Shine Brighter

Chapters

I: When The Music's Over
II: Light My Fire
III: People Are Strange
IV: My Eyes Have Seen You
V: Love Her Madly

I: When The Music's Over

The garage echoed as Trixie wrestled the guitar solo out of her Flying V. Her knuckles were turning white from how hard and fast her fingers moved across the fretboard, her whole body trembling as she shook the instrument like it owed her money. As she let her last chord ring out, Trixie struggled to catch her breath and her face was pouring sweat. But the noise and effort didn't make her feel good; it only made her feel worse.

She was angry, and her two bandmates could tell. Lavender Lace looked over to her dear friend and wore a worried frown on her face. “Trixie, maybe you should take a break.”

She couldn't. Even though her fingers were crying out from the guitar strings slicing them up, Trixie simply couldn't stop. And yet…

Tired from the singing, playing, and standing, Trixie relented, “Yeah, I guess we can call it there.” She lifted the strap over her head and set the guitar in the A-stand nearby. She walked over to a bean bag chair and collapsed into it, staring up at the garage ceiling. Lavender grabbed a dry rag and handed it to Trixie, who began unconsciously wiping sweat off of her face and neck as she stared at nothing.

She, Lavender, and Fuchsia Blush had been practicing in every spare moment the three of them had. It had been a week since the Musical Showcase; A week since the Rainbooms had upstaged Trixie and the Illusions! And all throughout the week, Trixie had been trying to hone her skills so she could wipe that smug grin off of Rainbow Dash's face! But there was no clear goal in mind, the fire had gone out, and all that was left was a smoldering ember!

Lavender tried to comfort Trixie, “Don’t feel bad, Trixie! Your solos sound amazing!” Even if it was an obvious fact, it did little to satisfy the talented guitarist.

Trixie sighed, but said nothing. She didn't have the energy to be her normal level of braggadocio, and she could tell it was making her friends uncomfortable.

Fuschia Blush spoke up next, “Is something on your mind? You know you can tell us anything.”

“Trixie is just… Frustrated. Not just that we should have won, fair and square, but also that The Great and Powerful Trixie just can't find that same joy-- the passion she felt when we were battling it out!”

Fuchsia Blush looked confused as she pressed, “But why though? I thought you liked practicing and trying to make shows better?”

“Trixie isn't sure. It feels like something's been missing ever since. I'm not feeling the same…” She trailed off, trying to find the word.

“Accomplishment?” Lavender guessed.

“Catharsis?” Fuchsia offered.

Trixie thought about it, but both words were simultaneously close and nowhere near fitting for what she was feeling, or rather not feeling. “Kinda… I think? Whatever it is, Trixie isn't getting it, and she's just left with the frustration, chasing after whatever the other feeling was.”

She sat up and put on a smile for her bandmates, “Sorry for calling for practices so often. Trixie's very thankful that you two are able to put up with her when she's working through stuff.”

Fuschia Blush shrugged as she said plainly, “It's no problem, Trixie, but I think we should start wrapping up. I gotta finish some make-up work for History or my mom's gonna kill me!”

Trixie rose to her feet and agreed, “Yeah, we can pick this up sometime after next week. Maybe some time away will help clear Trixie's head. Lace, can I…?”

Batting a hand to shrug it off, Lavender reassured her, “Don’t worry, I'll keep our equipment safe until our next practice. And I can also hold your guitar for you; it looks like you've got a lot on your mind, so you probably do without lugging it home.”

Lavender always did a great job at knowing when Trixie needed to take it easy. There was no one Trixie could trust more with things like her guitar, her textbooks, or even the occasional hat. Trixie briefly pulled her friends into a hug one at a time, before feigning a smile and walking out the side door to the garage. The three of them said their goodbyes and then Trixie and Fuchsia started walking home in opposite directions. It was only when she was out of sight of both of her friends that Trixie let her demeanor sink and she mulled it all over in her head again.

The Battle of the Bands had been declared, and everyone who had competed just moved on, with only a few bands staying together. Nobody denied that the Rainbooms had saved the school with their stupid rainbow magic, but Trixie knew in her heart that she was cheated out of a well-deserved victory! All throughout the Battle of the Bands there had been a star shining brightly within Trixie, and the fiery core was hotter than any flame her opponents had in their hearts.

But no matter how hard she tried to recover from defeat, Trixie couldn't find that fire. It had been so easy when the Dazzlings were around, but nobody had seen them since they were booed off the stage. As soon as they got blasted by the Rainbooms, Trixie lost that shining star within her, and the fire went out. Rumors circulated in the days after, many of them blaming the Dazzlings for the whole thing going wrong. Trixie wasn’t sure she believed any of them, though. She had a feeling that everyone was just sour about losing and needed it to be someone else's fault. For all Trixie knew, there was no such thing as a siren, and the only magical mischief going on was the Rainbooms using magic to steal the Dazzlings’ voices!

Still, Trixie couldn't stop wondering why the fire went out when the Dazzlings lost their voices. And her daily band practices haven't been rekindling that drive to win, only exacerbating the frustration of losing to Rainbow Dash, Twilight Sparkle, and Sunset Shimmer-- as well as their less-important bandmates. What could really be so special about Adagio and her two backup singers?

Adagio. Something about the memories of her derailed Trixie’s train of thought. Sure, she may have had the idea to turn the showcase into a competition, but Trixie couldn't help but feel respect for her. She had been the frontwoman of the Dazzlings, so clearly she was the brains of whatever was going on during the Musical Showcase. Maybe she had answers about how Trixie could find her fire and be a shining star again.

Trixie looked around, realizing she had walked out of the suburbs and into downtown, where a lot of the shops were. Although she was taking the long way, she could still make the journey home with only a few more turns. Without thinking about it, Trixie veered around the corner, bumping headfirst into a blazing wall of orange fluff! Trixie and the girl stumbled and struggled to catch their bearings, wincing from the collision.

“I'm so sorry about that! Are you…?” Trixie trailed off and gawked as she recognized the leader of the Dazzlings, rubbing her forehead, clothes covered in some kind of spilled drink, and looking like she had been through hell.

Adagio growled with bitter frustration as she bit back to nobody in particular, “Can I get one day where things go right in this miserable world?! Just one?! Is that too much to ask?!”

“Adagio?”

Adagio snapped out of her anger and looked at the blue girl with a slightly confused scowl. “Oh hey, Trixie, right?

“You remembered my name?”

Adagio shrugged. “Well yeah, you almost took out the Rainbooms.” She sneered at the name despite her casually ambivalent tone towards Trixie.

Trixie regained her composure and bragged, “It was nothing, really! Rainbow Dash has often been a nuisance for The Great And Powerful Trrrrrixie!!!”

Adagio seemed to be a bit underwhelmed by the magician, and instead fussed over the spilled iced coffee all over her top. “Great, I guess this outfit is ruined forever! Just perfect!”

Trixie abandoned her dramatic pose to rub the back of her neck and apologize, “Sorry, I was lost in thought. I'm sure if you soak that outfit before you wash it--!”

"I live in a van with two morons; we can't afford to go to the laundromat for another few days at least! So I guess this top is just gonna be stained!”

Trixie opened her mouth to speak, but no words came to mind. She racked her brain to think of how to make this better, idly putting one hand in her pocket. She felt a small device in her pocket and got an idea. “Allow me...” Clearing her throat and pulling the device out of her pocket, she held up a smoke bomb and declared, “Behold: The Magician's Exit!”

Trixie threw the smoke bomb to the ground, and with a loud bang and a cloud of smoke, Trixie and Adagio found themselves standing where the other had been standing. Adagio was visibly confused, not only in how she had gotten to where she was, but also how her clothes were now dry while Trixie's blouse had the spilled drink transferred onto it.

Striking a pose in spite of the mess on her chest, Trixie proudly proclaimed, “Voilà!”

Still examining her clean, dry clothes and the mostly empty cup in her hand for good measure, Adagio struggled to piece together a full sentence. “You… But what did--? Why am I--? And you're--? What?! How?!” The frazzled yellow girl widened her eyes and pointed at Trixie as she raised her befuddled voice slightly, “How did you do that?!”

“A Great and Powerful magician NEVER reveals her secrets!” Trixie gave a sly grin to cover up the fact that she wasn't fully sure how her own prestidigitation worked sometimes.

Adagio softened her expression and let out a soft chuckle, “I guess you're full of surprises!”

Trixie's grin widened as she boasted, “Careful now, you almost sounded impressed!”

With another chuckle, Adagio shook her cup of iced coffee and joked hopefully, “Got any tricks that'll top a girl off?”

Trixie quickly pulled out another smoke grenade and threw it at the ground. When the smoke cleared, she was holding a full cup of iced coffee that was clearly from the same shop that Adagio had purchased hers. “Caramel Iced with the drizzle?”

Adagio was elated and accepted the second cup, but she looked confused as she asked, “Why does this one have the name ‘Lyra H.’ on it?”

On cue, the door to the nearby cafe opened up and Lyra Heartstrings pointed to Trixie with an accusatory shout, “Hey! You stole my order!”

“Run!”

Adagio wasted no time in following after Trixie as they both ran back the way Trixie had come, ducking down an alley and making a few turns to try to lose the disgruntled coffee shop patron. After a sufficient amount of running, Adagio and Trixie staggered to a halt in an alley behind a random bookstore. After a few seconds of catching their breaths, the two girls looked at each other and began to laugh.

Adagio had to keep from spilling either of the clear plastic cups of iced coffee as she cackled, “That girl was so mad!”

Trixie chortled, “I know! She and her girlfriend are probably gonna give me an earful when we see each other at school!”

The two panting and sweating girls shared another breathless laugh as Adagio took a victory sip of the stolen coffee. After appreciating the flavor, the leader of the Dazzlings mused, “Mmm, it's just how I like it! Lyra H. has good taste!” She met Trixie's gaze as she remarked, “I didn't take you to be the type, Trixie!”

“Someone as Great and Powerful as I am does not trifle with matters of right and wrong! If I want something, I get it, plain and simple!” In reality, Trixie didn't prefer to steal-- maybe from the occasional vending machine-- but she thought it made her sound cooler and more confident.

“Well, in any case, thanks for hooking a thirsty girl up! You look like you're still out of breath, would you like a sip?”

Trixie felt how dry her mouth was and only paused momentarily to wonder why Adagio was offering it so freely. Then again, she did get it at a five-finger-discount, so perhaps she was just being polite in giving her a cut of the loot. Deciding she was more thirsty than curious, Trixie accepted the cup and tried not to suck it down too greedily. The sweet cold coffee was refreshing, given how dehydrated Trixie was from sweating through band practice and then running in a mad scramble. She handed the cup back to Adagio, who sucked half of the large cup down in one go. Her hand was covered in water from the condensation, so Trixie used that hand to wipe her brow. Even the slight moisture and cold was welcome in the early evening heat!

“I'm more of a Black and White Mocha Frappe kind of girl, but I do have to admit, that does taste good!”

Adagio looked at the first cup, and had an awkward look on her face as she offered. “You, uhh… You want this one, since you're kinda wearing it?”

Trixie laughed as she remembered the wet brown spot on her blouse, wondering how much work it will take to keep it from staining. Accepting the cup of sweet coffee diluted by melted ice, Trixie boasted, “A little elbow grease and some magic, and it'll be like it never happened!”

Adagio seemed to react to that in a minute way, but she closed her eyes and shook her head. Her face looked forlorn when she shook away whatever thought she had. Trixie pondered that reaction for a moment as they both sipped on their drinks.

Adagio broke the silence, “So, this magic that you have… It’s definitely not Equestrian magic like the Rainbooms.”

Trixie scoffed at the comparison, but didn't let her disdain bleed into her voice as she proclaimed, “The Rainbooms may have rainbow lasers, but they will never be able to compare to the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrrrixie!!!”

Adagio let out a soft chuckle, remarking, “Maybe I could learn a thing or two about this kind of magic; It certainly wouldn't hurt to learn how to adapt to this miserable world--!” She cut herself off and threw a hand to her mouth as her wide eyes glanced over to Trixie.

Trixie chose to ignore that odd slip. “I-- Uhh… Err, well… I suppose, if you wanted to learn how to use magic, there is something we can do to help each other. You see, the Great and Powerful Trixie has been in a bit of a slump ever since the Battle of the Bands. Something is missing and Trixie was hoping you could help her find that spark; the passion, the thrill I had during the competition. You were one of the few people Trixie went up against who recognized my greatness!”

Adagio again had a subtle reaction to something Trixie had said, but that only convinced Trixie that she knew something about why the fire went out. This was Trixie's chance, she couldn’t let it slip away. Trixie crossed her arms and tapped her chin, making sure to look Adagio over just long enough. “Perhaps Trixie could impart some of her knowledge, if you were to meet her in the drama club room tomorrow.”

Adagio’s face fell into a scowl again. “At CHS? Yeah, no. I’m not taking the chance of running into Sunset Shimmer again! If I show my face there again they’ll run me out of town!”

Trixie simply blinked. “Oh, good point... Well… How about you come over to Trixie’s place this weekend? I keep most of my tricks in the garage anyway. What’s your number?”

“Ooh! So forward, Trixie! If I didn't know better…” Adagio’s smile curled into a cheshire grin and she leaned into Trixie, whose blue cheeks were quickly going scarlet. Her heart was starting to pound again, causing her to nearly drop her phone as she fumbled for it in her pocket.

“Er-- I, uh..” Trixie stammered.

Adagio simply laughed, reaching two fingers into her purse and producing a pen and notepad, scribbling a few digits onto it before ripping a note off, folding it up, and gently tucking it into Trixie’s pants pocket. It seemed Adagio was making sure to gently brush her fingers against Trixie’s hand. “It’s a date.” She said, grinning mischievously.

Trixie felt as though her face would combust from the immense heat in her cheeks. She lost the ability to speak or even think. Adagio chuckled as she backed away, leaving Trixie to stew in her feelings. When the world came back into focus, Trixie was alone in the alleyway. Only the empty cup still in her hand and the small note in her pocket could prove to her that it wasn't some dream.

II: Light My Fire

Saturday afternoon found Adagio standing in Trixie's mom's garage. In one corner, a guitar, amplifier with pedals, keyboard, lectern with blank sheet music, and set of headphones formed a nook around a folding chair. Near the door to the inside, there was a yellowed, off-white refrigerator next to a counter covered in trays and various bottles with a metal sink in the middle. On the opposite side of the room, a clear set of drawers full of craft supplies next to a small desk with a sewing machine. Aside from the sedan taking up half of the room, this did indeed seem to be her workshop.

“What is it you need me to do again? Something about ‘passion’ and ‘fire’?”

Slinging the strap of her Flying V over her shoulder, Trixie explained, “Trixie has been having a hard time finding the same passion as she had during the Battle of the Bands. I used to live for the competition, showing off how amazing my skills are…” Trixie posed in a manner befitting someone who thought so highly of herself, and Adagio had to keep from rolling her eyes, opting for appearing attentive and patiently waiting.

Trixie continued, slightly less enthused, “But ever since the Rainbooms stole the win, I haven't felt the same! I've been getting frustrated when I try to play, but I never feel like I'm doing my absolute best! It's like the star shining bright within me has faded and the fire has gone out, if that makes any sense.”

Adagio tried not to react to that particular choice of words. When she had made blanket statements like that during her siren song, she was just trying to plant ideas and rile up the CHS student body. It seems that even beyond the magic she had used on the whole school, Trixie had internalized what Adagio had sung. Now that Adagio was powerless, Trixie was no longer feeling the drive to compete, but still wanted to prove she shined brighter than her opponents.

They hadn't explicitly mind-controlled anyone besides the Principal and Vice Principal. The siren song was merely a powerful suggestion, and the humans’ negativity and unfulfilled desires added fuel to the spell. And yet, this one girl had taken to heart that small push of the siren song and was chasing that momentum! If Adagio had a drop of empathy in her body, she might feel bad for this lost young woman! As it was, she merely had to think of a way to pretend to fix a problem she caused.

‘I help this girl get out of her own head and get her groove back… In return, I'll learn how she did that stunt the other day. Surely, if she's just in a rut, I can just give some simple feedback and the problem will fix itself! This whole thing could be resolved in… However much time it takes to learn this low-level magic of hers. Hopefully tonight, if I can break this unlucky streak!’

Adagio set down her purse and grabbed the cushioned stool near the sewing machine, sitting down to say, “Alright, show me what we're working with!”

Trixie donned a cocky smirk and scoffed, “Prepare yourself, Adagio Dazzle, for the Grrreat and Powerful Trrrrrixie!!!” After some final adjustments of the electronic knobs on her guitar, Trixie's fingers danced across the fretboard and produced a freeform rhapsody of growling and screeching!

Adagio felt as though she should be enthused about and amazed by Trixie's masterful guitar skills, and it was impressive. Still, she never really cared for instruments when she and the others just had to sing to make music happen. But, she did agree to help Trixie figure out why she wasn't as passionate as she was during the musical showcase. Like it or not, she had to sit through the electric noise to uphold her end of the bargain.

As the last note rang out, Trixie struck a pose and held it, panting and trying to look confident. “So, what do you think?” Trixie huffed with a grin.

Adagio stood up from her chair and walked towards Trixie, brushing her own fluffy hair behind her ear. “Do you want me to be honest or do you want me to be gentle?”

Trixie visibly shrunk as her smile faded into a concerned look and her confidence evaporated from her voice. “Umm… Err, well I mean… Honest, I guess.”

“You sound great, you really do, but…” Reaching out towards Trixie’s forehead, Adagio casually wiped sweat off and showed her moist fingers as she continued, “But you're clearly putting in too much effort! Did you used to sweat buckets like this before?”

Trixie was still caught off guard by the physical contact-- being a repressed, uptight human and all-- but she quickly gave a sheepish grin and averted her eyes as she answered, “Not usually. I guess I have been tryharding lately.”

Adagio rolled her eyes and walked around to stand behind Trixie. “Let's start with your posture; Stand straight up, shoulders back, feet shoulder width apart…” She manually manipulated Trixie into a stance by running her hand along her back, grabbing her by her shoulders, and using her feet to nudge Trixie's. Adagio felt Trixie go rigid, but she paid her no mind as she continued, “All that thrashing, headbanging, and silly stance work isn't going to help you play better. And I'm going to show you a better way to play without tiring yourself out or working up a sweat!”

Trixie turned her head to address the siren who had been laying hands all over her. “Y'know, when Trixie said she needed to find her passion, this wasn't exactly what I had in mind!” Her blue cheeks were growing pink and her shaky voice tried to sound playful.

Adagio let out a small laugh, almost scoffing as she chided, “You asked for my help, so you're getting it! Now shut up and play what you were playing from the top!”

Trixie put her fingers on the strings, putting out a low hum from the amp, but she hesitated to begin playing. Silently swallowing and twitching her digits against the strings, her purple eyes looked back at Adagio nervously.

“Well?” Prompted Adagio.

“Well, uhh, aren’t you gonna…?”

“I'll guide you in a second; Just play!” Adagio interrupted, trying to sound encouraging, which was not easy for her.

With a stuttered, choppy exhale, Trixie was finally able to get her fingers moving, drawing out a few slow notes and replaying her solo piece. It was then that Adagio decided to intervene!

Adagio placed her hands on Trixie's hips and began guiding them, making them rock back and forth. Trixie began to go along with the hypnotic swaying motion, her melodic playing began to quicken and intensify, far more than when she was thrashing! Adagio’s hands left her waist, and traveled up to her armpits, guiding her into another swaying motion. Her shoulders and hips began to rock from side to side in an energetic wiggle, accentuated by a powerful arm-controlled strum on every other beat of the wiggling dance.

Letting go of Trixie, Adagio stepped back and let the guitarist follow the rhythmic swaying she had started. She could hear the notes getting better and less forceful than they were before, and the solo progressed in a far more graceful manner! It wasn’t frantic noise grasping for attention, but rather a driven symphony of rhythm and power! Trixie even began to add her own steps to make the pendulous dance into an inspired performance! The inspired soloist hit a final power chord and used her arm to add vibrato to the piercing shriek.

Adagio clapped and tried not to sound condescending as she stated, “See! You're a natural! You just had to stop flopping around like a hippogriff out of water!”

Sweat-free and elated, Trixie smiled as she turned around and innocently asked, “A what now?”

Adagio rolled her eyes and waved her hand. “Don’t worry about it.” She stepped closer to Trixie, poking her finger against Trixie’s chest to accentuate her next words. “Play like that next time you’re up against Rainbow Dash, you’ll blow everyone away!”

Trixie looked down and Adagio followed her gaze, realizing she had gotten close to the girl's breast. She let her awkward finger linger for a mere moment before sliding it down Trixie’s chest, leaning in and smirking mischievously as she added, “Not to mention, you’re pretty good at moving those hips!”

Adagio watched the shiver go up Trixie’s spine, her chest visibly pounding and her face reddening again. She broke into a sweat again, trying to stammer out a response, only to be stopped by the door into the house opening! Both girls’ heads snapped to look, Trixie still glowing red and Adagio slightly annoyed at the interruption. An older woman with light tan skin and graying black hair stuck her head in.

“I brought pizza– Oh…”

Trixie didn't try to move away from Adagio as she tried to explain, “N-Nana! Hey! I, uh-- w-we were just--!”

“It's uh… I'll just… Get the table ready…” Smiling politely, Nana slowly leaned back inside and shut the door.

Adagio’s subtle grimace shifted back into a look of amusement as she scoffed, “Jeez, what a way to kill the mood! And here I was hoping we could make some magic!”

Trixie was aghast! “Adagio!!!”

Adagio took a step back and smugly grinned as she clarified, “What? I meant the magic you still need to teach me, you naughty little minx!”

Embarrassed, Trixie could only respond, “Oh… Err-- right!”

The yellow girl let out a sinister chuckle, gently running a finger across the magician's cheek and cooing, “It is so much fun to watch you get flustered, Trixie!” Without another word, Adagio floated to the door with a hypnotic sashay in her strut. She was inside the house before Trixie could think to show her to the kitchen herself. Idly looking at some of the photos, she passed through the hall towards the kitchen. She saw a photo of a young boy who looked remarkably similar to Trixie, but she decided to just gather the answer through context clues. Peculiar as it was, Adagio had very little interest in actively pursuing that trivial, bemused observation.

****

“...And once the potassium nitrate has been properly mixed in, we take the black powder…” Trixie reached her gloved hand toward the black powder and removed the cap. She and Adagio were wearing clear lab goggles and disposable masks.

She removed a small spoonful of black powder and gently tapped it, peppering it across the mixture. When the last of the powder left the measuring spoon, she handed it to Adagio, who copied the action on her own smoke bomb. Once Trixie saw Adagio had completed the step, she continued, “Then we take the edges and begin to fold!”

The two women began folding as if making middle school paper footballs, Adagio mirroring each crease Trixie made. Before the last few folds, Trixie reached over to the box of fireworks snappers and grabbed two. “And before we do the last folds, we put one of these in, riiiiiight here!” She placed the snapper in her bomb and finished folding, with Adagio not far behind.

Picking up the tray with the two smoke bombs, Trixie walked over to the fridge and explained, “And then we leave these in the fridge for at least 4 hours to solidify!” Adagio took initiative and opened the door to the fridge so Trixie could set the tray on the rack. After the door was closed, Trixie removed her gloves, mask and goggles, proclaiming, “And presto! In a few hours, you'll have functioning smoke bombs!”

Adagio also tore off her protective wear, revealing her engrossed and eager face. “And then I just throw it on the ground, and it will give off a puff of smoke? And then what? How do I do the tricks you were doing? Is there a spell I have to think of, or runes I have to inscribe?”

Trixie smiled and whispered, “If you're fast enough and clever enough, you don't need any of that! We'll have to go over some of that another day, before we start practicing using the bombs!” The accomplished blue girl walked over to the sink, set down her goggles, threw away her mask and gloves, and began washing her hands.

“But… What about the thing with the stain and stealing the coffee? The bell on the coffee shop door didn't even jingle when you stole whatsherface’s coffee! How did you pull those off?”

Trixie finished washing her hands and dried them off with a paper towel before answering, “Mind over matter! If I put my mind to it, I can really make anything happen with a puff of smoke. Although, sometimes it's not exactly what I was planning to do.” Trixie chuckled sheepishly as she recalled some of her unexpected results when using smoke bombs.

Adagio didn't seem satisfied with that answer, as she furrowed her brow and wrinkled her nose as she pressed for more, “What do you mean?! My outfit was so wet from the spill, and then you switched places with me-- without touching me, I might add-- and then my clothes were dry, as if it had never happened! That's not just mind over matter; that's teleportation! There's gotta be a spell or some runes or a power or something that allows you to do that!”

Trixie was taken aback by the severity of Adagio’s disbelieving tone, but she managed to calmly suggest, “If we try it my way in the next lesson, will you just trust the process?”

“‘Next lesson’?”

“Yeah! You'll have to come back to test your first smoke bomb after all! And it'll take you a while to get the hang of prestidigitation. So you're welcome to come back for another lesson anytime!”

“Okay, but what's the catch? Are you still not feeling it with the guitar stuff?”

“On the contrary, Trixie hasn’t had this much fun in a long time! Plus, Trixie still has to teach you magic like she promised. So, however long it takes you to learn, you’re welcome to come over.”

Adagio was a little taken aback at how eagerly Trixie offered to keep giving her lessons-- especially at no apparent gain of her own. “If you say so…” Pulling out her phone, Adagio saw the late hour and a bevy of missed calls and texts from Aria and Sonata, sighing, “It’s late, I should probably be heading back. But I'll text you later about that next lesson offer, okay?”

*****

Adagio approached Trixie’s house still wearing her work clothes, having come over right after her shift ended. Trixie had texted her asking her to come over again, though she didn’t specify what they would be doing. Adagio hoped they might take another shot at the smoke bombs, maybe if she hung out with Trixie more she’d get some hint at what Trixie’s secret was. Although she was fairly certain it was bonafide magic and Trixie was just in denial, she was still trying it her way. ‘Fourth time's the charm!’

Plus, it’d be a lie to say she hadn’t come to somewhat enjoy Trixie’s company. She was amusing, and the lessons had become a break from the tension she felt around her sisters. And the thrill of flirting with her to see her illeisms and composure melt before her eyes was just an added perk!

Adagio took a moment to make herself slightly more presentable, taking off her visor hat and putting it in her purse, followed by her hair net. Taking it off was always such a hassle! After giving her great cascade of hair a quick fluff, Adagio knocked on the door.

Trixie soon answered the door, Adagio noticing that she’d tied her hair back into twin ponytails. ‘Cute.’ She was a little confused as Trixie brought her finger to her lips, hushing her.

“Mom’s taking a nap on the couch, so we need to be a little quiet. Come on.” She whispered, ushering Adagio inside. Trixie led her through the living room and to a short hallway, pointing towards the end. “Bathroom is at the end of the hall, if you need to change out of your uniform.”

Even though she had a spare change of clothes in her purse, she would rather take a moment to gather herself. Hours of standing behind a counter, and about thirty minutes of walking to Trixie’s place meant Adagio wanted to do nothing but sit down for a minute– current apparel be damned.

Following Trixie into her bedroom, Adagio was taken aback by the… Disorganization of it, compared to her garage workshop. A barely made bed took up much of the room, along with a desk that housed a modest laptop and a number of cards-- several playing card decks, and a bunch of cards labeled ‘Sorcery: The Conclave.’ A small TV and Gamestation shared the top of Trixie’s dresser, along with a few pill bottles.

Trixie sat on her bed, so Adagio followed suit to sit on her right side. A small flag covered in pastel-colored lines caught Adagio’s attention. “Hmm, what flag is that?” She asked, pointing to it.

Trixie seemed surprised by the question, rushing over to pick it up and shove it in a drawer before nonchalantly returning to her seat on the bed. “Umm… Nothing! Just a silly little thing I got from… A friend.”

The reaction made Adagio raise her brow, but she didn’t press her on it, instead turning to the other thing that caught her eye. A small picture of a well dressed man on stage, taped to the wall. His skin and hair were nearly identical to Trixie’s, but he was too old to be the boy in the other photo. “Who’s this? He looks like you.”

“Oh, yeah, that’s my dad.”

“I don’t think I’ve met him, or even seen him around.” Adagio mused.

Trixie looked a little pensive, rubbing the back of her neck. “Yeah… Neither has Trixie. He and mom split up before I was born. I'm not even sure he knows I exist.” She shook her head and found her usual enthusiasm. “Which is why Trixie needs to be the best performer ever, so we can meet as equals!”

Adagio smiled, still looking at the picture, but it was tinged with melancholy. “My father was never around, either…” She cleared her throat, and tried to navigate away from the subject. Opening up to some human girl about siren stuff was off the table! “Sorry for bringing up something so personal.”

Trixie shook her head and cleared her throat, nervously fidgeting as she said, “It’s fine. Umm... Trixie kind of wanted to talk about something sorta serious, too.”

That brought Adagio’s attention back to Trixie. Inwardly, she wondered how ‘serious’ Trixie could be while referring to herself in third person, but she gestured for her to go on anyway. “I’m listening.”

Trixie took her time finding the right words, her hand finding its way to the back of her neck once again. “I... Hmm... I’m just wondering, what are we?”

Adagio blinked. “Well, I think by now we could call each other ‘friends’, right?”

“Right, friends… But, like… Friends don’t usually… Touch each other like we do, or flirt around as much, or…”

Adagio shrugged indifferently as she checked her nails. “That’s just what I do with my friends. It’s funny.”

Trixie looked at the ground, taking a quivering breath to steady herself. “Okay, but it doesn't feel like just friendly joking, it feels like… Kinda intense sometimes. I'm not, like, complaining, but…”

“Then what’s the issue?” Adagio casually asked.

“Well… Do you… Like me? Like, like me like me?”

Adagio didn’t quite understand the question. “Hmm. I like spending time with you, yes. Is there a reason you said it twice, or are you just stuttering?”

“What Trixie means is…” Trixie took another deep breath, hooking her fingers together as she forced the words out. “Would you like to go out with her sometime? Like, on a real date?”

Adagio smirked at her. “Ohh! I get you now!” Slithering over to close the distance between them, Adagio used her sultry voice as she said, “If you were just gonna ask me out, the bedroom was a bit forward of you, Trixie!”

Trixie tensed up, eyes growing wide as Adagio loomed over her. “I-I, uhhh–” Shrinking, she looked more and more like prey, which made something click in Adagio!

Deciding to play with her food a little, Adagio reached a finger up to touch Trixie’s lips, shushing, “Shhh, don't worry, I won't tell Mama Showcase that you planned to seduce me!

“N-no! I wouldn't-- I didn't-- I mean you're very pretty, but I wasn't gonna-- Not that I wouldn't want to--!”

“Shhh...” Adagio hushed again, chuckling quietly, “Not too loud, Mama’s still sleeping.”

Trixie bit her lip to stop herself from getting any louder.

“Don't look so scared of me, Trixie, I don't bite!” She leaned over to Trixie's ear and whispered, “Unless you want me to!”

Trixie gulped, closing her eyes tight. She could feel Trixie’s shivers as her warm breath tickled her ear. It was clear to Adagio that she was overwhelmingly nervous, even as Trixie quivered with anticipation.

With a smirk, Adagio cupped Trixie’s jaw and gently turned her head towards her, letting out one final warm breath on Trixie’s lips before meeting them with her own.

Adagio felt Trixie lock up as she pressed her lips against hers, but after a few moments she felt the tension start to fall. Like a spring uncoiling, the Timid and Nerve-Wracked Trixie relaxed, melting like puddy into Adagio’s embrace. She even returned the kiss with a subtle moan.

Adagio also felt something peculiar within herself, like an egg cracking within her chest. It was something Adagio had never felt, so she didn't know the words to describe the feeling.

When they pulled apart, Trixie was left panting and breathless. “Wow! I… Honestly didn't expect this conversation to go this way!”

Adagio herself felt just a little disoriented too, smirking back at Trixie as she brushed her hair behind her ear. “Enjoying yourself?”

Trixie blushed and nodded sheepishly, but eagerly. “Y-Yeah! Wow…”

Adagio chuckled with a smug grin, “You act like you've never kissed a girl before!”

“Not since before, when I was still--! Umm, I mean not since middle school!” She seemed to hastily correct herself, laughing nervously, which Adagio took note of while she wondered why her chest started to feel tight.

Trixie locked eyes with her and soon she found the blue girl leaning in for another kiss. Returning the kiss with gusto, the feeling in her chest began to abate. So Adagio fell into some old habits as she reached up towards Trixie’s head, running her fingers down her pony tails and through her straight white hair. Fingers found their way into Adagio's own thick, fluffy mane, so she reached over to Trixie’s lap and--...

With a loud gasp, Trixie jolted, ripping away from the kiss. “No!” She exclaimed, pulling her skirt further down her legs and blocking Adagio’s fingers.

Adagio felt dizzy. “Huh?! Wha…?”

Timidly, Trixie softly pleaded with her, "Please, don't do that. I'm, uhh..."

Blinking in confusion, Adagio innocently asked, "Was that too fast?"

"Yes! Yes exactly! I'm uhh... not comfortable with that yet.”

“O-okay. Sorry, I'll try not to do that next time.” It was a novel thing for Adagio to encounter a boundary during kissing, but it made her heart do odd palpitations.

Trixie sighed and looked away sullenly. “I’ll tell you why eventually, just… Not now.” Smiling sadly, Trixie reached over and placed her hand in Adagio’s.

Adagio looked at their clasped hands, unsure what to do, before glancing towards the door. “Where did you wanna go? For the date?”

Trixie seemed relieved by the subject change. “O-oh! Umm… The county fair is in a few days, we could go there!”

Adagio smiled and squeezed Trixie's hand. “It's a date!”

Author's Note

This is the longest chapter of the fic by a lot. It used to be even longer, but I had to remove some scenes starring Sonata and Trixie's family. Maybe we'll get to meet Trixie's mom and nana properly in a sequel :raritywink:

III: People Are Strange

“See, isn't this fun?” Trixie laughed gleefully as she reached into her small box of overpriced cinnamon nuts.

Adagio chewed on the cotton candy in her left hand, thinking about her response. “Aside from the cost of some of this stuff, I can see the appeal.”

Trixie giggled and playfully nudged her date. “Yeah, okay, whatever! And I guess that rollercoaster wasn’t that fun, huh miss screams-of-joy?

Adagio haughtily justified, unconvincingly, “You mean that deathtrap? I was concerned for my safety, given how hastily put together it was!”

“Uh-huh, sure! Act like I didn’t see you smiling before you put on your tsundere face!”

Adagio let out a half-laugh half-scoff as she asked, “What does that even mean?”

“Admit it, you act like you’re sour lemonade, but really you’re sweet as candy!”

Adagio opened her mouth to make an innuendo referencing her taste, but the words never came. The blue girl leaned in to plant a quick kiss on Adagio’s yellow cheek, causing her to lose her train of thought as her face got warmer.

Trixie teased, “See? You’re turning into pink lemonade!”

“Shut up, you!” Adagio cringed at the crack in her voice, causing the red on her face to intensify.

Trixie mused out loud, “You’re right; it is so much fun to see pretty girls getting flustered!”

Adagio returned Trixie's playful nudge, but her right hand was invaded by Trixie’s hand, so she squeezed it tightly. She was slowly getting used to such human displays of affection. Many things about this human world made her feel alien, but this new feeling of being happy and friendly with someone was… Pleasant, in a sense. Mostly due to the absence of irritation, anger, and impatience! Adagio enjoyed Trixie's company and the elusive genuine happiness that came with spending time with the only human she could stand.

An annoying trilling sound started playing from her pocket, causing Trixie to withdraw her occupation of Adagio’s right hand so it could fish the phone out of her pocket. With a heavy sigh, Adagio silenced her alarm and allowed the defeated dread to creep into her voice, “Looks like the fun's over!”

Trixie looked very disappointed. “Do you have to go?”

Cooing affectionately, Adagio reminded her date, “I gotta make some dinner and go to bed early for my opening shift. Sorry, Trix!”

Trixie smiled at the affectionate nickname and retorted, “It’s okay, Dagi, I appreciate the little time I got to spend with you!”

Adagio chuckled, “It's been, like, five hours!”

Melodramatically, Trixie gave a theatrical pout, “Five hours is not nearly enough time for Trixie to spend with such a dazzling beauty as yourself!”

“Careful, Lulamoon; you almost sound like that one overdressed girl with the purple hair!”

“You take that back! Trixie is nothing like Rarity!” Even as she feigned a sneer at the name, Trixie couldn't help but smile through the teasing as she pulled herself closer to Adagio.

Playing along, Adagio retorted, “Alright, I didn’t mean it, oh Great and Powerful Trixie!” Trixie leaned in for a kiss, which Adagio passionately returned, only to break away briefly to playfully comment, “Mmm! Those cinnamon nuts don't taste half-bad!” With a brief giggle, they locked lips again, seeming to both get lost in the kiss. They each kept pulling away only for the other to press back into the kiss, making it borderline too much kissing!

With a breathless chuckle, Adagio put an end to the gratuitous smooching, “Okay, kissy-face! We're in public! And I gotta go so I don't end up snapping at a mouthy customer tomorrow!”

“Text me when you get home, okay?”

“You got it, babe!” With one last quick peck on the lips, Adagio pulled away from Trixie, waving to her as she started walking towards the carnival entrance. Looking behind her, she saw Trixie stand there, still waving with an enamored goofy smile on her face. She seemed to be lost as to what to do, now that her date was having to leave early.

When Trixie was no longer in Adagio’s line of sight, she stopped checking over her shoulder and finished her cotton candy on the moderately long walk home.

The evening sun had set by the time Adagio returned to the van. Aria was lying on the couch, staring at her phone, only briefly looking over when Adagio opened the door. “You’ve been out a lot lately.” Aria remarked plainly.

“I don’t get how you can just sit in here all the time.” Sending a text to Trixie, she put her phone in her pocket.

Aria shrugged. “Nothing better to do, not all of us have girlfriends, you know?”

A bit defensively, Adagio snarled. “What, gonna tease like Sonata just because I can get a first date?”

Aria rolled her eyes. “Nah. Honestly, kind of glad to see you hanging out with someone who’s not us: No scheme to get back to Equestria or steal magic. I know Sonata still hates it here, but me?” Aria shrugged again as she frankly stated, “Honestly, getting back to Equestria… it stopped being appealing a long time ago.”

Adagio shot her a look prompting for more, so Aria sat up and set her phone to the side. “It’s just… Even if we did get back, then what? Little Miss Pony Princess shows up, friendship, rainbows, we end up right back here. Or worse.”

Adagio shuddered, recalling Tirek’s fate. “Tartarus…”

“Discord.” Aria corrected. An image of her and her sisters as one of Celestia’s lawn ornaments flashed in Adagio’s mind. “Knowing that, made it pretty hard to give it my all in those schemes. Besides, we have it pretty good here.”

Filling a pot from the five gallon cooler of fresh water, Adagio started making some cheap instant ramen on the propane stovetop. Although the three of them worked 40 to 50 hours a week each, the bills and costs of gas, bottled water, food, and hygiene-related expenses like laundry ate away at their paychecks. If they never moved the van, a full tank could last a week or two, but their "home” still guzzled away their savings. Still, they managed to survive autonomously with no fixed address, off the power grid; Cramped in a van together with a bed that they rarely ever had to share and a couch that Aria found comfortable anyway. Perhaps, even living in poverty in this world was preferable to imprisonment or worse in Equestria.

Aria’s next musing was far less profound as she returned to staring down at her phone. “At least this world has scuba diving and submarine videos to kill time in between shifts and sleep.”

Adagio let out a wry chuckle as she added a cheap herbs and spices mix to the noodles and broth. “Homesick, are we?”

A little bit more somber, Aria asked, “Land is cool and all, but… Don't you miss the ocean? Just a little bit?”

As the silence hung in the air, neither of the sirens looked at each other, doing everything they could to avoid eye contact.

“I miss the quiet.” Adagio said, turning off the stove and leaving the pot to cool. “No engines or car horns or police sirens; Just the flowing currents and whale songs. I miss looking up and seeing the stars above the waves.” She took the boiling pot off the hot plate and held it there, looking out of the van’s rear window at the starless sky, rendered black and empty by the glow of the city lights.

“Heh, no sirens, huh?” Aria humorlessly emphasized as if joking.

Adagio felt a pang in her heart, but she kept speaking as seriously as before. “Hey! Just because you and Sonata drive me up the wall, that doesn't mean I would be happier without you two. Being stuck here with you both may be Tartarus, but being stuck here alone would be like… Being banished to the… The moon or something!”

Aria looked up from her phone, meeting her older sister's eyes for the first time since she got back from her date. Adagio could see she was searching for something in her expression. “Are you okay?”

Right. Her sisters weren't accustomed to expressing feelings so openly, and sororal affection was something that was more alien to them than… Whatever she felt for Trixie. Adagio being this vulnerable with her middle sibling was probably perceived as a joke at Aria's expense. It seemed they were becoming human in two completely different ways.

Not shying away from the awkwardness, Adagio took a deep breath before pleading, “Deep down, you know that I love you, right Aria?”

That made Aria blurt out a laugh, “You're serious! Damn, Dagi, that girl really is changing you! When did you become human?” Rising from her seat on the couch, Aria walked over and hugged Adagio, catching her off-guard. In the most insufferable voice she could have managed, she mockingly exclaimed, “I wuv you, big sis!”

Already regretting this whole conversation, Adagio deadpanned, “Alright, that's too much!” She tried to push Aria away, but her sister's grip around her was too strong.

Aria teased, “C'mon, I thought humans hug it out all the time and say ‘I love you’ a bunch!” Squeezing harder, she started laughing mirthfully, something else that was alien to their siren ears. Adagio eventually stopped fighting and hugged back with a furrowed brow and the faintest curve of a smirk on her face.

“Hrk! What the hell?!” Said Sonata, who had just stepped up to the van’s door, holding a hand up to her open mouth as she swallowed to avoid choking on her food. “Someone slip a love potion into your ramen or something? Why are you two hugging?”

Aria, trying to spread the misery to her youngest sibling, pulled away from Adagio and smugly explained, “We're sisters; human sisters hug and do this mushy stuff! C'mere!”

Sonata was pissed, trying not to drop her taco as Aria pounced on her to pull her in close. “Ugh, just ‘cuz we look like dumb apes doesn’t mean we have to do dumb monkey shit!”

“But I wuv you, baby sistuh!”

Adagio was torn. On the one hand, she was annoyed by their antics, as per usual. But on the other hand, she did like the thought of taking out her aggression through a sickening display! She moved to Sonata's side, pulling both of her irritating sister sirens into a deathgrip hug, causing Sonata to wheeze in protest. Commendably, she kept her taco in hand, with minimal lettuce spilled!

“Have you both been replaced by Changelings or some shit?! Let! Me! Go!”

Adagio cackled, “Like it or not, you're stuck with us and all this dumb monkey shit!”

“I hate you both!” Sonata said, defeated.

“We hate you too, Sonata!”

Adagio went for something closer to the truth. “I love you both, you pains in my ass!”

*****

Adagio’s emotions churned like the water sloshing against the glass. Trixie held her close as they watched the blue tang and clownfish frolicking amongst the artificial coral interspersed with anemone. Trixie was clearly less entranced by the sight of marine life, but she seemed to be enjoying herself.

Since Aria just had to make her nostalgic, one of Adagio’s only outlets for this longing for the ocean was to go on a date to the local Aquarium. Trixie seemed open to the idea when it was suggested, but she was clearly just a casual observer when it came to the aquatic wonders and maritime novelties. She seemed to be content with spending time with her date, and Adagio was thankful for her presence, as it kept her mostly grounded as the presence of salt water beckoned her.

The next section was a narrow hallway of glass submerged beneath an expansive tank, where all manner of beautiful fish were on full display. As they were walking, hand in hand, through the low-lights of the dark corridor, Adagio pulled them to a stop as something in the tank caught her eye.

"Huh?" Trixie stopped and turned to see what she was looking at.

Adagio had no comment, staring at a trio of fish swirling around one another. Seahorses: one purple, one light blue, and one with gleaming orange scales. It took Trixie a second to follow her girlfriend’s gaze, but she soon joined Adagio in watching the seahorses.

With a giggle, Trixie innocently pointed out something that Adagio was painfully aware of, “That orange one kinda looks like you, Dagi!”

Adagio stared at the miniature doppelganger, transfixed by the uncanny coincidence, and said nothing. She could swear it was staring back at her, noticing the same thing about her as she did about it. In that moment, the two marine creatures regarded the other as grim reflections of themselves; Profane, twisted versions of their images. There was an unspoken understanding between them, as Adagio waded through primordial desires to return to the seas.

“Dagi? You okay?”

Thinking out loud, Adagio asked Trixie a question without a filter. “All these fish, do you think they ever miss the ocean?”

She could feel Trixie shrugging. “They were probably born here.”

“So they’ve never known anything else, and this confinement is their home that they have come to accept... But still, do you think they ever desire more than these tanks? Deep down, there's probably some instinct that calls them to the sea. The open water... Freedom…”

Trixie looked around and scratched her cheek. “I mean… They’re just fish, I don’t think they really care. They get fed and don’t have to worry about getting eaten or anything. Are you okay?”

Adagio closed her eyes, not wanting to succumb to the tears that threatened to pour out. After a deep breath, Adagio looked at Trixie, gazing deep in her violet eyes. Finding peace in Trixie's eyes, the tears were dammed back up and a genuine smile found her.

“I have a lot on my mind, and this stuff; marine life, the ocean, and even the smell of salt water… It’s complicated.”

“Is it like… Some good stuff and some bad?”

Adagio smiled at Trixie's emotional intelligence. “Very much so. Let's find a place to sit and talk.” She and Trixie wandered down the halls until the tank gave way to a concrete ceiling. Around the next corner was a bench, across from a window into a glowing blue tank of jellyfish, so they sat down next to each other.

In the silence that followed, Trixie prompted, “So… What's on your mind?”

‘How do I even start? I wanna be honest with her, but I can't tell her everything yet.’ Adagio contemplated her words carefully. “So one of my sisters--...”

Trixie was confused for a moment, “You have sisters?”

Apparently, that detail had slipped her mind to mention before. “Oh, umm… Aria and Sonata; I'm the oldest sister. I could have sworn I mentioned that at some point!” Adagio smiled sheepishly as she rubbed the back of her neck with her right hand.

Trixie pondered, seeming to recontextualize what she knew about her date with ease. “I guess it makes sense, now that I think about it. They get on your nerves because you're family. Trixie is an only child, but she’s heard that siblings have that dynamic.”

Adagio pieced together a puzzle that had been confounding her in her spare time. ‘Oh so that's who that boy in the photo was!’Adagio let out a nervous chuckle as she got her thoughts back on track. “So… Aria mentioned something about our old lives, living by the sea. So I'm a bit homesick, and being around all this stuff is bringing back good memories, but also the sadness of what I'm missing.”

“I see… I'm sorry you're feeling homesick.” Trixie laced her fingers in Adagio’s and managed a smile. “Thank you for telling me, and I'm glad you asked me to come with you. This fish stuff is important to you, so it's important to me, even if I don't have that much connection to the ocean.”

Trixie seemed to know exactly what to say to make Adagio feel understood. “Something else is that… Because of where we come from-- and how we've been sticking together all this time-- my sisters have been everything to me. We played together, we fought together, and everything we do, we do as a team. So that's why I'm not great with… Like, emotions, intimacy, certain cultural stuff that we didn't have back home… This whole relationship thing, the fun we've been having, and how you make me feel… It's all so new to me. So, I guess… Thank you, Trix, for being patient with me and showing me so much!”

“Dagi…” Trixie caressed Adagio’s cheek, causing Adagio to close her eyes, place a hand over Trixie's, and nuzzle against her soft skin. “I kinda get how you feel, because this is all new to me too. This is my first relationship too, and I didn't really know I liked girls; But, like, I like you, and that's what matters! All I know is that whenever I think of you, my heart is a bass drum with a double kick pedal!”

Adagio met Trixie’s sentimental eyes and earnestly said, “When I'm with you, I feel like a stranger in a brand new world, living a life I've never lived before!” This feeling was perfect: Sitting there, surrounded by the cool, comforting blue light of the water, seeing the ocean in Trixie's skin and hair… Being close enough to feel Trixie’s breath, with her hand still cupping Adagio’s soft cheek, leaning in closer just seemed right. There was a quick, surprised gasp before their lips met, with Trixie soon melting into Adagio’s arms. Far from the first kiss Adagio had given, but the first one that she had really meant, and the passion was returned tenfold!

In this moment, everything felt perfect, and nothing could…

“Oh! Oh my goodness! I'm so sorry!”

Adagio’s eyes shot open. ‘That voice…’ Normally, public displays of affection were nothing to either of them, but hearing that voice nearly made Adagio freeze.

Trixie seemed to also be alarmed by that voice, but that was not surprising. “Fluttershy?!” Adagio followed Trixie's eyes to gawk at the pale girl with pink hair, who looked like she was about to be hit by a truck!

“Sorry! I was on my way to the petting tanks, I swear! I'm just gonna… go… now!” Seemingly more afraid of them than Adagio was of being caught by any of the Rainbooms, Fluttershy quickly ran past them to get to the next area.

Trixie scoffed, “What a way to kill the mood! Now she's gonna tell her friends about this! I guess we should have picked a better spot if we wanted privacy, right Dagi?”

Adagio shook her head and looked into Trixie’s eyes. “What do we do about her?”

Trixie sighed, “If we confront her, it'll just make it worse! If we act like nothing's wrong, maybe schmooze her up a little, we can do some damage control.”

Adagio shuddered as the word trawled up memories, “Hguhhehugh! ‘Schmooze’!”

“Huh? What's wrong? Was it something I said?”

“Nothing, babe! I think it's a great idea! We just have to show her that we're such great girlfriends! C'mon! I wanna see this ‘petting tank’!” Coaxing her girlfriend to her feet, Adagio led them both in the direction of the timid Rainboom.

Trixie spoke up urgently, “Oh, wait! Before we go do that, there's something I wanted to tell you!”

Adagio stopped, turning to look Trixie in the eye as the blue girl mustered the courage to say what was on her mind. “I… I love you, Dagi!”

“You… You love me? I…” Unable to think with her heart pounding so hard, Adagio threw her arms around her girlfriend, hiding her goofy smile and her teary eyes. Holding her tight, Adagio admitted with joy, “I love you too, Trix!”

Author's Note

This chapter's original title was "Ocean Man." I changed it when I decided to use The Doors songs as a naming scheme.

IV: My Eyes Have Seen You

“just got out of school, ill wait out by the statue”

Trixie sent the text and watched as the read receipt and typing dots danced about.

“I’m just a few blocks away, be there in a few min.”

She smiled at the reply and sent another text.

“see u when u get here Dagi!! <3”

Even after so many lessons and a whole week of dating and texting, Trixie's heart still pounded like a kickdrum! She could feel the canyons that her giddy smile carved into her cheeks!

“Hey, Trixie!” Lavender Lace called out. “Can you help us with something?”

Trixie turned to smile at her friends. “Sure thing, what’s up?

“I lost my earring in the drama room, and Fuschia and I can’t find it anywhere!”

“Uhh… Sure thing! One sec let me send a text!” Trixie typed frantically to update her girlfriend.

“my friend lavender lost an earring, helping her look in the drama room in CHS. BRB”

Trixie followed her friends back into the school's hallways. Entering the drama room expecting it to be empty, Trixie was instead greeted by an old enemy who burned with the colors of fire. “Hey Trixie. How nice of you to join us.” Sunset Shimmer said with an impassive face. Fluttershy stood next to her, looking as timid as she was at the aquarium.

“Sunset Shimmer! What are you--?” But in an instant, it clicked. Trixie looked back at her friends in the doorway, scowling as Fuschia Blush handed Lavender her ‘missing’ earring. Fluttershy and Sunset Shimmer had both dragged her friends into setting this up. This was all about getting her alone to confront her about Adagio, and her friends were complicit in it. It seems fitting that they were having this meeting in the drama room, of all places.

“Got a minute? We need to talk.” Sunset's tone was level, which was refreshing after years of her aggression, bullying, and two-faced manipulation.

Trixie still folded her arms across her chest as she huffed at Sunset, “What would I need to talk about with you?”

“It has been brought to my attention that you’ve been hanging out with the leader of the Dazzlings.”

Trixie pointedly glanced over to Fluttershy, and then stared daggers at Lavender and Fuschia as she rhetorically asked, “Oh has it now? And why exactly has it been ‘brought to your attention’? Why are Trixie’s best friends so concerned about who she’s been hanging out with?”

Fuschia spoke up, “Trixie, she brainwashed the whole school and had to be blasted by friendship lasers!”

Looking away from Fuschia, her eyes fell back on the mastermind of this meeting. “I seem to recall someone else pulled that stunt once, Sunset! What’s that one saying about glass houses?”

Sunset glared into Trixie’s eyes. “I changed, Trixie! The leader of the Dazzlings--!”

“Adagio! Her name is Adagio! And how would you know what she’s like, Sunset? Or you, Fluttershy? How would any of you know her better than I do?”

Sunset took a calming breath before explaining, “You know that other world that Princess Twilight came from? Well, in her world, there were three Sirens, who would spread negativity with their magic singing voices. They were banished to our world, and they showed up for the Musical Showcase, using their magic to turn everyone here against each other!”

Trixie’s mind replayed that day when Adagio showed up, sang to everyone at lunch. She had said that Trixie was a star, shining brighter than anyone else. Or at least, she felt like Adagio had said that to her directly…

Sunset continued, “They manipulated the school every step of the way! She even hypnotized Principal Celestia and Vice Principal Luna! And when we defeated her with the Magic of Friendship, they lost their magic voices and the spell was broken!

Shaking her head, Trixie refuted, “Okay, let’s say I believe you: Adagio’s some evil siren who manipulated the whole school. Ignoring how you cheated to steal the show and robbed me of my victory, what difference does it make? If she did lose her magic when you blasted her with rainbow lasers, then why do you all care if I’ve been seeing her?”

Fluttershy peeked out from behind the pink curtain, anxiously wringing her hands. “You, um, seemed kinda wrapped around her finger when I saw you together. M-maybe she’s gotten into your head?”

Growing ever more frustrated with the girls cornering her, Trixie growled and stepped towards Fluttershy, levying a finger at her. “And what would you know about it? You’ve never even had a girlfriend– or a boyfriend, for that matter!”

The aggression made Fluttershy sink back into her hair, mumbling some correction, but Sunset stepped between them, matching Trixie’s anger. “Lay the hell off! Don’t you get that we’re looking out for you?!”

Trixie crossed her arms and scoffed, snarling at Sunset. “Trixie doesn’t need your ‘protection’, Miss She-Demon.”

Sunset was fuming now, brows clenched tight above her burning green eyes. Trixie saw her hands curl into fists, briefly worrying she might have pushed her too far.

“You don’t know what you’re messing around with. She’s not even Human! She’s a monster from another world!”

“Takes one to know one.”

Sunset growled in frustration at the pithy remark, taking another step towards Trixie. When she spoke again her tone was low and dangerous, the tilt of her head causing shadows to surround her piercing eyes. “She already played you once, like a fucking fiddle! Do you want that to happen again?”

Trixie stood her ground, but inside she was beginning to shrink, her voice losing some of its bravado. “What do you mean?”

Seemingly realizing that the situation was escalating, Fluttershy stepped forward, placing a hand on Sunset’s shoulder. “Sunset, you should sit down. Let me talk to her. Please?”

“But– Ngh, fine…” Sunset took a deep breath and let Fluttershy lead her to one of the chairs, where she sat with her legs and arms crossed.

Clearing her throat, Fluttershy turned back to Trixie, speaking softly but clearly. “Think back to the contest, Trixie, and ask yourself… Did you really trap us to keep us out of the finals on your own? Or did Adagio say something to give you that idea?”

Trixie looked at the ground. “Well…”

Fluttershy went on, offering a little self deprecating laugh. “And remember the semis? We did really badly… And yet, we still went to the finals. How do you think that happened?”

The more she talked, the more she made sense. Fluttershy was dragging Trixie's neatly-tucked-away cognitive dissonance into the light and forcing her to confront it.

“She cheated you out of your spot in the finals, Trixie. So she could use you to get us out of the picture.” Fluttershy gestured back to Sunset who was nodding along. The mirth in Fluttershy’s voice was gone, replaced once more with gentle concern. “You were just a pawn in her plan. Do you want that to happen again?”

Trixie took a quick glance back at Fluttershy before looking back down, chewing on her lip. The only words that left her mouth were, “But… She has changed, and I love her!”

Sunset looked shocked as she softly asked, “Wait, what?” Fluttershy, Fuschia, and Lavender were also struck with disbelief.

Trixie turned and pushed past her dumbstruck friends to walk out of the Drama Room and into the halls. She couldn't stand to be there for another second! She ignored all of their calls out to her, because she didn't want to talk to anyone before she talked to Adagio! She had to get her side of the story so she could get rid of this nagging feeling in her gut.

Exiting CHS as fast as she could, Trixie hurriedly walked towards the statue out front, where Adagio leaned against the side. As soon as Adagio's eyes met hers, Trixie gave her a weak smile and waved. Sunset had planted seeds of doubt in her mind, and even seeing her beautiful girlfriend’s face couldn't stop them from growing!

Adagio's smile was warm and patient as she greeted, “Hey, Trix!” She leaned in for a kiss when Trixie came close.

“Hey, Dagi!” Matching her tone, Trixie returned the kiss, although bereft of passion and not nearly for as long as she normally would. “Let’s get out of here.” Trixie took Adagio’s hand and hastily started pulling her along, away from the school.

Adagio let out a surprised chuckle as she tried to stay balanced and keep pace! “In a hurry, are we?”

“A bit... Something kinda happened. It’s dumb, I’ll tell you on the way.” Adagio gave her a curious look, but Trixie waited until they were a bit further, checking over her shoulder to make sure Sunset or her friends weren't following them.

As they walked, Trixie mulled over what Sunset had told her a bit further, recontextualizing the events of The Battle of the Bands and the past week. Adagio and her sisters, the absence of parents, how she spoke about magic, her unfamiliarity with intimacy-- despite how freely she touched! But the aquarium… The aquarium was the real kicker, as it just made too much sense when she connected all the pieces!

‘She had a really deep connection with those fish, especially that orange seahorse!’ Trixie thought, biting her bottom lip. ‘She even said the smell of saltwater was making her homesick!’

After a sufficient amount of walking in silence, Trixie tried to think of the best way to broach the topic at hand. “So… Guess who Trixie was chatting with before she came outside?”

Adagio glanced over and tilted her head. “Hm? Who?”

“Sunset Shimmer. Well, less chatting, more locked in a room with her while we hashed some things out.”

Adagio seemed a little surprised, scared even, at the thought of Sunset talking to Trixie. “Really?”

“Yeah! Got my friends to lie to me so I’d go in there, then ganged up on me with Fluttershy. Ugh, can you believe her audacity?” Trixie scoffed. “That’s not even the best part; Wanna guess what she had the nerve to say?”

Adagio and Trixie had made their way to a park, taking a seat as they continued. “What?” Adagio asked, voice replete with concern.

“She told me-- tried to convince Trixie-- that you were some kind of… Monster, from wherever Sunset and Twilight came from. That you were using magic to manipulate me, all of us.” Trixie was getting a little heated by that point, talking with one hand while the other gripped Adagio’s even tighter. “I swear, it’s like she never really changed. Still trying to drive people apart…”

Adagio got very quiet at that, looking at the ground with a sullen, somber look. “Trixie… I… I need to tell you something, and I don't want you to get mad at me for not telling you sooner.”

Trixie nearly choked on the creeping doubt in her mind. “Dagi? What's wrong?”

“I…” It seemed like Adagio was struggling to find the words, but after a deep breath, she stated, “She was telling the truth. I am from Equestria, I am a siren; My sisters and I were banished to this world and became human. But in both worlds, we had magical voices and fed on the negativity and conflict of others. We… I did, in fact, turn everyone against each other for the Battle of the Bands.”

All of Trixie’s fears were being confirmed. Trixie stared in shock, eyes wide. “And… The magic mind control?”

Adagio grew frantic, taking Trixie’s hand in both of hers, nearly pleading now. “Yes, but– I never used it on you! Only the judges, I swear!”

"Oh really? You never used magic on me? Never used that magic voice to manipulate me into trapping the Rainbooms? Be honest!"

"I..." With a heavy sigh, Adagio admitted, "I didn't need to. You hated the Rainbooms so much, all I had to do was feed into that, and you disposed of them on your own.”

“You... You used me.” Trixie was tearing up now, pulling her hand away. “You used Trixie! How do I know you’re not doing it now!?”

“Trix, I was different then! I was predatory and after the Rainbooms’ magic, but what we have--!”

Trixie vocalized a horrible epiphany as it came to her, “When we met up, you were only interested in me for my magic!”

Adagio froze, her terrified face becoming pale, like a marble statue. “A-at first, y-yes, but…”

“And the touching and flirting… Was that part of your game? To get close to me?! To get me to share my secrets?!”

Adagio slumped as if resigned to her fate, visibly on the verge of tears herself.

Trixie stared her down, wanting desperately to run away or for any of Sunset's words to be untrue. But as Adagio confirmed her every fear, Trixie sat transfixed as she felt her life falling apart! With a shaky voice and trembling hands, Trixie whimpered, “Was any of it real? What I felt for you… Did you love Trixie how she loved you?”

Adagio began to tear up too, her mouth sounding dry as she croaked, “It became real for me! You became my everything, Trix!”

Trixie cast her eyes to the ground, if only to look away from the siren. Shaking her head to keep the tears back, her raw voice softly issuing her decree, “Trixie needs some time to think. Don’t follow her, don't call her.” She stood and quickly walked away.

“Trixie, wait!”

“Adagio… Don't! Please…”

And with that, it was over. Trixie turned away, walking home without a second glance, and no footsteps behind her. Her eyes flooded with tears and her heart pounded, trying to break out of her chest! But only after turning a corner did Trixie allow herself to break down into sobbing openly, running home with all of her might!

Author's Note

We're in the home stretch... Final chapter coming soon. :derpyderp1:

V: Love Her Madly

Adagio hung her head in shame. The tears had long since stopped, but the burning in her eyes persisted, the act itself leaving her hollow inside. All this human nonsense, these silly concepts of friendship, intimacy, compassion, love… It all felt like drinking poison. In a way, she used to drink the poison all the time; It used to fill her with power and elation, but now it just made her want to regurgitate the bile. She had never wanted so badly to just shut down- stop having to endure another day, to just disappear!

‘At least then I wouldn't have to see that look in Trixie's eyes! What is wrong with me? How did I let it get this far? Why didn’t I tell her before she fell in love with me?’

But as much as she wished she had given Trixie an excuse to leave her before she became lovestruck, there was a twinge of something inside her siren heart. She enjoyed being with Trixie and felt alive when they kissed! She couldn't have stopped herself from falling for Trixie if she had tried! She herself was under Trixie's spell, wooed by her adorable charms and her extravagance.

While she was on the couch wallowing in her heartache, the door to the van opened, Sonata bringing in a full bag of footlong sandwiches from work. “Jeez, are you still crying over Trixie? It's been three freakin’ days!”

Adagio weakly barked, “Leave me alone, Sonata!” She didn't have the strength to deal with Sonata being a bitch to her about stupid monkey shit.

Sonata sighed, placing the bag on the counter and sitting down on the couch, lifting Adagio’s legs to sit at her feet. Looking straight ahead, Sonata took a deep breath before she spoke, “I’d say ‘told ya so’, but I can’t just let you rot like this…” She reached into the bag and handed her a wrapped sandwich with a yellow sticker on it. “Someone followed me home, by the way; Said she wanted to see you for herself.”

Only when she accepted the sandwich from her sister did Adagio notice that there were one too many footlongs for just the three sisters. But the mystery was soon solved as Adagio heard a familiar voice that made every neuron she had light up with anger!

“Heyyy Adagio.” Sunset Shimmer said sheepishly from the open door of the van.

As Adagio shifted to sit up, she felt Sonata wrap a hand around her arm. “Calm down, Dagi; She paid for dinner in return for a favor...”

“When I saw Sonata at her work, we got to talking, she told me how you've been doing, and I promised to try to fix the mess I made.”

Sonata explained, “I told her if she paid for some food for us, she could tag along and get one chance to talk to you.”

“I did buy a second veggie patty sandwich for myself as well…” Sonata looked as impassive as ever as she handed Sunset a sandwich with an orange sticker. Sunset sheepishly added, “I, uhh, got hungry again after the chat we had on her lunch.”

Unwrapping the sandwich with a blue sticker, Sonata begrudgingly said, “Thanks for paying for the food, or whatever.”

Never taking her eyes off of Sunset, Adagio begrudgingly took the sandwich that was offered- though she refrained from unwrapping it- Seeing Sunset Shimmer here had thoroughly killed her appetite. “Why are you here, Sunset?” Adagio’s tone was tight and venomous as she stared her enemy down.

Sunset was already mid-bite when Adagio had asked, looking up as she awkwardly finished chewing and went on. “I… Wanted to see you for myself, I guess.”

Adagio’s brow rose exactly one inch as she gestured to the door. “Well, you’ve seen me. I don’t want to see you, so you’re welcome to leave.” There was a flash of offense in Sunset’s expression before it softened into a shameful, guilty frown.

“I guess I deserve the cold treatment… You don’t have any reason to be friendly with me. But Trixie, she told me you had changed, and I figured, y’know, I should come and see if she was right? And now that we're face to face, unicorn to siren…” Sunset’s voice climbed higher in pitch as she rambled on, clearly unsure of where she was taking this. After another minute under Adagio’s chilling gaze, she folded. “I see how much I misjudged you. And… I’m sorry.”

“You’re sorry?” Adagio repeated incredulously.

“Yes. You didn’t exactly come begging for forgiveness, so I found it hard to believe you weren’t up to something, but now… I can tell it’s the real deal.”

Having to see Sunset Shimmer again had already made Adagio sick, but Sunset’s pity made her want to hurl. “Let’s get one thing straight, Shimmer. I’m not your friend, and I’m not interested in being your friend-- you or any other Rainboom. It’s not your forgiveness I care about, it’s Trixie’s.”

Sunset looked at the floor, dejected. “Yeah… I expected that…” Sunset trailed off. When she looked up again she wore a look of determination. “But, I can’t just sit back after I helped ruin a friendship! Please, let me help you patch things up!”

Adagio kept her glare up for another minute before letting out a sigh and relenting. “Fine. I’ll let you fix this mess you made.” Adagio declared, to Sunset’s relief, finally beginning to unwrap her sandwich. “So, Miss ‘Friendship Expert,’ what’s your plan to get Trixie and I back together?”

With a smirk, Sunset wiped a bit of sauce from her chin and fished out her phone, swiftly unlocking it. “The one thing that always works: Open and honest communication.”

Adagio and Sonata both rolled their eyes.

******

The Sad and Depressive Trixie sat in her desolate room. No lights, no music, just her misery keeping her company. Her guitar lay forgotten on her bed, along with a few sheets of scribbled out chord progressions and erased lyrics. She had long given up on trying to distract herself with music, opting instead to slump over her desk, mindlessly rifling through a deck of cards.

More than just part of her act, magic had always been Trixie’s great escape. The tedium and repetition of mastering a trick, the intricate subtleties of sleight of hand, it was usually enough to carry Trixie’s attention away from whatever troubled her. Yet now the cards and coins failed to take her mind away from Adagio. Deciding to go through the trick again, Trixie mused that she was right back where she was a little over a week ago… The bright flame Adagio rekindled had burned out once again; The star within her dimmed and cooled once more.

Trixie sat up again with a huff, scowling at the deck of cards in hand as she decided to run through the trick one more time. Deep breath, she pulled a “random” card from the deck-- which she had already chosen, of course-- confirming it as the Three of Spades before inserting it back into the deck. A real shuffle, some bullshitting for the audience, a false shuffle, a little more bullshit, and the card should have “jumped” to the top. After another breath, Trixie gently took the top card and flipped it.

She froze as the Ace of Hearts stared her down, taunting her.

The coincidence was magical on its own, even if the failed trick wouldn’t have impressed anyone else. Trixie stared blankly at the lone heart, silently wondering what the universe was trying to tell her with this card. Groaning, Trixie folded her arms up on the desk and laid her head down, finally resigned to address her feelings.

She missed Adagio. That cunning, manipulative, deceitful, charming, talented, beautiful snake.

She wondered when, exactly, she had fallen so hard for Adagio. Was it at the Aquarium, when Adagio bared her soul to her? Or when they shared their first kiss in this very room? During their first lessons perhaps, when Adagio showed such interest in her magic and helped with her guitar-playing? Or was it all the way back during the Musical Showcase, when Adagio had first sung those beautiful, terrible words to her that had driven her to cheat and hurt?

All the memories felt so different to Trixie, despite being spent with the same person. Who was the real Adagio? The confident, conniving siren that had sent CHS spiraling into chaos, or the sullen, introspective girl she had seen amongst the calm water of the aquarium?

A loud buzz from behind her broke Trixie out of her reverie. Spinning around she reached for her phone, but immediately groaned again as she saw Sunset’s name. Throwing her phone out the window was highly tempting right now, but Trixie decided to humor her.

“I’m sorry. Can we talk? Please?”

“What do u want?”

“I’m sorry about the other day. I shouldn’t have tricked you and cornered you like that. What you and Adagio were doing wasn’t my business and I shouldn’t have gotten involved.”

‘Nice of you to realize. Tell me something I don’t know.’ Trixie thought, rolling her eyes and tapping out her reply.

“Yea well 2 late for that now. Thanks sunset”

“I don’t think it is. I just talked to Adagio, and now I truly believe she wasn’t just manipulating you. She wants to see you, and I think you should talk to her.”

Trixie’s brow furrowed as she read on. Yet again, it felt like Sunset was simply telling Trixie what she already knew. Trixie looked away from the phone and back to the Ace of Hearts sitting on her desk.

It was true that Adagio had cheated and manipulated Trixie before, and she didn’t even need to use her magic to do it. That much was painfully clear. It was also true that she loved Adagio and all the moments they had shared together were genuine. Was she really going to let past sins ruin the best thing to happen to her in years?

In a burst of inspiration, Trixie snatched up the Ace of Hearts and slipped it into her phone case, tapping out her final text to Sunset as she slipped on her shoes and rushed to her bike.

“Where?”

*****

Trixie came to a stop on the edge of a small, wooded park, not too far from her house. It wasn’t a hard ride on her bike, yet her heart was still beating hard. Her eyes were fixed on a great, burning ball of hair, sitting on a bench overlooking the duck filled pond.

Trixie leaned her bike against a rail and chained it up, taking a deep breath as she started walking to Adagio. Another splash of red and orange caught her eye in the bushes nearby and she rolled her eyes, silently groaning.

Adagio glanced up at Trixie as she approached, taking a deep breath as she sat down next to her. “Hey.” Adagio greeted, staring at the ground.

“Hey... I have a new trick I’ve been working on. Wanna see?” Trixie smirked, pulling a deck of cards from her pocket.

Caught off guard, Adagio looked at Trixie curiously at the suggestion. “Umm, sure!”

“Just say ‘stop.’” She said as she began to riffle through the deck.

“Stop.” Adagio commanded, and Trixie stopped, cutting the deck where she had been holding it.

“Now, take the top card and look at it, Don’t let Trixie see it! And put it in your coat pocket.” Adagio did as she was told and Trixie leaned back, placing the deck back into one of her secret pockets. After a moment of peaceful quiet she tilted her head towards the bushes. “Did you know you have a stalker?”

Adagio scoffed. “Ugh, I told her not to be a creep, but she insisted on seeing how things went.”

Trixie rolled her eyes again, choosing to ignore the intrusive audience and focusing back on the trick at hand. “What was your card?”

“Ace of Hearts.”

Trixie feigned surprise. “Really? That can’t be right…”

Adagio raised an eyebrow. “Why not?”

Pulling out her phone, clad in its clear case, Trixie showed the back of it to Adagio. “Because that’s Trixie’s card!”

Adagio gave an amused huff. “Heh, impressive.”

“Don’t applaud yet, that’s not the trick.” Trixie pulled the card from her phone case and handed it to Adagio. “Hold on to this, put it in your coat pocket.”

Pocketing the cards, Adagio gave a heavy sigh, “Trixie, we can't just ignore what happened the other day.”

Trixie nodded resolutely. “You're right. I'm sorry for running away.”

Adagio looked shocked, “What? No! I'm the one who has to apologize! I used you for my own ends during the--”

“What happened back then doesn't matter anymore. It has no bearing on our relationship, right?”

“Well, yes, but I--”

Trixie was determined. “What’s happened has happened. It was a silly contest anyway. What we have now, the dates we went on, they matter more than winning.”

“And the manipulation? I used you.”

“Are you doing it now?” Careful not to sound accusatory, Trixie studied Adagio’s reaction.

“Wh– No! Trixie I–!”

“Then Trixie forgives you.”

Adagio blinked and asked incredulously, “Just like that? But what I am…”

“You're the first girl I ever truly loved. That’s what matters to me!”

Adagio clearly didn't know what to say as tears welled in her eyes. She looked like she wanted to argue, but she was clearly conflicted by Trixie's understanding.

Trixie scooted closer and pulled Adagio into a tight hug, arms wrapped around her waist. With a small gasp, Adagio nuzzled the nape of Trixie’s neck, making Trixie let out a small noise of contentment. While she cried into Trixie’s neck and shoulder, Trixie rubbed her hands up and down her girlfriend’s side.

“Thank you.” Whispered Adagio, voice shaking.

Trixie planted a kiss on Adagio’s cheek as she pulled back, reaching up to wipe tears off her face before scooting away dramatically.

“Now, be amazed as with a snap, the Great and Powerful Trixie brings two lonely hearts together!” Trixie gave her fingers a loud snap before pointing down. “Check your pocket.”

Adagio scrunched her face in confusion as she reached in and pulled out a single card instead of two, looking amazed as she showed the Two of Hearts to Trixie. “Wha–?”

Trixie cut her off by leaning in for a kiss, pressing her lips against Adagio’s. The card was soon forgotten in favor of their embrace.

Deep inside of her, Trixie felt her chest ignite as a star shined bright inside her.

Author's Note

Writing this fic felt like trying to shove a 50,000 word story into 15,000 :twilightsheepish: As much as I would have loved to carry this out over, like, 50 chapters, with lots of inner monologues and developed side characters, I had a word limit to try and fit within... Nonetheless, I hoped you enjoyed :twilightsmile:

I have some more projects I'm banging my head against, I hope you'll check them out, too :pinkiesmile:

Also, Trixie's magic trick at the end is totally legit, you could perform it irl. You saw part of her initial prep with the card in the phone case, see if you can figure out how she did the rest :trixieshiftright: