Necronym

Normally, Trixie prided herself on being the loudest person in the room, always striving to be the center of attention. She thrived in the limelight, inspiring awe and admiration in others.

Right now, she just wanted to crawl in a small hole and hide. Forever. She felt eyes all around her and, for once, she didn’t enjoy it. “That was such a disaster!” Trixie groaned, tucking herself further into her hoodie as she sat at the lunch table.

Lavender Lace offered a reassuring smile, but it was paper thin. “C’mon, I don’t think it was that bad! Nobody said anything about it once he moved on from roll call, so…”

“But everybody was looking at Trixie! Now everybody knows Trixie’s old name!” Trixie buried her face in her palms and let out a groan, wanting desperately to be invisible. “I can’t believe I would rather deal with Ms. Harshwhinny today.”

“So the sub called out your name; what’s the big deal?” Adagio asked neutrally, sitting on her girlfriend’s other side.

Trixie sat up and huffed, shifting a few macaroni noodles with her fork before spearing them. “It’s just that Trixie doesn't like people to know her legal name. It’s embarrassing…” She mumbled, shoveling the gooey plastic facsimile of mac & cheese into her mouth.

Adagio shrugged again and gently asked, “Is this another one of those human things I’m still not aware of? Is it weird for people to know your legal name?”

“With my name it is…” Finding her appetite wasn’t there, Trixie sighed and dropped her fork onto the tray. “I’ll have to tell you later, Dagi.”

Fuschia had been giving Trixie a look ever since the conversation started, flicking her scrutinizing gaze between the two lovebirds. “Trixie, you told her about… that, right?”

“Ehhh…” That was a conversation Trixie knew she had put off too long already. In truth, she had no idea how to really broach the topic with Adagio, and the day’s events weren’t making that any easier.

Adagio’s brow rose and she leaned closer to Trixie “Tell me what?”

But now that the issue had been forced, Trixie couldn’t dance around it any more. “It’s… Complicated. I’ll tell you after school, okay?”

With Adagio’s nod the pact was sealed, but she had more. “I work tonight. It might have to be tomorrow, assuming you don’t want to tell me over the phone.”

“Yeah, it’s better we do it in person.” Great relief! At least she would have another day to decide how to approach this. To everyone’s disappointment the bell sounded soon after, students standing to put up their tray and return to classes. Except Trixie, who rapidly tore into her lunch lest she go hungry in gym class. Salisbury steak was devoured in chunks, milk was chugged, and Trixie left the cafeteria nibbling on her roll.

*****

Feeling bloated from stuffing her face with subpar food at pie eating contest speeds, Trixie wanted nothing more than to just skip gym for the day. The mere thought of putting on gym shorts while she was digesting the cafeteria slop made her want to lock herself away. Not mention even more stares and whispers that were likely to ensue this period as they had with the two previous classes! But, to Trixie's own chagrin, she had to soldier on and dress for the battle against comfort and peace that is gym class.

But before Trixie could hide away in the safety of a stall, a voice called out from behind her. “This is the girl’s locker room!”

Trixie turned to look at Bon Bon, still in her normal clothes, with her hands on her hips and a stern glare leveled right at her. “Yeah, and?” Trixie asked, matching Bon Bon’s combative tone.

“So, you shouldn’t be here. Get out.”

With a heavy sigh, Trixie groaned, ”Ugh, what is your problem?”

“The problem is men thinking they can go wherever they please, just because they put on a skirt. It makes everyone uncomfortable. So leave, or I’m getting Coach!”

Trixie ground her teeth together, wishing great pain upon Bon Bon with her gaze. “Fine, get Coach then.” She said, huffing as she turned back around and stomped into the stall, slamming the door closed with a loud bang! The only other sound in the room was Bon Bon’s shoes hitting the tile as she went to the door.

Bon Bon’s voice echoed through the gym as she shouted; “Coach Will! There is a boy in the girl’s locker room!” The irony of inviting a grown man into the girl’s lockers to punish Trixie seemed lost on her. Trixie’s nostrils flared as she forcefully and hastily pulled off her hoodie and dress, replacing them with gym shorts. As she adjusted her bra straps and gaff, she noticed that the whole room was dead silent for a moment. She couldn't hear anyone talking amongst themselves, opening or closing lockers, or even the rustling of clothes and backpacks. But after a while, she did hear a pair of footsteps, headed directly for her, stopping just outside her stall.

“He’s in there.” Bon Bon said.

“Alright, come out.” Said Rainbow Dash. Trixie pulled on her t-shirt, bundled up her clothes, and took a deep breath. Despite her bravado, her heart was still pounding out of her chest as she reached for the stall lock and pulled the door open, giving Rainbow an unamused scowl.

Rainbow’s confusion was apparent as her eyes met Trixie’s. Bon Bon stood to her right, arms crossed with a mean, vindicated smirk. “Uhhh… You said there was a boy? Where?” Rainbow asked, looking back at her.

Bon Bon’s smirk disappeared as she turned her glare towards Dash. “What? He’s right there!”

Rainbow shook her head and rolled her eyes. “It’s just Trixie.”

Bon Bon opened her mouth to respond, but Trixie cut her off. “Trixie is finished getting dressed, can she go now?”

“Yeah. Go get dressed, Bon.” Rainbow gave Trixie one more glance over before turning to leave. Trixie went to follow her, making a point not to look at Bon Bon.

“This isn’t over.” Bon Bon hissed, turning and walking back towards the rest of the girls, who slowly resumed changing now that the drama had ended.

After Trixie put her clothes in her locker with her bag, Dash followed her out the door where Coach Will stood waiting. Trying to peer past Trixie, Coach Will asked, “Well? Where's this boy Iron Will has been hearing about?”

“There was no boy. Or-- well… Kinda, I guess? Turns out it was just Trixie… Or Trickster, or whatever.” Rainbow waved her hand dismissively. Trixie sighed. It was a slim chance, but she had some hope that she might have had an ally in her longtime rival, Rainbow Dash. What a fool she was.

“I… Err… Well… Umm…” The blue brick wall of a man waffled in confusion, before turning to Trixie and urging, “Lulamoon? Can you explain?”

Trixie scoffed, crossing her arms and turning her nose up. “Some ignorant people have somehow convinced themselves Trixie is not who she says she is, and are out to make it everyone else’s problem!”

Iron Will scratched his head and pondered deeply before responding, “Right… Umm… Go fall in with the rest of the class on the bleachers. You too, Dash!” The shakiness of his tone suggested that he had no clue how to proceed.

“Sure thing, coach!” Said Rainbow, promptly scurrying over to the bleachers and taking a seat beside Applejack. Trixie slugged behind her, slowly climbing the benches to go and sulk in the corner. That spot was already taken by some green Whatsername, so Trixie sat a few feet to her side.

*****

Before Trixie knew it she was finishing running laps around the gym. Wasn’t she just on top of the bleachers? Did she zone out through all of Coach Will’s whole spiel and only zone back in now? That was the last thing she remembered. “Ugh… My head hurts. This day can’t end fast enough.” With laps done, Trixie shook the fog out of her head and walked over to the water fountain and drank. It was free time, and the sound of basketballs hitting the court filled the room while other kids walked laps and chatted. Applejack and Rainbow were casually shooting hoops.

“I just don’t get what the big deal is.” Said Applejack.

“Don’t you think it’s weird?” Asked Rainbow.

Applejack casually sunk a basket from the three-point line. “Meanin’?”

“You know, Trixie-Trickster is like, technically a boy? And she… He changes in the girl’s room?” Rainbow stepped up to the three-point line to take a similar shot to Applejack.

The buff orange girl merely shrugged and retorted rather simply, “She don't look like a boy to me.”

“But what if she still has a… You know?” Rainbow attempted a trick shot off the backboard, but it amounted to nothing as Applejack collected the ball and dribbled.

Chewing on that question for a moment, Applejack answered, “Well, long as she keeps it in her britches, I don’t see why it's anyone's business. Shoot-dangit!” The ball ricocheted off the backboard as she swore. Out of everyone at school, Trixie never imagined Applejack of all people to be so… Casually tolerant about her.

“But what if she gets off to the thought of being around us girls while we're changing? Isn’t that just a little creepy?”

Someone behind Trixie cleared their throat, and only then did she realize she was still standing at the water fountain like a dolt. After stepping aside, Trixie kept eavesdropping on the game of H-O-R-S-E, completely engrossed in the debate about her unfolding before her on the court.

Having just made a trick shot of her own, Applejack looked over to Rainbow Dash and delivered a damning counterpoint. “You don’t seem to mind sharing a room with gay girls, how is that different?”

Rainbow Dash's argument fumbled out of her mouth like the shot she proceeded to miss. “Well, I… It's not…”

“That’s H-O for you, Dash!”

“Sh-shut up! It’s different…”

Trixie could no longer pretend she was innocently minding her own business, but she lingered on the sidelines all the same, hoping they wouldn't notice her blatant eavesdropping.

Rainbow went on. “Okay, what about the girl’s sports? The boys have to do different push ups, weights, lap times… How is it fair to have one of them doing the girl pushups, lifting girl weights, or doing girl’s basketball?”

“You mean besides the fact that Trixie don't do any sports outside of gym class?”

“She has a distinct biological advantage, though!”

Trixie’s brows closed in. She knew for a fact that those three words were too egg-headed to be Rainbow’s own original thought. It lacked the jockish, knuckle-dragging nature that Dash was mired in.

“And you and I don't? I don’t reckon you and I get partnered up with each other all the time by accident. Nobody wants to lose to a stronger, faster girl all the time, like you do!” As she successfully leapt up to perform a slam dunk, the apple farmer proudly proclaimed, “Bucket! Ha! Beat that one, Dash!”

With a growl, Rainbow scooped up the ball and measured up the hoop. With some determination, the blue blur took a running start and leapt up, but her ball rebounded off the rim and loudly bounced against the court.

Retrieving the ball, Applejack smugly gloated, “H-O-R! Who has the distinct biological advantage, again?”

“She’s right, though.” Said Bon Bon in passing, stopping her walk around the gym along with the girls following her. “Men do have a physical advantage, it’s basic science.”

“Yeah! See, Bon Bon knows her stuff.”

“Don’t you think that’s insultin’ to the rest of us gals?” Applejack commented, walking past Rainbow Dash to insert herself into this discussion. “Dunno about ya’ll, but my ma taught me ‘don’t ever let a man say you can’t do what he does.’ Reckon it goes for women sayin’ it, too.”

Trixie shouldn’t have been surprised that Applejack had noticed her, what with Bon Bon and her squad. Even before then, she’d long overstayed her welcome and it wasn’t exactly easy to hide in the large, open gym. Still, she wasn’t emotionally prepared to actually interact with these two Rainbooms and the hate parade from Bon Bon right now.

Thankfully, Bon Bon's squad balked at the prospect of arguing with a girl who actually was stronger than them, so they merely crossed their arms and clustered around their leader. After a moment of thought, Bon Bon spat, “I don't remember asking you for your opinion, Rainboom.”

Applejack barely even reacted as she casually retorted, "I'm sure everyone in this gym can say the same to you, sweetie!" Despite how mid that grade-school clapback was, Bon Bon had a peculiar reaction. Applejack was barely invested in speaking up for the Great and Powerful Trixie, seeming content that Bon Bon and her squad shut their collective traps for a moment.

Rainbow Dash, however, had that familiar competitive look in her eye, clearly looking to compensate for losing to Applejack. Trixie super didn’t want to deal with her rival right now, but it was too late to dash out now, though, as Rainbow was already turning to look at her, holding the basketball up to her chest and sneering. “How about it, Trickster? Think you can make that shot?”

While Trixie was well accustomed to Rainbow’s verbal jabs, that one stung far deeper than she’d like to admit. Yet she refused to give Dash and Bon Bon the satisfaction. Conjuring her normal bravado, Trixie donned a confident grin and puffed her chest. “Hmph! Trixie can do that in her sleep! Watch and learn, Lamebow!” To her credit, Trixie managed to catch the ball after Rainbow bounced it towards her. Dribbling the ball a few times, Trixie crossed over to the three-point line and eyed up the path she would take.

Trixie had a few inches on Rainbow Dash, but her height advantage couldn’t make up for her woeful lack of practice playing basketball. She took the leap, making an awkward upward lunge that sent the ball slipping from her fingertips and smacking into the backboard. Trixie’s feet hit the floor, followed by the ball a second after, and then Rainbow’s snickers.

“Snrrk, good shot, Trickster!”

Applejack was a far better sportswoman. “Don’t act like you did any better, Dash! It was a good try, Trix.”

It only then dawned on Trixie that she couldn’t have won, even if she had made the basket. She had failed, and Rainbow wasn’t going to let her live it down for days at least! But even if she had made it… Bon Bon would just be vindicated. Heads I Win, Tails You Lose…

Once again, Trixie was the center of attention, and she had never felt more alone. She couldn’t use a smoke bomb in gym class and just disappear this time, and not just because she’d get detention again. There was nowhere to run and nowhere to hide; she was out in the open for all to see.

The last thing Trixie heard Bon Bon say as her entourage wandered away was, “He totally missed that shot on purpose. Like that would prove anything!”