> Sitting on a Rock
>  by Phaoray
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> In Which Maud Lacks Subtlety.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	Maud watched Trixie from her vantage point behind the bushes, contemplating on what, if anything, she should do about the situation. 

The last few months following the Spring Fling had been awkward to Maud. Weekly she would see Trixie come to the quarry quietly, look over at where Maud was, stand there for a few moments, and leave. She probably thought Maud never noticed her.

But she had, and it had led to Maud hiding like this to see what Trixie would do if she thought Maud wasn’t around. What she witnessed caused Maud’s fingers to twitch in irritation as old memories of another girl came back to her.

Trixie had paced for a little, but not angrily like she had in the past. She eventually stopped and seemed to fret over something, her face slowly changing in a way that made it hard for Maud to stay hidden. Finally, Trixie sat down on the stump Maud used to sculpt on and buried her head in her hands. 

That was a few minutes ago, and the crying had yet to stop.

This scene, it reminded her of Marble. This whole thing was just too similar for Maud. While she would willingly go through the same pain again for her family, Trixie wasn’t family. She’d learned not to get involved with anyone outside of them by now, hadn’t she?

So why was it so hard for Maud to ignore Trixie? She chewed her lip in agitation.

No. she finally decided. Getting involved herself was too problematic, even without the obvious issues at school.

Despite what others may think, Maud wasn’t slow. Many thought she lived in her own world, but she liked others thinking that of her. She was all too aware of Snips and Snails following her around for weeks after the Spring Fling. Of Sunset knocking over Trixie when Maud walked by just to see a reaction from her.

Maud knew when she was being baited; it was even more obvious with how few students were around during these times. Lime had done something similar to Maud in the past. But, while Lime could tell what Maud was feeling, Sunset couldn’t. Maud knew how little her face gave away to others, for better or worse. So, she just walked by each time Sunset baited her, despite how her hands ached to make Sunset scream again like on the night of the Spring Fling.

She hated that side of her. It made her blood boil for someone it shouldn’t. Trixie wasn’t family, so why? 

Maud sighed and turned away, doing her best to slink off without being noticed. Distance didn’t help though. Trixie crying on the stump was still burned into her thoughts.	

I shouldn’t get involved. She reasoned. But, maybe Pinkie could help?

Her sister was the most social of the Pie family; perhaps she could find a way to help Trixie in Maud’s place. Getting involved with Trixie would be a lot of time and work, though she didn't really care about that. All that really mattered was how it would eventually leave Maud in the same hole as last time. It just wasn’t worth it.

The part of herself that Maud hated disagreed.



	

"So, I was all like 'What! Dashie did NOT do that!' and Applejack was all 'Well she did! Don't ya bah'lieve me?' and I was like 'Of course I do! But, really? She totally bailed like that?' and she was all 'Yep, that's why ah'll be-"

Inwardly, Maud sighed. She wasn't able to concentrate on what her sister was saying. Instead, she found herself looking over at a nearly abandoned table in the cafeteria along the back wall. She could just make out the plaid skirted girl who had her head down on the table. Next to her was a cafeteria tray, the food barely touched. Again.

"And Fluttershy, pfft. Don't even get me started! She hasn't spoken to me in weeks! Huh...actually, most of them haven't spoken to me a lot lately. I know we all need some alone time! I was given that speech! I know to knock before walking into Lime's room now! But, this is just plum loco. Why would...Maud? Helllooooo? Mmmmmaaaauuuud!?"

As a weight pressed on her, Maud's left eye swiveled over to see Pinkie resting her head on Maud's shoulder and looking in the same direction as she was.

"Soooo, who we looking at? Oh..." Pinkie took her head off of Maud's shoulder and scratched the back of her own. "Yeah...she's a real pickle stuck in a closet hidden in an alleyway."

Maud blinked.

"I mean, I heard a little bit about what happened. Really lousy luck that half the school got told the wrong location for the party. I guess that solves the mystery of why I was asked to decorate at two different places though. I did think it was a little strange to hold a second party on the same night as the Spring Fling, but you can never have enough parties, right?"

Pinkie shrugged while Maud continued to look at her. 

"Oh, come on Maud, don't give me that unhappy look! I tried helping her! I really did! But nothing worked! She's really, really, reeeaaallly hard to please!"





Trixie rounded the corner, wondering what Pinkie Pie's note had been about.

I have something to show you right after lunch! Head to the gym and get ready to laugh!

Apparently, it wasn't a secret meeting or anything, as Trixie was quickly passed by several others who made their way through the gym doors in front of her.

"Behold!" Trixie heard Pinkie cry out, just as she entered the gym. " Feast your peepers on the Great and Comical Pinkie Pie!"

Pinkie had attracted a small group of students who were watching her up on the bleachers as she juggled a half dozen balls. She was wearing a pink, star studded wizard hat, along with a full cape of the same color, and a big, bushy, grey beard. Trixie really didn't understand it, but others were laughing, and she had been invited. With a quick glance around the gym, Trixie managed to find a quiet spot away from the others to watch from.

After a few different tricks, she had to admit, Pinkie wasn't bad. She was no Trixie, of course. But, she did some of the basics well enough. The crowd was certainly eating it up. From simply pulling a rabbit out of her hat (Trixie heard Fluttershy and Pinkie had words later for borrowing Angel without permission), to card tricks, Pinkie managed to work them them into a very amusing comedy act.

She was actually starting to enjoy herself, when-

"Fickle, aren't they?"

Looking to her left caused Trixie's heart to start racing. Sunset was standing there, her arms crossed and a thoughtful expression on her face as she watched the show.

"W-what?"

Sunset casually flipped her hand at Trixie. "Fickle. I mean, look at her. She doesn't really have much experience at this, right?"

She nodded back. "W-well, yeah, Trixie means, she's only a novice, s-so-"

"Yet-" Sunset interrupted, giving her a smirk that border-lined on condescending. "She is getting more people to watch this amateur hour of hers then I remember at any of your shows."

"..."

"Oh, and if you could be a dear, let that rock freak know my arm is much better now."

Trixie didn't have anything she could say. Looking to her right, she spotted the exit and began trying to inch away.

"By the way, when is your next show? I haven't heard a peep out of you in a while now."

"T-Trixie doesn't think she will be-"

"Oh?" Sunset's grin was cruel, bringing back memories of the last time they spoke to one another. "Well, that's good to hear. Wouldn't want you getting any ideas in that head of yours to do something stupid again, right? Besides-" Sunset indicated Pinkie on the stage. "It looks like you've already been replaced."





"So, yeah, apparently comedy acts don't cheer her up, but I did try to help her make new friends a couple days later."





Trixie gave a glare, though there was little heat behind it. "What is it today, Pinkie?"

The pinky party girl grabbed Trixie's hand and held it firm as she walked along the hallways, humming to herself.

"Pinkie, let go! Trixie's class is the other way!"

"Don't you worry, Trixie! Today's the day we get you some new friends. Or...would they be old friends now? You were pretty popular with everyone a few months ago."

Trixie struggled, but Pinkie's grip was like iron. "Y-yes...Trixie was..."

"Hi!" Pinkie called out to a few girls as she approached them. Trixie worked to make herself small behind Pinkie.

The trio waved as one of them spoke up. "Oh, hi Pinkie, what's up?"

"You remember Trixie, right? Didn't you have classes together?"

Pinkie pulled Trixie out from behind her. Quickly after, one of the girls spoke up, nervousness clear in her voice.

"A-actually, Roseluck was the only one in her class. So...w-we'll leave you two to catch up."

"W-what? Me? W-wait, Daisy, Lily!"

Seconds later, it was just the three of them. Trixie was the first who spoke up, while giving Rose a nervous smile.

"U-um...hi there, Roseluck..."

Roseluck's eyes darted around the hallway nervously. "H-hello, Trixie."

Half a minute went by in silence after that, forcing Pinkie to step in. "Sooooo, how long has it been since you two last met up?"

Rose raised an eyebrow at that, looking at Trixie with a slightly irritated look. "That was when you asked me whether or not I voted for you in the Spring Fling, Right? Before we...found out?"

Trixie's breathing started to become erratic. "R-right."





"It's like, NO ONE wants to speak with her. There all either nervous about something, or upset over those little fibs she did. I mean, once, it was going well. ONCE! And then the girl just ran off after getting a text from her mom." Pinkie shook her head, a frown on her face now. 

Maud put a hand on Pinkie's Shoulder. "It's okay, Pinkie...You tried your best..."

Pinkie gave a small groan and leaned back in her chair, curling her back over it so far that her head wound up upside down. 

"I know, but, parties and happiness is my thing, ya know? It's like, Trixie is filled with anti-Pinkie or something! My powers are strong, but they keep getting cancelled out around her." Pinkie gasped and quickly lunged at Maud, wrapping her arms around her. "D-does that mean Trixie is my arch rival?"

"...I don't think so..."

Pinkie wiped sweat from her face. "Oh, good. I don't need one of those just yet, no matter how fun it would be to use my rocket punch! But, yeah, I don't know what to do for her anymore. I even tried helping her with a big, super duper major event that could help undo all of this. Buuuuut, she wasn't as excited as I thought she'd be..."





"WHAT DO YOU WANT NOW!?"

Sheesh, i'm already losing her. 

But Pinkie was a pro at dealing with annoyed people, you just had to get it all out quickly to them, that way they'd be too busy thinking about your awesome plan to keep being angry. It was time to talk fast and loud. "The Fall Formal!"

Trixie blinked in confusion. "What?"

Pinkie tried talking louder so Trixie could hear her better. "I'll totally help you run in the fall formal!"

All conversation in the lunch room stopped.

Huh..maybe that was a little too loud. Ah well, the more, the merrier, right?

Plus, now that she thought about it, what better way to announce to others your interest in running than at the lunch room? It was perfect!

Trixie didn't seem to think so, though. Or she was so excited, she wanted to show Pinkie her expression of a ghost. Or baking flour, Pinkie couldn't tell. Either way, Trixie was really good at turning white when she wanted to.

She's taking the bait! Now, I just need to reeeel her in!

"The Fall Formal totally has a princess title and a crown thingy and everything that the Spring Fling did, so it'd be like a do over for you!"

Oddly enough, Trixie was still pretending to be a ghost, though parts of her were definitely twitching in more of a possessed person way. Not to mention how she kept looking over at Sunset who was watching the whole thing with a neutral expression. 





"Then, she totally left. She didn't even give me an answer! Talk about rude, right? I searched for her later, but she wasn't anywhere in the school. Maybe she got sick and went home? Luckily, she wasn't sick for too long cause I saw her again the next day. I figured maybe I could get an answer from her then, but the minute I asked, she just walked out of the school and went home. Again! So, I figured I probably shouldn't go near her for now. If she really is filled with anti-Pinkie, then maybe being near me is making her sick?"

Maud didn't reply, her gaze still lingering over the unmoving girl at the other table. Her foot started to tap, an action Pinkie took notice of. 

"Something bugging ya, Maud?"

"...Kinda...could you help me with something...?"





The Following Day...

Clink.

Please let that not be Pinkie again. 

Trixie raised her head for a second to peer over to her right where the sound of a tray hitting the table came from. Her gaze was met by a pair of dull turquoise eyes. 

"...Hi..."

Trixie groaned and buried her head back between her arms. She hoped that Maud would leave, but knew she wouldn't. Maud was stupidly stubborn like that. 

Trixie did her best to ignore Maud, hoping she'd take the hint, but it was not to be. After a moment, Trixie heard a strange click, and Maud began to eat in a surprisingly noisy fashion. Trixie tried gritting her teeth and ignoring it, but the longer it went on, the more grating it got. Trixie finally reached her limit when a full ten seconds went by with nothing but the constant noise of Maud slurping. 

Trixie raised her head and glared daggers over at Maud. "What do you want!?"

Click.

To Trixie's utter confusion, Maud clicked off a cassette player that was next to her. Once it was off, all of the strange, irritating food noises disappeared. A quick glance revealed that Maud's food had hardly been touched.

"...Nothing..."

"...Nothing...you just...came over here, with that ancient thing, and thought to bother Trixie by making her think you had the table manners of a dog?"

"..."

"...Ugh...I don't even...ugh..."

Trixie put her face back down on the table.

Click.

Immediately, her head shot back up. "Don't turn that stupid thing back on, you twit!"

Click.

"Maud, why do you even have that? No one has one of those anymore. If you wanted to bother Trixie with noises, just use your phone."

"..."

"...You don't have one, do you?"

"I don't-"

"-have any need for it?" Trixie interrupted. She sighed and placed her head back down, though she kept herself turned towards Maud so she wouldn't turn on the cassette again. "Makes sense. It's not like Trixie's phone has been needed in months either...did you really just come over here to bug Trixie with that ancient toy?"

"I...needed to return this..."

Maud took a rock out of her pocket. 

"You dropped him a few months ago..."

Trixie looked at her, puzzled. "You picked up a rock that Trixie dropped? Where did she drop it?"

"...On Sunset..."

She visibly paled. "O-oh. N-no thanks. You can keep him... I have enough memories of that night already."

Maud stared at Trixie for an uncomfortably long moment before placing Boulder back in her pocket. Once done, her eyes slanted down towards Trixie's untouched tray.

"...I haven't seen you eating lately..."

Trixie shook her head and pinched the bridge of her own nose. "Please don't say it like that. It's creepy." She picked up her fork and poked at the salad for a moment. "It's fine, Trixie's not much of a salad person anyways."

"...Then why do you keep getting them...?" 

"I-I...it doesn't matter anymore, does it?"

"...What do you mean?"

Sighing, Trixie picked up her tray and stood up. 

"Never mind. Just do the world a favor and get a phone if you want to annoy someone again."



 

Trixie gasped as she hit the floor, her books and papers scattering across the hallway.

"As clumsy as ever, I see."

Chills went down Trixie's back as she looked up at a smiling Sunset Shimmer holding her hand out.

"Here, let me help you up."

As much as she didn't want to, Trixie was stuck. She held her hand up to Sunset who helped her stand back up.

"There, that's much better, isn't it? Now, why don't you get those papers over there picked up, while I get these books for you?"

Trixie nodded stiffly and took a few mechanical steps towards the papers Sunset indicated. Less than half of a minute passed before Trixie felt someone invading her personal space.

"By the way,-" Sunset asked from directly behind Trixie. Her voice was a near whisper, her mouth so close to Trixie's ear that she could feel Sunset's breath upon it. "-How's the rock freak been lately? Not giving you any stupid ideas like her sister I hope?"

She started to shake. "U-um...I-I...I-"

"Shh-" Sunset interrupted. Her arm snaked out into Trixie's line of sight and dropped the books into her shaky grasp. "It's okay, you don't have to say anything. In fact, I think it is probably a good plan for you to remain quiet for the rest of your time at this school. You agree, right?"

"..."

Sunset ruffled Trixie's hair from behind before walking off. "Good girl."





Step,step,step,step...

The only thing worse than having a stalker in Trixie's opinion, was having one that didn't know how to stalk.

Step,step,step,step...

Trixie rubbed her head to calm down a little, before turning around. Not twenty feet away, Maud was crouching behind a tree in Trixie's neighbor's yard, her head and half of her body completely exposed. 

"I can see you, Maud! Just like Trixie saw you the last three times she turned around!"

Maud silently shuffled a little more behind the tree, though not enough to hide her presence. At all.

Trixie stomped on the sidewalk. "Hiding doesn't work like that, Maud! I already know you're there!"

"..."

Turning back around, Trixie proceeded to quickly walk the rest of the way to her home. After taking her key out and placing it in the door, a spot of movement to Trixie's left grabbed her attention. Maud was pressed against the side of her house, less than a few feet from Trixie. She stared at Trixie intently. At least, Trixie was pretty sure that was the look Maud was giving her.

"Do you...want to come in, or something? Is this your creepy, non-talkative way of asking if you can visit Trixie's house? The answer is no, by the way."

"..."

"Ugh, fine. Do what you want, just don't bother Trixie."

She opened the door, while giving Maud a questioning look. When this met with the same stone-faced stare as always, Trixie walked in, leaving the door cracked open slightly. 

Idiot. What is she even doing here?

Sighing, Trixie walked up the stairs to her room. The slight creak of the front door opening sent a creepy feeling down her back. She was pretty sure Maud wasn't here to do anything bad, she just wished Maud was a little less weird. Or easier to understand at all.

After reaching her room, Trixie slumped onto her bed and pulled the blankets tight around herself as she blankly stared at the wall. Her clothes felt stifling, but, everything did now. Her old habit of immediately undressing after school no longer helped. She couldn't strip away how she felt anymore. The discomfort she was feeling now wasn't simply from her clothes, or a fake personality she could remove at home. It was everywhere.

Her mind begin to wander, like it had every day she got home ever since the Spring Fling.

Sunset seemed to always be around at school now. She rarely did anything to Trixie, but, it was like she was keeping tabs on her, in case she did something. What that something was, Trixie wasn't sure. Every week or two Sunset would remind Trixie of her presence, even if it was just to push her over, or make a subtle comment before walking off again. 

Maybe Trixie could transfer schools? I don't think my grades are good enough anymore to get into Crystal Prep though... and nothing else is closer.

Maybe she could go to a boarding school? She'd be away from her parents, but-

Trixie was brought out of her depressing thoughts by a rude jab to her side.

"Gah!" 

A quick turn of her head revealed the culprit to be Maud. She was just standing there, with a finger out, inches away from Trixie's side. 

"...Sorry..."

"Sorry? Sorry!? How can you say you're sorry when you did that on purpose!?"

"...I didn't know how else to get your attention..."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Maybe calling my name would have been a bit less weird? Not that this whole thing isn't weird enough." She glanced down at Maud's other hand. "And what is that?"

Maud lifted her hand and shook the box she was holding. "...I thought you might be hungry...you didn't eat lunch again..."

"I'm fine...look, Trixie isn't in the mood for anymore of, whatever this is. You know the way out."

With that said, Trixie turned around and went back to facing the wall again. Several minutes passed in silence, and Trixie was growing a tad concerned about just how quiet Maud was, when she felt a new weight on her bed.

Before she could work up the energy to get upset, Trixie felt a weight press against the back of her legs, and another one press up against her stomach. A quick glance confirmed that Maud was laying behind her on the bed. One of Maud's legs was pressed against Trixie's, while her arm was pressed against Trixie's stomach outside of the blankets. 

"What are you doing?"

"..."

Trixie sighed. "You just get creepier, and creepier, Maud."

Curling up a little more, Trixie's arms unintentionally wrapped around Maud's wrist, lightly squeezing it against her stomach. 

Despite her lack of social graces, Maud knew enough to remain silent about it.





No one should have to be up at this hour on a Saturday.

Yet, here she was. Walking through the quarry to Maud's little hidey hole shortly after the break of dawn. Well, it was closer to the afternoon than it was to dawn. But, Trixie considered anything before noon on a Saturday to be a bad hour to be awake.

Trixie rested against a stone wall in the quarry for a moment, panting. At one time, she would make this trip without stopping at all. But now, her body ached. It probably had something to due with the amount of weight she had lost over the last few months. Not all of it had been fat apparently. It'd probably help if she did more than go to school and then go back to her room and do nothing. It'd probably also help if she could actually feel hungry, or explained what was happening to her with her parents. 

But, she didn't care to. She couldn't really explain it. Her head always felt heavy, her interest in paying attention to studies, or the world in general was gone. She just couldn't find it in her to care, and being asked about it only annoyed her.

After another minute or two, Trixie continued on her walk. Even this was bothersome, but Maud was rather insistent on Trixie coming out here today. And Trixie felt like she owed Maud for the visits, as strange as they were. Explaining to her parents that Maud was a friend was easy enough. And the excuse that they were studying helped with why they were so quiet.  	

Trixie's rambling thoughts came to an end as a weight pressed into the middle of her chest, promptly stopping her forward momentum.

"...Hey..."

Trixie took a step back. "Oh, sorry about that, Maud. Trixie wasn't paying attention." She raised an eyebrow. "Not that she should really be out here in the first place."

"...Sorry...it's this way..." Maud grabbed Trixie hand without warning and started walking.

For a moment, Trixie struggled against Maud's grip as they walked, but it was like iron to her. "You're getting as bad as your sister. Fine, Trixie will tolerate you man-handling her like this. Once. However, she'd like to know why you have gotten so aggressive lately."

"...I'm acting normal..."

"Really?" Trixie grabbed onto Maud's arm and kept pulling until Maud finally stopped walking. "Because normally you would just ask Trixie to follow you, or give her a chance to say no."

Maud let go of Trixie's hand and turned to face her. "Sorry, this is important..." 

Surprisingly to Trixie, Maud seemed to shift around a little, her foot digging at the ground almost nervously. When no explanation was forth coming, she tried giving Maud a weak smile and made a shooing motion with one hand. "Are you going to lead Trixie to whatever this is, or stand there till she's bored and goes home?"

Maud stopped her digging and stared at Trixie for a long moment before turning back around. "It's this way..."

Maud continued to walk, bringing Trixie down to her little boxed canyon where she used to come to rant. Everything was the same as usual, except for a grey cloth covering something in the middle of the hideaway. Whatever it was, it was fairly large. It seemed to be at least as tall as Trixie. 

"Hmm..." Trixie circled the cloth covered object once before turning to Maud confusedly. "You just wanted to show Trixie a new sculpture?"

Maud's stared at Trixie again, the vaguest hint of surprise in her voice. "...Kinda...How did you-"

"Pfft, Maud?" Trixie waved her hand to indicate the area. "There is nothing out here besides rocks, and it's you. What else would Trixie expect you to show her out here?"

Maud nodded to Trixie's explanation, and started removing the cloth while Trixie continued speaking.

"Still, I don't quite get it. You asked Trixie out here to show her more of what she's seen every time she has come out here already? At least it's not as...different as everything else you've done this month, but-"

Maud removed the cloth, revealing her latest sculpture. Trixie stopped talking unable to do anything but gawk at the statue.

It was her, or to be precise, her on the night of the Spring Fling. Colorlessly, asides from the natural grey's and browns of the stone itself, it displayed Trixie in her dress from that night. She was smiling, and had the Spring Fling's crown on her head, meaning it was capturing the moment she had started her speech right before Sunset ruined everything.

Warning bells went off in Trixie's head. She was alone in a quarry, with a creepy girl who had just spent who knows how long making a statue of her. With a fake smile, she looked over to Maud, who was still staring at the statue, while quickly thinking through the fastest way out of the quarry.

"W-wow...t-that's impressive, Maud. I haven't seen a statue of myself before. Did you make it?"

Slowly, Maud looked over to Trixie, before quickly looking back to the statue. "...Something like that..."

"Great! Well done! So, with this out of the way, I think I'll just-"

"What do you see...?"

Trixie only managed to get about ten feet between her and Maud before the question was asked, halting her slow retreat. "What?"

"...Is it really you?"

Raising an eyebrow, despite Maud being unable to see it, Trixie took a step or two closer, looking the statue over. 

"Maud...? It's definitely Trixie. A-are you seeing another Trixie around, lately? Has the statue been talking to you? I-is there some kind of medication you've run out of...?"

Maud turned to Trixie, her face slightly scrunched up. Possibly in irritation. Trixie was pretty sure it was irritation.

"...Let me try again...you were faking before, right?"

"Hmph, always with the accusations. Trixie was enhancing herself at the time."

"...And now?"

Trixie gestured down to herself. "Do you see me wearing anything like I did in those monstrous photo's? Do you see her eating anything like she used to?" She balled up her fists. "...I'm not-"

"-But" Maud interrupted, stepping a little closer to Trixie. "You're not acting like you used to at school."

Trixie's eyes widened a bit. "Of course not! After what happened!? After what Sunset did? Do you realize what she would do if Trixie started acting like that again?"

She started trembling.

"I'm not going back to that again. Trixie's not going to go back to that, pathetic thing she was at her last school. And I can't go back to what I was trying to be here, either."

"...So...who are you then...?"

Sighing, Trixie looked over the statue again. "Not that...I'm not that, for sure. Even back then, before Sunset, that wasn't Trixie. She spent half a year trying to be that, and hated it. W-well...not all of it." Trixie looked down at the ground. "I miss the audience."

Looking around, Maud found a large, flat stone, and walked over to it. 

"...I never saw it."

Trixie looked over to Maud, who had just sat down on the stone. "Saw what?"

"Your magic act..."

Maud put both her elbows on her legs and then rested her head on top of her arms, her gaze never leaving Trixie. 

"Could you show me...?"





Staring at the wall in her room again, Trixie's mind wandered. Before, her thoughts had always been as blank as the wall. But since the little show in the quarry, several months ago now, Trixie had found herself thinking more and more. It was almost involuntary. Sometimes it was about how she'd ended up like this, sometimes about how far behind she must be by now on a certain show she liked. At this moment though, curled up in her bed, she found herself going over the performance she had given Maud.

Luckily, despite how off she had felt, packing a deck of cards and a few other accessories had become second nature to her, much like talking in third person. This insured that she had still been prepared for a performance, if only a small one. And, though Maud's expression hadn't changed, Trixie was pretty sure her slow clap at the end had been genuine. Still, she really could have done better, if she had cared more at the time.

Personal magic shows, is that a thing? Should she even try to tailor her shows to someone else's preferences?

Asides from juggling, she didn't know any decent way to add a rock theme to a magic show, but it was the only thing she knew Maud liked. 

The arm around her stomach shifted slightly. Inwardly, Trixie sighed.

Despite how weirdly determined, and not to mention creepy Maud was being, she had been visiting Trixie several times a week for the last few months. For the most part, this was all they did, which was making her feel a bit guilty. 

It's not Trixie's fault! She didn't demand Maud spend her time like this!

Still, it was irritating her. It had been for the last week or so. She was getting the urge to do more than just lie in bed all day after school as well. 

Trixie shifted on the bed, rolling over to lay on her back and forcing Maud to move over a little. Hesitantly, Trixie looked over at Maud, who was staring at her with her normal, boring, stare. Though, Trixie could swear there was some intensity to it at the moment, but that was probably her imagination.

"Hey..."

"...Hey..."

"So..." she brought a balled up hand to her mouth and pretended to cough once. "Trixie has noticed you never suggesting we do anything, and while she's sure that just laying around like a stone is fine for you, she's been getting a touch bored." 

Nervously, Trixie brought her other hand up and started to scratch at it. "S-so, with that said, would, would you like to play a game, or something?"

"...Sure." 


> Shattering the Rock.
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Hmph, why am I wasting my time with you?"

Nervously, Sunset looked around the darkened hallway filled with lockers. She liked to use this spot for meetups, the dead end and buzzing, flashing lights that never got replaced made for a wonderful atmosphere to convince others to see things her way if she needed to get a little confrontational.

For the moment though, it was working against her. She eyed Maud up, keeping a hard glare leveled at the seemingly emotionless girl.

"I should have known that note from Pinkie was a lie."

"...She didn't lie...I wrote the note..."

Sunset glanced down at the note Pinkie had handed her earlier.

I need to meet with you.

The lack of pink paper and confetti all over it should really have given her a clue. Sunset put the note away, cursing her own carelessness.

"Fine. What does little miss stoner want from me?"	

A moment passed by with Maud looking at Sunset, then back to the lockers, then back to Sunset again. Sunset was about to lose it when Maud finally opened her mouth...

Only to close it and look away again.

"You're joking. Look, I don't have time for you to act like that twit Fluttershy on me right now. Did you want something? If not, I'm leaving."

"...Yes..."

Sunset growled, caution flying out the window as she approached Maud and poked her in the chest. "Then out with it, rock freak! I can't see what you want from me, it's not like I even have anything...to do with...something you care..." Sunset's eyes narrowed. "this is about Trixie, isn't it?"	

Maud gave a small nod, causing Sunset to cross her arms and grin.

"I thought I've been seeing some life back in her lately. She's even been aware enough to avoid a few of our, ahem, friendly interactions. Is the little mage starting to grow back her spine?" Sunset leaned in, her grin turning back to a glare while her voice took on a sarcastic tone.

"Are you two planning on trying to break my arm this time?"

Maud shook her head minutely. "No...but..."

Sunset pressed her nose into Maud's, anger palpable in her voice now. "But? But what? I'm a little amazed at her stupidity if she thought sending you would convince me of anything."

Maud appeared oblivious of the heat in Sunset's eyes and words. "Not Trixie, she doesn't know I'm here..."

"Ha, so you do know how to speak a full sentence. You're not as dumb as the rest of the school says you are."

When no reply was given, Sunset sighed and backed off. "Hurry up, I'm already giving you more attention than you or your little blue friend deserve. Though-" She gave Maud a nasty look. "Even broken, Trixie has been surprisingly fun."

"It's just..." Maud looked to the side. "I know about the tripping...and the meet ups..."

"Aww..." Sunset had a strong urge to pinch Maud's cheek condescendingly, but thought better of it. "You don't like me messing with her? But you should see the expressions she makes. I barely have to touch her to see her tremble now." She sighed blissfully. "There is someone else I am hoping to make tremble like that. One day. But, until then, it's nice to have someone like Trixie around as a reminder of what's to come."

"...Could you not..."

"Not what? Come on, use your big words."

"...Could you not do that to her, please..."

"There we go, was that so hard?"

Maud's neutral expression shifted Barely, but it was enough for Sunset to notice something was different. The problem was that this new face looked every bit as neutral as the last. 

Still, Sunset reasoned, even if she didn't show it, nobody liked to be mocked, right? Sunset had plenty of experience pushing buttons, and Maud had to be feeling annoyed.

"Aww, are you about to get emotional on me? What's that look like? Does it involve tears?"

"Yours..."

Sunset cupped one of her ears and leaned forward. "What was that, hun?"

"...Could you not do that to her anymore, please?"

"Give me one good reason why I should stop using her as my chew toy? If anything, she should be thanking me. After all, aside from you, it's not like anyone bothers with her anymore."	

"...Your arm..."

"What about it?"

"...That's one reason..."

"...Hmph-" Sunset crossed her arms again, leaning against the lockers. "Threats? I'm not buying it, hun. Besides, this is all your fault you know."

"...What..?"

Sunset pretended to look over her nails as she spoke. "I'll admit it, Trixie is good at getting under my skin when she wants to. If she had just ran off after her defeat instead of throwing me off stage, I wouldn't have had to follow her. Heck, even after what she did, I would have been done with Trixie after that night. Would have."

Her gaze shifted from her nails up to Maud's face. "But someone decided to butt in. To join our little one on one match. You remember how that turned out for me, don't you, hun?"

"..."

"Still-" Sunset continued. "I would have been done with her. Even if she had recruited some muscle, you arrived too late to really help, and your social skills are a joke. But, well, it's only fair that I return the favor and hurt you as much as you hurt me, right? And poor Trixie had already been through enough. After that night, the only one I needed to get back at was you."

She backed off a bit from Maud with a grin on her face. A part of Sunset reveled in this feeling of control. Of having someone right where she wanted them. 

"But, it turned out to be impossible to leave her alone. No matter what, I couldn't find anything on you. Nothing you liked, no one you hated. And I wasn't about to risk messing with Pinkie or the rest of your family. I'm not stupid. So..."

Sunset shrugged her shoulders. Inwardly, she was smiling. So few times had she been able to reveal any of her plans since coming to this stupid world. "All that left me with was Trixie. I didn't think it was working though. You never stopped to help her, no matter what I was doing. One move, and I would have had enough to get you suspended. But, you never took the bait. To be honest, I just kept doing it to her after awhile out of routine. Now, however...I'll do it because I know it upsets you."

Maud looked down at her own hand, then back at Sunset. "...So...if we are even..."

Sunset nodded. "That, and you and Trixie don't get in my way again. Look, I'm not a bad girl, I didn't start this. I gave Trixie chances to back down. Asides from the fun of messing with her now, she doesn't mean anything to me. You, however, do. So, for the next few weeks, I'm going to mess with her. Hard. Once I think you and I are squared away, I'll toss Trixie to the side and never think about her again. How does that-"

CRACK!

Sunset's eyes widened, her pupils turning to pinpricks as her train of thought derailed. The locker she was next to now had a hole in it. A hole currently occupied by Maud's bleeding arm. 

"...Does this make us even...?"

After a solid minute of silence between them, Sunset gave a nervous grin.

"Right. Pinkie's sister. Why did I expect you to be mentally stable?"

"...Could you not do that to her anymore, please?"

"Seriously-" Sunset took a few steps back before hitting the wall and silently cursed the fact that this hallway was a dead end. "Shouldn't you be a little more concerned about your arm right now? That's a lot of-"

"-Could you not do that to her anymore, please?"

Sunset glared at Maud for the interruption, but held back commenting on it. She looked down at Maud's arm and winced. Sunset's arm had been bruised for weeks afterward, but what Maud just did to herself was going to take a lot longer to heal. The lack of any pain on Maud's face took away some of the pleasure for Sunset, but she wasn't going to complain. 

"You know what? Fine. So long as you two go on with your pointless lives and don't get in my way, then I'll do what everyone else does. Ignore the both of you. Happy now?"

Maud nodded, her arm still in the locker. Small trails of blood were making there way down the locker from the hole, but Maud seemed transfixed on Sunset. Cautiously, Sunset made her way around Maud, not turning her back on her for a second.

"G-good, just keep her in line, all right? I'm already being too lenient."

"..."

"Okay then..." Sunset quickly left, Leaving Maud on her own. After ensuring that Sunset was gone, Maud slowly looked down at her arm.

"...Ouch..."





Creeeaaaakkkk.....

"Hmph, you sure took your time."

"..."

"Well? I don't have all night you know."

Silently, Maud closed the door and walked into the darkened kitchen. She placed the bag of pain medications on the kitchen table before taking a seat across from Lime. A brief glance to the microwave confirmed that it was past midnight.

"...Why are you still up?"

Lime rolled her eyes and scowled, actions Maud didn't see due to the darkness, but she knew her sister well enough to catch.

"Seriously? You're not stupid. Mom and dad are out of the country, so who do you think the school and hospital called?"

Maud remained silent, following Lime's face as she looked between the bag of medications and Maud's bandaged arm. Maud didn't need to see it to know the mix of emotions that briefly passed across Lime's face before her usual scowl won out.

She glared over at Maud, Lime's voice turned to that same mixed pitch of overly aggressive and overly protective that Maud had hoped to not ever have to hear again. "Now. What. The Fuck. Happened?"	





"Keep up, Maud."

"..."

"And none of that backtalk!"

"I didn't-"

"You were thinking it!"

Trixie repeatedly hit the buttons on her controller, trying to kill all the little monsters before they could reach the Trixie Imperium's crystal core, or the crystal heart, if you wasted your time to listen to anyone else who played the game. 

Despite her best efforts though, she was being pushed back, with minions slowly making their way past her, or beating on her and causing her to have to back up to heal. 

"How's your side?"

"...Good..."

She growled, quickly grabbing for a drink of her soda before getting back into the action. Slowly, Trixie started setting up turrets and driving the monsters back. However, less than a minute later the screen flashed, indicating that the Trixie Imperium's crystal core had been shattered.	

Sighing, Trixie put down the controller and gave Maud a dead pan look. "Your side wasn't good, was it?"

"...Maybe..."

Maud clenched and unclenched her bandaged hand. 

"How is it?"

"...It's good..."

Trixie rolled her eyes. "She still can't believe you got that from falling in the quarry."

Maud looked over to Trixie, and, like last time, the grey around her cheeks colored a bit before she looked away. 

Prude. It's not like she doesn't have a pair too.

Maud was fully dressed in her normal school clothes, though she did have her boots off. Trixie was in a pair of red sweatpants, but-

Besides, Trixie reasoned, looking down at the purple bra she was wearing. I kept this on, so what is she upset over?

Maud rubbing her bandaged arm reminded Trixie of the real issue at hand. She hummed to herself, thinking if there was something else they could do. She wound up carefully looking over Maud's face, and thinking back to the endless amount of fashion magazines she had pored through over a year ago. 

Less is more with some girls, still-

"Hey, Maud?"

Maud briefly looked over, indicating Trixie had her attention.

"Have you ever tried make up?"

"...No...It would run too much when I'm working."

Trixie nodded. "Well, let's try some anyways, maybe just some eye liner to match your hair? Trixie thinks it'll look really good on you."

"...Okay..." She nodded towards the game over screen on the television. "Sorry."

"Eh. You win some, you lose some. Trixie's not going to get mad at you over a game." She inched a bit closer, a little grin on her face. 

"She wouldn't take you for granite like that."

Maud blinked giving Trixie a dead pan expression. At least, she assumed that's all that Trixie would see.

"You're smiling."

Maud's cheeks became slightly colored again. "No I'm not."

"Pfft, you're a terrible liar, Maud."





"So, everything good?"

"Mmmhmm."

"...Yes..."

Maud and her sisters, Lime and Marble, were sitting around the kitchen table having breakfast. Pinkie was long gone, as usual. Lime was sitting opposite of her two sisters, and was eyeing Maud suspiciously.

"How's the arm?"

"...Better..."

"You injured it in the quarry?"

"...That's what I said..."

"Despite the fact that the school nurse called me?"

"...Yes..."

Lime scowled and changed the subject. "You never did tell us what you bought, Maud."

Maud's continued silence produced an irritated huff from Lime. Nervously, Marble looked between them.

"Look," Lime started, in her gravelly voice "I'd rather you just told me already. You never buy anything expensive. Not for yourself."

Maud stopped eating and looked over with a little irritation at her sister. "...It was just a rock..."

Marble looked over to Lime with her one visible eye, curious and worried.

"Spare me the bullshit. If you wanted a rock that big, you'd have just asked me or dad to get it. The pricing wasn't right for any rock you'd use, anyways. So what was it?"

"...It was just a rock..." Maud repeated, going back to her breakfast with renewed interest.

Lime scowled and crossed her arms, looking away from Maud." Fine, whatever. What do I know about rocks, right?"

"...Sorry..."

Marble patted Maud on the shoulder, a look of concern in her visible eye.

"...It's not like that..."

"It isn't?" Lime stood up and placed both hands on the table, leaning over it and staring Maud in the eyes. "You've been acting really weird this year, and I wanna know why. And don't tell me you're at the quarry all the time, cause I had others check."

Maud glared at Lime "...you're checking up on me now...?"

Lime sputtered. "N-no! That place needs to be inspected every few months, even if it is shut down. I-I just asked the inspectors to tell me if you were there or not."

"..." By Maud's face, Lime knew she wasn't buying it.

"Someone has to! Mom and Dad are too busy right now, and you're not telling us anything!"

"..."

"Okay, okay! Sheesh, stop with the third degree!" Lime sat back down, gesturing over to Maud. "Look, we're getting freaked out. You're not at the quarry like usual, you're buying expensive shit that just disappears, you're sometimes gone entire days without warning, you 'suddenly' injured your hand, you're lying to me about how it happened, and now you're wearing that crap." Lime pointed to her own eye lashes to indicate Maud's eye liner.

"...I like it..."

"Do you like it, or does someone else?"

"..."

"...Gah!..." Lime groaned and banged her hands on the table, getting a startled squeak out of Marble. "Can't you just tell me what the hell is happening!? Is some loser giving you a hard time!? Is someone asking you for things!?"

Maud ignored Lime and placed a hand on top of the one Marble had on her shoulder. "...Really, it's not like that, Marble...I know what I'm doing..."

"Marble thought she did too." Lime growled out.

Maud gave Lime another glare before standing up. "...I'm going to be late..."

When Maud left the room, Marble and Lime looked to each other concernedly. 

"That idiot." Lime sighed as she stood up and walked over to occupy the chair next to Marble. "Don't worry, I'll figure this out, okay? If it is like last time, I'll break who ever is using her in half. and if I can't I'll get someone who can."

Marble's reply was to swiftly bring a hand up and flick Lime's forehead.  She grinned nervously while Lime rolled her eyes.

"Fine, but you're too soft for your own good."





You can do this.

Trixie took a minute to calm down. The butterflies she had in her stomach since last night were going crazy now. Nervously, she looked around, ensuring that Sunset wasn't nearby.

This is crazy.

But, Sunset hadn't bothered her in months. So, maybe Trixie was in the clear now? She had heard rumors of what Rarity went through at the last Spring Fling. Maybe Sunset was fixated on making Rarity's life hell now instead?

Trixie shook the disturbing thoughts from her head. It was now or never, at least if she was going to have any hope of a so called social life outside of Maud again.

I can-no, Trixie can do this.

The new Sophmore's couldn't have heard about last year yet, right? This was her only chance to get to them before Sunset, or someone else told them. What choice was there but to do it?

If she ever wanted some semblance of an audience while she was in Canterlot High, this was her best chance.

The Great and Powerful Trixie can do this!

"Greeting to you, the new blood of Canterlot High!" She called out in a booming voice as she walked through the cafeteria doors.

The cafeteria grew silent quickly. Inwardly, Trixie gave a nervous smile at how quickly she had garnered their attention. She strolled up to an empty table and stepped on top of it quickly, to allow her entire audience a better view.

"I am the Great and Powerful Trrrrrrixie! The greatest magician Canterlot High has ever known! To welcome you, Trixie has set up a show in the gym after school. For those of you who wish to be dazzled by Trixie's amazing feats of magic, do not miss out!"





Panting slightly, Trixie stood outside of the cafeteria doors, leaning against them exhaustedly. 

"...Congratulations..."

Looking over, Trixie saw Maud standing a few feet away. 

"Did you see that?"

Maud nodded.

"W-well-" Trixie started, trying to cover her anxiety. "The hard part is done with. Now to just make sure Principal Celestia doesn't catch wind of Trixie's act before it's over."

Maud gave Trixie a slight frown, and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh please, Maud. It's always easier to ask forgiveness than permission."





"I'm impressed."

Trixie had only closed the curtains for a second before she found herself pinned against the gym wall with an elbow pressed uncomfortably to her neck.

"I-is that s-so?"

"Yes," Sunset answered, a poisonous smile on her face. "I didn't think you'd ever try to pull off something this stupid behind my back again."

Trixie started to shake and sputter before Sunset held a finger against Trixie's lips.

"But, you know what, Trixie?" She grinned malevolently.  "It's fine. You want to go back to being the weird magic girl you were at your last school? I really don't care." 

Sunset backed off, though she held Trixie's shirt in a tight grip.

"I have bigger things to worry about than a smart mouthed faker like you. I have a trip to prepare for."

Trixie's hand slowly slid down to one of the hidden pockets in her shirt. "Y-you're leaving?" She asked, hopefully.

Sunset snorted. "Just for a few hours, at most."

"...What?"

"Never mind. It's not important, not for you, anyways. The important thing for you is to be smart enough to not get in my way again. EVER. We clear, hun?"

"C-crystal..."

"Good." Sunset grinned. "Now, get out of here. Or do you need a re-"

Trixie threw a smoke bomb at the ground, quickly retreating to the sound of Sunset's choking.





Shortly after Trixie's third show.

"Hey!"

"Gah!"

Trixie backpedaled, slamming into the closed gym door she just exited from. The shock of the impact caused her to drop the box of supplies she had been holding, allowing them to fall onto her foot. 

"AH!"

The door she just banged into then proceeded to open, causing her to fall backwards and hit the gym floor on her rear. From her position on the floor, Trixie heard a girl trying to speak, though it sounded like she was choking at the same time.

"Sorry about that."

Trixie used her arms to help lift herself up and stared at the girl now standing several feet in front of her. 

Her skin was a deep pink, serving to help highlight her sparkling blue eyes. Her hair was a mulberry color and styled to be slightly longer in the back and along the left side of her face.  A dark red, almost black choker adorned her neck, while her shirt and skirt were several shades darker in color than her skin. The girl had a hand over her mouth, though she quickly removed it and gave an innocent smile when she noticed Trixie's eyes on her. 

"Something was caught in my throat just then."

The girl's body jerked briefly, as if struck, and she rolled her eyes.

"So, you're Trixie, right?"

"Hmph." Trixie stood up and began dusting herself off. She had met this girl less than a minute ago, and she already didn't like her. "The one and only. Can she help you with something, miss...?"

The smile only seemed to get wider on the girl's face as she spoke with a fake air of sophistication. "The one you see before you is known as Fuschia, Fuschia Blush."

Again, her body seemed to jerk.

"Right, and did you need something from Trixie...?"

Fuschia dropped the fake accent. "Is it true, what happened to you at the Spring Fling?"

Trixie frowned before turning away and picking up the box again. "She'd rather not talk about that. Now if you will excuse her, Trixie is going home to plan out her next act."

Fuschia held a hand up. "Oh come on now, don't be like that. Look, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. How about we get a drink somewhere and chat? Get to know each other?"

She was met with a deadpan stare. "Sorry, you're a decent looking girl, but Trixie isn't interested in that kind of thing right now."

"Woah-" For a second, it seemed as though Fuschia tried backing up, but couldn't. "Wait a minute. I didn't mean it like that! I'm not hitting on you!"

Trixie rolled her eyes and tried mustering her energy. Her shows took a lot out of her, especially with the paranoia of Sunset winding up backstage again. Though her heart wasn't in it, she felt it safest to keep up the act until Fuschia left. "It's fine, she assures you. This kind of thing is only natural for a young heart such as yours after experiencing one of Trixie's shows."

Instead of more stammering, Fuschia's expression turned a bit thoughtful. "Huh. I'm not hitting on you, but you didn't say no just because I'm a girl." She gave Trixie an innocent grin. "So when do you think you will be interested in-"

Fuschia suddenly let out a yelp and began squirming in place.

"I was kidding Lavender, I was kidding! Did you seriously just bite me!?"

While confused, Trixie took a few seconds to look over the situation in front of her. It didn't take her long to spot the second pair of legs doing their best to hide behind Fuschia's.

"Friend of yours?"

The legs stopped trying to hide. From Fuschia's left shoulder a head of long, yellow hair appeared, swiftly followed by two wide, purple eyes set in light pink skin.

"H-h-h....hi."

Curious now, Trixie put the box down and took a step closer, giving a small smirk. "Hello there. You are Lavender, yes?"

"R-right...u-um-"" More of her face came up, showing a deep blush on her cheeks as she shook. "I l-l-love your shows..."

"Why thank you. Trixie is happy to hear that. She-"

"-Okay," Fuschia interrupted. "Look, can we please take this somewhere else? I'm tired of being used as a human shield."

"W-wait! I-I'm not rea-"

"No, no, no! You've driven me crazy about this for weeks now! No more delays, and no more day dreaming! Trixie?"

"Yes?"

"Here's the thing. This girl?" Fuschia shook the arm that Lavender was currently clamped onto with both of her own. "Has driven me nuts about meeting you since the first show you put on three months ago. I told her you're probably too busy to meet new people, or won't be interested, but she won't listen. Could you at least tell that to her face so we can move on and I won't have to hear about this anymore?"

...Are these two friends? I'm not sure if they are friends anymore.

It was odd to Trixie. She'd been looking for an opportunity like this for sometime now. Yet, she couldn't help but hesitate. Doing anything with these two meant risk. Yes, one of them was rude and most likely had been laughing at her earlier, but...okay, Trixie didn't have anything good to say after that. But the other one was gazing at her with such wide, hopeful eyes. 

One pushed Trixie to walk away, while the other pulled her into giving them a chance. 

W-well, she reasoned. If what she said is true, Lavender would not be talking to Trixie right now at all if it wasn't for Fuschia. So maybe she deserved a chance too? 

The purple eyes in front of Trixie wavered. Fuschia sighed and started to turn away, a touch of anger in her eyes.

"C'mon Lavender, I told you-"

"Fine."

"What?"

Trixie walked past Fuschia, causing Lavender to let out a squeak and shift to her friends other side. "She said it's fine. Trixie will grace you with her presence for a few hours."

She heard the tell tale signs of snickering behind her. This was quickly followed by a quiet thump as Lavender hit Fuschia again.

"On one condition."

"What?"

Trixie looked over her shoulder and grinned at Fuschia. 

"You're carrying the box."





"Trixie agrees. That teacher has been a pain in her side a few times too. But, legally, she can't make him disappear, even as part of an act. She checked."

The others at the table laughed at that as they bantered back and forth.

The small get together with the starstruck Lavender Lace and cynical Fuschia Blush turned into another. And another. Though Trixie was still having a hard time not being apprehensive about them, a part of her was growing more secure in their relationship. Albeit slowly.

Months following the first meeting between the three of them, and Trixie seemed to have found a small group of friends who, so far, didn't show any signs of abandoning her. It was nice, though nerve wracking.

Despite her new friends, Trixie would often look over to the table where Maud sat at lunch, occasionally accompanied by Pinkie Pie.  

Maud would never join Trixie at lunch, which always worried her. She probably thought that she'd embarrass Trixie. Maud had also backed off from visiting her lately, or on being creepy. While she appreciated it, Trixie wasn't exactly happy to see their friendship start to crack like the weak point of a stone.

"U-umm, Trixie?-" Lavender asked. "We were thinking about trying karaoke this weekend. You c-could, well, you know...?"

Grinning, Fuschia smacked Lavender on the back. "She's hilarious once you get her going. Sure, it's like listening to a cat dying, but-ow!"

"Hmmm..." Trixie pretended to think about it while Fuschia tried to get Lavender to stop pinching her. "Sorry. Trixie actually has some plans in mind already."






The rock quarry, Trixie thought.  I'm beginning to see why Maud likes it. It's quiet. Lets you think in peace with no distractions. Well, almost none.

Trixie eyed the statue of her irritably. Every week her and Maud would travel here, and every week, Trixie got a face full of her failure again. She glared at it.

"...If you want, you can break it..."

Trixie looked over at Maud, plastering a smile on her face. "No, no, Trixie was just admiring it."

"...It's fine. I break most of the things I make...eventually. Besides..."

Maud walked over to Trixie, handing her a hammer and chisel.

"...I was planning on doing it soon, anyways. I weakened the stone last week. So, go for it..."  

"A-are you sure it's okay for Trixie to do this?"

"...Yes..."

"I mean, it's your statue, after all. You made it, Trixie wouldn't-"

"It's fine...I really don't like it either..."

"But, you put a lot into this statue, right? It's just, Trixie doesn't like such a...permanent reminder of-"

"-I don't either...It's okay...I can get a better one...If I want to..."

"All right. So, Trixie just needs to hit it here, right?"

"...Yes."

Tap.

"...It didn't work, Maud."

"...I can't make it any easier..."

"Are you calling Trixie weak!?"

"..."

"Maud!"

"...Here, just-"

TAP! CRACK! crackcrackcrackcrackcrack-

"Trixie did it!"

Trixie and Maud stared down at the remains of the statue. 

"...H-hey, thanks, Maud. Trixie...I appreciate the help..."

"..."

Maud had a look on her face Trixie couldn't place.

"Maud?"

"...I'm happy for you..."

Trixie looked at her confusedly.

"...I saw your friends...they look nice..."

"Oh." Trixie shuffled her foot along the ground. "They seem so to Trixie, too. Though she's not ready to fully trust them yet."

Maud nodded, and looked away, that strange look still on her face.

"...Statue's gone..."

"Yeah..."

"...You have friends now..."

"Right...?"

"...No reason to stick around the quarry anymore..."

"What do you mean? Maud?" 

"..."





Trixie sighed, glaring at the table in the back. Maud's table. 

For the last month or so, Maud had all but abandoned Trixie. She stopped randomly waiting by her locker at the end of school, or waiting for her outside of school, or even waiting for her at her own door. Though Trixie was rather happy to not have to worry about that last one, the point still stood. 

Maud was trying to leave her, and she couldn't figure out why. She'd even stopped wearing the eye liner Trixie had recommended.

It was strange to her. When Rarity and the others had turned on Trixie, she had been angry, but was over it in a few days. She never forgave or forgot, but, she had easily found other friends and moved on. That wasn't happening this time. She was still angry.

She had other friends now, but, Trixie wasn't really in the mood to move on. No matter how much of an idiot a certain someone was being right now.

Her glare remained fixed on Maud as she spoke. "Hey, Fuschia? Lavender? Trixie is sorry, but, something just came up." 





Maud's walk back home was slower than normal. It could have been her desire not to see Lime at the moment. It might have also been due to it being Friday, and her not having any plans that weekend. Maud could even have just felt tired.

"Uuuuurrrgghhhh!!"

But it was probably thanks to the silver-haired girl pulling her arm in the opposite direction.

"Will...you...just...stop already!?" Trixie said through gritted teeth as Maud continued to pull her along.

Maud gave a soft sigh and stopped after another block. if she went any further she risked running into Lime, and she wasn't in the mood for that conversation. 

Trixie let go of Maud, though only with one hand, the other tightly kept a grip on her wrist while Trixie panted.

"W...What is...wrong with you..? D-did you not h-hear *pant* T-Trixie's declaration?"

Fool! There is no escape! Submit yourself to the whims of the Great and Powerful Trixie!

"...Oh...you wanted me to stop...?"

Trixie glared at her. "She's been telling you to do that since we left the school! That was over three blocks ago!"

"...Sorry...did something happen...?"

"Hmph, yes, something happened! Trixie has been trying to drag you to her house and you haven't cooperated at all! That's what's happened! Of all the ungrateful-"

Maud cringed inwardly. She had been trying to make this process easier on both of them but this wasn't helping her at all. She had heard Trixie's demands earlier, but, if she had to admit it to herself, Maud had enjoyed Trixie's antics too much to stop. It had felt too nice to let the moment end. Strange, but nice. Still, why was Trixie here at all? 

Something must have happened to her friends, Maud concluded. It's the only reason Trixie would be coming after her like this.

"Maud? Are you okay?"

She looked at Trixie, confused. "I'm fine."

"You don't look fine. Trixie didn't hurt you, did she? She can forget her own strength sometimes."

Maud easily held in the snort she wanted to make at that comment. Despite that, Trixie raised an eyebrow, and gave Maud a grin.

"Good. Trixie prefers this look, though don't think she'll let you get away with laughing at her often."

"...Look...?"

Trixie nodded. "You seemed...okay, Trixie is perhaps not the best in the world at this one thing, but, she thought you looked sad."

And there was that other part of Trixie that was unnerving to Maud. She didn't understand why, but Trixie was getting unnaturally perceptive on Maud's expressions, something only her family was able to do before this. It didn't make anything easier for Maud.

"...Did something happen with the others...?"

"The others?"

"...I mean...is something wrong with those two girls...?"

"Pfft. Plenty. Don't even get Trixie started. Lavender's great, though a little too quiet. Fuschia, on the other hand, still seems to struggle with how to properly handle Trixie's amazing powers of...amazement...why are you looking at me like that again?"

Maud blinked, feeling very confused. The part of her she didn't understand, or like, crept in, causing Maud to twitch one of her fingers in agitation. Warm, strangely hopeful agitation. "...If they are fine...then why are you here...?"

Trixie rolled her eyes and grabbed Maud's hand with both of her own, pulling her in the opposite direction of Maud's house. Maud followed behind, feeling a bit dazed. 

"Have you been practicing?"

"...W-what...?"

"The game! I'm not having the Trixie Imperium collapse around me like last time! Have you been practicing!?"

"A-a little...I-I don't understand..."

Trixie sighed. "What's there to understand? Heck, why do you even need to understand? Just follow Trixie like you usually do. You still know how to do that, right?"

"..."



 

"Have you really been practicing!?"

"...Y-y-yes..."

"Well it doesn't look it!"

Grumbling, Trixie turned back to trying to keep their team alive.

"By the way, who was that guy following you? Trixie didn't think you'd have a stalker of your own."

"...He was a friend of my sisters."

"What did he want?"

"...Nothing important. He won't bother us again...at least if he knows what's good for him..."

A few minutes later, Trixie dropped the controller as the game over screen appeared. She glared over at Maud.

"Are you okay? Is something wrong, Maud?"

Maud looked over to Trixie, albeit briefly. A quick glance revealed Trixie to be laying in bed on her stomach, lacking both a shirt and bra. Her sweatpants had been tossed to the side over an hour ago, revealing a pair of black panties with star patterns over them. Maud was sitting on a pillow next to the bed, though she positioned herself to keep Trixie only in her periphery vision, to prevent her face from burning away. Maud had to excuse herself multiple times over the last few hours to go to the bathroom, always returning with a head soaked in water. Trixie had almost insisted on going with her the first few times, just to make sure Maud wasn't trying to bail, but was met with stuttered assurances that she would be back very shortly.

"I-I-I...M-Maud is fine..."

Trixie broke down at that, laughing while flashing Maud a brief smile. "It'd be better for you to leave that kind of speak to me, Maud. Trixie's an expert by now. Okay! Let's take a break, then try that level again!"

Maud looked over to the window, pointing out the darkened sky. 

"It's getting late..."

"Tch. Please, you're staying over this weekend. And Trixie is not taking no for an answer. Got it?"

"..."

"Good. Now, get ready!" Trixie stood up while grabbing a shirt so her parent's wouldn't complain. 

"When Trixie returns with the snacks, we are trouncing this game!"





"Huh, now what do you suppose that is about?"

Trixie looked over to where Lavender was pointing. Outside the school, some crazed, purple haired girl was walking on all fours while her dog rode on her back.

I might have just found someone creepier than Maud.