Popularity isn't Everything

by Z-blade Gracin

Popularity isn't Everything

In the middle of the town square in Ponyville, a small crowd of ponies cheered in delight as Trixie used her unicorn magic to create a flock of transparent, pink-colored birds that fluttered their wings and flew all around them. As the magical birds flew upwards, they burst into colorful fireworks that gradually faded away. The audience clapped their hooves at Trixie's performance. In response, Trixie bowed. Twilight Sparkle, who was in the midst of the crowd, was also impressed with her performance. Trixie had grown more elaborate with her magic tricks. Ever since she and Twilight had reconciled with the help of Starlight Glimmer, they all had become very good friends. And throughout that time, Twilight had seen Trixie grow more polite and humble.

"Thank you!" she cordially replied with a smile. "Thank you!"

Then, she used her magic to produce pink-colored ribbons of magic that twirled and spun elegantly about her.

"And now," she declared, "the Great and Powerful Trixie will absolutely dazzle your minds with—!"

Her magic suddenly dissipated as she stopped mid-sentence and gasped. Another unicorn was also performing magic tricks just across the street from her before a larger crowd of ponies—about three times the size of Trixie's audience.

That—that pony! How—how does she have a bigger audience than me?! She's not even half as good at magic as I am! And yet, she has more ponies watching her performance than me! That's—that's just not fair!

She looked back at the crowd and sighed, her countenance hinting a sense of sadness.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie thanks you all for coming today. Sadly, this show has come to an end. Have a splendid, magical day, Everypony."

With that, she turned and proceeded off the stage as her pony spectators dispersed. Twilight was the only one left standing as she watched Trixie sadly trot away to her small wooden trailer next to the stage and went inside, promptly shutting the door behind her with her magic. Twilight was perplexed. What happened that made Trixie so sad? And why did she suddenly stop the show like that?

She trotted over to Trixie's trailer and knocked on the door.

"Trixie? It's Twilight. Can I come in?"

"Go away, Twilight Sparkle," Trixie's voice replied from inside. "I like to be left alone right now."

"Trixie, I just want to talk to you," Twilight insisted.

At that moment, the door opened and Trixie appeared from inside, her face registering a look of irritation.

"Do you mind?" she exclaimed in a direct voice. "I'm busy!"

She gestured her hoof behind her to several opened cardboard boxes scattered throughout her residence, each box filled with various odds and ends that looked as if they had been carelessly tossed into them.

"With what?" Twilight asked, leaning slightly to one side in hopes of getting a better look.

"My, my, aren't you the busybody today!" Trixie retorted. "Well, if you must know, I'm done with magic. I'm quitting!"

Twilight's eyes widened. Trixie was quitting magic?

"B-but why?" she exclaimed. "You've always loved magic!"

"Well, I've changed my mind," Trixie replied. "Magic's just not my thing anymore. I'll probably go into fashion design or baking instead. Who knows?"

Twilight's eyebrow cocked. Fashion design? Baking? She couldn't imagine Trixie doing any of those things.

"Now, if you'll excuse me," Trixie finished, "I have some junk to sell!"

She was about to slam the door with her magic when Twilight stopped her by using her own magic to keep the door open.

"W-wait a minute!" Twilight shouted in response. "I don't understand!"

Trixie's eyes narrowed.

"Then read the Great and Powerful Trixie's impeccable lips..." she said in a low but clear tone of voice as she pronounced every syllable, "I...QUIT! END...OF...STORY! Now, let go of the door, Twilight!"

After a moment of struggling, Twilight strained, "Please, Trixie...just...give me a minute first before you shut the door on me!"

For a moment, the two ponies stood at a standstill. Then, Trixie let out a sigh and released her magical grip on the door.

"Fine. But only for a minute. The Great and quite Preoccupied Trixie has important work to do."

With that, she turned and trotted inside with Twilight following close behind. At this point, Twilight could see that the opened boxes scattered throughout the trailer's interior were filled with magical trinkets, hats, cloaks, and vials containing mysterious liquids of different colors. Aside from the boxes, a small bed and a desk with a starry night lamp on top, the room looked quite bare, almost lonely.

As the two ponies entered the room, Trixie sat on her night-themed bed and let out a sigh.

"Like I said, Twilight Sparkle," she explained as she levitated her pointy purple hat so that it rested next to her, "magic's just...not my thing anymore. It was fun while it lasted, but now's the time to move on."

Although her voice tried to convey a sense of conviction in her words, her facial expression rendered otherwise. Twilight could see it.

"Trixie," she said, "I can tell that there's something you're not telling me."

Trixie's head rose as her eyes locked onto Twilight's.

"Oh, is there, Twilight? Or is it because the Great and Powerful Trixie is simply telling it like it is!"

Twilight rolled her eyes. She had seen this tactic from her too many times before.

"Come on, Trixie!" she sighed. "Who are you trying to kid right now? I know there's something else that's bothering you!"

Trixie only let out an annoyed huff, folded her hooves and turned away.

"You can't just quit practicing magic!" Twilight continued. "You've always enjoyed it! It's been your life!"

Trixie let out a snort.

"Yeah? Well, not anymore! Can't a mare change her mind about what she wants to do in life once in a while?"

"Of course, as long as it's what you want."

"Well, it is!"

Again, her words were inconsistent with her delivery, this time it was her voice—it was strained, as if it was threatening to crack.

"Now, if we're quite done with this little interrogation, I have work to do—junk to sell, opportunities to seek out and a new life to begin!"

She turned slightly and added with a low growl, "Now scram!"

Although her voice sounded threatening, Twilight wouldn't back down. But instead of saying anything, she only stood where she was and waited. After several moments of silence, she could hear faint sniffing coming from Trixie. She knew it! There was something else that was bothering her!

"Trixie...?"

Trixie immediately raised her head.

"You're still here?" she exclaimed in a slightly cracked voice.

Twilight stepped closer to her.

"Please, Trixie. I'm your friend. I want to help you."

Trixie rolled her eyes and let out an irritated grunt in response.

"We're not friends! Why do you keep thinking that we are? The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need—!"

She stopped and hung her head as she sadly uttered the last word.

"...friends."

She swallowed and was silent again for a long period of time. Again, Twilight wanted to say something but something inside her told her to wait for her to speak first. Finally, Trixie spoke in a soft, broken voice.

"Fine...I'll tell you."

She turned to look at Twilight with tears spread across the bottom of her eyes.

"Just...promise me that you won't do one of your 'friendship lectures' until I'm done, okay?"

At first, Twilight was taken back.

Friendship lectures?

But she only nodded in response.

"You were right," Trixie explained. "I do still enjoy practicing magic and performing in my magic shows. I have the greatest feeling in the world every time I see ponies' eyes light up when I perform. I've been trying my best not to be so much of a 'show-off' and I've been consistently trying to improve myself and my magic, as you told me. But—"

She looked down and shook her head as she sniffed again.

"Today, I realized something...for the first time in my life. I'm no pony. No pony will see my shows. Instead, they go and see other magicians that are just as skilled—if not less skilled—than I am. I don't understand it! I've been trying to always improve my skills and to use my magic to inspire other ponies. Yet, no pony will come and see my shows! I never felt so crushed in all my life! It made me not want to practice magic ever again! That's why I was thinking about quitting magic forever. That's why...I thought that magic was not working out for me anymore."

Twilight trotted over to her and sat beside her.

"You mean that filly across the street?" she asked. "What was her name...?"

"Dusk Shine, I think," she scoffed. "Even the name sounds fake!"

"Well, I was at your show today," Twilight commented. "You were very good and you have been improving."

Trixie managed a slight smile.

"Thanks."

"I saw a few ponies there watching the show," Twilight pointed out. "They weren't exactly 'no pony'."

Trixie shook her head as she wiped the tears from her eyes.

"No, you don't understand, Twilight!" she exclaimed through her teeth. "Sure, there were a few ponies there today but I just...expected more. That's all."

Twilight straightened.

"May I give one of my...friendship lectures?"

Trixie rolled her eyes and groaned.

"I suppose."

Twilight took a deep breath.

"Even though there were only a few ponies who watched your show today, I bet that every one of those ponies enjoyed and appreciated all the hard work that you put into it. In the end, it doesn't matter whether you have a few or many ponies watching your shows. What matters is that you're having fun doing it. And trust me when I say that popularity really isn't everything."

Trixie's eyes widened as she turned and looked back at Twilight.

"'Popularity...isn't...everything'?"

Then, with a snort, she declared, "You're one to talk, Princess Twilight Sparkle! You have everypony in all of Equestria looking up to you and following you wherever you go! You get to 'save the day' with all your little friends and get the praises of everypony! Popularity is everything, Twilight Sparkle! You would feel a lot differently if you were in my horseshoes! No pony looks up to me! No pony—!"

She turned away as her voice cracked again.

"No pony even cares."

"Yes they do!" Twilight protested, putting a hoof on her shoulder. "I'm sure that there are ponies who look up to you. I'm sure of it! You just don't see it."

"That's not good enough for me!" she suddenly shouted, swiping Twilight's hoof away and trotting a few steps away from her. Then, her voice softened as she further said, "I want more than that!"

Twilight was taken back by Trixie's sudden outburst.

"Trixie, I still don't understand you!" she finally exclaimed, puzzled. "Why are you so driven to be popular, anyway?"

Trixie turned slightly, her face tightening as if trying desperately to withhold the answer.

"I—! I—!"

Finally, she caved in.

"I look up to you, too!"

Twilight was again taken back.

"I'm flattered, Trixie, but what's this got to do with you wanting to become popular?"

"Because...!" Trixie exclaimed as she spun towards her and stomped her hoof onto the wooden floor of her trailer. "Because I want to inspire other ponies just like you! I want to be noticed by other ponies just like you! I want—!"

She broke down in sobs.

"I want to be like you! But...no matter how much I try, I can't—I can never be like you!"

With unfeigned compassion, Twilight went over to her and put a hoof around her.

"Trixie...you don't have to be me or become popular to get other ponies to notice you. All you can be is yourself."

The other mare looked up at her with wet eyes.

"But—but you get to save Equestria! You get to do what other ponies can only dream of doing! You—you get the praises of everypony everywhere you go!"

Twilight smiled back.

"You want to know a secret? Popularity is so overrated!"

Trixie's eyebrow cocked as she looked back at her with a puzzled expression.

"Wh—what?"

"Popularity's like...puffs of smoke," Twilight explained. "When one appears, it eventually fades away. Popularity may be all fun and games at the moment but, in the end, it doesn't last forever. Eventually, it fades away until another puff of smoke appears someplace else. As for saving Equestria, me and my friends may get a fanfare from it, but afterwards it's back to normal life here in Ponyville. Sure, other ponies talk about it for a while but, in the end, they forget about it and move on with everyday life."

Trixie coughed on her tears.

"But—your a princess! You're very different from the rest of us! You get to do important things and be an example to many other ponies just by being you!"

Twilight let out a chuckle.

"Being a princess isn't as glamorous as everypony thinks it is, Trixie. First of all, I have three other princesses who know a whole lot more than I do! They get to do important things like raising the sun and moon and protecting their kingdoms. Me? I just smile and wave. That's all I do as a princess, really! Nothing much there!"

Trixie sniffed and wiped the last of her tears away.

"But—but I still want to—!"

"I know. You want other ponies to see and to appreciate what you do. I'm sure that many ponies feel the same way. But always remember, Trixie—popularity doesn't last for long, but the love for what you do does. In other words, if you love what you do and you're happy with who you are, then you don't need to become popular to be happy. Actually, you can inspire other ponies by being the pony you are right now! Sure, you might not have many ponies looking up to you, at first. But, in the end, the size of the group doesn't matter so long as you like what you do. You still like practicing magic and performing in your magic shows, right?"

Trixie swallowed and nodded with a "um-hm."

"Then, there's nothing to worry about. Let popularity come when it comes. But for now, don't quit with what you do best."

She pointed to the star-shaped wand and crescent moon Cutie Mark on Trixie's flank.

"And you know what that is more than anypony else!"

For a moment, Trixie looked down at the ground, her expression thoughtful. Then, she let out a deep sigh and smiled as she looked up at her friend.

"Thank you, Twilight. I feel much better now."

She cleared her throat and declared with her head held high.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie will not be quitting magic anytime soon! Trixie will become the greatest magician that Equestria's ever seen...someday. Until then, Trixie will be the greatest magician that she can be in her little corner of Ponyville."

Twilight smiled brightly. Trixie was back to her old, confident self again.

"So...does this mean we're friends?" she asked, smiling hopefully at her.

Trixie looked back and thoughtfully pursed her lips.

"Hmm...we'll see."

She turned and Twilight silently groaned as she hung her head. When was Trixie finally going to let her be her friend?

Then, Trixie turned her head and added with a wink, "But now, I know who I can turn to when I need help or advice."

Author's Note:

This story is short but it's something that has impacted me a lot as I wrote it. I feel that the moral is very applicable, especially when it comes to the Arts. I believe that all of us want to feel appreciated for the work that we do. However, we can easily fall into the trap of wanting to become popular. We start to forget why we even write or draw or whatever we do. I can understand that because I fell into that same trap at one point. I hope that this story inspires others that popularity really isn't everything in the end—what does matter is if we are happy with what we do.

Comments

[RTStephens]

A nice lesson to learn and one that's probably even more important given the rise of the Internet. It's easy to draw a crowd but it's one-hundred times harder to keep them.

Nice one!

[Fionn]

How does Twilight know Trixie so well? Also as a performer popularity is more or less Trixie's life blood, if she isn't popular she isn't making money and she doesn't really have a purpose in life as her special talent is about being a stage magician.

[Z-blade Gracin]

>>Fionn I was basing this after Twilight and Trixie had become friends for a long time. As for Trixie and popularity, yeah, that's true. I guess I wasn't looking at the story through the concept of making money. Rather, I was looking at it through the concept of trying to become popular to get recognition. Thanks for pointing that out. Unfortunately, since it's so ingrained into the story, there's not much I can do about it right now. However, I'll do better in predicting these kinds of viewpoints in later stories.

[Fionn]

7248074 I see, you should make it clearer how they know each other and that they have been friends for a long time since going by just the show Twilight hardly knows Trixie at all.

[King of Kings]

Meh...but, when you're a traveling show mare, or a stunt flier, popularity is, in fact, everything. If you're not popular, than you're act, or your aerial team, won't be. For instance, imagine if, all of a sudden, Rainbow Dash did something that made her unpopular. Ponies could start to boycott the Wonderbolts shows, leading to them kicking her out.

[Z-blade Gracin]

>>King of Kings As I said to Fionn, when I first wrote the story, that problem didn't occur to me at that time. Although I want to edit it to make the story better, that concept's so ingrained in the story that there's nothing that I can do to change it without changing the entire story, along with its message. Believe me, I would love to change it because I believe in improvement, but at this point there's nothing much that I can do about this particular problem in this story. Thank you for your advice, though. I do appreciate it.

[GreyPon3]

I like that Trixie has learned to be humble and accept advice from her friends but, as has been said, popularity is the life of a performer. The added chapter does give an out to that, however: The new filly magician being inspired by Trixie and now her apprentice.

[DatPoniesOnFiyya]

I do love the moral, but you're drama writing skills could improve some. Making well-crafted drama is very difficult, after all.