Tide and Effect

Chapters

Prologue
The Great and Punctual Trixie
The Contribution
Way to Go
The Evening Swing Shift
Baobab
Near Miss
Twilight Sparkle

Prologue

Trixie hung her head low as she nervously walked up to the door through the rain. The clanging of the heavy raindrops on the metal roof rang through her ears as she slipped up the cold stone steps. She held her breath, hesitating to knock on the door with her hoof. “Bless this Home” read the ornate sign on the front, the price sticker stubbornly still clinging to its edge. 4 bits worth of plastic blessing the place with the most gracious definition of “home” ever conceived. Trixie closed her eyes and knocked quickly and loudly, exhaling to release the tension in her chest. She pondered on whether or not he’d recognize her with the hood. Whether or not he’d seen her name on the road. Whether or not he’s proud. She decided to leave it on. Here she was the Meek and Powerless Trixie.
Her ears perked up at the sound of a stallion's voice from the other side.

“Tell Gladmane I’ll pay him what he needs tomorrow, I just need more time!” he yelled through the door.

Trixie stood frozen, unsure of what to say, or even if she should say anything. She felt the door warm up as the stallion’s presence filled the doorway and he looked through the peephole.
The doorknob glowed a brilliant blue as the unicorn feverishly undid several locks before flinging the door open, almost hitting Trixie in the face. She jumped back and lied prone, staring up at him. His eyes met hers. Recognition and disappointment filled them.

“Oh. It's you.” he said haphazardly as Trixie quickly hid her face to look down at the pavement. The lines in his face had gotten deeper, his hair thinning, tired eyes more cynical. Trixie’s heart sank to her core as her stomach did a flip, the silence in the air deafening as she basically groveled. The stallions’ voice came soft as butter, like a wolf cooing a lamb.

“Now son… what did I say about coming back here?” he said with such venom Trixie was sure she had been cut by it. The mare shook, closing her eyes and sobbing silently, her tears mixing with the rain.

“That's right...” he said, smiling smugly to himself, pleased with the power he held. “Now quit wasting my time.”

He turned and moved to shut the door behind him, yet stopped for a moment. His acute hearing caught onto Trixie’s weak sobbing whisper of an apology.

“..Sorry dad.” she said, no louder than a raindrop.
Like a cat finally pouncing, Jack Pot raised himself as high as possible as he chased Trixie down the stone steps, causing her to slip and tumble backwards.

“Get off my property” he growled, storming back inside and slamming the door shut behind him, loud enough to rattle Trixie’s very soul.

Trixie continued sobbing as she lay on the concrete, the rain washing over her, soaking her clothes to the bone. For a moment, she felt like the lowest scum in the world. She looked up into the overcast night, the gray clouds cloaking her in emptiness. She squinted and made out the faint outline of the moon, dimly attempting to shine through the heavy clouds. Her sobs stopped as the tears and snot washed away into the gutters, the hair on her back standing up as she gazed into the night sky.

“... Princess?” She muttered.

The Great and Punctual Trixie

The frantic banging of hooves on the door rang through the wagon as Trixie awoke suddenly.

“Huh!? What?!” she sleepily yelled out, pulling her head off her pillow only to immediately stub her horn on the suitcase she’d placed above her head.

“Ow, fuck!” She cried in pain and frustration as she rolled out of her hammock and onto the floor, almost slipping on a stack of crushed-up hard cider cans. She dizzily regained balance as she tried to make her way to the wagon door through the dark, yelling out to stop whoever it was from banging so loudly.

“Yeah yeah! I’m coming, just hold your… you. What is it?” She yelled as she opened the wagon’s back window, immediately regretting it as the blindingly bright outdoors made her recoil back into the shade. Through the harsh light, Trixie made out the outline of a pegasus pony with a red mane excitedly holding one of her promotional posters.

“Oh, uh, h-hi there! Trixie, the Great and Powerful?” The pegasus said nervously, unsure of how to proceed.

The unicorn lazily held her eyes half-shut, trying to ignore her throbbing headache as she smiled smugly.

“Mmyes'm, speaking.” She said calmly.

“I’m Strawberry Sunrise, Big Fan! It's nice to meet you!” The pegasus giggled excitedly, stomping her hooves and accidentally dropping the poster she was holding. She clumsily then bent down and picked it up with her mouth.

“I wrj wrdring if I crd hrv yrr rrtogrph?” She said with the poster in her mouth.

Trixie fumbled with a pair of star-shaped sunglasses hanging on a hook near the door, before levitating the poster to herself.

“Of course, anything for a big fan!” she said, levitating herself a pen and quill to sign the poster with. Her smile became far more genuine as she looked over her own poster. It was nice to interact with someone who seemed to love her magic as much as she does.

“Oh thank goodness, I was worried I’d be too late, but thankfully there wasn’t a line,” Strawberry offhandedly mentioned while Trixie scribbled her signature.

“Too late?” Trixie asked.

“Yeah, I bought tickets for your show in a couple hours, and I know you tend to be kinda busy after the show so I figured I’d try to catch you before. I’m so glad I did. You’re even more amazing in person!” Strawberry explained.

“Wait a couple HOURS?” Trixie said worriedly, she spins around suddenly to see the clock and the calendar, knocking over the inkwell, spilling it all over the poster.

The calendar said there was a show at 8:00 PM and right now it was 6:00. Trixie didn’t remember this, but she had stayed up until 5 AM last night drunkenly singing ballads to herself and crying, before proceeding to sleep for another 13 hours. The magician briefly gazed at her hammock as she realized she had been so drunk she pissed herself and hadn’t been able to clean herself up.

Her stomach dropped as she realized that rehearsal had been 2 hours ago and it was likely they wouldn’t let her use the stage again after this. She blinked through her fabulous shades as her brain caught back up to the present moment, glancing briefly at Strawberry who was staring at the ground, still waiting patiently for the poster Trixie had just ruined. The unicorn turned to see that the ink had spilled in such a way that almost all the text on the poster was unreadable save for Trixie’s signature. Her improvisation skills came in handy as she gave the poster back to Strawberry, still dripping with Ink, while she worked out a clever way to spin it.

“Well, I spilled some ink, but, my signature is on there, plus it’s one of a kind. Keep it in mint condition and you could sell it for a ton of money in a decade or so,” Trixie said smartly. “...Anyways, thanks for stopping by, I’m a little late and I’ve got-to-go.”

Trixie then slammed the window shut in the pegasus’ face, slumping against the wall as she began to hyperventilate, wondering how on earth she was going to get ready for the performance in less than two hours.

After a shower and a shave Trixie was off like a bolt through the streets of Applewood, donning her shades and earmuffs to counteract the throbbing headache. She got a few awkward stares on the way backstage almost 3 hours after rehearsal time. There she greeted Amethyst Star, the event organizer. The rattiness of her mane and eye-bags told Trixie that she had been working for almost 7 hours by the time Trixie showed up and she was very, very pissed about it.

"Glad you could join us, you're late!" She yelled as Trixie closed the door behind her.

"Whatever, obviously I ran into something, sorry to be so inconvenient." Trixie said, speed walking over to the coffee machine as Amethyst hastily stuffed fireworks into a spinning display

"You said you would be here early to do a soundcheck and do hair and makeup. I had to do the soundcheck myself and they're already lining up outside and- are you fucking hungover?" Amethyst sputtered angrily.

Trixie silently poured herself an overflowing cup of coffee before downing it like a shot as fast as possible.

"Well, as they say, the show must go on!" Trixie said confidently, raising her glass to Amethyst, who gave a scowl in response.

"You didn't exactly make my life easier with the pizza thing. This isn't how publicity works, oh Great and Punctual." Amethyst said holding up the promotional poster.

"...Pizza?" Trixie said absent-mindedly as she studied the poster. At the very bottom was text that read "free piza with admishun." The magician's heart sank even further, she was definitely blackout drunk when she wrote that.

"Yeah, pizza, I ordered 7 of them because I wasn't sure of the turnout and honestly I don't think ticket prices are gonna cover it. I hope you've got an extra 100 bits lying around or else you'll be hurting for an organizer when this is over" Amethyst said.

Trixie looked around for an excuse, found none and just looked down at the floor.
"I'm sorry..." she said.

"I don't need 'sorry' I need you. Hair and makeup, now!" Amethyst said, pointing in the direction of the makeup chair.

With a 15 bit entrance fee, the turnout was relatively modest even with the free pizza. Trixie had been performing in Applewood for a few years now, getting her start as a street busker and moving her way up. The population of the place meant that for many this was the first Trixie show they'd ever seen. Most of the tricks were basically just rudimentary unicorn magic, but Trixies performance allowed ponies to think they were much more impressive than they were. One unicorn in the audience smiled to herself smartly. She knew how Trixie was doing all these tricks, it was just simple misdirection most of the time. She didn't buy the whole "Great and Powerful" thing.

At one point in the show Trixie asked for a volunteer to pick a card. That one was at the very least simple to pull off, either counting cards or stacking the deck. But for a moment the audience was transfixed as Trixie shuffled the deck once again. The music seemed to rumble the whole stage as the lights dimmed in neon pinks and purples. The fog machine shrouded Trixie in mystery, though she was still visible as she "called upon her magic powers" to find the right card. The music swelled as the lights went up and Trixie presented the correct card to the audience to the astonishment of the volunteer. The audience erupted in cheers and applause as Trixie swished her cape dramatically. Even though many of them knew how the trick was done, the spectacle was still astounding.

For the big Finale, Trixie lifted up a curtain for the volunteer to hide behind and the fireworks went off as she dropped it to reveal they had disappeared from the stage. The pyrotechnics shot off into the sky with whistles as they spelled out the words Great and Powerful in the night air. Trixie bowed as the curtain closed and the show ended. She then moved to undo the latch on the trapdoor in the stage where she had dropped the volunteer. He nervously stood up as Trixie held out her hoof to help him out with a wink.

"The shows over, you did amazing! You're good to go out to the audience now. Thank you for your participation." She said smiling.

The stallion dusted himself off as he stepped onstage and through the curtain. "...It was dark and musty in there." He muttered.

Trixie then gleefully made her way backstage, utterly fulfilled by a show saved from disaster, only to be greeted by a completely empty room. On the table was a note:

"Went for drinks with the tech crew. Turns out I can't cover use of the stage so that's on you too. All I know is management said you need to be out of here by morning and to leave the money here. That means all your shit. Thanks for nothing.

See ya never,
-Amethyst"

Trixie sighed sadly as she realized basically all of the profit she had just made would go to use of the stage and the pizza. In the soft buzzing of the lights, she stood for a moment, longingly staring at the celebratory bottle of champagne they had popped without her.

The Contribution

The stallion levitated the sandwich plate above his head as he knocked on his daughter's door. The food was just a kind of entrance fee in order to let him in and let him talk to her.

"Starlight? I brought you a snack." He said through the door.

The mare sighed as she turned the page, trying to ignore him. After a long pause Firelight spoke again.

"I wanted to talk to you about something." He said timidly.

Starlight sighed again as she put down the book and allowed her father entrance. The doorknob glowed as it turned gently, the stallion prancing into the room.

"It's your favorite, ham and cheese! I figured you haven't eaten anything toda- woah!" Firelight said, interrupted by the scene before him
All along Starlight's bed, plastered on the walls and stacked on the floor were books, papers and scrolls messily strewn around the room. "...what's all this?"

"Thanks for the sandwich, dad. And this… is everything everypony knows about cutie marks. That I've been able to find" Starlight said.

Firelight put the sandwich plate down on the end table as he looked over the mess.

"I see you've been giving the Sire Hollow librarians a run for their money." He said exasperatedly.

"Listen, I know what you want to talk to me about. I'm an adult. I'm still a blank flank, it's time to move out." Starlight said, putting words in her father's mouth. "...but listen, I've tried magic, I've tried music, I've tried kites, I've tried everything. If there's a way I can get a cutie mark I'm gonna find it."

"I mean, that's great but. Honey I think you're obsessing just a bit" Firelight said, Trying to calm his daughter from her seemingly manic, sleep deprived state.

"But what if obsessing about cutie marks IS my cutie mark? I don't know and I have no way to know. There's not really a pattern, it seems so random. How is fate random?" The mare said, chewing on her pencil thoughtfully.

"Glimmy, when's the last time you went outside, or saw your friend Sunburst? He's at a magic school. I bet you he could tell you about cutie marks. I'm so sorry this is such a problem for you." Firelight said.

"I don't wanna talk to Sunburst. Are you just saying that cuz you like his mom? That's gross, dad" Starlight criticized.

The stallion blushed and looked away, stuttering half-heartedly.

"N-no. I don't like her. Look, the point is you need to get out of the house and connect with other ponies. I mean, no wonder you're not contributing if you're cooped up like this all the time."

"Contributing? What do you mean by that? What, just because I'm a blank flank I'm not contributing? I'm an adult, I do the work I need to." Starlight said angrily, her father having struck a nerve. Firelight backed off and sighed to himself.

"Listen, just enjoy your sandwich honey. We can talk about this later, I've got to go anyway. Just try to get out of the house today, ok?" He said.

Starlight scoffed and went back to reading as her father left. It was true, she hadn't left the house in a while, but that's because she had been reading about cutie marks. All the books she had read referenced an "Anthology of Cutie Mark Magic" in the Canterlot Royal Library. Which seemingly contained far more information about the nature of cutie marks. She pondered the fact that Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns was nearby to the library and realized reconnecting with her friend Sunburst may not be such a bad idea. She then wrote him a letter detailing her plan to meet him there to reconnect, before getting a train ticket up to Canterlot.

Firelight was sure to send Starlight off with a platter of freshly-baked teacakes as she got on the train.

"Dad, these are bulky and awkward…" Starlight said, as she embarrassedly took the platter from him, looking around to see the other ponies staring at her.

"Well then just eat them as soon as you sit down!" Firelight yelled over the sound of the train whistle

"I can't eat all of these!" Starlight said, her hoof running over the plastic wrap her dad had put on them to keep the frosting safe.

"So then share! Who knows you might even make a friend!" The stallion said, winking as the doors opened.

"Fine. I won't be long. I love you dad!" Starlight called out as she got on the train, barely fitting the platter between the narrow doorway.

"I love you too chipmunk cheeks! Don't forget to write-" Firelight said as the door closed behind him, muffling him.

The train was cramped and hot, tons of ponies stacked on top of each other. There were stops in Appleoosa and Ponyville on the way to Canterlot so Starlight guessed most of them were packed in for those places. She sighed as she made her way to a window seat while the train began to lurch forward. Starlight hoped it would empty out by the first couple stops. Much to her chagrin, an excitable pink unicorn sat down right next to her as she tightly clutched her platter, the train picking up speed.

"Woah! Are those Teacakes?" The unicorn said, putting her hair up with a hair tie as she sat down.

"They are. Do you want one?" Starlight said politely.

"Don't mind if I do, thank you!" The unicorn said, pulling the wrapping back to grab a teacake and eating it whole in one bite. She expressed approval at the taste.

"These are good! Did you make these?" She said.

"No, they were a gift from my dad." Starlight said, disliking the small talk as the unicorn popped another teacake into her mouth.

"Gosh well, tell your dad that he better calm down or I'll be out of a job, hehe!" The unicorn said, blushing. Starlight laughed weakly, more confused by that statement than anything. She pondered it for a moment before her companion extended her hoof in greeting.

"Sugar Belle, I'm a baker, it's nice to meet you!" The pink unicorn said. Starlight awkwardly bent her leg to try to meet for a hoof-shake.

"Starlight. Starlight Glimmer. I uh.. I read."

"Huh. Well that's.. interesting." Sugar Belle said, glancing down at Starlight's blank flank. Starlight ashamedly covered it with her tail, turning towards the window. She sulked in silence for a while.

"Hey so where are you headed?" Sugar asked, trying to break the silence with yet more small talk.

"I'm headed to Canterlot, to the Royal Library." Starlight said, annoyed.

"Oh, wow I've always wanted to go there. I bet if you looked hard enough you could find Meadowbrooks Cookbook. That's at least what I would check out." She said excitedly. Starlight wasn't aware that Mage Meadowbrook had published a cookbook. She smiled. Her dad would like that.

"I'm headed to Ponyville for some baking lessons. Gotta get better at it the only way you know how. Practice." Sugar Belle continued.

"Oh well, that's good!" Starlight said half-heartedly as she stared out the window. The train turned to have the sun face them as it dipped under the horizon, illuminating the train passengers in golden light.

"What are you studying in the Canterlot Library then?" Sugar Belle questioned, unrelenting with the need for conversation. Starlight was exasperated, and really had no more social energy for vague non-answers so she just remained blunt.

"Cutie Marks and cutie mark magic. They're a complete mystery to me even though I have been trying to study them." Starlight said. Sugar Belles eyes widened.

"Oh that's interesting. I always thought cutie marks were like a name thing. Like my name is Sugar Belle and I just kinda grew up to like baking. Hence my cutie mark" the pink unicorn posited. "...maybe you're destined to work in astronomy or something, Starlight"

"Oh so cutie marks are based on Nominative Determinism? I suppose the library does have a telescope…" Starlight said.

"Well then again, my teacher Pinkie Pie's Cutie Mark is 3 balloons and that has nothing to do with Pink or a Pie. Plus she's a party planner, not necessarily a baker. I guess that's why you're studying it and not me. I don't really have a clue." Starlight nodded thoughtfully. She had new respect for this baker pony, considering she wasn't being talked down to because she didn't have a cutie mark. She seemed smart and capable and a possible good friend. Sugar Belle then respected Starlight's request for silence by keeping to herself all the way until Appleoosa. When the silence was broken it was Starlight who broke it.

"What did you mean when you said you'd be out of a job if my dad gets too good at baking?" She asked.

"Oh well, that was mostly a joke. I don't know. It's hard being a baker. There's so many things to keep track of and it always feels like I'm not the best. I bet there are other ponies with baking cutie marks that are much better than me" Sugar Belle said, honest about her feelings of inadequacy.

"Do you ever wish you could do something else?" Starlight asked, seeing that she was clearly somewhat unhappy.

"I mean sometimes but, I don't really have a choice, do I? It's kinda just baking, baking and more baking."

"I think you should have the choice," Starlight said.

A tingle ran up Starlight's spine as she said that, a warm radiant feeling surrounding her for a moment, before fading. After that, the two chatted all the way to Ponyville. Sugar Belle said she also lives in Sires Hollow and Starlight should come visit sometime. They talked about cutie marks and their families, things they had in common. Starlight smiled as she realized sharing the Teacakes had allowed her to make a friend. Her dad was right. She waved a warm goodbye to Sugar Belle as she reached Ponyville, and felt a little lonely when she was absent on the ride to Canterlot. Starlight was used to being alone. She didn't feel lonely often.

As the train finally arrived in Canterlot, Starlight discarded the platter and made her way towards the Royal Library. She couldn't help but notice the awkward stares of the high society Canterlot ponies as she walked around Couture-less and blank flanked. For a moment she slowed to look at a good-looking suit in the window of a shop, but upon seeing the price tag, moved on, scoffing that the money would be better spent elsewhere. She was too busy nervously obsessing over seeing Sunburst again.

When Starlight arrived in the library she was thrilled to find she was early, and therefore could browse books for a while before Sunburst arrived. Her knowledge of magic immediately drew her to the section on Star Swirl the Bearded. As she quietly perused the shelves, she noticed one that had been labeled "A" for Anthologies. Starlight's eyes scanned down the line, utterly awestruck at the sheer number of writings the ancient unicorn had created. The shelves went on for several meters before reaching the B Anthologies. As starlight moved past into the Cs a singular book caught her eye. Nestled between two other Anthologies was a disheveled green book, no longer than a few hundred pages. It contrasted against the brown books surrounding it and seemed to be much shorter and in far more disrepair. Starlight gently levitated the book over to herself. It had been misfiled, but it was exactly what she was looking for.

"Anthology of Cutie Mark Magic" Authored by Stygian.

Starlight had far less knowledge of Stygian and his works. Her heart sank as she worried the book's quality wasn't up to par with Star Swirl the Bearded. In a way she was right. It seemed like the book had been much less taken care of, the jacket was ripped and the spine was bent so it couldn't rest closed, rather opened automatically. Starlight's eyes widened as she gazed up on the page it had opened to.

It was a kind of transfiguration spell that could remove and replace cutie marks. In the notes of the page were descriptions of multiple trials of the spell Stygian had performed on himself and other ponies. Replacement seemingly caused dissatisfaction and depression in ponies, due to the fact they take joy in their original special talents and do not tend to become skilled in the new cutie mark. Removal caused loss of color, life and skill in the special talent. Starlight's hopes fell as she read on through the trials. The ponies who's cutie marks were removed seemed more miserable than they could've been with them. Then at the very bottom of the page, hastily scribbled in red Ink was a note saying the spell with some modifications and adjustments theoretically could turn a cutie marked pony into a normal blank flank. Starlight found herself smiling as her head filled with ideas at the prospect.

"Starlight?" Sunburst said suddenly, drawing the mare from her reading frenzy and startling her.

"Oh! Sunburst! Hi! It's been a while. Sorry I'm late I just got uh wrapped up in this book, uh" Starlight said, fumbling for words as she abruptly tried to close the book, to no avail.

"It's ok. I got your letter. It's been a really long time. Good to see you again. How are things back at Sires Hollow?" The stallion said, trying to calm her.

"Oh uh things are great, uh things are fine. How is it going at magic school?" Starlight said, trying to change the subject. Sunburst quickly glanced at Starlight's blank flank before embarrassedly looking down while talking about his own insecurities.

"It's… hard. The reading is easy but it's doing the spells that I struggle with. I could tell you how to do most transfiguration spells but, I don't even know if I could do it myself." He said sheepishly.

"Really? I always thought you were so good at magic when we were kids." Starlight said, genuinely surprised.

"Ugh, you sound like my mom. Apparently prowess early on doesn't translate to skill later in life. Who knew. How is she doing by the way? Mom." He said.

"I haven't heard much other than the stuff my dad's told me. He's been talking to her a lot lately. I heard she's doing well. She just misses you and wishes you'd write more or visit more."

"I would, I just don't know what I'd tell her other than what I've been telling her. I'm trying my best, I'm just not as good as other ponies." Starlight felt a bitterness growing inside her as Sunburst talked about how supposedly hard he had it. He was the one who got his cutie mark early and left her to try to find one herself. He doesn't know what it's like to be her, what it's like to struggle the way she does.

"I'm sorry if you were expecting to talk to some new powerful wizard or something. I know you thought I was going places but you don't know what it's like at magic school." Sunburst said, attempting to voice his feelings as strongly as possible. Starlight's polite facade faded as her frustration boiled over and spilled out her mouth.

"Well at least you have a cutie mark. I've been spending years trying to find one, reading everything trying to get one, trying everything I like, everything I'm interested in, to no avail. You don't know what it's like for everypony to think they're better than you and talk down to you just because you're a blank flank. Most ponies stop experiencing that after grade school but not me, it carries over into adulthood and it's relentless!" Starlight said, almost shouting through the library halls, angry tears forming in her eyes.

"I do know what it's like. I'm sure I still have the privilege of knowing my cutie mark but that doesn't mean I don't know what it's like to feel like everyponies better than you. I wish I could be better at magic or I wish I could do something else if it means I'd be better at it but I just can't. I don't have a choice, I'm just… a failure." Sunburst said, sobbing to himself. "...I had so much potential and then it just was nothing. Where did it go?" An ethereal almost otherworldly calm fell over Starlight as she wiped her tears. The tingle in her spine and the warm radiant feeling cascaded through her body as she spoke.

"You're not a failure and neither am I. Everypony should have a choice and if they don't, something is very wrong. A cutie mark or lack thereof shouldn't define you the way it so often does. I believe that you, me and everypony should just be fundamentally equal." She said with more certainty than she had ever said anything before. Sunburst watched, squinting through his tears as a warm cyan light engulfed his friend, causing the books on the shelves to glisten in the magical glow. He stepped back as Starlight closed her eyes, feeling her body lift into the air as her radiant aura shone through the surrounding shelves. When the light faded she gently fell back to earth and opened her eyes.

On her flank was an equals sign. She had finally gotten her cutie mark.

Way to Go

Trixie paced back and forth the tiny space in her wagon, making it tilt slightly as she walked from one side to the other and back. She hadn't scheduled any shows in her week-long bender and it was quickly becoming apparent that she was rapidly running out of money. That night she had woken up sober. She spoke aloud to herself as she paced

"Ok Trixie, you're in pretty hot water here, no place in Applewood is going to let you use their stage and even if they would you don't have enough money for groceries, let alone another show. Maybe it's time you skip town and start over like you had to do with Las Pegasus." She said to the empty wagon.

"Oh but Trixie! Doesn't that show you're just a coward who can't keep to one town because your shows are so bad? If they were good you would make more money and wouldn't have this problem!" Trixie whined, imitating an imaginary Amethyst Star to criticize her.

"No! I can reframe it like… like… a…a tour! The Great and Powerful Trixie Show is on tour east through Equestria! Come and see Ms. Direction as she performs feats never seen before by pony-kind in YOUR hometown!" Trixie said, putting on her booming, advertisement voice.

"Oh c'mon, everypony can see through your facade. You're just a poser and an alcoholic. Where would you even tour next? Train rides cost money too y'know. Face it. You're fucked." Imaginary Amethyst Star snapped back.

"Trixie will perform in Ponyville next, and she will get there for cheap by pulling her wagon. I'm sure the road can't be too hard. And when she gets to Ponyville, she'll pull out all the stops in her first ever show in town to wow the audience and get tons of donations. Trixie will go all in and use every magic prop and firework she has to surely blow the Ponyvillagers away!" Trixie said, only half meaning or believing it.

"You're a whacko, no pony is gonna be impressed by that. What are you gonna do when the show goes south? It's a Hail Mary and the odds are not in your favor." Amethyst said, forever doubting the magician.

"You don't know what I can do, I could do anything, I am the Grrrreat and Powerful Trixie!!! Ponyville will be astounded! Also who are you calling Whacko, whacko? You're the one talking to yourself!" Trixie shot back.

"No, you're talking to yourself!" Amethyst retorted.

The wagon fell completely silent as Trixie realized she had spent about the past 5 minutes yelling at her mirror insanely. It was around midnight. She figured it was probably best to head to bed at this point. The night dragged on as she swung in her hammock restlessly. The blindfold gave her no more comfort as the ticking of the clock went on. Only an hour later she removed it to check the time, before sighing in exasperation.

"It's ok I guess you don't need to sleep during the night. Isn't the night when there's danger? It's safer to sleep during the day where there's no danger" Trixie said to herself, justifying her actions as she walked out of the wagon and hitched herself up to it, slowly but surely pulling it away from the parking lot she had lived in for the past 6 months. The nighttime breeze felt cool upon her face as she trotted along the road, stopping occasionally to look at a map for direction. The hour train ride looked to be about 10 hours by hoof. It's not like she hadn't done this before. As the monotonous road in front of her faded into the background, Trixie reminisced about her start in Las Pegasus and when she had to leave. The Powerful Trixie started by doing street magic, taking coins from ponies ears, card magic, etc. She was just barely getting by for years as she enthusiastically studied magic, busking almost every night along Las Pegasus' streets.
Down the strip were neon signs that bore her father's name, Jack Pot. She even knew the talent agency which hired him, but resisted giving them a call. She knew if her dad became her rival there's no way she would survive. Plus she knew what kind of mafia Gladmane was running in Las Pegasus. Half her life, Trixie's parents had been in debt to him, and when collection day came and you couldn't pay, things got ugly. Once JackPot had properly made a name for himself and started paying off debt, Gladmane and he became business partners. Suddenly Trixies adoring fans were replaced with big tough ponies with trenchcoats who gave her the word to scram off the streets. It wasn't just her but Trixie had a feeling it was her father that had asked Gladmane for a favor. When they ran her out of town, the trip was brutal. Las Pegasus is managed by Pegasus and weather ponies but there's basically no towns between it and Applewood. That meant the city was wetter than its surrounding area, and the trip on hoof was all desert, desert and more desert. Impossibly hot in the day, bitterly cold at night. Luckily Trixie had used the last of her funds to buy a carton of water to take with her, but the rough sand had made her wagon tough to pull. Trixie shuttered and congratulated herself on surviving such a tough journey. She smugly smiled as she thought to herself the trip to Ponyville is a piece of cake compared to THAT. A branch smacked her right in the face to clear her head.

"Fuck! Ow!" She yelled as she held a hoof to her cheek, which had been severely bruised by the unmoving branch she had collided with. She blinked as she observed her surroundings. The moon was full and bright and shone down on the treetops on either side of the road. The paved cobble turned to a dirt path as she gazed into the endless trees, no moonlight shining through their canopy. The thicket of branches and thorns threateningly encroached upon the path as a mysterious fog lay low to the ground. Trixies eyes grew wide as she softly chuckled to herself. It was a tired and exasperated laugh that dangerously encroached upon mania.

"...the Everfree Forest. Hahaha! How could I forget the Everfree Forest?! Hahahaha!" She cackled.

Trixie looked behind her to see the trees continued on until the horizon. She apparently had already been in the Everfree Forest for a little while. Now she was just getting to the part that was the thickest and spookiest. She briefly considered going back in her wagon to hide for the night, but then her mind generated a ton of frightening possibilities, like some animal scratching at her door, or a who-knows-what burrowing into the wagon and suffocating her while she sleeps. She figured it better to press on, though the harness was just beginning to rattle with fear. She dimly lit her horn to light the way as she ventured forth into the darkness slowly but surely, the dirt path well trodden by ponies who had found the quickest way to leave the area. As the thicket encroached on the sides of the path, Trixie pulled harder to break the branches that kept on getting her wagon stuck. As the magician struggled to keep her dim light lit her mind wandered to a terrifying possibility. What if the path hadn't been trodden by ponies, but by some great big animal, and instead of out of the forest, it led to its den. Trixie shook the thought from her mind as she pressed on through the foggy dark. It was soon becoming difficult to see in front of her, even with the light. Her heart sank as the sound of the bugs in the trees grew louder, the owls and night-birds communicating above. Trixie stood completely still, paralyzed as something small and rodent-like scurried past her hoof. The light spell finally faded, plunging her into absolute darkness. She closed her eyes and held her breath, waiting for something terrifying to attack.

For a moment there was nothing but the great timbre of the forest surrounding her. But when she opened her eyes again, she found there was a faint blue glow coming from the ground. It grew only brighter as Trixies eyes adjusted. Along both sides of the path were patches of a beautiful deep blue luminescent flower, lighting the way through the fog. The magician's fear subsided for curiosity as she bent down to examine the flowers. The closer she bent the more she realized how bright they actually were. Bright enough to serve as a flashlight.

"Huh. Well that's neat" Trixie said thoughtfully to herself. She levitated a flower off the stem and placed it in her hair to help light the way above her. She smiled at the ingenuity. The flowers were so much easier than a light spell to maintain. With the path lit in front of her, Trixie pressed on down it with new confidence.

As Trixie continued down the now lit dirt path she felt as though she must be getting close to the exit, as there were lit torches along its sides every once in a while. She heaved a sigh of relief at the promise of safety as she saw the sky above her begin to lighten with the beautiful pinks and oranges of dawn. The torches grew more frequent on the sides of the path as she reached a bend. More and more, Trixie grew aware of the fact that pieces of dirt and pebbles were beginning to stick to the underside of her hooves. She lifted them to wipe them off to no avail, They seemed completely stuck. She sighed, hoping maybe she'd find a river or stream to bathe in once she was out of the forest.

A sudden snapping of sticks caused Trixie to look up into the trees, where a family of birds seemed to be gathering sticks for a nest. Unfortunately anything discarded fell down onto the magician. Trixie groaned as she felt 10s of little sticks and twigs fall onto her back. She shook to throw them off to no avail. A particularly long and spindly stick fell onto Trixies nose and stuck there as if welded. Trixie shook her head and blew air up towards her nose, trying to blow it off and getting more and more confused by the minute. She stopped moving for a moment and attempted to undo the leather harness around her midsection to unhitch from the wagon. Her hooves stuck to the side of the wooden supports holding the harness, and all at once she became aware that the harness itself was sticking to her skin.

She frustratedly jiggled the spindly wooden supports attempting only to get free. Having her front hooves now completely stuck to the wood, she threatened to tip over forward on her face if not for the large wagon counterweight. As a last attempt, Trixie aggressively threw her entire body weight at the support, her flank sticking to it. With the crunch of wood breaking, Trixie rolled and successfully threw herself from the wagon, albeit taking the leather harness and one of the wooden supports with her. The success brought her a rush of adrenaline in her sleep-deprived brain.

"Haha! Take THAT, Hoofdini!" She yelled victoriously, having rolled into the bush and thus now having tons of sticks and leaves stuck to her head, flank and legs. Her front hoof was now stuck out in front of her along the side of the wooden support. The long stick along her nose and a well-placed leaf on her chin gave her a fu-man-chu style beard and mustache.

"Hello Traveler, are you hurt?" Came a voice. Trixie craned her neck upwards to see the upside-down silhouette of a pony in a cloak carrying a torch on the path next to her wagon.

"Hi there. I'm fine, how are you?" Trixie said sarcastically. "...how long have you been watching?"

"To be honest, quite a while, your 'great escape' did make me smile." The hooded pony laughed.

"Could you uh… help me out a bit here? My name's Trixie, the Great and Powerful. You might have heard of me?" Trixie said embarrassedly.

"My name's Zecora, and I could, you have 'power' enough to break sound wood, but Trixie you seem to be 'greatly' Sticky" the pony said. Her accent seemed foreign and she seemed to like rhymes and wordplay. Trixie briefly marveled that she'd probably do good in show business.

"Har-de-Har. I don't know what happened. I swear I'm not like this normally." Trixie said, so embarrassed she felt she might cry. Zecora tied a rope to Trixie's hoof and pulled her out of the bush and back onto the main road where she was able to right herself and get a good look at the hooded pony. She wore her hair in a Mohawk and seemed to have stripes all over. Trixie didn't mention anything, just grateful for her help.

"Thank you" Trixie said, tears welling up in her eyes as she realized not only was this the first pony she'd talked to in days, this pony was also being extraordinarily kind to her. Zecora gave her a knowing look.

"Ah, right there" the zebra said, pointing to the flower in Trixie's hair, still stuck there. "The flower in your hair is poison joke, its power in sticky sap has left you soaked. Not to worry, journey down the path, I have a tub where you can scrub in a natural bath." Trixie belittled herself for her short-sightedness. She remembered hearing somewhere that brightly colored plants and animals are usually toxic. She thanked Zecora again but hesitated.

"But wait, what about my wagon?" She said, protective of her magic stuff and her home.

"I'll park it on the curb for now, the dark will ensure nopony will come to scrounge it. Now go, my spread is just ahead." Zecora said, ushering the magician forward. Trixie awkwardly limped forwards down the path, realizing the place where Zecora lived was merely a few meters away from where she had freaked out. Foreign and brightly colored decorations adorned the place. Trixie gazed in awe as the zebra directed her to a hot-spring pool just nearby.

"Go ahead and splash in the warm bath, Trixie, I'll find ingredients to make you less sticky." Zecora said, giggling to herself at the ridiculousness of it all. In no time at all a variety of leaves and berries from the surrounding area were crushed and put in the water. Zecora then mixed the ingredients in with a large wooden paddle. The magician ducked her head beneath the water and sighed with relief as the leaves and sticks began to unstick, and the flower in her hair dissolved in the water with a satisfying fizzle. The daylight was beginning to shine through the treetops as Trixie set aside the broken wood support and leather harness to try to reattach later. Zecora hummed as she let herself into the bath with Trixie.

"Thank you again so much, Zecora. How could I ever repay you?" Trixie said, fearing that she might also owe this pony money she didn't have. Zecora's smile faded as she gazed at Trixie.

"Your heart is prone to sink, though you are young, your face wrinkles with lines of worry and poverty. You owe me nothing, it's enough that your company is comforting." The zebra said wisely and comfortingly. Tears of joy filled Trixie's eyes at such kindness. The warm water washing over her filled her with happiness. She took the time to decompress from the events of the evening, though the light of day didn't allow her to rest, she figured she'd sleep tomorrow. Her confidence returned as she began to relax.

"Whew, what a night, ay Z? I don't know about you but I need a drink." Trixie said, putting her hooves behind her head and thinking about all the booze left in her wagon. Zecora shook her head dismissively.

"Alcohol is bad for the liver, however I do have an alternative." Zecora said, reaching over the side of the tub for a mixing bowl of herbs and minerals which she haphazardly ground up before placing them on two papers. Trixie watched, transfixed as Zecora expertly rolled both papers into a cigar-shape, before handing one to the unicorn. Zecora then held the joint up to a nearby torch to light it. Trixie followed suit. They then both hit in synchronization. The magician immediately felt all the tension in her body fall away as her muscles relaxed and the world began to fade into the background. She had never felt this good in her life.

The Evening Swing Shift

“Woah! You just got your cutie mark!" Sunburst said excitedly, the tears falling from his eyes, sadness replaced with wonder "...what's it mean?"

Starlight stared dumbfounded at her own flank as her brain struggled to start working again. Things were falling into place like never before. There was understanding thrust upon her so suddenly that she hadn't had time to properly process the emotions. It wasn't just that she got her cutie mark, it's what it means and how it makes sense.

"...it means… what I just said. Everypony should be equal. That's my special talent. Making Ponies Equal." Starlight, more aloud to herself than to Sunburst.

"What? How does that work?" Sunburst said, confused. "What kind of market is there in that?" Starlight's heart sank as she realized that such an obscure cutie mark didn't guarantee her income. Wouldn't have been the case if it was baking or sewing or some other menial task she could do easily. Her own words had rung in her head, though. Maybe the fact it doesn't help unemployment is the point. Maybe that's part of the Equality thing. Her brain carried this train of thought to its logical conclusion.

"Making Ponies Equal is broad enough to include income inequality, cutie mark inequality, hell even class differences." Starlight said, pacing back and forth. "...what if I was meant to find this spell because it helps achieve equality of a kind. If everypony is a blank flank, truly then will we all be equal."

"Hold on there Starlight. You're starting to talk crazy, what spell are you even talking about?" Sunburst said, worriedly walking over to her as she held out the book for him to read.

"Stygians Spell of Cutie Mark Replacement and Removal. One of the only cutie mark transfiguration spells I've found that seems actually permanent." Starlight said. Sunburst quickly read the passage, nervous of the manic excitement in Starlight's eyes as she seemingly spiraled into radical ideas.

"Erm.. not to disappoint you but this spell seems to have a few adverse side-effects. A world where you use this unchanged on everypony sounds absolutely miserable. Though I guess if you tweaked the ingredients you could possibly.." Sunburst rambled on, his hyperfixation on magic shining through as he played with the idea of modifying the spell slightly. The stallion sighed as he closed his eyes and pushed up his glasses with his hoof.

“... it could work. But, Starlight, I think you’re taking it the wrong way. Making ponies equal doesn’t necessarily mean upsetting the established system. Maybe you’re just supposed to be in social work or.. Or a lawyer or something.” Starlight held her hoof to her chin, pondering as the excitement of getting her cutie mark took over. She giggled excitedly, selfishly reveling in the brief joy of the fact ponies would no longer stare at her blank flank.

"Well whatever, we can figure out all that stuff later. What do you say we go out for drinks, huh? It's celebration time." Starlight said.

"Oh well.. I don't know.. I don't really drink." Sunburst said timidly, staring down at his hooves.

"Well neither do I but when are we gonna get to celebrate like this again? Besides, I saw a suit in the window on the way here that I liked. I'm gonna nab it on the way there." Starlight said excitedly, wanting to treat herself. She motioned Sunburst to follow as she went to go check out the book at the front of the library.

"A suit? Wouldn't you rather a dress?" Sunburst said, slightly confused.

"No." Starlight said.

Starlight and her friend then left the library and made their way out to the streets of Canterlot with the moon high in the sky. It was really late but both of them had been very used to pulling all-nighters recently. They made their way to the boutique just as it was closing. The bell ringing startled the pony behind the counter. Her meek voice barely registered as Starlight made a b-line for the suit she had seen in the window.

"Oh sorry but uh.. m-miss Polomare just left for the night and s-so that means we're uh.. uh closed." The mare weakly offered.

"Don't worry, I know exactly what I want. I'll be out of your hair in a jiffy." Starlight said, expertly levitating the suit off the mannequin as she waltzed up to the store counter, Sunburst flanking her nervously. The fashion pony sighed as she realized she wasn't able to dissuade the excited unicorn customer. Her name-tag read Coco. She took a look at the suit and then looked at the customers up and down, her fashion knowledge giving her confidence.

"I'm sorry but I can already tell you this suit is too small to fit him, just by looking at him." Coco said. "...no offense." Coco and Sunburst shared a smile as he mouthed a "none taken" while Starlight piped up.

"It's not for him, it's for me." She said, confused as she pulled the bits out of her bag.

"Right but this is a stallions- oh ok then." Coco said, lacking the energy to argue further as she rung up the suit and placed it in a bag for the unicorn. Sunburst then shot the fashion pony some kind of knowing look that somehow caused Coco to nod, understanding the situation much better. Starlight's heart sank as she felt like the butt end of some inside joke for a moment.

"Come back soon, but not too soon!" Coco said half-heartedly as Starlight and Sunburst left with the suit, before turning to officially close up shop.

The unicorn excitedly pulled the suit over her head and slipped her hooves into the sleeves. It fit her perfectly. Starlight felt dapper as she admired her dim reflection in the dark store window. The red tie stood out against its black undershirt, the maroon collar highlighting the shiny gold buttons on her lapel and cufflinks. It was very… her.

"You look nice" Sunburst said, not having seen the appeal initially and happy to be proven wrong.

"Thanks. Hey. Let's hit the bar!" Starlight said excitedly to the empty street. It was nearly 1 AM and most ponies were asleep already. The moon shone brightly upon Canterlot through the clouds as they walked through its empty streets to the only places still lit. The bars and pubs that kept the city awake and alive into the wee hours of the morning. Its denizens were the few homeless ponies who took the cover of dark to move about without the watchful eye of the royal guard, the drunken close friends off from hours of work, drinking their way into the relaxation-filled weekend and the poor saps still working to manage the bars through the graveyard shift. The dim blues of the sky left for the warm reds and oranges of the pub lighting. The busy street corners of the daylight had seemed packed into the small warm space to hide for the night. As Starlight and Sunburst made their way to the stools and ordered, they pondered that here was Canterlot in microcosm. It didn't take many drinks for both ponies to open their minds.

"I really think you could be a lawyer, I mean. You look like a lawyer right now." Sunburst said, 4 shots deep and already slurring his words.

"I don't want to be a lawyer-pony or a social worker-pony or a fucknn magic-pony. I just wanna be a pony! Why is that so fuckin hard?" Starlight replied, having had quite a bit more than Sunburst at this point.

"I mean I feel it, I realize- I mean I just, I'm not even- uh I- I can't even be a magic pony right. Like its my *hic* cutie mark but that doesn't mean I'm good at it, I thought that's how it worked.." Sunburst said, starting to become emotional again.

"I think everyponys too worried about their own fuckin ass-picture to see that something is really fucked up here, like. We should just not have them.. get rid of em! I'm gonna go and.. I'm gonna uh *hic* I'm gonna make it so nopony has to be a cutie mark! Then you don't have to be sad that you're a stupid magic horse anymore cuz you'd just be a horse." Starlight said, drunkenly trying to sum up her philosophy.

"Do you really think I'm stupid?" Sunburst said, tearing up.

"Yeah but like, I'm stupid too, I didn't even know what a cutiemark was until like. A week ago. I think you have a lot of pote- poten- a lot of skill in other stuff and it could be your cuiemar that's holding you back." The mare replied somewhat comfortingly though almost incoherently. Sunburst must've found some comfort in it because he smiled through his tears.

"Celestia.. my fuckin life is so fucked up and your so fuckin nice to me I- I love you so much you're so fuckin nice- I love you." The stallion said, wiping his tears with a bar napkin the bartender pushed towards him.

"I love you too" Starlight said without much thought, turning to order another hit from the bartender, who gave her a concerned look. When she turned back, Sunburst leaned forward to kiss her, sobering her rapidly. Her eyes widened as she pulled away from the kiss, pushing him back with her hoof.

"Woah! I, hey, I think you're really nice Sunburst but like, I uh, y'know don't uh.. exactly feel that way. Like that" Starlight said, blushing and wiping her mouth.

"Im sorry… yeah I could kinda tell I just sort of had to try y'know. Like. I get that you don't really swing that way and that's ok. I'm not like, broken up or anything I get it it was just like a stupid thing anyways." Sunburst said timidly. Starlight was really confused for a moment.

"What do you mean, don't swing that way?" She said, becoming more and more sober as her glass sweated on the table in front of her.

"Well like, aren't you more into mares? Like you're gay, right?" Sunburst said. As Starlight struggled to come up with a response, her drunkenness returned to impair her thinking. Most often when she pondered a concept it was quick and easy. Now the booze had coated her brain in molasses and fog which made it difficult and slow to think.

"I don't think so- well I mean- there was this one mare in high school but like everypony has that right? Like that fashion designer pony was cute but- those are kinda normal thoughts, right?" She said.

"Well I mean if you're not gay why do you dress like a lesbo. Not to be mean but like stallions prefer a mare in a dress. Plus like, did you think she was cute in a 'I want to be her' or an 'I want to have her' way?" Sunburst said, his inhibitions leaving with the latest shot. It didn't matter that her brain was foggy, the answer appeared to Starlight clear as day in her head. She felt her cheeks flush as she thought about the fashion pony, her body getting hotter thinking about talking to her. Even 12 shots deep the revelation hit Starlight like a truck. She was a massive lesbo and there was basically no evidence to the contrary.

"... let's talk about something else '' she said, staring down at the ice swirling in her glass, attempting to shake the gay thoughts from her head. As she lifted it up to drink it, she prayed the booze would erase this night from her memory.

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When Starlight lifted her head from the warm wood that had stuck to her skin via her sweat, she felt that kind of anxiety so often associated with the memories of sleeping in and being late for school. She frantically swiveled her head to find that the bar was completely and utterly empty. Sunburst was gone, as were all the other ponies she had been surrounded with mere moments ago. Furthermore, the chairs were all up on the tables and all the lights were off. The bar was closed and had been closed for some time. In front of her was a drool-drenched napkin she had laid on and a shot glass that had been tipped over, spilling its contents over the bar.

Starlight absent-mindedly touched her face and neck to feel the imprint of the wood grain that had been left on her skin. As she moved to pull herself off of the stool, she heard a noise from behind the bar. The back wall of the bar was an assortment of drinks lined along ornately decorated frosted glass that separated the lobby from the kitchen. The flick of a light switch in the kitchen shone through the glass and into the lobby. Starlight watched as the shape of a pony moved about the kitchen with the scuffle of dishes. She guessed the morning crew was here to open, and decided to politely remain seated so as to attempt to explain herself.

The mare's mind raced as she struggled to remember the events of the previous night. Had she said goodbye to Sunburst? Had she written to her father to tell him she'd arrived in Canterlot safety? Had she even paid for her drinks? Panic began to overtake her as she watched the pony in the kitchen stop and turn to her, having noticed her there. She cursed the brain fog that wouldn't subside as she began to hyperventilate, the kitchen pony making their way to the front to greet her. As the kitchen pony came out from the frosted glass to reveal herself, a cool, calming feeling overcame Starlight, like a cold glass of water. The hairs on her neck stood up and her breathing slowed as her heart rate calmed.

"Can we get you anything, Starlight?" Princess Luna said softly as she wiped up the tipped-over shot glass. Starlight instantly bowed her head in respect, blushing in embarrassment. Her thoughts raced as she wondered why the royal had seemingly taken a job at a local bar in Canterlot.

"N-no thank you. Princess. I'm ok I was just leaving… sorry I.." the mare stammered.

"You are currently in your hotel fast asleep, Sunburst accompanies you. You've had quite an eventful night but you owe nopony money." The alicorn said calmly and quietly. "We wanted to visit you, Starlight Glimmer." Starlight's eyes widened at the realization, her previous anxieties replaced with new ones.

"Oh! Well uh- I uh, I'm honored, your majesty. What brings you to my dreams?" She said, worried that her talk about cutie marks and revolution of the system had reached the princess and possibly even upsetted her.

"Our reasons don't matter as much as your feelings on the matter of your cutie mark. We have never seen anything like it in all our years." Luna said, holding Starlight's hoof under hers. The alicorn's soft voice worked to calm Starlight and help her think clearly and speak truthfully.

"I feel strange, like everything makes so much sense but it's all wrong. Something feels wrong like I've changed somehow and things are so much different. I think I know what my cutie mark means but I'm scared it's not right. If this really is my destiny why does it feel like the odds are against me?" Starlight said in clearer words than she'd ever been able to express in the waking world.

"Perhaps it is not that you must change for the world but the world must change for you now, Starlight. We believe your cutie mark represents a new era for you to bring about. From where you're standing the odds will seem insurmountable." Princess Luna said. Starlight felt that same cool feeling overtake her as the princess spoke, this time combined with the warm radiance that filled her with confidence.

"Our sister for the past thousand years has developed a plan for Equestria which we believe will not end in its prosperity. However, due to our exile, we were not able to offer our advice." The alicorn went on to explain. "...we believe the future of Equestria lies in ponies like you, Starlight. Ones with good hearts yet strange minds. We've been watching them for quite some time, and as with the fatal magnetism that governs us all, destiny will bring them together." Starlight swelled with pride as non-existent tears filled her eyes.

"You really think I'm that important?" She said, having been so certain of her inadequacy for so long that being told differently gave her determination unlike anything else she'd ever felt.

"We're certain you have the potential to be, but we oversee suggestion, not instruction. Truly only you can decide your own fate, regardless of our input. Choice is a value we extend to you so that you may extend it to all that you meet as well" Luna said, attempting to distance herself from Starlight somewhat. The unicorn nodded feverishly

"Let us also remember the result of the last time we defied our sister openly. We believe you to be a necessary force of change but there's no reason anypony but us needs to know that." The princess said with a wink. "...we simply ask that you neglect to mention our royal endorsement."

“Of course, princess.” Starlight said.

“The sun is beginning to rise, we must go. Remember the cover of night will grant you safety. Until we meet again, Starlight Glimmer.” Princess Luna said, bowing her head as she began to fade out from existence. Starlight smiled, nodding to her as the bar around her began to melt into dust, and the light of the waking world welcomed her back, unaware that she had changed into a traitor of the night.

Baobab

When Trixie awoke, she found herself in Zecora's bed, with the zebras legs wrapped all the way around her. Her eyes widened with realization, though she dared not move, her companion fast asleep and snoring loudly. She took the time to briefly recount the events of the evening. After smoking Zecora's herbal remedy, she remembers becoming very hungry and raiding the zebras kitchen for food, including several different sandwiches she made herself. After eating, she began to crave physical intimacy, lying and saying she was cold and wanted body heat. She was so high that she wasn't sure the events afterwards had been real or a dream, but nonetheless, they made her blush scarlet. The warm and dark stains on the bed sheets next to her suggested at least some part of it had been real.
As Zecora sighed sleepily and pulled her companion closer, Trixie felt that same warm and needy feeling overtake her. She crossed her legs in embarrassment and quickly rolled out of bed to escape, waking the zebra.

"A good morning to you, Ms. Lulamoon." Zecora yawned groggily, with a tone that reminded Trixie just how intimately she had gotten to know her the night before.

"Z-Zecora I uh, I'm sorry I want to apol-" Trixie stuttered, filled with embarrassment.

"No need. Last night was a pleasure, a treasure I might keep in my memory." Zecora said calmly. Trixie also noted that the zebras voice had an added effect of turning her on now, much to her embarrassment.

"Well just uh, I know you were expecting a uh- mare but uh. I don't remember, did we use-" Trixie stammered, quite un-used to being so caught off guard.

"Our safety is secure, I assure you, the herbal remedy ensures it. And are you not a mare? I was not aware." Zecora said, only slightly bemused at the question of her companions' gender.

"Well I mean I am but.. obviously I have a… uh sorry just.. it's a long story." Trixie said.

"A taste of my homeland! How grand! There are many that way where I come from. You're not the only one I have met, I doubt you're not a mare, aer you sound like one in bed." Zecora said with a sparkle in her eyes, reminiscing about her homeland. Trixie was absolutely speechless with embarrassment and surprise. Most of her hookups thus far had berated her or hurt her for tricking them. When they did go well it was still as though she was worth as much to them as the condoms. Single-use and annoying, Just another item on the list to check off, not a pony. Zecora's kindness and generosity utterly dumbfounded her. The zebra smiled as she began to gently collect the sheets off the bed to be washed.

"Thank you, Zecora. For everything," Trixie said. Zecora smiled warmly and nodded, before pointing outdoors to Trixie's wagon.

"The leather and wood that you smashed, while you slept it was my pleasure to reattach it." Zecora said. Trixie squinted to see that the leather harness and wooden support had been fixed up on the broken side of the wagon. She opened her mouth to thank Zecora again but the zebra gave her a look that held her tongue in place. Trixie simply nodded respectfully and sat in her living room while Zecora went outside to wash the sheets in the little tub they had spent time in the night before. The magician watched her through the window as she worked diligently. There was a tiredness behind her eyes, one caused from years of struggle. Though the zebra was young, the lines below her eyes suggested twice her lifespan of stress. Trixie's cheeks grew redder as she felt herself staring longingly at her companion. That same needy feeling threatened her hips to move. She forced herself to look away, looking down at the table she sat at. The coloration of the wood didn't match the trees of the forest. As she ran her hoof down the woodgrain, an unfamiliar smell came up on her, one entirely alien to her senses. Either the smell of some exotic spice, or of the wood itself. Though the tree in which zecora's home was carved felt as old as the zebra, the table felt older. Ancient, even. And here it was, sporting a modern tea set.

“Encounter much Danger? Aside from your fight with that flower?” Zecora said.
Trixie jumped in her seat, not expecting her to have returned so soon. She walked in and closed the door behind her, sitting opposite the pony as she began to pour herself a cup of tea.

“Not at all! It was surprisingly nice on the way down here!” Trixie said, neglecting to mention how absolutely terrified she had been.

“Did you find my ‘beware of bear` sign along the road you rode upon?” Zecora questioned. When Trixie gave her a blank look, she explained.

“There is a cave deep in the earth where the Ursa Major lives, it sleeps during the day, but at night it hunts in the wild, looking for the brave and reckless, to satiate its appetite.” she described. Trixie sat, imagining a very big and scary looking bear, as she shivered in her seat.

“It is good you were not unfortunate enough to meet such a creature.” Zecora said wisely.

“Have you ever seen one?” Trixie asked.

“Only from afar. Be assured, they are as real as they seem, and worse.” She said.

Trixie made a mental note of the Ursa Major. Big scary creatures like that tend to impress large crowds. Especially if she could somehow make herself seem more powerful. She smiled to herself. The Great and Powerful Trixie surely has the magical ability to vanquish such a creature.

“I'm sure it would be no match for my raw magical ability. Though. I'd rather not test.” Trixie said, projecting in her stage presence voice.

“If you challenged it to an eating contest, I'm sure you'd be the best.” Zecora said, chuckling to herself as she gestured over to her decimated pantry. Trixie looked on at the various empty bottles of ingredients she had chugged, embarrassedly.

“Another trip into town is in order, though I hope the ponyfolk will open their doors this time around.” Zecora said tiredly.

“They don't open their doors?” Trixie asked, confused. “...why not?”

“Ponyville has rumored I'm a villain of some sort. An enchantress that does evil dances.. mm something about trances, and so on, I'm afraid they say.” She said defeatedly.

“What the fuck? That's fucked up!” Trixie said. “... You're just like a normal, nice pony. Why would they do that?”

“I suspect the effect is because a pony I am not. I am a zebra and that causes them some distress as I am different from them.” she said, clearly exasperated. Trixie could head from her tone of voice that this is something she's been wanting to get out for a while.

“Hey. I know what it's like to be.. different. Maybe not like you but I still get the feeling. Ponies are fucking mean and what I've learned is you can't depend on any of them. I'm sorry that they don't sell anything to you.” Trixie said.

Zecora began to tear up, hearing somepony else understand her position and validate how she felt was a new experience. She was firm and spoke through angry tears.

“Everywhere I have been, they ask for my help, eat my food, but care not for my health or my mood. I provide and I give but then they hide from me and where I live, and they make fun of my skin and my hair, I normally wouldn't care but evidently it's not fair!” The zebra cried, as she slammed a hoof on the table.

“It is sometimes so small that the disparity feels like nothing at all.” She muttered.

“But small things add up over time. Hey, if you ever need to get away from them, I have a place you can stay if only for a little bit.” Trixie said wisely. She then caught herself, she was beginning to rhyme like her companion.

Trixie realized that there was a natural rhythm of life that she was simply not in tune with, spending time with Zecora revealed parts of it to her.

“Thank you my dear but your listening ear has done more than enough to help me feel well.” The zebra smiled, wiping her tears from her face as she looked upon the magician with pride and adoration. Trixie blushed. The way she said “my dear” had made her heart flutter in her chest.

"It's been nice, but now it's time for you to go. Later I might take a trip and visit your magic show." Zecora said, ushering the magician out of her home. Trixie saw something change in her eyes, a zebra so kind who was also used to being taken advantage of for her hospitality. She valued kindness and respect of others, but also her own privacy. Zecora was a zebra so often preoccupied with the concerns and aspirations of others, that only on her own could she truly strive to attain her own goals. Besides, Trixie felt bad about having overstayed her welcome and wanted to get back to the familiar cramped interior of her wagon.

"Zecora, you are the kindest pony I've ever met. If I don't see ya later, I'll be sure to write!" Trixie said, feeling warm and fuzzy with wholesome feelings as she jotted down the zebra's address to remember for later.

"May the ponies you find on your journey be even kinder than me!" Zecora called out after her as Trixie began to pull her wagon out of the forest and into the wide open hills that overlooked Ponyville.

With the sun behind her, Trixie looked out upon the wide-open sky dotted with fluffy clouds. in the distance, Canterlot sitting atop the mountain overlooking Ponyville. The dirt path turned back into brick as she walked down it, winding around the grassy hills and towards the town center. The wind made waves in the tall grass as it whisked past Trixie's ears, it and gravity pushing her down the hill and towards Ponyville. Pride and excitement filled the magician as she smiled to herself. A brand new start in a brand new town. Her enthusiasm made its way into her hooves and soon she was prancing down the hill with tremendous speed.

When Trixie arrived in the town square with her wagon, she parked it along one of its sides while she began to set up the stage. She looked around at the ponies casually going about their business running errands as they traveled across the square. The glances and stares weren't of disgust or boredom, but curiosity. Trixie assumed busking of her particular nature wasn't altogether common. She smiled devilishly. No competition, and the perfect kind of audience, things were going her way already. Two school-age colts approached her on their way through the square.

"Well hey there new pony!" The taller one said.

"I haven't seen you in Ponyville before. What's all this about?" Piped up the shorter one. Trixie held her hat down over her face before pushing it upwards dramatically.

"I… am the GREAT, and POWERFUL TRRRIXIE!" She belted as she conjured small magical fireworks around her head. "The most magical unicorn in ALL of EQUESTRIA! My show starts in about an hour. Tell all your friends, I'm sure they wouldn't want to miss it! The show is free of charge but donations are appreciated."

The school-age colts looked at each other in astonishment, clearly awestruck at Trixie's dramatic flare. They then ran off to go tell their friends about it. The magician smiled.

"Boy, if Ponyvillagers are impressed that easily, making it big here will be a cinch." She said once they were out of earshot, staring at her reflection in the mirror as she brushed her mane.

Trixie levitated boxes of magic props out of her wagon and onto the stage, sifting through them as she made a mental note of how the performance would go. She had no fog machine, no lighting and no sound, so much of the majesty would rely on Trixie's overall performance and flare. As she noticed that ponies were beginning to sit down outside near the stage, she quickly closed the curtain behind her. It was bad luck to see the performer before the performance started.
30 minutes went by, the magician hastily doing her hair and makeup before there was a knock on her wagon door. She opened it to see the two young colts from before looking up at her, out of breath.

"Trixie! we told all our friends about it.." the tall one said.

"And we just wanted to say we're really excited to see you perform!" Said the shorter one.

Trixie laughed nervously, trying to think of a way to accommodate the two colts that didn't involve money.

"Well thank you very much uh… you two. Why don't you boys grab yourselves front row seats in the audience, huh? The show's about to start." Trixie said, before closing the wagon door in their faces.

"Hope the show goes well!" The colts yelled through the door before running out to the audience. Trixie sighed as she peered out her window to the turnout. It was packed, she guessed most ponies in Ponyville had come out to see her perform.

"You're supposed to say break a leg." Trixie mumbled to herself as she briefly recounted her lines and ensured that everything was set-up properly behind the curtain, including all the fireworks, the stage trapdoors and magic props. "...alright Trixie. Knock em dead."

Near Miss

When Starlight opened her eyes, the bearded magic student's placid face greeted her, snoring loudly. She blinked, unable to recall how he had ended up in a hotel with her. Her head popped off the pillow, scanning the room. Clothes and empty bottles of booze were strewn across the floor. The clock read 9 AM. A cold morning breeze pierced the warm interior. On the desk at the far end of the room, were several loose-leaf papers with something scrawled across them. She hopped up out of bed to go read them. Booze stains and drunken handwriting made it difficult to read, but it looked to be a series of potential modifications to the spell Starlight had found the night before, authored by Sunburst.

Starlight's head filled with ideas. They needed to test it. But who would want a new spell that could erase their cutie mark tested out on them? Well, there was one in the bed, and Starlight could think of at least one other. The pressure to change the world seemed particularly less this morning. Movements start like all things do, small. The unicorn cleared her head and began getting her suit on. There was work to do. Her companion sleepily opened his eyes before realizing the scene in front of him. He blinked, recalling the events of the night before. Unlike Starlight, who had the privilege of getting blackout drunk, Sunburst's memory was near-perfect.

“Hey uh.. good morning Starlight.” He said. She turned to smile at him.

“Morning, Sunburst” She said, straightening her tie in the mirror.

“Er uh.. sorry about last night. I can be a real jerk when I'm drunk.” He said ashamedly.

“It's alright. I don't remember most of last night anyways.” Starlight said, trying to be assuring.

Sunburst looked up towards the sky and thanked Celestia quietly. That kiss was the most embarrassing thing he'd ever attempted. But at least he knew she was gay now, so it wasn't a complete loss. But wow had his personal biases come out strong, he felt a pit in his stomach he just couldn't shake.

“Hey uh, I still wanted to say sorry for.. the stuff I said about your sexuality. I probably said some slurs and I'm really sorry about that. It's something I've got to work on.” Sunburst said.

Starlight stopped in her tracks. A fuzzy memory of admitting she was gay came back to her. She'd said that out loud, where he and other ponies could hear. Well, I guess no use denying it now.

“Thanks..” she said hesitantly with a nervous smile, sincerely hoping she could change the subject. “...I think we need to be out of here by 12, just so you know.”

“Oh! Oh dear, I hadn't looked at the time, I think I'm late for class!” Sunburst said, jumping out of bed to put his clothes on.

Starlight sighed. Right. Sunburst was going to go back to class. Going to go and do the thing he hates but feels like he has to do. That he feels like there's no other option for. He should have another option but it doesn't exist yet. Starlight has to make it exist, by herself. Sunburst watched Starlight's expression change as he got dressed, slowing down a bit.

“Hey, are you ok?” He asked.

Starlight looked at him defeatedly.

“The stuff you wrote last night is revolutionary, Sunburst. I really think it could change the world for the better.” She said.

“R-really?” The student said, adjusting his glasses.

“I think we were destined to meet each other again. We have the potential to start a new perspective on things, a new way of living, a new world.” Starlight implored. “It's gonna take a lot of hard work and sacrifice but I think one day we'll be able to live in that new world. But to do that, we have to stop living in the old one.”

Starlight's words were powerful, they rang through Sunburst like a bell. The monumentality of what she was saying struck him as if an alicorn princess had said it. He basked in the feeling of his companions encompassing presence.

“What are you suggesting then?” Sunburst said in awe.

“Come with me. The spell we worked on could work, it could upend how everything works. All we'd need is the right ponies and we could change everything. I'm asking you to be a part of it.” Starlight said, extending her hoof.

The silence was deafening. The fear and uncertainty crept in as the moments passed by. Sunburst was being asked to abandon everything he knows. Starlight's hoof trembled as it became clear he wasn't going to take it. She looked away ashamedly as she placed it down.

“Just.. think on it.” She said softly.

“I'm sorry, Starlight.” Sunburst said as he turned to grab his things and leave.

When the door closed, Starlight felt hollow. The pony who had been there to see her get her cutie mark, to develop her outlook didn't even believe her. How would she get anypony else to? Her dad was right, maybe she was just obsessing. As she checked out of the hotel she felt the familiar tingling of self-loathing. It was often that she gave supernatural importance to something of no significance whatsoever. Her own flank taunted her. Maybe she was wrong about its meaning. Maybe she really just is meant for social work. Maybe Princess Luna was wrong.

Starlight walked along, sulking to the train station. She should probably just go home. As she sat waiting, she pulled out the little sheet of paper Sunburst had scrawled his ideas on. In the broad light of day it seemed insignificant and small. And hot, as though it would catch fire at any moment. As the train pulled into the station she silently hoped that she had some teacakes to eat to make her feel better. The whistle blared as the doors opened and the Canterlot elite walked out. Starlight's suit and cutie mark caused the group to point and gossip quietly among themselves. She was beginning to get what Sunburst meant. Not much better to be recognized, huh. As the doors opened, Starlight faintly heard her name from somewhere. Her ears perked up as she looked around to see who it was. It came again. In the distance, a faint orange shape lay on the other end of the train station. It was rapidly getting closer.

“Starlight!” It called out.

“Sunburst?” Starlight exclaimed as the magic student ran towards her at full speed, carrying several bags with him with his magic. His glasses bouncing up and down on his muzzle.

Just as the doors were about to close, Sunburst leapt forward, tackling Starlight in a hug as they both tumbled inside the traincar. Starlight gasped for air. The stallion was squeezing her tight. The ponies in the aisle stared at them frustratedly as they were blocking the way. One pegasus opted to fly over them. Starlight used magic to right her and Sunburst and pulled him into a seat with her with all his luggage.

“Y'know Starlight when you're right you're right and I'm so sorry for leaving. I sat down in class and abruptly realized that spending the rest of my life there sounds way worse than working on exciting new magic with you!” Sunburst said excitedly.

“Well yes it's partially magic but mostly we're just gonna get more ponies to believe us is all.” Starlight said, fearing that Sunburst had misinterpreted what she had said.

“Yeah but then I was also thinking I am kind of a goody two-shoes and ponies have been really mean to me and maybe it's time I start fighting back y'know?” Sunburst said.

“Y'know what? That's the spirit.” Starlight said “... honestly good to have you here. I don't know how I'd do it myself. I'm very glad you changed your mind.”

“It's really kind of exciting. I feel almost like a ‘bad boy’ y'know?” Sunburst joked.

“Easy there hotshot,” Starlight laughed. Her mood had lifted significantly since she got out of the sun. Sunburst seemed extremely nervous but also excited.

“So what happens next? Where are we going?” Sunburst asked.

Starlight felt like she could hear a record scratch as she rapidly realized she was on a train and didn't know where she was going. Her initial plan was to go home but now that Sunburst was here… her mind chugged along.

“We're going to Ponyville to see a friend I made on the way here. I think she might see our point of view.” Starlight said confidently as if it was her plan all along.

“Oh cool, I haven't been to Ponyville in a long time! It'll be nice to see it again. I wonder if that little bakery is still open, I forget the name, Sugarbag Central?” Sunburst said.

“I have a bet that's where Sugar Belle will be. She said she's taking baking lessons there…” Starlight said before trailing off. Her eyes were following the ticket pony going down the aisle. Sunburst hadn't paid for a ticket. He was heading their way.

“I'll never forget the pony that works at that place. She's a ray of sunshine, that Pinkie Pie.” Sunburst said reminiscing fondly.

“Uh-huh.” Starlight said absent mindedly as she pulled out her ticket, her horn glowing with magic energy.

“When I first went into town, she made me a cake just for being there! I didn't even need to pay for it! It's really nice but I have no idea how she keeps a business afloat with something like that.” Sunburst said, lost in his own memories.

“That sounds really interesting,” Starlight said, not having heard a single word of what Sunburst had said. The ticket pony came to their seat.

“Tickets please.” he said tiredly.

“Oh I'm so sorry but I-” Sunburst started to apologize

“Here you go.” Starlight interrupted, presenting two tickets to the ticket pony. The pony hole-punched them and carried on.

“Wait.. what? But I didn't..” Sunburst said in wonder. Starlight showed her companion the tickets. Both read “Starlight Glimmer” on them. Sunburst watched in awe as they magically merged together.

“Similo Duplexus. It's an easy spell.” Starlight said confidently.

“Woah. That's… illegal. That's a crime. I just committed a crime.” Sunburst said, feeling how the words felt in his mouth. “I'm a criminal”

Starlight laughed the hardest she had in a long time.

“Oh fuck off! Hardly!” She said, tickled with the presumption that not having a ticket makes you a criminal.

The two talked about magic all the way to Ponyville. Sunburst blabbed exactly what magical components he had added to the spell and what they did while Starlight listened intently. Rather than removing the cutie mark by force of magic, this new version of the spell would tap into the magic cutie mark right of passage event in and of itself, hoping to “hit the undo button” as it were. Starlight mentioned it would probably be nice if they could add something that would store the information in the cutie mark so if they succeeded in making someone a blank flank, they could turn them back. Sunburst quickly scribbled a note.

The soft release of air signaled the end of the conversation as the companions reach their stop, Ponyville. Upon the opening of the doors, Starlight abruptly realized that she had never been and therefore had no idea where she was going. Ever resourceful, Starlight looked through the crowd. Most of them were either entering or exiting the train, but one pony was sitting on the bench, a white unicorn with sunglasses and headphones. She seemed to be too busy jamming out to notice the train had arrived. Starlight walked up to her

“Hey!” Starlight said loudly, hoping to get the pony's attention over the loud music. Starlight could hear it from several feet away which must've meant it was blasting in the unicorns ears. The pony turned her head.

“Hi, sorry to bother. Do you know how to get to uhh…” Starlight said, blanking on the name of the bakery. She turned towards Sunburst, close behind her.

“Sugarbag Cent-” Sunburst started

“Sugarstick Station” Starlight interrupted, which was also wrong. She gave a big smile.

The pony lifted one side of her headphones off her ear with her hoof, nodded and then pointed in the general direction of the town. Starlight turned to see what she was pointing at. Off in the distance was a building with a giant cupcake shaped room topping it, several candles sticking out of it. That must be the place.

“Thank you!” Starlight said gratefully. The white unicorn winked under her sunglasses (if she could've done finger guns, she would)

“What was she pointing at?” Sunburst said, a little confused at how his companion had gained any information from that.

“It's a weird looking building. Can't miss it, c'mon!” Starlight said as she hurriedly pranced into town.

“Wait, slow down!” Sunburst said, having been carrying his bulky luggage with him this whole time, and getting very tired of it. “Shouldn't we find a place to stay? Or somewhere to eat? We haven't eaten!”

“It's a bakery.” Starlight said, stopping in her tracks, a little confused.

“Oh. Right.” Sunburst said, having been so wrapped up in Starlight's philosophy and the prospect of magical experimentation that he'd forgotten the nature of where they were going.

As the unicorns trotted through the modest town, they noticed how friendly the townsfolk were, welcoming in outsiders. As they made their way to the town square, a shape caught Starlight's eye. Just outside the town hall was a mass of broken wood that two young colts were unloading onto carts. Out of curiosity she approached it, much to Sunburst's chagrin.

“What happened here?” Starlight said to the two colts. They turned to face her, sighing exasperatedly.

“We brought a bear to town and it crushed Trixie's wagon.” The taller one said.

“Why would you do that? Who's Trixie?” Starlight said. The name Trixie felt weirdly familiar on her tongue.

“She said she was powerful enough to vanquish the Ursa Major” the shorter one said.

“So you… brought it to town?” Starlight said, wondering what kind of stupid leap in logic that was.

“To be honest we didn't think that hard about it.” The taller one said.

“Evidently.” Starlight said, examining the wreckage. Strewn among the wood were magic props, various bottles of booze, fireworks and smoke bombs. Directly below Starlight's hoof was a pair of star-shaped sunglasses. She was impossibly drawn to them as if pulled by some force. Covered in mud, they cracked as she levitated them up to look at them. She felt her stomach drop.

“What happened to Trixie?” Starlight asked as she quietly tucked the sunglasses away.

“Got ran out of town. She used to be the most powerful unicorn in Equestria. Turns out, just a stage magician.” The shorter colt said sadly.

“What happened to the Ursa Major?” Sunburst said, having closed the distance at the topic of magical creatures.

“Oh that one was vanquished alright! Got put to sleep and nursed and sent back to its cave by a brilliant magic unicorn!” The taller one said enthusiastically.

“Oh? Who was that?” Starlight asked.

Twilight Sparkle

Why her?

What cruel force had cursed the magician to cross paths with her doom, her tormentor, the destruction of her life as she knew it? Twilight Sparkle. The name burned in her brain leaving an impression forever. She had just wanted to perform, just wanted Ponyville to love her and her to do the same but fate would punish her for these things. It wasn't just that Twilight was altogether better than her, it was that she'd stomped on her reputation as well. She crushed her dreams along with the wagon Trixie lived in. Maybe it was her fault. Maybe her words had brought the bear to town. Maybe she really was the catalyst for her own destiny like she so often was. Her shimmering reflection in the water judged her. It was her fault. It's always been her fault. There was no Amethyst Star or Twilight Sparkle, there was only Trixie. And Trixie could hurt herself in ways the others could never. Hey, at least that means she's the best at something. Her hooves shook as she slowly climbed onto the railing, hanging on with all her might as she brought her forelegs over to dangle above the rushing water. Was it warm? Trixie knew it was almost certainly bitterly cold but as she stared at the rushing stream, she imagined it would be like plunging into a warm bath. She closed her eyes and leaned farther forward. All she needed was a little push and gravity would carry her over the railing down several feet into the foam. Maybe it is warm. Maybe it will be ok.

“What are you doing.” came a voice from behind her. Trixie groaned, expressing her distaste at her thought process being interrupted.

“Just hangin out. Over the railing.” She lied, turning to the pony behind her. It was a grey earth pony wearing a teal frock.

“That's very dangerous. You could fall in the river.” The earth pony said, not a tinge of concern in her voice. Or maybe that was concern, Trixie couldn't tell.

“That's the idea.” Trixie mumbled.

“I'm serious. The river is shallow so you'd probably hit your head on the rocks. And even if that didn't kill you, the current is too fast to swim. You'd probably drown” the earth pony said matter-of-factly.

Trixie was disgruntled by the pony's forwardness and bluntness. In her self loathing delirium she tried to get back at her by being blunt herself.

“Yeah? I'm trying to kill myself.” Trixie snarled, annoyed at being very rudely interrupted in her suicide attempt.

“Don't do that.” The pony said. It was such a strange response to what she'd said that Trixie didn't know how to process it at first. She looked the pony up and down. She looked to be a farm pony and her expression was almost impossible to read.

“Does the name ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie’ mean anything to you?” Trixie said to the farm pony, trying to gauge the likelihood that her popularity has reached her.

“No.” The earth pony put bluntly. Trixie nodded and looked back towards the river.

“Yeah. Thought so.” She said defeatedly.

“Why are you trying to kill yourself?” The earth pony pressed on.

“What's it to you? It doesn't matter.” Trixie said, expressing her frustration at what she was realizing was genuine concern. There was a long pause while the earth pony thought of what to say next.

“If you fall, I will save your life” the earth pony said, propping herself up on the railing. Trixie was astounded, and a little nervous now that this random pony was joining her on the railing.

“Hey, you're going to get yourself killed” Trixie said, expressing the danger of the situation.

“What's it to you? It doesn't matter.” The earth pony said, winking at her use of the words Trixie had just said. Trixies confusion and wonder caused her to back off from the railing, looking the pony up and down.

“Who the fuck are you?” She asked, incredulously.

“My name is Maud. Maud Pie” the pony said. “Nice to meet you.”

The magicians suicidality briefly left for a need to understand the strange character before her. She was unrelenting in all ways, blunt, yet impossible to read. A complete mystery.

“Will you tell me why you were trying to kill yourself now?” Maud said, ever persistent. Something about her stone cold expression told Trixie she wouldn't be able to avoid this question. She sighed.

“My place was destroyed by a big bear and I have nothing left and my reputation was ruined by some pony and now I can't get a job because everypony hates me.” Trixie summed up.

Maud thought about it for a moment.

“That's a pretty good reason to try to kill yourself. It's ok though. You can stay with me and work on our rock farm. We need some extra help this season anyways.” Maud said, generously offering Trixie both a place to stay and a job. She began walking away from the river, implying Trixie should follow.

“Wait, a rock farm? As in, you're farming rocks? How the fuck does that work?” Trixie said, still perplexed, but following suit.

“You'll figure it out. Also, language.” Maud said.

Trixie followed Maud down the path through Rockville. She hid her face as they passed the pub she'd been thrown out of for asking for drinks on the house. Maud had this commanding presence about her that made Trixie a little nervous. But altogether there was something in the air that made her trust the earth pony. Maybe it was her connection with Zecora that reminded her of Maud. She shivered slightly thinking of Zecora, letting out a few breathless pants as she reminisced about their time together. She nervously looked at Maud, hoping she hadn't noticed.

When the two arrived at the Pie family rock farm, Trixie was no closer to understanding what any of the purpose was. She did, however, notice the tone of the place. Maud's family was all as grey as she was, both in color and mood. They all begrudgingly did their chores, and from Trixies first impression this wasn't the kind of place you'd want to be if you were struggling with depression.

“Hey Maud, who's this?” One of them asked. She was another grey pony with green eyes.

“This is Trixie. She's gonna live and work here.” Maud said as if they'd already decided.

“Who said you could just decide that? She doesn't exactly look cut out for it.” The sister said, not even trying to be subtle in front of Trixie.

“Excuse me, I-” Trixie started.

“Nopony. I just did. She just tried to kill herself. I think she'd try again if we didn't.” Maud said, in the strangest defense of Trixie she'd ever heard.

“Oh yeah! I'm suicidal!” Trixie said, smiling and nodding enthusiastically.

The sister squinted before approaching Trixie.

“I'm Limestone. Stay away from the mine, stay away from Holders Boulder, listen to everything me and Maud say, you got it?” She said.

Trixie nodded. She already didn't like how militaristic this place seemed but she supposed it was better than being dead. Maud then turned to walk out to the field of rocks, taking a small pickaxe with her and handing one to Trixie. The unicorn followed, examining the pickaxe as she quietly pondered what exactly they were going to do. As they walked through the field of rocks, Trixie noticed the house getting farther and farther away. The scope of the farm and its operation were finally starting to hit her as their journey steadily began to incline downwards towards a rock wall that had been carved out of the earth. Lying next to it was an empty wooden cart.

“So… Maud, what's the plan?” Trixie said, already so bored she was having trouble staying awake.

“These pebbles of quartz are encased in this larger sandstone rock, our job is to get them out so we can sell them” Maud said, gesturing to the rock wall, which had several round light-colored rocks sticking out of it.

“Oh, ok.” Trixie said, a little happy it was so simple and didn't seem very hard.

“It's very simple and not that hard, I figured it would be the thing you're best at here.” Maud said. Trixie took it as an insult to her intelligence and ability.

“Gee, thanks” she sneered sarcastically.

“No problem” Maud said earnestly. “You stop work when the cart is full or the sun goes down, then you come inside.”

“Oh.. ok.” Trixie said, staring up at the wall realizing that this is probably what she was going to do for the next however long she's here.

“I have other chores to do, so I'll be somewhere else. Yell or walk back to the house if you need anything” Maud said, before turning to leave.

Trixie then turned to the pebble right in front of her, it was mostly sticking out of the rock already so she figured it would probably be the easiest to get out. She swung her pickaxe at the soft sandstone around it until she'd cleared its perimeter. She then pulled on it really hard with her magic, it didn't budge. She put both hooves on it and threw her whole body weight back, it still didn't budge. Frustratedly, she hit around its perimeter with the pickaxe again, realizing that the pebble was actually much longer and more embedded than she had initially expected. She worked diligently with the pick to soften up more and more of the sandstone to pry it free, until eventually, after enough tugging, it was finally released from its stone prison. After Trixie picked herself up from falling flat via tugging on it, she spun around triumphantly with it, relishing in her success. Her eyes fell on more rocks. Her feat of terrific strength and dexterity had been seen by an audience of no one. It would be like this every time. Heartbroken, she dropped the pebble into the cart with a clunk. One down, hundreds to go.

As she worked, she found herself daydreaming of performing again, or having a drink, or something to eat. She realized she was terribly hungry, having been too destitute to afford food the past few days or so. Her stomach rumbled as she worked, but soon the silent air took her to more spiteful places. Twilight Sparkle, the name rang like a funeral bell in her head. Shown up and run out of town, Trixie imagined the prissy purple unicorn's face on every inch of space she clobbered with her pickaxe.

“Maybe one day she'll learn her lesson” Twilight had said. As though being forced into homelessness was warranted for being a performer in Ponyville. Ponyville, the place she had wanted a new start, and for her naivety, she was now farming rocks without a place to call home. How she missed her hammock, how she missed her booze cabinet, how she missed getting drunk and singing ballads to herself at 3am, how she missed her stylish star shaped sunglasses. Twilight Sparkle. Her faux-humility was nauseating. What, was it only ok to brag if your name happens not to be Trixie?

“What are you doing” Maud said, startling Trixie out of her spiral. She blinked, realizing in spite she had imagined Twilights head as one of the pebbles which she was currently trying to break in half with the pickaxe. It wasn't working.

“Your job is to collect pebbles, not break them. That pick isn't hard or sharp enough for that” Maud said, pointing out the inconsistencies.

“Oh whoops, sorry, guess I got a little carried away!” Trixie said, smiling nervously.

Maud's expression was unchanging. Judgemental, lenient? There was no way to tell. The silence was deafening.

“It's normal to go a little crazy doing this yourself. I'm sorry, I should've been here helping you.” Maud said. “At any rate, you've been doing a good job so far.”

Trixie looked over to the wooden cart, it was now half-full of pebbles. She had done a good job! The rock wall was missing a good chunk more rock than it had been when she started. The sun was just starting to flirt with the horizon in the distance.

“Thanks Maud.” She said, dusting herself off as she followed the earth pony back to the house. When she entered, Maud could tell she was way too tired to stay awake for dinner, and therefore led her to the bedroom, where Trixie would be sharing a bed with Maud. Trixie then tucked into bed and drifted off to sleep, her stomach rumbling. Having encountered too much drama for the day, she merely dreamed of a full course meal to fill her belly.

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The sound of rocks cracking open carried through the brilliant crystalline cavern. Its walls and ceiling were lined with large blue, pink, green and red gemstones. In the center, the grey pony worked, having taken in a cart full of geodes from outside which she was systematically cracking open with her pick. The sound alone of each impact was teeth shattering, and the acoustics of the cave made them ring out like gunshots. However, Maud persisted, this was her element. For a moment though, she stopped. Someone was watching her do this.

“Hello Princess.” She said to the cave. Out from a shadow in the wall, the princess of the night appeared.

“You can call us Luna, you know.” the Alicorn said, walking up to join Maud as she continued cracking geodes.

“You're always working on your dreams, we're curious as to why.” Luna said, a little frustrated with Maud's busywork.

“I thought dreams were the manifestation of unfinished things during the day. I have some actual geodes to crack so I'm here cracking geodes.” Maud said matter-of-factly, splitting another one open with such force it made Lunas bones quake.

“But dreams can be so many things! Surely your imagination must want things more than just busywork” Luna said, bounding around excitedly, trying to get Maud's attention. Maud turned to look at her.

“Do you visit other ponies this frequently or is it just me?” Maud questioned, causing the Alicorn to stop dead in her tracks, before hiding her face from the rock pony, blushing profusely.

“We love our royal subjects equally, it's just your life is of the most interest to us, and especially this night where you sleep next to Trixie, another we have had our eye on for a while.” Luna said defensively, trying to justify her obsession with Maud, as well as change the subject. Maud saw right past it.

“That doesn't explain the fact you visited me three times last week, and nearly every night this week.” Maud said, very curious.

Luna was taken aback, to be accused of such idolatry to and by a common earth pony, it was below her royal stature, it was unthinkable, it was scandalous, it was.. true.

“We do quite enjoy your company, Maud.” Luna said, finally faltering and knocking her hooves together timidly.

Maud was unsure how to feel, if this was something more than just friendship, she had no idea. For now, she was just glad Luna was here.

“I like spending time with you too.” Maud said. “And Trixie seems alright, if a little unstable.”

“We're very glad you met her, as you're one of the very best sources of stability we've ever seen.” Luna said, grateful to have changed the subject.

“Is this another part of your vision, her meeting me?” Maud said.

“Well, yes, but once again, it's simply fatal magnetism that causes it, we have no hoof in Trixies exploits, yours or Starlight's.” Luna said, wishing to remain a passive observer as long as possible in order to escape culpability.

“Well you have been visiting me a lot, I think eventually that's going to influence me.” Maud said. “You've said everypony has a threshold to cross between the world they know and the unknown. Eventually, you will too.”

Luna nodded solemnly, as always, Maud was right. The cracking of rocks continued through the cave. Luna pondered the future and what it held. Surely it wasn't long now. Everything was already in place, it just needed time.

“I've never been to the ocean.” Maud said, breaking the silence.

Luna turned, smiling as the cave walls began to crumble, the rushing tide lapping at her hooves as the dust fell into the water. The glittering moon reflected onto the seascape. Maud got up from her position to stare at the ground. The rushing water degraded the floor, turning the hard cave rock into silt and sand, thousands of years of erosion, done in mere moments as the wind and water broke the crystal cavern down to a rocky outcrop along a beach that stretched far into the horizon.

The magic of the scene as it unfolded was awe-inspiring. Luna saw as the geologic concepts Maud had described made themselves real along the shoreline. Maud's lucid power traced the fault lines on the coast, the breakdown and creation of sedimentary rock, the shifting of the tectonic plates, all of it orchestrated in a symphony of entropy and change as tumultuous as the sea they stood near.

And Maud, the wind and ocean spray, cleaning her of her cavernous dirt and dust, looked out upon the sea, The wind in her hair, and smiled. It was the prettiest thing the Princess had ever seen.

“Maud.” Luna said, her stomach filling with butterflies as her heart pounded.

“Yes Luna?” Maud said, forever in that calm and gentle tone, stoic and composed.

“I love you.” She said.