Faced with a holiday alone in her wagon, Trixie hatches a plan to change her circumstances. All it will take is getting a tiny little invitation from Starlight. Isn't that what friends are for?
Updated description and image generously provided by: Tranquil Serenity
Friendship is a recent addition to Trixie's life, which means there is much about it she has yet to experience. With Hearth's Warming just around the corner, the talented stage-pony is resolved to accept Starlight's offer to spend the celebration with her, once this invitation inevitably comes her way.
After all, being the good friends they are, there's no way The Great and Powerful Trixie wouldn't be invited. And Trixie is altogether above begging, at least that much is certain.
Piggybacks off of the Season 6 episode "A Hearth's Warming Tail". Loosely tied into my previous story "Dance, puppets, dance!" but neither one requires the other, and could theoretically fit in either order.
Let it never be said that the Ponyville weather pegasi slacked off.
Only the day before Hearth's Warming Eve, and already the entire region was fully winterized. The snow was knee deep in spots, even on the roads, much to my irritation. I've been hauling my wagon for years, and it's kept me fit enough to handle a little bad weather, but snow is still a pain in the rump. Normally, I prefer to pick a major city, park my wagon, and wait out the winter doing small performances in the local venues. At least that way I didn't have to freeze my hooves off trudging through the snow.
This year I had another plan.
It was risky. Hay, it was a gamble. I could either win big or make a complete fool of myself and leave town miserable. But the prize if I pulled it off? It might just be worth it. Maybe. Possibly. I couldn't be sure but I wanted to find out. For the first time in my life I needed to try.
And that meant I had to go through with my plan, no matter what.
I felt a little guilty about it, but I couldn't see any other way to get what I wanted. Were it anypony else I wouldn't bat an eye, but Starlight? Starlight was the exception. For a lot of things. But, she was my friend, right? Friends forgave, right? And it wasn't like I was going to hurt anypony. I wasn't going to humiliate anypony either. Or harass, insult or generally be a nuisance. I didn't have to do that anymore.
Of course, there's a nasty little thought that likes to lurk in the back of my mind and remind me that I never had to do any of that. I never had to insult and berate and embarrass. I never had to keep everypony at legs length. Nopony forced me to be a terrible pony, I just couldn't stop.
But things were different now. Now I had a friend. I had somepony who got me, somepony who I got. Somepony else who knew what it was like.
My plan had to work.
That was all I could think when I parked my wagon in the outskirts of Ponyville. I freed myself from the harness, and set about putting the wheel stops in place. The last thing I needed was for my home to roll off on its own. I'd already spent a night in the Ponyville dump digging my belongings out of a smashed wagon, and once was quite enough, thank you.
A light breath of wind caught my cape, and made me shiver until I got it wrapped back around myself. Not for the first time, I swore to myself that this would be the year I invested in some winter clothing. I knew I wouldn't, of course. The bits were never there, and I'd already spent what I had on my plan. If things didn't work out, then I was looking at a lean couple of weeks until I could dig myself out.
Once I was confident that my wagon wasn't going to start rolling down some subtle incline, I hurried my hooves inside where I could be out of the wind and away from suspicious glances for a few minutes. I knocked snow off my fetlocks on the way in, and tugged at the door with my magic. The door jam had warped in the cold, which made it difficult to get the door to latch properly because of course it had. Once I forced the treacherous door into submission, I settled back on my haunches and blew on my forehooves. Stupid pegasi and their snow.
I'd have to go back out before too long to visit the police ponies in accordance with my parole, but I could afford a few minutes of relative comfort. The Ponyville police liked to be thorough with me. Most towns just wanted a short check-in about what I was going to do, duration of stay, and a quick little dark magic sweep to make sure I wasn't tampering with evil artifacts again. The Ponyville department took things just a tad more personally. Considering what I'd done to most of them when they'd tried to stop me taking over the town, it was just possibly understandable. Still, it wasn't like any of it had been permanent. Even so, they'd want to search me and my wagon. Technically, I could refuse and make them get a warrant. I wasn't obligated to cooperate at all beyond the terms of my parole. I'd let it happen anyway though.
Just as long as I could keep Starlight blissfully unaware of it.
It was always tricky to pull off a visit to the police without Starlight finding out. When I came to town, we usually spent a lot of time together. I loved the attention, but it did make it difficult to get to the police before she found me. Truth be told, I was just as much responsible for it as she was since I stuck to her like a vampire fruit bat on a watermelon every chance I got. She was the only reason I came to Ponyville anymore. She was the entire point of my plan.
With great reluctance, I scraped the half-jammed door back open and ventured out into the streets. Best to get things over with.
I kept my eyes on the table most of the time while I was in the interview room. I've found that's the best thing to do when you're not being spoken to. The Ponyville police got nervous when I tried to maintain eye contact for very long. Maybe they were expecting to see an unnatural red glow at any moment. Maybe they just didn't like me. Or maybe I was trying too hard to keep eye contact and it would make anypony uncomfortable. If I were good at noticing things like that, I might have had friends before Starlight. Maybe. If I'd ever met anypony who could stand me for more than five minutes that I could say the same about.
I bit back a sigh and waited for the officer to finish going over his paperwork. It was the same officer who had handled me last time. He was dusty brown, with a dark chocolate colored mane, precision trimmed mustache, more than a few lines on his face, and, all in all, looked exactly like a police pony.
“Alright.” I started a little at the deep, slightly rough sound of his voice. “You're free to go.”
I looked up, briefly forgetting to keep myself looking calm and neutral.
“What?”
“I said you're free to go.”
I stared blankly for a moment or two while I tried to work out what the catch was. I was never done this quickly. The Ponyville police loved to give me a hard time. “Don't… don't you want to search my wagon?”
The officer cleared his throat and, for the first time, looked a little uncomfortable. “Ah, yes, ahem, that reminds me. I've been asked to apologize to you for the unauthorized searches we've conducted in the past.”
“What?”
“Just as I said. On behalf of the Ponyville Police Department, I apologize for the searches of your property without warrant.”
“...What?”
The officer's brow furrowed. “Are you having trouble understanding me?”
“I- no, no I'm just… surprised. Why-?”
“The Princess heard about them and… wasn't happy.” Judging by the sound of his voice that was probably an understatement. “Apparently, she studied up on basic criminal justice along with magic.”
“Studied…? Wait, you don't mean Princess Twilight!?” I gaped open mouthed at the officer. He shifted awkwardly on his seat and looked for all the world like he wished he was anywhere else.
“Her highness was upset that we 'treated Starlight Glimmer's friend like that',” he quoted. “So, yes. You're free to go, Miss Lulamoon. You may collect your belongings at the front desk. Have a happy Hearth's Warming,” he added rather awkwardly.
I stared for a few more moments, then got off my chair and walked out of the office as quickly as I could without risking looking guilty. Twilight had intervened on my behalf? Why? What was her angle? Had she been spying on me, looking for some evidence that I was up to no good again?
Had she told Starlight?
My hat and cape were waiting for me as promised, and I didn't wait to finish getting them on before I trotted to the exit. If it weren't so cold, I'd have left them in my wagon, but I needed what little warmth they gave me. It wasn't until I got outside that I finally let go of a breath I'd been holding for what felt like forever.
At last, I was in the clear. I just had to get back to my wagon and wait-
“Trixie!”
Oh no.
I turned on the spot and saw a familiar, very light purple unicorn trotting down the road, grinning from between a blue hat and scarf. She had overstuffed saddlebags on her back, and was trailing a long scroll of paper behind her in the wintry breeze. She'd found me already. All I could do was hope against hope that she wouldn't notice where we were.
“I was out running some errands and saw your wagon! You're back sooner than I expected. Were-” she paused and glanced up at the building behind me when she closed to comfortable conversation range. “...Why are you coming out of the police station?”
“Er-”
“Are you okay?” she asked quickly. “You weren't robbed or anything, were you? You didn't, er, get into any, uh, trouble, did you?”
“Oh, uh, of course not!” I said with what I hoped against hope was a casual voice. She didn't know. “I was just, uh, taking care of an old issue from a previous visit.” Okay, not a lie yet, so far so good. “Did you know there are rules about where you can park a wagon?” Also not technically a lie. It was entirely unrelated but, technically, I could claim it was a topic change and not a deliberate attempt to mislead my one and only friend into thinking that nothing was wrong. And I had gotten ticketed for stopping my wagon in the wrong place before. The fact that it was years ago, in Vanhoover, miles upon miles away, was just details.
Starlight sighed in relief. I think if a lie doesn't hurt anypony and makes somepony feel better then it's a 'white lie'. Those are okay, or so I've heard. So, really, if that's not true then it's not my fault for believing it. I was just... misinformed, which made it okay again.
“Whew, I was worried for a second there.”
“Have no fear!” I brought out the stage voice. Starlight liked my stage voice. “The Humble and Penitent Trixie has cleaned her slate of past misdeeds, and moves forward into a brighter tomorrow!”
That got her to laugh. Music to my ears. “In that case, you want to come with me while I wrap things up? I offered to pick up a few things for Twilight and Spike. They've got a lot of planning to take care of.”
In truth, I wanted to go back to my wagon. It was cold, it was wet, and my legs were going to be soaked to the bone by the time we'd finished getting whatever it was Little Miss Friendship wanted. But, on the other hoof, Starlight Glimmer.
No contest.
“Very well. Lead the way!”
Success takes time. Failure is usually instantaneous.
“Just picking up a few things for Twilight and Spike.”
That was what Starlight said when I asked what errands needed to be run. “A few things” my tail. More like a few dozen! The list was longer than all four of my legs, tail, and most roads combined. That may or may not be an exaggeration, but it needs to be impressed just how stupidly long this list was and just how much time it meant I had to spend trudging through snow.
The weather pegasi? Hard workers. The earth ponies who should have plowed the roads so that a mare could trot through town free from the ever looming threat of frostbite? Lazy slackers the lot of them.
“Starlight,” I said in a voice that was most definitely not a whine, “how many more stores do we have to visit?”
“Just Barn Yard Bargains left,” she said into her list. Her saddlebags were already packed full, and that was after she zapped a few things back to the castle ahead of us.
“But that's on the other side of town!” I not-whined. “It's freezing out here!”
“Freezing?” She pulled her nose out of the stupidly long list to look at me. I won't say I was shaking like a leaf in a tornado, but I was giving it my best shot. “Oh, whoops! Sorry, I guess I kinda forgot about that. Here...” She rolled the list up and stuffed it into a saddlebag. The gentle aura of levitation around her horn flared up much brighter as she leaned in towards me.
“What're you-” a surge of pale green magic washed over me, swirling and churning like a storm. It was bright and slightly worrying, but also warm. So wonderfully, blissfully warm. The light faded away, but a tickle in my horn told me that it'd left a spell in its wake. The warmth persisted as well. It felt like I'd stepped out of the cold and right into the steam room at the spa.
“Ta-da! One personal insulation spell, to go. I've had mine on for so long I just forgot how cold it is today. Uh, sorry about that.”
I gave my mane a light toss and lifted my snout like a stuffy Canterlot mare. “I suppose I can let it slide, just this once. So long as you are more mindful in future.” I shot her a sidelong look and a smirk that I hoped was enough to make it clear I was kidding. I was rewarded with laughter.
“Okay, okay. Wouldn't want the Great and Powerful Trixie to be uncomfortable.”
“Indeed!”
“Seriously though,” she added as we resumed our now much warmer walk towards Barn Yard Bargains, “this is the last stop.”
“What's left to buy, anyway?” Based on what we'd gotten so far, I had a pretty good idea what she was shopping for. All that food and candy had 'Hearth's Warming Party' written all over it. That meant it was just about time for me to execute my plan. It was just a matter of getting her to bring up the subject.
“Decorations mostly. Twilight has big plans for Hearth's Warming. There's a whole thing happening tomorrow where half of Ponyville is going to help decorate the castle.”
“The whole thing?”
“No, thank Celestia. Spike managed to talk her down from that. I'm not sure there are enough decorations in Ponyville. Besides, pretty much nopony is even going to go near most of the upstairs.”
There was my opening. All I had to do was make some comment about how Hearth's Warming was too much work or generally not all it's cracked up to be. Then Starlight would do the usual sort of 'oh, it's not so bad' and we'd go back and forth a little before I 'let' her talk me into spending the holiday with her.
I opened my mouth to make my opening gambit. Starlight beat me to it with a heavy sigh. “Honestly, I plan to just hole up in my room and skip the entire thing.”
“You-- what?”
“I know.” She rolled her eyes and waved a hoof. “Student of the Princess of Friendship, spreading harmony and joy, so on and so on. I'm sure Twilight will try to drag me into it. There will probably be a lecture and a song about what a special day it is. Seriously though, I just don't see the appeal. Ponies go on and on about the friendship and community, but it's really all just about the candy and presents. And, I mean, come on, it's not like the fate of Equestria actually hangs in the balance. That's just an old legend.”
Everything had gone wrong so quickly. I scrambled to pull my thoughts together enough to salvage my plan, but I wasn't sure there was anything to salvage. Starlight didn't like Hearth's Warming. She didn't like the candy or presents. She didn't even like the legend. She didn't like Hearth's Warming.
She planned to spend it alone.
She must have caught some of my thoughts on my face because she stopped in her tracks. “Uh, Trixie? Are you okay?”
“Wha-? Of course! I'm just, er, surprised. Like you said, student of the Princess of Friendship and all that. I figured you'd be neck deep in it.” I was talking too fast, too loud, and too high pitched, I was sure of it. Any second she'd work out what was going on.
“She might drag me in anyway. Twilight can be pret-ty stubborn about that kind of thing. What about you?”
“Me?”
“You planning anything?”
“Er-” I had nothing. I'd been so sure my plan would work or at least not fail until I (accidentally) messed up the party somehow. I hadn't expected to be shot down right out of the gate. Where did that leave me except for where I was always left?
I could still ask her. I could still suggest we spend the holiday together. I could be the one to put my hoof forward and invite her to spend the holiday with me. I didn't have to give up.
But… she was the student of friendship, not me. She had friends, plural. She had Little Miss Friendship herself and she STILL didn't want to do Hearth's Warming. If that kind of influence couldn't make her embrace the holiday, what chance did one lonely, bitter, socially maladjusted, temperamental, self-centered, vain, obnox--
“No,” I said. “Just me and my wagon. Nice quiet day to myself.”
“Sounds good to me. Maybe I'll read something. There are enough books in the castle, after all.”
“Well, it is Twilight's place,” I said. I had just about gotten my usual attitude back up on my outside. My insides on the other hoof… “Speaking of my wagon, I think I'll head on back. It was a long haul to get here.”
“Oh.” Starlight's face fell, giving me another horrible pang of guilt to add to my collection. “Already? How long are you going to be in town?”
“I'll be a while.” I didn't bother explaining that this was because I was basically out of money and would need to do a few performances before I could restock and run away from town as fast as my wagon would let me. “Maybe we can spend some time together after Princess Twilight lets you off the hook for this whole 'Hearth's Warming' deal.”
Starlight's expression brightened. “Alright then. Sorry to drag you out around town like this. I'll see you around?”
“Naturally.” I turned away and walked off as casually as I could, head up and eyes forward. I kept that up all the way down the road, through the snow, across town, and finally up the steps and through the warped, sticky door of my wagon. I hung my hat and cape on their hooks, and sat down softly on the floor.
I took a deep, shaky breath. That was it, then. My plan was a total bust. Weeks of hoping and dreaming up in smoke, just like that. I reached out with my magic to lift the small box covered in bright wrapping paper that sat under my hammock. It wasn't anything fancy, just a solid, sky blue with white snowflakes, done up with a red ribbon bow with a little white tag hanging off it. I twisted my aura to turn the tag over.
To: My Best Friend, Starlight Glimmer
From: The Festive and Generous Trixie
Happy Hearth's Warming!
Reading it made my eyes burn, so I opened my prop trunk, threw the cursed thing in and slammed the lid down. I reared up over the edge of my hammock and flopped into it. Only once I was safely suspended with a blanket wrapped around me did I allow myself to let go of any tears. Me, alone in my wagon, crying into my pillow.
It always seemed to come back to that.
When all else fails, throw yourself into your work.
“Ponies voices fill the night! Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!”
I groaned and turned my muzzle deeper into my pillow.
“Happy hearts so full and bright! Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!”
'Happy hearts' my tail. My heart was not happy.
“Oh what a sight! Look at the light! All for tonight! Hearth's Warming Eve is here once again!”
I pulled my pillow up over my head which served well enough to block out their miserable singing. I'd give them a light. Maybe a few dozen fireworks right up their noses. I'd always hated that song. So sickeningly cheerful and sweet and it clearly would flow better if the line was 'Hearth's Warming Eve is here once more'. 'Once again' was one syllable too long and made the end of the line feel rushed. Nopony ever appreciated the blatant superiority of my version, though. Not 'traditional' enough.
Nopony wanted to see magic shows on Hearth's Warming either, just the pageant. Again. Celestia forbid all of Equestria didn't have that ridiculous legend beaten into their heads every. Single. Year. Windigoes were as made up as… okay, so Nightmare Moon turned out to be real. As had Discord. And Tirek. So, really, law of averages. One of the ancient myths was going to turn out to actually have been a myth sooner or later, might as well be the windigoes.
And even if they were real, everypony else was being more than cheerful enough to keep them at bay, so I could be as miserable as I pleased. Or maybe they'd swoop down and bury my entire wagon in an ice block and leave it hidden in a snow drift until spring. That would get Starlight's attention.
I tightened my grip on my pillow and stifled another groan. Starlight didn't deserve that. It wasn't her fault I was like this. I knew she'd be miserable and upset if something horrible actually happened to me. Even I'm not that petty. Not with somepony I actually liked.
It really wasn't her fault. Sure, she was Little Miss Friendship's student but… well, there was kinda a reason for that. Not that she wasn't smart. Starlight was brilliant when it came to magic in ways I'd never seen. She studied, sure, but she really shined in experimentation. She liked to dive in and get her hooves dirty actually using magic, combining and testing spells with methods I didn't know were possible. She created works of absolute genius.
In other ways she was… different. She got angry. She missed obvious social cues that even I got. Her first instinct was to use magic to solve absolutely every problem, no matter how small. She could be a little paranoid and obsessive and generally get lost in her thoughts until she came out the other side worked up to a fever pitch over nothing. I've heard a few ponies whispering that she's 'unstable'. That she causes disasters wherever she goes. One of those ponies was her.
I wouldn't change a thing about her.
So many ponies settle into their talents and coast through their lives content to just exist. They call it being 'sensible' and 'responsible'. I call it lazy. I call it boring. Starlight was never lazy or boring. She got angry because she cared. She obsessed and worried and got worked up because she was invested in where she was and what she was doing. Most of the greatest artists and geniuses in history were 'unstable', so why in Equestria should that need to be a bad thing? I mean, Starswirl had bells on his hat. You can't tell me he was playing with a standard deck.
I lifted my pillow enough to confirm that Ponyville had stopped singing for the moment, then put it back under my head. Laying in my hammock had stopped being comfortable hours ago, but I had no intention of leaving my wagon for anything but visits to a public restroom. Naturally, upon doing so that morning I'd discovered the roads had finally been cleared. So nice of them to wait until after it would have helped. Can't have Trixie scoring any good luck, no no no, that wouldn't do at all.
It could have been worse. I mean, if the universe was actually going to punish my being petty and spiteful by being petty and spiteful itself, that meant I would get to enjoy a bit of smug superiority when I called it a hypocrite. No doubt this would kick off a cycle of escalation that ended with my wagon burning down, falling over, and being swallowed by a sinkhole, but that was a chance I was willing to take.
Well, that was one good thing about being stuck in Ponyville, anyway. Ponyville was a pretty friendly town, all things considered. No matter how many of them might mistrust me or dislike me, they weren't going to vandalize my wagon on purpose. Freak accident due to a petty, vengeful universe, sure. A pair of slow-witted foals deciding to actually lure an Ursa Minor to the center of town? Also, possible. Honestly, even if I could vanquish an Ursa that still would have been stupid. Why had their parents even let them go out that late? Regardless, at least if something like that happened again I knew a pony who could fix my wagon.
I rolled onto my back so I could glare at the ceiling. I couldn't even go five minutes without thinking about Starlight. Why couldn't she have just been predictable, just once? All she had to do was like Hearth's Warming. How many ponies could there have possibly been who didn't like Hearth's Warming? The worst part was that it was something that, a few moons ago, we'd have had in common. It would have been one more little detail we could have shared and laughed about.
I gritted my teeth and sat up in bed. I was not going to spend all week wallowing. I levitated my notebook out of my trunk and started flicking through pages. If I wasn't going to sleep all day and I wasn't going to be with my friend, then I would go with the next best thing and work on my routine. I fished my pen out from between my trunk and cabinet and chewed the end absently while I skimmed my latest notes. Once the holiday was past, I had work to do. I needed bits and that meant performances. Ponyville was a tough crowd thanks to my history, and it was going to be difficult to live up to the Moonshot Manticore Mouthdive. I'd have to get creative.
Sawing myself in half? A classic, one of the first things anypony thought of when they thought of stage magic. Unfortunately, I didn't have one of the trick boxes on hoof and that one really required an assistant. The rings? A nice warm up but a tad… plain.
When somepony knocked on my door, I almost didn't hear it.
I can get a little bit lost in my work once I get going. I sit down to start planning a trick and the next thing I know, three hours have passed and my wagon is plastered with notes and diagrams. This session was no exception.
I'd started with figuring out how to set my linking rings on fire. I knew a number of alchemical recipes that would ignite on command and burn cool enough to levitate that close to me. The trick was finding one that would stick to the rings and not just drip everywhere. Burning hoops in circus performances were usually wrapped in flammable material, but I needed the rings to look normal and, more importantly, be able to link smoothly.
That had sent me into my alchemy reference guide to look for recipes. Along the way I'd stumbled upon one that would produce different colors of fire with only the change of a single ingredient. That got me thinking of a whole routine where each ring was set up with a different color of fire that I triggered one after the other. From there I started drafting variations for various holidays and events. Lurid greens for Nightmare Night, sunny yellow for the Summer Sun Celebration, pinks and reds for Hearts and Hooves Day…
Then it occurred to me that these sorts of reactions would work just as well on my rope tricks as well. I couldn't teleport things but, if I infused a length of rope with the right potion then I could make it 'vanish' by incinerating it like a fuse lit all at once. I could even color match it to my magic. I'd really go through rope but it would make a great special effect. Instead of simply cutting a rope to make something fall, I could make it go off with a bang! The distraction that provided would let me get away with almost anything while the audience was watching that happen.
The sound of knocking made me pull my nose out of my recipe book. I flicked my ears, uncertain if I'd imagined it or if it had been at my door. A glance at my clock confirmed that I'd gotten well and truly lost in my work (as if the scattered paper wasn't a clue). Doubtless the sun was already down and everypony in town was toasting their friends with mugs of cider and cocoa. That image soured my mood again and I turned by eyes back down to my notes. Perhaps if I etched a groove into the outer rim of the rings--
The knocking came again, louder and unmistakably on my door.
I scowled at the door. I did not like being interrupted while working. With my luck it would be the police ponies deciding that they wanted to search my wagon after all. While it was covered in plans for making explosive rope, because that wouldn't look at all incriminating. I looked around at my scattered notes with just a tiny twinge of the mildest anxiety. Before I could start frantically shoving it all into my trunk, the pony at the door knocked again, and this time they said something.
“Trixie? Are you in there?”
“Starlight?” The word popped out of my mouth before I knew it.
“Uh, can I… talk to you for a minute?”
I had no idea how to handle this. Why had Starlight come to see me? Was she just looking for an escape from the holiday? Was I in trouble for something? I hadn't even done anything yet! Was there something I was supposed to have done? I hadn't announced when I was arriving, let alone made any plans. She'd made it very clear she didn't want to have anything to do with Hearth's Warming so she hadn't come to-
“Trixie?”
“Yes? Yes! Yes, we can, uh, talk.”
“...So, can I come in or…?”
I grimaced and grabbed the door with my magic.
“Oh come on you stupid-!”
“Uh-”
“Not you!”
The door finally unstuck itself, swinging outward violently. A sharp yelp from Starlight made me blanch.
“Horseapples! Are you okay?”
“Eheh… yep! I'm, ugh.” Starlight rubbed her muzzle ruefully. “See? No blood. Somehow.”
The situation was going downhill faster by the moment. I wanted to apologize. I wanted to make sure she wasn't hurt. I wanted to invite her in and offer her something warm to drink.
“Well, don't just stand there. You're letting the cold air in,” is what I actually said.
“Oh, sorry!” she stepped inside then turned around, and lit her horn. Her green aura wrapped around the door and frame. I started to ask what she was doing but my words were drowned out by a loud creaking and scraping of wood and nails. Her magic refocused on the door handle and swung it perfectly closed. “There we go.”
I stared open mouthed for a few seconds after she turned around, then shook my head violently. Of course she knew a spell to fix a sticky door. Why was I even surprised? Luckily, Starlight didn't seem to notice my distraction since she was so busy looking at all of my scattered notes.
“What is all this?”
“Just a few ideas I'm working on.”
“Is that…” she lifted a paper up so she could read it more closely, “exploding rope?”
“That is Trixie's latest invention,” I answered with no small amount of smugness. Starlight grinned.
“Cool! Is it magically triggered or do you have to add a catalyst? Is the infusion shelf stable or will you have to prepare a new batch for every performance?”
Sweet Celestia did I ever like that mare. It took a lot of restraint not to start extolling the genius of my creations right then and there. It helped that I hadn't actually made any of it yet, so I couldn't be 100% sure it would work as planned. It was going to take a lot of hooves-on experimentation before it was ready for showtime.
There was also the part where I still needed to know why she had shown up on my front steps.
“We can discuss my brilliance later.” And we would, at length if I had any say in the matter.
“Oh,” she looked up from my notes. “Right. You're probably wondering why I'm here.”
I tossed my mane and put on my best smirk. “While I could hardly blame you for seeking out my magnificent company for its own sake.” Starlight stifled a laugh that threatened the dishonesty of my smile. “I suppose you probably had some other, more boring reason for stopping by.”
She rubbed her right hoof against her other foreleg and took up a keen interest in the wall. “Well, uh, you see… You remember earlier when I said I planned to kinda ignore Hearth's Warming?” I nodded slowly. “Well… I maaaay have said something about that to Twilight and Spike.”
“They sang at you, didn't they.”
“It was mostly Twilight.” I rolled my eyes. “They were good songs,” Starlight said defensively.
“Songs?” I asked, emphasizing the plural hard. Little Miss Friendship hadn't held back.
“There were a few written into the story. It's not like she came up with them on the spur of the moment. Although, I think she might have ad-libbed a little. Have you heard her 'Pinkie Pie' voice? Never mind. The point is… she, well, convinced me.”
My throat dried up faster than western Equestria in summer. Was she saying what I thought she was saying?
“And I sorta joined in the party.”
No. This was something else. If she'd joined the party then why would she have left it? It wasn't late enough for it to be over. They should still be in full swing, probably dancing or playing games or whatever it is ponies do at those things.
“So,” I said as casually as my bone dry mouth would let me, “why are you here?”
“Well... like I said, I was at the party...”
"Ah, Starlight, there you are, darling!"
Hearth's Warming wasn't so bad, really.
I still felt kinda awkward about the whole thing. I hadn't paid any attention to Hearth's Warming in years, so I was more than a little out of practice. I didn't remember any of the songs anymore, and I'd done basically nothing to contribute to the celebration. Needless to say I hadn't gotten anypony any gifts. Nopony seemed to mind though, so I was having an okay time when I could make myself stop worrying that I was about to mess everything up.
Until I got cornered by Rarity.
“So glad Twilight was able to talk you into joining us. Are you enjoying the festivities?”
“It's, uh,” I looked around. “It's a lot of ponies.”
“Yes, I imagine it's a little overwhelming. You do tend to be a bit of a shut in and, given your… 'history', I can understand that you might be feeling a bit anxious?”
“Maaaybe a little.” I smiled. Or, I tried to, anyway. It didn't feel very convincing. “Don't get me wrong, everypony is being great but...” Rarity smiled back. Hers looked much more genuine than mine felt.
“It's your first year here with us, darling. Of course you're going to feel out of place. Why, you should have seen Fluttershy her first year in Ponyville. Poor dear had to be dragged in by Rainbow Dash.”
“Well, Twilight had to do the same to me, so...”
“I wasn't speaking metaphorically.”
“Ouch. That bad, huh?”
“Dreadful. Until she calmed down, anyway. Now, speaking of newcomers, I happened to notice Trixie's wagon on my way to the castle.”
“Yeah, she arrived yesterday.”
“I see.” Rarity gave me a look that gave me the feeling she hadn't actually come over just to check on me. “Why, pray tell, is she not here?”
“Wait, you want her here? I thought nopony liked her but me? I mean, the way Twilight talks about her--”
“Nonsense! This is Hearth's Warming. Whatever issues I or anypony else might have with her, she is still your friend. So.” She drew herself up, and looked me straight in the eye, her expression hard. “Why is she not here?”
“She, uh, doesn't like Hearth's Warming?” I tried. “I mean, that's what she told me.”
“So you did invite her then?”
“Er-”
“I thought not.” She sighed and shook her head. “Darling, Trixie dragged her wagon all the way here through the snow and freezing cold just to be here. I know it wasn't a planned visit because, and don't take this the wrong way, you haven't been talking about it for a week.” I felt myself go very hot in the face when she pointed that out. I get… enthusiastic sometimes.
“But-”
“I'm not finished. Now, when she told you her Hearth's Warming plans, did anything seem amiss?”
“Like what?”
“A raised voice, an air of surprise, perhaps a note of panic?”
“Um, well...”
“Do you think, perhaps, she might have been hoping for an invitation?” Rarity was looking at me like she was trying to bore holes through my head with her eyes. I was starting to feel a little queasy when I thought back on the conversation. High pitched voice, talking fast, shifty eyes…
Oh no.
Rarity finally broke eye contact and turned her attention to a table full of various drinks and cupcakes.
“Don't forget your scarf, darling. It's rather cold this evening.”
I didn't know what to say to Starlight's story.
I'd hardly said two words to Rarity outside of the time I mangled her hair when she and her friends decided to heckle me at my very first performance in town. Not that I was still bitter about that. At all.
I needed to say something. She'd left the party to come get me. To come invite me to her Hearth's Warming celebration. This was what I'd come to town for. This is what I'd been hoping for since I'd seen the first store putting up Hearth's Warming decorations far, far too early. I needed to say something, quickly. Something thoughtful and meaningful.
“You forgot your scarf.”
...There are times when I really hate myself.
How to make friends and influence ponies under minor duress.
Despite the best efforts of my traitorous mouth, Starlight didn't withdraw the invitation.
She did give me a 'look' involving a raised eyebrow, but it was far from the worst 'look' I've had aimed at me. I told her I'd be right behind her, and urged her out of my wagon. If I was going to do this, I was going to do this. I rummaged around in my trunk until I found the (slightly battered) gift I'd thrown into it the day before, and tucked it into the largest of the hidden pockets in my hat before I rushed out the door to catch up.
As it turned out she hadn't bothered to go on ahead and was waiting for me. Together, we set off at a brisk trot towards the castle.
With every clop of our hooves on the hard-packed dirt my anxiety rose higher. The castle. Twilight's castle. Castle of one of the four alicorn princesses of Equestria, who held political and magical power that was unmatched by anypony other than Discord. Well, on the magical front, anyway. I don't think Discord dabbles in politics. Although, honestly, there were some cities where I'm not sure anypony would notice the difference if he ever did.
It figured that Starlight would be the personal student of the one alicorn princess that I'd personally offended. Twice. Or thrice. Bakers dozen at most. To be fair, I wasn't trying to offend her every time. Technically.
The rest of her friends were a concern as well. Rarity sounded like she'd buried the hatchet enough to not make a scene, but what about the others? The little dragon definitely hated me. He'd egged his friends on in the heckling, literally begging Little Miss Friendship to try to show me up. The one I'd tied up or the one I'd spun out or that pink one that bounced a lot? I had no idea. The yellow pegasus, Fluttershy? Even less of an idea. I'd only learned her name because of a specific question I'd asked after the 'incident'.
I stopped at the base of the stairs leading up to the door. The castle seemed so much bigger than the last time I was there. And darker. And more jagged. And full of danger. Starlight made it halfway up before she noticed I wasn't following her.
“Trixie?”
“This is a mistake.” I wasn't talking to her, not really. I'm not sure who I was talking to.
“Trixie, it'll be fine.”
“They hate me.”
“Oh, they hate everypony who tries to enslave them at first. They get over it.” Starlight's smile was a little nervous. “Mostly.”
“Not helping!”
“Sorry. Look, Trixie, if you really don't want to come I won't make you but…” She pawed at the stairs a little. “I'd really like it if you did. And, and if you're not welcome then… then I'm not welcome either!”
“Starlight-”
“No, I mean it!” She stomped her hoof on the crystal step with a snow muffled clop. “You're my friend and I'm not going to have you left out.”
I looked up at the looming spires of the castle. Twilight was in there along with all her little minions. The slightest show of weakness, even just one hoof out of line, and they'd pounce, I was sure of it. I'd been in such a rush that I only had the hoofful of smoke bombs that I kept tucked into the lining of my hat. And the other hoofful in my mane. My police check-ins got a lot more complicated when I forgot to leave those in my wagon.
...But wouldn't it be just wonderful if I could manage to pull off a normal evening right under Little Miss Friendship's nose? Oh, I bet that would just burn her, to watch me at her party, with her student-
No.
I was not going to turn this into another feud with Twilight. Not this time. This was for Starlight, for me, not her. I'd made that mistake once already, and it had nearly cost me the best thing that had happened to me in years. Never again.
“Alright,” I said. I started up the stairs with muzzle held high. “But only because you asked so nicely.”
I was mostly worrying for nothing, as it turned out. Starlight hadn't been kidding when she said half of Ponyville was taking part. I don't think anypony even really noticed us coming in. It probably helped that I didn't announce myself with fireworks. Or loud bragging. Or dark magic.
Starlight lead me to the heavily laden snack tables, insisting that I had to try the cider. There were several large barrels of it on offer, all being overseen by a hulking, red, wall of a stallion wearing a sturdy yoke.
“Applejack's family makes it. Everypony in town is crazy about it. You should see how worked up Rainbow got earlier...”
It was good. Very good. Good enough that I was mildly perturbed when the red behemoth answered my request for a second mug with an emphatic “Nnnope!”
“Sorry, one mug each,” Starlight said as she dragged me away from the cider table with her magic. “Apparently there are supply issues. The punch is pretty good though.”
“Ugh. Fine. Now put me down.”
The punch was… acceptable. Enough for a few glasses worth, anyway. I shot a few looks at the cider stallion while I drank it down, idly wondering just what it'd take to get him to look away from the barrels for a few minutes. The dessert table got my mind off cider for a while. I was always wary of buying anything but raw ingredients in Ponyville. Given my history, I wouldn't be shocked if somepony I'd particularly victimized decided to do some... 'tampering' to punish me.
“Pretty good stuff, huh? A lot of it's from Sugarcube Corner. Mr. and Mrs. Cake make some fantastic cakes. So does Pinkie… usually. I wouldn't eat the yellowish-green ones if I were you. I like pickles as much as the next pony, but in cupcake form? Not so much.”
Starlight and I basically spent most of the evening that way. Sampling the various foods and drinks, talking about magic and stage magic and whatever else came up. I saw her of course. And her friends. Every so often Starlight would break away for a moment to speak to one of them. When she did I'd hang back and make a point of being very interested in something else. Each time this played out she'd give me this disappointed look. Not a 'look', just a glance with a twinge of some kind of unhappiness that I wasn't making friends. Perhaps someday I'd humor her. Someday when I could look at them without gut wrenching guilt.
“Come on,” she urged after the fourth time this happened. “Isn't there anything you want to say to anypony?”
“No.”
“You can't just avoid them forever. They're my friends. Sooner or later you'll have to interact with them. I can't just pretend they don't exist every time we hang out.” I glowered at my half empty glass of punch. “Just one of them? It doesn't have to be Twilight.”
I sighed. “Fiiiine.”
Starlight beamed. “Great! I know just-”
“But I'm picking!” Her smile faltered.
“Uh-” I ignored her and scanned the room. I did have something to say to one of them. Something other than ashen-flavored apologies, anyway. She was a little hard to spot, tucked away into a quiet corner well away from the main throng of ponies, like she was trying to be unnoticed.
“Her.”
Starlight followed my gaze and tilted her head in confusion. “Fluttershy? Why-?”
I was already moving. I weaved through the crowd with Starlight right on my tail, and punch still firmly in aura. I'd already rehearsed what I was going to say to her when I finally had this conversation. I wrote it out moons earlier, before I'd even met Starlight. Back then I wasn't sure I'd ever actually get the chance to say it. Now that the opportunity (or obligation) had arrived, I could finally get it done.
She didn't notice our approach until we were already in speaking distance. Up until then she'd been too busy watching the rainbow one talking with the one I'd tied up, and a group of fillies I only vaguely recognized.
“Oh, um, hello Starlight and, um… Trixie.”
“Hey, Fluttershy,” Starlight said. “Sorry to bother you but apparently-”
“Trixie has something she wishes to say to you,” I interrupted.
“Oh! Um, okay? If that's what you want.” It was hard to believe how quiet this mare was. To think that she was the one to pull it off. That I owed it to somepony that unassuming. I took a deep breath.
“Thank you.”
She stared at me with those big, blue-green eyes like she had no idea what I was talking about. Perhaps not unexpected, given the circumstances.
“Um… you're welcome?” she ventured. “...For what?”
“For escaping Ponyville and telling Princess Twilight what she needed to know to stop me.”
Comprehension dawned. “Oh! Oh, it was really no trouble. I mean, I was terrified the whole time and I thought for certain you were going to catch me but, um, it wasn't that bad. I should thank you, too.”
It was my turn to stare. “...What?”
“For letting my beaver friends though the barrier. I know you wouldn't have done it if you knew I was in the log, but it really was very nice of you to let them out when you thought they were just innocent little animals going about their business.”
“Wait, you were in that log? That's how you got out?”
“Yes. It was a little bit of a tight fit, but, er-”
I stared, open mouthed. I had assumed she'd used some hidden exit I didn't know about. Or that some unicorn had been able to find a weakness in my barrier and slip her through. Instead, she'd gotten me to just let her out. No magic, no spells, just good old fashioned guile.
Maybe Starlight's other friends weren't so bad after all.
“Oh, um-” Fluttershy looked pretty confused now. Her eyes were going back and forth between Starlight and I, as though asking her for help.
“Trixie? Are you okay?” Starlight asked.
I shook myself lightly and fixed my stage-face back where it belonged. “Trixie is tired now. She believes she will take her leave. Happy Hearth's Warming.”
“Um, happy Hearth's Warming,” Fluttershy called after my already retreating tail. I just caught her and Starlight exchanging some quick words that I couldn't quite make out before Starlight trotted back up beside me.
I could feel her eyes on me.
“Should I ask, or…?”
“Nothing important. I was just taking care of an old issue from a previous visit.”
“Isn't that what you said about visiting the police yesterday?”
My next step landed crooked. “Er-”
“Actually, I think that's exactly what you said about visiting the police yesterday. Word for word.”
And that is the downside of rehearsing.
“I think I'll call it an evening,” I said. It came out harsher and more abrupt than I'd expected.
“Wait!” Starlight hurried to get in front of me and held out a hoof. “I'm sorry, I won't pry. Just… you don't have to go yet, do you?” I shot a glance at the crowd of happy ponies. The way they were starting to sort themselves out and gather together said 'song incoming'.
“I think I've had enough of the party.” Starlight's look of anxiety got more pronounced.
“But that doesn't mean you have to go! We could, uh, take a tour of the castle?”
I snorted. “Yeah, let's just wrap ourselves in the glory of Princess Twilight's royal estate.”
“She doesn't live in all of it! I have my own room. And my own study!”
I was about to make some snarky comment to that. I'm not sure what. Something about how obvious it was that a 'student' would have a 'study'. I'd have made it work. But first I shook my head, which shook my hat, which made it slip when the object inside shifted a little in its pocket.
I had unfinished business. An unfinished plan.
“Alright.”
“Wait, seriously?”
“You may show me around,” I affirmed, casually adjusting my hat back where it was meant to be. Starlight's grin came back full force.
“Great! I won't show you everything. This place is a lot bigger than it looks from outside and, well, you've seen one broom closet you've seen them all. Seriously, Twilight has the contents itemized. There's an inventory checklist on the wall inside each one, and they're all the same...”
“You know, Starlight, under different circumstances, I would ask how you manage to navigate this place.”
“Uh-huh.”
“I mean, it's such a big castle.”
“Yep.”
“And all of it looks the same.”
“Yes it does.”
“So, I'd imagine that you'd have some clever trick or system for making sure you know where you are.” I sighed heavily when we rounded a corner and saw yet another row of identically green doors. “I didn't think the system would be 'start walking and hope you get lucky'.”
“I swear it's on this floor,” Starlight insisted. She pulled open and promptly closed a door to what looked like a bathroom. “I know it is. It has to be.”
“You're only saying that because we've checked all the others.”
“Actually we haven't. There's another two levels on the main tower. I think. And the basements. I swear to Celestia this place is rearranging itself when I'm not looking.”
“Pft! It's just a castle.”
“Not really. According to Twilight this whole thing grew from a crystal chest that sprouted from the roots of the Tree of Harmony, then flew over to Ponyville on a rainbow, planted itself in the ground and sprouted up in less than a minute.”
“What?”
“Ahah!” Starlight threw open a final door to a bedroom. “Finally! I thought that last bathroom looked familiar.”
“This place grew? How does a castle grow?”
“Magic?” Starlight offered. “I wasn't there. That whole thing happened before I even met Twilight. There's still a lot I don't know about Ponyville. I maaay not be getting out as much as I'm supposed to,” she added sheepishly.
“When I'm here I usually only leave my wagon to work, to buy food or to spend time with you. The spa visit was a spur of the moment thing.”
A moment of slightly awkward silence followed which Starlight mercifully broke.
“So! This is my room. It's, uh… a room.” She wasn't wrong. “A bedroom.” Again, accurate. I could see the bed. “And, er-” Okay, that was enough of that. Time to intervene.
“Starlight?”
She turned eagerly, relief written all over her face. “Yes?”
I levitated my hat off and pulled the small, blue-and-snowflake wrapped box from within. I stuck it out a bit too close to her muzzle.
“Happy Hearth's Warming.”
Starlight stared at the gift in bewilderment. Her horn stayed conspicuously unlit.
“You,” she began, voice oddly flat. “You got me a present?” I ignored the bead of sweat that decided this was a wonderful time to take a trip down the side of my face. I kept my hooves planted and tried not to flick my tail visibly while I waited. And waited. And waited.
After far too long, she charged her horn and took hold of the box instead. Slowly, methodically, she undid the bow, unfolded the wrapping paper, and set both aside. She took a deep breath and pulled the top half of the flat, white box off.
“...Are these--?”
“Vouchers for a full course of treatments at the Ponyville Day Spa?” I asked excitedly. “As a matter of fact, yes!” My new smile faltered when her expression registered in my brain.
Starlight wasn't smiling.
She was cringing.
“Starlight?” She turned away, present still held in her magic as she walked across the room and sat down on the floor. This wasn't how she was supposed to react. She was supposed to be happy. Ponies were supposed to like getting gifts. I knew Starlight liked the spa because she'd told me that herself when we'd first met there. Why wouldn't she like a free visit? What had I done wrong?
“Don't you like it?” I asked. She winced.
“I… it's great, Trixie. Really, it's great.”
“You've got a funny way of looking grateful then,” I snapped. “I went out of my way to do something nice and-” Starlight flinched harder than ever. “Starlight, what's going on?” She looked over her withers, and all at once her face was a mask of rage.
“What's going on!?” she snapped. “You hauled your wagon all the way to Ponyville in the snow. You bought me a great gift. You even tried to make peace with one of my other friends! And all I did was- was-!” She looked away and slumped forward. The anger drained out of her along with her magic, letting the present drop onto the floor next to her. “...was give you a lousy tour.”
Plan B it was. Quickly. I started to walk across the room towards her.
“It wasn't that bad,” I said. “It was pretty funny when all those brooms fell on you.”
“Gee. Thanks. I feel sooo much better now.”
Stupid mouth! Stupid stupid stupid--!
“What I mean is… thanks.” I stopped next to her and sat down a hoof or two to her right. Starlight looked up. “For inviting me to the party, and for…” Her dresser had some very interesting workmareship now that I gave it my undivided attention. “...not letting me chicken out or ruin it.”
“I should have invited you weeks ago,” she countered. “I should have gotten you something.” There it was. Time for the final gambit.
“You still can.”
“It's kinda too late to go shopping. I'm pretty sure most of the shopkeepers in Ponyville are downstairs right now.”
“Well… I am rather fond of some of the local businesses, one of them in particular. You might have heard of it. The Ponyville Day Spa? And, well, I couldn't help but notice that you have an extra voucher on your hooves...”
She blinked at me. Her eyes darted down to the pair of vouchers on the floor then back up to my face. I raised an eyebrow and flashed her a lopsided smile.
Come on... come on…
The vouchers floated off the floor in a pale green aura, one of them drifting over towards me. Starlight smiled hesitantly. “You… wanna go to the spa with me?”
Victory!
“Well..." I took hold of the voucher. "If you're offering.”
“Happy Hearth's Warming?”
I grinned and gave her shoulder a playful bump with my hoof. “Happy Hearth's Warming.”
She hesitated a moment, then leaned across and threw her foreleg around me and pulled me into a tight hug and… nuzzle. Heat immediately flooded my cheeks. Sweet Celestia, what if somepony walked in on us? The two of us, sitting on the floor in Starlight's bedroom, on Hearth's Warming Eve, hugging and nuzzling? I'd never live it down. I'd be the Soft and Sentimental Trixie! The... Huggy and Nuzzly Trixie! Little Miss Friendship would have a field day!
...But, on the other hoof, Starlight Glimmer.
I put my own foreleg around her and, a little awkwardly, nuzzled back.
