The Power of Pride

Chapters

The Great and All-Powerful Teacher!
How To Shoot Plates from Quite a Long Way Away
Pony Royale!
Search Party!
Memories & Regrets
A Lesson in Forgiveness and Honesty

The Great and All-Powerful Teacher!

"Spike, take a letter!"

Twilight Sparkle's assistant complied with her cheery order immediately, readying a quill and parchment. "Yes, Ma'am!" It was morning, yet Spike was already primed to help Twilight however she might need. That's why he was her number one assistant.

Twilight began, closing her eyes with her nose in the air as she dictated, "Dear Princess Celestia, while I have yet to discover anything new about friendship this week, I would like to take the time to revisit and discuss my old lessons. Namely, the importance of pride in one's own talents." Twilight turned directly to Spike. "And the importance of not hiding yourself with mustaches, eh, Spike?"

"…Eh…Spike...," the young dragon repeated.

"Spike, don't write that down! I was talking to you," Twilight pointed a hoof at him to punctuate her order.

"Don't…write…Oh! Sorry, Twilight. I got confused for a second there." He chuckled.

"Do you need me to get the dictating hat again, Spike?" She teased him. "Let's start from…" Before Twilight could finish, a knock came to the door. "Huh? Who could that be?"

Spike chimed in helpfully. "Maybe it's Pinkie Pie? She probably wanted to come invite you to her party, too."

"She already invited you, Spike? Why didn't she just tell you to invite me?"

"I think she wants to deliver it in person. She's trying to deliver singing telegrams again." He told her with more than a hint of concern in his voice.

"Oh boy, did that girl not learn from the last time?" Twilight approached the door, turning the knob with her magic. "Hi, Pinkie. Don't worry about sing—"

"Twilight Sparkle!" A familiar, yet particularly obnoxious voice rang out. "Today will be marked as the greatest day of your insignificant life from now on!"

"Oh, no…" Twilight muttered a little too loudly, recognizing the pony that stood before her all too well.

"Oh, yes! It is I, Trixie, the Great and Powerful!" The pony yelled, standing on her two back legs, proudly holding her front hooves in the sky. The mare that now stood at the door was a blue unicorn, bearing a bright silver mane. Though, much of this mane was covered by the purple, star-laden hat. She wore a matching cape as well. The cape waved easily in the summer wind, revealing her blue cutie mark, which was a wand with a stream of pure magic behind it. "However, as of today you may refer to me as 'Miss Trixie, the Great and Powerful!'"

"And why would I want to do that?" Twilight asked, having moved past surprise and into annoyance.

"Why, because I will be making your life whole today by adopting you, Twilight Sparkle, as my student!"
Twilight met Trixie's suggestion with a mixture of surprise and amusement. "Well, Trixie…That certainly sounds like an interesting offer!"

"I can hear the utter shock in your voice! You're thinking, 'What could I have possibly done to deserve this?'"

"Yes, actually, that's exactly what I'm thinking."

Trixie allowed herself a bit of pride in guessing Twilight's thoughts correctly. "Well, when last we met, you showed great promise, assisting me in defeating an Ursa Minor…"

"Assist?" Twilight interrupted, but the rambling pony took no notice.

"But only the Great and Powerful Trixie has the ability to unlock that full potential!"

Twilight had heard enough of Trixie's self-congratulatory dialogue. "Well, that'd be great and all, but I'm afraid I simply don't have the time!" Twilight told her as she backed away and began to close the door.

Trixie stuck her hoof in the way before Twilight could cut Trixie off. "Nonsense! With so much time to read all these books, you surely have more than enough time to let me train you!"

"Well, Trixie,"

"Miss Trixie, the Great and Powerful!" She corrected.

"Riiiiight. Well, Even if I did have the time I…I'm afraid I just couldn't keep up with your talents!" Twilight would've said anything to get rid of Trixie at this point.

"Ah, I understand completely," spoke the blue unicorn, giving Twilight a glimmer of hope that she would leave her alone. "In that case, I'll simply have to teach slowly for you!" There goes that hope.

Twilight was running out of excuses. Trixie seemed adamant that Twilight would be her student. Weighing the pros and cons of either getting rid of Trixie by force or giving in, Twilight decided that she could spare an hour or so for the girl. And anyway, if she didn't learn anything, at least Twilight might get a bit of fun from the ordeal. Things had been uneventful lately.

"Oh, alright. I suppose I could become your pupil for a while." Twilight gave in.

"I knew you couldn't refuse! Oh, and there's one more thing."

Oh good, more surprises, thought Twilight as Trixie went back to the cart she had been pulling and retrieved a large blue bag.

"I, the Great and Generous Trixie, will be allowing you, my new student, the privilege of my presence in your house 24/7!"
Twilight's heart skipped a beat at the prospect of being near Trixie so long. She'd rather live with the parasprites, at least they were cute! Well, cuter…Twilight added, immediately wondering why. "But…But isn't there anyone else you can stay with?"

"Twilight, if you're going to take my teachings seriously, you must learn that I can teach you! I may even tell you the correct way to brush your teeth, if I find you worthy enough."
Twilight knew that, despite how unpleasant the prospect may be, there was no arguing with the unicorn. "Fine, you can sleep downstairs I suppose."

"Wonderful! Your new life begins tomorrow, Twilight Sparkle! Sleep well and prepare yourself!"

"But, it's morning!" Twilight called after Trixie, who ignored her as she descended the stairs to her new temporary home. As she sat at her desk, Twilight plopped her cheek on her hoof. "I'm going to regret this…"

It was 7:00 AM in Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle stood outside of the library lazily following Trixie as she moved back and forth in front of her, rambling non-stop about her adventures with very fleeting references to actual magical technique. Behind Trixie, she had set up a large suitcase that seemed ready to burst, trembling slightly from the pressure of its contents. However, Trixie didn't seem to notice or care about the case as she continued her tirade about something-or-other. Truthfully, even if Trixie's lecturing skills were on par with the greatest teachers of Canterlot, Twilight was too tired to pay attention having been woken up so early by Trixie's demand to show Twilight 'how real magic is done!'

"…And then the eighth dragon showed up and…"

"Trixie!" Twilight yelled loudly, but groggily.

The blue unicorn ceased her exaggerations to reprimand Twilight. "That is Miss Trixie, The Great and Powerful to you!"

Twilight rolled her eyes, Trixie's voice finally beginning to rattle her out of her daze. "Fine, Miss Trixie, can we please start? I have a lot of work to do today and…"

"You certainly do have a lot of work to do! Trixie fears there aren't enough hours left in the day to bring you to even one-eighth of her skill level! But we shall make the best out of what we have." Trixie turned behind her to the suitcase. Her horn glowed for half-a-second as a restraint on the case snapped open, allowing the contents of the case to pull the remaining off with their own force, sending items all over the ground. Trixie levitated a small pink ball to Twilight, tossing it in front of her hooves. "Now, lift this if you can!" Trixie ordered, condescendingly.

Twilight's initial reaction after effortlessly picking up the ball was to launch it with even greater effort at Trixie, but she resisted the urge. "Here you go, no problem." Twilight rolled her eyes at her 'mentor's' obvious insult.

"Very good, Twilight. You're well on your way to becoming as powerful as Trixie!" Trixie told her with a challenging grin on her face.

Ugh! Twilight exclaimed as the urge to fling that little ball became harder and harder to resist. Instead, she flung it behind her, forgetting her strength as the ball crashed through the library window. She heard a crash and a faint 'ow!'
"Trixie can see your talents are truly wasted on such pitiful tasks! So, Trixie will show you something better." Trixie's horn began to glow again, as Twilight watched a gray dot appear in the air. In a second, the dot grew in size to a pebble, then a stone the size of her hoof, then the size of her, and larger still until a boulder even larger than the one Rarity had mistaken for a diamond months before landed with an earth-shattering crash between them. Twilight's mouth hung open as she looked from the boulder to Trixie, who hadn't so much as broken a sweat from the feat.

"Now, Twilight Sparkle, show your teacher The Great and Powerful Trixie," she pumped her front hooves into the air with flourish again, "what you can do with this!"

Twilight looked at the rock with trepidation, knowing just from its size how heavy it would be. She even had trouble lifting Tom, er, Rarity's rock. However, with a confident glower at it, summoned an aura around the rock. Gritting her teeth, she began the process of lifting it, only to be surprised at how light it appeared. Her face relaxed as she grinned at what she'd done. Trixie's face did not appear as amused. Downright stunned was more appropriate as the showmare's jaw hung open at the ease of which Twilight lifted the immense thing.

"Well that's certainly a start, Twilight Sparkle!" The blue unicorn stuttered, trying to not to let her surprise show. "But, allow your teacher to show you how it's done." Trixie adopted a confident smirk as her own horn lit up, an aura quickly spreading over the rock. The boulder now picked up off the ground quickly, as if it was light as a feather. Slowly, it lifted higher and higher in the sky, until it rested 10 meters in the air.

Twilight took her attention away from the boulder, positively floored at the unicorn's new power Casting a glance at Trixie, she seemed unfazed as she readjusted her hat and cloak. When did she get so…so…powerful?

Inside, Trixie was reeling. She continued to smirk confidently at Twilight who wasn't trying in the least to hide her awe. Doing her best to keep her leg's trembling as little as possible, Trixie ignored every muscle's demand to collapse and pass out. The showmare took in a large breath of air and boasted, "You look absolutely amazed at Trixie's talent and as well you should be! They don't call her the Great and Powerful Trixie for nothing!"

The door behind Twilight opened as a short purple dragon walked out, sporting a small welt on his forehead and carrying a piece of parchment. "Hey, Twi…," Spike was interrupted by a gigantic boulder falling just next to him. He leapt into the air in fright at the boulder's sudden and violent appearance. These lessons of hers are going to be the end of me! Spike thought. "T-Twilight, you've…you've got a letter from the princess!"

Twilight hadn't even noticed the rock falling. All of her thoughts were focused on the spectacle she had just witnessed. It wasn't until she heard 'princess' that she snapped out of her stupor. "Um, okay Spike…I'll just take it inside. Excuse me, Tri…Miss Trixie." Twilight followed Spike inside, glad to have a moment to recuperate.

How To Shoot Plates from Quite a Long Way Away

Both Twilight and Trixie were glad for the interruption Spike had provided. Trixie was barely able to stand after her display, using much of her magical reserves to impress her new student. Of course I succeeded! Such a...ugh, simple matter. Trixie collapsed to the ground as Twilight followed the baby dragon into the library.

As Twilight proceeded into the library, Trixie collected herself from the earlier display. I still can't believe it…Trixie had some tricks up her sleeve the last time, but not like that! The last time I saw her, she couldn't do more than mildly annoy an Ursa Minor. If she tried fighting one now…. Twilight grinned at the possibilities, not just of what Trixie could do, but what she could teach her. Twilight imagined that she could learn enough to perform any task in the library herself! Not that Spike would appreciate being put out of a job, though.

"Twilight! Hey! Twiiiiiii!" Twilight turned quickly to focus on the little dragon. She had been lost in thought for a few seconds.

"Oh, sorry, Spike. What did you need," asked Twilight as she shook her head to clear out thoughts of Trixie.

"To not be around when you're training," He looked past Twilight to the stone that remained embedded several inches into the ground. Twilight giggled innocently.

"Sorry, Spike, we'll try to be more careful."

"Yeah, sure. Anyway, you got a letter." Spike moved to Twilight's desk and picked up a rolled-up piece of parchment. Twilight undid the seal and read it out loud:

To my faithful student Twilight Sparkle,

I am pleased to hear your discoveries in the magic of friendship are leading you not only to discover new facts, but to re-evaluate and develop older ideas. As you no doubt know, examining our past, good or bad, can lead us to find new things about ourselves or those around us. Please continue to keep me posted on any more of your thoughts.
Unfortunately, this matter is not the only reason I write to you. Two days ago, I received news that the village of Winniana was attacked at around midnight by an Ursa Minor. Witnesses in the town reported seeing a pony leading it into the town, though no further details have been discovered. My finest guards are on the lookout for any evidence in the attack. Rest assured that Canterlot workers are doing their best to help repair the damage. Fortunately, no casualties or injuries have been reported as the town was evacuated safely.
I write to you, Twilight, to ask you to keep a lookout for any suspicious activities. I will keep you updated with any further information. Until then, continue your studies on friendship with a passively cautious eye around you.

Your Mentor,
Princess Celestia

P.S. You may wish to curtail Spike's enthusiasm when dictating your letters. He probably should refrain from recording your conversations in our letters.

"Oh no, Spike, did you hear that?"

"Yeah, but it's not my fault you're not clear whether you're dictating a letter or talking to me!" Spike whined.

"No, not that," The lavender unicorn rolled her eyes. "About Winniana! It's awful. At least nopony was hurt."

Spike nodded, "that's lucky, too! I mean, an Ursa Minor? We both know how dangerous they are."

Twilight thought back to her own encounter with an Ursa Minor. In fact, that was when she first met Trixie. Trixie…Could she be connected to this? Twilight cast a suspicious glance toward the door.

"Hey, Twilight, you thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?" Spike was looking in the same direction as her. "You know? New pony shows up right after this big attack by an Ursa Minor? Seems like good timing!"

"Yes, Spike, I thought of it," Twilight nibbled at her lip. Trixie was very arrogant, obnoxious, and downright rude, but the idea of her destroying a town with a vicious beast? "No, it couldn't have been her, Spike. Winniana is days away from here and Trixie showed up only the morning after!"

"Yeah, I guess you're right. But maybe you should see if anyone new has checked in to Ponyville recently?"

"Good idea, Spike. I'll see Pinkie Pie later today. If anyone is going to recognize a new face, it'd be her," she chuckled. Twilight made the mental note to check with the party mare later. Having resigned herself to meeting Pinkie later, she headed back outside where Trixie was waiting on the ground. "Trixie! Er, Miss Trixie!" Twilight had to resist the urge to giggle every time she referred to her by that moniker. Twilight's attempts to call the showmare fell on deaf ears, however. Well, sleeping ears anyway, as Trixie was curled, cocooned in her cape and hat. Seeing her, Twilight almost felt sorry to have to wake her up. How cute! Twilight had to stop for a second to ponder that particular thought; long enough to dismiss it, at any rate.

She stepped toward Trixie, extending a hoof to tap her awake. Before she made contact though, Twilight noticed Trixie's cutie mark was exposed. A small hole was torn into her cape. Maybe Rarity can sew that together later. Finally, Twilight prodded Trixie. She didn't so much drift awake charmingly as bolt onto her legs as if Twilight had stabbed her with a needle.

"Who dares awaken the Great and All-Powerful--Oh, it's you…" She lowered her eyelids in boredom at Twilight.

"What do you mean, 'it's you?' You're supposed to be teaching me, aren't you?"

"Of course I am! But the Great and Powerful Trixie grew bored waiting for you to decide to let her continue, so she allowed herself a quick rest to pass the time!" Trixie couldn't admit to Twilight her display had been exhausting. Fortunately, she was ready to continue after her brief respite. "Now, we shall continue! Our next lesson will be target practice!"

"Target practice?" Twilight looked dejected. "But aren't we going to continue with the levitation?"

Trixie may have felt better, but the thought of lifting that boulder again actually hurt her. "We would have, but Trixie is afraid your interruption didn't allow her any more time to teach you! You'll have to practice on your own tonight," she huffed.

Twilight groaned at the unicorn's scolding. She remembered again why the concept of being taught by Trixie sounded so unappealing. "Fine, target practice it is, then."

"Excellent! Now, let's not start off so slowly, lest we run out of time again!" Trixie shot an accusing glare at Twilight as she moved to the small case. Her horn glowing, Trixie set about levitating plates into a pile on the ground. She pulled plate after plate from it; so much that Twilight was sure the amount sitting on the ground now was impossible to fit in an even larger case than the blue unicorn had brought.

Where in Equestria did she get that case? Pinkie Pie? Twilight thought, eyeing the stack. However, she didn't have much time to wonder as Trixie fired 5 plates into the air. One by one, the plates shattered, as Trixie darted her head slightly, but quickly as she destroyed the targets in less than 3 seconds.

"Wow! Good job, Miss Trixie!"

"Yes, Trixie supposes that was one of her better attempts. Let's see how you can do?" With no more warning, Trixie's horn glowed again, sending 5 more plates into the air. Twilight barely had time to react, letting the plates go much farther away than they had with Trixie. Hah! Good luck with those, little unicorn. Even the Great and Powerful Trixie might experience slight diff-, however before she could finish that thought, all five plates shattered simultaneously.

Twilight grinned at her accomplishment, taking a gleeful pleasure in her accomplishment. "Wow, that wasn’t bad," Twilight giggled, allowing herself a bit of pride.

"W-Well, that's certainly a…a start, isn't it? I…Trixie would like to see you try even harder, though! Even a child could master target practice going that slowly!" Trixie could do little to hide her frustration as she lifted 5 more plates and threw them far faster than she had before. Within a second, the plates became little more than dots. Twilight ducked her head down, horn aglow; as Trixie watched the dots disappear instantaneously. She pulled a pair of binoculars from her case and looked to where the plates had been. On the ground were the remains of, Trixie estimated, five plates. Incredible! Maybe this pony does have something to show me after all.

That morning was spent Trixie launching more and more plates, each time Twilight effortlessly demolished them in the same way, missing only a few over the course of the session. If I was this good, maybe I could have--, "That's enough for today! Trixie will allow you the rest of day to yourself to recuperate for tomorrow! Yes, the Great and Powerful Trixie is indeed a benevolent teacher, but don't expect as much mercy tomorrow!"

Twilight mostly ignored Trixie's self-congratulating as she fell back onto her haunches. Spending hours destroying plates so precisely had taken it out of her. She accepted Trixie's dismissal without complaint. "No…No problem, Miss Trixie," she gasped as she pulled herself off her haunches, faintly noticing how the nickname came naturally from her. She looked back tiredly as she headed back into the library. "You coming," she asked Trixie.

"Just because Trixie allows you rest doesn't mean she is so lazy. She will remain out here!"

"Okay, just don't hurt yourself on all the shards." Twilight yawned as she proceeded into the library, closing the door behind her. At the moment Trixie heard the door shut, she felt a pang of something shoot through her heart, as she felt a wetness descend down her cheek.

Quickly, Trixie checked all around her for anyone. The morning had been very quiet, but it would be just her luck to have some pony catch her at a moment of weakness. Satisfied that no one was around, Trixie wiped the tears from her face, turning her attention back to the suitcase. What am I thinking…? "If I was this good?" Of course I'm that good! I am Trixie , the Great and…Powerful…. Trixie reassured herself as she lifted several plates, tossing them. Her horn glowed, but she failed to break any before they hit the grass completely intact. She began to walk toward them.

Why? I've spent all my life as the most powerful, most show-stopping unicorn in all of Equestria, but again I've found myself being bested by Twilight Sparkle. What's so great about her? Trixie stopped where the plates had landed. Using her magic, she levitated one plate, forcing it into hundreds of pieces. First that Ursa Major thing…, she broke another plate with her magic. No, that wasn't even an Ursa Major. Just a child! I couldn't even vanquish a child! Crash! Another plate fell into pieces. And on top of that, she can take out a speeding object no matter how fast or how far away!

The fourth plate broke under her powers. She lifted another with her magic. She felt the wetness in her face returning. This time, she didn't bother wiping it. She's embarrassed me again. Not only by somehow showing more talent than even I, but…, Trixie felt her cheeks grow hot. The plate she was holding shook and trembled under the pressure she placed on it, but it wouldn't break. Trixie groaned loudly, straining to destroy it but it wouldn't break. Finally, she tossed it onto the grass. The Great and Powerful Trixie will not be bested by that mare again! She raised her hoof, gritting her teeth and allowing the tears in her eyes to flow freely. I'll use her; become better than her! Then, I'll be rid of her in my thoughts for good!
Her hoof descended and violently crushed the plate, its crashing echoing in her ears. She brought up her hoof again, bringing it down once more. And again. I am not some pathetic filly to be shown up so easily, I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! Trixie felt her hoof slide out from under her, as she slipped on a plate shard. She collapsed onto the ground in a husk of tears, covering her face with her hooves and doing her best not to sob. Or not to sob loudly, at the very least.

Pony Royale!

For 2 days, Twilight trained under Trixie's strict tutelage vigilantly for several hours at 7:00 AM. The rough sessions went on until Twilight couldn't stand anymore. The lavender pony would stumble into the library after the sessions, her mind drained as she collapsed at her desk, attempting to stay awake by indulging in her research on various celestial bodies. Thanks to the mental strain, Twilight had to strain to focus on her studies, only being interrupted several hours later by Trixie's striding toward the basement stairwell sporting her usual cocky grin. This would make Twilight rub her temples in annoyance for three seconds before returning to her studies. However, today Trixie was over 2 hours later than usual.

For 2 days, Trixie had trained Twilight. It was her fourth evening in Ponyville as Trixie stumbled toward the library, her knees nearly giving out with each step, dizzy from the sheer amount of magic she expelled over the 4 or 5 hours she usually spent practicing after Twilight gave up. Trixie, not wanting to let Twilight in on the fact that she had to train so hard, told Twilight that she would be meditating behind the library. "Vigilant focus," she strained, "is the key to Trixie's incredible stamina!" Fortunately, Twilight was far too tired to join her in 'meditation,' so Trixie remained undisturbed each afternoon. She had spent each day working on the same techniques she had with Twilight in the morning. First, the target practice. The second training day, she attempted to lift greater and greater weight, eventually finding herself able to uproot and replant (as not to arouse suspiction) a 30-foot tall tree, albeit with great strain.

Today, Trixie had practiced weather manipulation. Trixie was afraid that such an unsubtle activity might attract not only Twilight's attention, but any pony nearby. Every pony had either not noticed Trixie or simply hadn’t said anything to her, but she didn’t want to risk that chance. Therefore, Trixie travelled a while away; a few miles outside of Ponyville would suffice. She had spent that day training in a forest clearing about 20 yards wide, decorated with numerous rocks and a patch of dirt in the center. There was plenty of space here to perform her weather magic without risking a forest fire. Because of the long walk, Trixie arrived back at the library two hours later than usual. As was her daily routine, before entering, Trixie gathered her strength, muttering to herself, “You are great and powerful, with more stamina than even the strongest pony could fathom!” When her legs finished their trembling, she slipped on the best grin she could muster. To help, Trixie always liked to imagine how much stronger she felt she had become in her training than Twilight had, that blasted, infernal, strong, cute-- Stop it! Great and powerful, stamina, better than Twilight Sparkle! Cuter than Twilight Sparkle, in fact. She felt her eyelids flutter instinctively at this thought before finally entering the room.

"Did you fall asleep out there?" Trixie heard from the purple unicorn as she entered the room in her usual cocksure idiom.

"Of course not! The Great and Powerful Trixie didn't earn her title by napping on the job like some ponies!" Her attempts at jabbing Twilight were acknowledged with a groan as Twilight rested her head on her hoof. "Trixie simply felt that she should be properly ready and focused for…for tomorrow!" Trixie quickly invented.

"Tomorrow? What's so special about tomorrow? Are you leaving already?" Asked Twilight, unsure rather this would be good or bad news. For her training, of course.

Oh, no...Well, I suppose it was going to come to this eventually. I had hoped to have a little more time, but… "Because, dear Twilight Sparkle, Trixie will be bestowing upon you the honor of dueling the finest magician in all of Equestria!" Trixie flourished at this self-imposed title, immediately regretting it as she felt a stabbing pain in all of her extremities. Ever a showmare, she did her best not to let it show, only a telltale gasp escaping. Fortunately, Twilight was too shocked at the news to notice.

"W-What?" Twilight felt her legs give out at the mere thought of dueling Trixie. As annoying as Trixie was, Twilight had to admit that she was not to be rivaled with. Not anymore, at least. She collapsed onto the floor, staring up at the now cackling unicorn.

"Haha! Trixie can see her generous offer has piqued your interest! She had hoped for it to be a surprise and it looks like that plan worked out beautifully!" Despite the pain she was feeling, Trixie had to giggle at Twilight's situation, her hooves spread out in four directions on the floor looking up at the blue showmare pitifully. It'd be funny if it weren't so pathetic, thought Trixie. She laughed anyway.

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The next morning at the usual time, though in a new location, Trixie and Twilight stood facing each other. The two ponies had left early to reach the secluded area that Trixie had used the day before. Twilight had a concerned look about her. Not only was she afraid of hurting Trixie, but Twilight didn't want to get herself injured. The night before, Twilight had agreed to the duel with little resistance, part of her wanting to teach the unicorn a lesson for her boasting, and while the rest of her felt guilty for such a thought, the temptation was too great as Twilight had spent the entire morning yesterday listening to Trixie rant about how Twilight was only showing a fraction of Trixie's skill. Now that her irritation with the other unicorn had passed, Twilight's reservations returned. The long walk had given her plenty of time to think, which only exacerbated things.

"Miss Trixie," by now Twilight had begun referring to her by this title on instinct and lest Trixie correct her in some annoying conceited way, "you know we don't have to fight! What do you want to accomplish?"

"Well, little pony, Trixie wishes to duel you to make sure she hasn't wasted her time these past few days! If you haven't learned anything, you're no longer worthy to be my student!"

"But, both of us could get hurt very easily! Trixie, I don't think I can do this…"

Last night, Trixie would have been overjoyed at Twilight's refusal. Trixie wouldn't have to fight Twilight and she would have shown her up simply by having Twilight practically beg her not to fight. Or as close to beg as she could get. However, after sleeping on the idea, Trixie became not only okay with dueling Twilight, but downright excited. "The duel must go on as planned, lest Trixie waste another day on you," Trixie attempted to goad Twilight, failing to turn her student's look of fear into anger. She decided to try to appeal to her scientific side.

"Look, think of it this way. By dueling The Great and Powerful Trixie, you can see how much you've improved! Don't look at this as a fight, but an…analysis!"

Twilight thought about this for a second. Well, it is logical to see what I've accomplished earlier on, just to make sure this is helping. What better way than an empirical evaluation of the data! I can record everything afterward, of course. Once again, Twilight's thoughts turned to the loud-mouthed magician's boasting and she began to feel the urge to give her what for again. Perhaps the scientific evaluation was just an excuse, but it was enough for Twilight to justify going through with the duel. "Okay, let's do it." Twilight spread her hooves, lowering her head, horn pointed at Trixie. Trixie adopted an identical pose.

"Trixie will try to go easy on you. Try not to become too distracted by her bedazzling moves!"

Each of the unicorn's horns lit up with their respective colors as they glowered at each other. For a moment, Twilight couldn't help but feel excited. Trixie felt her heart beat quickly at seeing Twilight’s determined look. Rather out of fear or admiration, she wasn’t sure, but she did know one thing: She was going to win.

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The first to make a move was Trixie. She began simply, picking up several small rocks behind Twilight and launching them one by one at the purple mare. Twilight felt the first of the rocks strike her flank, letting out a loud grunt at the pain. She quickly shot around, focusing on the remaining four rocks. Wise enough not to let Trixie have enough time to catch Twilight unawares as she turned from her, Twilight quickly used her magic to crush the rocks into fine particles simultaneously. Amazing! Twilight allowed herself a quick evaluation of her work. A week ago, those would have simply broken into smaller pieces. Grinding them down so easily, I can't believe it! However, Twilight didn't let her celebration last too long as she turned back to face Trixie.

"Good show! But this unicorn doesn't play by turns," announced the wizard as she manipulated even more rocks that sat behind Trixie this time. She used her magic to grab 20. Even Twilight Sparkle will have a hard time with these.

"Neither do I, Miss Trixie!" Twilight allowed herself a grin, as she focused on the new projectiles. She attempted to perform her new trick on all of them, but only succeeded in breaking them into smaller, sharper pieces. Oh no!
Stupid foal, thought Trixie, They would have hurt before, but those are sharp enough to kill her! Trixie tried to stop the rocks, but they were too fast.

Quickly, Twilight responded by bring up a magical shield, shattering the projectiles on impact with it. However, the shield left Twilight light-headed for a moment. They hadn't practiced it enough for her to become used to its wear on the mind. Trixie breathed a sigh of relief, but realized quickly she may not have to worry about injuring Twilight if she could protect herself so well. As Twilight came to, more rocks flew at her.

This time, Twilight had to leave her fate up to her athletic skills. Quickly jumping out of the way, the leading rock plummeted into the dirt, the glow leaving it as the other three shot up before impacting the ground. They continued their path toward Twilight. "Oh, come on, don't you know how to do anything other than throw rocks," Twilight teased, her voice displaying a hint of levity, which was mostly lost in her audible annoyance at Trixie's monotonous tactics.

"Why, yes, Trixie does know more. Creating explosives, for example!" Trixie screamed, provoked by the young girl’s taunting. Twilight didn't have more than a second to react to Trixie's threat before the three rocks burst, sending shrapnel and smoke in every direction. Trixie defended herself with a shield of her own. Though the shield drained her as well, Trixie didn't let it show, maintaining her cocky smirk. Twilight was only a few feet away from the rocks when they exploded, making Trixie's grenades very possibly a game-ender. Thinking fast, Twilight winked out of space for a split second with a purple flash. Trixie's smirk faded as she saw the flash, knowing what her student had done. Her smirk quickly reappeared, however, wider than before. This will be fun!

As the smoke cleared, Twilight was nowhere to be found. Trixie raised her guard, looking all around her. The lavender pony had used a teleportation spell, but to where? Was she attempting to escape entirely? No, Twilight looked too caught up in the battle to run away now. But if she wasn't escaping…Trixie noticed the trees nearby. The shrapnel had failed to penetrate any of them. And judging from where the rock exploded, Twilight couldn’t have been in front of the trees in the clearing itself.

Before she could put the pieces together, a vine stretched out from behind Trixie, entangling itself around her legs. She was caught so off-guard by it, Trixie didn't have time to move out of the way before it hog-tied her neatly. "I need to thank Applejack for teaching me that one," a giggling voice spoke from the direction of the vines. A familiar purple unicorn stepped out from behind the trees.

"You teleported behind the trees and used them like a shield!" Trixie sounded impressed. She was impressed in fact. "So, you've gained at least the ingenuity of a child. Trixie would expect no less from her student! But far, far more!"

"Well, whatever you expected, Trixie, I win. Looks like I have gotten a little stronger, huh?"

"Win? Oh, please! You may have entangled Trixie's legs in vine, but you will never have the escape ability of the Great and Powerful Trixie!" As she finished her sentence, Trixie's horn shone again. A puff of smoke appeared. Twilight, who had been approaching Trixie, was shocked by the suddenly-appearing cloud, gasped, inhaling some of the smoke. As she attempted to expel the smoke from the lungs, one eye peeped open toward where Trixie had been. As the smoke cleared again, this time Trixie had vanished.
"Oh, horseapples," Twilight swore as she coughed up the smoke, "It looks like she's stealing my trick now," Twilight muttered to herself.

"Not quite!"

The voice appeared from behind Twilight. As she turned to face the mare, all Twilight could glimpse was a blue flash.
"Trixie isn't so unoriginal or amateurish to copy such a bland maneuver!" This time, her voice was to Twilight's left. Again, Twilight turned to only be met with a flash of light. By now, Twilght was beginning to grow frustrated. If she was going to strike, now would be the time before Trixie decided to cease her taunting and attack. She closed her eyes and focused. Her horn illuminated a familiar purple. Trixie, who had by now reconstituted behind Twilight again, looked around at what she could be manipulating, but saw nothing. She must be attempting to teleport again. "Hah! Try as you'd like to outmatch Trixie's amazing skills, but you'll be bested in any area! Anything you can do…"

"I can do finer!" Out of the corner of her eye, Trixie finally noticed the luminescence of whatever Twilight was levitating. Sparkles seemed to float around nothing, as if Twilight was simply creating a light show. However, her chosen object became clear as the sprites moved together, creating a gray shroud surrounded by a fantastic purple light.

The rocks! She's grabbed the individual grains! Before Trixie could truly grasp what Twilight was planning, the shroud broke apart, flying at her, the rock grains attacking her face, sending dust and rock into her eyes. She felt her eyes tear up intensely as Trixie instinctively moved her hooves toward them in pain. "I’m blind! You've blinded Trixie! You nasty, brutish mare!"

Twilight didn't let her opportunity go to waste, tackling the panicking mare into the patch of dirt and rocks below her. Twilight landed on top of Trixie, her nose nuzzling Trixie's cape. The very light, thin silk did little to break her fall, but it at least felt better than landing her face directly on a rock. Quickly, Twilight moved her hooves toward two of the dazed mare's limbs, pinning her four legs with her own. As Trixie gritted her teeth tightly, her horn began to light. Twilight had no intention of letting her finish whatever spell or maneuver she had planned however. Twilight's own horn shined brightly as she brought it toward Trixie's. As they made contact, Twilight and Trixie both felt an intense shudder as the magical properties of each pony dueled internally. Each boasted an impressive amount of willpower as they felt their heads spinning and crashing, as if two metal balls were striking each other incessantly and without mercy.

Eventually, Twilight felt her dominance asserting itself as Trixie's magic yielded, becoming weaker and weaker. Finally, the intensity fell, a calm falling over Trixie. However, this wasn't a calm of relaxation, but one of surrender. She felt her magic completely drained. Trixie's eyes bolted open at the realization that Twilight Sparkle had rendered her completely impotent. At first, she felt a swelling of pride. Her own student had become strong enough to best even the Great and Powerful Trixie. However, her emotions caved at the shallow expression, realizing the façade in her own thoughts. She had been bested by Twilight Sparkle again. She was rendered useless once again. First, Trixie wanted to run away again. Then, as moisture began developing in her eyes as the realization came to her again, she wanted to cry. No, all I have left is my dignity, thought Trixie. I swear I won't give that up!

Trixie felt the tears diminish as she forced a smile, lowering her face and expression into one with ever so much of a hint of anger. She finally brought her attention away from her own situation and focused on Twilight Sparkle, who had a look of confusion on her face, accompanied by a red mark on her cheek. Trixie looked down at her own body, momentarily wondering what would cause Twilight to have such a look. As she realized their position, feeling Twilight's hooves against her own, Trixie matched Twilight's expression.

Twilight looked down at her fallen opponent. Trixie's face changed emotion several times over the course of a few seconds, but eventually ended with a look of surrender. Indeed, even in defeat Trixie still managed to look smug. I can't win with this pony! I dodge her attacks, she's smug. I tackle her, she's smug. I hold her down and…pin her legs on the ground and…. Twilight felt her cheeks burn red hot. The position she held her ‘teacher’ in was bad enough, but the only thought that could come to Twilight's mind now was: Gosh, she has soft skin. Sweaty, obviously, but so…

Immediately, the gravity of their situation sank in. She saw Trixie match Twilight's own intense blush. Twilight's expression changed again as her mouth contorted into a mixture between a frown and a smile and her hooves went stiff, falling onto her back, hooves straight into the air.

It's true that Twilight Sparkle is powerful, but why must she be so cute at any other time? Trixie sighed to herself, catching her smile before it turned from one of smug defiance into one of surrendering contentment.

Search Party!

It had taken the two an extra half-hour to make their way back to the library as they both plodded their way along lazily, exhausted from the battle. Well, Twilight was plodding, anyway. Trixie appeared in perfect condition, insisting that she move at Twilight's pace to keep a close eye on her. "Trixie wouldn't want her own student being attacked before making it back!" Unbeknownst to Twilight however, it was all Trixie could do to keep her usual arrogant demeanor about her as Trixie was even more tired than Twilight, having spent most of her power on top of being tackled to the ground.

After they made it back Twilight only took an hour or so to rest, leaving again that evening to Sugarcube Corner. The evening rush had just ended as Twilight walked past several ponies leaving the shop holding with their teeth bags of pastries. Twilight entered the store, immediately greeted by Pinkie's rump behind the counter. Looking around it, Twilight saw a poofy pink mane stuck in a crate that sat about knee-high. "Um…Hi, Pinkie."

Twilight heard a muffled gasp as the pink pony quickly stuck her head up from the crate, turning her attention to Twilight. Before speaking, Pinkie ran her tongue over her face, licking off the icing that covered it. "Hi, Twilight! Want a cupcake?"
Twilight often wondered how Sugarcube Corner managed to make a profit while Pinkie pilfered its stock like this. "No, no thanks, Pinkie. I just came to…" Before she could finish telling the earth pony why she was there, Twilight was interrupted by a loud, drawn-out gasp.

"Twilight, what in Equestria happened to your flank?"

"What?" Twilight was confuse at first, but as she looked at her flank, noticed a little blood had gathered. She must not have noticed the damage that first rock had done. "Oh, it's nothing, no big deal!" Twilight covered, not wanting to give away that she had been training with Trixie. The fewer ponies who knew about Trixie being there, the less drama there would be. She didn't exactly leave Ponyville on particularly friendly terms. Trixie had even asked her to not advertise her presence.

"That's not nothing, silly! I know what that is!" Twilight prepared to debunk whatever claim Pinkie was about to make without fingering Trixie. "That's from a party, isn't it? Did you have a party without inviting me? Le gasp! How could you, Twilight?" Pinkie's eyes began to well with tears as she stuck her face in closer to Twilight's.

"What? No, of course not! You know I'd never have a party without letting you know!" Well, not anymore, thought Twilght, remembering Pinkie's last birthday. "I promise, a bookcase had fallen over again and I was nicked by it, that's all," Twilight assured her. What kind of party ends with this sort of injury, anyway? Twilight thought to herself, a bit bothered by the possibilities of the kinds of parties Pinkie apparently attended.

Pinkie Pie seemed to accept her explanation as her face went from sadness and desperation to confusing to an understanding smile, which grew brighter into her usual smile. "Okie-dokie-lokie! You should be careful, Twilight! Rough-horsing in the library isn't a very good idea," she warned cheerfully.

"Yeah, right, thanks," Twilight chuckled nervously, relieved that Pinkie Pie accepted her explanation. "As I was saying, I came to see if you'd seen any new ponies around in Ponyville."

"New ponies," Pinkie Pie repeated, bringing her hoof up to her chin, attempting to recall any new faces. "Well, I don't remember seeing anypony new, and you know me Twilight, I know every pony in Ponyville! If there's somepony new to see, I'd know it because I don't know them and if I didn't know them, I'd throw them a 'Welcome to Ponyville' party, then you'd know because I would have invited you to it!"

"O-Okay, so no pony new, thanks Pinkie!" Twilight attempted to calm Pinkie Pie, pushing her front hooves forward in a 'please don't worry about it' gesture.

"Why do you ask, Twilight? Is Trixie looking for somepony?"

"No, she—Wait, how do you know Trixie's here?" Twilight asked, shocked at Pinkie's knowledge.

"I saw her behind the library doing magic!"

"Wait, Pinkie Pie, I thought you said you hadn't seen any new ponies around?"

"Well, duh, Trixie isn't a new pony, Twilight, we all know who she is!" Pinkie pointed this out as if it were obvious.

"Um…Of course. So, why didn't you say anything if you knew she was there?"

"Well, since Trixie was at the library, I figured you knew she was there. So I thought, 'why would Twilight hide Trixie's showing up?' and I came to the conclusion that you were planning a surprise party! But then you came in today and I thought you already had it and didn't invite me, but now—"

"What, surprise party?" Twilight interrupted. "I'm not planning a surprise party! I just didn't say anything for Trixie's sake.”

"Oooh! Then can I plan a surprise party? No wait, if you know I'm planning it, it won't be a surprise! I'm not planning a party, where’d ya get that idea, huh Twilight?" Pinkie now had her left eye squinted in suspicion at the purple unicorn.

"Oh, Pinkie you don't need to go to all the trouble of a party," Twilight tried to convince her to give up her idea.

"What?" Pinkie acted shocked. "Who said anything about a party? But if a pony WERE planning a party, what would the party guest want for her coming out party?"

"Well, any kind of cake woul—wait, a WHAT party?" Twilight yelled incredulously.

"Silly, what other reason would Trixie not want to tell any pony she was living with you! Oh, and congratulations Twilight!" Pinkie nudged Twilight with her elbow, giving the unicorn a wink.

Twilight felt a familiar heat on her face as she raised her hoofs in denial. "No! No, you've got the wrong idea completely! We didn't want to tell any pony because we were afraid they'd still be upset with her after last time! We're not dating, no way! Not at all! No, sir!"

Pinkie's beaming face dropped, becoming disappointed at the news. "Okie-dokie-lokie…" She spoke dejectedly. "Can I still plan a surprise party?"

Twilight felt a bit bad for spoiling the pink pony's fun. She winked at Pinkie, "What party?" This was met with confusion.
"A party for Trixie, of course!" Her confusion was exasperated as she watched Twilight bring her hoof to her face.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Twilight returned home for the second time that day. So, no new ponies other than Trixie have shown up. Then that must mean whoever attacked Winniana hasn't come by. Even if some pony had passed through, Pinkie would've known. Speaking of Trixie, what did Pinkie mean when she said she saw Trixie performing magic? Trixie had told me that she was meditating. Why would she lie about that? Immediately, the morning's events sprang to Twilight's mind. She thought that she had noticed something strange when she beat Trixie, like she was disappointed. But why would she be disappointed? Wasn't the whole point to see if I had gotten better? Then the realization hit her and a part of her felt bad for not having noticed before. Of course. She must still be attached to what happened last year. But if she wanted to become stronger, why didn't she just come to me? Oh, well, like her pride would have let her. That pony is so stubborn! Twilight made a mental note to confront Trixie later about her secret training.

When Twilight arrived home, Spike was waiting for her. "Hey, Twilight! You got another letter from Princess Celestia."

"Thanks, Spike," Twilight took the letter, looking around the room. "Hey, where's Trixie?"

"Oh, I dunno. I saw her leave the library earlier, but she hasn't come back."

Hmm, no doubt she's left to train by herself some more…Trixie… Twilight found herself becoming concerned for Trixie. She hoped the prideful unicorn wouldn't wear herself down. Shaking Trixie out of her mind, Twilight turned her attention to the new letter.

My Dearest Student Twilight Sparkle,

I promised to keep you updated on the Ursa Minor attack in Winniana. The town has spent the last week rebuilding, but even with help from most of the townsponies, repairs are slow-going. Only about half of the destroyed town has been reconstructed.

The investigation has turned up new evidence: a piece of torn purple cloth near the Ursa Minor's cave. We have been able to make little out of it, so I've sent it to you. All we've gathered is that it's made of a particularly expensive silk, though it's not rare enough to narrow down more than 20 cities that sell the material. If you can determine anything from it, please don't hesitate to help the investigation. The smallest bit helps.

Your mentor,
Princess Celestia.

"Oh! I almost forgot!" Spike ran upstairs and came back down several seconds later holding the purple cloth. Indeed, it did seem to have been torn from something. Twilight felt the cloth thoroughly and almost immediately felt her heart sink.

"Oh, Spike…I know where this is from. I recognize it from feeling it earlier today. This is from Trixie's cape!" Twilight recalled seeing the cape's hole the other day. "Spike, I didn't want to believe it, but I think Trixie is the one who led the Ursa Minor into Winniana!"

Twilight's sorrow turned into a feeling of betrayal quickly as her brow furrowed in anger. That Trixie…she used me as a way to hide! I can't believe her…I have to tell Princess Celestia. Twilight began to tell Spike to take a letter, but stopped as she opened her mouth. "Spike, have you noticed anything strange about Trixie?"

"Strange? I think there's a lot strange about that pony. But I guess if you're asking if she's acting out of the ordinary…Oh! Just yesterday, when she came in late! I went downstairs to talk to her. I was afraid that one of you would get hurt in a fight, so I wanted to talk her out of it. But when I went to open the door, I heard her…" Spike paused.

"Heard her what?" Twilight asked, leaning in out of suspense.

"I think she was crying…"

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Trixie trotted confidently into her room, still laughing at Twilight's adorable shock at her challenge. That pony will never know what hit her! I'm far stronger than I was last time, taking care of her will be no problem for the Great and Powerful Trixie! She closed the door as she entered her room. No problem at all! Unless…Unless she can hit me with her shot magic…or throw me into a tree… Trixie's confidence began to shatter as she listed off more ways Twilight could possibly defeat her. As the list grew longer, Trixie felt a sobering reminder of just how truly afraid she was to challenge the pony. She had planned to take Twilight on eventually, but not after 3 days!

No! Why am I concerned? I'm strong enough to stop any of those things from happening! I am the Great and Powerful Trixie! No pony can beat me! Nothing can beat me! Suddenly, she felt a pang of regret as she swallowed her words. Nothing but an…Oh…Oh, Celestia, what have I done? Trixie's cocky attitude broke. Even to herself, she could no longer boast her abilities. When placed in danger, Trixie had needed Twilight to save her. How…How can I say I'm so great and powerful when I need that pony to save me so much? At this, Trixie noticed that tears had begun falling from her eyes again. For the second time in 4 days, Trixie found herself unable to suppress her sobs to less than a quiet sound.

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

"I don't know why, Twilight, but Trixie was crying, I'm sure of it! It's sounded just like when I…when I hear other ponies cry, is what!" Spike covered, averting his eyes and rubbing his neck. Twilight was too astonished at the idea of Trixie, the most boisterous, arrogant, sure-hoofed pony she'd known, even more than Rainbow Dash herself, breaking down in such a way to notice Spike's near confession.

"Spike, let's hold off on writing back to the Princess. Maybe Trixie should have a chance to explain herself." It had better be a good explanation though, thought Twilight as her pity began to morph again.

Memories & Regrets

Trixie, The Great and Powerful, awoke behind the library. Looking around her, she saw piles of sand scattered around her. She took a minute to remember what had happened, finally recalling that she had been attempting to grind rocks down to powder, which she had been successful at, and manipulating the remaining grains, which hadn't worked so well. The concentration and focus it took to even manipulate two of such an incredibly tiny, discreet particle had been immensely difficult. Before she knew it, her magic had drained completely at the attempts and, combined with the fatigue from the earlier fight, she had lapsed into unconsciousness.

It was evening, the sun setting behind the trees and lighting the sky a burning orange. Celestia was hard at work while Trixie rested. The blue unicorn stood up, yawning and stretching. Fortunately, she felt a little better than she usually did after training. At least maintaining her confident attitude would be easy enough. Trixie circled around the tree. She brought her trademark cocky smile to her face, propping her face up as she opened the door with her magic. She had expected to find Twilight at her desk working as usual. Instead, Twilight stood in the center of the room, her face twisted into a dark stare. That look of anger made Trixie's stomach turn in both fear and guilt. However, she didn't let it show. "Trixie sees you're taking a break, Twilight Sparkle! You'll never become as Great or Powerful as her that way!"

Twilight's face remained unchanged. Instead of responding, Twilight levitated an item from the desk, though the dull evening light gave Trixie a hard time recognizing it as a piece of her cape. As she brought it further toward Trixie, the knot in her stomach tightened. No, how…How did she find that? There was no hiding her fear from Twilight now as she unconsciously bit her lip, her brow betraying her, letting Twilight know that she at least partly understood the gravity of this revelation. Still, she attempted to play dumb. "What is that thing, Twilight Sparkle and why are you shoving it in Trixie's muzzle like this?"

"I think you know what this is, but let's confirm that together, shall we?" Twilight uttered coldly as she moved the cloth down Trixie's body, stopping at her flank. A bead of sweat fell down the top of Trixie's head as Twilight again found the hole in Trixie's cape. She forcefully shoved the piece onto the hole. "Oh look, it fits." Twilight spoke, unsurprised. "But what doesn't fit is how you made it here from Winniana in such a short amount of time. How did you manage that, Trixie?" She refused to refer to Trixie with such a respectful moniker as 'miss,' finding no more humor in it.

Still, Trixie feigned ignorance. "Trixie couldn't possibly have, you know that as well as she does! Now cease these infernal accusations!" This was met with a sigh.

"Oh, you could have. Please don't make me explain what happened to you myself."

"Well, Trixie is afraid you'll have to! For once, you're far above her head!" Trixie bit her lip harder. She knew she had been found out, but Trixie had become more fearful at being faced with the truth of what had occurred. Please don't, you can't know what I've done! You can't!

"Trying to make a fool of me won't help you, Trixie. And I'm not speaking above your head." The purple pony disappeared with a flash, causing a startled gasp from Trixie. Her voice reappeared behind Trixie as the magician turned quickly. She was met with Twilight's face uncomfortably close to hers. "And I thinking you know where I'm going."

"N…No…" Trixie begged, "Please, it's not true."

"I can't travel particularly far with my teleportation. I just haven't had the practice. Surprisingly enough, I haven't found a real reason to spend the time getting better with it. But you, being such a nomad…" It was Twilight's time to flourish as she pointed a hoof at Trixie's chest, pushing her backwards, toward the center of the library. Twilight kicked the door closed behind with her a slam and locking it with her magic.

"Please…not so loud, you…you wouldn't want to wake Spike!" Trixie tried to calm Twilight in any way possible.

"No, I won't. He's spending the night at Rarity's tonight. It's only you and me. As I was saying, you have a reason to know long-range teleportation. What’s more impressive to a crowd than promising a rare flower from the next city over and returning mere minutes later?" Twilight had pushed the other into the wall, but wasn't relenting. Trixie nearly attempted to climb the wall to get away. Feeling trapped, her eyes began to water, but she blinked the tears out of existence.

"No, Trixie is not…She can't do that!"

"Sure, Winniana is a few days away, but with a good amount of magic and a few hours, a skilled pony like you could've performed the task fairly easily."

"…You think Trixie is…skilled?" Trixie meekly asked, half-flattered, but halfway just trying to change the subject.
Her attempts were only met with anger. "Trixie!" Twilight stood on her back legs, pushing her hooves toward the wall behind Trixie, pinning her against it, leaning in closer. "You've been keeping secrets from me and you've been lying to me. I know about your secret training, I know about the Ursa Minor attack, and I know that you are the one responsible for it. So stop lying to me and tell me why! Why did you lead that Ursa Minor to attack that city? Did they cast you out, too? Were you jealous of another unicorn? Why?" Twilight made no effort to hide her emotions as tears welled in the corners of her eyes. She felt betrayed by Trixie. While she didn't think Trixie had become more humble, she didn't believe that Trixie could do something so terrible. She had defended Trixie and was only rewarded with half-truths and outright lies.

Twilight was just beginning to let her tears build, but Trixie was already shedding them, mostly out of fear, but partly out of guilt. She knew that Twilight was right. No more…I can't lie to her anymore…I need to…to stop hurting her. "You're right, Twilight…" Trixie finally admitted, casting her eyes downward, letting her shoulder slump. She couldn't look the hurt pony in the eye while she confessed her guilt. "It was me, I'm the reason that town was destroyed."

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Trixie had spent the last months continuing her travels. After being kicked out of Ponyville and abandoning her stage, Trixie had needed to work without her materials. Just surviving without her makeshift home was hard as she had spent more than her fair share of nights being rained on with the nearly-nonexistent cover of a tree failing to protect her as she tried to sleep. Trixie still moved from town to town, performing for the ponies of Equestria. But it never felt quite the same since the disaster in Ponyville. She lost her passion somehow, no longer able to boast her talents with any less than a pinch of self-loathing at each brag. Somehow, the ponies loved her. Well, not her, but her far out stories and tricks had entertained them enough to give Trixie enough bits to survive.

After another successful performance, Trixie collected her bits and thought of the one thing she had been thinking about since being run out of Ponyville all that time ago: Twilight Sparkle. After she defeated that Ursa Minor, Trixie had to admit that Twilight had done something even the Great and Powerful Trixie had failed to. She defeated that great beast without any help at all. Meanwhile, Trixie could barely give it a burn. Since then, Trixie spent every day without a performance hard at work. She practiced her weight-lifting, her focus, and her weather control with great vigilance. All of this led to greater crowds and more money. At one point, Trixie even stayed an extra night in one town to play in their theatre.
Still, no matter the praise that was paid to her, no matter how many ponies gathered to see her, and no matter how many towns she would walk into to be met with excitement from ponies who heard from the neighboring areas about the Great and Powerful Trixie, she felt unfulfilled, never able to rid herself of that guilt that accompanied each boast, each trick, and each cheer.

Trixie left the town at 9:00 PM. All of the hotels were filled from travelers coming to see her show. Between leaving then and hiding in a dark alley and trying to sleep, Trixie decided to move on to the next town. After travelling for a few hours, Trixie felt her legs becoming weary. Coming across a cave, she lit her horn to explore and make sure it was clear before lying down for the night. However, she didn't get far before she found herself face to face with a sleeping giant. She recognized it immediately, quickly slamming her hooves to her mouth to stop her screaming. It was an Ursa Minor! Trixie let the light out to prevent it from waking. Turning around, Trixie crept away quietly.

Nearing the edge of the cave, though, Trixie felt a different pang. This time, it was her pride. Trixie had let Twilight Sparkle defeat that Ursa Minor before, but since then Trixie had trained diligently. She had grown much stronger since then. That pony…I'm better than she is! I know it! Anything she can do, I can do better and if she can send an Ursa Minor back to sleep, I can easily do the same! Fueled by her bitterness, Trixie turned back toward the slumbering beast. She breathed in slowly, standing on her hind legs as she prepared herself.

"Ursa Minor, prepare to be vanquished by the Great and Powerful Trixie!" She screamed loudly. A few seconds later with no response, Trixie prepared to yell again when the cave shook with a vicious roar. I…I think I did it! Trixie thought with a touch of nervousness. She stepped back away from the cave, waiting for it to emerge. The blue beast came out from the cave with an angry look, looking around for the creature that woke looked just how Trixie recognized it in the moonlight, its yellow eyes and red pupils searching for its target. Its coat was a bright blue, covered in stars, with the brightest and largest appearing on its forehead. Spotting Trixie, it roared again. The fear from her first encounter with one of these beasts came rushing back, but Trixie pushed it back. I can do this! Anything Twilight Sparkle can do…

Trixie began by 'shooting' the bear. She had practiced with clay pots and rocks before and felt that she had become stronger and more accurate from the practice. However, the invisible projectiles seemed to have no effect at all! The Ursa Minor scratched where she had fired before raising its claw. Trixie brought her shields up instinctively, but to no avail as the monster's claw crashed through it, sending Trixie into a nearby tree. Dazed, Trixie hit the ground, but stood back up as quickly as she could manage. With great effort, Trixie lifted a nearby boulder, slamming it into the Ursa Minor. It roared and stumbled back in pain as the rock broke apart into hundreds of pieces. Trixie tried to grab one of the new pieces, but they didn't move! As she tried harder, her vision began to fade. Her power was running out. The Ursa Minor regained its strength, heading toward her. She tried to summon a storm, a stronger one, but if picking up a rock was impossible, the storm wasn't happening. Trixie couldn't even gather a cloud the size she had back in Ponyville. The Ursa Minor raised its claw again as Trixie panicked. Her horn illuminated as she used the last reserves of her strength to vanish, but she only made it a few feet. The flash attracted the Ursa Minor's attention in the woods ahead of it as he gave chase. Trixie ran as quickly as she could in her weakened state. The beast ran through the forest easily, knocking over trees. It came closer, saliva dripping from its frothing mouth!

Finally, Trixie spotted something. Something made of brick. A house! She was near a town! A newfound motivation caught her as she ran faster. It wasn't long before she found herself on the streets of a new city. She recognized the town as Winniana, having played for them months before. Fortunately, at such a late hour, Trixie didn't see any pony in town. The Minor was still on her tail. She travelled down alley after alley, hoping to lose it and after a few side streets, she did. Trixie let out a sigh of relief, but it was short-lived as she heard a roar, crash and a scream. Now the Ursa Minor turned its anger on the town! But what could Trixie do? She ran. She ran as away from the town as she could.

Hours later, she recovered her strength. She had to find somewhere to hide, but any pony would finger the newcomer once they heard about this attack. Once they realized a Minor wouldn't attack a town for no reason. She collapses onto her haunches as she planned out her next move. She felt a draft across her flank, despite her cloak. Looking down, she saw a rather large hole in her cloak. It must have torn when that creature hit me! Blast! Never mind it; I need to find somewhere to stay!

Once again, a lavender unicorn popped into her head. She gritted her teeth in anger. Oh, not now, I can't think of her anymore! I…no, wait…

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"Trixie realized that you, Twilight Sparkle, were some pony that might give her some place to hide. In all of Equestria, you're the closest thing Trixie has to a friend…" Trixie wiped away a tear. They had been falling heavily as she recanted her story. "So, once she…" Trixie choked, the story's impact affecting her more and more, "once I recovered my strength, I did just what you thought." Trixie looked at Twilight, who had unpinned Trixie from the wall and stepped back several feet. She expected a look of anger and rage from Twilight for what she had done. Instead, she found concern in the unicorn's eyes.

"Oh, Trixie. Why did you have to try to take on that creature by yourself? You…You could have died! You nearly did!" Twilight's fear for Trixie's safety led her to forget about the consequences of her mistake if just for a minute. The tears that had welled in her eyes finally fell at the daunting prospect of Trixie's death at the hands of the creature or indeed any creature. Seeing Twilight's sorrow inspired Trixie to move toward Twilight tentatively. She began to carefully reach out a hoof to comfort her, but was surprised to feel Twilight pull Trixie into a hug, bringing them both down onto their haunches as she silently held the blue magician. Trixie could feel Twilight's body tremble, but calm down as Trixie returned Twilight's affection. Finally, after what felt like hours, though still not long enough for Trixie, Twilight pulled back, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Twilight…I'm sorry but to hide wasn't the only reason I came to you." Trixie spoke uneasily. "I spent so much time training, but I still couldn't match your skills. I was still utterly conquered by that Ursa Minor. So, when I thought of you, I also knew that I could learn from you. But my foolish pride wouldn't let me, so I thought of a way to study your magical talents without letting you know I wanted your help. That's why I told you I wanted to teach you. But when I saw you surpass every expectation I had already, being able to lift that boulder and still be ready for more, destroying those plates for hours like it was child's play…It made me realize how much more powerful you are than me. So, I kept training without your knowledge.

"Trixie, you used me to help you grow stronger? You know you could've asked, there's no shame in asking a friend for help."

"I know, but…friend?" Trixie eyed Twilight curiously. "But…"

"Trixie, after the time we spent together, I thought we were friends. Maybe not the best of friends, but nonetheless…but knowing this…I thought I could trust you. Trixie, you know losing a friend's trust is the fastest way to lose a friend."
Trixie's eyes drifted down toward the floor. She had earned her rival and object of admiration's friendship without even realizing it, and she'd already lost it. "Twilight, I'm so sorry…"

Twilight stood, turning her back on Trixie, who remained sitting on the ground. "You know I'm actually already a student. I never told you, but I'm Princess Celestia's star pupil," Twilight said, a hint of pride in her voice. This news was an incredible shock to Trixie.

"W-What? If the Princess made you her student, then she must have had a reason. Then, you had all that magical talent from the beginning? I never had any chance…"

"It's true that I started out strong. In fact, when Princess Celestia made me her student, it was because the baby dragon I hatched grew tall enough to punch a hole in the castle! She made me her pupil to help me develop my powers under her own guidance. She felt that my potential was strong enough to be nurtured so carefully. So, I became her student. But that's not the only reason I'm strong today. I studied really hard because I love magic. I love researching it, its history, performing it, I love everything about it."

Trixie interrupted Twilight's thoughts. "But I studied magic mostly to become recognized and famous. You did it for love, I just wanted glory," she said morosely, shame covering her words.

"That's not the only reason. I could never have accessed my full potential without some pony to guide me. Without Princess Celestia or my friends, I'd probably have just been another filly in school, unaware of what I could really do." Twilight finally turned around to Trixie, a smile across her face. "Sometimes we need a friend to help us, even some pony who thinks they're the queen of Equesria!"

"Twilight…" Trixie moved her gaze up to Twilight's eyes. They shone brightly with confidence and generosity, a look Trixie could never have pulled off before.

"Go back to Winniana tomorrow and help the ponies there rebuild. Apologize to every pony there and take responsibility. Then, you will come back here and apologize to the ponies of Ponyville. If you do all this and they accept your words, then you'll have earned back my trust. And earning a ponies trust is the fastest way to earn a friend."

Trixie experienced a full spectrum of emotions, but not one was of offense, as she may have experienced long ago at being told to take responsibility for her actions. She beamed, standing back up on her hooves. "Thank you, Twilight. I'll do everything I can to make up for what I did. Then, I'll be back once I've earned the chance to prove myself." Twilight watched Trixie gallop downstairs, where she remained for the rest of the night.

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The next morning Trixie had packed what she had brought and was on her way out. Twilight stood by the door, waiting for the unicorn. "Do the best you can, Trixie. And be careful this time." Twilight teased.

"I will be," Trixie smiled back. "And thank you for everything. I'll…miss you, Twilight Sparkle." Trixie thought she noticed Twilight's face flush for a second.

"Now, go on. I'll see you when you get back." Trixie moved out the door, beginning her trip back to Winniana. She stopped to prepare her teleportation spell, but before she could, she heard Twilight again. "And when you come back and we're friends again…," Twilight’s voice drifted off as a blush came to her face. Realizing her pause, she cleared her throat, “Well, just come back, ok?” Trixie nodded understandingly and turned away from her. Trixie’s smile was wider than ever before as she vanished in a blue flash.

A Lesson in Forgiveness and Honesty

Twilight spent the evening reading a book in the middle of the library. Spike had spent the day helping Twilight reorganize the library, so the sleepy baby dragon was splayed on her back, snoozing as his arms hung off of her. Twilight smiled at his content snoring, turning her neck around to peck his forehead, causing Spike to mutter and squirm in his sleep. She thought she noticed him flush, "…No problem, Rarity…Glad to help…out…" He drifted back into silence.

A knock came at the door. It had been two weeks since Trixie had left, so Twilight expected her back sometime soon. Therefore, Twilight found herself waiting for Trixie, not entirely sure why she was so excited but giving herself over to it anyway. She didn't want to struggle with her feelings alone, anyway. So, whenever a knock came at the door for a week, Twilight had followed the same routine. She would leap from where she currently was, even if she was standing, dashing toward it as she opened the door with her magic. Invariably, however, the visitor was someone else, causing Twilight to skid to a stop dejectedly and mutter, "Oh…" More often than not this led to the offense of the visitor, causing Twilight to apologize profusely, especially in the case of Princess Celestia's visit six days ago.

On that day, the Princess had gone to Twilight to discuss the events of the past weeks. Twilight had enthused about her magical prowess while Celestia updated her on Canterlot. During their conversation, Winniana had come up and Celestia told Twilight about the progress and how it had increased dramatically since Trixie's arrival. She expected reconstruction to be complete by that night. Twilight had asked Celestia what she planned to do with Trixie. Of course, being the benevolent guardian she was, she planned to release Trixie on her own cognizance, believing that the pony she met in town had changed a great deal from the one Twilight described last year. Twilight told the princess about her idea to teach Trixie, to which she smiled knowingly. "I see. I think that's a wonderful idea, Twilight."

So, as Twilight heard the door, she sprang into action, not having lost her enthusiasm despite the numerous disappointments. Spike flew up and crashed to the ground in response, but remained undisturbed aside from a light, "Ow, not so hard…" Twilight galloped toward the door a final time as her horn lit up and the door flew open.

Trixie arrived at the library that evening, tired from having used her magic so much that day. Not only did it take quite a few teleportation spells to make it back, she had been exhausted from performing what had become her daily duty for the last time. The town had actually been rebuilt five days ago but Trixie had stayed behind. There were still many ponies in the town hospital, whose injuries Trixie felt responsible for. While weeks ago, she might not have spared them much of a thought, now seeing them laid up in their beds caused an overwhelming sense of guilt in her.

She decided then to see the ponies' recovery through and help them along. And the best idea she had was to grant them a special performance every day. The earth ponies were amazed by all of her tricks as they were gathered outside of the hospital. For an hour each day, they watched her bedazzle them, Trixie neither expecting nor accepting compensation for her efforts. When her audience of injured ponies changed from 20 injured ponies to a full crowd of healthy ponies, Trixie announced her exit as the crowd cheered her, following the pony out of town and yelling their goodbyes. Trixie walked away happier than she had been in months. The self-loathing and guilt she had previously felt when she performed vanished and was replaced by a sublime feeling of warmth and generosity. This feeling gave her strength, carrying her spell after spell back to Ponyville. When she finally arrived, she was tired but in a very good way. Besides that, she was very excited to see the lavender librarian no doubt waiting inside.

Because of this, when the door slammed open 2 seconds after she knocked and a purple blur crashed into her, knocking Trixie to the ground in a joyful embrace, she didn't mind as much as she normally would have. Instead, Trixie returned the favor, wrapping her front hooves around her friend who was smiling into and nuzzling her chest. "Welcome home, Trixie!"

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Later in the day, Twilight and Trixie went to the café to have lunch. Twilight had asked Pinkie Pie to gather every pony in Ponyville an hour, so they were killing time until the crowd appeared. The two found themselves in town square, seeing that Pinkie had done her job in record time as dozens and dozens of Ponies stood waiting for the show a strange pink pony had promised them. The sight gave Trixie pause at the sheer number. "Um, Twilight, that's a lot of ponies. And they probably still hate me. Is that not a problem?"

Twilight chuckled, "Don't worry, you're not going to get up there only to have some pony yell, 'you're a liar!’ Or anything like that” Twilight's eyes trailed off as she mimicked a particularly obnoxious voice. "It'll be fine, just speak from the heart. Oh, and try not to brag about anything," She winked trying to lighten the mood with a joke. It appeared to work as Trixie gave her a smile and walked up to the podium as Twilight joined her friends in the center of the crowd.

As she opened her mouth, Trixie thought she heard several whispers throughout the crowd. The voices gave her pause, causing her to stall as a few more voices began. Focus. I can do this. It's just like a show. And what am I better at than showing off? Trixie closed her eyes as she imagined the crowd in a new light. Rather than seeing ponies that had been unceremoniously called to the town square for a pony that mocked them long ago, see saw them as a curious audience dazzled by the beautiful pony, demonstrating a magical prowess to match Celestia herself. A bit exaggerated, but for once in a long time Trixie allowed herself to take confidence and pride in her abilities. She kept this image in mind as she spoke. Now her words would be her spells.

"Citizens of Ponyville! I came to you one year ago with promises of incredible feats of magical skill and stories to rival the ancient legends of the Goddesses themselves. Instead, I brought lies and parlor tricks. I embarrassed this town with my own arrogance and even harmed and shamed its citizens. I was the cause of influencing young minds to believe my words without question, resulting in what could have been disastrous consequences, save for the intervention of a single pony." Trixie found Twilight in the crowd, attentively watching her with some other familiar ponies. She shot her a grateful grin before continuing.

"I was once the Great and Powerful Trixie. But today, I'm no more great or powerful than I was then, and even then I didn't deserve that title. A pony doesn't earn respect or power with worthless boasting or lies. This is something I was taught by someone much more powerful than myself, who earned their respect and loyalty. They had that much to offer me, but I can only offer my sincerest apologies to both that pony and all of you. I am truly sorry for my shameful behavior and my failure to admit when I was bested and wrong. These are the words of a new pony, please accept them."
Trixie had spent the entirety of her speech casting a confidant, but remorseful look over the audience. Now, her gaze turned downward, afraid of either the impending silence or the unforgiving disapproval from the audience. Trixie lifted her back hoof to step away from the podium and make her exit, before a voice Trixie had heard before rang out.

"Well, shoot, I suppose if we held a grudge 'gainst every pony that acted too big for 'er britches, Rainbow Dash 'ere would'a been kicked outta Ponyville years ago!"

"Hey!" A louder, raspier voice shot out. "I deserve to brag! I'm too awesome not to!" The blue pony that Trixie took to be Rainbow Dash blinked at her sentiment. "But, maybe she's right, I guess, that it's not that cool." She relented quietly.

A calmer, more refined voice offered its opinion. "Well, I simply can't stay angry at a pony with such impeccable taste." The white pony seemed to be eyeing Trixie’s hat and cape with a nearly lustful eye.

"Um, I forgive you…" Trixie barely heard a gentle voice that didn't seem to want to be heard.

"Fluttershy, you never met Trixie." Rainbow Dash corrected the pony who now looked regretful at having spoken up at all as she hid behind her pink mane.

"Oh, well, I mean…I know, but she said she's sorry, so…you know, I just wanted to say that it's okay," said Fluttershy. Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes, but four other ponies around her giggled at the pink-haired pony's sincerity.

"Oooh! I know! We can have an ‘It’s Okay, We Totally Forgive You, Trixie’ party! Every pony's invited! I'm not sure how everypony's gonna fit in Sugarcube Corner though…Oh! It can be an outside party! I love those! There was this one party that was outside this one ti—" The pink pony continued rambling about parties of days gone by as Trixie felt her chest tighten. Throughout the speech and while preparing to talk, Trixie had been ready to high-tail it out of Ponyville as quickly as possible again if need be. Instead, she was met with ponies nodding in approval, smiling their unspoken words of forgiveness.

Her voice was slightly shaky as Trixie approached the podium again. "Thank you, everypony. Thank you for your kindness and for teaching this showmare about her pride. Thank you for accepting my apology even if I don't deserve this second chance."

Twilight Sparkle stepped forward, past her friends and close to the stage. "It's okay, Trixie. That's what friends are for!"
Once again, the orange mare spoke up. "And any friend'a Twilight's a friend'a mine, right girls?"

The other ponies again nodded and spoke their approval. Twilight and Trixie exchanged an appreciative glance. Trixie had passed her new teacher's entrance exam. She celebrated with all of Ponyville that night at the party Pinkie Pie managed to set up in less than an hour. Specifically, in the time it took for Trixie to thank Twilight for supporting her in her efforts to make up for her rudeness to the town.

After the party was over and everypony had returned to their homes, save for Pinkie Pie, Spike, and a grey, blonde mare who stayed behind to share a pan of muffins, Twilight and her new student headed back to the library. The party had drained both of them, but the cool night air was keeping them awake enough to chat about Trixie's time in Winniana.

"…and so he was in the hospital with a broken leg. I swear, when my first firework spell went off, he was so startled that he jumped right up on that leg and didn't even notice until his teeth stopped chattering!" Trixie and Twilight shared a hearty laugh at her story.

"It sounds like you had a good time, Trixie," said Twilight. "You were there long enough." Twilight didn't mean this disdainfully or bitterly in any way, but Trixie's smile faded all the same.

"Yeah, I'm sorry…We finished about a week early, but I just wanted to…"

"Trixie, I understand. I think it's amazing you stayed!" Twilight quickly assured her, grinning at Trixie. "I'm glad you helped all those ponies recover." Her grin faded slightly as she looked ahead now. "I just…well, I kinda…" Twilight let a few seconds pass before opening her mouth again, but was interrupted.

"I missed you too, Twilight Sparkle."

As the pair entered Twilight's library home, Trixie started to head down to her room in the basement. Twilight had agreed to let her stay there indefinitely. Until Trixie picked herself up, at least. As she reached the steps, Twilight's voice stopped her. "Hey, Trixie…” She stopped as Trixie turned to face Twilight.

“Is something wrong?”

“I just wanted to tell you…” Twilight bit her lip, a bead of sweat beginning to form on her head. Trixie moved forward. “…that I hate you. Bye!” Twilight waved happily.

"What? Noooooooo!"

"Um, Trixie, what are you doing?"

Trixie snapped back into reality, noticing that she had fallen to the floor with her hooves in the air. “Oh, just…tripped! Sorry." She quickly recovered back to her standing position.

"O-Okay, as I was saying…I wanted to tell you something. Look, Trixie…" Twilight began but Trixie, spurred by her momentary daydream, interrupted.

"Twilight, I told you the reasons I came here. I wanted to learn from you and I wanted somewhere to hide. But even that's not…not the whole story. Twilight, I'm not sure how you feel about me. But the truth is, after I left Ponyville the first time I hated you. I wanted to see you embarrassed and ruined the same way I was. But when I thought about you, really thought about you, I realized I wasn't angry with you. I didn't hate you; I hated what you had done to me. And when I realized how powerless I was, I realized that what you had done was only because of me. I wasn't strong enough to fight that…beast and, in fact, my own arrogance caused those two little ponies to bring it in the first place! So, after leaving Ponyville, I worked so hard…”

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Trixie levitated the boulder in the air, so focused on it she hardly noticed the pain wracking her body or the freezing rain. Instead she concentrated on the heavy object, gritting her teeth as it slowly rose. Three feet, four feet, five feet, CRASH! Both the rock and Trixie collapsed. Why? I get it! It was me, it was my fault! Why won't she leave me alone? The purple pony once again appeared brightly in Trixie's mind. But she wasn't judging her anymore. Twilight's face no longer displayed a mistrustful or corrective air, but one of comfort. One of friendship, maybe even a hint of admiration. The thought of her face made Trixie's lips contort into an uneasy smile, hindered by her own pride. Why is she doing this to me? Was it not enough to judge me, now she has to comfort me? Why her? Why always her?
But despite her thoughts of anger and despair, her smile remained slowly becoming more comfortable as she, unable to control her thoughts, imagined the purple mare's face become a full pony as Twilight stood before her. The unicorn approached Trixie as the showmare backed away, Trixie’s smile quickly turning into a sneer. She tried to give the approaching unicorn the most fearsome look she could. She wanted to let Twilight know she was dealing with an angry Great and Powerful Trixie and she was unwelcome, but Twilight was unflappable, continuing forward as if Trixie weren’t looking at her so disdainfully. Trixie's scowl turned into a look of fear as she watched Twilight come closer. Finally, she looked away as Twilight stood before her. Trixie shut her eyes, only to feel a warm breath and a soft nose brushing up against her frightened features. Trixie's heart jumped. No! She opened her eyes and jerked her face upward. Nothing was in sight. Twilight was gone. Trixie's heart sank. Twilight…Trixie spent the rest of that night barely noticing the rain dripping onto her, too distracted by her confusion of the fantasy she had inadvertently conjured.

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"…Since then, I nearly gave up fighting it. That was several weeks before Winniana. Since that point, every time I thought of you, even when shame wrought me during a show, you just smiled in that same way. Comforting, affectionate…Loving." Trixie didn't let her gaze falter this time. She kept her eyes focused on Twilight. During her recounting, the ponies had moved to the center of the library, lying down on the carpet. Twilight's expression was unreadable, though she seemed to be following Trixie. "When I…messed up in Winniana, I couldn't think of anything else I would rather see than you.”

Trixie's head sank down on top of her hooves which lay crossed in front of her. "I'm still not sure how I feel about you, but I know that I wanted to be your friend more than anything and I wanted to hear your voice and see your face." Finally, Trixie closed her eyes, not able to look at Twilight's expression anymore. She had a hard enough time saying all of this while not turning away from the lavender pony, but she finally gave in. A minute after Trixie stopped talking and shut her eyes, she heard a shuffle. Then soft hoofsteps that grew louder ever so slightly by the second. Finally, a warm breath came across Trixie's face, followed by a soft muzzle running over her left cheek. Again, Trixie's eyes darted open at the feeling as her head shot up. But this time, Twilight remained, her smile not necessarily beaming at Trixie, but radiating a gentle warmth, enveloping the blue pony in its embrace.

Finally, as Trixie stared up at her, eyelids fluttering and becoming heavier, Twilight's face grew larger as it came closer. Closer, closer still until only Twilight's beautiful face was all Trixie could see. The last thing Trixie saw before her eyes fell closed were Twilight's lips part slowly. What came next was more than Trixie could have hoped for as the unicorn's lips were even softer than the cheek that had hovered over her own. Trixie felt her lips against her own. Too stunned to respond, Trixie simply stood completely still as she felt Twilight's pressed lips for what felt like several minutes but only lasted about two seconds. When Twilight moved back, her smile came back. Trixie managed to meet it, with quivering lips.

"Twilight…"

"That's 'Miss' Twilight to you," teased the purple mare.