Is it Amnesia or Something?
"Yes, it is true. An alicorn walks among you. Do not be afraid, residents of Ponyville. I am not here to harm anypony."
An alicorn strode confidently down the main street of Ponyville, head high as she nodded to the ponies she passed. She seemed to revel in the stares she attracted. The mare's smirk only confirmed this. She shot a wink at a pink-maned yellow pegasus, eliciting a slight blush from her.
The alicorn walked straight through Ponyville to the large crystalline castle that was home to the resident princess, Twilight Sparkle. Three loud knocks and a few moments of waiting resulted in one very shocked Princess of Friendship.
"May I help you?" Twilight stared at the surprise guest, sizing the alicorn up.
The alicorn was horrifying, to say the least. Her deep red coat seemed to constantly tug at Twilight's vision, demanding constant attention. Her long, raven mane practically screamed at Twilight, fighting for the attention that the alicorn's coat took without trying. The alicorn wore a cocky smirk as she raised an eyebrow.
"Like what you see, princess?" The alicorn chuckled.
"You're an alicorn. But how?" Twilight tilted her head and walked a circle about the visitor. "And what are you doing in Ponyville?"
"I, Trravellina, with two R's, have heard that there is a princess who is willing to take students on and teach them the ways of friendship. Taking me as your pupil would not only teach me the mysterious ways of friendship, but you would be able to bask in my radiance every single day. How could you resist?"
"I-"
"Very well, I accept your proposal. From this day forward I, Trafina, shall be your new friendship student." The alicorn brushed past Twilight and entered the castle, interrupting Twilight in the process.
"Didn't you say your name was Trravellina?" Twilight raised an eyebrow quizzically, turning and catching up to the alicorn.
"You misheard." The alicorn scoffed. "You teach friendship, yes? Why haven't you given me my first lesson?
"Well, I didn't actually offer-"
"I know! That yellow pegasus in town seemed friendly. I shall befriend her!"
"Fluttershy? I don't think you should bother her. She's-"
"Perfect."
"Excuse me?"
"Onward!" The alicorn was off before Twilight had a chance to make heads or tails of what just happened.
Fluttershy was having a lovely day. The sun shone brightly overhead, creating an unseasonably warm winter afternoon that had beckoned her to stroll through the park. The pegasus was not without her frustrations though. Mister Squirrel had woken up and was convinced that spring had come early, leaving Fluttershy to gently convince him that it was still winter.
"I know it looks like spring, but trust me. Tomorrow it's supposed to start snowing. You wouldn't want to be caught out in that, would you?" Fluttershy asked softly as she knelt down to Mister Squirrel's level. "I know I wouldn't want you to."
The small brown squirrel in front of Fluttershy chittered frantically, pleading his case to the mare. As he did so, a shadow fell over him. Instinct kicked in and the squirrel darted for the nearest tree, clambering to safety as fast as his little legs could carry him.
"Hello, Fluttershy. I am Tribble, Twilight Sparkle's new student of friendship. She has tasked me with making friends with you." The source of the shadow spoke loudly, placing a hoof on her chest proudly.
"Oh, um, hi." Fluttershy glanced downwards and dug at the ground with a hoof.
Silence immediately settled over the two. Neither seemed to know what to say next as they stood awkwardly. Passersby stared at the two. Some even whispered to each other. Fluttershy hoped they weren't starting rumors.
"Tell me, Fluttershy. What does a mare like you do for fun in Ponyville?" The alicorn seemed to radiate confidence. Either she was basking in the attention of onlooking ponies, or she was completely oblivious. Fluttershy briefly wondered which was worse.
"Well, I um, I like to go on walks," Fluttershy tentatively replied. "and I take care of my animal friends."
"We should go for a walk." The alicorn proclaimed. "We could speak of things and become friends."
"Oh, um," Fluttershy hesitated, looking anywhere but at the alicorn. "I'm sorry, but I really need to get back to my animal friends. Not all of them hibernate and I'm worried they may be cold." Before the alicorn could reply, Fluttershy took flight, putting distance between them as quickly as her wings would carry her.
"You are adorable when you fly." The alicorn smirked and raised an eyebrow suggestively, easily keeping pace with the blushing pegasus with a quick trot.
"I have to go!" Fluttershy blurted out, gaining altitude as fast as she could manage. The alicorn didn't follow, thankfully, instead choosing to watch Fluttershy fade into the distance.
"I don't understand what Trifle has done wrong."
Twilight stared flatly at the alicorn pacing her library. The last half-hour had been filled with grumbling and rhetorical questions. At this point she was pretty sure that Trifle had started wearing a groove in the floor.
"Well, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it was the forwardness. I was trying to tell you earlier that Fluttershy is... sensitive. Galloping up to her and trying to be friends like that is going to scare her more than anything. It's a miracle she didn't run immediately."
Trifle stopped and stared at Twilight.
"So how does Trinket get Fluttershy to like me? A-As a friend, of course."
Twilight frowned, mulling the situation over in her head for some time before carefully choosing her words. At long last she sighed before finally speaking.
"I'll help you to make friends with Fluttershy, but on one condition." Twilight looked into the alicorn's eyes with a seriousness that would make a cockatrice flinch. "You have to tell me where you came from and why you have to make friends with Fluttershy."
"I-" Trinket hesitated. "I can't."
"May I ask why?" Twilight's features softened as she tilted her head quizzically.
"I just can't, okay? Treble isn't willing to speak about it." The red mare scratched at the floor with a hoof, refusing to meet Twilight's eyes. She took a step backwards, followed by another. Before Twilight could press for answers, the other alicorn turned and ran.
"You are better than this!" A lone mare chastised herself at the edge of Ponyville Lake. "Since when are you a-afraid of anything. You're the greatest, most powerful alicorn to walk the face of Equestria, remember?" The red alicorn puffed out her chest, holding the pose for a moment before deflating. "Oh, what's the use?"
A smooth stone floated up from the ground, held aloft by the pale magenta glow of the alicorn's magic. With hardly a thought, the stone was sent skipping across the water, breaking the stillness of the lake's surface with each hop. Another stone followed the first as the alicorn frowned in thought.
"Wait," The alicorn dropped her third rock as she perked up. "I know what to do!"
The alicorn took off at a gallop towards Ponyville.
The alicorn's preparations were done in what felt like no time at all. She stood proudly upon a raised wooden platform in front of the town hall, once again basking in the curious stares of Ponyville's residents. With her confident smile firmly in place, the alicorn's horn glowed brightly and fired a flaring light skyward.
The ball of light exploded into a dazzling display of multi-colored pyrotechnics. Ponies below gasped in delight at the impromptu display.
A flash of light briefly pulled the attention of a few of the ponies from the show as Twilight Sparkle appeared to investigate the sudden light show.
"What's going on?" Twilight stared upwards, certain that no shows had been planned for tonight.
"Twilight Sparkle! I, the Great Trumplet, challenge you to a magical showdown! Tonight we shall see who the superior alicorn is! And the last one standing shall become the new Princess of Friendship!" The alicorn tossed her head back and laughed maniacally at the sky.
Pandemonium erupted immediately. The members of the audience who had been watching in awe now fled in terror, screaming with reckless abandon at the new threat in Ponyville. The madness spread like wildfire. Ponies who hadn't even witnessed the incident were now fleeing from their homes, clutching tightly at treasured items or their children.
"The horror! The horror!" A pony with a floral cutie mark stopped to scream near Twilight before fleeing again.
Soon Ponyville's streets were empty, leaving Twilight and the red alicorn alone together.
"Why?" Twilight asked, ears pressed flat as she processed the sudden and unexpected change of heart of the alicorn. "Earlier today you wanted to be my student! To learn friendship! What changed?"
"Nothing," The alicorn grinned down at Twilight. "I simply realized that I was going about things the wrong way. Soon, all of Equestria will know the name of Trinity the alicorn! Now, Sparkle, let's dance."
Trinity's horn flared brightly as a beam of magic fired at Twilight. Twilight easily blocked the attack with a magical bubble, somewhat surprised at the lack of collateral damage it caused.
"Please, talk to me!" Twilight cried out. "Whatever's wrong, we can fix this if we work together!"
Another shot of magic glanced off Twilight's bubble, fizzling into nothingness before any real harm could be done.
"The time for talk is over, Sparkle!"
Twilight steeled herself and dropped her magical shield. Her own horn glowed as she fired her own magical beam at the crazed alicorn. The shot missed by a few hairs. The alicorn flopped to her side immediately.
"Oh, ow! I am vanquished! No more, Twilight Sparkle! Please show mercy!" The alicorn cried out dramatically, holding her hooves above her to shield herself from Twilight's assault.
"I- What?" Twilight hesitated. "What just happened?"
"Oh, the agony! I am truly sorry for my actions! Please spare me, Princess Sparkle!"
"But- How? What?" Twilight spluttered. "I didn't even hit you!"
"World... going dark. Out of all the ponies I've known, I was the most... Equine." The alicorn gasped out, feebly crawling away from Twilight Sparkle as the Princess closed in for the kill. "Make it- make it quick." She coughed dramatically.
Twilight was silent, standing slack-jawed as she attempted to process what exactly was transpiring in front of her.
"Are you done?" A quite voice asked. Fluttershy trotted into view, sighing softly at the alicorn on the ground.
"Indeed! I am done for! Twilight Sparkle has vanquished me! If only a kind and pretty mare would step in and spare my life!"
Fluttershy stared flatly at the alicorn, clearly not buying the act.
"I..." The red alicorn stood up. "I-" Her voice cracked.
Fluttershy said nothing as she continued to watch the alicorn.
"I-" Tears welled up in the red alicorn's violet eyes. "I-" For the umpteenth time that day, the mare galloped away at full speed.
"I'm such a foal." The red alicorn once again found herself on the outskirts of Ponyville, hiding in a covered wagon. "This whole idea was stupid."
Three gentle knocks at the door of the wagon caught the attention of it's only occupant. The alicorn remained silent, hoping that the somepony at the door would leave. Three more knocks confirmed that whoever it was was not leaving so easily.
"Who is it?" The alicorn groaned. "Tringle is not accepting company at the moment."
"Can you open up, please?"
A long sigh was the only response from inside the wagon. After a long moment, the door opened, revealing Fluttershy outside.
"What- what are you doing here?" The alicorn stammered out.
"Trixie, can we talk, please?" Fluttershy smiled gently.
"T-Trixie? Who is this Trixie? She sounds great, but Traffa Cake has never met any Trixie."
"Please come outside and talk to me. I want to know what's wrong." Fluttershy said earnestly.
The alicorn tentatively stepped out of the wagon and into the moonlight.
"What did you need to talk about?" The alicorn's eyes were glued to the ground at her hooves.
"Trixie, why are you pretending to be an alicorn?"
The alicorn opened her mouth but she found herself unable to speak. Fluttershy stepped forward and raised a hoof to the alicorn's cheek, brushing it gently. Red dust coated the peagsus' hoof as she pulled it away, revealing pale blue fur where she had touched. Fluttershy gave a knowing look to the alicorn, smiling gently.
"I suppose you figured it out then?" Trixie asked tentatively. Fluttershy merely nodded in reply.
Trixie sighed, knowing it was futile to continue her charade. Pale magenta surrounded the mare as she magicked the dust coating her fur off, revealing her soft blue fur and two-toned mane. Cardboard wings were deposited unceremoniously into the pile of dust that now sat nearby.
"When did you figure it out?" Trixie asked sheepishly.
"The first time you talked. You can change the color of your fur, but you have a memorable voice, Trixie." Fluttershy giggled.
Trixie flushed with embarrassment.
"Why did you do all this, though?"
"Trixie just wanted to get your attention."
"There are better ways than pretending to be an alicorn." Fluttershy pointed out with another giggle. "Like talking to me."
"Trixie doesn't know the words she wants to say to you. You're Fluttershy. The Element of Kindness and one of the prettiest mares in Equestria." Trixie turned away and looked upwards at the stars. "Trixie doesn't know how to say that when she's near you her heart races. Or that when you talk it's one of the prettiest sounds she's ever heard. How could somepony as amazing as you want to spend any time with a showpony like me?"
"It sounds to me like you know exactly what words you wanted to say." Fluttershy said, gently wrapping her forelegs around Trixie in a hug. "You just needed to say them."
Trixie's body tensed up at Fluttershy's touch, eventually relaxing at the comforting feeling of Fluttershy's fur upon her own. She found herself smiling as she returned the hug.
"I do have one more question, though." Fluttershy pulled back ever-so-slightly. "If pretending to be an alicorn had been what got my attention, what would you have done after that?"
Trixie's reply was an embarrassed grin.
