Conflicted Counsel

“When Sunburst told me you were spending the weekend in Canterlot to talk with her of all ponies, I just knew I had to come and lend my support!”

I smile warmly at the mare seated across from me. It was definitely a shock to see her here, but she always seems to find me when I’m at my lowest. The guards at the castle weren’t exactly welcoming upon her arrival, but once Twilight knew she was here, she was happy to give Trixie directions to my room. It was still the early afternoon, so she and I decided to go out for lunch. We found ourselves seated at the ever successful Tasty Treat, the strong aroma of delectable spices and fresh ingredients floating through the atmosphere.

“I really do appreciate it Trixie, but... I’m afraid you’re a little late. I’ve already had my talks with Cozy, and they didn’t go so great.”

Trixie’s ears were perked, and she stared attentively. She must have picked up on my tone, whatever nuances there were in my voice to signal that I had something to get off my chest. It’s scary how well my friends all know me at this point. “Yesterday, I tried relating to her, and today, I tried listening to her, but both times she completely shot me down.”

Our waiter serves us our meals. Trixie doesn’t take her eyes off me, but has a sip of her tea. I sigh, continuing, “She’s totally unable to see past her grudge for basically all of Equestria, me included. I wish I could say I was surprised, but I really don’t know what Twilight was expecting! We all knew Cozy wasn’t going to make this easy for us. Just what exactly would I have to offer her to make her suddenly feel like cooperating!?”

“Hmm. I was against the whole thing from the beginning. You know I believe in third chances, but there’s just something about that filly that rubs me the wrong way,” Trixie comments before taking a bite of her food.

It’s true, I was well aware of her own opinion of Cozy Glow’s reformation. Thankfully, nopony gave her a say, and she supported me anyway. “Even so, there are some punishments that are just too far for a pony her age, no matter what she’s done,” I argue in response. Trixie just shrugs.

I start picking at my food with a fork, trying to find my appetite. “I don’t know. I knew coming here had a small chance of actually working out, so I shouldn’t feel bad about things going according to my expectations, right? But I’m just left with this nagging feeling that I could have done more, y’know? I really do want to help, for everypony’s sake, but I just don’t know what else I can do.”

“Starlight, just because you were one of the ponies who wanted her free from stone doesn’t make her your responsibility. You did your best and everypony’s thankful for that,” Trixie assures. She didn’t always take even important matters seriously, but well, I made her the new guidance counsellor for a reason. I haven’t regretted it either; she’s been doing excellent work and all the students really love her. When she cares, then it really shines through. She continues, “If Cozy Glow decided she doesn’t want your help, then I say that’s her problem, not yours. Let Twilight deal with that train wreck; you tried to help, but you have your own responsibilities to consider.” She finishes her proclamation with a mighty chomp.

I grin sincerely. I really appreciated having her in my corner. “Thanks, Trix.” I take a deep breath, followed by a drink of my tea. I still wasn’t really feeling totally myself, but this talk was probably what I needed to move forward. “I think I just need to get back to my routine, and get this whole mess off my mind.”

Trixie winks. “That’s what I’m here for!”

After sharing a smile, we’re able to enjoy our meal in some relative peace, and I can stop thinking about Cozy Glow. I tried, but Trixie’s right; it’s no longer my problem.

No more thinking about Cozy Glow.

Not a single thought about what more I could have done.

Yep, gonna stop feeling like a failure.

Any second now.

Gonna move right on, and enjoy lunch with my friend.

Stop thinking about her.

There’s nothing to do.

Stop.

Stop!

“Starlight!!”

I jump. “Huh? What?”

“I’ve called your name like, three times now.”

“O-oh, uh. Sorry.”

“You’re still thinking about it, aren’t you.”

“W-what?? Pshh, nooo.”

Trixie couldn’t have looked less convinced. She sighs. “Alright, let’s try something else. What did you talk about?”

I groan sadly. No slipping anything past her. “Well, um, y-yesterday I told her about my own villainous past. She didn’t believe me at first, but uh, let’s just say that I was able to convince her.”

“Nothing to worry about, I’m sure.”

I shoot Trixie a look. She’s unphased. I huff, and continue, “I thought that, if I could show her that sometimes these things are tied to something that happened during foalhood, she might be more open to talk about hers.”

Trixie taps her chin in thought, then nods. “Okay, I see. And how about today?”

Suddenly I felt like I was being counseled. I guess that was true, in a way. “Today, I tried a different approach. I acted casual, and tried getting her to talk about her thoughts and feelings. Anything mundane. I just wanted her to feel comfortable with me, but I think by the end of it I felt even less comfortable with her.”

“Can’t imagine why,” she quips. I scowl at her. “Sorry. Go on.”

We sit in silence. I tap my hooves together.

“...Wait, that was it?” she asks after a hoofful of seconds.

“Trixie!!”

“Sorry! Just... That was really all you tried?”

I pout. Trixie’s just as quick getting on my nerves as she is helping me feel better.

She sighs, “Look, all I’m saying is, I think I get why she never told you anything.”

“I thought you were here to support me, not criticize me.”

“Eh, what’s the difference at the end of the day?”

I give her a look that I hope conveyed how close she was to getting a cup of hot tea to the face.

She apparently got the message, lifting her hooves defensively. “Okay okay, hear me out. You and I both remember our time on the dark side. For better or worse, it will haunt us for the rest of our lives even if we’ve both moved on and become better ponies yadda yadda. Whatever.” If she talks like this with students, maybe it would be worth looking into her methods after all. “When you were fighting with Twilight and her friends, what annoyed you more than anything?”

I look at her with surprise. I wasn’t at all ready for that question. I’m not even sure how to answer, so I just tilt my head.

Thankfully, it was a rhetorical question, and she elaborates, “I’m willing to bet that it was when anypony acted like they knew better than you.”

“What do you mean?”

“You know! All the friendship speeches, the appeals to your better nature. I may not have been there during your encounters with Twilight’s group, but if I’ve learned anything about the Princess of Friendship, it’s that she can’t wait to spread her rhetoric to anypony who is, or isn’t, willing to listen.”

I frown. “But it isn’t just some rhetoric. Without friendship, we-”

“That’s not the point I’m making. I know it’s important. As much as I hate to admit it, we wouldn’t have even met without her and her spiels. But if anypony even tried to sell me on the magic of friendship while I had the... amulet that shall not be named, I would have shut them up faster than they could say ‘harmony.”

I remember doing just that myself, actually. Maybe Trixie really was making a good point here, I just needed to figure out what it was. “What are you getting at here, Trix?”

She claps her hooves together and looks at me with a strange amount of conviction. “I think you were treating Cozy as if she was already reformed, instead of treating her like an enemy.”

...Okay, she lost me.

My hoof moves to my brow. “Alright Trix, you’re going to have to explain this one. If we’re trying to get her to be our ally-, no, our friend, how in Equestria would treating her like she’s still our enemy help?”

“Because that’s exactly how she sees things. You said it yourself; when you tried to appeal to her with compassion, she wouldn’t even give you the time of day. And why would she? To her, you’re still somepony in the way of her goals. If I were her, I wouldn’t want to tell you anything either.” She sips her tea.

On the whole, I agreed with what Trixie was saying. It was basically the crux of why I was so reluctant about helping in the first place, but... “Okay, so what then? If she won’t ever listen to our reasoning, then how are we supposed to help her?”

Trixie takes a thoughtful bite of her meal. I think she was trying to look wise. I’m just glad she remembered to swallow before continuing. “You don’t help her. It’s just like I said. What you were trying before? In her eyes, it must have been no better than Twilight preaching to her about the meaning of friendship after she took over the school. You’re basically looking down on her, if you think about it. Acting like you know what’s better for her than she does.”

Again, Trixie was raising really good points. As a former rebellious filly myself, I can’t think of anything that irritated me more than adults pretending they knew about what I was going through, and what I wanted. To say nothing of when Twilight and I travelled through time. All the same, this didn’t really address the main problem. “Alright, so what do we do? We can’t just give up on her.”

“As I said, you all should be treating her like she’s still your enemy, because in all honesty she might as well be. And what do we do to our enemies?”

“...We turn them to stone, which we’ve all agreed isn’t the answer here.”

“I wouldn’t say we’ve all agreed on that, but I digress. What you have to do is challenge her.”

“Challenge her?”

Trixie finishes her plate. I’ve still hardly touched mine, but at this point I’m all ears. After dabbing her lip with a napkin, she explains, “You need to show her that you still view her as a threat, whether or not that’s true. Instead of asking Cozy to tell you about herself, you need to push her to do it. Don’t make her feel pitied, make her feel like an adversary!”

I start thinking it over. She really may be onto something. Cozy promised she’d never tell us anything as long as we were trying to befriend her, but if she were put into a position where she felt like she had to tell us... Was this the shift in perspective I needed?

Trixie has stolen my plate, but I’m not too concerned at the moment. She continues between bites, “Of course I’m not suggesting you do anything extreme, just... Provoke her a bit. Flaunt your victories. Anything that will send the message that the conflict is mutual. I’m sure she’ll be a lot more receptive to that than trying to get her to change her ways. Then, once she slips up, you attack! ...Erm, metaphorically.”

It’s like the road forward suddenly comes into view all at once. “By trying to show her respect through empathy... we’ve actually been disrespecting her instead! Oh my gosh, Trixie! You’re a genius!!”

Trixie beams and puffs out her chest. “Well, what can I say? The wise and insightful Trixie has always been a boon for the troubled mind. It’s just a shame that you’ve already finished- Whoa!”

I’ve already jumped out of my seat and raced past her towards the exit. I needed to see Twilight right away. “Sorry Trixie, we’ll meet up later! Thanks for the help!!”

“Hey, wait! Starlight!!”

I’m already running down the street. Trixie shrugs and continues eating my food.