Sometimes we just need a "no."
It was Sunday at Canterlot City, and rather oddly for this time of year, it was surprisingly warm. Not to the point of discomfort, but rather more like a warm blanket surrounding you on all sides. Nowhere was the peaceful atmosphere more apparent than the park, which was empty that day due to people flocking to the newer park that was just a bit farther away. The only people at the near abandoned plains of grass were Twilight Sparkle, former student of Crystal Prep High, and Trixie Lulamoon, one of the bossiest and most arrogant people anyone could have the displeasure of knowing. Twilight was sitting on a bench reading a book while Trixie glared at her in an offended manner before loudly asking "What do you mean 'no'!?"
"I mean no, Trixie, I will not 'face you in a shred off', as you called it."
"And why not!?"
"I don't know how to play guitar."
Trixie scoffed. "Surely, Crystal Prep's finest could learn how to play an instrument in record time. Unless you're just scared to battle The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
Twilight looked up at her with curiosity. "Isn't that just a stage name? Why would you use it here?"
The white-haired girl rolled her eyes, as if her reason was the most obvious thing in the world. "Trixie is so amazing that her title cannot be contained on the stage. It demands publicity!"
It was Twilight's turn to roll her eyes this time. "Uh huh."
"You think The Great and Powerful Trixie is lying!?"
"I think you overestimate yourself. Either that, or you're trying to convince everyone of your talent to make up for your shortcomings."
Trixie looked aghast, though that quickly formed into a look of pure anger. "Trixie has no shortcomings, Twilight Sparkle! She excels at everything she does, and is superior to everyone at everything!"
Twilight closed her book and placed it next to her. "What is the 42nd digit of pi?"
Trixie blinked. "Wha-"
"It's 9. How many vertices does a dodecahedron have?"
"That's not-"
"20. Who was the first person to propose-"
"I DON'T KNOW, OKAY!?"
Trixie stood there breathing heavily, her chest rising and falling in a rhythm you could almost dance to. She looked to Twilight, expecting to see a smug grin on her face. There was no way that nerd could keep a straight face after-
Her train of thought derailed. Twilight Sparkle wore a frown. One that suggested that she never wanted Trixie to get upset. The spectacled girl spoke after a few seconds of deafening silence. "I'm sorry. I wanted to make a point, not make you feel so...angry."
"A-and what, pray tell, did you think would happen?"
"I expected you to admit that you weren't superior at everything, but maybe say that that stuff doesn't matter. But now I have to ask you what you were expecting."
Trixie froze. She couldn't tell her anything that she might use against her. After all, this whole thing might be a ruse! She refused to be humiliated!
...and yet, she had already stooped so low. Losing her cool out in public, even with no one to see, was something that she tried to avoid. Plus, the anger and oncoming sadness were already forming tears in her eyes. She was defenseless. Powerless. Everything that she couldn't let herself be. She finally choked up the words. "I-I thought you were going to...smile. Laugh at me before making a smart remark and leaving..."
It was Twilight's turn to be aghast. "What!? Trixie, I wouldn't do that to ANYONE! Why would I do that to you?"
"Because...BECAUSE EVERYONE ELSE DOES!"
All that was visible was the top of her head as Trixie dove her sobbing face into her hands. Twilight stood there awkwardly, not knowing what to do in this situation. She opted for the easiest thing and took Trixie by the shoulders and carefully placing her down on the bench. She was about to ask the crying girl to elaborate, but she didn't have to, as Trixie spoke again. "When I first started this whole...magician thing, I was the best junior magician in Canterlot. Every trick was flawless, and I lived for the cheers of the crowd.
"But I tried to move on to bigger and bigger tricks, and all of them failed! I couldn't understand how someone with as much talent as me could make such awful mistakes! The crowd that once adored me jeered and laughed, mocking the name I had built for myself! Mocking...me. I told them to try if they were such experts, and even though I failed, they failed so much more easily. I knew then that in order to hear the cheers I desired, I had to prove that I was the best any of them would get.
"Then I learned how to play the guitar, and I got the crowd I truly wanted back. But...they still looked down on me for what I truly enjoyed. And to make matters worse, your little princess counterpart came along and brought REAL magic! The Rainbooms are more than just a band: they have powers that I could only dream of! They saved the school 3 times now!"
Trixie's hand clenched into the tightest fist Twilight had ever seen. "The more and more they do...the more and more my magic, my TRUE passion, faded away. I thought if I could beat you in a contest, then people would stop thinking of me as "The best we're gonna get" and think of me as "The Great and Powerful Trixie!"
She released her grip. "That's all I wanted...I wanted to be known. To be loved!"
She turned to Twilight with a new anger on her face. "Now, tell me, Sparkle, IS THAT SO MUCH TO ASK FOR!?"
Twilight sat in silence before opening her mouth. "No."
"Exactly! So why don't you just-"
"But it is when you expect everyone to love you no matter what you're like. Trixie, when was the last time you rehearsed a magic trick before using it on stage?"
Trixie paused, looking genuinely puzzled. "Um...I don't know. I'm so amazing that I don't need to-"
Her eyes shrank as she realized what Twilight was saying. Ever since she believed that she could do every trick flawlessly, she had always failed. Not once had she made the correlation between the two, and she hated herself for being so blind to that. Then she thought about it more, and then it clicked: ever since her Great and Powerful stage name practically replaced her own in everyday life, people had been avoiding her. She had heard the whispers and quiet insults, but had always assumed that everyone was just jealous of her. But there was nothing to be jealous of, and she was so stubborn in her beliefs that she couldn't see just how stupid she was. Tears flowed again from her eyes, but before she could duck into her hands again, she stiffened as Twilight pulled her into an embrace.
"I may not know much about friendship and socialization, but I know that if you need to cry, then maybe a shoulder would be better to do it on."
Trixie didn't object. In fact, she held the lavender girl as close to her as she could, choking and sputtering out her words. "I'm s-sorry! I'm a failure! A failure who deserves-"
"A chance. You know your mistakes now, and I have no doubt that the others will help you if you ask. You just need to swallow your pride, okay?"
Sniffing, Trixie released her grip and nodded, and the sad smile on her face said more than she needed to.
"Good. Now then, I have one favor to ask you."
Twilight drew back from the hug. "Could you teach me how to play the guitar? If you still want to have a...shred off...then I need to know how to play."
Trixie looked surprised, but smiled and stood up, holding her guitar in the playing position. "All right. First, you hold the guitar like this..."
Author's Note
I know that the notes of 12 Unexpected Visitors said that I wouldn't be writing for a week until I heard from you guys about which character you wanted the first sequel to be about, but no one voted and darn it, I was NOT gonna deny the jolt of inspiration I got for this story. I figured that this was a good explanation for Trixie's behavior, and besides, we need Human Trixie to get her reformation, too. Also, on the subject of 12 Unexpected Visitors, I'll give anyone interested one more week before I write the sequel, and details of the voting will be in the notes of that fic's last chapter. If you aren't interested in HomeStuck or aren't a fan of Jay-The-Brony's "Of Rainbooms and..." genre, then ignore this and tell me what you thought of this story!
