Chapters An icy cold wind struck Trixie's face as she struggled through the snow, pulling at her wagon desperately. The fleece shoes that were supposed to keep her hooves warm were starting to fall apart and icicles clung to her fur and even mane.
Then, all of a sudden, her wagon seemed to dip and then stop working. Trixie swung her head back to take a quick look, and what she saw and knew she did not want to believe, though the cold dread was dropped like a stone into her churning belly.
Ice covered the Illusionists wheels like frosting and snow was quickly piling near the wheels, burying them in its white, freezing depths.
Anxiety pinned Trixie's ears flat against her skull, and she gasped. "This can't be happening! If my wagon gets stuck in this storm, I'll freeze to death!" She rubbed her nose briefly with a trembling hoof--not that the rest of her was not trembling. "Trixie would never see Starlight again! Nonetheless confess her silly emotions to that caring mare!" A wobbly frown shuddered on her red muzzle.
Trixie gingerly took the metal strap from her flanks and raced into her wagon, fear flaring inside of her. "It can't be!!!" She whinnied, shutting her door, which slammed harder than she'd intended since the wind was so strong, causing her to stagger back. "Somepony save me!"
Starlight Glimmer felt a twinge of cold as she hoisted herself to stand on her hind hooves, her forehooves resting on her windowsill as she gazed worriedly out of it. Wherever could Trixie be? She wondered, scanning the thick snow outside. "Why would that crazy pony even leave?" Starlight tapped her chin with a hoof, her earlier smile curving to a frown. Wouldn't Trixie want to spend Hearthswarming with me? We had so much fun at the Summer Sun Festival. . .I'd hate for us not to spend Hearthswarming together! Especially since Twilight is considering sending me away. . . Tears flooding in her blue-purple eyes, Starlight rested her head between her forelegs. Her jaw pressed against her windowsill, leaving a sliver of pain in her wake, but she was too concerned about Trixie to care.
"I hate to admit it," The powerful Unicorn began, slumping to the ground with her back against the wall, "but I really think I'm getting some feelings for her. . ." Even just thinking of the Illusionist dawned something fuzzy inside of Starlight, and almost every thought in her sophisticated brain was taken up by that blue mare. "I just hope she's okay. . ." Starlight positioned herself to look out the window, and to her surprise the snow had already built.
Wow, looks like the pegasi have really outdone themselves, She observed as fresh snowflakes coated the somewhat older ones.
"Starlight!" Twilight slammed her door open, her smile stretching skin over her joyous violet eyes.
"Uh, yes, Twilight?" Starlight got to her hooves and faced Twilight, her necklace dangling from her neck.
"Pinkie Pie made us cake! Care to join us? Plus, soon we'll be starting some games! You can invite Trixie, if you want. Thorax is already here, and so is Discord!"
"Do you even have any idea where Trixie is?"
"Er, no. You guys were so close"--A jolt sliced through Starlight--"that I just thought you knew where she was. Also, because you could have been hiding her in you room." Twilight finished with a small giggle.
"Well, I don't either. I haven't seen her since the day before Hearthswarming Eve!" Panic jeered Starlight until she panted, a shaky hoof on her fluffy chest. "I'm so scared for her, Twilight! I mean, what if she is stuck in the storm?? That pony has no mo--she isn't rich, and she doesn't have heat!" The tears that were welling in Starlight's eyes finally slid out--no, gushed out--as she vented to Twilight.
"And I think I have a crush on her, but, no, this isn't some dumb filly crush! I really love Trixie, and I'm just horrified! Twilight, what's the worst that could happen?" Starlight danced on her hooves and the bright red heart on her necklace was shiny with salty tears. Twilight was shocked, but Starlight was speaking too fast for anypony to say a word. "I mean, what if the Wendigos come back? And, and, and, what if I never see Trixie again?!" She finished, still panting as though she'd run a million miles within three heartbeats. Tears cascaded down her face like water wood from a waterfall.
"Starlight," Twilight still couldn't brush the shock off of her, but she tried her best to look calm, "I'm sure Trixie feels the same. In all the seasons we've known each other she's never acted so kind, so dedicated to anypony . I'm seriously not just saying this, I've never seen Trixie act so compassionate. She really loves you, Starlight. . ." The Alicorn princess wrapped a caring hoof around her friend's neck.
Starlight sniffed, wiping away a tear as she stepped out of the hug. "Are you sure?" She asked, her eyes shining.
"Why, yes, of course. If you would want to go looking for Trixie, though. . ." Twilight's soft gaze turned hard as she stared out Starlight's iced up window. "I won't allow that. You have started to teach Trixie magic anyway. Plus, she could maybe teleport or even walk. Possibly levitate herself?" Twilight tapped her chin with a furry purple hoof.
"But what if Trixie's really stuck?" Starlight breathed, her heart practically leaping to her throat.
"Trust me. Somepony would have noticed her. Now," Twilight wrapped a foreleg around Starlight's bristling neck and said with a smile; "come and join us."
Trixie huddled, quivering excessively, under the covers of her freezing bed. Her eyes were wide with fear and cold, and she could feel ice start to freeze onto her thick blue horn.
"Alright. It's fine. Trixie will just use her magic to turn the wheels." Trixie gulped and, mustering up all of her strength and fluffing up her coarse blue fur, trotted outside, her mane and tail flailing in the heavy wind.
"Focus, Trixie." She willed out loud to herself. "This will work, and you will turn those wheels! Turn the wheels, turn the wheels. . ." Scraping a hoof over the ground and then tilting her horn towards the snow, Trixie's magic sparked on her horn and a lazerbeam of it struck her wheel. A heating spell. Surely it would work?
Nope. Trixie's wheel burst to flames, crumbling to black ash that stung the showmare's nostrils. The fire burned her eyes, and she reeled backward, taken aback. Well, on the bright side, it didn't turn into a teacup. . .Though, I have to admit, I would like that more.
"Oh, no!" Suddenly, Trixie raced into her wagon, snatching a towel in her jaws, and pelting back outside. Feverishly, she waved it over the fire. "If it burns my food, then I will starve and freeze!!"
Once the raging fire had burned out and her wagon slumped to the side from the loss of a wheel, Trixie pelted yet again inside.
The Illusionist skittered--slid, even--to the corner of her Wagon, where her food would be neatly stacked. Would be.
Tears swelled in Trixie's eyes like blood from a paper cut, and she felt her lips quiver and her heart shatter. The word swayed beneath her stiffened hooves and a desolate sorrow clung to her belly, where a ferocious storm was raging, as was one outside as well. Hopelessness rose from her like a foul stench and her nostrils flared as she drew in a deep, tense breath that was corrupted by fear. Tears started to burst from her purple eyes and she collapsed on the wooden boards of her Wagon's floor, shoulders shaking in anguish. Her stomach flipped so many times she felt bile rise in her clenched throat, and she choked on her breath, salty tears filling her mouth. She swallowed them absently, gasping for air and slamming a hoof on the floor.
"However will I survive?? It's not like Starlight will come back for me!!"
Author's Note
Heyo! This contains minor spoilers for season 7 so far, and I hope you like! Stay tuned for the next chapter(s) and make sure to leave a like and fave!! Commenting would be fabulous! And if you have any emotional ideas about what will happen, PLEASE feel free to PM me! Thanks for reading!!
Sneaking out *Suicidal thoughts warning*
Sneaking out *Suicidal thoughts warning*
Starlight Glimmer's hooves dragged like heavy stones across her floor, and lazily she used her teel-colored aura of magic to slowly turn her doorknob. Tiredness fogged her mind and her vision glazed over with said tiredness. Slumping into her bed, she let her legs splay out and her thoughts drift, her fur damp with mild sweat.
Then her mind traveled to Trixie.
The all-mighty, powerful Unicorn often happened to seep into Starlight's thoughts like water into a sponge. The more she thought of Trixie, and the more the blue Unicorn occurred to her mind (whether normal or in sexy clothing), the more she felt. ..dreamy. She couldn't explain it. She just loved Trixie so much.
But, Trixie. . .Could she be in trouble? What had caused her to not park her Wagon beside Twilight's castle, or not show up to the party for her ? Well, not her specifically, but she was one of the highly honored guests. Would she even be able to take care of herself this night? Would she die ?!
Starlight shuddered at the nasty thought. How would Trixie even die, anyway? Why would she ever be away, especially for so long. . .She may well just be visiting somepony or something. . . Flipping herself over sleepily, Starlight tucked her haunches to her sides and rested her head between aching forelegs. Her eyelids drooped and finally sleep overtook her.
Trixie felt her blood run cold as she realized that, no, there was no hope. Whyever would Starlight come looking for her? It was only a matter of time until the cold claws gripping her so tightly jerked even tighter, and she spasmed into a deep, never-ending sleep. She didn't even have any food, for Celestia's sake! Plus, her belly was starting to rumble.
Trixie felt her neck bristle as she glanced over at the neatly wrapped present she had prepared for Starlight. That was the only reason she'd traveled so hard--and, not to mention, far. She'd wanted to get Starlight Glimmer, the love of her life, the bestest gift she possibly could.
Once she had gotten the present, Trixie had wrapped it in rich, crimson wrapping paper and, for the finishing touch, added a golden bow to the top. She had worked herself out trying to do this, and for what?
For her to die?
Trixie felt a shudder slide down her quivering body. I just hope that at least she finds me and opens the present. Probably two towns over I would have reached Ponyville. I'd rather be trapped in the center of town then this!
No, I'd rather be cuddling up beside Starlight than this. Our fur would brush and our hearts would melt, and maybe I could even-
BANG!!!
A startling crashing noise sounded outside of Trixie's wagon, and she jumped at the sudden noise, hackles spiking and pink magic flowing around her horn. Though, the magic didn't last long, since it only had come since she was so in shock.
What had that noise been?
Starlight jerked awake, her fur standing on end and her ears flattened in shock. Her eyes were wide and a frown was plastered to her face.
What just happened? I wasn't even dreaming. . . Scratching her head in utter confusion, Starlight sat on her haunches atop of her bed, of which had blankets strewn about on it.
Then a single thought occurred to her mind. Trixie. Trixie Lulamoon.
"Should I go looking for her or. . .?" Starlight tapped her chin. Then her gaze slid to look out her window, her hoof slowly dropping from below her mouth.
It was still dark out and, to be exact, Celestia probably hadn't even woke up yet.
Walking lightly to her window, Starlight hooked her forehooves onto the ledge and peered out beneath her window through the icy glass. Trixie's Wagon still remained somewhere else.
"Maybe I should look for her." Starlight whispered, her heart thumping. Carefully, she opened her window, making sure she didn't make any loud noises. She didn't want Twilight to be angry at her and maybe even not trust her anymore. After all, the whole incident with the Cutie Map had still left her a little bit shook.
"I wouldn't want to make a rash decision. . ." Starlight turned from the window and started to pace.
"But what if Trixie is on a date and I ruin it? Or, what if she's being slayed by Timber Wolves and dying!!" Starlight's tail shot out in alarm for quite a few brief seconds. "But what if she needs me. . ." Desperation latched onto Starlight like a tick.
Then, abruptly, she slammed down a hoof defiantly. "No. I am going after Trixie, and nopony can stop me!" The powerful Unicorn reared up and then bolted for her window. Quickly, magic sparked from her horn and she levitated herself, squeezing through the window. There was a slight pop as she broke free, but the wind blocked out merely every sound, so she was safe.
Well, maybe not. . .
Starlight's ears flattened in horror as the wind blew hard against her, and her fur wasn't enough to keep her from shivering violently. A little bit gingerly, she set herself on the ground, her magic fading from around her body and horn.
"Oh my! And I thought inside was a little chilly! How would Trixie not turn to ice??" Starlight clutched a forehoof to her chest in horror, of which was exploding inside of her.
"Maybe if I levitate myself around Ponyville I could find her? And if I don't, I could get my jacket and then try looking outside of Ponyville. Sounds like an idea to me." Blinking hard and shaking snow from her fur, Starlight levitated herself from the ground, into the sky, and examined the white coating that glazed over Ponyville.
"Hm. . .Not a single pony is outside," she spoke her thoughts aloud, straining her eyes to see. She felt her magic hesitate a little; the cold was reaching her horn and ice was packing over it.
"I might want to at least get a hat, if I wish to continue my travels for long." Starlight mumbled as snow whirled into her eyes and clotted in her pelt. Shaking her head so hard her ears flapped against her skull, Starlight turned tail and whisked herself back through her window.
"Oh my. . ." Starlight bit her lip nervously as she examined her now freezing room. . .Which had snow clumping inside.
Well, at least Twilight hasn't found out. Starlight drew in a deep, rattling breath before trotting to her closet and pushing through clothes--of which were mostly unused.
"Hat, hat, hat. . .Jacket. . ." Starlight danced on her hooves and, finally, pulled out a thick blue jacket and a red hat with yellow rings of fabric around it; it was all made of fabric. Then, she drew up some thick, light blue booties from the floor of her closet, awkwardly putting them on her hooves.
After she'd put on all of her winter gear, Starlight shook the last bits of snow from her fur (well, what she could of it) and readied her magic. She reared up and churned her forelegs in the air in a circular motion, then enfolded herself in her magic and flew out the window into the icy air outside.
Winter gear or not, the cold still sent shock bolting down her spine. Nonetheless, she must look for Trixie. . .I must find her!!
Struggling against the wind and cold, Starlight flew pyreticly through out the town. Her fur bristled and her heart pounded in her chest, and once she had scoured all of Ponyville with out a trace, blood had started to roar in her flattened ears.
"Okay, okay, think Starlight, think!! Where else could Trixie be?!" Starlight hit her head repeatedly with a hoof as she thought aloud. "Maybe the Crystal Empire? No, no, why would she go there?? Manehatten!" Oh, but that's so far away. . .And in a city! She would certainly have somewhere to be?
Tears swelled in Starlight's eyes and a thick, pulsing lump formed in her throbbing throat. What if Trixie had left and wasn't coming back? How would she ever be mates with her then??
Well, there's still Maud. . .But, I fear I like--no, love--Trixie even more. . .I mean, nopony could ever replace her! She's just so cute and she cares about me so much, maybe even more than any other pony! And, yeah, she can be really rude and arrogant sometimes, but that's all just a part of her. . .And I love her. Starlight's hooves trembled, and this time it wasn't from the cold. Alas, all of her sorrowful and fearsome feelings clashed inside of her and brought with them a fresh, heavy wave of tears. She bawled loudly, her mouth frowning so hard and stretching so wide when she wailed that it actually hurt a little bit. Her heart moldered and the cold clinging to her bristling fur was intensified as thoughts of never seeing Trixie again slapped her in the muzzle.
"I don't think I'll ever find her!" Starlight's voice cracked with thick emotion and invisible hooves gripped her throat, suffocating her and causing her to breath rapidly. Who would sneak into her room late at night just to cuddle her in comforting blue hooves? Who would be there to make her feel better and laugh?
Even just thinking of Trixie not being there to make her angry caused Starlight to weep harder.
But then she realized something that could potentially change everything. . .
"Who's there?!" Trixie yowled, her fur spiking so much it felt as though if it went any higher it would fall off. "The Great and Powerful Trixie demands answers!" Slamming an angry hoof on the wooden boards of her Wagon's floor, Trixie stamped up to her door. Fear was starting to writhe inside of her, but she stood tall, even if her haunches were a tad lowered and her tail was pressing between her hind legs.
Could it possibly be another pony? What if Starlight has come looking for me?! A smile reached Trixie's muzzle, but was dropped as she peered out her window and realized that all the noise had been was a tree branch snapping and falling on the roof of her Wagon.
Uncontrollable rage started to boil inside of Trixie, and once it bubbled to the surface her whole world collapsed, just like her hope.
"Really?! Just, REALLY?! I came all this way out here, and for what?? I spent half of my money, and for what?! I had my hopes up. . .And for what?! To be stuck out here with no way home? There's not even a train station nearby! I am in the middle of literally nowhere !!" Now tears were piling relentlessly in Trixie's eyes, and her voice was starting to break apart as her throat closed and a throbbing lump arched its back in it. "I may well commit suicide!!"
"Well, I guess I'll just follow the less-deep snow, since hoofprints are all covered up. . ." Starlight clutched a forehoof to her chest--against her jacket--and blinked in concern as she looked down at the rapidly piling snow beneath her. There was the slightest difference, nearly imaginable, between two sides of the white pelt covering the bare earth.
There was a "track" dragging along the snow, and it could possibly have been left by Trixie's wagon. After all, the snowstorm had started yesterday, when the Illusionist was claimed missing--just maybe not noticed to be gone.
"Okay, well, I just don't see why she'd go this way to who know where. . ." Starlight questioned aloud, taping a bootied hoof to her chin. "I mean, it looks like it might be leading to Manehatten. Yet, that place is so far away! And there's a train that leads right to it! I sure hope she's OK and hasn't lost her mind!!" Eyes widening, Starlight suddenly felt the urge to slap Trixie across the face. She could just be so stupid sometimes, and she didn't think before she acted! She was so full of herself, yet--
Why does my horn feel so hot? Flicking her gaze to the top of her head, Starlight realized that, through the magic flowing around her, there was red smoke billowing from her horn.
Terror spiking, Starlight kneaded the frosty air with her hooves.
"Ooohhh, nonononononono!! Why is this happening?! Again! "
But finally, as Starlight's fury was replaced with fear and concern, the smoke retreated back to her pulsing horn, which alas could feel the cold pricking into it. Now her horn felt hard with ice, and Starlight felt that she'd rather have hot smoke around it and it be hot than so cold ice was building.
"I wonder if Trixie could get so mad smoke comes out from her horn. . .Well, actually, that would be really scary. Never mind." Starlight dismissed the thought with a twinge of embarrassment. Just like when she'd admitted to Maud that she really likes kites. . .
Well, nonetheless, I'd better get back to quickly following this trail thing if I want to find Trixie before she freezes to death.
As dawn approached, (though it didn't feel like it), Trixie's urge to kill herself increased dramatically and her pupils had thinned to a crazy black dot amongst her wide eyes. Her mane was less curly; she'd dragged her hooves down her hair so much.
And, so, it came to be. Clamping the grip of a sharp kitchen knife between her jaws, Trixie raised her head, trembling with tears rolling down her feeling-less cheeks, aiming it for her quaking chest, where her heart would lie.
But that's when the unexpected happened.
Trixie's legs wobbled and her jaws quivered as she held the knife tightly between her jaws. Yet, as she was diving for her chest, something heavy--almost like a body--slammed against her door.
Now starting to feel feverish, Trixie trembled even harder and held the knife up once again. But this time she was cut off by something she'd never expected.
Icicles clinging to her bristling fur and eyes wide like moons, the whites flashing, Starlight barrelled into Trixie's wagon, hitting her head hard against the wall on accident. Then, sitting up on her haunches with stars dancing around her head, Starlight realized what Trixie was about to do and thrust herself on top of the Illusionist.
"No, Trix, stop!! You can't do that!!" She hollered, alarm shuddering through her repeatedly. Her blood turned to ice and tears welled up in her round eyes, which were now crazed with fear as she picked up the knife with her magic and teleported it somewhere far away, where nopony would dare set hoof in.
"Starlight? Is it really you, or am I just dreaming?" Trixie asked, her voice small and high-pitched. Her jaws were parted as she frowned and tears swelled in her magenta eyes, of which her pupils were thinned out more than usual. A lump rubbed against her throat, arching its back in sorrow.
"Yes, Trixie. It's really me. And you aren't. . .dead ." Starlight nuzzled into Trixie's ruff, her tears being absorbed by coarse blue fur. Cold blue fur. Like, really cold. That just made Starlight cry even harder, her shoulders shaking and her gasps turning to wails of emotion.
"Whyever did you run away?! You had me so"--she paused to sniff--"worried! I-I-" Starlight broke off as a wave of tears crashed into her and she started gasping for breath once again.
Trixie gently ran a shaking hoof across Starlight's shoulder, her eyes clouded with tears that refused to fall. Her frown was shuddering on her muzzle and, seeing Starlight cry, it finally provoked her tears to slip out and fall down her cheeks.
"I love you. . ." Trixie mumbled, bringing the forehoof that wasn't caressing Starlight closer to her chest and looking away at the wooden boards lining up on her floor.
"What was that?"
Another inaudible mumble.
"Trixie! Now is no time for silly games!"
"I love you, okay?!" Trixie's hackles rose and she got, fast as lighting, to her hooves, of which were quivering. "That's why I came out here!" She threw a forearm in the air, her eyes slanted in anger. "I came all the way out here to get you this!" Using her pink aura of magic, Trixie drew the neatly wrapped present to Starlight hooves--she'd recently stood up as well.
"What?" Starlight whispered, utterly bewildered. She transferred her magic to the present Trixie had handed to her, staring at it. Not opening it--staring at it.
"It was a Hearthswarming gift for you. I spent pretty much all of my money on it, plus the wrapping paper. . ." Trixie sheepishly rubbed a foreleg over her other foreleg.
Starlight's cheeks lit up red and blocked the unrelenting cold that battered her fur. Tears clogged the corners of her eyes and a fresh wave came forth, tipping her cheek-fur with ice.
"Oh, Trixie. . ." She breathed, her heart fluttering in her chest. "You know what I think?"
Trixie sniffed and rubbed her face with a forehoof. "That I'm a crazy filly fooler and you knew it all along!" Her voice was strained through the lump in her throat and the tears streaming down her face and blurring her vision. "And you're just going to leave me here to die because you don't care about me and you never did!" Having so many painful emotions that she didn't even know what to do anymore, Trixie raced to the back of her wagon, bawling, and hid underneath her bed.
Starlight's heart moldered and dismay battled with dread inside of her, sloshing her insides so she felt sick and weak. Her mouth quivered with the attempt to not cry--maybe even harder than Trixie was.
"No, no, Trixie! You know I love you! I've been acting weird around you lately because I was ashamed. . .I thought that there was something wrong with me!" Starlight jabbed a forehoof into her chest, eyes blazing with emotion.
"S-so you, you were a-ash-shamed bec-cause you loved Trixie?" Trixie's voice scraped heavily across her throat and she stressed ove making her voice loud enough for Starlight to hear. Not that she even wants to. . .
"No, because you were a mare. Well," Starlight itched at the back of her head. "I, like, y'see. . ."
"It's weird liking a pony with marehood and you've never done it before?"
"Yes, I suppose." Starlight tottered over to Trixie on shaking hooves. She kissed her friend on the ear delicately and said; "I'm glad you love me, too."
"If I even do." Trixie rolled her eyes.
"What?" A frown so heavy it parted her jaws set on Starlight's face and one of her hooves trembled over her heart.
"Just joking, heheh. . ." Trixie covered up quickly, scrunching her muzzle briefly. Yet, the room filled with silence, all except for the chaos blending like a smoothie outside. Speaking of which, it seemed to have calmed down. . .
The silence pressed down hard on both Unicorns' ears and Trixie's heart was beating so fast she felt as though it would burst. Starlight's was also beating fast, but she held the nerve to keep herself calm.
Finally, their eyes met. And all of a sudden the silence was replaced by an admirational tension sparking between both mares, of which both ponies felt extremely awkward to be in the midst of it. After all, the longest connection Starlight had ever had with a pony would be her old village she'd enslaved, but she'd never fallen in love there. Instead, she'd had a small crush on Sunburst, and that'd increased when she had finally reunited with him for one of Twilight's friendship lessons.
But then, all of those thoughts would be pushed aside when she met Trixie Lulamoon, the mare she wished that she could spend the rest of her days with; the mare that was always there for her; the mare that cared no matter what, and it always ended with an "I love you. I always will." The only thing was that Starlight, or maybe even Trixie, had been meaning that toward the strong friendship they'd woven together through the moons.
What about Trixie? Well, she'd been proven more than once to be a snobby Unicorn who was so self-absorbed that she couldn't see the outcome of her actions. Twilight hadn't trusted her until she literally saved Equestria. How would Twilight react to her and Starlight's relationship? That was a question that often entered her wondering mind. She was so lucky to have a friend like Starlight, who was her first and also only friend. Well, unless the mane 6 and Spike were considered her friends.
But none of that mattered. The only friend she really, truly cared about was Starlight. Starlight Glimmer, the love of her pitiful life that nopony but her seemed to care about.
And all of that was the reason why Trixie's courage skimmed her heart, of which was already in a layer of unrelenting love, causing her to lean in and give Starlight a sweet kiss on the lips.
Trixie pulled back before Starlight had the chance to fully react, but for some odd reason there was no tension in the air. Just the warm, fuzzy feelings that seemed to push away the cold weather outside and even inside.
"When will you open my gift?" Trixie persisted, her tail lifting in anticipation and her haunches only skimming the ground.
"Whenever you want me to," Starlight's voice was like a mother cat rasping her tongue comfortingly on her kitten's head. "Which I suppose it right now." She giggled, folding her magic around the prettily wrapped present. It was medium sized, so it could be anything.
Narrowing her eyes, which were shining with bubbly light, Starlight gingerly unfolded the ribbons and carefully took off the wrapping paper to reveal a cardboard box.
Hooves shaking with anticipation, Starlight teleported a knife to her and cut open the edges of the box. Then, she teleported the knife back to wherever it was. Trixie recognized the spell from her magic duel with Twilight.
Slowly, while biting her lip, Starlight uncovered the box, her heart slamming against her ribs. But what she saw made her leap into the air with unimaginable joy, tears flying from her eyes as she squealed continuously and jumped up and down.
She whisked the kite up to her chest and folded her forearms around it, squeezing it tightly. "Thank you thank you thank you thank you!!!" Elation spreading through her body and giving strength to her limbs, Starlight hugged Trixie even harder than the blue mare had hugged her after she'd turned a salt shaker to a teacup.
"It was the Great and Powerful Trixie's absolute pleasure." Came the fond reply, though it was strained from the pressure of Starlight's hug. Trixie pushed Starlight away softly and the blushing mare scratched her head as she stepped back unevenly, her cheeks lit up red with joy and a smile still taking over most of her face.
Then she looked outside at the weather--which had fortunately calmed down like a female dog coming out of the intense trance of being in heat--and her buoyant smile was replaced with a solemn frown. Starlight lifted a forehoof in thought and her eyebrows creased, coming into view (seeing as normally you can't see them on anypony). Warily she stalked over to the window of Trixie's wagon and peered out intensely, now tapping her fuzzy chin with a bootied hoof. Contemplating what to do--and possibly a spell to cast--Starlight muttered under her breath, her ears twisting back but not flattening. Then, suddenly, an idea struck her;
Starlight gasped, her lips upturning, and hollered; "I could cast a spell to fix your wheel! Rarity taught me it a while ago, and it's still fresh in my mind!!" Rearing up so that she stood on her hind hooves, Starlight emitted an excited neigh and churned her forehooves in the air. Gusto rushing inside of her that she found a solution, Starlight galloped out the door as one of her booties fell off and stood before Trixie's stuck wheel, her legs spread apart and her head bowing slightly as white rings traced over the darker pink-purple ones lining her horn. She gritted her teeth in frustration, as this was not only a spell not only Rarity had taught her, but as a spell she had been taught by Rarity that she added an abandoned, unfinished spell by Starswirl the Bearded to. Completing the spell on her own, Starlight had created a spell that allowed a pony to fix an object but at the same time make it so that a thousand years could pass with out it even having a small crack in it.
Growling with the effort, Starlight shot a beam of magic at the wheel, and it shook, powerful magic noises uttering as Starlight's spell worked it's magic and the wheel would soon be fixed. The powerful Unicorn's fur quivered and her hooves--all of them bootied except for one--dug into the thick snow underhoof.
Eventually Trixie found her way outside of her Wagon, and concern brimmed in her purple eyes as she trotted out beside Starlight, shaking intensely at the icy cold. She parted her jaws to say something but quickly shut them as she observed Starlight, who's brow was furrowed harshly and her eyes were narrow slits that twitched in concentration.
Yet, finally, Starlight had finished the spell, and she gushed out a gasp-like moan as she collapsed onto the soft bed of snow beneath her.
Quickly, Trixie skittered to Starlight's aid, placing a gentle--yet shaking--hoof on Starlight's back and rubbing it comfortingly. Luckily, this eased the stress exuding into Starlight's brain, and she felt her racing heart slow the smallest bit and, as Trixie took her hoof away, cold pierced her spine and made her fur fluff up.
"L-let's get you back to Twilight's castle." Starlight stuttered as she wobbily got to her hooves. "Your wheel will be fixed till way after you die, so we don't have to worry about that."
"Er, Starlight?" Trixie had discombobulation dripping like thick honey from her high-pitched voice. "You might wanna put your horn in some snow or something. . ."
Starlight hadn't realized the scorching fire feeling that stung her horn, and finally she realized that smoke was radiating from the tip and red was spread down it. Alarm bolting through her, Starlight whipped her head down and plunged her horn into the snow, looking like an Ostrich.
Trixie watched, biting her lip, as the snow around Starlight's horn melted away and the beautiful mare swung her head back up, water trickling down it. Then she breathed a sigh of relief as she glanced at her marefriend's horn and found that it looked normal.
"Alright," Starlight exclaimed. "Let's get you home."
