Empty. That's the word she was looking for. Empty. Twilight felt empty- like there was a hole in her soul and everything that could hold her attention was spilling out of it. Everything important was back where she came- The shrouded path through the Everfree Forest that lead to the little hidden wagon where she had emerged from.

To Twilight's surprise, the portrait in Trixie's cottage lead to a similar looking picture that was hung up precariously inside of Trixie's wagon. There was nothing else inside, but what more could one really need with an entire stocked cottage hidden in a painting? Twilight had to admit it...it was clever. Trixie was clever. She'd give her that much; Trixie was very very clever. And talented! The show she had put on absolutely floored Twilight, and the illusions seemed so real- and then they WERE real!! How? Was it a teleport spell? Slight of hoof? Did she have that coconut float under her hat the ENTIRE time?! And if she did, what tremendous concentration it took to keep her balance, while telling a story AND flooding the audience with illusions! No wonder Trixie came down with Mana Sickness.

Hmm...Mana Sickness...Most cures that were over the counter provided only temporary relief, but Twilight's mother had oft answered the cry for a remedy with lemon juice, some sage, a bowl of rainbow berries, and some vanilla extract with a dash of honey. Twilight, in retrospect didn't quite know how it was supposed to help, but it had always made her feel better. She wondered if it would work for Trixie...

Twilight's defiant gait from Trixie's wagon slowly drew to a crawl and the unicorn slowly came to a stop. What was she thinking?! She was kidnapped and held against her will- Trixie threatened her, claimed she'd be tortured, and trapped her inside of an enchanted painting!!

So why was it harder and harder to walk away from the wagon? Twilight sat down quietly and let her gaze peer down the gloomy trail. Kidnapped, threatened, held prisoner...Which lead to breakfast being served. Massages, studying and rolling around and tickling each other. A fantastic story, cuddling and ...and...

And slowly, Twilight realized one of the most fun weeks, she'd ever had in her entire life was all thanks to Trixie. Trixie...who was the only pony Twilight could think of that had the talent to push Twilight's magical abilities to their limits. The only pony Twilight knew who practiced and studied and learned to obsessive levels- the number of books in her cottage spoke to that. Those moves Trixie used in the duel were no amateur level skills. The blue mage must have spent hours and hours studying and practicing...and the story? That terrific story could only come from honing her craft, practicing magic, every day, over and over and over and over again, repetitive, and mind numbing, but driven by desire to learn. To learn more tricks, more spells, study more magic. Get better, get faster, get smarter...

Slowly, Twilight started to walk again and she began to canter down the path. Push the memory aside. Stop thinking about Trixie. Trixie, who pushed Twilight to think on her hooves and come up with special geometry, algebra, and equations on the fly, trying to put into practice what she'd learned. Trixie, who dazzled Twilight with the most amazing story telling she'd ever heard. Trixie, who trapped Twilight in a fiendish picture and kept her guessing for an entire week.

She was so arrogant and prideful and full of herself, but so intelligent and clever and cunning. No wonder Celestia was impressed with her. Heck, Twilight was impressed with her! That devious little smile she was always flashing Twilight- the one like she knew some secret the rest of the world was begging to hear. That cute little twitch in her lips when she knew she was about to wow a crowd- putting her magic on display and basking in the fruits of her hard earned studying. The way her hips swayed back and forth when she walked- a slow stride that was riddled with attitude and pizzazz.

Twilight slowly came to a halt and flattened her ears against her skull. That was a little weird... Why was she thinking about Trixie's hips? Or any of this, for that matter? Twilight shook her head, trying to clear away the odd thoughts starting to trickle through her mind. The idea of Trixie being anything other than a show pony was preposterous. Trixie probably spent most of her day preparing tricks and running through check lists and making sure everything was in it's proper place for her next show. Twilight giggled to herself, imagining the length of parchment needed to fulfill Trixie's daily needs. Rolls and rolls of the stuff. She probably spent the evening sitting in the flickering firelight, checking and re-checking everything again to make sure her show went just right. Twilight could certainly help with that- cuddled up next to her with a warm cup of tea, the rain splattering coldly outside the cottage, and the scroll of parchment wrapped around the two of them while they checked, double checked and triple checked everything to make sure it was ready for tomorrow. They'd work well into the night, Trixie mentioning new ideas for her show, Twilight offering advanced magical theories that might supplement the procedure...they'd go out into the woods to practice, too excited by the prospects of working on new magic to sleep. Of course it would devolve into a duel, and that would devolve into the two of them collapsing atop each other, watching the stars starting to flicker out, falling asleep in each others arms.

Whoa! WHOA, WHOA, WHOA!!! Where had all THAT come from?! Twilight gave a quiet grumble and continued on, shaking her head. Just because Trixie was the only pony Twilight knew Princess Celestia was interested in, didn't mean they were FRIENDS. And it certainly didn't mean Twilight wanted to spend rainy days working on spell craft and studying with her. It certainly didn't mean Twilight had to keep thinking about that cute, cunning little devious smile she got when she had an idea.

Twilight shook her head again. It had been a long week, that was all. Just a long week trapped in a painting with Trixie. A quiet little cottage where Twilight found she could study in peace- but was far more excited about the prospect of Trixie coming home, and discovering a surprise Twilight left out- or a new spell she'd learned, or the dinner she attempted to cook.

Twilight chuckled quietly to herself. It was silly- but at the same time, there was something peaceful about the notion. Relaxing and fulfilling. Confusing. That was the perfect term for it. Confusing. But that aside, it didn't stop Twilight from pausing to peer when the town of Ponyville came into view. For a moment, Twilight imagined Trixie, who probably throwing a fit that Twilight had snuck out. Paled and sickly, trying to raise the strength to climb out of the wagon and follow her...The idea made her frown. She wasn't used to letting friends down- and she was certain Trixie would be upset that she just left without saying goodbye. No. That was stupid. Trixie had KIDNAPPED her. They weren't friends.

...She did kidnap her.

They weren't friends.

But that's changed, hasn't it? She kidnapped you, but you're the one who came up with the plan to turn her into your friend. And it worked, didn't it? It worked so well that now you feel rotten for leaving her the way you did, because not only did you become her friend, but now she's YOUR friend too, isn't she? The story, the food, the duels, and the studying? She's an incredible friend, and friendship is magic, and it's a magic so powerful you had no idea what you were tampering with. And now you've left her- cold, and suffering and sick- left alone to wake up to realize her brand new friend- the one that shared so many memories with her- was long gone without even a note to say goodbye. Twilight Sparkle, after all your years in ponyville, with Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, Derpy, Fluttershy, and Rainbow Dash...haven't you learned anything about friendship?

Twilight felt her stomach churn at the thoughts tumbling around in her head. What in Equestria was she thinking...WHAT WAS SHE THINKING?!

She couldn't just leave Trixie like that!

No, she shouldn't leave Trixie like that!

NO! She WOULDN'T leave Trixie like that! She would NEVER leave one of her friends like that! From stop, to walk, to run, Twilight shot forwards down the path to Ponyville, leaving the little wagon and the Everfree forest in her wake. Oh, she was going back to Trixie's alright; but first she needed to find some lemon juice, some sage, a bowl of rainbow berries, some vanilla extract and a dash of honey...

Author's Note

Here's the extra Chapter I promised! I think it gives a little bit of perspective...Oh, yes, Twilight's a nerd and dorky, and her bookish demeanor miiiiight have blinded her to what was right in front of her this entire time...