A blue unicorn trotted in. Her purple cape followed behind as she trotted up to a green sofa.
“Thank you for seeing me on such short notice, doc,” Trixie greeted with a smile as she trotted up to the sofa. “Just lie down on the couch, right?” she asked as she motioned to it with her hoof before lying down upon it with her head upon the pillows. Her gaze was upwards at the bright, fluorescent lights. “I’m guessing you don’t happen to have a dimmer switch for the overhead lights?” she slightly joked.
After taking a deep breath and sighing to calm herself, Trixie spoke, “I guess Trixie should start the beginning like any good story, huh? Any story about the Great and Powerful Trixie is worth listening to in its entirety. Well, I think my main problem started when I enrolled at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns. I know what you’re thinking, ‘Wow, Trixie, I never thought you were so amazing that even Princess Celestia herself saw how great and powerful you were!’” Trixie mimicked with her own voice, “Well, you’d be wrong, because she did see how great and powerful I was at such a young age. However, while I studied there, I quickly found out that it was a great challenge for me, the Great and Powerful Trixie. I really did learn a lot and become a better user of my magic.”
“But it wasn’t enough, I was repeatedly getting shown up by other students,” Trixie’s face grew a little pained as she recalled, “particularly by that Twilight Sparkle. Well, I guess that’s more accurately Princess Twilight Sparkle now. There was also this orange unicorn who was also showing me up in grades, but one day she disappeared, so I sorta forgot about her.”
Trixie stopped herself for a moment to look down at her hooves at the far end of the sofa. “Well, needless to say, Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns was fine and all, but I felt it was hampering my abilities as a magic user, so I went out to study on my own.” The blue unicorn said as she tilted her head to the side. However, she quickly bursted out her admission of the lie, “Okay, so I dropped out to wander around Equestria! Is that so bad? I learned a lot while out on the road! I figured out which plants were okay to eat and which were not by trial and error! They don’t teach you that in any school!”
Quickly, she calmed herself back, “But while I was out there, I did learn quite a bit about traveling on my own like about rationing money and taking care of myself. But I also learned something about myself; that I had a flair for performance. Using my magical talents, I had a true knack for capturing the attention of any pony or creature that watched. And thus, that is how the Great and Powerful Trixie’s Traveling Magic Show began. Truly, there has never been a show quite like it before or since! It was all going so well until….well, I came to Ponyville and found Twilight Sparkle again.”
“I’m sure I don’t need to tell you about what happened next. After all, the entire town of Ponyville witnessed the humiliation of the Great and Powerful Trixie,” a bit of annoyance came from Trixie’s tone as she reminisced about the incident and moved her hoof in the air as if she was trying to speed up her own story. “That being said, I am grateful that the Great and Powerful Trixie didn’t become part of a Great and Powerful lunch for the ursa major,” Trixie couldn’t help but smile at her own joke. “But that entire ordeal left a bad taste in my mouth. Not literally, of course, I’ve learned which plants actually do that.”
“Anyway, being brought down so low just made me feel awful. It made me crave revenge,” Trixie stated with guilt. “It wasn’t a good feeling, being driven solely by anger and frustration like that. Because I kept getting mocked for what happened with that ursa major, I couldn’t perform like before and had to take up a job on a rock farm. I was so humiliated that I entirely placed the blame on Sparkle for it. Just thinking about her drove me insane and wanting revenge.”
“That’s when I used the Alicorn Amulet that I bought with money that may or may not have been ill-gotten. As soon as I used that cursed object, that thing took over all rational thinking and then,” her front hooves were raised up to her head and motioned as if she was implying some explosion within, “poof, that amulet made me crave power by any means. While wearing it, I felt strangely hypnotized and wasn’t completely in control. That item had a mind of it’s own and wanted it’s own sort of vengeance. I won’t lie, it felt good beating Sparkle in that first magical duel we had. But do you know how she bested me? Simple tricks and misdirection,” Trixie laughed aloud at herself, “Basic magician tricks that I shouldn’t be falling for! I was so embarrassed! My own father would be so mad if he found out that’s what happened!” Her laughter died as she reflected, “I will admit though, Sparkle did win. Not just with her magic, but with her friends. It was something I envied, something I wish I had.”
Trixie looked back up at the bright lights above, shielding her eyes for a bit before continuing, “Well, I figured that the Great and Powerful Trixie needed to work on being a better pony as the Great and Apologetic Trixie. So with that, I started to travel across Equestria. Of course, I had traveled all around the land as a traveling magician, but this wasn’t for work, it was to discover myself. Or find myself. Whatever it is the fillies call it these days,” the unicorn waved her hoof off at the thought so she could get back on track. “The point was to figure out what kind of pony I was with the Apology Tour.” With a bit of a chuckle, the unicorn adjusted her posture on the couch, “I have to tell you, there are some very strange places across Equestria. Did you know in Chicoltgo, they put the sauce on top of the pizza? And that in Manehatten, some ponies drink celery soda? Oh! And in Los Pegasus, they put avocado on just about everything, even toast!” It dawned on Trixie she was getting off topic again, “Sorry, getting a bit carried away. But the point is that I traveled all around, hoping to find what I was missing, and find what I could do to become a better pony. And that’s when I met Starlight Glimmer.”
A small smirk appeared on Trixie’s face, “We became fast friends. I don’t know exactly what it was about us, but Starlight and I just clicked, you know? We both had baggage, but I think that drew us together, knowing we both had common ground to build our friendship. And we both enjoy knowing we aren’t alone in trying to better ourselves. She’s also a great help with my magic shows. I will admit, when Sparkle said she didn’t trust me or Starlight’s friendship with me, it did hurt a bit. I could sort of see where she was coming from, but who could say mad at this cute face?” The blue mare made a small cute pouting expression before giving a small chuckle. “Truth be told, there was another motive for me to befriend Starlight; I wanted to best Sparkle at something. But that thought quickly faded as I got to know Starlight.” A peaceful smile appeared on Trixie’s face, “To the Great and Powerful Trixie, Starlight is a Great and Powerful assistant, as well as a Great and Powerful best friend.”
“And from there, I guess life took a turn for the better. I sort have taken up roots in Ponyville since then while still traveling every so often to perform now and again,” Trixie stated before adding on to it, “My life also took a bit of a weird turn as well. I met Discord who is....a bit much even for the Great and Powerful Trixie. Do you know what a draconequus is? Because I sure didn’t! But anyway, Starlight took Discord, the changeling Thorax, you know, before he became ruler of all of the changelings, and myself to defeat Queen Chrysalis. It was quite an ordeal, but we defeated her and rescued not only Starlight’s former villagers but also Sparkle and her friends. I’m never going to let Sparkle live it down,” the mare added with a wicked smirk.
“To say that my life is exciting now is a severe understatement, especially now with the School of Friendship. I never thought I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, would be a counselor for all manner of creatures. But I’m sure they could learn a few lessons about being humble from me,” Trixie bragged a bit. “Life at the School is enjoyable though, when Discord isn’t there to simply cause problems, which happens more often that I’d like to admit.” Her tone quickly turned to irritation at her own mention of Discord, “It’s like, why do you insist on bothering the students? Don’t you have better things to do with your abilities? It’s like has near limitless powers and he uses them only to annoy!”
Calming herself, Trixie returned to her original thought, “But I guess, all in all, I’m a bit grateful for my long and weird trip to where I am now. Sure, it certainly wasn’t as direct and easy as I would have hoped. And, of course, I could have learned a lot of these lessons in less….dangerous methods. But I really do mean it when I say I am trying my best to better myself. I've noticed that I do just seem to have a sort of affect on others. Perhaps it’s my competitive nature and how I often don’t think about how my actions affect others, it’s something I’m working on. I know it isn’t easy in the least, but if anypony can do it, it’s the Great and Powerful Trixie! Oh, and humility, that’s another thing I should address sooner or later.” With a deep sigh, Trixie raised a hoof up to her head and pointed at it, “Or maybe I’m a bit crazy in the coconut, but aren’t we all just a bit? How else are we supposed to get through life?”
Trixie closed her eyes for a moment and thought aloud, “Life is like a show, huh? All the world’s a stage, and we all are merely players. I remember being taught that as a filly and I guess I took it to heart when I became a performer. And I love being on stage, despite each time I step out there I feel as if there is an anchor of fear and dread wrapped around my neck. Being under that microscope for all to see makes me feel like I need to put on a show for all who have their eyes on me. Maybe it’s because I feel life is like one giant stage production is why I feel the need to be showy all the time, to feel the need to have the spotlight on me or I will disappoint every creature. Like, I know for a fact that this isn’t some sort of play or some spectacle, but real life. But I guess a part of me doesn’t want me to drop the stage persona. Maybe it’s part of a defensive mechanism? Who am I without my stage mask? Who’s the Great and Powerful Trixie behind the Great and Powerful Trixie?”
With a final sigh, Trixie sat up from the couch and stretched her limbs, “I guess that’s for another session, right doc? Feels like I have some more appointments ahead of me and a lot more growing to do. Bettering oneself isn’t an overnight task, is it? I guess for now, I should simply enjoy the little detours in life to the fullest. That’s where we all find the most important things in our lives: not the big things we think we want, but rather the small things we treasure forever.”
The blue unicorn mare stood up off the couch and looked toward the light brown stallion seated in a nearby chair, “Got any last bits of advice before I leave, doc?”
“....all of this goes well beyond my training, because this is not a psychiatry office, this is Quills and Sofas,” the brown stallion stated.
Trixie laughed, “That’s such a great joke, doc! I can see why you’re so popular with your patients!” She waved as she started to trot towards the door, “Same time next week?”
The stallion sighed, “Sure, fine, whatever. Just go.”
END
