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Chapter 9

"General Morgan's been arrested then?" Sunset and Trixie walked side-by-side down the deck of The Harbinger, a large airship that Genesis was able to buy and transport to Unicornia's base. The hull could easily hold over one hundred ponies, with the deck above holding nearly one hundred more. The airship itself was not equipped with any weapons, nor was it made to be fast, or to handle easily.

The airship was not ideal for fighting, but for transporting a large number of soldiers into Canterlot unnoticed, it was perfect. Trixie and Sunset Shimmer decided to tour the ship on their days off. Entering the cockpit, Trixie answered, "Yeah. It seems that Midas' plan from the start was to scapegoat one of the generals. For now, we are going to stop acting on leaked information, to make it seem even more likely that he was the real mole."

"It won't last for long, though," Sunset said, examining the steering wheel whilst Trixie glared at the level of dust decking the shelves. "I wonder if Midas plans to launch an attack soon?"

"We certainly have enough of an army for it, and Canterlot is in disarray."

"But can we fight an all-out war? Are we ready for that?" Sunset turned to Trixie and asked, "Can I ask you something?"

"You can. Trixie may not answer, though," Trixie replied with a grin.

"I heard this story about you. And about some amulet that gave you extraordinary strength."

Trixie's grin immediately fell into a scowl. "Yes, that is… not something that Trixie likes to talk about."

Sunset tilted her head. "But if we had that kind of power-"

"Trixie is assuming you did not hear much more than the amulet giving her power." Sunset shook her head. "Then you wouldn't understand, but trust me, the Alicorn Amulet is not the way to go."

Sunset Shimmer stared into Trixie's eyes for several seconds, before simply responding, "Very well then. I'll drop it there."

"Thank you," Trixie said, almost as a whisper. "You know, I think I'm going to head back early. Get some rest for tomorrow, you know?"

Sunset raised an eyebrow, but didn't argue. "If you say so. I'll continue looking around." As she watched Trixie leave, she couldn't help but feel that there was much more to this story than the showmare was willing to share. She decided not to pry, though, and simply resumed her inspection of the ship.

Trixie sighed. She knew that Sunset meant no harm, but she had brought up rather bad memories from her past. Memories that weren't going to grant her peace any moment soon.

Trixie returned to her room in Unicornia's hideout and locked the door. She removed her hat and her cloak, and fell down onto her bed, staring up at the ceiling for several long minutes. Finally, she moved again, turning her head to the right and unlocking her bedside drawers with her magic. She pulled out a photograph from within, and stared at it.

The photograph was of herself, and a family of ponies that she knew once. A yellow stallion with grey sideburns, a white, elderly mare with glasses, an indigo mare and a grey mare to either side of the older couple, and… another grey mare, this one standing out thanks to the blue dress and the purple eyeliner that she wore.

All were smiling, save for Trixie, who was peering off into the distance, and this clothed mare, whose expression looked like she was peering through the photograph itself, burning her deep, emotionless gaze into Trixie's eyes.

To Trixie, the rest of the family might as well have been invisible. There was only one pony present in the photograph that had caught her eye, and for once, it wasn't herself.

It doesn't take much to kill a reputation. A reputation that Trixie had spent years carefully crafting and building up, only to have it all come crashing down after one incident in a town that nopony should have even known about.

Everywhere she went, ponies laughed at her. Ponies vandalised her trailer and ruined her shows. Her magic suffered from all the stress, her funds took a huge dive, and worst of all, Trixie was forced to cancel her travelling show – forever.

There were two harsh facts that haunted Trixie. One was that her life as a magician was over. The other was that she still needed to eat, to drink, and to afford a roof above her head. She needed money, and so, with no other choice, Trixie searched for a job far away from any of the towns and villages that she had performed at.

That was how she met the Pie family. Igneous Rock was the stallion who owned the rock farm, alongside his wife, Cloudy Quartz. He wasn't much of a smiler, or a talker, but that was fine. Trixie wasn't in the mood for either, herself.

"Work here is tough, but it pays well. Our rocks are sold everywhere in Equestria an' it don't take much to keep 'er runnin'."

"Uh-huh…"

"We get up at the crack-of-dawn, but I don't expect the same from you. City folk never were much for the mornin' sun."

"I'll be just fine, thank you," Trixie spat. She looked around the barren wasteland all around her. This was going to be her life now. She felt bile rising up her throat, but managed to keep it inside.

Igneous stopped and turned to Trixie. "Our family don't care much for rumours. We don't care what a pony's past is – just so long as you work hard, you're welcome here."

In other words, 'We don't care that you screwed up and lured a bear to a small town, and then cowered in fear as somepony else cleaned up your mess'. Trixie gritted her teeth. "I see."

"Then y'can start with that pile over there. I'll send my daughter with t'check up on ya later. If'n you get thirsty, there's water at the farmhouse. Feel free t'help yourself."

Trixie simply nodded, and then took the pickaxe that the stallion had offered her and moved over the pile to their side. She stared at it for a solid five seconds, picturing that each rock was the face of the purple-furred mare that had ruined her life.

Then, she swung the pickaxe down. 'I will destroy you for this, Twilight Sparkle!'

Maud Pie returned to the farmhouse with five wagons, connected in a line, being dragged behind her. She separated the wagons containing rocks and the one containing jewels, and then approached her father. "My makeup is starting to run. I want to go and reapply it."

"You've worked hard enough for a break I recon," Igneous said. "The newcomer hasn't come back yet. It's been hours, an' I'm gettin' worried."

"Maybe they just like rocks as much as we do."

"But she hasn't had a drink since she started. She might've passed out." Igneous motioned to a pack of six bottles of water, and asked, "Could ya take those to her? She's workin' in the northern field, on the pile we sorted the other day. Y'can take your break afterwards."

Maud nodded. "What type of pony is she?"

"She glares a lot, but I don't think she's got a bite."

"I see." Maud picked the bottles up onto her back, and then walked to where the newcomer was said to be working. She arrived there after a few minutes, and found her swinging her pickaxe down at a new pile, sweat dripping down her entire body as she heaved under the warm sun.

Trixie heard the hoofsteps approaching and turned to look. "What?" she asked, not hiding the venom in her voice.

"Water," Maud replied, setting the bottles down to the ground. "You've been working hard."

Trixie narrowed her eyes at the water laid on the ground, and said, "I don't drink anything offered by strangers."

Maud tilted her head. "Why? Do you think we want to poison you?"

"Who knows?" Trixie lay her pickaxe down, and said, "Drink it."

A moment of silence passed, before Maud took one of the bottles into her hooves, opened the cap, and then chugged the water down. She pulled the bottle away and swallowed.

Trixie sighed, and collected the bottle into her magic, finishing what Maud had left behind.

"Now I can take the antidote." Trixie spat the water out and glared at Maud. "… That was a joke."

Trixie threw the bottle down with a roar and picked up her pickaxe again, swinging away at the rocks.

"You should drink-"

"I'll get something later! Leave Trixie be!"

Maud slowly nodded her head, before turning to leave the strange mare to her mining. She reached into her dress and pulled out her pet, Boulder. "What a rude mare," she said to her companion. "I don't like her. But it doesn't look like she'll last long, anyway. They never do."

Maud took one final look over her shoulder. Trixie had fallen to her haunches, and was holding her head in her hooves. She was exhausted, yet she still wouldn't drink.

Later that night, the Pie family had gathered around the table in the dining room to eat together. Trixie entered the farmhouse and threw her pickaxe with the rest. She was panting, but not sweating. She had no fluids to spare. She placed the remaining five water bottles down onto a nearby chair and then approached the table, where five ponies had already occupied five of the six seats.

"Glad ya could join us," Igneous said. "We prepared a space for ya. In this house, we eat together."

Trixie looked over to the empty seat. Sitting before it was a small bowl of soup… Just soup. After a long, hard day, all that was waiting for her to fill up her belly was soup, in a tiny, cracked bowl.

Trixie shook her head. "Yeah, no. Trixie only came to drop off her stuff. She's got other plans."

Igneous raised an eyebrow. "Oh. I hadn't realised you'd already made other arrangements. Well, more for me, then." As he reached for the extra bowl of soup, his wife batted at his hoof and gave him a stern look.

"You'll be just fine with one helping, dear," she said, before turning to Maud. "You've been working so hard lately. I think it's only fair that you get the second helping."

As the remaining two siblings argued with their mother, Trixie simply collected her black cloak, draped it over herself, and then left the house. She pulled the hood up to cover her face, and then she started to walk. There was a village nearby. With what little bits she had, she could afford something to eat, surely.

Trixie pulled out her sack of bits and checked them. "… Well, a loaf of bread, at least." With a sigh, Trixie turned back towards the farmhouse, and then resumed her walking. She had already lowered herself so far, she wasn't going to let those farmers get the better of her!

It was midnight by the time that Igneous Rock was stirred from his slumber by a crashing sound downstairs. Shaking his wife to wake her up, he whispered, "Honey, we got an intruder!"

"Hmm… Huh?"

"Grab the crossbow. I'll go see who it is."

Cloudy Quartz nodded, and reached beneath the bed, pulling out a crossbow and some bolts. She loaded one and followed her husband, leaving their bedroom and descending down the stairs quietly.

They found Trixie Lulamoon stumbling through out of the kitchen and into the dining room, giggling and hiccupping as shards of glass poked out from her skin and trickles of blood leaked from various wounds.

"Sorry about that!" Trixie shouted upon seeing the couple, either not noticing the crossbow, or simply not caring. "The door was locked and Trisie didn't wanna wake you!"

Cloudy Quartz lowered the crossbow with a sigh. Her husband was not so relieved. Three mares rushed towards the stairs, also stirred from the beauty of sleep. "What's going on?" Limestone asked, rubbing her eyes.

"Nothin'," Igneous replied. "Just a lil' accident, that's all. Ya can go back t'sleep."

Limestone and Marble Pie didn't argue, wandering off back to their respective bedrooms. Maud, however, stayed and watched as her parents approached the tipsy mare that was having trouble finding her hooves. "Is she drunk?" Maud asked.

"Judgin' by her breath, she should be dead," Igneous replied. "Mare's got a stomach of iron."

"Hey, Trisie needs her pay early," Trixie said, falling onto her haunches and looking up at the stallion examining her legs. "Trisie racked up a I… IOU, at the bar place thing. She needs the moneys and the paying… to pay the moneys to the booze for all the stallion!"

"Let's get you cleaned up, first," Igneous said, masking his rage well beneath an steady gaze. "Maud, could you bring us the first aid kit? And, uh, how is the window in the kitchen?"

Maud entered the kitchen and answered from within, "Not there."

"To be espected," Trixie said. "Trisie couldn't open it from the outerside so she thought, hey, why not jump through it? Then she can open it from the inside an', now that I thiiiiink about it, she still hasn't done that, has she?"

Trixie tried to get up, but to Igneous' relief, she only got so far before she toppled over onto a nearby chair, and then fell asleep. Her snoring was still loud, but at least she was out, and not trying to cause even more trouble.

"Should I let her know she's fired when she wakes up?" Maud asked as she brought the first aid kit to her father.

Igneous simply watched Trixie sleeping for a few seconds, before answering, "No… Let's give her one more chance."

"That window will have to come out of her pay," Cloudy Quartz agreed.

"Yeah, that too, but… I looked into this mare's background an' I'm worried she might not be able to find work elsewhere."

"And how is that our problem?" Maud asked.

"Well, it isn't, but then I can't help but think of what your sister would say."

Maud lowered her head. "Pinkie Pie?"

"Mhm." Igneous Rock began to carefully remove the shards of glass from Trixie's skin, cleaning and dressing each wound as he did so. "Pinkie Pie'd feel sorry for her, and give her another chance. If she were here, she'd convince us one-way-or-another."

Cloudy Quartz sighed, and rose to her hooves. "I just hope she doesn't do anything like this again," she said, before leaving up the stairs. She stopped midway to say to Maud, "Come on, let your father work. You'll need your sleep for tomorrow."

"I'll be fine, Maud. Go back upstairs and get some sleep." Maud nodded, and followed her mother back upstairs.

"Die, Twilight Sparkle."

Igneous looked up, and found a tear running down Trixie's face. He sighed. "This's gonna be hell…"

To everypony's surprise, Trixie was still there after a full week of working on the farm. After her initial incident, Trixie was given a key to the house, and tried to limit the amount of drinking that she did each night.

That still didn't stop the mare from coming back wasted, and waking up with a hangover every morning. Despite the hangovers, though, the mare still continued to get up early and work hard to earn her pay.

Trixie had taken to carrying a flask with her as she worked, insisting that she didn't need any of their water to stay hydrated. After work ended, every evening, she would go to the nearby village to eat, and come back with some new bruises and cuts on her body.

She said nothing to the family. She kept her interactions to a minimum. She simply worked, collected her pay, and then wandered off to do her own thing.

And the work wasn't bad. Maud had to admit that Trixie was doing well for somepony born in Canterlot, so she shouldn't have had any complaints, and yet… working alongside her one day, Maud couldn't help but feel agitated every single time the mare took a gulp of whatever was in her flask. She had a good guess, based on the wooziness that the mare displayed after a few hours.

"You should balance that out with water," Maud said as she started to load a wagon with the jewels that she had dug up.

Trixie's eye twitched, and she turned to the mare with an angry look on her face. "Why don't you mind your own business, you nosey mare?"

Maud stopped and turned. "I'm just saying that drinking nothing but gin and vodka will kill you one of these days."

"Great, I'll keep that in mind if I ever find myself stuck in a conversation with the likes of you."

It wasn't like Maud to pick a fight with somepony, unless they stole some rocks, insulted some rocks, or insulted her family. Yet she couldn't help but say, "It's no wonder you need to drink. Only alcohol could wash a mouth that foul."

Trixie dropped her pickaxe and turned to the mare. "You want a fight?"

"No. I'm simply stating it as it is."

"Well Trixie does, and she might not last 'til evening this time, so how about you shut your mouth now, or else Trixie will take it as a formal challenge?"

Maud stopped what she was doing and turned to the dizzy mare. "You don't want to take me on."

"… Challenge accepted." Trixie rushed Maud, delivering a kick towards her chest. Maud grabbed her leg and tripped her up. She backed up as Trixie rose to her hooves. "YOU-"

"Please stop. The rocks will get hurt."

Trixie's eyes burned with fury. "You bitch!" Trixie charged again, delivering another kick that Maud dodged easily. She then tried to sweep Maud's legs, only to be knocked onto her back by a powerful buck.

"AGH!" Trixie huffed as she stared her opponent down. She wanted so badly to put that mare in her place, but just couldn't land a single hit! After a few minutes, Trixie turned to leave. "I'm leaving early! Tell your father to dock my pay if you want!"

Maud simply watched as Trixie left, judging the mare silently until she was out-of-sight. And then, she continued her job. It should have helped her to calm down, but it didn't. She noticed that she had made an error in sorting the rocks, and her hooves shook. "Maybe I should tell Dad that she attacked me. Then she'll be fired."

Two hours passed, and Maud was finished with her work. She returned to the farmhouse, where an anxious-looking Igneous Rock was standing outside. "Maud, please tell me you weren't attacked!"

Maud raised an eyebrow. Did he know? "Father?"

"Some stallions came here, asking for Trixie. They seemed agitated, so I asked them to leave, but they said that they were going to find Trixie and beat her to a pulp!"

Maud's eyes widened. "Trixie left early. Didn't she come back here?"

Igneous shook his head. "If she did, then I missed her. She might've gone off to the town, though."

Maud dropped her load and hurried off towards the town, running fast for reasons she didn't understand. She just wanted to find Trixie and warn her. Even if she was annoying, she was in trouble.

She reached the village and felt that she needed a break, but she still had to find Trixie. The village was small, but even without that, finding her was easy enough. There was only tavern in the village, and the mare was always drunk. It was clear where Maud would find her.

Trixie ordered another drink and chugged it. She got most of the liquor into her mouth, with only a small amount dripping down her chest. As she slammed the empty glass onto the counter and let out a pleasant sigh, the patrons around her cheered.

That was her sixth drink.

"Wow, you sure can drink, lil' lady!" a stallion said, approaching the counter and sitting next to Trixie. "Hm? You remind me of somepony… Wait, aren't you Trixie, the mare who dragged an ursa minor to Ponyville?"

The music in the tavern stopped, and the bartender cleared his throat, and then the counter. The stallion look around in confusion.

"Right. So it's you tonight, huh?" Trixie asked, her right hoof shaking.

"Eh?"

Trixie moved fast, slugging the stallion before her ever saw it coming. He crashed onto the ground, shivering and whimpering as he looked up in fear.

"Take it outside, you two!" the bartender shouted as he protected his most expensive goods.

"Yes. Let's," a voice said at the entrance to the tavern. Everypony turned, and saw three large, muscular stallions walking in. One unicorn, one pegasus, and one earth pony. They all stared at Trixie.

Trixie turned to the earth pony, standing in the centre of the three, and said, "Oh, it's you. Didn't get enough from the other day?"

The stallion glared. "I went easy on ya because you're a mare, but you won't be so luck today! Why don't ya come outside so I can repay ya tenfold?"

Murmurs erupted throughout the bar, but all voices were silenced in an instant when the pegasus stepped forwards, cracking the muscles in his neck.

With a gulp, Trixie stepped over the stallion she had downed and followed the three outside. Once they reached a secluded alleyway, the 'fight' started.

The pegasus delivered a blow to Trixie's gut, and whilst Trixie was focussed on him, the earth pony kicked her in the face. The unicorn held her forelegs, preventing her from fighting back as his two friends continued to wail on her, drawing blood and cries from the mare.

This didn't last for long, though, before a cry not from Trixie filled the air. Trixie fell to the floor, and the two stallions that had been beating her turned to see their unicorn friend passed out on the floor, a grey mare standing on top of him.

"Bitch! You her friend?!" the earth pony asked, rushing towards the mare with his friend.

Maud didn't answer. She simply leaped from the fallen unicorn and dove towards the earth pony, crashing into his face with both of her hind hooves and driving him into the ground.

The pegasus backed up, intimidated by this intruder, before he bumped into something behind him. Turning, he was greeted by a blue hoof to his gut, and then another to his crotch. A final strike to his neck caused the stallion to pass out, leaving only Trixie and Maud Pie conscious.

The two stared at each other for a few seconds, neither one saying a word. Finally, Maud Pie broke the silence. "Are you okay?"

Trixie hesitated, before answering, "Of course."

Maud nodded. "That's good."

Trixie glanced around the alleyway. "You didn't need to come here, you know."

"I know. But I wanted to."

"Ah… Why?"

"So you wouldn't be hurt?"

The two fell silent again.

"I'm going back now," Maud said, turning around to leave.

With a grunt, Trixie followed. "Yeah, whatever. This day's been terrible, anyway."

The walk back to the farmhouse was… awkward, to say the least. With Trixie stumbling over herself, combined with her vision being blurred by her recent beating, Maud had to slow her pace so that she could keep up. There was a clear tension between them, and the silence wasn't helping.

Maud could take it no more. She had to ask, "Is this what you've been doing every night? Drinking and getting into fights?"

"You got a problem with that?" Trixie asked.

"We need you to be in good condition when you're working."

"Like I care… The only reason I'm doing this job anymore is so I can afford more drinks."

Maud looked over her shoulder. Trixie's gaze seemed distant. "Why?"

"Why what?"

"Why do you like to fight so much? What do you get out of it?"

Trixie puffed out her chest, and said, "Respect."

"Is that what that was earlier?"

Trixie winced. "That was just some fools that didn't know their places. Anypony who dares to insult Trixie will feel her wrath! As for the drinking, it is to help me forget."

"Forget what?"

"My past."

"What past?"

Trixie stared at Maud for a few seconds as she stopped. Maud stopped, too. "You want to know?"

"I do."

"You don't already know?" To Trixie's surprise, Maud shook her head. "Well to give you the short of it, I used to put on performances for ponies all over Equestria. Then, three ponies ruined Trixie's reputation overnight, and now the only way for Trixie to get any peace-of-mind over it is to drink until the alcohol takes over her brain!"

Trixie stormed past Maud, who followed after her, getting ready to catch the mare in case she fell. "You used to put on shows?"

"Until that bitch and those two brats entered Trixie's life."

"What kind of shows?"

"Magic ones. What else?"

"Can I see?"

Trixie stopped again. "If you stop talking until tomorrow, I might consider it." She received no response, and turned to find Maud silently nodding towards her. "… Good."

The two continued the walk home in silence. Trixie had not expected that to work, but she was certainly not complaining. The last thing she needed was this nosey mare poking around in her affairs. She just wanted to get home, go to sleep, and wake up with a bad hangover the following morning.

Such was her life now, and she was going to make it her own.

Trixie sighed and placed the photograph down, before rolling onto her back and covering her eyes with a foreleg. "We were off to a bad start, huh? Well, not like it ended any better."

There was a knock at Trixie's door, and it opened before she could respond. Sunset Shimmer walked in, carrying a clipboard in her magic. "Trixie, there are some things I was hoping to go over with-" She noticed the photograph on Trixie's bedside table and raised an eyebrow. "Your family?"

Trixie shook her head. "The mare in the dress is Trixie's former marefriend… Well, in a sense."

"How do you mean?" Trixie removed a foreleg and peered up at Sunset. "Sorry, I'm prying."

"No, it's fine… It's a bit of a long story."

"I've got the time," Sunset said, lowering her clipboard and taking a seat on the floor. "If you need to get anything off of your chest, I'm here for you."

Trixie smiled at that. "Thanks. We didn't get off to the best start, but…"

"Eh? Put on a show?" Trixie was working with Maud the following day, too.

"Yes. You said that you would."

"I said that I would consider it," Trixie retorted.

"Well, it's that or we sort rocks for an hour. I know which I would prefer, but I get the feeling that you don't love rocks in the same way that I do."

Trixie looked over to the aforementioned pile, and felt her blood ran cold. "Ugh, fine. But only one show. Any jabs, and it's over!" Maud nodded in agreement, and Trixie set her pickaxe down. "Then, let me just clear some room. I'm missing my props so it will only be a basic-level performance."

Maud took a seat atop a large rock as she waited for Trixie to finish setting things up. When she was ready, Trixie began her show. As she said, it was very basic. Simply some flashy spells, some tricks to catch Maud off guard, and a story accompanied by some illusionary magic.

The story was of a filly born into poverty, living on the streets and fighting to survive. Along the way, she met many hardships, overcame hurdles placed by society, and was noticed by Princess Celestia herself for the powerful magic that she possessed. The filly was adopted into the royal family, was enrolled into Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, and lived happily-ever-after as a magician of Celestia's court.

Trixie ended her show with a sigh, and prepared to get back to work. That was when the audience clapped for her, and she had suddenly realised that Maud had been respectfully quiet throughout the whole show.

"That was good," Maud replied. "Why did you stop?"

Trixie raised an eyebrow. "The story was over."

"No. I mean, why did you stop telling stories?" Maud got up and approached Trixie. "… Clearly, it's what you love doing."

Trixie frowned. "Yeah, well, unfortunately it's not that simple." She averted her eyes from Maud's. "Nopony wants to watch a wash-up, and there's no money for a showmare with no audience."

"But you were happy just now," Maud said.

Trixie blushed. "W-What do you mean? I wasn't smiling or anything."

"I could tell. You spoke with the passion my sister does about parties, or that my father does about rocks."

"Your father?" Trixie deadpanned, before shaking her head. "Anyway, it doesn't matter. It's over. That dream's dead, and now all I can do is earn money and keep on living."

"… That's such a shame. I would have loved to see more of your shows. Not much else happens around here."

Trixie looked at Maud with surprise. The other mare went back to her work, and Trixie's thoughts ran wild as her mouth opened-and-closed, unable to form the words that she wanted to say. With a deep breath, she finally asked, "How about tomorrow?"

Maud paused, and turned back around. "Tomorrow?"

"Uh, tomorrow, I could… put on another show for you?"

"… I would like that," Maud replied, before she got back to work again.

Trixie cleared her throat. "W-Well then, Trixie will just… go work over there for now…" As Trixie left, she couldn't help the smile that was creeping onto her face. That smile faded soon enough when she found the pile of rocks that was to be sorted.

"So I started to perform for Maud every day, and soon enough, we were talking about things other than Trixie's performances. Trixie's past, Trixie's hopes and dreams, the hardships that Trixie had faced since the incident with the ursa minor… Eventually, Trixie realised that Maud was listening too intently."

"Myself?" Maud asked.

Trixie nodded. "Trixie has told you practically all that there is to know about her, but you've stayed pretty silent throughout it all."

"There's nothing to say about me," Maud replied.

"Everypony has a story," Trixie insisted. "What's yours?"

"… I farm rocks."

Trixie frowned. "No. Try again."

Maud blushed. "I'm not good at this."

"Then let Trixie help you! 'My name is Maud, and I like…'."

"Rocks."

"And?"

"My family."

"Aaaaand?"

Maud thought for a few seconds. "There was a… salad that I tried once. It was nice. I would like to try it again."

"There you go!" Trixie praised, before taking a swig from her flask. "Now, what do you dislike."

"Sweet things, and alcohol."

"And what are your dreams?"

"To inherit the farm."

Trixie put a hoof to her chin in thought. "Nothing about getting married, or having any children? Maybe to go learn something? To visit a new land?" Maud opened her mouth, but didn't answer. "Share it with the class."

"I… would like to visit the Grand Galloping Gala. My sister went there once. Maybe she'll be able to invite me to the next one."

Trixie laughed at that, which only deepened Maud's blush. "Ooooohhhhh… You don't wanna go there! Nothing but snobs and elitists."

"Then you'd fit right in," Maud said, earning a playful kick from Trixie.

"Alright, watch it, you!"

"We should get back to work."

"Later! Trixie still wants to know more about you."

"How much more?"

"Hmmm… For every scrap of information you've learned about Trixie, Trixie will learn about you."

"That's a lot."

Trixie grinned. "Then you'd best get that brain of yours in gear."

"The two of us had grown close over the months. Maud had become the highlight of Trixie's life on that miserable farm. At least, during the day. At night, Trixie was still drowning her sorrows away in alcohol, and picking fights to let out her frustrations.

"Then one night, Trixie had woken up in a hospital, in a town far away from the rock farm."

"W-What happened?" Trixie asked, her voice groggy and her body hooked up to machines that measured her vitals.

"Acute alcohol poisoning," the doctor explained. She turned and found the Pie family standing in the room, behind a second bed that was occupied by…

"Maud?!" Trixie groaned, and clutched at her chest.

"Careful. Stress could cause your heart to go into cardiac arrest right now."

"W-What's she doing here?" Trixie asked.

"Pumping your stomach was not enough. We needed to remove the alcohol from your blood, and for that, we needed a transfusion. Miss Pie volunteered."

Maud stirred in her bed, turning to face Trixie. "You're awake."

"Maud…" Trixie felt her stomach beginning to churn. She knew this feeling. It was rage. Only this time, it was directed towards herself. "You… You didn't have to…" Trixie gasped. "Wait, how did you know that we were compatible?"

"What are you talking about? You told me," Maud replied. "You told me your blood type, in the story where you saved a young colt's life in Detrot."

"You… actually remembered such a small detail?" Maud nodded, and Trixie felt her eyes beginning to well. "D-Doctor, your drugs are having unintended side effects!"

The doctor turned to the Pie family with a questioning look. The family simply shrugged in unison. "Err, yes. Anyway, you should be good to go just as soon as the reports come in, provided that no further complication arose, of course."

"Are there any hotels in this town?" Igneous asked. "It's a long ride back to the farm, and we'll have to leave in the morning."

"What do you mean?" Trixie asked.

"The village's hospital didn't have the facilities to treat you," Limestone explained. "You had to be rushed to this one, and when Maud heard, she bolted after you on the first train!"

"Naturally, we couldn't just leave her," Marble explained.

Maud blushed, covering her face with her sheets. "I'm sorry to have troubled you all."

Trixie groaned as she climbed out of her bed, panting as she forced herself to stay on her hooves. The doctor protested, but Trixie slowly made her way over to Maud, where she wrapped her arms around the mare, holding her close. "You idiot. And thank you… for saving my life. Both now and before. I should have said it earlier."

Maud sank into Trixie's embrace, closing her eyes and enjoying the warmth and the security of it all.

Igneous cleared his throat, and ushered both his family and the doctor out of the room.

"Maud," Trixie began, "I'm sorry that I scared you like that. I swear, I will lay off the drinking from this point on!"

"You won't quit entirely?"

Trixie laughed. A strained, painful laugh. "Well, baby steps, Maud. Baby steps. But I promise, I won't ever drink myself stupid like that again. But from now on, you'd best be prepared to deal with a sober Trixie."

"I'll try, but baby steps, Trixie. Baby steps."

"As it turns out, getting drunk was the only thing keeping me sane, crazy as that sounds. While I was sober, there was no longer anything to keep my mind off of my failed past. Everywhere I looked, ponies were living out their dreams, fulfilling the destinies that were forever branded onto their flanks.

"Memories of the past haunted Trixie, both in her dreams, and when she was awake. Maud and I grew closer, but it was not enough to keep the demons from tormenting Trixie. Even when we shared our first kiss, Trixie could still think of nothing more than getting back to the top!

"Then one day, Trixie found a way. And she shared it with Maud."

"Ponyville?" Maud asked.

Trixie nodded her head. "Trixie is thinking of going back to Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle is there, and by defeating her, Trixie can have her redemption!"

"But you don't need redemption," Maud insisted. "Your shows are wonderful."

"To you, yes," Trixie snapped. "But ponies are vicious creatures. A showmare with a tarnished reputation has only one choice: to best the one that tarnished said reputation! But it's not enough to simply beat Twilight Sparkle. No, Trixie has to make her feel every ounce of pain and humiliation that she was caused!

"For that, Trixie has to leave. And she must do this alone."

Maud held Trixie's hoof, and gazed deep into her eyes. "That's just revenge, Trixie. Revenge doesn't undo the past."

"But it does feel great."

"It's below you. Simply show everypony what you're capable of, and rebuild your reputation. I'll help you."

Trixie scoffed. "How? Travel with me and force everypony to be quiet as Trixie puts on her show."

"If that is what it takes."

"I was joking. Besides, what about the farm?"

"You're… just as important."

Trixie frowned. "Gee, I feel so honoured."

"Can't you at least give it a try? Give us a try?"

Trixie thought on Maud's proposal for several seconds, before asking, "Can you really help me to bring back such a dead reputation? For certain?"

Maud hesitated before answering. "I don't know, but I want to try. And even if it doesn't go well, I can be there for you, when you're down." Maud pulled Trixie into a hug. "I can be here for you, right now."

Trixie blushed as Maud fell onto her back, bouncing on the bed below and pulling the showmare onto her. "I… want to trust you, Maud. And I do want to spend the rest of my life with you. I… love you."

Several minutes passed, before Maud's racing heart finally registered with Trixie. The showmare crawled up Maud's body and kissed her. Maud returned the kiss, and the two made out for what seemed an eternity. Eventually, Trixie reached down to the belt holding Maud's dress to her body, and unfastened the buckle. Maud removed Trixie hat and tossed it aside, followed by her cape.

The dress came off, and the two mares stared at each other for several long moments. "Are you… sure about this?" Trixie asked, looking around nervously.

Maud nodded. "I want you to be my first."

Trixie's blood boiled from that. "Err, your family's sleeping, right?"

"Don't worry. These walls are thick. No sound gets through them."

Trixie grinned a devilish grin. "Oh, good. 'Cause I intend to make many new sounds come out of you."

"Okay! This is where it gets personal, so Trixie's just gonna gloss over that part."

"Yes, thank you," Sunset Shimmer said, her face heated up to a burning blush.

"Right, so, Trixie awoke first the following day. She had reflected on what Maud had said the following day, but…"

Maud awoke all by herself the following morning. Trixie's clothes were gone, and a note had been left on her nightstand.

Dear Maud,

I'm sorry, but I cannot get the idea of revenge out of my head. I know that your feelings for me are true, but you have not experienced the things that I have. To work so hard for one's whole life, only for it to all come crashing down in one moment! To have everypony look at you with the same mocking eyes! Accusing. Judging. Berating!

I won't ever forget last night, but unfortunately, I cannot burden you with this task. Nor can I ask you to wait for me to rebuild my image, whenever that may be. Please, for your sake, find another partner. One who was not abandoned at birth by whatever powers rule over us all. I cannot come back, so please move on.

I'm sorry, and I'll always remember you. Thank you for saving my life.

Trixie

Maud dropped the note to the floor, and simply stared off into space for several seconds. She felt her eyes beginning to well, and she reached up to find tears flowing down her face. Then, she buried her face into her pillow, muffling her sounds.

"You left her to obtain the Alicorn Amulet, and seize your revenge," Sunset concluded, holding a hoof over her chest. "And… do you regret it?"

"Every day," Trixie replied. "The ultimate insult though, is that the Alicorn Amulet was a sham! The accursed artefact, it takes control of whoever wears it! Yes, Trixie got powers beyond her wildest dreams! Yes, she got her revenge on Twilight Sparkle and those two colts!

"But… it twisted Trixie into some horrible, deranged monster, bent on torturing others and ruling the world with an iron hoof!"

Sunset Shimmer frowned. "So that's why you got upset earlier, when I brought it up. The Alicorn Amulet is…"

"It's no weapon. It's a curse. Whoever wears it no longer cares for what side they used to be on. They become a creature of greed and lust, and strive only to take everything for themselves!" Trixie sighed. "I gave up the only mare who would ever love me, for an amulet that damned me further into this hellish life of mine."

"… Maybe she'll still take you back."

Trixie scoffed. "No way. Not after what Trixie did."

"You never know."

"I do know."

"But-"

"Forget it!" Trixie shouted, startling Sunset. "I-I'm sorry, just… Look, it's over between us, okay? There's no way she'd take me back, and besides, I have a job to do. If she knew that I was a member of Unicornia, there's no way she'd ever-"

A scream cut Trixie off. The two mares turned towards the doorway leading outside, and jumped to their hooves.

"That was Oasis," Trixie said.

"It sounds like it came from Midas' chambers!"

The two mares broke into a sprint, leaving the room and pushing past ponies in the hallway as they rushed to Midas' bedroom.

In Ponyville, poppers popped and hooves stomped. Ponies cheered and loud music blared. It was Applejack's birthday, and Pinkie Pie had organised a huge party for her friend, in which the entire town was invited!

Among the invited guests were Twilight Sparkle's family. She was surprised when they had shown up, but not at all disappointed. "But I don't get it. Why are you guys here?"

"Well, we'd heard that it was your friend's birthday," Twilight Velvet explained, "And we wanted to see what one of these famous 'Pinkie Pie parties' was like!"

"It's… different," Night Light said, awed by how the entire town was literally the party itself. "It certainly puts our parties for you and Shining to shame," he added with a laugh.

"I was granted a day of leave," Shining Armor told Twilight. "I wanted to come make sure you're alright. I can't stay for long, since Cadance is waiting for me, but…"

Twilight smiled, and gave her brother a hug. "I'm fine. Thanks for worrying. So, what happened with-"

Shining shook his head. "Sorry, Twi. Need-to-know basis."

"Right…"

"Hey guys! You made it!" Pinkie Pie waved to her family as they approached from the distance. All but Maud were looking around the town with mixed looks of awe and concern.

"So, this is what you do for a living," Igneous Rock said, taking one of the snacks from a nearby table as he approached his daughter and tasting it. "It's… sweet."

"Awww, thanks!" Pinkie Pie practically beamed as her family stopped before her, and she turned to Twilight's and said, "Lemme introduce you! This is my family – maybe Applejack's too – Igneous Rock, my dad…"

"Howdy," Igneous said, tipping his hat.

"A pleasure," Night Light said, shaking the stallion's hoof.

"My mum, Cloudy Quartz, and my sisters, Limestone, Marble, and Maud!"

The four mares waved, and Shining Armor and Night Light waved back. Velvet, however, stared at Maud with a confused look on her face. "Maud Pie?"

Maud turned to Velvet and replied, "Yes?"

"Oh. It's just… I met a mare in Canterlot who called herself that, but she looked drastically different from you."

Maud's ears twitched. "O-Oh. You did?"

"What did she look like?" Twilight asked.

"She was a member of the Royal Guard." Velvet turned to Shining Armor. "White coat, and about Twilight's height. She was standing guard at the party shortly after Unicornia made their big debut."

Shining Armor hummed in thought. "As I recall, there was only one mare assigned to that party. Based on your description, that would be Trixie…"

"Trixie?!" Twilight, Pinkie Pie and Maud shouted in unison.

"Y-Yeah. You know her?"

Twilight and Pinkie Pie exchanged nervous looks. "I-It can't be, can it?" Twilight asked.

"But Trixie's coat is blue," Pinkie Pie pointed out. "And she's not a Royal Guard!"

"Well I mean, she could become one, but it's a long process."

"Does she speak in a haughty tone?" Maud asked. "Maybe with some third-pony?"

"Frequently, yes."

Twilight gulped. "Then there's no doubt. That's gotta be her. But, why is she pretending to be in the Royal Guard? And why would she give a fake name?!"

Suddenly, Shining Armor's face turned pale. "Because… she's the spy." He gasped. "She helped us bring in Robin Hood! She's the mole that's been leaking information to Unicornia!

"Trixie is… a member of Unicornia!"

Author's Note:

Thanks to Striker for proofreading.

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