My Little Pony-Friendship is Magic
The Romancing Quest
By Doctor Scraps
Disclaimer: My Little Pony- Friendship is Magic is property of Hasbro and all affiliated parties involved, and the author claims no rights to any characters, settings, or events. This story was written for entertainment purposes only.
A/N: In this weeks amazing installment, we get a little bit of perspective on Trixie as a character, something I don't see often enough. Enjoy.
…
Chapter 10
…
Two weeks had passed since the big race had come and gone. Life in Ponyville had almost instantly returned to normal the following day. Such as it was in Ponyville. Life remained, ultimately, unchanged, with the exception of Big Macintosh spending most of his evenings over at Twilights library.
Applebloom didn't mind that her big brother was going out more and more with his mare friend. It made her very happy. However, she and the other Cutie Mark Crusaders had sulked for a good three days that an entire week of helping Macintosh train had not rewarded them with their Personal Trainer Cutie Marks.
"So what do we wanna try next?" Applebloom asked as she stared at the ceiling of the Cutie Mark Crusader Secret Headquarters Base Of Operations (translation: Applejacks old tree house located near Sweet Apple Acres). The three of them lay out in a circle, in differing states of bored.
Sweetie Belle rolled over onto her stomach, and used her horn to, just as lazily, drag a piece of parchment towards her, unfurling it just so. "…Well…There's always English Majors."
Scootaloo and Applebloom exchanged looks, rolling over to look questioningly at Sweetie Belle.
"…I…just started writing things…"
Scootaloo rolled her eyes and turned to Applebloom again. "…So, How's it like havin' Twilight as a sister-in-law?"
"They ain't tied the knot yet." Applebloom corrected. "They need to be dating at least three weeks before we start talkin' bout marriage."
Sweetie Belle sighed. "I wish I had a colt friend."
Scootaloo stuck her tongue out. "Boys are icky…No offense, Applebloom."
"None taken. I concur that mah brother does indeed stink to high Equestria." Applebloom nodded affirmatively. Suddenly, a light bulb flashed over her head. "Hey! I know! We should try and pair up other ponies!"
"I got yelled at for last time…" Scootaloo huffed. "…And you got grounded up till Macintosh asked for our help."
"But it worked, right?" Applebloom sat up, tucking her legs underneath her. "We could be onto something with this. We just need to be more sneaky."
"Sneaky like Ninja!" Sweetie Belle punched a hoof into the air.
"…Seriously, let's just try for our Ninja Cutie Marks…" Scootaloo flopped onto her back.
…
Big Macintosh both enjoyed and hated the off-season down on the farm. It gave him a brief window to relax and smell the roses, but it also meant he didn't have a whole lot to do until the autumn started to show itself and the first crop began. However, just because it was the off-season, didn't mean the work stopped altogether. There was still the fruit stand to run, one of their chief sources of income. However when you have no fruit to sell, you have to buy from a supplier, and in those cases Sweet Apple Acres bought directly from Canterlot Orchards, run by close friends of the family.
"Ah hate dealin' with these curmudgeony sticks in the mud." Applejack snorted as she trotted alongside Macintosh as he pulled the wagon up the cobblestone streets of Canterlots market, the stones white and polished, like the rest of the buildings that surrounded them, only the presence of the occasional ornamental shrub to give the place any sort of natural feel. "Condescendin', no good crooks, shortin' me last year and chargin' me a whole crate at full price! Why, if gramps was still kickin', he'd have a few choice words to…"
"We're here." Macintosh interrupted his sisters grumbling as he parked the wagon on the curb outside the Canterlot Orchards storefront.
Applejack straightened her mane and practiced smiling pleasantly, and talking very politely. She then sighed and looked to her brother. "Alright, this is probably gonna be a tick while ah butter these old coots up some. Yah gonna be alright by yerself?"
"I'll just stretch my legs, maybe go get a coffee." Macintosh shrugged. "Try not to start any farm feuds."
"Whyever would mah own brother think of little ol' me like that?" Applejack sashayed up the steps into the store, swishing her tail to and thro.
…
It was already around noon when Trixie bothered to look at the clock. Time had just sort of blended in together the last few days. Her ire at losing the race was long gone, but so was her motivation. Since the race she had had one gig at a fundraiser for the School for Unflighty Pegasus , so she could at the very least afford to eat for another few weeks. Speaking of food, she was hungry, and her ice box was full of condiments, but nothing really to eat. Her stomach echoed an irate sentiment.
If she was going to go out, she needed to not look so disheveled. Her mane was a fright and her coat needed a good long brushing, definitely not presentable, but a quick washing of her face would have to suffice. She got impatient when she was hungry.
Before she left, she made sure to poise herself, preparing a lazy-yet-important sway.
…
The market district of Canterlot was one of the few places in the city that Big Macintosh new much of anything about. He liked it better than a good deal of the rest of the city, as it maintained a sort of old-world charm, married into the high and fancy white and gold that surrounded it. Everything, or almost everything, had a worn, scuffed up look to it. Like the ponies there actually put their hooves on it.
The open air market was also a joy. So many vendors selling all kinds of wares. It was good for him to see how they did business outside of Ponyville. And so many ponies. Macintosh could just park himself on a bench and listen to the market chatter.
"…Pardon me, but are these pinecones fresh?"
"Why yes they are ma'am, fresh from the tree yesterday!"
"Hmm…They're a little flakier than the Great and Powerful Trixie likes them…Do you anything with thicker flakes?"
Macintosh opened an eye, and craned his head to glance behind him. He'd recognize that flank anywhere. He certainly spent enough time staring at it during the race…
"No? Oh very well…I shall make do. Here you go, sir." Trixie fished out the bits from her saddlebag, and accepted the paper bag filled with pinecones.
"Thanks, Trixie. See you next time." The merchant nodded with a smile. This would be perhaps the first time Macintosh had ever seen or heard Trixie use a tone on a level other than "braggart".
"…Morning, ma'am." Macintosh found himself greeting her as she passed, only now realizing he was even there.
Trixie jumped a little at the sudden confrontation, her expression quickly darkening when she saw him. "Mister Macintosh…"
"Fancy seein' you here." Macintosh said, keeping an even tone. Looking neither incensed or pleased to see her.
"Likewise, I'm certain. I live here. Not sure about your excuse…If you'll excuse me." Trixie took the paper bag between her teeth and trotted off.
As he watched her go, he knew he had absolutely nothing to really say to her. He knew they were two entirely separate entities. Maybe it was Twilight starting to rub off on him.
"Hey…No hard feelins', right?" He asked. Trixie stopped dead in her tracks. She glanced back, slipping the bag into her saddle.
"Oh…Absolutely not, Mister Macintosh…You won, fair and square. To the victor goes the prize. That was the agreement, was it not?" The way she spoke told Macintosh that she was thinking of very mean things that she would have rather said.
Macintosh sighed. "Yeah…yeah it was. Twilight was a little worried when you didn't show up at the end."
"Well, I was a little busy digging myself out of the mud." Trixie said tartly. "After I finally wiggled myself free, I wasn't necessarily feeling like appearing before a crowd. I'm sure Twilight will understand. Why she would be worried about me at all, now there's a question. Good day, Mister Macintosh."
-flashback…three days ago-
It was a lazy afternoon, where Twilight Sparkle found some time to do a little bit of independent study, in which she found herself sitting on her window alcove with a book of crypto zoology, amusing herself with the legends of things like the Calfthulu and Slenderpony. The reading served a dual purpose. Trixie had been on her mind even more so the farther they got away from the day of the race. Reading took her mind off her.
Trixie had removed herself, no doubt returning to her life in Canterlot. Or at the very leasy, by Celestia's mane she hoped so. As irritating and self-serving as she was, Twilight found herself missing her.
"…I…Wanted to at least tell her we could still be friends…I didn't want her to just leave like she'd been exiled…" Twilight had confessed, while Macintosh looked up from where he had been engrossed in an adventure novel of his own.
"I reckon some people just ain't wired in that way, hun." Macintosh propped his chin on a hoof, glancing her way. "I guess for some, when you want to be with someone and they just wanna be buds, they take it as kind of an insult."
Twilight lowered her gaze from her book, staring at the space between her hooves. For a long time, she pondered. She never intended to hurt anyone, and yet she had driven a sharp wedge between her and the very one she had tried to get closest to in the course of it…As she mulled it over, she felt the weight of Big Macintosh as he crawled up into the alcove and wrapped his forelegs around her, pulling her close.
"…And that was when the little Wizard What Could pondered to herself, that she ought go find the bad tempered one…" He nuzzled the back of her neck. "I know that look, hun…"
Twilight leaned against him, putting a hoof over his. "…I wouldn't even know what to say, Mac…"
…
Trixie had gotten maybe a ways down the street before Macintosh caught up with her.
"Listen, I know you don't care none for me, and I don't care much for you either, but there was something' I wanted to tell ya if'n I ever crossed paths with you." Macinotsh said, keeping pace with her when she quickened her trot.
"And I have absolutely no intention of hearing you out, so please save your breath." Trixie cooed mockingly. "Can't you just be content in your victory and be done with it?"
"It's not about me, Trixie. It's about Twilight."
"Oh really?" Trixie stopped and faced Macintosh, causing the larger horse to back up some. "Has she been all weepy that I didn't come to wish her a wonderful life with you? Or was she just upset I didn't grant everyone an eyeful of the once great and powerful Trixie after crawling around in the mud? I'm sure all of Ponyville wanted to get a good look at me disgraced and defeated, twice, in their township! "
Macintosh narrowed his eyes some. "Sheesh, were you born this nasty or was this something you had to work at?"
Trixie huffed and spun around, flicking Macintosh with her tail. "In my line of work, if you don't learn how to put the Neigh-Sayers down, you're just inviting yourself to be walked on…I let my guard down with Twilight, and I let her walk on me while she walked to you."
"You know well that's not how it went. She told me what happened, you pushed her away."
"Do you blame me for being skeptical?" Trixie snorted, her temper starting to show. "Were you there the first time?" She began doing a squeaky voiced impersonation that might have been Rarity. "Oh what a braggart she is! She needs to learn some humility! Hurr hurr hurr!"
"Well, maybe if you hadn't been playing yourself all high and mighty-" Macintosh started.
"I'M AN ENTERTAINER, YOU IGNORANT PUTZ!" Trixie roared, getting right back in Macintosh's face. "IT'S HOW I MAKE MY LIVING!"
Macintosh could only blink. Trixie wasn't quite finished.
"Let me lay it out for you simple-like, dear…I have to deal with all manners of Ponies in my line of work. The ponies who are easily impressed, right up to the ponies who like to stand in the front row and be snide! When ponies get snide, you put them on the spot, and make it part of the act. Like with your oh so brilliant sister and her compatriots. IT'S A VERY COMMON PRACTICE!"
Macintosh shook his head and get the ringing out of his ears while Trixie huffed and puffed.
"Well, be that as it may, you dug your own grave with that fancy schmancy story about the Ursa-whatsit." Macintosh said whilst rubbing an ear.
"OH YES, let's go back to that, shall we?" Trixie stamped her hooves. "So what if I took one of my mothers bedtime stories and put it to use in my act? Ponies happen to LIKE that story, it brings crowds!"
"That's cause they think you actually did all that!" Macintosh yelled.
"WELL IF YOU WILL EXCUSE ME THAT YOUR LOCAL IDIOT BRIGADE CAN'T DIFFERENTIATE A CHARACTER PIECE TO REAL LIFE!" Trixie shrieked, her mane exploding into flickering blue flames.
Macintosh backpedaled some and fell on his flank as Trixie glared daggers and axes.
"…Look…a'ight…We're not getting' anywhere with this…Just give me a minute to talk to you…civilly-like, and then…whatever happens after that, fine…you won't have to see hide or hair of me again. Savvy?"
"…Make…It…Quick. I'm hungry, and I want to go home and eat my pinecones." Every verb was punctuated with a heated venom grinded behind clenched teeth that made Macintosh wince each time it was struck.
…
"I…I'm sorry…?" Fluttershy stood on her doorstep, looking down at the inquisitive eyes of the Cutie Mark Crusaders.
"Ah SAID…" Applebloom put her hooves around her mouth to make a makeshift megaphone. "Are. You. Dating. Anyone?"
"This is not sneaky like Ninja." Sweetie Belle sighed and kicked a hoof, knowing she was destined for another earful from Rarity.
"Um…Girls…" Fluttershy did her best to keep herself composed despite the embarrassing question. "You…Really shouldn't be going around and asking people about that sort of thing…It's very uncomfortable.., you see. But…No, no I'm not dating anyone…"
"but why not, Fluttershy?" Scootaloo asked. "You're a very pretty pony."
Fluttershy's face turned bright red, feeling herself whither. "Um…Thank you, but…I..Just don't really have anyone I'm interested in. Right now."
"What about Rainbow Dash? You seem to like her a lot." Sweetie Belle said, recalling many instances in the past. "Even Pinkie Pie."
"Oh…Yes, well…That's…Different…Me and Rainbow Dash…We don't…You see, me and her don't like the same things…I mean, I would love to be with her, yes, but…She isn't…I mean…She's…" Each word brought her into a curled up position on her doorstep, wings attempting to form some sort of protective barrier to hide her embarassment.
It was about that time that Rainbow Dash herself arrived, diving out of the air, doing a few impressive loops, before skidding to a halt in front of the Crusaders.
"Well, if it isn't everyone's favorite achievers!" Rainbow Dash said brightly. "You're not causing trouble for Fluttershy are ya? There's no Cutie Mark for that!"
"Rainbow Dash!" Scootaloo hopped up and down. "No ma'am! We would never bother Flutershy! We were just-MPPH!" Applebloom tackled Scootaloo, shoving a hoof in her mouth.
"We were just leavin'! Yeah! We got a lot of…Cutie Mark Associated Things…that need…doing…and stuff! C'mon Sweetie Belle!"
…
As the Crusaders took their leave, dragging Scootaloo with them, Rainbow Dash raised a curious brow before shrugging and looking to Fluttershy.
"What's gotten into you? You ready to help me out with that new trick?" She asked.
"I…Yes…Let's go…" Fluttershy scuttled along, still curled up into a tortoise-like defensive shell.
…
"…My mother and father were both well distinguished scholars at the academy…" Trixie poured a cup of tea and nudged it towards Macintosh as they sat across from each other at Trixie's little kitchen table. Trixie's temper had run cold after listening to what Macintosh had had to say. "They both had high hopes for me and my brothers, that we would rise to distinction ourselves at the royal academy for gifted Unicorns…"
She nodded to several photographs she had on her walls, of a couple no doubt her parents, two proud looking Ponies, standing outside the academy. Her glow began to glow as she manipulated a spoon to stir her own cup. "…Well, life sometimes has a funny way of working…My Cutie Mark arrived when I was ten. A magic wand. The same as my Grandfather…The Amazing Mr. Hat…"
"…Wha…?" Macintosh tilted his head wearing an expression of incredularity. "The Amazing Mr. Hat…The pony that sawed Princess Celestia in half…"
"The very one. He was a remarkable pony, and well versed in the art of stage magic…and my mother and fathers bane…They were embarrassed to be associated with someone who's special talent was trickery and illusion…So much more that it broke their hearts when their little girl was destined to follow in his path. It made life more than a little awkward until I finally left home for the academy. "
"Well, I see you have yer certificate…So I reckon you finished schoolin'." Mac nodded to the framed certificate, signed by Celestia herself.
"Indeed…But by then, I had all I could take of conventional magic and the theories and practices behind it…I was a rebellious little filly then. I wanted to live up to my destiny, not my parents expectations…I became my grandfathers assistant…Back then, I was simply known as the Fabulous Trixie. You know…motioning to things, being sawn in half, being the guinea pig for all the trickery, wearing ridiculous outfits…
"We toured Equestria for several years. I would dare say they were the happiest years of my life. But…My grandfather Hat was very old, way before I joined him. His health had never been perfect, but he had been a master at hiding his ailments behind that…Bravado. That…Overwhelming charisma…It was something I deeply admired about him…Even when my mother accused him of being a charlatan to his face, he refused to let things get to him…
"Inevitably…He passed. In his will, he left his carriage, his steamer trunk of tricks, his books…all to me. He wanted me to carry on with my destiny."
"So, when did you become the Great and Powerful name?" Macintosh asked.
"…Being an entertainer is a difficult road to trot, Mr. Macintosh…" Trixie took a long sing of her tea. "You have to strive to impress, or people don't book you. And there's always ponies more than willing to play dirty to rip the red carpet from underneath you…I did little venues here and there, but I didn't achieve real work until I took my show to Manehattan for the All Wide Magicians Competition. A show of skill, and pizzazz. Well…I was scheduled number 26. And there was one other girl…A real piece of work, went for shock value to get a rise out of her audience. Tasteless…Heh, anyway, she didn't like me from the word go, even less when I got the spot and she was turned down for the competition…And she rigged it so I got locked in a broom closet so she could take over my spot."
"Bow howdy."
"Indeed. Well, this was one of those situations were being accustomed to being stuffed in a container and made to disappear came in handy…But I waited, for just the right moment. I watched from hiding as the little rat made claim that I had fallen ill, and that she would be taking my place. Well…She started with a headline act, rather than starting small…the barrel and swords. Quaint. She called one of the ponies from the audience to be the one to shove swords into the barrel while she crawled inside, and made yelping noises, well under the barrel from a trap door."
"And then?"
"It got deathly silent after the fourth sword, and everyone got worried when the barrel stopped wiggling. When the nervous pony assistant opened the lid, out I sprang, in all my glory, and directed the audiences attention to my rival, whom I now had tangled in the cables over the stage, frantically scrambling to untable herself, proclaiming that THAT was why you never mess with the Grrrreat and Powerrrrful Trrrrixie!" Trixie said in her typical vibrance. "…And thus, the name stuck."
"So that's how it happened." Macintosh nodded.
"Mm hmm…After that, it didn't take much to get jobs in and around Manehattan…Fillydelphia…Even Canterlot. I perfected the act, turning the tables on those who would try to disarm and disrupt me…So you might be wondering why the Ursa Major story…"
"It had crossed my mind."
"My Mother used to tell us foals a story about a little girl who got lost in the woods and encountered a fearsome bear, and escaped it by tricking it with her magic. I had a trick in my arsenal, where I would do light shows to tell a story, and at an affair, I did the story of the girl and the bear…One of the audience members asked me if it was a true story, and…well, not being the one to turn down a good bid to sell seats, I said yes…From there, the story became a regular part of my act, and as all stories do, it evolved, and the more fancy and impressive the light show became. I saw the mention of an Ursa Major in one of my grandfathers books, so…why not?"
…
Macintosh and Trixie talked for a good stretch longer, whatever animosity that may have been there between the two had vanished. Eventually, Macintosh figured it was time to return to his sister before she decided to turn Canterlot on it's backside looking for him.
"…So, you gonna consider what I told you about?" Macintosh asked as they stood on her doorstep.
Trixie sighed some. "…Give me a few days, Mr. Macintosh. If…What you say is so…I need to do some serious thinking, put some things in perspective…"
"You take your time. I'll be waitin'." Macintosh, for the first time, actually smiled at Trixie, who bade him a slight smile of her own.
"Goodbye, Mr. Macintosh."
…
Applejack was furious when Macintosh finally found her fuming at the applecart outside the storefront."Well, well, look who finally decided to crawl out of the woodwork!" She growled.
"Got caught up elsewhere. Mighty sorry 'bout that, sis." Macintosh hooked himself up to the cart, filled with a few dozen crates of apples bought to sustain the farm until the harvest came.
Applejack huffed and nudged him to "get at traffic", the cart creaking as they made their way down the flagstone streets of Canterlot for the long road home.
"What were you doin', anyways?"
"Ran into someone I had some business with."
"Eh? Who in…Oh no you didn't…You muttonhead, ah tolds ya to let sleepin' dogs lie!"
"Wasn't like that, AJ."
"Well, what happened? You buck her one or something'?"
"Nope."
"You even gonna give me a proper answer?"
"Nope."
"Gah…Was ah some sort of devil demon dragon to deserve such a knot headed brother?"
"Eeyup."
"Don't make me get the spurs, ya yella bellied mule."
...
To be continued.