Author's Notes:

Greetings my dedicated readers and writers alike!

Today I bring you a revised version of chapter 1! Feel free to reread at your leisure. Enjoy!

During Twilight's Performance for the Saddle Arabian Delegation, Trixie sat at a nice mahogany desk in the mayor's office at Ponyville Town Hall late that night. She held onto the spare key despite returning most of them to Twilight after being saved from the Alicorn Amulet.The desk she sat by was a simple, four-sided desk with two drawers to the left. On top lay a small pile of papers sitting off to the side, an inkwell and quill, and various nick-knacks along with a photo of the mayor and another mare with a young filly sitting in front of them. After Trixie's second humiliation at the hooves of Twilight Sparkle, she came back here to her "Domain" to consider what she'd done.

Here in this office she ruled Ponyville with an iron hoof. Everypony had respected her, out of fear yes, but it was respect nonetheless. She loved every moment of it. Even though she was under the Alicorn Amulets influence she felt good putting all the hecklers from before in their place.

The town hall was completely abandoned. Everypony was watching Twilight's performance for the Royal Delegation so the majority of the town was there as well. After Trixie made her small addition to the show, she retreated back to the office to decide what to do next. I was so close too. I had it all and now, once again, I have nothing. She thought to herself, spinning in the large seat. As she spun the world became a blur of colors around her, hues and shapes molded together like an abstract painting. She continued to spin in place considering her options.

"Trixie could go back to the rock farm and work for the Pies again. Though, they might not like me coming back after Trixie up and ran off like she did." she said, tapping the chair thoughtfully, using her legs to continue spinning herself.

"Trixie, could go back on the road again."

She then stopped looking out the office window behind the desk. She could see the performance from there as it came to an end. Twilight hugged her mentor, Princess Celestia, and the two began to talk with the Arabian delegates.

"But who will give her a chance after this mess hits the papers?" Trixie asked bitterly.

She frowned looking out at Twilight nuzzle her mentor lovingly. It was almost like a mother and child greeting one another after a well deserved performance. She frowned thinking back on her family and how it all fell apart. She smashed the surface of the desk and turned when she noticed a newspaper in the front desk drawer. "Speaking of papers," she pulled the drawer open using her magic to remove the newspaper from the desk reading, "The Foal Free Press. Hmm."

She scanned over the articles coming across a particular article regarding the Mayor of Ponyville.

"Mayor's mane not naturally grey," she read. "The Mayor of Ponyville's mane not actually grey! The mayor in a mane dyeing scandal! Huh, Trixie never would have guessed." She took the time to read the article before placing the paper back in the drawer. As she closed the drawer a voice broke the silence starling her.

"What are you doing here?" The voice asked making her fall out of the chair. Recomposing herself, Trixie stood using the desk to heave herself up to see who called out to her. It was the Mayor of Ponyville. She scowled at Trixie slowly working her way over to the side of the desk slamming it shut.

"I asked you a question. What are you doing in my office?" her voice full of anger as she pressed a hoof on the chair effectively pinning Trixie with it.

Trixie was frightened, she hadn't expected to encounter anypony here while the Saddle Arabian delegation was here. Her mouth opened several times but no words came out. It was as if something was choking her, forcing her to hold back every word she wished to speak, every feeling she wished to convey.

She cried, shaking in the seat waiting for the earth pony to strike her, only to feel gentle touch on her shoulders. She flinched not expecting the subtle contact. She opened her eyes expecting to see the mares fury filled eyes but instead was met with a calm composed, perhaps merciful face.

"Don't worry," she said helping Trixie up, "I won't hurt you." She left the office in order to retrieve a second chair. She pulled it up to the side of her desk and let Trixie sit in it. "Now tell me, what are you doing in my office?" Her voice was calmer as she placed her hooves together on the desk, giving her guest her undivided attention.

"Trixie was just considering her options now that she's once again homeless, with not a bit to her name. Her reputation is ruined, no home, no family-- Trixie has friends at a rock farm she can go back to, but..." She paused, thinking about the Pie family, Igneous, Cloudy Quartz, Marble, Limestone, and Maud Pie. Such a strange family. So emotionally diverse one could probably write a book on each of them.

Yet despite all their oddities Trixie considered them friends and hoped that if she were to ever return, that they'd accept her apology and take her back. Her thoughts were interrupted by a rapid tapping noise as the Mayor tapped her hoof on the desk getting her attention. "Miss Trixie?"

Shaking her head, Trixie sat up straightening her posture much like a Royal Guard would, sitting at attention. "Huh? Trixie is fine! She was- I was just thinking about my only friends in the world and..." She hung her head low in shame, "How I abandoned them when they needed me most."

The Mayor sat, watching as the unicorn fidgeted in her seat, rubbing her hooves together.

"Trixie was suppose to help them with the Annual Gem Harvest Festival in about two months but Trixie left to seek revenge against Twilight Sparkle and Ponyville, as well as Gabby Gums." She spoke the latter name with absolute malice.

The Mayor winced at the mention of the name gabby Gums thinking back to the three fillies responsible for so much anguish and hardship that took on the Pen name for the Foal Free Press. "Miss Trixie, I feel-"

"Trixie."

"Beg pardon?"

"Trixie Lulamoon. You don't have to call Trixie "Miss" or anything like that just Trixie is fine." she looked out the window dejectedly. "It's more than she deserves."

"Well, in that case I guess introductions are in order. I'm Mary Goldmane, Mayor of Ponyville. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance Miss Lulamoon." She smiled cheerfully, extending a hoof to Trixie.

The unicorn stared disbelievingly at the Mayor, cocking an eyebrow at her with a look that seemed to say "Are you serious?" Overcoming her shock at the mare's rather ironic name, she took the hoof with her own, shaking it.

Giving out an exasperated sigh, Mary took her hoof back rubbing the temples. "Yeah, I get that a lot now, especially since Gabby Gums made that article about me and my mane... And you are worth it. Nopony is beneath another pony, not while I'm Mayor of this town." She then posed in her seat. She placed a hoof across her chest and holding her nose high with pride. Trixie giggled at her causing a scarlet blush to spread along her cheeks as her pose deflated.

Mary reached under the desk to, opening a hidden compartment to reveal a built-in fridge. She opened it, pulling out a bottle of apple cider placing it on the desk along with two mugs, condensation developing immediately on the cool material. Opening the cider filled the air with a strong smell of apples and the underlying scent of alcohol. After it had a second to breath, she poured some of the rich, amber liquid into both before handing one to Trixie. "Thirsty?"

"Yes. Thank you Mayor." Trixie said taking the mug.

"Please, call me Mary," she said, taking a sip of her cider. "If you must, you may call me Miss Goldmane." Once the words left her mouth, she took a huge gulp of the cider.

"Very well, Miss Goldmane," Trixie said, taking a few smaller sips from her mug. The strong taste of the apples delighted her while the alcohol seemed to burn her throat as it went down, leaving her feeling warm inside. She noted Mary was filling her mug a second time before she returned to the previous topic. "Anyway, what were you about to say to Trixie a moment ago?"

"Hmm?" Mary stopped holding her mug in her mouth thinking before it dawned on her she never finished talking. Placing the mug down she continued from where she left off. "OK, well ahem. As I was saying, I feel your pain with what Gabby Gums did I really do."

She pulled out an article titled The Great and Powerful Trixie Secrets Revealed! It was a small article but it was very offensive to both Trixie and Mary. Trixie was red with embarrassment and anger as she glared at the offensive article. Mary opened it and began to read: "The Great and Powerful Trixie or Trixie Lulamoon was found recently in the arms of Igneous Rock head of the Pie family Rock Farm while his wife was off with their daughters in town for a gemstone trade show. The two were hidden from sight behind a pile of rocks in the barn house in the evening sweating and panting suggesting that their work relationship is far more than an employer and employee."

She didn't read on because what came after was mostly rubbish anyway. Placing the paper on the desk, she looked over to Trixie trying, gauging her reaction. Unsurprisingly, she was furious, breathing heavily, her face red as a tomato. What she said in response, however, was not what Mary had been expecting.

"Trixie will end Gabby Gums for her lies and slander to the Pie family!" she exclaimed, startling her companion. "It was all lies! GABBY GUMS LIES!" She emphasized her statement by slamming her hoof down on the desk. "Igneous saved Trixie from a rockslide! We did nothing inappropriate! He's the most family-oriented, honest, not to mention LOYAL pony Trixie has ever known! He would never be with any mare but his wife! Trixie swears if she ever catches this GABBY GUMS she will end her!"

She roared, using her hoof to smash the bottle of cider from the desk, nearly crushing it. Mary reared back, ears folding flat against her skull, surprised by the aggressive motions and the passion her guest was displaying. Trixie had never shown concern for any pony but herself during her previous visits to Ponyville, so the sudden change had caught her off guard.

Mary sat, unmoving as her visitor calmed herself down for the next couple two minutes, noting the way she had injured her hoof during her outburst. Once Trixie seemed to have her emotions under control, she nudged her chair over to sit in front of the azure unicorn, looking her in the eye.

Trixie didn't look up. Instead she shied away from the mare only to feel her hoof being grabbed gently. "Listen Miss Lulamoon, I know he wouldn't do that. Igneous and I go way back we do." She said, rubbing Trixie's swollen hoof. Turning in her chair, she reached for the fridge, getting a small lunch cooler and placing it on the hurt hoof.

"When I first heard about it I was enraged too." Mary then took the pack rubbing it against Trixie's wrist. The cold sensation did wonders making the blue mare calm herself.

"My biggest fear was that this, slander, would reach the farthest reaches of Equestria and ruin the Pie Families reputation. So, I ordered the story to be covered up with another article about the Cake's breaking up. This only added to the fire, unfortunately."

The tan mare took the ice pack and placed it back into the small fridge under her desk.

"It was bad, but we managed to keep it within Ponyville or so we thought. If you knew about it then obviously somepony let it slip. This was the biggest cover up I had to do in my entire career. All for my good friend." she patted Trixie's hoof gently with her hoof.

"Thank you." Trixie said taking hold of the pack and Mary's hoof with her other hoof.

Mary blushed at the contact, taking her hoof back. "Think nothing of it Miss Lulamoon," she said taking few swigs from her cider. Once finished she placed the mug down and looked outside the window as ponies began to head home. Their homes lit up as they entered their cozy beds and then the lights dimmed to black as the y fell asleep. A few began their days in the night so their homes remained lit as time went on. Mary looked over to Trixie who was looking sadly at her mug wondering what she was going to do.

"No I mean thank you for what you did for Igneous. It must have been hard to hear such lies. But to see his family torn apar- wait, does that mean his daughter, Pinkie Pie knows?"

Mary looked worried about this. "No, we never told her. Once word got out everypony did their best to cover it up as quietly as possible. To do so we made up an article about the Cake family getting a divorce to cover it up with new articles so it would be forgotten. It worked too, barely."

"How so?" Trixie asked.

Mary waved a hoof at this standing up from her seat. "Nothing, that chapter is in the past. Let it remain there. Please," she pleaded placing her head against the window.

"Don't worry, Trixie won't tell a soul about this."

"Thank you Trixie," she said softly. Trixie sat waiting for her. "So what are you going to do Miss Lulamoon?" When no response came, she took a step toward the window, placing an arm on Trixie's dim reflection. Through the glass she could see Twilight and her friends walking together, assumable to celebrating the successful show. Watching her reflection in the window, she spoke to Trixie, "While on the subject of Gabby Gums, I want you to know the children involved have been rightfully punished and the subject is closed. I want you to take no actions against them."

The blue unicorn frowned. She didn't realize Mary was watching her and felt like a grave injustice was being committed by not going after Gabby Gums. At the same time, what could she do to a bunch of children? Sighing in defeat she agreed to take no action against gabby Gums, whoever she/they were. After a brief silence, Mary turned to face Trixie.

"Are you going back to the Pie family farm?" She asked, taking her seat behind the desk.

"Before Trixie answers that, answer her this. How do you know them?" the unicorn asked suddenly. "You said, 'you knew them.'"

The mare took a moment to compose herself from the sudden interrogation but smiled at the memories she had of them. She often thought of the Pies as part of an extended family, even though she had none herself.

"Igneous and I grew up together at the nearby town, Rockyshore. We went to school there until I moved to Canterlot to begin my studies in Political Science." Mary turned, sitting back in the chair while facing Trixie. She crossed her legs, leaning on her left arm and resting her cheek against her hoof. She licked her dry lips, the remnants of her cider lingered, giving her a relaxing taste of apples and hard liquor.

"I knew him very well. I almost married him." She laughed at the memory, but her expression soon shifted to melancholy. "But then he met Cloudy Quartz and, well, that was that."

Trixie was sad to hear of such a thing. Seeing the mayor sad made her feel uneasy. "Trixie's sorry to hear that." She glanced at the photo on the table but said nothing not wanting to upset her even more. Mary caught her glancing at the photo and picked it up before she could voice her protest.

"Ah, I see you met my ex and her daughter. I know how a secret or a little lie can change the lives of ponies so easily, for better or worse." She ran her hoof across the frame placing it back on the desk. "So, I understand your frustration which brings me to my point. I want to offer you a job here in Ponyville as my assistant/secretary."

Trixie was taken back by this. She wants to offer me a job? Me? Trixie? She thought amazed. She never would have thought anypony would want her around after the week long exile and enslavement of Ponyville. Much less Mary after she left her in that cage for the week. "Why? Why would you want Trixie after everything that's happened? Why do you trust me?" she asked skeptically.

Mary got a set of paperwork out, placing it on the desk next to them. It was a dusty job application for the office. Trixie looked it over, wiping it with her hoof to remove the layer of grime. "I'm glad to see you don't take this at face value Miss Lulamoon. I've been meaning to hire an assistant for sometime now. You can start over here, in Ponyville, and I'll help you. As punishment for your crimes, a week's community service and a formal apology to the citizens of Ponyville should suffice. You may decline the offer and return home, but I urge you not to run away again. Stay." She reached over placing both hooves on Trixie's, rubbing them tenderly.

"Show the ponies here that you have changed. Show them that you aren't a horrible pony. Prove to them you can make something of yourself. It'll be hard but I feel you'll find Ponyville to be quite the forgiving community," she said, releasing Trixie's hooves and grabbing a quill with her hoof, holding out for Trixie.

Trixie thought about her options. Her life on the Pie rock farm was good, they treated her well and fairly unlike the rest of Equestria. She didn't want to remain there forever though. She wanted to travel and perform again, but she couldn't do that with her reputation the way it was now. Staying in Ponyville with the Elements of Harmony might go a long way for her reputation. If she could get on their good side.

Deciding that it was better to take the Mayor up on her offer, Trixie took the quill and filled out the application. Once finished she gave the papers to Mary who looked over them carefully, smiling in satisfaction before she filed them away. "I think you made the right decision today Miss Lulamoon. I'll help you out as well. Stay at my place tonight and in the morning I'll send word to Twilight Sparkle to see if we can make an arrangement for a temporary residence."

The unicorn furrowed her brow at the thought of having to see the unicorn again so soon. She'd hoped they wouldn't meet again for sometime.

The mayor stood up reaching under her collar to reveal a chain set of keys. She then began locking up all of her drawers, file cabinets, and her fridge, which was first to be locked up.

Trixie got up to help but Mary pushed her gently back in to the seat. "It's OK, I got this. I may be an old horse but I still got many years left in me yet!" she said with much vigor swaying her hips as she went about her office. Trixie watched her as she went from her desk to her cabinets standing on her hind legs to reach the top lock with a key in her mouth. It took her a few tries but she eventually locked it. She giggled to herself watching her fumble with the lock and key.

The tan earth pony tried many times to lock the drawer with the key in her mouth but found it difficult to see in the darkness. Even with her glasses she had a hard time seeing.

"Har har, laugh it up while you can young lady," she said in a serious tone. "You start work tomorrow."

"Yes ma'am!" Trixie giggled as she followed the Mayor out of the office to a desk at the front of the hall.

Mary pulled out a set of keys and a dusty notebook, handing them over to Trixie. The azure unicorn inspected the book, wiping the dust off it before began to read it.

"That is policy and procedure for you, Miss Lulamoon. I expect you to know and follow it by the end of the week, got that?" Mary asked her. Trixie simply nodded, confirming she had heard and understood. "Good, now we best be off! We have a long day tomorrow."

The two ponies walked to Mary's home and, after getting Trixie settled in, they promptly went to sleep, ready to take on the challenges of tomorrow.