Torn

by Ditz

Chapter 1

Flasks shook on the shelves, moving precariously closer to the edge and set to fall at the slightest touch. Though Trixie didn’t care about that much, far too busy rummaging through piles of her possessions on the floor, all in the hopes of catching the purple hue of her hat that was taking part in a disappearing act of its own making.

“But no, you don’t need a coat-hanger, Trixie! Surely you’ll put your hat in an easy-to-find spot! You'll never lose them!"

She continued muttering to herself while digging back into the pile, only to stop when her hoof touched something familiar deep inside. Without a second thought, she reached deeper in and pulled out her hat, holding it up with a triumphant grin, breathing a sigh of relief.

“And with this, the great and powerful Trixie is ready for another day in the trenches!” Trixie proclaimed, hat now joining cape, taking the podium that was her bed to show off her complete suit to the crowd of strewn-about bottles and rolled-up papers. “Why yes, thank you, I'm really that great!”

With outfit at the ready, Trixie prepared to head out, fantasizing about the day to come. She relished on the idea of her many adoring fans, wondering thoughts of passionate cheering surrounding the stage she was set to perform, shouting praises to the perfect tricks she was ready to show.

“… Unless something happens to go wrong today,” Trixie mumbled in a low voice, pausing at the mere possibility. She stood still just outside her trailer, the nagging feeling rising through her fantasies and daring to ruin her day. What could possibly do a thing like that? Perhaps the temporary loss of her hat was a warning to a more serious event to happen to her in the day.

“Eh, it’s probably nothing,” she concluded, shrugging it off. "I los-, I mean, misplace my hat every so often already."

She set the nonissue aside and was soon on her way back to the imaginary crowds, with the vague, but not totally unpleasant smell of sulfur as fireworks exploded in the background alongside the sparks of her tricks, or even the sounds of fabric as it teared itself in half—

Trixie’s eyes shot open, realizing something had gone terribly wrong, a light breeze gently hitting the back that her cape was supposed to protect. She turned around, her face slowly twisting into a shocked expression once she caught sight of it: her cape—or rather, half of it—trapped by her closed door, gently swaying like it was nothing.

Wordlessly, Trixie walked back to the door. Opening it, she saw the piece of fabric pitifully fall to the floor.

“No! What!? How!?” Trixie screamed in disbelief, looking at the pieces from her now defunct cape, feeling a bit of bitterness towards the irony of her earlier mulling. "What am I gonna do now!? I can’t do the show without my cape! I, um, need it! I can’t be great and powerful without it onstage!” she looked around wildly, nearly expecting a solution to materialize out of thin-air, only to quickly realize there was none to be found.

Feeling a lump in her throat, she looked back at the tattered remains, surprised to find herself saddened just looking at them, sensing the rumblings of old memories swimming in her mind as she stared into its engraved stars. She remembered the many times she had worn it, the awestruck looks she got donning it as she walked onstage for the first time, or how many times it helped protect her against the elements. She even recalled how it could block most messes caused by incoming vegetables when she was eventually run out of town... for some reason, thinking back on that only helped make her feel worse about it.

“Then…” Trixie’s downcast expression slowly disappeared, realizing what she had to do. “The still-great and powerful Trixie just can't stand here and do nothing! I will find a way to fix it before my show!” she shouted in dramatic fashion, running right back into her trailer. She promptly packed the pieces of her cape into a set of saddlebags and was on her way, hoping for help from the one pony she knew would offer it.

---

Trixie didn’t like the ‘friendship’ castle.

It was a consistent reminder as she ran through the spacious halls, the sound of her hooves echoing in the mostly empty space. Even after learning her way around the place, she hated traversing it, feeling like the walls would close in on her, crushing her under their massive weight.

It was also really tacky, and Trixie didn’t like that sort of thing.

She finally reached the room she had been searching for, noticing a sign that read ‘Starlight’ in lavish writing on the door. Taking a deep breath, she raised a hoof and made to give it a few careful knocks.

“Starlight, open up! It’s an emergency and I really need your help!” Trixie shouted, slamming her hooves repeatedly against the wooden door. To her shock, the door burst open, and with it went Trixie; rolling across the room with the last thing she saw being the wall before the pain came full-force.

“Trixie!”

She heard her name through the ringing in her ears, barely managing to acknowledge it due in no small part to her throbbing pain. Slowly she opened her eyes, noticing Starlight’s stretched hoof in the process of helping her up.

“Are you okay?” Starlight searched Trixie’s body, as if to look for signs of potential injuries.

It was no more than a few more seconds for Trixie to get her bearings back, grabbing Starlight by the shoulders and vigorously shaking her without warning. “Starlight!” she shouted, reaching into her bags and pulling out the ripped pieces, returning to the shaking still in progress. “My cape!”

“Hey, stop that!” Starlight’s horn glowed and Trixie was promptly pushed to a safe, grab-free distance. “Okay, so now that we both have our personal space back, what’s that about your cape?”

Trixie anxiously watched as Starlight looked over the cape with her magic, explaining the situation while it was thoroughly examined. She resisted the urge to snap it out of Starlight’s grasp, noticing how coldly she seemed to be at handling it, treating it like just any other thing and not the cape it used to be. It irked her.

“Here you go,” Starlight finally said, returning the cape to Trixie’s relief.

“Well?” Trixie nervously asked.

Starlight faltered for a moment before replying: “Yep, that looks ripped alright.”

Trixie waited for a few seconds for Starlight to continue, just to realize by her unchanging expression and following awkward silence that she would be waiting a long time. “Hold on, is that all you have to say!?”

“Yeah,” Starlight replied, though quickly realized her mistake and reached to block her snout. “Well, I mean, look… I’m sorry, but I really don’t know how to fix it. I don't know how to sew! Really, even if I tried to fix it with my magic, it might not work too well; it could end up badly put together! You really need a careful eye for this kind of stuff.”

“Great, now how am I supposed to do a show now?” Trixie shouted, letting herself fall back on the floor with crossed hooves, barely hiding a distinct pout on the way down. Having Starlight deliver the news was like a punch to the gut, but the way she had casually done so only served to make matters worse in her mind, making it seem like she didn't much care for it at all

“You know you could just use a different cape, right?” Starlight casually suggested, hovering over Trixie with an amused grin. “You could even go without it! I know it’ll ruin the showpony aesthetic you have going, but I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

Trixie sprung back on her hooves, a disgusted expression accompanied by the venomous stare she shot making Starlight fidget awkwardly in place, annoyed that her suspicions had been proven almost instantaneously.

“Are you kidding me?” Trixie shouted, uncomfortably pushing her face right onto Starlight’s without warning. “This cape has been through so much with me! I wear it during, like, every show I’ve been part of! I even went back to get it from my wrecked trailer after the whole Ursa Major incident!”

“Wasn’t it an Ursa Minor?”

“Details, Starlight,” Trixie said, waving her hoof dismissively. “My point is!”—she leaped towards Starlight’s bed, awkwardly attempting to stand on two hooves on the uneven surface—“That this is part of my identity as the great and powerful Trixie, and I can’t just be great or powerful using one. I have to be both! My complete attire signifies that when I’m onstage! And... and... i-is it just me? Or did the air thin around here?" feeling as if the world had begun spinning, Trixie took a clumsy step, losing her balance and tumbling off the bed, her eyes clamping shut as the floor now in front of her grew closer, bracing herself for a second impact in one day.

Yet, the pain never came.

Trixie opened her eyes, noticing not just the floor inches away from her face, but Starlight’s purple magic snugly wrapped around her body.

“Wow,” Starlight said sounding surprised as she put Trixie down. “I really had no idea you cared about your whole act that much.”

“P-please. It’s not just an act—it’s a way of life!”” Trixie scoffed, her ego overpowering the panic she had felt just moments prior, feeling much too insulted that Starlight would insinuate otherwise.

“Uh-huh,” Starlight replied with a roll of her eyes. “Whatever the reason, I’m happy that you have something you care so much about, so I’m going to give you a hoof.”

Trixie beamed, stomping hooves loudly in her excitement.

“Does that mean you’ll fix it?”

“Nope. Told you I can’t.”

Her hopes dashed twice in a single day, Trixie blankly marched towards Starlight’s bed, slowly undoing the already messy covers and wrapping herself under them, letting out a soft, yet audible groan.

“But!” Starlight continued, pulling back the blankets to reveal Trixie’s distraught face. “You know you could go to Rarity to fix it, right? Honestly, I’m just wondering why you just didn’t go to her first, she could have easily sewed it back together!”

“Rarity?” Trixie mulled over the name for a few seconds, going over the short list of ponies she considered worth remembering in her head. It wasn't a huge list, containing nothing more than Starlight herself, her parents and her ever-so-important fireworks seller. A few more seconds of thinking later, the image of Twilight Sparkle briefly flashed in her mind.

“Um, Trixie? Hello?” Starlight called, arching a brow with a confused look.

Trixie turned slowly, her eyes staring off into space. “W-what was that?”

“I said…are you okay, Trixie?” Starlight asked. “Your head seemed to be in the clouds the moment I mentioned Rarity.”

“Oh, yeah, it’s nothing,” Trixie hopped off the bed, quickly shoving the cape into her bags and heading for the door. “So yeah, I’m going to give Rarity a visit before it gets late. Thanks for the help, Starlight.”

“Are you sure you are alright? I can go with you if you want, I know you aren't exactly the most sociable with new ponies and al—oh my gosh I actually just said that out loud didn't I?" Starlight groaned in realization, covering her face in shame. "Trixie, please, I didn't me—"

“I would gladly listen to whatever it is you are saying, but I'm already halfway down the hall!" Trixie's voice echoed beyond the room's open door. already running off without looking back.

Ignoring Starlight’s further calls, Trixie left the castle behind, the thought of showing her how sociable she could a priority in her mind as she headed down the road for Rarity’s place. With every step she took however, she felt jolts of anxiety well up within, her heart sinking as a wave of dread enveloped her like ropes slowing her down, thoughts of judging ponies filling her thoughts.

The form of the white unicorn quickly took the forefront of Trixie's thoughts, confused as to how one of the ponies who had once tried to show off to her years ago would be of help to her now. Bitterly she recalled the way Rarity had fashioned herself a dress into existence out of seemingly nowhere, something that only served to make finding her a needed necessity, if not an unpleasant one.

It wasn’t a long trip into town, noticing more and more ponies surrounding her as she walked, the sight of shops
around her as she headed into Ponyville’s shopping district. It bustled with merchants shouting of their assortment of wares to the nearest ear, hoping to snare the closest passerby into giving up their hard-earned bits

Suddenly Trixie froze in place, coming to an unfortunate realization: “I didn't ask Starlight where she lives...!”

Holding back multiple screams of frustration, she stomped towards the first shop she set her sights on, ignoring the curious looks from passerby watching a pony bitterly muttering, hoping to ask for information and be out as soon as she possibly could. She felt stupid. A dunce; even asking for directions feeling demeaning in her mind.

She reached for the door, but in the midst of even touching the handle, it burst open abruptly, narrowly missing her snout by inches as she stumbled back on the floor, barely able to comprehend what happened. Through ragged breaths, she tried to speak up, trying to frown through her numbed expression.

“W-what’s the big i-idea!?”

Her protest was cut short by the sight of a red couch being pushed out of the store, forcing her to scurry away and avoid being crushed by the massive piece of furniture. Struggling to get on her hooves, she shot a glare that went past the couch, ready to lay her thoughts on the pony behind it.

“Hey! How about you watch where you are go-” her jaw dropped at the sight of the one found behind; of all ponies to be there it was Rarity’s full form that stood in the doorway, giving Trixie a perplexed look.

“Trixie?” Rarity asked confused, looking between her and the couch. “Oh my goodness, I almost hit you, didn’t I? I’m so very sorry! It’s just that the couches don’t usually fit and I just pushed through like normal without thinking!”

“I-it’s nothing. Go ahead and get your couch out, or whatever,” Trixie said lamely, moving out of the way, unable to properly say what she wanted to in her avalanche of thoughts. Letting the issue slide feeling like easiest thing to do at the moment.

“B-But—”

“I said it’s fine!”

“A-alright... “

Trixie stood quietly to the side, watching Rarity struggling to pull out the rest of the couch out. She looked away often, trying to avoid locking eyes with Rarity who turned to look at her constantly. Was she indirectly trying to ask for help? Was she judging her for just standing there? Perhaps both?

“Trixie?”

“What!?” Trixie yelped, taken by complete surprise by Rarity’s sudden appearance right besides her.

“Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to startle you,” Rarity quickly apologized, making some space between them. “I-I just really wanted to apologize again for nearly hitting you! I really should have made sure nopony was outside before I opened the door!

“I told you already, it’s fine! It’s… fine,” Trixie responded through gritted teeth.

Rarity stared silently for a few seconds, looking as if she wanted to say more. “If that’s what you believe, I’ll be on my way, then. Thank you, and have a good day, Trixie.”

Trixie gulped, watching Rarity effortlessly pick up the couch with her magic, the perfect chance to fix her cape slipping away with every step, feeling the weight of the pieces in her saddlebags the farther Rarity got.

“Wait!” Trixie called suddenly, rushing to cover her mouth an instant later.

The damage was done, and Rarity turned around, gazing curiously at her. “Yes?”

“I’m…” Trixie fumbled her words, having spoken without a plan of attack in mind. “I’m, er… going that way! Yes! So the Trixie and powerful great has decided that she will come along and keep you company until you are home! Yes! Isn't that great?”

A painful silence followed, further emphasized by Rarity’s azure eyes focused solely on Trixie, digging their way into her mind and reading her thoughts, her refusal at the ready to let her down—

“Of course! I wouldn’t mind the company, actually,” Rarity happily obliged.

“Fine! Trixie didn’t wa—I mean, of course! G-good!” Trixie trailed on, walking ahead and avoiding Rarity’s likely-smug expression, only to stop seconds later and turning back, her face brightened with a red glow on her cheeks. “Can you, er, lead the way? I-I don’t think I know where you home is...”

Making their way through the district, the two walked in complete silence, though Trixie's mind pierced her silence, burdened by heavy thoughts, searching for ways to ask Rarity about her cape without appearing desperate to her. Anything to start a normal conversation. In her search for a topic, she spotted the unnecessarily large couch trailing behind. It hovered right over them like a dragon’s paw, ready to stomp them the moment Rarity lost her hold.

“Wondering why I’m carrying the couch, aren’t you?” Trixie hurriedly turned back ahead, catching Rarity’s fluttering gaze eyeing her with dubious interest. “I know you are thinking it may seem like much, but I can assure you I have a perfectly good reason to have it!”

Trixie raised a brow, looking back at the couch with growing curiosity. It didn’t appear to be more than an overpriced recliner, likely more than a year’s worth of her own pocket by the looks of it.

“Do you really?” Trixie asked. She didn’t bother hiding the incredulity in her voice, waiting for the answer with narrowed eyes.

“Well, I suppose it wouldn’t mean much to you even if I explained, now would it? It would be silly, even,” Rarity laughed, looking up ahead. “I know it might seem strange to you, but we all have things that we like or care about, even if others don’t find them as appealing or even useful—it’s all a matter of perspective.

“If I knew better, I could easily point out to something that you truly care about that many would scoff at! For example, it could be something as simple as the pieces of cloth that are very close to falling out of your bag.”

“Wait, what?” Trixie stopped and quickly turned around, noticing her cape peeking out of her bag, gently waving to the wind, waiting to be snatched away by it any second. With a quick use of magic, it was forcefully shoved inside and the bags properly secured. She let out a momentary sigh of relief, only to realize Rarity watched her with knowing eyes.

Trixie gulped, watching Rarity shorten the distance between them, her unwavering gaze never leaving hers and keeping Trixie rooted in place.

With a straight face, Rarity said. “Well, shall we keep going, then?”

Their walk promptly resumed, but there was a different air about it; Rarity walked ahead with a skip in her step, humming along an undecipherable tune, while Trixie followed closely behind, observing her with a frown as Rarity continued being happy. Mocking her. Continuously negative thoughts all worse than the last weighed on her mind with every step and making her despise the pony in front of her that much more. Of course she was mocking her, after all, she was one of her friends.

“We are here!” Rarity suddenly announced, coming to a sudden stop. “Welcome to Carousel Boutique!”

The name felt strange, childish even,, but there was a familiarity to it, Trixie’s mind returning to vague conversations mentioning it in passing. Her eyes lazily hovered over to the building, though she couldn’t place anything special when comparing it to the other strangely colorful businesses from the very same district.

“Well, since we are here already, would you like to come in for a cup of tea?” Rarity suggested, eyeing Trixie with a hungry stare. "It's the least I could do after what I did earlier."

Trixie did a double take, looking between Rarity and the store in increasing disbelief. Her excitement was palpable, but no less worrying. “Wait, really? You want to invite me in?” she questioned doubtfully, never parting eyes with Rarity in the hopes of seeing the saplings of a plan behind the pools of her blue eyes.

Rarity smiled, extending an inviting hoof to the now open door. “It’s a free driiiink,” she said in singsong, ushering Trixie in without delay.

She could have easily been making a fool out of Trixie, the true motives of her invitation hidden behind her seemingly innocent smile, ready to strike at a moment’s notice... but she would be lying to herself if she said it wasn’t a perfect chance.

“Alright, f-fine! But only because I enjoy free things!” Trixie finally agreed, the thin facade not totally lost on her.

The smell of lavender attacked her senses, the sweet aroma strong enough to be almost overbearing. Almost. She was soon distracted by the sight of the lifeless mannequins placed around; some of them tragically naked, unlucky enough to be placed alongside their outfitted brethren, wearing clothing that would make even a living creature feel lesser around it.

“Please have a seat over there, Trixie,” Rarity informed her, pointing to a nearby mirror; a small cushioned seat waiting right beside it. “I’ll be back in a jiffy with some tea!” she continued, heading to the entryway right next to her, disappearing alongside the couch behind the wall.

Trixie watched the opening intently in case of Rarity’s sudden return, expecting her to have forgotten something in her rush. Making sure she was as silent as she possibly could, she paid careful attention, her heart racing as the sounds of creaking wood slowly disappeared in the distance. It was only then that Trixie finally exhaled.

“What am I doing?” she thought, bothered by the feeling of her heart attempting to explode out of her chest. “Why am I just letting this happen? I don't need the hassle! I… really should just go home,” Trixie whispered, pulling herself away from the entryway. “It’s not like I really need this old thing fixed anyway, right?” despite herself, her eyes were glued to her bags. Before she knew it, she had reached into her saddlebags, pulling out the pieces of her cape like delicate sheets, afraid she would make the damage worse.

Her heart sank, noticing the dirt and lint on its surface, the elements already threatening to take home on her cape, serving only to further mock her now empty words.

She looked up, observing the miserable expression of a misty-eyed pony looking back, holding remnants of a silly, unnecessary accessory in her hooves. Rarity’s words about her couch echoed in her mind when looking at the strange sight in the mirror; just a filly grieving over pieces of cloth much like she would a close one. Perhaps ridiculing the pathetic act was the right thing to do...

“I’m back!” a voice echoed from the right, shocking Trixie out of her self-pitying stupor, catching Rarity entering the room carrying a small pitcher.

“H-hey!” Trixie quickly replied, attempting to mask her feelings behind an awkward grin, though the attempt was a failed one, given Rarity’s shocked expression.

Trixie felt anger. Not at Rarity, but at herself. Looking into her eyes, she saw what she had expected, yet didn’t want to see: it was pity. Her stomach churned, a feeling far worse than what the day had already brought, her cape momentarily forgotten in the silent exchange. She wanted it to end. The feeling of helplessness to go away. She waited with bated breath, awaiting the mocking words that she knew would come.

“My goodness! Those rags were your cape!?” Rarity shouted, her voice a horrified shriek.

Trixie slowly looked up, referring to Rarity with an eloquent: “Huh!?”

“It just won’t do!” Rarity continued undisturbed, wrapping the pieces of fabric with her magic, pulling them away from Trixie before she had a chance to react. Alarmed, she weakly reached out to grab them back, stopping midway, noticing the spool of thread and needle joining the ruined cape, starting the sewing process before she could protest.

Sewing wasn’t a particularly difficult thing for Trixie, having done it before to serviceably fix the very same cape. She had managed to avoid leaving noticeable marks on the outside, though a perfect job it was not. The reminder only served to make Trixie appreciate what she was watching, her eyes widening at Rarity’s precise strokes with the needle moving in perfect sync, immaculately sewing through the spots that most needed them, and yet—unlike Starlight—carefully moving the fabric around, making sure it would stay still as she did the job.

It had been only minutes, but Trixie’s cape laid there, completely fixed in a way she could have never even begun to approach, much to her surprise.

“It looks as if nothing even happened,” Trixie muttered in a soft voice, moving the cape around to eye the handywork. She was in awe not only at the swiftness of the job, but of the way she had managed to fix it without seemingly any mistakes. The final test came as she wore it, carefully moving it around as if to fit into a mold, feeling the texture on her back. She closed her eyes, checking for any mistakes, any error that might be there, but there was none.

“It was nothing, darling,” Rarity answered with a modest smile, waving her hoof dismissively. “Please, don’t think much of it.”

Trixie’s eyes narrowed, eyeing Rarity through her peripherals, any goodwill she might have had for the mare dissipating into the wind as an alarm sounded in her head. Was this her plan all along? Was she trying to drive her into a false sense of security? Perhaps she had planned to show off to only call in a favor, or maybe...

“How much?” Trixie asked forcibly, unable to hold the edge in her voice. “I mean, how much do I owe you."

“No!” Rarity shook her head, raising a hoof towards Trixie as if physically attempting to block any upcoming payment.”I couldn’t accept it! It was already rude of me to just grab your cape without permission! Please, it’s on the house! Besides, I couldn't let you go do your magic without a cape! Just wearing your usual hat alone wouldn’t fulfill the magician motif, now would it?"

Replaying the words in her head, Trixie searched for any hidden meaning in the response. Analyzing the tone used in each and every word—over and over she did this—wanting to find something about them that suggested even a hint of sarcasm, perhaps even some smug satisfaction.

“Trixie?” Rarity called abruptly, interrupting Trixie’s mental gymnastics. “Is something wrong?”

It was a gradual realization as Trixie felt as if she had broken through the mirage, staring at the pony hidden behind its tricks. It was no longer the smug, show-offish pony who had once tried to ruin her act; instead, she now saw the generous mare who had just fixed her cape without question and without charge.

“T-T…” Trixie mumbled, doing what she could to force the words out through gritted teeth

“That’s right, the tea!” Rarity recalled the forgotten drink, gently levitating a cup near Trixie. Carefully serving two cups with the pitcher and offering one to Trixie. “Come now, drink up before it gets lukewarm, dear!”

The now familiar silence started anew, the clattering of tea cups being carefully placed down the only sources of sound between the two mares. Trixie noticed something new to the silence this time however, the term ‘serene awkwardness’ feeling like an appropriate descriptor of the moment.

“You know, I think this is the first time we’ve gotten together like this since you moved to Ponyville, isn’t it?” Rarity pointed out, tilting her head side-to-side, making an attempt to remember the possible moments they never shared.

“N-no, not really,” Trixie said, looking down at her tea cup, unwilling to stare anywhere else.

“Well, we definitely should! You live here now! I don’t see why we couldn’t get to know each other better, right? There are so many things we could talk about! I mean, just yesterday I found this really beautiful gem…”

Trixie listened intently as Rarity spoke, chiming in only when Rarity turned the conversation her way. She said little when given the choice, opting to simply listen to the fashionista go on about her day, feeling only the slightest amount of annoyance when the name ‘Twilight’ came up in certain bits.

While Rarity continued with a story involving Spike, Trixie felt like she had forgotten something important. It nagged at the back of her mind like an itch, making her fidget uncomfortably in place as she tried her best to recall. It wasn’t until her eyes met with a clock in the wall that it finally hit her.

“I’m gonna be late for my show!” Trixie shouted abruptly, nearly dropping the entirety of the tea set as she jumped on her hooves. “Er, sorry about that... “

Still smiling, Rarity shook her head. “It’s no big deal, I did keep you here longer than I should have. I tend to talk a lot when I get going,” she explained, sheepishly pushing her mane.

After some small talk, Trixie was escorted to the front door, breathing a sigh of relief as the sun remained high in the sky, choking back a potential curse towards Celestia for lowering the sun too early. She remained still taking in the sights for just a moment, turning back to the boutique for a few seconds to look at Rarity.

“T-thanks, you know? The cape and all? The tea as well,” Trixie mumbled rapidly in a low voice, hoping she had been loud enough for Rarity to hear and not have to repeat herself.

“You are very welcome! Though you did offer me some company, so we can call it even,” Rarity laughed, shooting Trixie a teasing wink. “Now go on! And come back if you ever need me to help you with a wardrobe change! Whatever the case, don’t be a stranger!”

Saying their final goodbyes, Trixie was on her way.

“She’s kind of annoying,” Trixie said out loud when she was safely away, chuckling to herself in surprise at the vocalized thought.

The mystifying fascination she had held for Rarity slowly disappeared the more she thought of their previous conversation; recalling the way she had spoken of her dresses, lacking any sort of modesty when delving into any sort of details on her skills, or the way she carried herself with every word as if she were one of the Canterlot elite—high and mighty—really bothered her as well, reminding her of the many unicorn in the overrated town. The way she had bid her goodbye also had much to be desired, making the previously generous act seem more like a sales pitch than anything.

“But…” she mumbled to herself, tugging at her cape with the smallest hint of a smile, only for it to disappear a moment later, rolling her eyes as she continued walking. “She is nice, I guess..." she paused for a moment, toying with a thought. "Hmm, I wonder if she would want to attend one of my shows?"

Author's Note:

I'm starting to like Trixie help

Hey all! I hope that you enjoyed this weird, short story. This was probably one of the hardest short ones I've written, since I actually made an attempt to use more narration between all the dialogue, which has been a thing that I overdo a lot of in all of my stories.

Getting rid of that habit has been a difficult thing for me to do, which is why this thing I started writing as part of a prompt in freaking August is only now releasing. It's also why I haven't written anything else in months, which just bums me out.

I also made an attempt to use Trixie as the sole source of narration, doing my best to not use the other characters' thoughts at all if possible. I failed in a few places, but I feel I otherwise succeeded... and I'm never doing that again. Oof.

In any case, I hope you enjoyed this. Feel free to offer me any advise while you are at it! I really welcome it every time and take it into consideration.

Comments

[karnazom]

cute and very Trickie, hehe Get it?

[RTStephens]

Trixie has a habit of growing on ya, doesn't she?

A fairly simple story but it speaks a lot about the focus character. On stage, Trixie is Queen and nopony can outdo her in her own domain. She's confident, knows what to do, and loves the attention it brings her.

However, off stage is where Trixie really struggles. Starlight is helping a bit there, but it's a slow process. The stares she gets in town are way worse as they aren't judging Trixie the performer, but Trixie the mare.

It would take somepony like Rarity (or Pinkie) to slowly ease her into a more relaxed and welcoming state. Not easy for both of them given Trixie's history with the town, but Rarity has the patience to weather through it.

Anyway, I really liked this little tale of Trixie slowly being welcomed in Ponyville. One step at a time, right? Well done!

[Starlight Glimmer1]

9396416
*opens the door* Get out.

[fanreader999999]

Nice but shaky

[karnazom]

9396859
*Hangs head* okay *proceeds to go out*

*stops in the middle*

do i have to listen to you?

[Starlight Glimmer1]

9397214
*pulls out a gun*

[FanOfMostEverything]

It was also really tacky, and Trixie didn’t like that sort of thing.

Because when you think understated elegance, you think "Trixie."

Her eyes lazily hovered over to the building, though she couldn’t place anything special when comparing it to the other strangely colorful businesses from the very same district.

Aside from it looking a bit like a giant wedding cake.

And now Trixie was hungry. She cursed Rarity's name for the twelfth time that hour.

Sewing wasn’t a particularly difficult thing for Trixie, having done it before to serviceably fix the very same cape. She had managed to avoid leaving noticeable marks on the outside, though a perfect job it was not.

So... I guess the damage was too great (and powerful) in this case? Or the emotional damage tha came with it was enough that Trixie was too distraught to think of trying to fix the cape on her own.

Aside from that wrinkle, a wonderful story. I do love how hesvily Trixie's anxiety and cynicism color her perspective, and the shock of encountering genuine charity was captured very well indeed. As was glossing back over it in an attempt to save face with herself. Quintessential Trixie, that.

Thanks for a lovely read.

[Lulamoon-Crystal]

This is one of my favourites! It’s so amazing