The flight back to town was, as Luna had supposed, more comfortable from where I was resting on her back.
I held on to our dream journals with my forelegs, letting my hind legs droop down past Luna's flank.
Even with the movement of Luna's wing muscles under her skin, I barely had to do anything to keep myself from falling off; there was a natural equilibrium that both of our bodies adhered to while the princess was in flight.
Luna's mane brushed past my face as the wind passed through it, the stars in it sparkling around me and the unnatural darkness imbued in them obscuring my vision.
It was a peaceful flight even if I knew what was waiting for me when I would meet up with Trixie again.
She would probably refrain from going up against one of Equestria's princesses out in the open, but once we got back to the cart I was no longer protected by Luna or those around me.
I wondered what my punishment would be for receiving a gift.
A week away from school, doing menial chores wherever Trixie could find them?
I could not guess at what she might do next, no matter how much I thought about it.
The princess soon descended upon the town square, startling the few ponies still busy with cleaning up after the night's events.
She bent down through her legs and leaned sideways to the right a little to allow me to slide off her back.
I made sure to keep the journals from hitting the dirt as I did by protecting them with my forelegs, ending up awkwardly standing on my hind legs for a moment.
The princess turned her head and I spotted a hint of a smile on her lips before she reached out with her magic to pull the books from my grasp.
She parted them as they drifted away from me, my own remaining close enough for me to grab hold of again if I wanted to.
I fell forward onto all four of my hooves again and chuckled at my awkwardness trying to stand on my hind legs.
"Thank you, princess Luna," I offered to the princess, bowing my head to her a bit.
"If you aim to please your Trixie, then you must use your magic as an extension of yourself, young Fuu," Luna responded. "Grab a hold of your journal and keep it suspended near yourself while we search for your guardian."
I knew she was right; Trixie had been adamant about me learning to use my magic.
Even if I knew other foals of around my age who were also struggling with the more advanced uses of magic, Trixie was expecting miracles of me.
I let my magic flow out of my horn and took my journal out of the princess' grasp, opting to have it float to my left side, just within my peripheral vision but out of the way of me seeing in front of me.
The book bobbed up and down a little beside me with the ebb and flow of my magic pouring out of my horn.
Luna smiled a little wider at my actions, and gave me a satisfied nod.
"Good, now we should find your guardian so I may deliver you into their care," she offered with a light chuckle. "If your magic is any indication you are overdue for a rest."
I chuckled weakly at that and looked around the square.
Most of the ponies who had looked our way when we descended down upon the square had returned to their work; cleaning up around the stalls and carts set up for the Nightmare Night celebration.
All of the ponies gathered on the square were adults, leaving me and a very sleepy Spike as the only children among them.
Spike was wobbling on his legs as he followed Twilight Sparkle around, the latter doing her best to help out with her magic.
It appeared to me as if Twilight was unaware her helper was about to fall over from tiredness, but when she finished with her work she turned to him and said.
"Come on, Spike, it's time for us to return home. We have a big day ahead of us again tomorrow," she told the loyal dragon.
"Is it?" Spike wondered, barely comprehending what she told him.
"Oh yes; I have to reorganise the books in the library tomorrow," Twilight exclaimed merrily.
She started off in the direction of her home, with Spike following a step or two behind.
"Didn't you do that just last week?" he asked of her.
"I did," the purple unicorn exclaimed just as eager, "but with all the ponies borrowing and returning books, it's high time I did it again to make sure each book is still in its rightful place!"
"Right," Spike agreed, casting a look over his shoulder at me as if to beg me to help him.
I shrugged and motioned to Luna and the journal I was holding on to, and he grimaced.
We were both in similar situations; just following the whims of the adult ponies around us.
Having seen the show back home, I considered which one of us was worse off...
With Twilight and her dragon exiting the square, I spotted something blue and bothered enter the square from the opposite side; Trixie's mood was obviously down in the gutter as she made a beeline straight for me and the princess.
"Ah, there she is," Luna remarked as she spotted Trixie as well.
The way Trixie was coming for us, I half expected her to let loose a stream of obscenities toward the princess for abducting me.
"Fuu, where have you been? Trixie has been looking all over town for you," she spoke instead. "Evading that bothersome Twilight was enough of a chore without also having to consider what might have happened to you."
"Ah, Trixie, I see you are still bothered by the past," Luna spoke with a raised eyebrow. "Hath I not pressed it upon you to find peace within thyself and move on?"
Trixie's ears flattened from the admonishment, but she bowed her head toward the princess nonetheless.
"With all due respect, princess, Trixie has no memory of what you're talking about. She is still coming back from a concussion caused by Fuu here," my guardian spoke accusingly.
She eached out with her magic to tug at my collar.
"Come along, Fuu. It is well past your bedtime and Trixie needs her rest as well," she commanded.
I could only walk forward at the tugging until I stood beside her, my journal drifting along with me as I did.
Trixie's eyes lingered upon it for a moment.
"Give the princess her book back, Fuu," she ordered.
"You are mistaken," Luna opted to answer before I could. "This journal is for young Fuu to own and use. A gift from me so she may learn to fit in in Equestria."
Trixie looked intensely displeased at hearing that.
"Is it?" she demanded of the princess.
There was a glint in Luna's eyes as she looked down upon Trixie, and I thought I saw the princess grow taller and darker by the second, taking on more of Nightmare Moon's appearance with every passing moment.
I took a careful step back away from her, but was prevented from moving far because Trixie still held onto my collar with her magic.
Trixie finally looked away from Luna and the fearsome effect around the princess dissipated again.
"Trixie sees," the blue magician mumbled, knowing she was no match for one of the rulers of our nation.
"Princess Luna wanted to know about me," I voiced carefully, trying to diffuse the situation. "She saw my dreams and needed to know if I posed a threat to Equestria."
Trixie scoffed at me. "A threat? You?"
"The last time a hyu mahn visited our lands was before my sister and I rose to the throne," Luna stated with considerable weight behind her words. "It is an event of great significance, and not one I can ignore."
She peered down at Trixie with a raised eyebrow. "We are very interested in how you managed to transport a hyu mahn to our world, Trixie Lulamoon."
Trixie finally realised how much trouble she could potentially be in and at least managed to look down more in embarrassment.
I almost lost control of my journal as my focus had drifted away from my use of magic to this power play between the two adults, but corrected it before it hit the ground.
"Perhaps you could fill me in at a later time? Young Fuu is clearly in need of rest," the princess opted at seeing me struggle. "We expect you to take care of her and not interfere with her use of the gift bestowed upon her."
"Yes princess," Trixie spoke in a more humble tone than I had ever heard come from her. "Trixie will take care of Fuu as best she can."
"See that you do," Luna pressed. "I will know if you do not."
"Princess," one of Luna's guards spoke as he approached our group. "It is time for you to return to Canterlot."
"Yes, tonight has been eventful but it is not over yet. Others are in need of me to watch over their dreams," princess Luna agreed.
"Thank you for showing me how great Nightmare Night can be, princess Luna," I offered to her, bowing as low as I could with Trixie still holding onto my collar.
"I will be seeing you in your dreams, young Fuu," Luna spoke, then turned and followed her guard back to the carriage by which she had arrived in Ponyville.
Trixie stood in silence, watching the princess go.
When Luna had walked off far enough, she rounded on me and gave a tug up at my collar so my forelegs rose up from the ground.
"You, me, home, now," Trixie hissed through clenched teeth.
I couldn't respond to her before her horn flashed a bright light blue and washed out our surroundings.
Trixie tugged my collar downward, and I collapsed onto the wood floor of our home, my chin hitting the ground with enough force that I knew it would leave a bruise.
As my eyes recovered from the bright flash, I found myself on the floor between the bed and the small kitchenette, a few feet removed from my stack of pillows, my journal still hovering to my left side albeit only an inch above the ground.
"How dare you get the princess involved?" Trixie spat in anger, towering over me. "Trixie has been trying to gain their favour for years and you get selected overnight?"
I carefully moved my journal down on the ground under the bed so it was out of the way, then let go of it with my magic.
Trixie wasn't having it, and I could feel her magic reach out toward my journal.
It reflected off the book with a strange spark which doused the flow of her magic, and Trixie's face clearly showed her confusion at being denied this way.
"I didn't seek her out or anything; Luna came to me," I defended myself.
Trixie glared down at me.
"It doesn't matter to the Great and Powerful Trixie how you got her attention," she declared, then focused on the journal again. "What is this book she gave you?"
Her magic sparked and doused again as she tried to reach for it.
"What," Trixie just stated, her brain clearly blanking out.
"It's a dream journal, miss Trixie. Luna attuned it to me," I explained as best I could.
Trixie huffed and used her magic to grab one of the boxes stored under the bed and moved it toward the book in a clear effort to displace it, but the box just hit the journal as if it was an immovable object.
When she moved the box away again, it was dented where it had hit the book.
"Why can't Trixie touch this book?" Trixie wondered, having obviously ignored what I said to her just a moment ago.
"Luna said only I can use it," I tried again, but Trixie tugged on my collar so I got dragged across the ground to my pillow pile where she finally let go of it instead of listening.
I used the moment of freedom to reach up with my left forehoof to gently rub at my painful chin.
Trixie walked closer to where the journal was under the bed, aimed her magic at it, and let go a stream of it which crackled through the air; about as much magic as I had ever seen her use.
The journal was left unscathed, unmoved, as if her magic had no hold on it.
Trixie stood spent, breathing heavily for a moment. She had put her all into that outburst, and it had done nothing.
She rounded upon me, still panting, her eyes glowering.
"Fuu, move the book to your pile and keep it out of sight," she demanded.
I sighed and reached out with my magic, but only a weak trickle of it left my horn.
"I... can't," I realised. "I'm too tired, miss Trixie... It's been a long day."
Trixie's eyes narrowed at me, judging whether I spoke the truth or not.
"I can come over and push it this way, I guess?" I offered, but then had to stifle a yawn.
Trixie grumbled at the thought.
"No, you obviously need your rest. Trixie will just have to wait until morning," she sneered in an icy tone.
"I mean, I can push it over if you want me to take care of it right now," I suggested again, pushing myself up.
Trixie grabbed my collar and tugged it down hard so I collapsed onto my pillows again.
"Trixie said she'll wait until morning! You should get sleep and dream about your precious princess!" she bellowed.
"You don't have to be so rough about it," I whimpered, trying to get in a more comfortable position again.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie won't be told what she can and cannot do," Trixie snapped.
"It's not like I asked the princess to give me anything. She did that all on her own. I had no say in it," I defended myself. "I haven't had a say in most anything that happened to me since you dragged me into this world."
"And that is Trixie's problem? You could have denied the gift, told the princess you were already being taken care of by Trixie, but instead you undermine Trixie's teachings by accepting a book Trixie can't touch," she ranted.
"I didn't undermine anything! And being taken care of? I constantly have to dodge your outbursts," I snapped back. "We had a conversation about this just the other day! It's not like I want to upset you, but you just go from 0 to 100 for no reason! I can't figure out how to do right by you, even if I'm doing my best!"
"So now it's Trixie's fault Luna took control of you?" Trixie demanded.
"Kind of, yes; if you hadn't brought me to this world, I..." I started, but then got thrown into the wall beside me by a blast of Trixie's magic.
"Ouch, fuck," I groaned in pain.
Trixie stood fuming in the center of the cart, her nostrils flaring, her horn sparking with magic.
"So it's Trixie's fault? Everything is Trixie's fault. Everything that ever went wrong is Trixie's fault!" she orated as if caught by a sudden spell of madness.
"I didn't say that, but if you didn't," I tried again, only to get flung across the cart to impact with the bedside.
My side erupted in a flash of pain and I curled up where I ended up at as tears sprang to my eyes.
"Just blame Trixie for everything, why don't you?!" Trixie continued to shout, clearly out of control. "It's not like Trixie hasn't tried her best to provide for you, Fuu! Like Trixie wasn't just trying to explore your world before getting hit by your vehicle! Oh, yes, it's Trixie's fault, alright!"
I just lay in a curled up ball of pain, my tears running down my face.
I didn't dare say anything out of fear of getting thrown around again.
"Bah! It's always Trixie's fault. Trixie can never find any pony who appreciates the Great and Powerful Trixie's amazing showmanship. Trixie's opinion never mattered! Nopony ever cares about Trixie," my guardian proclaimed in a mixture of anger and a sadness I had not heard in her voice before.
I was in too much pain to respond, too afraid to do or say anything, and just cried silently.
"Nopony ever gave Trixie a chance," Trixie finally spoke in a softer voice.
A sound of something collapsing on the floor followed, but I dared not move.
"I don't know why I even try anymore," Trixie croaked awkwardly, her voice weak and wary.
I could feel her shift, and her breath suddenly hit my back through the bunny suit's thin fabric.
Neither of us spoke, but I could sense the shallow breaths she took and a soft whimpering hit my ears a moment after.
I couldn't move. I wouldn't put myself in the position of drawing her ire again.
This was a different situation than when I had first arrived in this world and had rushed to find a doctor for her.
She had hurt me once too often, and I felt that she had to feel this pain as I had to feel mine.
Princess Luna would hear about this, once I fell asleep. I would have to make sure to dream of this, to tell her about this outburst.
The princess would have my back, surely?
Maybe I could be saved by her, moved to Canterlot, live there in the palace with her and Celestia?
I could only dream of such a future, and thus I did.
I woke up alone in the cart, somehow on top of my pile of pillows and on the side which didn't hurt as much as the other.
There was an odd sound of crackling and squeaking filling my ears, and I could see some of the items hung from the walls and ceiling were swinging back and forth.
I looked around myself in confusion and spotted my brown fur on my flank, and found a bandage wrapped around my torso.
Dazed, I reached for it but winced as I felt over the spot which had impacted with the bed the previous night.
I had clearly been undressed from the bunny outfit I had worn the previous night.
I carefully pushed up on my four legs, but there was an awkward wobble to the cart which made me have to place my hooves out farther from one another than I would have normally.
The world swayed this way and that, and I had to constantly correct how I was standing so I wouldn't fall over again.
A thought occured to me; the cart was in motion?
Thinking on it, I was sure of it the very next moment; the cart was very obviously in motion.
The creaking of wood, the squeaking of the wheels, the shaking of the cart were all enough evidence for me to realise it was.
I stumbled toward the door at the back and opened it a crack to look out.
An unfamiliar landscape, a road I didn't recognize, and not a sign of Ponyville or Canterlot anywhere behind us.
I swallowed strongly.
Not only was the cart moving, but we had gone to a place unseen in the show.
A no man's land somewhere between pony towns.
I tried to recognize anything from the scenery before me. A mountain peak, a forest, anything, but to no avail.
Worried, I closed the door again and looked around.
My saddlebags with the book I had to return to Twilight's library was still under Trixie's bed; I would be late on returning it.
My dream journal was also still under the bed, seemingly undisturbed by the motions of the cart.
I collapsed onto my pillow pile and drew the journal to me with my magic.
Flipping to the first page, I read the text which had appeared overnight;
I arrived at Canterlot palace, the big double doors leading into the hallway with its decorative windows opening for me as if by magic. The images on the windows depicted scenes from the show, some I had witnessed myself since coming here, others plucked from what I had only seen back home. I came upon one which showed the elements of harmony with Trixie Lulamoon in the center of it. She looked so happy to be surrounded by her friends. The next window was that of Nightmare Moon standing victoriously over a defeated Celestia. I shivered as I could feel her eyes pierce into my soul and hurried on to the next pane. Discord sat drinking tea, watching me approach with great interest. Rather than being a static pane, his was full of motion; chaotic events happening in the background behind Discord simply sipping at his cup. I watched as the cup disappeared into his mouth, the liquid of his tea remaining in place, but then he tossed it away as if it wasn't worth holding onto. "My, my, what's this? A lost wolf among the sheep?" Discord asked of me. I defiantly stuck my chest out and proclaimed. "I am the Great and Powerful Fuu. Who are you to call me a wolf?" "Oh, but you are," Discord pressed, leaking off the window pane, snaking across the ground, and manifesting beside me.
He was tall, ridiculously so. Even princess Luna as Nightmare Moon had not been towering as tall over me as Discord was now. His body curved like an awkward capital letter S, as he bent down to get closer to my level. "Oh, but you're not the great and powerful anything right now, are you?" he suggested with an evil smirk. Discord reached over with his left arm and tapped against my horn with his claw. "You're having some trouble in the magic department, no? Unaccustomed to it, are we?" he chimed up. I took a step away from him and looked upon him with defiance. "Stop that. You can't scare me," I declared. "I have seen what you can do, and I know the elements of harmony can defeat you!" "Ah, and how are the elements of disharmony doing these days, hmm?" Discord wondered, snaking away to the window pane depicting Trixie and her friends. "It looks to me like they are in quite a pickle," he suggested, tapping the glass depiction of Trixie's snout with his paw. "If they're led by somepony who can't even come clean with herself, then how are they going to do anything to little old me?"
I suddenly realised something and shook my head. "No, this isn't right. That should be Twilight Sparkle, not Trixie," I mumbled. "This is not how I remember it." "And how do you remember it?" the glass depiction of Nightmare Moon asked pointedly, staring me down. "Discord should be trapped in stone, shouldn't he?" I wondered, trying to piece together what I knew of the show. "Aw, that's no fun," Discord whined as he promptly turned to stone. "And Twilight and her friends are the elements or harmony, not Trixie," I pointed out. Trixie's glass self fell out of the pane she was in, revealing Twilight Sparkle had been there all along in her rightful place. The glass Trixie, as flat as the pane she was, walked over to me and turned so I could look sideways at her. "Why do you always have to spoil things for Trixie, Fuu?" she demanded. "No, no, I don't spoil things for you. You're spoiling things for yourself," I protested. "I'm trying so hard to do what you ask of me, but you don't appreciate what you have."
There was a sickening shift in location and I was suddenly back in our cart, but resting on Trixie's bed. I leapt to my hooves and looked around in dismay, only to find a young foal version of Trixie on a pile of pillows, dressed in a bunny outfit, a collar around her neck. "What?" I stated in surprise, and filly Trixie looked up at me with worry. "What's wrong, miss Fuu?" she asked. "Do you want to punish me some more?" I shook my head and tried to banish the situation from my mind. "No, no, no! This is not real," I decried. "Right you are, young Fuu," princess Luna agreed, walking up to me as the world fell apart and left a blank plane instead. "You are having quite a dream." "Princess Luna!" I stated in surprise, running up to her and feeling myself shrink down as I did. "Focus, young Fuu," she admonished me, and I skidded to a halt to stop three feet in front of her. "You are on the cusp of lucid dreaming. Remember this feeling, remember what brought it on."
I looked up at her, trying to figure out what she was saying. "Lucid dreaming? What do you mean?" I asked. "This plane is not my doing, even if I steered you in the right direction," Luna pointed out. "Imagine a place for us to sit." I blinked. "A place for us to sit? Like a pillow?" I wondered. A pillow appeared between us. A simple square pillow with a plain white cover. "Good, now another one," the princess suggested. She used her magic to lift the simple pillow up and place it nearer to her, then sat down upon it. I focused and another pillow appeared. "Sit with me, young Fuu?" Luna prompted, and I could only follow her instructions. Now seated on my own pillow, I voiced my question again. "What did you mean with lucid dreaming, princess Luna?" I asked.
"As I navigate the dreamscape of other ponies, they are themselves master of their dreams. I am but a visitor in most cases, unless I actively interfere. Those ponies who know they are dreaming, are able to shape it to their will and whim," Luna explained. "This is what we call lucid dreaming; the ability to recognize you are in a dream, a world which can be controlled by you yourself, where everything goes and nothing can do you harm." Something in the back of my mind connected and I realised this was not the first time she had tried to explain something like this to me before. "We have met in dreams before, haven't we? You left me a dream journal," I remembered. "You are most correct, young Fuu. In the morning, when you wake, you will be able to read back what happened here, so you may recall the dream you had even in my sister's sunlight," Luna agreed. "Now, tell me what caused you to dream about punishing Trixie? What transpired after I left Ponyville?" My face fell and I lowered myself until I was laying down on the pillow. "Oh, Trixie did not like the gift you bestowed upon me, princess," I sighed as I remembered what happened. "Go on," Luna pressed. "She tried to take it from me, tried to move it with her magic, and punished me for getting your attention while she has been looking for it for years," I recalled.
Luna raised an eyebrow. "Trixie Lulamoon has trouble with her self-worth," the princess revealed. "I have come to her dreams time and again, trying to convince her otherwise, but she is as stubborn as any I have met. She receives as much of my attention as I can spare."
"Trixie thinks she deserves more," I sighed. "I am aware," Luna remarked. She shook her head slowly, tiredly. "It has been a long night, and the day is breaking soon. When you read this back, remember that I am watching you and her both, but even I am limited in what I am able to do for you both," she explained. "I know, princess. You have already done more for me than I ever thought you would," I suggested. Luna smiled at that and leaned in to nuzzle at my mane a little, a gesture she had done before while we were both awake and in her old bedroom. "Call it an investment in the future, young Fuu," she chuckled. "Now wake and seek common ground with your guardian. You were right to say she needs you as much as you need her."
I flipped to the next page but it was empty.
As I had been reading the text on the pages of this journal, I had experienced the dream anew, although from a spectator point of view.
I was aware I was awake and reading the journal, even if I also experienced my interaction with the princess at some level.
It was like a video playing out in my mind's eye, made more realistic by my magical connection to the journal.
I closed the journal and tucked it in under my pillows so Trixie wouldn't have to see it.
I considered I had to ask her for my own cabinet or storage box so I could leave my items in there without them bothering her, but first I had to get over this constant struggle between us.
Things simply had to change.
I stumbled to my hooves again and made it to the door, opening it to see we were still traveling down the road.
Focusing on the speed at which the ground moved, I considered we were going maybe ten miles an hour; a decent trot.
I stepped out onto the landing, closed the door behind me, and then jumped down onto the ground.
The landing hurt my side, and I winced a moment before recovering.
Turning around to the cart, I could see Trixie's legs through the gap under it.
She was obviously pulling the cart, running ahead of it, and I decided to join her there.
I ran forward at a bit of a faster canter, quickly making it past the cart and to Trixie.
She was pulling the cart with her magic, running between the two beams sticking out the front of it, but raised an eyebrow as she noticed me pulling up.
"Ah, you finally woke up," she scoffed.
I ignored her statement, only giving her a side glance while keeping pace with her.
We trotted for a brief moment before Trixie slowed down, and I followed suit.
Neither of us spoke until she moved the cart off to the side of the road and stopped completely.
I joined her where she stood, and sat down in the grass beside the road.
I watched as she walked out from between the beams of the cart and stopped directly in front of me.
Trixie looked at me with a mixture of worry and confusion on her face.
"What do you want, Fuu?" she demanded.
"Apologise," I forced out of my mouth, my voice squeaking a bit more now I decided to put my hoof down.
"Yes, Trixie accepts your apology," Trixie huffed.
"No, I mean you should apologise to me," I corrected her. "I have done nothing but try to follow your word. I have tried my best to get on your good side. I have jumped high and low, done menial chores, even kept quiet about the mouth thing and the collar you put on me. And then you go ballistic when princess Luna decides to give me a journal? You hurt me, in more ways than one. You need to apologise or I'm taking my stuff and walk back to Ponyville on my own."
My words just fell out of my mouth before I could stop them, but I felt emboldened by having finally stood up for myself and stared up at Trixie unblinkingly.
Trixie looked shocked at my outburst, at my demand, at my decision to go at it alone if she didn't do what I told her.
She opened her mouth to speak, then closed it again and narrowed her eyes at me.
Trixie looked thoughtful, sat down, then snorted.
"Well..." she started, but then looked in the direction she had been pulling the cart toward.
"I mean it," I told her. "I can't do this any more. I live in constant fear of whether you're going to have another outburst over nothing. One Nightmare Night is fun and all, but it's different when I return home to you to find out I've done something wrong yet again."
"It's not you, Fuu," Trixie sighed, but continued to stare down the road.
"Then why do I get punished by you all the time?" I pressed. "If I've done nothing wrong, then why do you take your anger out on me?"
"It's not anger, it's..." Trixie started, then sighed out deeply and lowered her head.
She turned her head to face me, looking at me with tired eyes.
"Trixie... I'm sorry, Fuu. You deserve better. Leave Trixie behind if you must, you wouldn't be the first pony to do so," she mumbled dejectedly.
Her words and demeanor hit me in the chest. I felt for her, she was clearly... manipulating me.
I stood up and pointed my left forehoof at her as I felt my anger rise up.
"That's not an apology! You're turning it around on me as if I'm the one hurting you by demanding to be treated as a pers... pony! I just want to stop being afraid of you all the damn time," I decried. "You can't spin it around as if I'm leaving you behind. That's... that's gaslighting, is what it is! You're trying to make me feel bad about asking for some respect?"
Trixie's expression hardened slightly as I caught her.
"I just want to stop getting mistreated by you all the time! I want to be there for you, want to help you out as much as you expect of me, but I don't want to get thrown around the cart. I don't want to have my mouth zipped shut by your magic. I don't want to get dragged around by my collar at your whim! Just treat me like any other pony, for Equestria's sake!" I shouted.
"Was that all?" Trixie snorted.
"No!" I added. "No, it isn't all! It's just the beginning. I just want us to be able to talk normally with one another. I want to be able to store my own stuff under the bed, I want to be able to sleep on the bed instead of on a pile of pillows on the floor. I just want to be able to live with you without constantly having to walk on eggshells. Just stop taking things out on me as if I've done you wrong!"
Trixie looked around, then leaned in and narrowed her eyes at me.
"Do you even know where Trixie took you? Do you know how to get back to Ponyville from here?" she asked in a creepy tone of voice. "What would you do without Trixie to guide you?"
"I don't know where I am, no," I agreed. "But there's a road and roads go from one place to another. I would just grab my stuff and go down the road until I find somepony else. I'm sure I can survive in Equestria even without your help."
The blue magician snorted at that.
"But you're not getting it, Trixie," I pointed out. "I'm saying I don't want to leave you. But that depends on you apologising for your actions yesterday and giving me some room to grow beside you."
Trixie pulled back from me and her expression changed enough that I knew I was finally getting through to her.
"I just want you to stop treating me like dirt, Trixie," I stated once more. "I never meant to hit you with my car. I never did anything to purposefully bother or hurt you. But if all that gets me is shouting, nasty glares, and getting thrown around the cart, I'm done."
I watched the expressions on Trixie's face follow one another in succession. There were hints of anger rising, but then being suppressed again, doubt or confusion, but then her anger rose up again.
I turned away from her and took a few steps toward the back of the cart.
"I'm going to grab my things if you don't apologise. I'll figure things out myself," I stated, feeling the surge of adrenaline rushing through my body.
"Fuu," a tiny voice squeaked out from behind me, almost nothing like the way Trixie talked normally.
I took another step.
"Fuu, I'm sorry," Trixie spoke again, louder now. "I don't..."
I turned around to see Trixie's eyes fill up with moisture. She reached for me with her left forehoof.
"Please don't leave me. I'm sorry, I don't... I don't know how to deal with my emotions. I don't... I'm sorry for hurting you, Fuu. You're right. You don't deserve it," she stammered, tears leaking down her face.
"But please don't leave me," she begged. "I can't be alone again."
I considered whether this was another attempt at emotional manipulation, but she was crying openly now, sitting on the side of the road where anypony might see her.
I turned properly and tilted my head lightly.
"I mean it. I'll leave if you mistreat me again. I can't keep doing this," I reiterated.
Trixie nodded her head, some of her tears flinging this way and that as they made their way down her fur.
"I understand, I do. I don't want to do these things but I don't know how to express myself otherwise," she spoke through her tears. "I'm sorry, Fuu. I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
She collapsed before me, reaching out to me with her forehooves, looking up at me through her tears as she laid sprawled out in the dirt.
I was honestly not expecting this kind of an emotional outburst, and was quickly feeling uncomfortable about it.
"We can work on that," I muttered, feeling my ears fold down. "Just stop kicking me down all the time. Do you promise that you'll treat me better from now on?"
Trixie Lulamoon, always needing to be perceived as being the best, was groveling in the dirt looking absolutely worse for wear.
"I promise, Fuu. I promise I'll do better," she finally declared. "I'm not cut out to being a parent, but I'll do my best."
"I wasn't asking you to be my parent," I noted. "Just be my friend. Teach me about magic. Let's work toward those shows you said you want my help with."
Trixie nodded her head at the suggestion.
"Let's become Great and Powerful together," I added, offering a smile to the puddle of despair before me.