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Organised by
RogerDodger
Word limit
400–750
Absent and Flawed
Trixie strained against the weight of her wagon, but despite her great and powerful efforts, it refused to budge. With a sigh, she relented and unhitched herself from the harness.
“Why is there never a decent lackey around when you need one?” Trixie said to nopony. At times like these, it was often better to wait for the wagon to be in a more cooperative mood than to try forcing it to move. Trixie took a seat on the ground and glared at the immovable object that was her wagon.
“I would hope that at least you would be on my side,” Trixie said flatly. After everything they’d been through together, her wagon had proven to be her most reliable companion, and now even it was giving her a hard time.
“I don’t have to put up with this, you know,” Trixie reminded her stubborn wagon. “I could be anything I want to be.”
Her wagon, unsurprisingly, remained silent.
“Oh, you think I’m bluffing, do you?” Trixie narrowed her eyes. “Need I remind you that I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, am a unicorn of such caliber that I was accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?” Trixie stood and struck a heroic pose. “They don’t let just anypony in, you know.”
Her wagon patiently waited for her to continue.
“I’ve never told you about my time in Celestia’s School, have I?” Trixie pondered this for a moment. “Well, you never asked.”
Her wagon didn’t ask this time, either.
“Oh, fine,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes. “Since you insist.” Trixie took a seat once more and cleared her throat.
“Picture, if you will, a vibrant little filly brimming with potential and ready to take on the world!”
Her wagon held back its snide remarks.
“Now, the whole school had heard what this little filly was capable of from her entrance exam. Everypony knew that she was destined to be great and powerful! Everypony, including herself.” Trixie took a moment to polish her hoof against her chest. “What could a simple school such as this one have to offer such a prodigy? Well, nothing, of course, but she would never deny her teachers and classmates the opportunity to bask her brilliance.”
Her wagon kept its opinions to itself.
“And so the intrepid little filly would attend her classes. She—stop interrupting—she attended her classes and was surprised by how capable her teachers actually were. A few of them even managed to teach her something she didn’t already know about magic, if you can believe that.”
Her wagon stayed perfectly still.
“Oh, ha-ha,” Trixie said indignantly. “You’re so funny. Yes, there were a few passable teachers there, but it was all the other teachers that proved to be the problem. They were jealous of the little filly’s abilities. They were threatened by how great and powerful she was. It’s the only explanation for what they did.”
Her wagon was quiet with what could only be anticipation.
“Oh, I’ll tell you what they did. They maliciously started giving her poor marks in class!” Trixie took a moment to let her words take effect. “Unjustly, I might add. And before she could do anything about it, those wicked teachers would move on to a new topic as if that terrible injustice never happened. Even somepony as great and powerful as she was would start to feel buried beneath all of that mistreatment. And no matter how much I—she pleaded her teachers for another chance or implored her fellow students to help her, everypony spurned her.”
Her wagon gave her its undivided attention.
“And-and why should she grace them with her presence if that’s how they would treat her, huh?” Trixie looked to her wagon. “Why even attend those stupid classes if all that was there was disappointment and loathing? Who needs them, anyway?! I was better off without that stupid school. I learned more the first day I left than I ever did in there!” Trixie’s chest was heaving, she was breathing so hard.
Her wagon patiently waited for her to calm down.
Trixie scoffed. “I bet you think you’re so smart. I told you, I can be anything I want to be.” Trixie flipped her mane and got into the harness. “And today, I want to be a great and powerful magician.” She gave it forceful tug as she stepped forward.
Her wagon moved.
“Why is there never a decent lackey around when you need one?” Trixie said to nopony. At times like these, it was often better to wait for the wagon to be in a more cooperative mood than to try forcing it to move. Trixie took a seat on the ground and glared at the immovable object that was her wagon.
“I would hope that at least you would be on my side,” Trixie said flatly. After everything they’d been through together, her wagon had proven to be her most reliable companion, and now even it was giving her a hard time.
“I don’t have to put up with this, you know,” Trixie reminded her stubborn wagon. “I could be anything I want to be.”
Her wagon, unsurprisingly, remained silent.
“Oh, you think I’m bluffing, do you?” Trixie narrowed her eyes. “Need I remind you that I, the Great and Powerful Trixie, am a unicorn of such caliber that I was accepted into Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns?” Trixie stood and struck a heroic pose. “They don’t let just anypony in, you know.”
Her wagon patiently waited for her to continue.
“I’ve never told you about my time in Celestia’s School, have I?” Trixie pondered this for a moment. “Well, you never asked.”
Her wagon didn’t ask this time, either.
“Oh, fine,” Trixie said with a roll of her eyes. “Since you insist.” Trixie took a seat once more and cleared her throat.
“Picture, if you will, a vibrant little filly brimming with potential and ready to take on the world!”
Her wagon held back its snide remarks.
“Now, the whole school had heard what this little filly was capable of from her entrance exam. Everypony knew that she was destined to be great and powerful! Everypony, including herself.” Trixie took a moment to polish her hoof against her chest. “What could a simple school such as this one have to offer such a prodigy? Well, nothing, of course, but she would never deny her teachers and classmates the opportunity to bask her brilliance.”
Her wagon kept its opinions to itself.
“And so the intrepid little filly would attend her classes. She—stop interrupting—she attended her classes and was surprised by how capable her teachers actually were. A few of them even managed to teach her something she didn’t already know about magic, if you can believe that.”
Her wagon stayed perfectly still.
“Oh, ha-ha,” Trixie said indignantly. “You’re so funny. Yes, there were a few passable teachers there, but it was all the other teachers that proved to be the problem. They were jealous of the little filly’s abilities. They were threatened by how great and powerful she was. It’s the only explanation for what they did.”
Her wagon was quiet with what could only be anticipation.
“Oh, I’ll tell you what they did. They maliciously started giving her poor marks in class!” Trixie took a moment to let her words take effect. “Unjustly, I might add. And before she could do anything about it, those wicked teachers would move on to a new topic as if that terrible injustice never happened. Even somepony as great and powerful as she was would start to feel buried beneath all of that mistreatment. And no matter how much I—she pleaded her teachers for another chance or implored her fellow students to help her, everypony spurned her.”
Her wagon gave her its undivided attention.
“And-and why should she grace them with her presence if that’s how they would treat her, huh?” Trixie looked to her wagon. “Why even attend those stupid classes if all that was there was disappointment and loathing? Who needs them, anyway?! I was better off without that stupid school. I learned more the first day I left than I ever did in there!” Trixie’s chest was heaving, she was breathing so hard.
Her wagon patiently waited for her to calm down.
Trixie scoffed. “I bet you think you’re so smart. I told you, I can be anything I want to be.” Trixie flipped her mane and got into the harness. “And today, I want to be a great and powerful magician.” She gave it forceful tug as she stepped forward.
Her wagon moved.