Always Forever

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7_jYYISAbM
>YOU AND ME, ALWAYS FOREVER
“Anon! Open the door!”
>WE CAN STAY, ALONE TOGETHER
”Can you hear me? ANON!”
>YOU AND ME
”ANON I—”
>The door swung open before Trixie could finish her sentence.
>ALWAYS FOREVER

>Anon looked awful. His white coat was unbrushed, the dark oversized hoodie and beanie he still apparently insisted on wearing smelled foul, and the circles under his deep-set eyes made his already empty stare even more ghoulish.
>Trixie didn’t understand why he didn’t just throw away those rags and get something classy, like a cape.
>She could see Anon mouthing words, but the music drowned them out.
“Turn the music down! TURN IT DOWN!”
>Anon sluggishly trotted to the cube playing the music and fiddled with it until the song faded into merely being in the background.
“Better! Why on Equestria would you play something so loud? I’ve never had a neighbor so outrageously inconsiderate! I was practicing my act and I could hardly hear myself THINK!”
>”...Sorry,” a dusty apology came from Anon’s mouth. It sounded like a bird imitating pony speech, or like someone not used to saying much anything at all.
>Trixie forced a smile onto her lips, reminding herself of her plan.
“It’s... okay! But you should make it up to me.
>She held out a hoof.
“I am Trixie, Trixie Lulamoon, but most ponies call me the Great and Powerful Trixie!”
>”Anonymous. You already heard about me, I guess,” Anon replied, slowly reciprocating the hoofshake. His beanie drooped over his eyes slightly. He didn’t smile.
>She nodded, her smile widening. This was going to be too easy.

“I saw you with Twilight the day you came. I happen to live close by, and since we’re neighbors I—”
>”Are you the one that lives in that kooky caravan that appeared outside my house?”
”K-kooky caravan?” Trixie choked out the question.
>”Yeah, the tacky purple one with stars that I never see anyone leaving or entering. I’ve started wondering if it’s abandoned, but I swear it moves sometimes…”
”No! No, Trixie has no knowledge of this caravan! Tri- I mean, I live somewhere else, but close!”
>”Okay. It’s just starting to creep me out. I don’t know who to ask about it, though. I feel like I’m being watched—man, that sounds insane.”
>Anon let out a world-weary sigh and turned a knob on the music cube. The song grew a little louder again.
>YOU KNOW I’LL KEEP YOU IN MY LOCKET
“T-Trixie wouldn’t worry about it! Who would watch you? There’s no reason for anypony to do anything like that! Haha!”
>”Yeah, you’re right. I’m not important enough for a conspiracy,” Anon said, a profoundly sad look on his face. He sat down on his bed.

>You could tell how much of a wreck Anon was by just taking one look at his house.
>Everything was in disorder, unwashed dishes lay haphazardly from the floor to the nightstand, and bags of garbage and unread papers took up most of the walking space.
>Anon was so miserable that Trixie couldn’t help but to smile to herself. At least she wasn’t THAT bad.
“Trixie came here to give you a chance, Anon, and you have to take this chance, because your loud music ruined Trixie’s practice!”
>Anon looked up at her, his dead eyes looking slightly confused.
“Yes! A chance!” she announced. “I’ve heard about how Twilight and her friends are visiting you less and less. They think you don’t want to be helped, and they’ve given up on being friends with you!”
>”That’s for the better. They shouldn’t associate themselves with someone like me.”
“But I, the Great and Powerful Trixie have devised something wonderful for you, Anon!”
>A small card zapped into existence in front of Anon’s eyes and fell into his lap.
>He looked down at it.
>It read: “Ponyville Park, sundown. Meet Trixie there tonight. Be there!!!”
>When he looked back up, Trixie was already running back to her caravan.
>She had cast the silent teleportation spell just at the right moment when Anon had looked at her card, and she was sure he had been thoroughly impressed, no, ENCHANTED by her mysterious disappearance and invitation!
>And so she prepared for her big show at sundown.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OKRJfIPiJGY
>BELA LUGOSI'S DEAD
>THE BATS HAVE LEFT THE BELL TOWER
>I wish I was dead too.
>I don’t know why that pony lied to me about not living in the caravan, I saw her run to it and slam the door from my window.
>Maybe she was mocking me. Damn it! Even these small technicolor horses are mocking me!
>I pressed my face into my pillow in shame.
>STREWN WITH TIME’S DEAD FLOWERS
>Suddenly becoming a pony was shocking enough. If I couldn’t fit in on Earth, how did I fare here?
>BEREFT IN DEATHLY BLOOM
>The answer was not well. Not well at all.
>ALONE IN A DARKENED ROOM
>I again examined the card she had left me with.
“Ponyville Park, sundown…”
>Why hadn’t she just… told me where to meet up? Was she so insistent on making a fool of me?
>I suppose I deserved it. I hadn’t made anything of myself since appearing in Ponyville, and I’m sure rumor spread fast in a small town like this.
>The only reason I could even afford to live here was because of Twilight Sparkle. I was a leech.
>This is partly why I hadn’t left my house during the day for anything except groceries every few weeks.
>Ponies judged me everywhere I went, I could tell. Even if they smiled to my face, I could hear them mocking me in their heads.

>”There goes Anon, the creepy hermit. Did you hear he doesn’t have a job?”
>”Haha, no way? At his age? Isn’t he ancient? He looks like he’s dying!”
>”No, I’m serious! He doesn’t even have a cutie mark!”
>”Hahaha did you hear that children? Never become like Anon!”

>They thought those kinds of things, I’m sure. And when they came back home to their families, they would tell them of Anon, the weirdo shut-in who can’t look people in the eye because he hates himself too much.
>Yeah. So that’s why I make it a policy not to go outside.
>Or to make friends, for that matter. I don’t need anyone to be ‘friends’ with me out of pity.
>They’ll just end up hurting themselves.
>I sleep 16 hours a day at this point to conserve energy.
>It’s probably better if I just pass away in my sleep and don’t bother anyone anymore.
>I feel sorry for the pony that will have to scrape my death-stain off the floor, though.
>Back on Earth I watched a Japanese documentary about people who die alone in their apartments and nobody checks on them for years, so their fat and other putrid corpse juices have to be cleaned by a special company.
>I wonder if companies like that exist here in Equestria.

“Hmh…”
>I shambled over to my window to watch the lone caravan next to my house.
>I wonder if she has a job.
>Of course she does, she had a cutie mark!
>I feel stupid and hit my head against the window frame a couple times.
>The pain grounds me. I used to do it when I was a little kid, but it’s been poppin up again as a habit when I’m stressed.
>I’m stressed a lot nowadays. Apparently they don’t sell cigarettes in Equestria.
>Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Do I go? I want her to leave me alone.
>What did she mean by ‘giving me a chance?’
>She’ll probably just mock me again. Yeah.
>There’s no use in going.
>But if I stand her up, won’t she be angry? She’ll come back, or worse, she’ll set my house on fire!
>No, that’s an overreaction. You may be slime, but no one would want to kill you over that.
>Or would they?
>Would anyone really care if Anon the Freak’s house burned down overnight?
>Would anyone ask any questions?
>Maybe it’s better not to anger her. I don’t mind dying, but revenge is scary.
>I’m running out of apple cider too.
>At least they have alcohol here. If I was deprived of both that and cigarettes, I really might go completely mad.
>BELA LUGOSI'S DEAD
>I grabbed one of my last bottles and bit the cap off.
>UNDEAD, UNDEAD, UNDEAD
>...
>I’ll go.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GK1DibRCD0
>Sweat trickled down Trixie’s brow as she bowed to a nonexistent audience.
“Thank you! Thank you everypony, you are too kind! The Great and Powerful—that’s me—Trixieeee!!!”
>Her cloak fluttered in the cool park breeze as she looked at the horizon.
>The sky was orange and the burning tatters of red clouds hung in the distance like stage curtains.
>She smirked to herself.
>She had practiced all day after setting her stage up for the show. It was going to be the best one she had ever done.
>Anon would be so impressed, he’d practically be begging to become her assistant!
>Everyone who’d come to see it would be mystified, mesmerized and m… m-
>Trixie couldn’t think of another appropriate M-word, so she frowned.
>She would show Twilight, that know-it-all!
>Trixie would not only befriend Anon, she’d become his BEST friend!
>And so the Great and Powerful Trixie would humiliate Twilame Spark-old, beating her at her own game!
“Haaahahaha~”
>She couldn’t wait to see the look of shock and defeat on her irksome rival’s face.

>Trixie began using her magic to clean the stage of props. The sun had began to set, so ponies would start showing up any time now.
>It would be a lot of ponies, since she’d personally hoofed out free tickets with invitations to tonight’s show to most of Ponyville: a part of her ingenious marketing strategy and rebranding campaign.
>She had to hurry to set everything back up.
>The park would be so crowded, she’d look foolish if she hadn’t gotten prepared by then.

>There! All ready! Wait, no—okay all ready!
>She hurriedly disappeared behind her purple stage curtains.
>They’d come any time now.
>Anon too!
>Trixie wrote in the note that he had to come, so he would.

>After a while she peeked from behind the curtains at her audience—
>or the lack thereof.
>Nopony had come yet.
>Only the setting sun winked at her in the distance. It was getting dark now.
>Heavy shadows of trees stretched across the path up to her stage.
>The path no one was walking.
>Had she written the time right? Or maybe she’d messed up the location… no, she was sure she hadn’t.
>They would show up. Ponies were often tardy. This wasn’t all that strange, she just had to be patient.
>...
>There! A pony!
>Trixie popped her head out from behind the curtains, her smile returning to her.
>Only for it to dissolve into slack disappointment as she realized it was somepony she didn’t know, walking their dog late into the evening.
>And they walked right past her stage without giving it a second look.
>Didn’t they see the lights? The signs?
>Why wasn’t anypony here?
>Why…
>It was getting really dark.
>The sun was nowhere to be seen, and nopony had come.
>Trixie sat down on her prop chest, her limbs going slack and her hat drooping down over her face.
>Nopony had come.

>Then Trixie heard something.
>Hoofsteps! Somepony was walking in the park!
>She peeked from between the curtains and this time saw someone she recognized.
>It was Anon!
>He shuffled in the darkness, slowly weaving between the trees with unsteady steps, head turning from side to side as if looking for something.
>He seemed to spot the stage and Trixie hid back behind the curtains.
>No no no no...
>She could feel her face flushing.
>No one but Anon had come.
>He was going to see that—and conclude that Trixie was an unpopular embarrassment!
>This was no good, she had to think…
>She could hear Anon’s footsteps outside getting closer.
>Think! THINK!
>Then they stopped.
>Her curiosity got the better of her and she peeked carefully from between the curtains.
>Anon was standing in front of the stage in his usual hoodie and beanie, looking up at the decorations Trixie had hung above the stage.
>He seemed to be waiting for something to happen.
>Trixie swallowed.
>The only way to not embarrass herself would be to put on a great show.
>A show that would absolutely blow Anon away! Yes...
>She drew a deep breath and stepped out from behind the curtain.

”Fillies and gentlecolts! The Powerful—I mean, the G-Great and the Powerful Trixie!”
>She bit her lip.
>She could feel Anon looking up at her. She couldn’t meet his eyes.
>She didn’t want to think about what kind of expression he might be wearing.
>Disappointment?
>Disgust?
“Tonight’s show is full of the mystical, and Trixie hopes to start out with—a BANG!”
>She raised her hooves up, at which point fireworks were supposed to shoot out from behind the stage.
>But they didn’t.
>Trixie had forgotten to set them in the correct places because of how nervous and excited she had been.
>She felt her face burning up with shame.
“A-Anyhow, behold as I make this rope—”
>She took off her hat and rope levitated out of it.
“—as I make it dance!”
>The rope turned into a snake, which slithered across the stage for a while, then returned back into her hat.

>Good, at least that had worked.
>But as Trixie adjusted her hat back onto her head, she felt what had supposed to have turned back into rope slither against her horn.
“EEEEK!!!”
>Reflexively she squealed and threw her hat off in panic.
>It and the snake flew off stage.
>The snake hit the ground and slithered away into the night.
>Trixie wanted to close her eyes.
>She was shaking. She didn’t want to look at Anon.
>But she had to salvage her act.
“H-haha… Trixie meant to do that! Did you get scared?”
>She struck a pose, flourishing her cape before pulling an envelope out from a hidden pocket.
>She presented it, holding the envelope in the air dramatically.
“Trixie needs a volunteer for this next trick!”
>She smiled as widely as she possibly could. Her lips felt dry.
“F-for this next trick… a volunteer! From the audience!” she repeated herself.
>She was trying not to meet Anon’s eyes. Trying not to see his expression. She looked just above it, at his beanie.
“How about… y-y-you in the back—the one in the beanie…C-come on, come on up!”
>Her smile felt ugly to her.
“Come on—”
>Why wasn’t Anon coming?
“Trixie will make this envelope appear in your hat, so she needs a v-v-volunt-”
>She felt something warm run down her face.
>Her words were struggling to escape her throat.
“v-volunt—”
>She was choking on them.
>Choking and shaking violently.
>This used to happen to her a lot as a filly.
“V-v-volun-volu-v-v-v-v...”

>When had Anon climbed onto the stage?
>He got very close, right in front of Trixie.
>And then suddenly, his hooves were around her.

>Anon was hugging the Great and Powerful Trixie.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlZ4QrwjEdM
>How did I get myself into this situation?
>Maybe I thought that if I could make at least one crying girl smile, maybe my life would mean something.
>Maybe my body just acted on its own.
>I was naive.

>The shaking girl I had just hugged was now looking at me in fear, as if I had done something unthinkable.
>I didn’t know what to say.
>My lips moved to apologize but no sound left them.
>I was dehydrated and drunk.
>I’ve never been good with situations like these anyway.
>”No… no! Don’t look at Trixie like that! Y-You’re not supposed to look at Trixie like—like that!” she wailed and took a step back.
>Her eyes were wide, her expression bewildered, and her lower lip was quivering.
“What… do you mean?” I managed to ask.
>”Y-You… you can’t—stop! STOP!” she screamed, tears running down her face as she averted her eyes.
>What did she mean? Was I that out of line?
“Looking at you how? I don’t understand…” I mumbled and stepped forward.
>I think I wanted to help, to calm her down, at least.
>But she kept shaking her head and backing away. The envelope she held fell onto the stage.
>She swallowed. Her face twisted into an expression of disgust and horror as she made eye contact with me.
>”LIKE YOU’RE PITYING TRIXIE!” she spat out, then covered her mouth with a hoof, her eyes widening as if she had been taken aback by her own words.
“Huh…?”
>”TRIXIE was supposed to pity you! SHE selected you, to graciously offer a helping hoof to you, a miserable nopony!”
>”She knows how awful Anon is, she’s seen it! Anon is the worst pony she could possibly find!”
>”She was going to amaze and dazzle Anon with her magic! She… then Trixie wouldn’t—”
>Then the girl turned around quickly and galloped into the night, sobbing hysterically.
>I was left standing dumbfounded on the silent and empty stage.
>Empty, except for that envelope.
>I bent over to pick it up, not knowing how to feel.
“For Anon…”
>So it was meant for me.
>I opened it and folded the paper inside open.

“This agreement for friendship is made by and between Anonymous, hereby referred to as ‘Subject A’, and Trixie Lulamoon, hereby referred to as ‘Subject B’, which states…”

“One: Subject A shall not dislike Subject B.”

“Two: Consequently, Subject A will gradually come to like Subject B.”

“Three: Those feelings will remain perpetual.”

“Four: Those feelings will never change at any time.”

“Five: In times of loneliness, both parties will stay by each others’ side.”

“Six: However, this is always the case for Subject B. Therefore, Subject A will always remain at the side of Subject B.”

“Please sign here… if you agree to these friendship terms...”

>Oh Trixie…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JQNhjKHMLp8
>Out of everypony in Equestria, Trixie was the last Twilight would have stopped to talk to had she seen her. The two did NOT get along well.
>However, this night she had done just that.
>On her way home from Pinkie’s big party, Twilight had spotted the uncharacteristically miserable-looking Trixie staring into the water at the outskirts of Ponyville.
>When she’d asked if Trixie was okay, the mare had burst into a fit of ugly crying.
>Twilight didn’t need much more evidence to form the hypothesis that Trixie indeed was not okay.
>So she had insisted Trixie come over and explain.

>It had begun raining on their way back to the Golden Oak.
>The raindrops drummed away outside as Twilight furrowed her brow in concern, trying to understand the situation.
“Please Trixie, just tell me what happened, I promise it’ll make you feel better. Here, be careful with this, it’s still hot.”
>Twilight brought the cup of steaming hot chocolate to Trixie with her magic.
>She’d sat her down on a couch and given her a fuzzy striped blanket to cocoon herself in.
>The mare was still refusing to explain what exactly had made her like this.
>Twilight had gathered it had something to do with Anon, though.
>Every time she’d brought him up, Trixie had tensed up and looked away, as if in pain.
>Minutes crawled by with only the steady downpour outside to fill their mutual silence.

>Then Trixie’s lips parted to form a question:

>“...Is Trixie a worthless pony?”
“W-what?”
>“Am I a useless, awful pony, Twilight?”
>She looked Twilight in the eyes.
>Twilight flinched. There was something nauseating about how earnest that question sounded.
>The desperate look in Trixie’s violet eyes was…
>”So that’s it then? That’s why nopony came to my show,” Trixie said, her voice cracking with a sad forced laugh.
”No! What would make you think you’re worthless? I didn’t know you had a show—”
>“TRIXIE INVITED YOU!”
>Hot chocolate splashed onto the blanket.
>Truth be told, Twilight hadn’t checked her mail in a few days.
”S-sorry… I didn’t know. When was it? I’ll come to your next one!”
>”It was tonight, and there won’t be a next one. Trixie is done with magic. Trixie is… I’m done with—with everything.”
“...I’m so sorry I…”
>She swallowed. Apparently Trixie had been totally unaware of Pinkie’s big party tonight. Had she not been invited?
“But you’re amazing at magic, you can’t quit! Besides, don’t you love performing? Magic is in your cutie mark!”
>Trixie shook her head, looking down into her cup.
>”Friendship is magic, Twilight, you know this.”
>She smiled sadly.
>”Trixie has no friends.”

”That’s not true! What about um… well… I’m your friend, Trixie!”
>”We both know that’s not true, Twilight. I’m sorry for bothering you. Thank you for the hot chocolate.”
>Trixie placed the cup down and got up.
>Twilight didn’t know what to say. What could she say?
>That horrible look in Trixie’s eyes made all that Twilight could think to say feel fraudulent.
>It reminded her of Anon.
“Are you going to go home then? You should at least wait until it stops raining.”
>”I can’t go home, Anon might—”
“Anon?”
>”...I was thinking of just finding a tree with enough cover,” Trixie mumbled.
“What was that about Anon? Did he say something mean to you? I keep telling him he needs to stop being so—so distant and cold and—”
>”Anon didn’t say anything!”
>Trixie’s shout made Twilight jump a little.
>”I’m just worried he’ll come and talk to me and—I don’t think I can handle that right now.”
“Don’t you think it might be good to talk things out?”
>Trixie looked away.
>”I think… I don’t like myself, Twilight.”
“...”
>Thunder rumbled in the darkness outside.
“Fine. Then you’re staying here until you can talk to Anon properly.”
>“I told you, I don’t want to bother you. I’ll find somewhere to—”
>Trixie tried to open the door with her magic but Twilight slammed it shut.
“No! You’re. Staying. Here. I’m not gonna let you wander off into the night like this. We might not be best friends, but I still care about you Trixie!”
>”...But—”
“No buts! I have an extra bed for sleepovers, deal with it!”
>Trixie stood in front of the door as if frozen in time for a long moment.
>”I have no choice?”
“That’s right, I’m putting my hoof down!”
>”...Thanks, Twilight.”
>Trixie smiled just a little.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=66RZZ93lR0Y
>WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO BE UNHEALTHY BADLY, MY LOVE?
>Fate has a strange way of being cruel to those who lean on it.
>TO BE IN A BAD STATE SO WELL
>Or something along those lines.
>The dull throbbing in the front of my head reminded me of reality.
>My pity party didn’t feel nearly as poignant now that I had slept the alcohol off.
>I turned my head on the grass, squinting my eyes at the obnoxiously rising sun.
>Trixie’s caravan was still there where she’d left it, and so was her stage.
>Truth be told, I was starting to get worried.
>I got up and knocked on the caravan door, not really expecting an answer.
>The door moved at my touch; it was unlocked.
>...Dare I?
>Well, she called me awful, might as well act the part.
> Besides, maybe there’d be some clue in her home as to where she’d gone.
>I let myself in.


“Honey, I’m home.”
>It was a stupid joke, but no one was around to hear it, thankfully.
>The first thing that struck me was how shabby the caravan was.
>It was too tiny to be considered a home, even for ponies.
>I felt crumbs of something under my hooves, and a faint odor lingered in the caravan.
>...Stale peanut butter?
>A peculiar pile of rotting apple cores stared at me from a corner, almost accusingly.
>Stage magic props were lined up haphazardly against the walls and one sad sleeping bag lay on the bare wooden floor in front of me.
>Tucked into the sleeping bag was a raggedy stuffed toy unicorn with buttons for eyes
>It looked a little like Trixie.
>A single brush and a cracked vanity mirror lay next to the sleeping bag.
>The floor was covered with drawn fliers and notes.
>Plans for posters, scrapped invitations, ideas for acts…
>I picked up a little blue notebook that read “GREAT and POWERFUL Magic Tricks Ideas” on the cover, and flipped through a few pages.
>How to Levitate Upside Down, How to Turn Audience Into Clouds… the rope turning into a snake trick was here, as well as—
“How to Make a Friend That Won’t Abandon You.”
>My mouth felt so dry and the words so hollow spoken out loud.

>Drafts of the friendship contract were written here, as well as ideas for delivering it to me.
>It had many more failed iterations than the other tricks. Most were crossed over with notes like: “not impressive”, “obvious” or “stupid”.
>There were also pages on why I was the right ‘subject’ for the trick.
>My routine, mental profile, reasons for why she thought I wouldn’t get bored of being her friend, planned activities together...
>I turned a page and the revisions kept going. Another, still going. Another. And another.
>Finally it ended on the version of the contract she had meant to give me, and the method of delivery.
>On the page next to it was another trick.
>...How to Make Trixie Disappear Forever
>Without realizing it I had hurled the notebook across the caravan where it hit a wall.
“FUCK! Fuck, fuck, fuck!”
>Bang. Bang. Bang.
>My forehead collided with the caravan wall harder than ever, but I didn’t feel a thing.
>Not physically, anyway.
>Blood trickled down from under my beanie down to my nostrils.
>I snorted, gritted my teeth and tried to control my sporadic breathing.
>She wouldn’t—
>I didn’t want to read that last trick.
>Had I been completely mistaken about Trixie?
>I hated how much I related to the squalor she lived in.
>I hated that I hadn’t noticed anything.
>I had been too self-absorbed to.
>She wasn’t a proud bully.
>She was afraid.
>I’m afraid too. I’m a coward, I’m afraid all the time.
>I’m too afraid to trust in others, too afraid they’ll hurt me.
>At least she’s trying. Despite how afraid she is, she’s trying!
“Damn it… DAMN IT!”
>I stomped out of the caravan and violently slammed the door shut.
>I was starting to feel pain again, the throbbing in the front of my head was now both internal and external.
>A painful fire that had been dormant in me for years now blazed.
>As I wiped the blood from my face on the sleeve of my hoodie I made a resolution.
”Trixie…”



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVZVilQ4CM8
>”Trixie? Trixie are you awake? Trixie!”
>Trixie rolled in her bed and groaned, pulling the pillow over her ears.
>”I’m coming in,” Twilight’s voice announced.
>Light shone into the pitch-black room as Twilight opened the door.
>”For Celestia’s sake, it’s well past noon, Trixie!”
>Twilight levitated the pillow off of Trixie’s head.
“…Please turn the light off.”
>Forming words was hard, it took so much effort.
>”Did you even hear me? It’s past noon, what have you done all day?”
“...”
>Twilight sighed.
>”Look Trixie, I know you’re sad, but you can’t keep being like this. It’s been over a week, don’t you think…”
>Trixie sat up in her bed.
“You’re telling Trixie to leave.”
>”No! I’m trying to say that maybe it’s time you talk things out with Anon? Or at least go back home and start doing magic again?”
>Trixie shook her head but got out of bed.
“I can’t talk to Anon. I’ll go somewhere else. I don’t need my caravan anymore anyway. I’m done with magic.”
>”Stop saying that! You know that’s not what you really think!”
“D-Do you think Trixie likes saying it? It’s—it’s the truth!”
>”No it isn’t!”
“Nopony likes me, they think I’m a joke!”
>”Anon has been looking for you!”
>The despair on Trixie’s face froze, then she hung her head.
“He has? ...Why?
>”I don’t know! Why don’t you ask him yourself!” Twilight said angrily.

>When Trixie didn’t say anything, only looked more guilty, Twilight relented.
>”...He got a job, you know.”
“Anon did?”
>Trixie’s eyes widened in disbelief.
“W-Where?”
>”Sugarcube Corner. Pinkie told me.”
“You’re joking, Anon could never work with her! She’s way too… well, he barely ever even goes outside!”
>”He’s been changing that. I talked with some ponies today and heard about how Anon has been going door to door asking for you all around Ponyville.”
>Trixie’s jaw dropped.
>”That’s… actually a part of what I came to tell you.”
>Twilight shifted awkwardly.
>”I ran into Anon today, he asked if I had seen you and I told him you were staying here. He’s coming here after work, to see you.”


“You did WHAT—”
>”You can’t stay cooped up like this, Trixie! And I couldn’t just lie to Anon…”
“Yes, yes you could have! Very easily!”
>Twilight looked a little guilty.
“...I’m leaving, I can’t talk to Anon now.”
>”What? But you have to, he looked so happy when I told him you were here! He’s been looking everywhere for you!”
“When is he coming? How soon does his shift end?”
>”He didn’t say but it could be any time now, that’s usually when—”
>The doorbell rang.
>Trixie jumped.
“W-What do I do? I look terrible! I feel terrible! I can’t let him see me like this!”
>”It’ll be fine, Trixie, just be yourself.”
“I hate myself!”
>She gave Trixie an apologetic look.
>”Coming!” Twilight yelled and hurried downstairs to open the door.

>Trixie’s heart was beating faster than any pony heart should be able to beat.
>Anon was looking for her? Why? She had thoroughly embarrassed herself in front of him, then insulted him on top of that!
>Anon had a job. Had he gotten his cutie mark too?
>...Was Anon friends with Pinkie now?
>She felt moisture build up in her eyes and rubbed it away quickly.
>The approaching voices of Twilight and Anon were saying something downstairs now.
>Trixie looked for an escape.
>The window!
>She pulled aside the curtains and opened the window, peering down.
>The drop wasn’t too bad. It was only the second floor after all.
>She heard Anon’s hoofsteps in the stairway. Then in the hallway. Approaching the door now.
>Knock knock knock.
>Trixie leaped out of the window.
>She landed on the muddy ground without injury, softening her fall with magic, then began frantically looking for a direction to escape.
>”Trixie!”
>She head Anon call her name from above. She didn’t want to look—to face him.
>Thump!
>But that loud sound made her turn her head.
>It was Anon. He had jumped after her, except with no magic to soften the landing.
>Trixie went pale and bolted.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mtJv7xPqiHE
>She felt her mud-caked hooves raking against stony earth as she galopped as fast as she could.
>She still heard the pleas and labored breathing of Anon not far behind her.
>”Where—are—you—going?!”
>She didn’t know, and she didn’t care.
>She just wanted to get away. To hide.
>Water splashed as she cut through a large rain puddle.
>The wind howled in her flattened ears and blew her tangled mane backwards wildly.
>Branches beat against her coat as she ducked and weaved between shadows and trees.
>”...Please—”
>Twigs broke under her hooves.
>The red and orange-tinted fall leaves crinkled and were sent flying as she dashed through them.
>She heard Anon’s voice behind her grow more distant.
>She was getting away.
>Good. That’s what she wanted.
>His voice grew even more distant.
>She wanted that.
>Then, nothing.
>She stopped.
>...Did she want that?
>Slowly, Trixie turned.
>And that’s when she registered where she was.
>The Everfree Forest.


“...Anon?”
>The panic set in quickly.
>Had Anon gotten lost? Or hurt?
>He had no magic to defend himself with, and she had lead him to such a dangerous place!
>If something happened to him, it would be her fault.
>Her stupid fault.
>No no no no no…
“Anon!? ANON WHERE ARE YOU!?”
>She began tracing her steps back, feverishly searching for any sign of Anon.
>The forest was dark and oppressive even during daytime.
>She wasn’t sure she could defend herself well enough if some beast attacked her.
>Could she defend Anon, even?
>”T-Trixie?”
>Trixie heard Anon’s unsure voice ahead call out to her.
“Yes! Trixie is coming!”
>She hurried towards the voice, pushing low hanging branches out of her way.
>Then she saw him.
>Anon was slumped on the ground, covered in mud, with his back leaning against a large, gnarled elm.
>When Trixie got closer she saw how oddly his left leg was bent.
“A-Anon? Did you hurt yourself?”
>He grimaced in pain, then forced on a smile and met Trixie’s eyes.
>”Yeah, damn root tripped me. I’ll be fine, I just need to… to gather myself. It hurts, but it’s probably not broken.
“...Probably? That doesn’t sound good at all! Does it hurt badly?”
>Trixie rushed to Anon’s side, not knowing what to do.

>Anon had hurt himself because of her stupid stunt.
>This is why she didn’t have friends. She didn’t deserve them. She only ended up hurting ponies.
>”It hurts a little, but that’s fine. I’d be more concerned if it didn’t. Hurt is good, sometimes.”
>Trixie gritted her teeth and fought back the tears welling up in her eyes.
>”But I’m glad, Trixie. I needed to talk to you.”
“T-Trixie is sorry…”
>She swallowed that painful lump of emotion in her throat.
>She didn’t know how to feel.
“T-Trixie is—”
>”Look, there’s no need. Don’t apologise, I get it. At least I think I do. Finally.”
>Anon took a deep breath and a strange forlorn smile settled on his lips.
>That smile was so unfamiliar on his face. It made Trixie uneasy.
>What could Anon possibly have to say to her?
>A crimson leaf fell on top of Anon’s beanie as he rested his head against the ancient bark of the tree.
>As Trixie watched him, she noticed how much younger he seemed now.
>The weary look in his eyes was gone, replaced by an attentive calm.
>”...I have something to give you, Trixie.”
“H-huh? Now?”
>Anon nodded and reached into his hoodie pocket, digging around for something.
>He began humming a familiar tune as he did so.

>Trixie went pale when Anon took the envelope from his pocket.
>She recognized it as the envelope she had meant to give to Anon during the act.
>The envelope with the contract.
>A thousand horrible scenarios popped into Trixie’s head instantaneously.
“D-Did—you read…?”
>To Trixie’s horror, Anon nodded.
>”Go on, take it.”
>She shook her head vigorously, now sweating in fear and shame.
“Y-You d-don’t h-have to give it back! It’s okay, j-just burn it or something!
“I-I’m sorry, I know it was really stupid, I should have—I’m pretty awful, huh? Haha…”
>Anon was still holding out the envelope.
“No, really, just throw it away, you don’t have to—to return a piece of trash…”
>Trixie’s lower lip was quivering.
>This was the worst feeling.
>Anon had went out of his way to reject her directly, to make sure there was no delusion on her part.
>It was the honest thing to do. The kind thing.
>Pinkie was sure to be a good friend to Anon, better than she could ever be. Anon was an honest, good pony.
>”Open it, Trixie. Please.”
>She took the envelope.
>”𝒴𝑜𝓊 𝒶𝓃𝒹 𝓂𝑒...”
>Anon began lightly singing as she held the envelope.
>“𝒶𝓁𝓌𝒶𝓎𝓈 𝒻𝑜𝓇𝑒𝓋𝑒𝓇...”


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x7_jYYISAbM
>She recognized the song. It was the one Anon had been listening to when she’d first spoken to him.
>The name ‘Anon’ had been crossed out with a marker and the envelope was now assigned to ‘The Great and Powerful Trixie.’
>”𝒲𝑒 𝒸𝑜𝓊𝓁𝒹 𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓎…”
>Trixie opened the the envelope slowly, then shakily folded the letter open.
>”𝒶𝓁𝑜𝓃𝑒 𝓉𝑜𝑔𝑒𝓉𝒽𝑒𝓇...”

Dear Trixie,

While I appreciate your efforts, your previous contract was laughable and severely lacking in various areas. In the interest of both parties, I’ve devised a new agreement, which I hope you will find satisfactory and desirable.


Agreement for mutual friendship and prosperity:

This agreement is made by and between Anonymous, hereby referred to as ‘Lord Anonymous’, and Trixie Lulamoon, hereby referred to as ‘Shy Dumbass’,

One: Lord Anonymous likes Shy Dumbass, therefore he will treat her with kindness and understanding.

Two: Lord Anonymous will not pity Shy Dumbass. Subsequently, Shy Dumbass will offer the same courtesy to Lord Anonymous.

Three: The two will remain together in times of loneliness, strife and peril. Not out of pity, but compassion and camaraderie.

Four: Shy Dumbass will try her best not to worry about being abandoned, because Lord Anonymous will remain at her side to the heat death of the universe.

Effective duration of agreement: ALWAYS FOREVER.

Sign here if you agree to these friendship terms.

>Below already was Anon’s own signature.
>Trixie trembled and clutched the contract when she’d finished reading.
“...T—Trixie is not shy!”
>That’s all she could muster to say.
>What was this?
>What was this feeling?
>Anon didn’t hate her after all?
>He wanted to be friends with her?
>How could that be?
>She looked at Anon who was still leaning on the tree.
>He was smiling faintly and looking at the ground with hooded eyes.
>”You’ll sign it, right? I wanna be friends, Trixie. I like you.”
>He likes Trixie.
>She felt a tear roll down her cheek. Then another.

>Those words felt so surreal.
>For a moment she thought she was going to hurl. Then she broke down.
>She collapsed where Anon sat, wrapped her hooves around him unthinkingly and bawled, burying her head in his torso.
>The burning tears flooded her eyes in an unbroken, prickling stream of pent up emotion.
>She tried to form sentences but couldn’t, all she could do was sob between ugly whimpers of apology and thanks.
>Trixie felt Anon’s hooves wrap around her. This time she didn’t recoil at them. This time was different.
>She was shaking, her heart was beating as fast as a small bird’s, her tangled mane probably smelled awful, she must have sounded horrid...
>But the hooves around her didn’t pity her. They held fast. They were merciless.
>They were her friend’s hooves.
>She clinged on, gritting her teeth in inexplicable anguish and joy.
>Her—HER friend.
>Anon’s steady, gradual heartbeat sounded against her ear.
>And she listened.
>”...”
>After her sobbing had quieted down Anon gently ruffled her mane with a hoof.
>”...Your horn is hurting my ribs, dumbass.”
>Trixie laughed into Anon’s hoodie.
>She laughed, genuinely.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_pSxcd0uHA
>I WALKED TEN THOUSAND MILES
>TEN THOUSAND MILES TO SEE YOU
>”Trixie really likes this song! Why don’t you play more songs like this?”
“Haha… I don’t know, I guess I don’t have that many happy songs saved. How is the act coming together?”
>”It’ll be great! You’ll be blown away, I swear!”
“Great and powerful?”
>”Hmph! I’ll show you.”
>I laughed at Trixie as she flourished her cape at me.
“Oh I don’t doubt that. I’m handing out invitations at work, Pinkie said it was okay, and even insisted on promoting the big show herself.”
>“R-Really?”
>I nodded as I prodded up the ladders next to the stage and began to attach the brand new purple curtains.
>My leg still hurt a bit, but that was on me, I’d had the cast taken off early.
>I STOLE TEN THOUSAND POUNDS
>TEN THOUSAND POUNDS TO SEE YOU
>As I climbed back down I watched Trixie practice appearing from behind the curtains and bowing.

“I’m sure it’ll be the greatest show ever.”

>Fin.