Wait, Pretend?

“Oh, there you are,” Starlight greeted, trotting up to Trixie. “Sorry I’m late, it took forever to make a replica of my old staff. Wait, what's going on here?”

“Hmm?” Trixie muttered, reclining in her seat, and accepting a grape gently placed in her mouth by a blank-eyed Twilight. “Trixie does not know what you are talking about.”

“Okay, not sure how you got Twilight to go along with this, but whatever,” Starlight began again. “So what do you think?”

Starlight did a little spin, revealing that equals signs had replaced her cutie marks, and her fur wasn't quite as lustrous as it usually was.

“Not bad huh?” Starlight pressed. “I even did my mane up like I used to.”

“Oh yes, it looks quite good on you,” Trixie added. “But what do you think of our little wardrobe change?”

“Nice black cape and dark eyeshadow, but is that the real alicorn amulet?” Starlight inquired. “I thought they destroyed that thing.”

“It was just in some silly little chest in Twilight's basement,” Trixie flippantly remarked.

“Wait, basement? You raided the vault of Friendship Castle?” Starlight exclaimed.

“Is it really raiding if the great and powerful Trixie is still technically the rightful owner?” Trixie retorted, leaning back. “Fan me harder, peon.”

“Yes mistress,” droned an empty-eyed Applejack.

“So are we still going to that party or are you three gonna keep doing whatever it is this whole thing is,” Starlight asked, gesturing to Trixie, and her two attendants.

“Trixie will bring them with us. Though Trixie is unsure if such a party is still happening,” Trixie replied.

“Wait, why?”

“Well, the partygoers may be working on building a great statue in Trixie’s honor,” Trixie answered, gesturing out to the edge of town where a three-story tall statue was slowly being cut from a hunk of limestone dragged in from the Everfree by half the town’s occupants.

“I was wondering what that was about,” Starlight murmured.

“But Trixie is sure she can just tell them to go back to the party for a while. Trixie is certain that they deserve a break or something,” Trixie dismissed.

“Wait, hold on here. What's going on?” Starlight asked pointedly.

“Trixie is unsure what you mean,” Trixie countered. “We are going to party, are we not?”

“Yes, but not that. What is happening here, right here,” Starlight retorted, pointing down at the steps of town hall which lay beneath her hooves.

“An insect is currently crawling around on the ground,” Trixie paused and squinted. “Looks like a spider of some kind.”|

“Okay, ew,” Starlight murmured, tossing the spider away with her magic. “But not what I meant. What are you, Twilight and Applejack doing? Is this a kink thing or…?”

“No!” Trixie hastily replied, only to stop. “Well, sorta? Trixie does enjoy bossing ponies around, this one especially.”

Trixie grabbed Twilight by the chin and shook her head around, to no effect from the alicorn.

“Wait, so this isn't consensual?” Starlight asked.

“Augh stop making this weird,” Trixie exclaimed, falling back into the deeply reclining chair and motioning for Applejack to fan her. “Trixie’s desires are not always amorous in nature you know.”

“I don't know. You do get pretty randy after a bit of brandy,” Starlight murmured.

“That's not what's going on here,” Trixie hastily retorted. “Trixie has merely taken their minds and made these ponies her slaves.”

“Wait, so this isn't-”

Trixie shot Starlight a glare so firm that the other pony chuckled nervously.

“Sorry,” Starlight offered. “I see now that this isn't that.”

“Thank you Starlight.”

“I can appreciate that mind-controlling ponies kinda fits with the whole pretend to be villains again thing that we decided on but-” Starlight began.

“Wait,” Trixie interrupted. “What do you mean, pretend?”

“You…” Starlight groaned. “Wait, so this isn't some kind of joke being played on us by Pinkie Pie and or Rainbow Dash?”

“No of course not. Rainbow Dash is making a cloud statue in my honor,” Trixie began, gesturing up.

Starlight followed her gaze to find that Rainbow Dash was indeed constructing a statue of Trixie using only clouds. Unfortunately, there was a stiff wind coming out of the north so just as she was about to complete her assigned task, the breeze would destroy the entire thing.

“How Sisyphian,” Starlight murmured.

“Trixie believes that the myth of Tantalus to be a more apt description of the events,” Trixie retorted.

“There is no way you actually read that book on mythology,” Starlight shot back.

“Hey! Trixie reads… sometimes… when she has to take a long poop,” Trixie muttered.

“Okay, so where’s Pinkie Pie then?” Starlight asked.

“Here I am!” Pinkie Pie exclaimed, leaping out from just out of sight.

“Ah! Where did… wait, why isn't she mind controlled?” Starlight asked.

“That's cus Trixie and I are best buds,” Pinkie Pie proclaimed, plucking a grape and tossing it into her mouth.

“Wait, really?” Starlight murmured.

“We had a song, went on an adventure and everything,” Trixie added.

“It was a pretty great one too. The song that is. The adventure was decent, a solid seven out of ten I’d say,” Pinkie Pie proclaimed. “Anyway, I’m off to go see what kind of cool treats Zecora’s cooking up. Later bestie!”

“See ya later Pinkie,” Trixie offered, sighing when the pink pony bounced out of sight. “She really is more than she appears you know. Quite the intellect behind all that pink.”

“I-” Starlight paused and began to massage her temples. “Change them back Trixie.”

“Aww come on,” Trixie whined. “It took me forever to hypnotize the entire town.”

“Change them back. Friends, don't hypnotize friends,” Starlight declared.

“But the great and powerful Trixie didn't hypnotize any of her friends!” Trixie proclaimed, throwing up her hooves. “Pinkie Pie is fine, you are fine. I even left the yellow one alone though that is mostly because she used over a dozen locks on her front door and Trixie does not have enough bobby pins for all that.”

“Thank you for thinking of me,” Starlight began.

“You are welcome.”

“But did you ever think that some of my friends may end up hypnotized and that I wouldn't like that very much?” Starlight pressed.

“Trixie admits that she did not think about that,” Trixie muttered.

“Then what are you going to do about that?” Starlight pressured.

“But Starlight. Don't you see?” Trixie exclaimed. “Trixie was only capable of all this because of you.”

“Nuh-uh, no way. You are not putting this on my shoulders,” Starlight dismissed. “The only thing I’m guilty of is not speaking clearer when I said pretend.”

“No, Trixie means the magic of it all, the confidence, the forward-thinking,” Trixie continued, rising from her chair and putting a forehoof on Starlight’s shoulder. “You showed Trixie that she was more than just smoke and mirrors, that she was capable of real magic. Most importantly you showed Trixie that she- I was not a failure or an idiot.”

“You mean you were actually listening?” Starlight whispered.

“Of course, I was listening,” Trixie whispered back. “I always listen to you, Starlight.”

The two stared into one another’s eyes for several long seconds before finally, Starlight sighed, shattering the quiet.

“Okay, fine. You don't have to change them back,” Starlight finally declared.

“Yes!”

“Until tomorrow,” Starlight added, wagging her hoof at the other mare. “Twilight and I have a long day of parent-teacher meetings tomorrow and it would be helpful if she had her brain for that.”

“Fiiine,” whined Trixie.

“And besides,” Starlight began. “This wouldn't last more than a day. No offense to your spellwork, you did a great job but think about it, Trixie. You’d have to personally order every single pony around every single day just to make sure they go to sleep, eat, and use the bathroom.”

“Trixie did not think about that,” Trixie muttered. “Trixie sees that she still has much more to learn about being evil from you.”

“Yes, you- hey that's not why I’m telling you all this,” Starlight retorted, only to sigh. “Whatever, let's go eat candy apples and make Filthy Rich run laps until he pukes.”

“Yes, my dark mistress!”