Trixie
I felt my Scroll vibrate in my pocket, preparing for a message from one of my many, many adoring fans. It was actually a call from Starlight Glimmer, which was about the same as I predicted. I answered my Scroll and put it to my ear.
“Hello, Starlight Glimmer,” I said. “What has you calling Trixie’s number?”
“Stop referring to yourself in the third-person!” snapped my partner. “We’re supposed to be sparring, aren’t we?”
“Oh, of course! Trixie almost forgot that you begged her to help you train your Semblance.” I grinned slightly, imagining Starlight’s reaction. Though neither of us would admit it, the two of us had become quite good friends. She still couldn’t quite get over being inferior to me, but she was definitely warming to the idea. She even asked to train with me from time to time.
“I knew I shouldn’t have asked you,” she grumbled. “Just get to the roof as soon as possible.”
“Trixie will be there as soon as she gets some breakfast.” It didn't matter that it was 2 in the afternoon, Trixie wanted breakfast, so breakfast she would have.
“Well, hurry. Twilight might have some muffins leftover, if you hurry.” She disconnected the line, leaving me alone and growing ever hungrier.
There were very few areas in which I deemed myself incapable, and cooking was one of them. I never could cook, and I didn’t care to learn how. It’s not like I needed to. Once I became a world-famous Huntress, which would be quite soon, I would hire people to cook for me. For now, Twilight Sparkle would have to suffice.
I set off for the library, where I knew Twilight would be. She was always in the library, unless she was in class, actually hunting, or cooking for the Team. That girl wasn’t the best fighter, but she was quite talented in the kitchen. The muffins that Starlight Glimmer spoke of were delicious, and often ran for north of 30 Lien. Twilight never charged, but some greedy patrons decided to create a market once they realized that demand would always exceed supply. Regardless of the clamoring masses, Twilight always made good to set aside three muffins for her Team. If I hurried, there should have been one awaiting me.
I hurried down the hall, my cape billowing behind me luxuriously in a futile attempt to keep up with my extravagant gait. Professor Luna often attempted to lambast me for running through her halls, but I always made my case that Trixie cannot help but run. If she were to walk, she’d be dogged by her hundreds of adoring fans.
I didn’t really have any fans, except for a few trainees I saved before I left. Snips and Snails didn’t really count, though. Those morons would worship a lamp if it could hold a gun. I was just a below-average Huntress with above-average hubris. My therapist tells me that it’s a defense mechanism of some sort, but he’s wrong. I don’t need defending from anything. I just need to tell everyone that I’m better than them until it becomes true.
Maybe I should talk to Starlight about it.
I shoved my personal problems to the side for the time being. Starlight would help me once I found something to eat. It was a short jaunt to the library, and an even shorter stroll to find Twilight. As per usual, she had her nose buried deep in a book. What was different today was that she had company. Standing beside her, looking over Twilight’s shoulder, was a short, tubby Huntress with an explosive mess of pink hair. I didn’t know her well, but she had quite the reputation for wild antics and admirable combat prowess.
She was also eating my muffin.
“Hiya, Trix!” said Pinkie Pie, somehow knowing my name. “How’s it going?”
“Sorry, Trixie. I owe Pinkie a favor, and all she wanted was the last muffin,” said Twilight, not looking up from her book. “I’ll bake another batch soon, I promise.”
“Do not nickname the Great and Powerful Trixie,” I snarled. “And that muffin was not yours to take!”
“Huh? Didn’t Twilight make these?” she said innocently, much to my own annoyance.
“It matters not who made the muffins,” I said frowning. “All you need to know is that that muffin is Trixie’s muffin. You will hand it over immediately or-” Quickly, the girl finished off the muffin by chucking the remains into her mouth, leaving me agape.
“Mmmmmm!” she said licking her lips almost temptingly. “That was soooo good! Thanks Twi!”
“You’re welcome, Pinkie,” she said paying no attention to the situation at hand.
“You!” I yelled, flicking my wrist and sliding a card into my hand. “You dare mock the Great and Powerful Trixie! I hope you are prepared to pay!”
“Pay?” she asked in confusion. “Sorry. I don’t have any money.” Her voice poked me uncomfortably. “That’s why I came to Twilight. She’s always nice enough to give away free muffins. I mean, come on! It’s free muffins!”
“Silence!” I flung the card in her direction, sure that it would nick her Aura. At seemingly the last second, she leaned to the right leading the card to miss. “W-what?”
“Whoa, Trixie!” she said with a smile. “That’s a cool skill! Where did you learn that?” I frustratedly flicked both of my wrists, throwing two cards at her, both of them missing.
“Why can’t I hit you?!” I yelled. “You’re right in front of my face!”
“Well, I am faster than you,” she said with no remorse. “That, and they weren’t going really fast.”
“I will teach you to badmouth the Great and Powerful Trixie’s tricks.” I threw card after card, each one failing to reach their mark, every one adding to my anger. Her dodging became playful, almost effortless. By now, a few students trickled in to watch the battle.
“How many cards do you have in there, anyway?” asked Pinkie.
“More than enough to defeat you!”
“Gee, I dunno. You haven’t really hit me with any yet, so I can’t tell for sure.” She caught one just before it hit her nose. “Ooh, you almost got me that time!”
“Come now, girl, why not try actually fighting Trixie?” I asked mockingly. “It’s easy to avoid getting hit!”
“Hm… I don’t want to accidentally hurt you, though,” said Pinkie, almost nervously. The small crowd we had attracted chuckled at my misfortune, which made me throw my cards even more wildly.
“Fight me!” I snapped. “Fight me, fight me, fight me!”
“But you could get hurt, and I don’t want that to happen!” What made me the angriest is that she meant it. She wasn’t trying to insult me, she genuinely thought that she was that much better than me!
“Only you will be getting hurt!” I slid five cards into each hand and threw them forward with all of my might. Pinkie caught all of them, took in a deep breath, and threw them back. My cards had somehow melted together into a length of rope or wire that wrapped itself around my ankle. The free end ran up my chest, shooting for the ceiling and tying itself somewhere in the rafters. I squealed uncontrollably as I felt myself yank into the air, dangling helplessly upside down.
To make matters worse, the wire was apparently made of my cards, which meant it was razor-edged. So, when the wire rubbed against my chest, it split my clothes right in half. My cloak, blouse, skirt and undergarments all fell away onto the ground.
“Ohmygod, I’m so sorry!” squealed Pinkie. The crowd watching had apparently grown to account for all of Beacon’s freshman! Several students stared, even more pulled out their Scrolls for pictures or videos, and one even stole my torn panties.
“G-get me down from here!” I hollered with embarrassment. “The Great and Powerful Trixie is not meant to be on display!” Pinkie paused, probably to admire her good work. Twilight was the one to act, drawing her dagger and severing the rope. I fell to the ground, slamming onto my back and looking even more vulnerable than before. The spectators around me cheered, clapped, a few of them wolf-whistled. I froze, sprawled out on the floor and unable to move out of shock. Again, Twilight came to my rescue; She flipped her dagger into a wand and sent out several layers of bright purple light that covered my body at my strategic locations. She helped me to my feet, and covered me as much as she could as she led me out of the library. Before she could even open her mouth, I was gone. I ran to my dorm, and I didn’t look back until I got there.
This could not be happening to me, not again. I was not a laughingstock again! I swore to never let myself fall like this again.
I hated them. Every single person who laughed at me, never giving me a sliver of a chance to prove myself. That girl, Pinkie Pie. She was on the top of the list. She embarrassed me! I could never, ever, ever forgive her!
Then, in the back of my head, I had a thought. A thought so incomprehensible, I’d have thought it a forgery.
Maybe it wasn’t their fault.
I opened the door and closed it behind me, slowly dragging myself to my bed. I plopped myself onto the bed, covering myself in its sheets. I couldn’t ponder the thought, but was forced to pay in attention. All my life, I’d be been branded as a stupid girl with nothing but the same old cheap card tricks.
“So, this is what the Great and Powerful Trixie has become? A snivelling, whining baby?”
I ignored my partner, instead focusing my energy on self-pity. Starlight Glimmer was just like them.
“No witty retorts?” she asked. I heard her close the door behind her. “No stunning verbal ripostes?”
“Go away,” I grumbled.
“No.” She marched her way closer to me. “Twilight told me what happened.”
“I imagine the entire school knows by now. Now get your seven laughs in at my expense so you can leave me alone.”
“So, you lost to Pinkie Pie?” asked Starlight. “There are far worse opponents to lose to. Pinkie Pie is actually quite a good fighter. Perhaps better than Sunset.”
“She didn’t fight me. She avoided me and humiliated me,” I said, looking up at her angrily. Starlight stood with her arms crossed impatiently. She looked at me not with pity, nor with amusement. She looked at me with disappointment in her eyes.
“Only because you let yourself be humiliated. Once, when I was a child, I had an accident in daycare. All the kids laughed at me, and my mother gave me a sage piece of advice,” said Starlight. She leaned forward and flicked me on the forehead. “She told me to suck it up and deal with it.”
“And she was an awful parent,” I snapped, rubbing the spot on my forehead.
“True enough. Still, I believe that applies here.” Starlight shook her head, then walked over to my dresser. She grabbed me some replacement clothing and threw it at me. “I’m tired of looking at your butt while you feel sorry for yourself.” I begrudgingly slipped into the new clothes, but couldn’t help the feeling sorry part.
“Thank you,” I said quietly. I instinctively patted my pockets in search of my Scroll, even though I knew it wouldn’t be there. Starlight held it up and offered it to me.
“I grabbed it from Twilight,” said Starlight. “She’s trying to stop the videos from spreading, but…”
Even as she said this, my Scroll vibrated. I opened it to find an email from an anonymous student who had attached a photo of me hanging naked from the library ceiling.
“It’s an uphill battle, as you can no doubt tell,” finished Starlight. “In any case, there’s no point in hiding away like this. Beacon will not forget about this on account of you hiding. So grow up, stop acting like a baby, and do something with yourself.” She pulled her staff from her back and pointed it at me. “Like training up for a rematch.”
Starlight was not a gentle person. She didn’t believe in sugarcoating things. She despised pity and those who searched for it. In those ways, she was far superior to me. I wasn’t aware of how much I appreciated that trait until that moment. I reached beneath my mattress and grabbed two spare decks of cards, both slotted in their launching mechanisms. I strapped them to my wrist and covered them with my sleeves.
“Let’s go,” I said curtly. Starlight smirked slightly, then set off for the roof. I sighed deeply, then followed her. She was right. There was no point in dilly-dallying. I needed to get better, and I needed to get better soon.
Pinkie Pie would regret embarrassing me the way she did. That much, I was sure.
“Come on!” shouted Starlight, deflecting a card with a wave of the staff. “Where’s that vigor you showed me when I had the Inhibitor on you?”
“Somewhere with my dignity and smoke bombs,” I panted. “Cut me some slack. I’m not my usual self.” Starlight fired a bolt of her Aura forward, knocking me back a few feet.
“Get over yourself, Lulamoon!” shouted Starlight. “Don’t tell me you’re still upset over the library thing! That was a month ago!”
“And it’s still humiliating, Glimmer!” I snapped. Two cards fell into each hand, and I threw them as hard as I could. Glimmer slammed her staff into the ground, igniting my cards and burning them to ash.
“So everyone saw you naked? So what?!” Starlight fired a shot of compressed Aura at me again, slamming me further into the ground. It didn’t especially hurt, but it was a bit disorienting. “Do you know how many times Sunset had to kick some idiot out of the dorm because they think they’re in love with you? You’re finally being adored, just how you wanted!”
“But this isn’t what I meant!” I ran forward, swiping at Glimmer’s face with my bare hands. She dodged me easily, but felt too pressured to try to counterattack. “I will be adored, but not like that!”
“Fame is fame, isn’t it?” snorted Starlight.
“All my life, I’ve been teased and mocked!” I raised a knee to Starlight’s chest. “And nothing I’d ever done was good enough!” I blocked her swing with my forearm and threw a card at her neck, scratching her Aura. “I will be respected!”
“Who will be respected?” asked Starlight. I smiled in spite of myself.
“The Great!” I swung into the side of her head, knocking her silly. “And Powerful!” My foot connected with her chest, sending her stumbling back. “Trixie!” I flung one last card, slashing her across the face and reducing her Aura to 15%, according to the Scroll mounted on my wrist. If this were a real duel, Starlight would’ve been considered K.O.’d. I won.
“Not bad, Lulamoon,” huffed Starlight. “Quite good, in fact. You’ve grown a lot in a few weeks.” She shoved me playfully. “Do you think you can take Pinkie?”
“Of course! The Great and Powerful Trixie can overcome any challenge!” I declared, a wide grin on my face. “Trixie will battle any Huntsman who dares challenge her! The Spectacular, Sensational, Incredible, Great and Powerful Trixie cannot be stopped by a mere first year Huntress!”
“You are also a first year Huntress,” noted Starlight.
“Trixie is more than your average first year!” I was so excited that I pulled off my Scroll and dialed Pinkie’s number, right then and there. After a few seconds of waiting, the line connected.
“Pinkie Pie, The Great Trix-”
“Hold on a sec!” she grunted. “Aaaaand 1,000! Rainbow, I’m gonna take a little break. Add another 80 pounds. Ooh, make it 90, I like 500 better. That’s a nice round number.” I could hear her sit up and squirt a jet of water into her mouth. “What’s up, Trix?”
“Trixie has been training lately,” I said.
“Oh, that’s cool. Me too, I actually just finished my first set on the bench. I’m up to 410 right now, but I think I can get out 500 before the day is up.”
“Trixie demands that you accept her rematch!”
“Sure, why not?” said Pinkie.
“If you don’t, Trixie will accept your refusal as a for-...” I paused for a second. “Wait, what?”
“Yeah, I’ll fight you. I’m bored, anyway. Let’s go in ten minutes, in the cafeteria,” said Pinkie brightly. “Bring your best, okay?”
“Trixie’s worst is more than enough to overtake you!” I declared. “I’ll be waiting, Pinkie Pie.”
I hung up the Scroll, then flicked my wrist, activating the mechanism in my cards that caused them to float up and into my hands. I slid them back into my sleeves, a wide grin on my face.
“Good luck, Trixie,” said Starlight.
“Trixie needs no luck!” I said. “But she thanks you nonetheless.” I actually didn’t need luck. I had gotten better. I could defeat Pinkie, and there was nothing to do now but actually beat her.
I bid Starlight farewell, then set off down into the school, my destination being the cafeteria. My goal? Redemption.
“She mopped you,” said Starlight Glimmer, leaning forward to examine my face. I could hardly see her through my black eye. “I actually think the floors are a bit cleaner thanks to you.”
“Decimated you,” added Twilight.
“Handed you your ass,” chimed Sunset. My three teammates were all huddled around me in bed as I groaned in agony. Pinkie had popped my Aura almost instantly, and accidentally threw me into a wall so hard that my ribs cracked.
“But… But I got some good hits in, right?” I wheezed.
“Sure, why not?” Starlight shrugged. “You burned her mane with a card, so that was something.”
I grinned. I may not have won, but I at least fought her this time. That was a form of respect in of itself.
“Next time…” I gasped. “I’ll get her next time…”
My team shared a look of concern with one another, then looked down at me.
“Well, maybe by then, you’ll be forgotten as the naked girl who got destroyed by Pinkie,” suggested Sunset.
“Are the broken ribs worth it?” asked Starlight.
I took a second to consider it. I had gotten seriously hurt because of my own stubborn pride. What’s worse is that my bruised ego was further damaged by this loss. So, by all logic of profit, this was a net loss.
“Totally worth it,” I said with a grin. “Totally worth it…”
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Loving the story you're telling and the world you're building. Good character development and nice use of Starxie. I await the next chapter.
6977929 Glad you enjoyed, and I-
Did you just say "Starxie"?
6977969 Yup.
Well done. This was a really well told chapter. To be honest the pacing was great. Not sure what you didn't like about it. Personally I'd use this as an example of how to pace the rest of the story. Excellent job.
6981298 Hm. How strange. Personally, I thought it was way too fast. Guess that's just writer's perspective
6981926 Could be. Still thought you did a really good job.
Actually I thought this was better then some of the other chapters
Just my two cents, but, yeah, I think this chapter was better paced that the previous ones.
6977929
I put Starxie in the Hutch. Hrm, sounds like a buddy cop show...it'll never catch on.