Trixie returns to Ponyville again, but why is she here?
After nearly a year, Trixie returns to Ponyville, but for what? Why did she put herself in harm's way to return there of all places? Does she have yet another scheme in store for the Ponyvillians?
He's really, really good at what he does, and to prove it, here's the brand spankin' new first page of the Trixie's Return comic series! Go give him some love, guys. <3
Twilight's face contorted into a grimace as she lay in her bed, eyes shut tightly against the light of Celestia's sun.
THUMP THUMP!
Twilight groaned, tossing herself around to face from her bedroom door. In the same, swift motion, she brought the head of the blanket up to cover her head completely.
"Twilight Sparkle!" an all too familiar voice screeched, the noise passing around the door and through the thick, hot air of the stuffy bedroom and still being loud and shrill enough to send spears of pain through Twilight's ear drums. "By Celestia's mane, you get out of bed and open this door this very instant or I will have Applejack knock it down! You simply must come out and see what is going on!" Twilight groaned loudly and made a show about getting out of her bed in a fuss; throwing her blankets off of her despite Rarity's obvious inability to see the micro-tantrum. She stomped across the hardwood floor of her bedroom. All the while, the pearl unicorn continued her rant, "...It's an outrage! It's utter calamity! It's a riot!"
Rarity closed her eyes dramatically as Twilight swung open her door. She failed to notice as she struck a pose and cried out, "Of all the worst things that could happen, this is the WORST. POSSIBLE. THING!"
As she finished, Rarity sheepishly cracked open an eye to see a bemused alicorn glaring down at her. Twilight's eyes were bloodshot, bags forming under them, only further accentuated by the enraged expression. Her mane was disheveled, and she gritted her teeth hard before asking in an eerily hushed tone, "Rarity Belle, what could you possibly want this early in the morning when I specifically told you I was staying up all night the night before?" The purple alicorn got right into Rarity's face, pushing their muzzles together, slightly scrunched. Acid dripped from her words and burnt holes in the wooden floor beneath them.
Rarity stammered. She had an answer, but it escaped her brain as she realized how much she had upset her friend with her whining. Why was this important, again? Why had it ever been a good idea to wake the sleep deprived alicorn from her long awaited slumber? She knew there must have been a good reason. That's it! "Twilight, Trixie is back!"
++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The mares quickly sped through the empty streets. Slowly, the mob at the city center came into view. A low rumble of anger could be heard, even from their distance, and became a loud beehive of complaints as they aproached the crowd.
"I MISSED A WONDERBOLTS SHOW COS' OF YOUR DOME!"
"GLASS DOME STOPPED MY SHIPMENT OF SOFAS"
"YOUR SPELLS WERE BAD AND YOU SHOULD FEEL BAD"
"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH"
Twilight gasped as she suddenly heard pained cries from the center, her wings flaring in shock. She teleported into the circular clearing the crowd had formed and stared at two lumps on the ground. She had expected quite the opposite of the scene before her. Trixie was on the ground, crying out in pain as Rainbow Dash bit her shoulder harder than she had been before. Rainbow was on top of the blue mare, and the two were trading blows, but it was obvious who was winning. The crowd cheered the colorful pegasus on as she beat Trixie senseless. Twilight's teeth clenched and she felt heat rise to her head as she shouted, "EVERYONE STOP!!!" The crowd went silent. Rainbow nearly jumped out of her skin, her wings helping to propel her several hooves in the air before landing hard on her flank. Her eyes were wide in surprise as she noticed the alicorn princess for the first time.
Trixie stayed where she was. She may have been relieved for the interruption to her untimely demise, but she couldn't show it, even if she had any desire to look that weak. She just lay there on her back, panting heavily, mouth agape. Her face was bloody and her body already looked swollen from the bruises inflicted upon her just moments ago. She stared up at the sky. As if just noticing her after several moments of silence, her eyes dragged themselves to meet Twilight's sad gaze. She silently cursed the alicorn for looking down on her.
Twilight broke her gaze with the bloodied unicorn and shot Rainbow an accusatory glare. "I never thought one of my closest friends would be capable of such cruelty," She spoke to the pegasus, "What do you have to say for yourself?"
Rainbow kept her startled gaze locked on Twilight, "I- I-..." The alicorn turned away from her friend, not waiting for a full answer. She looked around at the ponies around them, still staring at the scene as it unfolded. Mostly, the stares were of bewilderment, but there were still some angry faces within the crowd. She took a deep breath to prepare herself.
"Friends, family, ponyvillians!" She had been studying her own Royal Canterlot Voice for situations like that one. "I know all of you are so much better than this! You should be ashamed of yourselves, every one of you. Though she has not apologized to everyone yet, Trixie Lulamoon has apologized to me personally! I do not know why she has come here today; however, I'm sure she meant no harm! She most assuredly did not deserve this! Everyone, go home!" Everypony looked at her blankly. "GO HOME!" With that, they all swiftly turned tail and ran away.
Rainbow Dash just sat there on her haunches, afraid to move. She was staring guiltily at Trixie and trying to remember how that had happened. "Rainbow," She snapped out of her trance and looked up to Twilight, crocodile tears in her ruby eyes. "This is no time for tears, rainbow," Twilight stated, maybe a bit too calm in this situation. "We need to get her medical attention right away. Go grab the closest medical pony you can find and bring them to the library!" Rainbow shook her head vigorously and wiped her tears before zooming off in search of a medical pony.
Twilight cantered over to Trixie and knelt down beside her. Their eyes met. Trixie was still panting hard. Twilight thought it was safe to assume she had some broken ribs. She put a hoof on the broken mare's bloodstained coat. "Twi-light?" the mare managed to rasp between choppy breaths. Twilight shushed her and closed her eyes to concentrate. There was a brief flash and the ponies were gone.
Twilight paced back and forth through her spacious den, her eyes huge in worry and anticipation. The bags under her eyes seemed to be getting larger and darker with each passing minute. It was now early afternoon and she hadn't had a second to shut her eyes. She couldn't sit still. The gears turned in her mind at a million rotations per minute. "Oh my gosh, oh my gosh, oh my gosh!" She exclaimed for the hundredth time in the past several hours.
A concerned Rainbow Dash sat on her haunches at the bottom of the staircase, holding the same blank stare toward Twilight's bedroom door that she had held since she arrived with a doctor pony. Her fur beneath her eyes was soaked with the tears that had been slowly running down her cheeks the entire time. She made no noise. She did not speak. She did not move. She most assuredly did not respond when Spike came out of the kitchen with peanutbutter crackers. She stared solemnly at the door. She could only imagine the kind of turmoil Trixie was going through behind that door, a turmoil that she, Rainbow Dash, had caused. All her pride was gone at that moment. She had gone too far with this. She could have KILLED somepony! The tears ran down her cheeks faster, a couple hitting the floor with a soft pitter patter before running down between the cracks in the wood.
Spike, who had been plunged into a state of confusion from the moment Twilight ran downstairs from her bedroom hours previously, stared at the pair of ponies from the kitchen doorway. "Twilight?" He called out, concern coloring his features, "Do you want some food? You haven't eaten all day!"
"How could I eat at a time like this?" She responded incredulously, momentarily pausing her pacing to stare at the baby dragon. "How could you eat at a time like this?"
"Well," he responded whimsically, "I might not be able to if I knew what was going on!" His voice raised a bit with the last couple words. "The first I saw of you this morning, you were running from your room looking frantic. Next thing I know, Rainbow busts in with a doctor, and the guy runs upstairs and locks the bedroom door without a single word!" He set the crackers down, and threw up his arms in frustration. "Ugh," he groaned, "The only thing you've told me was not to enter the bedroom!"
Twilight stared on a couple seconds before releasing an exasperated sigh and continuing to pace. The purple dragon groaned and walked to the door. As he swung it open he called, "I'm going to play with Button Mash!" No sooner had he slammed the door in a tantrum than the bedroom door slowly creaked open. Rainbow's ears perked up and her eyes grew wider. Moving for the first time in hours, she wiped the tears from her eyes. Twilight galloped up to the stairs to stand next to where her colorful companion sat.
Above them, a brown unicorn stepped out of the room and gently closed the door behind him. He wore a white lab coat and white saddle bags with a red cross on each of them. His mane was black with specks of gray, some of which were not there before his most recent endeavor. He used his magic to pull up a white handkerchief and use it to wipe sweat from his brow. He let out a tired, "Phwew!"
Rainbow used this as her queue and flew like lightning up the stairs. Her muzzle just inches from the doctor's as she hovered. "Well? Is she gonna' be ok? What happened in there? What's gonna' happen?" She barraged the doctor with questions.
He just pushed her out of the way gently with a hoof as he passed her. He walked slowly down the stairs. "Calm yourself, Ms. Dash. I need a glass of water. We can discuss this at the table." Rainbow blew past him and, without asking, zipped into the kitchen to prepare a glass of water for the stallion as he and Twilight took their seats around the table in the living/dining room area. When she came back, she had a glass of water and the aforementioned tray of crackers. She sat them on the table and took a seat.
The doctor ate a cracker, politely chewing slowly, and used a sip of water to help wash the dry snack down. He sighed and began, "Your friend took quite a beating! She had three broken ribs, a punctured lung, pneumothorax, a broken orbital and bruised kidneys!" He paused to take another sip from his glass. "For some reason, it seems to me that she hadn't eaten much in the past several weeks either. The mare's lucky to be alive." He looked the two over, shock evident in their expression. "Whomever commited this atrocity should be banished to Celestia's dungeon to rot for the rest of their miserable lives!" His hoof struck the table, causing it to shake a bit.
Rainbow's head sunk low. Before he could notice, Twilight spoke up, "It doesn't matter who did it," She held Rainbow's hoof for support, "It matters that she's ok now. Thank you Doctor. I'm sure you're tired now, so you may take your leave." She showed the doctor to the door and levitated a good amount of bits into his saddle bags before closing the door behind him. She began to make her way up the stairs. Rainbow followed her closely, but was stopped by the alicorn.
"No Rainbow," She told her friend sadly, "Now's not the time."
"But I want to-" The rainbow pegasus began to protest, but was cut off by Twilight.
"You'll have your chance, but not now," She sighed. "Trixie is going to be under duress. Seeing you after what happened is just going to elevate her stress levels. She needs to recover first." She put a hoof on her friend's shoulder. "You have to see that this is the best thing for her right now."
Rainbow nodded her head, her eyes glued to the floor. Her wings drooped at her sides. She walked back down the stairs and left the library. Twilight frowned a bit and continued the climb up the stairs. She entered the room to see a cleaned up, but heavily bandaged blue mare in her bed. She sighed and sat down in a wooden chair the doctor had pulled from her vanity to use next to the bed. The noise seemed to stir Trixie and she opened her eyes. She smiled weakly at the alicorn and quietly rasped, "Hello Sparkle."
Trixie stumbled into the small town she had come to know all too well, better than she wanted to. She was tired, she was thirsty, and she was so so hungry. It took all she had to keep going. She needed to get to the library. She wiped sweat off her brow. The early morning sun beat down on her. This Summer was taking it's toll on her. She had to carry both her capes on her back, her classic purple star-spangled show-mare cape, and a simple black, hooded cloak underneath. Despite the bad place she'd been in when she bought it, she thought it looked rather quite fetching. She hadn't enough bits to buy food, but when she could, she bought small trinkets. Most were props for her tricks, some fireworks, but some were actually illusionary magic enhancers, safer than the acursed Alicorn Amulet.
As she made her way to a fountain in the middle of town, she stopped to look at her reflection in the water. She frowned at the mare looking back at her. She didn't look Great and Powerful at all. Her mane was mangled and matted with mud, small twigs stuck in it from night after night sleeping on the ground and in various forests. Her face was covered in dirt. She looked gaunt from hunger and sleep deprivation. Her cloaks were dirty and dusty looking. She took the time to dunk her head in the refreshingly cool water and wash herself off a bit. As she looked up and began to make her way toward the library, she was surprised to see a large crowd had begun to gather itself around her. She grinned at them all sheepishly, "Trixie greets you, Ponyvillians," She greeted as humbly as she could muster, "If you all would just allow Trixie to pass, she just-"
She was cut off by a familiar cyan pegasus hovering above the crowd to get a better look at the magician. "Trixie!" She yelled, making her way to the center of the crowd, "What are you doing here, you sorry excuse for a showmare!" Rainbow dash looked angry, She was hovering just a hoof above the gound in an upright, bipedal position, her arms crossed across her chest. She looked disgusted with Trixie just being in her presence, and she was. She had never forgiven the magician for what she had done to the town, as well as the extra work she had created for the weather team by putting up that dome.
Trixie just raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile in response. "I'm not actually ready to tell anyone what I'm here for, at the moment," She answered, "I need to talk to-"
"Uh-uh!" Rainbow interrupted, "You're going to tell me what you're here for, and you're gonna' tell me now!"
Trixie sighed, "Listen, what was your name again?" She thought for a moment, "Rainbow Crash?" It was an honest mistake, but it was responded to by a hard smack across the face. Trixie's eyes widened. What had just happened? Her brow furrowed in a defiant expression as she looked back to the pegasus. She spat at the ground below her adversary, noting the blood. She must've bitten her cheek. All reason left her and she stopped trying to be friendly. "Oh, that's right!" She sarcastically called, remembering her first visit, "Trixie changed your name to LOSER!" She pushed rainbow with that last word and was greeted with another hoof to the face. The two mares traded blows for several minutes before Rainbow tackled Trixie to the ground. She bit into the powder blue mare's shoulder. The two barraged each other with punches until Trixie landed a blow to the side of Rainbow's head. The pegasus bit down harder, grinding her teeth a little. There was a flash of magical light.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Trixie shot up in bed, panting heavily from the nightmare/ memory. She winced in pain from the sudden movement. It was late afternoon. Trixie sighed and got out of the bed. She stretched a little, still sore. As a loud yawn escaped her lips, she reminisced. It had been a week already. Most of her bruises had disappeared with the exception of the one on her shoulder. She looked under the bandages on her chest at a small scar left from her operation. It was healing fast, magically fast. Thank Celestia the doctor was a unicorn! She looked around the room. The other bed was empty, made to perfection. Twilight had no doubt been up for hours by then. She noticed that even Spike's bed was empty, though not made at all, much like her own. She cantered over to the vanity. She smiled at how much better she looked. She had gained the appropriate weight and she looked properly groomed. She levitated a small hairbrush from her black cloak, hanging next to the other from nails in the wall. She brushed through her mane for awhile before her stomach growled. "The Great and Powerful Trixie!" She thought to herself, "Needs some peanutbutter crackers."
She grinned and left the room. She pranced down the stairs to see Twilight bent over a book at her desk, feverishly scribbling notes with a quill. She giggled quietly and moved into the kitchen, happy to see a purple dragon spreading peanutbutter on some salted crackers. "Ah! You're awake!" He smiled at the unicorn as she sat in the booth next to the table.
"Spike, you know Trixie all too well. Thank you." The dragon passed her the tray with a glass of milk on the side. He sat next to her and shared the food. Spike had been doing most of the post-op care for her, and the two became good friends after her initial apology to Spike. The poor dragon held a grudge against her for what she had done to Twilight. He had been lost without her for all that time; however, he gladly accepted her sincere apology.
"I figured you'd be waking up soon, so I started making lunch," He explained, food in his mouth. Trixie grimaced at that a bit, but decided not to say anything. "I guess since you're up now, Twilight had something important to tell you." He said it almost as an after-thought.
She remembered how the alicorn had been completely oblivious to her presence earlier and chuckled a bit. "Trixie will let Twilight come to her. She got up and stretched, feeling full. She cantered into the den and sat on a small, red cushion. She wrapped a particular book in a lavendar aura and brought it to her face. She was extremely grateful that Twilight had given her free reign of the library's selection of books. For the past couple of days, she had been reading, "Advanced Illusion Spells for the Highest Level Unicorns," Twilight was beside her now. "Do you understand it?"
Trixie rolled her eyes and responded, "Of course Trixie understands it. She's not a dolt!" She sighed and relaxed, "Behold!" She stood and concentrated for a couple seconds, her entire body enveloped in a lavendar aura before it disappeared, along with the rest of her. Twilight's eye's widened. Trixie had preformed the high level spell while injured and without any magic enhancers. "Voila!" Trixie bopped the princess's nose jokingly with an invisible hoof before dispelling. She could only hold the spell for a minute, but she wasn't about to let Twilight know that.
Twilight shook her head in disbelief. "Wow Trixie," She smiled. She was used to the mare's slightly abrasive attitude by now, "That's amazing!" She was grinning widely now. "I learned a new spell too! Take off your bandages." Trixie blushed a bit at Twilight's forwardness before realizing this had to do with the spell. Twilight was too inadept at such matters to make such suggestions. She hesitated for a second, dreading the scar, but complied nonetheless. When the last of the bandages hit the floor, Twilight began concentrating hard, her horn glowing a bright purple. Suddenly, the scar began disappearing as if it was a zipper that had just been zipped up. Twilight released the spell and panted a bit, feeling drained. Trixie was speechless, thankful, but speechless. She looked at the alicorn with wide eyes. She hadn't noticed, but the bruise on her shoulder was gone too. She was completely recovered.
Trixie had never experienced something so wonderful. She felt better than ever. She wasn't sore. Her unsightly bruise and scar had met untimely ends. She could breath. She could pounce Twilight with the biggest hug she'd ever recieved, and she did just that. The fatigued alicorn nearly toppled over, but managed to stabilize herself with an outstretched wing. "Thank you!" Trixie called out, muffled slightly by the purple fur in her muzzle, "Trixie thanks you so much! She has never had anything done for her so-" She searched for the proper word for a second, "Magnificent!"
Twilight guiltily returned the hug for several -awkward- moments before gently pushing the mare off her. She had to confront Trixie now. This could not go on. As much as she had enjoyed getting to know her former foe, despite the occasion, this had been going on now for a week! Trixie was afraid to leave the library. That much, Twilight couldn't blame her for; however, she, too, was afraid to invite anyone in or allow her to roam around the library on her own and unsupervised. For an entire week now, she had been cooped up in the library against her will as if she were imprisoned for helping a defenseless mare. Spike did all the grocery shopping. She had not seen her friends, afraid of Trixie's reaction to any of them, especially Rainbow. The library had been closed, and she knew there were several citizens, such as Cheerily, who would be very disgruntled about that; the extra work that this would, no doubt, cause was not something she wanted to think about. "Trixie, I- I've been wondering," The alicorn sighed. "Just tell her to leave! No, no, that would be impossibly rude. I actually enjoy her company a bit, rough around the edges she may be. She does have nice edges. Wait, that's not the way ponies say that, and WAIT! Where in the hay did that come from?" She shook her head to rid the thoughts and continued, "Why did you come back to Ponyville after all this time?" She was only beating around the bush a little, right?
Trixie sighed and looked down at the floorboards, she brought one forehoof up to scratch at the opposite leg nervously. "Trix- I suppose I should tell you, considering," She trailed off, still staring at the groung beneath her.
"Considering what?" Twilight asked, encouragingly. She was curious now. She had to know.
"Considering," Trixie started up again. "I was going to ask for your assistance in the matter, regardless. I had hoped to apologize," she paused with another sigh, She really didn't want to do this. After what had happened and a week of solitude in fear she may be attacked again, she had completely changed her mind. "To the entire town."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"NO!"
"Trixie!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Why not?"
"It was a terrible idea!"
"Oh, so the Great and Powerful Trixie has terrible ideas now?"
"It was a mistake to think that Trixie would need to lower herself to an apology!"
"Oh really?"
"Really!"
"Why is it such a bad idea for you to apologize?" Sarcasm was evident in the Alicorn's tone.
"The Ponyvillians don't deserve an apology from somepony as great and powerful as moi!"
"And why is that?"
The two had been going at it for a solid ten minutes. Spike, disturbed from his work, stacking shelves, had begun to watch the two. Trixie sat on her haunches in the middle of the room, her back facing Twilight defiantly. Twilight, on the other hand, had just begun to circle Trixie as they argued, like a lion preparing to pounce upon her prey. "Trixie will not apologize to them after the way they treated her. She did nothing to them, recently, yet she was attacked!"
"That wasn't even all the town! They were just some local ruffians, a couple shop owners from the market, and- well, Rainbow Dash."
"Do not even get Trixie started on," She poured venom over the last word, "Her!"
"Trixie, Rainbow is a good pony. She didn't mean to do what she did. She was extremely upset and wanted to apologize right away, but she couldn't!" Twilight's voice got slightly angrier as she defended her friend, though she did not sympathize with her friend's actions.
"Oh?" The blue unicorn replied, raising an eyebrow, "Then where is she now? Why have I not heard such an apology?"
"For the very same reason you haven't left this Celestia-damned library!" Twilight yelled, her voice jumping an octave or two.
" And what's that supposed to mean?" Trixie retorted.
"I was afriaid of this!" Twilight huffed, "In full scale!"
"She's been asking about you every day at the market," Spike calmly called from the couch. The two mares froze and stared at the baby dragon. He didn't even give them a glance. He had a file, apparently dulling his claws with it. He blew gently on his claws and elaborated, "She seemed pretty worried about you, in fact she seems to be losing sleep over it. It doesn't look like she's had much of an appetite either," He glanced at Trixie with a smile. "If you expect the Ponyvillians to give you another chance, you need to be willing to give them another chance too. The circle's gotta' be cut somewhere, right?"
The mares stared in awe at the nonchalant dragon, jaws open. They came to their sense and looked at each other apologetically. "Right," Trixie was the first to speak. Spike got up and walked into the kitchen for something. "Well, apologies are in order. Twilight, Trixie needs your help, as a friend."
Trixie had a restless night. She thrashed in her bed. Her mind was full of the events set out before her. She groaned in the dark, barely disturbing the other two beings, blissfully snuggling their blankets in their slumber. That just made Trixie groan more, louder this time. How could they allow the Great and Powerful Trixie to writhe in her restlessness as they dreamt peacefully? She looked over to the alarm clock on the night stand. It read 6:47. It was already morning and Celestia would be raising that horrible, dreadful sun soon. She sat up and rubbed her eyelids momentarily before groaning deliberately.
Mid-groan, a pillow silenced her, making contact with the side of her head. She shot daggers at the other end of the room. She looked at Spike first. Nothing would wake the dragon, and he slept upon his only pillow. She turned her gaze to Twilight's bed. The lavendar mare looked as peaceful and asleep as she had before. Her own pillow was underneath her head, however, "Ah ha! I caught you, offender!" The other pillow that belonged on her bed was missing, no, not missing. It was lying right beside Trixie's flank. She picked it up with a lavendar aura, a devilish grin upon her face as she shot it back toward the alicorn's face. It made contact. "Yes! Direct hit! Trixie has sunk your battleship!" No sooner had the thought wandered into her mind, when she was hit by the pillow once again, this time a bit more forcefully. She looked over to yet again see Twilight seemingly asleep. "Oh, it. Is. On, Sparkle!" She thought. She slunk off her bed, magically padding her steps as she tip-toed toward the other bed, holding the pillow in her magic. When she was close enough, she let out a fierce roar and pounced upon Twilight, hitting her with a barrage of pillow-based attacks with her magic.
Twilight's eyes shot open and she squealed happily, laughing as she was assaulted. Eventually, she was able to grab hold of the pillow and they pushed against each other's magic, both trying to hit the other in the face when SLIP! The pillow flew horizontally into the vanity, knocking something off it loudly. Spike mumbled and turned over in his sleep. The mares had both directed their attention to the vanity, but as they stared back at each other, they finally realized how close they were. With the pillow between them gone, their muzzles were just inches away. The duvet had been kicked toward the bottom of the bed sometime during Twilight's slumber, leaving just a thin, white bedsheet between their hot bodies. Both mares blushed furiously. Twilight's wing pomfed, and their blushes only darkened. Trixie climbed off of the bed and was sure not to make eye contact with Twilight again. "T-Trixie will go make coffee," She stammered. "Please join her when you've taken care of your, erm, problem." With that she quickly left the room, never turning back. She closed the door behind her with magic. "Dear Celestia, how embarrassing!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"Do- do I really have to go out there?" Trixie whimpered, staring out the open door. Her stage presence faded in her anxiety. The pair had decided to go to Sweet Apple Acres to apologize first, but Trixie was having second thoughts. Twilight laid a wing over the unicorn's back to comfort her and gave her a warm smile. Trixie smiled back at her friend. She turned back to the door, took a deep breath in, closed her eyes, and took a single step outside. As light from Celestia's sun hit her eyelids, she cowered in fear, but soon realized nothing would happen. She struggled to open her eyes as she slowly began to relax. She let out a breath she had not realized she had been holding. It was a beautiful day. The sky was a deep blue with small clouds scattered across it's surface, providing adequate protection from the sun, but not enough to ruin the beauty of the day. The market in the distance was bustling with ponies, all out enjoying the day as they shopped and ate at the various restaurants. The trees and grass were a deep green, the birds abundant and of all different colors. They sang pleasant tunes as they soared and danced through the air, as well as when they were perched upon the trees. The air smelled of pastries and fresh-cut grass. Trixie breathed in the sweet air and smiled widely, momentarily forgetting the tasks at hand. She had to admit to herself, "Ponyville is beautiful."
Twilight smiled and pranced ahead, making her way toward their destination. "See? What did I tell you?" She asked, rhetorically, "C'mon! We've got a lot to do today!" She called back. Trixie followed after her at a brisk pace, slowing down as she caught up. "AppleJack is the most sincere and forgiving of the group, so as long as you're nice to her, she should accept your apology," Twilight explained, "Just be honest."
"AppleJack is the pony I-"
"Hog-tied?" Trixie nodded solemnly at the words, "Yes, but that's what we're here for, right?"
"R-right," The two walked in silence the rest of the way up the beaten dirt path to Sweet Apple Acres. The Apple Family barn had just come into view when the pair heard an angry yell in the distance.
AppleJack approached them from inside the barn, "You!" She spat, "You gotta' lot a' nerve comin' here on mah property after all that you done!" She got in Trixie's face and the unicorn had to resist the urge to place a hoof squarely on the side of AppleJacks head, not wanting to have a repeat of the earlier situation. "What're you doin' here?"
Trixie sighed. She needed to remain calm, for her own sake, "Listen, AppleJack, was it?" When she heard no response, she continued, "Trixie is sorry."
Applejack huffed, "Sorry? Sorry ain't gonna' cut it Missy!" AppleJack didn't seem to be getting any calmer.
"AppleJack, j-" Twilight tried to intervene, but she was quickly interrupted.
"No, you listen here!" She ordered the two of them, then directed her full attention back to the blue unicorn. "Yer little stunt at the magic show was mighty embarrassin', but yer dome? Oh, yer dome stopped my apple shipments cold! They coulda' gone bad! On top of that, you tried to turn my orchard into a rock farm!"
A pink pony seemed to materialize out of thin air next to AppleJack, startling all three of the mares. "Hey!" She sounded, actual offense taken to AppleJack's comment, "I thought that was a great idea!" She turned her gaze to Trixie and gasped. "She got up beside her and gave her a classic Pinkie greeting, "Oh my gosh, it's you! Hi. I'm Pinkie Pie, but you already knew that. I'm glad you're ok. I heard all about what happened and I was all like, 'Oh no! I hope she's ok,' but here you are, so you must be ok. You're breathing, at least. Look, I'm breathing too! I really liked your idea for a rock farm. They make good bits! I grew up on a rock farm, and-"
"PINKIE!" Everyone shouted. Pinkie stopped talking, giving them a sheepish grin.
Trixie took the silence as an oppurtunity to re-apologize, "AppleJack, Trixie is sorry she ruined your business schedule. She was in a -bad place- but that's no excuse. She would really like to make it up to you somehow in the near future, perhaps baking? Pinkie Pie, Trixie would like to apologize for deleting your mouth," She added in her head, "Though, silence is golden."
"Silence isn't golden, silly! It's quiet!" Pinkie giggled, "Oh, and I forgive you."
"Wha-huh?" Trixie was in utter confusion, "But, I didn't-"
"Wait, ye'r fergivin' her already?" AppleJack sputtered, "After all she done did ta us?"
"Well, yeah! Did you hear about what happened?" Pinkie smiled at Trixie, "She went through so~ much trouble just to apologize to us, and that shows me that she's totally sincere!"
"Well, I guess ye'r right, Sugar Cube," She looked at Trixie. She spat on a hoof and extended it. Trixie hesitantly extended her own hoof and shook. "Welcome ta Ponyville!"
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
"So. Many. Apple-based Products." Trixie groaned, stomach full to bursting. "Trixie never wants to see an apple again in this lifetime." After she had been forgiven, AppleJack had given Trixie the grand tour of Sweet Apple Acres. At the end, there was a smörgåsbord of assorted baked goods. AJ hadn't attacked Twilight with them this time, but Trixie was made to taste each and every one, a hellish fate that Pinkie Pie seemed extremely jealous of.
Twilight giggled, remembering her first encounter with the orange earth pony. "Yeah, AJ really does like to give her new friends quite a warm welcome." The two trotted down another dirt road, away from Ponyville in a different direction. Pinkie Pie had bounced off to do some "Shopping." They were making their way to Fluttershy's cottage. Twilight had suggested that Trixie apologize to Fluttershy next, as she would be less willing to start a fight. The dark EverFree Forest loomed over them, just on the other side of the trail.
"You call that a greeting?" Trixie asked, incredulously, "Trixie calls it a Great and Powerful stomach ache!" Twilight giggled at the half-hearted joke. As they approached the cottage, Trixie felt a calming sensation. All the birds, trees, small furry creatures, and even the flowers were behaving and growing in a manner that seemed to be both organized and disorganized. It left a serene feeling on the gentle breeze. It was the perfect blend of harmony and discord. Little did she know that this was, in fact, the home of an element of harmony and Discord, the lord of disharmony, himself. At that time, however, Discord was meeting in Canterlot with the royal sisters on official business.
Twilight gently rapped on the door. "Come in~," they heard Fluttershy call from within. Twilight gently pushed the door open and was relieved to see it relatively orderly without Discord present. Sure, the animals were all running and flying around the house, but they weren't on ice scates this time! Fluttershy didn't appreciate Discord messing with the animals much, anyway; especially so after he made their heads spin around on their shoulders and breath fire. Fluttershy was in the kitchen when they walked in. She was humming and cleaning. As she slowly cantered into the den, she made note of who had entered her home. Her eyes went wide in terror and she screamed, "Trixie!"
As she cowered in fear, a very defensive-looking bear shielded her, and more ferociously, Angel in front of that. Trixie didn't notice Angel though, because she was too busy mimicking Fluttershy's own actions at the appearance of a, "B-b-b- bear!" She had been afraid of bears ever since the Ursa Minor incident. A bemused Twilight flew into the air, eliminating Trixie's hiding place behind her flank. She shot the bear a look that said, "Move, or I'll make you." He shrugged and walked into the kitchen and out the open back door. This left Trixie and Fluttershy both cowering, eyes closed, behind nothing.
"Will both of you just get up?" Twilight spoke up, exasperated by the whole situation. It seemed even her less troublesome friends were going to give them trouble today. "Trixie, the bear is gone, and Fluttershy, Trixie just has something she wants to say to you." The mares slowly left their cowering positions and stared at each other a couple seconds.
"Y-you do?" Fluttershy asked, barely over a whisper. She was still extremely wary of the magician's presence of her home.\
"Yes, Fluttershy," Trixie responded. "Trixie would like to, first and foremost, apologize for enslaving you. Now, seeing how far your home is from the rest of Ponyville, she would also like to apologize for undoubtedly seperating you from it and your, erm, critters." She hung her head low. "Is there anything I can do to make up for it?"
"You could be my friend," The pegasus smiled, half of it hidden behind her hair.
"What, really?" The blue unicorn perked up a bit.
"Well, yes. If I can befriend Discord, then I can certainly-"
If she had been ready to look away from Fluttershy, Trixie most certainly would have done a double-take. "Wait, what?" She asked, incredulously. "You're friends with Discord?"
Still hovering in the air, Twilight spoke up, "Actually, she's, more or less, with Discord." She chuckled sheepishly. Fluttershy slunk to the ground and attempted to cover more of her bright red face behind her hair. It didn't seem to be very effective. Trixie looked back and forth between the two mares, a dumbfounded expression on her face.
"Trixie demands answers."
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Twilight and Trixie cantered down the road, back toward Ponyville. Trixie was still try to wrap her head around just how important all these ponies she had put down -and even enslaved- were in Equestria. It was embarrassing, to say the least. She had been so foalish this entire time. They had stayed for tea with Fluttershy, and the talk they had was a humbling one. She never would have expected so much from somepony so quiet. She thought about this in contrast to her own boasting. If she really was Great and Powerful, she should be a better showpony and just show it. She made a mental note to apologize the the town's ponies for that just before realizing Twilight had been talking to her. She tuned in just in time to hear, "Seeing as her cloud house is on the way, we should probably go see Rainb-"
"Her?" Trixie interrupted. She would have explained herself had a voice from behind them not quickly responded to Twilight soon after.
"You don't have to," the voice responded. "I'm right here." The pair turned, startled, to see a gaunt looking Rainbow Dash. Her mane was disshevelled, her eyes tired, and her wings had seemingly not been preened for a week. She stood weakly, just a couple hooves behind the pair. A solemn expression upon her normally cheerful face, she opened her her mouth to speak. A scream sounded, but it was not her own. Trixie ran as fast as she could away from the prismatic mare.
Twilight looked apologetically at Rainbow. "I'm sorry Dash, but you know I can't leave her on her own." Rainbow nodded her head slowly. Ther was a flash of light as Twilight teleported away.
"I'm sorry too," she replied to no one, silent sobs escaping her.
It took no time at all for Twilight to catch up, and when she found Trixie, she was lying on the ground, sobbing into the grass. Twilight silently approached and laid down beside her. She wrapped a wing around the distraught mare, pulling her in. They laid there in silence for some time before Trixie sniffed and spoke between broken sobs. "Why does she torment me?" She had dropped all semblance of her stage persona, speaking in third pony along with it. Twilight hugged her tighter.
"Rainbow wasn't tormenting you, Trixie," Trixie looked up at her, hurt forming in her eyes before she saw Twilight's sad and understanding expression. She felt for both mares. Both of them were close friends to her, and she hated seeing either of them like that. "Did you see her? If anything, she's been tormenting herself over what she did to you. That was not the Dash I know." Trixie looked away from Twilight, tears flowing freely and silently from her eyes. Twilight used a wing to turn the unicorn's head back her way. They stared into each other's eyes. Trixie was mesmerized as she looked at her own reflection in Twilight's deep purple, calming eyes. "You have no reason to fear Rainbow Dash. She is a good, loyal friend. She didn't mean it. I promise." Twilight nuzzled against the blue mare's cheek, soft, silver hair tickling her muzzle.
She smiled. It soon faded when she realized the intamacy of her actions. She shot up and began pacing along the dirt path. Her cheeks were quickly gaining a pink hue. "Oh my. Oh my, oh my! That was- that was very awkward. Very very awkward! Where did all that come from? Why did I do all that? W-why do I want more?" She slowly turned her head to the unicorn in question. Trixie's tears had faded, but she now wore a concerned expression.
"Twilight, are you," She paused a second, "Alright?"
Twilight just nodded. "Mhm." She tried to calm down as she walked away. "Let's get to Rarity's!" She called back, sounding a bit frantic.
Trixie giggled at this a bit as she got up and stretched. "Adorable."
***************************
Rarity's botique was just on the edge of town. It didn't take them long to get there. Trixie was feeling more confident about all this. She was happy she had asked for Twilight's assistance. Apologizing to all her friends first made the upcoming big apology seem much less foreboding. She reached up a hoof and gently knocked three times. It took a minute, but finally Sweetie Belle opened the door. When she saw them standing there, she raised a brow. "What are you doing here?" She asked Trixie, more curiosity laced in her tone than malice.
"We've come to see Rarity," Twilight answered quickly.
Upon hearing a familiar voice, Rarity called from upstairs, "Sweetie Belle, don't just stand there. Let them in."
"Umm...ok?" Sweetie Belle walked back into the house, leaving the door open for the two mares. She sat in front of a large TV next to a brown colt. "Aww, Button! You saved a life for me. That's so sweet!" She pecked him on the cheek and continued playing as the mares made their way up the stairs, closing the door behind them.
Rarity was sitting behind her sewing machine, a pair of crescent-shaped glasses adorned upon her muzzle. She took a quick glance up to them. Seeing Trixie, she stopped sewing. "Ah, hello girls. Welcome, Trixie. It's good to see you're ok, Darling." She gave a small smile. "What brings you both here?"
"Trixie would like to formally apologize about enslaving you and what she did to your hair," Trixie stated.
Rarity beamed at her, "Oh, Darling you're forgiven!"
Trixie and Twilight looked at each other confused. "Really?" They said at once.
"Well yes. I forgave you about that hair thing long ago. Sweetie Belle has done worse to my mane just trying to pour a bowl of cereal." The white unicorn explained.
"I heard that!" Sweetie yelled. Button Mash could be heard snickering from below.
THWAP!
"Oooowwww!"
Rarity rolled her eyes, "Sweetie, don't hurt your little coltfriend!" She gave them both an apologetic smile. "Anyway, as I was saying, by the time I came to the conclusion that you were not here to cause any trouble again, I rather got used to the fact that you were in town. It's nice to see you coming around, Darling."
Trixie was speechless. To her, those words alone were proof enough that this mare was the element of generosity. They stayed and chatted for awhile before realizing that they were really running out of time. That morning, Twilight had sent a letter to the mayor asking that everypony be gathered at Town Hall just before sundown. The sun was beginning to dip, and they needed to make their way there. They said their goodbyes and exited the Carousel Boutique.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Everyone stood in wait around Town Hall. For what, most of them had no clue. There was one mare in the crowd that waited just a bit more patiently than the others. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon and the lights on the stage turned on. There was a murmur as the crowd began questioning what was going on. Twilight Sparkle walked up stage, alone. She walked to the podium and greated everypony. "Good evening, all! I bet you're all wondering what you're here for. Well, there is an important announcement that needs to be made. I cannot make it, and neither can Mayor Mare. I want you all to remain calm, please." The crowd began to murmur even louder as she walked off stage. From the bottom of the stairs, the ponies closest could here hoofsteps. The hoofsteps got louder as they climbed to center stage until they stopped. Seconds later, Trixie appeared, disspelling her illusion.
There was a shocked gasp. "Good evening, Ponyvillians! Trixie greets you!" Trixie projected. She had decided to drop her stage persona, but not her third pony speech pattern. There was a collective booing amongst the crowd. Not all had participated, but a very large portion. Trixie didn't let such a thing bother her. "Please, everypony, Trixie has come with good will in her heart!"
"Yeah right!"
"Go away! No one wants you here!"
"Trixie only wishes to ap-"
Somepony threw a tomato. It was a direct hit, scewering itself on her horn. Twilight was just about to intervene when she noticed a rainbow blur shoot up onto the stage. Trixie couldn't see. Rainbow Dash took a defensive stance in front of the unicorn, glaring down at the audience. "Hey!" She shouted at them, shutting them up immediately. "That's not right!" There was another collective gasp, followed by one from Trixie as she managed to get rid of the tomato and realize whom it had been that came to her aid. "A week ago, I was with you! Now, after a serious mistake, I realize too late that I was wrong!" She looked back at Trixie with an apologetic gaze. Trixie just stared back in shock and bewilderment. "I nearly killed Trixie a week ago, and for what?" She asked. "She called us some names, acted better than us, and forced us into slavery for, like, 3 days! Now she comes to apologize and we do this to her?" Rainbow was now hovering over the crowd, flapping her wings angrily. "None of those things are worth taking her life for!" Rainbow landed and walked up to Trixie, her expression softening. "After what I did to you, you don't owe any of these ponies an apology, especially me. You've paid your dues. These ponies," She shot the crowd an angry glare, "owe you an apology, especially me." She hung her head. "I can't even begin to make up for what I did to you. It's ok if you don't forgive me. I don't think I can forgive myself." She raised her head to say the next few words, "Trixie, I'm-"
The next word never came as Trixie hugged her around the neck. "Trixie forgives you, Rainbow Dash. That was it. As she returned the hug, Rainbow started to cry. "Celestia dammit, Trixie," She cried. "I just acted so tough, now you have me crying in front of the whole town!" Trixie giggled at that and let go. She turned to the crowd. Slowly, one by one, then two by two, and so on, everypony in the crowd began apologizing to her. A tear escaped her eye and Twilight was by her side, a wing around her.
The library was quiet. Twilight thought it was suspicious that Spike hadn't left any of the lights on. "He can't be asleep already, can he?" She questioned silently. Trixie and Rainbow Dash had walked back with her with the promise of sharing a bottle of cider to wind down after the day's events. The cool night air blew in a small gust as Twilight slowly opened the door.
BANG!
"SURPRISE!" the group screamed, the lights flickering on. All the girls were there there with Spike. Pinkie had just shot her party cannon, and there was confetti everywhere. Along the far wall was a buffet table covered in hard punch, cupcakes, and assorted apple treats. Somehow, the cannon had installed a cheesy disco ball, and there was a banner across the room that read, "Welcome Home Trixie." Rainbow beamed at the sight and flew to hug Pinkie Pie.
"Pinkie, you're a genius!" She exclaimed before darting toward the buffet table. She was starving! Trixie was in shock, Twilight by her side. She had never expected this. Had her jaw not been connected, it would have hit the floor and drilled a hole to the center of the planet. Twilight wrapped a wing around her and led her inside, shutting the door behind them with magic. Systematically, all the girls joined in to give her a big, group hug. Spike crawled far enough to be able to hug her leg just before the group hug broke off.
"I told you I needed to shop for some supplies!" Pinkie exclaimed with a wink. "Let's party!" That they did. Tgirls danced and played games into the night. Trixie seemed extremely fond of the punch, and was soon stumbling around, slurring her speech. She was having fun, but eventually it became obvious she'd had way too much to drink. While trying to pin the tail on the pony, she had fallen six times, and gone back for another drink. It had been ten minutes and she wasn't even blind folded!
Twilight walked over to the drunken unicorn, chugging down another cup of punch. "Trixie, I think you should slow down a bit," She explained, concern apparent in her voice.
"Trixie dusn'need to lissen to you, miss *hic* princezz!" She giggled loudly, obviously thinking she was being clever. "Trixie can do wh- *hic* whate- *hic* whatever she wants!" After that, she leaned into Twilight's shoulder, unable to hold her own wait any longer. Twilight smiled warmly and looked at all her friends. They nodded in silent agreement. It had been a long day. They wrapped up the party while Twilight helped Trixie up the stairs. By the time she actually got Trixie into the bed, the girls had left. Spike was still passed out on the couch. He'd fallen to sleep hours ago.
Twilight gently pulled the duvet over Trixie with her magic and tucked her in by hoof. She nuzzled Trixie's blue cheek a second and began to walk away when she heard her name, "Twilight?"
"Yes, Trixie?" She responded, whispering.
"It's cold," Trixie whispered back. "Will you cuddle with me?"
Twilight blushed in the dark, but decided that wasn't anything too new to them. She got onto the bed and into the blankets, expecting that to be that, but Trixie had other plans. She wrapped her hooves around Twilight's neck, pulled her in for a quick kiss on the lips, then snuggled into her chest. She was asleep instantly. Twilight just laid there, thinking, "What just happened?" She eventually gave up figuring it out until morning. She wrapped her hooves around Trixie, nuzzled against her, and fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
