A Fallen Star

Chapters

Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7

Chapter 1

"Those infuriating, idiotic ponies. They ruined Trixie." Trixie thought to herself as she continued running down the lonely night trail. She was fuming. Never before has an unsophisticated country pony angered her so.

She slowly came to a stop, looking at her hooves as she panted. Her glorious blue coat had been sullied by the dirt kicked up during her running. Still breathing hard, she turned around to see if that despicable town was still in sight. Luckily, there was no trace of any lights as far as Trixie could see. "Trixie is glad to be away from those foolish ponies." she said aloud, to no one.

As she returned to walking the opposite direction, she saw a large forest on the horizon. Slowly, she noticed that her hat and cape had been left in the rubble of her caravan, causing her to feel a hint of sadness instead of anger. Her head lowered as she walked, her bright white mane dropping into her face. Gradually, as her adrenaline wore off, her anger began inverting to sorrow. The blue pony had probably only walked a single mile before her sadness was so noticeable, that she could no longer walk. Trixie started shaking and tears fell from her face, splashing to the ground. She could not hold herself up anymore, and plowed her face to the ground,covering it with her arms.

She sniffled and sobbed unlike she ever had before. Tears ran from her eyes. The sudden realization that she had lost not only her credibility, but her house, her treasured hat and cape, and her life. Trixie had kept telling herself it was the fault of those idiotic children, or, more specifically, that wretched purple mare. "Who does she think she is, upstaging the Great and Powerful Trixie?" she yelled through her sobs.

Trixie cried until there was nothing left. By the time the last of her tears dried, she had eased her breathing and fallen asleep in the middle of the road...

The Great and Powerful Trixie found herself walking out to a grand stage, hat and cloak adorned, ready to perform for these impatient, yet overzealous fans. Their cheers filled Trixie's ears, and she was mightily pleased at the sweet sound. As she passed the curtains, a great spotlight shone upon her glorious body.

She reached center stage, and faced the audience. Lighting her horn with magic, the blue unicorn lifted her purple hat from her head, revealing her long, white mane. She began to fire sparks and explosions into the air, creating a grand light show, causing the entire audience to fall silent.

Her fireworks created red and green spirals, yellow and purple stars, and a shower of sparks every color of the rainbow. She began making shapes with the lights, such as ponies, dragons, and even a swarm of parasprites. The audience oohed and awed at her display, and began clapping again.

Just as The Great and Powerful Trixie went to bow, a great rumbling shook the ground. Everyone became panicked as a great, blue Ursa Minor appeared from the right side of the stage. Trixie became terrified as the beast approached her.

The moment before the Ursa smashed Trixie with its paw, a lavender light surrounded it, and carried the giant bear off of the stage. As Trixie regained herself, she noticed a familiar lavender pony on center stage, bowing and basking in the glory of the crowd's renewed cheers.

Trixie sat mouth agape, and worried, just as a large fruit struck her across her side, smearing a red stain over her fabulous cloak. She flinched and darted her eyes to the audience.

"You're a fake! You cant do anything special!" one pony from the crowd called out. The rest of the crowd began to agree and turn on her. Trixie soon found herself in a rain of fruit and other foods, as she ran off the stage.

She ran behind the curtain, but not before catching a glance of that purple pony, smugly smiling at her. Trixie ran, crying, and she plowed through the rear exit door...

Trixie awoke suddenly, tears staining her pillow. Her nightmare was one of the worst she had ever had. She cursed to the pony in her dream, and rolled over, pulling the blanket tighter around her.

Wait, blanket? Pillow? Trixie jolted awake, throwing the unfamiliar comforters off of her, and sitting up in the bed. Her eyes darted around the room, warily looking for signs of the owner of this house. She appeared to be in a house that resembled a giant tree. No, it was a giant tree. "What's going on?" The blue unicorn muttered to herself.

Very cautiously, Trixie got out of the bed, and approached the open door on the other side of the room, walking softly so her hooves made no noise. As she nudged the large wooden door open, the unicorn noticed the smell of food cooking. Warily, she walked into the hallway, which was on the second story, and followed it to the stairs. "Who would bring Trixie to their house after last night?" She spoke very shamefully. Trixie's eyes fell to the ground, and she somberly walked down the stairs, hoping that she wouldn't regret meeting her generous host.

Trixie noticed a multitude of little houses and contraptions that seemed fit for little animals, but there were no animals. When she reached the bottom step, Trixie noticed the commotion in the kitchen, as well as the soft singing coming from there.

The blue unicorn poked her head around the corner, overlooking a yellow Pegasus with a pink tail and mane, and surrounding her were a variety of birds and rodents, carrying different cooking ingredients. Trixie stared, unbelieving, as the yellow pegasus seemed to coordinate the creatures with a soft voice. When she wasn't giving instructions, she returned to singing a beautiful tune.

The creatures carried eggs, others broke the eggs and started cooking them over a hot stove fire. The rabbits were putting stacks of pancakes upon the table, and setting the table as well. Trixie slowly entered, causing the creatures to become startled and dart away.

The yellow Pegasus dash in different directions, trying to calm them down. "Oh no! Please! Settle down everyone!" Her attention turned to the unicorn just outside the kitchen. She gasped, then calmed to a smile. "Oh good. I'm glad to see you awake." The Pegasus walked over to Trixie slowly, with a warm, welcoming aura.

The unicorn took a step back and grew uneasy. "T-Trixie thanks you for your hospitality. But it was unnecessary."

Her host just smiled again. "Oh no, I couldn't just leave you out there in the cold. I was just taking a stroll, when some of my owl friends told me they saw a pony sleeping in the road. So I flew to where you were and brought you here."

Trixie gave a confused look. "But how did you manage to carry Trixie, from the middle of nowhere?"

The Pegasus shook her head lightly. "You were actually very close to my house, near the Everfree Forest. I just asked a friend of mine, he's a bear. He was kind enough to carry you here."

Trixie looked at the ground, slightly shocked. She had been carried by a bear? That's a tale to tell.

"My name is Fluttershy." said her host at last, keeping her soft, warm smile. "I remember seeing you in town earlier yesterday, and I was surprised to find you out in the fields. Weren't you staying in a caravan?" her expression turned to one of concern,

When Fluttershy asked this, Trixie felt a huge surge of fear and anger towards the pegasus. She glared and instinctively raised her voice. "Trixie's problems are of no concern to you!"

Fluttershy nearly jumped at the sudden mood swing, and lowered her head, and looked to the ground. "I'm sorry. I was just trying to help."

"The Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't need your pity." The blue unicorn stated very confidently, then turned from Fluttershy. She didn't expect to be rude to a host, but Trixie didn't need others to know her problems.

Fluttershy shook her head. "But if something's wrong, I can help. There's nothing wrong with accepting help."

Trixie just walked away from the kitchen, and slowly walked outside. The bright morning sun beamed on her as she walked out, sending a nice warmth over her blue coat. Trixie walked to a small bridge and sat in the center. In the distance, through some trees, she could make out Ponyville. Behind her, and the house, was the dark, thick Everfree Forest. "If Trixie had to choose, Trixie thinks she would prefer the forest to Ponyville." she said aloud to no one.

Slowly, she felt her legs weaken, as the memories from last night brought her to lay down, head hanging over the bridge. She stared into her reflection in the small creek. In her head, she saw herself, standing proudly, cape and hat adorned. Trixie stared at the image before it was distorted by the ripples of small drops.

It took her a few moments to recognize that these drops were her tears. And upon realizing this, she broke down once again. Trixie was a proud unicorn. And having been humiliated in such a way, her entire being was unstable. She had so many thoughts running through her head, doubting herself. Is this the end? Am i no longer the Great and Powerful Trixie?

Trixie had lost track of time, and didn't know how long she had cried. She also never figured out how or when Fluttershy had wrapped her leg around Trixie, and laid beside her without her noticing. When Trixie could function again, Fluttershy led her back to the house.

The yellow Pegasus let Trixie eat breakfast by herself, to give her the space she needed. Afterwards, Trixie retreated back to the room she had awoken from. She knew it was rude to act like it's your house when you're a guest, but Fluttershy had reassured her many times that it was no trouble. Who was this pony? Trixie thought no one would ever be this kind to any other pony, but here she was, laying in another pony's guest bed.

After a few minutes, Fluttershy knocked on the bedroom door and walked in. Trixie didn't look up at her, not to be rude, but it was simply because she knew it was her. The Pegasus' soft voice soon followed her entering. "Trixie? I'm going to head out for a bit. I have a few plans today with my friends, so i, well, have to leave." her voice became somewhat shaky, as if she was asking permission. After a long pause of silence, she continued. "So, i'll be gone for most of the day, but you're welcome to stay as long as you want. I can tell you probably don't want to go out anytime soon, so i thought i would warn you...okay?" That last word was nearly a whisper.

Trixie didn't move or respond for a while. And just when Fluttershy turned to leave, Trixie mumbled. "Alright..." and that was all that was heard from the blue unicorn. But that was enough for Fluttershy, who happily smiled and flew out the door, softly closing it behind her.

It was silent for a while, and Trixie was certain Fluttershy had left by now. She quietly pulled out of bed, and walked up to the window. Outside, there were hummingbirds humming and bees buzzing and all sorts of other flying creatures in the branches of the giant tree. Trixie looked down and across the lawn, where dozens of other types of animals that would normally never be near each other scurried around and played together. It was if this pony was so nice, that animals became more gentle and friendly around each just by spending time with her.

Upon realizing how much Fluttershy was admired by the animals, Trixie found herelf being reminded that she wont be admired by the citizens of Ponyville anytime soon. She slowly trotted back towards the bed, before she realized that this wasnt her house, this wasn't her caravan, where she could just sleep her problems away...becoming a moocher is not what she had in mind. The unicorn decided to go downstairs.

The house seemed eerily quiet, with no animals or ponies in the building. She quietly trotted down the stairs again, and saw that the mess that was the kitchen looked as if it hadnt even been touched today. Looking around one last time, she used her magic to grab a quill and parchment. As she began writing a note, her eyes lowered in sadness. It may or not have been wrong, what she was about to do, but Trixie was completely determined. She finished up quickly, and tucked the note in an obvious spot on the table, for Fluttershy to read. Trixie smiled just a tad as she walked out of the house, remembering how nice the pegasus had been to her.

"Trixie! I've come baack!" Fluttershy said excitedly as she flew into the house, holding something behind her back. It was nearly sunset by now, but she seemed to not even notice, with the gift she'd got for Trixie. She looked left and right, making her pink mane bob as it followed her. "Hmm, she can't possibly still be in her room, now could she?" she said aloud. Starting to grow worried, she flew up to the bedroom. She politely knocked, seeing as it was rude to disturb somepony, even if they were in your own room. After 3 seconds of no reply, she opened the door slowly. The Pegasus gasped as she saw the bed empty, and the sheets were even tucked in. Fluttershy scurried back downstairs and rushed to Angel Bunny, who had followed her inside. "Angel!" She yelled, softly, to her companion. "It's just awful, Trixie's gone missing!"

Fluttershy began circling the room, while Angel hopped onto the table. He noticed a rolled up parchment, which he unraveled and began reading. Meanwhile, overhead, his Pegasus friend continued ranting. "...or been kidnapped! What if that Ursa came back for revenge and-" she was interrupted by a soft thump from a cork being thrown against her flank. She turned to see Angel thumping his foot on the table.

She flew close to him, pressing her face to his. "Angel, now's not the time for food! We need to find Trixie!" Fluttershy said urgently, but not rudely. Angel placed a paw on her nose, and pushed it downwards to face the note on the table. It took her a few seconds to realize what was written on it.

"Dear Flutter Shy," She read aloud, "I must apologize for leaving without warning, but it's simply against my nature to allow somepony to take pity on me. There is something i have to do, and it is most likely that i will not return. Again, your kindness was appreciated, but unnecessary. Thank you. ~Trixie" Fluttershy gasped. "Oh no..." She stopped flying and landed, lowering her head. "I was just doing what i thought was right. I didn't know i offended you Trixie." Looking up, she felt saddened. "I'm sorry." She didn't know of the events of last night until her friend Twilight had explained it to her. Fluttershy hoped that by bringing Trixie a gift, it would make her feel better about herself. Her mind began to race, thinking of where she could have gone, or what she would do now. She lifted her hooves and placed a balled up fabric on the table. It was a dark blue with multicolored stars decorated on it. Fluttershy them placed a matching hat next to it, then slowly walked outside, leaving Trixie's hat and cape inside...

Chapter 2

The day was bright and sunny in Ponyville. There was no rains scheduled for a while, so everypony was getting their fill of the Summer sun and breeze. Fillies and colts ran around, playing their games together, while the older ponies were shopping or chatting with each other.

There was one Pegasus who was making her way to the town library. She stayed to the side of the dirt road, not wanting to be in the way of the others who were walking along. Her pace was slow, and her long, pink mane covered her face for the most part. She made sure she could see directly in front of her, and her destination, a large tree with windows, a balcony, and a door.

Upon reaching the front door, it took her a moment to raise her hoof, and even longer to convince herself to tap it against the wood. But as she went to knock, the door swung open, causing the Pegasus to shriek a bit, and hover back a few feet.

A lavender coated Unicorn was on the other side of the door, and was shocked to see somepony at her front door. But she quickly dismissed the shock, and smiled. "Hello, Fluttershy. Didn't mean to startle you like that. Did you need something?" Twilight beamed, relieved to see it was one of her friends.

Fluttershy turned her head to the side, scratching the ground twice with her forehoof. "Well, it's not important, and i can see you're busy..." she turned her eyes just enough to make eye contact.

Twilight giggled. Fluttershy hated to impose, and it was always sort of cute. "Nonsense. Even if i have a schedule, i can always make time for my friends when they need me."

The yellow Pegasus tensed just a bit. She couldn't help but feel like she was delaying Twilight from an important errand. "Well...okay." She raised her head to look directly at Twilight. "You remember Trixie from the other day, right?"

She paused at that. Twilight was expecting some little problem Fluttershy needed help with. "Yes? What about her?" The Unicorn grew interested now, so she leaned forward and listened intently.

"Well...um, you see..." Fluttershy took a moment to grasp what she was trying to say. She never liked addressing concerns or problems with her friends. "Do you think even a pony like her would be able to make friends?" Her voice quieted as she finished her sentance.

Her purple friend took a moment to soak in the question. Trixie was a very selfish and arrogant pony. But, then again, Twilight herself was selfish and impatient once, not wanting to deal with anypony else. "Well..." she had to pause again, not certain how to word her answer. "I suppose so. But if she never had the chance for somepony to offer her friendship, than it would be more difficult for her to accept it." She brought a hoof to her chin, pondering over it. "Then again, I was sort of like her before i met you guys. If i can do it, then it's possible she could too."

Fluttershy instantly perked up, eyes widening with a sense of warmth. It wouldn't make sense to anypony else, but that put Fluttershy at ease inside. She smiled and let out a sigh. "Thanks Twilight. It's good to hear that. Well, i'll be going now." Without another word, she took off, flapping her wings quickly to gain altitude.

Twilight was deep in thought, however, and didn't notice her takeoff. "No problem, Flutter-" She paused her thoughts to look at her friend, who had vanished from her front door. The Unicorn was going to ask why she was so curious about befriending Trixie, but shrugged it off, seeing as it wasn't her business, and continued on with the first thing on her schedule: groceries.

Fluttershy continued her peaceful glide over the town, retaking the sun's rays into her coat. Not even the air currents she flew on were cold. But even while intoxicated by this sense of pure comfort, she couldn't help but think back to just a few nights ago:

A blue Unicorn, unconcious on the dirt road. Thanks to Harry the Bear, Fluttershy managed to get the poor mare home quickly. She could tell the pony was in pain. Her eyes were darting back and forth under her eyelids, and tears leaked from the bottom of her eyes.

Fluttershy remembered when she awoke. Trixie put on a brave face, to show that she was fine, only to be found sobbing on the bridge just outside her home. She had wrapped her leg around her head, and nuzzled against Trixie's cheek, whispering softly "it's okay." multiple times. It was such a strange feeling, but it was what Fluttershy did best.

Who knew that Trixie would have been so quick to leave? Fluttershy even went to the remains of Trixie's caravan, just so she could sneak her outfit back for her. But she couldn't blame the Unicorn, after being humiliated like she was.

The yellow Pegasus looked upward, higher into the sky. "I hope you're happy where you are, Trixie."

The Unicorn's lungs burned from how long she had been running. Her legs were growing weak, and the thicket of bushes and tree branches were leaving many scratches after slapping into her, adding to her already bad wounds on her rear leg.

She managed to risk a look behind her, still seeing those bright green eyes darting between the trees after her. There was at least 5 pairs of them, all keeping up with her.

Looking back to the forest ahead of her, the mare quickly ducked under a low tree branch. Oh you've really done it now, Trixie. Why couldn't you just stay with Fluttershy and leave things be? She thought to herself.

*4 days earlier*

It felt odd to walk away from the cottage. Trixie felt like it was a second home to her. But deep down, she knew she wouldn't be able to stay. Deep inside her, the Unicorn felt a strong sense of anger and humiliation. Whether she wanted to or not, Trixie had to leave society. Nopony in Ponyville would show her any respect after yesterday's ordeal, and soon that lack of respect would spread across Equestria. Her showbusiness days were over, despite how recently she had acquired her fame.

Her fans would call her actual magic into question, and most likely not even show up to a show, even if an auditorium scheduled her. It was all over. Everything she spent years working for, gone. There was no family for her to return to in Canterlot, and she certainly didn't know anypony personally.

She soon found herself standing at the entrance to the Everfree Forest. Trixie's knees involuntarily started to shake, and a lump formed in her throat, causing her to swallow. The forest was a dangerous place, everypony knew that. But it was going to be the only place that will accept Trixie, is what she told herself.

The Unicorn caught herself crying. She let the tears flow, just so they wouldn't build up and cause her to have a breakdown again. Deciding it was best to just keep moving, Trixie began trotting into the forest, planning to make a decent shelter before the sun began to set.

After a bit of walking, Trixie realized that she was not going to find any suitable places by staying on the path, so she delved into the thicker brush on the side. She walked and walked, but couldn't find any clearings or rivers. She couldn't even hear a single creature as she walked past the giant trees and flowers.

After an hour or so, she began to hear a steady white noise. Upon continuing her trek through the bushes, she entered an area where the trees and brush stopped, and a large river stretched both to the left and right of her.

Trixie spent little time drinking, and hurriedly grabbed many giant leaves from a nearby bush with her magic, twisting them together and between 2 nearby trees. She used her front hooves to push a pile of leaves together. Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she only ate breakfast today. Now hungry, Trixie laid herself on the leaves and hastily fell asleep.

The blue Unicorn filly ran quickly to catch up to her mother on the mountaintop. Her mom took her all the way to the top of Canterlot Mountain, where there was actually a flat clearing.

Finally reaching the top, the filly collapsed onto the grass, and rolled over, facing the starry night sky. Her mother, a darker shade of blue, with a smooth, light purple, mane, rolled onto the ground so she was next to her daughter. The two laughed and smiled to each other.

They waited for the filly to catch her breath, then sat up on the grass. The little filly rubbed against her mother, and she rested her head on her daughter. They hadn't spent alone time like this in a while, with the Unicorn's daughter in school most of the day, and with her at the Castle from afternoon till night time.

"Mommy?" The mare turned and looked into her daughter's beautiful purple eyes. She smiled to the young filly. "Yes, sweetie?"

"Will i ever be a powerful mage like you?" She asked. Her mother was one of the Royal Mages who served with Princess Celestia. She never knew what they did, but the filly knew that only super-powerful Unicorns could be a Royal Mage, and her mommy was one of them.

The question made her think. It was a big question coming from someone her age. "Well, everypony is different. So you might be more powerful than me." She nuzzled her daughter. "But you would have to be really lucky to be stronger than me."

Her daughter laughed, but then seemed to grow sad. "Do you really think i can do it, mommy?"

Her mother realized that her daughter was being serious. Thinking for a moment, she wrapped her leg around her filly, pulled her close, and looked at the night sky, starting her song. "Look at the stars..." She sang softly. "And look how they shine for you, and everything you do." They both stared at the yellow stars. Continuing her song. "You're skin, just skin and bones. But you'll turn to something beautful. Do you know, that i love you so? Yes, i love you so."

The filly rubbed against her mother more. Her singing was so nice, and it started making her feel sleepy.

"Look at the stars, look how they shine for you, and everything you do..." The Unicorn finished her song, just as she noticed her daughter leaning against her, asleep. She giggled a bit, and quickly put her daughter on her back, trying not to disturb her. "Goodnight, Trixie, my little star..."

She awoke with a painful crick in her neck. Never had she slept so uncomfortable before. But not much could be expected from waking up on a mossy tree root. Lousy forest. This is why Trixie always preferred the city, and their stages. The blue Unicorn thought to herself as she twisted her neck, creating a loud SNAP. She shook her head a little, and started to continue complaining, when a noise disturbed her. It sounded like a large animal was nearby.

After looking around and seeing nothing, Trixie cautiously walked over to the river. After getting her fill, she turned and gave one last look for any hidden monsters. Seeing nothing, she decided to follow the riverbank downstream.

She went down about a mile, before deciding to eat some moist grass that nearly came up to her belly. She would have suffered, lowering herself to such standards, if there wasn't a bundle of daisies in the middle of the grass blades. With her stomach satisfied, Trixie continued onward, following the stream until sundown. She quickly set up an encampment like last night. This time, she ripped off a few nearby branches and made a fire with some of her magic.

Only now did she decide to reflect. Why did she have that dream? Trixie hadn't thought about her mother in over a year now. Not like that, anyway. That was one of the best memories she had of her mother: singing to her on the mountaintop. As she stared into the fire, Trixie felt a bit of water trailing down her face. She didn't even bother wiping the tear, getting rather irritated instead.

The Unicorn waited for the fire to start dying before pulling leaves into a pile, this time making sure not to sleep on a root.

Trixie didn't dream that night. She followed the river again the third day, but decided to cross it around midday. After getting a drink, and bathing for the first time since going to Ponyville, she travelled back into the brush.

She could hardly focus where she was walking today. Last night had brought doubts on herself. She didn't need anypony else. Trixie was always able to take care of herself before. Why would she need to change that now?

That dream made her start doubting her own actions. Was it really best to leave? Couldn't you have tried to start over in Ponyville? These thoughts all clouded her mind, making her wander randomly through the thick brush.

By the time she reached a nice little clearing, it was not only close to sundown, but the branches swatting her had left a few scratches over her sides and on her legs. Trixie had tried to keep her face safe, but even that was struck at least once.

Luckily, there was a small pond she could drink and wash in. The clearing was against a rock wall, which had some very comfortable-looking grass. After snacking on some nearby grass and flowers (which Trixie was still unhappy about eating), Trixie curled up on the grass near the rock. It was almost like a cave, where the wall's top reached over where she slept, so Trixie didn't have to worry about the rain.

"Maybe this could be Trixie's temporary home." She said aloud. It felt good to speak with confidence again. She had been rather quite to herself the past few days. She soon fell asleep.

Her ear twitched as she heard noises around her clearing. She lifted her head up slowly, noticing that there were multiple large creatures in the clearing, emerging from the forest. They were a bit taller than the average pony, but about twice as long. Their eyes glowed a bright green, and they seemed to be smelling the ground.

One of them turned towards Trixie, following a scent. Upon his growl, the 3 others all turned and uttered an identical growl.

The Unicorn stood up slowly, growing tense as she realized that their "fur" was actually wood-like, covered in twigs. She glared as the name Timberwolves came across her mind. Vicious wolves that lived in the Everfree.

The wolves circled around, cornering Trixie into the little cave. She darted her eyes back and forth, lighting her horn. Using a strong burst of magic, Trixie summoned a lightning bolt to zap the one on the far right. It wasn't as large as an Ursa Minor, so it did do some damage. The Timber Wolf yelped and collapsed to the ground, it's muscles all tense now.

The other three dived for the Unicorn, before she could move a muscle. They all collided into each other, and passed straight through Trixie, slamming into the rock wall.

Meanwhile, Trixie had to turn her invisibility spell off, and release the spell that was making the illusion of her. Just those 2 tricks were tiring, but she managed to get a head start on ditching the wolves. After just a few seconds, she heard a loud howl from behind, followed by others from her right side. Oh sweet Celestia, there's more! Trixie thought to herself.

She decided to run slightly left, away from the second source of howling. Not much later did she start to hear branches being broken and bushes being ran through behind her. Trixie turned to see a Timber Wolf nearly upon her, raking his paw at the running pony. It's razor-sharp claws barely grazed Trixie, but left 2 painful slash marks on her rear left leg.

Angrily, Trixie lit her horn, and pulled some vines from the tree above to snag on the wolf, effectively tripping him. Her victory only lasted a moment, however, noticing that many others were right behind it...

Oh you've really done it now, Trixie. Why couldn't you just stay with Fluttershy and leave things be? She thought to herself. No, thinking like that won't do anything. I can't shake these wolves, no matter what illusions i make.

Trixie had tried making copies of herself to run in different directions, but these were creatures of smell, and weren't fooled so easily. Each spell would only wear her out more and more, making running for her life hard to do.

Finally, she could run no further, and tripped over her own hooves, rolling into the dirt of the forest floor. As she winced from the pain in her leg, having been cut open, Trixie waited for the beasts to catch up.

She couldn't help but hink back to being a filly in Canterlot. How she would always come home from school, and would wait eagerly for her mom to come back from work, her weeks of practice before her first show, and of course her visit to Ponyville. It was her fault. She should've stayed with Fluttershy. They may have even become good friends. But Trixie felt that she didn't belong with anypony after the way she treated those poor mares.

I guess Trixie...I get what i deserve, she thought to herself, waiting for the end.

...But it never came. Her ears perked up, and she didn't hear anything. The Unicorn cautiously lifted her head to see nothing but an empty forest. "W-where did the wolves go?" Trixie said aloud.

"They were right on your rear..." A thick voice came from her right side. Trixie turned quickly to see a...strange white pony with black stripes, and adorned in many golden rings over her neck and hooves. "But i assure you, i have chased those wolves from here." The mystery mare was looking down at Trixie, with a strange smile.

Trixie looked to the ground. "I've been saved twice now...I can't do anything on my own after all." Sure, the relief of being alive was nice, but feeling completely helpless was just something Trixie hated.

The stranger knelt down besides her. "Now, now. Don't beat yourself around. Even i needed a brew to chase away a hound. Now come, it's still not safe here. Those Timber Wolves are most likely still near."

That didn't really make Trixie feel better. But she still tried to stand up, nearly falling back down from the pain in both her hind legs.

"Hmm..." the striped pony looked at her legs. "A gash on the left, and a sprain on the right. Let us go to my home, and we'll wrap those up tight." She nudged Trixie to start moving.

The Unicorn limped very slowly, but at a decent pace. She didn't even argue at this point. There was too many things going through her mind for her to care. She was numb to the outside world after her flash of regret, and could only wonder: Why was i saved?

With my second chapter up, i feel like i'll actually write this :'D i'm so proud of myself. If this is any better, i'd love to hear it in the comments

Chapter 3

The hut that Trixie had limped her way to was rather odd, but at least comforting compared to the forest. She did find herself staring at the dozens, if not hundreds, of wooden masks, bottles of potions hanging from the ceiling, and other strange artifacts scattered about.

Trixie was trying to figure out what a certain object could be, when a fresh wave of pain erupted from her rear left leg again, causing her to wince and groan. "There, now that your wounds are all tidied up, i made some tea. Would you like a cup?"

Trixie turned towards her...rescuer, who introduced herself as Zecora the Zebra. She had given Trixie a bath with a certain herb mixed in, mostly to clean and numb the small cuts on her body. Her front legs and shoulders were especially covered in scratches, but were wrapped and numb by now. Her rear leg, however, was pretty badly slashed by that wolf, and it was a shock to see how deep it actually was. The numbing herb couldn't make all of the pain go away, but it helped. "Y-yes I would." Trixie finally answered Zecora, rather somberly.

She watched the Zebra walk over to her large pot in the center of the house. It appeared to be where she cooked up everything she made, even if it was only tea. Normally, Trixie would have limped over with her, staying off her cut leg. But she had also sprained her right rear leg while running for her life, so Zecora told her to not walk for a while. She looked over her body quickly, noting all of the bandage over her sides, and the especially large one over her leg, which had already started growing a faint red color.

The zebra quickly returned, placing a tray on the bed Trixie was laying on. It had 2 cups, and a large tea kettle, with steam spewing out of the kettle's mouth. Trixie sat up on her rump, her rear legs stretched ahead of her, and her forelegs between them to keep herself steady. She lit her horn and raised a magical aura over the kettle, lifting it up and pouring tea in both cups. She set it down and went to raise her cup to her mouth, but all she did was stare at the drink.

"Relax, dear Trixie," Zecora chuckled a bit. "There is no poison in this brew. Why would I do something so cruel to you?" She jokingly asked, noticing that Trixie was lost in thought,

The blue mare shook her head. "No, no. It's not that." She lowered her head as she continued speaking. "It's that I am utterly helpless. I thought I could get by on my own, that I didn't need anypony around me to go through life just fine." Her eyes half closed, more depressing thoughts appearing. "I tried to stand up to the wolves, but I'm so weak I..." She couldn't finish her sentence before being overcome by anger of her helplessness. She shut her eyes, and starting to tear up once again.

Zecora could tell what was going through the young pony's mind, and tapped her abruptly on her shoulder, catching Trixie's attention. "Now listen here, young filly. Do you believe something that silly? Nopony in this world can do anything on their own. They must seek aid from the friendships that they have grown." She turned her head towards a window, which was just a hole in her hut that had two sticks crossing over it.

"F-friendships?" Trixie inquired, stiffing her tears.

She nodded "I do not need to rely on others in order for me to live. But having friends brings a joy that nothing else can give. Maybe you too should try and see, what it's like to have friends like me?"

Trixie looked away and began to think. She's offering to be my friend. This zebra wants to be friends with a pitiful, helpless Unicorn like me? Thoughts like that buzzed through her head, until she remembered Fluttershy. Fluttershy was offering the same thing: to be friends. But i ran off without a care of her thoughts.

The Unicorn turned to Zecora, a pitiful look on her face. One that said she would love to say yes, but something wouldn't let her accept it so quickly. Zecora just smiled and nodded, understanding Trixie's state of mind.

The two thought it be best for Trixie to sleep, seeing as she would need a long time to recover.

After much strain and stress, the filly finally gave up, and planted her flank on the ground. She had been trying to lift that rock for 10 minutes now, but she couldn't get her magic to do it. The only lighting in the room was from the moon coming through the window, shining directly upon the rock. It seemed to be taunting the little Unicorn.

Just then, her mother walked in. "Oh, hey Trixie honey! Practicing with your magic again?" The dark blue mare walked over to light a few candles and hung her royal cape. She then moved to where her daughter was and studied the rock. "I bet you were able to lift it today, huh?"

Trixie cringed a little. She didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want her mom to know that she couldn't even lift a rock. She couldn't really decide what to say, so she stayed quiet, and attempted to hide behind her sky blue mane.

After realizing her daughter wasn't responding, the Unicorn turned to see that Trixie was looking at the ground. "Hun, what's wrong?" She trotted over and placed a hoof on her daughter's shoulder.

"Mommy?... Am i a bad Unicorn?" Trixie asked her mother, starting to get scared.

"No, sweetie. You're a great Unicorn. Why would you think otherwise?"

"...Because i can't even use magic!" She yelled and turned to her mother, who was caught off guard. "You said that every Unicorn starts with weak magic, but all of my classmates can already lift rocks bigger than that!" She jabbed a hoof at the rock that seemed to be taunting her now, feeling tears welling up in her eyes. Trixie didn't want to cry in front of her mother, but it was somthing she couldn't avoid.

The older mare didn't know what to say. She just looked back at the rock, then back to her daughter. Trying to be supportive, she nuzzled Trixie's head. "Trixie. Everypony learns at their own pace. I knew ponies when i was your age who couldn't use magic, but they grew up and were just fine."

She pulled away from her mother. "But you weren't one of them!" Trixie glared at her mother, who, for some reason, was more of an enemy in Trixie's eyes at the moment.

Her daughter's response struck the Unicorn deeply. Trixie was right. Her prowess in magic when she was a filly dwarfed everypony else's magical talents. And it only increased as she became older, leading to being a Royal Mage. She couldn't say anything to Trixie, because she had no idea what her daughter was going through.

She was waiting for her mom to say something, but all she could see was a dumb expression on her mother's face. Trixie couldn't hold back any longer. Her eyes erupted with tears and she ran out of her room, out of the house, and into the streets of Canterlot before her mother could register what happened. She ran and ran, not knowing where she was going, and not caring if her mother was following her.

Trixie awoke in a cold sweat. Turning over on the small, makeshift bed Zecora made for her, she wiped the sweat from her face with the thin blanket, and propped herself up, so she could dangle her legs over the edge. Another memory of mine, she thought to herself. I was so scared that i had no magic at all, that i could never be like my mother. She couldn't cry right then, but she felt a chill cover her body. Looking up, she could see that it was still night time.

Just remembering those moments dug up a lot of emotions. Trixie didn't feel like sleeping anymore, but she couldn't leave the bed. Why wasn't I talented? She asked herself. Why couldn't i have had magic like mom? Maybe i could have made a difference back then...

Her thoughts turned to regret and remorse, wanting to change what happened years ago, or just wanting to change what happened in Ponyville. They all saddened Trixie the same.

Before she knew it, the moon had set, and the morning sun crept into the hut. Trixie didn't care much. She never really bothered with time except when she had a schedule.

Soon, Zecora had awoken and checked on her legs. "Lucky for you, it was a minor sprain. By tomorrow, you should be able to walk again."

Trixie nodded to signal she understood, but didn't say a word. She just stared at the other leg, and the bandages that were tinted red.

"So Trixie, i must go into town for some supplies. I'll need special medicine for an injury of your size." She paused again, looking questionably at the Unicorn.

Trixie just nodded again. She must mean Ponyville. Irony is a funny thing sometimes.

Zecora waited another few moments before putting a pair of baskets over her back, and leaving for Ponyville.

After she had left, Trixie raised her eyes. Even though that was years ago, she felt like she was still a filly, with no magical powers. Compared to that Purple Unicorn, Twilight was what she remembered her name as, she practically was. Anger no longer surfaced upon imagining her, just jealousy. Why couldn't I have had that magical power? Why did i have to inherit such weak magic? That was all she could think of after her dream.

Twilight cantered through the dirt roads of Ponyville, looking at all of he different hay-topped houses. There weren't many ponies out today, not like the other day when she tried going grocery shopping. Today she just needed some more scrolls so she could write her next To-do list.

While she was distracted in her thoughts, her cantering was interrupted by a sudden solid object. She and whatever she bumped into grunted. As she went to apologize to the pony she rudely hit, Twilight was caught off guard to see Zecora the Zebra. She was carrying, well, WAS carrying, baskets full of herbs, that were now strewn across the ground.

"Oh, Zecora! I'm so sorry!" She quickly lit the magic in her horn to pick up the loose herbs and place them neatly in her baskets once more.

The Zebra laughed a little. "Oh, don't worry, dear Twilight. Though i admit you gave me quite a fright."

The purple Unicorn tried to hide her flushed cheeks, but the embarrassment vanished as a new thought entered her mind. "Oh, Zecora! You were only here a few days ago. Did you forget something?"

Zecora shook her head. "No, there was nothing i forgot. Just a new situation that went hot."

Twilight turned her head sideways a little. It seemed that the Zebra always had to rhyme, so her words would seem a bit out of context at times. "What do you mean by 'hot'?" She inquired.

Zecora paused, unsure if it was wise to go about telling everypony. But Twilight was very trusting, so she went ahead. "Just last night, something scary happened. A pony in the woods was about to meet her end. I saved her, yes, but not soon enough. For a few Timber Wolves had hit her rough."

Twilight gasped, "She's okay, isn't she?" She didn't even notice that she started leaning forward, closing the distance between their noses.

Zecora laughed again. "Do not worry about her. She is resting now in my shelter. I simply need these herbs to help her heal. She may be safe, but her wounds were very real."

"Well, i did have to go get some scrolls, but i can always have Spike do that later. Would you mind me accompanying you?"

"Not at all, my pony friend. Your curiosity seems to know no end." After shaking her head, Zecora and Twilight started heading to the Everfree forest, Twilight asking a plethora of questions. Zecora merely told her that she would have to wait and see for herself.

The blue filly sat patiently outside the doctor's office, trying to keep herself entertained. Nothing worked, though, and she was unable to distract herself from the conversation her mother was having with the doctor.

"I'm telling you, Miss Lulamoon. This is the second time we examined her. The results..." He lowered his voice to a whisper, so Trixie was unable to hear what he said after that.

Her mother chirped in next. "Are you sure your tests aren't just bogus?! There's no way this could happen to MY daughter!"

"Please! Quiet down! She's right outside. I told you. It's a rare condition. It doesn't happen often, but it can happen to anypony. You said her father was an Earth Pony, correct?"

Twilight sat on Zecora's floor in disbelief, mouth agape. Laying flat in the hut, was Trixie. She had left nearly a full week ago, only to be seen again in this state. Nearly her whole body had some kind of bandage. Her front legs and shoulders were fully wrapped. Her sides had small individual bandages, none of which were very large. But Twilight could only dart her eyes back and forth between her face and her hind leg. She was asleep, and at peace, but her rear left leg looked as if somepony took a huge bite out of it. Even though there were wrappings over it, Twilight could easily tell that a large portion of her leg was missing.

Zecora had let Twilight sit in the corner near Trixie while she started cooking up the herbs. She ignited the flame underneath her pot, and waited for the water to boil.

The purple Unicorn stared at the blue one sleeping peacefully. Twilight could only think of guilty thoughts. This is all my fault. If I hadn't shown up Trixie... But the Ursa Minor was attacking the town... What if I accepted her challenge? No matter what she thought of, she not only found herself not at fault, but tried to pin blame on herself. As if there had to be a way that she was to blame. But it could only lead to Trixie's own fault, and that tore at Twilight.

"Mommy? What's wrong?" Trixie nudged her mother's tear-stained face with her own. She was trying to comfort her mother. Ever since returning from the doctor, her mother had been upset, and now she was crying.

Her mother took a deep breath. "Oh Trixie. It's nothing you can help with. It's just one of those things." She tried to smile, and nuzzled her daughter's nose.

The blue filly crawled up close to her mother. "Is it because of what the doctor said?" Trixie could feel her mother tense up. "It's because Daddy was an Earth Pony. So i don't have magic-"

Trixie was pulled from her dream quite abruptly by Zecora. The Zebra had given her a quick shake on her back, startling her. Upon calming down, Trixie shook her head, and actually giggled a bit. "Zecora. Did you need to startle me so badly?" She pulled her front legs close so she could raise her head from the makeshift bed.

"Oh come now, Trixie, don't be that way. I'm sure you have been sleeping all day. You need a quick bite to eat, or else you'll never get back on your feet." Zecora jested, placing a platter of fruit before the Unicorn.

She laughed at the Zebra's joke, finding it strange how just a little joke like that even made Trixie laugh. "I guess you're right." Was all she said as she began digging into her meal. It was only now she realized how hungry she really was.

Zecora mentioned that it was time to change the bandages on her leg, as well as apply the medicine. When Zecora started unwrapping the bandage, Trixie couldn't help but wince from the still painful wound. But when it was done, Trixie heard a gasp. It didn't come from Zecora, and not from herself. Surprised, she turned to the source of the noise, to see... "Twilight..." Trixie said, void of any real emotion. She was too taken by surprise to add any emphasis. The name of the one who started this whole problem rang over and over in her mind.

A purple Unicorn in the corner just stared at Trixie, a look of horror and guilt on her face...

This one feels a bit short, but it's what i have for you guys today. Is it still good? i don't want to disappoint just yet

Chapter 4

"Twilight..." Trixie spoke. She almost whispered. The name which she clung all blame to, belonging to the pony now sitting before her. She just stared blankly at the lavender Unicorn, not showing any anger, surprise, or any other emotion for that matter. Zecora had quickly finished changing her bandage, and left the hut to give the two some space.

With every second that passed, it seemed like a whole day for Twilight. Sweat formed on her brow, which she couldn't bring herself to wipe. Trixie just continued staring at her, causing her to grow more and more unsettled. She instinctively started to bite on her lower lip, waiting for the blue Unicorn to speak her fill of angry words. She deserved every insult Trixie would throw at her.

The former show mare could see exactly what it was Twilight was expecting, and she was half-tempted to give her what she wanted. She resisted, however, denying the other Unicorn the satisfaction. All she did was close her eyes and look away.

Twilight's jaw loosened as she realized what was going on. Trixie knew that she wanted to be yelled at, to be blamed. It's not that she wanted it, more like she deserved it. So why was Trixie refusing to do something that was probably second nature to her? She couldn't comprehend what was going on, because she hadn't expected it.

Without even realizing, Twilight was now standing, legs spread out, and actually leaning closer to Trixie. "Well?" She heard herself say. She wasn't quite sure why she was talking. All she knew was that she WAS talking. "You're not even gonna say anything?" Twilight questioned Trixie, starting to grow angry.

Trixie didn't even move. She just stayed there, laying on her belly, facing the wall opposite of Twilight.

"Don't you want to blame me?!" Twilight's voice started getting louder. She just couldn't understand. "Isn't it my fault?! It has to be! There's no other logical explanation! So why aren't you giving me what i deserve?!" She started slowly walking towards her, closing the gap between them.

The blue Unicorn, however, just listened to Twilight rambling. She was right, Twilight wanted to be blamed. By not saying anything, Trixie was getting better payback than she could have imagined. The purple Unicorn would tear herself apart with guilt.

"I showed you up! It doesn't matter if an Ursa Minor was attacking! Didn't I ruin your career? Your reputation?!" Twilight continued, nearly yelling whatever her mind was thinking of without filter. As she stood beside Trixie, she started to feel horrible. The hurt mare in front of her was an effect of her actions, and she was not being blamed, yelled at, scolded, not even spoken to. Tears formed in her eyes as her legs wobbled, and her voice lowered in volume. "Don't you hate me?"

Part of Trixie would have enjoyed this if it weren't so pitiful. But she still did not look at Twilight. She could tell they were close now, but kept her shoulder cold.

Twilight couldn't speak any more. She ground her teeth together, trying to hold back her tears. But upon looking over Trixie's body, and seeing her leg injury again, she couldn't hold it any longer. Twilight collapsed to the floor, sobbing. She could feel not a thing but guilt in her heart, despite all of the logical thoughts that told her otherwise.

Trixie finally opened her eyes and turned to see the collapsed Unicorn beside her. She didn't feel any joy upon seeing this. She just sighed at the pitiful sight. Trixie got what she wanted, but it didn't seem like enough.

She couldn't tell how long she was crying, or if Trixie was even paying attention. All Twilight knew was that she apologized over and over. A nudge on her head caught her attention, and she looked up, only to feel a hoof come into contact with her face, drawing her from her teary delusion. Twilight stared at Trixie with a shocked look.

Trixie glared at the pony before her, pulling her hoof back beneath her to stabilize herself on the bed. She was very tempted to say something horrible, or something that would make her cry harder, but she just stared again.

Twilight sniffled once before shaking her head free of the tears on her face. "Why don't you hate me?" She asked, plainly to Trixie's face, her cheek starting to sting.

"Because I'm the only one to blame." Trixie looked away again. After all this time, after seeing Twilight in this state, it finally became obvious. It all started with her, but she had to blame it on somepony else in order to deal with it.

Taking a quick breath, Twilight could at last relax, just a bit. She couldn't accept that fact until she heard it from Trixie herself.

"You want to know why i boasted so much about my abilities?" She said as she turned back to Twilight. Trixie didn't wait for confirmation, but just continued. "I was just a filly when my life started down a pretty rough road..."

Twilight stiffed her tears, and listened intently. She couldn't think of anything but listening to her story for now.

"When i was in school, every Unicorn in my class was able to start using their magic, except for me. My mother, who was a Canterlot Royal mage, always told me that i was a late bloomer. That i would get my magic soon." Trixie shook her head slowly. "But she soon lost that hope after i visited a Unicorn specialist. He said i might be a rare case of Unicorn that doesn't inherit magic, because one of their parents was an Earth Pony."

Upon hearing that, Twilight couldn't help but tense up. She was a daughter of two Unicorns, and was the living element of Magic, so her feelings of modesty started to twist around inside her. Like the last time she saw Trixie.

Looking at Twilight, with more of a depressed look this time, she continued. "So my mother was devastated by that. She felt like she betrayed my childhood innocence. But she found a way to make it up to me. Even if it was only for her conscience. Very selfish of her, if you ask me."

The little filly was nearly out of breath after running so much. She chased after her mother after she ran off. A royal guard came to their house just a few minutes ago. Her mother quickly threw on her star-adorned purple cape, and ran off with him. Trixie didn't even know what was going on, but she didn't like it one bit. So she chased after her mom.

They all ran to the town gate, where the royal guards were already engaged with a huge, blue bear-like creature. It swatted the Pegasi Guards easily, and the even 3 Unicorn Guards couldn't see any damage being done with their spells.

Nopony knew what had drawn the beast to Canterlot, nor why it was openly attacking. But the guards had to do their best to hold it off until some reinforcement arrived. Trixie's mother, as a Canterlot Royal Mage, was a part of that reinforcement. As soon as she approached the other Unicorns, they recognized her signature cape, and parted, giving sighs of relief. "Thank Celestia! Miss Lulamoon, this beast just climbed up the mountain and began smashing everything in it's path! Our magic isn't doing anything against-"

The Mage cut him off with a raised hoof. "Just call off the Pegasi! I'll take it on!" The blue Unicorn planted her hooves firmly into the dirt, starting to summon her magic, her cape starting to billow behind her.

"Mommy!" A voice called from behind them. The guards and Mage turned to see a small blue Unicorn filly come to a stop behind them. She went to ask a question, but then noticed the rampaging beast farther down the road. "What is that thing?!"

For a moment, all four Unicorns were silent, before the filly's mother stepped forward, angrily. "Trixie! What are you doing?! You shouldn't have-" She was cut off by the bear's loud roar. All four Unicorns turned and saw the translucent bear barreling towards them, no longer distracted by the Pegasus.

They formed a line, and simultaneously cast a blow back spell. All four combined was enough to lift the bear off of it's feet and hurtle it backwards through the air. It crashed into what was remained of the Canterlot front gate, and groggily tried to get up.

It was obvious that the city would be in danger if they didn't stop it here at the gate. Trixie's mother ignored her daughter, and started charging a spell while the brown Unicorn Guards proceeded to assist the wounded white Pegasi.

The mage's horn arced with lightning before blasting a bolt of electricity into the blue bear's left side. The monster howled with pain and covered the now burnt flesh with it's large right paw.

It didn't stall the beast for long, however. It soon recollected it's strength, and made a wild charge at the Mage. She was still weak from launching her most powerful spell, and wasn't able to create a barrier or focus on another attack. It seemed that the Unicorn would be done in.

But before the injured bear reached the mare, it slowed to a stop. The Mage was wondering what it was doing, but it seemed to be looking around, unable to see her anymore.

"Mommy!" A small voice caught her attention. She turned and saw Trixie, with her horn glowing. She was using magic. At last she looked at herself and noticed that her daughter made her invisible to the bear's sight.

However, Trixie was still quite visible. The monster turned it's large, red eyes to the filly casting the spell. It narrowed it's eyes and raised a massive paw to crash down on her.

The next few moments felt like an eternity, but everything happened too fast for Trixie to understand. One moment, she was staring at a translucent blue paw, moving down on her. The next, she felt a large mass plow into her chest, pushing her back. There was a loud smashing sound, and Trixie was on her side.

She pulled herself up to see what happened. The bear's right front paw was planted in the ground where Trixie was just a moment ago, and was already raising his other paw to make sure he hit his target. Her eyes were wide and focused on the first paw, hoping that there was nothing underneath.

As the beast went in for the kill, he found that his body was frozen still, a golden aura now over it. Before the bear could even think of what was going on, it found itself hurtling through the air. This time, much faster and much farther.

Even after the bear was thrown into the horizon, Trixie could not take her eyes off of the crater. She could see the edge of a purple cape sticking out, and prayed that it wasn't what she thought it was. The filly felt a wing spread over her, like a blanket. That drew her attention to see that the wing belonged to a large white pony, Princess Celestia. She had taken care of the bear, but did not get there fast enough.

Trixie, still in shock, just leaned her head against the Princess, unsure what to think. Celestia arched her neck over the filly's head to comfort her while the guards regrouped.

"What was that?" A Pegasus Guard asked one of the Unicorns.

"It must have been an Ursa Major. They're supposed to be gigantic bears. But what was it doing in Canterlot?"

Celestia softly stood up, careful not to startle Trixie, and walked to the guards. "Even I have not seen an Ursa in hundreds of years. And this one attacking Canterlot, not antagonized, is an ill omen."

They continued to talk, but Trixie grew very tired and quickly fell asleep on the dirt path.

"...Ironically, it was that incident that got me my Cutie Mark." Trixie looked over at Twilight, to see if she was still paying any attention. Surprisingly, she was. "After that, my schoolteacher took me in, because I had no other relatives. I started my pursuit of show business a few years later." She started to feel weird. Trixie had never shared her tragic history with anypony before, yet here she was, blabbering away.

Finally detecting an opportunity to ask a question, Twilight spoke up. "So, you didn't try to join the Canterlot Mages?" Her voice nearly stuttered at the end. She didn't want to sound rude, but wanted to ask still.

"Well, of course I tried. But they told me my magical abilities were not 'up to par' with the other applicants." A scowl found it's way onto her mouth, just from thinking about it. "But everypony knew my mother, and I was not about to let the Lulamoon name disappear. I entered the performing arts to keep the name in every pony's minds. I guess the 'Great and Powerful' part came from me just being insecure about my abilities."

Twilight looked away now. She had entirely misjudged Trixie. Right from the beginning. "Trixie...I-"

"I don't need an apology." She quickly cut her off. Apologies were the last thing she wanted to hear,

"N-no. It's not that, just..." She took a deep breath. The purple Unicorn was just unable to find the correct words for what she wanted to say. Getting a different thought, she quickly turned to Trixie and asked very confidently: "Trixie, will you stay with me in Ponyville?"

The question took a moment to register. But when she did, her eyebrow raised far higher than it would on it's own. That was a question she had not even imagined would be asked of her. Let alone by Twilight. "What?" Was all she could say, even with all the thoughts now buzzing in her mind.

"Come back to Ponyville with me. I owe it to you to help you start over. Besides, where were you going to go after you were healed up?" She started to grow a smile on her face.

Trixie still couldn't fully figure out what was going on. "I-I don't know. Trottinham, maybe? Manehatten? I just would have gone wherever I wanted."

Twilight narrowed her eyes, seeming to stare right through Trixie. "I can tell you really wouldn't like that. Besides, it would not only be a good experience for you, but for me as well. We could both learn a little something from each other." Twilight extended a hoof to Trixie, as a friendly gesture. "What o you say?"

"You can't honestly expect me to say yes, can you? I'm still not old news in that town. Nopony will be so easy to just welcome me."

"You'll find it's much easier than you're making it sound." She giggled a bit, still holding her hoof out. "And yes, I do expect you to say yes. You'll be the subject of my best friendship report yet."

Trixie looked away for a moment to rub her eyes. She couldn't believe how one question managed to turn the entire situation into not only a chance of redemption, but an inside look to how naive Twilight was.

"If Trixie is who you are going to take, then more of her medicine i should make." A thick voice sounded from behind them. The two Unicorns turned to see Zecora, in all her striped glory. "But wait, before you go, there is one thing you must know." She walked over towards the two.

Twilight stood up straight, and faced Zecora. "What is it, Zecora?"

"If Trixie wants her leg to heal, she will need my medicine applied after every meal." She picked up a basket with a jar full of gel inside, and set the basket near the Unicorns. "Rub this on her wound for a whole week, otherwise her leg will be forever weak." Zecora stressed this, but seemed to be hinting that she wanted Trixie to go.

Picking the basket up with her magic, Twilight eagerly answered her. "That won't be a problem, Zecora! I'll make sure to take care of her." She lowered her eyebrows and put a determined grin on her face. She immediately formed a plan in her head. This was her chance to make it up to her.

Trixie, on the other hand, decided to protest a bit more. "Who said I was going to go home with you?! Besides, I can't walk. How do you expect me to-" She was cut off by her body being lifted in the air by a lavender aura. Trixie flailed for a bit before realizing that it was Twilight who picked her up.

"Well, it's getting late, Zecora. We'll go so you can have your peace. Bye now!" Without missing a beat, Twilight happily trotted to the door, carrying her basket and the still-flailing Unicorn.

After the door was closed, the Zebra blinked a few times, before shaking her head. Whatever craziness that goes through ponies' minds was always too much for her. After chuckling a bit, Zecora returned to brewing a new potion she had been trying to make just right.

"I said put Trixie down, you insolent brat!" At this point, she wasn't even aware of what she was yelling. She did learn not to thrash her injured leg, but still tried to fight the magic with the rest of her body. They had been walking for a few minutes now, forest surrounding them on all sides, save for the dirt path.

A quick shake silenced her antics, and pulled her attention to Twilight. "Trixie, what were going to do for a whole week with Zecora? And what about after? You know as well as I do that it would be a rocky road getting back into show business." She stated that sentence with the intent of making Trixie think.

And it worked. Trixie could feel her face loosen, thoughts of how difficult a show career would be popping into her head. "W-well. That doesn't mean-"

"That's exactly what it means!" Twilight grunted softly. "Look, I'm trying to help you. And when somepony tries to help you when you need the help, you accept it. That's just how it goes, okay?"

She wasn't really sure how to react, staring wide-eyed at Twilight. After a sigh, her resistance vanished. "Fine." She let herself go limp in Twilight's magic aura. "But Trixie has just one question." She noticed that she said her own name, and a look of embarrassment crossed her face.

At the same time, a giggle escaped Twilight's mouth. "And that would be?" She asked in a very playful way, causing Trixie's face to turn a little red.

Trixie turned her head away. "C-can I...?" She couldn't focus while embarrassed like that. She shook her head, and asked again. "Could you try to carry me on your back instead of in the air?"

Twilight stopped laughing, just now realizing she still held Trixie suspended in the air. "Oh! Sorry about that." She levitated Trixie over her back, resting her down carefully. The weight of another pony was something she wasn't used to, after always carrying Spike around. But now was no time to complain. Once she adjusted to the new weight, she arched her head to look back at Trixie. "Better?"

Wrapping her front hooves around her neck, Trixie felt like a child. She just clung a little tighter, happy to be resting on something other than the air. "...yes."

Laughing to herself, Twilight started walking slowly onwards to Ponyville. It would be a long trek back, but they would be able to make it back to the library by dark. Maybe this will work after all.

Chapter 5

"You live in a...tree." Trixie bluntly stated as they approached a large tree in Ponyville. It was past dark by now, and many ponies had already gone to bed. It eased Trixie's anxiety, seeing how awkward it was being sprawled on the back of another pony.

Thankfully, Spike lit the candles for when I got home. Twilight thought to herself, almost not hearing Trixie's comment. Arching her head back, she jested. "And you weigh too much for a pony your size. You really let yourself go." She smiled and turned back to open the front door with her magic.

Trixie just grimaced at the comment. It was obvious she was joking, but it hurt any mare's self-esteem to have their weight made fun of. She turned her head around to see that the inside of a tree actually turned out to be a library. She lives in a library? Figures. She seems like the bookworm type.

Without warning, Twilight lit her horn and raised an aura over Trixie, lifting her off of her back. The sudden lifting brought a much appreciated relief from her legs.

Trixie however, was not so quick to feel relief. Again, the sudden loss of a solid object beneath her startled her. But this time, she calmed down quickly. Upon being lowered to the ground, she made sure to hold her hind leg off the ground, so as to not injure herself. Once she was secure, Trixie turned to Twilight. "Just why are you so powerful, Twilight?" The question had been bugging her ever since the Ursa incident. And it tore at her. She needed to know.

Surprised by how quickly the conversation had turned to a sour note, Twilight shrank a bit, turning her head from the wounded Unicorn. She didn't like boasting or showing off. She was an introvert. "Well, I've been studying magic non-stop ever since I was just a filly. I forced myself to be able to use magic earlier than the others, and I-"

"No!" Trixie interrupted. Not loud, but very firm, drawing Twilight's attention back to her. "No, there is no natural way you became that strong. Strong enough to lift a bear the size of a house, lifting me with ease." She took a deep breath, hating to admit the lavender mare's excelling talent. "What's your secret?"

The stare that Trixie gave proved that Twilight wasn't going to get out of this by being bashful. Sighing, Twilight raised her head up high, meeting Trixie's gaze. "I am Twilight Sparkle. Personal Protege and student of Princess Celestia. I also represent the Element of Magic of the Elements of Harmony. My and my friends defeated Nightmare Moon and restored balance to Equestria during the last Summer Sun celebration." She sighed again, shaking her head, "You happy now?"

Trixie was expecting some sort of illegal training, but this was just too much for her to interpret all at once. She stared at the Unicorn, confused at first. Looking around the room, at all the different books and shelves, thoughts still buzzed around in her head. "So, you aren't just a regular Unicorn, then?" Was all Trixie managed to say. Anything else would have been yells of disbelief, but she wanted to control herself. Why would Twilight make that big of a lie?

Twilight could easily identify the look of confusion on her face. She saw it on her friends' faces all the time when she used too big of words. But this, she wanted Trixie to figure out on her own. It was a lot to take in, but it would make sense. "No, far from it. I'm very well educated, and don't do much besides practicing magic."

She couldn't think of anything to say. Trixie just kept staring at a certain bookshelf, completely in disbelief that she even heard everything correctly.

Before Trixie could ask another obvious question, Twilight changed the subject. "Hey, why don't we eat something? I'm sure you'd be hungry by now, right?"

Trixie just nodded, but that was all Twilight needed. Without another word, the librarian trotted up to the staircase, only to come back down in another second. "My assistant Spike is asleep, so we're gonna have to fix for ourselves." Twilight giggled, and headed over to a closed room.

Trixie limped her way in and noticed that the library had it's own kitchen. She just scooted over to a small table meant for 2, and took her seat.

Twilight quickly made a few sandwiches for the 2 to fill their bellies, and hovered them over to the other Unicorn, who caught her sandwich in her own unique magical aura. She knew Trixie probably wouldn't talk much, so she was going to wait until the other started a conversation, to respect her privacy.

Trixie munched slowly on her veggie and fruit sandwich. She was grateful for eating tasty food again. Too long had she grown used to forest grass. But her thoughts had settled in on the stunning information just laid upon her. On one hoof, she was glad it was the Princess' protege who outshined her that night. On the other, that fire of jealousy and hatred was still alive in her chest, maybe burning brighter than before. That part didn't want to accept Twilight's kind gesture, not one bit.

Eyeing her guest carefully, Twilight could see that Trixie was at least angry with her. It made sense, but this was hopefully the best thing for her. Seeing her covered in all of those bandages made Twilight positive that it was her responsibility to do this. "Well, I'll set up my guest bed upstairs. If you need any help just holler." She got up and softly walked over to the stairs, leaving the blue Unicorn to finish her meal.

After the hoofsteps were no longer audible, Trixie let out a loud groan, and threw her front legs over the table. Why couldn't her innards just agree on one side? She wasn't sure if she should be grateful or tell Twilight to mind her own business. A full week had passed, so one would think that Trixie would have all but discarded her stage persona. But it was something she spent years to build up, so it was not going to go away without a fight.

Before she could actually think, Twilight had already come back down, wondering where Trixie was, and was standing beside the table. "Trixie?" She asked, starting to grow concerned. "Are you okay?"

Shaking herself out of her trance, Trixie got up. "Trixie is fine." She didn't even realize that she was angered by the question until after she responded. Limping her way towards the stairs, Trixie paid no attention to Twilight.

The lavender Unicorn followed behind, to make sure Trixie could make it up on her own. Upon reaching the top, the two walked into the bedroom, where both beds were up another flight of stairs. Trixie refused help on the smaller steps, and made it just fine.

"Oh!" Twilight nearly yelled, but then clamped a hoof over her mouth, nearly forgetting Spike was asleep. She leaned closer and whispered this time. "Before we go to sleep, you still need that medicine applied."

Rolling her eyes, Trixie looked back at Twilight. "Of course. Fine, I'll lay down. You just apply it over the injury. It never takes Zecora very long." She laid herself flat on a bed with a pink blanket, leaving her rear legs facing Twilight.

Twilight carried the medicine over from her nightstand with her magic, and unscrewed the lid. She then proceeded to gently unwrap Trixie's bandages with a second aura. Upon seeing the wound for the first time, Twilight momentarily dropped the jar of medicinal gel. She caught it again, but only after letting out a short shriek, cut off by her hoof in her mouth again.

Trixie was puzzled, and arched her head over. Still being quiet, she asked, "What is the matter?" She couldn't see her leg, but she could see Twilight's expression. Trixie had been unaware of how bad her injury really was this whole time.

Twilight could feel bile coming up her throat, but managed to avoid getting sick. The wound was so shocking, with bright red muscle contrasting Trixie's dark blue coat. She had never seen anything like it before, and wasn't ready for how deep it actually was. The purple Unicorn only wondered how Trixie hadn't felt this yet, or if she always feels it, but keeps the pain hidden. Memories flashed about how she stopped the Ursa Minor, and caused all of this to begin with.

"I said, what's wrong?" Trixie asked again, this time a little louder. A chill ran down her exposed leg as a bit of cold air washed over it.

It seemed to shake Twilight out of her trance. "N-nothing. I just wasn't expecting what was underneath." Focusing now, Twilight squinted as she managed to pull out just a small portion of gel away from its source with a concentration of magic. She carefully levitated the free green glob over to the afflicted area, nearly getting sick again when she saw a bright white line in the middle of red flesh.

Twilight quickly, but carefully, spread the goo over Trixie's leg, which made Trixie arch in surprise of how cold it felt. But that was all she felt from her leg.

After it was spread, Twilight applied new bandages and tied it snugly. Afterwards, she nearly stumbled while making her way to her bed. The image of the bone and muscle still fresh in her mind, as if she was still staring directly at it.

Trixie gave Twilight a questioning look, and scratched at her shoulder, which was still wrapped up, before rolling to get under the covers. Feeling a lot warmer beneath the soft bed, Trixie quickly fell asleep.

Twilight, however, was much slower to sleep. As she lay there, Twilight wondered of all the "what-ifs": What if Zecora hadn't saved Trixie? What if I never stepped in? All nightmarish alternate possibilities were running through her mind. She had told herself time and again that it wasn't her fault, but she still looked for ways of how she could have handled the whole situation different. Twilight caught herself shedding a tear out of guilt, before forcing herself to sleep.

A bright light shining in Trixie's eyes was what awoke her. After having such a comfortable sleep, it felt horrible to be woken up by the sun of all things. She dragged her upper body up to support herself by her forelegs. She noticed Twilight was awake, seeing her bed empty, and decided that she should get up as well. The wood made a nice thud as she pulled herself out of bed, careful not to land on her rear left leg.

5 days. That's how long she had been at Twilight's house. 5 days, and the most productive thing she managed to do was read through a book about advanced magic practicing. Luckily, Twilight hadn't told anypony of her being there yet. She said she wanted to break it in the right way. And her assistant, Spike the Dragon, seemed to finally warm up to her. She thought back to his first reaction, which was rather humorous.

The days hadn't been very eventful. Trixie wanted to explore the library, but Twilight only allowed her to come down for dinner, after it was closed to the public. There had been a close call when she was in the kitchen after dark, and a few ponies busted in, nearly causing a heart attack for the 2 Unicorns. Twilight explained later that they were her friends and needed help, so she rushed off, leaving Trixie with Spike.

The Unicorn and Dragon got along well after the awkward first day. He was very well informed for his apparent youth, but that was to be expected of a Dragon raised by a nerdy bookworm. Spike would usually sneak upstairs to get a break from the work in the library, and the two would talk for a bit before Twilight caught on, dragging him back to work.

There had only been one incident so far where Trixie had been mad at her caretaker. It was after a nightmare on the third night. Similar to what she had the night she left Ponyville. Twilight was using her magic to humiliate Trixie in front of the whole town, and Trixie was merely a rag doll to the other Unicorn's superior magic skills. She refused to speak to Twilight that day, even when she needed her medicine. Right before bed, Twilight had said goodnight to Trixie, even after being shunned all day. And with a quiet whisper, said "I'm sorry."

Trixie apologized the next day of course, told her it wasn't her fault. But Twilight couldn't have argued more after hearing that it was because of Trixie's nightmare. They were uncomfortable around each other, but made up that night.

Surprisingly, they had kept up with Zecora's instructions: To apply the herb gel at morning and night. Sure, that's not exactly what she said, but Twilight got the gist of it. And according to the Lavender Unicorn, Trixie's "Little cut" was healing pretty well. She hadn't been able to see it, but was glad Twilight never showed that face of pure disgust again. Trixie had wondered since then how bad it actually was. And if it was bad, what did Zecora do to not allow her to feel it?

Now, after 4 days of waking up in a warm bed, with somepony downstairs waiting for her, Trixie started to feel a bit more inclined to Twilight's offer of staying in Ponyville. But she knew that she would be unable to house up in the library for the rest of her life. It would have to change, whether she expected it or not.

Carefully descending to the first floor of the library, Trixie noticed that Twilight was talking to 3 other mares, when Twilight turned her attention to Trixie. "...and there she is now!" She said excitedly.

The other 3, however, were far from excited when they saw Trixie. The white Unicorn's eyes widened, and she placed a hoof over her mouth. The orange Earth Pony squinted funny, as if she was unsure that she saw what she thought she did. The cyan Pegasus though, and her unmistakable rainbow mane, locked on with her eyes and flapped her wings, nearly charging into Trixie.

"Hey! What are YOU doing, showing your face back here?" She hovered right in front of Trixie's face, causing for quite an intimidating effect.

But before Trixie could answer, the mare was dragged away by her tail by Twilight's magic. "Rainbow! That's what I was trying to explain!"

"Well, sugar cube, y'all coulda mentioned that it was this here show off you was talkin' about." The orange pony adjusted her brown hat, not turning from Trixie.

"Applejack, I said I was getting to-"

"You!" The Unicorn finally spoke up stomping her hoof firmly. "Do you know how long it took to get that horrid green color out of my mane!? Nearly 3 days of constant pampering before I could see my beloved purple again!" The white mare just turned her head upwards and away from Trixie with a HMPH.

"Agh! Will you all be quiet!?" Twilight yelled, catching everypony off guard. Satisfied by the silence, Twilight continued. "Now then. The mare that Zecora saved is Trixie." She gestured to the blue Unicorn, who was still at the bottom of the staircase. "I took her into my care until her injury is healed. Zecora said that would be 7 days, and it is day 5. So, she will stay with me for at least another 2 days. But, I want her to see if she can fit in around Ponyville, and I'd like you guys to help. I already asked Pinkie and Fluttershy, but I wanted you 3 to meet her personally."

Trixie moved her eyes back and forth between these now familiar ponies. They were the 3 that she humiliated in front of the whole town. She couldn't hear what Twilight was saying. She could just see those 3, highlighted compared to everything around them.

After not hearing any responses from her friends, Twilight continued. "If you guys don't mind, I would like it if you each spent some time with her, and forgive her for what she's done."

Twilight's request got everypony to turn their heads to Trixie, who shrank under the combined stares. Rainbow Dash shook her head quickly. "No way, Twi. Not with her." And before anypony could object, she had rocketed out of the front door.

That display brought a painful guilt in Trixie's gut. Twilight walked over to the blue Unicorn and placed a comforting hoof on her shoulder. "Try not to take it too personally. Rainbow is just one of those ponies who holds a grudge against ponies who are mean to her...friends." It sounded a lot more comforting in her head.

"Yeah. But I ain't one to just forgive and forget like that either, Twilight." Applejack spoke up. "Ah'd rather see herself prove that she actually wants our forgiveness. Ah'll wait till after her legs healed up before ah say yay or nay." Nodding to Twilight, the farmer pony took her leave.

At least that was a better response. She was going to wait for Trixie to get better. Finally, the white pony sighed, being the only one of the three left. "Very well, Twilight. But like Applejack said, she will need to prove herself to me as well. Now then, I have an unusually large order to fill out before noon, so I'll be going. Bye bye Twilight!"

And with that, all 3 had left just as soon as they arrived, leaving Trixie mentally exhausted. She hadn't even had breakfast yet, and wanted to go back to sleep. But Twilight kept her hoof on Trixie's shoulder, reassuring her that it would be fine. Remembering something, she made a strange noise. "I almost forgot. Now that you're up, let's rub some gel on that leg."

"Well, Trixie! I'm glad you're up to doing this." Twilight stated as she slowly walked next to Trixie. The next morning, after they applied Trixie's medicine for the morning, the pair of Unicorns were heading slowly through Ponyville. Many people did a double take when they saw Trixie, faces usually changing to that of a glare. The blue Unicorn was surprised no one said anything to her directly. But after thinking about it, being near Twilight Sparkle probably helped.

They soon arrived at a large, 2 story building. It consisted of bright blue and pinkish colors. The curtains were a light orange, and the whole building seemed to be a mimic of those carousels at carnivals.

"Now remember, you are going to TRY to get along with my friends, alright?" She remembered Twilight say from last night. The lavender Unicorn was pretty much forcing the situation on Trixie.

"Yes, Twilight. I get it. But why do you care whether or not I can get along with anypony?" That was all Trixie couldn't understand. Her life was her own, so why did Twilight want to interfere with her business?

Twilight groaned, and turned back to face Trixie. "I told you already. I want you to try because I want you to make friends! If even a selfish, boasting show pony like yourself can do it-" She was stopped by a glare from Trixie. "N-no offense." Trixie shrugged, so Twilight continued. "Then I can learn even more about the true power of friendship."

Trixie sighed, then nodded. That's all Twilight seemed to focus on: Friendship. She had just gotten used to Twilight's dorky personality, and now Trixie was expected to get along with her friends. There was also another problem. "But... you saw how they reacted when they saw me. That Rainbow one obviously hates my guts. And I'm not particularly good at dealing with those bumpkin types."

"Trixie, you have to learn how to see past all of that sort of stuff. That's the only way it's going to work. Didn't you say you felt guilty? You do want their forgiveness, right?"

She lowered her head, letting her white mane touch the ground. She had confessed to Twilight that she did want forgiveness, more than anything at the moment. "But what if I don't get it?" Trixie asked bluntly.

After a moment of silence, Twilight spoke again. "Then you can go wherever you want. I wouldn't force you to stay in Ponyville." She let it hang in the air for a while, letting Trixie think on it.

"...Okay, Trixie?"

Twilight's voice snapped Trixie out of her little flashback. "Y-yes. I'm ready."

The lavender Unicorn opened the door, ringing a small bell connected to a string. Trixie got but a moment to look around the bright pink room before her attention was drawn to the Unicorn coming into the room.

The white mare was about to yell out a traditional welcome for a customer, but then she saw 'her'. Her eager expression soon vanished, turning to Twilight. "My turn so early, is it?" Her tone was very non-enthusiastic.

Waving a hoof in a playful manner, Twilight responded. "Oh come on, Rarity. You know Rainbow Dash wouldn't get along being first."

Rarity sighed. "Very well, I'm not terribly busy today. I'll send you whatever is left of her later." Turning a cold stare to Trixie.

That, Trixie couldn't tell if Rarity was joking or not. But Twilight just laughed. "I'll be sure to check my mail." She turned to Trixie, "Have fun!" and without any warning, quickly skipped out the door, closing it behind her. "I'm so glad that my friends are going to get along." She said to herself as she continued skipping.

Trixie's eyes were pleading desperately at the door. She wanted to stop Twilight from leaving. She wanted out of this game now. Turning back slowly, the blue Unicorn was met with the same stare. Swallowing hard, Trixie forced a smile. "H-hello?"

Chapter 6

Rarity paced back and forth across her work room, carrying with her one or two things at a time, only to use it once, and place it aside. She seemed to do this behind a curtain for 20 minutes, before Trixie finally managed to say something. “Rarity, was it?” Her voice was very shaky. The nerves were far greater than she had anticipated. Trixie was expecting some kind of rampage from the white Unicorn, but instead, was just told to sit here. The more irritating part was that she couldn't even see what it was Rarity was doing.

“I told you I would finish this first.” Was her only response. She knew what Trixie was going to ask, and she knew that Twilight wanted them to spend time together, get to know each other. But she didn't want to start a conversation until her project was finished.

“Trixie-! ...I just wanted to know what you were doing. I can wait to talk, believe me. But I won't wait for something I can't even know about.” Her nerves vanished for her statement, not wanting to be treated like a little foal.

Rarity poked her head around the side of the purple drape she had set up to work behind. “It's important that it remains a secret until it is finished. You are more than welcome to walk around downstairs if sitting there is not suitable.” She then pulled her head back to her work.

With a huff, Trixie crossed her forelegs together. This was worse than just suffering any wrath that Rarity could have given her. Trixie wished that she could get this over with. Sighing again, the blue Unicorn went to attempt to keep her mind distracted from the boredom.

Rarity took a quick breath of relief. Silence was the best way for her to work, and she had hoped Trixie wouldn't start causing a fuss. She was almost finished though. Just a few more stitches and... she was done. Rarity couldn't help but smile a tad as she looked over her finished product. With a nod, she walked out around the curtain, and faced Trixie, with a more serious look on her face. “Come here.”

Trixie jumped a bit at the tone she used. But, she stood up, feeling her gut drop as her imagination ran wild. Slowly, she limped her way closer, still looking at the same expression Rarity held. Without a word, she stopped before her host, waiting for what was coming.

“You remember, of course, how I said brutish ways were not how a Unicorn should act? That she should carry herself with grace?” She raised an eyebrow to the blue Unicorn. “Well, I hope so. Because I remembered those taunts, calling my mane a rat's nest. Well, now I'll show you how graceful I can truly carry myself. Close your eyes.” Rarity said, igniting the magic in her horn. She waited for Trixie to comply.

Reluctantly, the Unicorn shut her eyes, and waited for Rarity to do what she wanted. Thoughts started bouncing around in her head, as to what was going to happen to her? Maybe she would soak her in mud, or disfigure her mane. Instead, she felt a soft warmth across her back and her sides. Startled, Trixie turned to see a large cloth draped over her. It was a dark violet with multiple stars etched across it.

Was this... Could it be? “It's just like my cape! Darker, but almost exactly the same!” It even had the collar that flipped up behind her neck. Trixie's eyes darted from star to star, confused. She had once again been dumbfounded by a Ponyvillian, and this time it was an even worse level of dumbfound.

Rarity watched Trixie eye over the fabric for a while, smiling at the plain confusion on her face. “I hope this tells you that I've forgiven you?” She met Trixie's gaze and widened her smile to show her she meant it.

A bit of worry seemed to rush over Trixie now. Why had she forgiven her? “You forgive me? But I never apologized. I simply embarrassed you and left. H-how could...?” Her breath failed her. If somepony had given her the chance for her to enact her revenge, she would have taken it in a heartbeat, and it would have been the full extent of her wrath. But two ponies now have had their chance and decided to be kind instead.

“Hmm, yes. I considered chopping off your mane, and some other mean things.” She said jokingly, looking at the ceiling as if in thought, before returning to Trixie. “But then I realized that's just not my style, dear. Revenge is for the brutish and uncivilized.” Rarity waved a dismissing hoof to her.

Trying not to take that last statement as an insult to her previous thought, Trixie took a deep breath, and looked everywhere around the room before looking Rarity in the eye. She didn't like what she was about to say. It didn't seem natural, but it needed to be said. “Well...I guess I-”

“No no!” Rarity interrupted. “It's something I wanted to make. You don't need to thank me for that.”

You have no idea how much easier that makes me feel, she thought to herself. Now not sure what to do, she decided to ask Rarity. “Well, now what?” Twilight had said for them to spend most of the day together, but as far as Trixie knew, it had only been an hour.

“Oh right! I can't believe I almost forgot!” The white Unicorn raised a hoof to her face in surprise before running past Trixie and down the hall.

Rolling her eyes, Trixie slowly made her way into the hall, hearing a commotion downstairs. So she carefully descended, to see Rarity with a couple large towels spread across her back. “It's already that late?! I hope they don't mind.” She looked around the room a second time, to make sure she hadn't forgotten anything.

“Late? For what?” Trixie asked the worried Unicorn. It was funny, but a bit overbearing. She wasn't sure if this is how she normally was, or if this worry was a rare occurrence. There was a low possibility that she could take this all day.

Rarity stopped to give Trixie a confused look, before smiling. “Why, my appointment at the Day Spa, of course! Actually, I should say 'ours'.” Her eyes narrowed in a mischievous way.

Before she could process what was going on, Trixie found herself being nudged out of the door by Rarity, shouting complaints. Upon being outside, however, she saw no point in fighting it, having drawn the attention of the nearby townsponies. The two Unicorns slowly made their way through the streets of the sunny village, Rarity starting to ramble on about her favorite spa treatments. It was as if she had put the incident of last week entirely behind her, but why?

“Well, that...really was nice of you Rarity.” Trixie said as they approached the library. The trip to the spa had been amazing. She couldn't remember the last time that her mane felt so smooth and chilled when the wind blew through it, also causing a dramatic billow effect for her new cape. Her legs, minus the one still healing, felt renewed and energized. Even her cautious attitude towards Rarity had died down by now. She felt...nice. Like she did with Twilight, that warm sensation had moved it's way into her heart.

Shaking her head, Rarity turned to Trixie, her newly refreshed curly mane bouncing as she did so. “Oh, not at all, darling. I'm just glad you didn't complain when they popped your back. Those noises were so loud, I could hear them from 10 feet away. You must have been sleeping on rocks before staying with Twilight.”

Not willing to tell her how right she was, Trixie looked to the side before going to open the door. But it was thrown open, scaring both of the Unicorns, and revealing an anxious Twilight, with a large grin on her face. “Hey you two! Did you have fun?” The lavender Unicorn spoke so quickly, that was all they interpreted. Both of them had a bit of trouble making out everything she said.

“Y-yes, dear!” Rarity interrupted. “Trixie and I had a ball. We went to the spa, and we shared stories about our experiences in Canterlot.”

Trixie thought to herself: Well, you did. I didn't say much, but I suppose that's true enough. “At least I feel as good as before coming here.” She didn't catch the irritated tone she used, getting a few confused looks from the other two. Thinking quick on her feet, she laughed a little. “You know, before my injury.” She shook her rear leg to indicate.

Rarity and Twilight chuckled, almost forgetting. “Well, it was fun Trixie. I hope we do have some spare time again soon.” Rarity said before waving goodbye and trotting off.

Trixie felt strange, as if she hoped Rarity didn't have to leave, like a selfish schoolfilly. Twilight interrupted her thought process. “So, how did it go?” She leaned in close to Trixie, a large grin still on her face. She was so anxious to hear how much fun her friends had.

Looking around awkwardly, the blue Unicorn put up a smile. “Like Rarity said, it was fun. She didn't mind me not talking, and I feel a lot better.” She hoped it was good enough of an answer.

It was, as Twilight pulled away and hopped into the library, running off upstairs, giggling. Trixie was left to pull herself in, and close the door.

As the silence of the library soaked in, Trixie just realized how tired she actually was. It was only a little after 3 when she arrived 'home,' due to her slow movement. There was still plenty of time, and she didn't need to hide in the room anymore, so Trixie thought about actually reading a book today.

After sitting, she found a pile of books on the center table, and began to read a random one, hoping it'd keep her distracted enough for the evening. It wasn't long before Twilight returned, refusing to answer Trixie's questions as to what she had been doing. She gave up, returning to her book, finding herself laughing a bit. The two sat together and read until it was about dinner time.

They ate quickly, not having noticed that the sun was already set. Spike made fun of Twilight, saying that her reading habits were infecting Trixie. They finished dinner, leaving Spike to clean up as usual. The two Unicorns actually had a good conversation for the first time since Trixie first arrived, and both of them were thankful for it.

They reached the bedroom, and quickly did the standard bedtime procedure. Upon unwrapping the bandage, Trixie asked if her leg had healed yet. Twilight just shook her head. It was much better than before, but it wasn't quite finished. Trixie had been doubting that her leg would be back to normal in just 7 days, but Twilight kept reassuring her that Zecora has always made miracle medicines like that.

The two curled up underneath their blankets, and Twilight extinguished the candles in the room once Spike had returned. In the dark, Trixie was unable to sleep at first. It seemed like, after a whole week of being here, she finally had a good time. Twilight willingly decided to help her, Rarity put everything past her and simply had a good time with Trixie. And tomorrow was the day she was free to do whatever she wanted. She would be completely healed, according to Zecora, able to run around and no longer feel like she needed to be dependent on others. She could go off, and try to recover her career while she still had the chance.

Or, she could stay here. In a small village where being famous didn't matter.

But enough thinking. She had time to think about what she did next tomorrow.

“Trixie! Trixie, wake up!” A loud, anxious voice awoke Trixie from her sleep. Groggily opening her eyes, Trixie saw Twilight standing over her bed.

“What do you want, Twilight?” an irritated Unicorn replied as she was disturbed from her slumber. Turning her head over to the window, Trixie could see that the sun hadn't even risen yet. It was too early for this.

Twilight nudged Trixie again, this time actually getting her to sit up. “Your leg! It's healed!”

That woke her up. Trixie's eyes opened wide, and she twisted her head to see her rear leg. The bandages were all gone, and her light blue fur was even all the way down. It was as if the injury had never existed. “B-but how? I didn't think it was possible!” Her eyes were transfixed on her leg. There was no magic applied to it, just that goopy stuff. So how did it work like magic?

The lavender Unicorn giggled. “I told you, didn't I? Zecora has always made miracle medicines, fixing things that even magic can't sometimes.” She let Trixie get up and walk around, trying to get a feel of walking on all fours again. “Zecora told me that you should be back up to full strength with your leg, so that makes it perfect for what you're gonna do today!” Twilight motioned for her to follow into the main room of the library, where an orange Earth Pony stood waiting. “Applejack! She's ready to go.”

“'Bout time! I been here for almost 15 minutes waiting fer her to wake up.” The Farmer Pony responded, pulling her brown hat down just a bit.

Trixie stopped on the last stair, looking at the two in confusion. “Ready to go where?” Sure, Twilight like surprising her with new ideas, but she usually told Trixie first.

“Oh, well, if you still wanted to hang out with my friends, You're gonna spend a few hours with Applejack next. I chose Rarity first, because I knew she wouldn't hold a grudge forever.” She sneaked her way next to Trixie, whispering quietly. “You do still want them to forgive you, right?” That was what the whole plan was. Trixie had started feeling guilty, and so Twilight devised the plan for Trixie to spend some time with Rarity, Applejack, and Rainbow Dash, so that they would forgive her boasting and rude actions.

But, Trixie didn't necessarily need their forgiveness now. She could walk out of town forever, and not care what happened to them. Trixie could leave without saying a word if she so chose. Something stopped her though, a pang of guilt, something she hadn't felt in a long time, and it wracked her hard. Lowering her eyes, she responded quietly. “Yes, but are you sure this is the best way?” Her eyes then turned to Applejack, who had anything but a happy expression on her face.

Twilight put a reassuring hoof on her shoulder. “It's the best way if you really want their forgiveness.”

Trixie sighed. She did want it. But she was also hoping that there would have been an easier way.

“Welp, here we are.” An obviously sour Applejack stated. The two ended up at Sweet Apple Acres. There were hundreds, if not, thousands of huge apple trees. They expanded over the hills and valleys of the surrounding area, covering who knows how many acres with tall brown trunks and dark green leaves. Apples hanging from the trees glistened from the light of the rising sun, and Trixie caught herself staring at them all when Applejack suddenly spoke.

Applejack had led her to small clearing in the fields, where countless baskets were sprawled out under the apple trees. Trixie pulled a hoof up in surprise as Applejack stopped and whipped around to face her. “Alright now, little Missy! Twi says y’all want me to forgive yer shenanigans. And I'll be happy to oblige. But, we Apples are a hard workin' bunch. So, you're gonna work for your forgiveness.” She swung a hoof over to the baskets. “Y’all are gonna harvest some apples.”

Trixie lost it at that last line. She burst out laughing uncontrollably, and fell flat on her back. Not only was that accent of Applejack's just ridiculous, but she wanted Trixie to do the labor of an Earth Pony. It took a while for the joke to subside. But when Trixie opened her eyes, her laughing fell silent. Standing above her was Applejack, holding a serious face. She stood up, and tried to keep her smile hidden. “Oh come now, little Ha- I mean... Applejack.” Trixie went cold as she almost slipped back into her usual ways. “You can't really expect Tr-, me to do that kind of labor do you? You're an Earth Pony, and this is easier for you than a Unicorn like me.”

Applejack raised an eyebrow, not saying a word. Instead, she walked over to the nearest apple tree, and faced away from it. She then raised her two hind legs, and kicked it with a great deal of force, causing almost all of the apples to drop perfectly in the baskets sprawled around he trees. Turning to the now shocked Trixie, Applejack put a smug grin on her face. “That's Apple Buckin'! Now that your leg's healed up right, that's what yer gonna do for me. And I want you to buck till ya drop. Got that?” Sensing Trixie's hesitation, the farmer decided to add one more thing. “'Course, if y’all don't want to, you ain't ever gonna prove to me that you really have changed.” She scooped up two of the baskets that were full, hanging one on each side of her back, before walking away. Applejack was certain that was enough to get her conscience kicking.

Trixie's eyes had shifted to the ground. There was no way she could kick, or 'buck' all of these apples. She wanted to just turn around, and run away. There was no incentive to doing this, so why should she? What's one more pony hating her forever?

Wait. This isn't how I would react in this situation, she thought to herself. It's obvious that Hayseed doesn't think I can do it. That's why she offered this challenge to me. Thoughts buzzed back and forth through her mind, reminding her of the days where Trixie was challenged by random ponies who thought they could surpass the Great and Powerful Trixie. She always showed them, so why should this be any different. A different situation does not mean ditching a persona. Her eyes now narrowed and aimed at the apples in the trees. “I'll show you, My little Hill pony. I'll show you how the Great and Powerful Trixie handles a challenge!” Confidently, the Unicorn trotted over to the nearest tree, kicking it.

Applejack walked past the few dozen baskets piled near the barn about 3 hours later. She had almost forgotten that Trixie didn't get any breakfast, so the Farmer decided to bring her a tasty Apple Fritter she baked this morning. As she balanced the dish upon her brown hat, she took a look around to see the large amount of baskets, all full of apples. She hadn't expected the show pony to do so well in such a short time. “Huh, maybe she's got some bark to her bite after all!” Applejack picked up her pace to a trot, heading into the field to find the clearing.

She arrived to see more baskets, gathered in a pile near the edge of the clearing, and saw the surrounding trees were all bare. Raising an eyebrow in confusion, Applejack followed a small grunting noise deeper in.

Trixie weakly tapped her leg against the tree for the tenth time now, but not a single apple would fall. Despite the cool morning breeze, Trixie was still hot and sweating. She wiped the sweat from her brow with a tired leg, and forced her two legs to kick in unison, still doing nothing.

Finally, Trixie collapsed. She couldn't carry on any longer. The lack of sustenance combined with the now rising heat was just too much for her to handle. Legs sprawled out, panting on the ground, Trixie cursed at herself. She refused to give up just yet. She couldn't let Applejack show her up like that. If a regular Earth Pony could do this, than so could Trixie. But before she could force herself up, a hoof pushed her back down.

“Whoa nelly! Y’all don't need to push yerself that bad!” Applejack held a hoof against the Unicorn's blue back lightly, just to keep her from getting up. It was obvious that she was spent, so there was no longer a point to keep working her like that. She reached up and lifted the small platter off of her head, placing it down on the ground next to Trixie's head.

The smell of freshly cooked apple pasty brought the Unicorn back to alert mode. Trixie cocked her head up to see an apple fritter on a plate before her. At any other time, a pastry like that would not have even been considered as an appetizer to someone accustomed to higher and fancier foods from Canterlot. But at that moment, the small, brown, glazed treat's aroma brought a sensation upon Trixie. Her whole body screamed that would be the best apple fritter she would ever eat. That...okay, enough with the dramatics, Trixie told herself. She surged the magic from her body out of her horn to form a field around the pastry, and brought it close it her face.

As Trixie chowed down, Applejack looked around and laughed at the Unicorn's progress, as well as her condition. If she had been bucking this morning, not a single apple would be visible within 300 feet of here. But, it was still impressive to see a Unicorn do the equivalent of a filly's work.

The two decided to sit in the shade of a tree. The morning chill was fading, and the warmth of the sun started to filter in between the leaves. Once Trixie had cooled down, she turned over to Applejack, who was leaning against the tree, hat tipped down over her face. “You shouldn't have challenged me like that, Hayseed.” She spoke that in a way to show that she was joking with that term. “Or else I wouldn't have had to do a better job that you ever could.” Trixie was confident that she outperformed the Earth Pony.

Lifting her hat up, Applejack chuckled. “You spoiled city-pony. I coulda done this here job in 30 minutes. You took over 3 hours. I'm hopin y’all weren't fixing yer mane half the time. “ She winked at Trixie, receiving a roll from her eyes. “Though I gotta admit I never seen no normal Unicorn do a job this big so quick.”

“The Great and Powerful Trixie is anything but normal.” Trixie stated triumphantly. “She refuses to be equal to other Unicorns.” She had started to find this whole situation rather hilarious.

“Ah ah!” Applejack cut in quickly. “Now don't y’all start going back to that fancy show-off attitude of yours. It's mighty unpleasant.”

She hadn't even realized that she was speaking in third person again. Trixie wasn't sure what had caused that. She just seemed to feel very natural, like she was allowed to do whatever she pleased without fear of judgment. “Oh, right. Sorry about that.”

Applejack stood up, extending a hoof to Trixie. “No problem, pardner. Let's just say I'm willing to put it behind me, seeing as you proved how badly my forgiven ya means to you.” After pulling Trixie off of the ground, she gestured over to where the house was. “Come on! I just bake a few fresh apple pies. Let's go get a real breakfast in yer gut.”

“Yes. I'd appreciate that, at least.”

“Well, here's her place.” Applejack stated as they walked along the dirt path underneath a large cloud building. After trotting for a while, the two had reached Rainbow Dash's house. It was mid-afternoon, so it was most likely she was either on a cloud napping, or at home. But Applejack said they'd be lucky and find her here. “Yo! RD! Come on out here!”

Trixie started to feel a bit of doubt, but it was quickly subsided when she thought of how Rarity had so easily forgiven her. Applejack forgave her just as easily, but with more of a workout. But it was nothing too serious.

Rainbow Dash was going to be a different story.

The Pegasus floated outside, her rainbow-mane glistening in the afternoon sky. Upon seeing Applejack, a smile crossed her face. But when her eyes met Trixie, all emotion seemed to drain away. Rainbow Dash lowered herself to the ground, whipping her tail, but not saying a word yet. She couldn't believe that Trixie had the guts to show her face in front of her again.

It was only now that the Unicorn remembered the other day. ”No way, Twi. Not with her.”Those words now began to ring in her ears.

Applejack cleared her throat to catch everypony's attention. “So, Rainbow. Twilight says you should still give Trixie a chance. She may have been a pretty rough character a few weeks ago, but I think she's thrown away her dirt.” She smiled, but got no response from the Pegasus. “Aw, come on Rainbow Dash! I'm a great judge of ponies. If I think she's changed, there's no reason for you to stay all fussy now, right?”

After giving a snort from her nose, Rainbow turned her head.”Yeah, I guess I'll give her a chance.” A chance to run while she's able, she thought to herself.

“Alright. I get it. I'll leave you two to talk it out. It ain’t none of my business.” Applejack turned to give Trixie a concerned nod for good luck, before trotting off. She was tempted to stay, knowing it wouldn't be pretty if Rainbow went at her. But she had she keep her faith in her friend.

After Applejack had gone from view, Trixie looked to the side to take a deep breath. “Hello, Rainbow-”

“Don't talk to me!” The Pegasus spat, catching Trixie off guard. She flapped her wings quickly, taking to the air and hovering right in front of Trixie. “Do you really think that I'd want to forgive you? After the way you publicly humiliated my friends?!” She was doing all she could to not just slug the mare in front of her. But she knew her friends would look down on her if she did. Still, seeing this smirk little show off in front of her made her want to do something.

Trixie was at a loss for words, and started to back up. “I, I know what I did was wrong, but-”

“But nothing! You can lie to Twilight and Rarity, even Applejack. But I don't give one feather about you 'changing your ways,' because it's all a lie.” She landed, and started advancing on the cowering Trixie. “A selfish, stuck-up loudmouth who hurts my friends is never going to trick me that they can change.”

“Rainbow Dash! I'm sorry. I was a jerk, but I'm sorry!” Trixie tried to plead with the Pegasus, but she didn't seem to hear her one bit.

That only seemed to anger her more. Trixie wouldn't drop this charade, and Rainbow was willing to force her to prove that she was lying. “Sorry, did I hear that right? All I can hear is that you're a liar.” She opened her wings, beating them quickly and began to fly small circles around Trixie. The consistent wing spinning began to make a small tornado, colored in rainbow hues.

Trixie found herself lifted off of the ground, and spinning in the air. She felt herself do loops while spinning at uncomfortable speeds. The next thing she could register was that she was belly flat on the ground, her eyes unable to focus on any one point. After a few seconds, Trixie finally had the stability to stand on her wobbly legs, though the earth felt like it was shaking beneath her. Rainbow Dash had spun her around so viciously.

“Are you ok?” Rainbow jokingly asked. “I was sure somepony like you would have a 'Trick' or two to counter something like that.”

Trixie focused and looked up, to see a large white cloud directly above her. Rainbow Dash was floating beside it, with a sadistic grin on her face. She was trying to figure out what was going on when Dash kicked the cloud, causing it's water to pour all over Trixie, soaking her in less than a second.

Dash watch with an evil glare as the water soaked Trixie. She was waiting for her to turn tail and run crying. She deserved it, for the horrible things she did to humiliate her friends. And who knows how many other ponies she just stepped on to look good. She would come out with the truth soon.

Trixie glared at the Pegasus, starting to fume inside. She saw no reason as to why Rainbow was doing this to someone who was trying to apologize. But then it hit the Unicorn like a wagon, Rainbow Dash was getting even with her. Trixie had done the same to her, spinning her off of her stage, but striking her with lightning. Yes, she even made a witty pun with her name. So that's what this is about, she thought. Trixie felt her temper drop as she lowered her head in shame, remembering how good that felt two weeks ago, having it haunt her now.

The Pegasus started to get irritated. Trixie hadn't even shown any signs of breaking, and certainly no signs of running away. She kicked the cloud again, causing the downpour to thicken. She deserves this, she thought. Everypony else was too quick to forgive and forget with her. She won't change that easily, and I'm gonna prove that.

Tears mixed with the increased rainfall, but a smile stretched across her face. Despite how badly she wanted to zap that Pegasus again, or just turn tail and run, something kept her rigid. Trixie finally understood how much she truly wanted to be forgiven. She could finally believe that she was being sincere to herself. At the very least, Trixie wanted to apologize for her misdeeds. She turned to face the Pegasus, looking through the downpour. “Rainbow Dash. I'm sorry. I'm here now because I want your forgiveness. Can you ever forgive me?” Trixie head dropped, and at that time, so did the rain.

Dash wasn't sure if she really heard that. She wants my forgiveness? She would put up with this just to get me to forgive her? The question had distracted Rainbow Dash, and she needed to land, looking around in disbelief. This wasn't the same mare from two weeks ago. But after all she was convinced of, her never being able to change, Rainbow started feeling a bit embarassed of her brash actions just now.

The water dripped off of Trixie slowly. She had said all that she was able to, now it was up to Rainbow Dash. She didn't need to forgive her, but Trixie didn't want to give up without Rainbow knowing how serious she was. Without warning, another large wind surrounded her, surprising Trixie. It wasn't as vicious as last time, but it still buffeted in her ears and forced her to close her eyes.

When it ended, Trixie opened her eyes to find herself blow dried, her mane in a rather unkempt state, and an awkwardly smiling cyan Pegasus in front of her. “You know, Trixie, I might have to answer that another time. But for now, I don't see why I should be mean to you. I should be loyal to my friends' decisions, and give you a chance, at least.” She raised a hoof, offering a hoof-bump. Trixie sniffled, and returned the bump. Immediately afterward, Rainbow Dash took off again, hovering a few feet off of the ground, scratching the back of her head. Now that that was taken care of, what should they do? “So, you know a few tricks with magic. How bout we share a few tricks of ours before you head off?” She asked halfhearted, as if expecting a no answer.

Trixie just nodded, wiping a now dry hoof to her still moist eye. Deep down, she felt much better, almost immediately. “Only if you have more tricks than flying through clouds.” She gave a small smirk, earning a hint of awkward laughter from both of them.

Chapter 7

“...and then I pull upwards, barely missing the ground. Sometimes I stroke the grass for fun.” Rainbow Dash swooped low to the ground, demonstrating how close she flies for the trick, before landing softly next to Trixie as she continued walking down the dirt path. The sun was about set now, turning the sky a dark violet, so Rainbow agreed to keep Trixie company until they reached the Library.

Trixie's head felt like it was spinning. So many different techniques and patterns Pegasi had to follow just to perform a trick baffled any creature without wings. “That's...an earful to say the least. I guess making ponies disappear isn't nearly as impressive after all.” Her sentence ended with a chuckle. The two had been comparing their own tricks, to see who had the better skillset.

“Are you kidding? You said you can do that without using Magic! That's like...MAGIC!” The Pegasus had gotten all worked up from Trixie explaining her magic tricks that didn't involve her using her Unicorn abilities. It seemed unreal that a Unicorn didn't need magic to perform some of the things Trixie stated, even after demonstrating a few of them.

“Well, The Great and Powerful Trixie can perform feats beyond imagination.” Her eyes opened wide as she realized what escaped her lips. “Uh, sorry about that. But it is true.”

Rainbow shook her head. “Ah, you don't need to cut that out. Just as long as you don't let the ego get too big, I don't think anypony would have a problem with Great and Powerful once in a while.” She took off again, hovering in the air. “Besides, it makes me want to think of a cool stage name. Like: 'The Flying Dynamo: Rainbow Dash'! Or how about: 'Dash the Amazing'!” She made poses to go along with her names, flexing her slender body, as if she was a bodybuilder.

Trixie started laughing out loud. Her ridiculous thought was just unexpected, and so random. “Oh, please Rainbow Dash! You do not have the experience, nor the talent to perform on stage with your little wings.” She made sure that the Pegasus could tell she was joking, continuing to laugh.

Playfully huffing, Rainbow Dash landed in front of the library. They had already reached home without realizing it. “You know, Trix, I guess you're not so bad for a stuck up, show offy Unicorn. It was pretty cool hanging out today.”

She seemed to feel some warmth spread down her chest, causing her to smile and chuckle a bit. “Yeah, I suppose it wasn't that bad.” She turned her head, narrowing her eyes at Rainbow. “Though I think your banking needs a little work.”

After waving a hoof at the Unicorn, throwing her last comment aside, Rainbow Dash turned to the door. “I'm gonna say hi to Twilight before I head out, k?” She firmly pushed the wooden door open, making a loud groaning noise, and revealing nothing but darkness. The library's main room was pitch black, save for the minimal light coming in through the windows.

Before either of them could react, the light all flickered on, revealing a huge group of ponies, who all proceeded to shout “SUPRISE!” Dozens of party favors and poppers went off, startling Trixie. She started to back peddle back outside, before being stopped and pushed back in by Rainbow Dash.

Before Trixie could figure out what was going on, a bright pink Earth Pony with a pink mane and tail bounced in front of her. “Surprise, Trixie! My name's Pinkie Pie, and Twilight asked me to throw you a party, because she wanted to celebrating you feeling better! And she wanted you to have a proper welcome to Ponyville.”

Trixie paused for memoent, taking in what this Pony said.. “Wait. A welcome party?” She looked around at all of the happy faces in the room. It felt as if every pony in Ponyville was in here, and had all forgotten her previous visit. “But, you're...” She turned to the Earth Pony, not only confused, but a bit saddened.

“Pinkie Pie! That's my name!” The pink pony snorted at the silliness of Trixie already forgetting her name. “You know, I wanted to have your party forever ago! But Twilight asked me 'not to pester' you until you felt all better. So, now you're better, and now we can par-!” Pinkie was cut off from Applejack placing a hoof over her mouth, muffling the rest of her sentence. But she was so excited, she wanted to rant on an on

“Like Pinkie Pie said. Twilight thought it'd be best to throw ya'll a little bash, getcha used to how things go around here.” Appljack nodded happily to the Unicorn, finally releasing the now silent party pony.

Rainbow bumped Trixie's leg, a half smile on her face. “Yeah, I wasn't gonna come originally. But you managed to change my mind.”

“And let's not forget that it's a Pinkie Pie party.” Rarity said, sneaking up on everypony. “No pony would miss one of these for the world.”

Twilight walked up to Trixie, a warm smile on her face, seeing that the blue Unicorn was still a little disorganized. “You see, Trixie? I told you making friends wasn't going to be hard. Now you have a bunch of friends!”

The whole room cheered in agreement. Everypony but Trixie was smiling. She sat in the center of the room, everypony's attention on her. Again, this was a rare time she didn't want attention. They had assumed Trixie was going to stay here with them. They assumed Trixie was their friend, and could let the past go just as easily as they did. Sure, she felt relieved from the guilt that her past boasting had drudged down on her, but she wasn't ready to make such a big decision.

Twilight's smile started to droop as Trixie began to slowly shake her head, seeing what was going on in her mind. The blue Unicorn started to take a few steps back. “No. I- I can't. I just...” Before she could finish her sentence, Trixie turned tail and ran from the library, leaving looks of shock on everypony's face.

The lavender Unicorn slumped to the ground. This was her fault, once again. She only now realized that Trixie never agreed to stay with them. She had set up a happy party, made her meet her friends, and even sent a premature letter to Princess Celestia about how even a selfish pony like Trixie used to be, could turn into a grateful and kind friend. Now she felt even worse. First her ability, now her naivety was the cause for Trixie's sadness.

Her friends gathered around Twilight, giving her a big group hug. They had been friends for a while now, and could tell what was running through the Unicorn's mind. The ponies just hoped that they could convince her that it wasn't her fault at all.

Trixie ran through the now dark village. Everypony was either asleep or at Twilight's library, so she encountered no townsfolk. By the time she finished running, Luna's moon was high above, and the night air was already bringing it's chill down on her fur. Trixie slowed to a walk until she came across a small wooden bridge over a creek. She couldn't help but wonder where she had seen this bridge as she slumped over the edge, staring at the reflection of the moon on the water's surface.

Trixie thought bitterly about how naive that Unicorn was. Twilight just assumed that I wanted to stay here? I told her I wouldn't decide until after I had cleared myself of this self-imposed guilt. The moon's reflection on the water seemed to anger her for no reason other than being there. She lit the magic in her horn to blast a small beam of energy into the water, rippiling the reflection.

Still, her thoughts now started to juggle around. What if she stayed? Lived here in Ponyville, and decided to actually become best friends with those ponies? Yet the opposite thoughts were grinding about in her mind. Why should she stay? After being forced to wait for so long, the Great and Powerful Trixie should be back on stage, in the spotlight. After all of those years working to get where she was now, was she really going to give it all up just for the chance to make friends? Would she really let her mother's name disappear?

Feeling lost with her own thoughts, Trixie's head turned to the yellow stars above. Her mother had always said that those stars shone for her. Now, she was a fully-grown mare, and no longer believed that. But something always gave her comfort when she could peacefully watch the night sky. Trixie continued to stare at the sky, thinking to herself. What should I do, Mommy? What would you want me to do?

Of course the sky could not respond to her, but Trixie had still been hoping. She let loose a heavy sigh, and leaned forward onto the bridge, drooping her head over the edge to stare at the flowing water once again. The bright, white reflection of the moon shone brightly now, after the ripples had subsided. Trixie couldn't figure out what to do. Something inside wanted her to stay. It told her that this is what she had been looking for all of these years. Yet, the bold, rash persona of hers had been resisting this urge the entire time.

She noticed the reflection of the moon vanish in more ripples as she saw the stream of tears dripping from her face. There was no point in stopping them now, and nopony was around to see her, so she let them run. This was the only time she didn't scold herself for crying. Her mind was torn, and she didn't know what to do.

A sudden hoof on her shoulder brought Trixie out of her stupor. Snapping her head to her side, she noticed a yellow Pegasus smiling down on her. It took her a moment, but Trixie recognized this pony. It couldn't be, she thought. “Fluttershy...?” She asked weakly, her voice shaky.

Fluttershy's smile widened, happy to know Trixie remembered her. She was about to speak, but Trixie stood up quickly, throwing her front legs around her neck. The Unicorn buried her face in the Pegasus' pink mane and sobbed, happy to see a kind face again. Especially in this time of uncertainty.

The two stood there for a while, until Fluttershy managed to get Trixie to calm down and lay on the bridge once again. She sat next to her, with a hoof on the Unicorn's shoulder. Trixie had actually blindly made her way to Fluttershy's cottage, and they sat on the same bridge that Trixie had cried on weeks ago.

Trixie explained what had been tormenting her. She told Fluttershy about Twilight, the party, her uncertainties, even her memory of her mother. She wanted to stay in Ponyville, but she wanted to return to the big city to retrieve her reputation, both of which she wanted dearly. Trixie loved the idea of having friends, and a quiet life, but feared that she would be letting her mother down by letting the world forget the name of the most powerful mage in Equestria.

Fluttershy just sat and listened until she was finished. Afterward, she cleared her throat. “Trixie, not all choices in life are as hard as they seem. You chose what you wanted to get here today, and so did your mother. She wanted you to be safe, to be happy.”

“I know this.” Trixie stated softly. She didn't want to admit that she never thought of that before. “But, I was happy as a stage performer.”

“Well, do you want to keep performing for your mother?” After seeing Trixie turn her head away, the Pegasus continued. “Or, do you want to spend time with ponies who will be there for you? Ponies who will help you when you're unsure?” She stroked her hoof across Trixie's head, trying to show her that she cared for what was happening.

Holding back more tears, Trixie stood up. She had made up her mind, knowing full well what both paths held for her. But, this was how she set her life, and she was going to live it her way. “I can't stay here. The stage is where I belong. It's what I spent years trying to master, and it is going to have to be my life forever.”

Fluttershy's ears drooped, and a frown formed on her face. She looked towards the creek before standing up. I guess I couldn't change her mind after all. Why does she want to stay away from this? Ponyville is open for her, and Trixie still won't let what she wants become what she gets. “B-before you go... I, uh, have something for you.” The Pegasus quietly stated.

Trixie decided to wait, not turning from the dirt path ahead of her. When she heard hoofsteps on the other side of the bridge, she turned around, seeing Fluttershy holding something in an outstretched hoof, a sad smile on her face. “I found these the day you left. I was going to give them to you when I got home, but you were already gone.”

The Unicorn lifted the pieces of fabric into the air, noting the familiar violet colors, and the star patterns on the hat and cloak. This was her's. This was her cloak, her hat, her mother's gifts. A smile found it's way onto her face, despite the sadness deep inside. Trixie looked up to say something to Fluttershy, but she couldn't figure out what. Finally, she shook her head, and just simply said: “Thank you.” before turning away.

Fluttershy's smile vanished as the Unicorn turned her back to her. Seeing someone so alone walk away, and she being unable to do anything, was one of the hardest feelings she had experienced. But she noticed somepony else just down the road, by the closest tree.

Trixie had set her show attire upon her back and started trotting down the dirt road, not looking up. “You're just going to leave?” A voice caught her off guard, pulling her attention to the nearby tree.

A lavender Unicorn, with purple mane, stepped out into the moonlight to stand near Trixie. “You don't need to leave. You know that you have a choice, right?”

Trixie scowled at Twilight. She was still being naive. “Of course I have a choice. And I'm choosing this as the way I want to go.” She started trotting faster, hoping to leave Twilight behind.

“But will you be happy?” Twilight asked, not turning her head. Trixie actually stopped at the question, allowing Twilight to ask another one. “Is this what your heart wants?”

Trixie turned around, facing the Unicorn. “Of course.” She hardly whispered her answer, not sure if she was lying to herself.

Twilight turned to face her, a sad smile on her face. “Then I guess I can't stop you. But let me say one thing, please.” She walked slowly closer to Trixie, stopping just a hoof's reach away. “Can you forgive me? I prematurely celebrated, thus causing this situation right now. So, I'm sorry.” She kept her smile up, showing that she would back whatever Trixie decided to do.

Scoffing and turning her head, Trixie paused before answering. “...I don't hold you responsible, Twilight. I was going to make this choice sooner or later.” She started to make her way down the road again.

“One more question, please.” Twilight couldn't hold back the urge to figure this out. She absolutely hated to leave loose ends, and wanted her last question answered. Seeing that Trixie was waiting for it, Twilight cleared her throat. “Do you not want to stay here at all?”

The question brought another pang of guilt down on her. Trixie was hoping that she could leave without anypony seeing her. That way, these kinds of conversations wouldn't happen. She turned back again, this time unable to say anything. She couldn't help but think of her mother, because that's who Twilight was starting to sound like: her mother. She starting thinking of what her mother would want her to do. No, this was her life, and she was a big mare. “What is here that I can not get in Canterlot? Or Manehatten? What is in Ponyville that The Great and Powerful Trixie can not get?”

“Friends, for one.” A smug voice came from behind her. Trixie turned to see Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity, all smiling at the Unicorn.

Twilight and Fluttershy walked over to join them. “Not just friends, Trixie,” Twilight said, “But a family. I'm sorry for all you've gone through, but you don't always have to go through life alone. We will always be here for you, because that's what friends are for.”

Trixie's jaw dropped. Right here, standing before her, were six mares that had either hardly knew her, or hated her just 24 hours ago. Now, they were all attempting to bar her path, and convince her to stay with them. Words cannot describe how badly in disarray her thoughts were in at the moment. She felt an overwhelming warmth build itself inside her chest, seeming to fill a void. Trixie smiled, and started to chuckle. Her mind was like pudding, and she couldn't have been happier for it. The Unicorn, without warning, charged into Twilight, wrapping her legs around the mare's neck. “I'll stay.”

The six others all followed suit, giggling and hugging. They were all relieved by Trixie's choice, but none more than Twilight. The blue and purple Unicorns shared a teary hug, longer than the group hug, before finally disconnecting. The group all decided that it would be best to go back to the library and finish their party. It wouldn't have to go to waste after all.

As they walked back to Ponyville in the dark, Trixie looked at the sky and gasped. She could have sworn that the stars were sparkling, as if giving her a message. Smiling Trixie nodded to the stars, knowing they would always watch over her.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

And that's all folks.

First story I started, and first STORY i finished. I actually learned a lot from this, and got really lazy near the end >>;;

So, just a few last author notes:

-The ending seems abrupt, but that's how I've seen it for months now.

-Yes, I know I'm bad at staying in character.

-Thank you for sticking with this till it's conclusion, my 40 favoriteers!