A Magical Way of Working

The scream of a whistle sounded as the train pulled out of the station. The train heading towards Canterlot. While the ponies going there were nestled safely on the train, I was sitting on a bench near the station. I was too deep in thought to focus on the sound of the whistle; the sound of anything for that matter. I was thinking, believe it or not, about what just went down between Trixie and I. After finally letting all of my pent-up anger out, I should've been relieved, but surprisingly, I wasn't. I felt...guilty. I have never lashed out at anyone in my life. Not my parents, not my teachers, not even bullies that I met. But I suppose that Trixie was that one pony that was finally able to break my patience. She was just so...unbearable, and insulting me and my parents like that? I just couldn't take it anymore. "She deserved it," I told myself. "She needed to hear how it really was." Then why did I feel guilty?

I couldn't help but wonder if I hurt her feelings. I know I told her that she didn't have a heart and therefore no feelings, but that was just out of frustration. I always felt bad when somepony got their feelings hurt, so I guess this was no exception. I still wanted to believe that there was good inside Trixie, but nothing from my experience these past two weeks gave me any clues that said that there was. Maybe it was better that I quit. If I would've continued to bottle up my frustration, I would've exploded. But there was another matter on my mind; where was I going to go?

I didn't have enough bits to go home and buy a house, I couldn't go back to Canterlot cause 1: The train was already gone, and 2: I would just be back to where I started this whole escapade. "I'd probably apply for working under an even more stuck-up magician," I told myself jokingly. No, I wasn't going back, so I guess my only other option was going somewhere new. But where? It would have to be a pretty big city, a variety of options for jobs, and particularly close to where I was. I thought for second. "Well," I thought, "Baltimare isn't that far, and I'm sure they'd have a few opportunities." I bet that Baltimare WAS pretty this time of year. I guess that I would go there. With my mind made up, I grabbed my bags and started for the ticket booth. Suddenly, I heard a very familiar "ahem" from behind me.

I turned around, and there, standing in front of me, was Trixie.

I expected her to look furious, to start going on about how I "have the nerve to talk to her like that" and such. I expected her to put in her two bits about me. But when I looked at her, she didn't look angry or threatening. She looked...hesitant. Like she didn't know if she should be there or not. All I can say was it was the first time seeing her like that. There was an awkward silence as we just stood across from each other. "C'mon," I told myself, "Break the silence."

"Uh...hi." Smooth move Elbow.

"Hello," she answered back.

Another few seconds of silence passed us until I decided to just come out with it. "Look Trixie, I'm sorry I-"

"Let Trixie talk first please," she interrupted with a raised hoof. Normally I would be thinking that she was still acting like that after all that happened, but then I noticed that she said please. That was a first for Trixie, so I suppose it was fair to listen what she had to say. I nodded for her to continue. "Trixie is...well...uh..." She was definitely displaying a difficulty of saying what she wanted to say. "Trixie is...is...sorry." My mind went blank. Did I just hear what I thought I heard? Trixie had never even come close to saying sorry before. Was this a dream?

"Trixie shouldn't have insulted you, or your family, like that. Trixie's...just been under a lot of stress lately. What with her shows not bringing in as many ponies as hoped and with not earning as many bits, Trixie's just been on the edge for a while. But...that's still no excuse for what was said or how Trixie has treated you, so Tri-I mean I'm sorry." My heart skipped a beat I was so shocked. She was actually apologizing to me. ME! "And," she continued, "If you come back to work for me, Trixie promises to increase your pay to 6 bits per hour, pay you weekly, stop insulting you and anything about you, and stop being so demanding."

I didn't know what to believe anymore. This couldn't have been the same Trixie I knew just a few hours ago. The Trixie who I had thought I had figured out after spending two weeks with. 6 bits per hour? Given that I work at least 10 hours a day for her, I'd be earning 60 bits every day!

"So...do we have a deal?" she asked. I took the time to study her. Should I be taken in by these promises? Will she just go back to criticizing? Was she really ready to change? I looked at her and I noticed that her eyes. My mom always said that the eyes tell all, and Trixie's eyes looked pleading. Did Trixie really deserve a second change after what I had to put up with?

"What does your heart tell you?" I thought. My heart was telling me that from the look of it, Trixie wants to try and change, and since I didn't have an idea of where I was going to get another job, I might want to grab the opportunity to keep a job, knowing that things are gonna change. I studied Trixie one last time before finally saying, "All right Trixie. I'll come back."

A look of relief flowed over Trixie as she sighed, "Oh good." Her mood then changed to proud again. "Don't you think that the Great and Apologetic Trixie is the most humble pony you've ever seen?"

Y'know, before I would've thought, "We're really going back to this?" But something was different about her tone. She sounded happier than when she boasted before in the past. I just rolled my eyes and chuckled, "I guess I'll just have to learn to love that pride of hers."

As we walked back to the wagon, Trixie turned to me and said, "I guess we have some downtime before Print can find Trixie another gig. Might as well relax while we can Assista...I mean...uh...I'm sorry. Trixie never got your name." She wanted to know my name? She really was trying to change.

"Elbow Grease," I said. "Pleasure to truly meet you."

"Maybe there is some good inside her after all," I thought as we walked back to the wagon.

After making up at the station, Trixie and I spent another day in Appaloosa. During that time, I was able to get some real chores done on the wagon. I say real because Trixie didn't criticize me the entire time. It was like non-criticizing music to my ears. In fact, when she told me to clean, I saw another sign that she was trying to change. Her exact words were, "Assistant! Dust the furnitur...I mean, could you dust the furniture, Elbow...please?" That was enough for me to plant a big smile on my face and whistle while I worked. And that was another thing. I started whistling and Trixie didn't say, "Stop that racket!" I actually saw her hoof tapping to the tune. Whatever Trixie went through in our argument, she showed that she really was trying to change.

After a day of cleaning and relaxing, Print finally came to us with a gig. "I was able to book you to perform at the Outdoor Performance Hall in Baltimare!"

"That's where I was going to go after our argument," I said out loud. I quickly realized what I said and mumbled, "Oops."

I looked over at Trixie and expected her to look like she didn't want to remember what happened, but to my surprise, she said in a sophisticated tone, "How convenient for us then eh?" I sighed in relief.

"Ok," I said getting up from my seat, "I guess I'll tow the wagon to the station."

"Uh..." I turned back to Trixie who had spoken up. "You...don't have to do it...if you don't want to. Trixie can call for a towing service." That was enough for me.

"In that case," I said with a smile, "I WANT to do it." Trixie stared at me with confusion. I guess she never had an assistant who chose to do something for her. It was always ordering, but her giving me that choice reminded me that she really was changing. "I could use the exercise anyway," I said.

It may have been me, but I could've sworn I saw Trixie smile a little bit. But as soon as she saw me see her smile, she returned to her sophisticated posture. "Er...yes, of course," she said, "Hop to it then...uh...please." I think I was getting used to her proud stature. Before it was annoying cause she acted like everypony was beneath her. Now, she was just keeping her pride alone and not putting anypony down. I thought it was...cute.

Anyway, when we got to the station, they loaded the wagon onto the storage cart and we took our seats as the train pulled out of the station and headed for Baltimare. During the trip, Trixie talked about all of her previous shows and where she got her start. She said she did her first show in Canterlot of all places and met Fine Print about a year ago while performing in Hoofington. Since she needed an agent at that time, somepony to handle her finances and get her gigs, she hired him on the spot (it seemed that Trixie had an act for doing that). As she talk though, one thought about Trixie was stuck in my mind. "Uh...Trixie," I said. She left her story and looked at me. "Well, I've been wondering. When we were in Ponyville, it seemed like you didn't like it there a whole lot. Did you have some history in that town?" Trixie looked hesitant to answer, like she was hiding something. I suppose that was a question she didn't want to answer. I didn't want to put pressure on her, so I said, "I'm sorry. You don't have to-"

"No it's alright," she interrupted. "Trixie will tell you." I sat back and listened. "You see, the first time I performed there, I was a bit too boastful. Even more than now. Trixie even spread a story about how she vanquished an Ursa Major." I just started laughing. "What's so funny?" she asked in an annoyed tone.

"I'm sorry," I said trying to catch my breath. "I just couldn't imagine you of all ponies vanquishing ANYTHING!"

"Shut up." she said. I quickly found my composure as she continued. "Anyway, because of my story, some dumb unicorn colts actually found an Ursa and brought it to town for me to vanquish, but not only did Trixie make herself look like a fraud by not being able to vanquish it, but another unicorn stepped forward and used her powerful magic to tame the beast and put it back from where it came."

"Must've hurt your pride eh?" I asked with a smug.

"You could say that again. Anyway, I left Ponyville after that and a while later, I returned, but not the same. You see, I had found a powerful relic called the Alicorn Amulet, which granted the user with amazing magic. But what I didn't know was that it also corrupted the user. I used it to get my revenge on the unicorn and took over the town."

"Wait, you mean like a dictatorship?"

"Well, yes. Like I said, I was corrupted. So anyways, the unicorn and her friends came up with a scheme to make Trixie give up the amulet...and it worked, once again hurting my pride. Trixie left Ponyville for good after that."

"So, do you still hold a grudge against the unicorn?" I asked.

Trixie grew silent, until she quietly said, "I should, but Trixie has a lot to thank the unicorn for. If it wasn't for her, Trixie would've become a power-hungry dictator. I should be grateful, but..."

"But you don't want to hurt your pride even more by facing her," I said. It finally made sense about why Trixie hated Ponyville so much. Her pride was hurt so many times there. And Trixie, being the proud pony that she is, doesn't want to hurt her pride anymore there. The rest of the trip was mostly in silence. Luckily, it wasn't that long until we finally reached Baltimare. The city was a lot bigger than I thought. The buildings weren't as white and shiny as the ones in Canterlot, but there were more of them and some of them were even taller. We didn't waste any time in getting to the Performance Hall. Print set up the Admissions Booth as Trixie and I parked the wagon and carried the props to the backstage.

Five minutes before she was scheduled to go on, Trixie peeked out the curtains and saw the many heads in the audience. She took some deep breaths and said to herself, "Alright Trixie, this is it. This time it'll be different. This time they're going to cheer."

"What was that?" I asked. Trixie didn't know I was directly behind her and jumped when I said something.

"Uh...nothing," she said, trying to keep her posture. "Hasn't your mother taught you not to eavesdrop on other ponies' conversations to themselves?"

"Sorry," I said. As I continued to set up, I started to wonder what Trixie meant by that. But my thoughts were soon drown out as Trixie was preparing to give her introduction. "Hey Trixie," I called as she looked at me. "Good luck."

"Oh...well...thanks," she said with a smile, "But the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need luck!" I just smiled and shook my head. Trixie then turned and using her magic to amplify her voice, did her introduction.

"FILLIES AND GENTLECOLTS! Mares and Stallions of all ages! Prepare to be amazed! Here she is; the pony with the powerful prowess! The mare with the magical mastery! The one and only...GREAT AND POWERFUL TRRRRRRIXIE!" In a flash of light and a puff of smoke, she was on stage. I guess the only thing to do was to wait and listen. I had Trixie's props set up right where she could reach them, and from the sound of it, everything was going smoothly. Ten minutes into the show, nothing seemed to be going wrong.

Suddenly, I heard a pony give a very loud, "BOOOOOO!" A minute later, it happened again. This time, more ponies joined in. They kept on booing as Trixie tried to continue her act. Then I heard ponies shouting insults. "You stink!" and, "Get off the stage!" were among the favorites. And just when I thought it couldn't get any worse, I heard something that sounded like...splattering. Suddenly, from back of the stage came Fine Print who was covered in what looked like red paint. From the look on his face, he looked like he just experienced war. "Print!" I said, "What's going on out there?"

"Oh it's turned into a madhouse kid!" he said trying to catch his breath! "Trixie hadn't been performing for half an hour, then dey started booing. That was soon followed by insults, and now dey're throwing tomatoes! TOMATOES! I mean, who brings tomatoes to a magic show?"

Before I could answer, I heard Trixie talking to the crowd very hastily, "Well thank you all for coming and I hope you enjoyed the show come back soon!" I then saw her run backstage, but before I could talk to her, she ran right by me, covered in tomatoes. As she passed my I couldn't help but notice something that looked like...tears...coming from her eyes. She ran right by me and ran off towards the wagon.

"Oh boy," said Print with a sigh, "I really thought that this time was gonna be different."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Y'see kid," he explained, "This is Trixie's SIXTH time performing in Baltimare. Each time she performed, she was booed off the stage. No matter how many times she tried to perfect her tricks, it was never enough for dis crowd. Baltimare's a tough city kid. Trixie was really hopin' to make an impact this time." I stared in the direction of the wagon.

"Wow," I thought, "Six times, and booed each time? No wonder she was stressed."

"I should probably go talk to her," said Print as he headed off towards the wagon.

"Wait!" I said pulling him back. "Do you really want to try and talk to Trixie when she's in the most stressed out state you could imagine?" Print thought for a minute, and then his face twisted into a horrified look. I wager that he was thinking what Trixie would do to him if he made her even more mad.

"Uh...good luck kid!" said Print as he ran off the stage.

"Courage of a squirrel," I told myself as I trotted off towards the wagon. But to be honest, I felt like maybe I should've let him go. I mean, I've known trixie for less than a month. Why did I think that I could try and calm her down? Maybe it was my mother's kind nature that talked me into it. In any case, I had to be prepared for what I was going to be dealing with. I gathered up all of my courage, and continued towards Trixie.

As I got closer to the wagon, I could've sworn I heard a familiar sound. Not familiar to Trixie though, because I've never heard her make it. But as I got closer, I knew what the sound was. It was crying. I had never heard Trixie cry before, but the sound was definitely coming from the wagon. I walked up to the door and slowly knocked. As soon as the third knocked sounded though, from inside I heard a muffled, "GO AWAY!" That should've been my cue to leave, but something was leading me keep going, so, call me brave or stupid, I opened the door. As I stepped in, I already noticed that things were not as they were. Trixie's tomato-stained hat and cloak were thrown to the side instead of hanging on the rack, books were toppled on the shelf, and sitting on the sofa, with her face in a pillow, was Trixie. I took a few more steps toward her when she said without even looking up, "What part of 'GO AWAY' didn't you understand?" I slowly walked over and sat down next to Trixie, still sobbing into the pillow. There was a moment of silence as I just sat there. I wondered what to do. I wanted to help in some way, but I didn't know how.

Suddenly, an idea came to mind. It might just get me punched, but my mom used to do it when I was upset. It was definitely worth a try. I didn't know what else I could do. I lightly tapped Trixie on the shoulder; she raised her head, wiped the tears from her eyes, and sat up. "What do you want?" she asked with an annoyed tone. This was it. It was now or never. I had to not think and just do, so in one swift motion, I grabbed Trixie, brought her towards me, and wrapped her in a comforting hug. At first I thought she was going to automatically push me away, but she just sat there, probably stunned about what was going on.

After a second, I decided to say something, so in the most comforting voice I could muster up, I said the only thing I was thinking. "I'm sorry."

And then, what happened next, I could've never predicted. Trixie stayed still and silent for a second, and then I heard her starting to whimper. The whimper grew and grew until finally, to my utter surprise, she wrapped her arms around me, buried her face in my shoulder, and burst out in tears. She was no longer sobbing, but straight-out bawling. The Great and Powerful Trixie had finally broken down. All pride didn't matter anymore as she continued to cry. The tears started to run down my coat, but I didn't mind. Whatever Trixie went through in the past, she needed this. All I did was keep her locked in the hug and even stroked the back of her head as she released her tears. I rocked her back and forth a little bit as my mother once did for me, and to my surprise, it was working. Since I have met Trixie, this was the most comfort we've shown each other, and I didn't mind. We stayed like that for almost five to ten minutes. After a while, Trixie's tears started to die down, and then, she said something I would never EVER expect somepony like Trixie to say. Through the sniffles and the sobs, I heard the words,

"I'm a failure."