"Maybe if Trixie just lies down for a minute, she'll feel less tired." This sounded smart, so she plopped down right there on the dirt road. She had been travelling for a solid twenty minutes, so a rest was needed. The tip of her hair tickled her nose slightly, but she didn't feel like moving it. "Feels nice..." She mumbled to herself, content. She tried to recall the last time she had a decent meal, but her mind came up blank. Her belly rumbled in response, making her groan.
"I was just getting comfortable too..." She stood up, levitating some blueberries from her pouch into her mouth. They weren't as juicy as if they had just been picked. Continuing her purposeful stride down the road, she thought about what she would do next. She couldn't perform any more what with her cart being destroyed by the Ursa, and her funds were nonexistent.
She needed work that didn't depend on the cart, but still something that was in line with her special talent. A steady cash flow, instead of hoping that the next town would be better, that she would make enough in that town to actually last her to the one after that. Yes, she needed to settle into a job where she was still putting on a good show, utilizing magic. With this in mind, she began moving a little bit faster, hoping to hit a town before nightfall.
A few hours later, there were still no towns in sight. It was approaching midday, and Trixie was bored and hungry. There seemed to be nothing around her either, just fields and trees, a mountain range off to her right. The sun overhead beat down on her back and neck, making her sweat. She sighed deeply and continued trudging along, hoping that something would come up eventually.
Eventually something did come up, to the order of a few hundred apple trees. Nothing ever looked so delicious, her mouth started watering and she looked around. Seeing no one, she moved closer to the fence in search of apples. Grabbing one with her magic, she pulled it closer and took a bite. As she bit down and the juices filled her mouth, she could barely control herself. It was like biting into a slice of heaven, best thing she had eaten in a long time. As she finished that apple, she realized she was still quite hungry, and decided that if they wouldn’t notice one apple being taken, they can’t notice 4 more, right?
A short while later, with apples in tow, she was walking again and noticed a sign that said, ‘Sweet Apple Acres.’
“Must be the owner of all these apples...” She said to herself, as she tried to figure out a way to hide said apples. She didn’t have saddlebags or anything. Just the pouches for her berries, but they were much too small. It would be a waste to leave the apples on the ground, they were such good apples. As she was trying to figure out what to do, a voice cried out.
“What the hay are you doing?!”
Trixie froze, turning towards the source of the noise. Her mouth agape, she stared at the stranger, an orange coated mare with a blonde mane, stetson hat bestowed on her head, and a cutie mark consisting of three apples.
“Well, speak up! Don’t try lying, I can see you’ve stolen mah apples.” The stranger looked mad.
“I... well but, you just have so many apples. Trixie figured you wouldn’t notice a few missing?” She grinned sheepishly, pawing at the ground.
“Well, Ah probably wouldn’t have, but now that Ah’ve seen you Ah can’t just let you go. Wait a minute, don’t Ah know you from somewhere?” She squinted, looking at Trixie, running her eyes over her. “Ah recognize your cutie mark, but you don’t look the same, Trixie.”
Trixie stared back, wide eyed, “How did you know The Great and Powerful Trixie’s name?”
“Shucks, don’t you know where you are?” After receiving only a blank stare she sighed and continued, “Ponyville? You did a show here, upstaged a lot of ponies? Caused two young colts to stir up an ursa minor?”
That rang a bell, “That’s this place? Well then, Trixie simply must be off!” She turned and tried to trot away, but was stopped by Applejack’s teeth on her tail.
“Oh no ya don’t, you’re coming with me, you rascal.” With that, she began dragging her away, the apples forgotten on the ground.
“Let go of Trixie at once, this is no way for her to be treated!” Hooves scrambling, Trixie tried to at least slide on them instead of her belly.
“Mmph mmph mmph mmph mmph!” Applejack tried to say around the tail in her mouth.
“Trixie can’t understand a word you’re saying!” Nonetheless, she continued to be dragged, sighing all the way.
This odd sight greeted the citizens of Ponyville as they made their daily rounds, and rightfully, they stared. Trixie had never been so embarrassed, and she tried to hide her face. Applejack paid no mind to the other ponies and continued on with her prize. Pushing open the door to Town Hall, she dragged Trixie right up to the front desk. Spitting out Trixie’s tail, she looked to the secretary, and said, “Ah request a meeting with the Mayor.”
The secretary nodded and led them away. As they approached the Mayor’s office, Trixie said, “Harumph,” flipped her hair, and walked in. Applejack rolled her eyes and followed her. Mayor Mare sat behind her oak desk, a look of boredom evident on her face. She looked up as they entered, arching an eyebrow at Applejack.
“Afternoon, Mayor.” Applejack tipped her hat.
“Good afternoon, Applejack. What may I help you with?” She looked at Trixie, noting her starved appearance, stomach much thinner than a normal ponies.
“Well, Ah caught this varmint swiping mah apples! Then she just waltzes right past me with the apples held in her magic field, like it was nothing!” Applejack wasn’t quite mad, but she couldn’t just let this injustice go.
“I can understand your frustration, but it’s just a few apples, right? I’m sure that we can let that slide.” She silently begged Applejack to drop it.
“Ah’m sorry, Mayor, but I can’t just drop this. It’s thievery! Would you just ‘let it slide’ if I up and took your desk here?” She tapped her hoof on it. She looked the Mayor in the eye and signaled with her eyes, trying to convey something to her.
“I’m sorry, Trixie, would you excuse us for a moment? Be warned, my secretary will be keeping an eye on you. Don’t go too far.”
As Trixie left the room, Applejack turned and said, “Ah’m sorry about arguing with yah, but look at that girl! She’s all skin and bone, and we need to help her. She won’t stick around if we don’t make her, and I don’t know if she’ll survive the trip to another city.”
“You’re right, of course, but the worst I can give her for taking a couple apples is community service, and the maximum on that would be 20 hours.” She sighed, getting out some papers.
“That sounds perfect. She gets some much needed rest and food, and we get some small work out of her. Whatcha got, Mayor?” She watched her shuffle around on her desk.
“Well, nothing really. There’s only one thing I can think of, but she wouldn’t like it.” Having found the paper she was looking for, she began the search for a quill and some ink.
“Don’t matter if she likes it, it’s mandatory. What do you got in mind?” She looked at the flustered mare expectantly.
“Well, Cheerilee’s been looking for an assistant teacher to tutor some of her unicorn students in magic. Seems one of them lit a small fire on the playground with encouragement from her friends, trying to ‘get their cutie marks in brush clearing’ or some such nonsense.” Finding a quill, she began writing something.
“That don’t sound too hard, she could probably do that.” She went to fetch Trixie from outside.
“Is Trixie free to go? She’d like to move on, if you don’t mind.” She looked from the Mayor to Applejack, both were smiling. “What is it? Is there something on Trixie?”
“No, Trixie I’m afraid you won’t be going anywhere for a while.” The Mayor slid a paper across the desk to Applejack, “I’ve decided to charge you with theft, a charge normally mandating a fine, but seeing as you have no assets with which to pay a fine, I’m forced to charge you with 20 hours of community service at the schoolhouse.”
“What?! No, you can’t do this to Trixie! Trixie hates foals! They’re so unclean, and annoying!” She looked frantically between the two mares, pleading with her eyes.
“Fraid so, Trixie, and Ah’m gonna be the one caring for you while you work off your debt. That means early to bed, early to rise, 4 square meals a day.”
This was simply too much for Trixie’s overworked body to take, and she blacked out right then and there.
Trixie woke to the smell of vegetable stew, very close to her. She weakly inched towards it, almost knocking the bowl over. She didn’t care, using her magic to lift the spoon with the oh so delectable food into her waiting maw. It burned slightly, but she didn’t care, shoveling more and more into herself until she felt she had enough strength to open her eyes.
The first thing she saw was hay, piles of it, in fact. She was laying in the middle of a barn. She finished the soup and stood up, noting that she was still pretty weak, despite the stew’s nourishment. She walked outside, blinking at the bright sunlight, and looked around. It seemed she was back at Sweet Apple Acres, judging from all the apple trees. There was somepony out in the fields bucking trees, but it wasn’t Applejack. It was a stallion, with a red coat, but that’s all she could see from this distance.
“Well, look who’s up.” Applejack trotted up to her, “Ah thought you were gonna sleep all day. Wouldn’t be good to be late for your class, would it?”
Trixie groaned, “Does Trixie really have to teach a bunch of foals?”
Applejack chuckled, “It probably won’t be as bad as you think. You teach the little guys a bit of magic control, maybe a few simple spells, then you’re done. Sounds simple enough, right?”
“Magic is not just ‘a few simple spells,’ nor is it simple at all! It’s a complex art that must be studied and improved upon constantly.” Trixie hated having to explain this, but she supposed it did give her practice for later. “I have what, twenty hours to teach them magical control? It can’t be done, and frankly, I think it’s ridiculous that the Mayor expects it to happen that quickly.”
“Don’t tell me you’re scared.” Applejack stuck her tongue out her, “ ‘The Great and Powerful’ Trixie getting all flustered over a small performance in front of 8 school foals. Oh how the mighty have fallen!”
“Trixie is not scared! She just sees no point in this exercise!” Her cheeks, however, betrayed her, reddening at Applejack’s teasing words, “They won’t even learn much in the time Trixie has been allocated.”
“Well, let’s just see how it goes. You’re on in an hour, so you best be getting cleaned up.”She pointed towards the house, “There’s a bathroom in there, feel free to use anything you need.”
Trixie walked into the house, not even bothering to thank her. Applejack just shook her head and walked out into the field.
Inside the house, Trixie was having difficulty finding the bathroom. She looked downstairs, but there was just a living room and a kitchen. Moving upstairs, she located it and entered, locking the door behind her. “One hour she says. How does she expect The Great and Powerful Trixie to be show ready in that time? The ponies in this town...” She set about taming her wild mane. It had fallen into disrepair after all her time in the wilds. It felt so good to be brushing it again, she could feel the knots untangling, leaving it straight and silky smooth once again. She had to wet it down quite a few times, but she managed to get it into presentable condition within the hour.
Heading downstairs much better than she had felt in a while, she was almost beaming with happiness. She could not believe that just washing and brushing her hair could make her feel so good, but then, appearances are everything, especially right before a performance. If that’s what she could call this thing she was about to do. “Oh how the mighty have fallen indeed...”
Applejack looked over as Trixie exited the house. She gave a small whistle, “You clean up nice, miss Trixie.” She grinned, “The foals sure will be impressed with you.”
Trixie blushed, enjoying the attention, but annoyed at the mare. “Stop teasing Trixie, you’re the one who told her to fix up, remember?”
“Oh, Ah know, that was a sincere compliment. Not everyone’s out to get you, you know.” With that, she set off, on her way to the schoolhouse.
Trixie stared for a moment, her mouth agape. She cantered after the other mare, who was moving quite fast. She was in for an interesting day, indeed. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“Alright, class time to clean up for today. Any unicorns whose parents signed the permission slip, stay here. The rest of you are free to go.” Cheerilee began erasing the board while the fillies and colts behind her began cleaning up in an organized, chaotic sort of way that only children are capable of.
“See you later, Sweetie Belle. Have fun with your special magic classes.” Scootaloo said, while moving towards the door with Apple Bloom.
“Yeah, see you guys. Hopefully soon I’ll be able to do stuff without lighting anything on fire!” Her eyes lit up with hope.
“Oh please, like you could ever do anything right!” A mean spirited taunt from the lips of a small purple earth pony rang out, “Maybe your special talent is being the worst unicorn ever? I’ve never seen a filly light their pencil on fire while trying to take a test before!”
Scootaloo and Applebloom had already left, so Sweetie Belle was alone in her angry stare at none other than Diamond Tiara. “The fire was put out quick, Miss Cheerilee said it was no big deal. Besides, at least I can learn magic, unlike you who’s stuck with being a snooty jerk all the time. What does your cutie mark even mean, that you’re the best at wearing that tiara?”
Diamond Tiara had nothing to say to that, and seeing as Silver Spoon was out sick that day, she had no one to back her up, “Yeah well, uh, shut up!” She ran out of the schoolhouse.
Sweetie Belle giggled, it felt good to one up on that bully. She sat at her desk, waiting for these ‘special’ magic lessons to start. The only pony at the front of the room, however, was Cheerilee. Now, Cheerilee was an awesome teacher, best that anypony could hope for, but she wasn’t a unicorn. She raised her hoof, waving it around to attract attention.
“Yes, Sweetie Belle?” Cheerilee asked, trying to get everything on her desk organized.
“Well, I was just wondering, on account of you being an earth pony and all, how are you gonna teach us magic?” Sweetie Belle raised her eyebrow quizzically.
Cheerilee laughed, “Oh no, my little pony, I’m not going to be teaching you magic. The Mayor invited someone special here to do that job. I’m just here to supervise.” Still chuckling, she started putting papers into her saddlebags, preparing for her walk home later.
“Oh, that makes sense.” Sweetie Belle looked down and tried to practice a little, using magic to lift her pencil. Yet, every time she started to grip it with her magic, it would begin to smoke and she had to stop. Eventually she just gave up, taking to staring at the clock or observing her fellow unicorns. There weren’t very many of them, just her an-
“Greetings, little ponies. I, The Great and Powerful Trixie, have decided to grace your school with my presence and supreme magical ability!” With an explosive entrance, and some smoke, Trixie was on the scene. “Come, come, we must move outside for Trixie’s lesson to begin. It is far too cramped and... flammable in here.”
They all filed outside, eager to begin. Sweetie Belle had heard about Trixie from her sister. She seemed fun, fireworks and hair changing and all. She suppressed a chuckle from escaping her remembering how Rarity had looked.
Trixie gathered them in the playground area. “Now, unicorn magic is the most versatile of the three pony magics, for obvious reasons. We have a horn to direct our magic, and have conscious control of it. This also makes it very dangerous, as you can put too much energy into a spell, harming your body. You must learn your limits, and never try anything outside your comfort zone unless absolutely necessary. Understand?” After a nod from everypony present, she continued. “Normally you will learn a spell on discovering your special talent and earning your cutie mark. This is a unique spell to you, no one else may cast it, and you must never try to cast a spell unique to somepony else. Is that understood?” Another round of nods. “Good. Any questions?”
A hoof shot up, and after a nod, “What happens if you put too little into casting a spell?”
“An excellent question, young pony. Now, The Great and Powerful Trixie herself has never had this happen, but she has heard stories. Putting too much into a spell overcharges it, so putting too little under charges it. As the spell nears completion, it realizes it has too little energy and draws more, and more, and more, until it has enough to complete. Normally this isn’t a bad thing, self correcting spells can be useful, but sometimes the spell takes more than you have to give, and that is never good. Or a spell could take enough, then more than that, turning it into an overcharged spell. As your magical reservoir tries to cut it off or take the excess back, and the spell tries to take more, a magical backlash happens. An explosion of pure magic sends you flying. Now, you are relatively young, your reservoir is small, so this probably means nothing to you, but to a powerful mare like Trixie, this is a bad thing.”
“There are general spells every unicorn can learn despite what his or her special talent is. Telekinesis, Light, Ward, these are all rudimentary spells. Telekinesis will never take more than you give, it is very tightly controlled. Same with Light, it will only be as bright as the amount you put in. These are good for testing your limit, you can attempt to lift something very heavy, and if it doesn’t work, you cut off the spell and that’s it.”
Trixie looked around, the group seemed to be enthralled in what she was saying. This is almost too easy, they’re eating out of Trixie’s hooves. She was putting on a good show, even without all the effects. “So, these are the spells we’re going to start with. Find something small, a rock, branch from a tree, anything you think you could lift.” The kids began spreading out, looking for that object. They all came back with something, some with much bigger things than the others. So naive, but if they want to try. “Now, telekinesis works like this: You surround the object in your magical aura. Then, just as if it were your hoof or mouth, lift. Don’t put too much into it, or things will start flying all over the place. Just enough to lift it three or four inches.”
All the ponies tried, concentrating on their horns to activate the magic, then on the rock to direct it. Some couldn’t even light their horns, others the object of their choosing, only one or two even got the object to wobble, and one’s stick was crackling with flames. Trixie walked over, looking at her with eyebrow raised. “And how did you manage this? A pony as young as you shouldn’t even be able to make a spark, let alone flames this hot.”
The pony looked uncomfortable, “I don’t know, this just sort of happens whenever I try any magic!” She hung her head in shame.
“That doesn’t make any sense. Unicorns control the magic, if you didn’t want flames they should not appear!” This commotion caused the others to stop their work and stare. “Try once more, on this stone. Surely you cannot light stone on fire. Just try not to think about flames at all, just lifting the rock.”
“Okay, I’ll try...” She concentrated, focusing her magic into the rock. It began to glow, dull at first, but then getting red hot and still not lifting.
“Alright, stop. Trixie has seen enough.” Breathing a sigh of relief, she did so. The rock stopped glowing and began cooling.
The filly looked devastated, Trixie tried to think of something to say, but words failed her. The poor thing took this as a sign of failure and ran off, a trail of tears streaming down her face.
Trixie could only watch as she ran, unable to do or say anything. Cheerilee came up to her, “Good job, Trixie. Drawing attention to the problem student is not the way to teach anypony.” She turned to the rest of the unicorns, dismissing them. Everyone cleared out, leaving Trixie alone, staring off.
“But I’m The Great and Powerful Trixie... All I can do is draw attention...” She muttered sadly to herself.
“So your first day didn’t go that well, tomorrow will be better, right?” Applejack was frantically trying to calm a hysteric Trixie.
“Applejack, Trixie made a filly cry today. She just wanted to learn magic, but instead got tears!” Trixie herself was on the verge of tears. “And now that other pony... Cheerilee? Hates Trixie. I couldn’t have thought of a worse start to this job.”
“You got off on the wrong hoof, that don’t mean you can’t fix the situation.” Holding her out at arm's length, she looked into her eyes, “It’s not like you wanted to make her feel bad, right? You were just trying to identify a problem you saw, it’s just your methods were flawed.”
“Is that supposed to make Trixie feel better? It doesn’t, but you may continue trying.” Applejack felt safe letting her stand on her own, “Trixie just wants to go lie down and do nothing for the rest of the evening.”
As she was heading back towards the barn, Applejack called out, “Ah’m always here if yah need me! Dinners waiting for you if you feel up to it, as well.”
Trixie entered the barn and flopped down on a hay pile. She thought back on the day. During the explanation part, Trixie was good. Trixie can work a crowd like no other, keeping them entertained for hours. One on one, Trixie is not so good, she should probably work on that. With that thought in mind, she drifted off into unconsciousness.
Elsewhere, Rarity was dealing with her own distraught filly. “Oh dear, Sweetie Belle, please. Just calm down and talk to me, it’s okay.” She hugged the white coated filly, running her hoof through her mane.
Sweetie Belle couldn’t stop crying, and that made it very hard to talk, “R-ra-rarity, I-i’m n-n-ot th-the w-worst u-nic-orn you’ve ever seen, right?”
“Oh, of course not! You are just beginning, no one expects you to be perfect from the start!” She was beginning to calm down, so Rarity stepped back, laying down in front of her. She used her front hooves to wipe the tears from those emerald eyes. “What would make you think such a thing?”
The stutter from her crying had lessened, “Well, Di-diamond T-tiara said-”
“That Diamond Tiara. I thought we straightened this out weeks ago?”
“No, she just got a little be-tter. She still teases us, but not as bad. Anyway, she said my special talent was probably being t-the wors-t uni-corn!” A fresh wave of tears, “And then, when T-t-trixie was trying to te-teach us magic, I just kept bur-burning things!” She practically wailed the last part.
“Wait, why is Trixie teaching you magic? I thought she ran away from town.” Seeing that she was shivering, Rarity laid down on her side and pulled her in close. “It doesn’t matter, anyhow. All that matters is you, Sweetie Belle, not what anypony else says to or about you.” She began stroking her mane again, “You don’t think you’re the worst unicorn ever, do you?”
Sweetie Belle was silent for a few minutes. When she spoke, her voice was stronger than it had been, “No, I’m not the worst unicorn ever. I just can’t stop lighting things on fire when I try to use any magic.” She sighed.
“Remind me that I need to fireproof my store tomorrow, okay?” Rarity mumbled.
Sweetie Belle noted the sleepy tone in that voice, and spun around to face her, smiling slightly. “Sure thing, Rarity. Goodnight, I love you.”
“Love you too, Sweetie...” Rarity dozed off.
Sweetie Bell snuggled up, resting her head on Rarity’s neck. They both fell asleep, content.
Trixie was rudely awoken by Applejack, who was standing over her with a bucket of apples. “Trixie does not believe you can eat all those apples!”
“Of course not, Ah’m gonna sell these apples, and you’re gonna help!” She put the bucket down and prodded Trixie with her hoof. “Come on, we’re gonna work on your social mannerisms.”
“Trixie does not feel like it today.” She rolled away from the hoof, curling up to protect her soft underbelly. “One humiliation a week is enough, thank you.”
“Well, Ah don’t care what you feel like doing. You’re gonna sell some apples, while Ah supervise. C'mon, it’s real easy. You don’t want a repeat of yesterday, do you?” Her hoof continued its search for the soft bits of Trixie, hoping to get her up. “Don’t make me get the water, sugarcube.”
Trixie groaned, but began getting up. “Trixie does not like being treated so unfairly, and don’t think of touching Trixie with those hooves of yours ever again!” She went inside to wash up.
An hour and a half later, she came downstairs feeling much better then she had when she had gotten up. It felt good to have brushed teeth again! She found a bowl of oatmeal on the table, which she ate hungrily. Skipping dinner had been a real bad idea.
Stepping outside, she saw two carts filled with apples. “Do you expect Trixie to pull that?!” She gestured towards the left one.
“Of course not, Ah wouldn’t want you to run outta energy before the day even began. Bic Mac’ll be pulling that one, and Ah got this one. That suit you alright, Miss Trixie?” She raised a questioning brow.
“Of course, Trixie hates physical labor!” She huffed as if it was even a viable question.
Applejack sighed, and they began their descent into town.
The town was bustling with activity as the carts rolled in. They set up their stand in record time, according to Applejack. “Now, here’s the deal, when a customer walks up, simply ask them how many apples they would like, then tell them the price. 2 bits per apple, 20 for a dozen. Let them pick out the ones they want, all Apple family quality apples. While they’re picking, make some small talk. Discuss the weather, complement their looks, something small yet noticeable. Think you can handle that?”
“Of course Trixie can handle it! Selling apples sounds easy, much easier than babysitting a few foals.” Trixie backed up her claims with grand gestures and a small firework spell. Bright, flashy things should attract the customers, she reasoned. A pony approached the cart warily.
“Can... can I buy some apples here?” She asked hopefully, her golden blonde hair bouncing as she looked up.
“Certainly, you may buy from Trixie. How many would you like?” Trixie smiled in a way she hoped was kind and trustworthy.
The pony looked a little weirded out by that, simply saying, “Four, please.”
“That will be eight bits, take your pick. Might I say, your cutie mark is quite fascinating, what does it mean?” She looked at said cutie mark, a cloud covering half the sun.
“Oh, staring at my flank are you? You naughty filly. Most ponies would be offended, but luckily I’m not most ponies. Wanna come over to my house later? We’ll bang, okay?” She waggled her eyebrows at Trixie seductively.
Trixie was quite taken aback, blushing first at the accusation of flank staring, then deeper at the mare’s direct approach to asking her out. “N-no that’s quite alright, T-trixie is busy later! Maybe some other time.” She tried to avert eyes, searching for some way out.
The mare pouted, but shrugged it off, “Yeah, some other time. That blush is cute, you remind me of my friend. See you around, stranger.” As she turned, she managed to ‘accidentally’ brush her flank against Trixie’s shoulder area. Trixie shuddered, turning to Applejack, who was laughing so hard she could barely stand.
“Hoo boy, that was great! I can’t believe the look on your face, she was right, that blush is adorable!” Applejack actually fell to the ground when that sparked an even deeper blush in Trixie.
“Oh, stop it! That was the single most awkward moment of Trixie’s life! I’m going on break.” She stormed off in a huff. It took Applejack a few more minutes to compose herself, then she noticed Trixie was gone.
“Shoot, I was supposed to keep an eye on her! Where could she have gone?” She closed up for a while, securing the apples. Then she began the search for Trixie.
Trixie ran, not caring where she was going. Her face was a mask of shame. It wasn’t bad enough that her first customer had been such a weirdo mare, Applejack had to multiply the awkwardness by making fun of her. What had that ‘adorable’ comment meant, anyway?
Suddenly, she ran into what seemed like a wall of white. Her head was lowered slightly, making it the perfect height to run into some pony's side. The two toppled over in a flash of blue and white, rolling over each other and ending up in a heap in the middle of the road. Disentangling herself from this pile, the mare stood up.
“Oh dear, excuse me darling! I wasn’t looking where I was...” She stopped, noticing who she was addressing, “YOU!”
Trixie stood up, eyes widening as she saw who was speaking. “Who, Trixie?”
“Yes, you! You’re the one who sent my baby sister home last night crying up a storm! And you turned my beautiful mane green! It took weeks for me to fix!” She patted it with a hoof while she spoke. Straightening, she continued, “Why are you back here, anyway? You don’t belong in this town.”
“Trixie belongs wherever Trixie wishes to be! She does not need your approval to be anywhere.” Despite these words, she was visibly shaken by Rarity’s words. Their yelling had also attracted a crowd. Normally being the center of attention was no problem, but at this moment Trixie just wanted to disappear.
“Oh please, like I’m the only one who thinks you should just go, leave and never return!” Rarity was red faced with anger, her pupils shrunken to pinpoints.
Trixie looked around, noticing the looks of disapproval on the other ponies’ faces. “Trixie would love to go. She would be elated to never see your face again, and especially that tacky mane you so love!” She ignited her horn, attempting a teleportation spell.
Just before she disappeared, she heard Rarity laugh, “Yes, run away, it’s all you’re good at!”
Suddenly, she was back at the apple cart, crouched low in anticipation of punishment. Receiving none, she cracked an eye and looked around. There was nopony manning the cart, and the apples seemed to be locked up. Trixie sighed, plopping herself down and waiting for Applejack to return.
Soon enough, she heard the clip clop of hooves approaching. “Where in Equestria have you been?!” ‘There she is...’ thought Trixie. “Ah’ve been all over town looking for you, only to find you back at the cart looking all... sad?” All the steam seemed to have gone out of her as she noticed Trixie’s gloomy expression.
“Trixie doesn’t feel like explaining, can we just go back home? Trixie needs to prepare for today's lesson.” She seemed to be avoiding Applejack’s eyes, looking everywhere but at her.
Applejack sighed, “Ah suppose so, but that means Big Mac will have to cover for us, which means we’ll have to do some applebucking. Think you’re up to it?”
Trixie nodded, “Easier than dealing with more crazy ponies.” She began walking and, after a brief look with accompanying sigh, Applejack followed.
A while later, they arrived back at the farm. Trixie went inside to ‘collect herself,’ while Applejack went out in the fields to find Big Mac. She explained the situation, he nodded and ambled off towards town, leaving her to start the task of applebucking.
Trixie came outside and looked around, “Trixie does not like the amount of apple trees around here.”
Applejack rolled her eyes, “Would yeh quit yer complaining? This was yer idea in tha first place!” She kicked a tree, causing a cascade of apples to fall into the carefully placed baskets underneath.
Trixie distanced herself from the frustrated apple farmer, grabbing some saddle bags with her magic. As she walked among the trees, she filled her bags with many apples from various sources. “Much too easy for The Great and Powerful Trixie! Much easier than selling them!”
After a few hours of gathering apples, Applejack called it a day. “It’s just about time for yer community service.”
Trixie wiped her face, sweaty from the amount of magic she had used. After taking a trip to the bathroom for more freshening up, she came downstairs to find a glass of lemonade waiting. She lifted it to her lips, taking a large gulp. She sighed in content, it was really great lemonade!
Applejack entered the room, “You ready to go, Trixie? Are you sure you feel up to it? I’m sure Cheerilee would understand, and we could go visit some of my friends or something.”
At the mention of friends, Trixie shook her head, “No, no! Trixie feels fine, she is more than capable of handling teaching duties!” Her ears drooped as she thought of something, “She just has to be careful about one on one interaction.”
“Just try not to draw attention if one filly isn’t doing as good as the rest. Talk quietly, maybe ask them to meet you after class instead of pointing it out in the moment.” She reached up and patted Trixie’s shoulder with a hoof.
“Trixie will try.” She smiled.
“That’s all Ah’m asking.” She lowered her hoof to the ground and turned, “Now then, ready to teach some magic?”
Cheerilee liked to think that she was a patient pony, but this was one time when her patience escaped her. “How could you bring her back here right after she showed that she can’t handle this job?!”
“You’re the one who asked for her help in the first place! I don’t think you’re giving her a fair shake!” Applejack fought with the irate schoolmare while Trixie stood awkwardly and the class stared. “If you won’t allow her to teach, I’ll have to bring the Mayor in here, and you know which side she’ll take!”
Cheerilee sighed, defeated, “Fine, she can teach for today. But it will only be a half hour instead of the full hour, and no demonstrations.”
“Trixie accepts these terms.” Applejack nodded. “Before Trixie begins, she must ask you to leave, Applejack and Miss... Cheerilee is it?”
Applejack looked at her with a quizzical look, but nodded and filed out. Cheerilee looked angry, but didn’t want to argue any further and left as well, closing the door behind her.
“Now, what Trixie is about to tell you is a well guarded secret passed down from unicorn to unicorn from the time of the great Star Swirl the Bearded.” She paused for dramatic effect. “Now, in yesterday’s lesson Trixie told you that each unicorn has a magical reservoir that they draw magical power from. Some of you may have been wondering how this is so, when you have seen some unicorns,” She gestured to herself at this, “Displayed more magical ability than would be possible considering this limitation.”
She walked to the board, lifting a piece of chalk. She wrote on the board, ‘Bonded item.’ Underneath she drew a cape emblazoned with stars with matching hat on top of it.
Outside, Cheerilee was fuming and Applejack was trying to calm her down. “It’s unicorn magic, why would we wanna be in there anyway? We ain’t gonna understand it, no matter how hard we try.”
“I know, but I don’t wanna leave my class with... her.” She peered into the window, trying to read the board. “Bonded item? What the hay is that?” Looking towards Applejack, she noticed they had an eavesdropper.
“Ooh! I know what that is! I know exactly what a bonded item is!” The pink party mare shouted out. Applejack and Cheerilee shushed her. “Oops, sorry.”
“What in tarnation are you talking about?! You know just as much about magic as either of us.” Applejack pointed at Pinkie, then at Cheerilee and herself.
“Well, duh! But if I just keep talking, they’ll see that my words become truth!” She beamed widely, while Cheerilee gave Applejack a quizzical look and Applejack just shook her head. Pinkie continued on, “Now, bonded items are...”
“Now, class, bonded items are special clothing that a unicorn has imbued with her magic. This creates a link between her and this clothing, which increases their power exponentially.” She drew a rough sketch of a unicorn, drawing a line from the cloak and hat to said pony. “Now, imagine this is the estimation of this unicorns natural reservoir of magic,” She drew a small circle, about the diameter of the end of her horn, “Depending on how strong the bond is, the unicorns magical reservoir could increase to this size,” She drew a circle the diameter of her hoof this time, “Or even this size!” She drew one roughly the diameter of a basketball. “You can also....”
“...Have a bonded item that isn’t really an item! I guess then it’s not really a bonded item then? I wonder why they call it that?” Pinkie put her hoof up to her chin and thought for a second, then shook her head and continued, “Anyway, this ‘bonded item’ is actually an animal! Or, in Twilight’s case, a dragon.” She smiled, looking from Applejack to Cheerilee.
Applejack stared at her, “So, what yer trying to tell us is that Spike is Twilight’s ‘bonded item’ even though he ain’t an item?” Pinkie nodded vigorously. “That don’t make no sense! He isn’t an item, so why is he called a ‘bonded item’?”
Pinkie shrugged, “I dunno, I’m just here to explain it, not understand it. All I know is that bonded items exist, increase a unicorn’s magic, and Spike is one for Twilight.”
Cheerilee was quite confused, trying to pick apart Pinkie’s logic. She eventually just gave up, “Well, if you know so much about them, why were we kicked from the classroom?”
“Trixie’s all about showing off. If the fillies think that this is some great secret, they’ll pay attention better.” Applejack explained.
“Right. So, back to bonded items that aren’t really bonded items...”
“A familiar increases a unicorn’s magical ability to a much greater height than a bonded item, normally.” Trixie drew a cat, dog, and dragon on the board, “A familiar could be any sort of animal you can imagine. A family pet, you could adopt one and bond with it.” She moved away from the board, facing the children, “Trixie has heard about some unicorns bonding with special animals, magical in nature. She once even heard of a unicorn bonding with a dragon, of all things! Now, this only happens once in every few generations, so don’t get your hopes up, children.”
“So yer telling us that not only is Twilight ‘bonded’ magically to Spike, but that it’s so rare it’s never been documented in history before?” Applejack was desperately trying to figure out all this magic talk, but couldn’t.
Cheerilee was having a slightly better time, but she was still lost as well. “How is that different than just bonding with an animal, or an article of clothing?”
“Oh, that’s an easy one! Dragons are magical by themselves, so when a unicorn bonds with one he or she could draw from the dragon’s magic.” She looked at them expectantly, like they were just supposed to know this.
“Dragons have a vast magic pool, and a unicorn draws from it through the bond they share.” Trixie was really getting into teaching, she enjoyed the look of wonder her words brought to the children’s faces. “This has one drawback, however. The bond is heavily one sided, towards the unicorn. This means that the dragon doesn’t grow as if it was without the bond. The Dragon’s growth is stunted....”
“...Which is why Spike’s not all big and mean and rawr rawr rawr!!!” Pinkie leaned up on her hind legs and roared with each rawr. Cheerilee and Applejack just stared.
“But what about on his birthday, when he did go all... ‘rawr rawr rawr’ ?” Applejack asked.
“Oh, that’s another easy one! Spike and Twilight’s bond was weakened on that day for whatever reason, so he grew to his normal size!” Pinkie bounced in place. “Come on, give me a challenge!”
Cheerilee rolled her eyes, “We’ve been standing out here for almost an hour, all this magic talk and the way Pinkie explains it is giving me a headache. No offence intended, of course.”
Applejack grinned, “Yeah, Pinkie does tend to get a little over excited.” She looked over at Pinkie, who was beaming at her. “Wait, did you say almost an hour?”
Cheerilee nodded, “Almost time for her to leave, and me to get back control of my classroom.”
Applejack frowned, “Now now, no need to be harsh on her. She’s been through a rough patch, and Ah’m doing my best to help her out.”
Cheerilee snorted, “Been through a rough patch? She sent one of my students home crying yesterday. Not exactly the best way to start off.” Applejack looked ready to defend Trixie some more, but Cheerilee simply stepped towards the schoolhouse and threw open the door. “Alright, miss Trixie, your hour is up.”
Trixie looked startled, had an hour really gone up so quick? She checked, then double checked the clock. Yep, indeed it had. “Alright, Trixie was just finishing up anyway.” The class whined, clearly not wanting Trixie to leave. “I know, my adoring class, but Trixie must go. She has things to do and ponies to see.” She suddenly grinned in a most sly manner, “But, she leaves you with this parting gift!” With a flash of color, Trixie and Applejack were gone, and the class gasped, for written on the board were the words, ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie shall return!’
The streets were flooded with ponies lining up in front of market stalls and buying lunch for the day. A certain lavender unicorn was holding up one of the lines, chatting with the large red stallion running his stall.
“And that’s why an earth pony could never grow wings and a horn. I’m sure it was just a dre-”
A bright flash of pink light and puff of smoke interrupted Twilight. The crowd of ponies behind her let out ooohs and aaaaahs of wonder. When the smoke cleared, it revealed Applejack looking slightly annoyed, and Trixie, looking smug as ever. She looked at Twilight, “You!”
“Oh, hey Applejack and Trixie. Wait, Trixie?! Why are you here, and why do you have Applejack with you?” She gasped loudly, “Did you take Applejack prisoner with magic and come here to challenge me to a magic duel? Because we both know I don’t want that.”
Trixie shook her head, “No no no, Trixie would never do such a thing. Kidnapping ponies is for beings of lower power than Trixie.” She walked over to Twilight, eying the lavender mare with an experienced stare, “Which you do not appear to be. You’re that mare that defeated the Ursa Minor last time I was here, aren’t you?”
“What, you don’t remember anything about me other than that?” Twilight turned to Applejack, who had moved behind the cart next to Big Mac, “Am I really that forgettable of a pony?”
“Shoot, Twilight, no way. You just didn’t do much the last time Trixie was in town. Mainly you ran away from her taunts and defeated the Ursa.” Applejack readjusted her faithful stetson, “Did you really want her to remember that?”
“Well no, but seeing as how you just reminded her, I guess it doesn’t matter.” She sighed, “So, why are you here, anyway, Trixie?”
“Trixie was caught... borrowing apples from your orange friend over there.” Trixie scraped the ground with her hoof. “Your mayor sentenced her to 10 hours community service at the schoolhouse. Teaching magic lessons.”
“You’re teaching magic?! Wait, you only have 10 hours? That’s not nearly enough time.” Twilight’s eyes widened at this travesty.
“That’s what Trixie said! You remember, Applejack, when you told her of this impossible task!” Trixie looked to Applejack for support.
“That you did, Trixie. Don’t blame me though, the mayor assigned this punishment to you.” Applejack picked up an apple and bit into it, ending her need to speak for a while.
Trixie rolled her eyes, looking back to Twilight, “Trixie admits, she has been hard pressed to come up with a lesson plan. She has taught two classes now, and barely covered what is needed. Her first lesson was on a unicorn’s magic limits and she tested the student’s own limit with telekinesis.”
“Well that seems safe enough.” Twilight smiled and nodded.
She shook her head and pawed at the ground nervously,“Yes, or so Trixie thought.”
Twilight looked at her, raising an eyebrow, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Well, one of the students in Trixie’s class had some trouble with her magic.” Trixie said.
“What kind of problems?” Twilight asked.
“Her magic produces... flames. When she casts spells.” Trixie answered. Twilight’s eyes widened and she gasped. “Trixie knows, she is quite surprised.”
Applejack broke her silence and chimed in, “Now for us earth ponies, what exactly does that mean?”
“We’re not exactly sure,” Twilight said, “Young foals sometimes exhibit strange phenomena that mess with their spells. There are many theories about it, but nothing conclusive yet. The most widely accepted is that magic requires a large degree of concentration, which some foals are just unable to commit.”
Applejack whistled, “Well I don’t know much about magic, but that sounds about right to me.”
A mint green unicorn reached over and tapped Twilight on the shoulder, “Sorry to interrupt this fascinating talk about magical theory, and it really is fascinating don’t get me wrong,” Twilight beamed, “but some of us have to eat and then we have places to be. Would you mind?”
Twilight blushed and backed out of the way, allowing the pony access to Big Mac, “Oh I’m terribly sorry about that, I just got so caught up in the discussion.” She looked at Trixie and narrowed her eyes. Trixie rolled her eyes, but backed up so she was beside the stall.
Applejack turned to them, “Sorry Twah, I know you’d LOVE to stay here and chat, but business is business.”
Twilight cheeks reddened at Applejack’s emphasis on that word, but she nodded. Trixie looked between Applejack and Twilight, confusion clear on her face.
Twilight stuck her tongue out at Applejack and turned to Trixie, “Well I wouldn’t mind helping out with a lesson plan for teaching Cheerilee’s students. We have a lot of books at the library on magic, I’m sure there’s something we can use to figure out the best way to teach those foals.”
Trixie snorted, “Trixie teaches with action! Not by sticking her nose in some dusty old book. The only thing that will keep the foals interested is showing them the magic.”
Twilight’s eyes widened, “That’s a terrible way to go about it! If you don’t know the theory how will you understand the practical application?”
Trixie examined the end of her hoof, “They’ll figure it out. Trixie did, and look how it worked out.”
“Working community service for stealing apples?” Twilight deadpanned. Trixie coughed into her hoof, trying her hardest not to look at Twilight, who rolled her eyes, “Anyway, I think we should go back to the library anyway. I’ve got some ideas that I think could really stimulate those young minds.”
Trixie tossed her head and straightened up, “What makes you think that Trixie needs your help? She’s doing just fine.”
Applejack swallowed her mouthful of apple, “Yeah, just fine includes getting Cheerilee mad at you.”
Trixie huffed, “That mare is angry because Trixie is taking away her students. That is no fault of Trixie’s.”
Applejack smiled, “Sure, that’s the only reason.”
Trixie turned to Twilight, “So, the library then?” Twilight nodded and set off at a brisk trot, Trixie following behind.
Big Mac turned to Applejack, “Ain’t you supposed to be watching her?”
Applejack readjusted her faithful stetson, “She’ll be fine, she’s with Twilight and I know exactly where they’re going. Besides, I need to get home and finish up my chores.”
He nodded, “Whatever you say, little Sis. Just don’t be late coming back into town.”
