After the Ursa Minor incident, Trixie's life has been going downhill. And just as she thinks she's hit rock bottom she meets a rather large red earth pony who offers her a place to stay.
Takes place shortly after her first appearance in season one. Big Macintosh takes Trixie in when she has no place else to go, now she has to learn how to love and tolerate if she ever wants the nice and warm life Big Macintosh has told her about. Making peace with the ponies she met last time seems to be a good place to start. Big MacintoshxTrixie
Big MacintoshxTrixie (or MacinTrix as I like to call it) isn't what I like to think as a crack pairing but more of an outside the box pairing. Anyways, the short description pretty much says it all and I hope you enjoy it. One thing to keep in mind though is I write for fun, and while constructive criticism is understood it doesn't really tell me whether or not you enjoyed the story.
Trixie, formely known as the Great and Powerful Trixie, was caught in a downpour. She only had a small tree on top of a hill for cover and even then it wasn't much. Life had gotten much harder for Trixie after the Ursa Minor incident.
Word had spread fast of failure to live up to her boasting. She had been branded as an official fraud far and wide, it had gotten so bad that not only would nobody watch her 'shows' or even let her stay in the hotels (her cart had been smashed and she had to stay somewhere). And she, the Great and Powerful Trixie, had been forced to find a dreary and dull day job of all things.
But even that had turned out to be a dead end, nobody would hire thinking that someone who was known for her 'talk' and not her 'walk' would be hideously bad for business. Everywhere she went it was the same thing, it was like she was blacklisted.
She even had to sell her hat and cape just to feed her belly. And now she was caught in the rain with only a tree with very few branches for cover. It was almost as if she was under a curse or something, like she had angered some deity enough to recieve divine punishment.
Short version? She had hit rock bottom.
A tear trickled down her cheek when suddenly the rain seemed to stop. She looked up to see a very lagre red stallion with an impressively large umbrella tied to what looked like a work harness around his neck.
"Now why would anypony want ta stay out in rain like this?" he asked her.
Trixie did her best to hide the sorrow in her voice "I don't have anyplace else to go."
"What'cha talkin' bout? Don't you gotta home?"
Her cart was her home and that had been smashed to smitherines. She shook her head 'no'.
"Aint you got anyplace in town ya could stay?" he asked.
"Everyone turns me away." she said quietly.
The stallion remained silent for a moment before finally speaking "Y'all can stay with me."
She snapped her head in his direction, wide eyed with surprise. "A-Are you serious?"
"Eeyup. Mind you Ah live on a farm, taint much...but it's home."
Trixie debated herself for a moment, but what choice did she really have? She stood up and followed the stallion down the hill, he was kind enough to make sure the umbrella stayed over her; which was actually rather impressive when you think about it seeing as how he couldn't do any magic at all.
"Y'all got a name?" he asked her.
"Yes..." she dried a tear from her eye. "It's T-Trixie."
"Well I reckon it's nice to meet you Trixie, Ah'm Big Macintosh."
She gave him a small smile, it was a long time since somebody showed her kindness.
They remained silent for the rest of way, heading towards someplace called 'Sweet Apple Acres'. It was an apple orchard apparently, which made sense when she looked at Big Macintosh's cutie mark.
They entered a small farm house where, after he put away his umbrella and work harness, he gave her a large towel and showed her to a guest room.
As she started to dry herself off of the bed, Big Macintosh took his opportunity to speak up.
"We'll let ya stay for as long as ya want, but Ah'm afraid y'all have to earn yer keep around here. But don't worry, pick something out fer ya that's real simple."
She gave him another smile before he bid her goodnight.
--
Trixie smiled in bliss as the sun shined in on her as she nuzzled herself in deeper into the soft warm bed.
"Miss Trixie..." called a voice. "Miss Trixie it's time to wake up."
She sat up in bed, her silvery blue mane a complete mess. She squinted her eyes at her awakener, it was the same red stallion that allowed her to stay. Suddenly the events of last night all came flooding back to her. She blushed slightly but got out of bed.
She stretched and groggily walked out of the room.
"WHAT IN LANDSAKES IS SHE DOING HERE?!" shouted a familiar voice.
Trixie winced at the volume this pony spoke, but when she saw who it was she couldn't help but smirk cockily.
"Well, well, well. I wasn't aware YOU lived here 'Little Heyseed'."
Applejack fumed and was about to come over to her to tell her off when Big Macintosh cut off her path.
"Everyone, this here is Miss Trixie, she's gonna be stayin' with us fer a while. Miss Trixie, this is my kin the Apple family. Ah take it ya already met my little sister Applejack."
Applejack snorted angrily at her.
Big Macintosh pointed his head over to an elderly mare sitting in a rocking chair asleep. "Over there is our granny, Granny Smith." she continued to snore contently.
"And then there's our youngest little Apple Bloom...hey where'd she go?"
Big Macintosh looked around but couldn't find the last family member to introduce.
"Wow! A wand cutie mark! What's that mean?" came a little voice.
Trixie looked behind her to see a little yellow filly with a big red bow in her hair admiring her cutie mark. She had on her a double pouched satchel that most ponies use to carry their things in.
"It means that I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, have the talent of being more magical than any other unicorn in all of Equestria."
Apple Bloom's eyes widened wonderment "Wooooooow! Wait...what about Princess Celestia?"
"She's a pegasus unicorn. She doesn't count." stated Trixie.
"Oh." said Apple Bloom.
"Cept for Twilight." smirked Applejack. "Ya know, the unicorn who calmed the Ursa Minor that y'all couldn't!"
Trixie glared at her but it was her turn to be cut off by Big Macintosh. "AJ you behave yerself around our new guest."
Applejack's mouth hung open at her older brother's slight scolding.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie..." Trixie was cut off as her stomach let out a loud growl. "Demands to know when breakfast will be served."
"Heh." scoffed Applejack. "After you work."
Trixie rolled her eyes "Very funny, little heyseed."
However, Trixie jumped slightly as Big Macintosh placed a satchel identical to Apple Bloom's on her back.
"Taint a joke. You want to eat? You gotta work."
"But...But breakfast is the most important meal of the day!" protested Trixie.
"All the more reason for ya to work up an appetite as ya pick berries with Apple Bloom." explained Big Macintosh.
"But...I'm the Great and Powerful Trixie!" she all but whined.
Apple Bloom rolled her eyes and started to head out the door.
"Well right now yer Trixie the Hungry Farm Worker." Big Macintosh gave her an honest smile. "Who knows, ya might learn a thing or two down here on the farm. Might even better yerself."
Trixie narrowed her eyes at him. She knew just how to handle this situation.
"If you can name one thing that you, a simple earth pony, are better then me, the Great and Powerful Trixie, then I'll do your chore without the aid of breakfast!"
"Ah'm more humble than you." Big Macintosh said bluntly.
Trixie's mouth did an odd series of openings and closings as she tried to find something to say. "I...you...but I...I..."
Big Macintosh rolled his eyes as he started to push Trixie gentally through the door.
"Hem and Haw all ya want, but do it while you're workin'."
Trixie quietly grumbled to herself as she followed the small little filly in to a circle of bushes. She couldn't believe that big red oaf had managed to get one up on her, he certainly didn't LOOK like the intellectual type...then again she wouldn't have taken him for a colt to take in another pony out of the kindness of his heart either.
"Oh wow!!" Apple Bloom's small shout snapped Trixie out of her thoughts. "The berries are really ripe today!!"
The youngest of the applefamily had positioned herself at the far end of the bushes so Trixie put herself at the opposite side.
The job seemed simple enough, just put the berries in to her satchel pouches. Her horn glowed it's usual color as the berries on her side started to float up in to the air and into her pouches.
At this rate she would be done in under five minutes and then she'd be enjoying a hearty breakfast.
"Spike!!" cried the young filly.
Trixie craned her neck around to see a small purple dragon walking towards them. He seemed vaguely familiar but she couldn't quite place where she had seen him. It was when he saw her and gave her an unimpressed kind of look that it all came flooding back to her. He was with those neigh-sayers during the night of her show, cheering them on.
"Him?! What's he doing here?!" sneered Trixie.
Spike crossed his arms looking sternly at her "I could say the same thing about you!"
"Spike here has a real eye for finding the gems in our catch. Twilight told me this one time when she was helping my big sister Applejack carry apples he found this real scrum-didly-umptious one. So I asked him to come by and do the same thing with our berries so we can enjoy them for breakfast."
"Now you explain to me what a liar like Trixie is doing here at Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Big Macintosh took her in so she'll be staying with us for a while."
Spike only responded by raising his eyebrow slightly.
"Well I guess I should get started." he said giving Trixie one last look.
It was as Spike was digging into Apple Bloom's pouch that Trixie finished her side. She started walking back towards the house, the sound of Spike sorting the berries in the background.
"Where ya goin'?" She stopped at the sound of Apple Bloom's voice.
"Trixie got all of her berries so I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, am done."
Apple Bloom frowned "Ya didn't pick all of them did ya?"
"Of course I did, Trixie wants her cussing breakfast!"
Apple Bloom shook her head "That's not good. Some of those berries are all shriveled up and dead."
Trixie's eyes widened, she hadn't been aware of that.
"Ah know! Spike can help!" cheered Apple Bloom
"Excuse me?" queried Trixie.
Spike walked over to them with his arms folded. "Yeah, I'd like to repeat that. Excuse me?"
"Trixie can make all the berries float out of her bags and then Spike could point out all the bad ones."
"And why should the Great and Powerful Trixie agree to something like that?"
Spike narrowed his eyes at her. "Twilight would do it."
"And exactly WHO is Twilight?"
Spike smirked a little. "You know, Twilight, Twilight Sparkle. Also known as the purple unicorn that managed to settle the Ursa Minor that you failed to do."
It was Trixie's turn to narrow her eyes. "Oh. Her." Yes, although she had never bothered to learn the pony's name, Trixie would never forget her.
"Well what's so special about her anyways?!"
Spike's smirk got a little bigger.
"You mean besides the Urs…"
"Yes besides the Ursa Minor incident!" snapped Trixie.
Apple Bloom took a small step back away from Trixie but Spike's smirk just got bigger.
"Well the fact that she's Celestia's protégé doesn't hurt."
Trixie froze as this new information sunk in to her brain. "Celestia? As in Princess Celestia?"
Spike nodded with an aura of smugness about him. "That's right. Princess Celestia of Equestria. And the fact that Twilight is always reading through books for new magical abilities doesn't hurt either."
Trixie slapped her forehead with her hoof. (which actually kind of hurt, not that she would ever admit that to anyone.)
But it was no wonder 'Twilight' had done the things that she did. How the hey was Trixie supposed to compete with the student of the ruler of the country?! She didn't know that she got that powerful through books, made sense when she thought about it though. Knowledge was power after all, and she made a mental note to go to the library at some point so she could do some 'research'.
All of the berries in Trixie's satchel pouches suddenly flew open and all of her berries came floating out.
The hung in the air magically for all to see.
"Well? Get to work dragon! The Great and Powerful Trixie has done just as she has been asked and now we're all waiting on you!" she sneered.
"Wasn't so great and powerful last time I checked." Spike grumbled quietly to himself.
So Spike walked through the floating berries, batting to the ground any rotten/dead berries that he came across.
"Okay, I'm done." announced Spike.
The berries spike hadn't knocked down floated back into Trixie's satchel pouches.
"Well, mah bags are all full too. Let's head back to the house." cheered Apple Bloom.
"Just a second." Trixie called. Apple bloom and Spike turned around looking at her quizzically.
Trixie made her horn glow and pointed it down to the berries that Spike had knocked down. In a light blue flash the berries were transformed in to full flush and fresh berries.
Apple Bloom's face lit up in amazement. "Wow!! That's amazing Trixie!!"
Trixie smiled proudly. "Oh yes. I know. That is the power of the Great and Powerful Trixie! So tell me little dragon, can your 'amazing Twilight' do that?"
Spike was stunned looking puzzled "I…I don't know. Never really asked if she could do stuff like that."
"Well Ah think it's spectacular!!" Apple Bloom said as she looked up at Trixie with sparkles in her eyes. She had apparently gained a brand new hero that day.
"But of course it is. Shall we return so Trixie can finally have her breakfast?"
"Sure thing! Wanna come and have breakfast with us Spike?"
Spike scratched the back of his head, still thinking about Trixie's berries. "No thanks. I should get back to Twilight…I need to check something with her."
Apple Bloom shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Apple Bloom turned back to Trixie only to see a bouquet of flowers waiting for her.
"Consider this a gift from Trixie, for showing exquisite taste in unicorns." Trixie smiled as Apple Bloom started to hug the bouquet.
"Ah'm gonna go plant these right now!!" she beamed.
Trixie raised her eyebrow at the idea of the filly planting the flowers she had just magically conjured up. But she shrugged and started to walk back towards the house, being sure to bring the berries she had fixed magically.
It was a short trot back to the house yet somehow Apple Bloom still had managed to beat her to the kitchen.
The kitchen table was covered with various breakfast items like fruit, pancakes, and hay. And in the center of it all was a large empty bowl waiting to be filled. Big Macintosh was already seated, smiling at Trixie expectantly. He looked down at the empty bowl, then at her, seeing if she could get the silent message that he was sending her.
It took Trixie a moment but she got the message soon enough and levitated all of her berries out of her pouches and filed them neatly in to the bowl.
Big Macintosh nodded approvingly as the rest of the Applefamily came to the table. Granny Smith took notice of Trixie after staring in her direction for a moment.
"Whose this?" she asked in a kind voice.
"This here…" Applejack said with some distaste. "Is a hoity toity unicorn who…"
"Applejack! You show some manners at the table young lady!" scolded Big Macintosh.
Applejack flinched noticeably but put on a fake grin, and said through gritted teeth. "This here is Trixie the unicorn. She will be staying with us for a while."
Granny Smith nodded as she absorbs this information and then gave Trixie a warm smile. "Well she looks very sweet."
"Amazing how looks can be deceiving." grumbled Applejack under her breath.
"Try the berries, me and Trixie got some real juicy ones."
Shrugging Applejack grabbed a hoof full and plopped them into her mouth. But she started to chew more and more slowly as she noticed something with a final gulp she glared at Trixie.
"Whadjya do to our berries?!" she snapped.
Apple Bloom took in a breath in surprise, she had tried some of the berries Trixie had fixed and ,while they were tasty, they still tasted only like berries.
"Huh? But big sis, how did you know that…"
"Ah knows magic whens Ahs' taste it. Whadjya do?!"
Instead of cowering under Applejack's interrogating gaze like Apple Bloom often did, Trixie sat up straight and smiled rather smugly.
"It was really a trifle for a unicorn of MY magical abilities, I simply turned the dead and shriveled berries into fresh ripe ones."
"One problem with that. Look what happens when yer magic wears off."
Some of the berries in the bowl glowed Trixie's color and reverted back to dead berries.
"W-W-Well…" Trixie desperately tried to find some way to still make herself look good. "Well, picking berries is still too trivial of a task for the Great and Powerful Trixie. My talents are being wasted on such menial work."
Applejack grinned mischievously as she stood up.
"Oh you want some REAL work huh? Well Ah think Ah can help y'all out with that! Come on, get yer boastin self down to the barn so…"
Applejack was cut off by the sound of Big Macintosh clearing his throat.
"Now Applejack, Ah respect the fact that you're head of the farm, and ya done a better job wit it than Ah ever would. Right proud of you too. But Ah am still head of this family, and Ah say she don't do no more work till she finishes her breakfast. Most important meal of the day, ya know?"
Trixie smiled appreciatively.
Applejack was stunned and hung her mouth open. "Y'all can't be serious are ya?!"
"Eeyup."
Applejack pulled her hat over her head in frustration.
Trixie followed Applejack out to the barn, her belly was full of a hardy breakfast and she had to admit, she did feel kind of peppy. With her new energy she doubted any task Applejack came up with would be too much for her.
"Alright ya boastin' loud mouth, ya wanted some real work well here ya go!"
Before them was a small field of corn looking like it was ready to be picked. It looked like it would be a total of a couple of hours work. A fence separated the corn field from a empty unplowed field.
"Yer job is to pick all of this here corn and put in to that little cart over there." Applejack pointed over to a small wagon cart that sat next to the fence.
"Y'all need to pick every last one without magic." Trixie held up her nose in a dignified manner.
"It's just picking corn. How hard could it possibly be for the Great and Powerful Trixie?"
Applejack smiled with a knowing look in her eyes. "Great. Come find me when yer done and I'll give ya yer next chore. Oh, and watch out for crows. We have yet to put up a new scare crow and they can be might ornery."
As Applejack walked away Trixie rolled her eyes and scoffed "Pfft. Crows…the Great and Powerful Trixie isn't afraid of any stupid crows."
Trixie started to pluck the corn but it wasn't as simple as it looked. Sometimes the corn would be too healthy and she would have to try and fight it off, other times the exact opposite was true and she would end up only taking part of the ear. At one point she took an entire ear AND some of the stem.
It was really starting to irritate her. She had simply started by collecting all the corn outside of the field and had yet to work on the inside. And even without making a considerable dent in her work she had already worked up quite a sweat. Farm work was a lot tougher than it looked.
The sound of grunting snapped her out of her focus on her task to see Big Macintosh plowing the field next to her. Or at least he was trying to plow it, he seemed to be having some difficulty getting the task done. When she saw his plow it was no wonder, the thing was rusted and it looked like one of the handles was broken off. This obviously made the job more difficult and any progress he made was small.
"What're you doing?" she asked honestly.
Big Macintosh gritted his teeth as he pulled. "Trying…to get…this here…field…plowed. Hern!"
"But why use such a rusted piece…"
"Because…" he cut her off. "This here is the only plow we have…" he grunted as he gave it another heave. "And we aint got enough bits to afford a new one."
Trixie didn't know whether she should be sad about the Apple Family's money problems, or impressed that he was could use that thing at all.
Either way it left her with an awkward silence that she wasn't really comfortable with.
"I…um guess I'll start working on the rest of that corn." Trixie walked deeper in to the corn field.
"Uh be sure you do it slowly or else the crows will…"
"EEEEEEK!!!"
Big Macintosh sighed and lowered his eye lids half way. "Attack and chase after you."
A split second later Trixie came running out with a flock of angry crows chasing after her.
Trixie was just barely staying an inch ahead of their beaks and claws when suddenly they seemed to disappear. She stopped running turned around to see the crows all clumped up together trapped inside Big Macintosh's work harness. Pretty tightly too, they struggled and squirmed but no matter what they did they couldn't get free.
"Not bad aim huh?" Big Macintosh came up from behind her walking over to the crows without his harness on.
"That was you? How'd you manage to send your harness flying so fast?" Trixie asked amazed.
"Shoot, who'd ya think taught Applejack how to buck?" Big Macintosh smiled, obviously pleased with his abilities.
He brought the birds to an upright position and started to roll them. "Ah need to roll these featherheads down to Fluttershy's cottage. She'll find a place where they can live happily…far away from Sweet Apple Acres. When yer done with the corn head inside the house fer lunch, it's Granny Smith's turn to cook."
As Big Macintosh continued to roll his harness his captives started to make their protests known through being as loud as possible.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Caw and crow all you want, but this is happen'n. Deal wit it."
Trixie giggled lightly at Big Macintosh's attitude towards the crows.
She walks back into the corn field and soon discovers that the corn on the inside was a lot easier to pick. Either that or she was getting better at the farm chore. She took a moment to scoff, imagine that, her, the Great and Powerful Trixie…expert at farm chores.
With the corn all loaded in to her cart she headed back to the house. Once again she had worked up a hardy appetite and she was in the mood for just about anything.
She entered the house but nobody else seemed to be there. Well that was what she thought at first, but then she noticed the delicious smell of something cooking.
Trixie recognized the smell as baked apples, the scent made her stomach growly loudly from hunger.
"Sounds like somebody's worked up an appetite."
Trixie entered the kitchen to find Granny Smith putting some finishing touches on some baked apples.
She turned to see Trixie standing there with a sheepish smile on her face. "Oh. It's you. Well come on in and have a seat at the table, just about ready to serve."
Trixie sat down at the table, she felt a certain level of awkwardness in the air as the eerie silence hung. "Um…" Trixie tried to find something to talk about, ANYTHING that could start a conversation. "Big Macintosh seems nice."
"Oh he is. Bless that heart of his." smiled Granny Smith.
"I know he's a dedicated worker, and the job probably still has to be done, but why even bother to use that rusted broken down plow?"
"That's just the way he is. If a tool isn't working right, he gives it his all to try and make it work…even when it's an uphill slope. Regardless he still gets the work done, that colt would do anything for his family."
Trixie said nothing but continued to listen intently.
"He had to grow up pretty fast here on the farm." Granny Smith started to smile sadly. "Especially after both his Ma and Pa died, he was so young."
Trixie's ears flopped down at hearing that, she didn't know he lost them in his youth.
"After they were gone there was a void, both in the farm work and in our family. So being the eldest he did his best to fill that void, he took on his parent's chores and worked harder than any'o us. Of course he could never replace his parent's role in the family, but he always tried to be there for his family and we can became even more tightly knit because of it."
As Granny Smith started to place the baked apples on the table. "I know it may sound as though we're a bit incomplete, but we're a happy family none the less."
The rest of the apple family entered the room and sat down around the table.
Unlike breakfast, lunch went without a hitch, mostly because she didn't say much on focused mostly on the table conversation. Which revolved mostly around Apple Bloom telling of how she and her little friends tried to find their cutie marks. It was cute.
With the apples devoured Trixie followed Applejack out to the barn where there was large pile of hay with a pitch fork sticking in it in the corner.
"Now then you last chore of the day is pitching hay."
Trixie definitely liked the idea of this being the last tedious task for her to do.
"Such a task is beneath Trixie. The job will be done in a manner of seconds by the Great and…"
Trixie was cut off as Applejack put her hoof in her mouth. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Ah know; yer 'the Great and Powerful Trixie'. Ah heard ya the first hundred times. Now just sit there all quiet like and watch as Ah show ya how it's done."
Trixie glared at the earth pony silently as she started to pick up the pitchfork with both hooves. The fork had a quarter of the hay on it she gave it a mighty toss and it landed on an upper level of the barn.
"A trifle really." Trixie scoffed. "If I wanted to do it the brutish, uncivilized way then I would follow your example." Applejack's face soured. "But Trixie is magical unicorn and has a better way to do such a trivial chore."
Trixie's horn glowed it's usual color and she levitated a small clump of hay over to the upper level, but when let it fall it fell apart completely, the small pieces soon falling back down to the two ponies.
"This is earth pony work for a reason." scolded Applejack.
Trixie took the pitch fork and tried to mimic Applejack's demonstration. Didn't go as well, Trixie only managed to lift up half the amount of hay Applejack did and when she tried to toss it up to the upper lever the hay dispersed from it's clumped form scattering it's pieces all over the barn. Applejack glared at the unicorn as the hay pieces rained down.
Applejack looked at her with a flat expression. "You don't belong here." she said with a sigh.
Trixie's ears flopped down sadly but Applejack paid it no mind.
"When yer done, feel free to come on in fer dinner."
An exasperated sigh escaped from Trixie's lips, this was going to take forever. -- Trixie trudged into the house, physically exhausted. She didn't know what time it was, all she knew was that the stars were out which meant it was evening, and that was all she needed to turn in for the night.
As she walked past the kitchen Apple Bloom and Applejack gave her a questionable look.
"Now where in the hay are you off to?" queried Applejack.
"Bed…" Trixie replied groggily. "Trixie needs her beauty sleep."
"What about dinner?" asked Apple Bloom.
"No dinner…" mumbled Trixie. "Bed. Now…Night."
As Trixie entered her new bedroom she smiled at the sight of her bed…which she unceremoniously fell face first on to.
She heard the sound of somebody entering the room but she didn't move, she was too tired.
"Hard day?" came the voice of Big Macintosh.
Trixie rolled on to her back to look at him. "Ooooh…" she moaned. "My everything hurts."
Big Macintosh smiled down at her. "Eeyup. Farm life'll do that to ya. I'll see if I can talk Applejack in to making yer tomorrow chores related to going in to town."
Big Macintosh brought up her blanket and tucked her in. Trixie couldn't help but blush at the colt's actions but whether or not he noticed it didn't show.
"Ah'll see you in the morning."
-- The sound of a rooster crowing reluctantly woke Trixie from her peaceful slumber. Vowing revenge on the bird for later, she moved to her bedroom door and was about to open it when she heard the vague voices, and she thought she might have heard her name.
Trixie creaked open her door and peeked through the crack to see Applejack having some kind of conversation with Big Macintosh.
"Let's go over this one more time…" from Applejack's tone it was obvious she had been trying to convince her brother of something that he was being stubborn on. "Trixie is a magical unicorn."
"Eeyup."
Trixie's eyes widened. She didn't think they would be talking about her.
"She aint built for farm work."
"Eeyup."'
Trixie rolled her eyes, so she was out of her element. What was the big deal?
"She's got a hoity toity attitude."
"Eeyup."
Trixie was a little annoyed that Big Macintosh didn't even TRY to argue on the matter.
"She's a show pony with an ego the size of our barn."
"Eeyup."
Trixie scowled.
"She's a down right terrible farm worker."
"Eeyup."
"Then we have all the reason we need to kick her out."
"Ee-nope."
"Consarnit!! Why the heck not?! She hasn't changed one bit!! She's nothing but a Great and Powerful pain in mah flank!! She's slowin down the farm's progress, thank Celestia she hasn't tried buckin' yet!! Applebloom's already taken a a shine to her, and that's the wrong role model fer her!! She's unbearable!! She's a terrible farmer!! She's…"
"She's a pony in need!!" snapped Big Macintosh. He stood up at his full height which even Trixie found a little intimidating. "She aint got no place else to go!! She might not be very good at farming but she's still putting her all in to the work and directions that ya give her!! She might not be good at it but she's still a hard worker!! So long as she's willin' to work she stays!! And that is final young lady!!"
Applejack just stood with her mouth hanging open.
Trixie silently closed the door. She didn't know why, but she liked the way Big Macintosh stood up for her. A small smile graced her lips. A smile she was silently in denial about.
"Thanks for letting me come with you on your deliveries Big Macintosh." Trixie gave him a small smile.
"T'weren't nothing'. I reckon that perhaps yer magic could help with mah deliveries. Unloadin' and what not."
Big Macintosh had been carry a cart full of apple centered dishes ranging from fritters to pies. The Apple family also did some side bake selling that did reasonably well around town, nothing too professional, just to some close friends.
"So where's our first stop?"
"To Twilight Sparkle, she's taken up residence at the local library. We're just supposed to give her a few apple cupcakes."
Trixie narrowed her eyes, "Oh...we're going to go and see 'her' huh?"
From her tone Big Macintosh gathered that she had met the pony before. "So I reckon the two of you have met before?"
"If by 'met' you mean that she completely upstaged me? Then yes, we've met."
Big Macintosh may not have been the smartest colt in Ponyville but he could sense when a bad situation was coming.
"Well...regardless, all of that is in the past so no need to hold a grudge right? Just keep moving forward, that's what I always say."
Trixie dropped her jaw as she stared at the colt. "You honestly expect me to let all of that go?"
Big Macintosh stared flatly ahead and said "Eeyup."
"Do you know what she did to me?"
"Not really. Be honest Applejack spends more time in Ponyville than Ah do. But Ah do know this, ya keep love and tolerance in yer heart and y'all be surprised at the warm life y'all receive."
Trixie and Big Macintosh continued to walk in silence, the only sound of their hoof hitting the ground was heard.
"When you say 'warm life'…" said Trixie breaking the silence. "Do you mean the kind of life you have with your family?"
"Eeyup."
Trixie furrowed her brow in thought. "Is it worth it?"
Big Macintosh smiled at her. "Every second."
Trixie sighed, she suppose she owed it to the colt to at least try.
"There it is." Big Macintosh pointed to a giant tree centered in the middle of town.
"A tree? The library is a tree? She lives in a tree?"
"Eeyup. Let's see if she's home."
Trixie gave a strained smile as she walked up to the tree and knocked on the door.
The door opened and Trixie was greeted with the face of Twilight Sparkle…who promptly screamed and slammed the door in her face.
"OW!!!" Trixie rubbed her bruised nose tenderly. "How dare you slam the door in the face of the Great and Powerful Trixie!!"
Big Macintosh peered in through the window. "Miss Twilight? It's me Big Macintosh. Miss Trixie is just here to help me make mah deliveries, she aint here to cause trouble. Right Miss Trixie?"
Trixie sighed and spoke up a little more so Twilight could hear her. "Yes, the Great and Powerful Trixie is not here for revenge." to herself though she said "Today."
Big Macintosh seemed to let out a held breath Trixie didn't see him take when Twilight opened the door.
"What're you doing back here anyways, Trixie? I thought you had left town."
"Ahem, well uh yes but certain circumstances have forced Trixie's hooves in to returning taking up residence on Big Macintosh's farm in Ponyville."
Twilight gave Trixie an incredulous look. "You're staying on a farm? His farm? You, are staying on, his, farm?"
"Listen, do you want to stand around all day playing twenty questions with me or do you want your cupcakes?" Snapped Trixie
"Oh um of course. Come on in and I'll get you your bits."
Twilight went back in but made sure to keep the door open for the two of them. Trixie looked back at Big Macintosh who hadn't moved from his cart.
"Well? Aren't you going to go in and collect your pay?"
Trixie answer came in the form of a playful smile by Big Macintosh. "Ah'm still hooked up to the cart. You got to go collect the eight bits."
The unicorn gave a strained sigh. "If I must…"
"Just remember, love and tolerance." Big Macintosh gave her an encouraging wink.
She walked in to find Spike standing in the room with his arms crossed. "Trixie."
"Dragon." she acknowledged.
She looked around the room and saw books sprawled everywhere on the floor.
"What happened? Did a tornado hit or something?"
"Oh no…" giggled Twilight as she went up the stairs. "I was just doing some light reading earlier today."
"This, is 'light' reading?"
Spike gave her a smug look. "That's right. She was researching new spells, she's always trying to improve herself."
There had to be at least twelve books on the floor, minimum.
"These books in particular?"
Spike's smug look grew bigger. "Oh no. This was just from today. She's already read half of what's in the library."
Twilight had finally gotten her eight bits together and started to go back down the stairs, however, what she didn't expect to find was Trixie with a serious look on her face, levitating her books.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to check out these books!!"
Twilight gave her a confused look. "Excuse me?"
"You heard Trixie! The Great and Powerful Trixie is a current resident of Ponyville, therefore she is entitled to check out as many books as she wishes."
Twilight frowned she had only finished two of those books, she didn't like to put down any books until she had read them cover to cover, let alone give them away in a check out. But then again, she didn't really have a leg to stand on to tell Trixie 'No'.
Spike, being the loyal assistant that he was, sensed this and knew exactly what to do. He fixed Trixie a dry stare and said "Do you even have a library card?"
Trixie's eyes widened and the books fell to the floor. "Um…no." A noticeable blush crossed her cheeks at being caught at overlooking such an obvious necessity for checking out books. "Which is why the Great and Powerful Trixie wishes to GET a library card!"
Twilight gave Trixie a big toothy smile and said through her clenched jaw "Of course. Stay right there and I'll bring you back one."
She walked to the other side of the room and Spike followed her. As Twilight fumbled through some drawers under the window Spike whispered to her "You know, you don't have to give that faker anything. Just say the word and I'll send her packing!"
"No Spike, Trixie actually appears to be making an…" Twilight paused as she tried to find the right word for the situation. "attempt, so long as she's sincere about it I should give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm just a little upset that I can't finish Horns, A History of Magic and the Complete Works of Edgar Allen Pony."
"Very well then!!" the appearance of a new voice made Twilight jump in to the air out of shock.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie will grant this to your friend, she gets impressive distance." said Trixie as she watched Twilight eventually come back down to terra firma.
"Don't scare me like that!!" Twilight scolded.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie has decided on her books from the group she had picked out."
"What? B-But I thought…"
"Yes Trixie has decided that she won't be needing these two books."
Trixie's horn glowed it's usual color and the two books that Twilight mentioned had floated over.
Twilight stared at the books and then at Trixie. "Trixie, did you overhea…"
Trixie cut her off but still held her head up high. "Now then, where's the library card that Trixie must sign?"
Twilight said nothing but gave a small smile and floated a small piece of plastic over to her using her magic.
A few moments later Trixie and Twilight exited the tree with Trixie using her magic to carry her two checked out books and her card.
Trixie floated the cupcakes over to Twilight with her magic but the books remained in the air. Twilight in turn floated eight bits in the air and placed them inside the glass jar on Big Macintosh's cart. Trixie then placed her two books at the back of the cart and went up front to join Big Macintosh.
As Big Macintosh and Trixie continued on their way to their next stop, he couldn't help but ask "Did ya make nice?"
"The Great and Powerful Trixie has made…progress."
That was definitely the word she would use to describe what she had done in the tree. She wasn't going to be her new automatic best friend, but she wasn't on bad terms with her either.
She had gone in and followed Big Macintosh's advice and it actually turned out okay. As they walked together Trixie couldn't help but stare at the colt. From a distance he certainly didn't look too bright, just another hic, but the truth of the matter was he actually turned out to be quite intelligent, at least when it came to important matters like making peace and what not. Not that you would have ever guessed such a thing with his simple out look on life, but maybe that was why he knew so much, he kept things simple.
However, Trixie was so busy looking at Big Macintosh that she wasn't looking where she was going. And this is why she rather rudely bumped in to another unicorn, she'd be lying if she said she didn't hurt her head.
"Oh, I'm terribly sorry I…"
Trixie's paled, she knew this unicorn. She was white with a purple mane that was curled at the end, her cutie mark was that of three diamonds. Out of all the ponies at her show that she humiliated when she first came to Ponyville, this pony had received the worst. Trixie had turned the unicorn's mane in to a giant green rat's nest. She doubted very much that that little experience had been forgotten.
The unicorn finally opened her eyes after rubbing the spot on her head she had bumped with Trixie. She instantly recognized her as well, she gritted her teeth with a look of absolute fury.
She stood on two legs and angrily pointed her hoof at Trixie. "YOU!!!"
Omake
Rarity used her hoofs to clamp Trixie's neck. "Why you little!!!" back and forth Rarity strangled Trixie shaking her in a very Homer Simpson type manner. "I'll teach you…to turn my mane…in to a rat's nest!!!"
Trixie started to turn a brighter shade of blue "Ack…ack…aaack!!"
Trixie's ears flopped down and she gave the unicorn her best squee smile.
"Uh…hello…"
Rarity lunged herself at her but Big Macintosh had intercepted keeping the dress making unicorn at bay.
"LET ME AT HER!!! LET ME AT HER!!!"
"Miss Rarity, calm down!"
"She has to pay for what she did to my hair!!!"
"…Yer hair looks fine."
"It's what she did to hair when we first met that was unforgivable!!"
Big Macintosh made her step back a little and gave her a serious look, "What did she do 'exactly'?"
"She turned my hair in to a literal rat's nest, and if that wasn't bad enough she made my hair green too, the worse hair color there could ever possibly be!!"
Big Macintosh turned his gaze back towards Trixie. "Is this true?"
Trixie shrank a little under his stare, she felt like a little filly who had just got caught breaking the neighbor's window. "Um…well you see Trixie was putting on a show and…"
Big Macintosh stomped his hoof on the ground, making Trixie flinch. "It's a simple question, yes or no?!"
"Um, well…yes."
His stare changed back in to default look "Then it sounds like you owe her an apology."
"An apolo-ME?! You want me, the Great and Powerful Trixie, to give an apology to this…"
Big Macintosh cut her off with his trademark "Eeyup!"
"But-But…" Big Macintosh stared at her again and just like that she gave in. She walked over to Rarity with her head hanging low.
"The great and powerful Trixie is sorry for what she did to your hair." she said quietly.
Rarity looked down at Trixie and then at Big Macintosh with a look on her face which silently said 'Is she serious?'
Big Macintosh said nothing but nodded with a small smile.
"Well, while I do appreciate your sincerity I'm afraid a simple worded apology will not be enough to make amends for your actions."
"WHAT?!" Trixie roared. "The Great and Powerful Trixie actually gives you an apology and you have THE NERVE to…"
Big Macintosh put his hoof in front of Trixie cutting her off.
"And exactly what would she have to do make amends?"
Trixie's jaw dropped for yet another time that day. She was about to protest when Rarity also cut her off.
"Well I do need a live model to put the finishing touches on some dresses."
"She'd be thrilled to!"
"Big Macintosh!" Trixie nearly shouted. "Could I talk to you for a moment over here."
Big Macintosh calmly walked over to her as if he hadn't done anything wrong at all.
"Do you honestly expect me to just help her out as an apology to what Trixie did to her?!"
"Eeyup!"
Trixie said nothing but stared down at the ground intensely as if trying to figure something out. Finally she looked up at him and said in a flat tone "You're not going to let me come home till I've helped her, aren't you?"
"Nnnope."
"Sigh. Fine!"
"Oh come on, Ah'm sure it won't be all that. Ya get to wear some pretty dresses, and ya'll like lookin' nice don't ya?"
Trixie blushed. "Di-Did you just flirt with me?"
"Ah complimented you." he said with a stone hard poker face.
Trixie was about to push the issue further when Rarity suddenly grabbed her and dragged her back to her house. "Come along, then, those dresses aren't going to model themselves!"
Trixie glared at Big Macintosh as she was dragged away, only to see the him smiling back. "Have fun," he called.
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Have fun, he says..." she grumbled. Still, she went willingly with Rarity to her house. Once inside, Trixie sighed and looked around, taking in the many dresses, mirrors and sewing supplies. An impressive sight, she admitted to herself. "So what is it Trixie is supposed to do...?"
"Just stand there in front of the mirrors," Rarity explained. She had already set about the task of gathering up the dresses and the various ribbons, threads and pearls she would be adding to them. Trixie frowned but complied and stood in front of the mirror. Rarity threw the first dress to her. "Put that on, would you?"
Again, Trixie complied and put on the dress. It was a red, silk gown, trimmed with black lace and adorned with emeralds. "Trixie must admit," she said, "this is a lovely gown." Rarity smiled proudly as she began to stitch a bit of lace in place. "Of course, the Great and Powerful Trixie could have made it MUCH better. OW!" Trixie jumped and rubbed her flank with one hoof, glaring at Rarity.
Rarity just smiled innocently. "Oops... clumsy me..."
Trixie rolled her eyes but let Rarity continue. "I simply must ask, whatever happened to your hat and cape?"
Trixie frowned, sometimes she forgot just how much she missed her outfit. "Oh…I'm afraid there gone now."
Trixie had her head hung down but Rarity twisted herself to look her in the face. "Gone?" she asked incredulously.
"Gone!" was Trixie's firm response.
Rarity got the hint from Trixie's tone that it wasn't something she enjoyed talking so Rarity moved on.
"Okay then this dress looks just about right. Let's move on to the next shall we?"
Rarity yanked off the dress from Trixie with surprising ease and placed a new one on her at impossible speeds. Trixie blinked a couple of times in confusion, how did she do that?
Rarity brought out a new dress and quickly placed that one on Trixie. This one was blue, or to be more specific, Trixie blue. It was covered in diamonds with snow white line patterns.
"So Big Macintosh huh?" queried Rarity.
"What about him?"
"Are you and him…you know…together?"
Trixie's eyes widened at the implication that the unicorn was getting at. She started to blush the most crimson red Rarity had ever seen, she couldn't help but giggle at the sight.
"T-T-T-The Great and Powerful Trixie is GREAT and POWERFUL, the very idea of her having affectionate feelings for such a heyseed is…"
Rarity cut her off "So your not together…" Rarity started to put on a playful smirk. "But you DO like him…" Trixie's blush got bigger. "In THAT way."
Trixie bit her bottom lip and rolled her eyes up in a nervous manner. "I-I-I don't have any idea what you're talking about!"
"Mmmhmm…" Rarity placed a few more pins inside the dress. "The fact that you stopped speaking in the Third Person proves I'm right."
Trixie opened her mouth but no words came out, so she decided to close it. Such was the price for being utterly speechless.
Rarity took some measuring tape and ran it along the hem of the dress. "Can't say I quite blame you. Even the little children enjoy his company, especially on Nightmare Night when he gives them Haunted Heyrides. There, all done. You can take the dress off now."
The sound of a ringing bell alerted the unicorns that Rarity's Boutique had a new customer. But this customer was actually just a friend paying a visit, a shy pegasus friend to be exact, her name was Fluttershy. She was a yellow pony with pink hair, and Trixie recognized her almost immediately.
"Rarity I…oh are you busy?"
"Not at all Fluttershy, we had just finished." said Rarity taking the dress off of Trixie.
"Wait a second, Trixie recognizes you!"
Fluttershy shrank a little under Trixie gaze. "Y-You do?"
"Yes. You were in the audience on the day when Trixie pitted her powers against your friends."
Fluttershy shrunk even further.
"I was?"
"Yes. But you left before the show even began."
"I did?" she was practically squeeking now.
Trixie was now standing over the poor frightened Fluttershy. "Yes. You did…The Great and Powerful Trixie…"
Trixie stopped in mid sentence as Fluttershy rather quickly dashed out of the store leaving Trixie speechless for a second time that day.
"Wait! Come back!" Trixie ran out the store following Fluttershy's path. "The Great and Powerful Trixie only wants to talk!!"
However, Trixie's path was obstructed when she crashed in to a different winged pony, one with a rainbow mane.
After rubbing her sore head Trixie opened her eyes at her the second party of her collision. She didn't like what she saw. This was another pony she had humiliated in her challenge against Ponyville, but that was the entire problem.
Technically Trixie hadn't REALLY beaten her, she had just humiliated her away. If memory served correctly her name was Rainbow Dash, and she doubted she would be any happier to see her than Rarity was.
"Heh. Heh. Sorry about that, I was trying a new move and it still needs some work…"
Rainbow Dash was very nonchalant about the crash but the instant she opened her eyes her attitude immediately changed.
"YOU!!!" Rainbow Dash snarled.
Rainbow Dash glared furiously at her. "You and me got some unfinished business!"
Trixie did her best to remember Big Macintosh's words.
"There is no need…" Trixie said with a strained voice. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is trying to put her past behind her and is sooor-soooo-sorrrrrr…"
Rainbow Dash gave Trixie her weirded out face, a look she usually kept in reserve for Pinkie Pie. "What's wrong with you?"
"Give Trixie a break!" she stomped her hoof on the ground. "Trixie is still getting used to this 'apology' thing!"
Rainbow Dash literally got in Trixie's face, pushing her head against her forehead. "Too bad, because even if you did I wouldn't accept it!"
"Oh yeah?!" Trixie pushed back.
"Yeah!! There's only one way we can call this whole thing, and that's a stunt off!!"
Trixie paused for a moment. "What's that?!" she said, trying to keep the tough pony tone she just recently acquired.
Rainbow Dash stepped making Trixie almost lose her step. "That where we have a competition to see who can pull off the more amazing stunt. My wings, versus your 'great and powerful' magic. We both try to one-up the last stunt the other did, the first one to fail to do so, loses!"
There was a part of Trixie that told her that she should just walk away and find Big Macintosh…however, Trixie was a show pony who enjoyed having her ego inflated. And nothing inflated her ego like showing somepony that was she better then them.
Trixie gave her the same cocky smile she used to wear before her first visit to Ponyville. "You're on!" --
Pinkie Pie bounced up to the door of Fluttershy's cottage and knocked three times. When she got no answer she peered in through the window. At first it looked like nopony was home but then she saw a pair of eyes peeking out from the shadows underneath her bed.
"Fluttershy, it's me Pinkie Pie!"
After a short wait Fluttershy creaked open the door to peek her face out. "Oh. It is you."
"Why are you hiding, Silly? We got to get to town right away!!"
"W-Why, what's going on?"
"Rainbow Dash is having some kind of show off with this new unicorn!"
Fluttershy's ears flopped down. "The blue one?" she said in a quiet voice.
"Yeah! So I rushed over here because you gotta see it, you just gotta!!"
Fluttershy shrunk a little "I-I-I don't know…I heard she was pretty mean."
"Well silly, she's going to be too busy having a showdown to do anything mean to you."
She poked her head out of the door a little more but still looked unsure. "Oh…well…um…"
"Come on, you don't want to miss this!! It's going to be amazing!!" Pinkie Pie's beaming smile made Fluttershy feel a little more bold.
Her door was fully open now and Fluttershy had a small smile on now. "Well, I suppose maybe…"
Fluttershy's sentence remained unfinished as Pinkie Pie grabbed her without warning. "GREAT! I knew you'd say 'yes', but we've got to hurry! They've already started!"
With that Pinkie Pie was off like a shot dragging poor Fluttershy along for the ride.
--
Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy arrived in the town square and joined the other ponies in the audience who were seated between two parallel stages. On one stage was Rainbow Dash and on the other across from it was Trixie.
They had already started but it was Rainbow Dash's turn now. She started off by climbing to an impressive height and then performed her Fantastic Filly Flash, which was basically a nose dive upon the audience, pulling up right at the last second. She made a sharp turn in mid air and did a Super Speed Strut across her own stage.
When she finally stopped, she gave Trixie a cocky smirk. "Let's see you top that, Miss Magic Pants!"
"Tis but a trifle for the Great and Powerful Trixie!" Trixie's horn lit up it's usual color and spread a wave of magic over the audience that was Trixie's specific shade of blue with some tiny sparkles inside which would remind anypony of Trixie's hair. The ponies basked in this wave in awe and wonder.
"If that's the best you got than this'll be over sooner than I thought!" boasted Rainbow Dash.
Rainbow Dash snapped on some goggles and started to swirl around the wave of magic Trixie had created. Faster and faster she went until she created an actual tornado that sucked up Trixie's wave of magic, turning it into a spiraling blue magic tornado.
"You poor little foal, Trixie is only just starting!"
A beam shot out from Trixie's horn hitting the tornado. The tail of the tornado shot up inside turning itself inside out, resulting in a firework like explosion which took the shape of Trixie's face as it rained down upon the audience.
Rainbow Dash furrowed her brow. "Alright, time to bring out the trump card! The Sonic-Rainboom!"
She shot up into the sky to get to the appropriate height. She remembered a time when she struggled trying to do just one Sonic-Rainboom, but ever since her performance at Cloudsdale they came to her as easy as breathing.
She did another nose dive towards the audience hurtling at even greater speeds than before. A few feet above the audience she made a sharp turn upwards breaking the sound barrier, causing a Sound Wave ripple with every color in the rainbow inside it. Rainbow Dash had an actual rainbow streaming behind her, using this to her advantage she created an arc over the audience, but she wasn't done yet.
She still had a lot of momentum which she used to swirl around area creating a rainbow dome around the two stages and the audience. The audience ooohed and awed as the colors glowed down at them.
Trixie meanwhile had her jaw dropped during the entire performance, she had always thought that the Sonic-Rainboom was just an old mare's tale. Yet this pegasus pony had not only managed to pull it off without breaking a sweat, but she also added a flare that Trixie wasn't sure she could top.
As soon as the ponies were done admiring the dome they turned their attention back to Trixie, waiting patiently for the next surprisingly amazing trick. Her ears flopped down nervously, for once Trixie wasn't sure how she could possibly come out on top in a show off.
She didn't know what to do but she couldn't lose face. She shut her eyes tight, focusing on the lingering rainbow dome, trying to coat it with her magic. The rainbow dome, twitched and stretched but still maintained it's shape. She tried to shape it in to something, anything, but if felt different from the small little rainbow she had made last time, almost like it was denser somehow.
Finally the dome snapped back to normal sending Trixie's magic back at her. Trixie fell off the stage from the backlash she received from the rainbow. She winced as she stood up and opened her eyes to see the audience walking away from her. The show was over, and she had lost.
She picked herself up and dusted herself down, resisting her urge to have a small cry. Humiliated again, it was bad enough when Twilight Sparkle up showed her, but this time…her opponent didn't have magic. Just when she had thought life had kicked her to the bottom, it hands her a shovel.
"Oh yeah!! I am the BOAST BUSTER!!!" cheered Rainbow Dash above Trixie.
Trixie said nothing but continued her sad walk. When she didn't give a response Rainbow Dash landed next to her and started to walk next to her.
"Aint so Great and Powerful now are you?"
"No…" Trixie quietly said.
Rainbow Dash stopped to scratch her head in confusion, something wasn't adding up. Trixie still had her head hung low, to Rainbow Dash it looked like she was kicking herself and in all honesty that bugged her.
"Well?!" snapped Rainbow Dash. "Aren't you gonna start boasting about how you'll get me next time?!"
"What do you want from me?!" Trixie snapped back. "You won okay?!" Her sudden temper seemed to quickly die down. "There is nothing…that Trixie can do that can top a fabled Sonic-Rainboom."
"Well…yeah. But don't be sad about it!"
Trixie tried her best to hide a sniffle…didn't work. "What do you mean?"
"Come with me!" without warning, Rainbow Dash picked Trixie up and shot in to the air. Not that she enjoyed it, her voice literally spoke volumes. "EEEEEEK!!!"
Thankfully Rainbow Dash slowed down but still stayed in the air holding Trixie. "Look at them!" The blue Pegasus was now hovering over their former audience. They still appeared to be chatting rather excitedly with one another about the show between Rainbow Dash and Trixie. "They're STILL talking about it."
Trixie again, said nothing as she took this in. "And they're going to keep talking about it! And do you know why? Because we put on one hay of a show!!"
Rainbow Dash glided down and let go of Trixie.
"So you didn't win, big deal. Point is you put on an awesome performance. You know…not everypony can keep up with my stunts, maybe there's a chance that you are 'Great and Powerful'."
Trixie smiled slightly. "You really mean that?"
"Yeah, just don't let it go to your head. But that's why you shouldn't be down either, because I know that the next time we clash it will be even more awesome!"
"I…thank you."
A cocky smirk was Rainbow Dash's reaction to Trixie's quiet compliment. "Hey don't go all Fluttershy on me now, doesn't suit you."
Trixie's smile got a little bigger. "Very well, but you should know that everything Trixie did in our performance she learned on her own through ability alone. But now, she's going to be reading up on spells so she can become even more amazing!"
"Then I guess the next time we butt heads Trixie'll have a few new tricks."
Trixie's smile was now mirroring Rainbow Dash's. "You can count on it."
Rainbow Dash spat in her hoof and held it out. "Then till next time."
Trixie also spat her in her hoof and clopped it with Rainbow Dash. "Yes, but you should know that the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't plan on losing twice."
Rainbow Dash actually seemed to enjoy hearing this from Trixie. "Bring it on!"
They waved each other goodbye as they went their separate ways. "Maybe there is something to this love and tolerance stuff." Trixie mused to herself.
She was all set to head back to the farm and tell Big Macintosh about the new friend/rival she had made when she spotted that yellow pegasus again directly in her path.
"YOU!"
She seemed to cower and give a soft whimper before dashing off. Trixie chased after, but it was starting to get very old very fast.
"Oh come on! It's not like Trixie's going to hurt you or anything, I just want to talk!"
The chase didn't stop but it did lead them to a small cottage on the outskirts of some kind of wild forest.
Fluttershy was moving quite quickly but Trixie was following hot on her trail. Fluttershy ran inside her cottage closing the door behind her…and on Trixie's nose.
"OW!!" Trixie rubbed her nose tenderly for the second time that day. "What is it with the ponies in this village and slamming the door in Trixie's face?! Seriously, it's as though they have something against my nose!"
Trixie knocked on the door rather impatiently "Trixie knows you're in there!"
Suddenly something hit her in the head without warning. She rubbed her now sore spot and identified the mysterious projectile, she picked it up with her hoof and stared at it quizzically.
"A…pinecone??"
But it wasn't the only one she was going to run in to today, three more hurt her head.
She winced and looked to the direction they came in, what she saw was a very peculiar sight. A small little bunny hopping furiously towards her, and carrying pinecones.
"You dare to…" CLONK!
The rabbit had thrown another pinecone at her.
"You dare…" CLONK! CLONK!
Two more pinecones hit her around the area of her horn.
"QUIT IT!!" Trixie roared.
Normally even Trixie would have a problem with attacking a small cute little bunny, but this one was self defense…and those pinecones really hurt!
Her horn lit up and tossed little balls of light at the aggressive rabbit. He dodged most of them but when he tossed his last little pinecone it hit one of one Trixie's balls of light causing a huge flash which threw both fighters on to their backs.
For a moment neither of the two moved, not even bothering to bring down their arms from over their heads. Then finally, the silence was broken.
"We'll call it a draw!" declared Trixie.
The sound of a door opening made her ear wiggle. She craned her head up to see Fluttershy peak her head out the crack of the door curiously.
When she saw her pet bunny Angel and the unicorn that was chasing her on the ground she panicked.
Trixie sat up as the pegasus ran over to them. "Is this YOUR rabbit?"
Fluttershy helped both Trixie and the rabbit to their feet.
"Are the two of okay?" the concern in her voice obvious.
"No thanks to this hooligan rabbit." snipped Trixie
"Oh I'm awfully sorry but he can be very protective of me, so when he saw you chasing after me he must have thought you were trying to hurt me."
Fluttershy knelt down so she could look Angel face to face. "Now Angel, I understand you were only trying to protect me, but Trixie wasn't trying to hurt me…"
Fluttershy trailed off and shrank a little as she looked at Trixie "Were you?" she squeaked.
"Of course not!" Trixie snapped. "I just wanted to know why you didn't stick around the first time I came to Ponyville."
"Oh…" was Fluttershy's only response to Trixie before turning her attention back to Angel.
"Angel, those pinecones could have really hurt her. I know you can act better than that. Don't you think you owe her an apology?"
Angel actually looked at her with surprise before crossing his little bunny arms and turning his back to her.
Fluttershy sighed, she loved Angel but sometimes he could act so spoiled.
"Now, Angel, you apologize right now, or... or... um... No extra carrots for dinner."
Angel turned to her with the shocked looked a child usually has when a mother chews out her son for a misunderstanding when he was only trying to help.
It came as shock to both ponies as the rabbit ran off right in to the wild forest, after which Fluttershy promptly chased after with a look of panic on her face.
Trixie sighed. "A smart pony would just leave her to tackle her own problems and just go back to the farm." Trixie paused a moment and then started to follow after Fluttershy. "Too bad I'm not a smart pony."
--
"And this place is called the Everfree Forest?"
Trixie was walking besides Fluttershy, who had shyly accepted her help.
"Yes. This place is wild, the animals fend for themselves, the plants grow without care, and the clouds move all by themselves."
Trixie shuddered involuntary. "Creepy."
"That's why nopony should try going in her alone. Which is why um…" her voice got even quieter, if that was physically possible. "Thank you for coming with me."
"Oh um well…yes. I've been staying at Big Macintosh's farm and…"
"You mean with Applejack?"
"I guess, but to be honest it feels more like Trixie staying with just Big Macintosh. I mean Trixie gets along with the family just fine, save for Applejack, but it was Big Macintosh's invitation and…"
"You're grateful." Fluttershy said quietly but clearly.
"Well…yes. You see Trixie's life hasn't exactly been all that great since she left Ponyville, in fact I'd say I had hit rock bottom. Then Big Macintosh found me, he offered me a home to stay in and Trixie couldn't help but admire the warm life he shared with his family. So Trixie is hoping to start over for a better life, Big Macintosh says the best way to do that is to keep love and tolerance in my heart."
Fluttershy opened her mouth to say something else but the sound of a twig breaking just made her give out a high pitched squeaked and quickly hid behind Fluttershy.
A rustling in the bushes rationalized Fluttershy's fears somewhat. However, from out of the bushes came the little rabbit Angel. With a look of terror on his face he run past Trixie and hid behind her.
This was starting to annoy Trixie, she had a rabbit hiding behind Fluttershy who was hiding behind her.
"That's enough!" she snapped. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is not some kind of shield!"
Fluttershy whispered and apology and got out from behind her.
THOOM!
Fluttershy, Angel, and Trixie felt themselves jolt upwards from the force of something heavy hitting the ground. Even in mid air they didn't move.
THOOM!
Another tremor shook them off the ground, but the sound was louder this time.
THOOM!
Whatever was causing these tremors was getting closer. Then, finally, it emerged through the trees, the monster that haunted Trixie's nightmares, the beast that put an end to her old life…it was the dreaded Ursa Minor!
He reeled his head back and let out a mighty roar, Trixie ran off like a shot screaming her head off while Fluttershy actually stopped to pick up Angel before flying off in the same direction Trixie.
Still holding a crying Angel Fluttershy caught up with Trixie flying along side her.
"What kind of animal is that?!"
"Haven't you ever seen an Ursa before?!" Trixie snapped as she leapt over some branches.
Fluttershy held Angel tighter as she craned to look back at the bear that was still chasing them.
"That's an Ursa Major?"
Trixie quickly took a sharp turn in to the hollow of a dead tree where Fluttershy quickly followed. Trixie silently held up her hoof signaling Fluttershy to be quiet, the sound of the Ursa running by was the only noise.
"Was that really an Ursa Major? I didn't think they were that big!" whispered Fluttershy.
"That?" Trixie scoffed. "Oh that, wasn't an Ursa Major. Get this, that was it's baby! An Ursa Minor!"
Angel whimpered as he cuddled deeper in to Fluttershy's grasp.
Fluttershy rocked the rabbit back and forth like a newborn but still gave Trixie a concerned look. "But if that's just a baby then why does he want to kill us?"
"He's a monster!" Trixie snapped. "He doesn't need an excuse to be mean!"
Trixie must spoken too loudly because the tree they were hiding in was swiped away by a giant blue Ursa claw.
Trixie sat in terror as she stared up at giant cub. She tried to move, to run away, but it was no good; she was frozen in place.
"Trixie?" the sternness in Fluttershy's voice earned her Trixie's attention. Keep in mind she was still scared stiff, but her pupils had gone over to Fluttershy's direction.
The steeliness in her gaze spoke volumes. "Hold. My. Rabbit."
Fluttershy handed her Angel, who hadn't stopped making scared rabbit noises, and took off in to the air. Trixie meanwhile was rocking Angel back and forth, trying to calm down both herself and him. "It'll be alright, little bunny. Everything will be okay…provided we live…"
The Ursa snapped at her but she managed to dodge it's snapping teeth as she flew over him. Without warning she started hurdling down towards it's back with her hooves pointed down.
Fluttershy landed on the Ursa's back, who seemed to pause for a moment before opening his mouth and letting out a short but loud burp.
After that his attitude seemed to do a complete 180. It even pulled Fluttershy in for a hug and start to lick her face affectionately.
Trixie's jaw dropped. "I don't understand. What did you do to him? Why isn't he trying to eat you?!"
Fluttershy delicately pulled herself out of the Ursa's grasp and started to scratch it behind his ear. "Oh he was just feeling a little irritable because he had a little gas, that's all."
Trixie's jaw dropped once again.
"A burp? That was what all that behemoth needed?! He just needed to be burped?! HE NEARLY KILLED US OVER A BURP?!"
"Well he IS still just a baby you know. He can't help it if he feels fussy."
Trixie gritted her teeth, steam erupted out of her ears, it looked like she was about to blow her top when suddenly…she let it all go.
Trixie sighed deeply. "I give up." Trixie unwittingly planted her keister on a small blue flower, known to the Ponyvillians as Poison Joke.
"It's not worth the effort." she hung her head sadly for the second time that day. "I'm just going to have to accept that there is yet another pony whose better than me in this town."
Fluttershy cocked her head to the side and then flew down to Trixie.
"What do you mean? I'm not any better than anypony else."
This earned Fluttershy an annoyed looked from the unicorn.
"Oh come on, you just managed to calm that big fella all by yourself, AND without magic might I add."
"Oh no, I was just helping the poor little darling. I'm sure you're much more accomplished."
"That's not how I see it." Trixie frowned. "Every time I come across that blue monster, sompony else always does what it takes to soothe him. Maybe…maybe I'm not so great and powerful…"
Fluttershy flew down to the crest fallen show pony placing her hooves on her shoulders.
"You might not have soothed our new big friend but I did enjoy your show. You had me on the edge of my seat I didn't know what you were going to do next. Your show was amazing."
Trixie's frown had now turned in to a small smile. "You really mean that?"
"Yes. And the reason I didn't stay for your show the first time because you just seemed so…mean. And my special talent is with animals…"
"Obviously." Trixie rolled her eyes.
"And after what you did to Applejack I knew you might do something mean to my little animal friends…so I left." she said timidly.
Trixie's ears folded back sadly, she never thought her boasting would actually scare somepony anyway.
"But after tonight, I think you might actually be starting to turn in to a better pony. I saw you trying to calm Angel down, nopony who was as mean as I thought would ever try to do such a thing." She craned her neck down to her pet rabbit nudging him a little with her nose. "Isn't that right Angel?"
Angel rolled his eyes and pouted but tapped Trixie on the hoof three times supportively.
Trixie couldn't help but smile at the kindness that was being shown to her. The ponies in this village were really starting to grow on her.
-- Trixie rode in the back of Big Macintosh's wagon, reading one of her new checked out books on their way back to the farm. The clear night sky accompanied by the sound of crickets chirping made it a peaceful night for reading.
"So did ya have a good time in Ponyville?" asked Big Macintosh.
"Surprisingly yes, Trixie actually did enjoy herself quite a bit today. This town certainly does have some unique ponies."
"So y'all made some good friends today?" asked Big Macintosh, sounding a little happier.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie isn't sure she would call them 'friends' exactly, but she did find some surprisingly tolerable ponies."
A deep sigh escaped from Big Macintosh. "Ah guess it's a start…" --
Trixie woke up the next morning with a yawn. The fact that she had managed to get up without Big Macintosh's help suggested that she was getting accustomed to farm life.
She threw off her covers but as soon as she saw her lower half she let out a high pitched scream which echoed across the farm.
Omake
"See? Even our new friend thinks you're changing for the better." beamed Fluttershy.
Trixie stared out with lowered eyelids as the Ursa Minor licked the left side of her head, covering her hair in his saliva.
To say that Trixie was in a bad mood would be an understatement, she had never been more annoyed or more aggravated in her entire life. When she woke up this morning she had a very embarrassing surprise waiting for her. She wasn't sure how it happened, but she certainly couldn't let the Apple Family see her like this, especially Big Macintosh.
Apple Bloom would most likely never stop laughing, she doubted Applejack would ever let her live it down, she didn't want to think about Big Macintosh's reaction, and Granny Smith would…well actually she hadn't had a lot of interaction with Granny Smith, not while she was awake anyways.
Thankfully she was able to sneak off their property without any of them seeing her in her new… 'condition'. However, everypony in town was able to see her as plain as day, there was nothing she could do about it except suck it up and try to get to Twilight's library pdq.
She had to walk past all the ponies who snickered or were awestruck by her appearance but she finally came upon Twilight's home. She heaved a heavy sigh and knocked on the door.
To her dismay, Twilight Sparkle wasn't the one who answered the door, it was her assistant, Spike.
One look at Trixie and Spike was already biting his lower lip to fight back the laughter, but soon enough he was rolling on the floor laughing uncontrollably.
This was due to the fact that from her flank down Trixie's backside had become enlarged and disproportionate to the rest of her body.
"It isn't funny!!" roared Trixie.
"HA!! HA!!! Oh I'm sorry 'Kicksie', did you say something? HA!! HA!! HA!!! I was too distracted by your backside to hear anything!!"
"Just get Twilight out here!!" demanded Trixie.
Spike managed to calm himself down and get up off the floor while wiping away a tear from all the laughter. "Okay, I'll go get her, come on inside and make yourself at home."
Trixie tried to get in through the doorway but her flank got stuck.
Spike covered his mouth both hands to keep himself from laughing.
"Should I go get the butter?" snickered Spike.
"Just get Sparkle over here!"
But such an action proved unnecessary as Twilight arrived all by herself.
"What's with all the noise over here? I was busy reading my book about…" The sight of Trixie having her rump stuck in the doorway cut Twilight off mid-sentence.
"Oh my goodness, Trixie, what happened?!"
"That's what Trixie would like to know!" snarled Trixie. "I went to bed having nothing but sweet dreams and soft pillows and when I woke up, I looked like this! Thankfully Trixie was able to sneak out of Sweet Apple Acres without being seen by Big Macin-I mean anypony!!"
Spike's eyelids lowered halfway. "Uh-Huh. Sure you do."
"Well I can't very well diagnose what's wrong with you with you in my doorway now can I? Come on in and we'll take a look at you."
Once again Trixie tried to move but the door way wouldn't let her budge.
"Want me to go get the butter now?" Spike giggled.
"Just help me!!" roared Trixie.
Spike slipped underneath her and started to push her in from the other side. It took a moment longer than either expected but eventually she popped out of the doorway…and right on to the floor.
"Told you, we should have gotten the butter."
Trixie said nothing but glared at the baby dragon as Twilight came back with a magnifying glass.
"Alright now hold still." Twilight brought the magnifying glass over to where Trixie's lower half just started to expand and smiled.
"Oh, you're in luck Trixie, I know exactly what happened to you."
Trixie raised an eyebrow at her, genuinely surprised. "Wow. Really?"
"Yes. Me and my friends all had what you have a while back."
"You all had swollen bottoms?"
"Well, no…See you've come in contact with a plant called Poison Joke. Instead of leaving a rash, it effects your body physically as if it were playing a joke on you."
"A joke?! Well the Great and Powerful Trixie isn't laughing!"
"I am." chuckled Spike.
Both unicorns glared at Spike, silencing him.
Trixie stood up, albeit awkwardly, and asked. "Well how do I get rid of it?!"
"A bubble bath with the right ingredients is all you need. And lucky for you, the spa runs a special on it."
"Really? Are you serious?"
"Yes. I should know, it's how my friends and I got rid of our Poison Joke symptoms."
Trixie smiled timidly. "What happened to you?"
Twilight blushed a little at the memory. "Oh. Um well my horn kind of became useless."
"She was Twilimp Flopple." laughed Spike.
Twilight glared at the baby dragon who shrunk slightly. "What? I had time to think up a nickname."
"Anyways…" Twilight said with one final glare at her assistant. "All we need to do is get you down there to the spa and you'll be back to normal before you know it."
Trixie's smile got a little bigger. "You mean it?"
"I promise. I'll even pay for you, let's go."
Trixie followed Twilight out the door, or at least she tried to, she got stuck once again.
Spike slapped his hands over his mouth in an attempt to keep himself from laughing hysterically.
"Now, do you want me to go get the bu…"
"Enough with the butter!" Trixie shouted. --
After a few efforts they finally got her out of the doorway, but that didn't stop ponies from whispering behind Trixie's back. Some weren't even that good at keeping their comments to themselves.
Two particular ponies, had taken even more notice of the unicorn's looks, they're names were Lyra and Bonbon.
"Oh my clop, look at her flank, it is so big."
"Shut up!" Trixie snapped. However, deep down Trixie really knew she couldn't blame them, her new appearance had also given her an awkward walk, she had to swing her hind legs in order to move them forward.
She tried her best not to think about how ridiculous she must have looked.
"How much farther, Twilight Sparkle?" asked Trixie.
"It won't be long now, and you can just call me Twilight. All my friends do."
Trixie wobbled a little faster to look Twilight in the face, which to the outside looking in actually appeared very comical. "Are you saying you consider me a 'friend'?"
"I see no reason why not." she replied.
"Why?" was all Trixie could get out without falling down at her new paste.
"You're trying to become a better pony, Trixie. And I can't help but admire that, and I'd like to consider myself one of your friends."
Twilight stopped suddenly and Trixie's luck ran out making her crash. Trixie stared up at the unusual expression Twilight had on her face.
"You do want to be friends right?"
Twilight's face was so filled with concern on whether or not she was valued as her friend Trixie knew that if she said 'no' it would hurt her feelings, but what was surprising to her was that Trixie discovered she actually cared about that. However, her pride was a stubborn thing so instead she nodded silently at her.
Twilight must have liked this answer because soon she helping her up.
"What in the hay?!"
Trixie froze, that voice from behind sounded like Applejack. She slowly craned her neck around to see the blonde Earth pony staring at her with her mouth ajar.
Then she started rolling on the floor laughing uncontrollably.
Trixie sighed. "This day is going to get worse before it gets any better, isn't it?"
"Most likely." added Spike.
"I was talking to myself!" snapped Trixie.
"You can talk to yourself all you want, that isn't going to make you look any better." Spike replied.
Applejack finally stopped laughing and managed to walk over to them with just a giggle.
"And to think Big Macintosh was all worried about you being missin'. Then again if my flank looked like yours Ah'd high tail it too."
A small blush crossed Trixie's face. "He was…worried?"
"Well of course. Ya left without one word to us!"
Spike suddenly started lurching forward until finally he burped out a small green flame which turned in to a scroll.
"What the buck?" asked Trixie.
"That there is a letter from Princess Celestia herself." explained Applejack.
"Oh. Right, Trixie keeps forgetting Twilight is the student of the Princess."
Spike looked up to Twilight who was busy reading it. "What's it say?"
Twilight smiled and rolled up the scroll. "It's just some homework. She wants me to try out some transformation spells and then tell her how well I did with them."
"Homework?" queried Applejack.
"Well yes, I am her student after all. What, did you think I was only suppose to learn about friendship and ignore all my other studies?"
The earth pony silently hid behind her hat. "Uuuuuhh…"
"You seriously thought that, didn't you?" accused Twilight.
"Yes. Yes, Ah did." Applejack shamefully replied.
"Well in any case I need to take care of this right away. Did you think you could take Trixie to the spa to get rid of her poison joke symptom?"
"Is that what happened to her? Figures. But why in the hay do Ah have to take her to the spa? Ah mean Ah'd have to cut right through the town sq...." Applejack cut herself off when an idea hit her mind which slowly made a mischievous smile starts to cross her face. "Sure thing, Twilight. Ah'll get her over there faster than you can say 'Appleseed'."
Twilight seemed oblivious to Applejack's hidden intentions and beamed happily.
"I knew I could count on you. Come along Spike, there's a lot of homework to do."
As Twilight left with Spike, Trixie shrunk slightly under Applejack's almost evil smile.
"T-The Great and Powerful Trixie... doesn't like how you're smiling at her."
"Don't worry about it, Trixie. Ah'll lead you to the spa, just be sure follow me."
Trixie did as Applejack said and it was everything she expected. Ponies pointed, they laughed, they called her names, but for some reason Applejack wasn't smiling as much as either of them thought she would.
Finally they came across a catery called Sugar Cube Corner.
"This isn't the spa either, is it?" Trixie asked.
"Just hold your horses, Ah got some business to take care of."
Applejack went inside where she found Pinkie Pie sitting at the counter, who waved at her happily.
"Hi Applejack! The Cakes are out visiting Nurse Red Heart to see if Mrs. Cake is pregnant or not so I'm running Sugar Cube Corner all by myself."
"That's great Pinkie, I'm real happy fer ya. But Ah can in here for some advice, if you can believe it."
"Advice? Like how to bake muffins, because I gotta tell you the Cakes have banned you for life from their kitchen after the last time you tried to 'bake' in there."
"No surprise there, but that's not why Ah'm here. Ya see a while back this boastin hoity toity unicorn came to town braggin she was the best unicorn in all of Equestria, she even challenged me an a couple of our friends to try and out do her. She humiliated all of us, but now her come upons have finally arrived…she's suffer'n, and Ah don't like it anywhere near as much as Ah thought would. In fact, Ah think Ah might actually be feelin' sorry for her. But why?"
Pinkie Pie stared out blankly as she processed everything Applejack just said in her head. Finally, she seemed to have come to a conclusion and put a supportive hoof on Applejack's shoulder.
"Well it's obvious, you're not enjoying it because you're not a jerk."
"Beg pardon?"
"Well only a Meanie McMeanerpants would enjoy watching another pony suffer. You're too much of a good pony to enjoy something like."
Pinkie Pie's words hit Applejack like a bolt of lightning, it all made sense now. Applejack pulled her friend in, and gave her a grateful hug.
"Thanks Pinkie, now Ah now exactly what to do."
Pinkie Pie wasn't entirely sure what was going on but she simply shrugged and hugged back.
Outside Applejack found Trixie waiting for her, looking completely miserable. "Where to next? Are you going to take the Great and Swollen Trixie to the mayor so she can make it 'Laugh At Trixie Day'?"
"Nope. Reckon you've had enough. This time Ah promise to you on my love of my farm, Ah will get you to that spa right away."
Trixie gave her a dubious look. "Why should I trust you?"
Applejack took off her hat and gave her a sincere stare. "Because Ah aint done right by you. And Ah'm gonna set it straight no matter what."
"Trixie isn't sure why, but the Great and Powerful Trixie believes you."
Applejack smiled upon hearing this. "It's because Ah'm sorry. Truly and sincerely."
--
A blue pony with pink hair and a pink pony with blue hair sadly swept the floors, their names were Lotus and Aloe. They ran the local spa in Ponyville, usually business was pretty good, especially with customers like Rarity, but today seemed rather slow.
The ringing sound of the counter bell immediately perked up their spirits as they dashed over to the counter where they saw Applejack and Trixie.
"Oh my, that unicorn…poison joke?"
"That's right Lotus. One bubble bath special, on me."
Applejack handed her eight bits and Trixie was led away by the two ponies to a giant tub already filled with water. The bath itself was simple enough, she would get in, Lotus and Aloe would add in special minced herbs. Then the bubbles would start, and Trixie was in paradise.
Her lower half shrunk back down to it's regular size and Trixie rested her head back along the edge of the tub.
Applejack walked up the stairs of the tub and smiled. "Well aint you as pleased as a rabbit in a carrot factory. Ah got a peace offerin' fer ya."
Applejack went over to a nearby table and placed a ticket on it from her hat.
"It's a ticket to Apple Family Reunion. It's tomorrow, me and Pinkie Pie spent the whole day settin' it up because it's gonna be our hundredth. Only members of the Apple Family and invited guests are allowed to attend. With this you can attend the reunion with the rest of this."
"And…you want 'me' there? You won't get all upset?"
"Just as long as you promise not to call anypony a hayseed."
"Sounds reasonable enough…" she turned to the pony and gave her a genuine smile. "Applejack."
Applejack tipped her hat in response. "Ah'll let you enjoy your bath and see you back at the farm."
"See you at home then." Trixie waved.
Applejack froze in her steps and looked back at Trixie, the unicorn seemed completely unaware that she referred to Sweet Apple Acres as her home. --
Trixie was lying on her bed working on one of the spells she learned from her checked out library books. In front of her, resting on her pillow was a rusted old spoon. She lit up her horn with a color that matched that of her cutie mark and started to focus on the spoon. In a flash all the rust disappeared off of the spoon, before immediately coming back.
"Hmm…it's not much, but at least it's progress."
A knock on her door snapped Trixie out of her thoughts. Trixie got the door to see Big Macintosh was on the other side wearing a satchel. Trixie was becoming progressively more aware of her feelings for him, so with him standing right in front of her she couldn't help but blush.
"Ah understand you've had a bad day."
"Who told you!?" Trixie snarled. "It was Applejack wasn't it?! Peace offering my fat…"
"Whoa there!" Big Macintosh held up his hoof cutting her off. "Twilight told me this, and all she said was that today was particularly rough for ya."
"Oh…" Was all Trixie could say.
"So anyways, I figured you could use some help cheerin up so I dug this out of my trunk."
He dug in to his satchel and handed her a jar filled up with some kind of rainbow stuff.
"That there is an Apple Family delicacy. Zap Apple Jam, I always keep a spare jar fer mahself in case I get a hankerin fer it. Here."
He reached in to the other side of the satchel and dug out a spoon. He handed it to her saying "Try some."
To be perfectly honest, Trixie wasn't sure what to make of it, but she opened the jar anyways and ate a spoonfull. Her eyes shot open and she took the now empty spoon out of her mouth with a smile.
"Wow…"
Big Macintosh matched her smile with his own. "Eeyup. Pretty good, huh? Put a smile on anypony's face."
Trixie couldn't seem to find her voice at the moment so she just nodded…with a face that was getting redder by the second.
"Rest up, tomorrow is sure to be a hoe down nopony will ever forget. Hope to see ya there."
He walked back to the stairs leaving Trixie with a bright blush, and a smile she would probably never admit to.
Omake
Gilda walked up to Trixie who was sitting on the porch with Granny Smith who was taking a nap.
"Hi, my name is Gilda, and I understand that you are aslo an outcast, so I was thinking..."
"AAAAAAAAAGGGGGGGGH!!! THE RADDLERS' BACK!!!" Granny Smith suddenly starts whacking Gilda's tail with her cane. "IT WANTS TO PUT IT'S VENOM IN MY VAINS!!!"
Gilda grabs her tail and glares at Granny "That's my TAIL, you MORON!!"
"Oh......................................THE RADDLER IS ATTACHED TO A GRIFFON!!!"
Granny Smith starts to beat Gilda over the head with her cane.
Trixie sat on the floor in her room nervously as Rarity started to braid her mane behind her.
"Are you sure this is going to be fancy enough? Applejack said this was going to be their hundredth."
"It still just a hoedown darling, the attire is to be 'nice', not formal. But I just know this new do will turn that colt's big red head."
Trixie blushed. "T-Trixie doesn't know what you're talking about! The Great and Powerful Trixie does NOT have her eye on ANY colt red or otherwise!"
"Mmhmm. I understand entirely, he can be quite the gentleman."
"D-Didn't you hear what I just said?!"
"Yes deary, I heard what you said, but I also know what you mean when you say it. I can read in between the lines unlike some other ponies."
Trixie bit the bottom of her lip as her eyes darted about nervously, Rarity was on to her, more than ever.
Rarity finished Trixie's braid and moved around to her front with a smug grin. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but perhaps those feelings have gotten a little stronger?"
"N-N-Nonsense! T-The very idea that I…"
Trixie was cut off as Rarity put a supportive hoof on her shoulder which was followed up by a sincere look of compassion.
"It's okay. I won't tell anypony, you have my word as a lady."
Trixie shrunk her head down in to her shoulders and quietly said "Do you really promise not to tell anypony?"
"I don't just promise, I Pinkie Pie Promise."
"You what?"
Rarity smiled honestly and started to go through an odd series of motions with her hoofs. "I cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."
"What was that?"
"That was a Pinkie Pie Promise, and nopony breaks a Pinkie Pie Promise."
Trixie smiled and Rarity stood up offering her hoof. "Come along, our friends are waiting for us."
Trixie took the hoof accepting Rarity's help. "I don't think I've ever had this many friends. Fans, yeah, but…"
"Trust me, friends are always better than fans."
Before leaving Trixie put on the farm dress Rarity had made for her. It was basically a green plad skirt but it looked very 'farmy'. Rarity was already wearing her outfit, a pink sundress with frills.
They left the house and walked down the hill to the Apple Family barn, where a large party was happening on the inside.
Granny Smith was just outside holding a box with a slot on the top of it. "Ticket. Those not of the Apple Family need a ticket."
"Hello Granny Smith." greeted Rarity.
"Oh howdy, smelly bellies. Ya remember to bring yer tickets?"
"Right here Granny Smith." Trixie lit up her horn and floated two tickets in to the box.
"Ah think yer friends are waiting inside." Granny Smith said before almost immediately falling asleep.
Inside they found their friends and the rest of the Apple Family waiting for them. Applebloom was wearing a fancy new bow, Applejack was wearing her Gala hat, Pinkie Pie was wearing a cowgirl skirt, Spike had on some little overalls, Twilight was wearing a denim skirt, and Fluttershy had on a spring green bonnet.
Rainbow Dash however was fiddling with her Stetson. "My hat keeps falling off."
Twilight lit up her horn and tied the straps of her hat under her chin. "That's because you have to keep it tied."
Big Macintosh was gussied up too, in which by 'gussied up' one would mean he was wearing a fancy scarf instead of his work collar.
Trixie opened her mouth to say something to him but was cut off by the sound of a loud gasp.
"Ohmygosh!" squealed Pinkie Pie. "I don't think I've ever met you before, which must mean you're new, and if you're new then you must not have met everypony, but don't worry, you're at a party, and when you're at a party that means…"
Trixie covered Pinkie Pie's mouth with her hoof in an attempt to make her stop, yet she continued to talk even with a hoof in her mouth. Trixie leaned over to Applejack with a nervous look on her face.
"Does she ever stop?" whispered Trixie.
"Just nod yer head and say 'Uh-Huh'. Quickest way to get her to stop."
Trixie removed her hoof from Pinkie Pie to follow Applejack's advice.
"You must be the pony Applejack was talking about, the one who was living on the farm trying to be a better pony. Do you like it here on Sweet Apple Acres?"
"Uh-huh." nodded Trixie.
"I also hear that you've been making friends with everypony one at a time. Which I think is so great, since life is always better with lots of friends. Would you like to be my friend too?"
"Sure." Trixie agreed.
"Super! I can't wait to get to know you better, normally I'd throw a big, big party for a new friend but we're already at a party. Well technically it's a reunion, but everypony is treating it like a party, but that doesn't mean you can't have a party. Whenever you want me to throw you a party let me know, I live with the Cakes at Sugar Cube Corner."
"Got it!"
Pinkie Pie finally seemed to have ended her rabid chatter with a silly smile.
"Oh hey, there's mah cousin!" smiled Applejack.
Indeed a yellow colt trotted over to them, he seemed nice enough, his grin was big enough that was for sure.
"Y'all remember Braeburn, right? Braeburn, this here is Trixie. She's stayin with us here on the farm."
"Well howdy there Miss Trixie, my name is Braeburn, and Ah'm from AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAPPLELOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSA!"
"Is it really pronounced like that?" Trixie asked.
"Nope. Mah way is just more fun." Braeburn chirped. "Now if y'all excuse me, me and some of the family are supposed to play a number on stage."
Not wasting anymore time Braeburn walked up on stage with two other colts and a mare who had her green hair done up in pigtails.
"Howdy everypony, and welcome to the Hundredth Apple Family Reunion. Ah'm Braeburn, Ah'll be doing the vocals for this little number, Applefritter will be on the harmonica, while Red Delicious and Golden Delicious will be workin the fiddles. This here number is about arguabley the very first Apple Family member, it's called Apple Eyed Joe."
As the band started to play everypony moved on out to the dance floor.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
Big Macintosh smiled and held out his hoof. "This is mah song. Care to dance?"
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
Trixie blushed but delicately put her hoof in to his.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
Trixie smiled as she started to hoedown with Big Macintosh. Yes they were in a barn filled with other ponies, but at the moment it felt like just the two of them.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from Apple Eyed Joe?
Twilight and the rest of the main six were linking arms with one another and swinging around.
Trixie let out a small shriek of joy as Big Macintosh spun with her.
The rest of the Apple Family members formed a long arch way which ponies would run through two at time.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
Big Macintosh and Trixie quickly trotted through the arch with large grins on their faces.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
Leaving the arch, Big Macintosh gave Trixie a quick twirl.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
The main six had stopped dancing when they noticed how much fun Trixie was having and couldn't help but smile.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
"Wow. Looks like she sure is havin' a ball aint she?" Applejack's smile slowly started to fade as something obvious finally started to register with her brain. "With my big brother…who is the only colt she's dancin' with…"
He came to town like a Hearth's Warming storm,
Big Macintosh and Trixie joined a small circle of other ponies and put in their right hoof in and rotated in unison to the left.
Plowed all our fields, so handsome and strong
Big Macintosh lifted Trixie up off the ground and twirled her in the air.
His eyes was his tool and his smile was his gun
With help from Big Mac rolled over his back from one side to the other.
But all he had come for was apples and fun!
Trixie's grin had now become a smile, which refused to be erased.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
Big Macintosh also seemed to be having a good time too. However, it wasn't clear whether this was because he was dancing with her or because he was enjoying the party.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
Even Granny Smith, who didn't have the hip for dancing anymore, was tapping her hoof to the music.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
Apple Bloom had made her way over to buffet table and started to dig in on all of the apple related treats.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
Applejack rubbed the back of her neck uneasily. "Is that a bad thing?" asked Fluttershy.
"Well no…but he's always been so shy about these kind of things. It's kind of odd seeing him get so bold about a mare." explained Applejack.
"I don't know." commented Twilight. "I think he's trying to be her friend, supporting her. She has had it pretty rough." Twilight was right though, there was also a chance Big Macintosh's feeling could be platonic.
He brought disaster wherever he went, more valentines from girls than have ever been sent.
Big Macintosh stood on two legs and started to do some large kicks.
They all ran away so nopony would know, they all had their hearts stolen by Apple Eyed Joe.
Shrugging playfully, Trixie started to mirror him.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
Big Macintosh right hoof in his, his left wrapped around her waist.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
Some other Apple Family ponies started a line dance, the one on the end swinging his hat in the air.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
"You know what?" Pinkie Pie chirped. "Their love life isn't any of our business. This is a party so let's start acting like it!"
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
Trixie yelped as Pinkie Pie suddenly grabbed her from behind to carry up on to the stage. With a cry of "MOSH PIT!" Pinkie Pie threw the unicorn in to the audience.
Trixie was scared at first, but when the ponies underneath start carrying her. It was like a wave of supportive hooves that Trixie couldn't stop giggling about.
She yelped though when said wave tossed her in to the air, only for her to drop down on to a blanket held by Twilight and her friends. Her fun increased when they used they blanket repeatedly to throw her in to the air and catch her again.
If it hadn't been for Apple Eyed Joe, I'd been married a long time ago.
Up in the air she saw Big Macintosh down below smiling up at her, she fought futilely against the blush that formed.
Where did you come from, where did you go? Where did you come from, Apple Eyed Joe?
The main six slanted the blanket slight so Trixie could delicately slide off.
Trixie landed on her back on the ground laughing hysterically, and she wasn't alone, Big Macintosh was right in front of her, sharing her laughter.
On that night, Trixie could honestly say that she had never had that much fun in her entire life.
Trixie swallowed a large lump in her throat, she wasn't sure why she was so nervous; by all accounts she was ready for this. He was right in front of her, attempting to yet again plow the fields with that rusted plow, and yet she remained frozen where she stood by her nerves.
Finally she snapped herself out of it, it was only Big Macintosh, and of all the things Big Macintosh was, a judgmental pony was not one of them.
"Big Macintosh, I think I can help you plow that field." Trixie said admitingly a little more shyly than she would have liked.
Big Macintosh said nothing but raised an eyebrow at her quizzically.
"If you would just unhook yourself, then I could try my new spell."
Big Macintosh unhooked himself as she asked but he had a look of worry on his face. "You aint gonna use a Come To Life spell are ya? Because Twilight tried that during the last Winter Wrap Up and it didn't turn out too well…"
"No, it's nothing like that."
Feeling a little more at ease, Big Macintosh walked away from his plow to stand next to her.
She made her horn glow it's usual color before shooting out a ray of light hitting Big Macintosh's plow.
In a flash his plow changed from a rusted piece of junk to what looked like a brand new shiny plow.
It was a rare site to see Big Macintosh with an excited smile on his face, but Trixie enjoyed it none the less as he walked over to examine his plow. He rubbed his hoof across the metal and his smile got bigger.
"It's real." he beamed.
Trixie returned his smile. "Well of course it's real, the Great and Powerful Trixie wouldn't have bothered learning the spell if it wasn't going to stick."
"Hook me up, Ah've got to try it." If Big Macintosh were anymore excited he'd be jumping around like a school boy.
Trixie did as she was asked, but she couldn't help but giggle at Big Macintosh's excitement, it was a cute sight.
He could have done it himself but it was simply faster to have someone hook him up for him. Once she was finished, he started to work without a moment's hesitation. It was an impressive site, Big Macintosh was pulling the plow with the utmost ease, it was as if he didn't even feel the plow's weight.
It was hard to believe that the same plow that Big Macintosh was straining to pull just this morning, now wasn't even slowing him down.
It was as if he was walking up and down the field all by himself without anything attached to him. Trixie's smile got even bigger as she watched the colt enjoy himself plowing the fields.
Trixie's good time, however, was cut off by Applejack showing up with a somewhat annoyed look on her face.
"Trixie, what in the hay are you doin' just standin' around? Ah told you yer job was to feed the pigs this morning."
"She's already done her part for the farm today." Big Macintosh interrupted. "Look at mah plow, she did some fancy spell and completely renewed it. Ah'll be done in time to do mah chores, feed the pigs, and help you with apple bucking."
Applejack gave a defeated sigh. "Alright ya win. Trixie, Ah guess you've got the day off."
A small sense of joy swelled up inside Trixie, she never would have expected a day off. She wasn't entirely sure how she wanted to spend it.
She wouldn't have too much time to think about it as three blurred past her to get to Applejack. Now that they had stopped moving, the blurs turned out to Apple Bloom and her two friends, a unicorn and a pegasus named Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo.
"Applejack, a circus is in town! And we was hoping you could take us so we could get some more ideas about how to get our cutie marks!" exclaimed Apple Bloom.
Applejack frowned. "Sorry little sis, Ah'd like to take you and your friends to see this circus, but me and Big Macintosh'll be busy all day."
Apple Bloom pouted at her. "You just don't want to take us because it's not a rodeo circus!"
Applejack scowled back at her little sister. "Now it aint like that! Ah'm just gonna be too busy to take you is all!"
"I could take them." chirped Trixie.
"Ah don't know, Trixie. Mah sister and her friends can be a real hassle…"
"Ah think it's a very nice gesture."
Applejack turned to her brother with an annoyed look. "Geez yer talkative lately."
"Eeyup." he stated as he continued to plow the field.
Applejack turned back to Trixie with a sympathetic smile. "Ah guess if you don't mind then it's fine."
"YAY!! CIRCUS TIME!!!" shouted the little fillies, making their elder ponies wince at their volume.
"So who is this Apple Bloom?" Scootaloo asked.
"This is Trixie, she's been stayin here on our farm. She's powerful sweet on mah brother." Apple Bloom answered bluntly.
Trixie's face blushed to the redness of a street light. She craned her neck over to see Big Macintosh still plowing the fields completely ignorant of what his sister had said.
"APPLE BLOOM!" Trixie shouted, startling the Crusaders. "You silly, SILLY filly! We have to get going or else we'll miss the circus!"
Trixie started to push Apple Bloom towards the farm exit with an angry pout on her face. -- The circus was everything Trixie expected it to be, clowns everywhere, jugglers on unicycles riding around, and lots of games. She even got her little friends some cotton candy, which only seemed to add to their excitement.
They walked up to a side show which had many odd and strange ponies on display. The first pony they came across was a unicorn stallion who had tattoos all over his body.
"Wow! That guy has cutie marks all over his body!" Scootaloo said in amazement.
"Yes." Trixie said with an awkward tone. "That's exactly what he has. Let's see the next pony, right now!" As Trixie hurried the little fillies along, she gave an involuntary shudder; she did NOT want to explain that pony to the Crusaders.
The next pony they saw was doing something a lot of ponies thought was extraordinary, sword swallowing.
He was a rather skinny pegasus pony, even had a sword cutie mark, but it was all just for show. Trixie knew a trick sword when she saw one, the blade would retract as it entered his mouth, then slowly return to normal as he took it out. The swords around his back hoofs seemed legitimate though, even if they were only there for show.
"Wow! Wouldn't it be awesome to get a sword eating cutie mark?" said Scootaloo.
"And look, he even has some swords just laying around."
"Ah'm sure he won't mind if we just borrow a few of them to see if our special talent is sword swallowing."
It was unanimous, the Cutie Mark Crusaders charged towards the stage with a sparkle of excitement in their eyes.
"CUTIE MARK CRUSADERS SWORD SWALLOWERS!!!"
Before the Crusaders could even reach the stage they were all levitated in to the air magically by Trixie. "Not on your life!"
Even though they were still held magically in the air, Trixie walked them over to the next attraction which was a very large earth pony who was juggling hay stacks. They seemed to have settled down so Trixie let them go.
"Yes, come gawk at Hector The Amazing! Truly there is nopony in all of Equestria as strong as me!"
Of course such a claim didn't sit well with Apple Bloom.
"Hey! Nopony is stronger than mah big brother! Why I bet he could…"
Apple Bloom was cut as Trixie covered her mouth with her hoof dragging her away from the stage.
Once they were out of hearing range Trixie took her hoof off of Apple Bloom's mouth.
"What'dja do that for Trixie, that yahoo aint stronger than mah big brother! Nopony is! Mah big brother…"
"Apple Bloom! I know."
"Huh? Then why'd ya take me away before…"
"Listen, I know your big brother is stronger, you know your big brother is stronger. And in the end that's all that matters. Who cares if somepony thinks he's better than everypony else, he's just looking for somepony to challenge him. But that kind of thing isn't important to us and it isn't important to your brother, so it doesn't matter. Let the braggers brag, because in the end that's all they really have."
Trixie paused with a confused look on her face, something about that sentence seemed off, and what it was that it came out of her mouth.
"Did I say that? I guess I've changed more than I thought."
"You're even talking in the third person less."
"Come on, we'll round up your friends and then we'll go see the show in the big top." --
Trixie and the Cutie Mark Crusaders were sitting in the front row of the stands inside the big top tent, watching four slender earth ponies perform acrobatics. The mares seemed to be doing pretty good for themselves cart wheeling about.
To enjoy themselves even more, Trixie had bought them all boxes of popcorn. The Crusaders smile got noticeably bigger when the acrobat ponies formed a pyramid and then switched to a tower.
"We should try doing some of that when we get home." suggested Scootaloo.
"Just so long as you have Applejack's supervision." said Trixie.
As they watched a strange thought entered her head. Since she had come to Ponyville she had been shown up by not just Twilight Sparkle but two other ponies that weren't even unicorns. She loved her cutie mark, it meant she was special with magic and giving a show about it.
But lately she hadn't been feeling so great and powerful, she felt like Trixie but not the Great and Powerful Trixie she had always bragged about on stage. And some small part of her seemed to tell her, that maybe that was okay. Big Macintosh didn't seem to give two bits about how amazing she claimed to be, all he wanted was for her to live a nice life.
Perhaps that was why she liked him so much, he cared about her, and not her magic. Now that she thought about it, the majority ponies she had met before coming to Ponyville had only cared about what she could do with her magic. To be fair though, she was braggart about her magic, she accepted that truth now.
But even that she had been doing less and less of, and that might have actually earned her some friends. Maybe just being the plain and regular Trixie was okay too.
A small portly earth pony wearing a top hat came out in to the center ring. "Fillies and Gentlecolts, I am Wilbur Edsworth and this is the greatest show in Equestria!"
The crowd cheered at his claim as Hector came in to the tent pulling some kind of cage covered by a tarp with three elephants assisting him.
"Watch as our strong stallion, Hector The Amazing, lifts four ponies with one hoof!"
The acrobat ponies cart wheeled over to the ring master and Hector, using a hoof spring to launch themselves in to the air. The first one landed on Hector's hoof with a one hoofed hoof stand, the other three quickly followed mimicking her by landing on her hind hoof.
"Ah still say mah big brother is stronger." stated Apple Bloom.
"Eeyup." Trixie agreed with lowered eyes. From her perspective nopony would ever be as amazing as Big Macintosh. In a way, he could be considered 'Great and Powerful'.
"Still not impressed, you say?" The ringleader shouted to the audience. "Well then what would you say if I brought in the most deadly, ferocious beast that has ever been captured by pony kind?"
"Oooh this is going to be good!" squealed Sweetie Bell.
"Please don't be an Ursa. Please don't be an Ursa. Please don't be and Ursa. Please don't be an Ursa." chanted Trixie.
Not that she would go out of her way to hate Ursa Majors/Minors, but Trixie had some strict bad luck with them. An Ursa would be perfect thing to trip her up just when things were starting to look good for her.
"All the way from Frog Bottom Bog, I give you, the one, the only, HYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYDRAAAAAAAAAAAAA!"
Hector pulled off the tarp to reveal the multi-headed beast underneath, iron bars kept the beast inside despite it's constant battering against them with it's heads.
The crowd seemed to be nervous about the monster instead of excited. Wilbur frowned at their reaction but put on a lax face.
"Not to worry folks, he can't ever get out." he walked confidently over to the cage. "This cage was made by some of our finest workers. He literally cannot get out."
He rested his hoof on it leaning against it confidently, the crowd seemed to calm down at this news. Then the bars fell out.
Everypony, including the Hydra, remained silent with jaws dropped. Wilbur slowly turned back to the Hydra with a look of concern, the Hydra returned this look with all of it's heads staring down at him with evil grins.
"Aw pony feathers."
The crowd up roared in a blind panic as the monster started to rampage.
"THIS WAY GIRLS!!!" Trixie screamed running down the stands.
She heard a stumble and looked back to see Apple Bloom had slipped, her hind leg stuck between the bleachers.
"Trixie!! Help!!"
Every fiber of her being told her that she should just keep running and never stop, but deep down she knew that if she did do something like that she would never be able to look Big Macintosh in the face, or herself in the mirror. She ran back to Apple Bloom, much faster than she ever thought she could run, she used her magic to force open the bleachers and free Apple Bloom's leg. She levitated the Earth filly on to her back and ran once again catching up with Sweetie Bell and Scootaloo.
"What about the Hydra?"
"It's the circus' animal! Let them handle it!" Trixie snapped.
Trixie only looked back once, and she regretted it. The Hydra had all of it's heads focused on them and was chasing after them with terrifying speed.
They were getting close to the exit but a support beam from the tent cut off their path.
It was too big to climb over so they tried to run around it but this just lead them trapped into a corner. Apple Bloom fell off of Trixie's back and started to huddle with her friends in fear.
Trixie was frozen in terror, there was no place to run, no place to hide, this was it, she was going to die. Then she heard an odd sound which brought her out of her fear, it was coming from behind her. She looked back and saw Apple Bloom and her friends crying behind her huddled in fear.
"It's gonna eat us!" cried Sweetie Bell.
"Ah want mah big sister!" wept Apple Bloom.
"I don't want to die before I get my cutie mark!" screamed Scootaloo.
They Hydra seemed to chuckle at the Cutie Mark Crusader's terror. He was enjoying this, their fear, their terror.
Trixie glared up at the giant multi-headed monster, he had just gone too far. Her fear was gone, replaced with moral outrage and determination. As Trixie stepped her trembling hooves forward, she earned the creature's entire attention as she stood between him and his next meal.
"You think I'm afraid of you?! Of You?!" The Hydra roared with all of it's heads. "Do you know who I am?!" Trixie lit up her horn with it's usual color. "I'm the great and powerful Trixie."
One of the Hydra's heads became covered in a magical glow which matched Trixie's horn. It yelped when it was magically swung and hit the other heads in a chain reaction, the other heads turned and glared at it. It offered a sheepish grin as an apology but Trixie's glow never left.
A second layer of magic covered Trixie's horn as she lifted a long piece of rope into air and snapped it in to multiple pieces. The pieces flew over the Hydra's heads and tied themselves around the multiple mouths. Tried as they might they couldn't break the ropes.
The head that was still glowing suddenly shot out and looped it's neck around the other three disorienting them.
A third layer of magic covered Trixie's horn as the Hydra's tail was magically levitated in to the air and got tangled in the mess that the heads had become.
As the monster started to lose it's balance a fourth layer of magic covered Trixie's horn, a long piece of the circus tent which was torn from the ruckus was magically levitated in to the air.
The piece was straightened out in front of the Hydra's stumbling feet tripping it sending it hurdling forward. It flailed on the ground until it got stuck on it's back, then the circus tent piece wrapped itself around the Hydra's legs hog tying it.
It struggled on the ground but it couldn't escape it's bindings, the circus workers started to close in on it slowly as the magical glows started to fade from Trixie's horn.
"She beat it!" cheered Scootaloo.
"She tied it up with her magic!" added Sweetie Bell
"And she gave it an Apple Family twist!" beamed Apple Bloom.
Trixie sighed in relief as she collapsed on the ground. The Cutie Mark Crusaders quickly got to helping her up. "I thought my horn was going to pop."
"Trixie! You were amazing!" beamed Scootaloo.
"Yeah! You're a real creature catcher!" cheered Apple Bloom.
"You were…were…were…" Try as Sweetie Bell might, she couldn't quite find the right words that her other two friends hadn't already claimed.
"Great and powerful?" finished Trixie.
"Yeah!!" came their unified cheers.
"Glad to hear it. Now what do you say you all help me back to the farm, the Great and Powerful Trixie is exhausted."
The Cutie Mark Crusaders helped Trixie up and started on their way home, unaware that the ring master was watching them leave with a thoughtful look on his face.
--
The news of Trixie's victory over the Hydra was well received when she and Apple Bloom got back to Sweet Apple Acres.
"YOU WERE NEARLY EATEN BY A WHAT?!" screamed Applejack.
Well sort of.
"A Hydra!" squealed Apple Bloom as she hopped around excitedly inside the house. "But Trixie whooped it so bad it couldn't even tell which way was up."
"She's exaggerating." stated Trixie.
"But you did save her, right? Ah mean, it was you that did it?" asked Big Macintosh.
Trixie became slightly flustered. "W-Well…yes. But…we were in a bind and…" seeing Big Macintosh smile at her didn't seem to be helping with her fluster. "I just wanted to help."
"Trixie," called Applejack. She took her hat off in respect much to Trixie's surprise. "Ah know we've had our differences in the past, but from the bottom of mah heart Ah thank ye, for not just saving mah little sis but for also saving two other fillies that ye barely knew."
"Well, we had no place left to run and…OOF!!"
Trixie was cut off by a sharp jab to chest from Applejack.
"But try to knock off any of that humble stuff around here, aint a good look for you." jabbed Applejack. "But yer alright in mah book, even if ya are a hoity toity show off."
Trixie actually enjoyed Applejack's smack talk, things were starting to get a little too embarrassing.
Applejack traded smirks with Trixie and then started to chase Apple Bloom up the stairs for her bedtime leaving her and Big Macintosh alone downstairs.
"Thank you, Trixie."
Trixie blushed. "Oh, I was just trying to help…"
"No." Big Macintosh came closer to her. "Really Trixie, thank you. If it weren't for you, we'd all be short a family member."
"I-I had to do something and..."
"You did wonderful. Ah think bringing you to Sweet Apple Acres is the best thing Ah've ever done for mah family. Thank you."
And then, he did something which paralyzed her, he leaned in and gave her an Eskimo kiss.
Applejack frowned from the stair case as she watched Trixie spending time with her big brother but it quickly faltered.
Trixie was happier than she had ever been, since the circus everything just seemed to go her way. She used her refurnishing spell to fix the Apples' leaky roof, she found she was able to use magic on hay piles if she focused on the individual pieces, Applejack was teaching her how to buck for apples (took some getting used to), she seemed to be getting closer friendship wise to Twilight and her pony pals, but best of all she had been spending the majority of her time with Big Macintosh.
She had impressed him, not in the magical abilities department, but in the fact that she was willing to risk her life to save Apple Bloom and her friends. When he wasn't working the orchid or lending a helping hoof in Ponyville he was by Trixie's side, and she loved every minute of it.
This morning she had decided to attribute to the farm by cooking the family some grass pancakes; so far she was on her tenth attempt at making a batch that wasn't burnt. Granny Smith was there too, helping by taste testing and supervising.
She levitated her latest pancakes on to a plate, she knew this patch was perfect, they had to be.
"Looks like you finally got it right, now move your caboose and bring'em over here for taste testing."
Trixie picked up the plate feeling confident, there was no way how this batch wouldn't be met with approval.
"I'm glad you're learning to cook now. It'll pay off when you become my grandson's wife."
"WIFE?!"
*CRASH!*
Trixie had her plate shattered on the ground and the majority of the grass pancakes either ended up on her face or through her horn.
"Aw ponyfeathers, and you were so close too."
Trixie timidly took off the pancakes and picked herself up. "Do you really think he'd make me his wife?"
"Well I'm not saying it's going to happen tomorrow. But if the two of you keep down the path your walking together, then maybe someday. You two do make such a cute couple after all."
Trixie blushed awkwardly, she needed a subject change.
"I'll go get a broom."
The sound of the gate opening cut her off, they had a visitor, she looked at Granny Smith her face asking her what to do.
"You see to our visitor, I'll clean up here. And when you come back maybe I'll teach you how to make one of my famous apple pies."
Trixie nodded to her and headed out to meet their new guest. It was quite a surprise to her to see the ringmaster from the circus she had been to the other day. He seemed happy to see her too.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie I presume? You may not remember me but…"
"Oh I remember you." She snipped, cutting him off. "You're the ringmaster of that circus where my friends almost got eaten!"
Trixie was a little ticked at him. What kind of ringmaster introduced an animal to the audience without taming it first?
"Yes and might I say, the way you defeated that Hydra was magnificent. It was amazing! It was stupefying!"
"Stop kissing my flank and get to the point! I'm still kind of irritated you never bothered to break that creature in before introducing it to the audience!"
The ringmaster took off his top hat solemnly. "That was an accident that was never meant to happen. And on behalf of everypony there I thank you for handling that situation." He put his top hat back on and smiled. "But let's be honest here, you enjoyed showing off in front of the audience didn't you?"
Trixie raised an eyebrow curiously. "What're you getting at?"
"I'm going to get straight to the point if I may, I would like you to join my circus as our main attraction."
Some of Trixie's old I'm-so-much-better-than-you ego seemed to flare up again as she threw back her head in laughter. "You want Trixie to join your circus? Sorry but Trixie is perfectly happy not joining your band miscreants."
"Are you sure about that? Can you honestly say that you would never want anything more than to just live out the rest of your days doing apple labor with a bunch of hics?"
She furrowed her brow. "What're you getting at?"
"Look at that cutie mark, you're out of place here. That is a cutie mark for magic, it's your special talent! You're wasting both your time and your gift by being here."
Trixie felt like a rock just landed in her gut, she supposed it didn't really make a lot of sense for a unicorn with a special talent for magic to be working on an apple orchard. She hated to admit this, even to herself, but he was making sense.
"And to top it off you're a show pony, you live for the applause, we both know it."
She bit her bottom lip, he was right, she adored the audience when it applauded for her.
"Your place is on stage, not on a farm. You join my circus and I'll make you the main act, you could be big again. Buck, what am I saying? You could be bigger than you ever were before!"
Trixie felt some small twinge of guilt starting to build up. His offer was starting to sound pretty tempting.
"I mean you can't honestly say you're happy here on this muddy old apple farm can you? These folks are nice but they can't understand you like we can, any bonds that you've made here, they can't last."
A mixture of shame and sadness entered her heart as she began to ponder the thought that what if he was right; what if she did end up losing everything? Her life did seem a little too good to be true. If it did end up collapsing in on itself then Trixie would be hurt even worse than the last time, but if she beat it to the punch and cut her bonds now she could probably numb the pain.
Either way he had planted a seed of doubt in her new happy life.
"Now do you really want to spend the rest of your life blending in to the crowd on this backwater farm, or do you want to step in to the spotlight and become a household name which shines all across Equestria?"
Trixie didn't answer, she was afraid to, new thoughts were entering her head. And she didn't like them.
"I'll tell you what, me and Hector will be back later today with a cart and if you decide to take us up on our generous offer we'll take you home. If not, then you will never see us again."
She hung her head sadly, deep down, she knew her answer. -- Trixie finished packing her suitcase, which was filled mainly with a few items and the remainder of the zap apple jam Big Macintosh had given her, and headed out the door.
On the way out, however, she discovered Granny Smith asleep in her rocking chair and Applejack with Big Macintosh ready to come in after a hard morning's work.
Applejack spotted Trixie's suitcase with a frown. "You goin' someplace?"
She took a deep breath and held her nose up. "It would appear as though the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need your charity after all. The circus from yesterday has offered Trixie the star role and she has decided to take it!"
"And you think this would make you happier?" asked Applejack.
"Well of course! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! There is nopony as amazing as myself, we all know that Trixie is destined for greater things than manual labor on a muddy old apple farm!"
She closed her eyes and struck a pose. "For there is nopony in all of Equestria like the Great and Powerful Trixie!"
She peeked one eye open to see what kind of reaction Big Macintosh had only to see he had on that poker face she had seen before. She hated it when he got like that, she could never tell what was going on in his mind.
Applejack was another story though, she was portraying everything she had expected Big Macintosh to show. Her face was twisted with a mixture of hurt, betrayal, shame, and anger.
"Is this what you want?" Big Macintosh asked plainly.
The question caught Trixie off guard, she nearly stumbled, she had expecting him to act any number of ways but concern for her happiness was not one of them.
"O-Of course it is! Trixie belongs in the center ring, not on some smelly orchard."
Applejack's frown got bigger.
"Upset 'Hayseed'?" The sound of hooves hitting the dirt road signified that Trixie's ride had arrived. "Don't be. We both knew this was the eventual outcome of my staying here."
Trixie turned around, ignoring Applejack's watering eyes as she walked to her carriage.
"Fine then! Go on and get! You never really belonged here anyways!" Applejack glared at the carriage as carried Trixie away from Sweet Apple Acres.
When it was finally gone from sight she stomped the ground angrily. "Crab apples!" she swore as she turned around leaving to get back to work.
Big Macintosh turned to Granny Smith, his face still the same. "Granny?"
Granny Smith awoke from her nap with a start but gave a loving smile when she saw it was her grandson who needed her.
"What is it grandson?"
"Ah'm gonna need you to fix up mah harness again." -- Inside the carriage Trixie sighed, this was going to be harder than she thought.
"Wilbur! You did not tell Hector our new star was such a cute pony." said Hector.
"What?" Trixie queried. Was this guy really hitting on her?
"Hey! Hector! Keep your eyes on the road, I don't need you scaring the poor thing off."
"It won't be scary if she enjoys it. Right Madame Trixie?"
Trixie had been lost in her own thoughts when Hector tried his latest advance on her so she didn't hear it. "Whatever. Hey Wilbur, would you mind making a couple of stops before we hit the big top?" -- Trixie knocked on the door just like all the other times Spike was the one who answered it, he actually seemed like he was happy to see her.
"Hi Trixie! Glad you stopped by, Twilight…"
"Bring Sparkle to me NOW, dragon!" Trixie snapped.
Spike frowned, slightly hurt with how quick she was with him, but did as she told him to.
Trixie levitated herself magically up to the top of the carriage, if she was going to be believable then she needed to act like the old Trixie. Aka, brag like there was no tomorrow.
Twilight came out like Trixie expected, but she was surprised to see Trixie on the roof of a carriage.
"Trixie? What's going on?"
Trixie floated her checked out library books over to Twilight magically.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie is returning her books for Trixie no longer has any need for them."
"But these aren't due for another two days, why not keep them a little longer?" It was then Twilight spotted Trixie's suitcase inside the carriage. "Trixie, what's going on?"
"Trixie has been recruited by the circus to be their main attraction," she stood up on two legs and threw her front hoof out striking a pose. "For they acknowledge that there is no pony more magnificent than the GREAT AND POWERFUL TRIXIE!"
"That is some attractive flare she has." Hector admired.
"Shut up!" Trixie snapped maintaining her pose.
"But I don't understand! I thought you were happy here, I thought you were becoming a better pony! What about that warm life you were after?"
"Please, such a goal is trivial to the Great and Powerful Trixie, making the best of a bad situation. Why would Trixie ever want a mundane ordinary life when Trixie could be a star?"
"And that's why you're doing this?" Twilight's tone held both skeptism and hurt. "You want to just give it all up, the friends, the home, the pony you were becoming?"
Trixie jumped off the top of the carriage, her eyes a little nervous. Twilight was starting to lay in to her.
"But of course, this is what Trixie wants. Why wouldn't it be what Trixie wants? It's what Trixie deserves. The limelight is where Trixie belongs."
She turned around and hopped in to the carriage.
"And what about Big Macintosh?"
Trixie flinched. She had been caught off guard yet again, she struggled to find an answer.
"…I…he…" She gave herself a quick shake of the head and put on a bold face. "It wouldn't have worked out. He's too humdrum for Trixie's taste anyways!"
She closed the door to the carriage behind herself making sure her back was facing Twilight.
"Just answer me this, Trixie. Are you saying all of this to me, or to yourself?"
Trixie shrunk slightly, not unlike Fluttershy, Twilight was on to her. "WILBUR!" Trixie roared. "Let's get going! Trixie still has more ponies to see!"
As the carriage rode off Twilight sighed and walked back inside her library where inside she was greeted by Pinkie Pie with a basket of invitations on her head.
"Twilight, I got those invitations ready for you." chirped Pinkie Pie.
"I'm afraid you're going to have to throw one of those away, Pinkie. Trixie isn't coming."
Pinkie Pie had a look of heart break as her ears flopped down. "But-But I thought you said you wanted all of us to come to your slumber party."
"Yes, but Trixie doesn't want to come, she doesn't even want to stay in Ponyville."
Pinkie Pie frowned, hanging her head sadly. "Oh…but…I thought…"
"I thought that too, Pinkie. But, it's what she wants."
"Figures," Spike said as he closed the door. "And I was just starting to like her." -- Rarity hummed happily as she lost herself in her work. She enjoyed creating outfits for her friends and this was no exception, she was currently working on a gift for Trixie.
A new cape, but unlike her old one, the one Rarity was working on was a shade of blue which matched the pony it was designed for.
"Hmm…" Rarity went over her latest work with a critical eye. "Needs more…glitter."
A knock on her door made her put her work to a halt putting the cape back on the manikin.
She opened the door to find Trixie with a very serious look on her face. Rarity found it a bit odd but she pushed the questioning thoughts away and pulled Trixie inside the boutique with an excitement which could match a little school girl's.
"Trixie, darling, so glad you stopped by. I was just putting the finishing touches on a little gift I've made for you. I know how much you've been missing your cape so I threw a new one together and I must say I think it far surpasses your old one in fashion."
Rarity magically levitated the cape over to her. "Try it on and let me know what you think."
Trixie took the cape and let it fall to the floor. Rarity watched this with confused and hurt emotions.
"Trixie won't be needing your 'gift'. Trixie is the new star of the circus, and will have everything she will ever need. It is unlikely Trixie will ever be seeing Ponyville or you for that matter ever again. I just thought you should know is all!"
Without even letting Rarity get a word in, Trixie held up her nose and walked outside back to the carriage. Rarity followed but was unsure of what to say, everything was happening so fast.
"Goodbye!"
Rarity watched Trixie's carriage in concern as it rode away from her.
"If you're sure that's what you want…" --
Trixie frowned as she sat in her carriage, Rarity wasn't really going to give her that cape free of charge was she? No! Of course not, of course she wouldn't, that'd be bad business sense!
*KNOCK!**KNOCK!**KNOCK!*
Trixie was snapped out of her thoughts to see Rainbow Dash out the door window flying next to the carriage. Trixie was surprised to see the pegasus but did her best to hide it.
"Trixie, what in the hay is going on? Pinkie Pie told me you're ditching town!"
Trixie sat up straight but said nothing as she held nose up dignified.
"You're just going to turn your back on everything you've done, everypony you've made friends with since you came here?!"
Trixie remained silent.
"You're not even going to say anything?!"
Rainbow Dash had been so busy flying alongside the carriage so wasn't seeing where she was going and crashed in to a tree. The carriage never stopped, even as Rainbow Dash glared after it as she picked herself up.
"Well fine then! Who needs you anyways?! All a rival like you would have done is slow me down!"
She stomped the ground angrily before flying off. --
Trixie heaved a heavy sigh, she had lucked out giving Rainbow Dash the silent treatment, but Fluttershy was probably going to be the hardest of all.
She knocked on the door and Fluttershy opened it a small crack.
"Oh! Hello Trixie, what brings you by here today?" Fluttershy smiled as she stepped out.
Trixie put on a brave face and puffed her chest out in an attempt to look dignified. "The Great and Powerful Trixie just thought you should know that she is joining the circus and will no longer be in Ponyville. Just thought you should know in case you should go looking for Trixie."
Fluttershy's ears flopped down sadly. "But…I thought you were happy here."
Trixie turned her back to Fluttershy, it was easier to say this stuff when she wasn't looking her in the eye. She had big, sad eyes that made lying to her face difficult.
"Happy? HA! Please, as if the Great and Powerful Trixie would ever TRULY be happy being surround with such ordinary ponies. My time here was just something I had to put up with until Trixie got back on her hooves is all."
"Trixie please, you were trying to do right by everypony and I honestly believed you changing in to a better pony." Fluttershy placed her hoof on Trixie's shoulder. "Remember that day in the forest with the baby Ursa? You showed me a glimpse of the pony you were trying to become. I liked that pony, you can still be that pony, don't let her slip away. Let me help you, I'm your friend Trixie."
Trixie threw off Fluttershy's hoof and sharply turned around. "I am NOT your friend! That day in the forest all I wanted was answers to my questions and you gave them to me!"
She walked back to carriage in an angry huff. She used her magic to open the door and hopped in. "Trixie neither wants your friendship…"
She closed the door behind her and the carriage starts. "Nor deserves it." She wipes away a small tear.
Normally Fluttershy would have been in tears over a friend not only shouting at her that she wasn't her friend, but that she didn't want to be either. But Fluttershy knew when something was lashing out because it was afraid or hurt, whether it was an animal or a pony.
Fluttershy frowned. "This isn't right. I know it, and deep down I think she knows it too." -- Trixie sighed, it had all but killed her to do that to them. But it was better for them to hate her, if they hated her then they wouldn't try to convince her to come back. If they hated her then they wouldn't WANT her to come back. 'It was for the best', this was the phrase she kept repeating in her head, it helped her believe it and it kept her from crying over the fact that she had hurt her friends.
When the carriage had stopped for the last time Trixie knew that she had arrived at the circus.
She put on her best stage face and opened her door. --
Applejack was not having an easy time, after telling Apple Bloom Trixie left to join the circus the poor little filly wouldn't stop crying.
"But Ah don't understand!" she choked. "Ah thought Trixie liked us! Ah thought she was happy here!"
Applejack hugged her little sister, comforting her the best she could.
"Ah know it hurts Applebloom, but in life you discover that some ponies…"
Applejack lost her train of thought as she saw Big Macintosh walk off the farm with an umbrella attached to his harness.
"Now where is he goin? It aint even raining!"
--
Trixie was a in a bitter mood to say the least, ever since the carriage had stopped Hector had kept pestering her for dates. At first she had been polite and kindly turned him down, but he just wouldn't stop. He already hit on her about twelve times, he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer, and Trixie was starting to get angry with him.
"For the last time Hector," Trixie growled. "I will not go out with you! You're a brainless juggernaut who can't take a hint!"
"But why?! Why won't go out with me?! I'm amazing!!" complained Hector.
Trixie pointed behind him and shouted. "Look! An idiot!"
Hector turned around to where Trixie was pointing shouting "Where?!"
When he turned back, Trixie was gone.
Trixie walked out of the big top tent grumbling to herself. "Stupid rasenfrasen Hector, a brainless poser, that's what he is!"
As bad as Trixie's mood was it was about to get worse. One of the clowns rode over to her on a unicycle honking a horn.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie is not in the mood for games right now, so she politely asks that you go away and leave her alone for now."
The clown responded by honking his horn in her face.
"Listen! You're supposed to be a clown! Not a mime! Just tell Trixie what you want!"
Instead of actually saying something the clown honked his horn even louder than last time.
Out of aggravation and frustration Trixie magically levitated the clown off of his unicycle, but Trixie made sure she wouldn't do anything she'd regret so she just put him on the ground out of her way.
Unfortunately she didn't see one of the balls that the clown was juggling was right in her way. She yelped as she slipped on the ball sending it flying in to the air as she fell on her back.
The ball hit the sword swallower in the back of the head making him lose grip on his fake sword he was practicing on, sending it flying in to the air hitting an elephant in the hind quarters.
In a blind panic the elephant started to stampede knocking over everything in it's path. This included the dunking tank dumping the pony inside it and all of it's water out in to the fairgrounds where it covered the tattoo pony Trixie had seen yesterday.
Trixie was frantic, the elephant wasn't stopping and she didn't know what to do. That was when Hector appeared again, this time with a rope.
"Fear not, pretty pony, for I, the Amazing Hector will stop this rampaging elephant and earn your affections."
Hector made a lasso out of the rope and swung it at the elephant, wrapping itself around the tail.
Hector raised his eyebrows at her suggestive before being yanked away by the elephant, the elephant continued it's stampede with Hector trailing behind until they left the circus campsite completely.
So Trixie was left standing in the middle of the chaotic mess just as the ringleader Wilbur stepped out of his wagon.
"What happened?!" he nearly shouted.
Trixie gave him an awkward grin as she said. "Um…it was the elephant?"
"Elephant?" Wilbur repeated. "I'm talking about Joshua!"
He ran past Trixie over to the tattooed pony behind her who was sitting in a puddle looking like he was about to cry. The tattoos actually seemed to be running off his body and in to the puddle.
"Oh Josh, not your tattoos. Those took hours to paint on."
"They weren't real tattoos?" Trixie asked.
"Of course they weren't!" Wilbur snapped. "What kind of sane pony would willingly put tattoos on every single inch of his body?!"
Trixie opened her mouth to answer but Wilbur cut her off. "I want to see you in my wagon immediately!"
--
"What do you mean I'm fired?!" Trixie roared.
"You heard me, sister! This whole mess was all your fault! Not only did you give collateral damage to my circus, you also lost me both my Strong Pony and one of my elephants, but you ruined Josh's tattoos to boot!"
"None of that was my fault! If the stupid clown would just learn to pick up after himself and maybe stop confusing himself with a mime then maybe all of this could have been avoided!"
"Save it! If I had known you would have cost my circus so much money I never would have sought you out! Trixie, I never want to see you around my circus ever again! Consider your contract with us terminated, now get out of my circus!"
"You can't just promise to make me the star of the circus and then fire me in the same day!" Trixie snapped.
"I can when you've destroyed my other acts!" Wilbur snapped back. "Listen, I don't care where you go, I don't care what you do, you don't have to go home, but you can't stay here!"
"I don't HAVE a home!" roared Trixie. "You made sure of that when your recruited me! I don't even have friends anymore because YOU convinced me it was better to leave them than to get hurt by them!"
"Tell it to somepony who gives a care!"
--
Trixie was, once again, walking in the rain. Which she actually found fit her mood exactly; she never would have thought it possible, but now she had even less then on the night Big Macintosh found her.
Normally when somepony would get fired, they would think about how their employer could do such a thing, but all Trixie could think about was how she mistreated her friends. She knew that they had come to genuinely like her, but when she was confronted by the idea of their friendship simply dieing…she took the coward's way out. She could make all the excuses she wanted, like 'it was only a matter of time before she left anyways' or 'she needed a better environment for her magic' but the fact was she ran away from the idea of such pain.
She laid down the prickly wet grass, the hill she was on looked remarkably like the one where she first met Big Macintosh. A puddle started to form beneath her and she stared sadly in to her reflection.
"What was I thinking? I had friends, a home…" her heart felt twisted as she began to think about the Earth pony who had been so kind to her. A tear fell from her eye landing in a puddle, it's ripples temporarily taking on the form of Big Macintosh. "And maybe even a very special somepony who cared about me… and I just threw all of that away because I was afraid I couldn't keep it!"
She sobbed deeply, her tears falling in to the puddle beneath her alongside the rain. The rain itself was relentless, heavy and fast, falling like tiny little pins against her body. Suddenly it just seemed to stop, the sound of the rain hitting some kind of solid surface caught her attention. She looked up to find Big Macintosh staring down at her, just like before.
She wiped away a tear from her now puffy eyes and did her best to choke down her sadness. "What're you doing here?" it wasn't working. "Come to laugh? Or give me your 'I-told-you-so's? The circus already booted me out so you probably want to rub it in my face don't you?"
"Nnnope!" he answered simply. "Ah've come to ask if you're ready to come home."
"What?" Trixie sniffled. "But I was so mean, I hurt everypony I've come to know. I insulted your home, your sister, and her friends. How can you just forgive me so easily?"
"They don't call me Big Macintosh just because of my size you know; Ah don't believe in holding grudges. Now Ah don't know what happened for them to kick you out in this in to this bad weather but what Ah do know is this…You ate with us, you worked with us, and you laughed with us, and in my book that makes you family. So let me ask you more time," he leaned in close and gave her a sympathetic smile "are you ready to come home?"
Trixie's eyes watered to the point of overflowing. "Yes!" she sobbed. --
The next morning, Trixie was seated at the Apple Family breakfast table with not just the Apple Family, but with Twilight, Spike, Rarity, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie too. All enjoying a large breakfast consisting of muffins and many apple related meals.
She was surprised how forgiving they had all been, it was a trait that apparently flourished here in Ponyville. They seemed happy just to have her back with them, even if a part of Trixie felt like she didn't deserve it.
"I still can't believe how forgiving you all are." said Trixie.
Rainbow Dash flew backwards on her back eating a muffin with an air of her laid back attitude. "Yeah well I knew you were faking all along. You're a decent magician Trixie, but you're a lousy actress."
"Ah'm just glad to have the New Kind Trixie back instead of that old show off braggy pants you were trying to play off as." Said Applejack as she slapped Trixie on the back.
"Oh yes, you've become such a nice pony." smiled Fluttershy.
"You can't fool us with your meanie Mcmeaner pants act. You're stuck with us for life!" beamed Pinkie Pie.
"And you must come by my boutique for your new cape, darling."
"I think this will make quite the letter to the Princess. Want to help Trixie?" offered Twilight.
"Thanks Twilight," Trixie's gaze wandered over to Big Macintosh who had his full and was getting ready to get to work. "But I'm going to be a little preoccupied with something." she said with a blushing smile.
She got up and started to follow Big Macintosh out the door, ignoring the giggling Twilight behind her.
"Big Macintosh!" Cried Trixie as she caught up with him. "I just wanted to thank you, for helping me pick up the pieces…again. I think I finally understand the warm life you were talking about. And…"
Trixie started to blush furiously without warning as she thought about what she was about to say.
"Um…" Trixie timidly stared down at her hooves as she kicked a small pebble shyly. "The great and powerful Trixie…um…likes your shade of red."
"Eeyup." was his answer. Trixie looked up at him to get a more descriptive answer to her 'confession' only to have him give her a quick peck on the lips.
He gave her a bad boy smile and said "You can call me Big Mac."