“And that’s how Equestria was made!” Pinkie Pie concluded her story and reached for another cupcake, to the astonishment of everypony else at the library reading table.
By all rights, no mare should be able to eat as much as Pinkie had so far without exploding, but that wasn’t even the most confusing thing.
“Huh?” Trixie blinked and looked over to Applejack. “Trixie thought we were talking about the Everfree Forest?”
“Yup…” Applejack kept her head propped up with the help of the table, forelegs, and a convenient encyclopedia. Apparently, her farm work didn’t magically get done just because a forest witch shrunk her down for half of the day. Or whatever actually happened to her. ”Don't mind it none. Point is, don’t go there.”
It wasn’t even that late in the evening, but apparently ‘early to bed, early to rise’ was an Apple family motto along with about two dozen similar ones regarding doing work the hard way. Trixie was sure of that.
As if summoned, Twilight looked up from the book she'd stuffed her snout into not one minute after Pinkie started her tale; a doorstopper of a tome that looked at least as ancient as the forest they were talking about.
“I still think Zecora proves the Everfree Forest can be explored,” Twilight said with a mad gleam in her eye. No doubt excited at the prospect of a doomed expedition to volunteer her friends for. “We just have to experiment and learn how to do so safely. Who knows what could be discovered? Herbs thought extinct. Species undocumented! Oh, perhaps entire lost civilizations with their own literature!”
“Maybe, or nothing good, Ah reckon,” Applejack stifled a yawn. “We were always told to stay outta there fer a reason.”
“Trixie can confirm.” It would have been nice if somepony had told her that before.
Trixie sighed and downed her drink, nervously glancing over at the door. She really wished Applejack had brought something more potent than juice, something to help her relax. At least this kept her mouth from feeling like sandpaper.
Where was that keg Applejack brought? The kitchen, perhaps.
“Right.” Spike nodded to Trixie and gave an apologetic look to Twilight. “I mean, so far all I’ve discovered is that none of us ever really needed to go in there, right?”
That was a surprisingly sharp remark from the little guy. Trixie cracked a smile despite herself. Not that it made up for his betrayal, but it was nice to see somepony else on the receiving end of his barbed, forked tongue. In hindsight, that probably should have tipped her off.
Twilight frowned. “What about when we had to stop Nightmare Moon? We needed to find the elements… which I guess were inside us all along… but we only realized that because of everything we faced on the way there!”
“And it was super fun!” Pinkie Pie added.
“This is fascinating and all,” Trixie said with as little sarcasm as she could manage before she stepped away from the table, “but all Trixie wants to find in there is her hat. Let her know if you think of something that’ll help with that.”
She left the little squabbling group to their own devices and made her way to the kitchen.
Given how on edge she’d been about Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy the past couple days, she actually felt relatively relaxed about the whole thing now. Sure, she hadn’t been able to eat a single bite all evening, but she wasn’t glued to a window awaiting their return either.
Maybe it was because, unlike before, she wasn’t entirely helpless this time. She’d truly done all she could to prepare Fluttershy; with Rarity’s assistance to boot. Granted, there was a limit to how much progress one could make with Fluttershy in a day, but The Great and Foresightful Trixie had been slowly introducing the overly timid girl to speaking her mind for over a week prior.
From there it was simple enough. A few exercises to have Fluttershy loudly repeat a few keyphrases, including the confession, of course. Along with a little probing and brainstorming to find which setting would give her the most courage and time.
Turned out she did better when she couldn’t be seen. Made sense, she liked to hide behind that pretty mane of hers. It was funny that while Fluttershy was such a scaredy pony, she did better in the dark.
As she entered the kitchen, Trixie felt a chill. How was it so much colder in here?
She quickly found the cause, somepony had left open a window and all the warmth had escaped into the night. Well, that wouldn’t do. She pulled it shut and locked it.
Let it never be said that she never did anything nice for Twilight.
Now, what was Trixie here for again? Ah, yes!
She only needed a brief glance around to find her prey, sitting atop the counter near the sink with a convenient tap hammered in near the bottom at a nice comfortable height for her.
Thinking about it now, maybe some consideration should have been given to making Rainbow Dash comfortable as well.
Nah.
Dashie would be fine.
While pouring herself a fresh mug of apple juice, Trixie heard the door creak open behind her.
“Hey…” Spike mumbled as he took a few steps inside, leaving the door slightly ajar.
It didn’t seem very likely he was ‘raised in a barn’ to borrow an earth pony phrase, so perhaps he left it open to ensure the others could hear if there was any yelling? As if she ever would.
“Hey,” Trixie replied with an even tone. “What do you want?”
Spike stood there quietly, holding a mug in one of his little foreclaws. Is that what they were called? Anyway, he ran the other one over his arm and kept looking anywhere but at her. “I, uh… I’m supposed to ‘keep an eye on you.’ Don’t tell Twilight that I told you. She’s just a little stressed.”
Awkward.
“Trixie can’t imagine what that’s like.” She rolled her eyes and glanced out the window, hoping to see any sign of the pegasi pair’s return. It was too dark; she only saw herself reflected back. “Seeing as Trixie is used to having ponies watch her every dazzling move, Trixie doesn’t care, but why tell Trixie you are spying on her? It’d be easier if you lied.”
Moreover, it was just a little insulting to be underestimated so heavily. As if a baby dragon was sufficient surveillance to keep The Shrewd and Guileful Trixie from doing anything she might have wanted.
Lucky for them, all she wanted was a drink.
Spike scuffed the floor with his foot, still not looking at her. “Because I want you to know I’m being honest with you. If you find out later that I lied about that, why would you believe the rest of this?”
“Believe the rest of what?” A white smudge appeared in Trixie’s reflection and then was gone again. Unless she was changing color herself, that must have been outside. She strained her eyes, trying to catch it once more.
“I didn’t mean to laugh at you. Well, no, I did, but I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings,” Spike said. “I’m sorry. I thought we were just… well, ya know… doing some friendly ribbing? You called me ‘a baby dragon with delusions of grandeur.’ You didn’t mean that either, right?”
“...Right.”
Oh, she’d definitely meant it, but still… Maybe he really hadn’t? Or perhaps this was some kind of trick to get something from her. It hardly mattered, she couldn’t trust him either way. It would take more than a half-hearted apology to mend this. It was her own fault, really, she’d chosen to extend a bit more trust toward him than she should’ve and shared her woes. It was foolish to have expected him to listen.
There was movement outside. It was hard to make out what exactly, but it wasn’t the same as before.
Come to think of it. What had Rarity and Fluttershy told Rainbow Dash to get her to go to the boutique? Trixie had never been quite clear on that part of the plan. It wasn’t the kind of place that Rainbow Dash would easily go… right?
“I guess you were already kinda upset and I just pushed you over the edge,” Spike continued. “After all, you’d been trying to talk to the others and they brushed you off cause they had their own thing going on, even though you were trying to be serious.”
On second thought, maybe Rainbow Dash was into fashion? That seemed almost impossible, but then again she also would not have expected the literal cloud palace that passed for a house.
She should ask about that when they got back. Probably after learning how the whole thing went with Fluttershy. Whatever the outcome was, she was confident she’d be able to make the best of it. That knowledge didn’t keep her from feeling at least a little nervous, though.
Spike spoke up. “I know how bad that feels.”
Apparently, he was still here.
“How so?” Trixie asked, affording him a sideways glance.
“Uhm, because you’re doing it right now?”
“What?” Trixie pulled away from the window to face him. For the first time since they’d started this conversation, now that she thought about it.
The little dragon was standing with his arms folded and a slight scowl as though he hadn't entirely decided whether to be annoyed, angry or hurt. He’d at some point set the mug aside on the counter, but she hadn’t noticed.
She glanced back at the window, then settled on Spike once more.
He wasn’t wrong. This was exactly what she’d been complaining about. Sure, maybe she had just a little bit of a better reason to be preoccupied, what with being on the edge of a life-changing event and all, but… the others had probably felt the same.
Come to think of it, the only way he’d know to call her out like this was if he had been listening to her rant, no, lament, wasn’t it?
Funny how it suddenly felt worse to get what she wanted.
“...Okay, point taken.” Trixie admitted with a sigh. “Maybe Trixie was a little hasty. She’s sorry too…”
“So, we’re good?” Spike smiled as she gave him a nod in return. He reached for the door. “I’m gonna head back then.”
“Not so fast.” Trixie called out, causing him to pause.
“What?”
Trixie scratched the back of her head awkwardly while avoiding his gaze. “Well, uhm… Trixie actually… ended up using some of your advice. So, thanks for that. Trixie supposes.”
Spike opened his mouth to comment, but nothing came out and he closed it again. After a brief moment of thought, he smiled. “It’s what friends do.”
“It won’t do for Trixie to be indebted like this so...” She magically lifted his mug off the counter and shook it with a cautious smile. “How about a refill?”
“That seems like a fair trade.” Spike smirked. “Thanks—Rarity?”
Trixie frowned slightly. Another slip of the tongue on her name? Well, if she forgave Sweetie Belle for it, she supposed she could extend the courtesy again.
“Really?” Trixie gave an overly exaggerated scowl. “Thinking about another mare?”
“No! Rarity!” He pointed toward the window.
To Trixie’s surprise, Rarity stood outside, fumbling with the lock on the window with a panicked look in her eyes.
“Don’t just stand there,” Rarity hissed under her breath just barely audible through the glass. She glanced left and right. “Let me in.”
From the living room, Applejack’s voice carried through the cracked door.
“Oh, hey, Dash! Where’d y’all go?”
Twilight perked up as Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy came in through the front door. When had they even left? Perhaps she had been too distracted with Pinkie and Trixie.
“Just getting some fresh air...” Rainbow Dash scanned the room for a moment. Seemingly satisfied, she pulled out a purple package with a blue ribbon from behind her back and held it up. “So, we’ve got it. Uhm, anypony got any idea where Rarity said to stash it?”
Right. It was a gift of some sort for Trixie, wasn’t it? They’d discussed it briefly the day before when Trixie was missing, but they had been secretive as to what it actually was.
She didn’t really understand it at the time either. Why was Trixie getting gifts now? She hadn’t, no, nopony else had gotten any since she came to Ponyville. At least, not that she knew about. She supposed it was one of Trixie’s talents, to draw attention to herself.
“Oh! Oh!” Pinkie Pie lifted up the table cloth and pointed under it about forty times in two seconds. “How about here?”
Strangely, it reminded her of the gift that Spike had gotten for Moon Dancer’s party, but that was months ago. Why did she think about it now? She never learned what that was either.
“Great idea, Pinkie!” Rainbow Dash took a seat along with Fluttershy, keeping the gift hidden between them and underneath the table. Of the two of them, Rainbow Dash had the hardest time keeping a straight face.
“Trixie ‘n Spike are off getting drinks.” Applejack tilted her hat back. “And… huh, Ah guess Rarity must be as well. That or powdering her nose or whatever she does.”
While everything felt normal enough, Rainbow Dash was obviously nervous, even as she chatted with the rest of her friends, she kept alternating between hastily looking around and staring off into space.
Trixie had been nervous as well, though she’d been better at hiding it. That was part of why she’d asked Spike to follow her in the first place. Perhaps there was some connection?
It was only right to investigate.
Twilight scooted a little closer and once the flow of conversation turned away from their corner of the table, she quietly cleared her throat and whispered, “Ahem, Rainbow Dash, is something wrong?”
“What? No, no it’s nothing.” Rainbow Dash waved her off.
“Are you sure? You look more troubled than you did about the weather station… Maybe I can help again?”
Rainbow Dash quietly bit her lip for a moment. She glanced over at Fluttershy who was happily discussing Gummy’s dental plan with Pinkie Pie. “Yeah… Maybe you could.”
So, something really was wrong.
Leaning in a little, Rainbow Dash kept her voice down. “I kinda got caught up in the moment and… now I’m worried how Trixie’ll react. Maybe she’ll be upset. Or, I dunno, I guess I’d at least know how to deal with that. I don’t have any idea what to do if she actually likes it. I’ve never done anything like this before.”
This wasn’t making much sense to her. “What? The gift? You’ve never given one?”
Rainbow Dash blinked and if she hadn’t known better she could swear there was a brief reddish glow on those otherwise blue cheeks. That couldn’t be right. “Uh, yeah. Sure. The gift.”
“Okay, well… I… haven’t actually done it before either.”
“Shocker.” Rainbow Dash chuckled to herself.
“I meant between friends!” She felt an indignant swell of heat in her own cheeks now. “I’ve done it plenty with my brother and my parents! Oh, and Celestia! I’m sure I can help.”
Every clarification only seemed to drive Rainbow Dash further into barely suppressed laughter. It wasn’t until she mentioned Celestia that Rainbow Dash suddenly regained her composure. “Sorry, sorry. It’s just… I don’t think this is gonna carry over very well.”
At least she seemed to be feeling a little better. That was worthwhile, even if it was at her expense.
“Mhm. You might have a point. I already knew all of them well, so I had a good idea of how they’d react,” Twilight mused while she glanced toward the kitchen. It was taking Trixie an awfully long time to get a drink, but she hadn’t heard Spike raise any alarms either. “You can’t really ask her and ruin the surprise, but… maybe you could talk to her and drop some subtle hints. You might learn something from how she reacts.”
“Subtle?” Rainbow Dash barely managed to form the word, as though it felt as alien on her tongue as ‘delegation’ had. “Mhm… actually, yeah… Yeah, I think I’ll give that a whirl. Thanks, Twilight.”
She’d barely finished her sentence when the kitchen door swung open.
Trixie must have sensed somepony was talking about her as she came trotting in with a big grin. Following shortly behind her were Spike and Rarity.
Oh, so that’s where Rarity was. Strange.
Spike briefly met her eyes as he came back to the table and then promptly rolled his own. They hadn’t exactly agreed on any set signals, but she surmised that he was trying to tell her she’d been concerned over nothing.
Trixie must have actually been thirsty then. In fact, she looked much more relaxed now. Before Twilight had even really noticed, Trixie had stolen the open seat beside a flustered Rainbow Dash.
With everypony once again present, the drone of conversation picked up again.
It was actually a little fun to see all her friends enjoying themselves.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash had quickly gotten into some kind hoof-wrestling competition with Trixie egging them on. It was slightly annoying to see Trixie more easily socialize with her friends than she did.
Spike was hanging on every word of whatever Rarity was saying. From the stray word or two she picked up, it had to be about her little sister. Spike didn’t seem to get the hint, of course.
Pinkie Pie was unsurprisingly in her element and didn’t seem to keep to a single seat longer than a few minutes to talk to each pony in turn with varying degrees of reception. This had to be where the term ‘social butterfly’ came from.
Twilight's ears flicked left and right as she honed in on one conversation for a few seconds, before switching to the next.
It was just too hard to keep up. It wasn't fair! Books she could go back and forth with no problem, but here; just missing a line could derail her entire understanding of what was being talked about. What if somepony asked her about something she wasn’t listening to? But, would it be weird if she was just listening in on a conversation?
Maybe she should talk too, however, interrupting something she wasn’t part of struck her as rude.
This was exactly why she didn’t go to parties before. It was just too much at once when she’d rather be enjoying a good book. She couldn’t do that now, however; Princess Celestia was counting on her to study every aspect of friendship, even the loud parts.
If only she had the time to study Pinkie Pie and work out how to replicate that ‘social butterfly’ effect. That would take too long to matter today, but speaking of butterflies… maybe what she needed to do was talk with somepony who was a little more her speed, like Fluttershy.
She turned toward Fluttershy with an inviting smile, only to see that Trixie had beaten her to the punch again. The two of them locked eyes behind Rainbow Dash’s back and were clearly about to start their own conversation.
Or not.
They each turned their attention back to the rest of the table. It didn’t make sense, they hadn’t even said a word to each other yet, but Trixie looked even more pleased than she had a moment ago. Fluttershy on the other hand was unchanged, just carrying the same placid smile she had before.
They must have signaled each other, but why? For what? How was Trixie always making her friends do these suspicious things? What was Fluttershy’s part in her scheme now?
Fluttershy caught her staring. “Twilight? Was there, uhm, can I help you?”
“Yes, actually...” Twilight glanced over at Trixie. She didn’t seem to be paying attention, but she couldn’t be sure. “How are you liking the party? Isn’t it too much? I noticed you were kind of out of it during the planning stage as well.”
“Oh, I’m sorry for bringing the mood down…” Fluttershy tilted her head down. After a moment of nothing happening, her eyes darted up to a hairpin that was keeping her mane out of her face.
“Do you want me to get that for you?”
“N-no, it’s okay.” Fluttershy briefly turned as if to look over to Rainbow Dash and Trixie, but she caught herself and abruptly focused on Twilight again. “But the, uhm, the party’s okay. I-I mean, it’s nice. I don’t usually get out much, but I’ve, uhm… gotten used to things being a little busier than usual. I-I think it helps. Maybe?”
“Right...” No matter how she looked at it, Fluttershy was definitely trying to hide something. Sadly, there was no way she could press her on this, not right here and now. Twilight leaned in a little and lowered her voice. “If you ever want to talk, about anything at all, I’m here for you.”
After a moment of confusion, Fluttershy gave a look of contemplation, but ultimately she shook her head and smiled. “It’s nothing, but thank you… I’ll remember that.”
That would have to do, for now. Fluttershy was the closest to Trixie, if Trixie was actually dangerous then Fluttershy would be most likely to know, but that also meant she’d be the most hesitant.
“Hey, Twilight!” Pinkie Pie popped up on her other side. “Having fun?”
“I’d like to think so. It’s a little challenging, but it’s better than that time you brought fifty strangers into my house.” She shuddered just thinking about it. At least she didn’t feel the need to hide away in her bedroom this time. “How do you do it?”
“Easy peasy! Everypony at the party was my friend.” Pinkie Pie smiled. “I guess that goes for both of us this time, huh?”
“Right…” Twilight glanced over at Trixie for a moment. “But I don’t feel like I have much to say.”
Pinkie Pie gasped. “Sure you do! You’re super smart!”
“But, what if I’m annoying?”
“I dunno. I’ve never thought about it.” Pinkie Pie shrugged it off with such ease. “Do you think I’m annoying?”
“What, no!” Her heart stood still. She hadn’t meant to make Pinkie Pie think that. She and her big mouth. “You’re my friend!”
“Aw, thanks Twilight. You’re my friend too! Cause that’s how that works!” ”Pinkie Pie’s smile had never left her face, but it grew even wider. She motioned toward the rest of the group. “And they are as well, right? So, don’t worry about it!”
“I… huh, that actually makes sense.” Twilight looked back out toward her group of friends and Trixie.
That’s right. They weren’t strangers she had to make a good impression on. They were friends, mostly.
A mention of Twilight’s name pulled her attention to another conversation.
“Twilight’s from Canterlot, so is that where you’re from too, Trixie?” Rainbow Dash asked. “I’m pretty sure it is not Cloudsdale.”
Twilight perked up her ears. This could prove interesting.
“Ya reckon, Dash?” Applejack chuckled. “Any other places ya wanna rule out, like Aquastria?”
“The city under the sea?” Pinkie Pie asked while she thoughtfully stroked her chin. “I don’t think she’d be from there, silly.”
“Actually, Trixie moved around a lot.” Trixie cut off Applejack before she could respond to Pinkie Pie. “So, she doesn’t have much attachment to any particular place.”
Twilight felt that should have sounded like a sad thing, but Trixie was so flippant about it. On the other hoof, it also felt like Trixie was attempting to dodge the question.
Twilight leaned in. “That’s alright, it’s just about the first place you’ve been. Where was that?”
“Then Hollow Shades but, erm...” Trixie gave Twilight a sideways glance as though she only just realized she had been listening. “...it wasn’t a very interesting place. Obviously, Trixie is the greatest thing to come out of that dust bowl in millennia.”
She remembered reading about the town, it was supposed to be practically abandoned, but that was all she could recall. That book had to be around the library somewhere, though. Maybe later.
Spike gave her a pleading look as if to keep her from running to the history section of the library then and there. His attention swiftly drifted back to Rarity once it became apparent she wasn’t going anywhere, yet.
“Ah’ll say. Granny says the place ain’t fit fer growing much despite it being an earth pony town.” Applejack added. “Don’t suppose ya ran into Great-uncle Gravenstein?”
Trixie gave a surprised gasp. “Yes, actually. How do you know that old coot?”
Applejack shrugged. “Ah, shucks. We got some distant kin over here ‘n there. Pretty much anywhere ya can plant an appletree ya’ll find an Apple, really.”
“Seriously, you’re related? Wait, to all of them?” Trixie stared in disbelief as Applejack nodded. “Trixie thought it was just a funny coincidence that every place she went had some apple farmers.”
Rarity showed a sly smile and winked. “Honestly, I’m surprised you didn’t just assume they all knew each other, Darling.”
“Very funny.” Trixie rolled her eyes and playfully jabbed Rarity in the shoulder. “Trixie’ll ask that next time she goes anywhere.”
Twilight felt a chill at the sight. Trixie was having such an easy time handling the spotlight and her influence was clearly spreading even further among her friends. Even Rarity, the one pony she thought the least likely to warm up to her after that disaster with her mane, was joking around with Trixie now.
“Oh, I bet you’ve never been to Rockville then! We don’t have any Apples where I’m from!” Pinkie Pie naturally found a way to be the odd one out. “You should come over!”
“The Great and Well-traveled Trixie doesn’t recall visiting any such place. She’s sure she’d have remembered such a solid name.” Trixie flipped her mane. Her tone straddled the line between sarcasm and humor. “However, maybe she’ll grace it with a visit some day.”
“That’d be great!” Pinkie Pie smiled widely. “My sister Maud goes crazy for magic shows!”
“You have a sister?” Spike asked with a bit of awe and apprehension in his voice. “Woah, I can’t image how wild things must get when both of you are in the same place.”
Pinkie Pie rubbed her hooves together ominously.
At the mention of doing a show, Trixie faltered a little and her ears tilted back for a moment. “Sure… Trixie’ll add it to her tour schedule then.”
Rainbow Dash tilted her head and silently stared at Trixie as she mentioned having a schedule. It was odd for her to be so wrapped up in her own thoughts without blurting them out.
“Uhm, Trixie?” Fluttershy softly poked her shoulder and received a hastily recovered smile for her efforts. Thus emboldened, she pressed on. “I was just wondering… What made you start traveling if that’s okay to ask?”
“Oh, of course!” Trixie struck a pose that she might have thought noble, closing her eyes and keeping her nose in the air as she rested a hoof on her chest. “Trixie had an awakening at a young age that it would be a crime to deny the rest of Equestria her presence! So, she—Gack! Dashie!”
“What?” Rainbow Dash grinned as she pulled her hoof back out of Trixie’s ribs. Heavy thoughts were no match for an opportunity to cause mischief. “You were rambling.”
Trixie glared at her for a moment then sighed. “If you want the boring version, fine, but Trixie really did start when she was a filly.”
Applejack pushed her hat back. “Must’ve been hard as a filly alone.”
“No, no. Trixie’s only been a solo act for about a year.” Trixie waved her off. “Actually, Mom had to travel a lot for work and brought Trixie along. Turned out that having a new audience so regularly was great practice for an aspiring magician.”
“Oh, I just adore childhood passions blooming into adulthood.” Rarity’s eyes briefly flicked over from Trixie to Rainbow Dash and Fluttershy. “It took a while… Ahem, for me to earn bits with it, I mean. How about you?”
“Well, Trixie’s performances were originally just for fun, but it turned out to be surprisingly easy for a filly to entertain adults with some sparks. After that, well, we just kept doing it and Trixie kept getting better until she became the shining example of grace be—Dashie!” Trixie squirmed away as she got tickled again. “You are the worst!”
“My bad.” Rainbow Dash didn’t look the least bit sorry. She leaned in a little closer as if to dare Trixie to do something about it.
Twilight made a note that perhaps she’d sorely overestimated Trixie’s actual control over her friends.
Hmm, Twilight, your both an intelligent deadly villain and a complete noob to socialization. Wait until you see the three of them making out on top of your tree house, what will you do then?
Well, I told myself I'd do better and review sooner but ultimately I am still a procrastinator at heart, haha. I've had about half of this written since the chapter came out but I've only just now finished it so I can permit myself to read the next chapter!
I do appreciate the nod to how much work Applejack probably had to catch up on after their adventure. Kinda makes me wonder about all the times in the show they would all just kinda go on a trip for a few days. It's been a while since I really watched the show, but I don't remember a time Twilight was like "Applejack, we need your help in convincing a lemur that they should be comfortable wearing whatever hat they want to wear," and Applejack didn't point out she probably has important and time-sensitive work to do back on the farm. Good ol' solid and dependable Applejack. Trixie may look down her nose at her for doing work the hard way but at least she gets the work done!
Also on the note of Twilight calling her friends in for a trip, I do enjoy the tone that Trixie's perspective on Twilight imparts. A doomed expedition to volunteer her friends for? To be perfectly fair to the show, they kinda all volunteer each other for various dangerous feats and adventures. Also it seems a little funny to me that of all the ponies at the party, Trixie is probably the most well traveled and worldly but the most weirdly sheltered. I suppose this comes from her isolation from any meaningful relationships on her travels. You might think that as someone who spends all her time traveling far from home and meeting new people she might be a little braver...but even her canon representation in the show is really just a coward at heart. Even the prospect of new, adoring audiences doesn't seem appealing to her! Although that could also be because the Everfree is a bit of a trauma for her. Trixie is no trailblazing adventurer, despite her stories.
Classic Spike. Perfectly willing to tell it to Twilight like it is but because Trixie doesn't know him nearly as well and she is not currently disposed to seeing him in a positive light...well Trixie's comment about his forked tongue did make me smile. As petty as ever.
Now this retort from Twilight really makes me think upon re-reading this chapter (as will probably be no surprise to you given what follows) but it makes me wonder more about how Twilight feels. Obviously there is an element of being stubborn to her retort. She can't just admit that going into the Everfree wasn't STRICTLY necessary even though she can obviously make an argument as to why it wouldn't be. However, what's most telling is that Twilight is frowning. She is unhappy that she has to defend herself and I'd be willing to bet a whole shiny apple that's because it looks like Spike is siding with Trixie.
I'm no pony psychologist but it looks like Twilight is feeling insecure and threatened by Trixie. Now, of course, it could just be that Twilight is pretty naturally stubborn and used to being on the winning side of arguments (possibly due to her not having many friends and her position in a life of academia putting her in a pretty good position to argue from positions of strength) and so it wouldn't necessarily have to be Trixie that upsets her. And really, it isn't like she's totally out of sorts or frothing at the mouth in this scene but as I am overanalyzing this scene with a little future knowledge of the chapter it makes for an interesting place for me to put a focus.
Twilight just shared a bit of herself with her friends. She got excited about the prospect of new discoveries and rediscovering old discoveries! Who would she have shared excitement with in the past? Other scholars? Celestia or Spike? I would probably be GUESSING Spike but he has always seemed so disinterested in Twilight's studies that I don't know who she would have gotten excited with. And now she has best friends and, to be frank, none of them share these passions either. I'm not saying it's a dealbreaker but that has to be disappointing. But then if you consider that maybe Twilight was possibly bullied in school (as Celestia's apprentice, I might think that Twilight would be more avoided rather than outright physically bullied or teased) so now Twilight feels a bit like she's once again on the outside of a friend-group looking in...and inside is TRIXIE! That thieving, lying drifter seems to be on the inside here in what has so quickly become so dear to Twilight. Trixie is the representation of that popular kid that seems to get along so easily with everyone that Twilight could never figure out how to emulate and would probably be silently a little bit jealous of...
Of course, this is all WILD speculation! We don't know a ton about what school life was like for Twilight, only who she was before arriving at Ponyville and simultaneously how wholeheartedly she threw herself into friendship at the first opportunity. Celestia phrasing it as a school assignment might have helped some though. Haha. Ever the good student, Twilight.
Of course, the favorite part about my armchairing of Twilight is that her projection onto Trixie is so wildly inaccurate that it makes me chuckle at her shortsightedness. Trixie is not the popular kid that plays the crowd. I mean...it's hard to deny that Trixie has charisma and would definitely be the type to play a crowd if she could. And she CAN play one in her act...but everyone here is pretty wary of her to one extent or another. It's sad to think that Trixie really could be something of a popular kid but she's so historically bad at thinking about others that she would have only the most shallow, unfulfilling relationships. Although that could be on its way to changing if things go well!
Anyway, that's enough of me waxing poetic on a single line of dialog when there is so much more to explore about this very subject just ahead! I'll leave it be with just this last observation...in my proposed interpretation of Twilight's mindset she might be starting to feel like she's the outcast because everyone that chimed in was against her. Leave it to Pinkie to recognize that kind of thing quickly and voice some support to soothe those feelings. Pinkie herself can be at times both strikingly attentive and show a surprising lack of tact...but here I would believe that she knows how to keep a conversation flowing to keep people from getting sullen and withdrawn.
Aww!! Trixie tried to say something incredibly sarcastic with as little sarcasm as she could manage. She really is evolving to think more about others!
And here we have Trixie ruminating a bit about the past week so that we can see how Trixie played into the confession (and more about why Fluttershy would have POSSIBLY been mistakenly led into confessing in a seemingly haunted boutique). It's good to see that Trixie is managing to relax more with the benefit of Rarity's advice and I'm also happy to see her mention (even in her own head) that Rarity's assistance was key in helping prepare Fluttershy. There is a time in Trixie's life where any contribution from Rarity (even helpful) would have been seen as unwarranted or meddling in Trixie's life. Just look at Spike. One misstep and he's on Trixie's naughty list and Trixie is nothing if not stubborn and prideful. It wasn't too long ago that they were at each other's throats...now I know there is a bit of mutual benefit here through them both wanting to support Fluttershy but it wouldn't have been too surprising to me if in the privacy of her own mind Trixie only thought of herself as helping prepare Fluttershy.
I mean...don't get me wrong I'll bet that Rarity had more of an impact on the outcome than Trixie is really implying here but even a little thought is progress. She just really shouldn't stop here, the little egomaniac!
It is funny to think of Fluttershy as doing better in the dark and unseen...both literally and (at this point it is hard to deny) metaphorically. Fluttershadow approaches.
Word choice here is, as always, pretty sweet with Trixie describing Fluttershy's mane as pretty. Trixie really is crushing pretty hard on Fluttershy, haha. It's very cute.
Did I intend to re-read the chapter line-by-line and comment on every one of the lines? No, I didn't really but this is what I find myself doing and I have to say...I knew what that open window was the MOMENT Trixie mentioned it and could not wait for Rarity to find out this was one of the few times that Trixie decided to be Great and Helpful!
Trixie really has more faith in Rainbow Dash's working through discomfort than she probably should considering Dash's allergy to touchy-feely but given the context of the previous chapter I have to think that she might have done herself a real favor. Imagine if Dash had been even a little buzzed when she had her discussion with Fluttershy...if she had found it a little easier to ignore the voice in her head that she was being unfair to Trixie and that she should just do what was comfortable and pleasurable by embracing Fluttershy's feelings. Truly, this story is about how Trixie being thoughtless and a little careless only ever turns out well for her in the end!
And next we have a Spike enter for what is CLEARLY an awkward conversation with Trixie. I love his little naïve show of trust of Trixie. By telling Trixie that he was sent to keep an eye on her by Twilight I think we can dissect an interesting meaning. I'm sure part of the admission comes from Spike's guilt. He's probably still beating himself up for sticking his foot in his mouth and as a result trying to be more open with her so she can trust him again...and considering they were already only tenuous friends to start with shows how uncomfortable he would be with having hurt Trixie's (or probably anyone's feelings). Additionally, he is actually kinda betraying some of Twilight's trust to try to build up a little more with Trixie. I mean, he clearly thinks that Trixie doesn't need to be spied on and is using the opportunity to talk to her to his advantage but I'm not entirely sure WHY he doesn't trust Twilight's opinion more. What does he see in Trixie that has him so open to believing she is or can be better than she is? It is very sweet of him, though, and I hope Trixie can get over her spat with him!
I do want to say that I feel Spike's apology does sound...right. Trixie isn't into the idea of trusting again at all, but Spike is genuine and insightful. I like that Trixie is VERY distracted and Spike picks up on that and feels ignored. That little tie in to how Trixie felt was a nice touch. If anything, these two will probably have a lot in common if Trixie continues to be a friend of the group. She'll never be an Element of Harmony...so Trixie will probably always be like Spike and feel like a third-wheel to the group. There but not, like, the star of the story. Maybe a little ignored and forgotten. Spike gets a little recognition later in the series but Trixie is older than he is and, I would argue, more sensitive. It would be interesting to see them bond a little more. And here Spike comes off as very mature...but I wonder if Trixie will ever give Spike his due for being such a mature BABY dragon. She treats him more like a peer than she treats even the other fillies...but I think I've mentioned before that Trixie has a way of treating children more like peers in a way that can make them feel important and heard (even if she sometimes tunes them out). It's some of that natural charisma that Trixie constantly wastes!
Anyways, it's a small scene but I'm glad to see that they are at least mending their relationship...and that my guess about Rarity was spot on!
And now everyone is back at the party so we get to see if any fireworks go off, haha.
Okay, so the last part of the chapter is from Twilight's POV and I have to say that I love and identify with it so much. I know you're probably working pretty hard to let Twilight be an antagonist without being a "bad guy" and I personally think you're doing a great job. This is a very humanizing perspective on Twilight and it really shines a very clear light on how insecure and unsure Twilight is. This is Twilight before she's comfortable with relationships but she still cares for her friends so much and it shines through in this part of the chapter. She talks with Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy (along with just actively listening to the many conversations going on) and each conversation shows a little more about how Twilight feels about her friends and highlights a different aspect of her insecurity.
Her conversation with Dash shows that she wants to be able to help Dash (even if what Dash is agonizing over would be WELL over Twilight's head at this point in time) and that she even kind of wants to show off a bit so she can fit in (when referencing that she is familiar with giving gifts). I think it's very sweet that Twilight is able to bite down on her own embarrassment if it helps Dash feel better about whatever is bothering her and I'm glad to see that the two of them opening up more by offering/accepting some advice shows that their relationship is mending. Both characters can be pretty stubborn but they both really care about one another too. Although...suggesting that Dash try to be subtle might show that Twilight still has much to learn about her friend!
Twilight's conversation with Pinkie shows a good awareness of her own shortcomings and a knowledge that Twilight knows she can be unintentionally hurtful to people. But I'm happy that Pinkie gets a chance to shine here and teach Twilight some lessons in friendship. I think that some fanfiction and even the canon story feels a bit like Twilight picks up on this "friendship" thing a little too quickly just because she's "smart" so it should be easy. But this is all a part of Twilight's own journey to understanding others...in a way a mirror of what Trixie herself is going through. Part of what I like about this description is that Twilight isn't THAT much further along than Trixie is in this part of the story, imo. Twilight obviously cares more but she's struggling just to interact with her best friends comfortably. Trixie is more at home with these casual interactions and I think a lot of the story shows how much she is growing at learning how and why she should care about others. It's just nice to see a place where the two of them could really benefit from learning from each other if they weren't both so blinded by ego, insecurity (and some illegal magic lol).
Fluttershy's conversation was shorter...but re-reading it made me a little nervous. We know that Fluttershy just failed to tempt Dash into breaking up with Trixie and she's been using some pretty subtle plans to try to get Trixie to leave too...Twilight's offer to help and Fluttershy's acceptance made me wonder if Fluttershy would be willing to make use of Twilight's (legitimage) paranoia surrounding Trixie to try to scare her out of town. That would be some really DRASTIC measures but it could easily fit Fluttershy's MO. All she really has to do is IMPLY that Trixie is being suspicious and even if things don't work out she could just say that Twilight jumped to conclusions. But this would be a pretty nuclear option. Getting Trixie run out of town AGAIN would pretty clearly cement that Fluttershy was willing to do something pretty terrible enough to get rid of Trixie that she must not feel as fond of Trixie as I would like to think. It would be too cruel to believe otherwise.
The rest of the conversation is pretty natural with some chemistry around the characters. There are plenty of little plot hooks sprinkled around that it will be interesting to see come to fruition (Trixie's backstory and Trixie's being uncomfortable with performing are a couple) but I'll probably wrap this review up here since I've waxed poetic for almost 3000 words now.
I'm looking forward to reading the next chapter and I hope to get a chance to review it soon as well! I'm on the edge of my seat about how this drama will unfold and I hope you continue to sprinkle these humanizing (pony-izing?) POVs as it unfolds!
Good luck and thank you so much for the chapter!
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As a fellow professional procrastinator, I too am familiar with this technique of blackmailing yourself into working. I’ve spent some time trying to ransom Code Vein in exchange for the latest chapter. Which I am now fully enjoying. xD
Good to hear it was a successful hostage negotiation with yourself cause dang you got prolific fast. I love it!
Now, time to dig into what I can only refer to as your comprehensive review. I’ve been eagerly awaiting your thoughts. It’s always such fun. ^^
Applejack’s so reliable that her one big problem episode ‘Apple Bucking Season’ had her saddled with the work of two ponies during the busiest time and she STILL honored every other promise she’d made to help her friends out. Ironically, she had to learn not to overwork herself so much and ask her friends for help if she needs it.
I imagine she’s still stubborn enough to only ask for help if she absolutely positively can’t handle it on her own, though. A mere half a day worth of work does not qualify.
It’s a shame. I don’t think they ever had an episode touch on the group pulling AJ away during a critical time for the farm that made AJ choose between helping her friends and farm responsibilities. That might have been interesting / a good lesson. The closest they came was probably the Flutterbat episode.
Oh, for sure. Trixie’s kinda cynical interpretation definitely colors how she thinks about it. The couple times in the show where we see Twilight be unwilling to involve her friends in something dangerous they all step up and ensure her it was never her choice whether they would come or not; They are coming and that’s final. It’s adorable.
Twilight probably could have made a bit more headway with her suggestion of exploring the forest, if she was a bit better at knowing her audience. Unfortunately, the three ponies who would be tempted by strange critters, adventure and lost cultures are missing. AJ is always going to resist any suggestion that goes against conventional folk wisdom. Trixie used to be interested, but she got what she needed already and is not in a hurry to go back. At least Pinkie Pie is always happy just to be there.
Interesting observation that she feels like she lost an argument. Currently 25% of her audience agrees with her, but with the others there it would be 60%, which probably would have made her feel better and get more connection with some of her friends.
Turns out Timing is of the essence. >.>
I really wish I could give all the characters a spotlight cause I really do like all of them. It is hard to keep it straight when all of them are in a room, though. Out of all of them, Pinkie Pie probably deserves a bit more screen time. Funny how when she finally ends up getting some, it’s with Twi instead of Trixie.
And neither of her girlfriends are even here to be impressed by it!
Trixie is definitely crushing hard, though, yes. ^^
It’s an interesting idea you bring up that if Dash had been liquored up or something she might have made some disastrous choices for Trixie. I’ve on more than one occasion considered utilizing ‘hard’ cider to advance the plot. Gosh, how much easier is it to have FS speak her mind in a drunken rant? I’m steering clear of it, but it makes sense why its sometimes called a social lubricant. xD
If Trixie wasn’t such a careless jerk, she’d never have met RD/FS, so yeah, I think she’d do it again if given the option.
Spike’s conversation with Trixie was interesting to write. As usual, I didn’t want to write him as being objectively wrong and groveling. The actions he took were entirely reasonable among friends and he sees it that way. It wasn’t his fault that Trixie was on a sensitive hair trigger. Those were all probably thoughts that went through his head, but he still wanted to mend fences.
You asked what makes Spike see Trixie in a different light than Twilight does. There are two things that stand out most. The first was in C1 when she visits the library and remembers out loud that Spike lives there too when she sees him. She’s dismissive, but once she leaves the rain stops that same day. Secondly, in C3 she comes back when Twi isn't there with a gemstone muffin and spends some time just hanging out with Spike and talking to him in a friendly manner.
She never apologized verbally, but from Spike’s perspective: Trixie realized she’d hurt him unintentionally, stopped the rain, then gave him a fancy muffin as an apology. Someone who does that is obviously not as bad as Twilight makes her out to be.
Yes, they are. And yes you were. xD
Thanks, I’m glad to hear that. You’re right, I really want to make sure Twilight doesn't come off as just an evil jerk or something. That’d be unfair to her. ^^;
It’s a lot of fun reading your take away on the conversations she ends up having with her friends. Some interesting points that I am gonna jot down to maybe explore later.
For example, I dunno if it’ll happen but I got kinda inspired with the notion of Twi/Trixie learning from each other. One fun idea might be to have Twi give her pitch for exploring the forest, but with some stage direction. xD
Maybe one day.