely cover her face. Trixie heard Sunset take a deep breath or two, before slipping a hand into one of her dress pockets. "Before you go in, I think you should have a look at thi—"
"-Well excuse me, Princess, but Trixie doesn't have to do anything! Or, is that a royal order, Miss nobody?"
Trixie caught her breath in the silence that followed between the two of them. Once again, she saw that strange, forlorn look in Sunset's eyes one last time before it disappeared under an angry glare. Sunset's teeth clenched together as she placed her palm on Trixie's chest and swiftly pushed her through the doors with enough force to knock her to the floor.
"Enjoy the dance."
Sunset closed the doors behind her and walked off, leaving Trixie to pick herself off the floor and assure those near her that she was fine.
So much for Trixie's grand entrance She lamented. She'll just have to make up for it at the finale of the night.
With what just happened, Trixie hoped she'd only have to see Sunset's face one more time. And, with any luck, it'd be right before Sunset stormed off after Trixie won.
"And now, we'd like to announce the Princess of the Spring Fling! Would Sunset Shimmer and Trixie Lulamoon please make their way to the stage!?"
The applause. It was glorious. Trixie had to pinch her own side while gracefully walking to the stage to remind herself that it wasn't just a fantasy. The only thing that would have made it better, was if Sunset's name hadn't been included. Still, she only had to share the audience with her for a few more minutes, then, it'd all be Trixie's.
The lights were dimmed throughout the room so all focus could be set towards the stage, where Sunset and Trixie stood on opposite sides. Surprisingly, the announcer was another student, and not Principal Celestia, or Vice Principal Luna. While she thought it was odd, Trixie's curiosity was quickly extinguished as the announcer spoke again.
"While both contestants did their best to earn this, only one can be crowned Princess of the Spring Fling. Trixie Lulamoon, a name everyone here knows for the countless times she's helped others. And Sunset Shimmer...w-well, what really needs to be said about her, r-right?"
Trixie had to hold back a ill-timed snort at that. Poor Sunset. You never had a chance against Trixie.
"So, without further ado, let me introduce you to the new Princess of the Spring Fling...TRIXIE LULAMOON!"
The cheering was all for Trixie this time. A victorious smile lit up her face as several tears ran down her cheeks. Trixie walked towards the announcer who was holding the crown. Her crown. She had done it, she was popular.
A brief bow of her head, and Trixie felt the crown's weight on top of her. The announcer gave Trixie a smile, though, frowned when she saw Trixie's tears of joy. She looked briefly over to Sunset Shimmer again, before handing Trixie the microphone, and walking behind the stage.
Trixie wiped her eyes before fully turning to face the crowd. The cheering had died down, but, Trixie knew it was because they were waiting on her words. It was a respectful silence honoring her. Inwardly, she reveled in it. In the attention. Outwardly, she smiled and brought the microphone close to her lips.
"Thank you. Thank all of you. Trixie never imagined this would happen. She-"
Trixie continued her speech, but the corner of her eye caught Sunset shimmer still on stage. An almost malevolent smirk was on her face as she watched Trixie. Still, all she did was stare, so Trixie tuned her out and concentrated on the speech she had prepared weeks ago.
"Trixie remembers first coming here, how warm and welcoming everyone was-"
From out of the audience, a snicker or two were heard.
"While she knows things have been tense around here, Trixie promises that-"
A small dim of laughter started up around Trixie. Growing, and growing as she continued her speech, until, all she could do was stare confusedly out at the black shapes that were her fellow classmates.
"U-um...hehe...I-is something on Trixie's face, or-"
"Trixie."
Sunset Shimmer's loud, booming voice caused Trixie to look over to where Sunset was standing. Sunset had gotten a microphone from somewhere and was still giving Trixie that same dark look from earlier. Slowly, Sunset's hand rose in front of her, and pointed to something behind Trixie.
"We all think that it's about time you stopped faking."
As if in a trance, Trixie's body slowly turned around to see what Sunset was pointing at. Trixie's pupils shrunk in on themselves while she slowly shook her head in denial at what Sunset had set up.
Three large, white canvases were against the stages wall, having been invisible until someone had moved the curtain, most likely while Trixie was distracted with her speech. the two canvases on the sides were showing...pictures. Horrible, horrible pictures. Each one stayed on the board for around ten seconds, before flashing to the next.
Flick
There was Trixie, at her old school. She had been late that day, and grabbed whatever she found on the floor. It hadn't mattered at the time to her, but oh, how it mattered now. Grease stains from wiping her hands on her shirt while eating pizza the night before were everywhere. Her hair was frizzy, her eyes, red. And above all, she was alone at her table. Like always.
Flick
She was lazing on a bench outside of the school. She had fallen asleep that day while looking over a magazine. Around her were several empty boxes of crackers, the crumbs visible all over her and the surrounding area. Several pigeons were having a field day pecking at the crumbs on her legs while she slept on.
Flick
Two boys held her upside down above a toilet while several girls seemed to be laughing. Her head wasn't visible, as she was in the middle of being dunked. Her hands were clutching at her skirt, trying to keep herself covered.
Stop it.
Flick. Flick. Flick.
Stop it!
She never understood fully why she was the butt of her last school, but she had learned what that meant very quickly. Every picture being thrown up on the screens were from her first year of middle school, before she learned what it meant to be paranoid. Before she learned that every smile was fake, every offer of friendship was another trap to humiliate her, and that every teacher really couldn't care less what happened to her.
"This, my fellow students, is the REAL Trixie Lulamoon."
If the pictures weren't enough, the middle screen caused her to seize up and nearly have a panic attack. A video was displaying the worst incidents to occur when she had shown off her talents at stage magic. The time students at her old school had come to mock her, even though the show was outside of school. The one where she had literally broken down and wet herself while on stage appeared. The time when she had accidentally caught herself on fire and ran around the stage screaming her head off before someone doused her in water.
"Look closely at the pictures now." Sunset continued, a almost playful lilt in her voice. "Has anyone here seen Trixie wearing any of those outfits before? Isn't it strange to see how different she acts when not on the stage in these videos? No, it's not. At least, when you realize the truth about her. She's been lying. To me, and to you, for months."
Trixie was taking out of her catatonic state by a sharp push, causing her to fall over on the stage. She barely had time to understand what was happening before the crown was taking off of her head by Sunset.
"Do we really want a lying little joke like this as our princess!?"
She knew she was surrounded by laughter, yet, she could hardly hear it as her blurred vision narrowed to Sunset placing the crown on her own head. Her brain sluggishly tried to process while Sunset posed for photo's, an almost tranquil and innocent look about her during them. Each bright flash of a camera snapped Trixie's mind back to another memory of her old school.
She could feel something wet trickling down her leg.
"Enough!"
The flashes stopped. The world was just a blur of color to Trixie now. A reddish-orange object approached her.
"Aww, it seems like I broke her. Well, I'll just skip to the last part then. No sense in playing with a dead mouse. Snips! Snails!"
Seconds later, something wet covered Trixie's sight. Chunks of something dripped down her head. But, while her eyes and ears were out, Trixie's sense of smell decided to take over. She was assaulted with a smell she knew well, but hadn't indulged in for months.
Graham crackers. She was covered in graham crackers soaked in milk.
The cold, clammy, sticky substance brought Trixie out of her paralysis.
I have to get out of here.
Sunset was laughing right in front of her.
I Have to get out of here!
Sunset was blocking her escape.
I HAVE TO GET OUT OF HERE!!!
Sunset needed to be moved.
With an almost animalistic scream, Trixie lunged at Sunset, tackling her to the ground. The end result was making both girls covered in milk, crackers, and a slightly acidic smell. Sunset had just come out of the shock of being tackled when Trixie grabbed her side and pushed her off of the stage, and out of her way.
She ran out the closest exit to the sounds of laughter, and the yells of a very angry Sunset Shimmer.
Why? Why? Why! WHY!?
Trixie had collapsed just outside the school, her mind trying to make sense of what had just happened. Or deny it. She needed time, she needed to hide, to cry, to stop the swirling void her mind had become after what she had just went through.
She wasn't going to get it.
"You stupid little bitch!"
A kick to her side caused Trixie to cry out and press herself against the building.
"You couldn't just run off crying, could you!? You just HAD to do one last stupid little stunt."
Another kick slammed into her chest.
"I'm supposed to be on stage right now, basking! Thanks to you I'm 'freshening up'! Months of work and I don't even get to enjoy it! But I'll enjoy this!"
Trixie felt Sunset grip the front of her dress and pull Trixie up, forcing her to stand and look at Sunset. So little emotion was left in Trixie, she was numb to the reality of what her life had become.
Ruined...My entire School life is ruined...again...
"Idiots like you don't know when to give up and bow out. Just don't know when to just give me what I want and step out of the way!"
Ruined by this girl. This, this wretched little-
"L-let me go!"
Sunset laughed, inches away from Trixie's face. "Or what, your highness? It's over, you stupid, spoiled brat! If I-"
Trixie did what she had been doing for the last six months. Nothing was left anyways.
"Y-you're the spoiled brat!"
Nothing but to let go and play her role out to the finish. She shouted at Sunset, despite barely being able to see through her tears.
"P-princess!? No one in their right mind would ever mistake someone like you for a princess! You're a monster! You don't deserve it, and you never will! You-"
Trixie's rant came to an end when Sunset slammed her fist into Trixie's face, causing her to hit against the wall again and fall to the ground. Almost casually, Sunset started hitting any part she could reach while Trixie squirmed.
"Deserve it!? What would you know!? I spent YEARS wasting my time with her! Listening to her talk about being worthy of my position! I deserved it, and she was just afraid of me! Afraid of how much BETTER I was! If that-"
Trixie hurt. Everything hurt. She could feel blood trickling down her nose. Adrenaline rushed through her, giving her the energy to make one last mad gamble. When Sunset came at her again, Trixie grabbed her arm and pushed her back, causing Sunset to stumble a bit and need to back pedal to stay upright.
"Stay away from me!"
Trixie felt for anything she could defend herself with. Feeling a hard lump in the pocket of her dress, Trixie pulled out a stone and threw it directly into Sunset's face.
"AAH!"
The stone left a nasty gash along Sunset's left cheek before clattering to the ground nearby. For a few seconds, all that could be heard was Trixie alternating between sobbing and panting for breath. Sunset rubbed her cheek, and saw blood smeared over her fingertips.
"Oh...I am SO going to make you regret that!"
Stumbling to her feet, Trixie did her best to glare at Sunset, to look intimidating. Still, the words that came out of her mouth seemed more of a whimper, even to herself. "W-well, c-c'mon then! T-Trixie has more than e-enough boulders to keep going!"
Sunset raised her fist, and brought it down. Trixie had tightly closed her eyes, waiting for the inevitable pain. But, seconds later, no pain came. No impact left yet another bad bruise she'd have to explain to her parents later.
"Grrr, Let go of me!"
The distress in Sunset's voice caused Trixie to carefully open her eyes. Sunset's fist was still raised to strike, but someone else's hand was holding her wrist, preventing it from coming down.
"M-Maud...?"
Trixie didn't understand it, but Maud was there, in front of Trixie, dressed as she always was, and holding Sunset's wrist. She gave a brief look over her shoulder at Trixie, before turning back to a flailing Sunset.
"...Leave..."
Sunset growled and used her other hand to bust open Maud's lip. "Let go of my arm!"
"...No..."
Sunset gave a pained cry as Maud's grip tightened. She began kicking and hitting Maud more frantically, which Maud continued to ignore as she applied more and more force to Sunset's wrist.
After less than a minute of this, Maud looked almost as battered as Trixie, minus the various fluids covering her. Sunset had stopped hitting Maud though, and was hanging in the air by the arm Maud continued to hold and screaming.
"...Leave..."
"OKAY! OKAY! I'LL GO! JUST LET GO OF MY ARM!"
Maud let go, causing Sunset to crumple to the ground, clutching at her bruised appendage. Maud continued to stare at her, until Sunset managed to pick herself up off the ground. With a snarl at the two of them, she slowly limped back into the school.
"W-what..."
Maud turned around, facing Trixie, who was still crumpled up against the wall of the school.
"W-what are you doing here...?"
"...I followed you..."
"B-but..." Trixie slowly stood up, wincing in pain. "W-what happened to the teacher...the principal...w-why isn't anyone-"
"-I don't know..."
"...Y-you're always i-interrupting me..."
It's the same as the last school. The teacher's looked away while Sunset did...this. No...It's worse...
This time she thought she could win.
"I-idiot.."
Trixie dropped back down to her knees in front of Maud.
"L-look at you...y-you're as bad off as me now...a-and for what? N-nothing."
"...I don't think that..."
Trixie sniffled as Maud put a hand on top of her milk covered head.
"...You're not nothing..."
Slowly, carefully, Trixie wrapped her arms around Maud's legs. Once she had her head pressed against Maud's knees, she let it all out, crying while Maud calmly stood there with a hand on her head.
Twenty minutes later...
"For the last time, Trixie will be fine!"
Maud gave a doubtful look at Trixie, but she was pretty sure that she missed it. Maud never had luck conveying what she thought with just an expression. Outside of her family, at least.
"Look...thank you for the...help...but, Tr...I can make my own way home...I-I need to end tonight with some shred of dignity left...even if it is just being able to walk home on my own..."
Trixie pointed down at the stains on Maud's legs. "Besides, you smell as bad as Trixie does. you should go home and clean up too. I'll be fine...really..."
Trixie then turned towards the gates and started limping away before Maud could reply.
Maud was... frustrated. She was never good at thinking through what to do in situations like this. She often followed her first reaction, if something even seemed worth reacting to. Most things in her life so far hadn't.
However, what happened tonight, to Trixie, had deserved one. Maud had intentionally hurt someone. She didn't break Sunset's arm, but, she had wanted to. A part of her still did. She hated that part of herself.
But, after what she saw happen to Trixie, she hated Sunset even more.
There was nothing else she could do to help tonight, though. Well, besides quietly make sure Trixie made it home safely.
She just had to pick someone up first.
"...Hello..."
Looking down, Maud stared at the small granite stone Trixie had thrown at Sunset. She thought back to the last time she was in the quarry with Trixie. How the large chunk of granite had broken, leaving nothing but a pile of small stones behind. Most of them were probably still together in the rock quarry, but this one was far off on its own now.
T-Trixie has more than e-enough boulders to keep going!"
A boulder is what Trixie had called it. A grand and overblown name for a little rock like this one. Still, this stone had sailed through the air, and had done it's best to act like it was bigger than it was. Had thrown itself against something it never had a chance to take down.
And now it was here on the ground, alone and uncared for. Gently, Maud picked up the little stone.
"Let's go, Boulder. We need to catch up..."
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Well, saw that coming, but it still hurts to see.
It's a small wonder anyone at the school ever forgave Sunset. We only caught a few glimpses of her vicious streak in the movie, but you got the sense that she really dug herself deep.
Heh. Interesting origin story for Boulder.
Ah, Trixie. Always so close to hitting it big, but bigger fish always seem to swim by. Maybe someday you'll get your chance.
Nice one!
Will there be sequel?
Maybe taking place after the first movie? I like to see Trixie confront Celestia on how she let Sunset get away with all this see what her reason was.
Think be neat Story Sunset having to face Trixie and Maude with her, sure Sunset be terrified but still want to apologize for what she did, what ever Trixie forgives her or snaps at her maybe yells at her.
7141519 Yeah, we are two movies in from her defeat, and people still don't like her despite helping them out on several occasions. I can't imagine how much she had to orchestrate to turn everyone on one another until they just stuck to a small set of cliques like they did. Easy to rule when everyone is divided and afraid.
7141775 This is an ongoing series of small stories I plan to do. Maud's Boulder Holder is the 4th one in this timeline, but I am not linking it to this one until it makes a bit more sense to. The next one will still be before the first movie, the third one will be set immediately after it.
Gotta admit, I don't really have plans on Trixie and Sunset ever making up. At least, at the moment. I do have them meeting up a few times *despite not planning to complete the entire series till near the end of the year, I have the rough background of each story completely done. By rough, I mean about 800-1k in details for each story.* but it's hard to me to think of Trixie as a very forgiven person. I think it'll be entertaining, at least.
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Thank you! You can only imagine how many times I had to reword that sentence to be happy with it and what it was meant to imply.
As for Rarity, well, yeah. I suppose she was thinking it could just be a friendly competition between the two of them. She really did think Trixie should try though, and she did think that Trixie had a chance. But, it was a dick move on her part.
Woah.. Cant wait for your next story in this series of yours. Also I agree that after all of this, things would never really be cool between these two. I mean, Trixie got a big ego and all.
I really hope that you put in some bits about Trixie's follower in the 2nd movie, Fuchsia Blush and Lavender Lace. I have soft spot for background characters, haha
I like how you extrapolated early Sunset from what she was like in EG1, flies off the handle with some regularity, nasty when (she thinks) wronged, ruthless and cunning, but not without a degree of sympathy and willingness to give perceived rivals a way out.
And I also agree from the movies that obviously Trixie hadn't forgiven Sunset as of Rainbow Rocks, or the Anon-a-miss incident if we take comic canon.
I do want to quibble a bit about Sunset's physicality though I guess you did show how physically dominant she was over Trixie, and at least Pony Maud was shown to be stronger than Dash. EG (and MLP for that matter) isn't terribly consistent when it comes to physical strength.
A potential problem I see is how Sunset would have reacted to Maud's intervention. There are two long years of revenge and I don't see her just letting it go... and yet in canon at least neither Maud nor Pinkie showed any lasting animosity towards Sunset - hard to conceive if Sunset took revenge.
Oh and lastly I suppose you are playing with the continuity a bit as it is heavily implied that Sunset humiliated Rarity in the last Spring Fling, not the first one she was in. Though of course that is not a direct conflict.
And Celestia apparently slept through all this. Go Tia!
So that's why Boulder doesn't trust Sunset. I wonder how many even remember that she used to act like this.
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I am planning to have them mentioned here and there, though not in great detail. I kind of feel bad for those two funny enough, they are named after the color of their skin. That was always weird to me.
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It wasn't too hard thankfully to make the villain Sunset, just re-watch the first movie and forget everything else that came afterwards. It's just been so long, and she wasn't a villain for long in the fandom. Still, the hints that she has been ruling the school for years leaves a lot of wiggle room to wonder what happened.
As for the comics, I don't really read them most of the time. And those I do, I don't consider canon at all. They are amusing at times, but, it's not the same writers that do the show, and most of the comic book writers rehash old movies and memes it seems which annoys me. Shining and Cadence's relationship boiled down to a new version of Revenge of the Nerds!? Celestia is in love with a Bizarro Sombra from another dimension!? That's not even going into the age difference the comics establish between Twilight and Sunset. Sunset is, at least, five or more years older than Twilight according to what you see in them. Bah I say, bah!
Huh, you think she could have taken out Maud? She never seemed that strong physically to me. And yes, we haven't seen the EQG Maud do any feats of strength, but I worked with what knowledge I had, that of the MLP Maud. Pinkie's weird powers seem to cross over, so I kind of assumed Maud's probably did too.
I guess that depends on how much Sunset thinks revenge is worth it. She has what she wanted, she's just a bit more bruised and battered than she expected to be. Plus, in the end, it comes down to what you want to write, and I'm more doing this around Maud and Trixie's relationship, not Sunset's. So Sunset will be here and there, but that's probably about it after this until later stories.
Not exactly, she broke up Rarity's group and that took her out of the running this Spring Fling, there is nothing to say that Rarity doesn't try to run again next year.
I assure you, that if Principal Celestia had a trusted and faithful student, she would have immediately delegated things like the Spring Fling to them. But, she doesn't, so her hands are tied.
7143029
Heh, the joys of continuity. I knew the backstory to why 'Boulder' doesn't like Sunset before writing that story. I kind of think people remember that Sunset, you just have to rewatch the first movie, but, they don't give her much thought since she is, for all tense and purposes, dead and gone.
7143324
Indeed, but I think you got the balance between a mean girl, a queen bee, a magical unicorn from a land of sunshine and rainbows and a lost, lonely girl in an utterly alien world down pat, it's honestly the best 'evil Sunset' I have seen. Most stories tends to exaggerate her remorse or malice and basically see what they want to see instead of what we were actually shown.
Hellfire, Sunset's arcs in the comics are actually some of the less problematic stuff they put in... I only mentioned it because Trixie certainly showed animosity to Sunset both in EG and in the (dubiously) canon comics - which segues quite nicely with your history for them, and the characters of Trixie and Sunset (Trixie obviously couldn't wait to stick her knife in and twist a bit with that 'fit of jealous rage' comment in RR)
Weeeeell, I don't know about TAKING Maud... we haven't seen any feats from human Maud but Pony Maud was ludicrously strong, easily outperforming Rainbow Dash, but that's the crux of the problem, pony physics is all over the dashed place and utterly inconsistent. One episode Fluttershy is outflying Dash, another episode she nearly collapsed from a saddlebag with a few big books... And RARITY of all ponies actually showed some of the most impressive feats of strength both in EG (she pulled herself up a ledge. One-handed. While carrying two other students. I can't do that on a good day and I am no weakling) and in MLP (Tom). And let's not go into pegasus flight's implied requirements in wingpower and structural strength.
That said, there are some circumstantial evidence that Sunset is quite physical - she swung a sledgehammer which by eyeball looks to be a 20lber around; she won a game of keep-away when badly outnumbered 7 to 3 (with AJ and Rainbow on the other side no less); she pushed Applejack around (AJ was shown to be strong AND she was getting visibly incensed, but if Sunset was at all worried she didn't show it) in the presence of Big Mac; her performance in the Friendship Games - it's almost all circumstantial (except the sledgehammer bit, but this IS MLP animation we are talking about here) but it seems to suggest a degree of physical ability and confidence.
I don't really have a problem with extrapolated human-Maud (esp. one with quarrying and stone sculpting as a habit) being stronger, but the way it was shown, she was not just stronger but completely dominant, I mean it is NOT easy keeping a grip on somebody like that while standing still and letting them do what they like, leverage works badly against you here. Ever tried keeping a hold of a child by gripping a wrist? Yeah. Of course, Maud could be using pain compliance techniques, but to do that with a mere grip, and on an arm no less...
She got beaned in the face with a rock, and apparently nearly had her arm broken, from a former-rival and really strong girl who is Pinkie's sister teamed up, it's not a threat she can afford to ignore, if she did end up intimidating the entire school into compliance. And this is to say nothing of her temper... I agree of course that it is absolutely not the story you want to tell here, but speaking strictly from an objective stance point it seems fairly inevitable. If the defeat wasn't so humiliating maybe it won't come to that. Maybe if the struggle was shorter, or maybe if Sunset sucker-punched Maud and then walk away. Or maybe some sort of stand off and then Pinkie came looking for Maud, and Sunset can't really afford to be seen getting into a brawl... Anyway, I won't presume to suggest any further, it's just a fairly irrelevant point, after all, as you say, it's not Sunset's story.
Sure, that's why I said 'played with'. I am sure I wasn't the only reader who came in expecting that Trixie is the humiliated girl who was the subject of Fluttershy's 'just ask the girl who ran against her for Princess of the Spring Fling' comment, but of course you are also write to say that since Sunset was in TWO Spring Flings there could be another one. Poor Rarity, they get you coming and going.
Princess Celestia's apparent indolence is easy to rationalise away - she IS the monarch and has to move a giant (size uncertain but substantial) celestial body around... Principal Celestia not so much, the lazy cake-eating... wait.
We haven't SEEN Principal Celestia eat cake have we?
That explains everything.
Anyway, keep up the good way, I look forward to other installment in the series with abated breath. So if you don't want me to asphyxiate...
7143701
Okay, for the strength thing, I can see some potential issues. Heck, Season one puts Fluttershy's strength all over the place. First, she claims to never carry anything around heavier than a bunny. A few episodes later, we see her flying through the sky with a CART filled with frogs strapped to her back!
I suppose I should have had Maud mention being in pain when it turned to her perspective, and not that she just shrugged off what Sunset did to her. Or make it a bit less one-sided than it was. The whole thing between Maud and Sunset is from Trixie's pov, so things can be missed. Since Maud grabbed Sunset's wrist, there is a good chance she took advantage of the pressure point you have there. New body, new world, new level of pain she's not familiar with. I can make that argument for why Sunset folded so easily, but, it wasn't in my mind when I did the scene. I just figured "pony Maud eats rocks, and can break them with her hoof, I can't imagine the force she could apply to someone's arm if she wanted to.".
I suppose if I can work something in next story to show Sunset at least making sure Trixie or Maud aren't really going to cause her any trouble now I should. So long as it doesn't mess up what I am trying to write, which I don't think it will. I'll keep it in mind for next story.
The goal is sometime late next month, sooo...it won't be an excessive amount of time, but, if you have in fact died due to lack of air by then, thank you for the great comments up till now. You will be missed.
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One thing about Maud's feats of strength: They're all with rocks. This is a weird thing to get hung up on, but considering the nature of Cutie Marks, I have to wonder if she actually would have had more trouble with equal amounts of weight made of a different material. Her power is obviously partly magical rather than raw physical ability (no amount of exercise makes your teeth strong enough to chew rocks). I was still okay with her dominating Sunset in a contest of raw strength, though.
I don't consider the comics canon, either, and it's probably best. However, I'll argue this point:
Sunset has to be at least four years older than Twilight for the timeline of their mentorships under Celestia to work out at all. Probably older. Otherwise they would have met in Equestria. Twilight appearing the same age when she comes out the portal and any discrepancies in matching this with the amount of time Sunset spent in the human world can simply be attributed to dimensional shenanigans, like the kids from Narnia returning to find that not only has no time passed but they revert to their younger selves upon arrival in their home universe, despite spending decades in another and growing up there. Of course, if 'time passing at different rates in different universes' applies, Sunset might have been born five or more years before Twilight but actually only have aged the same amount.
7147559
While this is a interesting point, I shall point out one minor flaw in it: Pinkie Pie. In the season Finale with the time travel that showed us Sombra attacking Equestria, we see both Pinkie and Maud smash through a rock about to fall on Dash in mid air. If Maud's strength is only based on her cutie mark's involvement with rocks, then why is Pinkie, who still has the party balloon cutie mark, able to smash them just as well as Maud? This would indicate it's either a pie family thing, or that Pinkie in this alternate world, also went through whatever Maud did/does to become really, really strong. Although, it is PINKIE, so, sense is not really a fruitful thing to talk about when involving her.
Happy to hear that, and yeah, I think at least part of her strength is magic based, which makes the whole 'Equestria magic now coming through the portal' thing interesting. But, I do not intend to have EQG Maud actually chew up a rock, though that would be damn intimidating.
Yep, I'm always okay with this, her body is just younger in the EQG world maybe, or she just naturally looks young, who knows? Never been too concerned about Sunset being older than Twilight, it's just something that I feel a lot of people do not think about when writing her. That is an interesting theory though, Sunset, after 20 yrs in the EQG universe, goes back to Equestria, and is twenty years younger there.
FINALLY! I put of reading this story because I knew it would make me feel bad, but I'm glad I finally buckled.
I want to start by saying I really liked this story even though it went less well than expected. I want to follow that by saying I disagree with Maud's opinion on changing and how people are. It's not a bad thing to try to change, as I expressed in my previous comment, and pretending is as good a first step as any. That said, Trixie was lacking in perspective anyways. She'll regret how she crumpled under pressure. Some poise and quick thinking and she could have made a big speech about how far she has come (I know that would have been impossible in her current state, given that she hadn't gotten to accept and understand who she was, and Sunset hit low).
Snips and Snails were pretty cruel in this, possibly more so than Sunset. It's one thing to humiliate an enemy, but Trixie was something of a friend. And they went FAR beyond passive involvement. I might find it harder to forgive them than Sunset.
Speaking of, I thought it was interesting how Sunset kept trying to get Trixie to back off. Obviously she has control issues and yadda yadda, but I feel like, based on their interactions, that if they hadn't been direct rivals Sunset might have tried to be friendly. Maybe not buddies, but there was respect in those conversations. That said, I'm sure Sunset only got more out of control from there. Just kinda funny that I could see Sunset reaching out in a way before nosediving. Or sad. Nobody really won here. Just some unhappy girls humiliating each other.
Anyway, I'm going to go reread Boulder Holder and see if I can't understand it a little deeper. At least I'll see a happier Trixie!
7184689
Glad to see you enjoyed it. Kinda. If it helps any, the first part of the sequel is going to be out early tomorrow, so you'll get to see the aftermath of this story.
Agreed, Maud was just not happy with the way Trixie was acting, but, Maud is kind of down to earth, and doesn't quite understand the point in changing yourself. At least that's what I go with with her. She accepts all her sister's the way they are, she doesn't yell at Pinkie for her differences. Admittedly, that line of thought also isn't fully correct.
Yeah, they were both working towards a goal that clashed with one another. Sunset wasn't friendly, but she could respect what Trixie was trying to pull off, especially after seeing what her past was like at the last school. Sadly, Trixie wasn't going to be second fiddle, and was unaware of what was in store for her, and Sunset was not going to let herself be pushed aside either.
Sunset would have been fine with Trixie as her minion, I wouldn't say accomplice, considering Sunset was thinking about a much bigger plan than Trixie had. Nor would Sunset at that time ever consider a magicless human her equal.
Yeah, you won't see a happier Trixie in this series for awhile yet. Prolly July if I stay on schedule.
7184981
Hey, also, I just didn't want you to misunderstand. I really like this story, and I'm good with sad or rough plots. I fully support that it's good for people to be knocked down so they can get back up (even though that's so hard to admit when you're the one teetering on the edge of embarrassing failure), I just feel so bad watching people get embarrassed... Especially when they can't see it coming. That isn't a failure of this story, I'm just a wuss.
I also see your point about Sunset. I dunno, I just want everyone to get along!
I'm looking forward to the next story! And despite everything I've said about embarrassment and failure, I can't wait for the next chapter of Griffin Kingdom. So maybe I'm just fickle.
Such is a reader's heart.
So TAHT"S where he came from! I was wondering about that! You sneaky dog hiding Boulder in plain sight so cleverly. Sunset what a bitch. Can't belive I missed this. Granted I've been studying for a while so I guess I was bound to miss a good fic here and there. Nicely done. Looking forward to the sequel you made.
I liked Sunset's attempts at talking Trixie out of things, it humanized her to an extent, even if she's horrible.
The main issue I can see is that Sunset's plan just wouldn't work. Not after Trixie was already declared the winner and walked up on stage. Certainly not with Sunset yelling instructions to Snips and Snails in plain sight of everyone, including whatever chaperones were present. They're not going to approve of a transfer of the crown to someone who ordered another student doused in milk in front of them. Even her fairly simplistic plans in the Equestria Girls movie had at least a modicum of deniability. Here Sunset's obviously orchestrating things openly. It would have made more sense to have plastered the Gym with those images before the dance. Then to have Snips and Snails dump stuff on Trixie before she was on-stage(but after she saw the pictures). Then after she runs off Sunset can win by default (can't be Prom Princess if you're not at the Prom). And that's just me trying to rework what you have here. It'd be even easier to just lock Trixie up somewhere (which would make Trixie's choice of tactics against the Rainbooms nicely ironic).
But if Sunset did this, all that would happen is she'd be suspended.
7194374 Well, you read the sequel, so that took care of the chaperone issue. I suppose I can consent that Sunset yelling to Snips and Snails instead of just making some sort of a signal is a bit over the top. Gives her away much more, even though this is more or less meant to be a demonstration of why you shouldn't cross her to the ones present.
As for plastering the place with Trixie's pics before hand, well, Trixie would probably have just left then and there. She'd be upset, but it wouldn't have been exactly as scarring as the way it goes down in this story. Upset, angry, and mentally stable enough to plan something against Sunset. Not ideal.
And having Snips and Snails dump it on Trixie before she got on stage wouldn't have worked much in a logical sense without the pictures or video clips. Sure, Trixie'd be upset, but it wouldn't exactly be run off and cry material all on its own. The pictures and video's were kind of key to starting the 'deer in the headlight's' scenario. Also not ideal.
Many things would have been easier, but, they wouldn't have messed with Trixie like they did. And having Trixie locked in a locker or something isn't quite as dramatic, I think. I mean, there is a ton of logic loopholes in EQG's involving Sunset, the school openly knows what she did at the Spring Fling in the movie. She openly assaults people in the movie as well, glaring at them and making them run away, claiming she can do whatever she wants in the school around other students,etc,etc. Plus the students at this school rally behind or turn against someone at the drop of a hat it seems.
It is partly why there was, at best, half the normal people at the Spring Fling. It is also why she worked it so that the half present were most under her control, or the most stressed due to friend problems so they'd enjoy the schadenfreude of what happens to Trixie as opposed to being horrified.
I'll go over the signal Sunset gives to Snips and Snails, but redoing the whole thing to be less traumatic, or dramatic, would kind of kill the point of it. This was meant to break Trixie, not cause her to lose by default or run away before Sunset fully got her point across to others not to get in her way.
This is a pretty good mini-series, hopefully it'll go on for a while.
Thankyou Trixie for introducing us.
*chuckle*
Ok, let's begin the rambling: So, first of all I want to say that this story is one of the greatest stories I've ever read that are about Trixie. Yours though, was best at describing her backstory, I would say it's kinda canonical to me. Secondly, I want to apologise to you, because I ignored your story the last few times I've seen the description. I've read your story because there was nothing left to read for me. I'm truly sorry for that. Though, I have a reason for my mistake, you don't have to forgive me for this. Most of the time I look at the upvote score, your story has less than a hundred, that's why I ignored it (I won't do that again, I learned my mistakes). The lack of upvotes is saddening to me, and it will remain a mystery to me, because your story is *ucking GREAT. Sorry...
Anyways, I really liked how you portrayed Trixie. Maud is awesome too ;D. Not to mention that backstory for 'Boulder'. Damn, it was so good I cried. Keep up the good work, man. Thumbs up
7929243
Quite happy to hear that, For each of the stories I watched the relevant movies over again and kept them on stand by to make sure I was following what happened in them. I prefer trying to keep this Mauxie series as something that could very well have happened in the background.
Ah, no problem, we all have our own arbitrary system of what we decide to read. I prefer a story to have 3-4 chapters out before I read it, that way I at least know the writer is probably going to finish it *not always the case, sadly*, and if a story is only one or two chapters and hasn't been updated in months, I drop it from my 'read later' list.
Well, Maud and Trixie are side characters, if this was a story about RD and Flutters, I'm sure I'd get a lot more looks. Plus, this series changes some of it's tags each story as over time it fluctuates between tragedy, comedy, and eventually, romance. So, other may not appreciate those jumps all in one series, maybe?
I am sad about the lack of interest in them, but I try for a chapter every three weeks, so I am not the most active of people. But what comments I get help me stay motivated and go to the next one.
7194886
But there is one flaw in the plan, one thing Sunset couldn't realistically avoid. Trixie's parents calling the principal.
At the end of the story, Trixie is a complete emotional and physical wreck. I'm sure when she comes home, her parents would notice the mess she is.
But even if Trixie can clean herself up, she would likely break down in tears if they asked her an innocuous question about the Spring Fling (which she would probably boast about to them(, and would press her about what made her so upset.
And even if they didn't notice that, they would notice Trixie's months of depression, caused by Sunset digging the knife deeper, and that all these new "friends" she's made have suddenly vanishing. And she should be able to trust her parents, if she can't trust a teacher enough to complain about Sunset.
So even if no one at that dance had enough of a conscience to tell the principal (and Maud had enough of a conscience to stick up for Trixie), her parents would probably find out about it and scream angrily at Celestia for letting it happen.
But again, good story.
How I miss the evil Sunset Shimmer
10226819
She had a short, but interesting career.
10228182
Sunset Shimmer has lost her charisma. Hasbro ruined Sunset
You wrote a very cool story.
Sorry for my English, I'm from Russia
10230004
I like her, but she is hard to pin down personality-wise for me. I usually have to look over her quite a bit before using her.
Her villainy was interesting, but I always view it as more of a cry for attention or help. Her plan was just terrible...zombie teenagers to fight Celestia? I mean, she had the Element of Magic at least, but her soldiers were crud and weren't even going to know how to function when they went over to the other world.
I say she is easier and funner to write with a bad streak to her, or before she gets blasted by the elements, but that is just me.
10230031
By the way, I think hasbro was stupid when they took out Midnight Sparkle
Her plan was terrible.But I still love her as a villain and a bully.
Evil Sunset - Best Sunset
When Sunset became kind, it became very similar to Twilight.
10230046
Yeah, they did absolutely nothing with Midnight. She had around five minutes of screen time, and then disappeared. There was no struggle for control, or anything. I really expected her to be a big point in the Everfree movie, but nothing came of it besides Twilight being afraid of magic for a little bit while all of her friends learned to enjoy theirs.
A wasted villain in my point of view.
10230054
Sci Twi should have stayed in Crystal Prep!
This story and it's sequels are criminally underrated. Some of my favorite work on this website, good stuff.
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Happy to hear, I am planning on making at least one more entry to this series before the end of the year.
If it was not so unmotivating to do, I would go through and clean up some issues I learned about as I have progressed in my writing, but I hear that is a problem for most writers when they look at their older works.
10388819
I'll gladly wait as long as it takes for a sequel
Now this was an amazing story and was incredibly well written that you could feel the emotions from each Characters and visualize the scenes as if it was a movie being played.
Like others before have said, you truly did justice to showing off the evil side of Sunset Shimmer that we never sadly got to see in official capacity. And this take on the Great and Powerful magician was such good to read and really connect with her and understand why she did what she did and let’s not forget Maud, who I’m sure will be explored more in the sequels but what been done here is still just as good and love her characterization here.