Doll

Doll

By Andysonic1

Part One

The tip of the large magician’s hat fell forward limply on her head. Trixie sighed but didn’t bother to fix it. If it wasn’t the cape, it was the hat. She had left the cape at home today. Ponies stared at her enough as is.

Hooves on the cobblestone were the only sound she made as she walked home from her latest gig. Another filly’s party for some rich colt. The bits, half of what they had discussed beforehand, were tucked inside her hat. It was all she had to get her through the week.

The arrival at her apartment complex on the edge of Canterlot was anticlimactic. No feelings of relief washed over her as she started up the stars to her door. None were expected. Her life after the loss of so many bits in the magician’s cart in Ponyville had not been an easy one. She had put all her hope, and bits, into it. She had set out to show her talents to the world.

And all she got was failure.

Trixie shut her eyes as she crested the stairs, shutting out the past thoughts. There was nothing she could do to change what had happened. All she could do was make the future brighter. If a little alcohol made her happy now, well, she wouldn’t mind that at all.

Eyes still closed, the unicorn bumped into something in front of her door. It was a box taller than she was. Confused, she checked the address and name on it. She didn’t remember ordering anything; she didn’t have the bits for it.

A sticker on the side confirmed it was for her. More confused than ever, Trixie opened her door and pushed the cardboard box inside. Locking the door behind her, she put her hat down on her coffee table and stared at the box.

Shrugging, she used her magic to lift it up ad peel the tape along the bottom away.

And out dropped Twilight Sparkle.

Trixie jumped backwards in surprise. She hit her small TV and just managed to turn and catch it before it fell off its stand. Spinning back around, she said, “What are you doing here?!”

Twilight lay where she fell.

Concerned now, Trixie cautiously walked over to the other pony. As she did, she noticed stitching along Twilight’s face and a tag sticking out of her back. When she poked her with her hoof she felt soft. Twilight’s eyes stared at nothing and her smile never wavered.

“A…doll?”

Trixie fell on her rump, more confused than ever. Who would send her such a thing? Twilight Sparkle had been the main reason for her failure in Ponyville. If the town had been destroyed by the Ursa Minor than no one would have known about her lies. Instead, she became the laughing stock of Canterlot, reduced to a for-hire magician.

The sight of her made Trixie’s grit her teeth in anger. Was this some kind of sick joke? Somepony wanting to rub in how far she had fallen? The smile on the doll, mocking her, laughing quietly at her misfortune…

“You think you can laugh at ME?!” Trixie yelled and grabbed the nearest object to hit the doll with. Half way to the doll she stopped her swing and stared at the empty beer bottle in her hand. When had she drunk that?

A quick look around the apartment revealed more empty bottles. Her hangover this morning had been bad but…

“Oh no…” Trixie raced to her years old computer. Sometimes, when she was very drunk, she would buy things, small things, things she could afford. Even so, in the morning she would cancel the orders. But that morning she had been late and hung-over…

And there it was. An “order complete” email from the site she used to buy things online. One “one of a kind” life size Twilight Sparkle doll. Trixie almost fainted when she saw the price.

“No, no, no, no!” the unicorn repeated over and over as the page to her bank account loaded on the screen. She wouldn’t order something like this! It was too much money! Maybe there was some mistake!

Bank account balance: empty.

Trixie felt tears well up and run down her cheeks. This couldn’t be happening. This wasn’t happening. She was saving up. She was going to move to a better place, far from here, where she could have friends and meet somepony special and perform her magic for all and…

The zeros remained zeros on the screen.

“No…no…” she lifted her hoof to the screen, “Why…” Trixie turned to the doll. “You…you did this! You destroyed my life!” She lifted the doll with her magic, prepared to rip it in half.

Twilight Sparkle stared smiling at her. It looked so real…

The question kept repeating in Trixie’s head: why did she buy this? Because she had no one. She got her gigs from the internet. She interacted with no pony on her way to and from them. She frequented the same stores often but knew none of the employee’s or other shopper’s names. If she were to die, not a single pony around would mourn her.

The doll slowly floated to the floor to a seated position in front of Trixie. She kept crying. She couldn’t help it. All her bits…and for what? So she could come home and somepony would be there?

“What can you do, anyways?” Trixie said between sniffles, “You’re just a doll…you’re not real…”

Twilight Sparkle smiled at her. Her eyes were inviting, kind. Friendly.

“I’ve don’t have any friends…” Trixie said quietly. She moved closer to Twilight. The other unicorn kept smiling, happy. She was happy to see her, happy to be there. Like a friend would be. It made Trixie happy to see her so happy. Like she was a real friend…

Trixie threw her front legs around Twilight and sobbed. If this was what she had to do to be happy, then so be it. She would make her money back. And she would have a friend to spend it with.

“…a real friend…” Trixie said, hugging Twilight tight. She let up a little when she noticed just how tight she was hugging her.

“Sorry…I’ll be more gentle from now on…”