A Shadow of Doubt

by DaughterScrewball

Rating: teen
Tags: Other, Nightmare Moon, Romance, Trixie, Tragedy, Adventure, Twilight Sparkle, Sad, Main 6, My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic, Dark
Length: 12769

Nightmare assists Trixie in her revenge on the mane 6, but does Trixie really want revenge?

After the ponyville incident, Trixie finds herself friendless and hopeless. But when Nightmare (NOT Nightmare Moon) shows up offering to help her get her revenge on the mane 6, Trixie accepts her offer and travels back to Ponyville where she begs for forgiveness and starts to make friends. When Trixie starts to fall for somepony she thought she hated, her thirst for revenge becomes less intense. What is Nightmare's master plan; and will Trixie's love interest be strong enough to overcome both Nighmare's will and her own need for revenge, or will Nighmare's plan come to full fruition?

Published 2012-05-22 09:04:02 UTC
Last updated 2012-09-02 22:56:33 UTC

Chapter 1

Trixie Lulamoon was lying next to the oddly clear pond under the night sky, pondering to herself about the failures in her life. Her failure to impress her parents so that they would spend more time teaching her about their magical work and cultivating her own abilities, which led her to crave the admiration of her peers.

Her failure to impress them with her magic, which led her to vow to become a greater, more powerful wizard than they could imagine so that they couldn't possibly not be impressed by her feats.

Her failure to impress the review board for her entrance into Princess Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns, which led to her career in show magic as opposed to real, powerful magic.

And most recently, her failure in Ponyville to impress that purple unicorn and her friends. Instead, they absolutely hated her. Why, they had practically run her out of town. If only those idiot fanboys hadn't brought the ursa minor into town for her to fight, she wouldn't be friendless, hopeless, and showless like she was now. And to think that she had even had a slight crush on the purple unicorn since she had admired her from afar as a filly. As a matter of fact, hearing about her whereabouts was the main reason Trixie had come to Ponyville in the first place. She wanted the chance to get to know Twilight better. And like most other things she had attempted in life, she failed at that, too.

A small tear escaped the corner of one of Trixie's deep blue eyes. She looked down at her reflection and noticed that the moon was particularly bright tonight, as if watching over her like some sort of guardian manegel. The moon had always seemed to be brighter when she was lonely. Trixie didn't know why, but she assumed it had something to do with the unexplained moon and stars on her cutie mark.

She continued to stare at her reflection. A dark blue mare stared back at her. This isn’t me. Trixie was not proud of herself at the moment.

"I know I failed again, but... I'm still the Great and Powerful Trixie... right?" she asked softly of nopony in particular as another tear flowed down her cheek.

"But of course, my dear," came the whispery, gossamer-like reply.

Trixie spun around quickly to face the intruder and found herself face to face with the strangest sight she had ever seen. Standing in front of her was a glimmering, shadowy mass in the form of a large mare.

"Ummm... the Great and Powerful Trixie doesn't remember ever meeting you before, and judging from your appearance, I daresay that she would if she had," she responded as she tried to regain her composure. Appearing weak or helpless in front of this rather intimidating mare would be a huge mistake.

"Oh no my dear, we've never met before, but rest assured we know each other more than you know, and I plan on getting to know you even better before this is all over."

Something about the stranger's tone struck Trixie as odd. I have to remain cautious.

"Who are you anyway?" she asked, "You seem to be avoiding telling the Great and Powerful Trixie your name."

"My name is not important at the moment." The shadowy mare slithered closer to Trixie, causing a slight shiver to course her spine. "But believe me when I say that we are kindred spirits: both outcast by our peers, forced to live as pariahs... it just isn't fair is it." A look of sorrow crossed her face. "My dear, you have an image of the night sky on your cutie mark, correct?"

"Umm... well, yes I suppose" murmured Trixie, still flustered that this stranger knew so much about her.

"Do you perchance know why?"

Trixie shook her head.

"Interesting... I suppose that's for the best, however. Nevertheless, you will learn soon enough, and when you do, you’ll need someone to help you.”

"Help me? What problem could the Great and Powerful Trixie possibly have that some secretive, condescending, and quite frankly annoying mare like you could possibly help her with?! I have had quite enough of the way you think you can just come in here and pretend like you know everything about me, avoid my questions, and treat me like I'm some sort of helpless filly who you are gracing with your disgusting presence! Now you're going to start answering some questions or I'm going to leave, and you can start with that one." A scornful grin spread slowly across Trixie’s face.

"Fine, my dear, as you wish," Said the shadow, annoyed. "I was referring to your revenge. The vengeance you will get on those who have wronged you. Sweet penance for their transgressions, starting with that mare from Ponyville."

"How do you know about that? I know you weren't there, your presence would have caused quite an uproar."

"Oh, come now, Trixie, have you not already assumed that I've been observing you for some time now?" Trixie shivered again.

"Well then you would know that I haven't had a single thought about getting revenge."

"Perhaps not." The mare shifted closer once again, and Trixie took yet another step toward the pond. "But I'm confident that if you thought about it, you would realize that revenge just happens to be the thing that you want most at the moment. You have a burning desire in your heart and revenge is the one thing that can quench its flame."

It was almost scary how well the stranger could read her. But Trixie was still angry and didn't want to give in that easily. After mulling it over for a moment, she asked, "If I wanted to get revenge...If...How would you even go about helping me?"

"Oh, it's actually quite simple." The mare’s face lit up like a candle. "I would stay with you, giving you advice on what to do next, which ideas would be most effective, idea of that sort. Of course it would only be plausible if I were able to stay with you at all times. I obviously cannot simply follow you around, and as you can see I have no normal corporeal body to walk around in. So I would have to, with your permission of course, temporarily inhabit your body and speak with you only in your mind. You would still be in complete control, of course, the only difference being that you would have a passenger of sorts that you could always go to for advice."

The idea of having another pony in her body was kind of creepy. Though the advice really would be helpful. And it's not like it won’t still be my body, after all. However…

"You still haven't told me your name. I can't just let somepony live in my body without at least knowing their name first." Anger and worry crossed the mares face.

"Now is not the time, my dear. I swear to you that I will tell you my name at a more appropriate time, but you don't know me well enough yet to take that information in a positive way."

What the hey is she talking about. "If you won't tell me your name, you can't help me, and that's all there is to the matter," Trixie said, purposely neglecting to ponder why the mare was so intent on helping her in the first place, as she was slightly worried as to what the answer might be.

The mare waited to respond. "You have to promise me you'll wait for me to explain."

"Of course."

"You can call me... Nightmare."

Trixie was shocked. "You mean Nightmare, as in the Nightmare Moon? I thought you were dead, or at least just an overly jealous version of Luna, not an actual pony."

"My name is Nightmare, not Nightmare Moon. I'm not sure where ponies got the "Moon" part, although I assume it's because I was advising Luna at the time," she said with a hint of annoyance.

"But why would you want to help me then? Didn't you try to send Equestria into everlasting night? How do you go from an evil, world-shattering goal like that to a simple, "nice" goal like trying to help some poor pony? Why should I even trust you? Riddle me that, Nightmare!"

Nightmare paused for a moment before answering with a bitter tone to her voice. "I don't control the moon, Luna does. All I did in that situation was call to her attention some of the more unfair elements of her relationship with her sister and the rest of ponykind. Like the fact that they loved her sister more, gave her all of the praise, and barely acknowledged Luna. I wanted to help her get the recognition she deserved, but she went overboard and almost started a war, which got her banished to the moon. Since I was inhabiting her at the time, I was the unlucky passenger to also make the trip..." She paused again. "I know it's hard to trust me, but you of all ponies know how easy it is for somepony to get an untrue bad reputation, and how much pain it causes, how hard it is to get rid of. Evil... Selfish... Braggart... Those words are hurtful, even more so when they aren't true. I want to help you because we really are kindred spirits like I said before. We both garnered terrible reputations from those we loved most from something with innocent or benign intentions. You are one of few ponies who truly understand the suffering that I personally went through as I was unfairly imprisoned for 1000 years. I know it goes against everything you have ever been told, but... I'm begging you..." Tears were streaming down her cheek although she wasn't yet fully crying. "Please... give me one chance."

Trixie took a full three minutes to think before she replied. But after mulling it over in her head, she finally decided on an answer.

"Ok," she replied softly, "I trust you. For now."

A look of sheer joy and thankfulness crossed Nightmare's face. "Thank you, Trixie," she stammered while remarkably keeping her composure. "I promise you, this will be the best decision you will ever make."

Trixie flashed a friendly smile back. "Anyway," she said cheerfully, lightening the mood, "How are you going to get into my body anyway?"

"Oh yes, right. Just stand there for a moment if you will, I'll do it in no time." Nightmare approached Trixie and her form promptly dissipated as the smoky form that was once a mare floated straight through her skin and didn't come out behind her. The mist felt odd as it entered, but the feeling soon retracted slightly as Nightmare's form settled into her body and ceased to be anything but a part of Trixie's consciousness.

"How does it feel?" Trixie heard the voice in her mind only, and was taken by a slight surprise that her ears didn't respond to the noise, although when she thought about it, it made perfect sense.

It's... weird, to say the least, but I could definitely get used to it. Trixie yawned. She checked the time and it was almost midnight. The conversation must have taken longer than she thought. I guess it's time for us to go to sleep. Goodnight, I guess. It felt kind of off to speak to herself but she would just have to get used to that.

"Goodnight."

Oh, and one last thing! Don't call me "My Dear", I find it quite annoying. If you want to speak to me, call me by my name: The Great and Powerful Trixie.

"As you wish, Trixie," said the voice in her head as it drifted off to sleep. Trixie noticed that Nightmare had neglected to say the "Great and Powerful" part, but not referring to me as "My Dear" will have to do for today.

Both Trixie and Nightmare slept better that night than either had for as far back as they could remember, and when they awoke in the morning, they started to head back toward Ponyville as they planned Trixie's revenge.

Chapter 2

Twilight Sparkle was frantically searching through Ponyville's library for her only, ancient copy of "A Treatise on the Elements" by Starswirl the Bearded as if the life of Celestia herself was at stake. As was always the case when Twilight was searching for something and having trouble finding it.

"Spike!" she yelled in the general direction of the baby purple dragon, "I know for a fact I put it in the "Unexplained and Mysterious" section when I organized this place last week! You are the only one who has been in there since then, and seeing as I can't find it, you must have done something with it!"

"I swear, Twilight," he stammered nervously as he shuffled through a large pile of books, "I didn't touch it! The only reason I ever went in here in the first place was so that I could get the one with the pictures of all the Quarias and Pilsos."

"The what?"

"They're these rare gemstones that don't even exist anymore for some reason," he said, beaming slightly from pride in his knowledge.

"Spike that's ridiculous, how can a rock become extinct? They don't even live! They're rocks, Spike! The entire situation is just absurd! Whoever wrote that was obviously misinformed. As a matter of fact, who did write it? I need to pull it off the shelves before anypony else reads it and gets the wrong message," she said, completely forgetting, to Spike's delight, about yelling at him.

Twilight never got to find out who wrote that horrendous book, however, because at that moment a wild Rainbow Dash appeared and came in crashing through the library window.

Rainbow always appeared in that manner. Twilight was never annoyed, because Rainbow was a friend and it never seemed to really cause any damage (except for the one time when she had just finished restocking the shelves, but that turned out to be good anyway because it led her to visit Cloudsdale for that weekend and support Rainbow in the Best Young Fliers Competition), but she couldn't help but wonder how a pegasus with such great aerial dexterity could somehow never be able to master the simple art of flying through a window. As Twilight's mind began to wander off on a tangent of aerodynamics and the odd physiology of pegasi, Rainbow Dash was getting up and shaking herself off.

"Twilight, what are all these books doing just thrown all around the place? Don't you ever clean up in here?"

"Of course I do, I was just... Why are you even here anyway? I'm a bit busy, and I know you didn't come just to tell me how dirty my library is," she quipped. Rainbow Dash couldn’t even keep track of her pet turtle; she should have been the last pony questioning the state of Twilight’s library.

"Oh yeah, right. So I was nap.... err, clearing the skies near the forest and I looked down and you'll never guess who I see just trotting down the road toward Ponyville like she owned the place!"

"I hate guessing games, just tell me."

"Trixie!" A look of disgust crossed Rainbow's face.

Trixie, like the Trixie who was the most arrogant pony Twilight had ever seen? The Trixie whowas rude and spiteful and caused those idiots Snips and Snails to think that bringing an ursa major into town for her to fight would be a good idea? The very same Trixie whose natural talent for shown=manship made even a mare like Twilight just a little jealous?

"You mean Trixie the magician?" Twilight asked casually.

"Yeah, that's the one! We’re getting a lynch mob together to go and punish her for showing her face in town!” Rainbow fell to the floor and began laughing hysterically.

"Are you... serious?" Twilight sometimes couldn't tell with the wild pegasus.

Rainbow laughed even harder for a moment as Spike finally managed to pull himself out from under a huge pile of books he had been trapped under. "Of course not, Twilight, do you really think were that crazy?" Rainbow Dash rolled her eyes. "Me, Pinkie, and Fluttershy are going to the town square to meet her when she gets here and see what she wants. I just stopped by to see if you wanted to come, but since you're said you’re busy, I guess--"

"I can come! I can't really even remember exactly what I was doing before you came anyway." There was a reason Trixie had suddenly reappeared, and Twilight was just the mare to find it.

"Sweet, I guess I'll meet you there. Right now I have to go see if Applejack wants to come, too. I was also going to ask Rarity, but she was working on some big order and I didn't feel like bothering her."

"Okay, I'll see you in a little bit then Rainbow," said Twilight as the colorful pegasus flew off toward Sweet Apple Acres.

Twilight trotted up the stairs into her room to get ready. She had started searching for the book as soon as she got up and hadn't noticed the time fly by before Rainbow showed up, so she hadn't showered or eaten yet. "Spike!" she yelled, "Could you go into the kitchen and make a dandelion sandwich for me while I take a shower? I don't have time to do both before I leave!"

"Why do I always have to make the food?" he complained, although telling from his tone he was just as hungry as she was and would stop griping before long. She ignored him as she magically turned the knobs on the shower and began her belated refreshment.

_________________________

After showering and eating, Twilight and Spike walked to the town square where they found Rainbow, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy. "I thought you said you were leaving to go get Applejack." said Twilight, speaking to Rainbow Dash.

"She did," responded Pinkie, "but when she got there, the cows were running and jumping around all over the place, and then there was this crash, and her shed fell, and then all of the cows started--"

"She was busy," interupted Rainbow Dash, "so we left."

"We?" asked Twilight.

"Pinkie Pie went with her while I kept watch for Trixie here," answered Fluttershy. "I was worried that she would arrive sooner than they thought and she would stare at me, and use her magic to humiliate me, and then everypony would laugh at me, and..."

"Why didn't you bring that up if it was an issue?" Rainbow asked, concerned.

"Well, I... I didn't want to impose, and you asked me to stay, so..." Fluttershy trailed off.

"You really should bring up your concerns more often, Fluutershy. Nopony would think you were imposing," chimed in Twilight. Everypony else shook their heads in agreement.

"Ummm, girls..." murmured Fluttershy too softly for anyone to hear.

"...and also you seem to have trouble with trying to speak up in a conversation..."

"Girls, if you don't mind..." Fluttershy shrank back as if afraid of something.

"It's not interrupting if they won't give you a chance to--"

Fluttershy gathered up her courage enough to yell "Girls!!" just loud enough for her friends to hear her and stop talking.

"What is it, Fluttershy?" Asked Twilight.

"Well... while you girls were talking, she... arrived..." she answered, the last word barely audible even in the silence.

Her friends turned around, surprised to see Trixie standing there looking somewhat more... humble... than they ever imagined she could.

Pinkie Pie immediately bounced up to the dark blue mare and exclaimed excitedly, "Hi Trixie! What brings you back here? I thought you ran away to never come back after Snips and Snails brought the ursa minor into town and you couldn't deal with it even though you said you could take on an ursa major with no problem. Why'd you say that anyway if it wasn't true, huh? Ponies can be so silly sometimes!" At this point she started laughing hysterically but regained her composure quickly and continued, "All of my friends are really angry at you after you embarrassed them with your show and were a big braggy-pants McMeanie face, but I thought your show was kinda funny even if it was a teensy bit mean and I don't think you're actually that bad. Anyway, why are you back? Tellmetellmetellmetellmetellme!!! Please????"

Trixie was stunned, to say the least, and ignored the barrage of questions from Pinkie.

"Ummm... I know you girls never expected me to come back, and I know you must kind of hate me, but... this really weird for me, sorry. I guess I came back to say... to ask for your forgiveness."

Everypony was at a loss for words as far as what to say next except for Pinkie, who was jumping up and down in excitement shouting "Yay! I knew it," among other things. The first of the rest to recover, however, was Twilight, who proceeded to respond in a heated flurry of emotion.

"Forgive you? You want us to forgive you after everything you've done? After you embarrassed Rainbow, Rarity, and Applejack in front of that crowd? It took almost a week to get the green out of Rarity's hair, half of which was spent figuring out that it wasn't just an illusion; it was actual, amazingly strong hair dye! Poor Rainbow is still recovering from the tornado and electrocution you put her through. Ponyville itself hasn't yet been completely rebuilt from the ursa minor that only showed up because you lied to everyone about your abilities. Tell us, Trixie, why exactly do you think you can just walk in here and ask us to forgive you and we will, just like that?"

"Well, I know it's a lot to ask, but--" Trixie started to respond.

"You bet your hoof it's a lot to ask. Why should we ever forgive you?"

"Calm down, Twilight!" interjected Rainbow, "An apology is nothing to get angry over. If she's sincere, and she sounds like she is, you have to forgive her. No matter what she's done to you in the past."

"I will not calm down! And yes it does matter what she's done to us. I don't even understand how you girls can just stand there and accept her apology with no questions asked. It's just insane to forgive her so easily. How could you possibly expect me to forgive her this easily?" Rainbow Dash noticed that the way Twilight said 'me' sounded suspiciously like she was referring to herself more than the others.

"Twilight, just listen to me for one teensie-weensie moment," Pinkie pleaded as she started to sing.

"Again with the singing," Rainbow muttered under her breath.

"Sometimes everypony does some things that hurt other ponies,

Even I sometimes do something so bad I want to disown me.

But when you’re sorry I'm sure that you want to be forgiven,

So that the past can stay in the past and you can just keep on living..."

As the chorus picked up tempo, other random ponies from the town started to group up behind her and sing along. "What the hay...." Rainbow Dash started to mumble.

"You've gotta forgive! If you want to live,

A happier life with much less strife, it's healthier by a mile!

You've gotta let go! It just goes to show,

It won't be sappy, but you'll be so happy you'll put on the world's biggest smile!!!!!

The greatest, perfectest gift somepony can give...

You've gotta forgive!!! You've gotta forgive!!!

The awesomest way to ever show your style...

You've gotta forgive!!! You've gotta forgive!!!

You've gotta forgive!!!!!"

All the ponies who had shown up to sing were now dispersing. "How did they even learn that song? I'm pretty sure Pinkie just made it up on the spot," said Rainbow, confused, to Twilight.

"It's simple, really, Dashie!" responded Pinkie Pie, "If you start something with enough enthusiasm, other ponies will naturally start to follow along.”

"Oh... Well..."

"Anyway, whadaya say, Twilight? Pretty pretty please can you bring yourself to forgive her at least just a little bit?"

Twilight looked into Pinkie's pleading eyes, at Trixie's ashamed, humbled posture, and back to Pinkie's eyes. Maybe she really has changed. Maybe I'm holding just a little too much of a grudge... and besides... she looked into Pinkie's deep blue eyes again, I'm pretty sure I can't say no to that.

"I... I guess," She answered as both Trixie and Pinkie's faces lightened considerably. "I forgive you... for now," she told Trixie, who looked thankfully back at her in turn. "But so you know, I don't trust you completely again just yet. I can't so soon, not after what you've done." There was something fishy about the way Twilight was speaking to Trixie, but Rainbow Dash couldn’t quite put her hoof on it.

"And to prove to you... and myself, I guess... that I really do forgive you," she continued, "I, uh... I know your caravan was wrecked last time, so do you... do you need a place to stay? I wouldn't want anypony to have to stay out in the cold."

"Hmmm... I hadn't really thought about it before, but... I guess a roof over my head would be greatly appreciated," she smiled, "Are you... offering, or--"

"Oh, of course. I would love it if you would stay in the library with me. Take it as proof that I accept your apology." She would hate this, but Twilight couldn't morally let her stay out in the cold. And she would hate to see her have to stay under the same roof as Pinkie Pie. She could only imagine what might happen if that became the case.

"Well, thanks, I guess. I'd love to." She was now starting to blush in addition to smiling.

"Yay!!!" exclaimed Pinkie Pie. "I just can't wait to give you the grand tour! You never really got it last time, did you? I guess you really didn't have time, but..." She continued to talk, but the conversation was already moving on without her.

"I hope you like Ponyville, Trixie. It really is such a nice town," said Fluttershy timidly.

"I don't think I've caught your name yet. What was it?"

"Oh, I'm Fluttershy. Pleased to meet you again."

"Thanks. And I hope I've made a better first impression this time than last time."

"Oh, you definitely have. Last time you were horrendous.... Oh, sorry, I mean... you could have been a little bit nicer. But now you’re a lot nicer and more polite, too..." Fluttershy smiled.

"Anyway," interrupted Twilight, "I should probably show you the library. It's near the middle of town, about five minutes away. Are you ready to go see it?"

"Sure," answered Trixie as Pinkie Pie finally stopped rambling on and came back to Earth. "Pinkie, the tour will have to wait until tomorrow, Twilight's going to show me the library. That's okay with you right?"

"Okie dokie lokie!"

"Umm… okay, I assume that means yes. Let's go, Twilight."

Twilight began leading Trixie to the library while Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy followed, Pinkie bouncing along happily. The voice in Trixie’s head spoke up again. “That was perfect, my dear! These small-minded ponies don't expect a thing! You played the part of the modest pony looking for forgiveness amazingly, I must say. I couldn't have done better myself.”

I thought I told you to stop calling me that.

“Oh right, my apologies. I just got so caught up in how well you did that I must have forgotten.”

It was obvious Nightmare’s words were simple flattery and nothing more, but it was nice to hear such gushing praise once in a while. It helped with one's ego, she always told herself. I'm glad to hear you say that. I likewise thought I did spectacular, but it's nice to have a second opinion. Trixie pondered to herself for a moment. By the way, do you have any idea what's wrong with the pink one? Pinkie Pie is what they called her I think.
“I have no idea whatsoever. As a matter of fact, I was planning on asking you the same thing.”

Trixie chuckled out loud at the coincidence. She had a feeling that this partnership was going to work out very well for the both of them.

Chapter 3

Cheesecake. The one food that Twilight truly despised. The one food that Trixie would truly never get sick of. The one food that Pinkie Pie decided would be the sole theme of her traditional welcoming party.

Twilight had hated cheesecake since she had first had it for desert at a fancy restaurant when she was six. Everything about cheesecake was revolting to Twilight: the silky, slide-down-your-throat texture; the way it filled you up far too quickly for you to eat a decent sized portion; even the name itself: Cheesecake... cheese, plus... cake. It was the most disgusting thing Twilight could think of.

What made it even worse was the fact that Trixie absolutely loved it. She seemed genuinely thankful for the party, especially the cheesecake, but it’s clearly all a façade. I don’t know how nopony else can see what’s right before their eyes. As soon as I let my guard down, she’ll turn her back on me… again.

Twilight knew she had promised to forgive her. She really had, if not completely, but that didn't mean she had to trust her quite yet. Something still just wasn’t right with the new way Trixie was acting. Why didn’t anypony else notice it? The way she acted just a little too humble, a little too nice, as if she had been coached. If only everypony else knew what else she's done, maybe they would be as cautious as I am…

"Twilight, why are you up here all lonely when you should be downstairs enjoying the party!?" Pinkie exclaimed, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. Twilight was sure she had locked the door to her private quarters in order to prevent just this type of intrusion.

"I'm just not in the partying mood right now, Pinkie." Twilight sighed. "And besides, I can't stand cheesecake."

"Are you seriously serious, Twilight?" Pinkie exclaimed, clearly offended, "Who doesn't just love cheesecake? It’s the super-dooperiest type of cake ever! And everypony loves cake! I can't even think of somepony NOT loving cake! It'd be like if--"

"That's enough, Pinkie, I get the point!" Twilight rarely yelled at the pink pony, but it seemed the only way to let Pinkie know that she was serious.

Pinkie, frowning slightly, froze for a second before responding. "Twilight..." she spoke softly, "There's obviously something concerning you that you're not letting on. You would never get this angry just because you didn't feel like partying. Whatever it is, you can tell me, and if it's a secret I pinkie-pie-swear I won't tell anybody." She smiled as if to show Twilight that she could be trusted.

"Pinkie, it really is nothing--"

"Twilight, stop pretending and just tell me! If you never talk about your problems, they'll all bubble up inside you and eventually you'll explode from all the pressure. I don't want you to explode, Twilight! Please just tell me. Pretty pretty pretty please?" She smiled as wide as she could and made her eyes as large as they would become.

Twilight was too tired to argue, and didn’t think she could say no to Pinkie’s begging face in good conscience. At least Pinkie wouldn’t fully understand the situation anyway."Fine..." she finally answered, "But you have to keep it a secret from everyone, do you understand?"

"I pinkie-pie-swear on my great aunts life!" Pinkie's face brightened considerably.

"Good. Now listen closely, I'm not going to say this very loud." Pinkie sat on her haunches at the foot of Twilight's bed, leaning in to hear better.

_____________________________

Trixie, on the other hand, was having a fabulous time at the welcome party, at least at first. She didn't have any idea at first of why Pinkie Pie was asking what her favorite food was on that first day, but she was most definitely glad she had. If there was one thing in all of Equestria that Trixie would never tire of, it was cheesecake. How Twilight could stand never partaking in its creamy, soft, elegance, she had no idea. She was in the middle of enjoying her third piece when Rainbow Dash approached her leading two mares: one golden with a yellow mane, the other white with an elegant purple mane. Trixie rembembered the mares from somewhere- she assumed they had met during her first stay in Ponyville- but she couldn't quite remember how well their interaction had gone.

"Trixie, I'm sure you remember these two!" Rainbow excitedly said over the music. "But I don't think you've been properly introduced yet. This," she pointed to the white one, "is Rarity, and this is Applejack," she finished, pointing to the other mare.

"I do remember them, but..." Trixie smiled, slightly embarrassed, "I don't exactly remember..."

"What you did to them?" Trixie nodded her head. "Well... they don't exactly like to talk about it, but... you turned Rarity's hair green, and umm... hog-tied Applejack." The four mares shared an awkward moment. Like Rainbow said, Rarity and Applejack didn't want to talk about it, and Nightmare had advised Trixie to keep quiet and act ashamed. "But... after I explained the situation to them, they agreed to forgive you, right girls?" continued Rainbow Dash, eager to break the tension.

"Grudgingly." Applejack added.

"By the way, what substance was it that you put in my hair? It stayed in very effectively and I've been thinking of using it when I dye my fabrics, but I can never figure out your... recipe? I assume its custom, is that correct?" asked Rarity, trying to steer the conversation in a new direction.

"Yeah, it is a custom mixture; I'm impressed you were able to guess that. I actually figured it out by accident when I was a filly. It's actually a really funny story. I'll tell you it and give you the recipe a little later; I wouldn't want to bore these girls by excluding them."

"I would very much so appreciate that, Trixie," replied a smiling Rarity.

"See girls, she really has changed, she's even a lot more polite now. We've been hanging out over the last few days, and she's actually really cool,” interjected a somewhat exited Rainbow Dash.

It was true. Out of all the ponies she's "met" so far, Rainbow was the one she had connected the most with. Pinkie, while excruciatingly enthusiastic and funny, could also be amazingly annoying; Fluttershy was far too quiet; and she got the feeling that Twilight still suspected her of something. She wondered if she would be able to get Twilight to trust her at all.

"Umm... I think I'm gonna go get some more punch, I'll be right back," she excused herself.

"Okay, we'll see you again in a minute. Remind me when you get back that I have something to ask you."

"Okay." Trixie walked through the maze of ponies that the library had become. As she did so, she found herself amazed at how many ponies were even there, considering that this was only the third night she'd been back in town and she was pretty sure most of the ponies here had some reason or another to dislike her. Pinkie Pie must be the world's greatest party organizer, and the most convincing pony in Equestria as well... She frowned visibly at the last thought.

“You’re doing very well again tonight, by the way. Your acting is superb; it is no wonder everypony calls you ‘The Great and Powerful.” Nightmare’s nonstop flattery was getting annoying, but Trixie did appreciate the advice that the shadowy mare gave.

I doubt I would be doing nearly as well if not for your advice.

“Perhaps... just remember to act sincere and polite, and you should do fine.” Nightmare receded back into the depths of Trixie’s mind. Her way of popping into her head so suddenly and disappearing just as quick was also quite annoying, but good advice does always come with a price.

Trixie arrived at the table, got her punch, and started to head back, but something caught her eye. Sitting on the couch nearest the kitchen (Pinkie Pie had couches dragged in for the party) were two mares, one mint green and the other a very light brown, or perhaps white. Trixie couldn't tell. The mint green one was sitting in a very peculiar, unnatural manner. It was this oddity that caught Trixie’s eye in the first place. Her back hooves were on the floor, and her front hooves were down at her sides. Her posterior was planted firmly on one cushion, and her back- this was the most peculiar thing- it was propped up against the back of the couch. Trixie wanted to ask why she was sitting that way, but she knew that it would sound rude. Finally curiosity overtook her, and she walked up to the two sitting mares.

"Hello, I'm, uh... I'm Trixie," she said with an awkward smile.

"Well, yeah, you’re who this party is for, silly," responded the mint green mare as both of them exchanged a quick look and started giggling.

Trixie felt stupid for saying something that, in retrospect, must have been blatantly obvious. "Well... I was... I was wondering why you were sitting like that. It's so... unnatural. It can hardly be comfortable."

The cream-colored mare answered before the green one got a chance. "She always sits like that, she claims it's ‘a revolutionary way for ponies to sit that is far superior to any way they've sat before." She smiled at the mint pony. "You can be so stubbornly weird sometimes."

"I know. But that's why you love me, remember?" she smiled as she planted a small kiss on her lips.

Trixie then noticed a few things that should have been obvious to her from the start. The two mares were sitting closer together than normal friends would. When they smiled at one another, they shared a look that puzzled Trixie. It had hints of guilt, but more like a shared secret that nopony else in the room was in on. What that secret was, Trixie could never guess, but it was obvious that it made them very happy.

"It’s a pleasure to actually meet you. I'm Lyra, and this is Bon-Bon," the green pony broke the silence. "You look... bewildered. I'm sorry if that little display of affection was too much for you or offended you. I know how some ponies can get about our... special circumstances."

"Oh, no, I'm not like that, I don't mind at all. I'm just surprised that I didn't guess a little earlier," Trixie corrected. "Nice to meet you, by the way. I guess you already know my name..." Trixie blushed just a bit.

"You have just the cutest face when you blush, did you know that?" asked Bon-Bon. I would do terrible things to be as cute as you for a day."

"Oh, hush, you look amazing, always." Lyra smiled and kissed her again, this time on the cheek. "And even if you didn't, you'd still always have me always," she finished, flickering her eyes in a cute, purposefully vain manner.

Trixie could see the traces of tiny, happy tears in Bon-Bon's eyes. Trixie was on the verge of tears herself. The way they looked at each other, the way they kissed each other, the aura of love about them. Trixie wanted that. If she couldn't have her revenge, if she couldn't have her success, she wanted that, whatever it was. If she had just that and nothing else, she would still be happy. She wanted to be loved.

And not just loved like a friend loves a friend or a parent loves a child. She wanted to be loved personally, closely, and selfishly like a pony loves only one other pony in his or her lifetime. That was the type of love she wanted to have. And even after everything, she still wanted to have it with one mare in particular.

Bon-Bon noticed that Trixie was had started all-out crying. "Oh, sweetie, are you okay?" she asked in her most concerned, comforting voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine; it's just... what you two have... I know this sounds cheesy, but... sniff…it's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, and... I want that... sniff… that kind of love. It's amazing." She was starting to wipe away her tears.

Now Lyra was tearing up just the slightest bit, too. “Thanks, I guess...” she said, “You really have changed, you know that? You're able to look past the... odd... circumstances of our love and really see the beauty it holds. I know that sounds cheesy, but... it takes a special kind of pony to do that.” She paused in thought for a moment. "Just out of curiosity, are you, by any chance... like us?" she asked with a friendly smile. Bon-Bon smiled encouragingly as well.

Trixie took a moment before responding, and when she did, it was in the quietest voice she could muster. "Yes..." she finally muttered, "Well, not technically. I've never actually... well..."

"Really?" Bon-Bon asked with curiosity, "For a mare your age nowadays, that's very really an oddity. I'm actually surprised that you of all people have never experienced it. You seem like the type of pony who would have both mares and stallions at their feet constantly, if I may say so myself."

Trixie blushed with an embarrassed smile before responding. "Well, thanks, I guess. Umm...this is really embarrassing." She blushed more and more until her face was a deep red while Lyra and Bon-Bon were staring back at her, listening intently, "Well, I guess the best way to put this is..."

"How is ‘it’?" Lyra asked while making parentheses with her hooves. Somehow this mare could read Trixie's mind.

Trixie shook her head yes in shame, a darker shade of red than she'd ever been.

Lyra and Bon-Bon exchanged a knowing look and smiled before answering together. "Lovely...amazing..."

"The best feeling you could ever have, but it hurts the first time if it's with a stallion," Bon-Bon said dreamily.

Lyra thought for a second or two and said, "Trixie, I'm no expert, but I can tell by your voice and your face that there must be somepony in particular you've been trying to save yourself for. Is that true?"

Trixie shook her head yes. She was blushing less but still unable to speak.

"A mare or a--"

"A mare," Trixie was able to sputter out before blushing uncontrollably again.

"And does she know about your feelings, or..."

Trixie shook her head no and then found she was able to speak. "At least, I don't think she does."

"Well, I'm sure, seeing as you've been acting a lot nicer lately, and as it stands your just adorable, that she at least has some sort of feelings for you, as well." Lyra smiled encouragingly.

"She does have a feeling for me. It's called distrust!" Trixie started to tear up again as Lyra frowned.

"Well if you keep acting as friendly and nice as you are now, I'm sure she'll come around and trust you very soon. Believe me; I've been on the untrusted end of the stick before, so I know how it feels." She looked over at Bon-Bon, who smiled lovingly back at her. "You'll eventually earn her trust again, no matter how long it takes you."

Trixie smiled, thankful for the advice. "How long did it take you?" she asked.

"Two days. Damn mare just can't keep herself off of me," she laughed as Bon-Bon hit her in mock offense before cracking up herself.

Trixie giggled and said, "Well, thanks a lot for the advice and encouragement, but I have to get back to my other friends. Have a wonderful evening."

"Nice meeting you, Trixie," they said in unison.

Trixie began to smile and during the entire walk back to her friends; she was the happiest she had been in a long time. Nightmare, on the other hand, was starting to think that maybe this partnership would not be as beneficial as she thought.

Chapter 4

"I've never heard of a pony taking ten minutes to get a cup of punch," Rainbow teased as Trixie finally got back from refreshing her beverage, "and from what I can tell, you forgot to get it while you were there!" Rainbow cracked up as Applejack and Rarity giggled behind her. Trixie realized that she had left her glass behind with Lyra and Bon-Bon. "What took you so long, anyway?" Rainbow asked as she regained her composure. Trixie could tell that Rainbow was getting a bit tipsy. She wasn't much of a drinker herself, but she assumed she could still enjoy Rainbow's company so long as she didn't get completely wasted.

"I was talking with these two ponies I just met. They seemed really nice, and... loving. I guess I left my glass with them." A thoughtful look graced Trixie's face.

"Were they, by any chance... Lyra and Bon-Bon?" Rarity guessed.

"Uh... yeah. How'd you know?" Trixie was getting annoyed that everypony was able to tell what she was thinking so easily.

"It was the way you said "loving". It's probably safe to wager that everypony here would be able to tell just from the way you said that word."

"I sure was, sugarcube," chimed in Applejack.

"I'm surprised you even had to ask, Rarity. It was obvious to everypony else here!" Rainbow cackled as she cracked up again. Trixie could tell that if she didn't remind Rainbow about what she wanted to ask about soon, she would probably be too drunk to even know what Trixie was talking about.

"Rainbow, you said you wanted to ask about something?"

"Oh, right, right," replied Rainbow as she pulled herself together again. "I've noticed that a lot of the time when you and Twilight talk about the first time you were in Ponyville, you act like you you’re talking about something else. Like you knew each other before you met in Ponyville, but you both try not to let anyone else catch on..." A nervous look appeared on Trixie's face. "At first I thought it was just my mind seeing things that weren't there, but you both kept acting weird. Anyway, what I'm saying is... do you and Twilight have some sort of history together?" Rainbow's eyes lit up and she smiled as if urging Trixie to spill her innermost secrets. Rarity and Applejack stared at Trixie from either side of her as well.

"Well, it's kind of a long story... not really fit for a party..." Trixie began, trying to reason her way out of having to tell them everything.

"You're not getting off that easy, miss 'I can do magic and make lighting bolts'," Interrupted Rainbow.

"A guilt trip, huh..... I see how it is," Trixie looked at the three of them, who were staring back intently, holding back slightly drunken laughs. "At least they might forget about this in the morning," she thought. "Fine," she said as they scooted closer and perked up their ears, "but like I was saying, it's a long story, you'd better sit down." The three of them sat on the nearest corner couch as Trixie sat on the chair on the opposite side of the corresponding table and began her confession.

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"A long, long time ago, Trixie and I, we were... well, we used to be really good friends."

"Friends? But Twilight, I thought you told us that you didn't have any friends before you came to Ponyville." Pinkie Pie had a confused look on her face.

Twilight decided to ignore the rudeness of the comment that the pink party pony obviously hadn't noticed in her rush to say what she was thinking. "I never said I didn't have any friends, I said I focused so much on my studies that I didn't pay any attention to any of them. I had friends, just no close ones like you guys. And besides, this was way before I even got into Princess Celestia's school. As a matter of fact, about the time I got in was just about the time we started... becoming a lot less friendly with each other," Twilight confessed. Pinkie Pie noticed that she was starting to tear up, if just a little bit.

"What do you mean by "less friendly?" she asked gently and hopefully.

"Well... It started with her getting really jealous..." Twilight began. Pinkie Pie's smile slipped as she realized that her hopes were all for naught- she could already tell that this was going to be a really ugly story.

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"She somehow got the idea that I was jealous of her for getting into the Academy when I was rejected. I mean, I was a little jealous, and there's nothing wrong with that. She got in and I didn't, a little jealousy is to be expected, it's simply not a big deal." Trixie chuckled as she began her next sentence. "But somehow, she got it in her head that I would actually be angry at her for it, which, by the way, is completely ridiculous!" Everypony listening could tell that Trixie was starting to get heated.

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"...so I tell her that I still wanna be friends and she shouldn't be jealous, and that it's not as great as she thinks. So she gets really angry at me and stops talking to me for a week. I've never seen a pony overreact so much in my life!"

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"...and then my family went on a trip to Manehatten for a week. I happened to leave my phone charger at home, so I wasn't able to talk to her for a whole week. I got back and charged my phone and found twenty missed calls. I called her back, but she didn't answer-"

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"Since she was ignoring me, I decided to give her a taste of her own medicine..."

___________________________________

"- so I went to bed. In the morning, I tried again, but she still wouldn't answer. It was a petty, mean, and cold move, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt and waited before making assumptions."

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"...I thought it would be a good idea, but she got clingier than I thought she would. She called twenty-eight times that week. It was really annoying."

____________________________________

"...I probably called a few too many times that week and it wasted all of my minutes, but I wanted to make sure she wasn't being childish and giving me the silent treatment..."

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"When I finally decided to call her back, she ignored me AGAIN. Can you believe that?"

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"...It was pretty obvious that she didn't want to be friends anymore. She could have just told me, but no. She had to be childish and cruel about it. So I planned the world's greatest revenge stunt..."

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"What she did next was the worst travesty yet. I was just getting out of class one day and had just walked out of the building when I saw her there, waving and smiling at me. Naturally, I assumed that she'd come to apologize or something, so I trotted up to her and asked her what she was doing there. And then, out of the blue-"

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"...I kissed her, right there in front of everypony!" Rainbow Dash spit out the shot she had just taken and started laughing harder than she had all night.

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"...It was the most embarrassing moment of my life..."

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"...It was the most triumphant moment of my life..."

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"...So I started screaming at her. "Get out of here, why the hoof did you do that?"... that sort of stuff...."

_____________________________________

"...And then I got all sad, and said, "I see how it is... Too embarrassed to be seen in public with your marefriend. I thought you were stronger, I thought my being here would be a pleasant surprise, but... I guess not. We're through!" I screamed at her as I ran away crying." Trixie smiled triumphantly, but the smile quickly evaporated into a more melancholy expression. "But... the last sentence... it was deeper than just a prank. That was the last thing I said to her until I came to Ponyville. It was the end our friendship..." Trixie paused in reflection for a moment before continuing. "Anyway, she was completely furious..."

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"...Everyone at the Academy hated me for the longest time, most of them because of what they thought I did to Trixie, but some of them because they thought I was a filly-fooler! Can you even believe that to begin with? They thought that I, of all ponies, was a filly-fooler! Completely ridiculous!" Twilight finished, not fooling anypony listening, who happened to be precisely Pinkie Pie and nopony else.

Twilight realized as soon as she said the last few sentences that they were a mistake. She was such a foal, always speaking too quick for her brain to tell her mouth it was a bad idea to say whatever nonsense her mouth was spewing. It sometimes made it hard for other ponies to understand her, and it made her a horrible liar. She could only hope that Pinkie Pie was focused too much on something else to notice the obvious cover that came from her mouth. Too focused on something else to be able to tell that Twilight had actually enjoyed Trixie's kiss immensely, that she secretly wished she had gotten the courage to tell Trixie about her feelings back then, but by the time she had gathered the nerve, their friendship had already come crashing down. But Twilight knew Pinkie Pie well enough to know that contrary to popular belief, nothing ever slipped the pink party pony's notice.

Pinkie's ears perked up as soon as Twilight finished. "Twilight, you're a worse liar than Applejack, you silly-filly. Everyone knows you secretly LOVE cheesecake... no wait that's Applejack that loves cheesecake, and it isn't even a secret! Mmm, cheesecake sounds yummy right now." Pinkie rambled as Twilight watched, slightly confused, "I should eat some right now! Wouldn't that be great Twilight? But there was something I wanted to say before. Now what was it? Oh, right! You like Trixie!" she exclaimed.

"I, uhhh.... I have... I have absolutely no idea what your talking about, Pinkie, I-"

""-Twilight, you can always tell your bestest friend Pinkie, and I would never-ever even THINK of judging you. The truth can't be that awfully-waffly bad," responded a concerned-looking but smiling Pinkie Pie.

"Fine..." Twilight conceded, "I liked the kiss... but just a little bit."

"Twilight..."

"A lot. It was my first kiss, and, truth be told, the only one I've ever had that really meant anything."

"What about that stallion that Rarity set you up with about two months ago?"

"Yeah, we kissed a few times after a couple of our dates but it didn't lead anywhere, and like I said, they didn't really mean anything. If you'll recall, the relationship never really took off. He was nice, but..."

"You loved Trixie?" Pinkie mused.

"Maybe... maybe not. But I never got a chance to find out. It doesn't matter much anymore though." A depressed look crossed Twilight's face.

"Why not?"

"What do you mean why not? Even if she's back and wants forgiveness for last time, that doesn't mean she wants the same type of friendship we used to have. And I'm especially sure that after the way it ended, she doesn't want any sort of relationship like that with me. That's why I was so reluctant to trust her at first; and to tell you the truth, I still am. There's no way she can seriously want to be anything with me again after our history." Twilight finished.
"Well, that's not true at all, Twi!" Pinkie began as her smile grew a little bit, "The fact that she's here at all is proof that she wants to at least be friends with you again. And how do you know that she doesn't feel at least some sort of feelings for you too? Why do you think a stage performer like Trixie would come to a super-duper tiny town like Ponyville when she could attract even larger crowds in a big, bumbling, bustling city unless there was some realllly specific thing in that town that she wanted? And it's like Mrs. Cake always says, you don't know how it tastes until you try it. So just tell her how you feel, silly, you've got nothing to lose. Your relationship with Trixie can't get any worse than it already is, and your friends obviously won't judge you." Pinkie smiled wider than she had all night.

"Again with the puppy-dog eyes?" she asked as Pinkie continued to stare back at her. "But-"

"Pretty pretty pretty pretty please, Twilight. I know I can't tell anyone because I Pinkie Swore, but your gonna blow up, or explode, or SOMETHING if you keep keeping your feelings in bottles. Bottles break really easily Twilight! And then everything will be in little glass pieces all over the floor! You've got to, Twilight. Please, please, please, tell her!!!" Pinkie was making even less sense than usual, and Twilight suspected she was drunk. Not wanting Pinkie herself to explode, she grudgingly agreed.

"Fine," she said through gritted teeth. Pinkie started quite literally bouncing off the walls in joy. "But when should I tell her?" Twilight asked nervously.

"Now, silly!" responded Pinkie in the typical fashion.

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As Trixie finished her story, she noticed that the tale had attracted a small crowd. While it was flattering to know that the story was interesting, it was weird for everypony to be watching her as expectantly as they were. Rainbow Dash was still laughing her flank off but was able to contain herself long enough to stop laughing and speak.

"You kissed her?" She began laughing again. "From the way you talk about it, it sounds like it was more for your enjoyment than her embarrassment!" Rainbow teased as she was finally able to regain complete control over herself.

"Right..." Trixe responded, rolling her eyes perhaps a bit too obviously to be convincing. She wasn't embarrassed of being a fillyfooler, but she didn't feel comfortable telling her her new "friends" quite yet, especially with everypony watching her.

"Well... I was just teasing you, but from the way you said that... you really are a fillyfooler, aren't you?"

"Of course not! How dare you even insinuate such a thing!" Once again, Trixie went a little too overboard with her reaction to be convincing.

"It's quite alright if you are," responded Rarity, still not convinced. "Were all your friends here. You can tell us the truth, we won't judge you for it." She smiled encouragingly

"No you can't, don't say anything!" Applejack interjected before Trixie could respond. "As a matter of fact, I'm gonna go get some more cheesecake, just in case you are a fillyfooler and decide to come out. And anypony else here who doesn't wanna hear that should probably come with me, just in case." Applejack left with an entourage of other ponies following her.

"Don't worry about her, she's at least attempting to be nice about the subject matter.When Pinkie and Rainbow told everyone about their relationship, she wouldn't talk to them for two weeks! She's just giving herself a sense of insurance just in case," Rarity said as she smiled somewhat nervously.

"Rainbow and Pinkie? I wouldn't have put them together in a thousand years," said Trixie.

"Neither would anypony else." A chorus of giggles arose but quickly subsided. "Anyway, back to what we're actually talking about...is Rainbow correct in her accusation or not? You're a dreadful liar by the way, so don't even make an attempt at it." Rarity smiled jokingly but Trixie could tell she was serious.

"Well... I guess... I guess since everypony who would care is gone, and you had to find out somehow..." Trixie started to trail off as she got more and more embarrassed. "Yes. She is... correct," she said sheepishly.

"I'm sorry, what was that dear?" asked Rarity. Trixie could tell that Rarity could hear her but was making her say it louder. This gave Trixie a little more confidence to know that at least one pony in the room wasn't judging her, but it was still a touchy subject.

She looked around at the faces in the crowd and saw that all of them were looks of support, not judgement. Although she barely knew most of these ponies, she could tell that they really did consider themselves her friends. She spotted Lyra and Bon-Bon smiling encouragingly from the back of the crowd and it gave her the last confidence boost she needed. "I really do hope this isn't a terrible idea," she thought to herself.

"Yes. I'm a fillyfooler, and did enjoy the kiss as more than just a revenge stunt. As a matter of fact, the reason I came to Ponyville in the first place and the reason I came back is because I knew Twilight was here and I wanted to repair our relationship. At least enough to become friends again. If anypony here has a problem with my choices, well... this is my party, after all, so you can just leave," she said with more confidence than she thought she had. Trixie felt amazing, as if a huge burden had just been lifted from her shoulders. She felt... more free.

"Congratulations, Trixie, that was incredibly brave of you," applauded Rarity. "And don't worry about Twilight."

"Huh?" Trixie asked

"Oh, darling, it's obvious to everypony around that she doesn't quite trust you again yet. You can't tell me you didn't notice it yourself." Trixie nodded her head to signify that she had. "I'm just assuring you that with your new attitude, there's no possible way she continue distrusting you for long." Everypony in the room nodded their heads in agreement.

"Thanks for the encouragement, but... all Twilight does in try to ignore me nowadays. If I'm somewhere, she tries not to be there, if I do something, she'll have nothing to do with it. I'm sure it'll be a long time before she even comes close to trusting me..."

"Well, you have to talk to her of course! I'm quite sure she doesn't flat out ignore you when you’re speaking to her. Surely if you tell her you need to speak with her privately, she'll sit down and listen. And that'll give you a chance to apologize for your history, too, and then-"

"Apologize? Why would I be the one apologizing? I'm not the one who drove our friendship to extinction!"

"You embarrassed her in front of everypony she knew. And besides, there are always two sides to every story, and I’m sure and as far as Twilight knows, you're the one to blame." Trixie knew that Rarity was probably right. "Go talk to her. Right now would be a perfect time. Tell her your sorry and that you want to make things right. That would be a great start to repairing your relationship. She's up in her room, hiding from the cheesecake. Go." She smiled again. Trixie noticed that ponies smiled a lot here.

"Ok. I'll talk to her. Thanks for the advice, by the way, Rarity. I really do appreciate it."

"You're welcome. Now go, hurry, before she falls asleep. She absolutely dreads being woken up..."

As Trixie started to walk toward the staircase, she heard Rainbow say something about "setting the mood". Trixie wasn't sure what she meant, but, knowing Rainbow, it would be something wild or dangerous. "Nice lie about the reason you came to Ponyville both times being to ‘repair your relationship’. It won them over really well.”

Thanks, I likewise thought it was a masterpiece. Trixie, however, knew that most of her words tonight had been completely true.

Chapter 5

It went swimmingly, to say the least. And now Rarity had used her connections to get them reservations to the fanciest restaurant in Canterlot, La Vi Cheskac. Needless to say, Twilight hated the name.

Twilight could think of nothing more difficult than what she was about to do. Besides maybe eating cheesecake.

Twilight and Trixie trotted casually through the doorway. Twilight was anxious. This was the first date- the use of the word sent butterflies through her stomach- that she'd ever been out with somepony she actually had legitimate feelings about. The nervous feeling was not abated by the fact that Princess Celestia herself would be there to meet her new marefriend.

Trixie, on the other hand, had some mixed feelings of her own.

"Trixie, stop walking, we need to have a talk, before you do anything foalish," whispered Nightmare. Trixie stopped.

"Now listen closely for a moment, dear. I am older than Equestria itself. The immortal goddess of shadows. The queen of secrets. Did you honestly think that anypony, let alone a mare as emotionally wrecked as you, could keep a secret from the likes of myself?"

"I assure you, The Great and Powerful Trixie has no idea what your speaking of, and furthermore--"

"Hello, mademoiselles, and welcome to La Vi Cheskac. Name?" asked the host, somewhat impatiently, as if he didn't have time to deal with the two mare in front of him who clearly weren't dressed quite up to the standards that were appropriate for such a fine establishment.

"Sparkle," Twilight replied. The host peered into a booklet on him podium and his expression changed, presumably as he noticed that the Princess would be accompanying them.

"Ah, yes your reservations seem to be in order. Right this way, we have your private table set up in the back next to the patio. His tone had changed as well, recognizing the prestigious names of their company and the stallion who had gotten them the reservations.

He led them to a small but fancifully decorated room near the back. Twilight and Trixie sat down as he situated the table. Twilight began staring out the windows at the sunset in anxiety, the inevitable awkwardness of the night beginning to dawn on her.

"What will you have to drink, mademoiselles?"

"The strongest wine you have in stock, please," Twilight and Trixie answered simultaneously, then smiled when they realized what had transpired. This was going to be a difficult night for both of them, and both planned to be as prepared or it as possible.

"--Trixie, stop LYING to me!" Trixie wasn't sure how one yelled while they were whispering, but Nightmare had apparently found a way. "I am not your enemy. Now tell me, what am I here to help you accomplish?"

"Revenge..."

"On whom?" Nightmare had an important agenda, and she was damned if she was going to let this mare she'd invested so much time in flake out.

"Ummm... Twilight..." Trixie resigned. Checkmate.

When the host left, a deadly silence overtook the room and Twilight began to panic. This isn't supposed to work this way. Look at her over there, all calm and collected while I'm over here dying of nervousness. Buck, she looked at me. What do I do? Oh sweet Celestia, she probably thinks I'm too quiet. Oh, this is a disaster! She desperately began to brainstorm for something to say to spark some sort of conversation. She looked at the windowsill and saw something that gave her an idea.

"So.... what do you think about... tulips..." It was a stupid idea.

"Well, I generally don't really like flowers, but something about tulips... I'm not sure why, but I just really love them." Maybe not. "As a matter of fact, my late grandmother has a tulip engraved on her tombstone. I think it was her cutie mark, but she died when I was just a filly, so I'm not sure." Twilight deadpanned.

The door opened and the host reentered the room, carrying two large bottles and a few glasses. "Oh thank Celestia," said Twilight and Trixie, again in unison. Twilight shot a slight smile toward her companion's direction.

"Here are your drinks, the strongest in the house. As a matter of fact, I give my personal guarantee that this is barely weak enough to be called wine." He winked at Twilight, who smiled thankfully.

"Perfect," she answered.

The stallion set the drinks and glasses on the table. "Is there anything else I can get you for the time being?" he queried as Twilight started to pour two glasses.

"I'm fine. You?" Trixie nodded. "No, we're fine for now, thanks," Twilight answered.

"Okay then. Here are your menus, and I'll be back to take your orders when your guest arrives. If you require my attention presence before then, just press this button and I should arrive shortly." He smiled again and left.

Twilight finished pouring the wine and handed Trixie her glass. "Cheers," she exclaimed as they both downed their glasses in one gulp. The alcohol was indeed strong, and Twilight began to feel its effects immediately. A feeling of calm came over her. Tonight wasn't going to be as bad as she first thought.

"Then why, pray tell, do you plan on simply forgetting all of the sins she has commited against you?"

Trixie abandoned her attempt to play dumb. "Well... I reasoned that everypony deserves a second chance, and--"

"Did you not already give her a second chance when you came to Ponyville the first time?"

"Well, yeah, but I..."

"You what, Trixie? Think really hard for a moment. I understand that you're infatuated with her. But why do you continue to give her more chances? You've wasted most of your life trying to get her to notice you and return your feelings, but to what avail? She has driven you away and embarrassed you every time. She's caused you more emotional damage than you know."

"What do you mean?"

"Your failure to impress her the first time left you scarred. No matter what amazing thing you do, you always look back on that one event and consider your whole life a failure because of it. You have a constant need to outdo everypony at whatever they're best at, just to prove to yourself that you're not a failure. It makes you come off as selfish, a braggart, and just a general show-off. Other ponies hate you because you act like that. You simply can't make connections with others because they think you look down on them. Your entire life has been ruined because of this one disaster when you were a filly. All thanks to Twilight Sparkle."

Trixie looked more defeated than when Nightmare had found her next to that pond.

The wine helped abundantly, just as Twilight predicted. When Celestia finally showed up, Twilight found that talking to her mentor about her relationship was much less awkward than she thought it would be. Probably thanks to the wine. Not that Celestia didn't already know (Twilight had sent her a letter first thing in the morning following the party), but actually talking to her about it face to face was a conversation Twilight had been dreading ever since the reservations were made.

Fortunately, Celestia did her best to not make it awkward, but still asked as many questions as possible to encourage her faithful student to be more comfortable talking about her relationship. Probably thanks to the wine.

Trixie was also especially talkative, making jokes and conversing just as if this was a normal dinner between normal, not filly-fooler-relationship-having friends. Probably thanks to the wine.

All things considered, the dinner went, well... pretty amazingly. Nothing was too unbearably awkward, Twilight didn't spend any more than ten percent of the time wanting to die from embarrassment, and the Princess didn't seem to be angry or disappointed or anything. Probably thanks to the wine.

After hanging her head in despair for a minute or so, Trixie finally gathered up a response to Nightmare's speech. "I suppose you're right. I'm sorry for lying, I guess, and thanks for setting me straight again. The Great And Powerful Trixie does have a tendency to forgo her goals when the idea of being with her seems like it's becoming a real possibility. I didn't realize that until now, but... thank you for helping me. And thanks for staying with me this whole time to continue assisting me. The Great And Powerful Trixie really does appreciate it." Nightmare began smiling comfortingly inside her, though Trixie wasn't sure how she knew that.

"Do not apologize to me, Trixie, for you have done me no harm. The only pony who you could have harmed is yourself. And that's why I am here. Not just to guide you to your vengeance, but to keep you from straying from said path," Nightmare assured encouragingly.

"Well what do I do next?" Trixie asked. She was too emotionally exhausted to think strait after that whole ordeal, and was prepared to follow any order given to her.

"Let me share something with you Trixie," Nightmare began. "I happen to know for a fact that Twilight does happen to share your feelings for her. Now while this may sound positively encouraging as far as your chances of having a relationship with her, hear me out. I have been around longer than recorded history, and I can confidently tell you right now that this is not the case. She may share your feelings, but she has ruined your life twice before, and history proves that if you pursue a relationship with her again, she will ruin your life a third time. It happens that way every single time. It may be tragic, but it is how the world works."

"Why are you telling me this?" Trixie sobbed softly. "It doesn't give me any inclination of what do now!"

"Simple, my dear. Why, this is the perfect opportunity for revenge. She is infatuated with you. Go to her, and prove to her that you share her feelings. Make her fall head-over-heels for you. convince her that you two are perfect for each other, that you've forgiven her for everything she has done to you. Make her forgive you for everything she thinks you have done to her. Use her heart to your advantage, manipulate her so that you have her wrapped around your finger. And then, when the time is right..."

"I break her heart," Trixie finished for Nightmare.

Nightmare was right, this would be the perfect revenge, Twilight would be absolutely devastated. But did Trixie really want that for her. Trixie knew precisely what being completely heartbroken felt like, and she wasn't sure if she possessed the mental conviction to make anypony else go through that. Wait, no. This isn't just anypony else. This is the mare who single handedly destroyed my life. Nightmare is right. I need to stop doubting myself. I am not a failure, and I will not have my life ruined another time by the likes of Twilight Sparkle.

"Okay," Trixie answered as she started to smile. "I'm ready to do this."

"Perfect. Now go, Great And Powerful Trixie." Nightmare was pleased with her faithful student.

Trixie finished her trek up the staircase and opened Twilight's door, promptly running into Twilight herself as she walked out. Twilight started to nervously stammer something, but Trixie didn't hear her because her lips were pressed firmly against Twilight's.

When they had finished eating, the three ponies stayed in the back room for a while; laughing, conversing, and enjoying what was left of the wine. When that was gone, the three departed the restaurant and Celestia went back to the palace for some blissful sleep.

Twilight looked at her watch, but couldn't decipher the time because the hands wouldn't stop moving around, so she decided it was probably too late to go all the way back home tonight. Besides, they were in no condition to do so anyway. Luckily, Twilight had planned ahead and reserved an underpriced hotel room just three blocks away just in case.

After an hour of searching, the pair finally made it to the lobby of the hotel, received their key, and drunkenly staggered into their hotel room.

And then they (explicit/deleted).