To Romance A Magician

Chapters

Chapter 1: A Princess In Love
Chapter 2: Friendship Conquers The Day
Chapter 3: Defrosting The Diamond Queen
Chapter 4: We're Off To See The Wizard
Chapter 5: Love Is A Battlefield
Chapter 6: Sideshow Acts
Chapter 7: Jokers Wild
Chapter 8: Escape Act
Chapter 9: Matters Of The Heart

Chapter 1: A Princess In Love

The Great and Powerful Trixie stared at the letter on her table. It was, by all accounts, a regular letter. Regular paper, regular ink. It did not attempt to assault her, scream profanities, or sprout snakes made of inky shadow trying to kill her. It had not arrived in a burst of fire, been flown in on an owl, or been launched through her window tied to a rock or an arrow. It had actually been shoved under the door of her wagon, and she had found it a few minutes ago when she woke up.

It was the contents of the letter that bothered her so much.

Dear Great and Powerful Trixie,

It is of utmost importance that I see you as soon as possible to discuss an important subject. I've been told that you regularly eat lunch at the restaurant by the Manehattan Botanical Gardens. Please meet me there at noon.

Love,
Twilight Sparkle

Trixie wasn't certain what Twilight Sparkle, the new princess of Equestria, could want with her, but she wouldn't wager it to be anything good. Very little good had come between them. After her ignoble defeat in Ponyville, and being relieved of the Alicorn Amulet's influence, she had done some soul searching and conceded that she really had no reason to consider Sparkle her antagonist. Rather the contrary; Sparkle had saved her life from the Ursa, and her sanity from the amulet. So after she had given Sparkle and the Ponyville ponies a parting gift in the form of fireworks to remember the true Trixie by, she had left to start her life anew, and vowed to never darken Ponyville's doorsteps again.

Evidently Sparkle was unaware of this, and now she was coming here to get involved in Trixie's life again. Perhaps the third time was the charm, and nothing really bad would happen. Perhaps she'd even leave her disruptive friends behind. Trixie was enjoying having a decent living again, and didn't want it to end too soon like the last time.

Returning to Manehattan had been a good idea. Manehattanites in general tended to live in the present; for good or for bad, they cared little what you had done in the past, and only concerned themselves with what happened right now. In Trixie's case, this meant that most of them didn't care much what had happened to her two years ago halfway across the country, as long as she could put on a good show here and now. And the Great and Powerful Trixie certainly could.

And now a purple alicorn princess was coming to 'discuss an important subject'. No, certainly don't mention what the subject is. That's not suspicious at all. If it were good news, Sparkle would have said so. I'm giving you the award for being the best unicorn in Equestria. Oh, and compensation for the wagon we wrecked. And a formally written apology signed by everypony who ever insulted you. And a new hat. No, obviously not. It had to be bad news, the way she skirted the subject. Highly unlikely to involve hats in any way.

On the other hoof, avoiding Sparkle wasn't a good prospect either. The pony had a curious inclination to overcome obstacles. She was driven. Determined. Persistent. It was, admittedly, a trait that Trixie admired. All too many ponies just expected things to go their way, as though they could just sit back and open their mouths, and apples would fall in. Trixie had to work for everything good in her life (her subjugation of Ponyville not being counted as 'good' by any measure) and Twilight Sparkle, she believed, probably followed a similar credo. Unfortunately, that determination likely meant that Sparkle would just find Trixie somewhere else if she failed to present herself for the 'important subject'. If it was important enough to come all the way to Manehattan to discuss, it was important enough that Trixie's failing to show up wouldn't deter her.

Better to just hear her out and deal with whatever it was as it happened. How bad could it be?

Several weeks earlier...

Twilight Sparkle was, in many regards, a rational pony. Highly rational, actually. As far as she was concerned, all things could be scrutinized and understood by careful application of sensible, logical, scientific reasoning. (With the exception of Pinkie Pie, and she hadn't completely given up on that project. She had merely put it aside until she had gathered enough data to conduct another study.) Her mind was clear, scientific, and sensible.

So why, then, was it constantly occupied with thoughts of a certain pony?

Yes, constantly. At all times did she think of that pony. During her studies, she wondered what that pony would say about the subject matter. When she ate, she thought of eating in the company of that pony. And when she slept at night, and the dreams came… better not think about them.

It wasn't exactly fair to think of her as 'that pony', but she had found that her thoughts intensified even further when she thought of her as Trixie.

Like so.

Always on her mind. Her looks, her mannerisms. The way she rolled the 'r's when she spoke her own name, which she seemed to do so very often. Trrrixie. Her flashy magic, which to Twilight always seemed to have a curious touch of elegance that she herself had never quite managed to duplicate. As expected of a professional showmare who made a living with magic in a world where magic was commonplace. And those eyes…

It didn't make sense at all! Clearly, familiarity should be a factor. She thought of her friends very often, which made sense because she spent a lot of time with her friends, and they were important. Same with Celestia. They may have been equals now, but she would always look up to her old teacher. She was often on her mind. And her brother… in fact, it had worried her that he'd so completely slipped her mind after she moved to Ponyville. She must have been more occupied with her friendship studies than she had thought. Her BBBFF was one of the most important ponies in her world, and she often wondered how things were going up in the Crystal Empire these days.

But Trixie? They had met all of two times, both under fairly negative circumstances. They had never had a real conversation either, beyond Trixie's short yet heartfelt apology before running off again. They were not close. They were not well acquainted with each other. They were, for all intents and purposes, two strangers. Ships passing in the night. There were probably plenty of ponies that Twilight had only met once or twice, and they certainly didn't haunt her thoughts. So why was Trixie not following the rules? Out of spite? Out of sheer determination to disrupt Twilight's orderly life even without actually being there?

It was crazy. It was driving her crazy. What's more, it was getting in the way of her studies. How could she focus on Neighton's theorem of relativistic magic inference when she kept thinking about Trixie galloping through a meadow? Why was she thinking of Trixie galloping through a meadow, anyway?

She needed help. It didn't make sense. And when things made no sense, you consulted the pony who made no sense.

Sugarcube Corner was its usual festive location; either undergoing a party, recovering from a party, or being set up for a party. It was an ideal location for a party, and thus the homestead of Ponyville's premier party pony. How the Cakes were still sane was a riddle for the ages.

Twilight took a bite out of the cupcake that had been offered her – fresh from the oven and delicious as always – before gathering her thoughts. "Pinkie Pie, can I ask you a hypothetical question?"

"I don't know," Pinkie said from across the table. "Can you ask me a hypothetical question?"

"...That wasn't the hypothetical question," Twilight said at length.

"Oh! Sorry, I thought you were doing some smarty-smarty brainy thing," Pinkie said. She swallowed her own cupcake in one bite. "Go on, ask away."

"Okay…" Twilight said. "Say that there's this pony, and you keep thinking of them."

"I think about a lot of ponies," Pinkie said. "Should I just pick one? How about Roseluck, or Fluttershy? Maybe Big Macintosh, or that weird guy Derpy keeps hanging out with?"

"Hypothetical," Twilight clarified.

"Oh, right," Pinkie said. "So it's a question about a hypothetical pony, not a hypothetical question about a pony. Okay, got it."

"Right," Twilight said uncertainly. She hadn't wanted to say who the actual pony was, in the very unlikely case that Pinkie harbored some kind of grudge… or, more likely, told somepony who did. "And let's say that you think about this pony all the time. Literally all the time. Even when you shouldn't, or have no reason to."

"Like when you're working, or baking, or sleeping, or bathing, or dancing?" Pinkie inquired. "As in 'Oh my Celestia, I can't get this pony out of my mind'?"

"Exactly!" Twilight said. "What does it mean?"

Pinkie looked at her quizzically. "What do you mean, 'what does it mean'?"

"I mean, what does it mean when you can't get them out of your mind?" Twilight elaborated.

"Well… obviously it means you like them," Pinkie suggested.

"Like? I don't…" Twilight barely caught herself. "But what if there's no reason for you to like them?"

"Since when do you need a reason to like somepony?" Pinkie asked blithely. "If you think about somepony that much, clearly it's because you like them. Or maybe hate them. But you've never struck me as the kind of pony to hate anypony like that." She gave Twilight a concerned look. "You don't hate this pony, do you?"

"I…" Twilight considered. Sure, she could probably claim to have reason to hate Trixie for what she did the last time, but… that had been because of the amulet. Once it had come off and Trixie had managed to calm down… she remembered the festive fireworks, that earnest apology, and that pouty look. "No, I don't hate her… I mean, this pony. This hypothetical pony," she quickly amended. "I don't hate anypony!"

"There you have it then," Pinkie said proudly. "QED. If you don't hate this hypothetical pony, who I will now call Hypie because that sounds funny, then clearly you like her."

"But what if you barely know them?" Twilight continued. "Let's say you've only met them twice. Is that enough to establish whether or not you like somepony?"

"I've only met Princess Luna twice," Pinkie said. "I really like her, though, even if she was evil the first time and kinda weird the second time. Sometimes you like somepony because of who they are, not because they pass a checklist. No offense, Twilight."

"I… I see," Twilight said. She stood up. "Thanks, Pinkie. I need to get back to the library." She turned and walked out.

"Say hi to Hypie for me!" Pinkie shouted after her.

Like. Did she like Trixie? What was there to like about her?

Quite a lot, actually, Twilight realized. Gifted in magic, for one thing. Not comparable to Twilight's level – though very, very few ponies were – but from what little she'd seen, well above the standard level for most unicorns. She considered sending a letter to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns and find out if Trixie had been their student.

And there was that undeniably stylish thing Trixie had going – the showiness that made her magic look a little more. More impressive, more interesting, more mysterious… more magic. Twilight had no idea how she did that. Her own magic was… detailed, exact, advanced, and probably as impressive-looking as a bowl of stewed carrots. Her little floating animal show had been nothing more than careful application of telekinesis, nice but hardly impressive. And with just a touch of fireworks, Trixie had completely wowed the crowd for her. Amazing. If anything, that was something Twilight would want to learn about. Magic magic.

What else? Trixie was clearly intelligent, to be able to come up with the right spells for the right moment, like she had done during her challenges. She was self-reliant, the way she lived on her own with nopony to help her. Determined and persistent. And confident, so very confident. She was willing to challenge anypony in a field of their own choosing, confident that whatever they did, she'd find some way to come out on top. Even if she had to play dirty and underhooved. And she had stood up to the Ursa Minor.

That was a thought that kept returning to her fore. When the Ursa rampaged, Trixie had fought back. She had known that she couldn't beat it, and she'd had every opportunity to just turn tail and flee, and yet she had made her stand. Was her reputation so important that she'd risk her life rather than be branded a coward? Or was Trixie, deep down, just naturally valiant? When the chips were down, was she the pony who fought and not ran?

And she was attractive. Twilight realized with some mild shame that she had made a lot of observations regarding that matter. Trixie had a good set of curves, to be sure, and she stayed in good shape; probably from all that traveling, and… whatever she had done on a rock farm. (Twilight definitely had to ask Pinkie about that.) She was beautiful and she knew it. Like Rarity, Trixie obviously knew how to bring out the best in her appearance. That silky smooth mane, that naturally 'no-effort' beautiful face that Rarity had confided took considerable actual effort to maintain, and those eyes… those pools of darkness, with a shore of grayish lavender…

It was curious, really. Twilight knew that Rarity was beautiful, and could consider its aspects perfectly rationally without any emotional interference. But when she thought about the same aspects in regards to Trixie, she got this burning, yet pleasant, sensation inside of her. Thinking about Trixie… Trixie walking, Trixie tossing her mane playfully, Trixie throwing her hooves in the air proudly as fireworks erupted behind her… it made quite a few certain parts of her wake up.

Twilight was educated in biology, and knew how a pony's body worked, and why. She knew that certain… reactions were natural and expected given the appropriate stimuli. Heightened heart rate, blushing, hormonal release, such things. She had believed that her heightened intellectual level allowed her better self-control, which is why she was able to restrain herself among stallions. Yet when Trixie was involved…

Twilight believed in the scientific method. There was no questioning the data. Not when it all pointed to the same undeniable conclusion.

Twilight liked Trixie.

In a way, it was a relief. Once she had accepted this fact, everything else fell into place. She thought about Trixie because she liked her. Because doing so was enjoyable. Because it made sense, finally.

The downside was that her thoughts grew more intense with this realization. There was a definite increase in cold showers, and her dreams became far more adventurous. She had never before been so glad that Luna stayed out of her dreamscape ever since her coronation; it had seemed like a needless gesture from the Lunar Diarch at the time, a show of accepting their equal status and nothing more, but right now she did not need Luna inquiring about her nightly adventures and escapades.

(She wondered if this was how Spike felt all the time around Rarity. If so, she didn't know how he managed to keep himself together for this long.)

What's more, she really started to enjoy it. And that worried her. Was it really healthy to focus this much on one pony? A pony you only liked? Or… was it more?

Time to get an outside perspective again.

"Rarity, what is love?" Twilight asked.

Rarity nearly fell off her stool. The mare had been inspecting one of the higher shelves in the boutique when Twilight ran in, and was taken by surprise as it were. "That is a very good question, dear," Rarity said once she had regained her equilibrium. "Love is a battlefield, love is a fire in your heart, love is a many-splendored thing. I don't really know what you're getting at here." She paused. "Wouldn't your sister-in-law be a better pony to ask about this, anyway?"

"I don't want to go all the way to the Crystal Empire just to ask a question when you live closer," Twilight said. Also, Cadence would ask uncomfortable questions. Getting the Princess of Love interested was a big no-no… to say nothing of the dangers of her brother finding out. "Besides, I don't want a deep analysis. I'm just curious about a few things and want to hear your opinion. For instance, what's the difference between liking and loving somepony?"

"Oh dear, there's a world of difference," Rarity said. Her eyes glittered. "You like your friends, you're comfortable with them, they're always there for you. It is a happy, reassuring feeling. But when you love somepony… oh!" She flung her hooves in the air and fell back on a couch that might not have been there a minute ago. "It consumes you, drives you mad! You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll despair. It's like a fire in your heart that cannot be tamed, and yet you cannot – will not – let it go out, or you will feel as though you could die." Rarity suddenly sat up and locked her gaze on Twilight, a knowing grin on her face. "Oh my! Don't tell me you've fallen in love, Twilight! Who's the lucky stallion?"

"Ah… what?" Twilight said nervously. "No, no, this is just hypothetical. There's no actual stallion involved." She wasn't lying about that part, at the very least.

"Well, if you say so," Rarity said, sounding a little disappointed. "So why the interest? Considering branching out into studying the magic of love?"

"Um, maybe?" Twilight ventured. That did sound a little intriguing, actually. It was a similar field, after all. She filed away a mental note on the subject for later. "Say, Rarity? Do you remember Prince Blueblood?"

Rarity nearly fell off her couch, and her face looked as though she had just bitten into a lemon. "Ugh. Yes, I do. What does he have to do with anything?"

"Well, before you actually met him… and found out what he was really like… you really seemed to love him, didn't you?" Twilight asked.

"I was young and foalish," Rarity said defensively. She pointedly looked away and started fiddling with some fabrics.

Twilight giggled despite herself. "I'm not here to judge you, Rarity. I just want to know… you didn't really know anything about him, besides the fact that he was rich and handsome. Why did you fall in love with him when that was all you had to go on?"

"I suppose I must have looked shallow when that was all I seemed to care about," Rarity said, sounding a little disappointed. She held up two bolts of cloth against the light, then tossed one back on the shelf before draping the other across a ponyquine. "I guess I just expected all the other desirable qualities to be present as well. Kindness, chivalry, grace. Such a disappointment." She looked thoughtful. "I wasn't in love with Prince Blueblood. I was in love with the idea of him."

"So… even if you think you love somepony, you might set yourself up for disappointment when they turn out to be completely different from what you expected," Twilight summarized.

"Well, yes," Rarity said. She floated the fabric over to the table and started drawing lines for cutting. "Still, I don't regret meeting him, actually."

"You don't?" Twilight asked, surprised. From what she remembered of the Gala, Rarity had certainly sounded like she regretted ever coming there.

"At least that way I knew what he was really like," Rarity explained. "And thus I was able to move on with my life, instead of pining for him and wondering what could have happened. And besides, he could have been nice, and I never would have found out about that if I didn't take the chance. Sometimes you have to stop thinking about it and just give it a try."

"Even if there's a risk that they turn out to be bad, it's worth trying just to see?" Twilight ventured.

"Absolutely," Rarity said. "I'm certain you've covered the friendship version already. I seem to recall an awkward unicorn wandering into Ponyville one day, and I and four other ponies took a chance on her. That turned out pretty well."

Twilight chuckled a little. "I really was awkward back then, wasn't I?"

"Oh, you still are, dear. It's part of your charm," Rarity said with a smile. "Anyway, if you think you have a shot with this pony, go for it."

"It's just a hypothetical scenario," Twilight said quickly. "I'm not in love with any stallion!"

"Hmm…" Rarity said thoughtfully. "You don't say."

Go for it. That's what Rarity said. That Twilight should go for it. Take the chance and see how it turned out.

She didn't know Trixie very well, that much was true. But she wanted to believe that Trixie was nice. Trixie was an entertainer, after all; her entire world revolved around entertaining other ponies. Surely with her skills and determination she could have found a better occupation if money was all she wanted. How much money did you make in that business, anyway? Yes, she may have had a big ego, but ultimately she was little different from Rarity who wanted to bring the world beauty, or Pinkie Pie who wanted to bring the world laughter. Nopony who wanted to add a little wonder to the world could be very bad, could they?

Trixie was smart, witty and gifted. At least Twilight thought so, and the reports from CSGU confirmed that Trixie was indeed a graduate, with fairly impressive grades. She wanted to explore that. What did Trixie think about the magic she practiced? What would she think about esoteric concepts such as the magic of friendship, or the Tree of Harmony? And could she maybe teach Twilight her own secrets, her stage presence, flair and grace? There was so much for them to explore. Together.

And Trixie was beautiful. Twilight was no longer ashamed to admit – to herself at least – that she yearned for the showmare in a very physical way. She had never really felt urges this strong for anypony else, stallion or mare; certainly there had been some physical twinges around some classically attractive specimen, but they had been easy to deal with. Twilight's desire for Trixie was not nearly as manageable. She wanted to hold the beautiful pony in her hooves, kiss her, feel her warmth. She wanted to do a whole lot of things with Trixie, and had even resorted to reading up on the subject in those romance novels Rarity and Fluttershy liked to check out. (As it turned out, there was a reason they were supposed to be shelved high where kids can't reach them.) She wanted Trixie so very much.

Go for it. Take the chance. Find out for sure.

The first obstacle, locating the blue pony in question, had seemed extremely difficult before she had a stroke of luck. The library stocked newspapers from every large city in Equestria, because quite a few locals – including Rarity, the Mayor, and for some reason Derpy – enjoyed keeping tabs on what happened outside of Ponyville. Twilight had been considering digging up or developing some kind of locating spell to search Equestria with, when her eye just happened to land on an article in an issue of the Manehattan Gazette. An article regarding the city nightlife, mentioning a certain show magician making a name for herself in the Big Orange. (A good thing too, as later calculations estimated that magically combing Equestria for one specific pony would take roughly seven centuries. That wasn't an acceptable timeframe.)

The second obstacle was a little tricky, but not insurmountable. Twilight hated herself for it, but she would have to sneak past her friends. She just couldn't hope that they wouldn't disagree with her choice and try to interfere. It was the same reason she had been so circumspect during her prior inquiries with her friends. How do you tell your closest friends that you're off to Manehattan to romance the pony who took over your town and tormented them? Even if the amulet had been to blame, there were still the risk that some ill feelings lingered. Spike in particular had never seemed to like Trixie. He was practically Twilight's little brother – how would he feel about this? But she couldn't adjust her love life around his preferences. It hurt a little, but she'd just have to figure out how to deal with him later.

So she had forged an invitation to observe an awards ceremony at the Manehattan Museum of Supernatural History – a dusty, boring affair with lots of long-winded speeches – and wouldn't you know, it happened just on the day Rarity and Spike had scheduled a gem-hunting trip (also known as Spike Gets To Impress Rarity day). Obviously Spike didn't need to come along if he had a prior engagement; it was important to keep your promises and his presence wasn't really required anyway and she'd be sure to bring back some souvenirs. Thus she ensured that Spike – and her friends – would be out of the picture.

Now she only had to board the train and go to Manehattan, before facing the third and most difficult obstacle: confessing her feelings to Trixie.

A few days later...

For Trixie, the morning rolled by with no complications of note. She ate breakfast, did her morning ablutions, and practiced a few new routines. Nothing strange, weird or dangerous happened, just as it should. As noon approached, she put her props back in place, locked her wagon, and headed towards the Botanical Garden for lunch with royalty.

And there she was. The newest addition to Equestria's ever-growing royal corps, the Princess of Ponyville, Twilight Sparkle. Sitting at her outdoors table and fidgeting nervously. It didn't look good. Perhaps retreating wouldn't be such a bad idea after all…

Aaand eye contact. She knew that Trixie was here now, so that cut that option out of the plan. And she was flapping her new wings. Which meant that she was either excited about something, or trying to show them off. The latter felt inappropriate for the rather humble pony, royal elevation notwithstanding, so Trixie assumed the first. But surely seeing Trixie again wasn't that exciting?

For a moment Trixie toyed with the idea of taking a different table, just to see what Sparkle would do, but dismissed it. That would just be petty and pointless. Instead she trotted over to the intended table and sat down. "Hello, Sparkle," she said. A waiter placed a bowl of cress salad and a hay shake before her, and a sandwich in front of Twilight. "What's this?"

"Um, I took the liberty of ordering for you," Twilight said. She sounded nervous, and kept fidgeting. "I was here yesterday and saw you leave and the staff said you came here often and this was your favorite, they said. Um. Hi."

"Hmm. Yes, that is correct." Trixie took a nibble of the salad, which was indeed her favorite. She really liked this place; the food was good, the prices were within her budget, and the view of the gardens was always relaxing on hectic days. She wondered if there was some reason that Sparkle had picked her favorite restaurant for the meeting, or if she simply enjoyed the ambience as well. She started eating in earnest.

"So! I hear your show is going really well," Twilight said with curious suddenness. "I actually attended last night, although I was in disguise. Um, not because I was spying on you, I was just worried that I might have startled you if you saw me and that might have thrown off your performance and that would, um, it would probably have upset you. I love your fireworks!"

"...Thank you," Trixie said, a little uncertain of Twilight's behavior. She wasn't certain how comfortable she was with the fact that Twilight had been, essentially, stalking her. "Trixie is putting all her heart in her show, you know. As long as ponies are willing to give her a chance, they will be amazed and entertained. That is Trixie's promise."

"You've stopped humiliating others on stage, then?" Twilight asked.

"As long as they keep off the stage and don't interrupt," Trixie retorted, scowling. "Trixie can hardly be faulted for wanting to defend her show from loudmouthed jerks who want to ruin everything!"

Twilight wilted visibly. "I'm sorry…"

"No, I…" Trixie sighed deeply. "I shouldn't have gone off like that, Sparkle. Sorry, it's just a sore topic."

"I know," Twilight said. She poked idly at her sandwich. "I shouldn't have brought it up in the first place."

An uncomfortable silence descended.

"Congratulations on your… promotion?" Trixie said at length. "The wings look good on you."

"Thank you!" Twilight said gratefully, either for the compliment or for the change in topic. She flexed her wings a little. "I'm not a very good flier yet, though. They didn't come with years of flying experience, after all."

"You'll get the hang of it," Trixie said confidently. "You're nothing if not persistent."

Twilight actually blushed at the remark. "Thank you, Trixie… you know, I was a bit worried that you'd be envious."

"Envious?" Trixie took a sip from her shake. "A year ago, maybe. But today? Trixie is trying to move on with her life. Be the bigger pony. Forgive and forget. And so on and so forth. Besides, you've earned it all."

Twilight blushed even deeper, if it were possible. "I… I don't know what to say… thank you… you're… that's so nice of you to say…"

Oookay. This was getting strange. "Maybe we should dispense with the small talk, Sparkle. Why are you here?"

"Um…" Twilight began nervously. "What do you mean?"

"Your letter mentioned an 'important subject'," Trixie said. She narrowed her gaze. "Much as Trixie is delighted that you're enjoying her renewed act, she can't see how that is important enough for you to come all the way over here to discuss. So why did you want to see Trixie in the first place?"

"Um, well…" Twilight stammered. "That is, I…"

"I'm in trouble, aren't I?" Trixie said with dread.

"...What?" Twilight asked, surprised.

"It's something I did in Ponyville. I figured since I hadn't heard anything in months, I had gotten off clean, but…" Trixie facehoofed. "It's what I did to Snips and Snails, isn't it? I know it was mean and cruel, and I'm really, really sorry, but I was just so angry then…"

"No!" Twilight protested. "No, no, no!"

"What is it, then? Stealing the pink one's mouth? Locking the mayor in a bird cage? Making the bakers bake a throne out of cake?" Trixie stopped and looked confused. "Why did I even want a throne made of cake? That's ridiculous! You'd get icing all over your—"

"Trixie!" Twilight yelled, snapping Trixie out of her musings. "It's not about anything you've done! Look, I specifically asked Celestia to have you pardoned because… well, because I thought you had suffered enough and punishing you further would just hurt you, and… I don't want to see you hurt."

"Huh?" Trixie said.

"And I talked to everypony in town!" Twilight hastily continued. "I told them about the amulet, and most of them agreed to forgive you. Not everypony, you know, but most of them. My friends included. Snips and Snails even said they hoped you'd come back to put on another show."

"I… really?" Trixie couldn't quite grasp it. They had just forgiven her? Even those two? After everything? Sparkle must have been really persuasive. "Well then, Trixie is grateful and owes you her thanks. But if Trixie's past mistakes are not the reason you're here, then what is?"

"Ah," Twilight said, again looking stumped. Her previous digression had given her a reprieve, but now she was back on the spot. But what could be so horrible it made this determined and capable pony clam up like this? "Um, you see…"

"Yes?" Trixie inquired.

"I had this whole thing prepared earlier, but…" Twilight mumbled. "I, I…"

"Yeeees?" Trixie prodded.

"I… you…" Twilight mumbled. She started gibbering under her breath.

Trixie sighed. This was going nowhere, and she was becoming increasingly uncomfortable with Twilight's behavior. And she had finished off her lunch anyway. "Forget it. If you can't say it, it doesn't matter. It was nice meeting you, but Trixie has things to do." She stood up and turned to leave.

"Wait!" Twilight shouted after her. "I love you!"

The entire restaurant ground to a halt. Had it been a movie, the sound of a record needle scratch would not have been out of place. The other guests turned to stare at them.

Trixie very slowly turned around. "What. Did you just say?"

"I, I love you," Twilight stammered.

Trixie sat back down. "Really." She cast a glare at the other guests, who suddenly found their own meals very interesting all of a sudden, before turning her attention back to the pony before her. "Are you suggesting that you, a royal princess of Equestria, are in love with me, the pony who only months ago tyrannized your hometown and forced you to live in a forest?"

"Yes," Twilight said weakly.

"You're crazy," Trixie said flatly. "This is crazy."

"I know!" Twilight cried, standing up with her hooves on the table and invading Trixie's personal space. "I hardly even know you! But I just can't get you out of my mind!"

Trixie reeled back. "Sparkle! Keep it down!" She glared at a few guests who had taken an interest again. "What are you looking at?"

"Trixie, I… I want you," Twilight said passionately. "I need you."

"You don't mean that," Trixie said tersely.

"I definitely do," Twilight said. "I love you."

"You…" Trixie mumbled. She shook her head. "No, no, no…"

"Trixie, please…" Twilight began.

"No!" Trixie cried. She stood up and glared at Twilight. "What, did you expect Trixie to just leap into your hooves with joy and love? Just like that? Trixie finds your lackluster courtship disappointing!" She felt a brief sting at her choice of words, but fought it down. "I, I'm sorry! This is just too sudden!" And with those words and a burst of smoke, Trixie was gone.

For a moment, Twilight could only stare in incomprehension at the empty air where the love of her life had just stood. Where loveliness and a promise of happiness had been, before fleeing from her once again.

Then her tears fell. They would not end for a while.

Chapter 2: Friendship Conquers The Day

Rejection hurt. Why hadn't Rarity told her that rejection hurt? It hurt so much.

Twilight stumbled down the street, blind with tears. She didn't know where she was going, but she didn't care. Nor did she care if anypony saw her in this state. She didn't care about anything, save for the pony who had rejected her.

It wasn't as though she hadn't considered the possibility of Trixie turning her down. She had been very well aware of that. She just hadn't known how much it would hurt. Her rational mind had envisioned several such scenarios, and she had thought she could handle it. Accept it, go home, move on with life. But it hurt. That hadn't been an anticipated factor.

She had felt this way twice before; at the royal wedding, when her friends and loved ones had lost faith in her, and when Discord had broken her spirit. In both those cases, the despair had been short-lived as she had soon after realized what she had to do to save the day. But this time she didn't have a plan. This time she didn't have an enemy before her to defeat. This time there was nothing she could do.

"There, there," Fluttershy said. "It'll be alright." Twilight let herself be enveloped in a hug and cried on her friend's shoulder.

Wait.

Why was Fluttershy here?

She pulled herself free and wiped her eyes to get a better look. This was Fluttershy, the real Fluttershy, pink mane and butterfly cutiemark and all-encompassing kindness and everything. And… standing behind her were the rest of her friends. Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Pinkie Pie, Rarity and Spike. Why were her friends here?

"Do you want to talk about it?" Fluttershy said. The dam broke again, and Twilight fell weeping on her shoulder once more. Nevermind why; her friends were here. They were here for her.

It took several minutes for the tears to run out. Rarity offered her a hoofkerchief, which she blew her nose on. "Feeling better?" Rarity asked.

"She said no," Twilight mumbled, returning the delicate – and gooey – cloth to her friend. Rarity just made a face and discarded it in a trash can. "She rejected me."

"Yeah, we heard," Rainbow Dash said.

"Oh," Twilight said. "Wait, you were listening in? Why are you all here, anyway?"

"What, you think we'd let you run off to confess your love without backing you up?" Rainbow said with a hurt tone. "Seriously. We're friends, remember?"

Twilight blinked. "But… you knew?"

"You've been acting weird for weeks, Twilight," Spike said. He sounded annoyed. "Constantly daydreaming, asking weird questions, reading those cheesy romance novels. Wasn't hard to figure out you were up to something." He scowled at her. "And for your information? Trying to ditch me like that was majorly rude. Seriously, Twilight?"

She hugged him tightly. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. I just thought, well, since it was Trixie…"

"Oh, do give us some credit, Twilight," Rarity said with a disapproving tone. "Like Rainbow says, we're friends, and we support your decisions. Besides, I could see how Trixie would tickle your fancy," she added with an impish grin. She gave Twilight a playful nuzzle. "She really does seem like a lot of fun, doesn't she?"

"Good gracious, Rarity," Applejack interjected, while Twilight blushed all over. "This is Trixie we're talkin' about here. She's a mite more than jus' 'fun'. She's trouble."

"Now, now," Rarity chided. "You can't seriously say you still carry a grudge after all this time, dear."

"Grudge, nah," Applejack retorted. "But she did jus' go an' break Twi's heart. Ah can't rightly forget that, can I?"

The mention of that brought Twilight another stab to the heart, and she started crying again, much to Spike's displeasure, as she was still hanging on to him.

"Oh, come on, Twilight, you silly filly," Pinkie Pie said cheerfully. "So what if she said no? Don't tell me you're going to give up on Hypie that easily!"

Twilight raised her tear-soaked face from Spike's tear-soaked shoulder. "Give up? But… what…"

"You waaant her, you neeeed her," Pinkie echoed meaningfully. "Like you're going to give up just because she said no once? Well, four times, technically, but never mind that. Did I give up on trying to make Cranky my friend just because he said no a few times?"

"Didn't you spend the whole day harassing him until you happened to reunite him with his long-lost love and he accepted you out of gratitude?" Spike asked.

"Mm-hmm. That was a good day," Pinkie said, sighing contentedly.

"Um, Twilight?" Fluttershy said. She offered her friend another hoofkerchief. "I think you just came on a little strong and upset her. I know I'd run away if somepony said something like that to me."

"Yeah, that's not saying much," Rainbow Dash muttered.

Twilight carefully wiped away the rest of her tears and cleaned up her face. "You mean I might still have a chance?"

"Of course you do, darling," Rarity said. "You just need a different approach, is all."

"And you'll help me?" Twilight asked. "I mean, it's Trixie…"

"Hey, if that's who you want, that's who you want," Rainbow said dismissively and rolled her eyes. "If we can put up with Discord, we can put up with Trixie. I mean, she wasn't so bad last time I saw her, back in Dimondia."

"Thanks, girls," Twilight said gratefully. "Uh, speaking of which, Discord's not with you, is he?"

"No, he said something about a brick migration," Fluttershy said. She looked pensive. "I didn't want to know."

"All right, fillies and gentledragon," Rarity said. "We have a boisterous showpony to win for Twilight, so let's not dawdle. We'll need a base of operations and some local intel." She smirked. "And I know just the pony to help us with that…"

"Coco, darling!" Rarity said happily.

"Miss Rarity?" Coco Pommel said, taken by clear surprise upon seeing the gathering outside her door. "What are you all doing here?"

"It's a bit of a long story," Rarity said. "May we come inside? I'm sorry to drop in so unexpectedly, but…"

"We brought cake!" Pinkie Pie said. She brandished a box with the Sugar Cube Corner name on it. "So we don't have to be totally intruding, you know?"

"Of course," Coco said, stepping aside to let them in. "Friends are always welcome."

It was fairly obvious that Coco's apartment also served as her workplace, with sewing equipment, bolts of cloth and outfits in various states of completion lying everywhere. It really reminded them all of a smaller and cozier version of the Carousel Boutique – made even smaller and cozier by the inclusion of six new ponies and one baby dragon.

"Please, sit wherever you like," Coco said. She pushed aside a pile of clothes and started for the kitchen. "I'll just put on some tea, and we can…"

Spike held up a claw. "Actually, why don't you let me handle that while you girls talk? I'm pretty good at it. Besides, I know how these girls like theirs."

"Lots and lots of sugar and cream please!" Pinkie said cheerfully. "And just a touch of tea!"

"So, you seem to be doing well for yourself," Rarity said, seating herself by the coffee table, along with Twilight and Coco. The others spread out around the room, while Spike vanished into the kitchen.

"Oh, yes!" Coco said excitedly. "That costuming job you arranged for me was great! I put all my effort into doing my best, and it paid off wonderfully!"

"Really?" Rarity said. "Ooh, tell me more!"

"The ponies in that stage production?" Coco said. "They loved what I did! So they told their friends about my work, word got around, and now I'm the most wanted costumer in Manehattan showbiz! Theaters, stage performers, they all come to me! They say I'm dependable." She beamed with pride.

"Plenty o' worse things to be called," Applejack said sagely. "Dependability and trustworthiness will always win ya respect."

"Quite so," Rarity said. "If you're a flake, ponies will lose faith in you and stop asking for your services, no matter how brilliant you'd ever be. I'm very proud of you, Coco dear."

"Thank you, it means a lot to hear," Coco said, blushing a little. Spike emerged from the kitchen, carrying a tea tray. He began to serve everypony while Pinkie cut the cake. "Anyway," Coco continued, "what brought you all here? I mean, it's nice to see you again, Miss Rarity, but—"

"You can just call me Rarity, Coco," Rarity admonished playfully. "Anyway, we came here on a bit of emergency, you could say. Our friend, Twilight, managed to catch the love bug."

"Oh my goodness," Coco said, turning to Twilight. "That's wonderful!"

Twilight blushed. "Rarity, you didn't have to just blurt it out like that…"

Rarity ignored Twilight's protest. "It would be even more wonderful if the target of her affections didn't get cold hooves and rejected her," she said with a disappointed tone. She sipped her tea. "Still, I'm confident that she could be convinced to change her mind."

"If you say so," Coco said, sounding a touch dubious. "I guess she's a local, since you're all here?"

"A unicorn magician named Trixie," Twilight supplied. "Have you heard of her?"

Coco nearly spat out her tea. "Trixie?" she coughed. "You're in love with the Great and Powerful Trixie?"

"You've… heard of her?" Twilight asked uncertainly.

"Of course," Coco said. "She's my friend."

"Friend?!" six ponies and a dragon said in shocked unison.

"Well… I say friend," Coco said diffidently. "She'd say acquaintance, but she can be a little standoffish. I did mention I've been working with show ponies, didn't I? She commissioned a few stage costumes and liked the results, we hit it off fairly well, so she's one of my regular customers. We see each other now and then."

"That's a coincidence," Spike said. "But it makes it tons easier, right? Coco's got inside information. Still, Trixie having friends? Weird."

"Hey!" Coco said, feeling insulted suddenly. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You'll have to pardon him," Rarity said quickly. "I hate to say it, but… we've had some bad blood between us and Trixie."

"Bad blood?" Coco asked warily. She didn't sound as though she liked the implication.

"Nothing anypony will feel better about hearing again," Rarity said dismissively. "Mistakes were made on both sides and we all paid for it, but it's in the past." She frowned for a moment and ran a hoof along her mane as she remembered something unpleasant, but put it out of her mind. "Personally, I'm hoping that this could lead to a fresh new start."

"I don't really care either way," Rainbow Dash said from the corner, where she had curled up on a chair with an action novel. "I just want Twilight to be happy, you know?" There were nods of agreement from the other ponies in the room.

"Huh," Coco muttered. She turned to Twilight. "When you said she got cold hooves… what did you do?"

Twilight stared shame-faced into her cup. At length, she said, "I confessed my feelings to her."

Coco nodded. "Well, that's not so—"

"In public," Twilight continued, still not meeting the fashion pony's eyes. "Loudly. In her favorite restaurant."

There was a long pause.

"Oh my sweet Celestia," Coco said.

"I know, but I couldn't help it!" Twilight protested, staring at Coco with fire in her eyes. "She… she… she makes me feel like I've never felt before! It's crazy, it's irrational, it makes no sense, but I want her!" She slumped forward. "I… need her so much."

For several seconds, Coco could only stare at the spectacular sight before her. "But does she need you?" she asked under her breath. She rose suddenly.

"Coco, please…" Rarity began.

"I'm sorry, Rarity," Coco said. "I know I owe you a lot, all of you, but I need to see Trixie right now. I'll be back in a bit, so you're welcome to stay."

"Just don't tell her we're all here," Rarity said. "Like I said, bad blood. It'll just upset her."

"I won't," Coco said. "I just… we'll talk about this later, okay?" And with that, she was out the door.

Bad blood, Rarity had said. Coco Pommel couldn't really see how anypony would develop ill feelings towards Rarity of all ponies; the stylish unicorn was the epitome of grace, kindness and generosity, and her friends were cut from the same cloth, as far as she knew. Admittedly Coco may have had a few blind spots – she had worked faithfully for Suri Polomare for years before being made aware how deplorable the mare was – but these days she kept her eyes open, and she believed that she knew Rarity.

And she knew Trixie as well. Sure, the magician could be abrasive and cynical, but for most part she was refreshingly straightforward and upfront. If she liked something, she said so. If she didn't… she said so too, vocally and at length if necessary. She could be awfully defensive and tight about a few things, mainly her past – which started to make sense now, Coco realized – but she was as dependable as Coco herself tried to be. Trixie never pretended to be anything but Trixie; she loved to spin fanciful tales of adventure on the stage, but as far as Coco understood the show business, it was just an act. She could be quite vicious to ponies who treated her badly, but Coco had treated her with respect from the day they met, and Trixie had responded in kind. Compared to some of her clients, Trixie was childishly easy to deal with.

Coco was approaching her destination. Trixie liked to spend her afternoons in the park, practicing her acts – more so if she was upset, because the routine work was calming, she had said. And Coco suspected that Trixie would have been in need of calming down after something like what she had been through today. A little searching soon revealed her quarry, busy with a maneuver involving a long rope of colorful scarves tied together.

"Trixie!" she cried out, startling the pony in question and causing her to send the scarves flying all about. Trixie turned with an annoyed look, but it softened when she saw who had been speaking. Coco ran over.

"Coco Pommel," Trixie said cordially. "Fancy meeting you here in the park. What do you require from the Great and Powerful Trixie?"

Coco stifled a giggle. Some ponies got tired by Trixie's way of talking, but Coco thought it suited her. "Oh, nothing, really," she lied. "I was just out for a walk when I saw you. How are you doing, Trixie?"

"Trixie is perfectly fine," Trixie said. She stuffed the scarves into her hat, then waved her hoof over it, causing them to be consumed in a sudden burst of flame.

Distracting magics aside, Coco knew that Trixie was not fine, and not just because of what she had been told earlier. There was a slight redness to Trixie's eyes. A few mane strands were out of place. Several other details clear as daylight to the keen-eyed fashion pony. "Are you sure?" Coco asked. "Because you don't look perfectly fine. I can tell."

"I… Trixie just had a bad day, is all." The unicorn slumped down in the grass and stared off towards the city skyline.

"Want to talk about it?" Coco asked. Trixie just shook her head. Time to break out the secret weapon. "Maybe over a hay shake?" She held out her offering, which she had picked up on her way over.

It never failed. Trixie was inordinately fond of the drink for some reason, and never passed up an opportunity to indulge. She snatched it out of Coco's hooves and drank down thirstily, not even stopping to wonder why Coco would have the treat to begin with. Finally she let go of the cup. "Trixie… met a pony from her past."

"The past you don't like to talk about?" Coco asked.

Trixie nodded. "We used to be enemies. Or rivals. Or something. Trixie thinks that it was pretty one-sided on her behalf, actually. That pony… never really seemed to care for it. Infuriating. Regardless, Trixie buried that hatchet when she came to Manehattan."

"And you just ran into her today, just like that?" Coco asked.

"She sent a letter. Wanted to see me. Arranged a da— an appointment," Trixie elaborated. "We talk a little, discuss Trixie's bright career, things like that… and then…"

"And then what?" Coco asked.

"And then that crazy pony tells me she loves me!" Trixie exploded. "Right there in the Botanical Gardens restaurant where everypony can hear her!"

Coco feigned surprise; not too difficult, given that Trixie's outburst had genuinely startled her. "She confessed to you?"

"She practically proposed to me!" Trixie yelled. "Said she wanted me, needed me. I had to get out of there before she tried to do something indecent!"

"Wow," Coco said. "Was she pretty?"

"Pretty?" Trixie asked, perplexed. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I don't know," Coco said. "Come on, Trixie. What's so bad about somepony falling for your beauty and charms? Is it because she's a mare? You said before you don't care about that sort of thing."

"It's… that's not the point," Trixie said, sinking back into the grass. "Trixie just never expected to hear it from her. From that pony."

"Is it because of that whole enemy rival thing?" Coco asked.

"Yes," Trixie said. "No. Maybe. Probably not. It just… it was so sudden."

"Mm-hm," Coco murmured. "Still, it's not like you to lose your head like that. If you had time to think about it carefully, what would you have said?"

Trixie was silent for a long while. Then she said, "Doesn't matter. I drove her away. She'll return to her life, and I'll return to mine. It's in the past, and… Trixie doesn't dwell on the past."

"You deserve happiness as much as anypony, Trixie," Coco said softly.

Trixie chuckled. "Thank you, Coco. But Trixie will be just fine. Happiness is something you work for, you know?"

"Yes, it is," Coco said thoughtfully. "Sorry, I need to get back to my studio. Inspiration calls."

"Okay," Trixie said with a forced smile. "Thanks for the hay shake, Coco. And don't worry, okay? I'll be fine."

"Yes, you will," Coco said. She nuzzled her friend. "I know you will."

The door flew open, and Coco Pommel walked in with brisk steps. "Princess Sparkle, you had better make Trixie a very happy pony."

"Uh, okay?" Twilight said. The group had found some board games to pass the time with, and Twilight had been engrossed in an elaborate strategy to claim a devastating victory in seven rounds, so she had been somewhat surprised by Coco's announcement. "I mean, yes, I was planning to. Yes."

"I take it you went to hear Trixie's side of the story?" Rarity asked. Coco nodded. "And?"

"I'm in," Coco said.

"Oh, we already started playing, but you could take over for me. I don't mind," Fluttershy said.

"Not that!" Pinkie said, knocking over the board in excitement, much to Rainbow Dash's frustration; she had been sure she had a definite win in seven rounds as long as Twilight didn't pull some egghead move. "She means the plan to seduce Hypie!"

"Please don't ever call it that again," Spike groused. "That's just… implying…" He shuddered.

"Was Trixie… upset with me?" Twilight asked Coco nervously.

"Well, yes," Coco replied. "A bit. Actually, she seemed more confused about it than anything."

"Confused?" Twilight asked. "I thought I made…" She blushed deep red. "I made my point very clear, actually."

"Yes, Twilight was not particularly subtle about her intentions," Rarity said dryly. Twilight shrank back a little. "How does Trixie usually react to romantic offers?"

"You know, I really don't know," Coco mused. "I mean, she does get hit on now and then, but I've never seen anypony try to make anything serious of it. Certainly not like this. She usually just dismisses them, anyway."

"Maybe that's why," Fluttershy mumbled.

Rarity raised her head. "I'm sorry, dear, what did you say?"

"Um, nothing…" Fluttershy mumbled. Unfortunately, this only meant that the others looked at her as well. She sighed in defeat. "Well… Trixie's been hurt before. Maybe she's just afraid that this will turn out bad and she'll get hurt again."

"Commitment anxiety, hmm?" Rarity mused. "Tricky but not insurmountable."

"Well then, Twilight's just have ta show the braggart she's sincere, don't she?" Applejack said. She nudged Twilight. "You are gonna treat her right, ain't ya? No lettin' her down, ya hear?" Twilight nodded silently.

"And now Applejack's being protective of Trixie, too," Spike said and chuckled. "This is turning out really weird."

Rarity gave him a pat. "Now now, we have to give her a chance. Besides, isn't this fun?"

"A party," Pinkie Pie said.

"Too confrontational," Rarity said. "We'll need to be careful here."

"A careful party?" Pinkie ventured.

It was getting late in the evening now, and the group had moved on to brainstorming for the right approach on what Pinkie had dubbed 'Operation: Wooing the Wizard'.

"Um, maybe we can save the party for later?" Fluttershy suggested. "Until she's comfortable with the whole thing? Baby steps?"

"Hmph!" Pinkie said in indignation. Clearly, the implication that a party wasn't the perfect solution to the problem touched a deep-seated nerve. "Hey, Twilight? What do you think we should do?"

Twilight fidgeted, and her eyes kept shifting around the room. "I don't know, really. I don't think I'm going to be much use with this."

Pinkie pouted. "Aw, but you're the smartest of us!"

"Thank you, Pinkie." Twilight smiled appreciatively. "But every time I try to think about it, well…" She blushed deep red, and her wings twitched. "I just want to hold her and kiss her…"

"Oh, you have got it so bad!" Rainbow Dash laughed. "Hey, there's an idea! Why not just have Twilight sneak into Trixie's wagon at night and let nature have its course? Trixie's got to figure out she's sincere after a good bit of smooching."

The others stared at her.

"That's prob'ly illegal, Dash," Applejack deadpanned. "Also, if Trixie's good at one thing, it's runnin' away. No way that'll go well at all."

"Well, what's your suggestion, then?" Rainbow retorted.

"Sumthin' practical," Applejack said confidently. "Sumthin' that says 'This is me, an' this is how much ya mean ta me', ya know?"

"Flowers and chocolate?" Fluttershy suggested.

"Ugh! Boring!" Rainbow said, making a disgusted face. "Trixie's a showoff! She probably wants something spectacular, like fireworks or something. Something that really knocks her socks off!"

"Does Trixie even wear socks?" Pinkie wondered. "Maybe we could give her some, and then knock them off."

"No fireworks!" Twilight protested. "I mean, that's, ah, her thing, and…"

"…showing her up at her own trick is not the right way to do it, I know," Rarity said. "I like the idea of flowers and chocolate, though. Very classic, very classy."

"It's a great way to make somepony feel special," Fluttershy said. "One colt gave me flowers once, and I felt as though I was walking on clouds for a week. Um, of course I actually was, since this was back in flight school, but… you know." She didn't bother to elaborate that she had also spent the rest of that day hiding under her bed.

"Yes!" Twilight exclaimed. "Fluttershy, that's perfect! Trixie loves to stand on her stage and have everypony look at her. She'll absolutely love something like this that makes her feel special, and she'll realize how important and special I think she is and understand that I'm sincere about it, and, and… what else is there? Flowers, chocolate… presents? Jewelry? Anything else?"

"Easy there, Bronco," Applejack said heartily. "Better not give you any more caffeine. Still, yer not as useless as ya said. Jus' needed the right proddin'."

"Yes, yes," Twilight said dismissively. "Serenading! I could learn to play an instrument, or sing outside her window! I… don't know any good songs."

"Fluttershy and I can help with that," Rarity said confidently. "How about poetry?"

"Yes! Brilliant!" "Twilight cried. "Poetry is easy! All you have to do is make the words rhyme, anyway. 'Roses are red, violets are blue, something something, I love you'..."

"Yeeeeah, let's call that a work in progress," Pinkie said diplomatically. "Now, maybe we should…"

Chapter 3: Defrosting The Diamond Queen

Twilight was the luckiest pony in all of Equestria. She was a princess, she had great friends, and now she had a beautiful marefriend.

It had all worked so smoothly. Trixie had loved all those romantic little gestures, and now they were on a date. In a lovely romantic restaurant at the top of the tallest building in Manehattan. It was so tall that clouds drifted past outside the windows.

Not that she had any cause to admire the scenery when the most beautiful unicorn she had ever had the pleasure of knowing sat before her. Trixie looked gorgeous in a starry lavender dress that hugged against her as though it too was in love with her. Long silky socks wrapped around her legs, and her hat tilted playfully. Her face was touched with only the barest hint of makeup to bring out her full beauty, and her eyes glittered with passion and laughter and brilliance as they met Twilight's.

"Trixie loves you so much," the blue unicorn said passionately. She leaned across the large salad bowl between them. "So very, very much."

"I love you too, Trixie," Twilight heard herself say.

"Trixie can't wait to move back to Ponyville with you," Trixie breathed. "We'll be the greatest and most powerful couple that has ever lived, and nothing will ever stop us. We'll make love and magic and magic love, together, forever. And we'll have lots of foals with incredible magic power."

"Absolutely," Twilight said blissfully. "I've thought up names for all of them."

"Trixie wants to make a foal now!" The showmare suddenly launched herself at Twilight with great force, sending them flying through an open window. They fell to their doom, but Twilight couldn't care less, because she had Trixie's hooves around her, and Trixie's lips against hers, and even though they would die, they were together as the ground approached…

*THUMP!*

Twilight landed on the floor and woke up. A quick glance to her side confirmed that she had indeed fallen off her hotel bed. There was a taste of cotton in her mouth and she realized she was hugging her pillow.

Horseapples. And it had been such a nice dream, too…

She climbed back into bed, relieved that none of her friends had woken up and seen her little display of shame. Spike snoozed peacefully from his place at the foot of the bed. As she settled back in, she smiled gleefully. If this worked out, that dream would soon be reality.

Minus the falling and the large salad, of course. That was just surreal.

Rainbow Dash frowned as she watched the small box float through the air and land on the doorstep of Trixie's wagon. She ducked down behind the dumpster that served as their hiding spot across the street. "But seriously, Rarity. Chocolate? That's so… cliché."

"Don't knock the classics, dear," Rarity said confidently. "Chocolate works. It's simple but meaningful. Just the thing to start this whole thing off properly. Now do your part."

"Yeah, yeah…" Rainbow muttered. She took a small rock and hoofed it wagon-ward, striking the door to simulate a knock. She ducked down again to avoid being seen. Thankfully Pinkie Pie had brought sneaking suits for everypony, although even Rainbow Dash questioned the usefulness of a black body suit in broad daylight. (Rarity, on the other hoof, found the outfit delightful, and had made plans for a new lineup.) At least it kept her usually vibrant colors from being spotted. And if Trixie did see them, she might just dismiss them as a couple of weirdos.

Trixie opened the door a few seconds later and looked around in confusion. Upon noticing the box, she picked it up and read the attached card. Thanks to a little sound amplification spell, Rarity and Rainbow Dash were able to perfectly hear Trixie's deep sigh. "Sparkle, no…" For a moment she looked as though she didn't know what to do; then she opened the box, took out one chocolate, and put it in her mouth. "Stupid princess…" She returned inside and closed the door behind her, taking the card and the box with her.

"Well, that didn't work well," Rainbow groused.

"On the contrary, that worked just fine," Rarity said. "She accepted the gift, after all. And the card. It's a step in the right direction, if a small one."

Rainbow crossed her forelegs in irritation. "We're gonna be here all week, aren't we?"

Rarity just smirked. "Remind me again which element is yours?"

Rainbow sighed. "Fine… let's get back to the others."

The Botanical Garden was out of the question now, as far as lunch venues went. No doubt the staff and the other regulars would delight in bringing up… that shameful event, and that was not something Trixie wanted to deal with now. Or any other time. Instead she was eating at some sub-par sandwich shop where the food was bland and the drinks were watery.

Not that it mattered much to Trixie, because she wasn't very hungry anyway. Her head rested on the table and her gazed lingered on the skyline. Funny, that cloud looked... no. It didn't look like anything. That would have been silly. She resolutely closed her eyes so she wouldn't have to look at the shapeless cloud.

"Are you okay?" Coco said. "You haven't even touched your food."

Trixie brought her hoof down on her disappointingly tasteless dandelion-leaf sandwich. "There. Now Trixie has touched it."

Coco felt a little anxious. She really didn't enjoy deceiving Trixie like this, but she had waived her right to object to anything when she agreed to help Rarity and her friends. Besides, somepony had to keep an eye on Trixie – who, by the looks of things, didn't suffer the stress well – in case things went too badly. It was the least she could do. "You're really out of it," she observed. "Is it her again?"

Trixie sighed. "Trixie was mistaken. The foolish filly doesn't understand basic equestrian, because clearly 'no' is not in her dictionary."

"What did she do this time?" Coco inquired.

"She brought Trixie chocolates," Trixie muttered.

"How terrible," Coco said in pointed mock sympathy. "Bad ones?"

"They were delicious," Trixie muttered. "But it's the principle of the thing! And what do you want?"

The last sentence was addressed to a teenaged unicorn stallion who had walked up to their table, and who took a fearful step back at her retort. "Uh, I was asked to deliver this to somepony named Trixie?" He held up a small folded note.

"Give me that," Trixie said and tried to take the note, but Coco snatched it away. "Hey!"

"Now who could be sending messages to you, hmm?" Coco said playfully. "Let's find out, shall we?"

Trixie narrowed her eyes. "Give it, Coco. Trixie is warning you."

"Trixie, it's just a piece of paper," Coco chided. "It's not going to… eek!" Trixie's horn flared, and the note caught fire. Coco immediately let it fall to the ground. The teenager quickly made himself scarce, having decided that this particular moment was not the right one to ask for a tip.

"Hah!" Trixie said victoriously. "And now it's… still intact." She picked up the completely undamaged note and looked it over. "Of course she'd make it flame-proof. Stupid, stupid, stupid…" She banged her head against the table.

Coco took the note in her hooves again and unfolded it. Her eyes widened. "Oh…"

Trixie sighed, her head flat against the table. "What does it say?"

"Um… To the Lovely and Wonderful Trixie," Coco began, keeping her voice low so the other guests wouldn't hear.

"As the sun rises in the East
So the breaking dawn of my love begins
As the sun sets in the West
I am overwhelmed with a burning desire
A desire locked down deep inside
One that cannot be concealed anymore
I long for one sweet kiss to quench my thirst
I long for one tender touch that will last a lifetime
At the end of it all you are my deepest desire!
I love you not today nor tomorrow but forever!"

Coco carefully set the note down. "Wow." She'd been in on the general plan, but she hadn't had the opportunity to read the actual poem. She wondered which one of them had written it.

"Stupid, stupid, stupid," Trixie muttered. "Why does she have to do this to me?!"

"I think it's pretty clear that she's in love with you," Coco said. "Why else would she do this?"

"Impossible," Trixie muttered. "She can't love Trixie after all that happened."

"What happened, Trixie?" Coco asked. "If it's so important, please tell me. I won't tell anypony else."

Trixie looked up. "You really want to know, huh?" She propped her head up on her front hooves. Her horn glowed for a moment, and the sounds of the outside world died away. "A little privacy. And you had better not tell."

Trixie took a sip from her drink and began. "It all started when Trixie took her show to the small town of Ponyville, several years ago. That's where she lives. The act started badly when a group of hecklers tried to interrupt Trixie, so she did the obvious thing."

"The 'Anything you can do, I can do better' act?" Coco suggested.

"Always a crowd pleaser," Trixie said. She grinned at the thought. "Most of the time hecklers are just jerks that nopony else likes anyway, so it works in Trixie's favor. Anyway, those hecklers were her friends, so after Trixie took them all down a peg, they tried to get her to challenge me, but she was smart enough to not cause more trouble. Pretty nice of her, actually. And no, don't start it again. Anyway, that same night an Ursa Minor rampaged through town."

"Wait," Coco interrupted. "Wait, wait, wait. What's an Ursa Minor and what does it have to do with anything?"

"A giant bear made of stars," Trixie explained. "Hold on." She magicked up a little illusion of the beast, complete with an even smaller Trixie added for scale.

"I… see," Coco said, eyeing the illusory monster nervously. She didn't savor the idea of seeing something like that tear through Manehattan.

"See," Trixie continued, "during her show, Trixie had made the… exaggerated claim that she once vanquished an Ursa Major. Even bigger," she added, anticipating Coco's question. "Just basic patter. Trixie didn't really expect anypony to challenge her proclamation, but it never pays to underestimate the capacity for foolishness in foals. After those hecklers questioned Trixie's greatness, two less than cerebral fan colts decided to 'help' Trixie set the record straight by arranging for her to prove her claim." She wiggled her hooves around the word.

Coco gasped. "They didn't."

"They did," Trixie confirmed. "In the rampage, parts of town was damaged, and Trixie's precious wagon, which served as her home and stage, was completely destroyed. And as Great and Powerful Trixie may be – in her chosen field of expertise – she could at best distract the beast a little. Until she stepped in and managed to get rid of it."

"...Just like that?" Coco said in disbelief. "Exactly how powerful is this pony?"

"She's been personally trained by Princess Celestia," Trixie said. She made a face. "Trixie thinks that should count as an unfair advantage."

Coco pretended to run some mental mathematics in her head, and raised her eyebrow. "You're being courted by Princess Twilight Sparkle."

"Yes," Trixie mumbled.

"Most ponies would think that being courted by royalty was a good thing," Coco observed.

"Well, Trixie isn't most ponies!" Trixie exploded. "You like her so much, you can have her!"

Coco decided to drop the issue for now. "So what happened?"

"Well, Trixie had just been caught out on her terrible, terrible lie, and shown up by the town librarian," Trixie explained. "So naturally the townsponies started mocking Trixie for her ineptitude and inability to defeat a baby bear – never mind that all of them had been cowering up until then. At least Trixie tried to do something, but apparently that counts for naught unless you actually produce results. Hypocrites. In the end, Trixie had to flee and leave everything behind before the angry mob decided to blame her for the bear's actions."

"But didn't those colts bring it into town?" Coco asked. "Wasn't it their fault?"

"Probably," Trixie said with a shrug. "But when you look for a scapegoat, who would you choose? Some dim but loveable local kids, or a questionable outsider? Trixie wasn't taking any chances."

Coco sighed. "I suppose you're right. But…"

"There's more," Trixie interrupted. "After Ponyville, Trixie's reputation was shot. You don't get caught out in a lie and expect anypony to take you seriously after that. How's your old boss doing?"

"Point," Coco conceded. Last she'd heard, Suri Polomare had left town with no forwarding address. That was a fashion label that nopony took seriously anymore. With some luck, she might have learned her lesson and was trying to start over someplace else… but she doubted that Suri had ever realized her own fault. More likely she blamed Rarity for outwitting her, and possibly Coco herself for her 'betrayal'. Besides, Coco was still a bit sore over getting used so long. She wasn't in the mood to have much sympathy for Suri at the moment.

"So Trixie was made a laughing stock everywhere," Trixie continued. "Couldn't do shows, since nopony would attend unless they came to make fun of Trixie. No shows meant no money, and no money meant no food. Trixie had to take a job on a rock farm to survive. The less said about that, the better."

Coco tried to imagine Trixie as a farmer. The mental image looked really bizarre. So she tried to imagine Suri as a farmer instead and indulged in a little schadenfreude. "So…"

"But Trixie had a plan!" Trixie exclaimed boldly. "If she could show her greatness with a true feat of power, then all of Equestria would have to acknowledge that she was not a fraud after all. All she had to do was to challenge Twilight Sparkle to a duel and win." Coco stared at her, mouth agape. "Yes, Coco, Trixie knows what you want to say. To do that, Trixie would need some extra power. Luckily, she knew how to find just that. It was called the Alicorn Amulet, and it boosted Trixie's might many times over!" Trixie said proudly.

"So you went back and won and everypony started respecting you again, but you think she's upset about it?" Coco ventured.

"...No," Trixie said quietly. Her head drooped. "Not quite so well. See, the amulet was… cursed. It drove Trixie mad with power, made her… do unpleasant things. Petty acts of vengeance. Instead of simply defeating Sparkle to prove her worth, Trixie humiliated her friends, mocked Sparkle, banished her from town, took over the town, and started acting like a tyrant."

Coco's jaw dropped. "Oh dear…"

"Maybe now you understand why Trixie doesn't want to talk about it," Trixie said bitterly. "Anyway, by the end of it Trixie was so far out of her mind that Sparkle and her ever-present friends managed to fool her with amateurish stage acts and tricked her into removing the amulet, thus ending the tyranny and the madness. And so, Trixie saw the error of her ways, apologized and made her peace with Sparkle, and left Ponyville to never darken their doorsteps again."

"Wow," Coco said. She instinctively clapped her hooves. "I'm glad it ended well. And after that, you came here to start over?"

"Correct," Trixie said. "I suppose it's true what those rock farmers said – there's no substitute for hard work. Trixie is just glad that she was afforded another chance to prove herself."

"But doesn't this mean that you're on good terms with her?" Coco asked.

Trixie slammed her hooves on the table. "Haven't you paid attention?" She took a deep breath to calm herself. "She saved me. Twice. And I did horrible things to her and her friends. She may have forgiven me, but… no. No, there's no way that she could like me. I have no idea why she's doing this…" She slumped forward on the table.

Coco looked at the despondent pony before her. Trixie looked like she was coming apart at the seams. She had to admit, learning about Trixie's past had been enlightening, at the very least. There had been regrettable mistakes on both sides, it seemed; Trixie hadn't particularly sugarcoated her side of the events. Not much, anyway. Though she wouldn’t be surprised if Trixie had glossed over a few details.

And she didn't like what she saw. This wasn't the showy and peculiar magician she had struck up a curious friendship with. It certainly couldn't be the pony Twilight Sparkle was in love with. Trixie was supposed to be far more confident, certain, proud. Nothing like this. But maybe…

"Trixie…" Coco said softly. "Did you like the poem?"

Trixie looked up at her. "What do you mean? It's pointless, she can't…"

"But did you like it?" Coco persevered. "Did it make you happy? I thought it was sweet and heartfelt. Forget who sent it – didn't it make you feel warm inside?"

"Huh," Trixie said, looking perplexed. She picked up the poem and read it again. "It's nice, I suppose…"

"Doesn't the Great and Powerful Trixie deserve to feel special?" Coco continued. "Aren't you the greatest showpony in Equestria?"

"Of course I am," Trixie said, uncertain as to where Coco was going with this.

"So why shouldn't she want to court you? Why shouldn't anypony with an interest in you want to treat you like a lady?" Coco asked. "Why not just see where all this is going?"

"I… that is…" Trixie stood up. "I need to go. Sorry, Coco." She dropped a few bits for her uneaten meal on the table and rushed off.

"Trixie…" Coco banged her head against the table. "Argh! I swear, helping this filly is like threading needles in the dark…"

That afternoon, Trixie wandered the streets of Manehattan, deep in thought. She had a lot to consider.

Very few ponies really 'got' Trixie. She was okay with that. A real magician never revealed her secrets, after all.

Trixie had been alone for most of her life. Peers, yes. Classmates, yes. Friends, no. She'd had… acquaintances, ponies she sometimes appreciated spending a little time with, but no friends. Not in the true sense of the word, as far as she understood it. After graduating and taking her show on the road, she lost contact with those casual acquaintances as well. She made plenty of fans wherever she went, because there were always ponies who wanted life to hold a little more wonder and mystery, and Trixie provided. But they didn't know her. They weren't friends. To them, she was the Great and Powerful Trixie, distant and mysterious as the moon and the stars.

Despite what one might think, Trixie didn't want to isolate herself. She wanted friends as much as any pony. But she wanted something else far more.

Freedom.

Freedom to travel. Freedom to decide her own fate. Freedom to be whoever she wanted to be.

As a traveling magician, she could go just about anywhere she pleased. Manehattan, Canterlot, Las Pegasus – if she so desired, she could just hitch up her wagon and go at the drop of a hat. Nothing held her back. Anywhere an audience could be found, she could be there.

She could do whatever she pleased with her own time, too. If she so wished, she could sleep until noon, eat nothing but candy and crackers for lunch, spend the whole day performing tricks for foals in the park, anything she liked. Not that she would; she had a surprisingly strict regimen of training, relaxation and performance to ensure that she stayed sharp and with enough money to keep going. But she did so by her own choice.

And she could be The Great and Powerful Trixie, the best pony ever. Not Trixie the Accountant or Trixie the Waitress or Trixie the Farmer. She had plenty of skills to allow her to succeed in almost any field – it wasn't for nothing she'd claim that 'anything you can do, I can do better' – but this was who she wanted to be. The Great and Powerful Trixie, traveling showmare extraordinaire.

She'd drawn the deuce a few times, true. The Ursa incident had been painful, and cost her so much. With her reputation in shambles, she couldn't be The Great and Powerful Trixie, and had to be Trixie the Rock Farmer. (She hadn't minded the hard labor much, but working in a field so far from her chosen one, as well as having to work at the bidding of another, had grated on her soul.) It had taken so long, with so many nights filled with bitter tears over the injustice of it all.

And all for naught as all that effort – all those bits saved – had been wasted on another failure. Trixie the Tyrant. Trixie, Slave of the Alicorn Amulet. It wasn't her. It wasn't who she wanted to be. Twilight Sparkle may have thought she saved Ponyville from Trixie, but she saved Trixie from something much worse.

That night, Trixie had been given another chance, and she had taken it. Like a phoenix, she had cast off the ashes of her mistakes and been reborn as her true self. And she had repaid Twilight Sparkle in the only way she could, by leaving to never trouble her and hers again.

The sun was setting behind the Manehattan skyline. Trixie wasn't sure how long she'd been wandering around, lost in thought, but it was starting to get late.

And yet despite her attempt at a truce, Twilight Sparkle had sought her out. And not over belated vengeance for Trixie's crimes, but to declare her love. Love! It had taken all of Trixie's acting skills and cool head to not show more shock and surprise than she had done. Sure, Trixie was aware that she was attractive – any showpony worth their bits knew that their looks was an asset to be used like any other – but she had never expected her faux-rival to harbor those kinds of feelings.

And yet…

And yet, Trixie didn't want to be alone. Her choice of life had mandated that she sacrificed much for her freedom, but that didn't mean she wanted to lose those things. If she could have had friends and companions, she would have.

Coco. Coco Pommel, her fashion acquaintance. There was a pony who had become curiously close, particularly these last few days. Trixie realized to her surprise that she had been staying in Manehattan for a very long time now. It had been necessary, of course; she'd needed to reestablish herself before she could take on the rest of Equestria again. It didn't change the fact that she'd become… attached.

Trixie thought about it for a moment. She had favorite restaurants, parks she liked to visit and do practice at, little spots around town she went to for the view. Ponies recognized her, and not just from her shows. And Coco… Coco treated her as Trixie. Not The Great and Powerful Trixie, the haughty and grand magician, or Trixie the Fraud, whom nopony respected. Just Trixie. And Trixie let her do it.

Sweet Celestia's sunrise, when did she lower her guard so much?

Perhaps it wasn't so bad. After all, Coco had never done anything to hurt her. Then again, the seamstress had apparently spent years as Suri Polomare's personal doormat before inexplicably growing a spine, so viciousness likely didn't come easy to her unless provoked. Trixie could respect that kind of attitude. Live and let live.

Coco had been reliable and trustworthy ever since Trixie made the sensible choice to hire her for costuming services. Dependable. Always there when you needed her. Always listening to Trixie's sudden romantic woes. A good… friend. Huh. Well, that had happened.

I should do something nice for her sometime. That's what friends do, right?

Trixie cantered down the street. Around her, ponies with less free lives rushed past. Even this late in the afternoon, Manehattan was busy. Work to do, money to earn, mouths to feed. Unlike Trixie. She worked when she wanted to. Stage magic didn't pay much, but it more than enough covered her food bills, performance license, and rent for the lot where she parked her wagon. She was free in all the ways they weren't, and she liked to stay that way.

"Hey, baby!" a male voice called out behind her.

Trixie stopped and turned. A lime green unicorn stallion was making a weird face at her. He was fairly young, barely out of his teens, and had a cutie mark depicting a drum. It struck her that he was probably trying to make a suave grin, but was trying too hard. He was accompanied by two other stallions that had 'flunkies' written all over them.

"Hey, pretty," the unicorn said, walking towards her. "Looking for some fun? Drum Roll's the name, and fun is my game."

Ugh, what a cheesy pickup line. "No thanks. It's getting late and Trixie has things to do."

"Who cares?" he said, getting up close and personal. "This 'Trixie' sounds like a bore anyway. Why don't you ditch 'em and come hang with us instead?" He laid a hoof on her shoulder.

Trixie looked disapprovingly at the hoof, then glared icily at him. "Hooves to yourself, mister. Trixie said no. Not interested."

"Now, now," he said, edging closer. "We just want to have a little fun. So why don't you… uh…" He gazed upward fearfully.

A small storm cloud had appeared over Trixie, crackling with lightning. The glow from her horn made it evident who was responsible for it, and Drum Roll quickly disentangled himself and started backing up. "Unless you want to see how fun electrocution feels, make yourself scarce," she said.

"Yow, no need to get hostile, I was just asking," he muttered, sounding a bit hurt. He distanced himself along with his friends, before glaring at her over his shoulder. "Just trying to be friendly, you know? Stupid mule." He ran off.

Trixie glared after the retreating forms as she let the cloud disperse. Stupid, rude and thoughtless. And here she had started to feel good again. How frustrating was it not when some jerk just couldn't take no for an answer?

Of course, that could be said for a certain other pony. But at least Twilight Sparkle was hounding her with style.

That was it, wasn't it? That's what Coco had implied. It didn't matter what the Ponyville Princess might be intending in the end, whether she was sincere or just playing an elaborate prank on her. She could hardly force Trixie to go along with anything Trixie didn't want to; she had clearly discarded those cards from her draw right off.

It didn't matter why. What mattered right now was that a royal Princess of Equestria was intent on charming the non-existent pants off of her. Coco was right about that; it was, by most standards, not exactly a bad deal.

Trixie woke up with a start as something struck the door of her wagon. A quick glance at the window showed only darkness. Who could be knocking on her door this late?

Quickly readying a defensive spell in case of troublemakers, she unlocked the door and peered outside.

There was a bouquet of red roses lying in front of her door, with a card tucked into the wrapping. She picked them up and unfolded the card.

To the greatest and most powerful showpony in Equestria. My only desire is to make you happy.
– Twilight

She sniffed deeply from the flowers, and delicately nibbled off a petal. They were fresh and in full bloom, smelling and tasting wonderfully. As she did so, she cast her glance around the streetlight-lit area. She smiled as she just barely noticed a pony-shaped patch of darkness hiding in a shadow, fidgeting with her wings.

Carefully, Trixie removed one of the long-stemmed roses, and delicately touched the blossom against her lips. She then deftly tossed it away towards the shadows, giving it a little boost with her magic so it would float gracefully all the way. She grinned as she closed the door behind her. Was it her imagination, or had she heard a barely audible gasp and the fluttering of wings? Who knew.

Trixie placed the flowers in a vase and took another breath of their fragrance before returning to bed. "Very well, Twilight," she mused. "Trixie accepts your challenge."

Her dreams were interesting that night.

Chapter 4: We're Off To See The Wizard

"Ah swear, ah can almost see the li'l pink hearts floatin' around ya," Applejack muttered.

It was a sunny day, far too lovely to spend cooped up in Coco Pommel's studio / apartment / base of operations to work on the next stage of 'Operation: Snaring the Sorceress'. (Pinkie decided to change the name.) Twilight had been in such a good mood that she had decided to get some fresh air and maybe find some inspiration, while Applejack had come along because she was getting increasingly jittery, and because she didn't quite trust Twilight to not do something stupid in her current state of mind. At the moment they were cantering down the street, enjoying the sights (though Twilight's gaze was predictably distant and vacant) and relishing the fresh air. They were also wearing large coats and hats to disguise their identities. Applejack was fairly certain that they were even more conspicuous like this, and the sun made it worse, but Pinkie had insisted on disguising them, and the lovestruck princess was too far off into la-la land to object. Thankfully, the Manehattan ponies seemed to care little, too caught up in their own business.

Applejack had to admit, much as this whole undertaking was an overcomplicated mess, it was fun to see Twilight in love. It had revealed some very interesting sides of her character. Of course, it was to be expected; Twilight approached almost everything she took on as a fascinating research project. No doubt she'd have plenty to say about the subject of romance when it was over… no matter how many pitfalls she subjected herself to. Then again, Applejack had cracked her hooves plenty of times before she learned how to buck apples. Some things you just couldn't learn without working at it. She just hoped all the effort was worth it in the end.

"I really think she's warming up to me," Twilight said gleefully. "I understand that my initial approach was too confrontational – although given how forceful and dramatic she tends to act, I would have thought that she'd like that – but this is working so much better! Baby steps, right?"

"Yeah," Applejack said. "Can't force an apple tree ta grow faster than it wants, after all."

"True…" Twilight suddenly threw her hooves into the air. "But I want her now!" The exclamation startled a few bystanders, and she turned red with embarrassment. "I just… Rarity is right, it's nice to savor the whole experience, but I… I…"

"Ah know, ah know," Applejack said, well aware of what her friend was trying to say. Even though it was cute to see Twilight try to wax lyrical about her paramour while simultaneously being too embarrassed to express any of the more intimate details, it could get tedious after a while. "Twilight. Are ya really sure she's the one for ya?"

Twilight stared at her friend with disbelief. "Applejack…"

"Cosdarn it, ah do not hold a grudge!" Applejack interrupted in annoyance. "Why does everypony think that? You told me she wasn't responsible for that amulet nonsense an' ah believe ya. Hay, if she hadn't acted like Nightmare Moon Junior when she came back, ah'd welcomed her with a smile an' a slice o' pie. Ah almost didn't remember that whole bear debacle 'til she brought it up again. Grudges are for petty, petty ponies."

"Yeesh, sore point?" Twilight asked, looking a little uncomfortable. In retrospect, she should have known better. Applejack had been through too much on their adventures – and life in Ponyville in general – to get worked up on things that were, in the grand scheme of everything, inconsequential. "I'm sorry."

"Ah'm just concerned for ya," Applejack said reassuringly. "Love makes yer head go funny, after all."

"Oh, I know!" Twilight laughed. "If all of you hadn't been here for me…" Her mind slipped unbidden back to her confession, but she quickly pushed it aside. Too painful. "But this isn't some overnight crush. I've been thinking of her for months now. I've been… well, I've tried to think about it analytically and rationally. I even asked Pinkie and Rarity for their input, and all evidence pointed to this being true love. As a firm believer in the scientific method, I could not refute my claims."

"So ya hid it from yer friends and ran off to the other side o' Equestria ta confess," Applejack deadpanned. Reminds me of when ah ran off ta Dodge Junction. An' just like that time, the rest o' the gals wouldn't let it be. Hah, that's friendship for ya.

"...Yes," Twilight admitted. "Okay, so I wasn't so rational about that. But it's all working out now, isn't it? I have all of you to help me now, we have a plan, it's all working out. And Coco Pommel was a real heaven-send, too."

"Real fond of our little braggart, ain't she?" Applejack nickered. "If Trixie can make a reliable friend like that, maybe she's not such a bad apple after all. Now all ya have to worry 'bout is what your family will think. An' the princesses."

"You know, I haven't really thought about that," Twilight said nervously. "Shining is probably going to be really overprotective. Cadence will be happy, though. I have a suspicion that Luna will actually… oh. Oh."

Applejack stopped and turned, realizing that her friend had fallen behind. Twilight was just standing there, staring up at the large building across the street with her mouth just slightly open. Applejack followed her gaze to the sign in front and laughed. Manehattan Public Library. "Did ya catch sight of your other love, Twilight?"

"Yeah," Twilight said with a huge smile. "Can we make a little stop? I never saw this place the last time we were here, and maybe I can do some, uh, romance research, and…"

Applejack continued to laugh. In some ways, Twilight was just too predictable. "Tell ya what," she said. "Ah was thinkin' of checkin' up with my aunt an' uncle. You take yer time an' see if ya can think o' something, an' we'll meet up later, ya hear?"

"Okay! See you at dinner!" Twilight squealed, and dashed off.

Applejack just shook her head. "An' they say I'm a silly pony…"

Books. Twilight adored books. Really, it barely merited saying, being less a statement of preference and more a declaration of natural law. She also sighed over scrolls, cooed at codices, loved lithographs, and felt joy for journals.

As such, libraries and bookstores were always of great interest to her. She had explored most of Canterlot's literary locations to exhaustion in her youth, and had worked her way through almost the entire inventory of her own library-home in Ponyville in a matter of months. (Though she was often surprised how interesting books she had somehow overlooked kept popping up when you least expected it.)

The Manehattan Public Library held three distinct advantages. For one, it had yet to be explored by Twilight for its hidden treasures – it was virgin territory. For another, it was considerably larger than her own. And for the third, it had a coffee shop.

Most libraries in Canterlot didn't even allow liquids in the library, but here they sold all manner of blends, from the overpriced and pretentious to the affordable and sensible, in hard-to-spill cups so you could enjoy hot, caffeine-rich happiness as you studied.

All things considered, she seriously gave the idea some thought to take up permanent residence here. Right here in the library, even. Perhaps in another life she had, and what a glorious life that must have been.

Three hours after entering found Twilight hunched over a table laden with books, coffee cups and notes covered with rhyming words and the occasional doodle of Trixie. She was tackling her latest trial: poetry. It wasn't going as well as she'd hoped.

"'My love is like a red, red rose…' Twilight read from her current book. "Yes, yes, symbolism is a common theme, I can work with that. What things are blue? The sky, blueberries… cornflowers? Not very romantic…" She made a few more notes. "How does Zecora make rhyming look so easy? It's a pain to find the right words! Blue, true, flu… no, no, that would be disgusting. Maybe I can say something about her mane. What rhymes with 'silver'?"

"My, my, we're being really busy, aren't we?" an angelic voice said from behind her. Twilight spun around in surprise, and found her world swallowed up by a pair of dusty violet eyes.

Twilight stumbled back and fell out of her chair. "T-Trixie! What-what-what are you doing here?"

"And hello to you too, Twilight," Trixie said pleasantly. She seated herself on the other side of the table. "This is a public library, you know. So Trixie is allowed to be here, just like any other pony."

Twilight shakily climbed back into her seat, wondering why her head was spinning so when she hadn't hit it on anything. "I'm sorry, I, I didn't mean… I'm just surprised, I…"

"Spare yourself some agony, Princess," Trixie said. "There are no words that rhyme with 'silver'. Or 'orange' or 'purple', for that matter. Rhyming is overrated, anyway. Freeform is so much more versatile. Chased day and night by an ardent paramour; what mysteries lie in her heart?" She snatched a paper off the table and read it, looking less than impressed. "Ugh, your meter is terrible. Counting syllables should not be beyond your capacity. How did you come up with that poem from the other day? It was actually good."

"I, uh, stole it from a book," Twilight admitted.

"Cheating," Trixie said impishly, sticking out her tongue. "Still, some ponies don't mind a little trickery as long as it's done right, you know?"

Twilight took a deep breath and exhaled, just as Cadence had taught her. "Trixie, why are you here? I thought, well, I thought you'd be avoiding me."

"Oh, Trixie likes to visit the library now and then, you never know what you might find here." She winked pointedly. "So what are you reading today?" She started shuffling through the book piles. "Poetry, poetry, more poetry. 'Dating for Eggheads'? 'How To Avoid Huge Ships'? Seriously? Trixie finds that simply staying on dry land works wonders, but…"

"That's… actually not what it's about," Twilight began.

Trixie's eyes widened. "Ooh! The 'Pony Sutra'! Aren't we ambitious!" She laughed melodiously as she flipped through the pages, many of which were illustrated. "Goodness, how enterprising. But Trixie recommends that you don't get ahead of yourself, princess. A lot of this can get you quite horribly injured if you don't know what you're doing, or so Trixie has been told." She threw it aside into a nearby return bin.

"I was just, you know…" Twilight mumbled, blushing deeply and overcome with the need to go hide somewhere. "I've heard a lot of talk about it, and I was curious… the way everypony talks about it, it's, um…"

"Curiosity is good, but don't get ahead of yourself, hmm?" Trixie said with a smile, making Twilight blush even deeper. For certain reasons, she seemed delighted about all this. "Still, Trixie is curious too. Trixie is curious about what you'll try next." She stood up and started to walk away. "Oh, another thing." She walked up next to Twilight. Suddenly, the lavender princess felt a soft, wet sensation against her horn. Trixie withdrew her lips and grinned. "Good luck. You'll need it." She walked off.

Twilight decided to take a moment to pass out with a smile on her face.

"Right, then," Spike announced. "I save Doctor Lucky's life with a nice warm blanket."

"Uh, how? I just don't get that bit," Rainbow Dash said.

"Maybe he's freezing to death?" Fluttershy suggested. She placed a card of her own on the table. "Um, unfortunately there's a bear trap in the room, so he's still in danger. Sorry."

"Really quite vicious of you, dear," Rarity muttered. She was busy passing the time by working a passably fabulous dress in blue and orange in the corner; Coco was observing her work with rapt attention. "Where did you find that strange game, Pinkie?"

"Oh, I bought it cheap from Cranky," Pinkie said, reaching for the dice. "Okay, for my turn, I'll… hey, do you hear singing?"

The door to Coco's apartment swung open, and Twilight danced in, looking for all the world as though she was walking on air. "My head keeps spinning, I go to sleep and keep grinning, if this is just the beginning, my life is gonna be beautiful…"

"Well now," Applejack said soberly. "An' here she said she couldn't sing."

Twilight snatched up Pinkie in her hooves and danced across the room, still singing. "I've sunshine enough to spread, it's like the stallion said, 'Tell me quick – ain't love like a kick in the head?'"

"It sure is!" Pinkie said, giggling. She disentangled herself. "Did something really, really good happen?"

"She kissed me!" Twilight cried out exuberantly. "She kissed me, right here on the horn. See?" She pointed to the spot, where a faint smudge of blue lipstick could barely be seen. "She's so wonderful…"

"That's… awfully impulsive of her," Coco mumbled. "Now what is she playing at?"

"Good going, Twilight!" Spike said, giving her a playful elbow nudge. "So does this mean we can pack up and leave? I mean, not that it's not fun to hang out with you, Coco, and the girls, but…"

"A-actually, she said she wanted to see what I'd come up with next," Twilight said with embarrassment.

Rainbow Dash facehoofed. "Told you she'd milk it for all its worth," she said to Fluttershy.

Fluttershy giggled in response. "Oh, let her have a little fun. You'd do the same thing if somepony started fawning over you."

"I would not!" Rainbow protested. But then she grinned. "Yeah, I definitely would. Still, this better not take too long. I know Raindrops said she could handle the weather chores on her own, but…"

"I promise I'll make up for everything when we get home," Twilight said quickly.

"Oh, don't fret over that, Twilight," Rarity said blithely. "I for one enjoy this little excursion. It's nice to know that romance isn't dead." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "Though I can't help but feel as though I've forgotten something…"

Meanwhile, in Ponyville…

"You mean 'flammable' and 'inflammable' means the same thing?" Scootaloo said. "What a gyp!"

"Yeah, but it sure was nice of Rarity to let us stay at her place while she's away with the others," Apple Bloom said. "She did say we could stay, right?"

"She never said we couldn't!" Sweetie Belle said. "And I'm definitely sure everything here was insured anyway."

"Well, it can't have been anything important," she decided.

"Say!" Pinkie suddenly said. "We should totally go and see Trixie's show! Like a celebration! I bet it's gonna be awesome!"

"I don't know, Pinkie," Twilight said uncertainly. "I'm not sure she'd be happy to see you girls, and, well, it might bring up old memories. Bad memories."

"She'll figure out that we're here sooner or later, if she hasn't already," Rarity said dismissively. "Assuming somepony hasn't told her." She gave Coco a friendly but meaningful glance.

"I haven't," Coco protested. "But she might have figured it out by herself."

"You could think of it as an acid test," Rarity continued. "If she tries anything nasty with us, then she clearly hasn't changed much and probably isn't the girl for you. But if she plays nice, well… Of course, that assumes all of you behave yourselves as well."

"Ah, don't get your tail in a bunch," Rainbow said. "I won't try anything. Unless she asks me to get up on stage. There's only so much awesome I can hold back, you know?"

"Well, all right…" Twilight said, still sounding a little uncertain. "Actually, that's a good point, once she, she moves to Ponyville…" Twilight looked flustered at the prospect. "Once she moves back with me she'll have to get along with you all, so it's probably a good idea to, ah, meet you again, and, and… I need to wash up." She ran off to the bathroom. "Spike," she shouted back, "where's my mane brush? Oh, wait, back at the hotel. Coco, can I borrow your brush?"

Spike shook his head, chuckling to himself. "Wow. Twilight's never come apart like this, well… ever. I mean, besides that time with the late friendship report. She always looks like she knows what she's doing, you know?"

"Oh, Spikey-Wikey," Rarity said, laughing. "Twilight is always a level-headed and dependable leader when she knows what she's up against. This time, though… love is a battlefield, and Trixie is proving to be a very unpredictable opponent."

"I love when you talk badass," Spike mumbled.

"Hmm?" Rarity said. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I-I said, uh…" Spike stammered, "…you're really getting into this. I mean, helping Twilight and all."

"I admit I'm taking an interest," Rarity said. She pinned up the cloth she was working on and put her tools away. "Hardly anypony I know takes romance very seriously. And those that do? Either they hit it off with their special somepony right at the start and everything is just peachy and the most you have to worry is that their wedding works out without any complications… or they don't hit it off, decide it wasn't meant to be, and go their separate ways. Is it too much to ask that a pony at least tries to put a little effort into a courtship?"

"I'm sure it happens more often than you know," Spike said, rolling his eyes.

"So, yes, I'm absolutely elated that Twilight is willing to put up a fight for the pony she loves, and I will do everything I can to see her put a ring on that mare, because it'll mean that romance is not yet dead in this world," Rarity proclaimed. "And if Trixie truly breaks her heart, I'll destroy her."

Twilight suddenly stuck her head out of the bathroom. "Rarity? Have you seen my lavender dress anywhere?"

"Yes, it's back at the hotel," Rarity said. She sighed deeply. "You don't need to dress up for a simple show, Twilight. You'll just look out of place and then Trixie will get upset."

"No!" Twilight cried, retreating into the bathroom again. "Can't dress better, Trixie will hate me…"

"Admittedly, having Twilight not going crazy all the time would be nice too…" Rarity muttered. She sighed and went to save Twilight from her fashion emergency.

Trixie's venue of choice for the night was an outdoors stage down by the east riverside park, surrounded by concession stands and cafés taking advantage of the entertainment. Twilight had at first expected Trixie to use her own wagon as a stage, but according to Coco, Trixie apparently preferred to keep her home separate from her workplace when she was in the city. Or maybe her current wagon just didn't have a built-in stage. Twilight wasn't sure how that thing had worked, anyway.

"So you saw her show the first night you were here?" Fluttershy asked as they took their seats. "And she didn't do anything nasty to anypony?"

"It was a magnificent show," Twilight said confidently. She had elected to not wear anything after all, but other than that she had spent considerably more effort than usual to pretty herself up; a little blush, some eyeliner, and some perfume to hide her usual smell of ink and book dust. "Nothing bad at all happened." She thought for a moment. "Okay, so there was a little altercation with a stallion who was a little… tipsy, but everypony agreed that he was to blame anyway."

"I suppose we'll just have to see for ourselves," Rarity said. She sat down between Twilight and a veritable wall of popcorn tubs. "Did you get enough for everypony, Pinkie?"

Pinkie stuck her head out of the popcorn, holding three carrot dogs and a bottle of soda. "Oh, you mean I should've gotten snacks for you guys too?"

Once they had all found their seats, the rest of the audience soon filled up. On the stroke of eight, the stage curtain pulled aside, and the spotlights turned on.

"Fillies and gentlecolts," a disembodied voice intoned, making itself heard throughout the audience. "Ponies of all ages. Come all and see, the Great, and Powerful…TRRRIXIE!"

There was a burst of smoke in the middle of the stage, right where the spotlights were centered, and with a shower of fireworks Trixie appeared, rearing back proudly. Her starry coat swirled around her and her matching hat was tilted just so, covering her horn. Twilight felt her heart miss a beat, and several audience members started stomping the ground in excitement. "Thank you, thank you," Trixie said. Her gaze swept across the audience, and Twilight could have sworn she saw Trixie grin a little as she spotted their group. "Ponies of Manehattan, visitors from far away, Trixie loves you!" She produced a bouquet of flowers from her cape and threw it into the air where it exploded, showering the audience in petals. "Now then, let's get started! May Trixie have a pony from the audience?"

"Do you think…?" Spike asked Twilight worriedly.

Twilight shook her head. "Just wait and see," she said, keeping her voice down. Thankfully, none of her friends had tried to volunteer; instead, a muscular pegasus with a white coat and buzz-cut magenta mane had joined Trixie on stage.

"Well, hello there," Trixie said with a flirtatious grin. "What's your name, big fella?"

"Uh, Brisk Wind," the pegasus said, looking a little nervous to have everypony look at him. "Junior high-altitude weather specialist, Manehattan weather patrol."

"And can anypony in the audience vouch for you and prove that you're not in fact Trixie's secret assistant?" Trixie asked. Several of Brisk's friends raised their hooves. "Such a shame. Trixie would have loved a big, strong assistant like you. Trixie has several big, heavy props she needs to move around." Several catcalls erupted from the audience, while Brisk Wind blushed like a tomato.

"Wait, is she flirtin' with him?" Applejack said.

"I'm sure that's, um, part of the act?" Fluttershy said, laying a calming hoof on Applejack's shoulder. "It's probably nothing." Twilight gritted her teeth, but didn't say anything.

"So tell me," Trixie continued, "How does a unicorn like you make it onto the weather team? That must be very difficult."

"A-heh," Brisk laughed nervously. "Miss Trixie, I'm a pegasus, see?" He flapped his wings. The audience burst into laughter.

"Is that so?" Trixie said haughtily. "Trixie begs to differ!" She swept her cape off her back and lashed it against Brisk, obscuring him for a moment. As she snatched it back and re-donned it with a flourish, the audience let out a collective gasp.

Standing on stage was a white unicorn. "My… my wings!" Brisk Wind cried in shock. "You turned me into a unicorn! How?"

"Ahahaha! Trixie never reveals her secrets!" Trixie exclaimed triumphantly. She retrieved a red ball from her cape, and threw it at her volunteer. "Catch!" The ball flew at Brisk before being instinctively caught in a white aura. "And catch!" Trixie cried again, throwing another ball. "And catch again!" She threw a third ball.

Brisk, for his part, struggled to hold on to all three balls, tossing them about before losing control and dropping them all. He gave a sheepish bow as the audience laughed.

"That was a spirited attempt at a juggling act," Trixie said. "Still, perhaps magic isn't for you. Stick to flying from now on, okay?" She threw her cape around him again, and when she pulled it away, his wings had returned and the horn was gone. "Dear audience, give a great applause for Brisk Wind!" They clapped their hooves as Brisk flew off the stage and returned to his excited friends.

"Twilight?" Applejack said under her breath. "How in tarnation did that there guy use magic? I figgered she just made 'im look like a unicorn, but…"

"I have absolutely no idea," Twilight said with barely controlled excitement. "I'm definitely going to ask her, though!"

"Good luck with that," Coco said knowingly. "Trixie never explains how she does her things. It's probably not as exciting as you think, though."

"Yes, but still…" Twilight mumbled, staring at the unicorn on stage.

"Some of you may wonder, 'Where did Trixie learn her incredible magic?'" Trixie exclaimed. "Of course, like most unicorns of significant power and skill, Trixie is a graduate of Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns." A simple illusory image of Celestia surrounded by bearded and venerable unicorns appeared in the air.

"Hey, didn't you go to that school, Twilight?" Rainbow Dash whispered. Twilight nodded.

"But that was not enough for a pony destined for greatness!" Trixie cried. "So after her graduation, Trixie traveled the width and breadth of Equestria, seeking to hone her skills, finding excitement and adventure! Running with the buffaloes of the San Palomino!" Another image appeared, showing Trixie running side by side with several buffaloes. "Seeking the lost secrets of the Frozen North!" Another image showed Trixie facing a snow-covered giant wolf in a snowstorm. "Studying the hidden secrets of stone-whispering from enigmatic earth ponies!" This image showed Trixie breaking rocks under the stern gaze of an elderly earth pony. "Fighting against the dreaded nightmares from the dark side of the moon!" This image showed a chaotic mess of ponies battling amorphous beasts, Trixie in their midst unleashing bolts of magic. Twilight could swear that some of the other ponies looked familiar. "Playing dangerous odds in the back streets of Las Pegasus, learning deadly arts from Neighponese masters… even facing the dreaded beasts of the Everfree Forest!" This last claim was backed up with an image of a great starry Ursa Minor rearing up before a small unicorn.

"But few adventures are as memorable as those of the sandy dunes of Saddle Arabia, where Trixie studied the secrets of the fakirs, and discovered the three wishes one should never ask from a genie," Trixie said. A faint 'ooh' rippled through the audience. "The fakirs are, as everypony knows, masters of complete bodily control. Hurt them, and they feel no pain." She took a small knife out of her hat and unceremoniously stabbed herself in the foreleg. The crowd gasped.

"Trixie!" Twilight cried in shock.

Trixie completely ignored their reaction and carried on with her act. "Cut them, and they only bleed if they so wish it." She pulled out the knife, revealing that the wound only bled the slightest bit. "Wound them, and they heal with but a thought." She leisurely licked the wound, making it disappear without a trace. The crowd applauded.

"Now, one of the fakirs Trixie met was a snake charmer," Trixie explained. "A most curious individual indeed. He had a certain… kinship with snakes. Trixie has met very few ponies with that kind of skill. Other than the inscrutable Beastmaster of the Everfree, that is…"

Fluttershy blushed furiously as her friends laughed. "Fluttershy, the Beastmaster of the Everfree, huh?" Rainbow Dash snickered.

"Of course, Trixie can't show you exactly what his act looked like, because the Manehattan Zoo keeps turning down Trixie's requests to borrow their snakes," Trixie said with a theatrical look of irritation. The audience tittered. "We'll just have to make do with something else." Gesturing grandly, she pulled out… a long bundle of rope. The audience broke into laughter. "Don't laugh! Trixie will have you know that this rope is high-quality Appleloosan hemp! Trixie's roommate back at school spoke only good things of hemp. Though Trixie wonders if that pony might have used it for other things… no matter. Watch in awe, as the Great and Powerful Trixie commands this rope to come to life!"

Most ponies would have expected Trixie to use magic on the rope. Instead, Trixie floated out a sleek flute, put it to her lips, and started to play it with her forehooves, swaying gently. The rope, seemingly of its own accord, twitched and started to rise.

For several seconds Trixie's warbling tune continued as the rope ascended, hoof length by hoof length, until almost its entire length stood upright, reaching almost twice the height of the stage top with only a single loop resting on the ground as a base. Trixie put the flute away, but the rope stayed vertical even as the music stopped. Then she put her hooves against the rope and shimmied up the length like a spider. Finally reaching the end of the rope, she took hold of it, kicked off, and landed deftly on the very top, balancing on one hoof. "Ta-daa!"

The audience was silent for a moment at the sheer impossibility of the sight, before breaking into cheers. Twilight realized that her mouth was open, and her wings fluttered nervously. "That… that was something I might've expected from Pinkie, not…" she mumbled. "I mean, how? How?!"

"She'll never tell," Coco said with a grin. "It would ruin the mystery."

Up on her lofty perch, Trixie spun around like a ballerina. "Behold! Is Trixie not the greatest unicorn in all of Equestria?" She threw her forelegs wide, and fireworks burst into the sky. "And yet… all things that go up, must eventually come down…" The rope suddenly crumbled under her, and she plummeted.

"Trixie, no!" Twilight cried. This hadn't happened during the previous show she had seen! Was Trixie making her show dangerous on purpose? She panicked, furiously digging through her mind for a spell to save Trixie with, wondering if she could just rush forward and catch the falling mare.

Before she could do anything, though, Trixie's horn flared, and a storm cloud appeared right beneath her. She landed in it with the softest thump, making it release a lightning bolt that scorched the center of the stage. Twilight sighed in relief… along with the rest of the audience.

"Twilight?" Rarity whispered. "Do you think Trixie's related to Rainbow Dash in some way?"

"Well, we know that she could make clouds from the first time she came to Ponyville, and cloudwalking is hardly a restricted spell…" Twilight nervously whispered back.

"I was thinking more of the reckless and suicidally confident behavior," Rarity muttered.

Trixie leapt off the cloud and dispersed it. "Now, for the next act! Trixie will need a volunteer, somepony brave enough to venture into… The Box!" The rear curtains were pulled aside, and a large yellow box decorated with red question marks slid onto the stage. "And… wait. This isn't Trixie's box."

Suddenly the top of the box burst open, and a lanky stallion flew out at Trixie. "Surprise!" he cried, latching on to her with a tight hug. They went down in a heap.

"Wait," Rainbow Dash said, baffled. "Is that… Cheese Sandwich?!"

"Why yes, it is!" The impossible party pony stood up and waved to the crowd. "Did somepony speak my name?"

"Cheese Sandwich, of course," Trixie muttered, getting back to her hooves. "Trixie heard the sad wheezing of your accordion from miles away. Why are you invading Trixie's stage?"

"Well, Trixie-Wixie, it's like this," Cheese began, laying a hoof across her withers. "Ol' Cheese has stood alone for some time now, and I'm not as young as I used to be. And as I was passing through town I saw your poster and thought, 'Wouldn't that fine filly make one fine marefriend?'"

The audience started murmuring. "The nerve!" Rarity muttered. "Twilight, can you believe him?" She turned to look at her friend. "Twilight?"

Twilight stared, slackjawed. "What."

"Marefriend, you say?" Trixie said skeptically. "Are you suggesting that the Big Cheese himself has romantic aspirations for the Great and Powerful Trixie?"

"You hit it right on the head there!" Cheese Sandwich said, tapping his forehead. He pulled out his accordion and started to play and sing. "'Cause Cheese is looking for love, and only one pony will do, one pony alone is on his mind, and that pony is you!"

"Hold it, mister!" Pinkie Pie cried angrily. She passed her popcorn to the stallion next to her and bounded onto the stage in one leap. "What are you trying to pull here, Cheese?"

"Pinkie Pie!" Cheese cried happily. "Wow, this is a surprise! What brings you here?"

"The Friendship Express, but that's not important right now," Pinkie said. "The important thing is that she's taken! Not by me, mind you. By my friend, Twilight Sparkle!" A spotlight fell on Twilight, who made a perfect impression of a deer caught in the headlights. She waved nervously as the rest of the audience turned and stared. Some more murmuring was heard.

"Hey there, princess!" Cheese waved at her. "Well, doesn't that beat all. That'll teach me to wait until the very last minute."

"That's right, Cheese – you lost," Pinkie said gravely. "And let me tell you what you didn't win: a twenty-volume set of the Encyclopedia Equestria, a case of Tortoise Wax, and a year's supply of Chimi-Cherry-Changas, the Dodge Junction Treat. But that's not all. You also made yourself look like a foal in front of dozens of ponies. You brought shame and disgrace to all things cheese for generations to come. You don't get to come back tomorrow. You don't even get a lousy copy of the Great and Powerful home game. You're a complete loser!"

"It's a fair cop," Cheese admitted. "Hey, wanna go bungee jumping tomorrow?"

"Would I?!" Pinkie cried happily.

Trixie, meanwhile, had watched the whole exchange with bemusement. Now she grinned like a cat. "Actually, Trixie wouldn't say that she's taken just yet," Trixie said. "Trixie very much considers herself unattached at the moment."

"What?!" Pinkie Pie protested. "Oh, come on!"

"And here I was going to throw in the towel early!" Cheese said. He put his towel away. "In that case, I'm not giving up!"

"Yeah?" Pinkie said. "Well, neither are we! And you know why? Because we have friendship! And friendship is magic, and magic is power, and power corrupts, and corruption is a crime, and crime never pays, which is why I have to work double shifts and… wait, I think I got something wrong there."

"Oh, there's only one thing wrong with this situation," Trixie said sweetly, leaning against the large mystery box.

"Oh?" Cheese said. "What's that, Trixie-Wixie?"

"You are on Trixie's stage. Trixie did not invite you onto her stage." Two well-placed bursts of fireworks knocked the two party pony interlopers off the stage. Trixie turned to the audience. "Fillies and gentlecolts, ponies of the audience! It is with great regret that we will have to call an unscheduled early end to tonight's performance. It appears that the Great and Powerful Trixie has become the object of contention between the Princess of Magic and the King of Parties. Wish them luck, everypony!" She took off her hat and bowed as the crowd applauded, before vanishing in a burst of smoke.

Chapter 5: Love Is A Battlefield

Several minutes later, the audience had dispersed but for seven mares and a dragon.

Rarity finally broke the silence. "Well. That happened."

"I can't believe the nerve of that guy!" Rainbow Dash roared. "What, he thinks he can just swoop in with his fancy tricks and his singing and his cheesy acting and steal Twilight's girl like that? I say we we greenlight the Pinkie Party and blow him out of the water!"

"All right!" Pinkie cried happily, throwing confetti. "I've got just the thing!"

"But Rainbow Dash, we like Cheese Sandwich," Fluttershy protested. "Besides, if he's in love with Trixie too, doesn't he deserve a chance as well? Um, for fairness?"

"Hmm…" Rainbow Dash shook her head. "Nah, I'll side with Twilight. Besides, he's got no chance anyway. Trixie's obviously into mares. I can tell from a mile away. I bet she's only leading him on to make Twilight jealous."

"Um, you probably shouldn't be so sure," Coco said. They turned to look at her. "I mean, Trixie told me once that she doesn't really have a preference. She said…" She raised her muzzle and tried to sound like the showmare. "'Trixie cares more about the individual qualities of the pony than what they might have between their legs, thank you very much', or something like that. I'm pretty sure she was serious."

"So she's a waffler," Applejack said disdainfully. She snorted. "Jes' what you'd expect from a showpony. No commitment."

"Like you're one to talk, Miss Married To The Farm," Rainbow scoffed. "When was the last time you went on a date?"

"Now what in tarnation brought that on?" Applejack protested. "Fer that matter, when was the last time you showed interest in anypony not wearin' a blue flightsuit?"

"H-hey, I dated! Back in flight school, all the time!" Rainbow said defensively. "Stallions! Like, sometimes more than one at a time! Like, like, like these wild guys who were in a band! Yeah!"

"So why's it since you moved to Ponyville, all I sees you do is weather work, flight trainin', nappin' or readin' Daring Do?" Applejack said with a smirk.

"Hey!" Rainbow said. "Are you saying that I can't get a date?"

Hearing the familiar sound of the bull-headed duo descending into yet another fight, Spike tried to tune it out and turned his attention to Twilight instead. "Can you believe those two, Twilight… Twilight?" Twilight had been silent since Trixie's departure, and with the others arguing as usual, he hadn't paid too much attention to her. Twilight was hunched over in her seat, staring at the ground and muttering something under her breath. Spike worried; had this finally pushed her over the edge? "Hey, Twilight, come on. Don't be upset again, this is just a minor setback, okay?"

"I must have her," Twilight said with hollow voice.

"What did you say?" Spike asked.

Twilight grabbed him with her hooves and faced him with a manic, wide-eyed grin. "I must have her! I must! I mean, did you see that? What she did? How she acted? Such style, such grace, such panache!" Twilight leapt up on the narrow back of the seat in front of her, balancing on one hoof for a few seconds before toppling over. "Those illusions! She made herself sound like a bona fide hero!"

"You know who else is a bona fide hero?" Spike asked. "You. Us. We've saved the world, what, five times now?"

Twilight didn't seem to care. "Has she actually been to Saddle Arabia? Was that a real knife? How did she do those rope tricks? Magic flute, maybe? And casting a spell in mid-air? Oh, I want her to teach me her tricks. I bet I can teach her some of my spells too, and she'll make them look so beautiful!" She sighed. "Just like herself. Trixie, with your coat so blue, won't you hold my heart so true?"

Spike rolled his eyes. "Yeah, okay, so you're not breaking down and being depressed, that's something, at least. Still, you're going to have to outscore Cheese Sandwich, and that guy's got like a PhD in making ponies have a good time. We're gonna have to call in Pinkie for this."

Pinkie popped up behind Twilight and saluted clumsily, whacking her forehead. "My party cannon is at your disposal, my liege. Always. Always."

"I still advise the traditional route," Rarity said, sitting down next to Twilight. "I have a feeling that it really appeals to her." Pinkie made an unearthly growl. "Of-of course we'll need a party eventually!" Rarity stammered. "We'll just have to make sure it all works out properly! And it has to be a spectacular party that really outshines anything Cheese can do, right? Right?"

Pinkie's eyes widened in shock. "Ohmygosh, you're right! I can't make a half-baked party, that won't do! I need supplies! Call in favors! Maybe I can ask Cheese— no, wait, forget that, he's the enemy. Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh, so much to do!" Pinkie bounded out of the seats and into the night, faint sproinking noises fading into the distance.

"Pinkie's right," Twilight said with determination. "You're all right. I need to step up the game. Applejack!"

"An' what about mah brother?" Applejack said angrily, still arguing with Rainbow Dash. "Most popular an' e-li-gi-ble bach'lor in Ponyville, if ah know the rumors right. The girls at home can't stop starin' at him!"

"Oh please," Rainbow scoffed, rolling her eyes dramatically. "The guy thinks girls have cooties! Did you see how he acted at the Fall Festival? The way he looked at Sweetcream Scoops, you'd think he was afraid she'd bite him."

"So maybe he don't like forward girls!" Applejack protested. "He's jus' waitin' fer Miss Right! And what does mah brother have ta do with this, anyhow?"

"Hey, you're the one who mentioned him!" Rainbow retorted. "Face it, Fluttershy gets more attention from guys than you."

"Um, Discord and I aren't like that…" Fluttershy tried to interject.

"Applejack!" Twilight shouted again, interrupting them. "I need to learn how to play the guitar!"

"The what now?" Applejack asked. "Why? Sorry, can't help ya there…"

"Eh, I could teach you," Rainbow Dash said. She noticed the others' surprised looks. "What? I said I used to date musicians. I can totally give you some guitar lessons." She yawned. "In the morning. I'm ready to drop. But great thinking, Twilight. Everypony knows playing the guitar gets you the girls."

"Right," Rarity said. "Guitar lessons in the morning, sleep now. Let's get back to the hotel for now. We'll see you tomorrow, Coco…" She looked concerned. "Are you sure we're not intruding too much on you?"

"You're not," Coco said. "I can't drop out now, can I?"

"Thank you," Rarity said. "Trixie is lucky to have a friend like you."

Coco blushed at the compliment. "It's nothing. Everypony needs a little help and generosity now and then."

Trixie was walking home in the evening air of downtown Manehattan. Actually, that's not correct. 'Bouncing' would be more accurate. There was a marked spring in her step, and she occasionally broke into outright skipping, humming a cheery tune to herself.

"Trixie!" a voice cried out. Coco Pommel ran up to her, panting heavily.

"Hi, Coco!" Trixie said happily. "What are you doing here?"

"Trixie, are you serious about this?" Coco asked. "Are you really going to let them fight over you? A few days ago you were practically unraveling because one pony was interested in you, and now…"

"Oh, I was," Trixie agreed. She smirked. "But then somepony convinced me to just play along. See what happens, enjoy the attention. After all, the Great and Powerful Trixie deserves to be treated like a lady, you said. So why shouldn't she get to be courted two times over?"

"Trixie…" Coco chided. "Is this some game to you? Getting back at Twilight?"

Trixie stared silently at her friend for several seconds. "Coco… I'm actually a little bit insulted by that. I promised myself once that I wouldn't cause trouble for those ponies again, you know. I have no intention of 'getting back' at anypony. Not anymore. On the other hoof…" She grinned. "It's just fair to give each contestant their shot at the prize, wouldn't you agree?"

"So you really are interested in Cheese Sandwich?" Coco inquired.

"He's handsome, independently wealthy, and funny in a crazy way," Trixie said. "Trixie could do worse. Besides, he understands the life of a traveling showpony. He…" He knows the need for freedom. "He understands Trixie's way of life."

"And Twilight Sparkle?" Coco continued.

"She's smart, nice, friendly, very pretty, and crazy in a funny way," Trixie said. "Plus the whole princess thing. Trixie could do much worse. So you can tell your friends that Trixie is in for the long game." She smirked. "Yes, Coco, Trixie has figured out your part in this little scheme."

"...Sorry," Coco mumbled.

"It's okay, Trixie is still your friend," Trixie said. She hugged Coco, and the seamstress briefly wondered when Trixie had become so affectionate. "It's probably for the best, anyway. It's good to have somepony on the inside. You can tell Twilight Sparkle that Trixie is rooting for her."

"You are?" Coco said, surprised.

"Certainly!" Trixie said proudly. "Of course, Trixie is rooting for Cheese Sandwich as well. Only fair, after all."

Coco sighed. "Have it your way, Trixie. Just… I'm worried for you, you know? I don't want to see you end up empty-hooved and heartbroken if you lose both. Good night, Trixie." She wandered off back home.

Trixie smiled wanly as her friend disappeared in the night. "Perhaps, Coco. Perhaps not. Still, it's Trixie's choice, isn't it?"

And elsewhere, at the very top of the Clydesler Building, a single pony gazed out over the city, and smiled wolfishly.

"Manehattan… the city that never sleeps…" Pinkie Pie chuckled darkly. "Rest now, little ponies, for when my party starts, you will never sleep, ever again! Mwahahahaha!" She rubbed her hooves in anticipation. "This time, though… this time I'll need some very special ponies… oh, won't they be happy to see me again?"

She stood gazing out over the city for another minute before a thought struck her. "Wait, how do I get down from here?"

Evening turned to morning, and morning turned to lunch, and lunch saw Trixie back at the Botanical Garden. It was her favorite place to eat, after all, and if some ponies felt the need to point and stare because Trixie was great and powerful enough to set the hearts of royalty aflame, then let them. Why did she care in the first place?

"This is unbelievable," she muttered.

"Yeah, get a load of this menu," Spike said. "Hundreds of entrees, and not a single thing with gems. You'd think this place was multicultural, but nooo…"

Her choice of lunchtime companion was unusual, though. Or it would have been if she'd had a choice to begin with. These days, it seemed everypony and everyone took liberties with her privacy.

"That's not what Trixie means and you know it," Trixie said. "Why are you here, dragon?"

"Oh, you know, Coco was caught up in some of her work, and I figured with the way things were going it might be a good idea for us to get to know each other a little better," Spike said. "You know, since Twilight keeps saying that you're so much better now, and all. Name's Spike, by the way. I guess we've never been introduced properly."

"Does she now," Trixie said. "Trixie is still surprised to see you, since you think Trixie is so… what was the word? 'Unbearable'?"

He glared at her. "Oh, come on. That was years ago. You know, the others are giving you another chance, so how about cutting us some slack in return, huh?" He returned to the menu. "Hmm, maybe I can just order an omelet and crush some emeralds over it…"

"Hmph. Fair enough," Trixie said. "Trixie appreciates the gesture. Waiter!" She flagged down a passing pony. "Trixie will have her usual cress salad with radish sprouts, some crisped beets and a hay shake. And an omelet for her companion."

"Hey, you don't have to order for me!" Spike protested. "Uh, and a glass of cider?" he added to the waiter, who rushed off.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "What, you have that antiquated notion that the stallion is supposed to make the order? How droll. You won't earn chivalry points on the behalf of your mistress, you know."

"'Mistress'?" he said, giving her a wry look. "That's kinda messed up."

Trixie shrugged. "Isn't that why she loves me, though? So, given any thought to what you'll do if things turn out the way she hopes?"

"Dunno," Spike said. "I'd hate to move out of the Ponyville library, but I guess it beats hanging around while you two are being all lovey-dovey and kissy-mushy."

"You think Trixie plans on moving back to that little town?" Trixie said with a snort. "That's a laugh."

"You seemed to like it just fine when you took it over," Spike said.

Silence.

"That wasn't… that wasn't the plan," Trixie said quietly. Her eyes were locked on the table. "I just wanted to show everypony how great I was. That I could match Twilight Sparkle. So they'd have to take me seriously again."

Spike swallowed nervously. He had enjoyed the light-hearted back-and-forth ribbing, but apparently even Trixie drew her lines in the sand, and he'd just stepped over them. "Sore point?" Trixie nodded. "I'm sorry."

"Thanks," she mumbled. "Let's just… drop it, okay?"

The silence returned for several seconds until their food arrived. Spike poked suspiciously at his omelet, then took out a large emerald and crushed it over his meal.

"Dragon diet, huh," Trixie said. "Isn't that a waste of valuable gems, though?"

"Emeralds are delicious," Spike said, digging into his meal with delight. "Don't knock it 'til you tried it."

"Unfortunately, ponies don't eat rocks," Trixie scoffed, taking a forkful of salad. "Well, except for that weird rock farmer Trixie used to know."

"Weird rock farmer who eats rocks?" Spike asked. "You mean Maud Pie?"

"You've met her?" she asked incredulously.

"She's Pinkie Pie's sister," he said. "Yeah, she's weird."

"Mm-hm," Trixie agreed. "Nice in her own strange way, though. Never said a mean word to Trixie."

"Yeah, I guess," Spike agreed. He couldn't imagine Maud caring enough to bother insulting anypony to begin with.

They continued to eat in silence for a while. "You know what this place needs?" Spike suddenly said. "Some music!" He snapped his claws.

In response, a guitar chord rang out from above. Twilight Sparkle dropped out of the sky, perched on a small cloud and holding an acoustic guitar in her hooves. She looked serene as she strummed the instrument by magic and raised her voice.

She studies the classic works, from the ancient ages before
'Watch now in awe' she says, just like great Kimono
A built-in challenge for the Elements of Harmony
At anytime an invitation you can't decline

"That's better," Spike said with a smirk. "You like?"

Trixie felt her lips curl into a tiny smile. "Trixie likes. Of course, Mercury Free's songs lose a bit on simple acoustic, but…"

Twilight twitched involuntarily, but continued to play.

Aperitifs and apple pies, confident in any scene, extraordinarily sweet

She's a Magic Queen, fireworks that make you scream
Smoke and mirror, magic beam, guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime

"Still, you have to be a little impressed," Spike said quickly. "Would you believe that she didn't know a single chord this morning?"

"Really?" Trixie cooed. "Now that's something. Fast learner, huh? Trixie will blow your mind any day, princess." She blew a kiss at Twilight, who furiously laid into the next verse.

Recommended at the price, insatiable in appetite
Wanna try?

To avoid complications she always kept on the move
In conversations she always had something to prove
Met a dragon from Chineigh
Went down to Honah-Lee
Then again incidentally
If you're that way inclined

Twilight put the guitar aside and leaned down, leveling her best and most rehearsed sultry look at Trixie. But before she could say anything, a nearby bush exploded and disgorged Cheese Sandwich, accordion in his hooves. Two stallions appeared behind him, both wearing sunglasses and carrying a guitar and a small drum set respectively. He donned a pair of shades of his own and they began to play.

I've got a magical filly
(Tell us what she's like)
A stage miracle really
(Does she ride or hike?)

She has a starry costume
(She likes to dress in style)
And intoxicating perfume
(But most I like her smile)

Oh, her flowing mane is blowing in a transcendental wind
And she wonders without knowing, where did we begin…

Twilight stood up on her cloud and pushed her mane back with a determined look. A bolt of magic erupted from her horn and into the guitar, warping the sound.

I was hers, from the moment we first met
With a simple magic spell it took no time
Call it fate, or just two hearts enchanted
But I never felt so good since I've been hers…

I've got a love so pure, yes a love so sure
The kind of love you hold so tight
I've got a love so pure, yes a love so sure
The kind of love that lasts a mare for life

Cheese tossed the accordion aside and grabbed the guitar from his fellow player, tearing into a new song.

She's my magic pie,
Cool drink of water, such a sweet surprise.
Tastes so good, make a stallion cry,
Sweet magic pie.
Swingin' on the main stage,
Swingin' on the road.
Swingin' where we want,
Cause she calls no place her home.
Swingin' to the left,
And swingin' to the right.
If I think about hoofball,
I'll swing all night, yeah.

"Wait, is he… implying what it sounds like he's implying?" Spike asked nervously.

"Depends," Trixie said. She winked at Cheese and blew him a kiss as well. "Are you old enough to know what he might be implying?"

All of a sudden the sky split into a cascade of colors, and Rainbow Dash rocketed out of the clouds and landed next to Twilight, a synthesizer strapped to her chest. They nodded to each other. Twilight grinned confidently and they started playing.

It's poetry in motion
And when she turned her eyes to me
As deep as any ocean
As sweet as any harmony
Mmm – but she blinded me with magic
She blinded me with magic!
And fooled me with some sleight of hoof

When she's dancing next to me
Blinding me with magic – magic!
Magic!
I can hear thunder storms
Blinding me with magic – magic!
Magic!

Mmm – but it's poetry in motion
And now she's making love to me
The sun and moon high above
The elements of harmony
Mmm – but she blinded me with magic
And dazzled me with fireworks

"You gotta love this one, though," Spike said confidently. "What do you say, Trixie? Trixie?"

"I… I…" Trixie stammered.

"What's the matter?" Spike asked. "You've gone all red."

"It's… good," Trixie said quickly. "Yes, really good." She buried her face in the remains of the salad.

When I'm dancing close to her
Magic!
I can smell the black powder
Blinding me with magic – magic!
Magic!
Magic!

It's poetry in motion
And now she's making love to me
The sun and moon high above
The elements of harmony
She blinded me with magic
She blinded me with magic!
And hit me with some wondrous spells...

Trixie drained her shake and placed the cup on her empty plate. "We must do this again, Spike. This lunch has been far more pleasant than expected. But now Trixie must be off. Give my regards to the princess, won't you?" She turned to leave.

"Uh, okay?" Spike said uncertainly. "So, uh, which one did you like best?"

Trixie glanced back and smiled, before running off, laughing softly.

Twilight jumped off the cloud and landed next to Spike. She gave a courteous nod to Cheese, who doffed his hat grandly before dashing off in another direction. "So, how did she take it? Did she like it? Did she?"

"Well, the good news is, you probably scored a few points this round," Spike said. "I get the feeling she really liked the last one."

"Yes!" Twilight cheered. "Um, what's the bad news?"

"She stiffed us with the lunch bill," he said.

Chapter 6: Sideshow Acts

Somewhere else, two ponies faced off. Theirs was a battle eternal, a fight waged between foe and kin alike for aeons since the very founding of equine society. It was a duel where neither could claim a permanent victory; no matter which outcome, the same scenario would soon play out again, and nopony could know for certain who would win this time.

"Vinyl Scratch, clean up this mess," the grey mare commanded.

The pearly white unicorn twisted lazily on the couch, pushing a pizza carton to the floor. Around her, piles of detritus flocked; stained clothes, stacks of takeout food boxes, empty bottles, and pieces of dismantled sound equipment. Something red and sticky had formed a almost perfectly circular stain on the carpet. "C'mon, Octy, it's not so bad." She wiggled her eyebrows, making her impenetrable sunglasses bob up and down. "Y'know, at school they taught me that all things strive towards entropy, so what's the point of fighting a losing cause? Just mellow, okay?"

"I will not 'mellow'! I pay half the rent on this place, and I placed the deposit!" Octavia poked the stain and fumed as she realized that the unknown substance was now coating her hoof as well. "Which I'll never see again if this continues." The agitated earth pony started stalking around the room. "I shouldn't have to deal with this. I only agreed to share this apartment with you because I'm only ever here when I'm not touring, but when I am here, I do not want to deal with this! I need to relax and unwind now and then, and this is not relaxing!"

Vinyl sighed, got off the couch and draped a hoof over her roommate's withers. "Octy, baby, chill."

"Don't you 'baby' me, Vinyl Gretchen Scratch!" Octavia shrugged off the offending appendage. "This is beyond deplorable, and you'll not attempt to sweet-talk me like one of your…" She snatched a piece of cloth off the ground and inspected it suspiciously. "This is my underwear. Why is it not in the closet where it should be?"

"Uh, you sure?" Vinyl asked nervously. "Might be mine or something."

"Vinyl, you don't wear underwear," Octavia said sternly. "You said so years ago. You made a huge deal out of how clothes constrict your style and how it's just another tool The Mare uses to oppress us, or something to that effect. I didn't listen too closely."

"Some of my friends do," Vinyl suggested. "Like this totally cute pegasus last week with the—"

"Ugh!" Octavia made a face. "Spare me your tales of licentious escapades. I recognize my own clothes very well, Vinyl. So either you've been going through my closet, or your dates have. Does either seem acceptable to you?"

Vinyl sighed shamefully. "No, Octy, it doesn't. Sorry. Guess I could get rid of some of this junk, huh?"

"Yes, you could," Octavia said. She looked around the room disdainfully. "Though at this rate we might as well just start a fire and be done with it."

Vinyl let out a sharp laugh. "That would be so groovy and cathartic, y'know? Better not, though. The landlord's got two strikes against me after—"

Whatever crime the DJ was about to admit to was unknown, as the door chose that moment to slam open and reveal a frantic, frizzly filly. "Vinyl! I need your help with a party! Oh, hey, Octavia."

"Pinkamena," Octavia said curtly.

"Pinkie!" Vinyl exclaimed happily, holding out a hoof for her fellow party pony. "How ya been, girl?"

"No time to explain!" Pinkie Pie said. "I've just come from Manehattan, and can you believe the place, so many ponies, they sell fried carrots in buns and there's shows and fun stuff and excitement and Applejack got to see her relatives and—"

"No time to explain, huh?" Octavia said.

"Exactly!" Pinkie said. "I gotta put together a really super-special-awesome party strong enough to knock Cheese Sandwich out of the running, and I need a solid crew for this, and that means you!"

"You're challenging Cheese Sandwich again?" Vinyl asked, surprised. She whistled. "Nice! Gonna settle that goof-off for real this time?"

"No!" Pinkie said. "Well, maybe. But it's not the main event. See, my friend Twilight… you know Twilight? Purple, really smart, became a princess?"

"She's a princess of Equestria," Octavia said tiredly. "Who doesn't know of her?"

"You'd be surprised," Pinkie said. "Impossible to get a cab, I tell ya. Anyways, she's fallen head over hooves in love with a funny showmare in Manehattan, and at first Trixie was all 'nu-uh, my hooves are cold and I don't love you', but after we helped Twilight to be really romantic she warmed up to the idea, and I really thought we had sealed the deal the last night, but then Cheese Sandwich jumped out of nowhere, I mean he literally jumped out, why was he in that box anyway, and said he wanted to be her coltfriend, and now Trixie is playing all hard to get and wants to see who can impress her the most, so I need to go all out and that means I need your help!"

"You got it," Vinyl said confidently. "A princess in love? Classic romance story. How could I say no?"

"Sure, you're a true romantic," Octavia said sarcastically. "Did you say 'Trixie'? As in, Trixie Lulamoon?"

"You know her too?" Pinkie said with an incredulous tone. "How serendipidipidipitous!"

"Well…" Octavia said. "Years ago, back in Canterlot. She provided fireworks and lighting for our performances sometimes. Even played with us a few times. She kept saying she'd make it big as a solo act, doing magic shows. So she went back to Manehattan?"

"Yeah, uh… something like that," Pinkie said carefully. "Actually her show got ruined in Ponyville and she had to go work for Dad to earn a living and then she came back and tried to take over Ponyville and rule it with an iron hoof. And then she went back to Manehattan."

"...Right," Octavia said slowly, nodding. "That's fascinating. Girls, I'm getting in on this performance."

"Didn't you say you needed to unwind?" Vinyl said. "Besides, violins never solved anything. I got this one in the bag."

"It's a cello, and who could relax with something like this going on?" Octavia said. "Besides, if you play those abominable 'wubs' of yours at this event, you'll sink the princess like a lead horseshoe, and then you'll have the second coming of Nightmare Moon on your hooves. I know a few things about that blue egomaniac. You'll need me."

Vinyl laughed. "Awesome! See, there's the pony I love and room with! Baby, this is gonna rock!"

"Vinyl…" Octavia glared at her friend. "What did I tell you?!"

Pinkie grinned widely at the bickering musicians and pulled a checklist out of her mane. "Music, check! Now, for the rest…"

"See her now on the stage, brilliant sapphire mage…" Trixie sang softly to herself, trotting along the store's aisles. Grocery shopping was, admittedly, not a task worthy of her Great and Powerful persona, but it was something that needed to be done from time to time, as usual. Does Ponyville have convenience stores, or was it one of those towns with open markets? Hmm… "Cloak of stars all alight, such a wonderful sight… ooh, clearance on tomatoes! Excellent!" She tossed a bundle of the red delicacies into the basket on her back, followed by a head of lettuce. For a little while, her most prominent experience with tomatoes had been having them thrown at her, but she was gracious enough not to hold that against them. She continued her happy stroll. "A little dressing and we'll have a wonderful salad, mm-mmm."

Rarity walked around the corner, followed by Rainbow Dash. "Goodness, you cook too? You really are a surprising mix of talents, Trixie."

Trixie took a step back in surprise, but quickly regained her composure. "Naturally. On the road, you either learn how to cook or you learn to like grass."

"Indeed, grazing is… uncouth," Rarity said. "One should always maintain some decorum, lest one is seen as a complete ruffian."

"Hey, I've grazed," Rainbow Dash said defensively. "It's great when you're too busy to get real food."

"Case in point," Rarity said loftily. Rainbow just rolled her eyes.

"So why are you here? Is Twilight about to leap out of the dairy section with yet another attempt to seduce Trixie?" Trixie looked quickly around the store, just in case.

"Nah, she said she had to do something that came up," Rainbow said.

Meanwhile, at the hotel…

"One, two, one two three four!" Twilight announced before strumming her guitar.

"Ra-a-a-arity, what will your answer be?" Spike sang. "Oh, Ra-a-a-arity, when will you go out with me?"

The things we do for each other, Twilight mused to herself.

"Dunno what, but Spike said it was urgent," Rainbow continued. "So we figured we'd go hang out with you instead."

"Um, okay?" Trixie said uncertainly. She frowned at them. "Trixie was under the impression that you all didn't like her very much." She paused. "Aside from Twilight Sparkle, obviously."

"Yes, she really is quite taken with you, isn't she?" Rarity said cheerfully. "I've literally never seen her like this. The closest she gets is when she's found some exceptionally rare and dusty old book, and even that isn't usually enough to send her into tumult. Whatever she sees in you must be special indeed. So I thought, why not spend a little time with this exceptional mare and see who she really is?"

"Besides, you weren't exactly sad to see me the last time we met, Queen Trixianna the First," Rainbow said with a meaningful grin.

"Can we not bring that up again…" Trixie muttered. "Fine. You wish to enjoy Trixie's glorious company for the day? You shall. Sadly, today's schedule is far from as exciting as you might hope. Shopping, some practice, then work, then sleep. No open spots for world-saving or god-vanquishing or other acts of heroism today. Oh, and see if there's any affordable bread."

"That's okay, dear," Rarity said. "I've found that world-saving isn't something you can schedule anyway. Most of the time, at least." She held up two loaves and gave them a light squeeze, frowning a little. "You know that you'll be set for life if you accept Twilight, don't you? No need to hunt for bargains ever again."

"As if I'd ever plan on being a gold digger," Trixie said scornfully. "Trixie has always stood on her own hooves. How would you feel, hanging on to somepony and knowing that you were relying on them for everything?"

"True," Rarity said. "I did have my eyes on a very eligible bachelor once, but…" She turned over one of the loaves and made a disgusted face as it turned out to be covered with green mold. "Let's just say he turned out to be less than I expected. Anyway, I suppose I can see your point. I myself rely on myself and my business to stay afloat, and it would take a very special stallion for me to give that up." She discreetly discarded the moldy bread where the staff could deal with it, and dropped the untainted one into Trixie's basket.

"Then you see Trixie's point…" Trixie tilted her head at Rarity quizzically. "…sorry, what was your name again?"

"...It's Rarity," Rarity said, a little taken aback. "You know, the fashion icon of the year? You do pay attention to fashion, don't you?"

"And I'm Rainbow Dash," Rainbow interjected. "But you knew that already."

"Rarity?" Trixie asked. "As in 'Hotel Chic' Rarity?"

"Oh, so you have seen my fashion line after all?" Rarity said with interest.

"Oh yes." Trixie smirked. "Trixie could only dream of having the guts to dress ponies in lampshades and bedsheets and parade them around on stage. That's a really impressive act. Hat's off to you." Trixie doffed her hat mock-courteously.

"Ooh, burn," Rainbow laughed.

"I had to work with the materials I had on hoof," Rarity said, seething. "I wouldn't expect anypony who wears the same hat and cape all the time to understand the finer points of fashion."

Trixie snorted. "Trixie understands fashion just fine. She just doesn't care for the buffoonish extravaganza it so often excretes on the unsuspecting populace. Also, this?" She spun around, letting her cape fly. "This is the traditional garb of the stage magician, and was lovingly hoof-stitched by Coco Pommel only a few weeks ago. Kindly don't insult her work."

"Well." Rarity noted the defensive tone to Trixie's voice. Quite protective of your friend, aren't you? "Yes, I suppose it suits you. Coco is quite talented, too. It looks good on you. But… honestly, was 'Hotel Chic' that bad?"

"Oh, horrible!" Trixie laughed. She sobered up a little. "No, just peculiar. Seriously, it was a very bold choice of materials. I'm genuinely impressed that you'd try something like that. And get away with it, too! Did you really tear up a whole hotel room for it?"

"Oh yeah," Rainbow said. "The hotel manager was pissed. And she made us work all day, too." Rainbow glanced at Rarity, who looked ashamed, and grinned. "But it was worth it. Besides, friends help each other out."

"So is that why all of you are here?" Trixie inquired. She looked curiously at the two ponies. "To help Twilight with her 'problem'?"

Rarity laughed. "Yes, I suppose you could say that…"

Days ago…

Rarity sliced apart a seam on the dress before her before deftly stitching the fabric back in place a few inches lower, to allow for better leg movement. Dressmaking was, after all, not an exact science; adjustments had to be made now and then. Fortunately she had a keen eye for details and could almost always spot the little things before the client picked up the finished work, something that had saved her on many occasions.

Nearby, Spike sat on a stool, waiting patiently. Today they had planned to go gem-hunting – always a pleasant and rewarding endeavor, as long as they could avoid Diamond Dogs – and Spike had looked forward to it for weeks. The sweetheart so loved to show off his skills and manners for her; he probably loved it even more than the delicious gems he'd get as reward, she suspected. Unfortunately she had found herself with a little extra work to take care of before they left, so he had to wait. And wait he did.

In fact, he was disconcertingly quiet today. Usually they would chat, and maybe he'd fetch things for her, or maybe offer some comment on the dress she was working on, or compliment her looks. (Rarity admitted that she was a little vain, but when you looked as good as she did, how could she not be?) Today, though, his mind was elsewhere.

Not unlike Twilight, lately. The poor mare had been very distracted these last few weeks; absentminded, vacant, forgetful. As though her mind was focused on something else completely. Of course, Rarity knew perfectly well what that something was. Twilight had brought up the subject a while earlier, and it was easy for anypony with some sense to connect the dots. Twilight was in love, regardless of her attempts to deny it. Rarity just hoped her friend would do something about it instead of moping around.

Spike's current state of mind was a different matter, however. It really wasn't like him, and she had no idea why. "Spike?" she asked. "You seem to be a little distant today. What's on your mind?"

"Huh?" Her words seemed to snap him out of his fugue for the moment. "Oh… Twilight went to Manehattan yesterday."

"Yes, you mentioned," Rarity said. "Some awards ceremony or something."

"Yeah…" He fell into silence again for a few seconds before snapping out of it again. "Rarity, would Twilight ever lie to me?"

"What? No!" She paused. "Well… maybe once in a while, if she had a very good reason, but never ever to hurt you." Even Applejack had admitted that, now and then, a white lie or a slight omission of truth was easier to make. The important thing was to recognize the moments when dishonesty could actually hurt, her friend had said. "Why, do you think Twilight has lied to you?"

"Well…" He twirled his claws in that peculiar way she had learned meant that he was worried or nervous. "It's just… it came up so suddenly, this Manehattan business. She didn't even get the invitation delivered through me, and I handle all her important correspondence. It just feels so… so convenient that it was today, when I had stuff to do with you. She even insisted that I stayed behind to help you. It's like… like…"

"Like she may have set it up to give herself an excuse to leave on her own, without you?" Rarity suggested.

"Yeah!" he exclaimed. "That's exactly it! But why?"

Oh, Twilight, you vixen. Sneaking off to meet your paramour one-on-one? How romantic! "I'm sure we have nothing to worry about," Rarity said out loud. "I would wager that she's meeting somepony and just want some privacy." She returned her attention to the dress before her.

"Meeting somepony?" Spike said, surprised. He thought for a moment, and his eyes widened in sudden realization. "Oh, of course! Gah, I'm so stupid. Hah, of course she wouldn't want to tell anypony she's off to see her."

"Her?" Rarity asked. She lowered her scissors and looked straight at Spike. Has he figured out who Twilight is in love with? I really don't give Spike enough credit, the clever darling. "Do you know who Twilight's meeting?"

"I could hazard a guess," Spike muttered with a bit of distaste in his voice. "There was an article in the Gazette earlier that she seemed really interested in. About Trixie."

Five pins, a sheet of cloth and a pair of scissors fell to the floor in a clatter, as the magic holding them up winked out in the blink of an eye. "Trixie?!" Rarity cried.

"Uh, yeah, Trixie," Spike said. He didn't seem too fazed by her reaction; Trixie had left a very distinct impression on Rarity and the others, after all. "I think Twilight's been really concerned for her since the last time she was here. Especially given what happened to her after the, you know, the Ursa incident."

"Uh huh," Rarity said hollowly.

"Seems the girl's gotten her show back on track, though," he continued. "I guess Twilight's off to make sure she's doing well and actually has given up her revenge-seeking. Makes sense. Maybe she thought we'd get upset if we knew…"

Oh dear. Oh dear. Trixie, huh? Rarity bit her lip nervously. Hmm. Well now. I guess she could be Twilight's type, now that I think about it. Magically gifted, good looking. Hah, and quite adept at making a lasting impression. Add to the design that she's a 'bad girl' who supposedly showed her better side in the end, and you could hardly expect Twilight not to want to snatch her up and take her home… oh dear. If it goes badly, though…

She swiftly pushed the ponyquine aside and swept her tools off the floor and back to their respective places on the worktable. "Spike, I think we'll have to cancel today's gem hunt."

"What?" he asked in surprise. "Why?"

"Find Rainbow Dash and Applejack and tell them to meet me at the train station," she continued. "Tell them it's an emergency and that we might be away from Ponyville for a while. I'll find Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie."

"Rarity…" Spike began.

"I might be wrong, but…" She sighed. "Twilight might need our help."

An hour later, five ponies and a dragon huddled in a passenger car on the Friendship Express, heading east. Applejack and Rainbow Dash looked less than pleased with the situation. Fluttershy looked worried. Pinkie Pie looked… like Pinkie Pie.

"Ohmygosh ohmygosh ohmygosh, Twilight's got a marefriend!" the pink party pony cheered, capering across the cabin.

"Pipe down, Pinkie!" Applejack said. "You absolutely sure about this, Rares? Ya really think Twilight's gone a-courtin' Trixie of all ponies?"

"Of course I'm not absolutely sure, Applejack," Rarity said, a bit irritated at her friend's tone. "It might be as Spike thought, and she just wanted to congratulate Trixie on recapturing her fame and fortune, as any friend would. On the other hoof, I am a pony in touch with my feelings, and I recognize an infatuated pony when I see her. Twilight is in love, I'll bet my whole spring lineup on it."

"Yeah!" Pinkie agreed. "Everypony knows that good girls want bad boys! Or bad girls, in this case. And you don't get any more goody-four-shoes than Twilight, unless maybe you're Fluttershy." She clopped her hooves together excitedly. "Hey, is that why you hang around with Discord all the time, Fluttershy?"

"P-P-Pinkie!" Fluttershy exclaimed, her face red.

"Aaaanyway," Rainbow Dash said, desperately changing the subject. "What are we supposed to do about it? Sure, Twilight's got absolutely rotten taste in girls, but she's a grown mare. It's not exactly our job to tell her who she can and can't date. I'll leave that to her brother."

"Yeah, an' ah can't see how Trixie's doin' anythin' wrong in this picture either," Applejack said. "Believe me, I'm lookin', but unless she's figured out some kinda alicorn-overpowerin' long-distance brain-whammy spell, she don't seem to be doin' anythin' at all we have to stop her from."

"Oh, I'm not worried about that," Rarity said. "If Twilight is in love, I'm sure it's all natural. I'm willing to believe that she finds Trixie very, very appealing indeed. But I don't know how Trixie will react."

"Maybe she'll be happy?" Fluttershy suggested. "I mean… she's so lonely. Maybe she secretly wants to have a friend, or a special somepony. I'm sure she and Twilight would make a cute couple…" She blushed.

"Maybe," Rarity said. "But I'm not willing to take the risk. This is Twilight we're talking about, going off on a hare-brained plan all on her own. And when things go wrong and she's on her own, well…"

"Ah," Spike said knowingly. "Like the 'tardy report' incident."

"Or that time we had to disaster-proof Equestria because she received a message from the future she didn't listen to," Rainbow suggested.

"Or that time she ran herself ragged trying to figure out my Pinkie Sense," Pinkie chimed in. "I get it. Worst thing happens, we have to be there to catch her, or she might break apart or explode or something."

"I'm fairly sure she won't explode, but, yes, that's about it," Rarity said. She gazed out through the window, looking at the countryside passing by. "I just hope we won't be too late…"

Present day…

"Huh. You really don't trust her very much," Trixie mused.

During the reminiscing, the trio had finished shopping and withdrawn to Trixie's wagon lot. The magician had taken the opportunity to practice a few acts with an audience on hoof; currently she was putting together a pony-sized box out of six square panels of painted wood, with Rainbow Dash very reluctantly agreeing to be inside.

"It's not a matter of trust, it's…" Rarity began.

"It's her going nuts when her plans fail," Rainbow Dash's muffled voice came from the box.

"Exactly," Rarity said. "She's unstoppable when she knows what she's doing, but given her inexperience when it comes to romance… you're the first pony she's shown this kind of interest in, you know?"

Trixie blinked. "Really? I mean, um, of course." The magician drew herself up a little. "That hardly surprises the irresistible and enchanting Trixie. Now, watch in awe!"

Trixie's horn glowed with power, and the box quaked and shifted before separating into eight identical boxes, each barely small enough to hold a young filly. She spun them around in the air to show that they were sealed on all sides; where Rainbow Dash was, nopony knew – except, hopefully, Trixie.

Rarity couldn't help but gasp in shock at the display; for all her flaws, Trixie certainly could surprise with her tricks. No wonder Twilight's so taken with you.

The eight cubes danced through the air, mixing and switching places until no onlooker could remember which was which, before Trixie stacked them together again. With a flourish of her cape and a flick of her horn, the seams of the box burst apart and the sides fell away, revealing a bemused-looking Rainbow Dash.

Rarity stomped enthusiastically. "That was incredible! Rainbow, darling, are you okay?"

"Uh, yeah? My stomach felt funny for a moment, but…" She glanced curiously at the remains of the box. "Did something happen?"

"Let's just say that Twilight's not the only pony who comes apart at times," Rarity said with a giggle. "And that why we came here for, Trixie. I reasoned that if things went bad, in the worst case… well, in the best worst case, Twilight would need some support and a shoulder to cry on."

"Best worst case? What would be worst worst case?" Trixie asked, an eyebrow arched.

"You don't want to know," Rainbow said. She shuddered. "Anyway, like I said, we stick out for each other. The girls have always been there for me, and I'll never leave them hanging, you know?"

"Must be nice," Trixie mused. She sat down on the pile of box panels and sighed.

"Aw, come on, you're not all alone." Rainbow flew over and put her hoof over Trixie's shoulders. "I mean, I could've ditched you with those dogs, but you're nowhere near enough of a jerk to deserve that, see? You're pretty okay when you're not causing trouble."

"And you have dear Coco Pommel," Rarity added. "The girl's really taken a shine to you."

Trixie nodded. "Coco's nice. I should do something good for her sometime."

"Yes, you should," Rarity agreed. "And then there's Twilight. Dear Celestia, there's Twilight. She's so head over hooves in love with you, I've never seen anything like it." She frowned and narrowed her eyes. "I really hope you're not just playing with her feelings, Trixie, or I will be very upset. She really does love you."

Trixie glared back and drew herself up defensively. "Trixie does not 'play with anypony's feelings'. At least not beyond the bounds of manipulating the audience in order to give them a real show experience. Trixie is above that kind of schoolyard nonsense."

"So you mean you didn't hire Cheese Sandwich to play the rival?" Rainbow Dash asked.

"I hired what now?" Trixie asked, confused.

"C'mon, it makes perfect sense!" Rainbow replied, taking to the air. "Him showing up like an Everfree storm cloud on a sunny day? Just when everything seemed to finally go Twilight's way? On your stage, too?"

"This is Cheese Sandwich we're talking about." Trixie shook her head. "No, Trixie can promise you that she did not plan to include him. His entrance was just as much of a surprise to her as anypony else. Still, it felt like a good idea at the time."

"Are you even serious about him?" Rarity asked. "Maybe I'm just biased, but it's kind of difficult to see you as the kind of mare that would be interested in a colt like him."

Trixie was silent for a moment, staring off into the distance. "He's a performer too. He understands… I think he understands better what I want." She sighed. "I know you all think I'm selfish and uncaring, but…"

"What? No, we don't," Rarity protested. "Well, not much," she amended. "We all have our flaws to overcome, even I. What do you mean, 'he understands'?"

Trixie looked at her and bit her lip, before tearing her gaze away. "It… doesn't matter. Twilight will figure it out if she's as smart as you claim." She straightened up again. "Anyhow, Trixie thinks it's more interesting this way, with a romantic rival added to the mix."

"Because the 'performance' needed a little spicing up?" Rarity suggested dryly. I guess it would be too much to ask for you to actually come out and say what you want, hmm?

"Definitely," Trixie said, pursing her lips. "Anypony knows that victory tastes so much sweeter for the challenge."

"That goes without saying," Rarity said. Rainbow Dash nodded in wholehearted agreement. "Of course, Twilight is going to win. She always does, eventually. Maybe I can take your measurements right now, so we can have your dress ready for the wedding, darling." Rarity grinned confidently.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, darling," Trixie replied with a matching grin. "Anything can happen when you have wild cards in your deck. And Trixie doesn't play favorites."

"Good. A fair game is all Twilight Sparkle needs to win," Rarity said. She turned to Rainbow Dash. "I think it's high time we returned to the others, don't you? It was lovely to see you, Trixie. We simply must spend more time together, home in Ponyville."

"Trixie will be happy to see you anywhere she goes, Rarity," Trixie said cheerfully. "You're welcome in Manehattan any time."

"Uh, yeah," Rainbow Dash said. "See ya later, Trixie." She waved before flying after Rarity.

Some distance down the street, once they were out of earshot, Rarity stopped to think. "Well, that was an interesting act, don't you think?"

"I guess," Rainbow said. "I didn't see much from the inside."

"That too, but I was talking about her acting in general. I wonder if she's even aware she's doing it…" Rarity mused.

"I think she's getting herself in over her head," Rainbow said. "But she usually does, you know?"

Rarity nodded. "Good thing for her and Twilight that we're here, then."

"Aaattention!" Spitfire barked. Before her, the line of Wonderbolts straightened up. She paced along the exercise field, inspecting each trooper carefully. As expected of their prestigious division, they wore their signature uniforms without blemish. "At ease!" The Wonderbolts relaxed. "All present and accounted for?"

Soarin', standing beside her, checked off his notepad. "Lightning Dust is on leave, Rainbow Dash filed an 'off saving the world or something' slip, and Bulk Biceps is still on medical leave. Everypony else present."

"Right shame getting his wings crippled like that," she commiserated. "That's going to drop his flying speed to a crawl, assuming he'll get back in the sky at all. And that's why we don't take stupid risks!" she barked at the gathered troops. "Now! Let's begin! Fleetfoot, Rapidfire, you…" The cloud shook under her hooves. "…Did anypony else feel that?"

"Yeah," Soarin' began. "It felt like…"

"CLOUDQUAKE!" Spitfire yelled, throwing herself into the air.

The line of blue-clad pegasi scattered as the cloud floor shook and heaved before tearing itself apart, spinning metal blades scattering the cloud as though it was just puffs of water vapor. A bizarre construction of striped bars and propellers rose out of the ground, bearing a pink, grinning maniac. "Surprise!" she cried.

"Oh, great," Spitfire mumbled. "Rainbow Dash's insane buddy. At least it's not the punchy white one…"

A blonde Wonderbolt gasped at the sight. She pushed up her goggles. "Pinkie Pie!"

"Surprise!" Pinkie cried again. "Surprise, I'm throwing a tremendousrifficspecial party for a VIP – that's Very Important Pony for those who don't know their acronyms – and I'm putting the old gang together to do it!"

"Sweet! When's this awesomtastilicious party going down?" Surprise asked.

"I don't really know!" Pinkie said. "We haven't set a date yet!"

"Oh…" Surprise said. "I'm busy that night."

"Pretty please?" Pinkie pleaded. "With sugar and cream and a cherry on top?"

"I don't know…" Surprise said, shifting from hoof to hoof uncertainly. "It's gonna take a lot of time out of my busy schedule, this…"

"Oh really." Pinkie looked shiftily at Surprise and plucked a bottle and a rag out of her mane. "Perhaps this chloroform might change your mind…"

Surprise rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, I've always wanted my own chloroform… what the hay. I'm in!"

"Yay! Party ponies twogedda foureva!" Pinkie cheered.

"Corporal Surprise!" Spitfire yelled. The blonde Wonderbolt flew into the air by the shock and crashed head-first into a free-floating piece of the floor. "What do you think you're doing with this civilian, mare?"

Surprise got her head out of the clouds. "Captain Spitfire, Sir! I'm off to help with a party, Sir!" she replied.

"We are doing flight exercise, Corporal!" Spitfire yelled. "You can not just fly off to go to a party whenever you like! How many times do I have to remind you?"

"Sir, with all due respect, this is a big one!" Surprise pleaded. "The party calls to me, the fate of Equestria hinges on our success! I can feel it in my pinions!"

"You go AWOL one more time and I'll fire you and your pinions!" Spitfire yelled.

"Well, you can't fire me if I quit!" Surprise yelled back indignantly.

"You quit and I'll have you dishonourably discharged!" Spitfire screamed, flecks of spittle flying from her lips. "By which I mean we'll discharge you out of a cannon so far you'll be an old nag before you manage to fly back!"

"Um…" Pinkie tried to interject, still pedalling her flying contraption. "Did I mention that this party involves the new princess? So it's kinda sorta I dunno… national security or something?"

"That's not…" Spitfire began. "I mean… you… argh! Fine," she growled. "Take a few days off, Corporal Surprise. But make sure you do the uniform proud at this event, you hear?"

"You got it, Captain! Let's go, Pinkie!" Surprise saluted and leapt onto Pinkie Pie's pinkiecopter.

"Wait! This thing isn't built for…" Pinkie cried as the vehicle plummeted through the hole and disappeared from sight.

"Right!" Spitfire spun around and glared at the remaining Wonderbolts, who had regrouped as best as they could on the damaged field. "Let's get started on what we came here for! Unless anypony else has something more important to do than flight exercise!"

"Um…" Soarin' mumbled.

"Yes, Soarin'?" Spitfire barked.

"Well, I have this book I'm reading," he said.

"Get to it, then!" she spat. "And you better figure out whodunnit! Anypony else? Yes, Fleetfoot?"

"I, ah, need to go stalk my coltfriend," Fleetfoot said.

"Go! Anypony else?" She glared viciously at the remaining ponies.

"I've got some knitting to do…" "Need to water my cloud garden…" "Nephew's in town…" "I think my house is on fire…" One by one, each pegasus left until only one remained.

"Well, Rapidfire?" Spitfire spat. "Don't you have something more important to do than your actual job?"

"Uh… no?" Rapidfire said nervously, looking left and right at the now almost empty field.

"Find something to do, then! Don't expect me to keep you busy! Shoo, shoo!" Spitfire flailed wildly with her hooves. Rapidfire looked worriedly at her before quickly absconding. Spitfire stared after her, eyes twitching in fury. "I'll just have to do this flight exercise by myself then! No problem!"

Chapter 7: Jokers Wild

Trixie took a deep breath, exhaled, and let calmness fill her. She looked at the deck of cards resting on the rough table in her wagon. A perfectly ordinary deck with four suites and two jokers, fifty-four cards in total. Freshly bought and unwrapped. Nopony who inspected it would find anything wrong with it; nothing marked or tampered with. Just an ordinary deck of cards.

She picked it up with her magic, cut it neatly, and shuffled it before her, demonstratively looking away with a disinterested look. She then dropped the bundle into her right hoof, holding it up for a moment before shooting the cards in a tight stream and catching them with her left hoof. She magically snatched a card at random as they flew by and held it up before a non-existent audience, demonstratively not looking at it at all, and then shuffled it back into the deck.

Holding the deck in one hoof, she tapped it against her horn three times, then bent the cards outward and sent them merrily flying everywhere. The mess of flying cards then froze in her magic, and she swatted one card out of the air, before letting the others fall to the table. Trixie didn't even have to look at the card to know it was the same one. She dropped it on the table among the others.

Everypony knew that magic was real and existed everywhere in Equestria. But there was magic, and there was… magic. Not every kind of magic flowed from a unicorn's horn.

Trixie had indeed graduated from Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns. Top of her class, though admittedly that didn't mean as much as it should have; a lot of unicorns signed up for the prestige of a diploma, or the connections they made with fellow alumni, or to further their academic pursuits in non-magical fields, and would go on to never use their horns for anything more advanced than a light source and an extra handle hold. Ponies who actually used magic beyond the basics and the occasional cutiemark-related trick were few and far between. Ponies like Trixie… and Twilight Sparkle.

On the other hoof, Trixie had also studied the arts of the stage. Sleight-of-hoof. Misdirection. Cold reading. Patter and kayfabe. Stage presence and acting. Specialized tricks like escape artistry and blindfolded knife throwing. Trixie had learned from many teachers, and she had learned much. Though she had no diplomas to show for it, she knew she was a master in many fields.

Trixie was fully aware that her unicorn magic was no match for Twilight Sparkle's raw power. But, as she had said once – one disastrous night, years ago – Twilight could never match her showstopping ability. Unicorn magic and stage magic, all wrapped up in a gorgeous blue pony package. That is what made her Great and Powerful.

She flipped over two of the face-down cards on the table, revealing a lavender princess and a mustard-orange joker.

Life was so complicated sometimes. You think you have everything under control, and then something would happen that throws everything out of order. A spell is miscast, a prop gets knocked over, or a giant bear wrecks your home. Or the last pony you ever expected declares their love for you. Two of them, even.

Still, it was fun to see what they would come up with. Trixie worked so hard to please her audience. This time, she was the one being doted on. It wouldn't last forever, so why not enjoy it while she still could? That was fair, wasn't it? She deserved a little happiness for once; Coco had said so herself.

There was a curious rapping on the door, whoever doing it seeing fit to beat a quick percussive melody against the wood. Trixie had an inkling about who it could be. Quickly making sure she was looking her best, she opened the door.

"Hello, gorgeous!" Cheese Sandwich cheered, throwing confetti into the air and blowing a noisemaker. "How's Manehattan's loveliest pony this splendiferous day?"

"Oh, you charmer," Trixie said with false modesty. "What brings you around, Cheesy Treat?"

"Oh, it's just such a great day, I wanna have a picnic in the park! Won't you join me? Please say yes, it would be such a lark!" A pony-drawn cab was waiting by the side of the street, a stuffed basket sitting by the seats, and a red carpet had been rolled out, leading up to the steps to Trixie's wagon.

"Trixie is feeling rather peckish," Trixie said. "Yes, Trixie will accept your invitation." She shut the door behind her and traipsed along to the cab. She knew that the driver was rolling his eyes at their antics, but she didn't care.

"Yes!" Cheese said. He plucked the rubber chicken from his back and held it up in front of himself. "You hear that, Boneless Two? She said yes!"

"Though Trixie might change her mind if you don't pick up the pace, Cheese," Trixie said teasingly from the cab.

"Right!" Cheese tossed his elastic compadre back to its usual resting place, and jumped into the cab. "To Central Park, driver, and step on it!"

The driver started walking, then stopped and turned to look at the couple behind him. "Excuse me, but… step on what?"

"Try the ground, it's there for a reason!" Cheese said happily. As the cab started to move at a sedate pace, he turned to his date. "So, Trixie…" He sneaked a hoof across her shoulders. "Are you by any chance from Manehattan yourself? You certainly have the manners of a big city girl, if you know what I mean."

"Do I, now?" Trixie asked, giving him a smile and sidling closer. "Trixie is from everywhere. Maybe she's Canterlot-raised from a noble family. Maybe her parents were humble earth ponies eking out a paltry living in the middle of nowhere, pinning all their dreams and hopes on their darling child. Perhaps Trixie is a child of the Broncks, or a Saddle Arabian sultan's daughter. Who knows, Trixie could even be a seapony princess, given legs by a terrible sea-witch so she could find love and prosperity among the land-walkers."

Cheese made a low whistle. "Not bad. Not bad at all."

A lavender head poked over the edge of the roof. "That's Trixie, all right, always keeping her audience guessing." Twilight winked. "Hi, Trixie. You look great today!"

"Hello, Sparkle-Flanks," Trixie said sweetly, looking surprisingly un-surprised by the princess' surprising appearance. "Hitching a ride, now? You're such an outlaw."

"Maybe you inspire me to misbehave," Twilight said with a blush. "I just wanted to know if you'd care to spend this beautiful day with me in the park?" She dangled her own basket in front of them. "We could play games, and talk about magic…"

"Oh, that would have a perfect idea, but Trixie has made her plans already," Cheese said quickly, making not-so-subtle shooing gestures. "Better luck next time, you're heinous."

A grin danced on Trixie's lips. "Oh, but Trixie can always change her plans. Why don't we all go to the park together? The more, the merrier, isn't that what you'd say, Cheese?"

"That's! Well! Of course!" Cheese said, baring his teeth in what could have been mistaken for a grin if you didn't look too closely. "I have absolutely not! Any problems with that! Why, why should I?"

"Excellent!" Trixie exclaimed, clapping her hooves excitedly. "Come, come, Twilight, sit next to Trixie."

"Hey, mister," the driver said. "I'll have to charge ya extra for more passengers, understand?"

Cheese watched as Twilight flew down and landed far too close to his date, and narrowed his eyes. "Oh, fine."

"Wow! That was without doubt the greatest and most awesome battle I've ever seen!" the pink-maned, mint-green earth pony exclaimed from her cell. "I can hardly believe what I saw, and I was right here!"

"I know, right?" Pinkie Pie said, as she snatched the key from the fallen troglodyte warrior and unlocked Minty's cell. Tracking down the errant confectioner had been difficult, but once she had picked up the trail of abandoned socks, she had found her way to the creepy cave in the middle of the Everfree Forest and the troglodyte lair within. After that, she just had to defeat the troglodyte warriors. All of them. "I've learned some sicknasty moves from Rainbow Dash. They're so great, words don't do them justice."

"I'd say," Minty said. "I'd pity anypony who didn't get to see that incredible fight just now." She stepped out of the cell and stretched her legs. "Thanks for getting me out of there, Pinkie. I owe you one. I really thought my cousin Colgate would save me, but apparently she doesn't care about one hundred percent completion. I had to eat the rest of my socks to survive, can you believe it?"

"Oh, those poor socks…" Pinkie lamented. She gasped suddenly. "That's right! I came here because I needed your help! Minty, I need snacks, candy and baked goods for a hugely huge party in Manehattan soonish! Twilight needs to wow the love of her life, and if the party isn't the most awesomest possible, Cheese Sandwich wins!"

"I have no idea what you're talking about, but I won't let you down!" Minty said. "Hail Santa!"

"Minty, are you still part of that cult?" Pinkie asked skeptically.

Minty drew herself up. "It's not a cult! On the coldest night, He Who Is Garbed In Red will descend from the Frozen North to bestow gifts upon the worthy! He sees all, He knows all…" Pinkie slapped her. "Sorry, I got a little carried away. So, Manehattan? Standard procedure, then?"

"Anything you think we'll need, put it on the Pinkie Tab," Pinkie said. "Knock yourself out. I mean, don't actually knock yourself out, though, because that's silly. I'm pretty sure I need you conscious for this."

"Right!" Minty flicked a candy in the air, snapped it up, and bounded away into the tunnels. "Manehattan, here I come!"

"Aaand confections, check," Pinkie said, marking off the point on the check list. "All right! Let's get this party started!"

"...But Trixie tore the cutlass from the Zebrican pirate captain's grip and laid it against his neck and said, 'No, it is you who will die, indeed, if you do not spare Trixie's crew and leave the ship with speed,'" Trixie said. "And so all the pirates trembled in fear and leapt into the sea rather than face the Terrible Trixie, and the day was saved, again."

"Fantastibulous!" Cheese cheered. "Oh, oh, did you swing down from the yardarm when you charged him? Because that's always impressive."

"But of course," Trixie said. "How could Trixie not? Some things just have to be done, after all. It was either that or rappelling down by slicing through the sail with Trixie's own cutlass, and you generally don't do that if you plan on keeping the ship."

On the way over, the topic of Trixie's life and adventures had somehow come up, and the tale had continued even as they proceeded into the park. Contrary to Coco's remark about Trixie's reticence at talking about her past, she was quite enthusiastic about it today.

"So was this before or after you enrolled at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns?" Twilight asked. "And when did you end up in a yak monastery?"

A little too enthusiastic, maybe. So far, she had enumerated enough adventures to cover her life so far three times over. Most of it was probably made up… probably.

"Before, of course," Trixie said flippantly. "And Trixie was carried off into the Frozen North by a rogue tornado during her summer vacation of her second year at school."

"I suppose that lines up correctly…" Twilight said uncertainly.

"Of course it does," Cheese said. "Trixie's the most adventurous mare I've ever dated, and I used to go out with a calligraphy enthusiast! To think, a pirate captain at age five… wow!"

"You're not suggesting that Trixie is being untruthful, are you, Twi-Twi?" Trixie said, a disappointed look on her face. "After all, you go on adventures and save the world all the time, and nopony accuses you of lying about it, do they?" Trixie implored. She chewed on her lip, and Twilight suddenly found herself with a lump in her throat.

"Of course not," Twilight said. "I mean, just because a few… just…" Argh! Why couldn't it just be the two of us, in the grass… why do you have to put me on the spot, Trixie? "I love you, Trixie, and I think your stories are amazing! Hey, this looks like a perfect place for a picnic!" She skipped over to a nice spot next to the trees and took the blanket from her basket to spread it over the ground. "Ta-daa!"

"Yeah, that's a pretty nice spot," Cheese agreed. "But you know what would be even better? The one just next to it!" With a snap of his back, he bumped the basket into the air, where it disgorged its contents. The blanket settled on the ground next to Twilight's, followed by plates, glasses, cutlery and food neatly arranging themselves without a single spill.

"Show-off," Twilight muttered under her breath as she levitated her own food out. Trixie, meanwhile, sat down right on the edge between the two. "Care for a drink, Trixie?" Twilight said, holding up a glass and bottle. "Sweet Apple Acres' vintage cider, aged to perfection… for the perfect pony." She tried to wink seductively.

"Oh… Twilight, sweet Twilight…" Trixie sighed, looking a little sad. "Apologies, but Trixie would never touch alcohol. Not anymore. It impairs your judgement and makes you lose control. And last time Trixie lost control of herself, well…" She gestured to her neck wordlessly.

"Oh?" Twilight asked. Her eyes widened as she realized what Trixie implied. "Oh! Oh! I'm so sorry, Trixie, I wasn't… I didn't mean to remind you of that."

"Of course you didn't, precious," Trixie teased. "But still. Besides, I'd never drink before a performance anyway. I need to be at my very best."

"But you're not performing today," Twilight protested.

"Oh, you didn't know?" Trixie put on her grandest smirk. "All life is a performance!"

"And all of Equestria is the stage for the greatest showpony!" Cheese Sandwich announced, taking Trixie's hooves into his and pulling her close. "So many good performers had their career cut short when the fruit of the vine crippled their abilities. How could we stand to let the sauce claim this bright star? Not to be confused with actual sauce, of course!" He held up a plate with a pizza slice slathered in thick sauce. "Wanna try my special jalapeño and coleslaw pizza with extra-spicy barbecue sauce, Bundle o' Trix?"

"Mmm… the Bold and Adventurous Trixie will try anything once," Trixie said, licking her lips hungrily. "Bring it on!" She leaned forward and allowed Cheese to feed her, munching with appreciation. A moment later her eyes doubled in size, and her cheeks turned red. "Aah! Hot!" She coughed out a flame that would have impressed Spike.

"You'll need something cold to wash that down with," Twilight chimed in. "Good thing I also brought some nice, cool, sparkling mineral water." Silently, she thanked Rarity for her foresight when they packed the basket as she poured a glass. "You won't say no to that, would you, love?"

"Hot, hot!" Trixie panted. She grabbed the glass and chugged it down. "Aah. Tasty, but maybe too spicy. Hooh." She sighed with relief. "Thank you, sweetheart."

Sensing an opportunity to change the topic, Twilight leaned in against Trixie. "So, I've been thinking about that rope trick you did earlier, and I think I've worked out how you did it. You pretended to still be levitating the flute while you played it, but you really held it with your hooves while you shifted your magic to the rope. Right?"

"What an interesting hypothesis," Trixie said coyly, not objecting to Twilight's sudden intimacy. "But wouldn't the audience have seen if the rope was subjected to magic?"

"Yes, but…" Twilight mused. "What if you were disguising it with an illusion of a normal rope? Or perhaps you had tied the end of it to a thin thread we couldn't see, slung it over a support beam, and pulled on that instead?"

"Tsk, tsk," Cheese Sandwich tsk'ed. "You do know you're not supposed to figure out how the tricks work, right? It cheapens the wonder and makes it mundane, and where's the fun in that?"

"Mmm, yes, Cheesy, you do understand what showponyship is all about, like nopony other," Trixie said, giving the party pony an approving smile. She blew him a kiss, causing him to giggle while Twilight fumed. "But you have to understand, Wily Twily is just so brainy, she can't help thinking about things. Completely wrong, of course, but still. And that's a good idea, too. Trixie will have to steal it for later." She ruffled Twilight's mane playfully.

"Eheheh," Twilight giggled. It was hard enough for her to stay cool-headed around Trixie under most circumstances, but when she touched her so affectionately… Focus, Twilight. There will be time for playing around once she's mine. "On the other hoof, that illusory display was a marvel of spell ingenuity. Eight animated displays simultaneously? I take it you were using some adaptation of Dusty Quill's multifold mana matrix, possibly that of Smokescreen or Flashbang?"

"What?" Trixie asked in surprise. "Twilight, please. Those hacks were an insult to the art of illusion, imagery, misdirection, and magic in general. Overworked, unwieldy theorems that drain power unnecessarily because they couldn't figure out how to be efficient, so they just pretended that their spells were that difficult by default and made their students work harder."

Twilight jerked upright. "Hey, they were accredited professors at Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns!" she protested, her hackles rising. "Their legacy and contributions to the field of magic have shaped unicorns for generations!"

"And the average unicorn today can't use their horn for much more than carrying their groceries," Trixie said glibly. She levitated a slice of apple pie from Twilight's spread and started eating it leisurely with a small spoon. "But that's what you get when Dusty Quill is required first-year reading."

"And now you're mocking Dusty Quill?" Twilight sputtered. "Who is only the codifier of standard spellcasting, and one of the most renowned names since Starswirl the Bearded?"

"Dross and garbage," Trixie said dismissively as she slowly licked her spoon clean. Twilight seemed to go into a paroxysm from the mixture of sensual imagery and blasphemous words. "His methods are clumsy, cludgy, and hedged in crutches that any unicorn with some sense will end up un-learning within a few years if they want to accomplish anything of note without suffering cerebral hernia in the process. They give the impression of being good for beginner's training, but nothing they teach will be useful for the world outside of school. You can't possibly pretend that you're not employing your own workarounds… even if you are a total brickhorn." She winked teasingly.

"I am not a brickhorn!" Twilight screamed. "You take that back!"

"What's a brickhorn?" Cheese asked, intrigued.

"A unicorn who's strong but clumsy with magic," Twilight fumed. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself. "All right, Trixie. If you're so much smarter than all those famous, accredited scholars, why don't you tell me how you do it?"

Trixie smirked. "I thought you'd never ask, Princess Purplesmart. In this particular case, Trixie employs the theories of False Vision, structuring a streamlined matrix built for—"

"Wait, wasn't she the infamous seductress who used illusions to charm and marry several wealthy stallions and steal their riches?" Twilight asked. "That's rather unethical."

"Well of course it's unethical!" Trixie spat. "Criminal, too. That doesn't change the fact that her spells work. And work reliably and efficiently, because she was using them in the field, so to speak, instead of under comfortable laboratory conditions. But since she used them for 'bad' purposes…" She wiggled her hooves meaningfully around the word. "…and wasn't a big well-connected name, the academics are quick to dismiss her work. Even you, Twilight."

"But…" Twilight began.

"No, really," Trixie interrupted. She started to sound annoyed for real. "I said 'False Vision' and you immediately said, 'oh, the schemy seductress'. Do you have any idea how many times I've heard that, Twilight? Do you have any idea how many times I've heard those exact words? I had to do some dull historical study for my thesis because none of my professors accepted a disposition that was actually interesting."

"Trixie…" Twilight began. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean… I just…"

"Ah, who cares what those dusty old brains in their ivory towers think?" Cheese said cheerfully. He took Trixie's hoof in his and nuzzled it fondly. "Now you're out in the real world and get to do magic for real and have fun, fun, fun! What does it matter what anypony else thinks?"

"It matters to me," Trixie muttered. She stared at the ground, not meeting the other two ponies' gaze.

"Um… oh. Okay," Cheese said, looking taken aback for a moment as he still held her hoof. "Of course it does."

Trixie absentmindedly played with a spoon. "I wanted to make a contribution, too. I felt I owed it to all forgotten magicians who never got the recognition they deserved. And… I don't want to be forgotten either."

"That is so true," Twilight said, draping a wing over Trixie's shoulder and leaning in close to her, blushing a little at her own daring. "You're not just an excellent showmare and a stage magician, but a proper academic too. And I love you even more for that."

"Oh, please," Cheese scoffed, pulling Trixie towards himself and away from Twilight. "You don't even take her ideas seriously. You like her because she's a little bookish, but it's not like the Princess of Magic is going to change her mindset overnight!"

"Like you ever take anything seriously?" Twilight said, yanking Trixie back into her embrace. She didn't notice that Trixie was starting to fume. "I'm definitely going to consider her ideas, and we're going to have long, exciting evenings of discussion and debate on the subject of magic, and… and what does me being a princess have to do with anything?"

"Oh, you know what I'm talking about," Cheese spat.

"Hey…" Trixie began.

Twilight looked horrified. "That's baseless slander!" she cried. "I don't… I've never… just because I'm a princess doesn't mean I'm any better than anypony else! I'd never lord my position over anypony else, certainly not Trixie, that's just… no!" She shook her head furiously.

"Hey," Trixie said again.

"Says the girl who chased her across half of Equestria and can't take no for an answer," Cheese hissed, leaning in and glaring at Twilight.

"Hey!" Trixie exclaimed.

"Says the guy who invaded her stage and interrupted her act as a joke!" Twilight yelled, meeting his gaze.

Trixie suddenly pushed both of them apart. "Shut up! Shut up, both of you!" She glared at them furiously. "Stop it! You're acting like this is some kind of game!"

"Uh, well…" Cheese said uncertainly, looking flabbergasted at this turn of events. "It's a competition, isn't it?"

"No it isn't!" Trixie yelled. "I mean… it's not… argh! That's not the point!" She looked away and wiped away a tear before anypony could see it. "I just wanted… I…"

"Oh, my dear, precious Trixie," Twilight said sweetly, wrapping her wing around the blue unicorn in a hug, and again blushing over it. "I'm sorry we ruined your fun with a fight. Would you like to see something nice? Look!" She pointed her hoof to the sky. Slightly dazed, Trixie followed with her gaze.

A few minutes ago…

Rainbow Dash rocketed across the Manehattan skyline, a cloud held tight in her hooves. She had a task to do, and she was going to do it, or her name wasn't Rainbow 'Danger' Dash, Element of Loyalty, and awesome pony in general.

She stopped and thought for a moment. Am I still the Element of Loyalty after we put 'em back on the tree? Hmm… yeah, loyalty's still my gig, I don't need some doohickey to prove it. She grabbed the cloud and flew off again towards her destination. Still looked real sweet, though. Twilight better crack open that box soon and see what we traded in for. I'm gonna be real pissed if it isn't at least as awesome as our old stuff. Maybe something with rainbows, that's always cool.

One of the problems of doing weather work in other cities is that you need certain permits from the local Weather Center. One of the advantages of being friends with a princess is that it really speeds up the bureaucratic process. Though Twilight hates it when we name-drop. But once she had explained what she was going to do – and paid the appropriate fees – they had been happy to let her do what she wanted. It helped that she'd have to use up a ton of stray clouds from all over the sky, thus saving the local weather ponies a day of work.

And there it was. Her little artistic project du jour. (That was prench for 'of the day'. Or possibly 'with soup'. Rainbow Dash wasn't certain, but the term did appear on lunch menus a lot.) A great mass of grade-A cloud, in the rough shape of a certain boastful magician's face.

It would be a blatant lie to say that Rainbow Dash wasn't a pony of many talents. Excellent flier, valiant fighter, consummate reader of fine literature, skilled turtle keeper, dedicated surrogate sister, Wonderbolt cadet, Iron Pony (whatever Applejack said), and certainly not least of all, artistic genius. She had sculpted her home with her own two wings, and Rarity had talked at length about the attention to detail and the historical propriety of the stylings in the design of pre-Warming Pegapolis, at which point Rainbow had kind of tuned her friend out. But it meant good, and that was enough.

"Yeah, this is definitely gonna win Trixie over," Rainbow Dash said to herself, grinning smugly. "Her face in the clouds, how awesome is that? I mean, seriously, Rarity. Trixie's not complicated. Once she sees this, she'll be all over Twilight." And Twilight's gonna owe me big time for this little romantic adventure. I'm betting Raindrops and the rest of the team have messed up all Ponyville.

After scrutinizing the massive cloud sculpture like a master, she gave the cloud a push towards a missing spot on Trixie's forehead. She was hoping she could shape it into that weird curled forelock Trixie had.

Instead, it was obliterated halfway.

"Oh man, you should see the look on your face, Dash!" a familiar voice said. Instead of the cloud she had dragged all over Manehattan, a pony was now flying in front of her, still trailing her very recognizable cloud and lightning contrail.

"Lightning Dust?" Rainbow said in stunned surprise. "What are you doing here?" She frowned. "Hey, why did you have to smash that cloud? I was using it!"

"Ah, c'mon, it was just a prank, you know?" Lightning Dust said with her usual carefree grin. "Plenty of clouds in the sky, what's one more or less, am I right?" Her eyes suddenly set upon the massive Trixie sculpture, and she whistled. "Oh, that is perfect. You're not using that, are you? I need it for something." She took off towards the cloud and started pulling on it.

"Like hay I'm not using that!" Rainbow protested, attempting to salvage her work. "You're ruining it! Get your own cloud!"

"Hey, don't be greedy! Look, you've pretty much taken every cloud in range, and let me tell you, the weather ponies around here do not like when you bring in your own," Lightning said. She tried to tear a chunk off, but Rainbow held on to it. "C'mon, I need this. Some guy with a rubber chicken paid me to do some cloud sculpting for his girl, and this thing is just the right size!" She let go, and instead flew straight into the cloud, trailing bolts as she burrowed through it.

"Well, I'm doing this for Twilight Sparkle, and that girl is hers!" Rainbow Dash circled around to intercept Lightning Dust on the other side, trailing a sharp rainbow cutting into the cloud surface. "So butt out!"

"Oh, is that a challenge, Dash?" Lightning's eyes gleamed. "We'll just have to fight for it, then!"

Rainbow snorted. "Oh, it is on!"

Down in the park, three ponies stared at the sky with looks of shock, awe and surprise.

A great big cloud hung over Manehattan's business district. A cloud warped into the rough but recognizable shape of Trixie's face, sneering evilly as it rained lightning on the city below. Two barely visible specks of color could be seen flying around the monstrosity, trailing lightning and rainbows that only fed the monstrosity with more power.

"...Wow," Twilight said, for want of a more a more appropriate thing to say.

"Yeah," Cheese said. "That's… ouch." They both tore their eyes away from the spectacle with some effort. "Hey, Trixie?" he asked.

Trixie stood with her back turned to them, her hat pulled down over her head. She seemed to be shaking.

"Trixie, I think…" Twilight began.

"I hate you," Trixie said quietly.

"Trixie…" Twilight said. She suddenly felt very nervous.

Trixie turned around. She was furious, her eyes brimming with tears of anger. "I hate you!" she cried loudly. "I hate both of you! Is this some joke? A laugh at my expense? I'll be blamed for this too! It'll be just like that time all over!"

"No, no, no, it'll be okay, we'll fix it!" Cheese said hurriedly.

"Yes, yes!" Twilight agreed. "Trixie, please! I, we just wanted to impress you! I mean, at least it was something grand, right? Even if… um… it turned out all wrong? It was a good idea, right?"

"Yeah!" Cheese agreed. "A great and powerful display, deserving of the Great and Powerful Trixie! Right?"

"You…" Trixie stammered. As though a switch had been flipped, the fury died out… and was replaced with more tears. "You don't get it. You just… you think… I want…"

"Please, Trixie," Twilight pleaded. "I love you. Please don't be sad. We could do something else…"

"You don't get it." Trixie sniffed and tried to wipe away her tears. "Nopony gets it… I hoped, I… I've had it. This is just a game to you two, and I'm sick of playing. We're through."

Twilight felt a sudden chill run through her body. "No… no, please…"

Trixie straightened up and adjusted her hat. "No. We're through. Trixie… Trixie wants nothing to do with either of you anymore. I…" Her eyes teared up again. "I'm sorry!" she cried as she turned and fled.

For a moment, all was silence between the remaining two ponies. Finally, Cheese Sandwich cleared his throat. "Well. We messed up bad. And our magician ran off again. She always runs, you've noticed that, Miss Twilight? Like she can never stick around anywhere long enough. Of course, I can sympathize, since I'm a lot like that myself, but…"

Twilight burst into tears. "No, no, no, no, no…" she cried, running off.

"And you do it too, it seems," Cheese observed. "Fancy that. And I'm left here, talking to myself. And you, Boneless Two." He flipped his trusty sidekick up on his back. "Yeah, you're right. I guess we'll have to help clear up this mess after all. Shall we?" He gave the rubber chicken a quick nod and ran off as well.

Chapter 8: Escape Act

Applejack galloped down the street, Spike hanging on to her back as best as he could. She was a simple pony, used to the simple ways of the farm life, and would happily leave the more complex thinking to ponies better equipped for it, like Twilight or Rarity. But she was not by any stretch of the imagination stupid. She could put two and two together and come up with four right easy; even easier if it happened to be four apples.

Seeing that nasty cloud over the city gave her an even easier answer to the running equation, and that answer was: trouble. Oh, when ah find Dash, we're goin' to have words. Mighty hard words. At least Rainbow Dash had disposed of the stormy abomination as quick as possible before it could cause damage. Or rather, more damage.

"Oh man, oh man," Spike lamented. "There's no way Trixie can take an insult like that well. She's going to be furious, and Twilight's… oh, man. I just know it's bad."

Right now, finding Twilight was imperative. Best scenario, things are still a-okay. Worst scenario… they needed to find Twilight. The first place Applejack looked was the park, but all she could find was the remains of two half-eaten picnics. Bad sign.

But where could Twilight have gone?

Suddenly a pink blur shot out of an alley and barreled them over. "Applejack!" the blur cried. "I just got the nastiest combo ever, like one I never want to feel again in my whole life! We need to find Twilight, pronto!"

"Calm down, Pinkie!" Applejack said, picking herself up off of the pavement. Spike had been knocked loose and currently rested in a Spike-shaped dent in the side of a nearby trashcan, looking somewhat annoyed. He climbed out, none the worse for wear thanks to his thick scales.

"Ooh, I just know that things have gone bad!" Pinkie cried, jumping around in distress. "It's heartbreak, I can feel it! If only I had gotten the party ready sooner!"

"Dang it," Applejack muttered. "Ah was hopin' it hadn't come ta that." She took off her hat and rubbed her head for a moment before putting it back on. "Arrite. Twilight's upset. Where can she have gone? Spike, where does she usually go when she's upset?"

"Uh, Sugarcube Corner?" Spike ventured. "Wait, no. When she's really upset and doesn't know what to do, she usually goes home."

"Ya think she's run home ta Ponyville?" Applejack said skeptically.

"No…" Spike said, thinking as hard as he could. "I don't think so. She just goes into the library and hides in a book fort. It's this thing she's been doing since she was little." He chuckled at the memory for a moment.

"Ah," Applejack said knowingly. "Ah know 'sactly where she is."

The currently attending librarian at the reception looked up from her work into the face of smiling pinkness. "Yes? Can I help you?"

"Hi, have you seen our friend?" Pinkie Pie asked. "Purple, princessy, probably perturbed?"

"Oh. Her," the librarian said with distaste. "Third floor, section 513, Arithmetic. Tell her to be more respectful of our books. Being royalty is no excuse."

"Okay, thanks!" Pinkie said and dashed off towards the stairs, friends following.

Finding Twilight was easy. A wall of books rose tall between the stacks, no doubt causing great hindrance to Manehattan's many arithmetic aficionados. Literal battlements crested the top, and the gate was blocked by a raised drawbridge built from a slim journal on the subject of prime numbers. Within, the muffled sobs of the fort's sole occupant could be faintly heard. Spike just stared at the construction for a moment, silently asking himself, not for the first time, what kind of pony he was living with.

Then he shook his head and pushed the inevitable questions aside for later. He knocked on the book wall. "Hey, Twilight?" The sobbing continued. "Hey, I need to talk to you. Applejack and Pinkie Pie are here too. We're worried about you." More sobbing, no answer. "Come on. The sooner we talk about this, the sooner we can get back on track on getting Trixie to love you."

The sobbing stopped. For a moment, there was silence. Then Twilight said quietly, "She doesn't love me."

"Ah, she's just playin' hard ta get," Applejack said. "She's milkin' it for what's it's worth, havin' the two of ya after her. Trust me, she'll come around."

"No she won't," Twilight said quietly. "She said we're through. She said it was all a game to us. She said she wants nothing to do with me. Or Cheese Sandwich. She doesn't want either of us."

Applejack took a sharp breath. "Oh mah stars and garters… Twilight, ah'm so sorry."

"That stupid cloud sculpture pissed her off that much?" Spike said.

"...I don't think so," Twilight said after a brief silence. "It made her angry, but… then she got sad. She said I didn't get it, that nopony got it. Like I missed something important…"

The wall suddenly fell apart, and Spike would have been buried in books if Twilight hadn't caught them in her magic and dropped them in piles by the sides. Twilight, her eyes red with tears, laid her hooves around him. "What did I miss, Spike? What did I miss? What is it I'm not getting?"

"Well, I don't know!" Spike said. "You're supposed to be the smart one here, remember?"

"No idea here neither," Applejack said. "Ah've no idea what goes on in that crazy pony's head."

"Hmm…" Pinkie mused. She plucked a cupcake out of her mane and chewed on it thoughtfully. "Hmm, hmm, hmm. Something you're not getting. Something we're not getting. What could it be? I don't get it. Which is, of course, the problem here. So there's something about Trixie we're not getting. Something something something. What do we know about Trixie?"

"She's beautiful, smart, gifted…" Twilight began.

"Sugarcube, please," Applejack said. "Ah know she's dear to ya, but let's be realistic. She's Trixie, not some livin' miracle. She's a pony like the rest of us."

"Yeah… a pony just like us…" Twilight mused. Her eyes widened for a moment. "I… no, I… Argh! I thought I had something there, but…"

"Can't we just ask her what the deal is?" Spike said. "Seriously, this is worse than some of the lessons Celestia gave you. Why does she have to be so obnoxious?"

"Wouldn't be Trixie is she wern't a bag o' trouble," Applejack said, laughing a little.

"I've got it!" Pinkie cried. She was immediately hushed down by nearby library patrons. "I mean, I've got it," she continued in a lowered voice. "Trixie knows, so if I'm Trixie, I'll know too!"

"Say what?" Spike said.

"Just roll with me, Spike," Pinkie said. "Okay, I'm going for it. I'll try to be Trixie. Twilight, I know you love Trixie, but please try to restrain yourself while I'm Trixie or we'll just be feeling awkward afterwards, okay?"

"I'll… do my best," Twilight said carefully.

"All right! Here goes!" Pinkie announced. She stood up straight, pushed her mane back, and stuck her muzzle into the air. She took a deep breath. "Behold! The Great and Powerful Trixie!"

"Hush! Be quiet!" a nearby pony shouted.

"The Great and Powerful Trixie will not be quiet!" Pinkie proclaimed. "Trixie is far too great and powerful for that!" She strutted back and forth, occasionally rearing back on her hooves to throw about nonexistent fireworks.

"That's… actually not how she really acts," Twilight said. "That's just how she is on stage."

"Yes! But all the world is a stage, and Trixie loves her stage persona!" Pinkie said. "Well, maybe not always. Sometimes the Great and Powerful Trixie likes to step out a bit… and just be herself. A little."

"Okay, good," Applejack said. "So what are ya like, Trixie?"

"Trixie is the greatest stage magician in all of Equestria!" Pinkie boasted. "Except not really. She knows she's not as great as she wants to be, but she tries. Because… because she wants to be great. Because she wants there to be somepony who is great and powerful… because if there isn't, the world is a lesser place."

"Trippy," Spike said.

"Trixie travels all over Equestria so ponies everywhere can delight in the wonder that is the Great and Powerful Trixie!" Pinkie boasted. "Because Trixie loves everypony! And she wants everypony to love her! But ponies don't always love Trixie. And they don't always love the Great and Powerful Trixie either, because they're jealous of her power and accomplishments. But the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't care about the neighsayers, because she can just move on with her wagon! ...But then she lost her wagon. And she couldn't be Great and Powerful, and she wasn't herself. But then she got it back! And everything was right again."

"Yes!" Twilight said triumphantly. "Ah, sorry. So Trixie wants to be loved, right?"

Pinkie sniffed imperiously. "Trixie may… agree to be with somepony, if she likes. But Trixie is the Great and Powerful Trixie. She must be. She can't not be. And if she can't be, she won't agree, see?"

Twilight stared wide-eyed at her friend. Within the depths of her mind, something fell into place. "I understand now."

"You understood that?" Applejack said incredulously. "Ah've been lost since the start."

"It's not about big showy gestures, it's…" She facehoofed. "I've been a complete fool. Pinkie. Pinkie! You can stop being Trixie now!"

Pinkie shook her head, reeling a little. "Oh, that felt funny. What happened? Did Twilight ravish me in a fit of passion while I was Trixie?"

"Uh, no," Spike said, giving her a curious look.

"Oh," Pinkie said. She sounded just a little bit disappointed.

Twilight grabbed her pink friend by the shoulders and shook her enthusiastically. "I get it now! I really do! One more try! Oh, but it has to be just right! Pinkie! How soon can you get the party started? The one you've been talking about?"

"Oh, it's going to be a whopper, but my girls have everything ready!" Pinkie said. "Tomorrow noon sound good?"

"Why not right now?" Spike said. "Why wait?"

Twilight winced a little. "I should probably give Trixie a chance to calm down first. Tomorrow is fine."

"I'm on it!" Pinkie bounced over to a window and opened it. "Partybirds Are Go!" She leapt out.

"She knows we're on the third floor, right?" Spike asked.

"I'm sure she's fine," Twilight said confidently. "Let's go tell the others." She walked off towards the stairs, a confident bounce in her steps.

Applejack gazed thoughtfully after her friend. "Hmm… sure hope this works." She sighed and followed. "Can't help but wonder if Trixie will find some way to buck it up…"

Trixie ran.

She didn't know where she was running to, or where she was running from, or even where she was running at the moment, but it didn't matter. What mattered was that she ran.

"Trixie…" a honey-sweet voice crooned from somewhere above her. "Trixie, my Trixie, where are you?" Trixie risked a glance upwards through the (tree branches? Streetlights?) and caught a glimpse of a massive purple body floating through the air. A huge head swiveled around, and enormous lavender eyes stared at her. "Trixie… I love you. I need you. I want you. I'll have you. Please be mine…"

"Leave me alone, Twilight!" Trixie cried, keeping her eyes on the (dirt road? Forest path? Pavement? Floor?) to keep herself from tripping. "I want to be alone! I'm not yours!"

"I love you, Trixie," Twilight crooned. "I love you. I want to have you forever and ever…"

Cheese Sandwich danced before Trixie. He wasn't running, but she was; nonetheless he was right before her. "Hey, Trixie! Let's have fun!"

"Get out of the way, Cheese!" Trixie cried. "I'm trying to run away!"

"Ah, running's no fun; wanna dance instead?" Cheese said.

Trixie tried to run past him, but to no avail. The dancing party pony was always in her way. And he did nothing to save her from the princess. "Cheese, please! I'll dance with you, if you can stop the princess!"

"Ha ha! I don't understand!" Cheese said, dancing merrily and pointlessly.

"I don't understand," Twilight said from above.

Trixie felt her legs collapse under her, and she fell to the ground. "You don't understand…"

Trixie landed on the floor of her wagon. She blinked a few times in the darkness, wondering where the strange place had gone. A dream… just a dream. Still tired and with dried tears on her face, she crawled back into bed. I can't go on like this. I can't.

Tomorrow.

In an abandoned warehouse somewhere in the Manehattan docks, a group of ponies were having a clandestine midnight meeting. From the secrecy, one could infer that they might have been members of a crime ring, or cultists plotting the rise of ancient evil. But even criminals and cultists wouldn't dare bother these ponies. For they were, in fact, party ponies.

Pinkie Pie pulled a clipboard and a pencil out of her mane. "Right. Girls, you know why I've gathered you all here. To throw the party to end all parties."

Surprise gasped in surprise. "You want to end parties? I won't let you! I'll fight you to the end!" She dropped into a fighting stance.

"Later!" Pinkie said. "Plan first, duel later. So, what've we got? Vinyl?"

Vinyl Scratch, the famous DJ-Pon3, tilted her glasses meaningfully. "We got the sickest musicians in all of Equestria, P-girl."

Pinkie shrugged. "Get them some penicillin, they'll be fine."

"Will do," Vinyl said. "Anyways, Octy made me put together a playlist she says is definitely gonna make the Mission Objective weak in the knees. I've looked it over, and it's not too bad. Could use more metal, but eh."

"Yeah, if she says this will work on Trixie, I say give it a go," Pinkie said, making a few notes on her clipboard and drawing a duck for good measure. "We're critical stage here, girls. End game. Pull out all stops, hold nothing back, don't hoard those megalixirs. Minty? How's the food front?"

"Cupcakes and candies and cookies and carrot dogs!" Minty said, overly energetically. She had clearly been sampling the more sugary wares. "Ciders and shakes and funny drinks with funny names that will guarantee that you'll wake up in funny places! Apple fritters and orange meringues and berry punch and carrot cakes and cherry jubilees!"

Pinkie Pie frowned. "Are those dishes, or the caterers you hired?"

"Yes!" Minty crowed. "We'll have enough junk food that all of Manehattan will have to go on diet for months!" Minty grinned widely, her pearly whites a defiance of the laws of dental physics.

"What is this 'diet' thing you speak of?" Pinkie said, making some more notes. "Never mind. Surprise! What's the sitch?"

Surprise saluted proudly, looking spiffy in her Partybolts uniform. Which was also her Wonderbolts uniform, to save expenses. She was a proud member of the most prestigious organization in all of Equestria, but being a Wonderbolt paid the bills. "Decorations are ready to go up at a moment's notice – balloons, banners, streamers, you name it. Plus party favors galore!"

Pinkie Pie made another note, then threw the clipboard into the shadows, never to be seen again. "All right! Now we just have to find somewhere to host this shindig!"

There was a sharp record scratch, courtesy of DJ-Pon3's turntables. Which had been there the entire time, even if nopony had seen them before.

"Wait, what?" Minty said.

Vinyl Scratch took off her glasses and threw them into the shadows, never to be seen again. "What, you haven't secured a venue?"

"Pinkie, the food's gonna spoil if we wait too long!" Surprise said. "We need to get this party started ASAP!"

Pinkie Pie bounced angrily. "Hey, don't go spouting your military buzz words at me! I've been busy! But yeah, we need to find someplace, because we're going live tomorrow noon!"

Unseen by them behind a stack of crates, a grey pegasus made a few notes on her own before stepping into the shadows, never to be seen again.

"Noon?" Vinyl said incredulously, adjusting her glasses nervously. Which had also been there the entire time, no matter what the narrator had claimed, the lying bastard. "Talk about cutting it close. Gonna be a challenge… I like it!"

"Yeah, but where in Manehattan can we hold a party this large?" Minty said.

There was the distinct sound of a hoof hitting the floor. The four mares spun around to see a mysterious pony standing in the shadows, his identity hidden. "Perhaps I may be of assistance…" the pony said in a distinctly stalliony voice.

Pinkie gasped. "You!"

The sun rose over Manehattan. While the general populace readied themselves for just another day of work and life in the Big Orange, one small group of ponies (and a dragon) prepared for festivities… and romantic conquest.

"So, you really think today's the day?" Rarity said, bringing down the brush on Twilight's mane. Today they were making actual use of their expensive hotel room; Rarity had brought out the big guns for the task of prettying up Twilight all the way. "The day your dream comes true?"

"I hope not," Twilight mused with a smile. "I don't want to fall out the window…" She shook herself. "I mean, yes. Yes! I'm sure of it. I've got her figured out now." She giggled excitedly.

"If you think so," Rarity said. "I have to say, I was quite upset when I heard about how yesterday's picnic turned out. Makes me wonder if she really is worth all this effort… still." She smirked as she adjusted Twilight's mane just so. "You have a plan, and we all know you're unstoppable when you do. Especially once we've dressed you up properly. How's the dress coming along, Fluttershy?"

"Just a minute," Fluttershy said from where she was carefully ironing out a few errant wrinkles on a lovely blue dress. "Oh, this is so exciting, I could just scream. Eeee!" she added quietly.

Spike chose that moment to finally wake up, yawning loudly. "Haah… oh, you're all up already," he said sleepily.

"Morning, sleepyhead," Twilight tittered. "Time to get ready for the party."

"Did I miss breakfast?" he asked. "Hey, where's the others?"

"Applejack went to tell Coco about the plans last night," Rarity said. "I haven't actually seen her since then, so who knows what she's doing now. Selling apples, fighting crime… maybe she went on a date." She shrugged, indicating that either scenario was equally possible as far as she was concerned.

"A date, huh?" He got a sly look on his face. "Say, Rarity…"

"Pinkie is of course setting up the party," Rarity continued, apparently not hearing him. "And Rainbow Dash is off to get Trixie."

Spike fished out a box of snack gemstones from Twilight's luggage for a quick breakfast. "Is it really such a good idea to send her?"

"She insisted," Fluttershy said.

"Don't worry, Spike," Twilight said happily as Rarity struggled under the weight of her biggest makeup kit. "Nothing could possibly go wrong."

Manehattan's skyline was bright and clear of clouds, thanks to the valiant effort of the local weather ponies. Weather ponies who, as it turned out, had a whole lot of nasty things to say about hotshot visitors making a mess of their weather, and didn't enjoy unseasonal thunderstorms in the middle of their fair city. Rainbow Dash still felt bad about it, and Applejack's tongue-lashing afterwards hadn't helped. Even if it was Lightning Dust's fault to begin with. But then, Lightning Dust was kind of an idiot. Whereas Rainbow Dash was a sensible, responsible pony, and thus had to take full responsibility.

Being responsible sucked.

Still, Rainbow decided as she trotted down the busy street with her darkest shades covering her eyes – definitely not because she worried somepony might recognize her, no siree, just feeling like a nice, calm walk – things seemed to finally work out. After today, they'd finally get to go home and she wouldn't have to cater to Trixie's silly whims or Rarity's weird schemes anymore. Best of all, Pinkie had promised a truly awesome party for today. She just had to go find Trixie and get her there, one way or another.

She just had to find Trixie. Who lived in her wagon. Which was parked in the lot before her.

The empty lot.

"Ponyfeathers," Rainbow whispered. She scrutinized the scene of the crime. This was definitely where Trixie had lived; the large spot on the ground where the wagon body had kept rain and sunlight away, the depressions where the wheels had settled into the dirt, and the posters still pasted on a nearby lamp post. Hay, Rainbow herself had been here only a few days ago. No question about it. This was the place. Except there was no wagon there, and no Trixie either.

The magician had pulled another escape act.

"That little idiot!" Rainbow growled. She tore her shades off and beat her wings forcefully, taking to the air for a better view. Gilda had always bragged about the hawk-like sight of griffons, but pegasi were no slouches either, since no flier who couldn't see properly lasted long in the air. (Except maybe Derpy. But she was kind of an exception, and made up for it by being really durable, apparently.) And Rainbow Dash's crystal-sharp peepers could see for miles.

Spotting a gaily painted wagon headed westward towards the mainland was no challenge at all.

"You're not getting away this time!" Rainbow Dash cried. She dove.

Trixie ran.

Unlike last night's dream, she was perfectly aware of where she was, and what she was running from. And where.

Stayed too long. Should've left long ago. Too comfortable. Couldn't last.

West it was. She just had to cross the bridge, and she was out of Manehattan and scot free. Once she was out on the mainland, she could go anywhere. Hollow Shades, Dodge Junction, Las Pegasus. Maybe the Crystal Empire would like her act, given how out of date that place was. What kind of shows did they have a thousand years ago? Or maybe she could go to Saddle Arabia, or the Griffon Kingdoms.

Anywhere she didn't have to deal with Twilight Sparkle.

Her belly twinged and ached a little from the exertion of pulling the wagon at this speed. Evidently she had let herself go… grown fat and complacent. Nothing a few weeks on the road couldn't fix, with lean rations and regular exercise. Really, it was just as well she left. Wouldn't do for the Great and Powerful Trixie to get pudgy. Stallions in the business could let themselves go, even become old and decrepit, and the audience would still admire them, but nopony took a homely showmare seriously.

Her hooves thundered against the pavement as she ran. They'd ache something terrible later, but that was then. This was now.

For a while she had almost fallen for it. Entertained the notion that Twilight could have been… could have been something. Or Cheese, maybe. It was crazy and impossible, but Trixie did the impossible for a living. It might have worked. But no. It didn't work. It couldn't. She should have known from the very beginning. She should have made it clear right away, instead of playing along and giving Twilight the false idea that they might love each other. The false idea that anypony could love Trixie. That way, at least she wouldn't have had to leave Manehattan so soon. She felt bad about leaving Coco Pommel like this; the dressmaker had put in so much effort to support her every step of the way, and what had she done in return? Nothing. Sure, recommending her to others in need of tailoring services, but that was just business. She should have done something special for her… her friend. Not leave her in the dust like this.

On the other hoof, she was the Great and Powerful Trixie. And the Great and Powerful Trixie didn't have friends. Who'd want to be friends with her?

"TRRRIXIEEEE!" a voice bellowed from behind. Trixie's pupils widened in fear. She didn't have to look to know who it was. She recognized the voice, and it was angry. Adrenaline rushed into her legs, and she ran faster.

"Trixie, you stop right now, or Celestia help me, you'll get to see what a Sonic Rainboom looks like at point-blank range!" Rainbow Dash cried furiously.

"No!" Trixie cried back. "Leave me alone! Get out of the way, everypony, runaway carriage!" Passersby threw themselves aside to dodge the wagon as it barreled down the road.

"You can't get away, Trixie!" Rainbow cried, catching up to the wagon's side. "I'm the fastest flier in all of Equestria!"

"Anything you can do…" Trixie let out a grunt as her horn flared, and the wagon's wheels started spinning with magic-induced power as the contraption came alive. The sudden acceleration lifted Trixie off the ground and threw her roughly into the driver's seat. "…I can do better," she finished weakly.

Rainbow Dash had barely a second to react as the wagon accelerated, and only just managed to latch on to the roof. "Darn it, Trixie! Stop… being… stupid!"

"I'm not being stupid!" Trixie cried, sweat pouring down her forehead. "This is the smartest thing I've done in days!" The wagon lurched to the side and clipped a newsstand as it barely dodged a screaming mare, sending today's headlines into the sky.

"Then you're really stupid, you idiot!" Rainbow Dash shouted back. "Twilight just wants to talk to you one more time!"

"I don't care! I don't want to see her!" Trixie protested as cabbage leaves drifted through the air. When had they run into a cabbage stand? What is this, a farmer's market? She kept an eye out in case two ponies tried to cross the road with a pane of glass.

"You can't keep this up, Trixie! You'll… bleah!" Rainbow had to stop to spit out a piece of cabbage. "You'll run out of power long before I fall off! Just stop!"

"Trixie… will… take… that… challenge!" Trixie spat, sweat soaking her entire coat as she called on every reserve of strength she had, and some she didn't actually think she had. She might not have had the sheer amount of power Twilight had, but her spells were fine-tuned and economical, and she knew how to get the most out of them at the least cost. "You'll… love… Las Pegasus!"

Even so, Trixie knew that she wouldn't make it anywhere that far. Unless she could convince the tenacious pegasus to give up – and there was an impossible challenge if she ever saw one, given what she knew of Rainbow Dash – she would collapse and get dragged back. It would take a miracle to avoid that.

Funny thing about miracles; they're not always as pleasant as you'd hope.

A pony appeared on the road ahead. Unlike the rest of Manehattan's citizens, this one did not panic or run away. Instead, she stood perfectly still, facing the runaway wagon head-on, as if daring Trixie to run her over.

For the briefest of moments, Trixie considered just heading forward, hoping that the pony on the road had the common sense to dodge. But something told her that this one wouldn't. With one massive telekinetic push, she shoved the wagon to the side, passing the standing pony by mere inches. The wagon went up on two wheels, jumped onto the sidewalk, and crashed into the building.

For a long minute, all was silent. Am I dead? Trixie thought. That would save me some trouble. No, you're not supposed to ache this much if you're dead… are you? Unless you can still hurt in the afterlife. That would suck.

Her blurry vision coalesced into a pair of grey hooves standing before her. "Stop lazing around, Trixie," they said. Funny, that voice sounds familiar too. Who…?

The hooves picked Trixie up roughly and stood her back up. Before her stood a grey earth pony mare with a black mane, wearing a bowtie. "You took a nasty spill there. Anything broken?" the mare asked.

"No…" Trixie mumbled, checking herself over quickly. She had taken a beating, but no serious injuries. With some luck she might only get a few bruises. She looked at the mare again, and realization struck. "…Melody?"

"That's 'Octavia' to you." Suddenly Trixie received a sharp slap across the face. "You idiot!" Octavia roared. "What were you thinking? You could have gotten yourself killed!"

"Bwuh?" Trixie said unintelligibly, rubbing her cheek.

"You're so stupid!" Octavia said angrily. "What did you have to prove this time? That you're the most obstinate and contrary pony in all of Equestria? You blithering madmare."

"Oh dear, you're all dirty," Coco said, starting to brush Trixie's coat clean. Trixie was not all that surprised to see her there, all things considered. If Nightmare Moon had walked up to shake Trixie's hoof, she wouldn't have batted an eye. It had been a strange few weeks.

"Me… Octavia," Trixie began. "What are you doing here? And why did you crash Trixie's wagon?"

"I'm fine, by the way," Rainbow Dash's voice was heard somewhere in the direction of the wreckage. "Not that anypony cares. Jerks."

"I heard that a certain self-important unicorn was being courted romantically, and since you're incompetent at that, I had to get here and make sure you don't ruin everything for yourself." Octavia frowned. "You nearly succeeded."

"Hey!" Trixie protested. "Who are you to come here and tell Trixie what to do? Trixie doesn't recall giving anypony rights to run her life!"

"I'm your friend, Trixie," Octavia said bluntly. "I have every right to keep you from bucking yourself up."

Rainbow Dash poked her head out of the wagon. "Friend?"

"Trixie, you never told me you're friends with the famous Octavia Melody!" Coco exclaimed.

"We're… more like acquaintances," Trixie said diffidently, scuffing her hoof against the ground. "Used to assist her band, back in Canterlot. That was before I went on the road, before Ponyville, before coming here… we haven't talked in years."

"Yes, and whose fault is that?" Octavia said, rolling her eyes. "Doesn't matter. You've been my pal since you saved my flank from that mugger. Remember?" Octavia smiled a little.

Trixie racked her brain for a moment. "No, I don't."

"Well, you were pretty blitzed at the time," Octavia said. "He nearly stabbed you and you didn't even notice."

"I thought you didn't drink, Trixie," Coco said accusingly.

"I don't," Trixie said. "Anymore. It makes me do stupid things."

"Like anypony could tell the difference," Octavia said mockingly.

"Watch it!" Trixie said angrily. "Fine, so maybe we were friends. Maybe we are friends. That doesn't mean you can just come here and mock me, or tell me what to do! Trixie is in charge of her own life!"

"And that's going so fine," Octavia said. "Running from a girl who actually loves you, just because you can't commit."

"Yeah, what's up with that?" Rainbow Dash said. The pegasus had finally managed to extract herself from the wreckage, looking none too happy about having been left to her own devices. "I mean, you're a jerk and a show-off and all, but you've never been a coward. You're actually kinda brave. It's, uh…" She shifted uneasily. "It's one of the things I actually respect you for. It's pretty cool."

"Agreed," Coco said.

"You didn't complain when we escaped from Dimondia," Trixie said tersely.

"Yeah, but that was different," Rainbow said. "The Diamond Dogs wanted to keep you so you could find gems for them. They wanted to lock you away and… and… oh, sweet Celestia's sunny…" She thumped her hoof against her forehead. "Is that it? Is that what you're worried about? You think Twilight's going to hide you away and never let you out of her sight? Never let you do what you want?"

"She's a princess," Trixie said quietly. "She can do whatever she wants. She's made it clear that she wants to have me, and she'll do anything to accomplish it. And I've never, ever, been able to stand up to her. Why shouldn't I be… why shouldn't I be afraid?"

"Trixie…" Rainbow Dash said, horrified. She hugged Trixie and clutched her tightly to her barrel. "No. No, no, no. That's not how she is. She's never been that. Twilight is nice, and friendly, and caring, and she's never let her title go to her head. Hay, she protests whenever any of her friends calls her 'princess'. She's just a pony, just like the rest of us."

"No, she's not," Trixie said quietly.

"Yes, she is, and she knows it," Rainbow said. "She thinks you're just as important as herself or anypony else. More than that, since she's completely bonkers for you. I mean, seriously. You're okay, but the way she sees you… well… yeah."

"Promise?" Trixie asked.

"Promise," Rainbow said. She gestured crazily. "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye."

"Okay," Trixie said. "You can stop hugging Trixie now."

"Oh." Rainbow quickly detached. "It was either that or slap you."

"In that case, Trixie prefers hugs, Octavia," Trixie said, shooting a meaningful glare at her newfound old friend.

"You need both," Octavia said unapologetically.

"Wrecking Trixie's wagon was painful enough," Trixie pointed out. "That was a little over the top, don't you think?"

"You had plenty of opportunities to stop," Octavia pointed out. "You were just so set on a dramatic climax. Who was I to deny you the opportunity to go out with a bang? Besides, wagons can be fixed. Relationships are trickier." She gave Trixie a level look. "Ready to see the princess again?"

"I… I…" Trixie's rear legs gave out, and she slumped to the ground. "I don't know. I don't know what will happen. Even if she… I don't know."

"And you never will if you don't find out," Octavia said. "Seriously, when the hay did you lose your spine, Trixie?"

"Yeah, seriously, shape up, Trixie," Rainbow Dash said. "Time to be awesome, okay? You're making us show-offs look bad like this."

"Take the chance, Trixie?" Coco suggested. "For my sake?"

Trixie gave her a bemused look and chuckled. "I keep telling myself I should do something nice for you, in return for everything you've done. But I never do. I'm a rotten friend."

Coco smiled and shook her head. "No, you're not. You don't have to do anything to pay me back. You've needed me, so I've been there for you. Simple as that. Generosity means helping ponies in need without expecting anything in return. Rarity taught me that, once."

"Yeah, and friendship is magic and stuff," Rainbow said, rolling her eyes. "So let's go see Twilight, okay?"

Trixie sighed. She retrieved her hat from the wrecked wagon, placed it on her head, and stood up with a determined look on her face. "She gets one more chance. She'd better not waste it. Where is she?"

Coco smiled and pulled out a bundle from her bag. She unfolded it, revealing it to be a dress in shades of lavender and blue, covered with stars and silver embroidery. "Get dressed, Trixie. We're going to a party!"

"Are you kidding me?" Trixie asked.

Coco smiled wider and brought out a hay shake. "Hmm?"

"…Fine." Trixie grabbed the drink and gulped it down thirstily. "Come on, help me put this thing on."

Chapter 9: Matters Of The Heart

Coneigh Island was no stranger to festivities. The peninsula was the site of many amusement parks, had an extensive beachfront that attracted tourists during the summer months, and was generally the go-to place for fun and enjoyment.

Today, its capacity for fun was tested to the limit, when it had become ground zero for a genuine Pinkie Party.

And not just any Pinkie Party. Pinkie Pie had called in all her resources and all her fellow party ponies. Music played in every corner, in a dozen genres, enough to entertain anypony. Vendors from all over Equestria had been called in to serve up a mountain's worth of food and drink for all the guests. The amusement parks, game parlors and cafes had been opened for the public. Banners and posters hung everywhere, while a blonde pegasus in a Wonderbolt suit flew around and handed out balloons to anypony who looked sufficiently balloon-deprived. And there were ponies (and non-ponies) of all kinds and colors everywhere; locals, visitors, vendors, staff, and one wide-eyed VIP.

Trixie stared at the spectacle before her. For a moment, she could find no words. It was a party. No, it was a Party. An event that outclassed the Grand Galloping Gala in scope, if not taste. It was… garish, even a bit tacky, and yet… it seemed fun.

She blushed a little as she noticed that most of the banners and posters held her name, or depicted her cutiemark, or even herself in full. She had never ever been so narcissistic to show off to this extent (discounting that time, of course), but it seemed somepony had a different idea. She wasn't sure how to feel about that.

"How?" she asked hoarsely. She cleared her throat and tried again. "How in all Tartarus were you able to book Coneigh Island this quickly?"

"Pinkie Pie," Rainbow Dash said simply.

"Yes," Octavia concurred. "Apparently she, and I quote, 'knows a guy who knows a guy'. Like the music?"

Trixie's ears perked up as she managed to pick out a few sweet strains from the din. She swallowed hard. "It's…"

"It's some of the stuff we used to play, back in Canterlot," Octavia said. "Fun times, huh? You'll hear better from inside."

"Hey! Hey!" Rainbow shouted, her voice barely making itself heard over the crowd by the entrance. It seemed practically half of Equestria was here. "Guest of honor coming through! Make way! Make way!" Ponies turned their heads their way, and with a few cheers and a lot of flashing cameras, the crowd parted before them, with the exception of a wine-red mare who seemed a little too preoccupied with her drink to pay attention.

The four ponies walked down the path, everypony's eyes on them. Coco looked like she could die from embarrassment. Curiously, despite being the very center of attention, something she usually loved, Trixie was not in a good mood. As far as she was concerned, there was only one pony she wanted to meet right now; one pony who had some explaining to do.

And there she was. Princess Twilight Sparkle, resplendent in her blue dress, flower bouquet in her hoof, wings twitching nervously as though she was half trying to take off. She looked absolutely gorgeous. And a nearby sound system was playing that music.

It wasn't fair. This was psychological warfare. This was torture.

Trixie steeled herself and marched up to her enemy, fighting off the urges to run, or attack, or embrace her. The others hung back. "Well, well, well," she said as calmly as possible. "If it isn't Twilight Sparkle."

"Hi, Trixie…" Twilight said, blushing. "You look nice."

"Why, yes I do," Trixie said, lifting one sock-clad hoof to brush away a stray lock. The marvelous outfit fit her wonderfully, from the dress to the socks to the jewelry. The fabric hugged tight around her bodice, yet allowed her legs to move freely, just the way she liked it. She felt magnificent. By comparison, her usual hat and cloak seemed downright spartan and utilitarian. She wondered if Coco had made it herself, or if Rarity had had a hoof in it. Maybe they both had. "You look pretty good too."

"Thank you," Twilight said, blushing deeper. If Trixie wasn't so upset, she would have found it incredibly cute.

"So…" Trixie gestured around her. "Is this your latest attempt to snare Trixie's heart? A lavish jubilation to her honor? Do you really wish to spoil her rotten this way?"

Twilight shook her head. "Actually, no. This is all Pinkie Pie's doing. She's been itching to throw a party since we got here, and… well."

"This is her usual kind of party?" Trixie asked, arcing an eyebrow.

Twilight looked around at the activities and shook her head again. "No, this is actually excessive even by her standards. She's been preparing for this all week. I was worried what might happen if she didn't get to do it."

"Pies are weird," Trixie muttered. "So where's Cheese Sandwich? This whole thing stinks of his meddlesome antics."

An unusually large balloon descended from above – courtesy of the pegasus party patrol – and popped, disgorging a lanky party pony. "My ears are burning, somepony must be talking about me!" He took out a small spritzer bottle and soaked his ears. "Hey, Trixie! So glad you could make it! This party wouldn't be half as fun without you, seeing as it's kinda your party!"

"Cheese—" she began, but he put a hoof to her mouth.

"Before you say anything, I have something on my heart." He took a deep breath. "Trixie, you're bags of fun, and I'd love to be part of your growing circle of friends you apparently don't think exists…"

"Are you… breaking up with her?" Twilight asked.

"Let me finish," he said somberly. "Thing is, you're way too intense. I'm a fun guy, and you're a fun gal, but what you need isn't something I can really give you. I thought we matched pretty well, but it's just not going to cut it. Besides, Twilight genuinely loves you, whereas I honestly just fancy you."

Trixie pushed his hoof away. "That's it?" she asked.

"Yeah, sorry to come across as a little shallow, but…" He waved his hoof over his head. "I'm way in over my head here. And no offense, but I always got the feeling you were only dating me so you wouldn't have to deal with commitment." He smiled. "So… friends?"

"...Friends," Trixie said after some hesitation. "Mind you, I'm not good at keeping in touch."

"Don't worry, you won't lose me that easily." He grinned. Then his eyes widened and he gasped in childish wonder. "They have cotton candy! Wait for meeee!" He bounced off into the crowd.

For a moment, both mares contemplated with bafflement the pony named Cheese Sandwich. Trixie then shook her head vigorously. "Never mind that. I think you have something to tell me, Twilight."

"Oh?" Twilight blinked in surprise. "Oh! Right. Um, I love you."

Trixie gave her a dumbfounded look. "You set up all this just to tell me that again? I appreciate it, but I don't—" Her words were cut off when Twilight put a hoof to her lips.

"I wasn't finished, Trixie," Twilight said with a touch of annoyance. "Like I said, I love you. You've been on my mind for… well, I don't really know how long. It might have started when you left Ponyville the last time… or the first time. I don't know, it might have happened the first time I saw you, the novels talk a lot about 'love at first sight', though I'm not entirely sure that actually works, and…" She took a deep breath. "Point is, it's been going on for a while. For the longest time I didn't even know it was love – I just couldn't get you out of my head. But I love pretty much everything about you, I think, and now that I've actually gotten to know you better, I love you even more. Even if you're capricious and a tease and a little mean and you make up tall tales – and I love that, too."

Trixie didn't say anything.

"I love you," Twilight said. "But that's the thing, isn't it? It's just my feelings about it, and there are two ponies in this relationship. I don't know if you love me, and I can't make you love me. I can only do what I can to maybe make you happy, and maybe you'll fall in love with me, somehow. I wasn't trying to impress you with everything I did… okay, maybe a little, because it was kind of fun, but mostly I just wanted you to see how special you are to me."

Trixie carefully plucked a flower from Twilight's bouquet and nibbled on it. "Go on," she said.

"But that's not enough either," Twilight said. "And last night Pinkie Pie told me something. She was… she…" Twilight decided that it would not help her case to explain Pinkie's… whatever she had done. "She said that your wagon was important to you. That it let you be you, and that it was important for you to be you."

"It's broken now, by the way," Trixie said. Twilight looked shocked. "Never mind that for now. Deal with it later. Go on, go on."

"Ah… um…" Twilight took a breath and pulled herself together. "You're free, Trixie. You go wherever you want and do whatever you want and you don't call anypony your master."

"Except for the audience," Trixie pointed out with a smile.

"Except for the audience," Twilight agreed. "I like that. I guess that's why you were so torn up when—"

"Twilight?" Trixie interrupted. "Don't drag up the past. Okay?"

"Okay," Twilight said quickly. "I… it's like you're a bird, always flying free, and then I showed up and said that I loved you, and I acted like I had the right to just take you home and, and put you in a cage."

Trixie's eyes widened. Her heart started beating faster and she was feeling suddenly warm all over. "You got it."

Twilight nodded. "I think I do. Trixie, I would never hurt you. I love you. And… I can't simply make you mine, but will you… will you let me be yours?"

Trixie stared at the mare before her… this beautiful, loving, gentle mare whom a simple stage pony like her would never deserve, yet was giving herself to her so freely… and cursed herself when the first thing she thought was how much more dramatic this would be if it were night and fireworks burst across the sky. Instead it was just a sunny day. But Trixie had not become the pony she was by letting the weather interfere with her performance.

Trixie took one deft step forward, and laid her left foreleg around Twilight's neck while her right hoof rested against the right side of the mare's head, caressing her cheek gently. For one drawn-out second, she gazed into Twilight's eyes, noticing for the first time how similar in color they were to her own. Then she leaned in, and their lips finally met for the first time.

As it turned out, there were fireworks after all.

A while later, the two mares had retreated to a park bench conveniently placed in a hedge nook, keeping the hubbub of the party away a little. Twilight was curled up against Trixie's side, sighing happily as the magician stroked her mane.

"Okay, we're definitely going to have to work on kissing, Twilight," Trixie said. "You're not supposed to pass out when you do it. I'm not that good, honestly."

"I'm sorry," Twilight said, despite smiling wide. "You just excite me."

"Of course I do," Trixie said proudly. "But you're going to have to grow out of it, or you'll miss out. Particularly when it comes to the really fun stuff."

"Ooh!" Twilight squeaked, blushing. Yes, now that Trixie thought about it, it was almost unbearably cute. "I'll, I'll try my best." Twilight sighed again, while in front of them Pinkie Pie led a conga dance past, with a grey pegasus, a white unicorn, a navy blue pegasus and the drunken earth pony from before hanging on. "Trixie, do you love me?"

Trixie pretended to think about it for a moment. "Yeah, sure."

"Trixie…" Twilight insisted.

Trixie laughed. "Yes, Twilight, I love you."

"Really?" Twilight asked.

"Yes! Of course I do!" Trixie said.

"Really really?" Twilight insisted.

Trixie puffed herself up proudly. "The Great and Powerful Trixie says that our love will be spoken of in ages to come! We will be immortalized in song and story! We shall live forever in the stars!"

Twilight giggled and booped Trixie on the nose. "And what does the real Trixie say? The one who's not putting on a façade all the time?"

"She thinks you're being just a bit too clingy," Trixie said with a laugh. "I love you, okay? Or something close to it, anyway. At the very least, I can be happy with you. I trust you, Twilight." She ran a gentle hoof across Twilight's cheek, causing the mare to shudder a little. "I still don't really know why you love me so much, though. I'm not very nice, and I'm rotten friend."

"You're better than you think," Twilight said, sniffing Trixie's mane. It smelled like fireworks and magic, and made her heart race. "And your friends must agree if they're willing to go as far as they do for you."

"Heh," Trixie said. "If you say so."

"I'm a bit of an expert on the subject," Twilight said with a knowing grin. "I'll show you how it works."

Octavia stepped into the nook and looked at them. Vinyl was passed out over her back for some reason. "Oh, there you are. How did it go?"

"Just fine," Twilight said. "What's with your friend?"

"She's a lightweight," Octavia said. She poured the unconscious unicorn onto the park bench next to Trixie before squeezing herself in. "It'd be a huge smear on her DJ persona, so don't tell anypony, but… one bottle and she's out."

Trixie carefully checked Vinyl's hoof for a pulse. "One bottle of what, though?"

"Funny, Vinyl didn't think to ask that," Octavia said with a smirk. "So what's next for you two?"

"Who knows?" Trixie said blithely. "We could date, see the sights in Manehattan…"

"Trixie…" Twilight said. "My friends and I really need to get back to Ponyville. And… I was really hoping you'd come with me."

"Mmm… I'm not sure," Trixie said. She gently stroked Twilight's wing. "I've grown so fond of my friend, Coco Pommel. It wouldn't be fair to leave her all alone."

Octavia smacked Trixie on the head. "Stop being an idiot, idiot. You can keep in touch anyway, you know? Letters? Visiting? I wouldn't mind hearing more from you, either."

"Well…" Trixie considered.

"Don't you trust me?" Twilight asked.

Trixie rolled her eyes. "Well, when you put it like that…" She smirked knowingly. "Trixie is in need of a vacation. Ponyville is nice this time of year. Maybe I'll stay awhile. Until I grow bored and decide to travel again."

"I'll just have to keep you from getting bored, then, will I?" Twilight said with a playful smile.

"I guess you will," Trixie agreed, smiling back. "Of course, there might be room for one more pony in my wagon. I've never thought about it before, but traveling can get lonely sometimes, and my bed gets a little cold at night."

"Ooh," Twilight squealed happily.

"Right," Octavia said. She stood up and threw Vinyl over her back. "Time to get this girl up and running again, because she has to work in five minutes. See you later, Trixie." She started to walk away, then stopped. "By the way, Heartstrings lives in Ponyville."

"Really?" Trixie said, surprised. "Must have missed her last time I… uh, visited. What's she doing there?"

"Busking, last I heard," Octavia said. She shrugged and wandered off.

"Huh, nice," Trixie said. "She owes me fifty bits. Aagh, but then I'll have to explain why I had that evil amulet…" She groaned.

"No, you don't. I said I explained about that to everypony, didn't I?" Twilight said. "Now that I think about it, I didn't know then why she only said, 'Yeah, that figures'…"

A comfortable silence fell over the duo as they cuddled up against each other.

Cheese Sandwich wandered past, his hooves around both Minty and Surprise, who giggled. "…Not saying I'm into older ladies, but what do you say we try to bridge the generation gap? I'm definitely…"

"Hmph!" Trixie snorted derisively. "Cheese doesn't seem too broken up about losing me. At least I have you to fall back on."

Twilight rolled her eyes at what she hoped was Trixie joking again. "You know, most ponies would think that dating a princess was a big deal."

"I am a queen," Trixie pointed out. "A princess is, huh, just about enough for my standards."

"I'm not sure you still get to keep the title if you flee the kingdom," Twilight said. "And even if you do, I'm pretty sure the Diamond Dogs have impeached you by now."

"They're dogs," Trixie said derisively. "They'd have to find peaches first, and those aren't in season for another month."

Twilight couldn't help but laugh. "You know, it's things like this that makes me realize that I'll never be able to discount anything you claim."

"Good. Trixie is supposed to keep you wondering, because Trixie is wonderful." Trixie grinned impishly and wrapped her hooves around her lover. "And so are you, my love. Now, let's see if you can keep from falling apart when I kiss you this time…"

"So it all worked out, then?" Coco Pommel asked. She, Rarity and Spike were currently strolling idly across the outer party grounds as the sun started to approach the horizon.

Rarity was balancing a stuffed toy on her back, courtesy of Spike; the ball-throwing booth operator thought that he had been smart by banning telekinesis, but failed to account for the improved precision afforded to a species with proper grasping claws. Rarity thought that the toy was a bit garish, but loved it nonetheless. "Oh, yes," she said. "I couldn't hear what they said, but the kiss at the end spoke volumes. They're an item now, I'd bet my next lineup on it."

"Bleh," Spike muttered.

"Oh, Spikey-Wikey, don't be that way," Rarity admonished. "Surely you saw it coming."

"Yeah, but that doesn't mean I have to like it," he complained. "I'm gonna have to move into the basement or move out or something. And I'll have to deal with Trixie everyday."

"Trixie's not so bad," Coco said. She grinned. "She's a sucker for hay shakes, by the way. She'll do anything for them."

"I'll remember that," Rarity said with a mischievous grin. "Oh, it's a shame we had to split you two apart, though. You've been a great friend to her."

"We'll still be friends," Coco said. "I'll just have to stay in touch, one way or another. And it was nice to get acquainted with Miss Melody… I mean, Octavia. She said she'd spread word of me to her contacts in Canterlot, and that might mean some serious work."

"Nice!" Spike said. "Guess you're getting something out of the deal after all."

"So when will we be seeing your own designs, Coco?" Rarity asked. "You're a good seamstress, but I can tell that you'll want to break into the big league eventually."

"Well…" Coco began.

"…Ah'm just sayin', any stallion ah'm interested in better accept they're gonna live an' work on the Acres, because ah'm not budging on that," Applejack said, strolling past. Rainbow Dash followed her, carrying Pinkie Pie on her back as the party pony blew on a noisemaker and threw confetti into the air. "Not ev'ry stallion wants that kinda life, see?"

"AJ, there's a difference between dating and getting hitched for life," Rainbow Dash said. "You can have fun now and then. You know fun, right? What we're having now? Right, Pinkie?"

"Yeppers peppers!" Pinkie cheered, blowing her noisemaker again. "Oh, hey girls and Spike! Are you having fun?"

"Yes, thank you," Coco said happily. "I've never had a party like this."

"Neither have we," Rarity said. "I doubt we shall see a party of this scale again."

Pinkie grinned. "Is that a challenge? I think it is! Giddyup, Dashie, we have work to do!"

"Oh, just have some cake and relax for once, Pinkie," Rainbow muttered. "I have enough work waiting for me back home. C'mon, AJ."

Applejack shrugged. "Yeah, yer right, we've done our chores. If Twilight still ain't hooked up by now, I ain't helping no more."

Rarity smiled and turned back to Coco as the other group wandered off in search of more excitement. "I'm sorry, dear. You were saying?"

"Oh, nothing important," Coco replied. "I'll think about your suggestion, but right now I just want to take the opportunities I've been given. It'll give me a chance to visit Ponyville, too."

"You're welcome anytime," Rarity said. She suddenly sighed. "I'm a little sad, though."

"Why's that, Rarity?" Spike asked.

"Oh, all this love and romance and flowers and candy and singing has just made it so clear to me how empty my own love life is," Rarity complained. "When will Rarity get her soulmate? When is it my turn?"

"Oh, I'm sure your time will come, Rarity," Coco reassured. "I just know he's out there, somewhere."

"Yeah…" Spike said under his breath. "Closer than you think."

The sun set majestically against the Manehattan skyline. Fluttershy admired the sight from her perch on the big ferris wheel, leaning against a handsome beige earth pony stallion with a long beard and oddly yellow-tinged eyes. If asked, he would introduce himself as Doctor Oxide, or however his name was pronounced: a specialist in probability theory, Brownian motion, and the quantum impact of butterfly behavior.

"So you knew all along?" Fluttershy asked.

The stallion chortled. "I had a certain feeling, my dear. That little blueberry is quite adept at stirring up chaos. A real troublemaker, that one."

Fluttershy frowned. "That's not nice to say."

"I meant it as the purest of compliments," Dr Oxide said gregariously. "I do so appreciate a pony who can make things interesting. Not that you're not interesting, of course, Fluttershy."

"No, I see what you mean," she said.

"And of course it made the headlines," he said. He took out a copy of the Manehattan Gazette from… well, he must have taken it from somewhere, since newspapers don't appear out of nowhere. It bore the headline Royal Rumble Of Romance! and had a large picture of Trixie, Pinkie Pie and Cheese Sandwich facing off on Trixie's stage, as well as a smaller picture of Twilight looking awkward. "What, you thought something like this could happen right in the Big Orange without anypony noticing? Preposterous."

"The princesses know, then?" she asked. "What did they say?"

"You know, I came here with a most curious pair of girls," he said, seemingly ignoring her question. "Called themselves Sunny Daze and Moonlit Nights, I think. Don't know where they went, but they seemed quite intent on enjoying the party. Said they had looked forward to something like this for a while." He chuckled. "Oh, the princesses? Oh, I suppose they're happy that Purplesmart Sparklybutt is finally growing up. Wouldn't know. Didn't ask."

"I see," Fluttershy said. "I suppose things would have become too complicated if they had gotten involved directly."

"Mmm," he said. "That's admittedly their standard excuse for, well, everything. Haven't you ever wondered why Twilight has to do all the work all the time? On the other hoof, it was quite a sight to see all of you giving it the ol' college try. A real team effort, yeah? Remind me to hire you all next time I go a-courtin'. And that's of course why we had to keep the pink one out of the game."

"The pink… Princess Cadence?" Fluttershy asked. She realized that they had been up by the top of the ferris wheel for quite some time now, even though it seemed to be turning. She didn't mind, though; the view was wonderful and she was in good company. "Yes, I suppose she'd want to get involved somehow."

"Oh, you don't know half of it," he said with a laugh. "She can smell a love situation across half of Equestria. She's like a shark, except she doesn't eat the pony she finds. I hope. Anyway, if she had gotten involved, she'd have tried to run the whole show, and where's the fun in that? Not to mention what her husband might've done if he found out that his little sister had run off to Manehattan to hook up with a showgirl. No, we had to keep them out of the loop. Some misdirection, a little interference. Locking Cadence in a closet, metaphorically speaking… and literally speaking, once or twice. Sending Shiney Hiney to look for possible minotaur incursions to the west, or fetch a bundle of left-hoofed spears from the armory. And so on and so forth."

Fluttershy couldn't resist laughing. "You're incorrigible."

"Now, I think you've proven that quite wrong, my dear," he said, giving her a pat on the head. "I did have some fun, though. So… did you have fun?"

She thought about it. "Yes, I did. It was tough at times, and… Twilight got really heartbroken a few times, but all in all, it was fun. Even if I didn't do much."

He smiled warmly at her. "I think you did more than you'd believe. You usually do."

As night finally fell and the moon rose, a great barrage of fireworks was loosened on the sky, to the delight of almost everypony below.

And in a discreet, out-of-sight nook in the gardens, two lovers paid them no mind at all as they held each other tight with no intention of planning to let go in the nearest future.

"Twilight?"

"Yes, Trixie?"

"I hope you're aware that you'll have to live with me on a regular basis from now on."

"Yes, that's what I've been hoping for, Trixie."

"Well, don't say I didn't warn you."

Author's Note

Thank you for reading To Romance A Magician, and I hope you've enjoyed it!

Coming up next: More stories!