You are Trixie.
You're a travelling unicorn magician in the land of Equestria.
You go from town to town to put on shows for entertainment and money.
Barely anyone doesn't know your name at this point. Especially those in Ponyville.
Because of how often you travel you don't have any static roadies, just some misfits from each town to assist with your stage set up.
This week you're scheduled to make your second stage appearance in Ponyville.
As you walk along, you recall your previous visits.
You had bested five of the six spirits of the Elements of Harmony.
...Then you were driven out by that unruly Twilight Sparkle.
Second visit wasn't any better.
She, with the help of her friends, managed to trick you in your lust for power.
You tip your hat down over your eyes in shame as you run through these memories.
The mix of embarrassment and anger makes you pull your stage coach along faster.
You hope that this time will be better.
You are better. You worked to become better.
"Trixie is better than before... Yeah. She's not just some... Power hungry unicorn anymore."
You talk to yourself for a while as you walk along the dirt roads.
You finally reach Ponyville.
Coming from Canterlot, it's quite a trek for a little pony like yourself.
You drag your stage coach along to the town square.
It was nightfall, so everyone was already indoors, if not asleep.
You give a soft yawn as you use your magic to set down the coach stands and lock them in place.
Slipping out of the harness, you unlock the door and step inside.
It wasn't anything special. Just a small rack for your outfit, a bed, and a night stand with a picture of you on it.
There wasn't any activity right now, but soon you'll have crowds cheering your name.
Levitating your hat onto the rack, you climb into bed and cover up.
Tomorrow was another day.
You wake up some time after dawn.
You went through your normal morning routine.
Stretching, mane and tail brushing, food, brushie brushie...
You step outside.
You feel the bright sun on your coat, causing you o give a satisfied smile.
Today felt like it was going to be a good day.
You unlatch a large storage container from the back of your stage coach.
Opening it up, it contained all the parts and tools to assemble your stage.
You liked how easy it was to build the mechanism that converted your stage coach into a full on stage.
You begin to assemble the structure.
Various ponies come and go as they visit one another, and head to work.
Most turned their noses up to you, others too preoccupied to take mind that you even existed.
While tinkering with some complex internal latches, a mother and her son stopped to see what you were doing.
"Mommy! Mommy! Isn't that the Great and Powerful Trixie!?"
He sounded very excited.
You take your head out of the the parts you were messing with to look at them, your ears perked in hope.
"Come on, Pip. We have things to do. She isn't worth our time."
You watch as she drags her colt along.
Your ears droop down.
You could almost feel your heart breaking.
"Maybe Twilight and her friends would like a friendly hello!"
The thought of them possibly being friendly to you lifted your spirits some.
You went back to work.
You finish up with the construction of your stage mechanism.
With one last bolt in place, you set the tools back into the storage unit and reattach the box to the stage coach.
Looking into the window of the coach, you're able to see in a small hoof mirror on the table.
Your face was covered in oil and your mane was a mess.
"Goodness, Trixie. You're a mess! You can't go out looking like that!"
You quickly step inside to clean up and grab a bag of bits.
It was late afternoon, but you still had things to do.
Your first stop...
You look out into the distance at a large, crystal castle.
With a toss of your mane, you walk through the streets of Ponyville, saddle on your back, bits in the bags.
You see various ponies whispering to one another as they seemingly stare you down.
You try to keep a smile on your face, but it quickly becomes harder and harder to do so.
You're totally unnerved.
Picking up your hooves, you quickly speed up into a sprint as you make your way toward Twilight's castle.
"Wow, it's much bigger in person."
You slowly walk up to the base of the crystal castle tree, looking up at it.
This thing was gigantic.
It almost made your ego look absolutely tiny.
...Almost.
Walking up the front steps, you knock on the door and wait.
No one answered.
You knock again.
No one came.
Eventually you pressed the doorbell twice.
The all too familiar "Dong dong!" echoed through the halls.
Eventually you hear a high pitched voice from behind the door.
"Alright, ALRIGHT! I'm coming, sheesh!"
The door opens a bit, revealing Spike.
"If you're looking for Princess Twilight she---"
He pauses to look at you.
"Oh, it's you."
He didn't sound very pleased.
"What do YOU want, Trixie? Come to try and take over again?"
He leans on the door as you sit down.
That comment stung more than it should have.
You're the Great and Powerful Trixie! You don't have to take shit from this dragon!
Letting out a soft sigh to calm yourself down, you recollect your thoughts.
"Nonono, uh..."
"Spike."
"Right, Spike. Trixie isn't here to take over, she was just in town and she uh..."
He looks at you questioningly.
"Just wanted to stop by and give Twilight a friendly hello... It's been a while, you know?"
"Uh huh? Right... Well, Twilight isn't here right now."
"Oh, that's uh.. That's okay. Could you tell Trixie where the others are?"
Spike rolls his eyes at you.
Second place.
Sugarcube Corner.
You simply couldn't miss the giant confectionery designed building.
Just seeing it made you want to gag.
You walk up to the door and knock.
A light blue mare answered the door.
"Oh, why uh hello there... Trixie..."
She sounded very hesitant to see you.
You tried to brush it off.
"Hi there uh... Mrs. Cake, was it? Is the pink one around?"
You poke your head in through the top of the split door.
"Oh, you mean Pinkie Pie? Oh, no, I'm sorry. She isn't! I think she said something about needing to help her friends with something."
Your ears flatten as your gaze goes to the floor for a moment.
A crash comes from the background.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I'd love to stay and chat Trixie, but I think my husband needs help with the foals again. Toodles!"
As quickly as she came, she left again, slamming the door shut on you.
Something ate at the back of your mind.
Probably just overthinking things.
You knock on Ponyville Boutique.
You expect the frilly frou-frou lady Rarity to answer the door.
Probably give you some lip, but still answer regardless.
The door opens.
Without any warning, the Cutie Mark Crusaders barrel out of the Boutique and knock you down.
Their constant shouting and jumping was going to drive you up the wall.
"Oh my gosh it's Trixie!"
"What's she doing here?"
"Hay, wasn't she uh driven off the las' time she wuz here?"
You stand up and dust yourself off.
"Trixie is here for another show, and she decided that she might... Try and make amends with the others."
"Make amends? With you?"
Scootaloo stuck her tongue out at you.
"Why would y'all wanna do that? Nopony 'round here even really likes you!"
"Yeeeeah, you kinda did mess up the town a bit with your take over..."
"But that bubble was really cool!"
They kept going on and on about your past visits.
These fillies wouldn't be of much use.
Dragging yourself along, you go to seek another home.
That little cottage that served as a home for that yellow pegasus.
What was her name...?
"...Fluttershy."
It took you a while, but you finally found that little cottage she called a home.
It actually didn't look that bad from the outside.
You expected it to be a shack of sorts, being torn apart by the supposed wild animals she kept.
You knock.
No answer.
You try the doorbell.
Nothing.
You look in through a window.
Not a single soul.
You felt your heart sink even further.
"Maybe they're just... Out fighting some monster? Yeah, maybe that's it."
You try to convince yourself that was the case...
But you have a sinking feeling that wasn't it.
Walking along, you look up at a bunch of out of place clouds.
This must be where that skittles pegasus lived.
Rainbow Dash.
You called out to her.
"Hello? Rainbow Dash? Anyone home?"
Nothing.
You stand there for a moment and remember when you zapped her ass with a bolt of lightning.
You giggle quietly as the face she made.
After a few minutes of awkward silence, you move on.
On your way back to town you walk past Sweet Apple Acres.
That place looked like a ghost town.
In fact, it felt like a ghost town.
You were there, alone. Not even Snips or Snails came to say hello.
You watch as the sun hits the horizon.
Ponies who were once talking have vacated the streets.
Open windows shut to you as if you were some foreign monster.
You hang your head in silence.
"Well, Trixie probably deserves this. She did try to best everyone, and enslave them..."
You eventually reach your stage coach.
You look at the stage housing mechanism before walking inside of the little room.
"Maybe it's best if Trixie just left town."
You spend the rest of the night in your stage coach.
Alone.
Brooding yourself to sleep.
You toss and turn in your sleep.
You're locked in a nightmare.
"No... No... Trixie isn't like that!"
You're a younger version of yourself.
You seem to be in Magic Kindergarten.
A group of other unicorns begin to surround you.
"Wow, what a loser!"
"I bet she can't even cast any basic spells!"
"Aww, what's the matter? Is the little girl gonna cry?"
You felt tears well up in your eyes.
They continue to berate and tease you.
Suddenly a very smooth, deep stallion voice pierces their laughter.
"My daughter, whatever is the matter?"
You open your eyes to see your father sitting next to you.
"D-Daddy?"
He wraps you in a warm hug.
"Is it the kids from school again?"
You nods and holds onto him as tight as you can.
"They just don't understand that I'm a late bloomer and.. and..!"
Just digging into these feelings began to draw out power from the magical well that resides in all unicorn.
Your eyes glow white as you leave your own body, watching the scene from someone else's view.
Your horn glows as a sudden burst of magic erupts.
Your father is tossed across the room and lays on the floor, smoking.
You lose control and let loose a powerful blast.
Your room has been blown to bits, your father laying on the floor with fear in his eyes.
"Daddy... Daddy I'm sorry, please.. Help me...!"
Everything goes white.
You thrust yourself upright.
Your horn is letting out a small magical discharge, just enough to create some beams of light.
Shaking your head, you regain control of your magic before uncontrollably weeping into your hooves.
At least once a month you see that dream. The same dream every time.
You pick up the photo of yourself and flip the frame over.
A picture of your family was hidden on the back.
"Mom, Dad... I'm sorry.. I wasn't good enough."
You were always teased for not being on-par with your classmates.
This led to many problems, both academically and socially.
You were distant from everyone from that day on.
Learning through each mistake every day on how to better control your magic.
You lay down again and try to sleep some more.
Tomorrow was another day.
You roll out of bed reluctantly.
Last night was terrible.
The dream was so familiar to you that even after another round of sleep you still couldn't forget it.
You proceed with your morning duties.
Food, Mane, teeth.
You step outside of the stage coach.
Today was a cloudy day.
Very cloudy.
In spite of the clouds, you check your stage mechanism.
You notice something slightly out of place, but shrug it off as just some wild animals toying around with the outer casing.
The show must go on, anyway.
You spend your morning preparing the fireworks and making sure the electrical is in order.
Today was the day you'd dazzle them all with another performance.
Several groups of ponies come and go.
You mentally prepare yourself as you adjust your outfit.
You cast a spell to amplify your voice.
"Fillies and gentlecolts! Behold, the one, the only! The Great and Powerful Trrrrixie!"
With a flashy entrance, complete with fireworks and the stage popping open, you stand center stage, cape flowing in the wind.
The ponies just grumble and mumble among one another.
"Is she serious?"
"She's trying this again?"
"Didn't she learn the last time?"
"Why, ponies of Ponyville, Trixie means you no harm!"
You conjure up a gorgeous bouquet of flowers and toss it to the quickly fading audience.
"You tried this before! No one's interested!"
"Yeah, go home you hack!"
You jaw simply drops open.
Sitting down, you try to keep their attention.
"T-Trixie isn't... She... I'm not like that anymore!"
"Yeah, like we'll believe that."
They continued to quickly disperse.
"Wait, Trixie.. She..."
No one was left to listen.
You sat on the stage, alone.
Your ears perk up as you hear a loud snap and crunch sound.
You turn your head to watch as your stage falls apart.
Someone tosses a beam toward you from around a corner.
"That was for trying to make us your slaves, Trixie."
This is all you had..
Your stage, your act, your home...
Trashed in a single day.
You weep.
A few moments later, Spike approaches you.
"Trixie? What're you doing out here? Don't you know it's going to rain? And---"
He looks at the pile of parts behind you, matted and broken.
"What happened here?"
You're barely able to talk through broken tears.
"All Trixie wanted to do was... Just put on a show..."
Even though he didn't like you very much before, Spike felt sorry.
"Well, uh... Hey. Even though your stage coach thing is broken, you could always stay at Twilight's until we got this fixed!"
You look at him.
He HAS to be pulling your leg.
"What? Why're you looking at me like that?"
He takes note of a few ponies staring at you both.
"Twilight wouldn't want Trixie around. I mean, why else would her and her friends be avoiding me?"
The rain started to come down, light at first.
"Look, the offer's there. Take it or leave it."
He just looks at you sternly with his little dragon paws on his little dragon hips.
You shake your head.
"Trixie has to clean up this mess and get out of town. There's nothing here for her anymore."
Spike rolls his eyes.
"Suit yourself, then."
You get up and begin to try and sort out the mess.
Piece by piece, putting it together.
Trixie's stage, following the patterns break by break.
Making sure the parts are sorted nicely...
You heave a sigh.
You look over the pile of wood and metal.
The rain is coming down very heavily now.
Your outfit is absolutely drenched, mane drooping.
"Might as well throw this out. Can't be fixed."
You levitate the broken bits and set them into their container.
"Trixie!"
A familiar voice comes from behind you.
"What do you want, Sparkle? To flaunt? To send me off with the last laugh?"
"What? NO! I'm here to check on you."
You turn to look at her.
"Spike told me all about what happened. Are you okay?"
You snapped at Twilight.
"Does it LOOK like I'm okay!? It's raining buckets, everyone here hates me, my stage and coach are ruined, I'm totally drenched and...
"Trixie..."
Somehow, you found yourself wrapped in a towel and sitting in front of a fire in Twilight's castle.
It all felt like a blur after you snapped at her.
"Trixie, please, just.. Calm down."
"Why should Trixie calm down!? She's just lost everything! This whole trip here was a mistake!"
Twilight looked at you in concern.
"Trixie.. I'm sorry. The girls and I were out of town. We got called by our new map to go deal with a friendship problem."
You threw a piece of broken lumber at the purple Alicorn.
"Like I haven't heard THAT one before..."
You were simply seething with anger.
"Trixie, please, just.. Why don't you come to my castle? We can get you warmed up, dry, fed... And get your clothes a lot less damp."
You sit by the pile of broken bits, quietly sobbing.
Twilight put a hoof on your shoulder.
"Please?"
You sip on some tea to help ease your nerves.
You still felt pretty shaken up.
Twilight walked into the room with a towel around her neck as if she just got out of a shower.
She takes a seat next to you on a pillow.
"Trixie."
"Sparkle."
"You ready to tell me what that was all about?"
She sounded so condescending, yet also genuinely concerned.
"Trixie just... Wanted to put on another show for the ponies... And to try to make amends for what she did."
The embers of the fire in front of you reflect in your eyes.
"But all I managed to do was just ruin everything, and myself.."
Twilight gently wrapped a wing around you.
Using her magic, she takes the towel off your back and begins scrubbing your mane with it playfully.
"Gah, Sparkle!"
She couldn't help but giggle at your reaction.
"Is that all? The townsfolk here did seem pretty off lately, they probably just don't understand why you're here again."
You said nothing.
"I'm sure the girls wouldn't mind seeing you again, if what you say is true."
"They ruined my stage, Twilight. They ruined my coach, as well. All I have no is myself and my outfit."
You felt tears welling up again.
Twilight pulled you closer to her.
"Who needs some silly little stage coach and stage?"
You look at her with anger in your eyes.
"I do, Sparkle! What's a magician without her home? Her stage? Her props--"
She silences you with a hoof put up to your mouth.
"We'll remake it. Bigger, better, fancier."
You just look at her in silence.
"You... You're kidding, right? That was themed just the right way to match The Great and Powerful Trrrixie! Plus it was one of a kind with collapsible parts..."
"Then we'll do the same thing, but better. I'll even get the girls to help!"
You look down at your tea, smiling a tiny bit.
"...Thanks, Twilight. Say, what was that about this... Map?"
"Well..."
You look at the large crystalline table with an entirely detailed map of Equestria.
You jaw drops open.
"THIS is your map!?"
"Yup! It has all of the places in Equestria, and even some outside of places we've been. Is this your first time hearing of this?"
You nod some.
"Spike didn't even tell you we were away on a trip?"
You shake your head quietly.
Twilight looked a bit annoyed.
"SPIKE!"
Right on cue the dragon rushes in.
"Yes, Twilight?"
"Why didn't you tell Trixie that we were out of town?"
"Well, it IS Trixie we're talking about here."
You watch as she gives him the stank eye.
"You know that's not okay, even if it was someone that we weren't really friends with before."
"Yeah uh... Sorry about that."
You stick your nose to the sky.
"Trixie forgives you."
"Spike, please go and prepare some food for tonight."
"Counting Trixie, too?"
"Yes, her too."
"Yes, ma'am."
He runs off as you two approach the map.
"Say, Sparkle..."
"Yes, Trixie?"
You point to the an area of the map that looked like Ponyville.
Twilight's Cutie Mark was floating around it.
"What's up with the map doing this?"
She giggles some.
"When the map calls to one of us, our Cutie Marks glow and the map shows us where we need to go."
"So that means...?"
She looks at you with a beaming grin.
"Somepony in Ponyville is in need of some friendship help!"
You give her a dumbfounded look.
"A... Map can tell you that?"
"Well, I AM the Princess of Friendship, and this map IS magical..."
Almost simultaneously, you both spoke.
"It's magic. Don't gotta explain anything."
"Yeah, yeah.. I get it."
You look down at the floor.
"But don't worry about it. Hey, you want to see my library?"
You spent a good portion of your evening traversing the castle with Twilight.
You had to admit it WAS pretty impressive.
That night you ate dinner with Twilight and Spike.
"So, because of the whole, "I gotta send a letter every week" thing, I went nuts and the whole town started fighting over my enchanted Smarty Pants doll."
You giggle softly at the story.
"And that's when Princess Celestia just rained down from the heavens to stop you?"
She nods as she swallows some of her food.
"Yeah. Let me tell you, when she's upset, she is REALLY scary."
"I can imagine..."
"If it wasn't for my friends... I would probably be back in.."
She pauses to shudder.
"Magic Kindergarten..."
Mentioning the name made your ears perk up.
"Uh... Yeah. Magic K..."
You give an uneasy chuckle.
Spike chomps down on his bowl of gems.
"You okay there, Trixie? You look like you have something on your mind."
"Me? Oh, no! I'm fine, Sparkle. Trixie is.. Just fine."
They both cock an eye brow at you.
Seeing them do this, you begin to stuff your mouth with food.
"Riiiight. Anyway, after we're done here, I'll show you to the guest room. You can stay there until we get things going."
You nod quietly.
"Sounds uh... Sounds great."
Twilight opened the door to a large room.
Some books, a desk, a nightstand, and a bed were all inside.
Your jaw drops open.
"THIS is the GUEST room?"
You step inside to examine it.
"Yep! We have a few of them, never know when company will stop in."
Not only was it such a fancy room, it was also next to Twilight's.
"Are you sure Trixie can stay in here?"
"Oh, yes. I mean, we offered to let you stay until we got your stage coach fixed so... Yeah."
You sit on the bed.
It was very plush and soft.
It felt almost like it could swallow you whole if it wanted to.
"I... I'm very grateful, Twilight."
You smile softly.
She smiles back.
"Well, I'm sure we'll have a long day ahead of us tomorrow."
"Yeah..."
You weren't looking forward to meeting the others again.
You felt that they would reject you like the rest.
"Sleep well, Trixie."
"Uh.. You too..."
That night the same dream came back.
The same events...
The teasing kids.
The magical blast.
A shadowy figure loomed over you, laughing from the creeping darkness.
"The Great and Powerful Trixie? You're nothing but a fake! A sham!"
The darkness closed in on you.
You held your hooves up to try and protect yourself.
The shadows consumed you.
When you awoke, you were shaking, laying in the fetal position.
Twilight burst through the door.
"Trixie, are you alright!? Is someone else in here?"
She turns on the light and sees you.
You just look into the distance as you run through the imagery in your head over and over.
"Trixie?"
She waves a hoof in front of you.
You snap out of your stupor and begin to weep.
Instinctively, Twilight sat down next to you, sat you up, and held you in a hug.
"Shh, Trixie. No one is there. No one will get you. What happened?"
You clung to her as you spoke of the recurring nightmares.
How they always brought back the terrible memories, and somehow got worse and worse.
She merely rubs your back to calm you down.
"Is that what the whole boasting thing was about before? You were afraid of being alone?"
You nod, wiping the tears from your eyes.
"Yeah, it was... After all that, I didn't want to be seen like this..."
She merely just holds you.
"Because of your hard past, you were afraid to be yourself. I think I know who the map was pointing to, now."
You put one of your pillows onto Twilight's bed before hopping up on it.
"Are you sure about this, Twilight? Trixie doesn't mean to impose..."
She simply giggles a bit at your bashfulness.
"Don't be silly, Trixie. Applejack and Rarity had a slumber party with me before. I was a bit of a train wreck at first, but... It was still good!"
You give her a soft smile as you play with your mane a bit.
"Alright.."
You two spent the rest of the night gossiping and reading about magical spells and famous unicorns.
You eventually fell asleep from pure fatigue.
Tomorrow was another day.
The next morning you woke up before Twilight and Spike.
Rubbing your eyes, you idly walk out of the room and to a balcony.
The clouds had cleared up and the warm sun shone down on you.
Off in the distance you can see the wreck of your stage and coach.
You whine softly before laying your head on the railing.
Some time later, you were at the dining table with Spike and Twilight.
You ate your cereal idly as Twilight went over a list of things for Spike to write down.
"So, Trixie..."
Her voice snaps you out of your stupor.
"Are you ready to meet with the girls today?"
You look down at your bowl.
You really weren't ready, but you knew you had to face your past mistakes.
"Yeah... Trixie supposes she is."
Twilight tilted her head at you.
"Something on your mind?"
You said nothing.
"Trixie?"
You stand up and walk out.
"Excuse Trixie, she has to prepare."
She just watches you walk out.
You brush your mane in front of a mirror quietly.
You continually run through everything in your mind.
Would they actually forgive and accept you?
It simply just doesn't seem feasible.
Without you even noticing, Twilight was able to sneak up behind you.
"Trixie?"
You fumble with the brush before catching it.
"You're afraid of them, aren't you?"
Your ears fold down.
"Trixie, it's been quite some time since you tried to take over Ponyville.. And since you made a mockery of them. I'm sure that they'd at least be willing to help you."
You look at her through the mirror.
"You think so? Do you actually think they would help me, even after all that I've done?"
Sitting down, Twilight wraps a wing around you.
"Of course I do. I AM the Princess of Friendship, after all."
You looked down, still feeling unsure and guilty.
You helped Twilight take some tables and tools out to where your stage once stood.
She laid out a blueprint page for you both to work on.
You both worked on the basics and try to deconstruct and reconstruct your old stage's layout.
She managed to distract you long enough for the other mane six to arrive.
You flip and turn the page in front of you quizzically.
"Maybe if this goes here, then that could go..."
"TRIXIE!?"
Your face contorts into shock.
You recognized that voice.
Rainbow Dash took the page from you.
"You want US to help HER? Twilight, you KNOW what she did!"
"Now, RD, there's not need ta be like that. Ah'm sure she has a very good reason ta--"
"She's the one the map is calling me to."
"There is NO way I heard THAT right. Her? A friendship problem?"
You sit there and watch them lightly bicker of you.
"Now, now, everypony just calm down. I'm sure that Trixie feels absolutely horrible for what she's done."
Rarity sits next to you, rubbing your back.
"Even if she did turn my mane green... I can look past that."
"You too, Rarity?"
"Now, RD. Just because she zapped ya once, there's no reason ta hold such a silly grudge."
"She tried to enslave us, AJ..."
Twilight sighed and looked at Rainbow Dash sternly.
"I'm not asking you to like it.. I'm asking you to help her. Trixie lost her stage and her home because someone tinkered with the stage's parts."
She levitates a few of the broken pieces of lumber.
"She doesn't have much left, and what are we, the Spirits of the Elements of Harmony supposed to do? Let her continue with nothing?"
"She has a point..."
Rainbow Dash pouted a bit.
"Fine... Let's just get this over with."
You smile a bit softly.
You spent the next hour sorting through all the parts.
Each of you sorted the parts out and scavenged what was still good out of the mess.
Most of it was trash...
You sat with the group as you planned out who was going to do what.
"Pinkie, you and Fluttershy go and see if you can get the new things we need. Wood, cloth, paint, gears."
Pinkie saluting.
"Got it!"
"Dash, you and Applejack will be our muscle. You'll help with the transporting and setting up of the frames."
"Sure thing, sugarcube."
They high hoof.
"Rarity, you and Trixie will work on finishing the layout."
"I.. Are you sure?"
"Why, darling, of course! We'll make it even more fabulous than ever before!"
"What about you, Twilight?"
"I will handle the P.R. Ponies may not have liked you before, but maybe they'll listen to me."
You scrunch a bit.
"Everyone meet back here in two hours."
They went their separate ways.
You watched Rainbow and Applejack compete over who could move more at once.
Rarity kept running over the plans.
"And so I think--- Trixie, darling? Are you listening?"
You shake your head and look at Rarity, then the blueprints.
"Huh? Oh, yeah."
"If you're worried about them, don't be. They do this kind of thing all the time. Brutes, really."
You hold a hoof to your mouth as you giggle some.
"There's the smile I wanted to see."
You spent the next two hours fussing and debating with Rarity over the stage design.
You wanted ti to be fancy.. But not difficult for one pony to set up and maintain.
Applejack and Rainbow Dash hauled the old, broken wood out to the outskirts of the construction area.
The good wood was dismantled and piled neatly for use.
Pinkie and Fluttershy, with the help of some stronger stallions, brought in the newer supplies needed to build the frames and mechanisms.
But Twilight was nowhere to be seen.
After a bit you began to worry if she was even going to come back...
You sat with the other mane five in a circle.
While waiting on Twilight to come back, you all gossiped and shared tales of your adventures.
"So then Rarity shows up with this huuuge boulder on her back, thinking it was a diamond!"
Rarity pouted some in slight offense.
"I thought we agreed to never speak of that again!"
You couldn't help but giggle.
"Hey, we all have our silly and embarrassing moments. Besides, you weren't exactly you anyway."
You made a silly derp face.
They all began to burst into laughter.
Twilight suddenly runs up the road toward the group.
"Sorry I'm late, girls.. Putting up posters and trying to convince other ponies to come was harder than I thought."
"You put up the posters again? But Trixie's were torn down..."
"That's why I made new ones!"
Twilight pulled a flashy poster out of her bag.
It was colored to match your outfit with sparkling stars all over it.
"So uh, where's Spike?"
"He's putting up the last of the posters."
"You sure he can handle that on his own? I mean, the little pipsqueak can barely reach the table, let alone a spot high enough for those."
Twilight just gives Rainbow Dash a soft glare.
"Enough about that, darlings. Trixie and I finally settled on a design for her new stage!"
With the help of Twilight, you both went over the plans for the construction.
No detail was left out.
After the others began work on the frame, you sat off to the side, fiddling with the gears.
You had a small easel next to you that held the advanced blueprints for the mechanism.
Each piece fit together like a puzzle, but the more wrong pieces you picked up, the more frustrated you became.
"Aaaugh! Trixie can't make heads or tails of these pieces like this!"
Twilight notices your little outburst and sits next to you.
You're absolutely fuming right now, cute scrunch and all.
She gives you a gentle nuzzle.
"What's wrong, Trixie? Why are you so upset?"
"Trixie can't make heads or tails of all of this. She's been trying to follow the diagrams but there's so many pieces..."
Twilight took the but of the machine you had already built and compared it to the diagram.
"Well, there's your problem, silly filly! You're building from the inside out."
She points to where the chunk fits and then points to some of the outer bits.
"You should start from the outside. The more complex pieces then become more simple."
She helps you by building a bit of the outer machine framework.
You fold your ears down some before going back to work.
She ruffles your mane some.
"Everypony has to start somewhere."
You all worked through the day.
You spent another night at Twilight's.
Tonight you and Twilight read over some magic history books and books of spells.
Some of them seemed interesting. Almost interesting enough to use in your show.
It was a slow night.
New night, same dream.
Tonight, however, when the darkness came, it was quickly banished by a blue light.
You look around in confusion.
As if a door was in front of you, a rectangular hole opened.
You stepped out into what felt like space.
"Well... This is new."
You just idly float around, not really looking for anything.
"Is this it? Has Trixie died? Did she fall into the abyss?"
"I think not, young unicorn of magical tricks."
You blink a few times.
"Who... Who's there?"
A bright flash of light.
"We are surprised thou don't remember our name. You are a moon, after all."
A larger figure stood in front of you majestically.
"How do you know Trixie's last name?"
"Because, my little pony..."
They step into the light.
Princess Luna stands before you solemnly.
"We are the princess of the night."
You flail in surprise, trying to bow.
Because you were floating, your flailing was pointless.
"Princess? What are you doing here?"
"I am the princess of the night. Thus it is my duty to watch over our subjects as they slumber. I was alerted to your tormenting dreams long ago, but a magical field prevented me from interrupting them until now."
You fold your ears down and curl up.
"So you know about them, huh?"
She nods.
"And we do not blame you for those dreams."
Suddenly, you fall down to what felt like a floor, as if gravity was turned back on.
A hallway of doors showed up.
"You aren't the only one who struggles with the past."
She opens a door to what looks like Twilight's dream.
Twilight seemed to be dreaming about what her life could have been like without the Elements.
Without her friends. Without Spike.
You felt your heart sink a little.
"Is... Is this what she actually thinks about?"
"Indeed. Constantly worrying about alternate paths."
You lower your head.
"She always looks so cheerful, though."
"Do you know why?"
You shake your head a bit.
"It is because she has friends to rely on, and who rely on her."
"Oh... I suppose that makes sense."
"Do you know what is stopping you from such things?"
You flinch a bit at the question.
You didn't respond, even though you knew the answer.
Luna disappears into a flash of light.
You're back in the Magic Kindergarten sequence again.
"This. Little Trixie, you must learn to try and reach out to others, just as we had to do after a thousand years."
"But... How do I do it?"
The dream begins to fade.
"Trust in yourself."
"Luna... Wait... Wait!"
Tomorrow was another day.
