"Such a beautiful night," Twilight said to herself as she stepped outside of Ponyville. The night had certainly been eventful, but now that all the chaos and danger had passed, a calm quiet had descended upon the town. Of course, with such activity still fresh in her mind, it would have been nigh impossible for Twilight to get to sleep all that easily. So, here she was, going for a quick stroll out in the night. And what a beautiful night it was, as she'd already said. The moon was shining brightly, and the stars twinkled in that way you only got on truly great nights. Twilight smiled as she walked further and further from her home, looking to each and every one of those glittering sparkles high above her. "This...is perfect."
But her solitude did not last for long, as it was only a few moments later when her ears started to pick up another sound. It took only a short while for her to realise that it was a voice, though one that was far off and hard to make out. Now, being out here herself, Twilight couldn't very well call it odd for anypony to be out at night, but even so, it seemed strange to her. So, curiosity taking hold of her, she trotted forward, the voice getting louder and louder with every step. She was getting closer, and as she turned a corner, she stopped, her eyes widening with surprise at what and who she now looked upon. "Trixie?"
Yes. Trixie. The very mare she had parted with on such bad terms not so long ago. Twilight was certain she'd left the town far behind her, yet here she was. She was in her usual magician's outfit of course, and she was standing outside of her wagon, and it was this latter object that seemed to be the cause for the blue unicorn's presence. One of the wheels was cracked, and rather badly too, given how the whole wagon was slanting to one side. Trixie had propped it with a few planks while she examined it, but even so it wasn't something she looked like she was going to be fixing anytime soon. Her grumbles pretty much confirmed that. "Oh, of all the times to get a crack, it just had to be now, didn't it?"
Though their last meeting hadn't exactly been the best, Twilight nevertheless softened as she looked upon her predicament, and so emerged from behind the corner, walking a few steps closer before finally speaking out. "Trixie?"
Instantly, the show-mare's eyes snapped open wide, and she spun in place, looking to Twilight with utter shock. "You?!" Then, it was as if she'd suddenly remembered how she was supposed to be behaving in this particular scenario, as she stood upright, clearing her throat slightly before speaking in that grander and fancier way she'd so easily done back during her show in Ponyville. "The Great and Powerful Trixie is surprised to see you returning to her presence, Twilight Sparkle! What brings you to my humble abode?" Then, as if just waiting for her to have said exactly that, there was a loud snapping noise, and both mares turned to see the crack in the wagon's wheel get even bigger. After pausing for a moment, Trixie sighed, shaking her head before once more regarding Twilight. "Okay, what do you want?"
Twilight, taking a step forward, looked to Trixie with genuine concern. "I was just out for a walk when I heard you. Are you okay?"
Trixie let out an obviously-forced laugh. "Ha! The Great and Powerful Trixie is always okay! For I am a mare of endless resourcefulness! And it will take far more than a mere broken wheel to stop her in her noble quest!"
A remark like that earned her Twilight's curiosity. "Noble quest? What is it you're doing?"
Trixie swept aside her cape, no doubt in an attempt to look as dramatic or impressive as possible, before providing an answer. "Trixie was made to leave Ponyville in disgrace! Her wonderful reputation in tatters after the disaster that was the Ursa Major attack!"
Twilight frowned. "Minor, not Major. I already explained that."
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Minor, Major, whatever. It was a big bear thing and it attacked." Recognising that she'd broken character, she again cleared her throat, then continued. "Ahem. The point being that Trixie was seen as incapable for vanquishing such a beast, and so she shall try to repair her tarnished image by returning triumphantly to Ponyville! She shall display a show of magic so wondrous that the good citizens of the town shall have little choice but to welcome her back with open hooves!"
Hearing all that, Twilight looked to her with scepticism. "Are you sure that's really warranted? I doubt anypony would really hold it against you for not fighting the bear. Few could."
Trixie turned to her broken wheel, not bothering to look to Twilight as she spoke. "Bah! We all know they mock Trixie behind her back! Trixie talked up time and again how Ursa Major were no problem, yet when the time came, she was seen to falter in that great goal!"
Twilight walked beside her, even though it was clear that having her this close was uncomfortable for the show-mare. "I don't remember anypony making fun of you for that. You just sort of...left."
Trixie paused here, keeping her eyes squarely on her wheel. When she resumed, it was, to Twilight's surprise, in a completely normal manner. "Look, I'm going to level with you here, Twinkle."
"Twilight," Twilight corrected again.
"Right. That. You came in, a nopony from nowhere, and showed me up in front of everypony. Where Trixie failed, you succeeded. The spotlight was yours, when it should have been mine." Looking to Twilight at last, she narrowed her eyes. "How could you even do all that?! I'd never even seen magic on your level before!"
Twilight smiled to her. "To be honest, I'd never actually attempted magic on that big of a creature before. For a moment I was afraid I couldn't do it."
Trixie pointed to her. "Yet do it you did. So tell me, where'd you get that kind of power?"
Twilight gave a quick shrug. "I didn't just get it, Trixie. It took time. Princess Celestia helped me learn a great deal when I was..."
Unfortunately, Twilight was unable to finish that sentence, as she suddenly found Trixie's hoof placed upon her lips. The show-mare herself looked to her with a combination of surprise and some kind of dislike, and her tone reflected that. "Did...did you say Princess Celestia taught you?" A nod from Twilight and she continued. "As in...the Princess Celestia? Raiser of the sun and ruler of all Equestria?" Again, Twilight nodded, and Trixie's eyes narrowed for a second time. "You wouldn't, by any chance, have been a student at her School for gifted Unicorns, were you?"
Twilight smiled, fond memories of her time at that school returning to her. "I was. And I really enjoyed my time there. I learned so much."
Taking a step backwards, Trixie thought long and hard about all of that, then let out a huff, turning away and shaking her head. "Right...of course you had to be a student. How could I not have seen it earlier?"
Confused, Twilight tilted her head. "I'm sorry?"
Trixie took a deep breath, then faced her fully, looking right into her eyes. "You know...I tried getting into that school myself once."
Twilight's eyes widened with slight surprise. "Really?"
Trixie nodded. "Yeah. I wanted more than anything else to learn about magic and all the wonderful spells the world had to offer." She frowned. "But alas, turns out little Trixie wasn't good enough. I failed the entrance exam, and so had to decide some other path in my life." Reaching to the side, she patted her wagon. "So this became my life. I still wanted to do magic, but if I couldn't do the really impressive stuff, then at least I could try and look impressive." She smiled, if only a little. "And for a while, that's how ponies saw me. Great and powerful." Then her smile faded. "Until now. Now...I'll just be the mare who boasted and bragged about things she just wasn't cut out for." Here, she looked saddened, and she hung her head low. "What was I thinking? Nopony will want to see my show now. Not after they've seen what really good magic looks like!"
Twilight, despite having known her for only a short while, still felt bad seeing her so down on herself. She had been such a confident and self-assured mare, yet here she was, feeling her self-worth fade away right before her eyes. Fortunately for the show-mare, it was Twilight Sparkle she was with. A good and decent mare who only wanted to help, and so, after having heard all of that, the young unicorn smiled, stepping forward and placing her hoof upon Trixie's shoulder. As the other mare looked to her, Twilight's smile widened slightly. "You know...it's going to be pretty cold out here tonight. If you like, we've got room at the library."
Naturally, Trixie was taken aback by this offer. "You...you'd let me stay at your place?"
Twilight nodded. "I don't blame you for what happened with the Ursa, Trixie. And I don't hold your bragging and boasting against you ether. I don't see a bad mare in front of me. I see a mare who just wanted ponies to like her. Well...I like you, as surprising as that might be to hear. And...well...I want to help."
To say Trixie was shocked would have been an understatement, and she clearly seemed to struggle with what had been offered. Yet, at the end of it all, the blue mare offered her one-time rival a smile. "I...I think I'd like that."
Smiling again, Twilight gestured to the town. "Come on. I'll help you fix your wagon in the morning."
